Gospel Doctrine 
 
 Sermons and Writings 
 
 President Joseph F. Smith 
 
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GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 SELECTIONS FROM 
 
 THE SERMONS AND WRITINGS 
 
 OF 
 
 JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 Sixth President of the Church of Jesus Christ 
 of Latter-day Saints 
 
 THE DESERET NEWS 
 
 SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 
 
 1919 
 
Copyright, 1919, by 
 HEBER J. GRANT, 
 
 Trustee-in-Trust for the Church of Jesus 
 
 Christ of Latter-day Saints 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
PREFACE 
 
 President Joseph F. Smith was so long in the public 
 service of the Church that his published sermons and writ- 
 ings would fill many volumes. The difficult problem of the 
 compilers of this volume has been to make a collection of 
 extracts. that would do full justice to the man and that, at 
 the same time, could be contained in a volume of 'moderate 
 size. Every reader who knows Church literature will note 
 the shortcomings of the work ; and none more than the com- 
 pilers. However, incomplete as it may be, this collection is 
 well worth while, for it contains a wealth of gospel wisdom, 
 to instruct, comfort, and inspire the Saints. 
 
 The literature of the Church has been carefully and 
 systematically searched to discover all of President Smith's 
 public writings and sermons. Those of a historical nature 
 have not been used in this collection, as they may well be 
 made into another volume. 
 
 The compilers give their thanks to the many who, with 
 hearts full of love for President Smith, have helped in the 
 work. 
 
 The work has reaffirmed to us that prophets, speaking 
 for God, are with us. 
 
 THE COMPILERS. 
 
I o 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 President Joseph F. Smith incidentally stated on one 
 occasion that when he should pass away, unlike many of his 
 brethren, he would leave no written work, by which he 
 might be remembered. It was his modest way of viewing 
 his own ministry and literary labors, for President Smith 
 would live in the hearts of the people even if he had said 
 nothing for the printed page; but on the contrary, it was 
 discovered that there are volumes in print, though at that 
 time it had not been gathered and was therefore not so 
 w r ell known. 
 
 One of the compilers of this volume, Dr. John A. 
 Widtsoe, listening to his remark, thought to himself, "cer- 
 tainly it cannot be true that he has left no written work." 
 He then decided to look into his published writings and ser- 
 mons, conceived the idea of making extracts from them and 
 arranging these extracts by subjects and in chapters, in the 
 form of a book. The result is this splendid volume now 
 presented to the public under the title GOSPEL DOCTRINE. 
 
 Doctor John A. Widtsoe interested his brother, Prof. 
 Osborne J. P. Widtsoe, also Albert E. Bowen, Doctor F. S. 
 Harris, and Joseph Quinney, in the work of compiling and 
 classifying, from the voluminous writings and sermons of 
 President Smith, such extracts as would bear upon the sub- 
 jects chosen for consideration subjects covering a wide 
 range in gospel doctrine and philosophy, as taught by the 
 Latter-day Saints. Lorenzo N. Stohl geneiously paid the 
 expenses of the work. 
 
 Without price, and as a matter of love for the work in 
 hand, these brethren proceeded with the compilation, had 
 four typewritten copies prepared, nicely bound and titled, 
 and were privileged, sometime before the death of the Pres- 
 
vi INTRODUCTION 
 
 ident, to offer him the first typewritten copy of the work, 
 with their love and gratitude for his life, his example, and 
 his inspired teachings, as well as for his gentle kindness and 
 constant helpfulness to each of them. 
 
 Needless to say, the presentation and the work were 
 gladly accepted and gave President Smith great delight. 
 
 The Committee on Study for the Priesthood Quorums, 
 being apprised by the compilers of the work, conceived the 
 idea, under the initiative of Elder David O. McKay of the 
 Council of the Twelve, of making it a text book for the 
 Priesthood. The volume is now presented to the Melchiz- 
 edek Priesthood Quorums of the Church for their study and 
 consideration. To accompany it is "A GUIDE" for the direc- 
 tion of teachers and students, and adopted for convenience in 
 reference and study. 
 
 The sermons and writings of President Joseph F. Smith 
 teach, in wisdom and moderation, practically every essential 
 doctrine of the Latter-day Saints concerning the present life 
 and the life hereafter. Xot only that, but they abound in 
 helpful counsel and advice on everyday practices in right 
 living, stated in simple and persuasive language. President 
 Smith's sermons and writings breathe the true spirit of the 
 Gospel, are sound as gold in tenet and precept, and express 
 the will of the Master in every word. Gathered, classified, 
 arranged, and printed as in this volume, they constitute a 
 compendium of the doctrine and teachings of the Church 
 that we believe will stand as a safe guide for its members for 
 generations to come. 
 
 In presenting this compilation to the public, we are con- 
 fident that every reader will be fully repaid in its perusal, 
 containing, as it does, rich and vital selections from the say- 
 ings, teachings and sermons of one of the foremost prophets 
 of the Lord in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON COURSES OF STUDY FOR THE PRIESTHOOD. 
 SALT LAKE CITY, MAY, 1919. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 Truth, the Foundation 
 
 Our Hope Founded on Truth The Gospel Founded in 
 Truth Truth, the Foundation Man Saved by Truth 
 Gospel Truth Cannot be Superseded Man's Greatest 
 Achievement Truth and Righteousness Will Prevail 
 Reality of the Faith of the Saints Meaning of Science 
 All Truth From God The Saints May Know the Truth 
 How Truth May be Known How Man Lays an Im- 
 perishable Foundation of Truth Reward of All Honest 
 People The Gospel is Simple Our Knowledge is Lim- 
 ited Blessings for the Love of Truth 1 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 The Eternal Nature of the Church, the Priesthood, and Man 
 
 Eternal Nature of Plan of Salvation Gospel Principles are 
 Eternal Pre-existing States Spirit Memories The Im- 
 mortality of Man Man Eternally Responsible Our Inde- 
 structible, Immortal Identity No New Principles in the 
 Gospel Fountain of Truth Eternity of the Spirit of man 
 Purposes of Almighty Unchangeable 13 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 Revelation 
 
 Value of the Spirit of Revelation The Spirit of Inspiration 
 The Spirit of Revelation Enjoyed by All New Revela- 
 tion When to Expect New Revelation How the Lord 
 Reveals His Purposes Concerning the Church Modern 
 Revelation is Necessary Theory and Divine Revelation 
 Revelation and Legal Evidence Proper Channels for 
 Revelation The Doctrine and Covenants How to Read 
 the Bible Persecution Follows Revelation 42 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 Free Agency 
 
 The Latter-day Saints a Free People The Use of Freedom 
 and Human Judgment Latter-day Saints Should Exercise 
 Free Agency How to Obtain Blessings of God 58 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 God and Man 
 
 God has Directed His Latter-day Work A Personal Knowl- 
 edge of God God Speaks to the Honest in Heart God 
 
viii CONTENTS 
 
 Constantly Mindful of us God's Will to Exalt Man 
 God's Right to Rule in the World The Lesson in Natural 
 Calamities Extent of God's Power Beware of Limiting 
 God Misfortune and Evil Not Attributable to the Will of 
 God God's Warfare We are in God's Image God's 
 Rest Importance of Being Under the Influence of the 
 Holy Spirit Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, Comforter God 
 Inspires Man to Know and to Do Trust in God I Know 
 that My Redeemer Lives Our Personal Responsibility 
 The Church a Democratic Institution How to Secure 
 God's blessings Jesus is the Son Jehovah, the First- 
 born Nothing Temporal with God -The Important Con- 
 sideration 64 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 The Purpose and the Mission of the Church 
 
 The Kingdom of God Denned "Mormonism" Denned The 
 Mission of the Church The Plan of Life Restored Our 
 Mission is to Save The Gospel Message We are as 
 Leaven Man Insignificant Compared to Cause Where the 
 Gospel Spirit Leads The Fruits of True Religion Lat- 
 ter-day Saints Possess the Spirit of Salvation May Israel 
 Flourish The Work of the Lord Will Grow The King- 
 dom of God to Continue Zion Established to Remain 
 The Progress of God's Work Cannot be Stopped Divin- 
 ity of the Gospel The Gospel All Comprehensive Let 
 Your Light Shine No Cause for Worry The Gospel a 
 Shield from Terror The Gospel Trumpet What Church 
 Leaders Advocate Our Message one of Love Whence? 
 Whither? Latter-day Saints are Law- Abiding 87 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 The First Principles of the Gospel 
 
 How the Sinner May be Cleansed Fallacy of Death-Bed 
 Repentance The Change that Comes with Repentance 
 and Baptism The Necessity of Baptism When to Bap- 
 tize Children Through Atonement Sins are "Washed away 
 Conditions for Baptism The First Principles of the 
 Gospel 116 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 The Church and the Man 
 
 The Church in Advance of Its Members The Gospel the 
 Most Important Thing Personal Advancement is Help to 
 the Church Covenants of the Latter-day Saints A Priv- 
 ilege to be Associated with the Church Worth of a 
 Standing in the Church Importance of Having Names on 
 Church Records Secret Organizations Secret Societies 
 Gossip We Want to be Known as We are Treatment 
 
CONTENTS ix 
 
 of Those Who Will Not Obey the Law of the Church 
 Latter-day Saints Must be Thinkers and Workers The 
 Identity of the Church Unchanged No Classes or Nation- 
 alities in the Church No Neutrals in the Church Don't 
 Have Religious Hobbies Wealth Does Not Bring Church 
 Favors The Gospel Causes Disturbance "Having Done 
 All, Stand" Not Naturally Religious Strive to be as 
 Broad as the Gospel Search and Ye shall Find The 
 Spirit of Religion The Meaning of Success What is to 
 Become of Such as Me? Rest for the Peaceable Followers 
 of Christ Harmony Character, Mettle, and Mission of 
 the Latter-day Saints 13, 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 Priesthood 
 
 God is at the Helm Distinction Between Keys of the 
 Priesthood and Priesthood Conferring the Priesthood 
 An Authoritative Declaration The Church Not Man- 
 made What is the Priesthood? The Priesthood Defini- 
 tion, Purpose and Power Mission of the Priesthood 
 What are the Keys of the Priesthood? Sanctity of the 
 Ordinances of the Priesthood On Church Government 
 A Blessing and an Explanation of the Priesthood The 
 Privilege of the Priesthood to Bless The Priesthood 
 Greater than Any of its Offices Necessity of Organiza- 
 tion Acceptance of the Priesthood a Serious matter- 
 How Authority Should be Administered Authority Gives 
 Enduring Power Ministry Should Know its Duties and 
 the Use of Authority How Officers in the Church are 
 Chosen A Word to Bishops Jurisdiction of Quorums of 
 Priesthood Jurisdiction in Stakes and Wards Duties of 
 Those Engaged in the Ministry The Purpose and the 
 Duty of the Church: Qualities of Leaders Leaders Must 
 be Courageous Duties of Officers of the Church Truth 
 Will Unite Us Words to Church Officers Officers to 
 Set the Example Duty of the Holy Priesthood How to 
 Vote on Church Propositions Order of Voting for Of- 
 ficers of the Church Officers Dependent on Voice of 
 People Nearly All Male Members Hold the Priesthood; 
 Responsibility Many hold the Melchizedek Priesthood 
 Priesthood Quorums' Responsibilities What is Priest- 
 hood? Where and How Counsel Should be Sought 
 Parents Should be Consulted Proper use of Titles of the 
 Preisthood All Officers of the Priesthood Necessary and 
 Should be Respected Checks Upon Church Members 
 The Priesthood Should Know Section 107 of the Doctrine 
 and Covenants Who is Fit to Preside? Obligations of 
 the Priesthood How Honor for Those Who Bear the 
 Priesthood is Begotten Priesthood Membership Rolls 
 All Should Exercise Their Authority The Leaders in 
 Israel A Testimony of Joseph Smith and His Successors 
 
x CONTENTS 
 
 Goodness of the Leaders of the Church Divine Mis- 
 sions of Presidents of the Church The Presidents of the 
 Church Have Been Inspired When to Organize the First 
 Presidency First Presidency Not Necessarily Apostles 
 The Priesthood and Its Offices Authority of the Presi- 
 dent of the Church Relation of Members of First Presi- 
 dency Duties of Apostles Testimony of the Apostles 
 The Presiding Bishopric When to Submit Questions to 
 the General Authorities No Need to Point Out Defects 
 of Church Leaders Help the General Authorities Tem- 
 poral Support of General Authorities A Blessing Upon 
 Stake Presidencies and Other Officers Counsel to Stake 
 Presidents and Bishops Duties of Stake Presidents 
 Duty of High Councils Duties of Patriarchs Duties of 
 High Priests Duties of High Priests' Quorums Duty of 
 High Priests Purpose and Duties of Seventies Duty of 
 Seventies Duties of Seventies Seventies' Quorums to be 
 Replenished from Elders' Quorums Elders to Proclaim 
 Gospel Duties of Elders Authority of the Bishops and 
 Other Presiding Officers Duties of Bishops Bishops and 
 Lesser Priesthood Should be Active Duties of the Lesser 
 Priesthood Lesser Priesthood The Work of the -Bish- 
 opric Dignity of Teachers' Calling Value of Teachers' 
 Work The Restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood 
 Tribute to Heber C. Kimball Tribute to Erastus Snow 
 Purpose of Visits of Church Leaders 168 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 Spiritual Gifts 
 
 The Gift of Tongues The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
 Order of Administering to the Sick The Use of a 
 Testimony Purpose and Practice of Testimony Bearing 
 The Temporal and the Spiritual Not Separate Spiritual 
 and Temporal Salvation The Gospel Designed for Tem- 
 poral Benefits, Also The Spirit Needs Food 251 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 Obedience 
 
 Obedience an Eternal Principle How to Rise Above the 
 Weakness of Mortality Obedience to Church Ordinances 
 Indispensable Obedience Brings Light and Freedom 
 Blessings from Obedience 263 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 Prayer 
 
 Pray Every Day Pray In Wisdom Keep the Spirit of 
 Prayer True Prayer How to Pray An Address on 
 Prayer Practical Prayer and Healing Pray for the Au- 
 thorities Blessings Follow Prayers Correct Our Neg- 
 lects . . 273 
 
CONTEXTS xi 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 Tithing; the Poor; Industry 
 
 Why the Law of Tithing was Instituted Essential Nature 
 of the Law of Tithing The Law of Tithing a Test The 
 Law of Tithing, the Law of Revenue Tithing The 
 Widow and Her Tithing The Widow and Tithing 
 Who Receive Church Help Should be Tithe Payers Use 
 of Tithing Commercialism and Tithing Tithing Used 
 Carefully and Full Accounts Kept Books Open to Tithe- 
 Payers We Should Sympathize with the Unfortunate 
 Charity to be Accepted Only When Necessary Cease to 
 Waste Time; Cease to be Idle Gospel Blessings Ob- 
 tained by Labor Idlers Have No Place in Zion A Mes- 
 sage of the Latter-day Saints on Behalf of the Poor 282 
 
 , CHAPTER XIV 
 Temperance; the Sabbath 
 
 Man Should Be Master of His Appetites Moderation 
 Temperance How to Teach Temperance Use of To- 
 bacco and Strong Drinks Do Not Smoke The Saloon 
 Defeat the Liquor Interests Vitality and Patent Med- 
 icines Stamp Out Profanity and Vulgarity Saturday's 
 W r ork : Purpose of the Sabbath The Meaning of Sunday 
 What Shall \Ye Do on the Sabbath Day? Necessity of 
 Sunday Worship Be Wise in All You Do The Nature 
 and Purpose of Fasting Keeping the Sabbath Holy 
 Do Not Rob the Sabbath Day Man Must Be Master of 
 Himself 300 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 Many Duties of Man 
 
 The Object of Man's Existence We Deal with the Lord 
 Necessity for All to Accomplish their Missions God 
 Honors Those Who Honor Him Qualifications of Lat- 
 ter-day Saints Perfection in Our Sphere Let Every Man 
 Live to Bear Closest Inspection Need of Individual Re- 
 sponsibility Conquer Ourselves First Let Us Conquer 
 Ourselves Charity the Greatest Principle Look for 
 Good; Not for Evil Estimate Men by their Noble Deeds 
 Let Us Sustain One Another Do Not Bear Malice 
 Against One Another Honor Yourselves and Your 
 Neighbors Avoid Courts Let Us Live Our Religion 
 Let Us Be True to the Faith Church Duties are Para- 
 mount We Should Study the Gospel Encourage Sing- 
 ing Cultivate Singing Be Free From Debt What the 
 Lord Requires of His Saints Cultivate Gratitude Back- 
 biting Do Not Inflict Wounds, But Heal Wounds Use 
 Good Language Do Not Destroy Life Wantonly Com- 
 
xii CONTENTS 
 
 mencement Address Our Main Purpose of Life How to 
 Love Your Neighbor Question of Church Leaders The 
 Sin of Ingratitude 312 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 Marriage, the Home and the Family 
 
 Necessity of Marriage Marriage, God-Ordained and Sanc- 
 tioned Righteousness and Necessity of Marriage Male 
 and Female Enter Heaven Marriage to Replenish the 
 Earth Eternal Marriage Eternity of the Family Organi- 
 zation Importance of Marriage Within the Church No 
 Marriage in Heaven Plural Marriage Forbidden 
 Further Statement Marriage and Large Families Desir- 
 able Be True to Your Wives and Children Respect the 
 Rights of Others Mutual Treatment of Husband, Wife 
 and Children We Should Be Examples to Our Families 
 The Truest Greatness Parents Responsible for their 
 Children The Father, the Presiding Authority of the 
 Family Duties of Fathers Motherhood the Foundation 
 of Home and Nation Husband's Success Dependent 
 Upon Wife's Fitness Duty of Parents Watch Your 
 Children Duty to Teach Children What to Teach Your 
 Children What Children Should Be Taught Training of 
 Children at Home and in Sunday School Teach Children 
 the Gospel Teach Children the Story of Jesus' Death- 
 Wise Giving to Children Do Not Place Children Under 
 Pledges Children Have Equal Rights with Elders in the 
 House of the Lord Don't Mortgage Your Houses No 
 Substitute for the Home Worship in the Home The 
 Basis of a True Home The Ideal Home Foundation of 
 All Good in Home Secure Homes Own Your Homes 
 Do Not Mortgage Your Homes Evils of Mortgaging 
 Our First Duty to Our Household Unchastity, a Dom- 
 inant Evil Degrees of Sexual Sin Purity Three Threat- 
 ening Dangers The Gospel the Greatest Thing Duty of 
 Husband to Wife Wives and Husbands in Eternity Im- 
 portance of Filial Affection Family Government by Love 
 The Home and the Child 341 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 Amusements and Fashions 
 
 Youth Should Look Forward Proper Amusements Proper 
 Character of Amusements Social Duties The Danger of 
 Pleasure Hunting Harmful Effects of Bad Books 
 Proper Reading Raffling and Gambling Games of 
 Chance The Evil of -Cards Wasting Time with Cards 
 Card Playing Stop Card Playing Pernicious Nature of 
 Card Playing Cards in the Home Evil Fashions Im- 
 proper Fashions- Exclusive Clubs Among Church Mem- 
 bers A Lesson for the Boys 400 
 
CONTENTS xiii 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 Love Your Enemies 
 
 We Are Not Discouraged I Forgive All Men We Leave 
 Our Enemies in God's Hands Leave Results in God's 
 Hands Our Debt to Our Enemies A Prayer for Our En- 
 emies The Golden Rule Why the World Does Not Love 
 Us Love One Another Keep Aloof from the Wicked 
 The Enemies to Fear 421 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 Education and Industrial Pursuits 
 
 We Are Ever Learning Address on Ignorance The Value 
 of Practical Education Practical Education Advocated 
 Boys Should Be Taught the Arts of Industry Manual 
 Training and Agriculture Agriculture and Mechanic Arts 
 in Church Schools We Should Study Agriculture Dig- 
 nity of Agriculture Encourage Forestry Young Women 
 Should Have Practical Preparation for Life Object of 
 Church Schools Value of Church Schools Purpose of 
 Church Schools The Church Ample for All Necessary 
 Organizations Develop Faculties in Church Organiza- 
 tions The Foundation of Prosperity The Object of Co- 
 operation 427 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 Missionaries 
 
 How Missionaries Are Called Requirements of Prospective 
 Missionaries The Kind of Men Wanted for Missionaries 
 Necessary Qualifications of Missionaries Further Qual- 
 ifications of Missionaries What Missionaries Should 
 Teach What and How to Teach Not All Men Ready to 
 Accept the Gospel Our People Generous to Missionaries 
 Advice to Missionaries Missionaries and the Word of 
 Wisdom Caution to Missionaries Health of Missionaries 
 To Be Guarded Missionaries In 111 Health Care of Re- 
 turned Missionaries Work for Returned Missionaries 
 Duty of a Person Called on a Mission 444 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 False Teachings 
 
 The Devil's Knowledge The Enemy of Truth Always Ar- 
 rayed Against This Work Why the Truth is Hated- 
 Only Those Who Deny the Faith Contend Beware of 
 False Teachers Where to Expect False Doctrines 
 Knowledge of Sin Unnecessary Retreat from Evil The 
 Law of Recompense Sympathy with Criminals The 
 Crime of Witchcraft and Other Superstitions Supersti- 
 tious Practices The Messiah Craze One Mighty and 
 Strong 464 
 
xiv CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 Auxiliary Organizations 
 
 Definition of Auxiliary Organizations Place of Auxiliary 
 Organizations in the Church Relation Between Author- 
 ities of Ward and Auxiliary Organizations Purpose and 
 Duties of Relief Society Objects of the Relief Society 
 Duties and Purpose of the Relief Society The Relief So- 
 ciety Object of Sunday Schools and Church Schools 
 The Teacher Essential in Sunday School Work The First 
 Qualification of a Sunday School Teacher The Principle 
 of Sabbath School Teaching The Stake Sunday School 
 Board The Importance of M. I. A. Work The Field of 
 the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations 
 Purpose of Mutual Improvement Associations The Foun- 
 tain of Truth Purpose and Duties of Religion Classes 
 Teachers Must Believe in Jesus Christ 479 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 Political Government 
 
 The Ten Comandments The Laws of God and the Laws of 
 the Land No Nationalities in the Church The Latter- 
 day Saints Loyal to the United States Loyalty to the 
 Constitution of the United States Proud of the United 
 States Origin and Destiny of the United States: Loyalty 
 of the Latter-day Saints Saints to Serve God Guided by 
 God to the West True Patriotism Importance of Na- 
 tional Patriotism The Church Not Partisan The Church 
 Loyal Latter-day Saints Are Good Citizens Church Not 
 Responsible for Political Parties The Church Not In Pol- 
 itics Shun the Spirit of Mob Violence The Danger of 
 Mobs The Basis of Labor Unions Cause of War Atti- 
 tude Towards War We Want Peace When Peace Shall 
 Come Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men The Key to 
 Peace God Strives with Warring Nations Conduct of 
 the Boys in the Army Message to the Boys in War 
 Service 503 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 Eternal Life and Salvation 
 
 Eternal Life and Salvation Close Relation of the Next Life 
 Condition in a Future Life Spiritual Death The Un- 
 pardonable Sin The Resurrection Nature of Ministering 
 Angels---Redemption Beyond the Grave Nature of Death 
 The Resurrection On the Resurrection Resurrection 
 and Final Judgment Condition of Children in Heaven 
 Status of Children in the Resurrection Address at 
 Funeral Services of Mary A. Freeze The Resurrection- 
 Work for the Dead Temple Ordinances Unchanged- 
 Care and Need of Temples Preaching the Gospel in the 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Spirit World Vision of the Redemption of the Dead 
 Moderation in Burial Displays Who Cannot be Reached 
 by the Gospel Principle of Baptism for the Dead 538 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 Joseph Smith, the Prophet 
 
 The Reality of Joseph's Vision Joseph Smith's Name Will 
 Never Perish The Prophet Joseph Smith Prediction of 
 Joseph Smith Fulfilled Joseph Smith the Boy Joseph 
 Smith a Restorer Plural Wives of Joseph Smith, the 
 Prophet What Does the Martyrdom of Joseph and 
 Hyrum Teach Us Divine Authority of Joseph Smith and 
 His Sucessors God's Guiding Hand Seen in Church 
 History 604 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 Personal Testimonies and Blessings 
 
 A Testimony This is God's Work, a Testimony A Testi- 
 mony The Pledge of My Life A Blessing A Testimony 
 I Know that My Redeemer Lives Testimony 635 
 
 President T oseph F. Smith 
 
 An Appreciation Reminiscences A Biographical Sketch 
 Last of the Old School of Veteran Leaders. . . 644 
 
GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Truth, the Foundation 
 
 OUR HOPE FOUNDED ON TRUTH. Our hope of salva- 
 tion must be founded upon the truth, the whole truth, and 
 nothing but the truth, for we cannot build upon error and 
 ascend into the courts of eternal truth and enjoy the glory 
 and exaltation of the kingdom of our God. That cannot be 
 done. Oct. C. R.* 1917, p. 3. 
 
 THE GOSPEL FOUNDED IN TRUTH. I have no fears in 
 my heart, or mind, that that which is called "Mormonism" 
 which is indeed the gospel of Jesus Christ will not bear 
 the scrutiny of science and the researches of the learned 
 and literate into all truth. The gospel of Jesus is founded 
 in truth. Every principle of it is susceptible of demonstra- 
 tion beyond any just reason for contradiction. The Lord 
 is doing his work and will do it, and no power can stay it. 
 -Oct. C. R., 1908, p. 127. 
 
 TRUTH, THE FOUNDATION. We believe in righteous- 
 ness. We believe in all truth, no matter to what subject it 
 may refer. No sect or religious denomination in the world 
 possesses a single principle of truth that we do not accept 
 or that we will reject. We are willing to receive all truth, 
 from whatever source it may come; for truth will stand, 
 truth will endure. No man's faith, no man's religion, no 
 religious organization in all the world, can ever rise above 
 the truth. The truth must be at the foundation of religion, 
 or it is in vain and it will fail of its purpose. I say that the 
 truth is at the foundation, at the bottom and top of, and it 
 
 ^October Conference Report, 
 2 
 
2 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 entirely permeates this great work of the Lord that was es- 
 tablished through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith, the 
 prophet. God is with it; it is his work, not that of man; 
 and it will succeed no matter what the opposition may be. 
 We look now at the opposition arrayed against the Church 
 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and smile, so to speak, 
 with feelings of confidence, doubly assured by the experi- 
 ence of the past, in comparison to the feelings that pos- 
 sessed the souls of our fathers and mothers in the early days 
 of the Church, when they were but a handful, with all the 
 world arrayed against them ; just a few poor, homeless peo- 
 ple, driven from their possessions, cast out from the commu- 
 nities in which they sought to establish themselves and build 
 their homes. When I think of our people, thrust into the 
 wilderness, wandering and seeking for a place where the 
 soles of their feet might rest, and see, then, the world 
 arrayed against them, and think of the little chance that 
 appeared before them, for success and the accomplishment 
 of their purposes, I wonder that more of them did not trem- 
 ble and falter than did ; but some of them were true in the 
 midst of it all, even unto death. If it had been necessary 
 for them to have been martyred for the truth, willingly would 
 .they have given their lives, as they gave all else that they 
 possessed in the world, for the knowledge they had of the 
 divinity of the work in which they were engaged. Are we 
 as faithful today? Are we as devout as our fathers were? 
 Oh, my God, help me to be as true as they were ! Help me 
 to stand as they stood, upon the pedestal of eternal truth, 
 that no power on earth, or in hell, may remove me from that 
 foundation. This is my prayer to the Lord for my own 
 sake, and it is my prayer to him for every Latter-day 
 Saint throughout the length and breadth of the world. 
 Apr. C. R.* 1909, p. 7. 
 
 MAN SAVED BY TRUTH. We have no ill feelings in our 
 
 *April Conference Report. 
 
TRUTH, THE FOUNDATION 3 
 
 hearts toward any living creature. We forgive those who 
 trespass against us. Those who have spoken evil of us, and 
 who have misrepresented us before the world, we have no 
 malice in our hearts towards them. We say, let God judge 
 between them and us; let him recompense them for their 
 work. We will not raise a hand against them ; but we will 
 extend the hand of fellowship and friendship to them, if 
 they will repent of their sins and come unto the Lord and 
 live. No matter how malicious they may have been, or how 
 foolish they may have acted, if they will repent of it we 
 will receive them with open arms and we will do all we can 
 to help them to save themselves. I cannot save you; you 
 cannot save me ; we cannot save each other, only so far as 
 we can persuade each other to receive the truth, by teach- 
 ing it. When a man receives the truth he will be saved by 
 it. He will not be saved merely because some one talks to 
 him, but because he received and acted upon it. The gospel 
 is consistent, it is common sense, reason, revelation; it is 
 almighty truth from the heavens made known to man. 
 Apr. C. R., 1902, p. 86. 
 
 GOSPEL TRUTH CAN NOT BE SUPERSEDED. There is 
 no science, nor philosophy, that can supersede God Al- 
 mighty's truth. The Lord 'has said, "My word is truth," 
 and indeed it is ; and I believe that the Latter-day Saints 
 know enough about the word of God to know it is his word 
 when they see it and shun whatever is not; and that they 
 will abide by the word of God, for it is truth. As the Savior 
 said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disci- 
 ples indeed; ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall 
 make you free." I believe that the Latter-day Saints, and 
 especially the leading men in Israel, have sufficient knowl- 
 edge and understanding of the principles of the gospel that 
 they know the truth, and they are made free by its pos- 
 session free from sin, free from error, free from darkness, 
 from the traditions of men, from vain philosophy, and from 
 
4 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the untried, unproven theories of scientists, that need dem- 
 onstration beyond the possibility of a doubt. We have had 
 science and philosophy through all the ages, and they have 
 undergone change after change. Scarcely a century has 
 passed but they have introduced new theories of science and 
 of philosophy that supersede the old traditions and the old 
 faith and the old doctrines entertained by philosophers and 
 scientists. These things may undergo continuous changes, 
 but the word of God is always true, is always right. I want 
 to say to you that the principles of the gospel are always 
 true the principles of faith in God, of repentance from sin, 
 of baptism for the remission of sins by authority of God, and 
 the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost ; 
 these principles are always true and are always absolutely 
 necessary for the salvation of the children of men, no matter 
 who they are or where they are. These principles are al- 
 ways true, and you cannot get away from them. No other 
 name, under heaven, is given, but that of Jesus Christ, by 
 which you can be saved or exalted in the Kingdom of God. 
 No man can enter into the kingdom of heaven except he be 
 born again of the water and of the Spirit. These principles 
 are indispensable, for God has declared them. Not only has 
 Christ declared them by his own voice, and his disciples from 
 generation to generation, in the olden time, but in these lat- 
 ter days, they have taken up the same testimony and declared 
 these things to the world. They are true today as they were 
 true then, and we must obey these things. Apr. C. R., 1911, 
 pp. 7, 8. 
 
 MAN'S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT. The greatest achieve- 
 ment mankind can make in this world is to familiarize them- 
 selves with divine truth, so thoroughly, so perfectly, that 
 the example or conduct of no creature living in the world 
 can ever turn them away from the knowledge that they have 
 obtained. "In the footsteps of the Master," the greatest of 
 all the teachers that this world has ever received, is the 
 
TRUTH, THE FOUNDATION 5 
 
 safest and the surest course to pursue that I know of in the 
 world. We can absorb the precepts, the doctrines and the 
 divine word of the Master, without any fear that the exem- 
 plar will fail of carrying out and executing his own pre- 
 cepts and fulfiling his own doctrines and requirements. 
 
 From my boyhood I have desired to learn the princi- 
 ples of the gospel in such a way and to such an extent that 
 it would matter not to me who might fall from the truth, 
 who might make a mistake, who might fail to continue to 
 follow the example of the Master, my foundation would be 
 sure and certain in the truths that I have learned, though 
 all men else go astray and fail ,of obedience to them. We 
 all have heard of people who have pinned their faith to the 
 arm of flesh, who have felt that their belief, their confidence 
 and their love for the principles of the the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ would be shattered, if their ideals- those possibly who 
 first taught them the principles of the gospel should make 
 a mistake, falter or fall. 
 
 I know of but One in all the world who can be taken 
 as the first and only perfect standard for us to follow, and 
 he is the Only Begotten Son of God. I would feel sorry 
 indeed, if I had a friend or an associate in this life who 
 would turn away from the plan of life and salvation because 
 I might stumble or make a failure of my life. I want no man 
 to lean upon me nor to follow me, only so far as I am a con- 
 sistent follower in the footsteps of the Master. Juvenile 
 Instructor, 1915, Vol. 50, pp. 738, 739. 
 
 TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL PREVAIL. I do not 
 expect any victory, any triumph, anything to boast of, to 
 come to the Latter-day Saints, except upon the principles of 
 righteousness and of truth. Truth and righteousness will 
 prevail and endure. If we will only continue to build upon 
 the principles of righteousness, of truth, of justice, and of 
 honor, I say to you there is no power beneath the celestial 
 kingdom that can stay the progress of this work. And as 
 
6 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 this work shall progress, and shall gain power and influence 
 among men, so the powers of the adversary and of darkness 
 will dimmish before the advancement and growth of this 
 kingdom, until the kingdom of God, and not of men, will 
 triumph. Apr. C. R. t 1914, p. 4. 
 
 REALITY OF THE FAITH OF THE SAINTS. There is no 
 doubt in the minds of Latter-day Saints in relation to the 
 existence and personage of the Lord God Almighty, who is 
 the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is 
 no doubt in the minds of Latter-day Saints that Jesus is the 
 Son of God, being begotten of the Father in the flesh. And 
 there is no Latter-day Saint in all the world but knows as 
 truly and as fully as God can impart that knowledge to the 
 soul of man, that he shall live again after death, and that 
 men and women shall be associated together as God has 
 ordained, and they have been united by his power, to dwell 
 together forever and forever; and they shall know as they 
 are known, they shall see as they are seen, and they shall 
 understand as God understands ; for they are his children. 
 Apr. C. R., 1907, p. 39. 
 
 MEANING OF SCIENCE. True science is that system of 
 reasoning which brings to the fore the simple, plain truth. 
 The Savior of the world was pre-eminently the Scientist of 
 this earth, and the truths he uttered 1900 years ago have 
 withstood the assaults of science and prejudice and hate. 
 Logan Journal, Logan, February 6, 1912. 
 
 ALL TRUTH FROM GOD. Let us sustain the cause of 
 Zion. Let no man speak lightly of the principles of the 
 gospel. Let no one treat lightly the ordinances of the house 
 of God. Let no one hold in derision the Priesthood that 
 the Lord has restored to the earth, which is the authority 
 that he has given unto men. Let no man look contemptu- 
 ously upon the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ 
 of Latter-day Saints as it has been established in the earth 
 through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 
 
TRUTH, THE FOUNDATION 7 
 
 whom the Lord raised up when he was but a child to lay 
 the foundation of the same. Let no man treat these things 
 lightly or doubtingly ; but let every man seek earnestly to 
 understand the truth and teach his children to become famil- 
 iar with those truths of heaven that have been restored to 
 the earth in the latter days. I believe with all my soul in 
 God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I 
 believe with all my might, mind and strength in the Savior 
 of the world, and in the principle of redemption from death 
 and sin. I believe in the divine mission of the Prophet 
 Joseph Smith. I believe in all the truth that I know, and I 
 believe that there are many principles of eternal truth that 
 still lie hidden from me and from the understanding of men, 
 which will yet be revealed by the power of God unto his 
 faithful servants. I believe that the Lord has revealed to 
 the children of men all that they know. I do not believe 
 that any man has discovered any principle of science, or art , 
 in mechanism, or mathematics, or anything else, that God 
 did not know before man did. Man is indebted to the Source 
 of all intelligence and truth, for the knowledge that he pos- 
 sesses ; and all who \vill yield obedience to the promptings 
 of the Spirit, which lead to virtue, to honor, to the love 
 of God and man, and to the love of truth and that which is 
 ennobling and enlarging to the soul, will get a cleaner, a 
 more expansive, and a more direct and conclusive knowl- 
 edge of God's truths than anyone else can obtain. I tell you 
 this, because I know it is true. The Lord Almighty lives ; 
 he made the heavens and the earth, and the fountains of 
 water; and we are his children, his offspring, and we are 
 not here by chance. The Lord designed our coming, and 
 the object of our being. He designs that we shall accom- 
 plish our mission, to become conformed to the likeness and 
 image of Jesus Christ, that, like him, we may be without 
 sin unto salvation, like him we may be filled with pure 
 intelligence, and like him we may be exalted to the right 
 
8 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 hand of the Father, to sit upon thrones and have dominion 
 and power in the sphere in which we shall be called to act. 
 I testify to this doctrine, for the Lord has made me to know 
 and feel the truth of it from the crown of my head to the 
 soles of my feet. I love good, honorable men even men 
 who may be mistaken, as far as their judgment is concerned, 
 but who try to do right; I love them for the reason that 
 they are my brethren, the sons of my Father, and I would 
 that they might all see the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, 
 and accept it, and receive all the benefits of it, in time and 
 throughout all eternity. If the Lord has revealed to the 
 world the plan *of salvation and redemption from sin, by 
 which men may be exalted again into his presence and par- 
 take of eternal life with him, I submit, as a proposition 
 that cannot be controverted, that no man can, be exalted 
 in the presence of God and attain to a fulness of glory 
 ard happiness in his kingdom and presence, save and except 
 he will obey the plan that God has devised and revealed. 
 Apr. C. R., 1902, pp. 85, 86. 
 
 THE SAINTS MAY KNOW THE TRUTH. To the faith- 
 ful Latter-day Saint is given the right to know the truth, 
 as God knows it; and no power beneath the celestial king- 
 dom can lead him astray, darken his understanding, becloud 
 his mind, or dim his faith or his knowledge of the principles 
 of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It can't be done, for the 
 light of God shines brighter than the illumination of a false- 
 hood and error ; therefore, those who possess the light of 
 Christ, the spirit of revelation and the knowledge of God, 
 rise above all these vagaries in the world ; they know of 
 this doctrine, that it is of God and not of man. Oct. C. R., 
 1909, p. 9. 
 
 How TRUTH MAY BE KNOWN. It is a wicked and 
 adulterous generation that seeketh after a sign. Show me 
 Latter-day Saints who have to feed upon miracles, signs and 
 visions in order to keep them steadfast in the Church, and 
 
TRUTH, THE FOUNDATION 9 
 
 I will show you members of the Church who are not in good 
 standing before God, and who are walking in slippery paths. 
 It is not by marvelous manifestations unto us that we shall 
 be established in the truth, but it is by humility and faithful 
 obedience to the commandments and laws of God. When 
 I as a boy first started out in the ministry, I would frequently 
 go out and ask the Lord to show me some marvelous thing, 
 in order that I might receive a testimony. But the Lord 
 withheld marvels from me, and showed me the truth, line 
 upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a 
 little, until he made me to know the truth from the crown 
 of my head to the soles of my feet, and until doubt and fear 
 had been absolutely purged from me. He did not have to 
 send an angel from 'the heavens to do this, nor did he 
 have to speak with the trump of an archangel. By the 
 whisperings of the still small voice of the Spirit of the living 
 God, he gave to me the testimony I possess. And by this 
 principle and power he will give to all the children of men 
 a knowledge of the truth that will stay with them, and it 
 will make them to know the truth, as God knows it, and to 
 do the will of the Father as Christ does it. And no amount 
 of marvelous manifestations will ever accomplish this. It 
 is obedience, humility, and submission to the requirements of 
 heaven and to the order established in the kingdom of God 
 upon the earth, that will establish men in the truth. Men 
 may receive the visitation of angels ; they may speak in 
 tongues ; they may heal the sick by the laying on of hands ; 
 they may have visions and dreams ; but except they are faith- 
 ful and pure in heart, they become an easy prey to the adver- 
 sary of their souls, and he will lead them into darkness and 
 unbelief more easily than others Apr. C.R., 1900, pp. 40, 41. 
 How MAN LAYS AN IMPERISHABLE FOUNDATION OF 
 TRUTH. But the men and the women who are honest before 
 God, who humbly plod along, doing their duty, paying their 
 tithing, and exercising that pure religion and undefiled before 
 
10 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 God and the Father, which is to visit the fatherless and 
 the widows in their afflictions and to keep oneself unspotted 
 from the world, and who help look after the poor ; and who 
 honor the holy Priesthood, who do not run into excesses, 
 who are prayerful in their families, and who acknowledge 
 the Lord in their hearts, they will build up a foundation that 
 the gates of hell cannot prevail against ; and if the floods 
 come and the storms beat upon their house, it shall not fall, 
 for it will be built upon the rock of eternal truth. I pray 
 that this vast congregation will build upon this imperishable 
 foundation, upon the principle expressed by the words of 
 Joshua, "as for me and my house, we will serve God," and 
 as also expressed by Job, "though he slay me, yet will I 
 trust in him." If you have that spirit toward' God and 
 his work in these latter days, you will build steadily and 
 slowly, it may be, but surely, upon a foundation that will 
 endure throughout the countless ages of eternity. And if 
 you do not get any great manifestations, you need not worry 
 about it. You will get the testimony of Jesus Christ in 
 your hearts, and you will know God and Jesus whom he has 
 sent, whom to know is life eternal, just as well as those who 
 receive visions. For those who do receive visions, the devil 
 will try to make them believe that they were delusions, and 
 if they commit sin, he will be sure to make them believe it. 
 God bless you, is my prayer. Amen. Apr. C. R. } 1900, p. 42. 
 REWARD OF ALL HONEST PEOPLE. In some instances 
 you will find examples of people out in the world who do 
 not know as much as you do of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
 who have not the testimony of the Spirit in their hearts as 
 you have, of the divinity of Christ and of Joseph Smith, 
 who are just as devout, just as humble, just as contrite in 
 spirit, and as devoted to what they know, as some of us are, 
 and they will be rewarded according to their works, every 
 one of them, and will receive reward far surpassing anything 
 that they dream of. Apr. C. R. } 1912, p. 8. 
 
TRUTH, THE FOUNDATION 11 
 
 THE GOSPEL is SIMPLE. Some subjects are in them- 
 selves, perhaps, perfectly harmless, and any amount of dis- 
 cussion over them would not be injurious to the faith of our 
 young people. We are told, for example, that the theory 
 of gravitation is at best a hypothesis, and that such is the 
 atomic theory. These theories help to explain certain things 
 about nature. Whether they are ultimately true can not 
 make much difference to the religious convictions of our 
 young people. On the other hand, there are speculations 
 which touch the origin of life and the relationship of God 
 to his children. In a very limited degree that relationship 
 has been defined by revelation, and until we receive more 
 light upon the subject we deem it best to refrain from the 
 discussion of certain philosophical theories which rather de- 
 stroy than build up the faith of our young people. One thing 
 about this so-called philosophy of religion that is very unde- 
 sirable lies in the fact that as soon as we convert our re- 
 ligion into a system of philosophy, none but philosophers can 
 understand, appreciate, or enjoy it. God, in his revelation 
 to man, has made his word so simple that the humblest of 
 men, without especial training, may enjoy great faith, com- 
 prehend the teachings of the gospel, and enjoy undis- 
 turbed their religious convictions. For that reason we are 
 averse to the discussion of certain philosophical theories in 
 our religious instructions. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 46, pp. 
 208, 209, April, 1911. 
 
 OUR KNOWLEDGE is LIMITED. Our methods in specu- 
 lation and reasoning about the things of God may often be 
 harmless ; but if we depart from the simplicity of God's 
 word into a spirit of rationalism, we become the victims of 
 vanity which endangers the true spirit of worship in the 
 human heart. It is not easy for men to give up their van- 
 ities, to overcome their preconceived notions, and surrender 
 themselves heart and soul to the will of God which is always 
 higher than their own. The dangers of religious specula- 
 
12 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 tions are as great today as they were in the days of Christ, 
 and if we would avoid these dangers we must adhere to the 
 simplicity of our religious belief and practices. When men 
 and women realize they are getting into deep water where 
 their footing is insecure, they should retreat; for they may 
 be sure that the course they have been taking will lead them 
 more and more away from their bearings which are not 
 always easy to regain. The religion of the heart, the unaf- 
 fected and simple communion which we should hold with 
 God, is the highest safeguard of the Latter-day Saints. It 
 is no discredit to our intelligence or to our integrity to say 
 frankly in the face of a hundred speculative questions, "I 
 do not know." 
 
 One thing is certain, and that is, God has revealed 
 enough to our understanding for our exaltation and for our 
 happiness. Let the Saints, then, utilize what they already 
 have ; be simple and unaffected in their religion, both in 
 thought and word, and they will not easily lose their bear- 
 ings and be subjected to the vain philosophies of man. 
 Juvenile Instructor, Vol 46, p. 269, May, 1911. 
 
 BLESSINGS FOR THE LOVE OF TRUTH. If you love the 
 truth, if you have received the gospel in your hearts, and 
 love it, your intelligence will be added upon, your understand- 
 ing of truth will be expanded,become larger than in any other 
 way. Truth is the thing, above all other things in the world, 
 that makes men free free from indolence and carelessness, 
 free from the fearful consequences of neglect, for it will be a 
 fearful consequence, if we neglect our duty before the living 
 God. If you will learn the truth and walk in the light of 
 truth you shall be made free from the errors of men and of 
 crafts ; you will be above suspicion and above wrong-doing 
 of every description. God will approve of you and bless you 
 and your inheritances, and make you prosper and flourish 
 like a green bay tree. Improvement Era, Vol. XXI, p. 102, 
 December, 1917. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 The Eternal Nature of the Church, the 
 Priesthood, and Man 
 
 ETERNAL NATURE OF PLAN OF SALVATION. I feel this 
 morning as I have felt all my life, but I feel it stronger this 
 morning, perhaps, than ever before, that there is nothing 
 under the heavens of so much importance to me or to the 
 children of men as the great plan of life and salvation, 
 which was devised in the heavens in the beginning, and 
 which has been handed down from period to period through 
 the inspiration of holy men called of God until the day of 
 the coming of the Son of Man, for this gospel and this plan 
 of salvation was revealed to our first parents. The angel of 
 God carried to them the plan of redemption, and of salva- 
 tion from death and sin that has been revealed from time to 
 time by divine authority to the children of men, and it has 
 undergone no change. There was nothing in it, in the be- 
 ginning, that was superfluous or unnecessary; nothing in 
 it that could be dispensed with; it was a complete plan de- 
 vised in the beginning by the wisdom of the Father and the 
 holy ones for the redemption of the human race and for 
 their salvation and exaltation in the presence of God. It was 
 taught more fully, and exemplified more perfectly in the 
 being, the life and mission, the instruction and doctrine, of 
 the Son of God, than ever before, unless there may be an 
 exception in the days of Enoch ; but through all the genera- 
 tions of time, the same gospel, the same plan of life and sal- 
 vation, the same ordinances, burial with Christ, remem- 
 brance of the great sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the 
 world and for man's redemption, have been handed down 
 from time to time, from the time of the creation. Oct. C. R., 
 1913, p. 2. 
 
14 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 GOSPEL PRINCIPLES ARE ETERNAL. Faith in God is 
 an irrevocable principle, just as much as "thou shalt not 
 kill;" "thou shalt not steal;" "thou shalt not commit adul- 
 tery." Repentance of a sin is an eternal principle, and is as 
 essential in its place, and is as much an integral part of the 
 gospel of Jesus Christ as : "Thou shalt not kill," or, "Thou 
 shalt have no other gods before me." 
 
 Baptism for the remission of sin, by one having author- 
 ity, is an eternal principle, for God devised it, and com- 
 manded it, and Christ himself was not above obeying it ; he 
 had to obey it in order to fulfil the law of righteousness. 
 
 And then the rites of the Priesthood of the Church, as 
 the Lord has revealed them, and the principles that underlie 
 the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ, are irrev- 
 ocable, unchanging and unchangeable. We talk of the "ever- 
 lasting gospel of Jesus Christ," which "is the power of God 
 unto salvation," and these principles in and of themselves 
 are eternal principles, and will last while life, or thought, 
 or being lasts,' or immortality endures. Oct, C. R., 1912, 
 
 P . 11. 
 
 PRE-EXISTING STATES. 
 
 Mrs. Martha H. Tingey, 
 
 President, Y. L. M. I. A. 
 
 DEAR SISTER: The First Presidency have nothing to 
 advance 'concerning pre-existing states but that which is 
 contained in the revelations to the Church. The written 
 standards of scripture show that all people who come to this 
 earth and are born in mortality had a pre-existent, spiritual 
 personality as the sons or daughters of the Eternal Father. 
 (See Pearl of Great Price, chap 3, verses 5-7). Jesus Christ 
 was the Firstborn. A spirit born of God is an immortal be- 
 ing. When the body dies the spirit does not die. In the 
 resurrected state the body will be immortal as well as the 
 spirit. Speculations as to the career of Adam before he 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 15 
 
 came to the earth are of no real value. We learn by reve- 
 lation that he was Michael, the Archangel, and that he 
 stands at the head of his posterity on earth (Doctrine and 
 Covenants, sec. 107:53-56). Dogmatic assertions do not 
 take the place of revelation, and we should be satisfied with 
 that which is accepted as doctrine, and not discuss matters 
 that, after all disputes, are merely matters of theory. 
 
 Your brethren, 
 
 JOSEPH F. SMITH, 
 ANTHON H. LUND, 
 CHARLES W. PENROSE, 
 
 First Presidency. 
 
 Young Woman's Journal, Vol. 23, pp 162, 163, 1912. 
 
 SPIRIT MEMORIES. (Letter written to Elder O. F. 
 Whitney who was a missionary in England.) I heartily 
 endorse your sentiments respecting congeniality of spirits. 
 Our knowledge of persons and things before we came here, 
 combined with the divinity awakened within our souls 
 through obedience to the gospel, powerfully affects, in my 
 opinion, all our likes and dislikes, and guides our prefer- 
 ences in the course of this life, provided we give careful 
 heed to the admonitions of the Spirit. 
 
 All those salient truths which come home so forcibly to 
 the head and heart seem but the awakening of the mem- 
 ories of the spirit. Can we know anything here that we did 
 not know before we came ? Are not the means .of knowl- 
 edge in the first estate equal to those of this? I think that 
 the spirit, before and after this probation, possesses greater 
 facilities, aye, manifold greater, for the acquisition of knowl- 
 edge, than while manacled and shut up in the prison-house 
 of mortality. 
 
 Had we not known before we came the necessity of 
 our coming, the importance of obtaining tabernacles, the 
 glory to be achieved in posterity, the grand object to be at- 
 
16 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 tained by being tried and tested weighed in the balance, in 
 the exercise of the divine attributes, god-like powers and 
 free agency with which we are endowed; whereby, after 
 descending below all things, Christ-like, we might ascend 
 above all things, and become like our Father, Mother and 
 Elder Brother, Almighty and Eternal! we never would 
 have come ; that is, if we could have stayed away. 
 
 I believe that our Savior is the ever-living example to 
 all flesh in all these things. He no doubt possessed a fore- 
 knowledge of all the vicissitudes through which he would 
 have to pass in the mortal tabernacle, when the foundations 
 of this earth were laid, "when the morning stars sang to- 
 gether, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." When he 
 conversed with the brother of Jared, on the Mount, in his 
 spiritual body, he understood his mission, and knew the 
 work he had to do, as thoroughly as when he ascended from 
 the Mount of Olives before the wondering gaze of the Jew- 
 ish disciples, with his resurrected, glorious and immortal 
 body. 
 
 And yet, to accomplish the ultimatum of his previous 
 existence, and consummate the grand and glorious object of 
 his being, and the salvation of his infinite brotherhood, he 
 had to come and take upon him flesh. He is our example. 
 The works he did, we are commanded to do. We are en- 
 joined to follow him, as he followed his Head ; that where he 
 is, we may be also; and being with him, may be like him. 
 If Christ knew beforehand, so did we. But in coming here, 
 we forgot all, that our agency might be free indeed, to 
 choose good or evil, that we might merit the reward of our 
 own choice and conduct. But by the power of the Spirit, 
 in the redemption of Christ, through obedience, we often 
 catch a spark from the awakened memories of the immortal 
 soul, which lights up our whole being as with the glory of 
 our former home. Contributor, Vol. 4, pp. 114, 115, 1883. 
 
 THE IMMORTALITY OF MAN. We are called mortal be- 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 17 
 
 ings because in us are seeds of death, but in reality we are 
 immortal beings because there is also within us the germ 
 of eternal life. Man is a dual being, composed of the spirit 
 which gives life, force, intelligence and capacity to man, and 
 the body which is the tenement of the spirit and is suited to 
 its form, adapted to its necessities, and acts in harmony with 
 it, and to its utmost capacity yields obedience to the will of 
 the spirit. The two combined constitute the soul. The body is 
 dependent upon the spirit, and the spirit during its natural 
 occupancy of the body is subject to the laws which apply 
 to and govern it in the mortal state. In this natural body 
 are the seeds of weakness and decay, which, when fully 
 ripened or untimely plucked up, in the language of scrip- 
 ture, is called ''the temporal death." The spirit is also sub- 
 ject to what is termed in the scriptures and revelations from 
 God, "spiritual death." The same as that which befell our 
 first parents, when, through disobedience and transgression, 
 they became subject to the will of Satan, and were thrust 
 out from the presence of the Lord and became spir- 
 itually dead, which the Lord says, "is the first death, 
 even that same death which is the last death, 
 which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the 
 wicked when I shall say, Depart, ye cursed !" And the Lord 
 further says, "But, behold I say unto you, that I the Lord 
 God gave unto Adam and unto his seed, that they should 
 not die as to the temporal death, until I the Lord God should 
 send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and re- 
 demption (from the first death), through faith on the name 
 of mine Only Begotten Son. And thus did I, the Lord God, 
 appoint unto man the days of his probation; that by his 
 natural death he might be raised in immortality unto 
 eternal life, even as many as would believe; and they that 
 believe not, unto eternal damnation, for they cannot be re- 
 deemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not." 
 From the natural death, that is the death of the body, and 
 
18 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 also from the first death, "which is spiritual," there is re- 
 demption through belief on the name of the Only Begotten 
 Son, in connection with repentance and obedience to the 
 ordinances of the gospel, declared by holy angels, for if one 
 "believe," he must also obey; but from the "second death," 
 even that same death which is the first death, "which is 
 spiritual," and from which man may be redeemed through 
 faith and obedience, and which will again be pronounced 
 upon the wicked when God shall say, "depart, ye cursed," 
 there is no redemption, so far as light on this matter has 
 been revealed. 
 
 It is written that "all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be 
 forgiven unto men" who receive me and repent ; "but the blas- 
 phemy against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven unto 
 men." If men will not repent and come unto Christ, through 
 the ordinances of his gospel, they cannot be redeemed from 
 their spiritual fall, but must remain forever subject to the will 
 of Satan and the consequent spiritual darkness or death unto 
 which our first parents fell, subjecting all their posterity 
 thereto, and from which none can be redeemed but by belief 
 or faith on the name of the Only Begotten Son and obe- 
 dience to the laws of God. But, thanks be to the eternal 
 Father, through the merciful provisions of the gospel, all 
 mankind will have the opportunity of escape, or deliverance, 
 from this spiritual death, either in time or in eternity, for 
 not until they are freed from the first can they become sub- 
 ject unto the second death, still if they repent not "they can- 
 not be redeemed from their spiritual fall," and will continue 
 subject to the will of Satan, the first spiritual death, so long 
 as "they repent not, and thereby reject Christ and his gos- 
 pel ;" but what of those who do believe, repent of their sins, 
 obey the gospel, enter into its covenants, receive the keys 
 of the priesthood and the knowledge of the truth by revela- 
 tion and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and afterwards turn 
 away wholly from that light and knowledge ? They "become 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 19 
 
 a law unto themselves," and "will to abide in sin;" of such 
 it is written, "whoso breaketh this covenant, after he hath 
 received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have 
 forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come." And 
 again, "Thus saith the Lord, concerning all those who know 
 my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and 
 suffered themselves, through the power of the devil, to be 
 overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power they 
 are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that 
 it had been better for them never to have been born, for 
 they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of 
 God, with the devil and his angels in eternity; concerning 
 whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor 
 in the world to come, having denied the Holy Spirit after 
 having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son 
 of the Father having crucified him unto themselves, and put 
 him to an open shame." Doc. and Cov. 76:31-35. 
 
 Now, there is a difference between this class and those 
 who simply repent not and reject the gospel in the flesh. Of 
 these latter it is written, "they shall be brought forth by the 
 resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory 
 of the Lamb," and "shall be redeemed in the due time of the 
 Lord after the sufferings of his wrath." But of the others it 
 is said, "they shall not be redeemed," for "they are the only 
 ones on whom the second death shall have any power." The 
 others, never having been redeemed from the first, cannot 
 be doomed to the second death, or in other words, cannot 
 be made to suffer eternally the wrath of God, without hope 
 of redemption through repentance, but must continue to suf- 
 fer the first death until they repent, and are redeemed there- 
 from through the power of the atonement and the gospel 
 of salvation, thereby being brought to the possession of all 
 the keys and blessings to which they will be capable of at- 
 taining or to which they may be entitled, through the mercy, 
 justice and power of the everlasting God; or, on the other 
 
20 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 hand, forever remain bound in the chains of spiritual dark- 
 ness, bondage and banishment from his presence, kingdom 
 and glory. The "temporal death" is one thing, and the 
 "spiritual death" is another thing. The body may be dis- 
 solved and become extinct as an organism, although the ele- 
 ments of which it is composed are indestructible or eternal, 
 but I hold it as self-evident that the spiritual organism is an 
 eternal, immortal being, destined to enjoy eternal happiness 
 and a fulness of joy, or suffer the wrath of God, and misery 
 a just condemnation, eternally. Adam became spiritually 
 dead, yet he lived to endure it until freed therefrom by the 
 power of the atonement, through repentance, etc. Those 
 upon whom the second death shall fall will live to suffer and 
 endure it, but without hope of redemption. The death of 
 the body, or natural death, is but a temporary circumstance 
 to which all were subjected through the fall, and from which 
 all will be restored or resurrected by the power of God, 
 through the atonement of Christ. 
 
 Man existed before he came to this earth, and he will 
 exist after he passes from it; and will continue to live 
 throughout the countless ages of eternity. 
 
 There are three classes of beings ; or rather, man exists 
 in three separate conditions, before and after his probation 
 upon this earth first, in the spirit or pre-existent state; 
 second, in the disembodied state, the condition which exists 
 after the dissolution of the body and spirit until the resur- 
 rection take place; and third, in the resurrected state. For 
 instance, some fourteen hundred years before the coming 
 of Christ into the world to sojourn in the flesh, he showed 
 himself to the brother of Jared and said, "Behold this body, 
 which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit, and man have 
 I created after the body of my spirit ; and even as I appear 
 unto thee to be in the spirit, will I appear unto my people 
 in the flesh." He further declared, "Behold I am he who 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 21 
 
 was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem 
 my people. Behold I am Jesus Christ." 
 
 Here Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, 
 even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body, 
 even as he showed himself unto the Nephites that is, prior 
 to his coming in the flesh. This I consider typical of the 
 first condition of all spirits. Again it is written, "For Christ 
 also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that 
 he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, 
 but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and 
 preached unto the spirits in prison : which sometime were 
 disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in 
 the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein 
 few, that is, eight souls were saved by water," etc. Thus we 
 see that while the body of our Savior slept in the tomb, he 
 went in the spirit, and preached his glorious gospel to "the 
 spirits in prison," who were disobedient in the days of Noah, 
 and were destroyed in the flesh by the flood. This was their 
 second condition or state* in the spirit, awaiting the resurrec- 
 tion of their bodies which were slumbering in death. "Mar- 
 vel not at this :" saith Jesus, "for the hour is coming, in the 
 which all that are in the graves shall hear his [the Re- 
 deemer's] voice, and shall come forth ; they that have done 
 good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done 
 evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." In reference to 
 the third condition or state, we will refer to the account 
 given of the risen Redeemer before his ascension. John 
 tells us that he appeared unto his disciples three times after 
 his resurrection, on which occasions he ate bread, broiled 
 fish and honeycomb, and opened the eyes of their under- 
 standing, that they began to comprehend the Scriptures and 
 the prophecies concerning Christ. But when he appeared 
 unto them they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed 
 that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, "Why 
 
22 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 are ye troubled ? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts ? 
 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself ; handle me, 
 and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see 
 me have." Here is presented the true type of the resur- 
 rected being. And after this manner are all those who have 
 their resurrected bodies, and there are many of these, for we 
 are told in the scriptures that "the graves were opened, and 
 many bodies of the Saints which slept arose and came out 
 of the graves, after his resurrection, and went into the holy 
 city and appeared unto many." This class of beings dwell 
 in heaven, or in the paradise of the just, having been counted 
 worthy to come forth in the first resurrection, even with 
 Christ, to dwell with him and to be associated with the mem- 
 bers of the kingdom of God and his Christ. These comprise 
 the three conditions or estates of man in heaven. Not all, 
 however, of the disembodied spirits enjoy the same privi- 
 leges, exaltation and glory. The spirits of the wicked, diso- 
 bedient, and unbelieving, are denied the privileges, joy and 
 glory of the spirits of the just arfd good. The bodies of 
 the Saints will come forth in the first resurrection, and 
 those of the unbelieving, etc., in the second, or last. In 
 other words, the Saints will rise first, and those who are not 
 Saints will not rise until afterwards, according to the wis- 
 dom, justice and mercy of God. 
 
 Christ is the great example for all mankind, and I be- 
 lieve that mankind were as much foreordained to become 
 like him, as that he was foreordained to be the Redeemer of 
 man. "Whom God did foreknow" and whom did he not 
 foreknow ? "he also did predestinate to be conformed to the 
 image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among 
 many brethren." It is very plain that mankind are very 
 far from being like Christ, as the world is today, only in 
 form of person. In this we are like him, or in the form of 
 his person, as he is the express image of his Father's person. 
 We are therefore in the form of God, physically, and may 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 23 
 
 become like him spiritually, and like him in the possession 
 of knowledge, intelligence, wisdom and power. 
 
 The grand object of our coming to this earth is that 
 we may become like Christ, for if we are not like him, we 
 cannot become the sons of God, and be joint heirs with 
 Christ. 
 
 The man who passes through this probation, and is 
 faithful, being redeemed from sin by the blood of Christ, 
 through the ordinances of the gospel, and attains to exalta- 
 tiorr in the kingdom of God, is not less but greater than the 
 angels, and if you doubt it, read your Bible, for there it is 
 written that the Saints shall "judge angels," and also they 
 shall "judge the world." And why? Because the resur- 
 rected, righteous man has progressed beyond the pre-exist- 
 ent or disembodied spirits, and has risen above them, hav- 
 ing both spirit and body as Christ has, having gained the 
 victory over death and the grave, and having power over sin 
 and Satan ; in fact, having passed from the condition of the 
 angels to that of a God. He possesses keys of power, do- 
 minion and glory that the angel does not possess and can- 
 not possess without gaining them in the same way that he 
 gained them, which will be by passing through the same 
 ordeals and proving equally faithful. It was so ordained 
 when the morning stars sang together, before the founda- 
 tions of this earth were laid. Man in his pre-existent con- 
 dition is not perfect, neither is he in the disembodied estate. 
 There is no perfect estate but that of the risen Redeemer, 
 which is God's estate, and no man can become perfect ex- 
 cept he become like the Gods. And what are they like? I 
 have shown what Christ is like, and he is like his Father, 
 but I will refer to an undoubted authority to this people, 
 on this point: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones 
 as tangible as man's ; the Son also : but the Holy Ghost has 
 not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. 
 Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." (Doc. 
 
24 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and Cov. Sec. 130.) There is not time to refer to the many 
 scriptural passages which might be cited in proof of these 
 important facts, enough already have been referred to, to 
 place the matter beyond a doubt. 
 
 It is believed by many in the Christian world, that our 
 Savior finished his mission when he expired upon the cross, 
 and his last words on the cross, as given by the Apostle 
 John "it is finished," are frequently quoted as evidence of 
 the fact ; but this is an error. Christ did not complete his 
 mission upon the earth until after his body was raised from 
 the dead. Had his mission been completed when he died, 
 his disciples would have continued fishermen, carpenters, 
 etc., for they returned to their several occupations soon after 
 the crucifixion, not yet knowing the force of their holy call- 
 ing, nor understanding the mission assigned them by their 
 Master, whose name would soon have been buried with his 
 body in the grave to perish and be forgotten, "for as yet they 
 knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the 
 dead." But the most glorious part of his mission had to be 
 accomplished after the crucifixion and death of his body. 
 When on the first day of the week some of the disciples 
 went to the tomb with certain preparations for the body of 
 their Lord, they were met there by two men clothed in 
 "shining garments," who said unto them, "Why seek ye the 
 living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Re- 
 member how he spoke unto you when he was yet in Gali- 
 lee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands 
 of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again." 
 And not until then did the disciples remember these words 
 of the Savior, or begin to understand their meaning. Why 
 were they thus forgetful, and seemingly ignorant of all they 
 had been taught by the Savior respecting the objects of his 
 mission to the earth? Because they lacked one important 
 qualification, they had not yet been "endowed with power 
 from on high." They had not yet obtained the gift of the 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 25 
 
 Holy Ghost. And the presumption is, they never would 
 have received this important and essential endowment had 
 Christ's mission been completed at the time of his death. 
 
 It may seem strange to some who may not have reflected 
 on this matter fully, that the disciples of Christ were without 
 the gift of the Holy Ghost until after his resurrection. But 
 so it is written, notwithstanding the Savior on one occasion 
 declared, "blessed art thou, Simon, etc., for flesh and blood 
 hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in 
 heaven." While Jesus was with them he was their light and 
 their inspiration. They followed him by sight, and felt the 
 majestic power of his presence, and when these were gone 
 they returned to their nets and to their various occupations 
 and to their homes saying, "we trusted that it had been he 
 which should have redeemed Israel, but the chief priests 
 and our rulers have delivered him to be condemned to death, 
 and have crucified him." No wonder that Jesus exclaimed 
 unto some of them, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe 
 all that the prophets have spoken." 
 
 If the disciples had been endowed with the "gift of 
 the Holy Ghost," or "with power from on high," at this time, 
 their course would have been altogether different from this, 
 as the sequel abundantly proved. If Peter, who was the 
 chief apostle, had received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and 
 the power and testimony thereof prior to the terrible night 
 on which he cursed and swore and denied his Lord, the re- 
 sult would have been very different with him, for then he 
 would have sinned against "light and knowledge," and 
 "against the Holy Ghost," for which there is no forgiveness. 
 The fact, therefore, that he was forgiven, after bitter tears 
 of repentance, is an evidence that he was without the wit- 
 ness of the Holy Ghost, never having received it. The other 
 disciples or apostles of Christ were precisely in the same 
 condition, and it was not until the evening of the day on 
 which Jesus came out of the grave that he bestowed upon 
 
26 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 them this inestimable gift. John gives a careful description 
 of this important event which concludes as follows : "Then 
 said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you ; as my Father 
 hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, 
 he breathed on them and saith unto them, Receive ye the 
 Holy Ghost; whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted 
 unto them," etc. This was their glorious commission, and 
 now were they prepared to receive the witness of the Spirit 
 even the testimony of Jesus Christ. Yet they were told 
 to "tarry in Jerusalem, until they were endued with power 
 from on high," which they did. Jesus further told them 
 that if he went not away the "Comforter" that is, the Holy 
 Ghost would not come unto them, but if he went away he 
 would "send him," and he it was who should testify of 
 Christ, and of the Father, and bring to their remembrance 
 "all things whatsoever" he had commanded or taught them, 
 and it should "lead them into all truth." Thus we see that 
 the resurrection from the dead, not only of Christ, but of 
 all mankind, in the due time of the Lord, the endowment of 
 the apostles with the Holy Ghost, and their glorious com- 
 mission from Christ, being sent out by him as he was sent 
 by the Father; the opening of the eyes of the disciples to 
 understand the prophecies of the Scriptures, and many other 
 things did Jesus after he cried out upon the cross, "it is 
 finished." Further, the mission of Jesus will be unfinished 
 until he redeems the whole human family, except the sons of 
 perdition, and also this earth from the curse that is upon it, 
 and both the earth and its inhabitants can be presented to 
 the Father redeemed, sanctified and glorious. 
 
 Things upon the earth, so far as they have not been 
 perverted by wickedness, are typical of things in heaven. 
 Heaven was the prototype of this beautiful creation when 
 it came from the hand of the Creator, and was pronounced 
 "good." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 23 (1883), pp. 169- 
 175, delivered June 18, 1882. 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 27 
 
 MAN ETERNALLY RESPONSIBLE. Man will be held re- 
 sponsible in the life to come for the deeds that he has done 
 in this life, and will have to answer for the stewardships 
 entrusted to his care here, before the Judge of the quick and 
 the dead, the Father of our spirits, and of our Lord and 
 Master. This is in the design of God, a part of his great 
 purpose. We are not here to live a few months or years, to 
 eat, drink and sleep, then to die, pass away and perish. The 
 Lord Almighty never designed man to be so ephemeral, use- 
 less and imperfect as this. I would pity the being who had 
 such a conception as this of the Creator of the starry heav- 
 ens, the planets, and the world on which we dwell, poor as 
 it is in glory in comparison to the many others created. Is 
 it conceivable that one possessing such power, majesty, intel- 
 ligence, light and knowledge would create a world like this 
 and people it with beings in his own image and likeness only 
 to live and grovel through a short, miserable existence, then 
 die and perish ? No such thing ! There is no death here, but 
 there is life ! 
 
 God is the God of the living, and not of the dead. He 
 is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and of the ancient 
 prophets. They live ! They live not only in the words they 
 spoke, the predictions they made, and in the promises handed 
 down from generation to generation to the children of men ; 
 they live not only in the record they made, in the doctrines 
 that they taught, and in the hope that they held out for 
 redemption, atonement and salvation, but they live in spirit, 
 in entity, as they lived here. They are prophets, as they 
 were prophets here, the chosen of God ; patriarchs, as they 
 were here; possessing the same identity, the same entity; 
 and by and by, if not already, they will possess the same 
 bodies they possessed while journeying in mortality. Those 
 bodies will become purified, cleansed, and made perfect ; and 
 the spirit and the body will be reunited, never more to be 
 separated, never again to taste of death. This is the law 
 
28 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and the promise of God, and the words spoken to his ancient 
 prophets, come down to us through the generations that 
 have followed. Improvement Era, Vol. 21, p. 357, Feb., 
 1918. 
 
 OUR INDESTRUCTIBLE, IMMORTAL IDENTITY. What a 
 glorious thing it is to know and be true to that which has 
 been revealed in these latter times through the instrumental- 
 ity of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was revealed anciently 
 by the Savior himself, and he exemplified that glorious prin- 
 ciple of which I wish to say a few words, and which has 
 been renewed and emphasized more especially in these latter 
 days through Joseph Smith I refer to our identity, our in- 
 destructible, immortal identity. As in Christ we have the 
 example, he was born of woman, he lived, he died, and he 
 lived again in his own person and being, bearing even the 
 marks of the wounds in his flesh, after his resurrection from 
 the dead so also a testimony has been given to you, in later 
 days, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and others who 
 have been blessed with knowledge, that the same individual 
 Being still lives and will always live. Jesus is possessed of 
 immortality, and eternal life; and in evidence of his exist- 
 ence and his immortality, and in evidence of the great and 
 glorious truths of the gospel which he taught, the death 
 which he died, and the resurrection that he wrought from 
 the dead, he has revealed himself and borne his own record 
 and testimony to those who have lived and still live in this 
 day and age. What a glorious thought it is, to me at least, 
 and it must be to all who have conceived of the truth or 
 received it in their hearts, that those from whom we have to 
 part here, we will meet again and see as they are. We will 
 meet the same identical being that we associated with here in 
 the flesh not some other soul, some other being, or the 
 same being in some other form, but the same identity and 
 the same form and likeness, the same person we knew and 
 were associated with in our mortal existence, even to the 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 29 
 
 wounds in the flesh. Not that a person will always be 
 marred by scars, wounds, deformities, defects or infirmities, 
 for these will be removed in their course, in their proper 
 time, according to the merciful providence of God. De- 
 formity will be removed ; defects will be eliminated, and men 
 and women shall attain to the perfection of their spirits, to 
 the perfection that God designed in the beginning. It is his 
 purpose that men and women, his children, born to become 
 heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, shall be 
 made perfect, physically as well as spiritually, through obe- 
 dience to the law by which he has provided the means that 
 perfection shall come to all his-children. Therefore, I look for 
 the time when our dear Brother William C. Staines, whom 
 we all knew so well, and with whom we were familiar for 
 years I was familiar with him, all my life, just as I was 
 familiar with Aunt Rachel here all my life, and do not re- 
 member the time when I did not know her I look for the 
 time, I say, when Brother Staines will be restored. He will 
 not remain the crippled and deformed William C. Staines 
 that we knew, but he will be restored to his perfect frame 
 every limb, every joint, every part of his physical being 
 will be restored to its perfect frame. This is the law and 
 the word of God to us, as it is contained in the revelations 
 that have come to us, through the Prophet Joseph Smith. 
 The point in my mind which I desire to speak of particu- 
 larly is this : When we shall have the privilege to meet our 
 mother, our aunt, our sister, this noble woman whose mor- 
 tal remains lie here now, but whose immortal spirit has 
 ascended to God from whence it came, when that spirit shall 
 return to take up this tabernacle again, she will be Aunt 
 Rachel in her perfection. She will not always remain just 
 as she will appear when she is restored again to life, but she 
 will go on to perfection. Under that law of restoration that 
 God has provided, she will regain her perfection, the per- 
 fection of her youth, the perfection of her glory and of her 
 
30 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 being, until her resurrected body shall assume, the exact 
 stature of the spirit that possessed it here in its perfection, 
 and thus we shall see the glorified, redeemed, exalted, per- 
 fected Aunt Rachel, mother, sister, saint and daughter of 
 the living God, her identity being unchanged, as a child 
 may grow to manhood or womanhood and still be the same 
 being. 
 
 I want to say to my friends, my brethren and sisters, 
 and to the kindred, that the Lord Almighty has revealed 
 these truths to us in these days. We not only have it in 
 the written word, we have it in the testimony of the Spirit 
 of God in the heart of every soul who has drunk from the 
 fountain of truth and light, and that witness bears record 
 of these words to us. What else would satisfy us ? What 
 else would satisfy the desire of the immortal soul? Would 
 we be satisfied to be imperfect? Would we be satisfied to 
 be decrepit ? Would we be satisfied to remain forever and 
 ever in the form of infirmity incident to age ? No ! Would 
 we be satisfied to see the children we bury in their infancy 
 remain as children only, throughout the countless ages of 
 eternity? No! Neither would the spirit that did possess 
 the tabernacles of our children be satisfied to remain in that 
 condition. But we know our children will not be com- 
 pelled to remain a child in stature always, for it was re- 
 vealed from God, the fountain of truth, through Joseph 
 Smith the prophet, in this dispensation, that in the resur- 
 rection of the dead the child that was buried in its infancy 
 will come up in the form of the child that it was when it 
 was laid down, then it will begin to develop. From the day 
 of the resurrection, the body will develop until it reaches the 
 full measure of the stature of its spirit, whether it be male 
 or female. If the spirit possessed the intelligence of God 
 and the aspirations of mortal souls, it could not be satisfied 
 with anything less than this. You will remember we are told 
 that the spirit of Jesus Christ visited one of the ancient 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 31 
 
 prophets and revealed himself to him, and he declared his 
 identity, that he was the same Son of God that was to come 
 in the meridian of time. He said he would appear in the 
 flesh just as he appeared to that prophet. He was not an 
 infant; he was a grown, developed spirit; possessing the 
 form of man and the form of God, the same form as when 
 he came and took upon him a tabernacle and developed it 
 to the full stature of his spirit. These are truths that have 
 been revealed to us. What for? To give us intelligent 
 hope; to give us intelligent aspiration; to lead us to think, 
 to hope, to labor and accomplish what God has aimed and 
 does aim and design that we should accomplish, not only in 
 this life, but in the life to come. 
 
 I rejoice exceedingly that I know and have known 
 nearly all my life such a noble woman. I do not remember 
 the first time that I saw Aunt Rachel, I can't recall it; it 
 seems to me I always knew her, just as I knew my mother 
 in my childhood and all the way through life ; and I rejoice 
 exceedingly in this testimony of the Spirit of the Lord that 
 has come to us through revelation in the latter days. Through 
 this testimony I am confident that I shall see Aunt Rachel, 
 by and by ; and when I go and I expect to go, perhaps, 
 long before she shall recover this tabernacle I expect to 
 meet her there. I expect to meet the same individual that 
 I knew here. I expect to be able to recognize her just as I 
 could recognize her tomorrow, if she were living. I believe 
 I will know just exactly who she is and what she is, and 
 I will remember all I knew about her; and enjoy her asso- 
 ciation in the spirit as I did in the flesh; because her iden- 
 tity is fixed and indestructible, just as fixed and indestruc- 
 tible as the identity of God the Father and Jesus Christ the 
 Son. They cannot be any other than themselves. They 
 cannot be changed ; they are from everlasting to everlasting, 
 eternally the same ; so it will be with us. We will progress 
 and develop and grow in wisdom and understanding, but our 
 
32 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 identity can never change. We did not spring from spawn. 
 Our spirits existed from the beginning, have existed always, 
 and will continue forever. We did not pass through the or- 
 deals of embodiment in the lesser animals in order to reach 
 the perfection to which we have attained in manhood and 
 womanhood, in the image and likeness of God. God was 
 and is our Father, and his children were begotten in the 
 flesh in his own image and likeness, male and female. There 
 may have been times when they did not possess the same 
 intelligence that they possessed at other times. There are 
 periods in the history of the world when men have dwin- 
 dled into ignorance and barbarism, and then there were 
 other times when they have grown in intelligence, developed 
 in understanding, enlarged in spirit and comprehension, ap- 
 proaching nearer to the condition and likeness of their 
 Father and God, and then losing faith, losing the love of 
 God, losing the light of the Spirit and returning again to 
 semi-barbarism. Then again, they have been restored, by 
 the power and operation of the Spirit of the Lord upon 
 their minds, until they again reached a degree of intelligence. 
 We have reached a degree of intelligence, in our dispensa- 
 tion. Will this same degree of intelligence, that now exists 
 throughout the world, continue to exist ? Yes ; if the world 
 continue to abide in the light that has been shed abroad in 
 the world by the Father of light, with whom there is no 
 variableness nor shadow of turning. But let them deny God, 
 let them deny truth, let them depart from righteousness, let 
 them begin again to wallow in wickedness and transgression 
 of the laws of God, and what w r ill be the result? They will 
 degenerate ; they will again recede possibly into absolute 
 barbarism, unless they repent, and the power of God will 
 be again restored to them and they be again lifted up by 
 that light which shines and is never dim, except to men 
 who shut their hearts and eyes and ears against it and will 
 not receive it. 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 33 
 
 I did not expect to enter into any lengthy discourse. I 
 thank God for my relationship and acquaintance with this 
 noble, good mother. I expect to be associated with her 
 throughout all the ages to come, if I can be as faithful as 
 she has been. I desire to be, and that isn't all with the help 
 of God, I intend to be faithful, as she has been faithful, that 
 in the end I may be worthy to dwell where she will dwell, 
 with the Prophet Joseph Smith, with her husband with 
 whom she was associated here in the flesh, with her son 
 and her children, from generation to generation. I expect 
 to be associated with them in the mansions that are prepared 
 for the righteous, where God and Christ are, where those 
 shall be who believe in his name, who receive his work and 
 abide in his law. Oh! that I could be instrumental in the 
 hands of the Lord in bringing every loved soul unto him, 
 for there are souls that are still lacking, whom I love, and 
 if it were possible, how I would love to be instrumental in 
 the hand of the Lord in bringing those loved souls to a 
 knowledge of this truth, that they might receive of its glory, 
 benefits and blessings in this life and in the life to come. 
 From my childhood, I have always tried to be a savior on 
 Mount Zion, a savior among men. I have that desire in my 
 heart. I may not have been very successful in my ambi- 
 tion to accomplish this work, but I have desired it, and I 
 still desire that I may be instrumental in helping to spread 
 this truth to the earth's remotest bounds and the testimony 
 of it to the children of men in every land. I know it is 
 true. It appeals to my judgment, to my desires ; and to the 
 aspirations of my soul. I want my family ; I want those 
 the Lord has given to me ; I want them now ; I want them 
 forever! I want to be associated with them forever. I do 
 not want them to change their identity. I do not want them 
 to be somebody else. This idea of theosophy, that is gaining 
 ground even among so-called Christians, in these latter days, 
 is a fallacy of the deepest kind. It is absolutely repugnant 
 
34 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 to the very soul of man to think that a civilized, intelligent 
 being might become a dog, a cow, a cat; that he might be 
 transformed into another shape, another kind of being. It is 
 absolutely repulsive, and so opposed to the great truth of 
 God, that has been revealed from the beginning, that he is 
 from the beginning always the same, that he cannot change, 
 and that his children cannot change. They may change 
 from worse to better; they may change from evil to good, 
 from unrighteousness to righteousness, from humanity to 
 immortality, from death to life everlasting. They may 
 progress in the manner in which God has progressed; they 
 may grow and advance, but their identity can never be 
 changed, worlds without end remember that, God has re- 
 vealed these principles, and I know they are true. They 
 assert their truth upon the intelligent mind and soul of man. 
 They embrace or embody that which the Lord has planted 
 in our hearts and souls to desire, and to give it unto us. 
 They put us in the way of receiving that which we most 
 desire and most love, that which is most necessary and es- 
 sential to our happiness and exaltation. They take of the 
 things of God and give them to us, and they prepare us for 
 the future, for exaltation and for eternal happiness, a re- 
 ward which all the souls in the world desire, if they are 
 correct in their lives and thoughts. It is only the vicious 
 and the truly wicked who do not desire purity; they do not 
 love purity and truth. I do not know whether it is possible 
 for any soul to become so debased as to lose all regard for 
 that which is pure and chaste, good and true and godlike. I 
 believe that there still lingers in the heart of the most vicious 
 and wicked, at times at least, a spark of that divinity that 
 has been planted in the souls of all the sons of God. Men 
 may become so corrupt that they do not have more than 
 mere glimpses of that divine inspiration that strives to lead 
 them toward and to love good ; but I do not believe there 
 is a soul in the w r orld that has absolutely lost all conception 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 35 
 
 and admiration of that which is good and pure, when he 
 sees it. It is hard to believe that a human being may be- 
 come so depraved that he has lost all desire that he might 
 also be good and pure, if it were possible ; but many people 
 have abandoned themselves to evil and have come to the 
 conclusion that there is no chance for them. While there is 
 life there is hope, and while there is repentance there is a 
 chance for forgiveness ; and if there is forgiveness, there is 
 a chance for growth and development until we acquire the 
 full knowledge of these principles that will exalt and save us 
 and prepare us to enter into the presence of God the Father, 
 who is the Father of our spirits, and who is the Father, in 
 the flesh, of his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who 
 joined divine immortality with the mortal, welded the link 
 between God and man, and made it possible for mortal souls, 
 on whom the sentence of death had been placed, to acquire 
 eternal life, through obedience to his laws. Let us, there- 
 fore, seek for the truth and walk in the light as Christ is in 
 the light, that we may have fellowship with him, and with 
 each other, that his blood may cleanse us from all sin. 
 
 May the Lord comfort my brother Heber, and I know 
 he will. Brother Heber does not feel that there is any death 
 here. I don't think I could weep for sorrow. I could give 
 way to tears just now, but they would not be tears of sor- 
 row, of mourning, or of grief, for this good soul. They 
 would only express the love I have for her ; they would only 
 indicate my feelings toward her, for the noble and pure ex- 
 ample she set before me and all who have known her. I 
 could weep for joy in the knowledge that I possess that she, 
 in her spirit life and being, is and will be associated with 
 all those who have been endeared to her by the persecutions, 
 the experiences and the trials through which she has had to 
 pass in this world. With them she is rejoicing today, as 
 one born out of death into life everlasting. She is not dead ; 
 she lives ! What greater proof do you want of that fact 
 
36 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 than to see her lifeless form? Who is she? This is her 
 caskd. This is her mortal tenement; this is but the clay 
 that enveloped the immortal, living Aunt Rachel, the living 
 spirit. The spirit has fled. Her spirit, the immortal part, 
 has departed from this tabernacle; hence, this tabernacle 
 lies here lifeless and ready to return to mother earth from 
 whence it came, but to be restored again, every element to be 
 recalled and re-formed in its perfect frame, when Aunt 
 Rachel will come and take possession of it and inherit it for- 
 ever, just as Christ came and took up his body that was not 
 suffered to see corruption, and inherited it in its immortal 
 state, never to be separated again ; so it will be with her. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 12, p. 591, June, 1909. Speech at 
 the funeral services of Rachel Grant, mother of President 
 Heber J. Grant. 
 
 No NEW PRINCIPLES IN THE GOSPEL. We have no new 
 principles to advocate ; but we have come to preach the gos- 
 pel of life and salvation, to testify to the divinity of our 
 Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and of the divine mission 
 of the Prophet Joseph Smith, through whose instrumen- 
 tality the truth was restored in this dispensation. Improve- 
 ment Era, Vol. 21, p. 98, December, 1917. 
 
 FOUNTAIN OF TRUTH. We hear frequently of men 
 v/ho throw discredit on the doctrine of Jesus Christ, our 
 Savior and Redeemer, because some of the principles, doc- 
 trines, and philosophy which he taught are said to have 
 been spoken before his day by heathen philosophers. 
 
 A variety of examples are sometimes quoted to show 
 that the ideals which have grown from the doctrines of 
 Christ are a direct development of what is found in the 
 teachings of the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms 
 and in the second part of Isaiah. But, on the other hand, 
 it is just as certain that these ideals receive a finish and an 
 enrichment, by the touch of the Savior, vastly beyond and 
 above what they possessed before, and also they are placed 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 37 
 
 on deeper and firmer foundations. This, let it be said to 
 begin with, is because they were his before they were ever 
 uttered by man. 
 
 Even in the five distinctive and characteristic topics gen- 
 erally considered by commentators original in the teachings 
 of Jesus, we find little if anything new, except the enlarge- 
 ment. These are named as, the Fatherhood of God, the King- 
 dom of God ; subjects or members of the Kingdom ; the Mes- 
 siah ; the Holy Ghost ; and the Tri-unity of God. 
 
 But the idea of the Fatherhood of God was not un- 
 known either to the Pagans or to Israel. Zeus, from the time 
 of Homer, had borne the name "father of gods and men." 
 But, both in Jewish and Pagan literature, the idea was super- 
 ficial and meant little more than "originator" (Gen. 1:26) ; 
 and in the old Jewish scripture God is more particularly 
 called the "Father of his people, Israel" (Deut. 14:1 ; Isaiah 
 63 :16). But in the teachings of Christ there is a fuller em- 
 bodiment of revelation in the word Father, and the appli- 
 cation which he makes of the Fatherhood of God invests 
 his life with supreme tenderness and beauty. As an exam- 
 ple: In the old scripture, we are told, "Like as a father 
 pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him" 
 (Psalms 103 :13) ; but by the interpretation of Jesus, the love 
 of God as Father extends beyond these limitations even to 
 those who are unthankful and evil: "But I say unto you, 
 Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to 
 them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully 
 use you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of 
 your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to 
 rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the 
 just and the unjust" (Matt. 5:45). "But love ye your en- 
 emies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again ; and 
 your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of 
 the Highest ; for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the 
 evil" (Luke 6:35). 
 
38 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 And so with other doctrines of Christ; while perhaps 
 not new they are enriched by the addition of fuller, broader, 
 more loving conceptions of God and his purposes ; in which 
 compulsion was eliminated and lowly service, love, and self- 
 sacrifice were substituted and made the true forces of an 
 acceptable life. Even the answer to the lawyer's question, 
 often called the eleventh commandment : "Master, which is 
 the great commandment in the law?" had been given to the 
 children of Israel (Lev. 19:19), over two thousand years be- 
 fore its perfected meaning was impressed upon the learned 
 Pharisee (Matt. 22:34,40). 
 
 But what of all this ? Are we therefore to discredit the 
 teachings of the Savior? Verily no. Let it be remembered 
 that Christ was with the Father from the beginning, that 
 the gospel of truth and light existed from the beginning and 
 is from everlasing to everlasting. The Father, Son and Holy 
 Ghost, as one God, are the fountain of truth. From this 
 fountain all the ancient learned philosophers have received 
 their inspiration and wisdom from it they have received 
 all their knowledge. If we find truth in broken fragments 
 through the ages, it may be set down as an incontrovertible 
 fact that it originated at the fountain, and was given to 
 philosophers, inventors, patriots, reformers, and prophets by 
 the inspiration of God. It came from him through his Son 
 Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, in the first place, and from 
 no other source. It is eternal. 
 
 Christ, therefore, being the fountain of truth, is no 
 imitator. He taught the truth first ; it was his before it was 
 given to man. When he came to the earth he not only pro- 
 claimed new thought, but repeated some of the everlasting 
 principles which had been heretofore only partly understood 
 and enunciated by the wisest of men. And in so doing he 
 enlarged in every instance upon the wisdom which they had 
 originally received from him, because of his superior abilities 
 and wisdom and his association with the Father and the 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 39 
 
 Holy Ghost. He did not imitate men. They made known 
 in their imperfect way what the inspiration of Jesus Christ 
 had taught them, for they obtained their enlightenment first 
 from him. 
 
 Christ taught the gospel to Adam and made known his 
 truths to Abraham and the prophets. He was the inspirer 
 of the ancient philosophers, Pagan or Israelite, as well as 
 of the great characters of modern times. Columbus, in dis- 
 covery ; Washington, in the struggle for freedom ; Lin- 
 coln, in emancipation and union; Bacon, in philosophy; 
 Franklin, in statesmanship and diplomacy ; Stephenson, in 
 steam ; Watts, in song ; Edison, in electricity, and Joseph 
 Smith, in theology and religion, found in Christ the source 
 of their wisdom and the marvelous truths which they advo- 
 cated. 
 
 Calvin, Luther, Malanchthon, and all the reformers, were 
 inspired in thoughts, words, and actions, to accomplish what 
 they did for the amelioration, liberty and advancement of the 
 human race. They paved the way for the more perfect gos- 
 pel of truth to come. Their inspiration, as with that of the 
 ancients, came from the Father, his Son Jesus Christ, and 
 the Holy Ghost, the one true and living God. This may also 
 truthfully be said concerning the Revolutionary fathers of 
 this nation, and all who have in the ages past contributed to 
 the progress of civil and religious freedom. There is no 
 light nor truth which did not come to them first from him. 
 Men are mere repeaters of what he has taught them. He 
 has voiced no thoughts originating with man. The teach- 
 ings of Jesus did not begin with his incarnation ; for, like 
 truth, he is eternal. He not only inspired the ancients, from 
 the beginning, but when he came to earth he reiterated eter- 
 nal, original truth, and added gloriously to the revelations 
 men had uttered. When he returned to the Father he still 
 took and does take an interest in his children and people, 
 by revealing to them new truths, and by inspiring their 
 
40 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 actions ; and, as men grow in the knowledge of God, they 
 shall become more and more like him unto the perfect day, 
 when his knowledge shall cover the earth as the waters 
 cover the deep. 
 
 It is folly, therefore, to discredit the Savior on the 
 grounds that he has uttered nothing new ; for, with the 
 Father and the Spirit, he is the author of that which persists 
 the truth that which has been, that which is, and that 
 which will continue forever. Improvement Era, Vol. 10, pp. 
 627-630, 1906-7. 
 
 ETERNITY OF THE SPIRIT OF MAN. Again, where are 
 we going? We come here and sojourn in the flesh a little 
 season and then we pass away. Every soul that is born 
 into the world will die. There is not a soul that has escaped 
 death, except those upon whom God has passed, by the 
 power of his Spirit, that they should live in the flesh until 
 the second coming of the Son of Man; but they will even- 
 tually have to pass through the ordeal called death; it may 
 be in the twinkling of an eye, and without pain or suffering ; 
 but they will pass through the change, because it is an irrev- 
 ocable edict of the Almighty. "In the day that thou eatest 
 thou shalt surely die." This was the edict of the Almighty, 
 and it pertains to Adam that is, all the human race ; for 
 Adam is many, and it means you and me and every soul 
 that lives and that bears the image of the Father. We shall 
 all die. But is that the end of our being? If we had an 
 existence before we came here we certainly shall continue 
 that existence when we leave here. The spirit will continue 
 to exist as it did before, with the additional advantages de- 
 rived from having passed through this probation. It is 
 absolutely necessary that we should come to the earth and 
 take upon us tabernacles ; because if we did not have taber- 
 nacles we could not be like God, or like Jesus Christ. God 
 has a tabernacle of flesh and bone. He is an organized be- 
 ing just as we are who are now in the flesh. Jesus Christ 
 
CHURCH, PRIESTHOOD AND MAN 41 
 
 was born of his mother, Mary. He had a fleshly taber- 
 nacle ; he was crucified on the cross, and his body was raised 
 from the dead. He burst the bonds of the grave and came 
 forth to newness of life, a living soul, a living being, a man 
 with a body, and with parts and with spirit the spirit and 
 the body becoming a living and immortal soul. You and 
 I have got to do the same thing. We must go through the 
 same ordeal in order to attain to the glory and exaltation 
 which God designed we should enjoy with him in the eter- 
 nal worlds. In other words, we must become like him; 
 peradventure to sit upon thrones, to have dominion, power 
 and eternal increase. God designed this in the beginning. 
 We are the children of God. He is an eternal being, with- 
 out beginning of days or end of years. He always was,, 
 he is, he always will be. We are precisely in the same con- 
 dition and under the same circumstances that God our heav- 
 enly Father was when he was passing through this or a 
 similar ordeal. We are destined to come forth out of the 
 grave as Jesus did, and to obtain immortal bodies as he did 
 that is, that our tabernacles are to become immortal as his 
 became immortal, that the spirit and the body may be joined 
 together and become one living being, indivisible, insepara- 
 ble, eternal. Deseret Weekly News, Vol. 33, pp. 130, 131. 
 PURPOSES OF THE ALMIGHTY UNCHANGEABLE. The pur- 
 poses of the Almighty are unchanged and unchangeable. His 
 laws endure, and he is the same yesterday, today and for- 
 ever. His purposes will ripen and be consummated and his 
 designs be completed. Therefore, if we do not conform to 
 his will, obey his laws and yield to his requirements in this 
 world, we will be consigned to the "prison house," where 
 we will remain until we pay the debt to the uttermost 
 farthing. Deseret Weekly News, Vol. 24, 1875, p. 708. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 Revelation 
 
 VALUE OF THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION. The man who 
 possesses the spirit of revelation can realize whether he is a 
 sinner, whether he is prone to evil, whether he is magnify- 
 ing his standing before the Lord, or not, better than a man 
 who has not the Spirit of the Lord in him, can he not? 
 Apr. C. R., 1912, p. 7. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF INSPIRATION OF REVELATION BY 
 WHOM ENJOYED. And the spirit of inspiration, the gift of 
 revelation does riot belong to one man solely ; it is not a gift 
 that pertains to the Presidency of the Church and the Twelve 
 apostles alone. It is not confined to the presiding author- 
 ities of the Church, it belongs to every individual member of 
 the Church ; and it is the right and privilege of every man, 
 every woman, and every child who has reached the years 
 of accountability, to enjoy the spirit of revelation, and to 
 be possessed of the spirit of inspiration in the discharge of 
 their duties as members of the Church. It is the privilege 
 of every individual member of the Church to have revela- 
 tion for his own guidance, for the direction of his life and 
 conduct; and therefore I aver and I believe I may do so 
 without any reasonable chance for it being gainsaid or op- 
 posed that there is not another church in the world, or an 
 organization of religious people, who are so universally spir- 
 itual in their lives, and who are so universally entitled to the 
 gifts of the Spirit of God as are the members of the Church 
 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are all entitled 
 to revelation. It is your privilege to have it revealed to you 
 whether I am a servant of God or a servant of men ; whether 
 I am in the discharge of my duty or not; whether I, as a 
 
REVELATION 43 
 
 presiding officer in the Church, am acting in the discharge 
 of my duty acceptably to you and the Lord. It. is your priv- 
 ilege to have revelation in regard to this, and to know the 
 truth yourselves. And it is my privilege to have revelation 
 from God, as an individual, for my own temporal guidance, 
 and I repeat again that there never was a time in the earth, 
 since the Church was organized, when the spirituality of 
 the people of God was greater than it is today. Apr. C. R., 
 1912, p. 5. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION ENJOYED BY ALL. I be- 
 lieve that every individual in the Church has just as much 
 right to enjoy the spirit of revelation and the understand- 
 ing from God which that spirit of revelation gives him, for 
 his own good, as the bishop has to enable him to preside over 
 his ward. Every man has the privilege to exercise these 
 gifts and these privileges in the conduct of his own affairs, 
 in bringing up his children in the way they should go, and 
 in the management of his farm, his flocks, his herds, and 
 in the management of his business, if he has business of other 
 kinds to do; it is his right to enjoy the spirit of revelation 
 and of inspiration to do the right thing, to be wise and pru- 
 dent, just and good in everything that he does. I know that 
 this is a true principle, and I know that I know it, too ; and 
 that is the thing that I would like the Latter-day Saints to 
 know. Apr. C. R., 1912, pp. 9, 10. 
 
 NEW REVELATION. So far as I know there is not an 
 ordinance of the Church now enjoyed or practiced that was 
 not revealed to the Church by the Prophet Joseph Smith. 
 I know of no new doctrine that has been revealed. Prin- 
 ciples that were revealed to the Prophet Joseph have grown 
 and developed more fully and clearly to the understanding; 
 but we have received nothing new that I know of. Yet if 
 we should receive something new, through the proper chan- 
 nels of the Church, we should be as ready and willing to 
 receive it as we were, or would be, to receive the same at 
 
44 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the hands of the Prophet Joseph himself. Oct. C. R., 1900, 
 p. 47. 
 
 WHEN TO EXPECT NEW REVELATION. We have nothing 
 that is not in common with the Latter-day Saints. We know 
 nothing, and we will preach nothing to the people except 
 that which the Lord God has revealed, and we advise and 
 counsel those who are in authority, and whose duty and 
 business it is to teach and preach the principles of the gos- 
 pel to the world and to the Latter-day Saints, to confine their 
 teachings and their instructions to the word of God that 
 has been revealed. There is a great deal that has been 
 revealed that has not yet been lived up to, I assure you. 
 There is a great deal yet remaining to be learned. There is 
 a great deal that is yet to be taught in the spirit of instruc- 
 tion, and there is a great deal that has been revealed through 
 the Prophet Joseph and his associates that the people have 
 not yet received in their hearts, and have not yet become 
 converted to as they should. When we obey and are capa- 
 ble of observing the precepts of the gospel and the laws of 
 God and the requirements of heaven, which have already 
 been revealed, we will be far better off and nearer the goal 
 of perfection in wisdom, knowledge and power than we are 
 today. When that time comes, then there are other things 
 still greater yet to be revealed to the people of God. Until 
 we do our duty, however, in that which we have received, 
 until we are faithful over the things that are now commit- 
 ted into our hands, until we live our religion as we have it 
 now, as the Lord has given it to us, to add commandments, 
 to add light and intelligence to us over that which we have 
 already received, which we have not yet fully obeyed, would 
 be to add condemnation upon our heads. It is enough for 
 us to live in the light of present inspiration and present rev- 
 etotion and for each individual member of the Church to 
 keep the commandments of the Lord and labor in the 
 Church as the Spirit may give him and her guidance in the 
 
REVELATION 45 
 
 performance of duty. Every soul of us is entitled to 
 inspiration from God, to know what is our duty, and how 
 we are to do it. We have not learned it yet, not all of us, 
 but we are in a fair way to learn. The Lord is still patient ; 
 he is long-suffering; he is full of love and graciousness to- 
 wards all, and we are doing a little better all the time. I 
 believe we are a little more faithful in the performance of 
 our duties than we have been in the past; yet there is great 
 room for improvement. Oct. C. R., 1917, p. 5. 
 
 How THE LORD REVEALS His PURPOSES CONCERNING 
 THE CHURCH. And I know this, that God has organized his 
 Church in the earth, and I know that when he designs or 
 purposes to make any change in the matter of governing or 
 controlling or presiding over the affairs of his Church, that 
 he will make the change, and he will make it in such a way 
 that the whole people of the Church, who are doing right, 
 will understand and accept it. I know that the Lord will 
 not raise up "Tom, Dick, or Harry," here, there and every- 
 where, claiming to be Christ, or "one mighty and strong," 
 claiming to be inspired and called to do some wonderful 
 thing. The Lord will not deal with men in that way; that 
 while the organization of the Church exists, while quorums 
 and councils of the Priesthood are intact in the Church, the 
 Lord will reveal his purposes through them, and not through 
 "Tom, Dick, or Harry." Put that in your little note books 
 now, and remember it; it is true. Apr. C. R., 1912, p. 10. 
 
 MODERN REVELATION is NECESSARY. We are to under- 
 stand, then, that God does not, and will not further make 
 known his will to men ; that what he has said suffices ? His 
 will to Moses and Isaiah and John is abundant for modern 
 followers of Christ? The Latter-day Saints take issue with 
 this doctrine, and pronounce it illogical, inconsistent, and 
 untrue, and bear testimony to all the world that God lives 
 and that he reveals his will to men who believe in him and 
 who obey his commandments, as much in our day as at any 
 
46 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 time in the history of nations. The canon of scripture is 
 not full. God has never revealed at any time that he would 
 cease to speak forever to men. If we are permitted to be- 
 lieve that "he has spoken, we must and do believe that he 
 continues to speak, because he is unchangeable. 
 
 His will to Abraham did not suffice for Moses, neither 
 did his will to Moses suffice for Isaiah. Why? Because 
 their different missions required different instructions; and 
 logically, that is also true of the prophets and people of 
 today. A progressive world will never discover all truth 
 until its inhabitants become familiar with all the knowledge 
 of the Perfect One. How shall men become acquainted 
 with the knowledge of the Father? Only as he reveals it 
 to them. Now if we are permitted to believe that the Lord 
 revealed himself to the ancients of whose deeds we read in 
 the Holy Scriptures, it seems to me that there is no good 
 reason for believing that it is not necessary that he should 
 reveal himself in this day to others who desirre to be guided 
 by his Spirit and inspiration. Every new truth which grows 
 into living action in the lives of men is a revelation in itself 
 from God, and without the revelation of additional truth, 
 men would not progress in this world, but, left to themselves, 
 would retrograde, being cut off from the light and life of 
 the great fountain of all intelligence, the Father of all. 
 
 What is revelation but the uncovering of new truths, 
 by him who is the fountain of all truth ? To say that there is 
 no need of new revelation, is equivalent to saying that we 
 have no need of new truths a ridiculous assertion. 
 
 Now, as to the usefulness of modern revelation, that 
 has been referred to above, in the brief treatment of its need ; 
 and it is no sign that revelation is useless because it is not 
 proper that it should be accepted in the courts. "Render 
 unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the 
 things that are God's." Revelation given for the personal 
 knowledge or guidance of any person should not be given 
 
REVELATION 47 
 
 to the public, either in a civil or religious capacity; but be- 
 cause it might be (and in such cases is) considered improper 
 for public use, it is no sign that even such revelation is use- 
 less to the person for whom it is intended. It might be said 
 in passing, however, that the revelation which the ministers 
 were so troubled about, turned out to be correct and in con- 
 formity with the evidence, and the decision of the court and 
 jury. 
 
 Our testimony is that God lives, and that he speaks by 
 his power to men who seek him and believe in him, thus 
 making known his will to them in matters that pertain, not 
 only to his true Church, but in matters that pertain to each 
 individual who seeks him. Improvement Era, Vol. 5, p. 
 805, 1902. 
 
 THEORY AND DIVINE REVELATION. Our young people 
 are diligent students. They reach out after truth and knowl- 
 edge with commendable zeal, and in so doing they must 
 necessarily adopt for temporary use, many theories of men. 
 As long, however, as they recognize them as scaffolding 
 useful for research purposes, there can be no special harm 
 in them. It is when these theories are settled upon as basic 
 truth that trouble appears, and the searcher then stands in 
 grave danger of being led hopelessly from the right way. 
 
 There are so many demonstrated, practical, material 
 truths, so many spiritual certainties, with which the youth 
 of Zion should become familiar, that it appears a waste of 
 time and means, and detrimental to faith and religion to 
 enter too extensively into the undemonstrated theories of 
 men on philosophies relating to the origin of life, or the 
 methods adopted by an Allwise Creator in peopling the earth 
 with the bodies of men, birds and beasts. Let us rather turn 
 our abilities to the practical analysis of the soil, the study 
 of the elements, the productions of the earth, the invention 
 of useful machinery, the social welfare of the race, and its 
 material amelioration; and for the rest cultivate an abiding 
 
48 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 faith in the revealed word of God and the saving principles 
 of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which give joy in this world 
 and in the world to come eternal life and salvation. 
 
 Philosophic theories of life have their place and use, 
 but it is not in the classes of the Church schools, and par- 
 ticularly are they out of place here or anywhere else, 
 when they seek to supplant the revelations of God. The 
 ordinary student cannot delve into these subjects deep 
 enough to make them of any practical use to him, and a 
 smattering of knowledge in this line only tends to upset his 
 simple faith in the gospel, which is of more value to him in 
 life than all the learning of the world without it. 
 
 The religion of the Latter-day Saints is not hostile to 
 any truth, nor to scientific search for truth. "That which is 
 demonstrated, we accept with joy," said the First Presidency 
 in their Christmas greeting to the Saints, "but vain philos- 
 ophy, human theory and mere speculations of men we do not 
 accept, nor do we adopt anything contrary to divine revela- 
 tion or to good common sense, but everything that tends to 
 right conduct, that harmonizes with sound morality and 
 increases faith in Deity, finds favor with us, no matter 
 where it may be found." 
 
 A good motto for young people to adopt, who are de- 
 termined to delve into philosophic theories, is to search all 
 things, but be careful to hold on only to that which is true. 
 The truth persists, but the theories of philosophers change 
 and are overthrown. What men use today as a scaffolding 
 for scientific purposes from which to reach out into the un- 
 known for truth, may be torn down tomorrow, having served 
 its purpose ; but faith is an eternal principle through which 
 the humble believer may secure everlasting solace. It is the 
 only way to find God. 
 
 Science and philosophy through all the ages have under- 
 gone change after change. Scarcely a century has passed 
 but they have introduced new theories of science and phil- 
 
REVELATION 49 
 
 osophy, that supersede the old traditions and the old faith 
 and the old doctrines entertained by philosophers and sci- 
 entists. These things may undergo continuous changes, but 
 the word of God is always true, is always right. The prin- 
 ciples of the gospel are always true, the principles of faith 
 in God, repentance from sin, baptism for the remission of 
 sins by authority of God, and the laying on of hands for the 
 gift of the Holy Ghost these principles are always true, and 
 are always absolutely necessary for the salvation of the chil- 
 dren of men, no matter who they are and where they are. 
 No other name under heaven is given but that of Jesus 
 Christ, by which you can be saved or exalted in the kingdom 
 of God. Not only has God declared them, not only has 
 Christ declared these principles, by his voice to his disciples, 
 from generation to generation, in the old time, but in these 
 latter days, they have taken up the same testimony and 
 declared these things to the world. They are true today as 
 they were then, and we must obey these things. Improve- 
 ment Era, Vol. 14, p. 548. 
 
 REVELATION AND LEGAL EVIDENCE. Recently a man 
 charged with the murder of another man was examined be- 
 fore a committing magistrate in Salt Lake City. The father- 
 in-law of the murdered man, during the examination on the 
 part of the State, related a conversation had between him- 
 self and the accused soon after the commission of the crime. 
 During the conversation, according to newspaper report, 
 the father-in-law of the murdered man laid the crime at the 
 door of the accused. In the cross-examination the attorney 
 for the defendant pressed the witness as to how he knew 
 that the accused was guilty of the crime. The reply, as 
 given in the press, was, because God had revealed it to him. 
 It does not appear from the further proceedings in the case 
 that the testimony was excepted to or withdrawn, or that 
 the magistrate informed the witness that such evidence was 
 incompetent and could not be received. The statement 
 
50 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 gave rise to comment in the press and has been the subject 
 of discourse from the pulpit. Of course, every person must 
 know that such evidence is not admissible in a court of law, 
 and if it had been in a trial before a jury it would have been 
 the duty of the judge to order the testimony stricken out, 
 and in the charge to the jury, they would have been warned 
 to disregard it altogether. In view of the probability that 
 there are those who may persist in the association of such 
 evidence with the religious body of which the witness is a 
 member, it may be proper to say, without discrediting in the 
 least the witness' conviction of the revelation he had re- 
 ceived, that no member of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latter-day Saints should, for one moment, regard such tes- 
 timony as admissible in a court of law, and to make the case 
 perfectly clear it may be further stated that such evidence 
 would not be permissible even in a Church court, where 
 rules of evidence, though not so technical, are founded 
 largely upon the same principles that govern the rules of 
 evidence in a court of law. Any attempt, therefore, to make 
 it appear that such evidence is in keeping with the tenets of 
 the "Mormon" faith is wholly unjustified. Juvenile In- 
 structor, p. 114, Feb. 15, 1902, Vol. 37. 
 
 PROPER CHANNELS FOR REVELATION. It has sometimes 
 been sorrowful to see respected members of the Church, men 
 who should know better, allow themselves to become the 
 tools of seductive spirits. Such men seem, for the time at 
 least, to lose sight of the fact that the Lord has established 
 on earth the Priesthood in its fulness ; and that by direct 
 revelation and commandment from heaven ; that he has insti- 
 tuted an order or government that is beyond the capacity, 
 and that is superior to the wisdom and learning and under- 
 standing of man, so far, indeed, that it seems impossible for 
 the human mind, unaided by the Spirit of God, to compre- 
 hend the beauties, powers, and character of the Holy Priest- 
 hood. It seems difficult for men to comprehend the work- 
 
REVELATION 51 
 
 ings of the priesthood, its legitimate authority, its scope 
 and power; and yet by the light of the Spirit it is easily 
 comprehended, but not understanding it, men are easily de- 
 ceived by seductive spirits that are abroad in the world. 
 They are led to believe that something is wrong, and the 
 next thing that . transpires, they find themselves believing 
 that they are chosen specially to set things right. It is very 
 unfortunate for a man to be taken in this snare; for be it 
 understood by the Latter-day Saints that as long as the 
 servants of God are living pure lives, are honoring the 
 priesthood conferred upon them, and endeavoring to the best 
 of their knowledge to magnify their offices and callings, to 
 which they have been duly chosen by the voice of the peo- 
 ple and the priesthood and sanctioned by the approval of 
 God, so long as the Lord has any communication to make to 
 the children of men, or any instructions to impart to his 
 Church, he will make such communication through the le- 
 gally appointed channel of the priesthood; he will never go 
 outside of it, as long, at least, as the Church of Jesus Christ 
 of Latter-day Saints exists in its present form on the earth. 
 It is not the business of any individual to rise up as 
 a revelator, as a prophet, as a seer, as an inspired man, 
 to give revelation for the guidance of the Church, or to 
 assume to dictate to the presiding authorities of the 
 Church in any part of the world, much less in the midst 
 of Zion, where the organizations of the priesthood are 
 about perfect, where everything is complete, even to the 
 organization of a branch. It is the right of individuals to 
 be inspired and to receive manifestations of the Holy Spirit 
 for their personal guidance to strengthen their faith, and to 
 encourage them in works of righteousness, in being faithful 
 and observing and keeping the commandments which God 
 has given unto them; it is the privilege of every man and 
 woman to receive revelation to this end, but not further. 
 The moment an individual rises up assuming the right to 
 
52 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 control and to dictate, or to sit in judgment on his brethren, 
 especially upon those who preside, he should be promptly 
 checked, or discord, division and confusion would be the 
 result. Every man and woman in this Church should know 
 better than to yield to such a spirit ; the moment that such a 
 feeling presents itself to them they should rebuke it, as it is 
 in direct antagonism to the order of the priesthood, and to 
 the spirit and genius of this work. We can accept nothing 
 as authoritative but that which comes directly through the 
 appointed channel, the constituted organizations of the 
 priesthood, which is the channel that God has appointed 
 through which to make known his mind and will to the 
 world. 
 
 Through Joseph, then, the Lord revealed himself to 
 the world, and through him he chose the first elders of the 
 Church men who were honest in their hearts ; men who 
 he knew would receive the word, and labor in connection 
 with Joseph in this great, important undertaking ; and all 
 that have been ordained to the priesthood, and all that have 
 been appointed to any position whatever in this Church have 
 received their authority and commission through this chan- 
 nel, appointed of God, with Joseph at the head. This is 
 the order, and it could not be otherwise. God will not raise 
 up another prophet and another people to do the work that 
 we have been appointed to do. He will never ignore those 
 who have stood firm and true from the commencement, as it 
 were, of this work, and who are still firm and faithful, inas- 
 much as they continue faithful to their trust. There is no 
 question in my mind of their ever proving themselves un- 
 faithful, as a body, for if any of them were to become un- 
 worthy in his sight, he would remove them out of their place 
 and call others from the ranks to fill their positions. And 
 thus his priesthood will ever be found to be composed of the 
 right men for the place, of men whose backs will be fitted 
 for the burden, men through whom he can work and regu- 
 
REVELATION 53 
 
 late the affairs of his Church according to the counsels of his 
 own will. And the moment that individuals look to any other 
 source, that moment they throw themselves open to the se- 
 ductive influences of Satan, and render themselves liable to 
 become servants of the devil; they lose sight of the true 
 order through which the blessings of the priesthood are to 
 be enjoyed; they step outside of the pale of the Kingdom of 
 God, and are on dangerous ground. Whenever you see a 
 man rise up claiming to have received direct revelation from 
 the Lord to the Church, independent of the order and channel 
 of the priesthood, you may set him down as an imposter. 
 God has not called you to go out to the world to be taught, 
 or to receive revelations through apostates or strangers ; but 
 he has called and ordained you and sent you forth to teach 
 and lead people in the paths of righteousness and salvation. 
 
 Now, how should it be? I will tell you. In the first 
 place every person should know that the gospel is true, as 
 this is every one's privilege who is baptized and receives the 
 Holy Ghost. A man may be grieved in his feelings be- 
 cause of some difficulty between himself and President Tay- 
 lor, or Cannon, or myself ; he may have feelings in his heart 
 which lead him to think that he could not sustain us in his 
 faith and prayers ; but if this should be the case, what is the 
 course for him to pursue ? He should say in his heart, "God 
 has established his kingdom, and his priesthood is upon the 
 earth; and notwithstanding my dislike for certain men, I 
 know that the gospel is true, and that God is with his peo- 
 ple ; and that if I will do my duty and keep his command- 
 ments, the clouds will roll by, and the mists will disappear, 
 the Spirit of the Lord will come more fully to my relief, and 
 by and by I will be able to see if I am in error, wherein I 
 erred, and then I will repent of it, for I know that every 
 wrong thing will yet be made right." I think all men 
 should feel that way. 
 
 Never is there but one appointed at a time to hold the 
 
54 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 keys of the Kingdom of God pertaining to the earth. While 
 Christ remained on the earth he held them ; but when he 
 departed, he committed them to Peter, he being the president 
 or chief of the apostles ; and it was his right to direct and to 
 receive revelation for the Church, and to give counsel to 
 all the brethren. After Satan and wicked men had pre- 
 vailed against the Church, crucified the Savior and killed the 
 apostles, the keys of the kingdom were taken from the earth. 
 John the Revelator describes it most clearly. And from that 
 time until Joseph Smith was called by the voice of the Al- 
 mighty, and ordained to hold those keys, no man held them 
 upon the earth that we know of. It is true the Lord did 
 appoint other twelve upon this continent, and his Church 
 flourished and prospered in this land for many years, but 
 the Lord declared that Peter, James and John, and the 
 twelve that walked with him at Jerusalem, held the presi- 
 dency over them. God may reveal himself to different na- 
 tions, and establish among them the same gospel and ordin- 
 ances as he did anciently, if necessity require, but if these 
 nations should be joined together there would be one head, 
 and all the rest would be subordinate. So that from the 
 time that the keys of this priesthood were taken from the 
 earth until they were received by Joseph Smith, no man 
 ever possessed that priesthood, nor the keys thereof, with 
 authority to build up the Zion of God, and prepare a church 
 or people for the second coming of Christ, "as a bride is 
 adorned for the bridegroom," unless it may have been among 
 the lost tribes, yet of this we have no knowledge, but if so 
 they would receive those keys necessary to administer in the 
 ordinances of the gospel for their salvation. We know not 
 of their existence or the condition in which they are placed. 
 The gospel that is given to them is suited to their needs and 
 conditions, and is for their salvation, not ours; and yet, it 
 will be the same gospel. And God will not call one from 
 them to give to us the priesthood, or to give to us the keys 
 
REVELATION 55 
 
 and blessings, or to point out the organizations of the King- 
 dom of God, because he has established that priesthood 
 here, and we have it. If he has any communication to make 
 to us he will send his messengers to us. And in this way 
 he will deliver his law and give his mind and will to the 
 people. He will do it through the ordained channels of the 
 priesthood which he acknowledges and which he has estab- 
 lished in the earth. He will go nowhere else to do it, neither 
 will he send us to them, unless they should be without the 
 priesthood and it becomes necessary to take the blessings of 
 the gospel to them, and I presume that will be the case. 
 
 When Joseph received the keys of the priesthood, he 
 alone on the earth held them; that is, he was the first, he 
 stood at the head. It was promised that he should not lose 
 them nor be removed out of his place, as long as he was 
 faithful. And when he died, President Young was chosen 
 by the voice of the people, and sanctioned by the voice of 
 God. He held the priesthood which was after the order of 
 the Son of God, with the keys which pertain to the presi- 
 dency of that priesthood upon earth. He received it from 
 the hands of Joseph, directly from him or by his authority ; 
 and he held it until his death. When he died, that mantle 
 fell upon John Taylor, and while he lives he will hold that 
 authority, inasmuch as he is faithful. So it was with Pres- 
 ident Brigham Young: he held it on condition of his faith- 
 fulness. If any man in that position should become unfaith- 
 ful, God would remove him out of his place. I testify in 
 the name of Israel's God that he will not suffer the head of 
 the Church, whom he has chosen to stand at the head, to 
 transgress his laws and apostatize; the moment he should 
 take a course that would in time lead to it, God would take 
 him away. Why? Because to suffer a wicked man to oc- 
 cupy that position would be to allow, as it were, the fountain 
 to become corrupted, which is something he will never 
 permit. 
 
56 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 The moment a man says he will not submit to the legally 
 constituted authority of the Church, whether it be the teach- 
 ers, the bishopric, the high council, his quorum, or the First 
 Presidency, and in his heart confirms it and carries it out, 
 tha't moment he cuts himself off from the privileges and 
 blessings of the priesthood and Church, and severs himself 
 from the people of God, for he ignores the authority that the 
 Lord has instituted in his Church. These are the men that 
 generally get crochets in their heads, that get inspiration 
 (from beneath), and that are often so desirous to guide the 
 Church, and to sit in judgment upon the priesthood. The 
 only safe way for us to do, as individuals, is to live so hum- 
 bly, so righteously and so faithfully before God that we may 
 possess his Spirit to that extent that we shall be able to 
 judge righteously, and discern between truth and error, be- 
 tween right and wrong; and then we shall know when a 
 decision is rendered against us that in ninety-nine cases 
 out of a hundred, we are in error, and that the decision is 
 right ; and although we may, at the time, not be fully able to 
 see and feel its justness, yet will be constrained to say that 
 inasmuch as there are sixteen chances against one for me to 
 be wrong, "I will gracefully and humbly submit." The pith 
 of the matter is : the Lord has established his Church, organ- 
 ized his priesthood, and conferred authority upon certain 
 individuals, councils and quorums, and it is the duty of the 
 people of God to live so that they shall know that these 
 are acceptable unto him. If we begin to cut off this one and 
 that one, and set their authority aside, we may just as well 
 at once set God aside, and say he has no right to dictate. 
 Journal of Discourses, Vol. 24, pp. 187-194, 1884, Ogden, 
 June 21, 1883. 
 
 THE DOCTRINE AND .COVENANTS. I say to my brethren 
 that the book of Doctrine and Covenants contains some of 
 the most glorious principles ever revealed to the world, some 
 that have been revealed in greater fulness than they were 
 
REVELATION 57 
 
 ever revealed before to the world; and this, in fulfilment of 
 the promises of the ancient prophets that in the latter times 
 the Lord would reveal things to the world that had been 
 kept hidden from the foundation thereof; and the Lord has 
 revealed them through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Oct. 
 C. R., 1913, p. 9. 
 
 How TO READ THE BIBLE. That which characterizes 
 above all else the inspiration and divinity of the Scriptures 
 is the spirit in which they are written and the spiritual wealth 
 they convey to those who faithfully and conscientiously read 
 them. Our attitude, therefore, toward the Scriptures should 
 be in harmony with the purposes for which they were writ- 
 ten. They are intended to enlarge man's spiritual endow- 
 ments and to reveal and intensify the bond of relationship 
 between him and his God. The Bible, as all other books of 
 Holy Writ, to be appreciated must be studied by those spir- 
 itually inclined and who are in quest of spiritual truths. 
 Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 47, p. 204, April, 1912. 
 
 PERSECUTION FOLLOWS REVELATION. I do not believe 
 there ever was a people who were guided by revelation, or 
 acknowledged of the Lord as his people, that were not hated 
 and persecuted by the wicked and the corrupt, and perhaps 
 no people were ever more persecuted than this people would 
 be if it were in the power of the enemy today to persecute 
 us as it was in the power of Nero and the Romans to per- 
 secute the Saints in their day. There never was a time 
 when it was more fixed and determined in the heart of the 
 wicked to fight against and destroy the kingdom from the 
 earth than now, and their failure will be due only to the 
 impossibility of the task they have undertaken. And this is 
 an evidence to every one that God's priesthood is here, that 
 many of the Saints are magnifying their callings and honor- 
 ing the priesthood and also the Lord, both with their lives 
 and with their substance, which are his, Deseret Weekly 
 News, Vol. 24, p. 708, 1875. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 Free Agency 
 
 THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS A FREE PEOPLE. We will now 
 present before the conference the names of the general au- 
 thorities of the Church, with the earnest desire that all the 
 members of the Church present, who by reason of their 
 good standing before the Lord are entitled to the privilege, 
 will express their will according to the God-given agency 
 that every man in the world enjoys, and which is not les- 
 sened, but rather increased, in all those who have made cove- 
 nant with God by sacrifice and through obedience to the 
 principles of the gospel. The freedom of the Latter-day 
 Saints has never been curtailed nor lessened one whit by 
 their becoming members of the Church of Christ. Rather 
 has it been enlarged. There are no freer people upon the 
 face of the earth today than the Latter-day Saints. They 
 are bound to the Church by no ties or strings, but their 
 own conviction of the truth. And whenever a man makes up 
 his mind that he has had enough of what is called "Mor- 
 monism," all he has to do is to make it known, and we will 
 sever the bond that unites him with the body and let him 
 go his own way, only bearing toward him the feeling of 
 sympathy and of true brotherly kindness, and wishing him 
 still the mercies of God. We will cry, "Father, have mercy 
 upon him," because he knows not what he is doing. For 
 when a man denies the truth, when he departs from the right 
 way, when he rejects the right of God to counsel in the 
 affairs of men, he is either ignorant or wilfully wicked, and 
 it only excites our pity for him- As the Savior cried upon 
 the cross, so we will cry in the same spirit, Father, forgive 
 him ; have mercy upon him ; for he knows not what he does. 
 
FREE AGENCY 59 
 
 Therefore, we expect only those to vote at this time who are 
 members of the Church in good standing ; but all such we do 
 expect to vote, according to their own free will, whether it 
 be yea or nay. However, we wish it distinctly understood 
 that no questions upon these matters will be discussed in 
 this conference ; for this is not the place to discuss questions 
 of difference or of feeling that we may possess one towards 
 another. Still we .can manifest our approval or our disap- 
 proval by the uplifted hand; and if there are any disap- 
 provals, we will have them heard and adjusted later on, but 
 not here. Oct. C. R., 1903, p. 84'. 
 
 THE USE OF FREEDOM AND HUMAN JUDGMENT. I 
 think that in the realms of liberty, and the exercise of hu- 
 man judgment, all men should exercise extreme caution, 
 that they do not change or abolish those things which God 
 has willed and has inspired to be done. It has been in this 
 realm of freedom, and the exercise of human judgment that 
 most of the evils that have occurred in the world have been 
 done the martyrdom of Saints, the crucifixion of the Son 
 of God himself, and much of the apostasy and departure 
 from the work of righteousness, and from the laws of God, 
 have occurred in this realm of freedom and the exercise of 
 human judgment. God in his boundless wisdom and gra- 
 cious mercy has provided means, and has shown the way to 
 the children of men whereby, even in the realms of free- 
 dom and the exercise of their own judgment, they may in- 
 dividually go unto God in faith and prayer, and find out 
 what should guide and direct their human judgment and 
 wisdom ; and I do not want the Latter-day Saints to forget 
 that this is their privilege. I would rather that they should 
 seek God for a counselor and guide, than to follow the wild 
 harangues of political leaders, or leaders of any other cult. 
 -Oct. C. R., 1912, p. 41-42. 
 
 LATTER-DAY SAINTS SHOULD EXERCISE FREE AGENCY. 
 We desire that the Latter-day Saints will exercise the liberty 
 
60 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 wherewith they have been made free by the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ; for they are entitled to know the right from the 
 wrong, to see the truth and draw the line between it and 
 error; and it is their privilege to judge for themselves and to 
 act upon their own free agency with regard to their choice 
 as to sustaining or otherwise those who should exercise 
 the presiding functions among them. We desire the Latter- 
 day Saints at this conference to exercisq their prerogative, 
 which is, to vote as the Spirit of the Lord prompts them 
 on the measures and the men that may be presented unto 
 themApr.. C. R., 1904, p. 73. 
 
 How TO OBTAIN BLESSINGS OF GOD. There are bless- 
 ings which pertain to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the 
 world to come, which cannot be secured by personal influ- 
 ence, nor be bought with money, and which no man by his 
 own intelligence or wisdom can obtain except through com-- 
 pliance with certain ordinances, laws and commandments 
 which have been given. And it is well, in my judgment, for 
 the Latter-day Saints to continue to bear in mind that the 
 inestimable blessings of the gospel have been bestowed upon 
 them through their faith, that a remission of sins has been 
 obtained by baptism and repentance, and that it is only 
 through continuing faithful that they can retain the gifts 
 and blessings which pertain to eternal life. There are many 
 blessings, however, which are common to the human fam- 
 ily, which all enjoy, without regard to their moral status or 
 religious convictions. God has given to all men an agency,' 
 and has granted to us the privilege to serve him or serve 
 him not, to do that which is right or that which is wrong, 
 and this privilege is given to all men irrespective of creed, 
 color or condition. The wealthy have this agency, the poor 
 have this agency, and no man is deprived by any power of 
 God from exercising it in the fullest and in the freest man- 
 ner. This agency has been given to all. This is a blessing 
 that God has bestowed upon the world of mankind, upon all 
 
FREE AGENCY 61 
 
 his children alike. But he will hold us strictly to an account 
 for the use that we make of this agency, and as it was said 
 of Cain, so it will be said of us: "If thou doest well, shalt 
 thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth 
 at the door-" There are, however, certain blessings which 
 God bestows upon the children of men only upon the condi- 
 tion of the rightful exercise of this agency. For instance, 
 no man can obtain a remission of his sins but by repentance 
 and baptism by one having authority. If we would be free 
 from sin, from its effects, from its power, we must obey this 
 law which God has revealed, or we never can obtain a remis- 
 sion of sins. Therefore, while God has bestowed upon all 
 men, irrespective of condition, this agency to choose good 
 or evil, he has not and will not bestow upon the children of 
 men a remission of sins but by their obedience to law. There- 
 fore, the whole world lies in sin and is under condemnation, 
 inasmuch as light has come unto the world and men will not 
 place themselves in a proper position before the Lord. And 
 this condemnation rests with tenfold force upon all who have 
 yielded obedience to this law, and have once received a re- 
 mission of their sins, but have returned unto sin, and have 
 forgotten or disregarded the covenants they made in the 
 waters of baptism. All men are blessed with the strength 
 of their bodies, with the use of their minds, and with the right 
 to exercise the faculties with which they are endowed in a 
 way that seemeth good to their sight, without regard to re- 
 ligion. But God has not and will not suffer the gift of the 
 Holy Ghost to be bestowed upon any man or woman, except 
 through compliance with the laws of God. Therefore, no 
 man can obtain a remission of sins; no man can obtain the 
 gift of the Holy Ghost; no man can obtain the revelations 
 of God; no man can obtain the priesthood, and the rights, 
 powers and privileges thereof; no man can become an heir 
 of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ, except through 
 compliance with the requirements of heaven. These are uni- 
 
62 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 versal blessings, they are great and inestimable privileges 
 which pertain to the gospel and to the plan of life and salva- 
 tion, which are open and free to all on certain conditions, but 
 which no persons beneath the heavens can enjoy, but 
 through walking in the channel that God has marked out by 
 which they can obtain them. And these privileges and 
 blessings when obtained may be forfeited, and perhaps lost 
 for all eternity, unless we continue steadfast in the course 
 that is marked out for us to pursue. It is well, in my judg- 
 ment, that the Latter-day Saints do not lose sight of the 
 great privilege that has been bestowed upon them. No man 
 can become a citizen of the kingdom of God but by enter- 
 ing in at the door; there are thousands and tens of thou- 
 sands, aye, millions of people who will never become citizens 
 of the Kingdom of God in this world, because they fail to 
 exercise the agency and the power that have been given to 
 them, in the right direction. Nevertheless, they enjoy many 
 of the blessings that are bestowed upon the world in com- 
 mon. The sun shines upon the evil and the good; but the 
 Holy Ghost descends only upon the righteous, and upon 
 those who are forgiven of their sins. The rain descends 
 upon the evil and upon the good; but the rights of the 
 priesthood are conferred, and the doctrine of the priesthood 
 distils as the dews of heaven upon the souls of those only 
 who receive it in God's own appointed way. The favor of 
 heaven, the acknowledgment of the Almighty of his children 
 upon the earth as his sons and his daughters, can only be 
 secured through obedience to the laws which he has revealed. 
 Riches, or the wealth of the world, cannot purchase these 
 things. Simon Magus desired to purchase the power to cast 
 out devils with money, but Peter said unto him, "Thy money 
 perish with thee." These blessings, powers and privileges 
 are not to be purchased except by the atonement of Christ; 
 they are not to be obtained by personal influence, wealth, 
 position or power, or in any other way except the direct way 
 
FREE AGENCY 63 
 
 in which God has decreed that they should be obtained. Now, 
 so long as the Latter-day Saints are content to obey the com- 
 mandments of God, to appreciate the privileges and bless- 
 ings which they enjoy in the Church, and will use their 
 time, their substance, in honor to the name of God, to build 
 up Zion, and to establish truth and righteousness in the 
 earth, so long our heavenly Father is bound by his oath and 
 covenant to protect them from every opposing foe, and to 
 help them to overcome every obstacle that can possibly be 
 arrayed against them, or thrown in their pathway; but the 
 moment a community begins to be wrapt up in themselves, 
 becomes selfish, becomes engrossed in the temporalities of 
 life, and put their faith in riches, that moment the power of 
 God begins to withdraw from them, and if they repent not 
 the Holy Spirit will depart from them entirely, and they 
 will be left to themselves. That which was given them will 
 be taken away, they will lose that which they had, for they 
 will not be worthy of it. God is just, as well as merciful, 
 and we need not expect favors at the hand of the Almighty 
 except as we merit them, at least in the honest desires of our 
 hearts, and the desire and intent will not always avail unless 
 our acts correspond. For we are engaged in a literal work, 
 a reality ; and we must practice as well as profess. We must 
 be what God requires us to be, or else we are not his people, 
 nor the Zion which he designs to gather together and to 
 build up in the latter days upon the earth. Journal of Dis- 
 courses, Vol. 24, 1884, pp. 173-178. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 God and Man 
 
 GOD HAS DIRECTED His LATTER-DAY WORK. It has not 
 been by the wisdom of man that this people have been 
 directed in their course until the present ; it has been by the 
 wisdom of him who is above man, whose knowledge is 
 greater than that of man, and whose power is above the 
 power of man; for it is unto God, our Father we are in- 
 debted for the mercies we have enjoyed and for the present 
 prosperous condition of the people of God throughout this 
 intermountain region and throughout the world. The hand 
 of the Lord may not be visible to all. There may be many 
 who cannot discern the workings of God's will in the pro- 
 gress and development of this great latter-day work, but 
 there are those who see in every hour and in every moment 
 of the existence of the Church, from its beginning until now, 
 the overruling, almighty hand of Him who sent His Only 
 Begotten Son to the world to become a sacrifice for the sin 
 of the world, that as he was lifted up so he, by reason of 
 his righteousness and power and the sacrifice which he has 
 made, might lift up unto God all the children of men who 
 would hearken to his voice, receive his message and obey 
 his law. Apr. C. R., 1904, p. 2. 
 
 A PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. We are not depend- 
 ent for this upon the written word, nor upon the knowl- 
 edge possessed by the ancient prophets and apostles. We 
 depend only upon God as he reveals himself today and ad- 
 ministers unto men by the power of his Holy Spirit. And 
 all men in the world, not only the Latter-day Saints, but 
 those who have never embraced the gospel, have the same 
 privilege that we have, if they will take the course which God 
 
GOD AND MAN 6,5 
 
 has marked out. It is their privilege to come to the knowl- 
 edge of this truth and to understand these things for them- 
 selves. We have derived this knowledge from the Lord, 
 not from man. Man cannot give this knowledge. I may 
 tell you what I know, but that is not knowledge to you. If 
 I have learned something through prayer, supplication, and 
 perseverance in seeking to know the truth, and I tell it to 
 you, it will not be knowledge unto you. I can tell you how 
 you can obtain it, but I cannot give it to you. If we receive 
 this knowledge, it must come from the Lord. He can touch 
 your understandings and your spirits, so that you shall com- 
 prehend perfectly and not be mistaken. But I cannot <lo 
 that. You can obtain this knowledge through repentance, 
 humility, and seeking the Lord with full purpose of heart 
 until you find him. He is not afar off. It is not difficult 
 to approach him, if we will only do it with a broken heart 
 and a contrite spirit, as did Nephi of old. This was the way 
 in which Joseph Smith, in his boyhood, approached him. He 
 went into the woods, knelt down, and in humility he sought 
 earnestly to know which church was acceptable to God. He 
 received an answer to his prayer, which he offered from the 
 depths of his heart, and he received it in a way that he did 
 not expect. Oct. C. R., 1899, p. 71. 
 
 GOD SPEAKS TO THE HONEST IN HEART. Everywhere 
 the Spirit of the Lord whispers to the honest in heart who are 
 faithful, and gives to them the assurance that his hand is 
 stretched out continually over his people ; that as, in the 
 past, he has preserved them and delivered them out of the 
 hands of their enemies, so in the future he will continue to 
 preserve and deliver them, and he will make the wrath of 
 the wicked to praise him and to accomplish the more speed- 
 ily his purposes. We have every evidence to convince us 
 that the work of the Lord is a reality, a living, active, pro- 
 gressive work in the earth. Oct. C. R., 1905, p. 5. 
 
 GOD CONSTANTLY MINDFUL OF Us. I desire to express 
 
66 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 to you, my brethren and sisters who are here today, my firm 
 and fixed conviction that God, the eternal Father, is con- 
 stantly mindful of you. He is mindful of his people through- 
 out all this land, and he will reward you according to your 
 faithfulness in observing the laws of righteousness and of 
 truth. No man need fear in his heart when he is conscious 
 of having lived up to the principles of truth and righteous- 
 ness as God has required it at his hands, according to his 
 best knowledge and understanding. Apr. C. R., 1904, p. 2. 
 
 GOD'S WILL TO EXALT MEN. We believe that God's 
 will is to exalt men ; that the liberty that comes through 
 obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest meas- 
 ure of liberty that can come to man. There is no liberty 
 that men enjoy or pretend to enjoy in the world that is not 
 founded in the will and in the law of God, and that does not 
 have truth for its underlying principle and foundation. It 
 is error that makes bondsmen. It is untruth that degrades 
 mankind. It is error and the lack of knowledge of God's 
 laws and God's will that leaves men in the world on a par 
 with the brute creation ; for they have no higher instincts, 
 no higher principle, no higher incentive, no higher aspira- 
 tion, than the brute world, if they have not some inspiration 
 that comes from a higher source than man himself. Apr. 
 C. R., 1904, p. 4. 
 
 GOD'S RIGHT TO RULE IN THE WORLD. I believe in 
 God's law. I believe that it is his right to rule in the world. 
 I believe that no man has or should have any valid objec- 
 tion in his mind to the government of God, and the rule of 
 Jesus Christ, in the earth. Let us suppose, for a moment, 
 that Christ were here and that he was bearing rule in the 
 world. Who would come under his condemnation? Who 
 would be subject to his chastening word? Who would be in 
 disharmony or unf ellowship with God ? Would the righteous 
 man? Would the virtuous man? The pure and virtuous 
 woman? The pure and the honest in heart? The upright? 
 
GOD AND MAN 67 
 
 The straightforward? Those who do the will of heaven? 
 Would they be in rebellion to Christ's rule, if he were to 
 come here to rule ? No. They would welcome the rule and 
 reign of Jesus Christ in the earth. They would welcome his 
 law and acknowledge his sovereignty, they would hasten to 
 rally to his standard and to uphold the purpose and the per- 
 fection of his laws and of his righteousness. Who would 
 then be recreant to the rule of Christ? The whoremonger, 
 the adulterer, the liar, the sorcerer, he who bears false wit- 
 ness against his neighbor, he who seeks to take advantage 
 of his brother, and who would overcome and destroy him 
 for his own worldly gain or profit; the murderer, the de- 
 spiser of that which is good, the unbeliever in the eternities 
 that lie before us, the atheist, perhaps, although I think that 
 he would not be so far from Christ as some who profess to 
 be teachers of his doctrines and advocates of his laws. It 
 would be the rebellious, the wicked, those who would op- 
 press their neighbors and enslave them if they could. Such 
 as these would be the people who would not welcome the 
 reign of Jesus Christ. Are there any who profess to be 
 Latter-day Saints in this class, and would fear to have Christ 
 reign and rule? Apr. C. R. f 1904, p. 4. 
 
 THE LESSON IN NATURAL CALAMITIES. There are, in the 
 great world of mankind, much social and civil unrighteous- 
 ness, religious unfaithfulness, and great insensibility to the 
 majesty, power, and purpose of our eternal Father and God. 
 In order, therefore, that he may bring the sense of himself 
 and his purposes home to the minds of men, his intervention 
 and interposition in nature and in men's affairs, are de- 
 manded. His aims will be accomplished even if men must 
 be overwhelmed with the convulsions of nature to bring 
 them to an understanding and a realization of his designs. 
 As long as conditions remain as they are in the world, none 
 is exempt from these visitations. 
 
 The Latter-day Saints, though they themselves tremble 
 
68 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 because of their own wickedness and sins, believe that great 
 judgments are coming upon the world because of iniquity; 
 they firmly believe in the statements of the Holy Scriptures, 
 that calamities will befall the nations as signs of the coming 
 of Christ to judgment. They believe that God rules in the 
 fire, the earthquake, the tidal wave, the volcanic eruption, 
 and the storm. Him they recognize as the Master and 
 Ruler of nature and her laws, and freely acknowledge his 
 hand in all things. We believe that his judgments are 
 poured out to bring mankind to a sense of his power and his 
 purposes, that they may repent of their sins and prepare 
 themselves for the second coming of Christ to reign in 
 righteousness upon the earth. 
 
 We firmly believe that Zion which is the pure in heart 
 shall escape, if she observes to do all things -whatsoever 
 God has commanded ; but, in the opposite event, even Zion 
 shall be visited "with sore affliction, with pestilence, with 
 plague, with sword, with vengeance, and with devouring 
 fire" (Doctrine and Covenants 97:26). All this that her 
 people may be taught to walk in the light of truth and in the 
 way of the God of their salvation. 
 
 We believe that these severe, natural calamities are 
 visited upon men by the Lord for the good of his children, 
 to quicken their devotion to others, and to bring out their 
 better natures, that they may love and serve him. We be- 
 lieve, further, that they are the heralds and tokens of his 
 final judgment, and the schoolmasters to teach the people to 
 prepare themselves by righteous living for the coming of 
 the Savior to reign upon the earth, when every knee shall 
 bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. 
 
 If these lessons are impressed upon us and upon the 
 people of our country, the anguish, and the loss of life and 
 toil, sad, great and horrifying as they were, will not have 
 been endured in vain. Improvement Era, Vol. 9, 1905-6, pp. 
 651-654. 
 
GOD AND MAN 69 
 
 EXTENT OF GOD'S POWER. I do not believe in the doc- 
 trine held by some that God is only a spirit and that he is 
 of such a nature that he fills the immensity of space, and is 
 everywhere present in person, or without person, for I can 
 not conceive it possible that God could be a person, if he 
 filled the immensity of space and was everywhere present 
 at the same time. It is unreasonable, a physical, a theolog- 
 ical inconsistency, to imagine that even God the eternal 
 Father would be in two places, as an individual, at the same 
 moment. It is impossible. But his power extends through- 
 out the immensity of space. His power extends to all his 
 creations, and his knowledge comprehends them all, and 
 he governs them all and he knows all. Apr. C. R., 1916, p. 4. 
 BEWARE OF LIMITING GOD. Beware of men who come 
 to you with heresies of this kind, who would make you to 
 think or feel that the Lord Almighty, who made heaven 
 and earth and- created all things, is limited in his dominion 
 over earthly things to the capacities of mortal men. Apr. 
 C. R., 1914, p. 4. 
 
 MISFORTUNE AND EVIL NOT ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE WILL 
 OF, GOD. We have it enunciated in the revelations to Joseph 
 the Prophet, in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that 
 the Lord is greatly displeased only with those who do not 
 confess or acknowledge "his hand in all things, and obey not 
 his commandments." Many things occur in the world in 
 which it seems very difficult for most of us to find a solid 
 reason for the acknowledgment of the hand of the Lord. 
 I have come to the belief that the only reason I have been 
 able to discover by which we should acknowledge the hand 
 of God in some occurrences is the fact that the thing which 
 has occurred has been permitted of the Lord. When two 
 men give way to their passions, their selfishness and anger, 
 to contend and quarrel with each other, and this quarrel and 
 contention lead to physical strife and violence between them, 
 it has been difficult for me to discover the hand of the Lord 
 
70 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 in that transaction; other than that the men who thus dis- 
 agree, quarrel and contend with each other, have received 
 from God the freedom of their own agency to exercise their 
 own intelligence, to judge between the right and the wrong 
 for themselves, and to act according to their own desire. 
 The Lord did not design or purpose that these two men 
 should quarrel, or give way to their anger to such an extent 
 that it would lead to violence between them and, perhaps, to 
 bloodshed. God has never designed such a thing as that, 
 nor can we charge such things to the Almighty. People 
 become sick, suffer pain, sorrow and anguish. They linger 
 for months, and perhaps for years, in feebleness of body 
 and of mind. The question arises in them: Why does the 
 Lord suffer it? Is the hand of God in that suffering? Has 
 God designed persons to suffer? Has he touched them with 
 his hand of affliction ? Has he caused the evil that has come 
 to them? Too many of us are inclined to think, or lean to- 
 ward the feeble thought, that the illness that comes to us, 
 the afflictions that we suffer, the accidents that we meet with 
 in life, and the troubles that beset us on our way in the jour- 
 ney of life, are attributable either to the mercy or the dis- 
 pleasure of God. Sometimes we are prone to charge God 
 with causing our afflictions and our troubles ; but if we could 
 see as God sees, if we could understand as he understands, 
 if we could trace the effects back to the cause, and that truly, 
 by the spirit of correct understanding, we would unques- 
 tionably discover that our troubles, or suffering, or afflic- 
 tion is the result of our own indiscretion or lack of knowl- 
 edge, or of wisdom. It was not the hand of God that put 
 affliction and trouble upon us. The agency that he has 
 given to us left us to act for ourselves to do things if we 
 will that are not right, that are contrary to the laws of life 
 and health, that are not wise or prudent and the results 
 may be serious to us, because of our ignorance or of our 
 determination to persist in that which we desire, rather than 
 
GOD AND MAN 71 
 
 to yield to the requirements which God makes of us. Im- 
 provement Era, Vol. 20, p. 821, July, 1917. 
 
 GOD'S WARFARE. God is the greatest man of war of all, 
 and his Son is next unto him, and their warfare is for the 
 salvation of the souls of men. It would not be necessary for 
 them to use violence or force, nor to permit their children 
 to use violence nor force in order to conquer if they would 
 but humble themselves, and obey the truth. For, after all, 
 nothing will conquer, nothing will win but the truth; and 
 so far as the wars that are going on in the world are con- 
 cerned, we not only want to see peace established among the 
 children of men, but also justice, but above all things, truth, 
 that justice, peace and righteousness may be built upon this 
 foundation and not depend upon the covetousness, pride, 
 vanity, evil desire, and lust for power in men.- Oct. C. R., 
 1914, p. 129. 
 
 WE ARE IN GOD'S IMAGE. When Brother Penrose shall 
 pray, he will pray unto the Father of our Lord and Savior, 
 Jesus Christ, in whose image and likeness we are made, or 
 were born into the world, and in whose likeness and image 
 we are, for we are God's children, and therefore must re- 
 semble his Son in person, and also spiritually, so far as we 
 will obey the principles of the gospel of eternal truth. For 
 we were foreordained and predestined to become conformed 
 to his likeness through the wise and proper use of our free 
 agency. Oct. C. R., 1914, p. 8. 
 
 GOD'S REST. The ancient prophets speak of "entering 
 into God's rest ;" what does it mean ? To my mind, it means 
 entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in 
 his purposes and in his plans, to such an extent that we know 
 we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else ; 
 we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the 
 cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. 
 We know of the doctrine that it is of God, and we do not 
 ask any questions of anybody about it; they are welcome to 
 
GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 their opinions, to their ideas and to their vagaries. The man 
 who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt 
 and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into 
 "God's rest," and he need not fear the vagaries of men, nor 
 their cunning and craftiness, by which they seek to deceive 
 and mislead him from the truth. I pray that we may all 
 enter into God's rest rest from doubt, from fear, from 
 apprehension of danger, rest from the religious turmoil of 
 the world : from the cry that is going forth, here and there 
 lo, here is Christ ; lo, there is Christ ; lo, he is in the desert, 
 come ye out to meet him. The man who has found God's 
 rest will not be disturbed by these vagaries of men, for the 
 Lord has told him, and does tell us: Go not out to seek 
 them. Go not out to hunt them; for when Christ shall 
 come, he will come with the army of heaven with him in 
 the clouds of glory, and all eyes shall see him. We do not 
 need to be hunting for Christ here or Christ there, or proph- 
 ets here and prophets there. Oct. C. R., 1909, p. 8. 
 
 IMPORTANCE OF BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE 
 HOLY SPIRIT. The one thing now that I desire to impress 
 upon the mind's of my brethren of the Holy Priesthood is 
 that we should live so near to the Lord, be so humble in our 
 spirits, so tractable and pliable, under the influence of the 
 Holy Spirit, that we will be able to know the mind and will 
 of the Father concerning us as individuals and as officers in 
 the Church of Christ under all circumstances. And when 
 we live so that we can hear and understand the whisperings 
 of the still, small voice of the Spirit of God, let us do what- 
 soever that Spirit directs, without fear of the consequences. 
 It does not make any difference whether it meet the minds 
 of carpers or critics, or of the enemies of the kingdom of 
 God, or not. Is it agreeable to the will of the Lord? Is it 
 compatible with the spirit of the great latter-day work in 
 which we are engaged? Is the end aimed at likely to ad- 
 vance the Church and to strengthen it in the earth? If its 
 
GOD AND MAN 73 
 
 trend is in that direction, let us do it, no matter what men 
 may say or think. Oct. C. R. } 1903, p. 86. 
 
 HOLY GHOST, HOLY SPIRIT, COMFORTER. The Holy 
 Ghost, who is a member of the Trinity in the Godhead, has 
 not a body of flesh and bones, like the Father and the Son, 
 but is personage of Spirit. (Doc and Cov. Sec. 130:22.) 
 
 The Holy Spirit, or Spirit of God, both of which terms 
 are sometimes used interchangeably with the Holy Ghost, is 
 the influence of Deity, the light of Christ, or of Truth, which 
 proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immen- 
 sity of space, and to quicken the understanding of men. 
 (Doc. and Cov. Sec. 88:6-13.) 
 
 If a man is baptized and ordained to the Holy Priest- 
 hood, and is called upon to perform duties which pertain to 
 that priesthood, it does not follow that he must always have 
 the Holy Ghost in person present with him when he per- 
 forms his duty, but every righteous act which he may per- 
 form legally will be in force and effect, and will be ac- 
 knowledged of God, and the more of the Spirit of God he 
 possesses in his ministrations, the better for himself, and 
 those will not suffer any loss unto whom he adminis- 
 ters. 
 
 Therefore, the presentation or "gift" of the Holy Ghost 
 simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, 
 when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light 
 of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left 
 to his own spirit and judgment. 
 
 The Holy Ghost as a personage of Spirit can no more 
 be omnipresent in person than can the Father or the Son, 
 but by his intelligence, his knowledge, his power and influ- 
 ence, over and through the laws of nature, he is and can be 
 omnipresent throughout all the works of God. It is not the 
 Holy Ghost who in person lighteth every man who is born 
 into the world, but it is the light of Christ, the Spirit of 
 Truth, which proceeds from the source of intelligence, which 
 
74 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 permeates all nature, which lighteth every man and fills the 
 immensity of space. You may call it the Spirit of God, you 
 may call it the influence of God's intelligence, you may call 
 it the substance of his power, no matter what it is called, 
 it is the spirit of intelligence that permeates the universe 
 and gives to the spirits of men understanding just as Job 
 has said. (Job 32:8; Doc. and Cov. 88:3-13.) 
 
 Every elder of the Church who has received the Holy 
 Ghost by the laying on of hands, by one having authority, 
 has power to confer that gift upon another ; it does not fol- 
 low that a man who has received the presentation or gift of 
 the Holy Ghost shall always receive the recognition and wit- 
 ness and presence of the Holy Ghost himself, or he may 
 receive all these, and yet the Holy Ghost not tarry with him, 
 but visit him from time to time (Doc. and Cov. Sec. 130: 
 23) ; and neither does it follow that a man must have the 
 Holy Ghost present with him when he confers the Holy 
 Ghost upon another, but he possesses the gift of the Holy 
 Ghost, and it will depend upon the worthiness of him unto 
 whom the gift is bestowed whether he receive the Holy 
 Ghost or not. 
 
 Now I repeat the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, 
 he constitutes the third person in the Trinity, the Godhead. 
 The gift or presentation of the Holy Ghost is the authorita- 
 tive act of conferring him upon man. The Holy Ghost in 
 person may visit men and will visit those who are worthy and 
 bear witness to their spirit of God and Christ, but may not 
 tarry with them. The Spirit of God which emanates from 
 Deity may be likened to electricity, or the universal ether, 
 as explained in our manual, which fills the earth and the 
 air, and is everywhere present. It is the power of God, the 
 influence that he exerts throughout all his works by which 
 he can effect his purposes and execute his will, in consonance 
 with the laws of free agency which he has conferred upon 
 man. By means of this Spirit every man is enlightened, the 
 
GOD AND MAN 75 
 
 wicked as well as the good, the intelligent and the ignorant, 
 the high and the low, each in accordance with his capacity to 
 receive the light ; and this Spirit or influence which emanates 
 from God may be said to constitute man's consciousness, 
 and will never cease to strive with man, until man is brought 
 to the possession of the higher intelligence which can only 
 come through faith, repentance, baptism for the remission 
 of sins, and the gift or the presentation of the Holy Ghost 
 by one having authority. Improvement Era, Vol. 12, p. 389, 
 March, 1909. 
 
 GOD INSPIRES MAN TO KNOW AND TO Do. I am inclined 
 to acknowledge the hand of God in all things. If I see a 
 man inspired with intelligence, with extraordinary ability 
 and wisdom, I say to myself he is indebted to God for that 
 wisdom and ability ; and that, without the providence or in- 
 terposition of the Almighty, he would not have been what he 
 is. He is indebted to the Lord Almighty for his intelligence, 
 and for all that he has ; for the earth is the Lord's and the 
 fulness thereof. God originated and designed all things, and 
 all are his children. We are born into the world as his off- 
 spring; endowed with the same attributes. The children 
 of men have sprung from the Almighty, whether the world 
 is willing to acknowledge it or not. He is the Father of 
 our spirits. He is the originator of our earthly tabernacles. 
 We live and move and have our being in God our heavenly 
 Father. And having sprung from him with our talents, our 
 ability, our wisdom, we should at least be willing to ac- 
 knowledge his hand in all the prosperity that may attend us 
 in life, and give to him the honor and glory of all we accom- 
 plish in the flesh. We are particularly dependent upon the 
 Almighty for everything we possess of a worldly character. 
 There is not a man on the earth possessed of the wisdom 
 or power of himself to cause even a spear of grass to grow, 
 or to produce a kernel of wheat or of corn, or any fruit, veg- 
 etable, or any material whatever which is essential for the 
 
76 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 sustenance, the happiness and the well-being of a human 
 creature in the world. It is true we can go to the earth, we 
 find it prepared to a certain extent, and we cultivate, plow 
 and plant, and we reap the harvest; but God has ordained 
 that the fruits of our labor shall be in subjection and in obe- 
 dience to certain laws which he himself controls, and which 
 he has kept out of the power of man. Man may boast of 
 having a great deal of wisdom; of having accomplished a 
 great deal in this nineteenth century ; but, if he did but know 
 it, he derives the ability by which he accomplishes these 
 things from God his Father, who is in heaven. He does 
 not possess the power in and of himself. 
 
 I read a Scripture something like this : that ''there is a 
 spirit in man." Now, if that should stop here, there would 
 not be perhaps anything very remarkable about man; for 
 the spirit of man knoweth only the things of man, and the 
 things of God are discerned by the Spirit of God. But while 
 there is a spirit in man, it is further stated that "the inspira- 
 tion of the Almighty giveth them understanding." There 
 is not a man born into the world, but has a portion of the 
 Spirit of God, and it is that Spirit of God which gives to his 
 spirit understanding. Without this, he would be but an ani- 
 mal like the rest of the brute creation, without understand- 
 ing, without judgment, without skill, without ability, except 
 to eat and to drink like the brute beast. But inasmuch as 
 the Spirit of God giveth all men understanding, he is enlight- 
 ened above the brute beast. He is made in the image of God 
 himself, so that he can reason, reflect, pray, exercise faith; 
 he can use his energies for the accomplishment of the de- 
 sires of his heart, and inasmuch as he puts forth his efforts 
 in the proper direction, then he is entitled to an increased 
 portion of the Spirit of the Almighty to inspire him to in- 
 creased intelligence, to increased prosperity and happiness 
 in the world ; but in proportion as he prostitutes his energies 
 for evil, the inspiration of the Almighty is withdrawn from 
 
GOD AND MAN 77 
 
 him, until he becomes so dark and so benighted, that so far 
 as his knowledge of God is concerned, he is quite as ignor- 
 ant as a dumb brute. 
 
 Again, where are we going? We come here and jour- 
 ney in the flesh a little season, and then we pass away. Every 
 soul that is born into the world will die. There is not a soul 
 that has escaped death, except those upon whom God has 
 passed, by the power of his Spirit, that they should live in 
 the flesh until the second coming of the Son of Man: but 
 they will eventually have to pass through the ordeal called 
 death ; it may be in the twinkling of an eye, and without pain 
 or suffering; but they will pass through the change, because 
 it is an irrevocable edict of the Almighty. "In the day that 
 thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." This was the edict 
 of the Almighty, and it pertains to Adam that is, all the hu- 
 man race for Adam is many and it means you and me, and 
 every soul that lives and that bears the image of the Father. 
 We shall all die. But is that the end of our being? If we 
 had .an existence before we came here, we certainly shall 
 continue that existence when we leave here. The spirit will 
 continue to exist as it did before, with the additional advan- 
 tages derived from having passed through this probation. It 
 is absolutely necessary that we should come to the earth and 
 take upon us tabernacles; because if we did not have tab- 
 ernacles we could not be like God, nor like Jesus Christ. 
 God has a tabernacle of flesh and bone. He is an organized 
 being just as we are, who are now in the flesh. Jesus Christ 
 was born of his mother Mary. He had a fleshly tabernacle. 
 He was crucified on the cross ; and his body was raised from 
 the dead. He burst the bonds of the grave, and came forth 
 to newness of life, a living soul, a living being, a man with 
 a body, with parts and with spirit -the spirit and the body 
 becoming a living and immortal soul. You and I have to 
 do the same thing. We must go through the same ordeal 
 in order to attain to the glory and exaltation which God de- 
 
78 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 signed we should enjoy with him in the eternal worlds. In 
 other words, we must become like him ; peradventure to sit 
 upon thrones, to have dominion, power, and eternal increase. 
 God designed this in the beginning. We are the children 
 of God. He is an eternal being, without beginning of days 
 or end of years. He always was, he is, he always will be. 
 We are precisely in the same condition and under the same 
 circumstances that God our heavenly Father was when he 
 was passing through this, or a similar ordeal. We are des- 
 tined to come forth out of the grave as Jesus did, and to ob- 
 tain immortal bodies as he did that is, that our tabernacles 
 are to become immortal as his became immortal, that the 
 spirit and the body may be joined together and become one 
 living being, indivisible, inseparable, eternal. This is the ob- 
 ject of our existence in the world; and we can only attain 
 to these things through obedience to certain principles, 
 through walking in certain channels, through obtaining cer- 
 tain information, certain intelligence from God, without 
 which no man can accomplish his work or fulfil the mission 
 he has come upon the earth to fulfil. These principles are 
 the principles of the gospel of eternal truth, the principles 
 of faith, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, 
 the principle of obedience to God the eternal Father ; for 
 obedience is one of the first principles or laws of heaven. 
 Without obedience, there can be no order, no government, 
 no union, no plan or purpose, carried out. And that obedi- 
 ence must be voluntary; it must not be forced, there must 
 be no coercion. Men must not be constrained against their 
 will to obey the will of God ; they must obey it because they 
 know it to be right, because they desire to do it, and be- 
 cause it is their pleasure to do it. God delights in the 
 willing heart. 
 
 I am looking forward to the time when I shall have 
 passed away from this stage of existence, that I shall be per- 
 mitted to enjoy more fully every gift and blessing that has 
 
GOD AND MAN 79 
 
 contributed to my happiness in this world; everything. I 
 do not believe that there is one thing that was designed or 
 intended to give me joy or make me happy, that I shall be 
 denied hereafter, provided I continue faithful ; otherwise my 
 joy cannot be full. I am not now speaking of that happiness 
 or pleasure that is derived from sin ; I refer to the happi- 
 ness experienced in seeking to do the will of God on earth 
 as it is done in heaven. We expect to have our wives and 
 husbands in eternity. We expect our children will acknowl- 
 edge us as their fathers and mothers in eternity. I expect 
 this; I look for nothing else. Without it, I could not be 
 happy. The thought or belief that I should be denied this 
 privilege hereafter would make me miserable from this 
 moment. I never could be happy again without the hope 
 that I shall enjoy the society of my wives and children in 
 eternity. If I had not this hope, I should be of all men 
 most unhappy, for "if in this life only we have hope in 
 Christ, we are of all men most miserable." All who have 
 tasted of the influence of the Spirit of God, and have had 
 awakened within them a hope of eternal life, cannot be 
 happy unless they continue to drink of that fountain until 
 they are satisfied, and it is the only fountain at which they 
 can drink and be satisfied. Journal of Discourses, Vol. 25, 
 1884, pp. 51-60. 
 
 TRUST IN GOD. The need of one's having a keen knowl- 
 edge of the truth is paramount. So also is it that every 
 Latter-day Saint should have a deep-rooted conviction of 
 the justice of God, and an implicit confidence and faith in 
 his being and mercy. To rightfully understand the gospel 
 and to be able to keep his commandments such knowledge 
 is absolutely necessary. Let each person ask himself if in 
 his soul there is a sharp and immovable conviction of these 
 facts. Could anything that might occur to you, or that 
 might take place in the Church, or with her officers or 
 authorities, change your faith in the purposes, and in the 
 
80 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 absolute justice and mercy, of the Lord, or in the saving 
 power of his gospel, the message of his salvation? If so, 
 your faith is not deep-rooted, and there is strong need of 
 your becoming convinced. * * * 
 
 No person can realize the fulness of the blessings of 
 God, unless he can approach, in some degree, at least, the 
 standard of faith in God's justice, exemplified in the exam- 
 ples quoted. He must have founded in his own soul belief 
 and confidence in the justice and mercy of God. It must 
 be individual, no man can act for another. Lessons of this 
 class need be taught and held up before the youth of Zion, 
 to bring forcibly to their minds the truth which alone will 
 make them free and able to stand firm in the faith. Let 
 them, as they are called together in their assemblies, present 
 themselves before God, and be reminded of his gracious 
 benefits, in bringing forth the Book of Mormon, in the 
 scenes of Kirtland, in Zion, in Nauvoo, in the trying days of 
 the exodus, and in the wilderness. This that they might 
 count the mercies of God in his promises, and behold how 
 past affliction and sore trial have been turned to the well- 
 being of his people; and so renew their covenants, filled 
 with a deep-rooted, immovable conviction of the goodness 
 and mercy of the Lord. Each individual must learn this 
 lesson, it must be impressed upon his soul, so deep, and be 
 so well-founded that nothing can separate him from a knowl- 
 edge of the love of God, though death and hell stand in the 
 way. 
 
 God is good ; his promises never fail ; to trust implicitly 
 his goodness and mercy is a correct principle. Let us, there- 
 fore, put our trust in him. Improvement Era, Vol. 7, p. 53, 
 Nov., 1904. 
 
 I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES. It is by the power 
 of God that all things are made that have been made. It is 
 by the power of Christ that all things are governed and kept 
 in place that are governed and kept in place in the universe. 
 
GOD AND MAN 81 
 
 It is the power which proceeds from the presence of the Son 
 of God throughout all the works of his hands, that giveth 
 light, energy, understanding, knowledge, and a degree of 
 intelligence to all the children of men, strictly in accordance 
 with the words in the Book of Job: "There is a spirit in 
 man ; and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them un- 
 derstanding." It is this inspiration from God, proceeding 
 throughout all his creations, that enlighteneth the children 
 of men ; and it is nothing more nor less than the spirit of 
 Christ, that enlighteneth the mind, that quickeneth the un- 
 derstanding, and that prompteth the children of men to do 
 that which is good and to eschew that which is evil ; which 
 quickens the conscience of man and gives him intelligence 
 to judge between good and evil, light and darkness, right 
 and wrong. 
 
 But the Holy Ghost, who bears record of the Father and 
 the Son, who takes of the things of the Father and shows 
 them unto men, who testifies of Jesus Christ, and of the ever- 
 living God, the Father of Jesus Christ, and who bears wit- 
 ness of the truth this Spirit, this Intelligence, is not given 
 unto all men until they repent of their sins and come into 
 a state of worthiness before the Lord. Then they receive 
 the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the 
 hands of those who are authorized of God to bestow his 
 blessings upon the heads of the children of men. The Spirit 
 spoken of in that which I have read is that Spirit which will 
 not cease to strive with the children of men until they are 
 brought to the possession of the greater light and intelli- 
 gence. Though a man may commit all manner of sin and 
 blasphemy, if he has not received the testimony of the Holy 
 Ghost, he may be forgiven by repenting of his sins, humbling 
 himself before the Lord, and obeying in sincerity the com- 
 mandments of God. As it is stated here, "Every soul who 
 forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my 
 name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, 
 
82 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 shall see my face and know that I am." He shall be for- 
 given, and receive of the greater light; he will enter into a 
 solemn covenant with God, into a compact with the Al- 
 mighty, through the Only Begotten Son, whereby he be- 
 comes a son of God, an heir of God, and a joint heir with 
 Jesus Christ. Then, if he shall sin against the light and 
 knowledge he has received, the light that was within him 
 shall become darkness, and oh, how great will be that dark- 
 ness ! Then, and not till then, will this Spirit of Christ that 
 lighteth every man that cometh into the world cease to strive 
 with him, and he shall be left to his own destruction. 
 
 The question is often asked, Is there any difference be- 
 tween the Spirit of the Lord and the Holy Ghost? The 
 terms are frequently used synonymously. We often say the 
 Spirit of God when we mean the Holy Ghost ; we likewise 
 say the Holy Ghost when we mean the Spirit of God. The 
 Holy Ghost is a personage in the Godhead, and is not that 
 which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. It is 
 the Spirit of God which proceeds through Christ to the 
 world, that enlightens every man that comes into the world, 
 and that strives with the children of men, and will continue 
 to strive with them, until it brings them to a knowledge of 
 the truth and the possession of the greater light and testi- 
 mony of the Holy Ghost. If, however, he receive that 
 greater light, and then sin against it, the Spirit of God will 
 cease to strive with him, and the Holy Ghost will wholly 
 depart from him. Then will he persecute the truth ; then 
 will he seek the blood of the innocent ; then will he not scru- 
 ple at the commission of any crime, except so far as he may 
 fear the penalties of the law, in consequence of the crime, 
 upon himself. 
 
 "And that I am 'in the Father, and the Father in me, 
 and the Father and I are one." I do not apprehend that 
 any intelligent person will construe these words to mean that 
 Jesus and his Father are one person, but merely that they 
 
GOD AND MAN 83 
 
 are one in knowledge, in truth, in wisdom, in understanding, 
 and in purpose; just as the Lord Jesus himself admonished 
 his disciples to be one with him, and to be in him, that he 
 might be in them. It is in this sense that I understand this 
 language, and not as it is construed by some people, that 
 Christ and his Father are one person. I declare to you that 
 they are not one person, but that they are two persons, two 
 bodies, separate and apart, and as distinct as are any father 
 and son within the sound of my voice. Yet, Jesus is the 
 Father of this world, because it was by him that the world 
 was made. 
 
 Even Christ himself was not perfect at first; he re- 
 ceived not a fulness at first, but he received grace for grace, 
 and he continued to receive more and more until he re- 
 ceived a fulness. Is not this to be so with the children of 
 men ? Is any man perfect ? Has any man received a fulness 
 at once? Have we reached a point wherein we may receive 
 the fulness of God, of his glory, and his intelligence ? No ; 
 and yet, if Jesus, the Son of God, and the Father of the 
 heavens and the earth in which we dwell, received not a 
 fulness at the first, but increased in faith, knowledge, under- 
 standing and grace until he received a fulness, is it not pos- 
 sible for all men who are born of women to receive little 
 by little, line upon line, precept upon precept, until they shall 
 receive a fulness, as he has received a fulness, and be ex- 
 alted with him in the presence of the Father? 
 
 The spirit without the body is not perfect, and the body 
 without the spirit is dead. Man was ordained in the begin- 
 ning to become like Jesus Christ, to become conformed unto 
 his image. As Jesus was born of woman, lived and grew 
 to manhood, was put to death and raised from the dead to 
 immortality and eternal life, so it was decreed in the begin- 
 ning that man should be, and will be, through the atone- 
 ment of Jesus, in spite of himself, resurrected from the 
 dead. Death came upon us without the exercise of our 
 
84 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 agency ; we had no hand in bringing it originally upon our- 
 selves ; it came because of the transgression of our first 
 parents. Therefore, man, who had no hand in bringing 
 death upon himself, shall have no hand in bringing again 
 life unto himself; for as he dies in consequence of the sin 
 of Adam, so shall he live again, whether he will or not, by 
 the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and the power of his res- 
 urrection. Every man that dies shall live again, and shall 
 stand before the bar of God, to be judged according to his 
 works, whether they be good or evil. It is then that all will 
 have to give an account for their stewardship in this mortal 
 life. 
 
 Now, my brethren and sisters, I know that my Re- 
 deemer lives. I feel it in every fiber of my being. I am just 
 as satisfied of it as I am of my own existence. I cannot feel 
 more sure of my own being than I do that my Redeemer 
 lives, and that my God lives, the Father of my Savior. I 
 feel it in my soul ; I am converted to it in my whole being. 
 I bear testimony to you that this is the doctrine of Christ, 
 the gospel of Jesus, which is the power of God unto salva- 
 tion. It is "Mormonism." Sermon in Tabernacle, Salt 
 Lake City, March 16, 1902. 
 
 OUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. If there is one prin- 
 ciple of the gospel of Jesus Christ that goes directly to the 
 very foundation of justice and righteousness, it is that great 
 and glorious and God-like principle that every man will have 
 to render an account for that which he does, and every man 
 will be rewarded for his works, whether they be good or 
 evil. Improvement Era, Vol. 21, p. 104. 
 
 THE CHURCH A DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTION. The 
 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the most 
 democratic institution in the world. Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 21, p. 100. 
 
 How TO SECURE GOD'S BLESSINGS. If we desire a con- 
 tinuation of the blessings of the Lord, we must do his will 
 
GOD AND MAN 85 
 
 and obey the laws on which his blessings are predicated. 
 There is no other way to obtain his blessings. Improvement 
 Era, Vol. 21, p. 99, December, 1917. 
 
 JESUS is THE SON. Jesus Christ is not the Father of 
 the spirits who have taken or yet shall take bodies upon this 
 earth, for he is one of them. He is the Son, as they are 
 sons or daughters of Elohim. So far as the stages of eternal 
 progression and attainment have been made known through 
 divine revelation, we are to understand that only resurrected 
 and glorified beings can become parents of spirit offspring. 
 Only such exalted souls have reached maturity in the ap- 
 pointed course of eternal life; and the spirits born to them 
 in the eternal worlds will pass in due sequence through the 
 several stages or estates by which the glorified parents have 
 attained exaltation. Improvement Era, Vol. 19, p. 942. 
 
 JEHOVAH, THE FIRSTBORN. Among the spirit children 
 of Elohim, the first-born was and is Jehovah, or Jesus Christ, 
 to whom all others are juniors. Improvement Era, Vol. 
 19, p. 940. 
 
 NOTHING TEMPORAL WITH GOD. We ought to be 
 united in all things temporal as well as spiritual. With 
 God all things are spiritual. There is nothing temporal with 
 him at all, and there ought to be no distinction with us in 
 regard to these matters. Our earthly or temporal existence 
 is merely a continuance of that which is spiritual. Every 
 step we take in the great journey of life, the great journey 
 of eternity, is a step in advance or in retrogression. We are 
 here in mortality, it is true ; but we are ahead of that condi- 
 tion we occupied before we came here and took upon us mor- 
 tality. We are a step in advance of our former state. What 
 is the body without the spirit? It is lifeless clay. What is 
 it that affects this lifeless clay? It is the spirit, it is the im- 
 mortal part, the eternal being, that existed before it came 
 here, that exists within us, and that will continue to exist, 
 and that by and by will redeem these tabernacles and bring 
 
86 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 them forth out of the graves. This whole mission of ours 
 is spiritual. The work we have to do here, although we 
 call it temporal, pertains alike to our spiritual and our tem- 
 poral salvation. And the Lord has just as much right to dic- 
 tate, to counsel, to direct and guide us in the manipulation 
 and management of our temporal affairs, as we call them, 
 as he has to say one word in relation to our spiritual affairs. 
 So far as he is concerned there is no difference in this regard. 
 He looks upon us as immortal beings. Our bodies are de- 
 signed to become eternal and spiritual. God is spiritual him- 
 self, although he has a body of flesh and bone as Christ has. 
 Yet he is spiritual, and those who worship him must do so in 
 spirit and in truth. And when you come to separate the spir- 
 itual from the temporal, see that you do not make a mistake. 
 Descrct Weekly News, Vol. 23, July 16, 1884, p. 466. 
 
 THE IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION. The important con- 
 sideration is not how long we can live, but how well we can 
 learn the lessons of life, and discharge our duties and obli- 
 gations to God and to each other. One of the main pur- 
 poses of our existence is that we might conform to the image 
 and likeness of Him who sojourned in the flesh without 
 blemish immaculate, pure, and spotless ! Christ came not 
 only to atone for the sins of the world, but to set an exam- 
 ple before all men, and to establish the standard of God's 
 perfection, of God's law, and of obedience to the Father. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 21, 1917, p. 104. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 The Purpose and the Mission of the Church 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD DEFINED. What I mean by the 
 kingdom of God is the organization of the Church of Jesus 
 Christ of Latter-day Saints, over which the son of God pre- 
 sides, and not man. That is what I mean. I mean the 
 kingdom of which Christ is the King and not man. If any 
 man object to Christ, the Son of God, being King of Israel, 
 let him object, and go to hell just as quick as he please. 
 Oct. C. R., 1906, p. 9. 
 
 "MORMONISM" DEFINED. I desire to say that "Mor- 
 monism," as it is called, is still, as always, nothing more and 
 nothing less than the power of God unto salvation, unto 
 every soul that will receive it honestly and will obey it. 1 
 say to you, my brethren, sisters and friends, that all Latter- 
 day Saints, wherever you find them, provided they are true 
 to their name, to their calling and to their understanding of 
 the gospel, are people who stand for truth and for honor, 
 for virtue and for purity of life, for honesty in business 
 and in religion ; people who stand for God and for his 
 righteousness, for God's truth and his work in the earth, 
 which aims for the salvation of the children of men, for their 
 salvation from the evils of the world, from the pernicious 
 habits of wicked men and from all those things that degrade, 
 dishonor or destroy; or tend to lessen the vitality and life, 
 the honor and godliness among the people of the earth. 
 Apr. C. R., 1910, p. 5. 
 
 THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH. Our mission has been 
 to save men. We have been laboring all these eighty-odd 
 years of the Church to bring men to a knowledge of the 
 gospel of Jesus Christ, to bring them to repentance, to obe- 
 
88 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 dience to the requirements of God's law. We have been 
 striving to save men from error, to persuade them to turn 
 away from evil and to learn to do good. Now if our en- 
 emies will only charge us with doing this, all right; and if 
 they wish to oppose us for doing this, that is their business ; 
 but when they charge us with doing that which we have not 
 done, believing that which we do not believe, practicing that 
 which we have never practiced, then I pity them. I pity 
 them because they are doing it in ignorance, or because they 
 are wilfully disposed to misrepresent the truth. Apr. C, R., 
 1912, pp. 3, 4. 
 
 THE PLAN OF LIFE RESTORED. It is the plan of life 
 that the Almighty has restored to man in the latter days 
 for the salvation of the souls of men, not only in the world 
 to come, but in our present life, for the Lord has instituted 
 his work that his people may enjoy the blessings of this life 
 to the utmost; that they should be saved in this present. life, 
 as well as in the life to come, that they should lay the found- 
 ation here for immunity from sin and all its effects and 
 consequences, that they may obtain an inheritance in the 
 kingdom of God beyond this vale of tears. The gospel of 
 Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation, and it is ab- 
 solutely necessary for every man and wornan in the Church 
 of Christ to work righteousness, to observe the laws of God, 
 and keep the commandments that he has given, in order that 
 they may avail themselves of the power of God unto salva- 
 tion in this life. Ocf. C. R., 1907, p. 2. 
 
 OUR MISSION is TO SAVE. Our mission is to save, to 
 preserve from evil, to exalt mankind, to bring light and truth 
 into the world, to prevail upon the people of the earth to 
 walk righteously before God, and to honor him in their lives 
 and with the first fruits of all their substance and increase, 
 that their barns may be filled with plenty and, figuratively 
 speaking, that "their presses may burst out with new wine." 
 Apr. C.R., 1907, p. 118. 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 89 
 
 THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. I rejoice exceedingly in the 
 truth. I thank God every day of my life for his mercy and 
 kindness, and loving care and protection that has been ex- 
 tended to all his people, and for the many manifestations of 
 his peculiar mercy and blessings that have been extended 
 unto us throughout all the length and breadth of the land 
 and through all the years since the organization of the 
 Church, on the 6th of April, 1830. 
 
 The Lord, about that time, or soon after, decreed a de- 
 cree which he said his people should realize, that they should 
 begin from that very hour to prevail over all their enemies, 
 and, inasmuch as they continued to be faithful in keeping 
 his laws he had given unto them, it was decreed that they 
 should prevail until all enemies were subdued not subdued 
 by violence, nor the spirit of contention nor of warfare, but 
 subdued by the power of eternal truth, by the majesty and 
 power of Almighty God, but by the increased power of 
 the righteous and of the upright covenanted people of God 
 should be magnified and increased, until the world shall bow 
 and acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, and that there is 
 a people preparing for his coming in power and glory to 
 the earth again. 
 
 We carry to the world the olive branch of peace. We 
 present to the world the law of God, the word of the Lord, 
 the truth, as it has been revealed in the latter day for the 
 redemption of the dead and for the salvation of the living. 
 We bear no malice or evil toward the children of men. The 
 spirit of forgiveness pervades the hearts of the Saints of 
 God, and they do not cherish a desire or feeling of revenge 
 toward their enemies or those who hurt or molest them or 
 seek to make them afraid; but on the contrary, the Spirit 
 of the Lord has possession of their spirits, of their souls, 
 and of their thoughts ; they forgive all men, and they carry 
 no malice in their hearts toward any, no matter what they 
 have done. They say in their hearts, let God judge between 
 
90 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 us and our enemies, and as for us, we forgive them, and we 
 bear no malice toward any. Apr. C. R., 1902, p. 2. 
 
 WE ARE AS LEAVEN. While it may be said, and it is in 
 a measure true, that we are but a handful in comparison 
 with our fellow men in the world, yet we may be compared 
 with the leaven of which the Savior spoke, that will even- 
 tually leaven the whole world. We have ample assurance 
 of the fulfilment of this thought in the growth and develop- 
 ment of the cause from its incipiency until the present, for 
 it has steadily and increasingly progressed and developed in 
 the earth, from a mere half dozen of men, seventy-nine 
 years ago, until today the members of the Church may be 
 numbered by the hundreds of thousands. Apr. C. R., 1909, 
 p. 2. 
 
 MAN INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO CAUSE. We are 
 learning the great truth that man is insignificant in his in- 
 dividually, in comparison to the mighty cause which 
 involves the salvation of the children of men, living and 
 dead, and those who will yet live in the earth. Men must 
 set aside their own prejudices, their own personal desires, 
 wishes and preferences, and pay deference to the great cause 
 of truth that is spreading abroad in the world. Apr. C. R., 
 1909, p. 2. 
 
 WHERE THE GOSPEL SPIRIT LEADS. The spirit of the 
 gospel leads men to righteousness ; to love their fellow men 
 and to labor for their salvation and exaltation ; it inspires 
 them to do good and not evil, to avoid even the appearance 
 of sin, much more to avoid sin itself. This is indeed the 
 spirit of the gospel, which is the spirit of this latter-day work, 
 and also the spirit that possesses those who have embraced 
 it ; and the aim and purpose of this work is the salvation, 
 the exaltation, and the eternal happiness of man, both in this 
 life and in the life to come. Apr. C. R., 1909, p. 4. 
 
 THE FRUITS OF TRUE RELIGION. The fruits of the 
 Spirit of God the fruits of the spirit of true religion are 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 91 
 
 peace and love, virtue and honesty, and integrity, and fidel- 
 ity to every virtue known in the law of God, while the spirit 
 of the world is vicious. Read the 5th chapter of Galatians 
 and there you will discover the difference between the fruits 
 of the Spirit of God and the fruits of the spirit of the world. 
 That is one of the great and chief differences between "Mor- 
 monism," so called, and the theology of the world. If 
 "Mormonism" is anything at all more than other religions, 
 it is that it is practical, that the results of obedience to it 
 are practical, that it makes good men better men, and that it 
 takes even bad men and makes good ones of them. That is 
 what "Mormonism" will do, if we will only permit it to do 
 it, if we will bow to its mandates and adopt its precepts in 
 our lives, it will make us the sons and the daughters of God, 
 worthy eventually to dwell in the presence of the Almighty 
 in the heavens. Apr. C. R. } 1905, p. 86. 
 
 LATTER-DAY SAINTS POSSESS THE SPIRIT OF SALVATION. 
 The Latter-day Saints possess the spirit of salvation, and 
 not the spirit of destruction ; the spirit of life, not the spirit 
 of death ; the spirit of peace, not the spirit of disunion ; the 
 spirit of love for their fellow beings, not the spirit of hate. 
 And for the enjoyment of this spirit by the Saints of the 
 Most High, we all have great cause to render praise and 
 thanksgiving to him who has so ordered it, and has given to 
 us humility to receive that measure of his Spirit which in- 
 clines our hearts to good and not to evil. Oct. C. R., 1905, 
 p. 2. 
 
 MAY ISRAEL FLOURISH. May Israel flourish upon the 
 hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and assemble together 
 unto the place which God has appointed, and there prosper, 
 multiply and replenish the earth, and thence spread abroad 
 throughout the land; for the time will come when we will 
 find it necessary to fulfil the purposes of the Almighty by 
 occupying the land of Zion in all parts of it. We are not 
 destined to be confined to the valleys of the mountains. 
 
92 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Zion is destined to grow, and the time will come when we 
 will cry aloud, more than we do today, "Give us room that 
 we may dwell I" Apr. C. R., 1907, p. 118. 
 
 THE WORK OF THE LORD WILL GROW. The kingdom 
 of God and the work of the Lord will spread more and more ; 
 it will progress more rapidly in the world in the future than 
 it has done in the past. The Lord has said it, and the Spirit 
 beareth record ; and I bear testimony to this, for I do know 
 that it is true. Apr. C. R., 1909, p. 7. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO CONTINUE. The kingdom of 
 God is here to grow, to spread abroad, to take root in the 
 earth, and to abide where the Lord has planted it by his 
 own power and by his own word in the earth, nevermore to 
 be destroyed nor to cease, but to continue until the purposes 
 of the Almighty shall be accomplished, every whit that has 
 been spoken of it by the mouths of the holy prophets since 
 the world began. Apr. C. R., 1902, p. 2. 
 
 ZION ESTABLISHED TO REMAIN. Zion is established in 
 the midst of the earth to remain. It is God Almighty's 
 work, which he himself, by his own wisdom, and not by the 
 wisdom of man, has restored to the earth in the latter days, 
 and he has established it upon principles of truth and right- 
 eousness, of purity of life and revelation from God, that it 
 can no more be thrown down nor left to another people, so 
 long as the majority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
 day Saints will abide in their covenants with the Lord and 
 keep themselves pure and unspotted from the world, as all 
 members of the Church should keep themselves. Then it 
 will be as God has decreed, perpetual and eternal, until his 
 will is accomplished and his purposes fulfilled among the 
 children of men. No people can ever prosper and flourish 
 very long unless they abide in God's truth. There is nothing, 
 no individuality, no combined influence among men, that can 
 prevail over the truth. The truth is mighty and it will pre- 
 vail. It may be slow in the consummation of its purpose, in 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 93 
 
 the accomplishment of the work that it has to do, but it is 
 and will be sure ; for the truth cannot and will not fail, for 
 the Lord Almighty is behind it. It is his work, and he will 
 see to it that it is accomplished. The kingdom is the Lord's, 
 and the Lord is capable of taking care of it. He has always 
 taken care of it. I want to say to you that there never was 
 a time since the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ 
 of Latter-day Saints, when a man led the Church, not for 
 one moment. It was not so in the days of Joseph ; it was 
 not so in the clays of Brigham Young; it has not been so 
 since ; it never will be so. The direction of this work among 
 the people of the world will never be left to men. It is 
 God's work, let me tell you, and I hope you will put it down 
 in your memoranda, and do not forget that it is the Almighty 
 that is going to do this work, and consummate it, and not 
 man. No man shall have the honor of doing it, nor has any 
 man ever had the power to do it of himself. It is God's 
 work. If it had been the work of man, we would have been 
 like the rest of the world, and it would not have been true of 
 us that God had chosen us out of the world, but we would 
 be a part of it, and "Hail fellow, well met," with it ; but it 
 is true that God has chosen us out of the world; therefore 
 we are not of it; therefore they hate us and they will fight 
 us and say all manner of evil against us falsely, as they 
 have ever done from the beginning. And they will continue 
 to seek the destruction of the Latter-day Saints, and to feel 
 towards us in the future, as they have felt in the past. Now, 
 don't you forget it, my brothers and sisters. When you go 
 home, if you have not been in the habit of doing it, or if 
 you have neglected your duty, when you go home today or 
 to your homes in distant settlements, carry this injunction 
 with you: Go into your secret chambers go into your 
 prayer-rooms and there by yourselves or with your family 
 gathered around you, bow your knees before God Almighty 
 in praise and in thanksgiving to him for his merciful prov- 
 
94 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 idence that has been over you and over all his people from 
 the inception of this work down to the present. Remember 
 that it is the gift of God to man, that it is his power and his 
 guiding influence that has accomplished what we see has 
 been accomplished. It has not been done by the wisdom of 
 men. It is proper we should give honor to those who have 
 been instrumental in bringing to pass much righteousness. 
 They are instruments in God's hand, and we should not 
 ignore that they are such instruments, and we should honor 
 them as such ; but when we undertake to give them the 
 honor for accomplishing this work and take the honor from 
 God who qualified the men to do the work, we are doing 
 injustice to God. We are robbing him of the honor that 
 rightfully belongs to him,. and giving it to men who are only 
 instrumental in the hands of God in accomplishing his pur- 
 poses. Apr. C. R., 1905, pp. 5, 6. 
 
 THE PROGRESS OF GOD'S WORK CANNOT BE STOPPED. 
 Xow, we are thankful to the Lord that we are counted 
 worthy to be taken notice of by the devil. I would fear 
 very much for our safety if we had fallen into a condition 
 where the devil ceased to be concerned about us. So long 
 as the Spirit of the Lord is enjoyed by you, so long as you 
 are living your religion and keeping the commandments of 
 the Lord, walking uprightly before him, I assure you that 
 the adversary of souls will not rest easy ; he will be dis- 
 contented with you, will find fault with you, and he will 
 arraign you before his bar ; but that will not hurt you very 
 much if you will just keep on doing right. You do not need 
 to worry in the least, the Lord will take care of you and 
 bless you, he will also take care of his servants, and will 
 bless them and help them to accomplish his purposes ; and all 
 the powers of darkness combined in earth and in hell cannot 
 prevent it. They may take men's lives ; they may slay and 
 destroy, if they will ; but they cannot destroy the purposes of 
 God nor stop the progress of his work. He has stretched 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 95 
 
 forth his hand to accomplish his purposes, and the arm of 
 flesh cannot stay it. He will cut his work short in right- 
 eousness, and will hasten his purposes in his own time. It 
 is only necessary to try with our might to keep pace with 
 the onward progress of the word of the Lord, then God will 
 preserve and protect us, and will prepare the way before us, 
 that we shall live and multiply and replenish the earth, and 
 always do his will ; which may God grant. Oct. C. R., 
 1905^ pp. 5, 6. 
 
 DIVINITY OF THE GOSPEL. Somewhat unexpectedly I 
 am called to stand before you, but I do so with pleasure, as 
 I have a testimony to bear to the work we are engaged in ; 
 and it gives me pleasure when an opportunity is afforded 
 to give expression to my feelings in relation to that work. 
 That we have the gospel and have enjoyed its blessings, and 
 that the ordinances of the gospel have been administered to 
 us as Latter-day Saints, there are thousands of witnesses in 
 this territory and in many places in the world. The testimony 
 of the truth of this work is not confined to one or to a few ; 
 but there are thousands who can declare that they know it 
 is true, because it has been revealed to them. 
 
 We as a people are increasing in numbers, and the Lord 
 Almighty is increasing his blessings upon us, and the people 
 are expanding in their understanding and in the knowledge 
 of the truth. I feel grateful to my heavenly Father that I 
 have been permitted to live in this generation, and have been 
 permitted to become acquainted, somewhat, with the princi- 
 ples of the gospel. I am thankful that I have had the priv- 
 ilege of having a testimony of its truth, and that I am per- 
 mitted to stand here and elsewhere to bear my testimony 
 to the truth that the gospel has been restored to man. 
 
 I have traveled somewhat among the nations preaching 
 the gospel, and have seen something of the conditions of the 
 world, and to a certain extent have become acquainted with 
 the feelings of men, and with the religions of the world. I 
 
96 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 am aware that the gospel, as revealed in the Bible, cannot be 
 found in the world ; the ordinances of that gospel are not ad- 
 ministered in any church except the Church of Jesus Christ 
 of Latter-day Saints. If we make ourselves acquainted 
 with the tenets of the religious world we shall find that they 
 have not the gospel nor its ordinances ; they have a form 
 of godliness, and I have no doubt, are as sincere as we who 
 have obeyed the gospel as revealed from heaven in these 
 days. But they are devoid of the knowledge which we pos- 
 sess, and it is from the fact that they deny the source by 
 which they might receive this knowledge namely, revela- 
 tion from Jesus Christ. In their minds they have closed up 
 the heavens; they declare that God has revealed all that is 
 necessary, that the canon of scripture is full, and that no 
 more will be revealed. Believing thus, they close up the 
 avenue of light and intelligence from heaven ; and this will 
 continue so long as they continue in their present course of 
 unbelief. They will not listen to the testimony of men who 
 tell them that the Lord lives and that he is able to reveal 
 his will to man today, as ever. They will not heed this 
 testimony, consequently they close the door of light and rev- 
 elation. They cannot advance, nor learn the ways of God 
 nor walk in his paths. 
 
 We testify that the barriers which separated man from 
 God have been overcome, that the Lord has again communi- 
 cated his will to man. "But," says one, "how shall we be- 
 come acquainted with these things How can we know that 
 you are not deceived?" *To all such we say, repent of your 
 sins in all sincerity, then go forth and be baptized, and have 
 hands laid upon you for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the 
 Spirit will bear record to you of the truth of our testimony, 
 and you will become witnesses of it as we are, and will be 
 able to stand forth boldly and testify to the world as we do. 
 This was the path pointed out by Peter and the apostles on 
 the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of the Lord Almighty 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 97 
 
 rested upon them with great power to the convincing of the 
 hearts of the people who cried out, ''Men and brethren, what 
 shall we do?" And Peter said unto them, "Repent, and be 
 baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for 
 the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the 
 Holy Ghost." This was the counsel given them, and inas- 
 much as they obeyed it, they were entitled to the testimony 
 of the Holy Spirit which would bring peace and happiness, 
 reveal to them their duties, and enable them to understand 
 their relationship to God. 
 
 If we look at the condition of the world today, we must 
 come to the conclusion that peace is not likely soon to be 
 established on the earth. There is nothing among the nations 
 that tends to peace. Even among the religious societies the 
 tendency is not to peace and union. They do not bring men 
 to a knowledge of God; they do not possess the "one God, 
 one faith, one baptism, and one hope of their calling" that 
 are spoken of in the Scriptures. Every man has gone accord- 
 ing to his own notions, independent of revelations, and 
 hence, confusion and division exist; their churches are 
 broken up, and they are quarreling and contending with 
 each other. And as it is in the religious, so it is in the po- 
 litical world ; they are all divided, and the more energy they 
 put forth to make proselytes, the greater are their conten- 
 tions, and the further they go from the mark. This is the 
 condition they have been in, and the course they have been 
 pursuing for almost eighteen hundred years, until today they 
 have become so divided that I think it would puzzle anyone 
 to tell how many religious denominations there are in Chris- 
 tendom. There are thousands, too, who, in consequence of 
 the strife and contention among the religious sects, have 
 become entirely sceptical respecting religion of every kind, 
 and they have concluded that there is no God; at any rate, 
 that there is no God among "Christians" that all religion- 
 ists are fanatics and are deceived. The sectarian systems 
 
98 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 of religion are calculated to lead men of reflection and intel- 
 ligence into scepticism, to cause them to deny all interfer- 
 ence of God with men and their affairs, and to deny even his 
 right to interfere. 
 
 The Lord Almighty is the Creator of the earth, he is 
 the Father of all our spirits. He has the right to dictate 
 what we shall do, and it is our duty to obey, and to walk 
 according to his requirements. This is natural, and per- 
 fectly easy to be comprehended. The gospel has been re- 
 stored to the earth, and the priesthood again established, and 
 both are enjoyed by this people ; but those unacquainted with 
 the workings of the gospel and the priesthood look upon us 
 with wonder, and are astonished at the union that exists in 
 our midst. We move as a man, almost; we hearken to the 
 voice of our leader; we are united in our faith and in our 
 works. The world can not understand this, and they behold 
 it with wonder. 
 
 Let me tell my brethren and friends that this is one of 
 the effects of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have become 
 united in our faith by one baptism ; we know that Jesus 
 Christ lives, we know that he is our Savior and Redeemer; 
 we have a testimony of this, independent of any written 
 books, and' we testify of these things to the world. This 
 unison in the midst of the people called Latter-day Saints, 
 and their prosperity, are hard for a great many to under- 
 stand. I have, however, heard it said, that we boast that we 
 are not so wealthy as our neighbors. But when our circum- 
 stances, and the condition of our country when we came here 
 are considered, I think this statement cannot be sustained. 
 When we came here we were penniless, and we have not had 
 the advantage of wealth or commerce to help to enrich us, 
 but all we possess, is the result of our own physical labor 
 and the blessing of God. We have labored under great 
 disadvantages in freighting our goods and machinery over 
 these vast plains, and besides this we have had a barren 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 99 
 
 soil and drouth to contend with, and when all these things 
 are considered, I think we have been prospered more than 
 any other people. And as it has been in the past so will it 
 be in the future we will increase, and extend our borders, 
 for this is the work of God ; we are his people, and he will 
 continue to bless us as he has done hitherto. 
 
 Our business is to learn our duties one towards an- 
 other and towards our leaders. This is a lesson that we 
 seem rather slow to learn. But it should be with us : when 
 our leaders speak it is for us to obey ; when they direct, we 
 should go; when they call, we should follow. Not as be- 
 ings who are enslaved or in thraldom ; we should not obey 
 blindly, as instruments or tools. No Latter-day Saint acts 
 in this manner; no man or woman who has embraced the 
 gospel has ever acted in this way; but on the contrary men 
 and women have felt to listen cheerfully to the counsels of 
 the servants of God as far as they were able to comprehend 
 them. The difficulty is not in getting the Latter-day Saints to 
 do right, but in getting them to comprehend what is right. We 
 have obeyed the counsels of our leaders because we have 
 known they have been inspired by the Holy Spirit and because 
 we positively have known that their counsels have been given 
 for our good. We do know and have always known that our 
 leaders have been inspired with wisdom superior to that 
 which we possess. For this reason we take hold of every- 
 thing they present to us for the good of Zion. 
 
 We are engaged in the great latter-day work of preach- 
 ing the gospel to the nations, gathering the poor, and build- 
 ing up Zion upon the earth. We are working for the tri- 
 umph of righteousness, for the subjugation of sin and the 
 errors of the age in which we live. It is a great and glorious 
 work. We believe it is right to love God with all our hearts, 
 and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We believe it is 
 wrong to lie, steal, commit adultery, or do any act forbidden 
 by the gospel of Christ. We believe in all the teachings of the 
 
100 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Savior and in everything that is good and moral, and calcu- 
 lated to exalt mankind or to ameliorate their condition, to 
 unite them in doing good. These are among the principles 
 of the gospel, and these principles have been taught to us 
 from the commencement of our career as members of this 
 Church. These principles are carried out among us to an 
 extent not to be found among any other people. We do not 
 believe in worshiping God or being religious on the Sabbath 
 day only ; but we believe it is as necessary to be religious on 
 Monday, Tuesday and every day in the week, as it is on 
 the Sabbath day ; we believe that it is necessary to do to our 
 neighbors as we would they should do unto us, during the 
 week as it is on the Sabbath. In short, we believe it is 
 necessary to live our religion every day in the week, every 
 hour in the day, and every moment. Believing and acting 
 thus, we become strengthened in our faith, the Spirit of 
 God increases within us, we advance in knowledge, and we 
 are better able to defend the cause we are engaged in. 
 
 To be a true representative of this cause a man must 
 live faithful to the light that he has ; he must be pure, virtu- 
 ous and upright. If he comes short of this he is not a fair 
 representative of this work. The gospel of Jesus Christ 
 is the perfect law of liberty. It is calculated to lead man 
 to the highest state of glory, and to exalt him in the pres- 
 ence of our heavenly Father, "with whom is no variableness 
 neither shadow of turning." If there is any folly to be seen 
 in the midst of this people, it is the folly and weakness of 
 man, and is not because of any failing or lack in the plan of 
 salvation. The gospel is perfect in its organization. It is for 
 us to learn the gospel, and to become acquainted with the 
 principles of truth, to humble ourselves before God that we 
 may bring ourselves into subjection to his laws, and be con- 
 tinually willing to listen to the counsels ,of those whom the 
 Lord has appointed to guide us. 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 101 
 
 We know that God has spoken ; we testify of this. We 
 stand as witnesses to the world that this is true. We ask 
 no odds of any man, community or nation on the face of the 
 earth, in relation to these things. We bear a fearless testi- 
 mony that they are true. We also bear testimony that Brig- 
 ham Young is a prophet of the living God, and that he has 
 the revelations of Jesus Christ ; that he has guided this peo- 
 ple by the power of revelation from the time he became their 
 leader until the present, and he has never failed in his duty 
 or mission. He has been faithful before God, and faithful 
 to this people. We bear this testimony to the world. We 
 fear not, neither do we heed their scorn, contempt, or sneers. 
 We are used to it. We have seen it and heard it, and have 
 become inured to it. We know that the One in whom we 
 trust is God, for it has been revealed to us. We are not in 
 the dark, neither have we obtained our knowledge from any 
 man, synod or collection of men, but through the revelation 
 of Jesus. If there be any who doubt us, let them repent of 
 their sins. Is there any harm in your forsaking your fol- 
 lies and evils, and in bowing in humility before God for his 
 Spirit, and in obedience to the words of the Savior, being 
 baptized for the remission of sins, and having hands laid upon 
 you for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that you may have a 
 witness for yourselves of the truth of the words we speak 
 to you? Do this humbly and honestly, and as sure as the 
 Lord lives, I promise to you that you will receive the testi- 
 mony of this work for yourselves, and will know it as all the 
 Latter-day Saints know it. This is the promise; it is sure 
 and steadfast. It is something tangible; it is in the power 
 of every man to prove for himself whether we speak the 
 truth or whether we lie. We do not come as deceivers or 
 imposters before the world ; we do not come with the inten- 
 tion to deceive, but we come with the plain, simple truth, 
 and leave it to the world to test it and get a knowledge 
 
102 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 for themselves. It is the right of every soul that lives the 
 high, low, rich, poor, great and small, to have this testimony 
 for themselves inasmuch as they will obey the gospel. 
 
 Jesus in ancient times sent his disciples forth to preach 
 the gospel to every creature, saying they that believed and 
 were baptized should be saved, but they that believed not 
 should be damned. And said he, "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 ser- 
 pents ; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt 
 them ; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall re- 
 cover. 1 ' These are the promises made anciently, and there 
 are thousands in this territory and in this congregation who 
 .can bear testimony that they have realized the fulfilment 
 of these promises in this day. The healing of the sick 
 among us has become so common that it is apparently but 
 little thought of. We have also seen the lame made to walk, 
 and the blind to receive their sight, the deaf to hear, and the 
 dumb to speak. These things we have seen done by the 
 power of God and not by the cunning or wisdom of men ; 
 we know that these signs do follow the preaching of the gos- 
 pel. Yet these testimonies of its truth are but poor and weak 
 when compared with the whisperings of the still small voice 
 of the Spirit of God. The latter is a testimony that none 
 who enjoy it can deny ; it cannot be overcome, for it brings 
 conviction to the heart that cannot be reasoned away or dis- 
 proved, whether it can be accounted for on philosophical 
 principles or not. This testimony comes from God and con- 
 vinces all to whom it is given in spite of themselves, and is 
 worth more to me than any sign or gift beside, because it 
 gives peace and happiness, contentment and quiet to my soul. 
 It assures me that God lives, and if I am faithful I shall ob- 
 tain the blessings of the celestial kingdom. 
 
 Is this unscriptural or contrary to reason or to any re- 
 vealed truth? No, it is in compliance with and in cor- 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 103 
 
 roboration of all revealed truth known to man. The Lord 
 Almighty lives, and he operates by the power of his Spirit 
 over the hearts of the children of men and holds the nations 
 of the earth in his hands. He created the earth upon which 
 we dwell, and its treasures are his ; and he will do with us 
 according as we merit. As we are faithful or unfaithful, so 
 will the Almighty deal with us, for we are his children, and 
 we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. 
 
 We have a glorious destiny before us ; we are engaged 
 in a glorious work. It is worth all our attention, it is worth 
 our lives and everything the Lord has put into our posses- 
 sion, and then ten thousand times more. Indeed there is no 
 comparison, it is all in all, it is incomparable. It is all that 
 is and all that ever will be. The gospel is salvation, and 
 without it there is nothing worth having. We came naked 
 into the world and shall go hence the same. If we were to 
 accumulate half the world, it would avail us nothing so far 
 as prolonging life here, or securing eternal life hereafter. 
 But the gospel teaches men to be humble, faithful, honest 
 and righteous before the Lord and with each other, and in 
 proportion as its principles are carried out so will peace and 
 righteousness extend and be established on the earth, and sin, 
 contention, bloodshed and corruption of all kinds cease, to 
 exist, and the earth become purified and be made a fit abode 
 for heavenly beings ; and for the Lord our God to come and 
 dwell upon, which he will do during the Millennium. 
 
 The principles of the gospel which the Lord has revealed 
 in these days will lead us to eternal life. This is what we 
 are after; what we were created for; what the earth was 
 created for. The reason that we are here is that we may 
 overcome every folly and prepare ourselves for eternal life 
 in the future. I do not think that a principle of salvation 
 is available only as it can be applied in our lives. For in- 
 stance, if there is a principle calculated in its nature to save 
 me from the penalty of any crime, it will avail me nothing 
 
104 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 unless I act upon it this moment. If I do this and continue 
 to do so, I act upon the principle of salvation, and I am 
 secure from the penalty of that crime and will be forever, 
 so long as I abide by that principle or law. It is just so with 
 the principles of the gospel they are a benefit or not, just as 
 they are or are not applied in our lives. 
 
 Then let us be faithful and humble; let us live the re- 
 ligion of Christ, put away our follies and sins and the weak- 
 nesses of the flesh, and cleave to God and his truth with un- 
 divided hearts, and with full determination to fight the good 
 fight of faith and continue steadfast to the end, which may 
 God grant us power to do is my prayer in the name of 
 Jesus. Amen. Discourse, Nov. 15, 1868, Journal of Dis- 
 courses, Vol. 12, pp. 326-332, 1869. 
 
 THE GOSPEL ALL COMPREHENSIVE. The gospel of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ embraces all the laws and ordinances 
 necessary for the salvation of man. Paul declared it to be 
 the "power of God unto salvation to every one that be- 
 lieveth." No man can be saved in opposition to its saving 
 ordinances, but must receive each ordinance in the spirit of 
 humility and faith. Technically, the term "gospel" signifies 
 "good news," and is said to be taken from, or founded on, the 
 annunciation of the angel who appeared to the shepherds at 
 the time of the Savior's birth, declaring, "Behold, I bring you 
 good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." 
 
 In the theological sense, the gospel means more than 
 just the tidings of good news with accompanying joy to the 
 souls of men, for it embraces every principle of eternal truth. 
 There is no fundamental principle, or truth, anywhere in the 
 universe, that is not embraced in the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
 and it is not confined to the simple first principles, such as 
 faith in God, repentance from sin, baptism for the remission 
 of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy 
 Ghost, although these are absolutely essential to salvation 
 and exaltation in the kingdom of God. 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 105 
 
 The laws known to man as the "laws of nature," by 
 which the earth and all things on it are governed, as well 
 as the laws which prevail throughout the entire universe, by 
 which the heavenly bodies are controlled and to which they 
 are obedient in all things, are all circumscribed and in- 
 cluded in the gospel. Every natural law or scientific prin- 
 ciple that man has truly discovered, but which was always 
 known to God, is a part of the gospel truth. There never 
 was and never will be any conflict between truth revealed 
 by the Lord to his servants, the prophets, and truth revealed 
 by him to the scientist, who makes his discoveries through 
 his research and study. 
 
 There is a great deal that is taught in the religions of 
 the world as gospel truth that the Lord never did reveal, 
 and which is not in harmony with revealed religion. There 
 is also much that is taught in the world of science that the 
 Lord never did reveal, which is in conflict with the truth. A 
 great deal that man has put forth as scientific theory is 
 founded in error and therefore cannot prevail. The con- 
 flict between religion and science is founded in error and 
 therefore cannot pervail. The conflict between religion and 
 science is due to the fact that there are many ideas ad- 
 vanced in false forms of religion and false conclusions 
 reached by men of science. Truth and error can never 
 agree; but truth, no matter where it is found, is consistent 
 and will always harmonize with every other truth. The Lord 
 has stated it as follows : 
 
 "For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom 
 receiveth wisdom ; truth embraceth truth ; virtue loveth vir- 
 tue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on 
 mercy, and claimeth her own." Doc. and Cov. 88:40. 
 
 The Lord has revealed that man was formed in his 
 image and that we are his offspring. This is a glorious gos- 
 pel truth. Anything that we may be taught, whether in 
 false forms of religion or in the field of science in conflict 
 
106 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 with this great truth cannot endure, for it is error. It may 
 be cherished for a season and seem to prevail, as many 
 falsehoods have done in the past when put forth as truth, 
 but the time will come when all theories, ideas and opinions 
 which are not in harmony with that which the Lord has de- 
 clared, must come to an end ; for that which remains and 
 will endure and abide forever, will be the truth, even the 
 gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Juvenile In- 
 structor, Vol. 51, pp. 164, 165, March, 1916. 
 
 LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE. Christ, teaching his disciples, 
 called attention to the importance of their position and place 
 in the world. Though poor and despised of men, yet he told 
 them they were the salt of the earth, the light of the world. 
 
 Then he encouraged them to effort and achievement by 
 showing them that their exalted position would avail them 
 little, unless they made proper use of their high callings. 
 
 These conditions and instructions apply admirably to 
 the Latter-day Saints, who are indeed the salt of the earth, 
 and in whom is vested the gospel light of the world ; who, as 
 the apostle said of the Former-day Saints, are a chosen gen- 
 eration, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people ; 
 that they should show forth the praises of him who called 
 them out of darkness into his marvelous light. 
 
 But all this availeth little or nothing, unless the Saints 
 consider themselves of some consequence, and let their light 
 shine, collectively and individually ; unless they are model 
 in their behavior, honest, zealous in the spread of truth, tol- 
 erant of their neighbors, "having your conversation honest 
 among the Gentiles ; that whereas they speak against you as 
 evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they shall 
 behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." 
 
 One fault to be avoided by the Saints, young and old, is 
 the tendency to live on borrowed light, with their own hidden 
 under a bushel; to permit the savor of their salt of knowl- 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 107 
 
 edge to be lost; and the light within them to be reflected, 
 rather than original. 
 
 Every Saint should not only have the light within him- 
 self, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but his light 
 should so shine that it may be clearly perceived by others. 
 
 Men and women should become settled in the truth, and 
 founded in the knowledge of the gospel, depending upon no 
 person for borrowed or reflected light, but trusting only 
 upon the Holy Spirit, who is ever the same, shining forever 
 and testifying to the individual and the priesthood, who live 
 in harmony with the laws of the gospel, of the glory and 
 the will of the Father. They will then have light everlasting, 
 which cannot be obscured. By its shining in their lives, they 
 shall cause others to glorify God; and by their well-dping 
 put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, and show forth 
 the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness 
 into his marvelous light. Improvement Era, Vol. 8, pp. 
 60-62, 1904,5. 
 
 No CAUSE FOR WORRY. The Saints and their leaders 
 have redeemed the waste places, founded Christian homes, 
 churches, and schools; established industries because of 
 the very nature of their necessities. Why hsould' they 
 not be permitted to enjoy the fruits of their toil, and 
 why be sneered at and condemned for their energy and 
 enterprise, and especially by men who prove themselves to 
 be hypocrites and liars, who live on what others have pro- 
 duced? Are the Saints to be condemned because they have 
 appropriated the land, paid for it by hard labor, cultivated 
 and made the best out of it by their united strength, under 
 the inspired direction of wise leaders? It will be noted that 
 it is not the people who are complaining, for they have been 
 assisted in many ways to better themselves by such leaders ; 
 but it is the ministers, who have no interest whatever, either 
 in our material or spiritual advancement. And then again, 
 
108 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 are such leaders to be condemned because they have directed 
 and led the way in these things? Had they not done so, 
 whence would our enterprises, our temporal salvation, have 
 come? Never by the help of sectarian ministers, that much 
 is true, at least. 
 
 No ; young man, you need not be troubled over minis- 
 terial accusations against this people, nor over what the peo- 
 ple of the world say against us. I have no fears for the 
 Church from these sources, but I confess I have fears when 
 our young men begin to weaken, and to take sides against 
 their fathers ; to profess to think that the priesthood is selfish 
 and self-seeking; to follow lies and accusations rather than 
 plain truth; to join in derision against the leaders of the 
 Saints, and to laugh when unfriendly editors and ministers 
 hold them up to ridicule. I fear, when young men deny the 
 truth and follow falsehood ; when they become self-sufficient, 
 unvirtuous, worldly and proud ; when the sterling qualities 
 of their fathers are derided by them; when they seek the 
 plaudits of men of the world, rather than the kingdom of 
 God and his righteousness. 
 
 There is no genuine truth in the arraignment of the 
 Church and her officers by the ministers, but much to you, 
 young men, in the way you look upon it, and in your acts 
 and decisions. Especially, without careful consideration, 
 should you pay no attention to the accusation of ministers, 
 to whom with force the sentiment of Emerson applies : "We 
 want men and women who shall renovate life and our social 
 state, but we see that most natures are insolvent cannot 
 satisfy their own wants, have an ambition out of all propor- 
 tion to their practical force, and so do lean and beg day and 
 night continually." 
 
 I say that nothing can bring peace to our young men 
 in this world save the triumphs of the principles of truth 
 which have been revealed of God to the Latter-day Saints, 
 for our doctrines are the practical precepts of the gospel of 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 109 
 
 Jesus Christ, and to behold its triumph should be the over- 
 powering ambition and desire of every righteous soul. This 
 is spiritual salvation which includes the temporal. Seek to 
 know the worth thereof, and let these men's ravings be put 
 under your feet. Remember that "when a man lives with 
 God his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook 
 and the rustle of the corn." The Saints and their leaders 
 strive diligently to this end. Improvement Era, Vol. 7, 
 p. 303, February, 1904. 
 
 THE GOSPEL A SHIELD FROM TERROR. We hear about 
 living in perilous times. We are in perilous times, but I do 
 not feel the pangs of that terror. It is not upon me. I pro- 
 pose to live so that it will not rest upon me. I propose to 
 live so that I shall be immune from the perils of the world, 
 if it be possible for me to so live, by obedience to the com- 
 mandments of God and to his laws revealed for my guidance. 
 No matter what may come to me, if I am only in the line 
 of my duty, if I am in fellowship with God, if I am worthy 
 of the fellowship of my brethren, if I can stand spotless be- 
 fore the world, without blemish, without transgression of 
 the laws of God, what does it matter to me what may hap- 
 pen to me ? I am always ready, if I am in this frame of un- 
 derstanding mind and conduct. It does not matter at all. 
 Therefore I borrow no trouble nor feel the pangs of fear. 
 
 The Lord's hand is over all, and therein I acknowledge 
 his hand. Not that men are at war, not that nations are try- 
 ing to destroy nations, not that men are plotting against the 
 liberties of their fellow creatures, not in those respects at 
 all ; but God's hand is not shortened. He will control the 
 results that will follow. He will overrule them in a way that 
 you and I, today, do not comprehend, or do not foresee, for 
 ultimate good. He foresees the end as he foresaw that war 
 should come upon all the nations of the world, and as the 
 Prophet has declared it would. The Lord knew it would 
 come. Why? Because he knew what the world was doing. 
 
110 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 He knew the trend of the spirit of men and of nations. He 
 knew what the results would be, in time. He knew when 
 the time would be, and the results that would be manifest, 
 and so he declared it by the voice of his servants, the proph- 
 ets ; and now we see the fulfilment of the predictions made 
 by the servants of God, as they were inspired to utter them, 
 when they declared that the time would come to pass when 
 war would be poured out upon all nations not to fulfil the 
 purposes of God, but the purposes of the nations of the 
 earth in consequence of their wickedness. It may be a very 
 difficult thing for me with the range of words that I pos- 
 sess, to express my thoughts and to explain my full intent; 
 but I repeat to you, that the Lord God Almighty is not 
 pleased, nor was it his purpose or design, or intent, to fore- 
 ordain the condition that the world is in today ; nor did he 
 do so. He foresaw what would come, by the conduct of 
 men, by their departure from the Truth, by their lack of 
 the love of God, and by the course that they should pursue, 
 inimical to the well-being of his children. He foresaw what 
 would be, but he had given them their agency, under which 
 they are bringing it to pass. The results of it, eventually, 
 will be overruled for the good of those who shall live after, 
 not for the good of those who shall destroy themselves be- 
 cause of their wicked propensities and crimes. Improve- 
 ment Era, Vol. 20, page 827, July, 1917. 
 
 THE GOSPEL TRUMPET. If we are in the line of our 
 duty, we are engaged in a great and glorious cause. It is 
 very essential to our individual welfare that every man and 
 every woman who has entered into the covenants of the 
 gospel, through repentance and baptism, should feel that 
 as individuals it is their bounden duty to use their intelli- 
 gence, and the agency which the Lord has given them, for 
 the promotion of the interests of Zion and the establishment 
 of her cause in the earth. 
 
 It matters not how devout, honest, or sincere we might 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 111 
 
 be in the profession of our faith in God, or in the system 
 of religion we might have adopted, and which we believe 
 to be the everlasting gospel, without repentance and baptism 
 and the reception of the Holy Ghost, which constitute the 
 new birth, we are not of the family of Christ, but are aliens, 
 estranged from God and his laws, and in this fallen condition 
 we shall remain, whether in the body or in the spirit, for 
 time and for eternity, unless we render obedience to the plan 
 devised in the heavens for the redemption and salvation of 
 the human family. 
 
 The Latter-day Saints may say, we were taught this 
 doctrine by the elders in our native lands, and we believed 
 it and repented of our sins, and were baptized, and we re- 
 ceived the gift of the Holy Ghost, which was a testimony 
 to us that we had done the will of the Father, and since 
 then our testimonies have often been confirmed through the 
 manifestations of the power of God, and the renewal of his 
 Spirit in our hearts. Why, therefore, say they, is it neces- 
 sary to refer to these things now? We perhaps forget, in 
 consequence of the things of time, which so tempt our fallen 
 nature, that having been born anew, which is the putting 
 away of the old man sin, and putting on of the man Christ 
 Jesus, we have become soldiers of the Cross, having enlisted 
 under the banner of Jehovah for time and for eternity, and 
 that we have entered into the most solemn covenants to serve 
 God and to contend earnestly for the establishment of the 
 principles of truth and righteousness on this earth continu- 
 ally while we live. 
 
 In referring to the subject of baptism as essential to sal- 
 vation, it may be asked by some, what would become of those 
 who heard not the gospel and who therefore had not the op- 
 portunity of being baptized, claiming as we do that the 
 gospel was taken from the earth in consequence of its being 
 rejected when proclaimed by Jesus and his apostles? I would 
 say to such, that God has made ample provision for all his 
 
112 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 children, both the ignorant and the learned ; those who have 
 not had the gospel preached to them in the flesh, will hear 
 it in the spirit, for all must have the plan of salvation pre- 
 sented to them for their acceptance or rejection before they 
 .can become amenable to the law. 
 
 In connection with this work is that spoken of con- 
 cerning Elijah the prophet; namely, "The turning of the 
 hearts of the children to the fathers, and the hearts of the 
 fathers to the children," which if not done the whole earth 
 will be smitten with a curse. 
 
 The kingdom of God must be erected upon the princi- 
 ples which Christ has revealed, upon the foundation of eter- 
 nal truth ; Jesus himself being the chief corner-stone. These 
 holy and sublime principles must be observed and honored 
 in our lives, in order that we may obtain an exaltation with 
 the sanctified in the kingdom of God. 
 
 The beauty of these principles is that they are true, 
 and the satisfaction derived from their adoption is the 
 knowledge which we receive convincing us of this fact. We 
 have not believed a fable, neither are we cherishing a cun- 
 ningly devised scheme, but we have been inducted into 
 the truth, having Christ for our head, who is our forerun- 
 ner, our great High Priest and King. 
 
 The Holy Ghost is a personage who acts in Christ's 
 stead. Just before the risen Redeemer left the earth he 
 commanded his disciples to tarry in the city of Jerusalem 
 until they should be endowed with power from on high. 
 They did so, and agreeable to promise, the Comforter came 
 whilst they were met together, filling their hearts with un- 
 speakable joy, insomuch that they spake in tongues and 
 prophesied ; and the inspiring influence of this holy Being 
 accompanied them in all their ministerial duties, enabling 
 them to perform the great mission in which they had been 
 called by the Savior. 
 
 I know that God lives and that he has revealed himself. 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 113 
 
 I know that the Holy Ghost has been conferred upon the 
 children of men, and that the gospel has been restored to 
 the inhabitants of the earth in its fulness. I know that the 
 Holy Priesthood, which is the power of God delegated to 
 man, has been restored to the earth. I do know that 
 God has delivered his people and that he will continue to 
 deliver us and lead us on in his own peculiar way from 
 conquest to conquest, from victory to victory, until truth 
 and righteousness gain the ascendency in this his earth, in- 
 asmuch as we remain true to him and to one another. 
 
 It is the fool who has said in his heart, "There is no 
 God," and it would indeed be a weak and foolish mind that 
 would rest satisfied without knowing beyond a doubt the 
 Author and Source of his religion, when the opportunity of 
 ascertaining the fact is extended to him. 
 
 I know the fruits of my religion are good, they are 
 flavored with the sweets of heaven, and they impart health 
 and life to the soul, and I know that God, the Creator of 
 heaven and earth, is its author. No man need wonder 
 whether this be really true or not, for all may know for 
 themselves ; all may partake of the fruit of the vine and eat 
 and live ; all may drink of the eternal spring, and thirst no 
 more. These things I declare to you to be true and faithful. 
 I have been acquainted with them from my youth, and I 
 have felt their influence from my childhood. I have seen 
 the effect of their opposite, and I know whereof I speak. I 
 cannot deny these things, neither can any man who has ever 
 known them, although he may apostatize from the Church, 
 except he deny himself and his God. 
 
 The man who embraces what is called "Mormonism," 
 but which is really the gospel of the Son of God, and lives 
 according to its precepts, will never lie nor steal; he will 
 not dishonor his parents nor despise his poorer brethren ; he 
 will never, no never, speak against the Lord's anointed nor 
 be ashamed to own his God, to whom he owes homage and 
 
114 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 gratitude now and forever ; he will never do a dishonorable 
 act, nor fail to acknowledge God in all things, neither will 
 he refuse to render implicit obedience to the revelations of 
 God which are applicable to him. It is true, man may err 
 in judgment, he may be wanting in many things because of 
 his fallen nature, but the system of salvation is perfect. 
 Jesus the Only Begotten of the Father, in whom there is no 
 blemish, is its author ; he is the standard to all the world, and 
 will be forever. He had power to lay down his life and 
 take it up again, and if we keep inviolate the covenants of 
 the gospel, remaining faithful and true to the end, we too, 
 in his name and through his redeeming blood, will have 
 power in due time to resurrect these our bodies after they 
 shall have been committed to the earth. April 8, 1876, 
 Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, pp. 271-277, 1877. 
 
 WHAT CHURCH LEADERS ADVOCATE. We wish to ad- 
 vocate the principle of unity, the love of God and neighbor, 
 the love of a purpose that is great, ennobling, good in itself, 
 and calculated to exalt man and bring him nearer to the 
 likeness of the Son of God. Improvement Era, Vol. 21, 
 p. 98, December, 1917. 
 
 OUR MESSAGE ONE OF LOVE. We bring a message of 
 love. We wish to show how much we love you, and to find 
 out how much you love us in return. Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 21, p. 98, December, 1917. 
 
 WHENCE? WHITHER? We want to know where we 
 came from, and where we are going? Where did we come 
 from? From God. Our spirits existed before they came 
 to this world. They were in the councils of the heavens be- 
 fore the foundations of the earth were laid. We were there. 
 We sang together with the heavenly hosts for joy when the 
 foundations of the earth were laid, and when the plan of our 
 existence upon this earth and redemption were mapped out. 
 We were there ; we were interested, and we took a part in 
 this great preparation. We were unquestionably present in 
 
PURPOSE AND MISSION OF CHURCH 115 
 
 those councils when that wonderful circumstance occurred 
 when Satan offered himself as a savior of the world if he 
 could but receive the honor and the glory of the Father for 
 doing it. But Jesus said, "Father, thy will be done, and 
 the glory be thine forever." Wherefore, because Satan re- 
 belled against God, and sought to destroy the agency of man, 
 the Father rejected him and he was cast out, but Jesus was 
 accepted. We were, no doubt, there, and took a part in all 
 those scenes, we were vitally concerned in the carrying out 
 of these great plans and purposes, we understood them, and 
 it was for our sakes they were decreed, and are to be con- 
 summated. These spirits have been coming to this earth to 
 take upon them tabernacles, that they might become like 
 unto Jesus Christ, being "formed in his likeness and image," 
 from the morn of creation until now, and will continue un- 
 til the winding up scene, until the spirits who were destined 
 to come to this world shall have come and accomplished their 
 mission in the flesh. Deseret Weekly News, 1884, Vol. 33, 
 p. 130. 
 
 LATTER-DAY SAINTS ARE LAW-ABIDING. I wish to enter 
 here my avowal that the people called Latter-day Saints, as 
 has been often repeated from this stand, are the most law- 
 abiding, the most peaceable, long-suffering and patient peo- 
 ple that can today be found within the confines of this re- 
 public, and perhaps anywhere else upon the face of the earth ; 
 and we intend to continue to be law-abiding so far as the 
 constitutional law of the land is concerned ; and we expect to 
 meet the consequences of our obedience to the laws and com- 
 mandments of God like men. These are my sentiments 
 briefly expressed, upon this subject. Deseret Weekly News, 
 1882, Vol. 31, p. 226. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 The First Principles of the Gospel 
 
 How THE SINNER MAY BE CLEANSED. You cannot 
 take a murderer, a suicide, an adulterer, a liar, or one who 
 was or is thoroughly abominable in his life here, and simply 
 by the performance of an ordinance of the gospel, cleanse 
 him from sin and usher him into the presence of God. God 
 has not instituted a plan of that kind, and it cannot be done. 
 He has said you shall repent of your sins. The wicked will 
 have to repent of their wickedness. Those who die without 
 the knowledge of the gospel will have to come to the knowl- 
 edge of it, and those who sin against light will have to pay 
 the uttermost farthing for their transgression and their de- 
 parture from the gospel, before they can ever get back to it. 
 Do not forget that. Do not forget it, you elders in Israel, 
 nor you, mothers in Israel, either; and, when you seek to 
 save either the living or the dead, bear it in mind that you 
 can only do it on the principle of their repentance and ac- 
 ceptation of the plan of life. That is the only way in which 
 you can succeed. Oct. C. R. } 1907, pp. 6, 7. 
 
 FALLACY OF DEATH-BED REPENTANCE. I do not believe 
 in the ideas that we hear sometimes advanced in the world, 
 that it matters but little what men do in this life, if they 
 will but confess Christ at the end of their journey in life, 
 that that is all-sufficient, and that by so doing they will 
 receive their passport into heaven. I denounce this doctrine. 
 It is unscriptural, it is unreasonable, it is untrue, and it will 
 not avail any man, no matter by whom this idea may be ad- 
 vocated ; it will prove an utter failure unto men. As reason- 
 able beings, as men and women of intelligence, we cannot 
 
FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL 117 
 
 help but admire and honor the doctrine of Jesus Christ, 
 which is the doctrine of God, and which requires of every 
 man and woman righteousness in their lives, purity in their 
 thoughts, uprightness in their daily walk and conversation, 
 devotion to the Lord, love of truth, love of their fellowman, 
 and above all things in the world the love of God. These 
 were the precepts that were inculcated by the Son of God 
 when he walked among his brethren in the meridian of time. 
 He taught these precepts; he exemplified them in his life, 
 and advocated continually the doing of the will of him that 
 sent him. Oct. C. R., 1907, p. 3. 
 
 THE CHANGE THAT COMES WITH REPENTANCE AND 
 BAPTISM. That change comes today to every son and daugh- 
 ter of God who repents of his or her sins, who humble them- 
 selves before the Lord, and who seek forgiveness and remis- 
 sion of sin by baptism by immersion, by one having author- 
 ity to administer this sacred ordinance of the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ. For it is this new birth that was spoken of by Christ 
 to Nicodemus as absolutely essential that men might see the 
 kingdom of God, and without which no man could enter into 
 the kingdom. Each of us can remember, perhaps, the 
 change that came into our hearts when we were baptized 
 for the remission of our sins. Perhaps it is not proper for 
 one to speak of himself or of his own experiences, because 
 there may be those within the sound of my voice who object 
 to a man speaking of himself, and especially when he shall 
 say any good of himself ; yet I speak not of myself, I speak 
 of the influence and power of the Holy Spirit that I experi- 
 enced when I had been baptized for the remission of my sins. 
 The feeling that came upon me was that of pure peace, of 
 love and of light. I felt in my soul that if I had sinned 
 and surely I was not without sin that it had been forgiven 
 me; that I was indeed cleansed from sin; my heart was 
 touched, and I felt that I would not injure the smallest in- 
 sect beneath my feet. I felt as if I wanted to do good 
 
118 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 everywhere to everybody and to everything. I felt a new- 
 ness of life, a newness of desire to do that which was right. 
 There was not one particle of desire for evil left in my soul. 
 I was but a little boy, it is true, when I was baptized; but 
 this was the influence that came upon me, and I know that it 
 was from God, and was and ever has been a living witness 
 to me of my acceptance of the Lord. 
 
 Oh ! that I could have kept that same spirit and that 
 same earnest desire in my heart every moment of my life 
 from that day to this. Yet many of us who have received 
 that witness, that new birth, that change of heart, while we 
 may have erred in judgment or have made many mistakes, 
 and often perhaps come short of the true standard in our 
 lives, we have repented of the evil, and we have sought from 
 time to time forgiveness at the hand of the Lord ; so that 
 until this day the same desire and purpose which pervaded 
 our souls when we were baptized and received a remission 
 of our sins, still holds possession of our hearts, and is still 
 the ruling sentiment and passion of our souls. Though we 
 may at times be stirred to anger, and our wrath move us to 
 say and do things which are not pleasing in the sight of 
 God, yet instantly on regaining our sober senses and recov- 
 ering from our lapse into the power of darkness, we feel 
 humble, repentant, and to ask forgiveness for the wrong that 
 we have done to ourselves, and perchance to others. The 
 great, earnest, overwhelming desire, which is born of the 
 truth and of the witness of the Holy Spirit in the hearts 
 of the people who obey the truth, assumes sway and again 
 takes possession of our souls, to lead us on in the path of 
 duty. This is my testimony and I know it is true. Apr. C. 
 R. } 1898, pp. 65, 66. 
 
 THE NECESSITY OF BAPTISM. "The Light has come to 
 the world, and he who will not see it shall be condemned." 
 The truth is here, and shall men living now be heard to com- 
 plain hereafter that they have not the truth in their hearts ? 
 
FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL 119 
 
 Certainly not. It is here for all who will seek it, and it shall 
 be to their undoing if they do not obtain it. 
 
 The Savior said to Nicodemus, "except a man be born 
 again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God," and that is 
 true today. A man must be born from ignorance into truth, 
 today, before he can expect to see any difference between 
 a Latter-day Saint and another not of the faith. If he is 
 not so born, he is more blind than the one whom Christ 
 healed, for having eyes he sees not, and having ears, hears 
 not. 
 
 Is there any difference between the baptized and the 
 unbaptized man ? All the difference in the world, I tell you, 
 but it is only discernible through the Spirit. It is a vast 
 difference, too great for one not in possession of the Spirit 
 to comprehend. Take two men, they may be equals in point 
 of goodness, they may be equally moral, charitable, honest 
 and just, but one is baptized and the other is not. There is 
 a mighty difference between them, for one is the son of God 
 redeemed by compliance with his laws, and the other remains 
 in darkness. 
 
 The Scriptures say that a rich man would hardly enter 
 the kingdom of heaven, but it does not mean that riches 
 will condemn a man, not at all. God is pleased to see us 
 acquire riches for he intends ultimately to give to us the 
 whole earth as an eternal inheritance, but it is the love of 
 riches that kills. A great gulf separates those who enter 
 the house of the Lord and take wives, and those who do not 
 thus marry a tremendous gulf, but to the unspiritual eye 
 no difference is apparent. 
 
 I thank God for "Mormonism," so called; it is the 
 power of God unto salvation. It is the duty of every Latter- 
 day Saint to know of its truth and to exemplify it. Its des- 
 tiny is to overwhelm error and supplant it with righteous- 
 ness and peace, From a sermon, given in Logan, Feb. 2, 
 1909. 
 
120 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 WHEN TO BAPTIZE CHILDREN. We confess to having 
 been considerably surprised when attending one of our lat- 
 est Sunday School conventions on learning that in some 
 wards in the Church only once or twice in each year are 
 opportunities given to the children of the Saints to be bap- 
 tized. We hold the opinion that in every stake of Zion there 
 should be opportunity for baptism every day of every month 
 and every month in every year, for we believe that it is an 
 admirable practice where parents, in conformity with the 
 revelations of God, have taught their children in the first 
 principles of the gospel faith, repentance and baptism, to 
 have them baptized on their birthdays, when they arrive at 
 the age of eight years. This practice has many advantages. 
 In the first place, when a child is baptized on his birthday, 
 he has no difficulty in remembering the day when that sacred 
 ordinance was performed in his case. Again, it prevents the 
 tendency manifested by some people to delay and postpone 
 duties that are always best performed in their proper time 
 and season. When once a child has passed the eight year 
 mark, there appears no particular necessity for the immedi- 
 ate performance of the ordinance, and the parents are apt to 
 put it off from day to day and from week to week, until 
 months have passed over, and the matter is not attended to. 
 Should it so happen that in this interval the child is taken 
 by the Lord, then this rite has to be performed in his behalf 
 after his departure from our midst. How much better it is 
 that the child have the opportunity of doing this all- 
 important work for himself or herself. Juvenile Instructor, 
 Vol. 40, p. 337, June 1, 1905. 
 
 THROUGH ATONEMENT SINS ARE WASHED AWAY. 
 When we commit sin, it is necessary that we repent of it 
 and make restitution as far as lies in our power. When we 
 cannot make restitution for the wrong we have done, then 
 we must apply for the grace and mercy of God to cleanse 
 us from that iniquity. 
 
FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL 121 
 
 Men cannot forgive their own sins ; they cannot cleanse 
 themselves from the consequences of their sins. Men can 
 stop sinning and can do right in the future, and so far their 
 acts are acceptable before the Lord and worthy of considera- 
 tion. But who shall repair the wrongs they have done to 
 themselves and to others, which it seems impossible for them 
 to repair themselves ? By the atonement of Jesus Christ the 
 sins of the repentant shall be washed away, though they be 
 crimson they shall be made white as wool. This is the promise 
 given to you. We who have not paid our tithing in the past, 
 and are therefore under obligations to the Lord, which we 
 are not in a position to discharge, the Lord requires that no 
 longer at our hands, but will forgive us for the past if we 
 will observe this law honestly in the future. That is gener- 
 ous and kind, and I feel grateful for it. Oct. C. R., 1899, 
 p. 42. 
 
 CONDITIONS FOR BAPTISM. No person can be properly 
 baptized unless he has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 has repented of his sins, with a repentance that need not be 
 repented of. But faith comes by hearing the word of God. 
 This implies that the candidate must be taught. Efficient 
 teaching and preparation must precede the ordinance, so 
 that the candidate may have a proper appreciation and con- 
 ception of its purposes. The call to baptism, in the mission 
 of our Savior, was always preceded by instructions in the 
 doctrines which he taught. Improvement Era, Vol. 14, p. 
 266. 
 
 THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL. As Latter-day 
 Saints we have every reason to rejoice in the gospel, and 
 in the testimony we have received concerning its truth. I 
 repeat, we have reason to rejoice and to be exceeding glad, 
 for we possess the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy, 
 which the people of the world know nothing about, nor can 
 they, without obedience to the gospel. 
 
 Jesus thoroughly understood this matter, and fully ex- 
 
122 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 plained it when he said, "Except a man be born again, he 
 cannot see the kingdom of God." On first reflection, it 
 would seem that anything so clear, reasonable and tangible 
 could be easily made plain to the understanding of all men. 
 Hence the feeling that has prompted many of the Latter-day 
 Saints to believe, after their minds have been enlightened 
 by the Spirit of God everything being made so plain and 
 clear to them, that they had' only to tell their friends and 
 kindred what they had learned and they would gladly receive 
 it. But how disappointed, after they had presented to them 
 the truths of heaven in simplicity and plainness, to hear them 
 say, "We cannot see it !" or, "We do not believe it !" or per- 
 haps bitterly oppose it, which is by far the most common 
 practice of the world. They cannot understand it. Why? 
 Because, as Jesus has said, no man can see the kingdom ex- 
 cept he is born again. You may preach the gospel to the 
 people but unless they humble themselves as little children 
 before the Lord, acknowledging their dependence upon him 
 for light and wisdom, they cannot see or sense it, although 
 you may preach to them in as great plainness as it is possible 
 for the truth to be conveyed from one person to another. 
 And should any believe your testimony it would only be be- 
 lief. They would not see as you see nor comprehend it, as 
 you do until they yield obedience to the requirements of 
 the gospel, and through the remission of their sins receive 
 the Holy Ghost. Then they, too, can see as you see, for they 
 have the same spirit ; then will they love the truth as you do, 
 and may wonder why they could not comprehend it before, 
 or why it is that there can be anybody with common intel- 
 ligence that cannot understand truth so plain and forcible. 
 First, then, it is necessary to have faith in God, faith 
 being the first principle in revealed religion, and the founda- 
 tion of all righteousness. 
 
 Faith in God is to believe that he is, and "that he is the 
 only supreme Governor and independent Being, in whom all 
 
FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL 123 
 
 fulness and perfection and every, good gift and principle 
 dwell independently," and in whom the faith of all other 
 rational beings must centre for life and salvation ; and fur- 
 ther, that he is the great Creator of all things, that he is 
 omnipotent, omniscient, and by his works and the power of 
 his spirit omnipresent. 
 
 Not only is it necessary to have faith in God, but also in 
 Jesus Christ, his Son, the Savior of mankind and the Medi- 
 ator of the New Covenant ; and in the Holy Ghost, who 
 bears record of the Father and the Son, "the same in all 
 ages and forever." 
 
 Having this faith, it becomes necessary to repent. Re- 
 pent of what? Of every sin of which we may have been 
 guilty. How shall we repent of these sins? Does repent- 
 ance consist of sorrow for wrong doing? Yes; but is this 
 all? By no means. True repentance only is acceptable to 
 God, nothing short of it will answer the purpose. Then 
 what is true repentance? True repentance is, not only sor- 
 row for sins, and humble penitence and contrition before 
 God, but it involves the necessity of turning away from them, 
 a discontinuance of all evil practice^ and deeds, a thorough 
 reformation of life, a vital change from evil to good, from 
 vice to virtue, from darkness to light. Not only so, but to 
 make restitution, so far as it is possible, for all the wrongs 
 we have done, to pay our debts, and restore to God and 
 man their rights that which is due to them from us. This 
 is true repentance, and the exercise of the will and all the 
 powers of body and mind is demanded, to complete this glo- 
 rious work of repentance ; then God will accept it. 
 
 Having thus repented, the next thing requisite is bap- 
 tism, which is an essential principle of the gospel no man 
 can enter into the gospel covenant without it. It is the door 
 of the Church of Christ, we cannot get in there in any other 
 way, for Christ hath said it. "Sprinkling," or "pouring," 
 is not baptism. Baptism means immersion in water, and 
 
124 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 is to be administered by one having authority, in the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Bap- 
 tism without divine authority is not valid. It is a symbol of 
 the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and must be done 
 in the likeness thereof, by one commissioned of God, in 
 the manner prescribed, otherwise it is illegal and will not be 
 accepted by him, nor will it effect a remission of sins, the 
 object for which it is designed, but whosoever hath faith, 
 truly repents and is "buried with Christ in baptism/' by one 
 having divine authority, shall receive a remission of sins, and 
 is entitled to the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of 
 hands. 
 
 Only those who are commissioned of Jesus Christ have 
 authority or power to bestow this gift. The office of the 
 Holy Ghost is to bear record of Christ, or to testify of him, 
 and confirm the believer in the truth, by bringing to his 
 recollection things that have passed, and showing or reveal- 
 ing to the mind things present and to come. "But the Com- 
 forter, which i3 the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send 
 in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things 
 to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." 
 "He will guide you into all truth." Thus, without the aid 
 of the Holy Ghost no man can know the will of God, or that 
 Jesus is the Christ the Redeemer of the world, or that the 
 course he pursues, the work he performs, or his faith, are 
 acceptable to God, and such as will secure to him the gift 
 of eternal life, the greatest of all gifts. (John 14:26; 16:13.) 
 
 "But," says an objector, "have we not the Bible and are 
 not the Holy Scripture able to make us wise unto salva- 
 tion?" Yes, provided we obey them. "All Scripture is 
 given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, 
 for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; 
 that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished 
 unto all good works." The "good works" are the great 
 desideratum. The Bible itself is but the dead letter, it is 
 
FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL 125 
 
 the Spirit that giveth life. The way to obtain the Spirit is 
 that which is here marked out so plainly in the Scriptures. 
 There is no other. Obedience, therefore, to these principles 
 is absolutely necessary, in order to obtain the salvation and 
 exaltation brought to light through the gospel. 
 
 As to the question of authority, nearly everything de- 
 pends upon it. No ordinance can be performed to the acr 
 ceptance of God without divine authority. No matter how 
 fervently men may believe or pray, unless they are endowed 
 with divine authority they can only act in their own name, 
 and not legally nor acceptably in the name of Jesus Christ, in 
 whose name all these things must be done. Some suppose 
 this authority may be derived from the Bible, but nothing 
 could be more absurd. The Bible is but a book containing 
 the writings- of inspired men, "profitable for doctrine, for 
 reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness," as 
 such we hold it is sacred ; but the Spirit, power and author- 
 ity by which it is written cannot be found within its lids, nor 
 derived from it. "For prophecy came not in old time by 
 the will of man ; but holy men of God spake as they were 
 moved by the Holy Ghost." If by reading and believing 
 the Bible this authority could be obtained, all who read the 
 Bible and believed it would have it one equally with an- 
 other. I have read the Bible, and I have as good reason for 
 believing it as any other man, and do believe it with all my 
 heart; but this does not give me authority to teach men in 
 the name of the Lord, nor to officiate in the sacred ordin- 
 ances of the gospel. Were the Scriptures the only source 
 of knowledge, we would be without knowledge for our- 
 selves, and would have to rest our hopes of salvation upon 
 a simple belief in the testimonies and sayings of others. 
 This will not do for me; I must know for myself, and if I 
 act as a teacher of these things, I must be clothed with 
 the same light, knowledge and authority as those were who 
 acted in a similar calling anciently. Else how could I de- 
 
126 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 clare the truth and bear testimony as they did ? What right 
 would I have to say, "thus saith the Lord," and call upon 
 man to repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord ? or, 
 that "This Jesus hath God raised up [from the dead], 
 whereof we all [the apostles] are witnesses"? And, there- 
 fore, let all men "know assuredly that God hath made that 
 same Jesus," who was crucified, "both Lord and Christ" ? 
 No man, without the Holy Ghost, as enjoyed by the ancient 
 apostles, can know these things, therefore cannot declare 
 them by authority, nor teach and prepare mankind for the 
 salvation of God. God Almighty is the only source from 
 whence this knowledge, power and authority can be ob- 
 tained, and that through the operations of the Holy Ghost. 
 The Scriptures may serve as a guide to lead us to God, and 
 hence to the possession of all things necessary to life and 
 salvation, but they can do no more. 
 
 Having profited by this example, and done the works 
 commanded by both Christ and his apostles, ancient and 
 modern, I am happy of the privilege to declare to the inhab- 
 itants of the earth that I have received this testimony and 
 witness for myself. I do know that these things are true. 
 Jesus, my Redeemer, lives, and God hath made him both 
 Lord and Christ. To know and to worship the true God, in 
 the name of Jesus in spirit and in truth is the duty of 
 man. To aid and qualify him for this service is the duty 
 and office of the Holy Ghost. Man may fail through fal- 
 tering and unfaithfulness, but the Spirit of God will never 
 fail, nor abandon the faithful disciple. I can say as one who 
 has tried the experiment for it may be called an experi- 
 ment to the beginner that all who will take the course and 
 accept the doctrine thus marked out' will, through faithful- 
 ness, become acquainted with the truth, and shall know of 
 the doctrine, whether it be of God or of man, and will re- 
 joice in it as all good, faithful Latter-day Saints do. 
 
 Here is an ordinance which we are now administering, 
 
FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL 127 
 
 the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ; it is a principle of the 
 gospel, one as necessary to be observed by all believers, as 
 any other ordinance of the gospel. What is the object of it? 
 It is that we may keep in mind continually the Son of God 
 who has redeemed us from eternal death, and brought us 
 to life again through the power of the gospel. Before the 
 coming of Christ to the earth, this was borne in mind by the 
 inhabitants of the earth to whom the gospel was preached, 
 by another ordinance which was a type of the great sacrifice 
 that should take place in the meridian of time. Hence, 
 Adam, after he was cast out of the garden, was commanded 
 to offer sacrifices to God ; by this act, he and all who partici- 
 pated in the offering of sacrifices, were reminded of the 
 Savior who should come to redeem them from death which, 
 were it not for the atonement wrought out by him, would 
 forever exclude them from dwelling in the presence of God 
 again. But in his coming and death, this commandment 
 was fulfilled; and he instituted the Supper and commanded 
 his followers to partake of this in all time to come, in order 
 that they may remember him, bearing in mind that he had 
 redeemed them, also that they had covenanted to keep his 
 commandments and to walk with him in the regeneration. 
 Hence it is necessary to partake of the Sacrament, as a wit- 
 ness to him that we do remember him, are willing to keep 
 the commandments he has given us, that we may have his 
 Spirit to be with us always even to the end, and also that 
 we may continue in the forgiveness of sins. 
 
 In various dispensations there are various differences 
 in regard to certain requirements of the gospel. For in- 
 stance, in the day of Noah, when he preached the gospel to 
 the antediluvian world, he was given a special command- 
 ment to build an ark, that in case the people would reject 
 him and the message sent unto them, that himself and all 
 who believed on him might be saved from the destruction 
 that awaited them. In this dispensation there is a principle 
 
128 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 or commandment peculiar to it. What is that? It is the 
 gathering the people unto one place. The gathering of this 
 people is as necessary to be observed by believers, as faith, 
 repentance, baptism, or any other ordinance. It is an essen- 
 tial part of the gospel of this dispensation, as much so as the 
 necessity of building an ark by Noah, for his deliverance, 
 was a part of the gospel of his dispensation. Then the world 
 was destroyed by a flood, now it is to be destroyed by war, 
 pestilence, famine, earthquakes, storms, and tempests, the 
 sea rolling beyond its bounds, malarious vapors, vermin, dis- 
 ease, and by fire and the lightnings of God's wrath poured 
 out for destruction upon Babylon. The cry of the angel 
 unto the righteous of this dispensation is, "Come out of her, 
 my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye 
 receive not of her plagues." (Rev. 18:4.) 
 
 We believe also in the principle of direct revelation from 
 God to man. 
 
 This is a part of the gospel, but it is not peculiar to 
 this dispensation. It is common in all ages and dispensa- 
 tions of the gospel. The gospel cannot be administered, nor 
 the Church of God continue to exist, without it. Christ is 
 the head of his Church and not man, and the connection can 
 only be maintained upon the principle of direct and contin- 
 uous revelation. It is not a hereditary principle, it cannot 
 be handed down from father to son, nor from generation to 
 generation, but is a living, vital principle to be enjoyed on 
 certain conditions only, namely through absolute faith in 
 God and obedience to his laws and commandments. The 
 moment this principle is cut off, that moment the Church 
 is adrift, being severed from its ever-living head. In this 
 condition it cannot continue, but must cease to be the 
 Church of God, and like the ship at sea, without captain, 
 compass or rudder, is afloat at the mercy of the storms 
 and the waves of ever contending human passions, and 
 worldly interests, pride and folly, finally to be wrecked upon 
 the strand of priestcraft and superstition. The religious 
 
FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL 129 
 
 world is in this condition today, ripening for the great de- 
 struction which awaits them, but there is an ark prepared 
 for such as are worthy of eternal life, in the gathering of 
 the Saints to the chambers of the Almighty, where they 
 shall be preserved until the indignation of God is passed. 
 
 Marriage is also a principle or ordinance of the gospel, 
 most vital to the happiness of mankind, however unimpor- 
 tant it may seem, or lightly regarded by many. There is no 
 superfluous or unnecessary principle in the plan of life, 
 but there is no principle of greater importance or more es- 
 sential to the happiness of man not only here, but espe- 
 cially hereafter, than that of marriage. Yet all are neces- 
 sary. What good would it be to one to be baptized and 
 receive not the Holy Ghost? And suppose he went a little 
 further and received the Holy Ghost, thereby obtaining the 
 testimony of Jesus, and then stopped at that, what good 
 would it do him ? None whatever, but would -add to his 
 condemnation, for it would be as burying his talent in the 
 earth. To secure the fulness of the blessings, we must 
 receive the fulness of the gospel. Yet men will be judged 
 and rewarded according to their works. "To him that 
 knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." 
 Those who receive a part of the gospel with light and knowl- 
 edge to comprehend other principles, and yet do not obey 
 them, will come under this law, hence condemnation will 
 be added unto such, and that which they did receive may be 
 taken from them and added to them who are more worthy. 
 
 Obedience is a requirement of heaven, and is therefore 
 a principle of the gospel. Are all required to be obedient? 
 Yes, all. What, against their will? O, no, not by any 
 means. There is no power given to man, nor means lawful 
 to be used to compel men to obey the will of God, against 
 their wish, except persuasion and good advice, but there is 
 a penalty attached to disobedience, which all must suffer 
 who will not obey the obvious truths or laws of heaven. I 
 believe in the sentiment of the poet : 
 
 10 
 
130 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 "Know this, that every soul is free 
 To choose his life and what he'll be ; 
 For this eternal truth is given, 
 That God will force no man to heaven. 
 
 "He'll call, persuade, direct aright, 
 And bless with wisdom, love and light, 
 In nameless ways be good and kind, 
 But never force the human mind." 
 
 Is it a difficult task to obey the gospel? No. It is an 
 easy matter to those who possess the spirit of it. Most of 
 this congregation can testify that the gospel "yoke is easy, 
 and the burden light." Those who have embraced it will be 
 judged according to their works therein, whether they be 
 good or evil. To such as are untrue to their covenants it 
 may be said, by and by, "Depart from me!" In vain will 
 they plead their former good works, and faith. Why ? Be- 
 cause the race is not to the swift nor the battle always to 
 the strong, but to him that endures faithful to the end. 
 We must save ourselves from this untoward generation. 
 It is a continual labor, but the strength of the righteous will 
 be sufficient for their day. Jesus said, 'Tn my Father's house 
 are many mansions." There is a glory, or mansion, of 
 which the sun is typical, another of which the moon is typ- 
 ical, and still another like unto the stars, and in this latter 
 the condition of its occupants will differ as the stars differ 
 in appearance. Every man will receive according to his 
 works and knowledge. "These are they who are of Paul 
 and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are they who say 
 they are some of one and some of another some of Christ 
 and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, 
 and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch ; 
 but 'received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus." 
 (Doc. and Cov. 76:100-1.) Thus, impartial justice will be 
 meted out unto all, and none will be lost but the sons of per- 
 dition. Journal of Discourses, Vol. 14, p. 266. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 The Church and the Man 
 
 THE CHURCH IN ADVANCE OF ITS MEMBERS. "The 
 modern 'Mormon' is far in advance of 'MormonismV The 
 very reverse of this statement is the truth. "Mormonism" 
 is far in advance of the modern or any other class of "Mor- 
 mons." For not one member of the Church in one hundred, 
 and perhaps not a single member in the whole Church is able 
 to reach the high standards of faith, virtue, honor and truth 
 inculcated in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Juvenile In- 
 structor, Vol. 41, p. 144, March 1, 1906. 
 
 THE GOSPEL THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. The re- 
 ligion which we have espoused is not a Sunday religion ; it 
 is not a mere profession ; it is a most I was going to say 
 a most terrible reality and I believe I would be justified 
 in using that expression, because it savors of life unto life 
 or. of death unto death. If it is, and pardon me for using 
 that expression, if it is what we profess it to be, what we 
 have embraced it for, what we believe it to be as members 
 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is the 
 most important thing in the world to us, and the results to 
 us in this world and in the world to come will depend upon 
 our integrity to the truth and our consistency in observing 
 its precepts, in abiding by its principles, and its requirements. 
 Apr. C. R., 1916, p. 2. 
 
 PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT .is HELP TO THE CHURCH. 
 Whoever will labor for his own welfare, for his own salva- 
 tion and upbuilding in the knowledge of those principles 
 which draw men nearer to God and make them more like 
 unto him, fitting them better for the performance of the du- 
 ties required at their hands, is in like manner building up the 
 Church. Apr. C. R., 1914, p. 2. 
 
132 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 COVENANTS OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS. Among the 
 covenants are these, that they will cease from sin and from all 
 unrighteousness; that they will work righteousness in their 
 lives ; that they will abstain from the use of intoxicants, from 
 the use of strong drinks of every description, from the use 
 of tobacco, from every vile thing, and from extremes in 
 every phase of life ; that they will not take the name of God 
 in vain; that they will not bear false witness against their 
 neighbor; that they will seek to love their neighbors as 
 themselves; to carry out the golden rule of the Lord, do 
 unto others as they would that others should do unto them. 
 These principles are involved in the covenants that the peo-' 
 pie have made in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints, and it is expected that the officers and presiding 
 authorities in the Church shall see to it that the members 
 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will 
 keep these covenants that they have made with the Lord, 
 and that they will observe these principles and adapt them 
 to their lives and carry them out, that they may be indeed 
 the salt of the earth; not salt that has lost its savor and is 
 good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the 
 foot of men, but salt that has its savor and that is whole- 
 some ; that the people of God may be a light unto this gen- 
 eration and unto the world; that men may see your good 
 works and glorify your Father which is in heaven; and 
 that notwithstanding enemies, who are filled with the spirit 
 of persecution and who say all manner of evil things against 
 the Latter-day Saints, those who have entered into the cove- 
 nant of the gospel, will keep the commandments of the Lord, 
 will obey the dictates of the Spirit of the Lord unto them, will 
 work righteousness in the earth, and will go right on in the 
 path that Almighty God has marked out for them to pur- 
 sue, fulfiling and accomplishing his will and his purposes 
 concerning them in the latter day. Oct. C. R., 1904, pp. 4, 5. 
 
THE CH URCH AND THE MAN 133 
 
 A PRIVILEGE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHURCH. 
 I esteem it a great privilege to be permitted to live and be 
 associated with my brethren and sisters in the great cause in 
 which we are engaged. Personally, I have nothing but this 
 cause to live for, for the rest of my life. It has been very 
 much, almost entirely the object of life with me, ever since 
 my childhood; and I am very thankful that I have had the 
 privilege of being connected with the missionary work of 
 the Church, and I hope and trust that I may be able to con- 
 tinue in this ministry the remainder of my days. I feel in 
 my heart that there is nothing greater for me, or for any 
 other man living, than to be identified with the cause of 
 truth, and I verily believe that we are engaged in the cause 
 of truth, and not error. Apr. C. R., 1912, p. 2. 
 
 WORTH OF A STANDING IN THE CHURCH. My standing 
 in the Church is worth to me more than this life ten thou- 
 sand times. For in this I have life everlasting. In this I 
 have the glorious promise of the associations of my loved 
 ones throughout all eternity. In obedience to this work, in 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ, I shall gather around me my fam- 
 ily, my children, my children's children, until they, become 
 as numerous as the seed of Abraham, or as countless as the 
 sands upon the sea shore. For this is my right and privilege, 
 and the right and privilege of every member of the Church 
 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who holds the priest- 
 hood and will magnify it in the sight of God. Without it, 
 there is death and desolation disintegration and disinher- 
 itance; without it there may be a chance to become a min- 
 istering spirit, a servant unto servants throughout the end- 
 less ages; but in this gospel there is a chance to become a 
 son of God, in the image and likeness of the Father and of 
 his Only Begotten Son in the flesh. I would rather take 
 my boys and my girls to the grave, while they are innocent, 
 than to see them entrapped in the wickedness, the unbelief, 
 
134 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and the spirit of apostasy so prevalent in the world, and be 
 led away from the gospel of salvation. Apr. C. R., 1912, pp. 
 136, 137. 
 
 IMPORTANCE OF HAVING NAMES ON CHURCH RECORDS. 
 Some people may not care very much whether their names 
 are recorded or not, but this comes from ignorance of the 
 consequences. If their names are not recorded they will 
 not only be cut off from the assistance which they would 
 be entitled to from the Church, if they needed it, but they 
 will be cut off from the ordinances of the house of God; 
 they will be cut asunder from their dead and from their 
 fathers who have been faithful, or from those who shall 
 come after them who shall be faithful, and they will be ap- 
 pointed their portion with the unbelievers, where there is 
 weeping and gnashing of teeth. It means that you will be 
 cut off from your fathers and mothers, from your husbands, 
 your wives, your children, and that you shall have no por- 
 tion or lot or inheritance in the kingdom of God, both in 
 time and in eternity. It has a very serious and far-reaching 
 effect. Oct. C. R. t 1899, p. 42. 
 
 SECRET ORGANIZATIONS. The Church of Jesus Christ 
 of Latter-day Saints is good enough for me and my family, 
 and I have no time nor means to associate myself with organ- 
 izations that are not of this Church and which have simply 
 for their object the laying up of something for my wife to 
 have after I am dead. I cannot afford to do it for this rea- 
 son: the Lord has seen fit to give me from day to day jusj: 
 sufficient for my needs, and if I were to join these associa- 
 tions for the purpose of looking after the future of my fam- 
 ily, I would be compelled to neglect paying my tithing, and 
 present duties, because I would not have means enough to 
 pay my tithing and my dues for these associations. We have 
 known members of the Church, who when they were asked 
 why they did not pay their tithing, confessed that they were 
 associated with organizations of one kind and another, 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 135 
 
 wherein they were compelled to pay weekly or monthly cer- 
 tain sums of money; they had been associated with these 
 institutions for a number of years, and had put quite a lot 
 of money in them ; and now, if they did not continue to pay 
 their dues they would lose all they had put in, then in case 
 of death their families would lose the premium. From 
 this you can see they are in bondage to these secret organ- 
 izations, and if they want to pay tithing they cannot do 
 it. Well, if they do not, they will be among those whose 
 names will not be found recorded in the book of the law of 
 the Lord and who will not have inheritance in the Zion of 
 God. Furthermore, we have called some of these men to go 
 on missions, but they could not go to preach the gospel to 
 the nations of the earth. Why? Because they belonged 
 to certain secret associations, and they were compelled to 
 be at work all the time in order to pay their dues, or they 
 would lose what they had put in them. Oct. C. R. } 1899, 
 p. 40. 
 
 SECRET SOCIETIES. It is a well known truth that the 
 counsel of the First Presidency of the Church, in all cases, 
 has been and is against our brethren joining secret organ- 
 izations for any purpose whatsoever, and that wherever any 
 of them have already joined, they have been and are coun- 
 seled to withdraw themselves from such organizations, as 
 soon as circumstances permit and wisdom dictates. In tak- 
 ing this position, there has not been, neither is it intended 
 that there shall be, any controversy with the societies, and 
 with their aims and objects. The merits of the various or- 
 ders are not considered at all ; their aims may be ever so 
 worthy and their objects ever so commendable. That mat- 
 ter does not enter into the discussion, so far as a member of 
 our Church is concerned. 
 
 The gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and is a power unto 
 salvation, temporal and spiritual. A man who complies in 
 every respect therewith has everything that any society can 
 
136 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 offer, with countless truths and consolations added: "But 
 seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; 
 and all these things shall be added unto you." The Church 
 is divinely organized, and in that organization there is pro- 
 vision for the development and practice of every virtue 
 known, every charity revealed. For this reason and for 
 its promises of eternal life and glory, the gospel, and the 
 Church divinely established for its promulgation, should be 
 nearer and dearer to a follower of Christ than all other 
 things. "No man can serve two masters ; for either he will 
 hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the 
 one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mam- 
 mon." 
 
 The members of our Church who have faith to heed 
 the advice of the authorities thereof, will not ally them- 
 selves, under any pretense, with any organization not insti- 
 tuted by the Lord for the building up of Zion. Neither will 
 they, for any consideration, allow themselves to imbibe the 
 spirit of the world, or be tempted to lose their faith, which 
 will be the result with those who divide their interests, de- 
 voting some to other organizations. This is the testimony 
 of those who have joined and who have later withdrawn. 
 Nothing can be permitted in the members that is calculated 
 to bring division and weakness to the Church, yet those who 
 have been led to join other institutions should not be dealt 
 with harshly, but should be made to understand the position 
 of the Church, and where it is so understood, they should 
 shape their affairs for withdrawal, in humility and repent- 
 ance, from that which threatens their standing. Improve- 
 ment Era, Vol. 6, p. 305, February, 1903. 
 
 GOSSIP. The "Mormon" creed : "Mind your own busi- 
 ness," is a good motto for young people to adopt who wish 
 to succeed, and who wish to make the best use of their time 
 and lives. And when I say young people, it includes as well 
 aged and middle aged men and women. 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 137 
 
 Let it be remembered that nothing is quite so contempt- 
 ible as idle gossip. Byron said a good thing when he put 
 into the mouth of Don Juan these words : 
 
 "In fact there's nothing makes me so much grieve 
 As that abominable tittle-tattle, 
 Which is the cud eschewed by human cattle." 
 
 How idle to go about whispering mysterious words here 
 and there words often without foundation in fact, but ut- 
 tered with injurious intent, and perhaps with the idea of 
 creating for the whisperer some imaginary respect, because 
 of his supposed possession of special knowledge ! But such 
 action seldom bodes good, or sets upon the round of human 
 lips sentiments of appreciation for the excellent, the beauti- 
 ful, and the true, in a brother, neighbor, or friend. Such 
 gossip and meddling constantly hold to view the defects of 
 its subjects, and the scandals that are born fly as upon the 
 wings of eagles. To be thus engaged is a positive injury, 
 also, to the person so employed, because by constantly hold- 
 ing the defects of others in his own mind, he ruins his own 
 ability to see and appreciate the virtues of his fellows, thus 
 stifling his nobler self. 
 
 It is so very much better for a person to strive to de- 
 velop himself by observing all the good points he can find 
 in others, than to strangle the growth of his better self by 
 cherishing a fault-finding, sullen and intermeddling spirit. 
 The scriptures support this thought. The great Psalmist 
 says in substance in the fifteenth psalm: "He that back- 
 biteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, 
 nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor, shall abide 
 in the tabernacle of the Lord, and never be moved." To 
 abide in the tabernacle of the Lord is to enjoy his Holy 
 Spirit. Now, he that taketh up a reproach against his 
 neighbor is in great danger of losing the Spirit of the Lord. 
 
138 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 "But my neighbor has done this, that, or the other that is 
 forbidden by the law or the Church, or good usage, why 
 should I not set him right?" says one. Let that one ask 
 himself: "Is it my business?" The answer will suggest it- 
 self : If it is not my business, let me be wise enough to mind 
 my own business. For "he that refraineth his lips is wise, 
 and he that uttereth a slander is a fool;" and, further, the 
 Lord declares through the Psalmist : "Whoso privily slan- 
 dereth his neighbor, him will I cut off." 
 
 Let it be the aim of the Saints to cultivate the spirit of 
 generosity and good-will, such as was exemplified in the life 
 of Christ, and proclaimed when the angels heralded abroad 
 the message: "Peace on earth, to men good will," and 
 which has been reiterated in the modern restoration of the 
 gospel. Watch constantly for that which is worthy and no- 
 ble in your fellow man. It makes a person better to see 
 and speak of good in his neighbor ; while there is unbounded 
 delight in observing the effect that a few words of apprecia- 
 tion and encouragement have upon men, women, and chil- 
 dren with whom we associate. Let those try it who really 
 wish to get the genuine sweets out of life. 
 
 The meddler, the gossip, the fault-finder, on the other 
 hand, soon ruin their own capacity for observing the better 
 side of human nature ; and, not finding it in others, search 
 in vain for its influence in their own souls. 
 
 There is a wonderful field in the organizations of the 
 Church for the cultivation of all the virtues of the human 
 heart. It is the business of every officer and member of the 
 Church, and of her associations and organizations, to lead 
 out in doing good; to stand first in serviceable practices in 
 the gospel's atmosphere of sunshine and peace ; to lift up 
 and not to cast down; to encourage and not to repress; to 
 dispense joy, and to drown sorrow; to refrain their lips 
 from slander and backbiting, and, by sweet temper and kind 
 words, to unfold the better side of human nature; to mind 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 139 
 
 their own business, and not to unduly criticise, and not to 
 find fault, nor to delight in tale-bearing, scandal, envy, and 
 gossip. 
 
 This advice heeded, onr social ethics would soon show 
 wonderful improvement; happiness, beauty of disposition, 
 love, and moral cleanliness, would increase among the 
 Saints; the Spirit of God would delight to dwell in their 
 midst, and the best qualities of the people would unfold and 
 develop like the rose in the warm sunshine of June. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 6, p. 388, March, 1903. 
 
 WE WANT TO BE KNOWN AS WE ARE. We want to be 
 known as we are. We want to be seen in our true light. 
 We want the world to become acquainted with us. We want 
 them to learn our doctrine, to understand our faith, our pur- 
 poses, and the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latter-day Saints. We would like them to know something 
 about the origin of this work, but we desire that they shall 
 see this work in the true spirit of it, and the only way this 
 can be brought about is by the inquiring, intelligent world 
 coming in contact with us those indeed who are disposed 
 to love truth and righteousness, and whose eyes are not so 
 blinded that they can not see the truth when it is presented 
 before them. Oct. C. R. f 1908, p. 3. 
 
 TREATMENT OF THOSE WHO WILL NOT OBEY THE LAW 
 OF THE CHURCH. It has occurred to me somewhat in this 
 way: that the body of the Church is likened to the body of 
 a man, and you know men do sometimes get their systems 
 a little deranged that is to say, sometimes they are flea- 
 bitten. Fleas bite them and mosquitoes bite them and cause 
 little swellings to rise on their face and hands. Some- 
 times they have boils upon them, and carbuncles, sebaceous 
 tumors and other excresences, that only need the application 
 of the lance to let out the humor from them or to excise 
 them from the body, or cut them off and let them go, so 
 that the body may be cleansed from their poisonous effect. 
 
140 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 It is so with the Church. From time to time there are char- 
 acters who become a law unto themselves, and they follow 
 the bent of their own "sweet will" until they get themselves 
 into a condition mentally and spiritually that they become a 
 menace to the body ecclesiastic. In other words, they be- 
 come like a boil, tumor or carbuncle on the body, you have 
 to call in the surgeon to apply the knife to cut them out 
 that the body may be cleansed from them; and this has 
 been the case from the beginning. Apr. C. R. } 1905, p. 5. 
 
 LATTER-DAY SAINTS MUST BE THINKERS AND WORKERS. 
 To be Latter-day Saints men and women must be thinkers 
 and workers ; they must be men and women who weigh 
 matters in their minds ; men and women who consider care- 
 fully their course of life and the principles that they have 
 espoused. Men cannot be faithful Latter-day Saints unless 
 they study and understand, to some extent at least, the prin- 
 ciples of the gospel that they have received. When you hear 
 people, who profess to be Latter-day Saints, running off on 
 tangents, on foolish notions and one-horse, cranky ideas, 
 things that are obviously opposed to reason and to good 
 sense, opposed to principles of righteousness and to the word 
 of the Lord that has been revealed to men, you should 
 know at once that they have not studied the principles of 
 the gospel, and do not know very much about the gospel. 
 When people understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, you 
 will see them walking straightforward, according to the 
 word of the Lord and the law of God, strictly in accordance 
 with that which is consistent, just, righteous, and in every 
 sense acceptable to the Lord who only accepts of that which 
 is right and pleasing in his sight ; for only that which is right 
 is pleasing unto him. Improvement Era, Vol. 14, 1910, p. 72. 
 
 THE IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH UNCHANGED. We have 
 a double guide and a double assurance in reaching our cor- 
 rect conclusions concerning the perfect identity of the 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 141 
 
 Church now and the Church in the days of its first prophet. 
 The spirit of loyalty and devotion, together with love for the 
 work of building up Zion, characterize the Saints, while the 
 devil rages now in the same manner that he did then. The 
 spirit, on both sides of the controversy, is so identical that it 
 is hard to imagine that any thoughtful Latter-day Saint can 
 be deceived over the situation as it exists today. 
 
 By their fruits ye shall know them. The devil caused 
 men to rage over the Nauvoo House, the building of the 
 Nauvoo Temple, the Prophet's Nauvoo brick store, and the 
 material prosperity of the Saints in that beautiful city on 
 the banks of the Mississippi; he causes men to rave over 
 so-called "commercialism" today. Envy was rampant then. 
 It is just as deadly now. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 40, p. 
 497, August 15, 1905, 
 
 No CLASSES OR NATIONALITIES IN THE CHURCH. The 
 brotherhood and common interests in the Church of Jesus 
 Christ of Latter-day Saints are among the great character- 
 istics of our faith, and whatever, therefore, tends to estab- 
 lish class distinctions either in society or nationalities should 
 be discouraged in every way possible. God is no respecter 
 of persons, neither does he glorify one class to the disadvan- 
 tage of another. 
 
 A striking peculiarity of the Saints gathered from all 
 parts of the earth is that they are almost universally of the 
 blood of Ephraim. If they have received the Holy Ghost 
 they are of one spirit, so that whatever creates a discord in 
 the spirit and unity of the Saints is of evil origin. The 
 Spirit of God never begets strife, nor does it set up and 
 insist on distinctions among those who have been its recip- 
 ients. 
 
 There has been in some people's minds the thought that 
 this or that nationality was entitled to certain recognition 
 because of its large numbers or prominence in certain re- 
 spects. The affairs of the Church are not carried on with 
 
142 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 respect to what is good or bad policy there is no policy in 
 the Church, but that of wisdom and truth, and everyone 
 of its members should thoroughly understand that distinc- 
 tions both in classes and nationalities are odious and out of 
 harmony with the discipline and spirit of Church govern- 
 ment. If a man of one or another nationality is honored 
 by any important call, it is because of the spirit in the man, 
 and not because of his nationality, and the Saints may be 
 certain that when any man makes a demand for recognition 
 it is an assumption on his part, and is not in harmony with 
 the life and spirit of our Master. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 
 37, p. 658, November 1, 1902. 
 
 No NEUTRALS IN THE CHURCH. In Christ's Church we 
 cannot be neutral or inert. We must either progress or retro- 
 grade. It is necessary for the Latter-day Saints to keep 
 pushing on in order that they may keep their faith alive 
 and their spirits quickened to the performance of their du- 
 ties. Let us remember that we are engaged in God's work 
 and when I say God's work, I mean that we are engaged 
 in the work which the Almighty has instituted in the earth 
 for our salvation individually. Every man should be labor- 
 ing for his own good and as far as possible for the good of 
 others. There is no such thing in the science of life as a 
 man laboring exclusively for himself. We are not intended 
 to be alone in time nor in eternity. Each individual is a 
 unit in the household of faith, and each unit must feel his 
 or her proportion of the responsibility that devolves upon the 
 whole. Each individual must be diligent in performing his 
 duty. By doing this, and keeping himself pure and un- 
 spotted from the world, he assists others to keep them- 
 selves pure and unspotted. For instance, a man who is faith- 
 ful in observing the Sabbath day and in attending to the 
 duties of that day will at least set an example unto all with 
 whom he is associated. The man who is prayerful before the 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 143 
 
 Lord will set an example before all others who see and know 
 his conduct. The man who is honest in dealing with his 
 neighbor will set an example for good. Those who do this 
 are genuine representatives of Zion ; they are the children of 
 God indeed and of a truth, and there rests with them the 
 spirit of light and the love of God. They are in a saved 
 condition, and will continue to be in a saved condition so 
 long as they continue to observe the principles of the gospel. 
 It is useless for us to mourn over the evils that we ourselves 
 have caused, unless by repentance we may make restitution 
 for the evils we have done. It is a terrible thing for men 
 and women to allow themselves to go so far in the neglect 
 of duty that evils will result from their misconduct which 
 they will be powerless thereafter to eradicate or to make 
 restitution for. Sermon, Sunday, June 12, 1898. 
 
 DON'T HAVE RELIGIOUS HOBBIES. Brethren and sisters, 
 don't have hobbies. Hobbies are dangerous in the Church of 
 Christ. They are dangerous because they give undue prom- 
 inence to certain principles or ideas to the detriment and 
 dwarfing of others just as important, just as binding, just 
 as saving as the favored doctrines or commandments. 
 
 Hobbies give to those who encourage them a false 
 aspect of the gospel of the Redeemer ; they distort and 
 place out of harmony its principles and teachings. The 
 point of view is unnatural. Every principle and practice 
 revealed from God is essential to man's salvation and to 
 place any one of them unduly in the front, hiding and dim- 
 ming all others is unwise and dangerous; it jeopardizes 
 our salvation, for it darkens our minds and beclouds our 
 understandings. Such a view, no matter to what point di- 
 rected, narrows the vision, weakens the spiritual perception, 
 and darkens the mind, the result of which is that the person 
 thus afflicted with this perversity and contraction of mental 
 vision places himself in a position to be tempted of the evil 
 
144 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 one, or through dimness of sight or distortion of vision, to 
 misjudge his brethren and give way to the spirit of apos- 
 tasy. He is not square before the Lord. 
 
 We have noticed this difficulty: that Saints with hob- 
 bies are prone to judge and condemn their brethren and 
 sisters who are not as zealous in the one particular direction 
 of their pet theory as they are. The man with the Word 
 of Wisdom only on his brain, is apt to find unmeasured fault 
 with every other member of the Church who entertains lib- 
 eral ideas as to the importance of other doctrines of the 
 gospel. 
 
 There is another phase of this difficulty the man with 
 a hobby is apt to assume an '"I am holier than thou" posi- 
 tion, to feel puffed up and conceited, and to look with dis- 
 trust, if with no severer feeling, on his brethren and sisters 
 who do not so perfectly live that one particular law. This 
 feeling hurts his fellow-servants and offends the Lord. 
 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit 
 before a fall." (Prov. 16:18.) 
 
 There are some great truths in the plan of redemption 
 that are fundamental. They cannot be ignored; none oth- 
 ers can be placed before them. The fatherhood of God, the 
 efficacy of the atonement of our Lord and Savior, the res- 
 toration of the gospel in these latter days, must be accepted 
 with our whole hearts. We cannot compensate for a lack 
 of faith in these essential doctrines by the most absolute 
 abstinence from things unhealthful, by the rigid payment 
 of tithing on our "anise and cummin/" or by the observ- 
 ance of any other outward ordinance. Baptism itself with- 
 out faith in God avails nothing. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 
 37, pp. 176-177, March, 1902. 
 
 WEALTH DOES NOT BRING CHURCH FAVORS. The idea 
 should never gain ground that the rich man in the Church 
 is entitled to any more consideration than the humblest 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 145 
 
 member. Men of superior virtues and powers, whether 
 those virtues and powers be represented in the ability to 
 gain wealth, to acquire education, or to display genius and 
 wisdom, will always occupy a commanding place in the so- 
 cial, the business, and the religious world. 
 
 It is one thing, however, to respect wealth and its 
 powers, and quite another to become mere sycophants to it. 
 Neither the Church, nor its blessings nor favors, have ever 
 been, from its organization, submissive to or purchasable 
 by the mammon of this world. No man need to hope that he 
 can buy the gifts of God. Those who attempt to buy the 
 treasures of heaven will perish, and their wealth will perish 
 with them. Wealth may wield an undue influence and gain 
 prestige in society, even though its possessor may be greatly 
 wanting in moral worthiness. And being a power in itself, 
 may be a danger through the opportunities for corruption 
 and seduction. Those, therefore, who have listened to the 
 fallacious arguments of the advantages of wealth and its 
 power, independent of virtue, have in store for them a great 
 disappointment if they act upon any such false theories. 
 
 The trouble is, that young men are very apt to mistake 
 a friendly and cordial greeting to those in possession of 
 wealth for a genuine friendship and sincere confidence. The 
 unworthy rich should be as much the object of our pity as 
 the unworthy poor. Those who imagine that wealth may be 
 substituted for virtue are certainly doomed to disappoint- 
 ment; and yet men sometimes foolishly and enviously 
 suggest that the highest social recommendation and religious 
 standing as well as the sincere friendship of the pure in heart 
 are subject to the command of the mammon of unrighteous- 
 ness. 
 
 The money offered by Simon the sorcerer to the apos- 
 tles for the gifts they possessed were spurned by them, and 
 a curse pronounced both upon him and his wealth. (See 
 
146 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Acts 8:14-23.) Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 40, pp. 593, 594, 
 October 1, 1905. 
 
 THE GOSPEL CAUSES DISTURBANCE. In truth the gos- 
 pel is carrying us against the stream of passing humanity. 
 We get in the way of purely human affairs and disturb the 
 current of life in many ways and in many places. People 
 who are comfortably located and well provided for, do not 
 like to be disturbed. It angers them, and they would settle 
 things once for all in the most drastic manner. The effects 
 of certain causes are so unlike anything we have ever known 
 that we are not safe in making philosophy our guide ; much 
 less are w r e safe in making those our guide who have some 
 sort of selfish philosophy which they are anxious that others 
 should follow. Those who defend us do so not infrequently 
 with an apologetic air. The Saints are never safe in follow- 
 ing the protests and counsels of those who would have us 
 ever and always in harmony with the world. We have our 
 particular mission to perform ; and that we may perform it in 
 consonance with divine purposes, we are running counter 
 to the ways of man. We are made unpopular. The contempt 
 of the world is on us, and we are the unloved child among 
 the peoples of the earth. 
 
 "HAVING DONE ALL, STAND." There are people who 
 are courageous in doing all they can to bring about certain 
 results. They will combat evils and resist the wrongs that 
 are inflicted upon them and upon others ; but when they 
 have been defeated, when they see a just cause suffer, and 
 evilly disposed men triumphant, they give up. W'hat is the 
 use? That is the question uppermost in their minds. They 
 see wicked men apparently successful. They see men of evil 
 repute honored by their fellow men until they are almost 
 persuaded that fate has her rewards for wrong doing. With 
 them, what appears to be a lost cause inspires no hope. It is 
 lost, they say, and we shall have to make the best of it, and 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 147 
 
 let it go. They are at heart discouraged. Some almost ques- 
 tion the purposes of Providence. They have the courage of 
 men who are brave at heart, but they have not the courage 
 of faith. 
 
 How different it was with Paul ! He had labored fear- 
 lessly, he had delivered a divine message, he had resisted the 
 enemy, and they apparently triumphed over him. He v/as 
 taken prisoner and subjected to humiliating treatment by the 
 administrators of the law. He was in bonds, and death 
 awaited him, but he was still courageous. His was the cour- 
 age of faith. Read these stirring words of his sent to the 
 Ephesians, recorded in Ephesians 6:13, sent when most men 
 would have thought their cause lost: " Wherefore take un- 
 to you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to with- 
 stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." 
 
 After we have done all we could do for the cause of 
 truth, and withstood the evil that men have brought upon us, 
 and we have been overwhelmed by their wrongs, it is still 
 our duty to stand. We cannot give up ; we must not lie 
 down. Great causes are not won in a single generation. To 
 stand firm in the face of overwhelming opposition, when you 
 have done all you can, is the courage of faith. The courage 
 of faith is the courage of progress. Men who possess that 
 divine quality go on ; they are not permitted to stand still 
 if they would. They are not simply the creatures of their 
 own power and wisdom; they are instrumentalities of a 
 higher law and a divine purpose. 
 
 Others would quit, they would avoid trouble. When it 
 comes, it is to them most unfortunate. It is really too bad. 
 In their minds it might have been avoided. They want to 
 square themselves with the world. The decree of the world 
 has gone forth, why withstand it? "We have withstood 
 evil," they say, "and it has overwhelmed us. Why stand 
 longer?" Such men read history, if at all, only as they 
 make it; they cannot see the hand of God in the affairs of 
 
148 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 men, because they see only with the eye of man and not 
 with the eye of faith. All resistance is gone out of them 
 they have left God out of the question. They have not put 
 on his whole armor. Without it they are loaded down with 
 fear and apprehension, and they sink. To such men every- 
 thing that brings trouble seems unnecessary. As Saints 
 of God, it is our duty "to stand," even when we are over- 
 whelmed by evil. 
 
 "And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall 
 forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live 
 by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of 
 God; 
 
 "For he will give unto the faithful, line upon line, pre- 
 cept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you here- 
 with; 
 
 "And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my 
 name's sake, shall find it again, even life eternal ; 
 
 "Therefore be not afraid of your enemies, for I have 
 decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you 
 in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, 
 even unto death, that you may be found worthy ; 
 
 "For if ye will not abide in my covenant, ye are not 
 worthy of me" (Doc. and Cov. 98:11-15). Juvenile In- 
 structor, Aug. 15, 1904, Vol. 39, p. 496, 497. 
 
 NOT NATURALLY RELIGIOUS. Some people persist in 
 saying on occasion that they are not naturally religious. Do 
 they mean by this that attending meetings, taking part in 
 ward worship, teaching and preaching, are not congenial to 
 them ? Or, do they mean more ? Perhaps the moral re- 
 strictions governing an active worker in the Church are 
 not congenial to them. They reason that it is better to 
 make no pretensions than to make more than one can live 
 up to ; and so they excuse themselves by declaring they are 
 naturally not religious. 
 
 But religion is not outward show and pretense, and 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 149 
 
 being religious does not altogether consist in compliance 
 with outward forms, even when these are the ordinances 
 of the gospel. Neither is it an unfailing sign that a person 
 is conscientious who takes an active part in organizations of 
 the Church. Evil men may use these for selfish and wicked 
 purposes. I have known men who joined our organizations 
 for such ends, and men who have been baptized who never 
 repented. 
 
 Then what is religion ? James declares : "Pure religion 
 and undefiled before God and the Father is this : To visit 
 the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep 
 himself unspotted from the world." This may be inter- 
 preted as meaning that a person who is religious is thought- 
 fur to the unfortunate, and has an inner spirit that prompts 
 to deeds of kindness and to the leading of a blameless life ; 
 who is just, truthful ; who does not, as Paul says, think more 
 highly of himself than he ought to think ; who is affectionate, 
 patient in tribulation, diligent, cheerful, fervent in spirit, 
 hospitable, merciful; and who abhors evil and cleaves to 
 that which is good. The possession of such a spirit and feel- 
 ing is a true sign that a person is naturally religious. 
 
 The Church's outward ordinances and requirements are 
 but necessary yet they are necessary aids to the inner 
 spiritual life. The Church itself, the organization, meetings, 
 ordinances, requirements, are only helps, but very neces- 
 sary helps, to the practice of true religion school-masters 
 to direct us in the way of eternal light and truth. 
 
 Young man, do not say that you are not naturally re- 
 ligious, and so make that an excuse for evil deeds and for- 
 bidden acts, and for not identifying yourselves with the or- 
 ganizations of the Church, and by such course perhaps 
 smothering the Spirit of God within you, possessed as a 
 birthright, or received through the servants of the Lord by 
 the imposition of hands. Be rather religious both in appear- 
 ance and in reality, remembering what true religion means. 
 
150 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Even as the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, so is 
 the possession of the knowledge that you love purity, right- 
 eousness, honesty, justice and well-doing, an indisputable evi- 
 dence that you are naturally religious. Search your hearts, 
 and you will find deep down that you possess this knowl- 
 edge. Then encourage its growth and development to the 
 gaining of your own salvation. The Church and its quo- 
 rums and organizations will help you, and the living, loving 
 God will add his bounteous blessings. Improvement Era, 
 1905-6, Vol. 9, pp. 493-495. 
 
 STRIVE TO BE AS BROAD AS THE GOSPEL. The gospel of 
 Jesus Christ, properly taught and understood, inculcates 
 broadness, force, and power. It makes intellectually broad 
 and valiant men. It gives to men good, sound judgment in 
 affairs temporal as well as spiritual. These are reasons why 
 it is worth a young man's while to embrace it. Outside of 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by the Latter-day 
 Saints, and sometimes within the fold, we frequently look 
 about us and see people who incline to extremes, who are 
 fanatical. We may be sure that this class of people do not 
 understand the gospel. They have forgotten, if they ever 
 knew, that it is very unwise to take a fragment of truth and 
 treat it as if it were the whole thing. 
 
 While the first principles of the gospel, faith in God, 
 repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, and the lay- 
 ing on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, the 
 healing of the sick, the resurrection, and, for that matter, 
 all the revealed principles of the gospel of Christ are neces- 
 sary and essential in the plan of salvation, it. is neither good 
 policy nor sound doctrine to take any one of these, single 
 it out from the whole plan of gospel truth, make it a special 
 hobby, and depend upon it for our salvation and progress, 
 either in this world or in the world to come. They are all 
 necessary. 
 
 It should be the desire of the Latter-day Saints to be- 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 151 
 
 come as big and broad as the gospel which has been di- 
 vinely revealed to them. They should, therefore, hold them- 
 selves open to the acceptance of all the truths of the gospel 
 that have been revealed, that are now being revealed, and 
 that will be revealed hereafter, and adopt them in the con- 
 duct of their daily lives. By honorable and upright living, 
 by obedience to the commandments of God, and by the aid of 
 the Holy Spirit, we shall place ourselves in a position to 
 work out our own salvation here and hereafter, "with fear 
 and trembling," it may be, but with absolute certainty. 
 
 This is a work that makes every soul who engages in 
 it big and broad. It is a life-work worth the while of every 
 man in the world. Improvement Era, 1911-12, Vol. 15, pp. 
 843-845. 
 
 SEARCH AND YE SHALL FIND. The fact is that every 
 principle of healing, every principle of the power of the 
 Holy Ghost, and of God, which have been manifested to the 
 Saints in all ages, have been bestowed upon the Latter-day 
 Saints. There is no principle, there is no blessing, there is 
 no advantage, there is no truth in any other religious soci- 
 ety or organization, which is not included in the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ as taught by Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and 
 after him by the leaders and elders of this Church; but it 
 requires some effort on our part, some exertion, some devo- 
 tion, to learn of and to enjoy these things. If we neglect 
 them, we are, of course, not the recipients of the blessings 
 that follow effort, and that come from a thorough under- 
 standing of these principles. Hence it is that others may 
 come in among us and advocate their ideas which, though 
 not comparing with ours in plainness, instruction, and truth, 
 are yet listened to by people who are made to believe that 
 all these things are new, and not contained in the gospel 
 of Jesus Christ as taught by the Latter-day Saints. This is a 
 fearful fallacy, and one that should be guarded against by 
 every one who loves the gospel. 
 
152 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will 
 be found to a greater extent than in any other church, the 
 principles of life and salvation ; and if we search them out 
 of our literature and learn them for ourselves, have them 
 confirmed by the Spirit, by right living, and make them a 
 part of ourselves, we shall find greater comfort and richer 
 blessings, greater treasures of everlasting life than in any 
 other teachings that may be given to us by any other or- 
 ganization upon the earth. Improvement Era, May, 1909, 
 Vol. 12, p. 561. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF RELIGION. A serious time will come in 
 every life. There is a parting of the ways. What you in- 
 dulge in will lead you up or down. I have no hesitancy in 
 declaring in the name of the Lord that the spirit which leads 
 you to complain that you are bored in attending the worship- 
 ing assemblies of the Saints has led or will lead you astray ; 
 and, on the other hand, that the young people who cultivate 
 the true spirit of worship, and find happiness and pleasure 
 in the associations of the Saints, and who care enough for 
 God and religion to support the Church and attend the 
 meetings, are the people whose moral and spiritual influence 
 will control public sentiment and govern the rotate and na- 
 tion. In any conflict with indifference and the spirit of 
 worldly pleasure, moral influence and religious earnestness 
 will always conquer and rule. Improvement Era, October, 
 1903, Vol. 6, p. 944. 
 
 THE MEANING OF SUCCESS. There are daily evidences 
 of a growing tendency among the masses of the civilized 
 world to regard success in life purely from the standpoint 
 of material advancement. The man who has a beautiful 
 home and a large income is looked upon as a successful man. 
 People are constantly talking about the winners of fortune 
 in the contest for wealth. Men who are successful in obtain- 
 ing the honors bestowed by their fellowmen are envied as 
 among the most fortunate. Everywhere men hear the word 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 153 
 
 success dwelt upon as if success were defined in a word and 
 as if the highest ambition of men and women was the ad- 
 vancement .of some worldly ambition. 
 
 All this rage about success simply indicates the gross 
 materialism of the age in which we live. Here is what a 
 Scate Commissioner of Education says to a graduating class: 
 "You need not expect that people will stand aside because 
 you have come. They are going to crowd you, and you will 
 have to crowd them. They will leave you behind unless 
 you leave them behind." The meaning of such talk is that 
 to be successful you must take advantage of your fellow- 
 men ; you must crowd them out and leave them behind ; and 
 all because if you do not take advantage of them they will 
 take advantage of you. 
 
 After all, what is success, and who are competent to 
 judge? The great masses who lived in the days of Jesus 
 would have said that his life was a stupendous failure, that 
 his life and teachings ended in inglorious defeat. Even his 
 disciples were disappointed in his death, and their efforts 
 to perpetuate his name and teachings were covered with 
 ignominy and contempt. It was centuries before the success 
 of his life became apparent to the world. We can easily 
 comprehend, therefore, how it has taken centuries to ac- 
 complish achievements that were set in motion by some ob- 
 scure or despised personage. The triumph, therefore, of 
 Jesus would have been looked upon by his generation as 
 one of the paradoxes of history. 
 
 When the prophet Joseph Smith was slain, his enemies 
 rejoiced in what they considered the inglorious ending of 
 his life. They were sure that all he had done would end 
 with him and so they could pronounce his life a burlesque 
 and a failure. It will be seen from these instances that the 
 contemporaries of a man are not always competent to say 
 whether his life has been a success or a failure. A sound 
 
154 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 judgment must await future generations, perhaps future 
 centuries. 
 
 If your neighbor today is a poor widow who rears, amid 
 the greatest struggles and in unbearable poverty, three or 
 four or half a dozen children, perhaps no one would say 
 of her life that it was a success, and yet there may be in 
 her offspring the embryo of future greatness, future gen- 
 erations may cover her motherhood with glory. 
 
 After all, one's success must be determined more by 
 the eternal (as well as the present) needs of man, than by 
 temporary standards which men erect in pursuance of the 
 spirit of the age in which they live. Certainly nothing is 
 more fatal to our well being than the notion that our present 
 and eternal welfare is founded upon the wealth and honors 
 of this world. 
 
 The great truth enunciated by the Savior seems very 
 generally to be lost) sight of in this generation, that it will 
 profit a man nothing though he should gain the whole world 
 if he lose his own soul. 
 
 The standard of success as declared by the word of God, 
 is the salvation of the soul. The greatest gift of God is 
 eternal life. Juvenile Instructor, Sept. 15, 1904. Vol. 39, p. 
 561-62. 
 
 WHAT is TO BECOME OF SUCH AS ME. That there are 
 many good people in the world who believe the principles of 
 the gospel as taught by the Latter-day Saints, and yet, 
 through circumstances and environment, are not prepared 
 publicly to accept the same, is evidenced by the following 
 extract from a letter written by a reverend gentleman : 
 
 "What is to become of such as me, who believe this 
 about you and yet are tied and bound by circumstances such 
 as mine? Here I have been a minister for fifty-five years. 
 I cannot change now if I would." 
 
 In answer to the question, "What is to become of such 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 155 
 
 as me?" let it be said that every person will receive his 
 just reward for the good he may do and for his .every act. 
 "But let it be remembered that all blessings which we shall 
 receive, either here or hereafter, must come to us as a 
 result of our obedience to the laws of God upon which these 
 blessings are predicated. Our friend will not be forgotten for 
 the kindness he has extended to the work and the servants 
 of the Lord, but will be remembeerd of Him and rewarded 
 for his faith and for every good deed and word. But there 
 are many blessings that result from obeying the ordinances 
 of the gospel, and acknowledging the priesthood authorized 
 of the Father and restored to the Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latter-day Saints, that cannot be obtained until the person 
 is willing to comply with the ordinances and keep the com- 
 mandments revealed in our day for the salvation of man- 
 kind. The true searcher will see and understand this truth 
 and act upon it, either in this world or in the world to come, 
 and not until then, of course, may he claim all the blessings. 
 The earlier he accepts, the earlier will he obtain the blessings 
 and if he neglects to accept the laws in this world, knowing 
 them to be true, it is reasonable to suppose that disadvan- 
 tages will result that will cause him deep regret. Improve- 
 ment Era, 1912-13, Vol. 16, pp. 70-72. 
 
 REST FOR THE PEACEABLE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST. I 
 desire to call the attention of the Latter-day Saints to the 
 words of the Prophet Moroni, who says, in speaking of his 
 father's instructions to the ancient .saints upon this conti- 
 nent: 
 
 "Wherefore I would speak unto you that are of the 
 Church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and 
 that have obtained a sufficient hope, by which ye can enter 
 into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth, until 
 ye .shall rest with him in heaven." 
 
 This is a very significant passage. The rest here re- 
 
156 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ferred to is not physical rest, for there is no such thing as 
 physical rest in the Church of Jesus Christ. Reference is 
 made to the spiritual rest and peace which are born from 
 a setttled conviction of the truth in the minds of men. We 
 may thus enter into the rest of the Lord today, by coming 
 to an understanding of the truths ,of the gospel. No peo- 
 ple is more entitled to this rest this peace of the spirit 
 than are members of the Church. It is true that not all are 
 unsettled. Not all need to seek this rest, for there are 
 many who now possess it, whose minds have become satis- 
 fied, and who have set their eyes upon the mark of their 
 high calling with an invincible determination in their hearts 
 to be steadfast in the truth, and who are treading in hu- 
 mility and righteousness the path marked out for the 
 Saints who are complacent followers of Jesus Christ. But 
 there are many who, not having reached this point of de- 
 termined conviction, are driven about by every wind of 
 doctrine, thus being ill at ease, unsettled, restles.s. These 
 are they who are discouraged over incidents that occur in 
 the Church, and in the nation and in the turmoils of men and 
 associations. They harbor a feeling of suspicion, unrest, un- 
 certainty. Their thoughts are disturbed, and they become 
 excited with the least change, like one at sea who has lost 
 his bearings. 
 
 Where would you have people go who are unsettled 
 in the truth? The answer is plain. They will not find satis- 
 faction in the doctrines of men. Let them seek for it in the 
 written word of God ; let them pray to him in their secret 
 chambers, where no human ear can hear, and in their 
 closets petition for light; let them obey the doctrines of 
 Jesus, and they will immediately begin to grow in the 
 knowledge of the truth. This course will bring peace to 
 their souls, joy to their hearts, and a settled conviction 
 which no change can disturb. They may be well assured 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 157 
 
 that "he that heareth in secret will reward them openly." 
 Let them seek for strength from the Source of all strength, 
 and he will provide spiritual contentment, a rest which is 
 incomparable with the physical rest that cometh after toil. 
 All who ,seek have a right to, and may enter into, the rest 
 of God, here upon the earth, from this time forth, now, 
 today; and when earth-life is finished, they shall also en- 
 joy his rest in heaven. 
 
 I know that Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God, 
 that he is the Redeemer of the world, that he was raised 
 from the dead ; and that as he arose, so shall every soul 
 bearing the image of God arise from the dead and be 
 judged according to his works, be they good or evil. In 
 the never-ending eternities of our Father in heaven, the 
 righteous shall rejoice, while the association and love of 
 their families and friends shall glorify them through the 
 ages that are to come. Joy and rest unspeakable will be 
 their reward. 
 
 These are some of the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ which the Latter-day Saints believe. I don't wish for 
 anything better; I desire to be satisfied in these, and to 
 possess that peace and joy which spring from the contem- 
 plation of the opportunities and truths that are embraced in 
 this gospel. Were I to seek for other truths, where would 
 I go? Not to man. I must know for myself, from the 
 source which provides these blessings and gifts ; but what 
 more would I ask for than a knowledge of the resurrection, 
 that I shall be made whole of my sins an-d become perfect 
 in Christ Jesus, through obedience to his gospel? Is any 
 doctrine more reasonable and more compatible with free 
 agency than this ? It is true that ancient philosophers taught 
 us many morals, but where, in all the philosophy of the 
 world, have we better teachings than in the gospel of Christ 
 which has been revealed to us, and which we hold and are 
 
158 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 made partakers of? No doctrine was ever as perfect as that 
 of Jesus. Christ perfected every principle that had hitherto 
 been taught by the philosophers of the world; he has re- 
 vealed to us the way of salvation, from the beginning, and 
 through all the meanderings of this life to never-ending ex- 
 altation and glory in his kingdom, and to a newness of 
 life therein. He has taught us that man is a dual being, 
 the offspring of God, and that the body and the spirit, 
 blended in one immortal soul, is eventually to stand in the 
 presence of its Maker, and see as it is seen, and know as it 
 is known. Whenever the Lord speaks to man, he speaks to 
 his immortal soul, and satisfaction and unsurpassing .peace 
 and joy come to all who listen. 
 
 Happy is the man, indeed, who can receive this soul- 
 satisfying testimony, and be at rest, and seek for no other 
 road to peace than by the doctrines of Jesus Christ. His 
 gospel teaches us to love our fellow-men, to do to others as 
 we would have others do to us, to be just, to be merciful, 
 to be forgiving and to perform every good act calculated 
 to enlarge the soul of man. His perfected philosophy 
 teaches also that it is better to suffer wrong than to do 
 wrong, and to pray for our enemies and -for those who de- 
 spitefully use us. There are no other gospels or systems of 
 philosophy that bear these marks of divinity and immortality. 
 You may hunt the philosophies of the world in vain for any 
 code of ethics that insures the peace and rest that may be 
 found in his comprehensive, yet simple, gospel. 
 
 To the young man or the young woman who is at a 
 loss to know what to do, among all the various teachings 
 that are extant in the world, I would say: Search the 
 Scriptures, seek God in prayer, and then read the doctrines 
 that have been proclaimed by Christ in his sermon on the 
 mount, as found in Matthew (and as reiterated to the ancient 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 159 
 
 saints upon this continent (III Nephi). Having studied these 
 splendid standards, and searched deeply the significance of 
 these matchless sentiments, you may defy the philosophies 
 of the world, or any of its ethics to produce their equal. 
 The wisdom of men is not to be compared with them. They 
 lead to the rest of the peaceable followers of Christ, and 
 enable mankind to become perfect as he is perfect. No 
 other philosopher has ever .said as Jesus said, "Come unto 
 me." From the beginning of the world until the present time, 
 no other philosopher has ever cried unto the people such 
 words of love, nor guaranteed and declared power within 
 himself to save. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are 
 heavy laden, and I will give you rest," is his call to all the 
 sons and daughters of men. 
 
 The Latter-day Saints have answered the call, and 
 thousands thereby have found rest and peace surpassing 
 all understanding; and this notwithstanding the outward 
 fiery ordeals, the turmoil and the strife, through which they 
 have passed. They rest in the knowledge that no man could 
 declare or teach such doctrine ; it is the truth of God. 
 
 I thank our Father that I have come to a knowledge of 
 this truth, that I know that Jesus is the Christ, in whom 
 alone there is rest and .salvation. As God lives, they are 
 deceived who follow men and their philosophies ; but happy 
 are they who enter into the rest of the peaceable followers 
 of Christ, obtaining sufficient hope from this time hence- 
 forth until they shall rest with him in heaven. They de- 
 pend completely upon the saving power of his gospel, and 
 are therefore at rest in all the tumult of mind and public 
 agitation which beset their way. Improvement Era, 1903-4, 
 Vol. 7, pp. 714-18. 
 
 HARMONY. As to harmony, with special reference to 
 the understanding that the Latter-day Saints should have of 
 it, as affecting the membership of the Church, or as subsist- 
 
160 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ing in the quorums of the priesthood, I would say that the 
 harmony that is sought to be established among the Saints, 
 and in the membership of the respective quorums is a 
 harmony that comes from seeing eye to eye in all things ; 
 from understanding things alike; a harmony that is born 
 of perfect knowledge ; perfect honesty, perfect unselfishness, 
 perfect love. This is the harmony the Church would incul- 
 cate among its members, and such the elements from which 
 she would have it arise. 
 
 It is with harmony as it is with all the ideals of the 
 gospel. The Saints and elders of the Church may fail in 
 perfect attainment of them, in this life, but they may ap- 
 proximate them. While that is true respecting all the 
 details of the gospel, and as true of the perfect harmony we 
 seek to attain as of other ideal conditions, yet we recognize 
 the fact that a certain degree of harmony is essential in the 
 Church as a working principle. This degree of harmony, 
 essential in the Church, among the members and in the 
 quorums of the priesthood, is neither hard to understand 
 nor difficult of attainment. Neither is it a new principle, 
 nor peculiar to the Church of the Latter-day Saints. It is 
 as old as the society of men. It is common to 'all men work- 
 ing in community to parliaments, congresses, conventions 
 boards, bureaucracies, and conferences of all descriptions. 
 In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this 
 essential harmony consists of such union or agreement as is 
 necessary to the accomplishment of the purposes of the or- 
 ganization. These purposes, in the main, are accomplished 
 through the several councils of the priesthood, and through 
 the conferences of the Church ; hence, the work is done by 
 the combined actions of groups of individuals, and of neces- 
 sity must be by their agreement or consent. With men of 
 varying intelligence, judgment, and temperament, of course 
 it follows that in the consideration of a given matter there 
 will be a variety of views entertained, and discussion of the 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 161 
 
 subject will nearly always develop a variety of opinions. All 
 this, by the way, is not detrimental to the quality of any 
 proposed action, since the greater the variety in tempera- 
 ment and training, of those in conference, the more varied 
 will be the viewpoints from which the subject in question is 
 considered, until it is likely to be presented in almost every 
 conceivable light, and its strength as well as its weakness 
 developed, resulting in the best possible judgment being 
 formed of it. It is these considerations which doubtless led 
 to the aphorism, "In the midst of counsel there is wisdom." 
 It will sometimes happen, of course, in the experiences of 
 councils or conferences, that all present may not be brought 
 to perfect agreement, with reference to the proposed action ; 
 but upon submission of the question to an expression of 
 judgment, it is found that a majority of those having the 
 right to decide a given matter determine it in a certain way. 
 And now the question arises, what shall be the course of 
 those who are in the minority, those not in the agreement 
 perfectly with the decision ? Shall they go from the council 
 or conference and contend for their views against the de- 
 cision rendered and be rebellious and stubborn in adhering 
 to their own judgment, as against the judgment of the ma- 
 jority of the council or conference who had the right to de- 
 termine what the action should be? The right answer, I 
 think, is obvious. The judgment of the majority must 
 stand. If it is the action of the council or conference having 
 the final word upon the subject, it becomes the decreed 
 action, the rule or law, and must be maintained as such un- 
 til greater knowledge or changed circumstances shall cause 
 those who rightfully established such decision to modify or 
 abolish it. 
 
 Of course, if a member or members of the minority re- 
 gard the action of the majority as a violation of some funda- 
 mental principle, or subversive of the inherent rights of men, 
 against which they conceive it to be a matter of conscience 
 
 12 
 
162 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 to enter protest or absolute repudiation, I understand it is 
 their right to so proceed ; but this, let it be understood, 
 would be revolutionary, it would be rebellion, and if per- 
 sisted in, could only end in such persons voluntarily with- 
 drawing, or being severed from the organization. They 
 cannot hope to be retained in a fellowship and enjoy the 
 rights and privileges of the Church, and at the same time be 
 making war upon its decisions or its rules and policy. But 
 no power on earth, certainly no power in the Church, can 
 prevent men dissatisfied with the Church, from absolutely 
 withdrawing from it ; and such is the disfavor with which 
 the Church is regarded by the world that such withdrawals 
 would in most cases be rewarded by the applause of the 
 world. Or, if the dissatisfaction of the member be only with 
 the quorum or council of the priesthood with which he is 
 connected, he would be at liberty to withdraw from that 
 quorum or council, and still retain his membership in the 
 Church. On the other hand, the harmony which I spoke of 
 as being essential to the Church certainly demands that the 
 Church shall not tolerate, and indeed, if the life of the or- 
 ganization persists, it cannot tolerate such internal conflicts 
 as those just alluded to, as they would lead to confusion, 
 anarchy, disruption, and final abolishment of the organiza- 
 tion. 
 
 There is one other element to be considered in this mat- 
 ter of harmony, as a doctrine of the Church, which may not 
 operate in other community efforts of men ; and that is, the 
 living presence and effective force of the Holy Spirit. That" 
 Spirit, it must be remembered, is, by way of preeminence, 
 called "The Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the 
 Father." He teaches all things ; and brings to the remem- 
 brance of the Saints all the instructions of the Master. He 
 guides into all truth, and as in all truth there is unity or 
 harmony, so, it is believed that if the Saints are in posses- 
 sion of this Spirit, the harmony in the Church of Christ will 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 163 
 
 be superior to the harmony that can be looked for or hoped 
 for, in any other organization whatsoever. And because the 
 Saints have free access to the Holy Spirit, and may walk 
 within his light and fellowship and possess the intelligence 
 which he is able to impart, a stricter harmony among the 
 Saints may be insisted upon than in any other organization 
 of men whatsoever. For the same reason, lack of harmony 
 may be more severely censured and persistent opposition and 
 rebellion more justly denounced and swiftly punished. 
 
 In all things, however, patience and charity must be 
 exercised and no less in seeking the perfect harmony we 
 hope for, than in other things. The present state of im- 
 perfect knowledge, the struggle it is for all men to live on 
 those spiritual heights where they may be in communion 
 with God, must be taken into account and due allowance 
 made for human weakness and imperfections. So that, while 
 the existence of that degree of harmony essential as a work- 
 ing principle in the Church must always be imperatively de- 
 manded, beyond that, the Church in the matter of harmony 
 may well afford to exercise forbearance and charity towards 
 all its members until the day of more perfect knowledge 
 shall arise upon the Saints ; a day when, through a wider 
 effusion and a deeper penetration of the Holy Spirit, they 
 may be brought to stand in perfect harmony with each other 
 and with God. Improvement Era, Vol. 8, 1904-5, pp. 209- 
 215. 
 
 CHARACTER, METTLE, AND MISSION OF THE LATTER- 
 DAY SAINTS. We do not look for absolute perfection in 
 man. Mortal man is not capable of being absolutely perfect. 
 Nevertheless, it is given to us to be as perfect in the sphere 
 in which we are called to be and to act, as it is for the Father 
 in heaven to be pure and righteous in the more exalted 
 sphere in which he acts. We will find in the scriptures the 
 words of the Savior himself to his disciples, in which he 
 required that they should be perfect, even as their Father 
 
164 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 in heaven is perfect; that they should be righteous, even as 
 he is righteous. I do not expect that we can be as perfect 
 as Christ, that we can be as righteous as God. But I believe 
 that we can strive for that perfection with the intelligence 
 that we possess, and the knowledge that we have of the prin- 
 ciples of life and salvation. The duty of the Latter-day 
 Saints, and the paramount duty of those who are leaders in 
 this work of mutual improvement in the Church, is to incul- 
 cate in the hearts of the young people these principles of 
 righteousness, of purity of life, of honor, of uprightness 
 and of humility withal, that we may be humble before God 
 and acknowledge his hand in all things. According to his 
 revelations, he is displeased with those who will not ac- 
 knowledge his hand in all things. When we look at the im- 
 perfections of our fellow-beings, some of the inclinations of 
 those with whom we are intimately associated in the various 
 organizations of the Church, and discern in them their 
 natural proneness to. evil, to sinfulness, to a disregard of 
 sacred things, and sometimes their inclination to disregard 
 and treat lightly, if not with contempt, those things which 
 should be more sacred than life itself, it makes the task seem 
 almost discouraging, and it seems impossible for us to ac- 
 complish that which we have in view, and to perform the 
 mission that we have undertaken to our own satisfaction 
 and the acceptance of the Lord. 
 
 But what shall we do? Shall we quit because there 
 are those with whom we come in contact who are not will- 
 ing to rise to the standard to which we seek to exalt them ? 
 No! Someone has said that the Lord hates a quitter, and 
 there should be no such thing as quitting when we put our 
 hands to the plow to save men, to save souls, to exalt man- 
 kind, to inculcate principles of righteousness and establish 
 them in the hearts of those with whom we are associated, 
 both by precept and by example. There must be no such 
 thing as being discouraged. We may fail over and over again, 
 
THE CHURCH AND THE MAN 165 
 
 but if we do, it is in individual cases. Under certain conditions 
 and circumstances, we may fail to accomplish the object we 
 have in view with reference to this individual or the other in- 
 dividual, or a number of individuals that we are seeking to 
 benefit, to uplift, to purify, to get into their hearts the prin- 
 ciples of justice, of righteousness, of virtue and of honor, 
 that would fit them to inherit the kingdom of God ; to asso- 
 ciate with angels, should they come to visit the earth. If 
 you fail, never mind. Go right on ; try it again ; try it 
 somewhere else. Never say quit. Do not say it cannot be 
 done. Failure is a word that sijpuld be unknown to all the 
 workers in the Sunday Schools, in the Mutual Improvement 
 Associations, in our Primary Associations, in the quorums of 
 Priesthood, as well as in all the organizations of the Church 
 everywhere. The word "fail" ought to be expunged from 
 our language and our thoughts. We do not fail when we 
 seek to benefit the erring, and they will not listen to us. We 
 will get the reward for all the good we do. We will get the 
 reward for all the good we desire to do, and labor to do, 
 though we fail to accomplish it, for we will be judged ac- 
 cording to our works and our intent and purposes. The 
 victim of evil, or sin, the one whom we seek to benefit, but 
 who will not yield to our endeavors to benefit him, may fail, 
 but we who try to uplift him will not fail, if we do not quit. 
 
 If we continue trying, failing, as it were, or missing one 
 mark, should not discourage us ; but we should fly to another, 
 keep on in the work, keep on doing, patiently, determinedly 
 doing our duty, seeking to accomplish the purpose we have 
 in view. 
 
 It is the duty of the Latter-day Saints, the duty of those 
 auxiliary organizations of the Church, all and each of them, 
 to teach to the children that are brought within our influence 
 and care the divinity of the mission of Joseph Smith, the 
 prophet. Do not forget it. Do not let him perish out of 
 your thoughts and minds. Remember that the Lord God 
 
166 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 raised him to lay the foundations of this work, and the Lord 
 did what has been done through him, and we see the results 
 of it. Men may scoff at Joseph Smith and at his mission, 
 just as they scoffed at the Savior and his mission. They 
 may ridicule and make light of and condemn the mission of 
 the Christ, and yet with all their condemnation, their scoff- 
 ing, their ridicule, their contempt and murderous persecu- 
 tion of the Saints of former days, God's name, the name of 
 the lowly Nazarene he that had not where to lay his head, 
 he that was scoffed at, abused, insulted, persecuted and 
 driven into concealment and into exile, time and again, be- 
 cause they sought his life ; he that was charged with doing 
 good by the power of Satan ; he that was charged with vio- 
 lating the Sabbath day, because he permitted his disciples 
 to gather ears of corn and eat them on the Sabbath ; he that 
 was called a friend of publicans and sinners, he that was 
 called a friend of wine bibbers, and all this sort of thing; 
 and at last was crucified, mocked, crowned with thorns, spat 
 upon, smitten and abused until he was lifted upon the cross, 
 as they shouted : "Now, if thou be the Son of God, come 
 down !" even the thieves crucified with him mocked and 
 ridiculed him, and asked him, if he were Christ to come 
 down and also deliver them all this happened to Jesus, the 
 Son of God. But what is the result? Look at the so-called 
 Christian world today. Never has there been a name brought 
 to the intelligence of the human race since the foundations 
 of the world that has accomplished so much, that has been 
 revered and honored so much as the name of Jesus Christ 
 once so hated and persecuted and crucified. The day will 
 come and it is not far distant, either when the name of 
 the Prophet Joseph Smith will be coupled with the name of 
 Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God, as his representa- 
 tive, as his agent whom he chose, ordained and set apart to 
 lay anew the foundations of the Church of God in the 
 world, which is indeed the Church of Jesus Christ, possess- 
 
THE 'CHI 'RCH AND THE MAN 167 
 
 ing all the powers of the gospel, all the rites and privileges, 
 the authority of the holy priesthood, and every principle 
 necessary to fit and qualify both the living and the dead to 
 inherit eternal life, and to attain to exaltation in the king- 
 dom of God. The day will come when you and I will not 
 be the only ones who will believe this, by a great deal ; but 
 there will be millions of people, living and dead, who will 
 proclaim this truth. This gospel revealed by the Prophet 
 Joseph is already being preached to the spirits in prison, to 
 those who have passed away from this stage of action into 
 the spirit world without the knowledge of the gospel. Joseph 
 Smith is preaching the gospel to them, so is Hyrum Smith, 
 so is Brigham Young, and so are all the faithful apostles that 
 lived in this dispensation, under the administration of the 
 Prophet Joseph. They are there, having carried with them 
 from here the holy priesthood which they received under the 
 hands and by the authority of the Prophet Joseph Smith. 
 With that authority, conferred upon them in the flesh, they 
 are preaching the gospel to the spirits in prison, as Christ di- 
 rected when his body lay in the tomb, and he went to proclaim 
 liberty to the captives, and to open the prison doors to them 
 that were bound. Not only are these engaged in that work, 
 but hundreds and thousands of others. The elders that have 
 died in the mission field have not finished their missions, but 
 they are continuing them in the spirit world. Possibly the 
 Lord saw it necessary or proper to call them herice, as he 
 did. I am not going to question that thought, at least, not 
 dispute it. I leave it in the hands of God, for I believe that 
 all these things will be overruled for good, for the Lord 
 will suffer nothing to go to his people in the world that he 
 will not overrule eventually for their greater good. Im- 
 provement Era, Oct., 1910, Vol. 13, pp. 1053-1061. 
 
CHAFER IX 
 Priesthood 
 
 GOD is AT THE HELM. We are living in a momentous 
 age. The Lord is hastening his work. He is at the helm ; 
 there is no mortal man at the helm of this work. It is true, 
 the Lord uses such instruments as will be obedient to his 
 commandments and laws to assist in accomplishing his pur- 
 poses in the earth. He has chosen those who, at least, have 
 shown a willingness and a disposition to obey him and keep 
 his laws, and who seek to work righteousness and carry 
 out the purposes of the Lord. Oct. C. R., 1906, pp. 3, 4. 
 
 DISTINCTION BETWEEN KEYS OF THE PRIESTHOOD AND 
 PRIESTHOOD. The priesthood in general is the authority 
 given to man to act for God. Every man ordained to any 
 degree of the priesthood, has this authority dedicated to him. 
 
 But it is necessary that every act performed under this 
 authority shall be done at the proper time and place, in the 
 proper way, and after the proper order. The power of di- 
 recting these labors constitutes the keys of the priesthood. 
 In their fulness, these keys are held by only one person at a 
 time, the prophet and president of the Church. He may 
 delegate any portion of this power to another, in which case 
 that person holds the keys of that particular labor. Thus, 
 the president of a temple, the president of a stake, the bishop 
 of a ward, the president of a mission, the president of a 
 quorum, each holds the keys of the labors performed in that 
 particular body or locality. His priesthood is not increased 
 by this special appointment, for a seventy who presides over 
 a mission has no more priesthood than a seventy who labors 
 under his direction ; and the president of an elders' quorum, 
 for example, has no more priesthood than any member of 
 that quorum. But he holds the power directing the official 
 
PRIESTHOOD 169 
 
 labors performed in the mission or the quorum, or in other 
 words, the keys of that division of that work. So it is 
 throughout all the ramifications of the priesthood a dis- 
 tinction must be carefully made between the general author- 
 ity, and the directing of the labors performed by that author- 
 ity. Improvement Era, Vol. 4, p. 230, Jan., 1901. 
 
 CONFERRING THE PRIESTHOOD. The revelation in sec- 
 tion 107, Doctrine and Covenants, verses 1, 5, 6, 7, 21 clearly 
 points out that the Priesthood is a general authority or qual- 
 ification, with certain offices or authorities appended thereto. 
 Consequently the conferring of the priesthood should precede 
 and accompany ordination to office, unless it be possessed 
 by previous bestowal and ordination. Surely a man cannot 
 possess an appendage to the priesthood without possessing 
 the priesthood itself, which he cannot obtain unless it be 
 authoritatively conferred upon him. 
 
 Take, for instance, the office of a deacon : the person 
 ordained should have the Aaronic Priesthood conferred upon 
 him in connection with his ordination. He cannot receive 
 a portion or fragment of the Aaronic priesthood, because 
 that would be acting on the idea that either or both of 
 the (Melchizedek and Aaronic) priesthoods were subject 
 to subdivision, which is contrary to the revelation. 
 
 In ordaining those who have not yet received the 
 Aaronic priesthood, to any office therein, the words of John 
 the Baptist to Joseph Smith, Jr., and Oliver Cowdery, would 
 be appropriate to immediately precede the act of ordination. 
 They are: 
 
 "Upon you my fellow servants [servant], in the name 
 of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron." 
 
 Of course, it would not necessarily follow that these exact 
 words should be used, but the language should be consistent 
 with the act of conferring the Aaronic Priesthood. Im- 
 provement Era, Vol. 4, p. 394, March, 1901. 
 
 AN AUTHORITATIVE DECLARATION. The Church of 
 
170 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Jesus Christ of Latter-clay Saints is no partisan Church. It 
 is not a sect. It is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints. It is the only one today existing in the world' that 
 can and does legitimately bear the name of Jesus Christ and 
 his divine authority. I make this declaration in all simplicity 
 and honesty before you and before all the world, bitter as 
 the truth may seem to those who are opposed and who have 
 no reason for that opposition. It is nevertheless true and 
 will remain true until He who has a right to rule among the 
 nations of the earth and among the individual children of 
 God throughout the world shall come and take the reins of 
 government and receive the bride that shall be prepared 
 for the coming of the Bridegroom. 
 
 Many of our great writers have recently been querying 
 and wondering where the divine authority exists today to 
 command in the name of the Father and of the Son and of 
 the Holy Ghost, so that it will be in effect and acceptable 
 at the throne of the Eternal Father. I will announce here 
 and now, presumptuous as it may seem to be to those who 
 know not the truth, that the divine authority of Almighty 
 God, to speak in the name of the Father and the 
 Son, is here in the midst of these everlasting hills, in 
 the midst of this intermountain region, and it will abide 
 and will continue, for God is its source, and God is 
 the power by which it has been maintained against 
 all opposition in the world up to the present, and by which 
 it will continue to progress and grow and increase on the 
 earth until it shall cover the earth from sea to sea. This is 
 my testimony to you, my brethren and sisters, and I have a 
 fulness of joy and satisfaction in being able to declare this 
 without regard to, or fear of, all the adversaries of the truth. 
 This declaration was made at the morning service of the 
 annual conference on the 88th anniversary of the organiza- 
 tion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
 April 6, 1918. Improvement Era, Vol. 21, p. 639. 
 
PRIESTHOOD 171 
 
 THE CHURCH NOT MAN-MADE. We believe in God, 
 the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Maker 
 of heaven and earth, the Father of our spirits. We believe 
 in him without reserve, we accept him in our heart, in our 
 religious faith, in our very being. We know that he loves 
 us, and we accept him as the Father of our spirits and the 
 Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We believe 
 in the Lord Jesus and in his divine, saving mission into the 
 world, and in the redemption, the marvelous, glorious re- 
 demption, that he wrought for the salvation of men. We be- 
 lieve in him and this constitutes the foundation of our faith. 
 He is the foundation and chief corner stone of our religion. 
 We are his by adoption, by being buried with Christ in bap- 
 tism, by being born of the water and of the Spirit anew into 
 the world, through the ordinances of the gospel of Christ 
 and we are thereby God's children, heirs of God and joint 
 heirs with Jesus Christ through our adoption and faith. 
 
 One of our brethren who spoke today gave out the idea 
 that he knew who was to lead the Church. I also know 
 who will lead this Church, and I tell you that it will be no 
 man who will lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints ; I don't care in what time nor in what generation. 
 No man will lead God's people nor his work. God may 
 choose men and make them instruments in his hands for 
 accomplishing his purposes, but the glory and honor and 
 power will be due to the Father, in whom rests the wisdom 
 and the might to lead his people and take care of his Zion. 
 I am not leading the Church of Jesus Christ, nor the Latter- 
 day Saints, and I want this distinctly understood. No man 
 does. Joseph did not do it; Brigham did not do it; neither 
 did John Taylor. Neither did Wilford Woodruff, nor Lo- 
 renzo Snow ; and Joseph F. Smith, least of them all, is not 
 leading the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
 and will not lead it. They were instruments in God's hands 
 in accomplishing what they did. God did it through them. 
 
172 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 The honor and glory is due to the Lord and not to them. 
 We are only instruments whom God may choose and use 
 to do his work. All that we can do we should do to 
 strengthen them in the midst of weakness, in the great call- 
 ing to which they are called. But remember that God leads 
 the work. It is his. It is not man's work. If it had been 
 the work of Joseph Smith, or of Brigham Young, or of 
 John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, or Lorenzo Snow, it would 
 not have endured the tests to which it has been subjected; 
 it would have been brought to naught long ago. But if it 
 had been merely the work of men, it never would have been 
 subjected to such tests, for the whole world has been arrayed 
 against it-. If it had been the work of Brigham Young or 
 Joseph Smith, with such determined opposition as it has 
 met with, it would have come to naught. But it was not 
 theirs ; it was God's work. Thank God for that. It is the 
 power of God unto salvation, and I want my boys and girls 
 to take my testimony upon this point. And yet, while we 
 give the honor and glory unto the Lord God Almighty for 
 the accomplishment of his purposes, let us not altogether 
 despise the instrument that he chooses to accomplish the 
 work by. We do not worship him ; we worship God, and 
 we call upon his holy name, as we have been directed in 
 the gospel, in the name of his Son. We call for mercy in 
 the name of Jesus; we ask for blessings in the name of 
 Jesus. We are baptized in the name of the Father and 
 of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. We are initiated 
 into the Church and Kingdom of God in the name of 
 the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and 
 we worship the Father. We seek to obey the Son and fol- 
 low in his footsteps. He will lead no man will ever lead 
 his Church. If the time or condition should ever come to 
 pass that a man, possessing human weaknesses, shall lead 
 the Church, woe be to the Church, for it will then become 
 like the churches of the world, man-made, and man-led, and 
 
PRIESTHOOD 173 
 
 have no power of God' or of life eternal and salvation con- 
 nected with it, only the wisdom, the judgment and intelli- 
 gence of man. I pity the world, because this is their con- 
 dition. 
 
 WHAT is THE PRIESTHOOD? It is nothing more nor 
 less than the power of God delegated to man by which man 
 can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family, 
 in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, 
 and act legitimately; not assuming that authority, not bor- 
 rowing it from generations that are dead and gone, but au- 
 thority that has been given in this day in which we live by 
 ministering angels and spirits from above, direct from the 
 presence of Almighty God, who have come to the earth in 
 our day and restored the Priesthood to the children of men, 
 by which they may baptize for the remission of sins and lay 
 on hand's for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and by which 
 they can remit sin, with the sanction and blessing of Al- 
 mighty God. It is the same power and priesthood that was 
 committed to the disciples of Christ while he was upon the 
 earth, that whatsoever they should bind on earth should be 
 bound in heaven, and that whatsoever they should loose on 
 earth should be loosed in heaven, and whosoever they blessed 
 should be blessed, and if they cursed, in the spirit of right- 
 eousness and meekness before God, God would confirm that 
 curse, but men are not called upon to curse mankind; that 
 is not our mission ; it is our mission to preach righteousness 
 to them. It is our business to love and to bless men, and to 
 redeem them from the fall and from the wickedness of the 
 world. This is our mission and our special calling. God 
 will curse and will exercise his judgment in those matters. 
 "Vengeance is mine," saith the Lord, "and I will repay." 
 We are perfectly willing to leave vengeance in the hands of 
 God and let him judge between us and our enemies, and let 
 him reward them according to his own wisdom and mercy. 
 Oct. C. R., 1904, p. 5. 
 
174 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 THE PRIESTHOOD DEFINITION, PURPOSE AND POWER. 
 What I mean by the Holy Priesthood is that authority which 
 God has delegated to man, by which he may speak the will 
 of God as if the angels were here to speak it them- 
 selves ; by which men are empowered to bind on earth and 
 it shall be bound in heaven, and to loose on earth and it shall 
 be loosed in heaven ; by which the words of man, spoken in 
 the exercise of that power, become the word of the Lord, 
 and the law of God unto the people, scripture, and divine 
 commands. It is therefore not good that the Latter-day 
 Saints and the children of the Latter-day Saints should 
 treat lightly this sacred principle of authority which has 
 been revealed from the heavens in the dispensation in which 
 we live. It is the authority' by which the Lord Almighty 
 governs his people, and by which, in time to come, he will 
 govern the nations of the world. It is sacred, and it must 
 be held sacred by the people. It should be honored and re- 
 spected by them, in whomsoever it is held, and in whomsoever 
 responsibility is placed in the Church. The young men and 
 women and the people generally should hold this principle 
 and recognize it as something that is sacred, and that can- 
 not be trifled with nor spoken lightly of with impunity. Dis- 
 regard of this authority leads to darkness and to apostasy, 
 and severance from all the rights and privileges of the house 
 of God ; for it is by virtue of this authority that the or- 
 dinances of the gospel are performed throughout the world 
 and in every sacred place, and without it they cannot be per- 
 formed. Those also who hold this authority should honor 
 it in themselves. They should live so as to be worthy of the 
 authority vested in them and worthy of the gifts that have 
 been bestowed upon them. Oct. C. R., 1901, p. 2. 
 
 MISSION OF THE PRIESTHOOD. We can make no ad- 
 vancement only upon the principles of eternal truth. In pro- 
 portion as we become established upon the foundation of 
 these principles which have been revealed from the heav- 
 
PRIESTHOOD 175 
 
 ens in the latter-days, and determine to accomplish the pur- 
 poses of the Lord, will we progress, and the Lord will all 
 the more exalt and magnify us before the world and make 
 us to assume our real position and standing in the midst of 
 the earth. We have been looked upon as interlopers, as 
 fanatics, as believers in a false religion ; we have been re- 
 garded with contempt, and treated despicably ; we have been 
 driven from our homes, maligned and spoken evil of every- 
 where, until the people of the world have come to believe 
 that we are the offscourings of the earth and scarcely fit 
 to live. There are thousands and thousands of innocent peo- 
 ple in the world whose minds have become so darkened by 
 the slanderous reports that have gone forth concerning us, 
 that they would feel they are doing God's service to deprive 
 a member of this Church of life, or of liberty, or the pursuit 
 of happiness, if they could do it. 
 
 The Lord designs to change this condition of things, 
 and to make us known to the world in our true light as true 
 worshipers of God, as those who have become the children 
 of God by repentance ; and by the law of adoption have be- 
 come heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ; and 
 that our mission in this world is to do good, to put down 
 iniquity under our feet, to exalt righteousness, purity, and 
 holiness in the hearts of the people, and to establish in the 
 minds of our children, above all other things, a love for 
 God and his word, that shall be in them as a fountain of 
 light, strength, faith and power, leading them on from child- 
 hood to old age, and making them firm believers in the 
 word of the Lord, in the restored gospel and priesthood, and' 
 in the establishment of Zion, no more to be thrown down 
 nor given to another people. If there is anything that I 
 desire above another in this world, it is that my children 
 shall become established in this knowledge and faith, so that 
 they can never be turned aside from it. Oct. C. R., 1901, 
 p. 70. 
 
176 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 WHAT ARE THE KEYS OF THE PRIESTHOOD? The priest- 
 hood that we hold is of the greatest importance, because it 
 is the authority and power of God. It is authority from 
 heaven that has been restored to men upon the earth in the 
 latter days, through the ministration of angels from God, 
 who came with authority to bestow this power and this 
 priesthood upon men. 
 
 I say that the priesthood which is the agency of our 
 heavenly Father holds the keys of the ministering of angels. 
 What is a key ? It is the right or privilege which belongs 
 to and comes with the priesthood, to have communication 
 with God. Is not that a key ? Most decidedly. We may 
 not enjoy the blessing, or key, very much, but the key is in 
 the priesthood. It is the right to enjoy the blessing of 
 communication with the heavens, and the privilege and 
 authority to administer in the ordinances of the gospel 
 of Jesus Christ, to preach the gospel of repentance, and 
 of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. 
 That is a key. You who hold the priesthood have 
 the key or the authority, the right, the power or privilege 
 to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the gospel of 
 repentance and of baptism by immersion for the remission 
 of sins a mighty important thing, I tell you. There isn't 
 a minister of any church upon all of God's footstool today, 
 so far as we know, except in the Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latter-day Saints, who has the keys or the authority to 
 enjoy the ministration of angels. There isn't one of them 
 that possesses that priesthood. But here we ordain boys 
 who are scarcely in their teens, some of them, to that priest- 
 hood which holds the keys of the ministering of angels and 
 of the gospel of repentance and baptism by immersion for 
 the remission of sins. There is not a minister anywhere else in 
 the world, I repeat, who possesses these keys, or this priest- 
 hood or power, or that right. Why ? Because they have not 
 received the gospel, nor have they received that priesthood 
 
PRIESTHOOD 177 
 
 by the laying on of hands by those having authority to con- 
 fer it. Improvement Era, Vol. 14, December, 1910, p. 176. 
 
 SANCTITY OF THE ORDINANCES OF THE PRIESTHOOD. 
 There appears to be, among some of our people, an inade- 
 quate conception of the sanctity attending certain of the or- 
 dinances of the Holy Priesthood. True, the ministrations of 
 those in authority amongst us are not attended with the 
 pomp and worldly ceremony that characterize the procedure 
 in other churches so-called, but the fact that the Church of 
 Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in possession of the 
 priesthood is sufficient to make any and every ordinance ad- 
 ministered by due authority within the Church an event of 
 supreme importance. In performing any such ordinance, 
 the one who officiates speaks and acts, not of himself and 
 of his personal authority, but by virtue of his ordination and 
 appointment as a representative of the powers of heaven. 
 We do not set apart bishops and other officers in the Church, 
 with the show and ceremony of a gala day, as do certain 
 sectarians, nor do we make the ordinance of baptism a spec- 
 tacular display; but the simplicity of the order established 
 in the Church of Christ ought rather to add to than take 
 from the sacred character of the several ordinances. 
 
 An illustration of the fact that many do not understand 
 the full sanctity of certain ordinances is found in the desire 
 some evince to have them repeated. Until within a few years, 
 it was a very general custom in the Church to allow a repe- 
 tition of the baptismal right to adults before they entered the 
 temples. This custom, first established by due authority, 
 and for good cause (see Articles of Faith, by Talmage, 
 144-148) finally came to be regarded by many members of 
 the Church as essential, and indeed, "re-baptism" was gen- 
 erally looked upon, though wrongly, as separate and dif- 
 ferent from the first ordinance of the gospel by which alone 
 one may gain entrance to the Church of Christ. But the most 
 hurtful feature of this misunderstanding was the disposi- 
 
 13 
 
178 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 tion of some to look upon the repeated baptisms as a sure 
 means of securing forgiveness of sins from time to time, 
 and this might easily have led to the thought that one may 
 sin with comparative impunity if he were baptized at fre- 
 quent intervals. This condition has been changed in the 
 Church, and at the present time only those who, having been 
 admitted to the fold of Christ by baptism, afterwards stray 
 therefrom, or are disfellowshiped or excommunicated by due 
 process of the Church courts, are considered as fit subjects 
 to receive a repetition of the initiatory ordinance. These 
 remarks, it must be understood, have no reference to the 
 baptisms and other ordinances performed in the temples. 
 Jn-rcmlc Instructor, Vol. 38, p. 18, Jan., 1903. 
 
 ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT. We are governed by law 
 because we love one another, and are actuated by long-suf- 
 fering and charity, and good will ; and our whole organiza- 
 tion is based upon the idea of self-control; the principle of 
 give and take, and of rather being willing to suffer wrong 
 than to do wrong. Our message is peace on earth and good 
 will towards men ; love, charity and forgiveness, which 
 should actuate all associated with the Church of Jesus Christ 
 of Latter-day Saints. Ours is a Church where law is dom- 
 inant, but the law is the law of love. There are rules 
 which should be observed, and will be observed if we have 
 the spirit of the work in our hearts ; and if we have not the 
 spirit with us, we have only the form of godliness which is 
 without strength. It is the Spirit which leads us to the per- 
 formance of our duties. There are many who know this 
 gospel to be true, but have not the least particle of the 
 Spirit, and therefore are found arrayed against it, and take 
 no part with the people, simply because they have not the 
 Spirit. 
 
 The priesthood after the order of the Son of God is the 
 ruling, presiding authority in the Church. It is divided into 
 its various parts the Melchizedek and the Aaroriic and 
 
PRIESTHOOD 179 
 
 all the quorums or councils are organized in the Church, 
 each with special duties and special callings ; not clashing 
 with each other, but all harmonious and united. In other 
 words, there is no government in the Church of Jesus Christ 
 separate and apart, above, or outside of the holy priesthood 
 or its authority. We have our Relief Societies, Mutual 
 Improvement Associations, Primary Associations and Sun- 
 day Schools, and we may organize, if we choose, associations 
 for self-protection and self-help among ourselves, not sub- 
 ject to our enemies, but for our good and the good of our 
 people, but these organizations are not quorums or councils 
 of the priesthood, but are auxiliary to, and under it ; organ- 
 ized by virtue of the holy priesthood. They are not outside 
 of, nor above it, nor beyond its reach. They acknowledge 
 the principle of the priesthood. Wherever they are they 
 always exist with the view of accomplishing some good ; 
 some soul's salvation, temporal or spiritual. 
 
 When we have a Relief Society, it is thus organized. 
 It has its president and other officers, for the complete and 
 perfect accomplishment of the purposes of its organization. 
 When it meets, it proceeds as an independent organization, 
 always mindful of the fact it is such, by virtue of the author- 
 ity of the holy priesthood which God has instituted. If the 
 president of the stake comes into a meeting of the Relief 
 Society, the sisters, through their president, would at once 
 pay deference to him, would consult and advise with him, 
 and receive directions from the presiding head. That head 
 is the bishop of the ward, the president in the stake, the 
 presidency of the Church, in all the Church. The Young 
 Ladies' and Young Men's Associations, the Primary Associ- 
 ations and the Sunday Schools are the same. All are under 
 the same head, and the same rules apply to each. 
 
 When the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Associa- 
 tions meet saparately, they each have presiding officers and 
 they take charge and' conduct the business. If the bishop 
 
180 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 comes in to either the Young Men's or Young Ladies' As- 
 sociation, due deference is paid him. But in joint association 
 of the Young Men's and Young Ladies' officers, there are 
 the two organizations ; the two boards are represented. Who 
 shall take the initiative? Who shall exercise the presiding 
 function? Is the sister to take the initiative and exercise the 
 presiding function ? Why, no ! not so, because that is not in 
 accordance with the order of the priesthood. If the Young 
 Men's officers are there, they hold the priesthood, and it is 
 their place to take the initiative. If I were the president of 
 a Young Ladies' Association, and we met in joint meeting, 
 I should expect the president of the Young Men's Associa- 
 tion to take the initial step, that he would call the meeting to 
 order, etc., because he holds the priesthood, and should be 
 the head ; then he should not forget that the Young Ladies 
 have an organization, and are entitled to perfect and com- 
 plete representation in the conjoint meetings, and under the 
 priesthood should be given charge at least half the time. If 
 he is not in his place, then let the young lady preside as she 
 would in her own meeting. The ladies should not be dis- 
 criminated against, but should have equal chances. There 
 should be no curtailment nor abridgment of these rights, 
 but every opportunity for their exercise should be given. 
 Gallantry would naturally prompt the young men to give 
 even more, maybe, than they take themselves, but they 
 should direct in all these matters, in the spirit of love and 
 kindness. 
 
 There never can be and never will be, under God's di- 
 rection, two equal heads at the same time. That would not 
 be consistent ; it would be irrational and unreasonable ; con- 
 trary to God's will. There is one head, and he is God, the 
 head of all. Next to him stands the man he puts in nom- 
 ination to stand at the head on the earth, with his associates ; 
 and all the other organizations and heads, from him to the 
 
PRIESTHOOD 181 
 
 last, are subordinate to the first, otherwise there would 
 be discord, disunion and disorganization. 
 
 I am tenacious that all should learn the right and power 
 of the priesthood, and recognize it; and if they do it, they 
 will not go far astray. It is wrong to sit in judgment upon 
 the presiding officers. Suppose a bishop does wrong, are we 
 to run away to everyone and backbite and slander him, and 
 tell all we know or think we know, in relation to the mat- 
 ter and spread it about? Is that the way for Saints to do? 
 If we do so we shall breed destruction to the faith of the 
 young, and others. If I have done wrong, you should come 
 right to me with your complaint, tell me what you know, 
 and not say one word to any other soul on earth ; but let us 
 sit down together as brethren and make the matter right; 
 confess, ask forgiveness, shake hand's and be at peace. Any 
 other course than this will create a nest of evil, and stir up 
 strife among the Saints.' Improvement Era, Vol. 6, July, 
 1903, pp. 704-708. 
 
 A BLESSING AND AN EXPLANATION OF THE PRIESTHOOD. 
 The Lord bless you. From the depths of my soul, I bless 
 you ; I hold the right, the keys and the authority of the Patri- 
 archal Priesthood in the Church. I have a right to pronounce 
 patriarchal blessings, because I hold the keys and authority 
 to do it. It is given to me and my associates to ordain 
 patriarchs and set them apart to give blessings to the people, 
 to comfort them by promises made in wisdom and the in- 
 spiration of the Spirit of God, of the favor and mercies of 
 the Lord that they may be stronger in good works, and their 
 hopes may be realized and their faith increased. And I bless 
 you, my brethren and sisters, in the cause of Zion, with all 
 my soul and by the authority of the priesthood that I hold. 
 I hold the priesthood of the apostleship, I hold the high 
 priesthood which is after the order of the Son of God, which 
 is at the foundation of all priesthood and is the greatest 
 of all priesthoods, because the apostle and the high priest 
 
182 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and the seventy derive their authority and their privileges 
 from the priesthood which is after the Son of God. All au- 
 thority comes out of that high priesthood. Oct. C. R., 1916, 
 p. 7. 
 
 THE PRIVILEGE OF THE PRIESTHOOD TO BLESS. We have 
 been told of an incident which occurred a few weeks ago, 
 when a bishop's counselor (and therefore a high priest) 
 from a remote settlement, while visiting Salt Lake City, 
 refused to administer to his sister's child who was danger- 
 ously sick, for the reason that he was outside of his own 
 ward. 
 
 This brother must have had a misunderstanding of the 
 authority of his office, or he was over diffident. Whatever 
 the cause, he was not justified in his refusal. His authority 
 to bless in the name of the Lord was not confined to his 
 ward ; no elder's opportunity for doing a purely good deed 
 should be confined to a ward or any other limit, and when 
 he went into a house and the head of that household made 
 such a request of him it was clearly not only his privilege 
 or right, but his duty to comply. Indeed, we believe that 
 every man holding the priesthood, in good standing in the 
 Church, who owns a home, is supreme in his own household, 
 and when another brother enters it, and he requests the lat- 
 ter to perform any duty consistent with his calling, the lat- 
 ter should accede to his wishes ; and if there should be any- 
 thing wrong, he who makes the request as the head of the 
 house into which the brother has come, is responsible there- 
 for. If that head of a household asks anything to be done 
 which for the sake of Church discipline, or to fulfil the rev- 
 elations of the Lord, should be placed on the records of the 
 Church, he should see to it that the necessary details are 
 supplied and recorded. 
 
 We further believe that the rights of fatherhood in all 
 faithful, worthy men are paramount, and should be recog- 
 nized by all other men holding positions or callings in the 
 
PRIESTHOOD 183 
 
 priesthood. To make this idea plainer we will say, as an ex- 
 ample of our idea, we do not consider it proper in a bishop 
 or other officer to suggest that the son of such a man (the 
 son himself not being the head of a family, but living with 
 his father) be called upon a mission without first consulting 
 the father. The priesthood was originally exercised in the 
 patriarchal order ; those who held it exercised' their powers 
 firstly by right of their fatherhood'. It is so with the great 
 Eloheim. This first and strongest claim on our love, rev- 
 erence and obedience is based on the fact that he is the 
 Father, the Creator, of all mankind. Without him we are 
 not, and consequently we owe to him existence and all that 
 flows therefrom all we have and all that we are. Man pos- 
 sessing the holy priesthood is typical of him. But as men 
 on earth cannot act in God's stead as his representatives 
 without the authority, appointment and ordination naturally 
 follow. No man has the right to take this honor to himself, 
 except he be called of God through the channels that he 
 recognizes and has empowered. 
 
 Returning to the thought expressed in our opening 
 paragraph, we recognize that there is a side to the question 
 that must not be lost sight of, as to ignore that view would 
 be to encourage a condition in the midst of the Saints preg- 
 nant with confusion. We have found occasionally that men 
 blessed with some peculiar gift of the spirit have exercised 
 it in an unwise shall we say, improper manner. For in- 
 stance: brethren strongly gifted with the power of healing 
 have visited far and near amongst the Saints (to the neg- 
 lect sometimes of other duties), until it has almost become 
 a business with them, and their visits to the homes of the 
 Saints have assumed somewhat the character of those of a 
 physician, and the people have come to regard the power so 
 manifested as if coming from man, and he himself has some- 
 times grown to so feel, and not that he was simply an instru- 
 ment in the hands of God of bringing blessings to their 
 
184 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 house. This view is exceedingly unfortunate, when indulged 
 in, and is apt to result in the displeasure of the Lord. It has 
 sometimes ended in the brother possessing this gift, if he 
 encouraged such a feeling, losing his power to bless and 
 heal. Departures from the recognized order and discipline 
 of the Church should therefore be discountenanced and dis- 
 couraged. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 37, pp. 50, 51, Jan. 15, 
 1902. 
 
 THE PRIESTHOOD GREATER THAN ANY OF ITS OFFICES. 
 There is no office growing out of this priesthood that 
 is or can be greater than the priesthood itself. It is from 
 the priesthood that the office derives its authority and power. 
 No office gives authority to the priesthood. No office 
 adds to the power of the priesthood. But all offices in 
 the Church derive their power, their virtue, their author- 
 ity, from the priesthood. If our brethren would get this 
 principle thoroughly established in their minds, there would 
 be less misunderstanding in relation to the functions of gov- 
 ernment in the Church than there is. Today the question is, 
 which is the greater the high priest or the seventy the 
 seventy or the high priest ? I tell you that neither of. them 
 is the greater, and neither of them is the lesser. Their call- 
 ings lie in different directions, but they are from the same 
 Priesthood. If it were necessary, the seventy, holding the 
 Melchizedek Priesthood, as he does, I say if it were neces- 
 sary, he could ordain a high priest ; and if it were necessary 
 for a high priest to ordain a seventy, he could do that. Why ? 
 Because both of them hold the Melchizedek Priesthood. 
 Then again, if it were necessary, though I do not expect 
 the necessity will ever arise, and there was no man left on 
 earth holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, except an elder 
 that elder, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God and by 
 the direction of the Almighty, could' proceed, and should 
 proceed, to organize the Church of Jesus Christ in all its 
 perfection, because he holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. 
 
PRIESTHOOD 185 
 
 But the house of God is a house of order, and while the 
 other officers remain in the Church, we must observe the 
 order of the priesthood, and we must perform ordinances 
 and ordinations strictly in accordance with that order, as it 
 has been established in the Church through the instrumen- 
 tality of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his successors. 
 Oct. C. R., 1903, p. 87. 
 
 NECESSITY OF ORGANIZATION. The house of God is a 
 house of order, and not a house of confusion ; and it could 
 not be thus, if there were not those who had authority to 
 preside, to direct, to counsel, to lead in the affairs of the 
 Church. No house would be a house of order if it were not 
 properly organized, as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
 day Saints is organized. Take away the organization of the 
 Church and its power would cease. Every part of its or- 
 ganization is necessary and essential to its perfect existence. 
 Disregard, ignore, or omit any part, and you start imper- 
 fection in the Church ; and if we should continue in that way 
 we would find ourselves like those of old, being led by error, 
 superstition, ignorance, and by the cunning and craftiness 
 of men. We would soon leaVe out here a little and there a 
 little, here a line and there a precept, until we would become 
 like the rest of the world, divided, disorganized, confused 
 and without knowledge ; without revelation or inspiration, 
 and without Divine authority or power. Apr. C. R., 1915, 
 p. 5. 
 
 ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRIESTHOOD A SERIOUS MATTER. 
 This makes a very serious matter of receiving this covenant 
 and this priesthood ; for those who receive it must, like God 
 himself, abide in it, and must not fail, and must not be 
 moved out of the way ; for those who receive this oath and 
 covenant and turn away from it, and cease to do righteous- 
 ly and to honor this covenant, and will to abide in sin, and 
 repent not, there is no forgiveness for them, either in this 
 life or in the world to come. That is the language of this 
 
186 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 book, and this is doctrine and truth which was revealed from 
 God to men through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith 
 the prophet. And this word is reliable. It is God's word, 
 and God's word is truth ; and it becomes necessary for all 
 those who enter into this covenant to understand this word, 
 that they may indeed abide in it, and may not be turned out 
 of the way. Apr. C. R. t 1898, p. 65. See Doc. and Cov. 
 84:33-41; Book of Mormon, Mosiah 5. 
 
 How AUTHORITY SHOULD BE ADMINISTERED. No man 
 should be oppressed. No authority of the priesthood can be 
 administered or exerted in any degree of unrighteousness, 
 without offending God. Therefore, when we deal with men 
 we should not deal with them with prejudice in our minds 
 against them. We should dismiss prejudice, dispel anger 
 from our hearts, and when we try our brethren for mem- 
 bership or fellowship in the Church, we should do it dispas- 
 sionately, charitably, lovingly, kindly, with a view to save 
 and not to destroy. That is our business ; our business is to 
 save the world, to save mankind; to bring them into har- 
 mony with the laws of God and with principles of righteous- 
 ness and of justice and truth, that they may be saved in the 
 Kingdom of our God, and become eventually, through obe- 
 dience to the ordinances of the gospel, heirs of God and joint 
 heirs with Jesus Christ. That is our mission. Apr. C. R., 
 1913, p. 6. 
 
 AUTHORITY GIVES ENDURING POWER. The Church has 
 two characteristics the temporal and the spiritual, and one 
 is not without the other. We maintain that both are essen- 
 tial and that one without the other is incomplete and inef- 
 tertual. Hence, the Lord instituted in the government of 
 the Church two priesthoods the lesser or Aaronic, having 
 special charge of the temporal, and the higher or Melchiz- 
 edek, looking to the spiritual welfare of the people. In all 
 the history of the Church, there has never been a time when 
 considerable attention was not given to temporal affairs, in 
 
PRIESTHOOD 187 
 
 the gathering places of- the Saints, under all the leaders up 
 to the present time, as witness the building of Kirtland, the 
 settlement of Missouri, Nauvoo, and the founding of cities 
 and towns in the far west, our present home. The Saints 
 have lived and helped each other to live, have worked out 
 their temporal salvation with zeal and energy, but withal, 
 have neither neglected nor forgotten the spiritual essence 
 of the great work inaugurated by divine order, as witness 
 their temples, and other houses of worship, that have marked 
 their every abiding place. 
 
 And so, while we have devoted much time to temporal 
 affairs, it has always been with a view to better our spiritual 
 condition, it being apparent that the temporal, rightly un- 
 derstood, is a great lever by which spiritual progress may be 
 achieved in this earthly sphere of action. Besides, we 
 have come to understand that all we do is indeed spiritual, 
 for before the Father there is no temporal. Hence in our 
 labors of redeeming the waste places, a strong spiritual vein 
 underlies the outward temporal covering. Improvement 
 Era, Vol. 8, pp. 620, 623, 1904-5. 
 
 MINISTRY SHOULD KNOW ITS DTJTIES AND THE USE 
 OF AUTHORITY. Of course it is very necessary that those 
 who preside in the Church, should learn thoroughly their 
 duties. There is not a man holding any position of author- 
 ity in the Church who can perform his duty as he should 
 in any other spirit than in the spirit of fatherhood and broth- 
 erhood toward those over whom he presides. Those who 
 have authority should not be rulers, nor dictators; they 
 should not be arbitrary; they should gain the hearts, the 
 confidence and the love of those over whom they preside, by 
 kindness and love unfeigned, by gentleness of spirit/ by 
 persuasion, by an example that is above reproach and above 
 the reach of unjust criticism. In this way, in the kindness 
 of their hearts, in their love for their people, they lead them 
 in the path of righteousness, and teach them the way of sal- 
 
188 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 vation, by saying to them both by precept and example: 
 Follow me, as I follow our head. This is the duty of those 
 who preside. Apr. C. R., 1915, p. 5. 
 
 How OFFICERS IN THE CHURCH ARE CHOSEN : A WORD 
 TO BISHOPS. They are faithful men chosen by inspiration. 
 The Lord has given us the way to do these things. He has 
 revealed to us that it is the duty of the presiding authorities 
 to appoint and call ; and then those whom they choose for 
 any official position in the Church shall be presented to the 
 body. If the body reject them, they are responsible for that 
 rejection. They have the right to reject, if they will, or to 
 receive them and sustain them by their faith and prayers. 
 That is strictly in accordance with the rule laid down of the 
 Lord. If any officer in the Church has my sympathy, it is 
 the bishop. If any officer in the Church deserves credit for 
 patience, for long-suffering, kindness, charity, and for love 
 unfeigned, it is the bishop who does his duty. And we feel 
 to sustain in our faith and love, the bishops and counselors 
 in Zion. We say to the bishoprics of the various wards : Be 
 united ; see eye to eye, even if you have to go down on your 
 knees before the Lord and humble yourselves until your 
 spirits will mingle and your hearts will be united one with 
 the other. When you see the truth, you will see eye to eye, 
 and you will be united. Apr. C. R., 1907, p. 4. 
 
 JURISDICTION OF QUORUMS OF PRIESTHOOD. Now then, 
 we have our high priests' quorums or councils, and we have 
 our seventies' councils and our elders, and then we have the 
 councils of the priests, teachers and deacons in the lesser 
 Priesthood. These councils each and all in their organized ca- 
 pacity, have jurisdiction over the fellowship of the members 
 of these councils if the member is an elder, or if a man 
 has a standing in the seventies' quorum, or in the high 
 priests' quorum, and he is misbehaving himself, shows a lack 
 of faith, a lack of reverence for the position he holds in his 
 council, or quorum, his fellowship in that quorum to which 
 
PRIESTHOOD 189 
 
 he belongs, or his standing should be looked after or in- 
 quired into, for he is amenable to his quorum for his good 
 standing and fellowship in it. So that we have the check 
 that the Lord has placed upon members of the Church, and 
 when I say members of the Church, I mean me, I mean the 
 apostles, I mean the high priests and the seventies and elders. 
 I mean everybody who is a member of the Church. Apr. 
 C. R., 1913, p. 6. 
 
 JURISDICTION IN STAKES AND WARDS. Now again, the 
 bishoprics, and the presidents of stakes, have exclusive juris- 
 diction over the membership or the standing of men and 
 women in their wards and in their stakes. I want to state 
 that pretty plain that is to say, it is not my duty, it is not 
 the duty of the seven presidents of seventies, nor of the coun- 
 cil of the twelve apostles, to go into a stake of Zion and try 
 for membership, or for standing in the Church, any member 
 of a stake or ward. We have no business to do it; it be- 
 longs to the local authorities, and they have ample authority 
 to deal with the membership in their wards and in their 
 stakes. The bishops may try an elder for misconduct, for 
 unChristian-like conduct, for apostasy, or for wickedness 
 of any kind that would disqualify him for membership in 
 the Church, and they may pass upon him their judgment 
 that he is unworthy of fellowship in the Church, and they 
 may withdraw from him their fellowship. Then they may 
 refer his case to the presidency and high council, and it will 
 be the duty of the presidency and high council of the stake 
 to deal with him, even to the extent of excommunication 
 from the Church ; and there is no remedy for this, only the 
 right of appeal to the Presidency of the Church. If there 
 may be, perchance, any injustice and partiality, lack of in- 
 formation or understanding on the part o*f the bishopric, 
 which may not be corrected and therefore might be per- 
 petuated by the decision of the high council, and the party 
 aggrieved does not feel that he has had justice dealt out to 
 
190 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 him, he then has a right, under the laws of the Church, to 
 appeal to the Presidency of the Church, but not otherwise. 
 Apr. C. R., 1913, p. 5. 
 
 DUTIES OF THOSE ENGAGED IN THE MINISTRY. I need 
 not say to my brethren engaged in the ministry that it is ex- 
 pected of them that one and all will attend to the labors and 
 be true to the responsibilities that rest upon them in the dis- 
 charge of their duties as officers in the Church. We expect 
 that the presidencies of the stakes of Zion will be exemplars 
 to the people. We expect them of a truth to be fathers unto 
 those over whom they preside; men of wisdom, of sound 
 judgment, impartial and just, men who will indeed qualify 
 themselves, or who are indeed qualified by their natural en- 
 dowments and by the inspiration from God which it is their 
 privilege to enjoy, to preside in righteousness and to sit in 
 righteous judgment over all matters brought to their atten- 
 tion, or that may legitimately belong to their office and call- 
 ing. We anticipate the same fidelity, the same faithfulness, 
 the same intelligent administration of their duties from the 
 bishops and their counselors, and indeed upon these rest per- 
 haps the greatest possible responsibility, for the reason that 
 they are expected by their presidencies to attend to the vari- 
 ous interests and needs of their people. It is expected of a 
 bishop to know all the people in his ward, not only those who 
 are faithful members of the Church, diligent in the perform- 
 ance of their duties and prominent by their good acts, but to 
 know those who are cold and indifferent, those who are luke- 
 warm, those who are inclined to err and to make mistakes, 
 and not only these, but it is expected that the bishops through 
 their aides in their wards, will become acquainted, not only 
 with their members, male and female, but that they will 
 know also the stranger that is within their gates and be pre- 
 pared to minister solace, comfort, good counsel, wisdom and 
 every other aid possible to be rendered to those that are 
 in need', whether they are of the household of faith or are 
 
PRIESTHOOD 191 
 
 strangers to the truth. So that there is a great deal ex- 
 pected of the bishops and their counselors and the elders and 
 lesser priesthood in their wards whom they call to their aid 
 in administering to the people both spiritually and tem- 
 porally, and I want to remark in this connection that it is the 
 duty of these bishops and of the presidencies of the stakes of 
 Zion, together with their high councils, to administer justice 
 and right judgment to every member of their wards and of 
 their stakes. Included in this are the high priests and the 
 seventies and the elders and the apostles and the patriarchs 
 and the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
 day Saints. No man who is a member of the Church of 
 Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or who has a standing in 
 the Church as a member, is exempt from his responsibilities 
 as a member and his allegiance to the bishop of the w r ard in 
 which he dwells. I am as much bound to acknowledge my 
 bishop as a member of the ward in which I dwell, as the 
 humblest and latest member of the Church. No man who 
 claims to be a member of the Church in good standing, can 
 ride above or become independent of the authority that the 
 Lord Almighty has established in his Church. This watch- 
 care of the people, of their right living, of their fidelity to 
 their covenants and to the gospel of Jesus Christ, belongs to 
 the presidents of stakes and their counselors and the high 
 councils, or members of the high council, to the bishop and 
 his counselors and the teachers of his ward. Apr. C. R., 
 1913, p. 4. 
 
 THE PURPOSE AND THE DUTY OF THE CHURCH : QUAL- 
 ITIES OF LEADERS. The Lord bless you. I see before me 
 the leaders of the Church, the presiding spirits in the capacity 
 of presidents of stakes, counselors to presidents of stakes, 
 high councilors, bishops and their counselors, and those who 
 are engaged in our educational institutions and in other re- 
 sponsible positions in the Church. I honor you all. I love 
 you for your integrity to the cause of Zion. It is the king- 
 
192 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 dom of God or nothing, so far as I am concerned. I cut no 
 figure personally in this work, and I am nothing except in 
 the humble effort to do my duty as the Lord gives me the 
 ability to do it. But it is the kingdom of God. What I 
 mean by the kingdom of God is the organization of the 
 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Jesus 
 Christ is the king and the head ; not as an organization in 
 any wise menacing or jeopardizing the liberties or rights of 
 the people throughout the world, but as an organization cal- 
 culated to lift up and ameliorate the condition of mankind ; 
 to make bad men good, if it is possible for them to repent 
 of their sins, and to make good men better. That is the 
 object and purpose of the Church, that is what it is accom- 
 plishing in the world. And it is very strict in regard to 
 these matters. Drunkards, whoremongers, liars, thieves, 
 those who betray the confidence of their fellowmen, those 
 who are unworthy of credence such, when their character 
 becomes known, are disfellowshiped from the Church, and 
 are not permitted to have a standing in it, if we know it. It 
 is true that there are none of us but have our imperfections 
 and shortcomings. Perfection dwells not with mortal man. 
 We all have our weaknesses. But when a man abandons 
 the truth, virtue, his love for the gospel and for the people 
 of God, and becomes an open, avowed enemy, it becomes 
 the duty of the Church to sever him from the Church, and 
 the Church would be recreant to its duty if it did not sever 
 him from communion, cut him off, and let him go where he 
 pleases. We would do wrong if we hung on to and tried to 
 nurture such evil creatures in our midst, no matter what the 
 relationship may be that exists between us and them. There- 
 fore, I say again, the Church of Jesus Christ stands for 
 virtue, honor, truth, purity of life, and good will to all 
 mankind. It stands for God, the eternal Father, and for 
 Jesus Christ, whom the Father sent into the world, and 
 whom to know is life eternal. This is what the Church 
 
PRIESTHOOD 193 
 
 stands for, and it cannot tolerate abomination, crime and 
 wickedness, on the part of those who may claim to have some 
 connection with it. We must sever ourselves from them, and 
 let them go. Not that we want to hurt them. We do not 
 want to hurt anybody. We never have, and we do not intend 
 to, hurt anybody. But we do not intend to be hurt by those 
 who are seeking our destruction, if we can help it. It is our 
 right to protect ourselves. Apr. C. R., 1906, pp. 7, 8. 
 
 LEADERS MUST BE COURAGEOUS. One of the highest 
 qualities of all true leadership is a high standard of courage. 
 When we speak of courage and leadership we are using 
 terms that stand for the quality of life by which 
 men determine conscientiously the proper course to pur- 
 sue and stand with fidelity to their convictions. There 
 has never been a time in the Church when its leaders were 
 not required to be courageous men ; not alone courageous 
 in the sense that they were able to meet physical dangers, 
 but also in the sense that they were steadfast and true to a 
 clear and upright conviction. 
 
 Leaders of the Church, then, should be men not easily 
 discouraged, not without hope, and not given to forebodings 
 of all sorts of evils to come. Above all things the leaders 
 of the people should never disseminate a spirit of gloom in 
 the hearts of the people. If men standing in high places 
 sometimes feel the weight and anxiety of momentous times, 
 they should be all the firmer and all the more resolute in 
 those convictions which come from a God-fearing conscience 
 and pure lives. Men in their private lives should feel the 
 necessity of extending encouragement to the people by their 
 own hopeful and cheerful intercourse with them as they do 
 by their utterances in public places. It is a matter of the 
 greatest importance that the people be educated to appre- 
 ciate and cultivate the bright side of life rather than to per- 
 mit its darkness and shadows to hover over them. 
 
 In order to successfully overcome anxieties in refer- 
 
 14 
 
194 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ence to questions that require time for their solution, an ab- 
 solute faith and confidence in God and in the triumph of his 
 work are essential. 
 
 The most momentous questions and the greatest dan- 
 gers to personal happiness are not always met and solved 
 within oneself, and if men cannot courageously meet the 
 difficulties and obstacles of their own individual lives and 
 natures, how are they to meet successfully those public ques- 
 tions in which the welfare and happiness of the public are 
 concerned. Men, then, who are called to leadership should 
 be alarmed at the possession of a disposition filled with fore- 
 bodings and misgivings and doubts and constant wonder- 
 ments. Clouds, threatening storms, frequently rise in the 
 horizon of life and pass by as speedily as they came, so the 
 problems and difficulties and dangers that beset us are not 
 always met and solved, nor overcome by our individual ef- 
 fort nor by our efforts collectively. 
 
 It is not discreditable to a man to say "I don't know," 
 to questions whose solution lies wholly within some divine 
 purpose whose end it is not given man clearly to foresee. It 
 is, however, unfortunate when men and women allow such 
 questions, questions which time and patience alone can solve, 
 to discourage them and to defeat their own efforts in the 
 accomplishment of their chosen lives and professions. In 
 leaders undue patience and a gloomy mind are almost unpar- 
 donable, and it sometimes takes almost as much courage to 
 wait as to act. It is to be hoped then that the leaders of 
 God's people, and the people themselves, will not feel that 
 they must have at once a solution of every question that 
 arises to disturb the even tenor of their way. Juvenile In- 
 structor, Vol. 38, p. 339, 1903. 
 
 DUTIES OF OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. The Lord here 
 especially demands of the men who stand at the head of this 
 Church, and who are responsible for the guidance and direc- 
 tion of the people of God, that they shall see to it that the 
 
PRIESTHOOD 195 
 
 law of God is kept. It is our duty to do this. Oct. C. R., 
 1899, p. 41. 
 
 TRUTH WILL UNITE Us : WORDS TO CHURCH OFFICERS. 
 The truth will never divide councils of the priesthood. It 
 will never divide presidents from their counselors, nor coun- 
 selors from their presidents, nor members of the Church 
 from one another, nor from the Church. The truth will 
 unite us and cement us together. It will make us strong, 
 for it is a foundation that cannot be destroyed. Therefore, 
 when bishops and their counselors do not see eye to eye, or 
 when presidents and their counselors have any difference 
 whatever in their sentiments or in their policy, it is their 
 duty to get together, to go before the Lord together and 
 humble themselves before him until they get revelation from 
 the Lord and see the truth alike, that they may go before 
 their people unitedly. It is the duty of the presidents of 
 stakes and high councilors to meet often, to pray together, 
 to counsel together, to learn each other's spirit, to under- 
 stand each other, and unite together, that there may be no 
 dissension nor division among them. The same with the 
 bishops and their counselors. The same may be said of the 
 councils of the priesthood from first to last. Let them get 
 together and' become united in their understanding of what 
 is right, just and true, and then go as one man to the accom- 
 plishment of the purpose they have in view. Apr. C. R., 
 1907, pp. 4, 5. 
 
 OFFICERS TO SET THE EXAMPLE. The Lord will make 
 a record also, and out of that shall the whole world be 
 judged. And you men of the holy priesthood you apos- 
 tles, presidents, bishops, and high priests in Zion will be 
 called upon to be the judges of the people. Therefore, it is 
 expected that you shall set the standard for them to attain 
 to, and see that they shall live according to the spirit of the 
 gospel, do their duty, and keep the commandments of the 
 Lord. You shall make a record of their acts. You shall 
 
196 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 record when they are baptized, when they are confirmed, 
 and when they receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of 
 hands. You shall record when they come to Zion, their 
 membership in the Church. You shall record whether they 
 attend to their duties as priests, teachers or deacons, as 
 elders, seventies or high priests. You shall write their 
 works, as the Lord says here. You shall record their tith- 
 ings and give them credit for that which they do; and the 
 Lord will determine the difference between the credit which 
 they make for themselves and the credit which they should 
 make. The Lord will judge between us in that respect; but 
 we shall judge the people, first requiring them to do their 
 duty. In order to do that, those who stand at the head must 
 set the example. They must walk in the right path, and 
 invite the people to follow them. They should not seek to 
 drive the people ; they should not seek to become rulers ; but 
 they should be brethren and leaders of the people. Apr. 
 C. R., 1901, p. 72. 
 
 DUTY OF THE HOLY PRIESTHOOD. It is the duty of this 
 vast body of men holding the holy priesthood, which is after 
 the order of the Son of God, to exert their influence and ex- 
 ercise their power for good among the people of Israel and 
 the people of the world. It is their bounden duty to preach 
 anxl to work righteousness, both at home and abroad. 
 Oct. C. R., 1901, p. 83. 
 
 How TO VOTE ON CHURCH PROPOSITIONS. We desire 
 that the brethren and sisters will all feel the responsibility 
 of expressing their feelings in relation to the propositions 
 that may be put before you. We do not want any man or 
 woman who is a member of the Church to violate their con- 
 science. Of course, we are not asking apostates or non- 
 members of the Church to vote on the authorities of the 
 Church. We only ask for members of the Church in good 
 standing to vote on the propositions that shall be put be- 
 
PRIESTHOOD 197 
 
 fore you, and we would like all to vote as they feel, whether 
 for or against. Oct. C. R., 1902, p. 83. 
 
 ORDER OF VOTING FOR OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. The 
 Presidency of the Church will first express their mind, thus 
 indicating, at least in some degree, the mind of the Spirit 
 and the suggestions from the head. Then the proposition 
 will be submitted to the apostles, for them to show their 
 willingness or otherwise to sustain the action of the First 
 Presidency. It will then go to the patriarchs, and they will 
 have the privilege of showing whether they will sustain the 
 action that has been taken ; then to the presidents of stakes 
 and counselors and the high councilors; then to the high 
 priests (that office in the Melchizedek priesthood which 
 holds the keys of presidency) ; next, the traveling elders 
 the seventies will be called to express their feelings, and 
 then the bishoprics of the Church and the lesser priesthood, 
 and after them the whole congregation. All the members 
 of the Church present will have the privilege of expressing 
 their view in relation to the matters which shall be pro- 
 posed, by a rising vote and by the uplifted hand. Oct. C. R., 
 1901, p. 73. 
 
 OFFICERS DEPENDENT ON VOICE OF PEOPLE. It is well 
 understood that we meet together in general conference 
 twice a year for the purpose of presenting the names of 
 those who have been chosen as presiding officers in the 
 Church, and it is understood that those who occupy these 
 positions are dependent upon the voice of the people for the 
 continuance of the authority, the rights and privileges they 
 exercise. The female members of this Church have the same 
 privileges of voting to sustain their presiding officers as the 
 male members of the Church, and the vote of a sister in good 
 standing counts in every way equal with the vote of a 
 brother. Apr. C. R. } 1904, p. 73. 
 
 NEARLY ALL MALE MEMBERS HOLD THE PRIESTHOOD; 
 RESPONSIBILITY. We want the people to understand, and 
 
198 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 we would like the world to understand, the great fact that it- 
 is not the prominent leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ 
 of Latter-day Saints that wield all the influence among the 
 people of this Church. We want it understood that we have 
 fewer lay members in this Church, in proportion to the num- 
 ber of our membership, than you will find in any other 
 church upon the globe. Nearly every man in the Church of 
 Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds the Melchizedek or 
 the Aaronic Priesthood, and may act in an official capacity 
 by authority of that priesthood whenever called upon to do 
 so. They are priests and kings, if you please, unto God in 
 righteousness. Out of this vast body of priests we call and. 
 ordain or set apart our presidents of stakes, our counselors, 
 our high councilors, our bishops and their counselors, our 
 seventies, our high priests, and our elders, upon whom rests 
 the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel of eternal truth 
 to all the world, and upon whom also rests the great and 
 glorious responsibility of maintaining the dignity, the honor 
 and the sacredness of that calling and priesthood. So that 
 nearly every male person in the Church, who has reached the 
 years of accountability, is supposed to be, in his sphere, a 
 pillar in Zion, a defender of the faith, an exemplar, a man 
 of righteousness, truth and soberness, a man of virtue and 
 of honor, a good citizen of the state in which he lives, and a 
 staunch and loyal citizen of the great country that we are 
 proud to call our home. Apr. C. R., 1903, p. 73. 
 
 MANY HOLD THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD. Although 
 we may enjoy a little advantage over the rest of the congre- 
 gation, for my part I could stay here a week longer to hear 
 the testimonies of my brethren, and to give to the world 
 an opportunity to see and know that the priesthood in the 
 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not confined 
 to one man, nor to three men, nor to fifteen men, but that 
 there are thousands of men in Zion who hold the Melchiz- 
 edek Priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God, 
 
PRIESTHOOD 199 
 
 and who possess keys of authority and' power to minister for 
 life and salvation among the people of the world. I would 
 like to give the world an opportunity to see what we are, to 
 hear what we know, and to understand what our business is, 
 and what we intend to do, by the help of the Lord. Oct. 
 C. R., 1903, p. 73. 
 
 PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' RESPONSIBILITIES. We expect 
 to see the day, if we live long enough (and if some of us do 
 not live long enough to see it, there are others who will), 
 when every council of the Priesthood in the Church of Jesus 
 Christ of Latter-day Saints will understand its duty; will 
 assume its own responsibility, will magnify its calling, and 
 fill its place in the Church, to the uttermost, according to 
 the intelligence and ability possessed by it. When that day 
 shall come, there will not be so much necessity for work that 
 is now being done by the auxiliary organizations, because it 
 will be done by the regular quorums of the priesthood. The 
 Lord designed and' comprehended it from the beginning, and 
 he has made provision in the Church whereby every need 
 may be met and satisfied through the regular organizations 
 of the priesthood. It has truly been said that the Church is 
 perfectly organized. The only trouble is that these organi- 
 zations are not fully alive to the obligations that rest upon 
 them. When they become thoroughly awakened to the re- 
 quirements made of them, they will fulfil their duties more 
 faithfully, and the work of the Lord will be all the stronger 
 and more powerful and influential in the world. Apr. C. R., 
 1906, p. 3. 
 
 WHAT is PRIESTHOOD? Honor that power and author- 
 ity which we call the Holy Priesthood, which is after the 
 order of the Son of God, and which has been conferred 
 upon man by God himself. Honor that priesthood. What 
 is that priesthood? It is nothing more and nothing less than 
 divine authority committed unto man from God. That is 
 the principle that we should honor. We hold the keys of 
 
200 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 that authority and priesthood ourselves; it has been con- 
 ferred upon the great masses of the Latter-day Saints. It 
 has, indeed, I may say, been bestowed upon many that were 
 not worthy to receive it and who have not magnified it, and 
 who have brought disgrace upon themselves and upon the 
 priesthood which was conferred upon them. The priesthood 
 of the Son of God cannot be exercised in any degree of un- 
 righteousness ; neither will its power, its virtue and author- 
 ity abide with him who is corrupt, who is treacherous in 
 his soul toward God and toward his fellowmen. It will not 
 abide in force and power with him who does not honor it in 
 his life by complying with the requirements of heaven. 
 Apr. C. R., 1904, p. 3. 
 
 WHERE AND How COUNSEL SHOULD BE SOUGHT. The 
 attention of the young men in the Church is called to the 
 need of conforming to the order of the Church in matters 
 of difficulty that may arise between brethren, and members 
 and officers, and also in other things where counsel is sought. 
 
 The youth of Zion should remember that the founda- 
 tion principle in settling difficulties lies in the persons them- 
 selves who are in difficulty making the adjustments and set- 
 tlements. If those who vary cannot adjust their differences, 
 it is infinitely more difficult, if not impossible, for a third or 
 fourth party to create harmony between them. In any event, 
 such outside parties can only aid the contending persons to 
 come to an understanding. 
 
 But, in case it is necessary to call in the priesthood as a 
 third party, there is a proper order in which this should be 
 done. If no conclusion can be arrived at, in a difficulty or 
 difference between two members of the Church, the ward 
 teachers should be called to assist ; failing then, appeal may 
 be made to the bishop, then to the high council of the stake, 
 and only after the difficulty has been tried before that body 
 should the matter ever come before the general presiding 
 
PRIESTHOOD 201 
 
 quorum of the Church. It is wrong to disregard any of 
 these authorized steps, or authorities. 
 
 This matter is generally understood in cases of diffi- 
 culty, but does not seem to be so well understood in what 
 may be termed smaller, but nevertheless quite as weighty 
 subjects. We often find instances where the counsel and 
 advice and judgment of the priesthood next in order is en- 
 tirely overlooked, or completely disregarded. Men go to 
 the president of the stake for counsel when in reality, they 
 should consult their teachers or bishop; and often come to 
 the First Presidency, apostles or seventies, when the presi- 
 dent of their stake has never been spoken to. This is wrong, 
 and not at all in compliance with the order of the Church. 
 The priesthood of the ward should never be overlooked in 
 any case where the stake authorities are consulted; nor 
 should the stake authorities be disregarded, that the counsel 
 of the general authorities may be obtained. Such a course 
 of disregarding the proper local officers is neither in con- 
 formity with the Church instructions and organization, nor 
 conducive to good order. It creates confusion. Every of- 
 ficer in the Church has been placed in his position to mag- 
 nify the same, to be a guardian and counselor of the people. 
 All should be consutled and respected in their positions, and 
 never overlooked in their places. 
 
 In this way only can prevail that harmony and unity 
 which are characteristic of the Church of Christ. The re- 
 sponsibility also of this great work is thus placed' upon the 
 laboring priesthood, who share it with the general author- 
 ities; and thus likewise, the perfection, strength and power 
 of Church organization shine forth with clearer lustre. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 5, p 230; Jan., 1902. 
 
 PARENTS SHOULD BE CONSULTED. One of the first 
 duties that a young man owes in the world is his duty to his 
 father and mother. The commandment which God gave 
 early in the history of the Israelites : "Honor thy father and 
 
202 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 thy mother," was accompanied with a promise that holds 
 good to this day ; namely : "That thy days may be long upon 
 the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." 
 
 With obedience naturally comes that respect and con- 
 sideration for his parents that should characterize a noble 
 youth. They stand as the head of the family, the patriarch, 
 the mother, the rulers; and no child should fail to consult 
 them and obtain counsel from them throughout his whole 
 career under the parental roof. 
 
 This feeling should be respected by the Church. Hence 
 officers who desire to use the services of a young man in any 
 capacity for the business of the Church, should not fail to 
 consult the father before the call is made. We have in- 
 stances where young men have even been called to fulfil im- 
 portant missions ; their names having been suggested to the 
 Church by bishops of wards, or by presidents of quorums, 
 without the father having been consulted whatever. The 
 parents have been entirely overlooked. This is neither 
 desirable nor right, nor is it in conformity with the order 
 of the Church, or the laws that God instituted from the early 
 times. The Church is patriarchal in its character and na- 
 ture, and it is highly proper and right that the head of the 
 family, the father, should be consulted by officers in all 
 things that pertain to the calling of his children to any of 
 the duties in the Church. No one understands as well as 
 the father, the conditions that surround the family, and 
 what fs best for his children; his wishes should therefore 
 be consulted and respected. 
 
 Our elders would justly think it wrong to baptize a 
 wife without the consent of her husband, and children with- 
 out the consent of the parents. So also, it is improper for 
 any officer in the Church to call the children in any family, 
 as long as they are under the care and keeping of the par- 
 ents, to receive any ordination, or to perform any calling 
 in the Church, without first consulting the parents. 
 
PRIESTHOOD 203 
 
 The family organization lies at the basis of all true 
 government, and too much stress cannot be placed upon the 
 importance of the government in the family being as perfect 
 as possible, nor upon the fact that in all instances respect 
 therefor should be upheld. 
 
 Young men should be scrupulously careful to impress 
 upon their minds the necessity of consulting with father 
 and mother in all that pertains to their actions in life. Re- 
 spect and veneration for parents should be inculcated into 
 the hearts of the young people of the Church father and 
 mother to be respected, their wishes to be regarded and 
 in the heart of every child should be implanted this thought 
 of esteem and consideration for parents, which characterized 
 the families of the ancient patriarchs. 
 
 God is at the head of the human race ; we look up to 
 him as the Father of all. We cannot please him more than 
 by regarding and respecting and honoring our fathers and 
 our mothers, who are the means of our existence here upon 
 the earth. 
 
 I desire, therefore, to impress upon the officers of the 
 Church the necessity of consulting fathers in all things that 
 pertain to the calling of their sons to the priesthood, and to 
 the labors of the Church, that the respect and veneration 
 which children should show for parents may not be disturbed 
 by the Church, nor overstepped by its officers. In this way 
 harmony and good will are made to prevail ; and the sanc- 
 tion of the families and the family life, on which the gov- 
 ernment of the Church is based and perpetuated, will thus 
 be added to the calls of the holy priesthood, insuring unity, 
 strength and power in its every action. Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 5, p. 307 ; Feb., 1902. 
 
 PROPER USE OF TITLES OF THE PRIESTHOOD. There is 
 also another point in this connection to which attention may 
 profitably be drawn. It is the too frequent use in the ordin- 
 ary conversation of the Saints of the titles "Prophet, Seer 
 
204 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and Revelator," "Apostle," etc. These titles are too sacred 
 to be used indiscriminately in our common talk. There are 
 occasions when they are quite proper and in place, but in our 
 every-day conversations it is sufficient honor to address any 
 brother holding the Melchizedek Priesthood as elder. The 
 term elder is a general one, applying to. all those who hold 
 the higher priesthood, whether they be apostles, patriarchs, 
 high priests or seventies ; and to address a brother as Apostle 
 So-and-So, or Patriarch Such-a-One, in the common talk of 
 business, and the like, is using titles too sacred to be in place 
 on such occasions. It, in a lesser degree, partakes of the 
 character of that evil of which we are so often warned the 
 too frequent use of the name of that Holy Being whom we 
 worship, and of his Son, our Redeemer. To avoid this evil 
 the Saints in ancient days called the holy priesthood after 
 the great high priest Melchizedek, while the royal and cor- 
 rect title is, "The priesthood after the order of the Son of 
 God." The use of all these titles continuously and indis- 
 criminately savors somewhat of blasphemy, and is not pleas- 
 ing to our heavenly Father. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 38, 
 p. 20; Jan. 1, 1903. 
 
 ALL OFFICERS OF THE PRIESTHOOD NECESSARY AND 
 SHOULD BE RESPECTED. I believe it to be the duty of the 
 Church to recognize and acknowledge every man that holds 
 an official position in it, in his sphere and in his calling. I 
 hold to the doctrine that the duty of a teacher is as sacred 
 as the duty of an apostle, in the sphere in which he is called 
 to act, and that every member of the Church is as much in 
 duty bound to honor the teacher who visits him in his home, 
 as he is to honor the office and counsel of the presiding quo- 
 rum of the Church. They all have the priesthood ; they are 
 all acting in their callings, and they are all essential in their 
 places, because the Lord has appointed them and set them in 
 his Church. We cannot ignore them ; or, if we do, the sin 
 will be upon our heads. Oct. C. R., 1902, p. 86. 
 
PRIESTHOOD 205 
 
 CHECKS UPON CHURCH MEMBERS. I say that when 
 these members of the Church are in error or doing wrong, 
 we have the check on them in the first place in the wards ; 
 bishops look after them ; then their quorums to which they 
 belong have jurisdiction and they are required to look after 
 them, too, and then after the quorums look after them the 
 presidencies of the stakes look after them and see that they 
 are helped ; that they are strengthened ; that they are ad- 
 monished ; that they are warned, and that they are applauded 
 when they do their duties and keep the commandments of 
 the Lord. So the Lord has placed a great many checks upon 
 the members of the Church with a view to teaching them 
 right principles, to help them to do right, to live right and 
 to be pure and clean from the sins of the world, that the 
 body of the Church may be perfected, that it may be free 
 from disease, from all contagious evils, just as the body of 
 the man Jesus Christ is free from all taint, evil and sin. So 
 God has placed these safeguards in the Church, from the 
 deacons to the apostles, and to the Presidency of the Church, 
 with a view of persuading men and women to keep them- 
 selves pure and unspotted from the world and to help them 
 to be faithful to their covenants entered into with one an- 
 other and with their God. Apr. C. R., 1913, pp. 6, 7. 
 
 THE PRIESTHOOD SHOULD KNOW SECTION 107 OF THE 
 DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS. I now say to the brethren of 
 the priesthood the high priests, the seventies, the elders 
 and the lesser priesthood magnify your callings ; study the 
 scriptures ; read the 107th section of the Doctrine and Cove- 
 nants on priesthood; learn that revelation, which was given 
 through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and live by its precepts 
 and doctrine, and you will gain power and intelligence to 
 straighten out many kinks that have heretofore existed in 
 your minds, and to clear up many doubts and uncertainties 
 in relation to the rights of the priesthood. God gave that 
 word to us. It is in force today in the Church and in the 
 
206 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 world, and it contains instruction to the priesthood and the 
 people in relation to their duties, which every elder should 
 know. Oct. C. R., 1902, p. 88. 
 
 WHO is FIT TO PRESIDE ? Every man should be willing 
 to be presided over ; and he is not fit to preside over others 
 until he can submit sufficiently to the presidency of his breth- 
 ren. Improvement Era, Vol. 31, p. 105. 
 
 OBLIGATIONS OF THE PRIESTHOOD. Think what it means 
 to hold keys of authority which if exercised in wisdom 
 and in righteousness are bound to be respected by the 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ! Do you honor this 
 Priesthood? Do you respect the office and honor the key 
 of authority that you possess in the Melchizedek priesthood, 
 which is after the order of the Son of God ? Will you, who 
 hold this priesthood, profane the name of Deity? Would 
 you be riotous, and eat and drink with the drunken, with the 
 unbelieving and with the profane? Would you, holding that 
 priesthood, forget your prayers, and fail to remember the 
 Giver of all good? Would you, holding that priesthood, 
 and possessing the right and authority from God to admin- 
 ister in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost, violate the confidence and the love of God, the 
 hope and desire of the Father of all of us ? For, in bestow- 
 ing that key and blessing upon you, he desires and expects 
 you to magnify your calling. Would you, as an elder in the 
 Church of Jesus Christ, dishonor your wife or your children ? 
 Would you desert the mother of your children, the wife of 
 your bosom, the gift of God to you, which is more precious 
 than life itself? For without the woman the man is not 
 perfect in the Lord, no more than the woman is perfect with- 
 out the man. Will you honor the Sabbath day and keep it 
 holy ? Will you observe the law of tithing and all the other re- 
 quirements of the gospel? Will you carry with you at all 
 times the spirit of prayer and the desire to do good? Will 
 you teach your children the principles of life and salvation, 
 
PRIESTHOOD 207 
 
 so that when they are eight years old they will desire bap- 
 tism, of their own accord? Improvement Era, Vol. 21, De- 
 cember, 1917, pp. 105-6. 
 
 How HONOR FOR THOSE WHO BEAR THE PRIESTHOOD 
 is BEGOTTEN. If you will honor the holy priesthood in 
 yourself first, you will honor it in those who preside over you, 
 and in those who administer in the various callings through- 
 out the Church. Improvement Era, Vol. 21, December, 
 1917, p. 106. 
 
 PRIESTHOOD MEMBERSHIP ROLLS. First. Each quorum 
 should have one roll only, and every person holding the 
 Priesthood should be enrolled in the quorum having juris- 
 diction in the ward where his Church membership is re- 
 corded. The practice of keeping a supplemental or inactive 
 roll is not approved. 
 
 Second. Recommends from one quorum to another are 
 not required. The present arrangement for admitting mem- 
 bers in the quorum is already published as follows : 
 
 "The certificate of ordination should be carefully pre- 
 served by the person ordained; and; whenever necessary, it 
 should be presented to the proper authority as an evidence 
 of his ordination. Upon this evidence he should be admit- 
 ted to membership in the usual manner by the quorum hav- 
 ing jurisdiction in the ward or stake where he resides, pro- 
 vided he has been accepted as a member of the ward. If 
 he does not possess a certificate of ordination, and the recom- 
 mend upon which he is received in the ward names his 
 Priesthood and ordination, it should be accepted as evidence 
 that he holds that office, provided there is no evidence to 
 the contrary, and provided he has been admitted as a mem- 
 ber of the ward in full fellowship." 
 
 Third. When a person holding the Priesthood' re- 
 moves from one ward to another and is accepted as a mem- 
 ber of the ward into which he moves, it becomes the duty 
 of the Ward Clerk to notify the president of the quorum 
 
208 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 of the arrival of this person. The new member should pre- 
 sent his certificate of ordination as evidence that he holds the 
 Priesthood, and upon that certificate he should be presented 
 for admission to membership in the quorum to which mem- 
 bers of that ward holding the same Priesthood belong. It is 
 the duty of the Ward Clerk to report at the next ward 
 weekly Priesthood meeting the arrival of any person hold- 
 ing the Priesthood, and every such newly arrived member 
 should be enrolled in the proper class, whether he has at- 
 tended a class meeting or not. 
 
 Fourth. When a member holding the Priesthood be- 
 comes a member of the ward, the proper quorum officer hav- 
 ing jurisdiction should look after him and see that he be- 
 comes enrolled in the quorum. 
 
 Fifth. It is the duty of the secretary of a High Priests' 
 or Elders' quorum to prepare certificates of ordination, and 
 to have them signed by the proper officers, presented to the 
 Ward Clerk to be entered upon the ward record, and then 
 delivered to the persons in whose favor they are issued. 
 Seventies' quorums, however, do not issue certificates of 
 ordination. They are issued by the First Council of Seventy. 
 Therefore, Seventies' quorums should not be provided with 
 certificates. When a person is ordained to the office of Sev- 
 enty, requesting a certificate of ordination to be mailed or de- 
 livered to the quorum officer, and after it has been entered 
 on the quorum record and the ward record, it should be de- 
 livered to the person in whose favor it is issued. 
 
 Sixth. When a quorum withdraws its fellowship from 
 one of its members, a report of the action of the quorum 
 should be sent to the Bishop of the ward. Improvement 
 Era, Vol. 19, pp. 752-753. 
 
 ALL SHOULD EXERCISE THEIR AUTHORITY. A deacon 
 in the Church should exercise the authority of that calling 
 in the priesthood, and honor that position as sincerely and 
 faithfully as a high priest or an apostle should his calling, 
 
PRIESTHOOD 209 
 
 feeling that he bears a portion of the responsibility of the 
 kingdom of God in the world, in common with all his breth- 
 ren. Every man should feel in his heart the necessity of 
 doing his part in the great latter-day work. All should seek 
 to be instrumental in rolling it forth. More especially is it 
 the duty of every one who possesses any portion of the au- 
 thority of the holy priesthood to magnify and honor that 
 calling, and nowhere can we begin to do so to better advan- 
 tage than right here, within ourselves, and when we have 
 cleaned the inside of the platter, cleansed our own hearts, 
 corrected our own lives, fixed our minds upon doing our 
 whole duty towards God and man, we will be prepared to 
 wield an influence for good in the family circle, in society, 
 and in all the walks of life. Deseret Weekly News, Vol. 
 24, p. 708. 
 
 THE LEADERS OF ISRAEL. These mighty men who sit 
 before this stand, clothed with power from Almighty God, 
 are not self-called. They have not been chosen by man. 
 They have not chosen themselves, but they have been called 
 by the power of the Almighty to stand in high places in the 
 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as presidents, 
 as fathers to the people, as counselors, as judges, and as 
 leaders, walking in the way that the people of God should 
 follow them into all truth and into the possession of greater 
 light, greater power and wisdom and understanding. God 
 bless you, my brethren. And while you stand united, as you 
 have stood in the past, and as you have manifested your 
 union here during this conference, so God will magnify you 
 before your flocks and in the midst of your people, and will 
 increase your power and your strength to do good and to 
 accomplish his purposes, until you shall be satisfied with 
 your labors and have exceeding great joy therein; and your 
 people will rise up and call you blessed, they will pray for 
 you and sustain you by their faith and good works. Oct. 
 C. R., 1905, p. 94. 
 
 15 
 
210 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 A TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH SMITH AND His SUCCESSORS. 
 I bear my testimony to you and to the world, that Joseph 
 Smith was raised up by the power of God to lay the founda- 
 tions of this great Latter-day work, to reveal the fulness of 
 the gospel to the world in this dispensation, to restore the 
 priesthood of God to the world, by which men may act in the 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
 and it will be accepted of God; it will be by his authority. 
 I bear my testimony to it ; I know that it is true. 
 
 I bear my testimony to the divine authority of those who 
 have succeeded the Prophet Joseph Smith in the presidency 
 of this Church. They were men of God. I knew them; I 
 was intimately associated with them and as one man may 
 know another, through the intimate knowledge that he pos- 
 sesses of him, so I can bear testimony to the integrity, to 
 the honor, to the purity of life, to the intelligence, and to 
 the divinity of the mission and calling of Brigham, of John, 
 of Wilford, and of Lorenzo. They were inspired of God to 
 fill the mission to which they were called, and I know it. I 
 thank God for that testimony and for the Spirit that 
 prompts me and impels me towards these men, toward their 
 mission, toward this people, toward my God and my Re- 
 deemer. I thank the Lord for it, and I pray earnestly that 
 it may never depart* from me worlds without end. Oct. 
 C. R., 1910, pp. 4, 5. 
 
 GOODNESS OF THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH. I have 
 served from my youth up along with such men as Brigham 
 Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, George A. 
 Smith, Jedediah M. Grant, Daniel H. Wells, John Taylor, 
 George Q. Cannon, and Wilford Woodruff and his associ- 
 ates, and Lorenzo Snow and his associates, the members 
 of the twelve apostlse, the seventies, and the high priests 
 in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for more 
 than sixty years ; and, that my word may be heard by every 
 stranger within the sound of my voice, I want to testify to 
 
PRIESTHOOD 211 
 
 you that better men than these have never lived, within the 
 range of my acquaintance. I can so testify because I was 
 familiar with these men, grew up from babyhood with them, 
 associated with them in council, in prayer and supplication, 
 and in travel from settlement to settlement through our 
 country here, and in crossing the plains. I have heard them 
 in private and in public, and I bear my testimony to you 
 that they were men of God, true men, pure men, God's noble 
 men. Virtuous men, who never were either tempted to do 
 evil or tempted others to do wrong, men whose examples and 
 whose lives were above reproach, except in what corrupt, 
 wicked or ignorant men supposed they saw and presumed 
 to denounce as wrong in them. Apr. C. R., 1917, p. 6. 
 
 DIVINE MISSIONS OF PRESIDENTS OF CHURCH. I testify 
 to you, as I know and feel that I live and move and have 
 my being, that the Lord raised up the boy prophet, Joseph 
 Smith, and endowed him with divine authority, and taught 
 him those things which were necessary for him to know that 
 he might have power to lay the foundation of God's Church 
 and kingdom in the earth. Joseph Smith was true to the 
 covenants that he made with the Lord, true to his mission, 
 and the Lord enabled him to accomplish his work, even to 
 the sealing of his testimony with his shed blood. His testi- 
 mony is now, and has been, in force among the children 
 of men as verily as the blood of Jesus Christ is in force 
 and a binding testimony upon all the world, and it has been 
 from the day it was shed until now, and will continue until 
 the winding up scene. 
 
 I bear my testimony to you, my brethren and sisters, of 
 the divinity of the mission and work that was accomplished 
 by President Brigham Young and his associates in fleeing 
 from the wrath that threatened in Illinois and Missouri and 
 other places, into these peaceful vales, which was done by the 
 will of heaven and by the guiding power of the Holy Spirit. 
 President Young and the pioneers were enabled to lay the 
 
212 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 foundation of a commonwealth, the equal of which is scarcely 
 to be found within the borders of our glorious land, and it 
 was done, not by the wisdom of Brother Brigham, nor of 
 Brother Heber C. Kimball, nor of any of their associates, 
 grand men as they were, true servants of the living God as 
 they were, faithful and true to their callings, grand as was 
 their integrity to the cause of Zion but back of them, be- 
 hind them, above them and below, and all around them, was 
 the power of God, leading and directing them, and thus con- 
 summating his purposes through their instrumentality. We 
 give the honor to our Father in heaven, and we also honor 
 and' bless the names of those great and good men whom the 
 Lord chose to accomplish his purposes, and through whom 
 he did accomplish his purpose without failure. 
 
 I bear my testimony to the integrity of John Taylor 
 as one of the purest men I ever knew in my life, a man clean 
 from head to foot, clean in body and clean in spirit, free from 
 every vulgar thing, so common among the children of men. 
 I know whereof I speak, for I was with him day and night, 
 month after month, and year after year, and I bear my tes- 
 timony of his integrity. He was a martyr with the Prophet 
 Joseph Smith. He suffered more than death with Joseph 
 and Hyrum, and the Lord preserved him and honored him 
 by calling him to take charge of his work for a season in the 
 earth, thus exalting him to that most glorious and most re- 
 sponsible position that any man could be calkd to occupy in 
 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 
 
 I bear my testimony to the faithfulness of Wilford 
 Woodruff, a man in whom there was no guile, a man honest 
 to the core, a man susceptible to the impressions of the Spirit 
 of the Lord', a man guided by inspiration in the performance 
 of his duty, far more than by any gift of wisdom or of judg- 
 ment that he himself possessed. 
 
 I bear my testimony to the work that was accomplished 
 by President Lorenzo Snow, although it was brief, yet some 
 
PRIESTHOOD 213 
 
 of the things which were left for him to do were absolutely 
 necessary in order to relieve his successor and others that 
 may arise in time to come, from mistakes and errors that 
 had crept in before. 
 
 As to the present administration of the gospel and of 
 the work of the Lord I have nothing to say. Let the work 
 speak for itself, let the people and the voice of the people 
 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say what 
 is being done by the Lord, let it not be said by me, nor by 
 my counselors and my associates. The Lord forbid that I 
 should ever imagine for one moment that we are of any 
 great importance in this great work of the Lord. Others 
 may be raised up, and the Lord can shape their minds. He 
 can qualify them and can humble them, if need be, to fit 
 them for the duties and responsibilities that may be required 
 at their hands. I believe that Zion is prospering, and that 
 so far as our spiritual life, our spiritual growth, and our 
 faith are concerned, as well as our temporal condition, we 
 are prosperous, and all is well in Zion today. Oct. C. R. } 
 1917. 
 
 THE PRESIDENTS OF THE CHURCH HAVE BEEN INSPIRED. 
 I knew President Brigham Young, and I bear my testimony 
 to the world that not only was Joseph Smith inspired of 
 God and raised up to lay the foundations of this great latter- 
 day work, but Brigham Young was raised up and sustained 
 by the power of Almighty God to continue the mission 
 of Joseph and to accomplish the work that he laid out dur- 
 ing his lifetime. I have been connected with President 
 John Taylor, and I testify that he also was a man of God. 
 He was indeed God's mouthpiece. He was a martyr with 
 the Prophet Joseph, for his blood was shed with Joseph's 
 and Hyrum's, but the Lord preserved his life, that he might 
 fulfil the mission unto which he was called, to preside over 
 the Church for a season. I was intimately acquainted with 
 President Wilford Woodruff, and I bear testimony to the 
 
214 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 mission of that gracious, good man. I have also been more 
 or less intimate with President Snow, and I bear testimony 
 that his work was of God. Oct. C. R. (Special), 1901, p. 96. 
 
 WHEN TO ORGANIZE THE FIRST PRESIDENCY. After the 
 death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Twelve Apostles 
 continued as the presiding quorum of the Church for a num- 
 ber of years ; but finally they were moved upon by the Holy 
 Spirit to reorganize the First Presidency of the Church, with 
 Brigham Young, as president, and Heber C. Kimball and 
 Willard Richards as his counselors. In reality this organiza- 
 tion might have been effected within twenty-four hours after 
 the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, but their action 
 was delayed, until they found by experience that the exercise 
 of the functions of Presidency and the government of the 
 Church by twelve men at the head, was not only cumbersome 
 but was not fully perfect in the order of the Holy Priesthood 
 as established by the Lord. On the death of President Brig- 
 ham Young, President John Taylor followed in some meas- 
 ure the example of his predecessor, and it was some time 
 before the Presidency of the Church was organized. The 
 Presidency was finally organized, however, with John Tay- 
 lor as President, and George Q. Cannon and myself as coun- 
 selors. 
 
 At the death of President Taylor, President Woodruff 
 hesitated, and he allowed a little time to pass before the 
 Presidency was again organized. When at last he became 
 convinced that it was his duty, and necessary in order to 
 carry out the purposes of the Lord, he organized the Pres- 
 idency of the Church. At that time he gave a solemn injunc- 
 tion to his fellow servants in relation to this. He desired it 
 understood that in all future times, when the President of 
 the Church should die, and thereby the First Presidency 
 become disorganized, it would be the duty of the proper 
 authorities of the Church to proceed at once, without any 
 unnecessary delay, to reorganize the First Presidency. 
 
PRIESTHOOD 215 
 
 As soon as the news reached us of the death of Pres- 
 ident Woodruff, who was in California at the time, Presi- 
 dent Lorenzo Snow said to me, "it will be our duty to pro- 
 ceed as soon as possible to reorganize the Presidency of the 
 Church." As you are aware, after the burial of the re- 
 mains of President Woodruff, he proceeded at once to do 
 this. In this connection I may tell you another thing. Pres- 
 ident Snow said to me, "you will live to be the President of 
 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and when 
 that time comes you should proceed at once and' reorganize 
 the Presidency of the Church." This was his counsel to me, 
 and the same was given to the Twelve Apostles. In accord- 
 ance with the principle and with the injunction of President 
 Snow, within one week after his dea*th the apostles pro- 
 ceeded to designate .the new Presidency of the Church and 
 we did it strictly in accordance with the pattern that the 
 Lord has established in his Church, unanimously. 
 
 I desire to read a little from the revelation in relation 
 to the order of the Holy Priesthood, that you may under- 
 stand our views concerning adhering as nearly as we can 
 to the holy order of government that has been established 
 by revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Dis- 
 pensation of the Fulness of Times. We cannot deny the 
 fact that the Lord has effected one of the most perfect or- 
 ganizations, in this Church, that ever existed upon the earth. 
 I do not know of any more perfect organization than exists 
 in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. 
 We have not always carried out strictly the order of the 
 Priesthood ; we have varied from it to some extent ; but we 
 hope in due time that, by the promptings of the Holy Spirit, 
 we will be led up into the exact channel and course that the 
 Lord has marked out for us to pursue, and adhere strictly 
 to the order that he has established. I will read from a rev- 
 elation that was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, at 
 Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois, January 19, 1841, which 
 
216 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 stands as the law of the Church in relation to the presenta- 
 tions of the authorities of the Holy Priesthood as they were 
 established in the Church, and from which I feel that we 
 have no right to depart. Oct. C. R. (Special), 1901, pp. 
 70, 71. Doc. and Cov. 124:123-145. 
 
 FIRST PRESIDENCY NOT NECESSARILY APOSTLES. We 
 have the council of 'the first presidency consisting of three 
 presiding high priests who are called of God and appointed 
 to preside over the Church and over the priesthood of God, 
 and I want to say here that it does not follow and never has 
 followed that the members of the first presidency of the 
 Church are necessarily to be ordained apostles. They hold 
 by virtue of their rights as presidents of the Church all the 
 keys and all the authority that pertains to the Melchizedek 
 priesthood, which comprehends and comprises all of the ap- 
 pendages to that priesthood, the lesser priesthood, and all 
 the offices in the priesthood from first to last and from the 
 least to the greatest. Apr. C. R., 1912, 
 
 THE PRIESTHOOD AND ITS OFFICES. In the Era for 
 February, it was stated that several persons who had acted 
 as counselors in the First Presidency had never been or- 
 dained apostles. Several correspondents have objected to 
 the statement that Sidney Rigdon, Jedediah M. Grant, Dan- 
 iel H. Wells, John R. Winder, and others were not ordained 
 apostles. We still maintain, upon lack of convincing evi- 
 dence to the contrary, that none of these brethren was ever 
 ordained an apostle. We do know positively that John R. 
 Winder, Sidney Rigdon, Wm. Law and Hyrum Smith, all 
 of whom were members in the First Presidency of the 
 Church, were never ordained apostles. But, be that as it 
 may, however, the main point we wish to make is this, that 
 it was not necessary that they should so be ordained apostles 
 in order to hold the position of counselor in the First Pres- 
 idency. The leading fact to be remembered is that the 
 Priesthood is greater than any of its offices; and that any 
 
PRIESTHOOD 217 
 
 man holding the Melchizedek Priesthood may, by virtue of 
 its possession, perform any ordinance pertaining thereto, 
 or connected therewith, when called upon to d'o so by one 
 holding the proper authority, which proper authority is 
 vested in the President of the Church, or in any whom he 
 may designate. Every officer in the Church is under his 
 direction, and he is directed of God. He is also selected of 
 the Lord to be the head of the Church, and' so becomes, when 
 the Priesthood of the Church, (which includes its officers 
 and its members) shall have so accepted and upheld him. 
 (Doctrine and Covenants, section 107:22). No man can 
 justly presume to have authority to preside, merely by virtue 
 of his priesthood, as is the case with Joseph Smith of the re- 
 organized church, for in addition, he must be chosen and 
 accepted by the Church. The reverse was the case with him. 
 Such action was repudiated by the Twelve, the quorum in 
 authority after the martyrdom, and by the whole Church. 
 An office in the priesthood is a calling, like apostle, high 
 priest, seventy, elder, and derives all its authority from 
 that priesthood; these officers hold different callings, but 
 the same priesthood. 
 
 The apostolic office, in its very nature, is a proselyting 
 office. When an apostle presides, he, like the high priest, the 
 seventy, the elder, or the bishop, presides because of the 
 high priesthood which has been conferred upon him; and 
 furthermore, because he has been called upon so to do by 
 the acknowledged head of the Church. (Doctrine and Cov- 
 enants, section 107:23-33). And so with the high priest 
 who has been called to officiate in the First Presidency, in 
 which case he is "accounted equal" with the President of 
 the Church in holding the keys of the Presidency (section 
 90:6) as long as the President remains. When he dies, the 
 calling of his counselors ends, and the responsibility of 
 Presidency falls upon the quorum of Twelve Apostles, be- 
 cause they hold the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood and are 
 
218 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the next quorum in authority. (Doctrine and Covenants, 
 section 107:24). It is not the apostleship (Doctrine and 
 Covenants, section 107), but the priesthood and the calling 
 by proper authority which enables any person to preside. 
 Every man holding the Holy Melchized'ek Priesthood may 
 act in any capacity and do all things that such priesthood 
 holds, provided he is called upon by proper authority to so 
 officiate ; but he would have no right to depart from the lim- 
 itations of his office, unless he is specially called upon by 
 one whose calling, from those over him up to the head, 
 would clearly authorize him to give such instructions. It 
 is always to be presumed, also, that order will be observed, 
 and that the servants of the Lord will not depart from that 
 order, and call upon men to do things which the law of 
 the priesthood and the nature of their office do not author- 
 ize, unless there is special occasion for it. The Lord says 
 that all things are governed by law. (See Doctrine and 
 Covenants, section 88:42). It is not consistent, for instance, 
 to imagine that the Lord would call upon a deacon to 
 baptize. 
 
 Witness the calling, on February 14, 1835, of David 
 Whitmer and Martin Harris, both high priests, by the 
 Prophet Joseph, in conformity with prior revelation from 
 God (see Doctrine and Covenants, section 18) to "search 
 out the Twelve." They chose the Twelve, ordained, and set 
 them apart for their exalted callings, because they were 
 called upon by the prophet of God who had been instructed 
 of the Lord, and also because these men held the necessary 
 authority of the priesthood, which authority was exercised, 
 in this case as it should be in all cases, upon proper calling. 
 The Doctrine and Covenants makes it very clear that while 
 each officer in the Church has a right to officiate in his own 
 standing, "the Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of 
 presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices 
 in the Church in all ages of the world, to administer in spir- 
 
PRIESTHOOD 219 
 
 itual things." (Doctrine and Covenants, section 107:8.) 
 
 Further, in the same revelation, verses 65 and 66, we 
 are told: 
 
 "Wherefore it must needs be that one be appointed of 
 the high priesthood to preside over the priesthood, and he 
 shall be called president of the high priesthood of the 
 Church ; 
 
 "Or, in other words, the presiding high priest over the 
 high priesthood of the Church." 
 
 It is well to remember that the term "high priesthood," 
 as frequently used, has reference to the Melchizedek Priest- 
 hood, in contradistinction to the "lesser," or Aaronic, Priest- 
 hood. Improvement Era, Vol. 5, p. 549 , May, 1902. 
 
 AUTHORITY OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH. I have 
 the right to bless. I hold the keys of the Melchizedek 
 Priesthood and of the office and power of patriarch. It is 
 my right to bless ; for all the keys and authority and power 
 pertaining to the government of the Church and to the Mel- 
 chizedek and Aaronic Priesthood are centered in the pre- 
 siding officer of the Church. There is no business, nor 
 office, within the Church that the President of the Church 
 may not fill, and may not do, if it is necessary, or if it is 
 required of him to do it. He holds the office of patriarch; 
 he holds the office of high priest and of apostle, of seventy, 
 of elder, of bishop, and of priest, teacher and deacon in the 
 Church ; all these belong to the Presidency of the Church of 
 Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and they can officiate in 
 any and in all of these callings when occasion requires. 
 Oct. C. R., 1915, p. 7. 
 
 RELATION OF MEMBERS OF FIRST PRESIDENCY. I desire 
 to make another remark or two before we close our con- 
 ference. I will call your attention to the fact that the Lord 
 in the beginning of this work revealed that there should be 
 three high priests to preside over the high priesthood of 
 his Church and over the whole Church (Doc. and Cov. 
 
220 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 107 :22, 64, 65, 66, 67, 91 and 92) . He conferred upon them 
 all the authority necessary to preside over all the affairs of 
 the Church. They hold the keys of the house of God, and 
 of the ordinances of the gospel, and of every blessing which 
 has been restored to the earth in this dispensation. This 
 authority is vested in a presidency of three high priests. 
 They are three presidents. The Lord himself so calls them 
 (Doc. and Cov., sec. 107:29). But there is one presiding 
 president, and his counselors are presidents also. I propose 
 that my counselors and fellow presidents in the First Pres- 
 idency shall share with me in the responsibility of every act 
 which I shall perform in this capacity. I do not propose to 
 take the reins in my own hands to do as I please; but I 
 propose to do as my brethren and I agree upon, and as the 
 Spirit of the Lord manifests to us. I have always held, 
 and do hold, and trust I alw T ays shall hold, that it is wrong 
 for one man to exercise all the authority and power of pres- 
 idency in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 
 I dare not assume such a responsibility, and I will not, so 
 long as I can have men like these (pointing to Presidents 
 Winder and Lund) to stand by and counsel with me in the 
 labors we have to perform, and in doing all those things that 
 shall tend to the peace, advancement and happiness of the 
 people of God and the building up of Zion. If at any time 
 my brethren of the apostleship shall see in me a disposition 
 to depart from this principle, or a forgetfulness on my part 
 of this covenant that I make today before this body of priest- 
 hood, I ask them in the name of my Father, that they will 
 come to me, as my brethren, as counselors in the priesthood, 
 as watchmen on the towers of Zion, and remind me of this 
 covenant and promise which I make to the body of the 
 Church in general conference assembled at this time. The 
 Lord never did intend that one man should have all power, 
 and for that reason he has placed in his Church, presidents, 
 apostles, high priests, seventies, elders and the various offi- 
 
PRIESTHOOD 221 
 
 cers of the lesser Priesthood, all of which are essential in 
 their order and place according to the authority bestowed on 
 them. The Lord never did anything that was not essential 
 or that was superfluous. There is a use for every branch of 
 the priesthood that he has established in his Church. We 
 want every man to learn his duty, and we expect every man 
 will do his duty as faithfully as he knows how, and carry 
 off his portion of the responsibility of building up Zion in 
 the latter days. 
 
 I felt like I wanted to say that much to these my breth- 
 ren who bear the holy priesthood men who wield influence 
 for the salvation of souls, who set good examples before the 
 people among whom they dwell, who teach them the right 
 way, admonish them from sin, lead them in the path of duty, 
 and enable them to stand firm and steadfast in the faith of 
 the gospel, wherewith they have been made free from sin 
 and from the grasp of Satan. God bless all Israel, is my 
 prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Oct. C. R. (Special), 
 1901, p. 82. 
 
 DUTIES OF APOSTLES. The duty of the twelve apostles 
 of the Church is to preach the gospel to the world, to send 
 it to the inhabitants of the earth and to bear testimony of 
 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as living witnesses of his 
 divine mission. That is their special calling and they are 
 always under the direction of the presidency of the Church 
 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when that presidency is 
 intact, and there is never at the same time two equal heads 
 in the Church never. The Lord never ordained any such 
 thing, nor designed it. There is always a head in the Chvr 
 and if the presidency of the Church are removed by death or 
 other cause, then the next head of the Church is the twelve 
 apostles, until a presidency is again organized of three pre- 
 siding high priests who have the right to hold the office of 
 First Presidency over the Church ; and, according to the doc- 
 trine laid down by President Wilford Woodruff, who saw 
 
222 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the necessity for it, and that of President Lorenzo Snow, if 
 the president should die, his counselors are then released 
 from that presidency, and it is the duty of the twelve apos- 
 tles to proceed at once, in the manner that has been pointed 
 out, to see that the First Presidency is reorganized, so that 
 there may be no deficiency in the working and order of the 
 priesthood in the Church. Apr. C. R., 1913, pp. 4, 5. 
 
 TESTIMONY OF THE APOSTLES. For instance these 
 twelve disciples of Christ are supposed' to be eye and ear 
 witnesses of the divine mission of Jesus Christ. It is not 
 permissible for them to say, I believe, simply ; I have ac- 
 cepted it simply because I believe it. Read the revelation, 
 the Lord informs us they must we>w, they must get the 
 knowledge for themselves, it must be with them as though 
 they had seen with their eyes and heard with their ears and 
 they know the truth. That is their mission, to testify of 
 Jesus Christ and him crucified and risen from the dead and 
 clothed now with almighty -power at the right hand of God, 
 the Savior of the world. That is their mission, and their 
 duty, and that is the doctrine and the truth that it is their 
 duty to preach to the world and see that it is preached to 
 the world. Where they can not go themselves they are to 
 have the help of others called to their assistance, the sev- 
 enties first, also the elders and the high priests. Those who 
 hold the Melchizedek priesthood who are not otherwise ap- 
 pointed are under their direction to preach the gospel to the 
 world and to declare the truth that Jesus is the Christ and 
 that Joseph is a prophet of God, and was authorized and 
 qualified to lay the foundation of the kingdom of God. And 
 when I say kingdom of God I mean what I say. Christ is the 
 King not man. No man is king of the kingdom of God; 
 God is the King of it, and we acknowledge him and him only 
 as Sovereign of his Kingdom. Apr. C. R. } 1916, p. 6. (Doc. 
 and Cov. 18:26.) 
 
 THE PRESIDING BISHOPRIC. Before we get through 
 with the conference, we expect to hear some reports from 
 
PRIESTHOOD 223 
 
 the Presiding Bishopric, who are the temporal custodians 
 of the means of the Church, and whose duty it is to account 
 for the receipt and disbursement of these funds; and you 
 will be surprised, perhaps, to learn how generally and uni- 
 versally, in the Church, the means gathered from the tithes 
 of the people are disposed of for the benefit of all the peo- 
 pleand not for a tew. Apr. C. R. f 1912, p. 6. 
 
 WHEN TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS TO THE GENERAL AU- 
 THORITIES. If you have a question to ask, or some problem 
 that you are not sure you are able to solve, I would suggest 
 to you that you figure it out yourselves and reach the very 
 best conclusion that you can of the matter ; and then, if you 
 are still not quite satisfied with it, and you cannot get suf- 
 ficient of the Spirit of the Lord to reveal to you the absolute 
 truth, as to whether you are right or wrong, just submit to 
 us your conclusion, and we think we can answer that a good 
 deal easier and quicker than we can solve your questions in 
 the way they are generally put to us. Apr. C. R., 1910, p. 45. 
 
 No NEED TO POINT OUT DEFECTS OF CHURCH LEAD- 
 ERS. I do not think it is my right or prerogative to point 
 out the supposed defects of the Prophet Joseph Smith, or 
 Brigham Young, or any other of the leaders of the Church. 
 Let the Lord God Almighty judge them and speak for or 
 against them as it may seem to him good but not me ; it 
 is not for me, my brethren, to do this. Our enemies may 
 have taken advantage of us, in times gone by, because of 
 unwise things that may have been said. Some of us may 
 now give to the world the same opportunity to speak evil 
 against us, because of that which we say, which should not 
 be spoken at all Oct. C. R. f 1909, pp. 124, 125. 
 
 HELP THE GENERAL AUTHORITIES. The general author- 
 ities of the Church will be presented possibly tomorrow, 
 and if not then, the next day. We desire the brethren and 
 sisters who come to the conference to come with their hearts 
 full of the spirit of wisdom and of truth, and if you discern 
 
224 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 in us any lack of wisdom or of judgment, any failure in 
 the performance of our duty, we desire that those who have 
 superior experience and knowledge, and greater intelligence, 
 will do us the honor and favor of coming to us individually 
 and letting us know wherein we come short. We will give 
 a thousand errors, if we can find them, or if they exist in 
 us any moment, for one truth. Apr. C. R., 1908, p. 8. 
 
 TEMPORAL SUPPORT OF GENERAL AUTHORITIES. There 
 is not one of the general authorities in the Church who draws 
 one dollar from the tithes of the people for his own use. 
 Well, you may say, how do they live? I will give you the 
 key : The Church helped to support in its infancy the sugar 
 industry in this country, .and it has some means invested in 
 that enterprise. The Church helped to establish Z. C. M. I., 
 and it has a little interest in that, and in some other institu- 
 tions which pay dividends. In other words, tithing funds 
 were invested in these institutions, which give employment 
 to many, for which the Trustee-in-Trust holds stock certifi- 
 cates, which are worth more today than what was given for 
 them; and the dividends from these investments more than 
 pay for the support of the general authorities of the Church. 
 So we do not use one dollar of your tithing. Apr. C. R., 
 1907, pp. 7, 8. 
 
 A BLESSING UPON STAKE PRESIDENCIES AND OTHER 
 OFFICERS. May God bless the presidents of the stakes of 
 Zion and their counselors, and all the officers in the Church 
 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. May he help them to 
 be pure, holy, honest, upright men, after God's own heart, 
 free from the sins of the world, broad-minded, full of the 
 love of truth, charity, the spirit of forgiveness, mercy and 
 kindness, that they may be as fathers indeed in the midst 
 of the people, and not tyrants. You, my brethren, are not 
 called to be masters ; you are called to be servants. Let him 
 that would be great among you be the servant of all. Let 
 us follow in the footsteps of our Master, the Lord Jesus 
 
PRIESTHOOD 225 
 
 Christ. He alone is the perfect example for mankind. He 
 is the only infallible rule and law, way and door into ever- 
 lasting life. Let us follow the Son of God. Make him our 
 exemplar, and our guide. Imitate him. Do his works. 
 Become like unto him, as far as it lies within our power to 
 become like him that was perfect and without sin. Apr. 
 C. R., 1907, p. 118. (Doc. and Cov. 18:21-25.) 
 
 COUNSEL TO STAKE PRESIDENTS AND BISHOPS. Above 
 all things let me say to the presidents of stakes and counsel- 
 ors and presidents of missions, and to the bishops and their 
 counselors let me say to you all, live exemplary lives, so 
 that you can each say to the people : "Come and follow me, 
 follow my example, obey my precepts ; be in union with me, 
 and follow me as I am appointed to lead, advise and counsel, 
 as I follow Christ." Oct. C. R., 1906, p. 8. 
 
 DUTIES OF STAKE PRESIDENTS. I want to say to these 
 presidents of stakes who are present : you have my confi- 
 dence, you have my love. I pray for you every day of my 
 life, and I trust that you remember me and my brethren in 
 your prayers. We understand the responsibilities that rest 
 upon you in the discharge of your duties. You are fathers 
 to the people ; that great responsibility rests upon you ; your 
 labors are manifold and sometimes very difficult. We realize 
 the burdens that you have to bear, the patience that you have 
 to exercise and exhibit in the discharge of your duty, in 
 order that you may avoid giving offense, and that you may 
 reconcile the people, over whom you preside, to that which is 
 right without using drastic measures. We understand this, 
 and you have our sympathy, our fellowship, our love, and 
 what strength you may derive from our faith and prayers 
 that you may preside in righteousness over your different 
 stakes of Zion, and that your brethren associated with you 
 may be united with you, and that you may pull together in 
 that which is right and proper for the upbuilding of Zion 
 
 16 
 
226 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and the defense of the people of God. Oct. C. R., 1905, 
 p. 8. 
 
 DUTY OF HIGH COUNCILS. The duty of the high coun- 
 cils of the Church, when they are called to act upon ques- 
 tions involving the membership or standing of members of 
 the Church, is to find out the truth, the facts, and then judge 
 according to the truth and the fa^cts that are brought to their 
 understanding, always tempered with mercy, love, and kind- 
 ness, and with the spirit in their souls to save and not to de- 
 stroy ; our aim should be to build up, and not to tear down. 
 Our calling is to convey the spirit of love, truth, peace and 
 good will to mankind throughout the world; that war may 
 cease ; that strife may come to an end, and that peace may 
 prevail. Apr. C. R., 1915, p. 5. 
 
 DUTIES OF PATRIARCHS. We have a number of patri- 
 archs in the Church whose duty it is to bestow blessings up- 
 on the head's of those who seek blessings at their hands. 
 They are fathers. They hold the evangelical office in the 
 Church. It is their business and right to bestow blessings 
 upon the people, to make promises unto them in the name 
 of the Lord, as it may be given them by the inspiration of 
 the Holy Spirit, to comfort them in the hours of sorrow and 
 trouble, to strengthen their faith by the promises that shall 
 be made to them through the Spirit of God, and to be fath- 
 ers indeed of the people, leading them into all truth. Oct, 
 C. R., 1904, p. 4. 
 
 DUTIES OF HIGH PRIESTS. In addition to these organ- 
 izations we have in each stake of Zion an organization called 
 the high priests quorum, to which all high priests of the 
 Church belong, including the presidency and the high coun- 
 cilors of the stake, and also the bishops and their counsel- 
 ors, all the patriarchs, and all others who have been ordained 
 to the office of high priest in the Church, which office is the 
 office of presidency in the Melchizedek Priesthood, not that 
 every man who holds the office of high priest is a president. 
 
PRIESTHOOD 227 
 
 Only he who is called, appointed and set apart to preside 
 among the high priests holds the presiding authority and 
 office. Oct. C. R., 1904, p. 3. 
 
 DUTIES OF HIGH PRIESTS' QUORUMS. The high priests' 
 quorums should have their regular meetings. They should 
 meet together as often as circumstances will permit or as 
 necessity requires, and grow and unite together. They 
 should establish their schools of instruction and enlighten- 
 ment ; for it is the duty of the high priests' quorum to teach 
 the principles of government, of union, of advancement and 
 of growth in the kingdom of God. They are indeed the fath- 
 ers of the people at large. In our high priests' quorums are 
 numbered the presidents of stakes and their counselors, bish- 
 ops and counselors, patriarchs, and all that have been or- 
 dained to the office of high priest in the Melchizedek Priest- 
 hood. All such belong to the high priests' quorum. They 
 come under its supervision, and they should have a lively 
 union with it, not a dead connection. They should be united 
 with the quorum in such a way that they give it all the force 
 that they can impart for good. They should give it their 
 individual influence, their hearty support, their confidence, 
 and the benefit of their advice and counsel. They should 
 -not pull apart, not be disinterested in these matters. Apr. 
 C. R., 1907, p. 5. 
 
 DUTY OF HIGH PRIESTS. Every man who holds the 
 office of high priest in the Church or has been ordained a 
 high priest, whether he is called to active position in the 
 Church or not inasmuch as he has been ordained a high 
 priest, should feel that he is obliged that it is his bounden 
 duty, to set an example before the old and young worthy of 
 emulation, and to place himself in a position to be a teacher 
 of righteousness, not only by precept but more particularly 
 by example giving to the younger ones the benefit of the ex- 
 perience of age, and thus becoming individually a power in 
 the midst of the community in which he dwells. Every 
 
228 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 man who has light should let that light shine that those 
 who see it may glorify their Father which is in heaven, and 
 honor him who possesses the light and who causes it to shine 
 forth for the benefit of others. In a local capacity, there is 
 no body of priesthood in the Church who should excel, or 
 who are expected to excel, those who are called to bear the 
 office of high priest in the Church. From among those who 
 hold this office are chosen the presidents of stakes and their 
 counselors, and the high councils of the stakes of Zion, and 
 from this office are chosen the bishops, and the bishops' 
 counselors, in every ward in Zion ; and heretofore, of this 
 office are those who have been called to take charge of our 
 stake Mutual Improvement organizations. Those holding 
 this office are, as a rule, men of advanced years, and varied 
 experience, men who have filled missions abroad, who have 
 preached the gospel to the nations of the earth, and who 
 have had experience not only abroad but at home. Their 
 experience and wisdom is the ripened fruit of years of labor 
 in the Church, and they should exercise that wisdom for 
 the benefit of all with whom they are associated. Apr. C. R., 
 1908, pp. 5, 6. 
 
 PURPOSE AND DUTIES OF SEVENTIES. The seventies 
 are called to be assistants to the twelve apostles ; indeed 
 they are apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, subject to the 
 direction of the twelve, and it is their duty to respond to 
 the call of the twelve, under the direction of the First 
 Presidency of the Church, to preach the gospel to every 
 creature, to every tongue and people under the heavens to 
 whom they may be sent. Hence they should understand the 
 gospel, and they should not be wholly dependent upon our 
 auxiliary organizations for instruction, neither should they 
 be wholly dependent upon the missionary classes in our 
 Church schools for their knowledge of the gospel, and for 
 their qualifications to preach that gospel to the world. They 
 should take up the study of the gospel, the study of the 
 
PRIESTHOOD 229 
 
 scriptures and the history of the dealings of God with the 
 peoples of the earth, in their own quorums, and make those 
 quorums, schools of learning and instruction, wherein they 
 may qualify themselves for every labor and duty that may be 
 required at their hands. Apr. C. R., 1907, pp. 5, 6. 
 
 DUTY OF SEVENTIES. The seventies have no responsi- 
 bility of presiding. It is not the calling or duty of their 
 office to preside. They are traveling elders, and they are to 
 preach the gospel to the world, under the direction of the 
 twelve apostles, who constitute the traveling high council 
 of the Church, and who are special witnesses of Jesus Christ 
 to all the world. Oct. C. R., 1901, p. 72. 
 
 DUTIES OF SEVENTIES. We have also in the Church 
 today, I am informed, 146 quorums of seventy. These 
 constitute a body of elders of somewhere in the neighbor- 
 hood of 10,000 men, whose special duty it is to respond to 
 the call of the apostles to preach the gospel, without purse 
 or scrip, to all the nations of the earth. They are minute 
 men. It is expected that they will be ready, whenever they 
 are called, to go out in the world, or to go out to the vari- 
 ous organizations of the Church to fulfil missions and to 
 perform such duties as shall be required of them, in order 
 that the work of the Lord and the work of the ministry may 
 be upheld and sustained and carried on in the Church and 
 throughout the world. Oct. C. R., 1904, p. 3. 
 
 SEVENTIES' QUORUMS TO BE REPLENISHED FROM ELDERS' 
 QUORUMS. Gather in from the elders' quorums those who 
 have proved themselves worthy, and who have gained experi- 
 ence, and make seventies of them, so that the quorum of the 
 seventies may be replenished ; and the aged ones, whose phys- 
 ical condition will not permit them any longer to do mission- 
 ary duty in the world, let them be ordained high priests and 
 patriarchs, to bless the people and to minister at home. Gather 
 in the strong, the vigorous, the young, the able-bodied, who 
 have the spirit of the gospel in their hearts, to fill up the 
 
230 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ranks of the seventies, that we may have ministers to preach 
 the gospel to the world. They are needed. We cannot now 
 meet the demand. Oct. C. R., 1905, p. 96. 
 
 ELDERS TO PROCLAIM GOSPEL. I believe that the elders 
 of Israel, and the officers of the Church, should devote them- 
 selves to the proclamation of the gospel of life everlasting, 
 and that they should not dwell or seek to dwell upon trivial 
 and nonsensical things, or upon personal conduct or extra- 
 neous affairs. I think they should be dignified and sincere 
 in their spirit and utterances. I think they should be moved 
 by the spirit of truth and of the inspiration of the gospel, 
 and consider that it is their mission to bear record of Jesus 
 Christ, of Joseph Smith, and of the divinity of the great 
 latter-day work, the foundations of which Joseph Smith was 
 instrumental in the hands of God in establishing in the latter 
 days. I believe if our brethren will devote their thought, 
 their minds and efforts in this direction, that they will please 
 the Lord, they will satisfy the Saints, and they will fulfil the 
 object of their mission better than they can possibly do by 
 criticizing themselves or others, or dwelling on the faults 
 and failings of men. Oct. C. R., 1909, p. 124. 
 
 DUTIES OF ELDERS. I am not prepared to state how 
 many elders we have in the Church ; but they are very nu- 
 merous. It is the duty of this body of men to be standing 
 ministers at home ; to be ready at the call of the presiding 
 officers of the Church and the stakes, to labor in the ministry 
 at home, and to officiate in any calling that may be required 
 of them, whether it be to work in the temples, or to labor in 
 the ministry at home, or whether it be to go out into the 
 world, along with the seventies, to preach the gospel to the 
 world. Oct. C. R., 1904, p. 4. 
 
 AUTHORITY OF THE BISHOPS AND OTHER PRESIDING 
 OFFICERS. A bishop is the presiding officer of his ward, 
 and where the bishop is in the ward, his counselors and 
 those who are members of his ward are subject to his pres- 
 
PRIESTHOOD 231 
 
 idency. He cannot yield it up. He cannot give it to an- 
 other ; or, if he does, he violates one of the sacred principles 
 of the government of the priesthood. He may direct his 
 counselors, the first or the second, to do his will, to carry 
 out his wishes, to execute his desires, or his commands ; but 
 in so doing the counselor does not act as the bishop, but he 
 acts under the direction of the presiding authority. He does 
 not act independently of the bishop, but subordinate to the 
 bishop, and is subject entirely to the bishop's direction. This 
 principle prevails, or should prevail, in the Sunday school 
 organization of the Church. We can commission and ap- 
 point ; that is, those who preside can call upon their aids for 
 assistance, they can direct them to accomplish labors, but in 
 every instance when they do, it is by and with and under 
 the consent of the presiding authority, and by his advice, 
 but not independently. Our missions have not always been 
 organized strictly according to the pattern that the Lord 
 has given. In a great many instances the presiding elder 
 has been the sole presiding officer of the mission. 
 
 But in recent years, in many instances, it has been 
 deemed wise, not only to have a presiding elder in the mis- 
 sion, but also assistants to the president, or counselors, that 
 they may render him such assistance and counsel as he may 
 need. In all these things the presiding officer is the head, 
 should be regarded in his place, and his place should be held 
 sacred in the minds of his associates. And no man pos- 
 sessing a correct understanding of the spirit of the gospel 
 and of the authority and law of the holy priesthood will at- 
 tempt for a moment to run before his file leader or to do 
 anything that is not strictly in harmony with his wish and 
 the authority that belongs to him. The moment a man 
 in a subordinate position begins to usurp the authority of his 
 file leader, that moment he is out of his place, and proves by 
 his conduct that he does not comprehend his duty, that he is 
 not acting in the line of his calling, and is a dangerous char- 
 
232 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 acter. He will set bad examples, he will mislead, he will lead 
 others into error having fallen into error himself ; indeed, he 
 is in error the moment he acts contrary to and independent 
 of the direction of his presiding officer; and if he continues 
 in that course he will go astray entirely, and those who fol- 
 low him will follow him astray. We all understand that 
 principle, I think, and I would like to see my brethren and 
 sisters who are connected with the Sunday school work ob- 
 serve it strictly, but in the true spirit ; not with any kind of 
 stiff formality or set ways, but in the true spirit of presi- 
 dency, lovingly subject to divine authority, the authority 
 that God has instituted that we may emulate, the example 
 of the Son himself, who came to earth, and while he pos- 
 sessed majestic power to heal the sick, to restore sight to 
 the blind, hearing to the deaf, and bring the dead to life, and 
 to accomplish wonderful things, walking upon the waves, 
 stilling the storms, casting out devils, and' multiplying the 
 loaves and fishes, by which he fed the multitudes of people, 
 yet in accomplishing all this he declared, over and over again, 
 this great principle, that he came not to do his own will, but 
 the will of him that sent him, recognizing in every feature of 
 his message and ministry in the world that God was at the 
 head, and that he did nothing of himself, but only that 
 which the Father sent him to do. Thus he was acting un- 
 der the authority of his president or file leader of him who 
 sent him and commissioned him to accomplish the work he 
 was sent to do. Let us follow that spirit and example, and 
 adopt that principle in our lives, then we shall never have 
 presiding elders and officers in the Church at logger-heads 
 with each other, contending with each other, and at cross 
 purposes. They will always be one. They will see eye to 
 eye, they will understand better the principles of divine 
 government, the principles of the gospel and the promptings 
 of the Holy Spirit. Oct. C. R., 1905 (Sunday School), pp. 
 109, 110. 
 
PRIESTHOOD 233 
 
 DUTIES OF l)i SHOPS. It is expected that the bishop of 
 a ward with his counselors will understand the necessities 
 of every member of his ward. Then they have as assistants 
 and helpers a large corps of elders, and priests, teachers and 
 deacons of the lesser Priesthood, who render assistance to 
 them in the temporal as well as the spiritual affairs of the 
 Church. It devolves upon the bishopric of the ward to look 
 after the poor, to minister unto the sick and the afflicted and 
 to see that there is no want nor suffering among the people 
 in these organized divisions of the Church. It is also the 
 duty of these presiding officers in the Church to look after 
 the spiritual welfare of the people, to see that they are living 
 moral, pure and upright lives, that they are faithful in the 
 discharge of their duties as Latter-day Saints, that they are 
 honest in their dealings with one another, and with all the 
 world. It is their business to see that spiritual light exists 
 in their hearts, and that the people under their presidency 
 and direction are living the lives of Saints, as far as it is 
 possible for men and women, in the mortal body, beset by 
 the weaknesses and imperfections of mankind, to be Saints. 
 -Oct. C. R., 1904, pp. 2, 3. 
 
 BISHOPS AND LESSER PRIESTHOOD SHOULD BE ACTIVE. 
 The bishops and the lesser priesthood should be very active 
 and energetic. We should look after the boys who have 
 been ordained deacons, teachers, and priests in the Church. 
 We should find something for them to do in their calling. 
 Let them be appointed to active labors in their several 
 spheres. Put forward those who have not had experience to 
 accompany those who have, and give them something to do. 
 Let the deacons not only assist to keep the meeting houses in 
 repair and their grounds in proper condition, but let them 
 be set to work to look after the welfare of the widows and 
 fatherless, the aged and the poor. Many of our young men 
 who are idle, languishing for the want of something to do, 
 could be made most useful in helping the poor to clean 
 
234 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 up about their homes and make them comfortable, and help- 
 ing them to live in such a way that life would be pleasant 
 to them. There is no reason why the members of the lesser 
 priesthood' should not be engaged in missions and labors of 
 this kind. Apr. C. R., 1908, p. 6. 
 
 DUTIES OF THE LESSER PRIESTHOOD. Then we have 
 the lesser priesthood, who attends to the different tem- 
 poral matters of the Church, consisting of priests, teachers 
 and deacons, who labor under the direction of the bishopric 
 in the various wards in which they dwell, for the work of 
 the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, the 
 unifying of the people and bringing them up to the standard 
 of righteousness that they should reach in the flesh, ac- 
 cording to the light they possess and the ability and talent 
 which the Lord has given them. Oct. C. R., 1904, p. 4. 
 
 LESSER PRIESTHOOD. The bishops should take especial 
 charge of the lesser priesthood, and train them in the duties 
 of their callings the priests, teachers and deacons. Our 
 young men should be looked after. The boys, as soon as it 
 is prudent, should be called to take part in the lesser priest- 
 hood. If it were possible to grade them, from the deacon 
 to the priest, and from the priest upward, through all the 
 offices that will eventually devolve upon them, it would be 
 one of the best things that could be done. All these things 
 should be looked after by the presiding authorities of the 
 Church, especially those who preside over the quorums. I 
 will repeat what I said before, it is expected that every man 
 on whom responsibility is placed will do his duty faithfully, 
 and be diligent in the performance thereof. Apr. C. R. } 
 1907, p. 6. 
 
 THE WORK OF THE BISHOPRIC. The work of the bish- 
 opric is both temporal and spiritual. The average bishop 
 gives all his time and efforts for the betterment of the people 
 over whom he presides. The bishop should not try to do 
 all the work that is necessary to be done in his ward. His 
 
PRIESTHOOD 235 
 
 counselors are there to help him, and a due portion of the 
 responsibility of the bishop of the ward should be placed 
 upon his counselors. Neither is it wise that the bishopric 
 of the ward should feel they are compelled to do all that is 
 necessary to be done in their wards. They should exercise 
 their right to call upon the priesthood to visit the people 
 as teachers and preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ that 
 they may give to all as far as possible an opportunity to exer- 
 cise their talents and to do good in their wards. It is some- 
 times advisable to give to each counselor special duties, and 
 assign each of the counselors his proportion of the respon- 
 sibilities which belong to the bishopric, each one doing some 
 special work for which he is adapted, so that all may be 
 active. Oct. C. R., 1914, p. 6. 
 
 DIGNITY OF TEACHERS' CALLING. We have had called 
 to our attention, recently, the fact that some men who are 
 of long standing in the Church indeed, some of them born 
 and reared in the Church, and who are occupying prominent 
 positions in some of the quorums of the priesthood when 
 their presidents or their bishops of the wards in which they 
 live call upon them to visit the Saints, teach the principles of 
 the gospel and perform the duties of teachers, they coolly in- 
 form their bishops that they have graduated from that calling 
 and refuse to act as teachers. Brother Charles W. Penrose 
 is eighty-two years of age. I am going on seventy-six, and 
 I believe that I am older than several of these good men who 
 have graduated from the duties of the lesser priesthood, and 
 I want to tell them and you that we are not too old to act as 
 teachers, if you will call us to do it not one of us. There 
 is never a time, there never will come a time to those who 
 hold the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
 day Saints, when men can say of themselves that they have 
 done enough. So long as life lasts, and so long as we pos- 
 sess ability to do good, to labor for the upbuilding of Zion, 
 and for the benefit of the human family, we ought, with will- 
 
236 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ing-ness, to yield with alacrity to the requirements made of us 
 to do our duty, little or great. Apr. C. R., 1914, p. 7. 
 
 VALUE OF TEACHERS' WORK. I don't know of any duty 
 that is more sacred, or more necessary, if it is carried out as 
 it should be, than the duties of the teachers who visit the 
 homes of the people, who pray with them, who admonish 
 them to virtue and honor, to unity, to love, and to faith in 
 and fidelity to the cause of Zion ; who strive to settle uncer- 
 tainties in the minds of the people and bring them to the 
 standard of the knowledge that they should possess in the 
 gospel of Jesus Christ. May all the people open their doors, 
 call in the members of their families, and respect the visits 
 of the teachers to their homes, and join with them in striv- 
 ing to bring about a better condition, if possible, in the 
 home than ordinarily exists. If you can advance, try to aid 
 the teachers to help you make that advancement. Apr. C. 
 R., 1915, p. 140. 
 
 THE RESTORATION OF THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD. 
 "Xo man can be exalted unless he be independent. * * * 
 Mankind are naturally independent and intelligent beings, 
 they have been created for the express purpose of exalting 
 themselves." The study of the subject of the holy or Mel- 
 chize/lek priesthood, including the Aaronic, is one of vast 
 importance to the human family. The student of the true 
 science of theology will readily comprehend the necessity 
 of its existence among men, for the reason that true the- 
 ology, or the Church of Jesus Christ, cannot exist without 
 it. It lies at the foundation of the Church, it is the author- 
 ity by which the Church is established or organized, built up 
 and governed, and by which the gospel is preached, and all 
 the ordinances thereof designed for the salvation of man- 
 kind are administered or solemnized. No ordinance of the 
 gospel can be performed acceptably to God or with efficacy 
 to man except by its authority and power, and certainly 
 there is no ordinance or rite instituted by the Almighty in 
 
PRIESTHOOD 237 
 
 the great plan of redemption which is not essential to the 
 salvation or exaltation of his children. Therefore, where the 
 Melchizedek or holy Priesthood does not exist, there can 
 be no true Church of Christ in its fulness. When this priest- 
 hood is not found among mankind they are destitute of the 
 power of God, and therefore of the true science of theology, 
 or the Church and religion of Jesus Christ, who is the great 
 High Priest and Apostle of our salvation. While the Prophet 
 Joseph Smith was engaged in translating the Book of Mor- 
 mon, in 1829, he and Oliver Cowdery became animated over 
 the truths and glorious promises unfolded to them in their 
 work, and desired to reach out after these blessings before 
 their work was done, but the Lord gently admonished them 
 not to be in a hurry ; he said : "You must wait yet a little 
 while, for ye are not yet ordained," but the promise was 
 given that they should be ordained thereafter, and they 
 should go forth and deliver the word of God unto the chil- 
 dren of men, and he pronounced a woe upon the inhabitants 
 of the earth if they would not then hearken unto their 
 words. 
 
 The ordinary meaning of the word priesthood, as gen- 
 erally understood and applied in the world, signifies a class 
 or body of men set apart for sacred duties, or holding the 
 priestly office, or an order of persons composed of priests 
 spoken of or taken collectively. This is not, however, the 
 sense in which the words Melchizedek or holy Priesthood, 
 are used here. Reference is made in this article to the 
 sacred office, itself, or the principle of power which consti- 
 tutes the office, and is the authority by which individuals or 
 the several orders, or quorums, as we use the term, com- 
 posing the priesthood of the Church, may legitimately act in 
 the name of the Lord ; or the moving, directing, controlling, 
 governing or presiding agency, right and authority, which 
 is vested in the Godhead and delegated unto man for the 
 purposes of his instruction, initiation into the Church, spir- 
 
238 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 itual and temporal guidance, government and exaltation. 
 That is the Melchizedek Priesthood, which is without father, 
 without mother, or descent, or beginning of days, or end of 
 life, which the great high priest, Melchizedek, so honored 
 and magnified in his time that it was called after his name, 
 in honor to him and to avoid the too frequent repetition of 
 the name of the Son of God. 
 
 This distinction between the quorums of the priesthood 
 and the priesthood itself should always be kept in mind in 
 the use of the term Melchizedek or Holy Priesthood. The 
 Holy Priesthood after the order of the Son of God was the 
 original name given to this priesthood. Subsequently it was 
 called the Melchizedek Priesthood. This priesthood was 
 confirmed upon Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, 
 Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses and many others, and 
 doubtless upon many of the prophets prior to the birth of 
 Christ, upon his chosen disciples among the Jews, before his 
 crucifixion, and upon the Nephite disciples upon this con- 
 tinent, after his resurrection and ascension on high. These 
 he made his apostles, to bear witness of him upon both hem- 
 ispheres and to all the world ; and doubtless the Savior con- 
 ferred this priesthood upon other disciples whom he chose 
 from among the "other sheep" of whom he spoke to the 
 Nephites, which were not of the folds of the Jews or of the 
 Nephites, whose records are yet to come forth to bear wit- 
 ness of him, in the due time of the Lord. 
 
 We learn from the revelations that God took Moses, 
 and the Holy Priesthood also, out of the midst of the chil- 
 dren of Israel. But the lesser or Aaronic Priesthood, which 
 was confirmed upon Aaron and his seed, continued among 
 them till the coming of Christ in the meridian of time. John, 
 the son of Zacharias, was probably the last who held the keys 
 of this Priesthood among the Jews. He was raised up and 
 sent as the forerunner of Christ to prepare the way for his 
 first coming. And he was also sent to the world in this dis- 
 
PRIESTHOOD 239 
 
 pensation to begin the work of preparation for Christ's sec- 
 ond advent. 
 
 "There are in the Church two Priesthoods, namely, the 
 Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood. 
 Why the first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood is be- 
 cause Melchizedek was such a great high priest. Before his 
 day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the order of the 
 Son of God." The Melchizedek priesthood holds the keys 
 of all the spiritual blessings of the Church, of the mysteries 
 of the kingdom of heaven, of communion with the general 
 assembly and Church of the first born, and the presence of 
 God, the Father, and Jesus, the Mediator. 
 
 The Aaronic priesthood is an appendage to the first, 
 and holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and the 
 outward ordinances and letter of the gospel, the baptism 
 of repentance for the remission of sins agreeable to the cov- 
 enants and commandments. 
 
 The Melchizedek priesthood, which Christ restored to 
 the earth, remained among men between three and four 
 hundred years afterwards. When, in consequence of trans- 
 gressions, 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 priest- 
 hood 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 Rev- 
 elation, 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." 
 
240 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 (Amos 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 es- 
 tablished, 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 the 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 times 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 peo- 
 ple. 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 pow- 
 ers 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 king- 
 dom shall no more be thrown down, nor be left to another 
 people, nor cease until the whole earth shall be rilled with 
 the brightness of its glory, with its truths, its power, might, 
 majesty and dominion, and that the kingdom and the great- 
 ness thereof under the whole heaven will be given unto the 
 Saints of the Most High God, and they shall possess it for- 
 ever. 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 
 
PRIESTHOOD 241 
 
 word of God will come to pass, however much the wicked ob- 
 ject 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 "administered! 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 and the authority of the priesthood, the power of 
 God is not manifest to 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 minister- 
 ing 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. 
 86:26-28.) 
 
 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 righteous- 
 
 17 
 
242 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ness." There is nothing said here about the offices of this 
 priesthood. They were an after consideration. I will re- 
 mark 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 pur- 
 poses of order and government, and the duties of these sev- 
 eral offices are defined in the revelations and laws and com- 
 mandments of God. 
 
 This most sacred and important event, above quoted, 
 occurred at or near a place called Harmony, in Susquehanna 
 county, Pennylvania, 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, unfor- 
 tunately, 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 pos- 
 itive information and knowledge that they did receive this 
 priesthood at the hand's 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 with- 
 in a few months of the exact time, but no further, from any 
 of the records of the Church. Joseph, the Prophet, des- 
 ignates the place where their ordination took place, in his ad- 
 dress 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 Har- 
 
PRIESTHOOD 243 
 
 mony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, 
 on the Susquehanna river, declaring themselves as posses- 
 ing the keys of the kingdom of the dispensation of the ful- 
 ness 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 Zach- 
 arias, * * * which John I have sent unto you, my ser- 
 vants, Joseph Smith, Jim., 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 re- 
 main ; 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 ) r ou, 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 king- 
 dom, 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE, 
 
 the above quotation, and the 10th and llth verses of section 
 21, Doctrine and Covenants. 
 
 It would appear from the instructions given in the rev- 
 elation, dated June, 1829, that the apostleship had been 
 then conferred on Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and D'avid 
 Whitmer. If this supposition is correct, it reduces the pe- 
 riod 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 sup- 
 posed 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 apos- 
 tles. 
 
 In the first edition of the Compendium under the head- 
 ing 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 priest- 
 hood 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 state- 
 ment, 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 Melchiz- 
 edek." 
 
 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 neg- 
 lect or want of proper attention to the subjects. The pas- 
 sage 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, 
 
PRIESTHOOD 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 oc- 
 casion 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 sev- 
 eral who had previously been ordained elders, had not yet re- 
 ceived the spirit, or power, or authority of their ordinations, 
 but that now for the first time, the authority of the priest- 
 hood having been manifested, it fell upon them. It is evi- 
 dent 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 neces- 
 sary 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 
 
246 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 used. The High priesthood, or the Holy priesthood, were 
 the terms generally applied until then. 
 
 Thus this glorious priesthood, which "is after the holi- 
 est 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 right- 
 eousness," 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. Contrib- 
 utor, Vol. 10, 1899, pp. 307-311. 
 
 TRIBUTE TO HEBER C. KIM BALL. My first remem- 
 brance of President Heber C. Kimball goes back to the days 
 of my childhood. He was a familiar and prominent fig- 
 ure 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 Kim- 
 ball was in the winter of 1845-6, in the Nauvoo temple. My 
 mother, and her sister, Mercy R. Thompson, were much en- 
 gaged in the work going on in the temple that winter, and 
 
PRIESTHOOD 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 indel- 
 ible impression upon my mind, and ever since there seemed 
 to be an inseverable tie connecting us with President Kim- 
 ball and his family. 
 
 In 1848 we crossed the plains in a subdivision of Pres- 
 ident 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 man- 
 ner 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 ex- 
 perience 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 the 
 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 mis- 
 sion to Provo. Among these were Heber C. Kimball, Wil- 
 ford 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 (President Young and Kimball, and 
 Elders Smoot and Sheets) proceeded at once to build them- 
 selves homes there. 
 
 It was while President Kimball was engaged in build- 
 ing 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 
 
PRIESTHOOD 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 noble- 
 men. 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 wit- 
 ness of the divine calling and mission of Joseph Smith. He 
 was called by the grace of God, ordained by living author- 
 ity, 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 recol- 
 lection 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 dis- 
 course 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 al- 
 ways 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 inex- 
 haustible. 
 
 As a legislator or statesman, he was the peer of any of 
 his associates, among whom were builders of this common- 
 wealth. One of the marked peculiarities of his character 
 
250 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 was continuity and perseverance in whatever he undertook 
 to do, until his object was attained and his purpose accom- 
 plished. Nothing could turn him aside from the discharge 
 of his duty. He was, without doubt, a chosen and an 
 effective instrument in the hind of God for the accomplish- 
 ment of the mission assigned him, in which he always con- 
 centrated his mind, and threw che whole force of his vig- 
 orous and noble spirit. 
 
 As the head of a numerous family, he was an example 
 to all mankind. His friendship was always true and bound- 
 less. 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 stand- 
 ards that they expect in those who stand at the head of the 
 Church. Improvement Era, Vol. 21, December, 1917, p. 98. 
 
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 fol- 
 lowers 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 peo- 
 ple 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 thou- 
 sand 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 bye and bye, if he does not 
 at first. Apr. C. R., 1900, p. 41. 
 
 THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. The Sacra- 
 ment 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 command- 
 ment to cleave to good and abstain from evil. But if he 
 
SPIRITUAL GIFTS 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 trans- 
 gressing the law which was given him, the Lord gave to 
 him the law of sacrifice, and made it clear to his understand- 
 ing, 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 genera- 
 tion, 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, the 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 mat- 
 ter. 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 sacri- 
 fice which was to be offered for Adam and his seed, they 
 offered sacrifices more or less acceptable, and in conform- 
 ity to the pattern given, in proportion to the knowledge oi 
 
254 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 God and of the gospel which they had, and 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 right- 
 eousness," 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 won- 
 der 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 re- 
 sembling 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. * * * 
 
SPIRITUAL GIFTS 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 un- 
 just," he that was without sin for him that had sinned, and 
 was subject 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 re- 
 membrance, for, said he, "this do in remembrance of me, for 
 as often as ye eat this bread, and drink of this cup, ye do show 
 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 Mor- 
 mon, 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 verily I say unto you, I give unto you another command- 
 ment, 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 Sup- 
 per. Now let us be careful what we do, that we may not 
 incur the penalty affixed to the transgression of this law, re- 
 membering that the ordinances which God has given are 
 sacred and binding, that his laws are in force, especially up- 
 on 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 account- 
 able for the use they make of the light which they possess. 
 For this reason we are commanded to preach the gospel un- 
 to 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 Dis- 
 courses, Vol. 15, pp. 324-328. 
 
 ORDER OF ADMINISTERING TO THE SICK. In the matter 
 of administering to the sick, according to the order and prac- 
 
SPIRITUAL GIFTS 257 
 
 tice 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 man- 
 ifestation 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 author- 
 ity 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 authori- 
 tative 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 tes- 
 timony 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 mis- 
 leading thought that the bearing of his testimony to those 
 who have not before heard the gospel message, is to con- 
 vince 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 
 
 18 
 
258 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 inspiration, such a testimony is as a seal attesting the genu- 
 ineness 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 sub- 
 stitute 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 as- 
 sumes 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 teach- 
 ers; 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 \visdom 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 help- 
 ful at this time. It is not the chief purpose of testimony 
 bearing to accumulate physical evidences of the truth of the 
 
SPIRITUAL GIFTS 259 
 
 gospel. It is not so much argument and physical demonstra- 
 tion 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 com- 
 paratively little or no sickness, and perhaps have no oppor- 
 tunity 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 pre- 
 vailed 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 bless- 
 ing belongs peculiarly to the Church, but is not confined ex- 
 clusively 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 evi- 
 dences ; 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, bap- 
 tism, 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 at the neglect of any other. 
 The fact that all these ordinances and principles are taught 
 and practiced by the Saints constitutes a convincing argu- 
 ment that the Church is now the same as it was in the days 
 of the Master. 
 
 Testimony-bearing should have a strong educational in- 
 fluence 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 appre- 
 ciation are deepened. Testimony bearing is not the accu- 
 mulation of arguments or evidences solely for the satisfac- 
 tion 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. 
 Jm-cnilc 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 gar- 
 
SPIRITUAL GIFTS 261 
 
 dens and the farms, the irrigation canals and ditches, and 
 other necessary things for the maintenance of ourselves and 
 bur 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, hon- 
 est and industrious people. Therefore, we preach the gos- 
 pel of industry, the gospel of economy, the gospel of sobri- 
 ety. 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 
 wrok, 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 lim- 
 ited 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 be- 
 come 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 
 seed's of the fruit that he plants in the soil. It is his priv- 
 
262 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ilege, not only to ask and claim these blessings at the hand 
 of the Lord, but it is his right and privilege to receive bless- 
 ings from God upon his labor, upon his farm, and upon all 
 that he puts his hand unto in righteousness. It is our priv- 
 ilege to ask God to remove the curse from the earth, and 
 to make it fruitful. If we will live so that we shall be en- 
 titled 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 priv- 
 ilege 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 inconsis- 
 tent 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. 
 
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 life ; that a time will come after we have fin- 
 ished 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 re- 
 main 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 con- 
 fusion. 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 oi.r 
 Savior and our God. We must walk in his paths, and ob- 
 serve 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 in the earth. God the Father, 
 God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, constitute the God- 
 head and the matchless governing quorum over all the cre- 
 ations of the Father. Three men stand at the head of the 
 Church on the earth. Yet there are those who call them- 
 selves 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. 
 
OBEDIENCE 265 
 
 It is only by obedience to the laws of God, that men 
 can rise above the petty weaknesses of mortality and exer- 
 cise that breadth of affection, that charity of 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 to 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 espe- 
 cial 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 intel- 
 ligence, 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 sub- 
 stantial value in the plan of life and salvation. Such a posi- 
 tion 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 com- 
 mended 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 con- 
 vertible 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 hands, 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 conform- 
 ity to the law of obedience to the will of God. In these 
 things and through them, man gains a more perfect knowl- 
 edge 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 
 
OBEDIENCE 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 obedi- 
 ence 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 selfish- 
 ness, 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 un- 
 derstand 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 obey it, and put it into practice. There would be no cov- 
 etousness in the hearts of the children of men, if they pos- 
 sessed the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and understood the pre- 
 cepts 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 despitefullv use us, who speak all manner of evil 
 against us falsely, accuse us of wrong doing, 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, 
 
OBEDIENCE 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, selfish- 
 ness, 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 sym- 
 pathy 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 them that 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 blest 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 fcr 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 won- 
 dered 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 elec- 
 tricity, to my home thousands of miles away, how easy, is 
 it not, for God to hear our prayers, who understands, and 
 knows all things, long before we ever thought of such won- 
 
OBEDIENCE 271 
 
 derful 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 instru- 
 ment, sensitive to the electric spark, you can distinctly hear 
 the human voice in your home received from the ocean thou- 
 sands 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 se- 
 cret 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 im- 
 press 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 under- 
 
272 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 stand 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 under- 
 stand 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 ac- 
 cordance 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 chil- 
 dren of men over simple truths when they should under- 
 stand 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. 
 
 BLESSINGS 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. 
 
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 they receive day by day. 
 Oct. C. R., 1914, p. 6. 
 
 PRAY IN WISDOM. My brethren and sisters, let us re- 
 member 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 waver- 
 eth," 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 them 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 ben- 
 efit of his soil, his air and his sunshine, and the moisture 
 that God provides and gives to the earth, to enable us to pro- 
 
 19 
 
274 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 duce 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 ex- 
 istence 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 re- 
 ward provided for God's own children? Oct. C. R. } l9l4,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 spir- 
 its 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 be- 
 fore the Lord with a broken heart and a 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 Al- 
 mighty 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 
 
PRAYER 27 S 
 
 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 par- 
 ents 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 weak- 
 ness 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 hath 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 righteous- 
 ness. 
 
 "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 it is counted 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 ap- 
 plicable 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 
 
PRAYER 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 wijh 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 wit- 
 ness 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 ob- 
 ligatory, 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 "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 con- 
 tinually, 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 knowl- 
 edge, 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. 
 
PRAYER 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 divin- 
 ity 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 sel- 
 fishly, not covetously, but in the light that has come from the 
 heavens in the latter-day, 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 authori- 
 ties, together with the home missionaries, that we might sus- 
 tain them by our vote, which means also by our faith and 
 prayers, and to stand by them in the discharge of all the du- 
 ties 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 
 
280 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 form, 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, mat- 
 ters 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 be- 
 fore 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 sus- 
 tained in responsible positions. If we have anything in our 
 hearts against any of these brethren, it is our duty, as con- 
 scientious members of the Church, first, as the Scriptures 
 direct, to go to them alone and make known to them our 
 feeling toward them and show them the cause of such feel- 
 ing; not with a desire in our hearts to widen or increase the 
 difficulty, but we should go to them in the spirit of recon- 
 ciliation 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 broth- 
 er, that we may be in a position to remedy the evil. We 
 should seek to love one another and to sustain one another 
 
PRAYER 281 
 
 as children of God and as brothers and sisters in the cause. 
 
 The presentation of the authorities of the Church be- 
 fore a conference is made obligatory upon the Church. It is 
 the command of the Lord that we shall meet together to 
 trasact the business of the Church, an important part of 
 which is to sustain the authorities of the Church, thus re- 
 newing 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 mem- 
 ber 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 I Salt Lake Stake C. R., June 12, 1898. 
 
 BLESSINGS FOLLOW PRAYERS. Family and secret prayers 
 should be observed, not alone to comply with the command- 
 ment 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, nor let them pass by us unimproved. 
 Dcseret Weekly News, Vol. 24, p. 708. 
 
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 pur- 
 poses 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 pro- 
 vision. 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 bless- 
 ings 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 
 
TITHING; 77/7: I'OOR; INDUSTRY 283 
 
 as faith in God, as repentance of sin, as baptism for the re- 
 mission 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 in 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, to- 
 wards 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 obedi- 
 ence to his law, this land that it may become, indeed a land 
 
284 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 re- 
 ward us with his favor and his blessing. He will rebuke the 
 devotirer, 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 re- 
 ceived 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 with 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 
 
TITHING; THE POOR; INDUSTRY 285 
 
 the evidences of thrift, of prosperity, of progress and of im- 
 provement which surround him in the midst of the deserts. 
 This season he has gathered in rich harvests, his farms hav- 
 ing 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 riot 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 beauti- 
 ful homes, he has fruitful fields, which are spread out be- 
 fore 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 
 his obedience that God has blessed and prospered him, 
 and made him what he is today. He is not the only one ; 
 there are others that are prospered in like manner. And I 
 testify it is because God has blessed him, and his soil, and his 
 labors, and has given him the increase, securing to him 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 because he has labored, and taken care of his lands, and that 
 by industry and intelligent application of labor, showing that 
 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 promises of the Lord, 
 and his desire to obey his laws, that he is blessed and pros- 
 pered 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 de- 
 prive her of the privilege of having her name enrolled on 
 the book of the law of the Lord, and of having her gen- 
 ealogy 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 his labor, to honor the Lord and to prove his obedience 
 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 po- 
 tatoes, 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 
 
TITHING; THE POOR; INDUSTRY 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 was 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 of- 
 fice. 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 ex- 
 pect 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, veg- 
 etables, 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 so 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 so bad off 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 law of the Lord. That widow was entitled to the priv- 
 ileges 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 that sort of thing, 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, especially when I 
 saw certain of my playmates and early associates of child- 
 hood, playing around, 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 got a few years of experience, I was 
 converted, I found that my mother was right and that Wil- 
 liam Thompson was wrong. He denied the faith, aposta- 
 tized, 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 inter- 
 ests of Zion at heart, and who desire to contribute their pro- 
 portion to the upbuilding of Zion, and for the maintenance 
 
TITHING; THE POOR; INDUSTRY 289 
 
 of the work of the Lord in the earth. It is a blessing that 
 I enjoy, and I do not purpose that anybody shall deprive 
 me of that pleasure. Apr. C. R., 1900, pp. 48, 49. 
 
 THE WIDOW AND TITHING. I preach that which I be- 
 lieve 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 child- 
 hood, 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 to the 
 Lord what belonged to him than she was to pay to her neigh- 
 bors 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 bor- 
 row 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, al- 
 though 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 in- 
 creased. 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 super- 
 vision over everything, she directed those whom she em- 
 ployed, 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 
 
 20 
 
290 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 RECEIVE CHURCH HELP SHOULD BE TITHE PAY- 
 ERS. 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 prin- 
 ciple of tithing, he or she has no claim upon the bishop, 
 neither have their children ; and if, under those circum- 
 stances, 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 tith- 
 ings 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 chil- 
 dren, 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 per- 
 chance their fathers 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 
 
TITHING; THE POOR; INDUSTRY 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 more 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 sea- 
 son, 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 dol- 
 lars 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 semblance of 
 it, in truth. The Church is neither buying nor selling goods 
 or chattels. It is not engaged in merchandising of any de- 
 scription, 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the hat to you, nor the collection box, for means to defray 
 the expenses incident to the carrying on of the work of the 
 Church. You give it voluntarily. This reminds me of an- 
 other 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 ex- 
 acted 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 ob- 
 serve 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 plesaure 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 wis- 
 dom, 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 
 
TITHING; THE POOR; INDUSTRY 293 
 
 churches, with which to pay their ministers, and with which 
 to carry on the monetary affairs of their churches, "com- 
 mercialism," 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 tith- 
 ing 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 account 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 com- 
 plains 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 carp- 
 ers, and to that class of people. But there is not a tithe- 
 payer in the Church who cannot go to the Presiding Bish- 
 op'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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 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 that 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 chil- 
 dren 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 
 \villing 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 pov- 
 erty 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 inde- 
 pendent 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 
 
TITHING; Till* rOOR; INDUSTRY 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 loit- 
 ering 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 pre- 
 cious 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, abso- 
 lutely 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 asso- 
 ciates, and at your social gatherings, instead of wasting the 
 time in senseless practices that lead only to mischief and 
 sometimes to serious evil and wrong-doing; instead of doing 
 this, seek out of the best books knowledge and understand- 
 ing. 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 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 with you may feel an interest in your pursuit of knowledge 
 and of wisdom. Ocf. C. R., 1903, p. 98. 
 
 GOSPEL BLESSINGS OBTAINED BY LABOR. We can never 
 attain to the blessings of the gospel by merely becoming ac- 
 quainted 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 in 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 hu- 
 man 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 prop- 
 erties to aid the poor and unfortunate, not only in their own 
 midst, but also those who live in other nations and other 
 
TITHING; TU1L POOR; INDUSTRY 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 oppres- 
 sion 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 salva- 
 tion, 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 sal- 
 vation 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 sources, thus making paupers of 
 the poor and teaching them the incorrect principle of relying 
 upon others' help, instead of depending upon their own exer- 
 tions. This plan has made the Latter-day Saints independ- 
 ent wherever they have settled. It has prevented a constant 
 recurring of calls for help and established permanent condi- 
 tions by which the people help themselves. Our idea of 
 charity, therefore, is to relieve present wants and then to 
 
298 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 put the poor in a way to help themselves so that in turn 
 they may help others. The funds are committed for distribu- 
 tion 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, accord- 
 ing 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 them- 
 selves, 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 institued this law ; it is simple and perfect, based 
 on reason and intelligence, and would not only prove a solu- 
 tion 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 subjec- 
 tion 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 al- 
 ways 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 undented 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 
 
TITHING; THE POOR; INDUSTRY 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. 
 
 He certainly taught fasting, prayer and helpfulness. No 
 better start can be made than by fasting, praying to God, and 
 sacrificing means for the poor. This law combines belief 
 and practice, faith and works, without which neither Ar- 
 menian nor Latter-day Saint, neither Jew nor Gentile, can 
 be saved. 
 
 When appeals are made to the Latter-day Saints for 
 aid, they are always willing to comply ; but we have also our 
 mission to perform ; to preach the gospel, to establish peace, 
 secure plenty, and promote happiness in the land ; and our 
 people have learned through the commandments of God 
 how to take care of themselves and are trying to help others 
 to do likewise. They are ever helping each other and it is 
 seldom that poor are found among them who are unpro- 
 vided for. They are practically independent and may be- 
 come entirely so by a stricter adherence to the law of the 
 Lord ! We believe that if other communities would adopt 
 the plans of consecration, fasting, and tithing which the 
 Lord has revealed to the Latter-day Saints and carry them 
 out in spirit, with faith and works, that poverty and pau- 
 perism would be greatly reduced or entirely overcome. Op- 
 portunities would be presented so that all might obtain work 
 and thus provide for themselves ; and the other command 
 of the Lord would be obeyed : "Thou shalt not be idle ; for 
 he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments 
 of the laborer." Improvement Era, Vol. 10, pp. 831-833. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Temperance; the Sabbath 
 
 MAN SHOULD BE MASTER OF His APPETITES. How hu- 
 miliating it must be to a thoughtful man to feel that he is a 
 slave to his appetites, or to an over-weening and pernicious 
 habit, desire or passion. We believe in strict temperance. 
 We believe in abstinence from all injurious practices, and 
 from the use of all hurtful things. Poison, in the judgment 
 of the physician, may be beneficial, under some conditions in 
 life, as a momentary relief; but poison, under any circum- 
 stance, should only be used as a temporary expedient, neces- 
 sary, perhaps, in our best judgment, for the time being, for 
 the instant for sudden and certain desired relief but the 
 continued use of that poison will fasten its fangs upon us, 
 so to speak, in such a way that by and by we will find that 
 we are overpowered by it, and we become slaves of the per- 
 nicious habit that becomes a tyrannical master over us. 
 Apr. C. R., 1908, p. 4. 
 
 MODERATION. We may make evil of all amusements, 
 but the Saints should not be unwise, but rather understand 
 what the will of the Lord is, and practice moderation in all 
 things. They should avoid excesses and cease from sin, 
 putting far from them "the lusts of men;" and in their 
 amusements and pastimes adopt a course that looks to the 
 spirit as well as the letter, the intention and not the act alone, 
 the whole and not the part, which is the meaning of mod- 
 eration. In this way their conduct will be reasonable and 
 becoming, and they shall find no trouble in understanding the 
 will of the Lord. 
 
 Let me exhort the young people particularly, and the 
 Saints generally, to weigh well the value of moderation in 
 all their actions and amusements. Remember, too, that ex- 
 
TEMPERANCE; THE SABBATH 301 
 
 cessive feasting is not good ; neither is excessive labor, but 
 idleness and waste of precious time is infinitely worse. "Let 
 your moderation be known to all men." Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 6, p. 857, Sept., 1903. 
 
 TEMPERANCE. We endorse any movement looking to 
 temperance, looking to virtue, tending to purity of life and 
 to faith in God and obedience to his laws ; and we are against 
 evil of every description; and we are, in our faith and 
 prayers, against evil-doers not that we would pray for evil 
 to come upon evil-doers, but that evil-doers might see the 
 folly of their ways and the wickedness of their acts and re- 
 pent of them and turn away from them. Oct.C.R., 1908, p. 8. 
 
 How TO TEACH TEMPERANCE. The best way to teach 
 temperance is to keep the Word of Wisdom; and the next 
 best is to assist others to keep it, by removing artificial temp- 
 tations from their lives. Such temptation is the saloon, and 
 it is time that the sentiment in the communities where the 
 members of the Church reside should be declared against this 
 soul-destroying evil. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 46, p. 333, 
 June, 1911. 
 
 USE OF TOBACCO AND STRONG DRINKS. The use of 
 tobacco in its various forms and of strong drinks to some 
 extent is also to be lamented and deplored, especially among 
 the youth, and this evil should be stamped out. The people 
 of God should set their faces like flint against these prac- 
 tices, and they should see to it that their children are taught 
 better, and that a better example is set before them by their 
 parents, in order that the children may grow up without 
 sin in these things. Oct. C. R. f 1901, p. 2. 
 
 Do NOT SMOKE. Teach your children not to smoke; 
 persuade them not to do it. Watch and look after them, 
 and try to teach them better, and to be courteous and kind. 
 Apr. C. R. f 1905, p. 86. 
 
 THE SALOON. No member of the Church of Jesus 
 Christ of Latter-day Saints can afford to do himself the dis- 
 
302 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 honor, or bring upon himself the disgrace, of crossing the 
 threshold of a liquor saloon or a gambling hell, or of any 
 house of ill-fame of whatever name or nature it may be. 
 No Latter-day. Saint, no member of the Church, can afford 
 it, for it is humiliating to him, it is disgraceful in him to do 
 it, and God will judge him according to his works. Oct. C. 
 R., 1908, p. 7. 
 
 If, I say, the people would observe the principles of this 
 revelation, (Doc. and Cov. 89), there could not exist in their 
 midst that most obnoxious institution known as a saloon ; 
 it can not exist where only Latter-day Saints dwell. Oct. 
 C. R., 1908, p. 6. 
 
 DEFEAT THE LIQUOR INTERESTS. The liquor interests 
 the enemies of the race are again making keen efforts to 
 restore the former low-down conditions. In some places, 
 we understand, enough petitioners have already been ob- 
 tained and the names filed with the commissioners requesting 
 an election this June. With all good people we join in hop- 
 ing that these efforts may utterly fail to restore the saloon. 
 This should be the desire of all Latter-day Saints, and their 
 prayers should be supported by their works and votes. In 
 these elections the wives, mothers and sisters have their 
 golden opportunity with fathers and brothers to arise and 
 utterly crush the cursed traffic in drink for which so many 
 have suffered in sweat, and pain, and tears. Improvement 
 Era, Vol. 16, 1912-13, p. 824. 
 
 VITALITY AND PATENT MEDICINES. Instead of flock- 
 ing out to hear smooth-tongued impostors, people should 
 leave them severely alone. Instead of dosing themselves 
 with patent medicines, they should learn to keep their 
 bodies healthy by right living (See Doctrine and Covenants, 
 Sec. 89), by inhaling pure air, taking plenty of exercise, and 
 bathing not only often in fresh water, but also in the sun- 
 shine with which our merciful Father has so abundantly 
 provided us. If there are cases of sickness, as there will be 
 
TEMPERANCE; THE SABBATH 303 
 
 notwithstanding any precaution we may take, which com- 
 mon sense and good nursing, or simple home remedies do 
 not suffice to cure, let us follow the advice of the Scriptures 
 (James 5:14-16), but if we do not believe in the elders, or 
 in the prayer of faith saving the sick, let & reputable and 
 faithful physician be consulted. By all means, let the quack, 
 the traveling fakir, the cure-all nostrum, and the indiscrim- 
 inate dosing with patent medicine, be abolished like so much 
 trash. 
 
 The young man who would cope with the world, who 
 would be full of vigor, and fresh for the battle of life, 
 will find his strength in living according to the word of the 
 Lord; for the promise is that all "who remember to keep 
 and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the command- 
 ments, shall receive health in their navel, and marrow to 
 their bones, and shall find wisdom and great treasures of 
 knowledge, even hidden treasures ; and shall run and not be 
 weary, and shall walk and not faint; and I, the Lord, give 
 unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by 
 them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them." Im- 
 provement Era, Vol. 5, June, 1902, p. 624. 
 
 STAMP OUT PROFANITY AND VULGARITY. We should 
 stamp out profanity, and vulgarity, and everything of that 
 character that exists among us ; for all such things are incom- 
 patible with the gospel and inconsistent with the people of 
 God. Oct. C. R., 1901, p. 2. 
 
 SATURDAY'S WORK. A good modern eighth command- 
 ment might read something like this : Do not so overwork 
 and fret on Saturday as to deprive the Sabbath of the devo- 
 tions and worship that belong to it as a day of rest. 
 
 In the home, Saturday is the day set apart for house- 
 cleaning, for extra cooking, for mending and all sorts of re- 
 pairs that the Sabbath is thought to require. In business, 
 Saturday is a day for picking up all loose ends, for closing 
 up all the unfinished details of a week's work. 
 
304 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 The consequences of our modern treatment of the last 
 day of the week are too often manifested in an indolence 
 and supine indifference that make our feelings and a total 
 lack of energy almost incompatible with the spirit of wor- 
 ship. No worn out man or woman, by the excessive toil of 
 an early Saturday morning and a late Saturday night, can 
 properly worship God in spirit, and in truth. Juvenile In- 
 structor, Vol. 44, July, 1909, p. 295. 
 
 PURPOSE OF THE SABBATH. The Sabbath is a day of 
 rest and of worship, designated and set apart by special com- 
 mandment of the Lord to the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- 
 ter-day Saints, and we should honor and keep it holy. We 
 should also teach our children this principle. Oct. C. R., 
 1901, pp. 1,2. 
 
 THE MEANING OF SUNDAY. True, Sunday is a day of 
 rest, a change from the ordinary occupations of the week, 
 but it is more than that. It is a day of worship, a day in 
 which the spiritual life of man may be enriched. A day of 
 indolence, a day of physical recuperations is too often a very 
 different thing from the God-ordained day of rest. Phys- 
 ical exhaustion and indolence are incompatible with a spirit 
 of worship. A proper observance of the duties and devotions 
 of the Sabbath day will, by its change and its spiritual life, 
 give the best rest that man can enjoy on the Sabbath day. 
 
 Saturday evening may be wisely set apart as a time for 
 thoughtful conversation or helpful reading as an introduc- 
 tion to the Sabbath day. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 44, July, 
 1909, p. 297. 
 
 WHAT SHALL WE Do ON THE SABBATH DAY ? My be- 
 lief is that it is the duty of Latter-day Saints to honor the 
 Sabbath day and keep it holy, just as the Lord has command- 
 ed us to do. Go to the house of prayer. Listen to instructions. 
 Bear your testimony to the truth. Drink at the fountain 
 of knowledge and of instruction, as it may be opened for us 
 from those who are inspired to give us instruction. When 
 
TEMPERANCE; THE SABBATH 305 
 
 we go home, get the family together. Let us sing a few 
 songs. Let us read a chapter or two in the Bible, or in the 
 Book of Mormon, or in the book of Doctrine and Covenants. 
 Let us discuss the principles of the gospel which pertain to 
 advancement in the school of divine knowledge, and in this 
 way occupy one day in seven. I think it would be profit- 
 able for us to do this. M. I. A. Conference, June 11, 1916, 
 Young Woman's Journal, Vol. 27, pp. 455-460. 
 
 NECESSITY OF SUNDAY WORSHIP. It is imperatively 
 necessary, at all times, and especially so when our associa- 
 tions do not afford us the moral and spiritual support which 
 we require for our advancement, that we go to the house 
 of the Lord to worship and mingle with the Saints that their 
 moral and spiritual influence may help to correct our false 
 impressions and restore us to that life which the duties and 
 obligations of our conscience and true religion impose upon 
 us. 
 
 "Good times" are often dangerous times, and social fra- 
 ternity, if not of the right character, will prove more harmful 
 than helpful. Let us, therefore, in the midst of our worldly 
 callings and associations, not forget that paramount duty 
 which we owe to ourselves and to our God. Juvenile In- 
 structor, Vol. 47, March, 1912, p. 145. 
 
 BE WISE IN ALL You Do. Leave these poisonous and 
 injurious things alone ; live within your means ; get out of 
 debt, and keep out of debt ; do not run faster than you can 
 go safely ; be careful and cautious in what you do ; advise 
 with those who have wisdom and experience, before you 
 leap, lest you leap into the dark ; and so guard yourselves 
 from possible evil and disadvantage, that the Lord can pour 
 out the blessings of heaven upon you, yes "open the windows 
 of heaven" and pour out upon you blessings that you shall 
 scarcely have room to contain them. Apr. C. R., 1910, 
 pp. 6, 7. 
 
 THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF FASTING. The law to the 
 
 21 
 
306 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Latter-day Saints, as understood by the authorities of the 
 Church, is that food and drink are not to be partaken of for 
 twenty-four hours, "from even to even, and that the Saints 
 are to refrain from all bodily gratification and indulgences. 
 Fast-day being on the Sabbath, it follows, of course, that all 
 labor is to be abstained from. In addition, the leading and 
 principal object of the institution of the fast among the Lat- 
 ter-day Saints was that the poor might be provided with food 
 and other necessities. It is, therefore, incumbent upon every 
 Latter-day Saint to give to his bishop, on fast day, the food 
 that he or his family would consume for the day, that it may 
 be given to the poor for their benefit and blessing;, or, in 
 lieu of the food, that its equivalent amount, or if the person 
 is wealthy a liberal donation, in money, be so reserved and 
 dedicated to the poor. 
 
 Now, while the law requires the Saints in all the world 
 to fast from "even to even" and to abstain both from food 
 and drink, it can easily be seen from the. Scriptures, and 
 especially from the words of Jesus, that it is more important 
 to obtain the true spirit of love for God and man, "purity 
 of heart and simplicity of intention," than it is to carry out 
 the cold letter of the law. The Lord has instituted the fast 
 on a reasonable and intelligent basis, and none of his works 
 are vain or unwise. His law is perfect in this as in other 
 things. Hence, those who can are required to comply there- 
 to ; it is a duty from which they cannot escape ; but let it be 
 remembered that the observance of the fast day by abstain- 
 ing twenty-four hours from food and drink is not an absolute 
 rule, it is no iron-clad law to us, but it is left with the people 
 as a matter of conscience, to exercise wisdom and discre- 
 tion. Many are subject to weakness, others are delicate in 
 health, and others have nursing babies ; of such it should not 
 be required to fast. Neither should parents compel their 
 little children to fast. I have known children to cry for 
 something to eat on fast day. In such cases, going without 
 
TEMPERANCE; THE SABBATH 307 
 
 food will do them no good. Instead, they dread the day to 
 come, and in place of hailing it, dislike it; while the com- 
 pulsion engenders a spirit of rebellion in them, rather than 
 a love for the Lord and their fellows. Better to teach them 
 the principle, and let them observe it when they are old 
 enough to choose intelligently, than to so compel them. 
 
 But those should fast who can, and all classes among us 
 should be taught to save the meals which they would eat, 
 or their equivalent, for the poor. None are exempt from 
 this ; it is required of the Saints, old and young, in every 
 part of the Church. It is no excuse that in some places 
 there are no poor. In such cases the fast donation should 
 be forwarded to the proper authorities for transmission to 
 such stakes of Zion as may stand in need. 
 
 So shall we gain favor in the sight of God, and learn the 
 acceptable fast before him. Improvement Era, Vol. 6, De- 
 cember, 1903, p. 146. 
 
 KEEPING THE SABBATH HOLY. To observe the Sabbath 
 day properly is the plain duty of every Latter-day Saint 
 and that includes the young men and young women and the 
 boys and girls. It may seem strange that it should be neces- 
 sary to repeat this often-asserted fact. But there appears 
 to be some people, and sometimes whole communities, who 
 neglect this duty, and therefore stand in need of this ad- 
 monition. 
 
 What are we required to do on the Sabbath day? The 
 revelations of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph are very plain 
 on this subject, and these should govern us, for they are 
 in strict harmony with the teachings of the Savior. Here 
 are some of the simple requirements : 
 
 The Sabbath is appointed unto you to rest from your 
 labors. 
 
 The Sabbath is a special day for you to worship, to pray, 
 and to show zeal and ardor in your religious faith and duty 
 to pay devotions to the Most High. 
 
308 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 The Sabbath is a day when you are required to offer 
 your time and attention in worship of the Lord , whether in 
 meeting, in the home, or wherever you may be that is the 
 thought that should occupy your mind. 
 
 The Sabbath day is a day when, with your brethren 
 and sisters, you should attend the meetings of the Saints, 
 prepared to partake of the sacrament of the Lord's supper ; 
 having first confessed your sins before the Lord and your 
 brethren and sisters, and forgiven your fellows as you expect 
 the Lord to forgive you. 
 
 On the Sabbath day you are to do no other thing than 
 to prepare your food with singleness of heart, that your fast- 
 ing may be perfect, and your joy may be full. This is what 
 the Lord calls fasting and prayer. 
 
 The reason for this required course upon the Sabbath 
 day is also plainly stated in the revelations. It is that one 
 may more fully keep himself unspotted from the world; 
 and to this end, also, the Saints are required to go to the 
 house of prayer and offer up their sacraments on the Sab- 
 bath day. 
 
 Now, what is the promise to the Saints who observe 
 the Sabath? The Lord declares that inasmuch as they do 
 this with cheerful hearts and countenances, the fulness of 
 the earth is theirs : "the beasts of the field and the fowls of 
 the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh 
 upon the earth. Yea, and the herb, and the good things 
 which cometh of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, 
 or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, 
 or for vineyards." (Doc. and Cov. 59.) 
 
 These are all made for the benefit and use of man, to 
 please the eye and to gladden the heart, to strengthen the 
 body and to enliven the soul. All are promised to those who 
 keep the commandments, and among the commandments is 
 this important one, to observe properly the Sabbath day. 
 
TEMPERANCE; THE SABBATH 309 
 
 The Lord is not pleased with people who know these 
 things and do them not. 
 
 Men are not resting from their labors when they plow, 
 and plant and haul and dig. They are not resting when they 
 linger around the home all day on Sunday, doing odd jobs 
 that they have been too busy to do on other days. 
 
 Men are not showing zeal and ardor in their religious 
 faith and duty when they hustle off early Sunday morning 
 on the cars, in teams, in automobiles, to the canyons, the re- 
 sorts, and to visit friends or places of amusement, with their 
 wives and children. They are not paying their devotions 
 in this way to the Most High. 
 
 Not in seeking pleasure and recreation do they offer 
 their time and attention in the worship of the Lord ; nor 
 can they thus rejoice in the spirit of forgiveness and wor- 
 ship that comes with partaking of the holy sacrament. 
 
 Boys and young men are not fasting with singleness of 
 heart, that their joy may be full, when they spend the Sab- 
 bath day loafing around the village ice-cream stand or restau- 
 rant, playing games, or in buggy-riding, fishing, shooting, 
 or engaged in physical sports, excursions and outings. Such 
 is not the course that will keep them unspotted from the 
 world, but rather one that will deprive them of the rich 
 promises of the Lord, give them sorrow instead of joy, and 
 unrest and anxiety instead of the peace that comes with 
 works of righteousness. 
 
 Let us play and take recreation to our hearts' content 
 during other days, but on the Sabbath let us rest, worship, 
 go to the house of prayer, partake of the sacrament, eat our 
 food with singleness of heart, and pay our devotions to 
 God, that the fulness of the earth may be ours, and that we 
 may have peace in this world and eternal life in the world 
 to come. 
 
 "But," says one, "in our settlement we have no other 
 
310 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 day for amusement and sports, excursions and outings, ball 
 games and races." 
 
 Then demand one. 
 
 Is it possible that parents, in the face of the promises 
 of the Lord, will deny a day in the week when their children 
 may have recreation; and so force them to spend the Sab- 
 bath in sports ! 
 
 One prominent man, in one of the northern stakes, 
 where ball games and other sports are said to be the rule 
 on Sunday, asked what could be done to remedy the evil. 
 He was told to try a half holiday on one of the week days. 
 
 "Then," he replied, "we can have no change nor rem- 
 edy. Here are hundreds of acres of hay and ripening fields 
 crying for workmen, and we cannot spare our boys for play." 
 
 The best reply to such an argument is the question : 
 "\Yhich is best to let the hay go to ruin, or the boy? Let 
 the hay go ; save the boy. He is worth more than all your 
 material possessions. Save him in the spirit of the gospel 
 protect him from Sabbath-breaking by offering a little tem- 
 poral sacrifice, and the Lord- will keep his promise to you. 
 Get together in your ward, unitedly select a day for play and 
 recreation ; and like faithful Saints demand that the Sabbath 
 day, as far as you and yours are concerned, shall be devoted 
 to the Lord our God. Improvement Era, Vol. 13, 1909-10, 
 pp. 842-844. 
 
 Do NOT ROB THE SABBATH DAY. It is incumbent on 
 members of the Church to so plan their work that there 
 shall be no excuse for robbing the Lord's day of its sanc- 
 tity. To this end let the boys and girls have a half holiday 
 during the week, which may be profitably used for recre- 
 ations, leaving the Sabbath for spiritual culture and wor- 
 ship. It is equally obligatory that we so plan our amuse- 
 ments that these shall not interfere with our worship. Let 
 therefore some other night than Saturday be provided for 
 the purpose. The Lord has commanded his people to ob- 
 
TEMPERANCE; THE SABBA TH 311 
 
 serve the Sabbath day to keep it holy, and on that day to 
 go to the house of prayer and offer up their sacraments in 
 righteousness with willing' hearts and penitent spirits. Im- 
 provement Era, Vol. 12, 1909, p. 315. 
 
 MAN MUST BE MASTER OF HIMSELF. No man is safe 
 unless he is master of himself ; and there is no tyrant more 
 merciless or more to be dreaded than an uncontrollable appe- 
 tite or passion. We will find that if we give way to the 
 groveling appetites of the flesh and follow them up, that 
 the end will be invariably bitter, injurious and sorrowful, 
 both to the individual and society. It is hurtful in example 
 as well as in its individual effects ; dangerous and hurtful 
 to the unwary; while the denial of these appetites the 
 crucifixion of the flesh, so to speak and an aspiration for 
 something noble ; whenever possible, doing good to our fel- 
 low creatures, hoping for the future, laying up treasures in 
 heaven, where moth and rust cannot corrupt, and where 
 thieves cannot break through and steal all these things 
 will bring everlasting happiness ; happiness for this world 
 and the world to come. If there is no pleasure in the world 
 except that which we experience in the gratification of our 
 physical desires eating, drinking, gay associations, and the 
 pleasures of the world then the enjoyments of the world 
 are bubbles, there is nothing in them, there is no lasting ben- 
 efit or happiness to be derived from them. Deseret Weekly 
 News, Vol. 33, 1884, p. 130. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 Many Duties of Man 
 
 THE OBJECT OF MAN'S EXISTENCE. The object of our 
 being here is to do the will of the Father as it is done in 
 heaven, to work righteousness in the earth, to subdue wick- 
 edness and put it under our feet, to conquer sin and the ad- 
 versary of our souls, to rise above the imperfections and 
 weaknesses of poor, fallen humanity, by the inspiration of 
 Almighty God and his power made manifest, and thus be- 
 come indeed the saints and servants of the Lord in the earth. 
 Apr. C. R. f 1902, p. 85. 
 
 WE DEAL WITH THE^LORD. We are dealing with our 
 faith and consciences, you are dealing not with me, not with 
 the Presidency of the Church, but with the Lord. I am not 
 dealing with men respecting my tithing, my dealings are 
 with the Lord ; that is, with reference to my own conduct 
 in the Church as a tithe-payer, and with reference to my ob- 
 servance of the other laws and rules of the Church ; if I fail 
 to observe the laws of the Church, I am responsible to my 
 God, and will have to answer to him, by and by, for my neg- 
 lect of duty, and I may have to answer to the Church for my 
 fellowship. If I do my duty, according to my understanding 
 of the requirements that the Lord has made of me, then I 
 ought to have a conscience void of offense ; I ought to have 
 satisfaction in my soul, in the consciousness that I have sim- 
 ply done my duty as I understand it, and I will risk the con- 
 sequences. With me it is a matter between me and the 
 Lord ; so it is with every one of us. Apr. C. R., 1911, p. 6. 
 
 NECESSITY FOR ALL TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR MISSIONS. 
 He that sent his Only Begotten Son into the world to ac- 
 complish the mission which he did, also sent every soul with- 
 in the sound of my voice, and indeed every man and woman 
 in the world, to accomplish a mission, and that mission can- 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 313 
 
 not be accomplished by neglect ; nor by indifference ; nor can 
 it be accomplished in ignorance. We must learn our duty; 
 learn the requirements that the Lord has made at our hands, 
 and understand the responsibilities that he has placed upon 
 us. We should learn the obligation that we are under to 
 God and to each other, and that we are under also to the 
 cause of Zion, that has been restored to the earth in the lat- 
 ter days. These things are essential, and we cannot prosper 
 in spiritual things, we cannot grow in knowledge and under- 
 standing, our minds cannot expand in the knowledge of 
 God, nor in wisdom, nor in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with- 
 out we devote our thoughts and our efforts toward our own 
 betterment, toward the increase of our own wisdom, and 
 knowledge in the things of God. 
 
 We labor day by day for the bread that perishes, and 
 we devote but a few hours, comparatively, in seeking to 
 obtain the bread of life. Our thoughts, in great measure, 
 are placed upon worldly things, the things that perish, and 
 therefore we are prone to neglect the higher duties that 
 devolve upon us as the children of our father, and to for- 
 get, in some measure, the greater obligations that rest upon 
 us. It is therefore proper, and indeed it becomes the duty 
 of those who are placed upon the towers as watchmen in 
 Zion to exhort the people to diligence, to prayer fulness, to 
 humility, to a love of the truth that has been revealed to 
 them, and to earnest devotion to the work of the Lord, 
 which is intended for their individual salvation, and so far as 
 they have influence upon others, the salvation of those whom 
 they may have power to influence to move in the right direc- 
 tion ; not that I can save any man, nor that any one man can 
 save any other man or fit him for exaltation in the kingdom 
 of God. This is not given to me to do for others, nor is it 
 given to any man to be a Savior in this sense, or in this 
 way, to his fellow man ; but men can set an example ; men 
 can urge the precepts of the gospel. Men can proclaim the 
 
314 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 truth to others, and can point out the way to them in which 
 to walk, and if they will barken to their counsel, listen to 
 their admonitions and be led by them, they themselves will 
 seek the path of life and they will walk in it, and obtain their 
 exaltation for themselves. And thus the work required of 
 us by the Lord is an individual work, it devolves upon each 
 individual alike. No man can be saved in the kingdom of 
 God in sin. No man will ever be forgiven of his sins by 
 the just Judge, except he repent of his sins. No man will 
 ever be freed from the power of death unless he is born 
 again as the Lord Almighty has decreed, and declared to 
 the world by the mouth of his Son in the meridian of time, 
 and as he has declared it again in this dispensation through 
 the Prophet Joseph Smith. Men can only be saved and 
 exalted in the kingdom of God in righteousness, therefore 
 we must repent of our sins, and walk in the light as Christ 
 is in the light, that his blood may cleanse us from all sins, 
 and that we may have fellowship with God and receive of 
 his glory and exaltation. Oct. C. R., 1907, p. 4. 
 
 GOD HONORS THOSE WHO HONOR HIM. Though the 
 Lord should try me by withholding his blessings from me, 
 and making me to drink to the very dregs the bitter cup of 
 poverty, that should make no difference to me. The point 
 is, what is the law of God ? And if I know that law, it is my 
 duty to obey it, though I suffer death in consequence. Many 
 a man has gone to the stake in obedience, as he believed, 
 to the commandments of God. Not one of the ancient disci- 
 ples who were chosen of Jesus Christ, escaped martyrdom, 
 except Judas and John. Judas betrayed the Lord, and then 
 sacrificed his own life ; and John received the promise of the 
 Lord that he should live until he came again to the earth. 
 All the others were put to death, some crucified, some drag- 
 ged in the streets of Rome, some thrown from pinnacles, 
 and some stoned to death. What for? For obeying the law 
 of God and bearing testimony to that which they knew to be 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 315 
 
 true. So may it be today. But let the spirit of this gospel 
 be so imbedded in my soul that though I go through poverty, 
 through tribulation, through persecution, or to death, let me 
 and my house serve God and keep his laws. However, the 
 promise is that you shall be blessed through obedience. God 
 will honor those who honor him, and will remember those 
 who remember him. He will uphold and sustain all those 
 who sustain truth and are faithful to it. God help us, there- 
 fore, to be faithful to the truth, now and forever. Apr. C. 
 R., 1900, pp. 49, 50. 
 
 QUALIFICATIONS OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. Now we all 
 need patience, forbearance, forgiveness, humility, charity, 
 love unfeigned, devotion to the truth, abhorrence of sin 
 and wickedness, rebellion and disobedience to the require- 
 ments of the gospel. These are the qualifications requisite 
 to Latter-day Saints and to becoming Latter-day Saints and 
 members in good standing in the Church of Jesus Christ and 
 heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. No mem- 
 ber in good standing in the Church will be drunken or riot- 
 ous or profane or will take advantage of his brother or his 
 neighbor or will violate the principles of virtue and honor 
 and righteousness. No member of the Church of Jesus 
 Christ of Latter-day Saints in good standing will ever be 
 chargeable with such offenses as these, because members will 
 avoid these evils, and they will live above them. Then we 
 have a mission in the world: each man, each woman, each 
 child, who has grown to understanding or to the years of 
 accountability, ought to be an example to the world. They 
 ought not only to be qualified to preach the truth, to bear tes- 
 timony of the truth, but ought to live so that the very life 
 they live, the very words they speak, their every action in 
 life will be a sermon to the unwary and to the ignorant, 
 teaching them goodness, purity, uprightness, faith in God 
 and love for the human family. Apr. C. R., 1916, pp. 6, 7. 
 
 PERFECTION IN OUR SPHERE. I sincerely hope that the 
 
316 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 spirit of the conference will abide with us, will go with us 
 to our homes, and that we will be able to continue to build 
 on the foundations of the gospel of the Son of God until 
 we become perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect, 
 according to the sphere and intelligence that we act in and 
 possess. I do not expect that any of us will ever become in 
 mortality quite so perfect as God is perfect; but in the 
 spheres in which we are called to act, and according to the 
 capacity and breadth of intelligence that we possess, in our 
 sphere and in the exercise of the talent, the ability, and in- 
 telligence that God has given to us, we may become as per- 
 fect in our sphere as God is perfect in his higher and more 
 exalted sphere. I believe that. Apr. C. R., 1915, p. 140. 
 
 LET EVERY MAN LIVE TO BEAR CLOSEST INSPECTION. Let 
 every man's life be so that his character will bear the closest 
 inspection, and that it may be seen as an open book, so that he 
 will have nothing to shrink from or be ashamed of. Let all 
 men who are elevated to positions of trust in the Church live 
 so that no man can point to their faults, because they will have 
 no faults; so that no man can justly accuse them of wrong- 
 doing, because they do no wrong ; that no man can point out 
 their defects as "human" and as "weak mortals," because 
 they are living up to the principles of the gospel, and are 
 not merely "weak human creatures," devoid of the Spirit of 
 God and the power to live above sin. That is the way for 
 all men to live in the kingdom of God. Oct. C. R., 1906, 
 pp. 9, 10. 
 
 NEED OF INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY. It is not safe for 
 men or women to conclude that because they have fulfilled 
 carefully their public responsibilities they have done all that 
 is required of them. Public requirements are changeable. 
 Public demands vary with the times. Sometimes they are 
 strict and sometimes they are very lax. Public sentiment be- 
 comes fickle, and it is often indifferent to the conduct of indi- 
 viduals who take license from a public indifference to wrong 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 317 
 
 doing. Individual responsibility is more concerned with the 
 duties which men owe to their God whose requirements are 
 positive and constant. When men feel that they are ever 
 under an All-seeing Eye, their conduct is measured in the 
 strictest terms. They are not subject to lapses of public 
 sentiment. 
 
 The first and highest standard of correct living is to 
 be found in that individual responsibility which keeps men 
 good for the truth's sake. It is not difficult for men who 
 are true to themselves to be true to others. Men who honor 
 God in their private lives do not need the restraint of pub- 
 lic opinion which may not only be indifferent, but positively 
 wrong. It is by the individual responsibilities which men 
 feel that they are able to place themselves on the right side 
 of all public questions. Those who neglect the inner life 
 are dependent upon public guidance which leads them into 
 all sorts of inconsistencies. 
 
 To walk safely and steadfastly without leaning upon 
 the arm of flesh is the individual duty of every Latter-day 
 Saint. Such a duty becomes a responsibility which men owe 
 to themselves and to their God. The Saints should study 
 their responsibilities, both public and individual, and find 
 out, if they can, just what they are. Juvenile Instructor, 
 December, 1909, Vol. 44, p. 519. 
 
 CONQUER OURSELVES FIRST. I feel very grateful for 
 the excellent peace and spirit which has pervaded all our 
 meetings. It is true, we are all engaged in a warfare, and 
 all of us should be valiant warriors in the cause in which 
 we are engaged. Our first enemy we will find within our- 
 selves. It is a good thing to overcome that enemy first and 
 bring ourselves into subjection to the will of the Father, 
 and into strict obedience to the principles of life and salva- 
 tion which he has given to the world for the salvation of 
 men. When we shall have conquered ourselves, it will be 
 well for us to wage our war without, against false teachings, 
 
318 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 false doctrines, false customs, habits and ways, against error, 
 unbelief, the follies of the world that are so prevalent, and 
 against infidelity, and false science, under the name of 
 science, and every other thing that strikes at the founda- 
 tions of the principles set forth in the doctrine of Christ for 
 the redemption of men and the salvation of their souls 
 Oct. C. R. f 1914, p. 128. 
 
 LET Us CONQUER OURSELVES. Let us conquer our- 
 selves, and then go to and conquer all the evil that we see 
 around us, as far as we possibly can. And we will do it 
 without using violence; we will do it without interfering 
 with the agency of men or of women. We will do it by 
 persuasion, by long-suffering, by patience, and by forgive- 
 ness and love unfeigned, by which we will win the hearts, 
 the affections and the souls of the children of men to the 
 truth, as God has revealed it to us. We will never have 
 peace, nor justice, nor truth, until we look to the only true 
 fountain for it, and receive from the fountainhead. Oct. 
 C. R., 1906, p. 129. 
 
 CHARITY THE GREATEST PRINCIPLE. Charity, or love, 
 is the greatest principle in existence. If we can lend a help- 
 ing hand to the oppressed, if we can aid those who are de- 
 spondent and in sorrow, if we can uplift and ameliorate the 
 condition of mankind, it is our mission to do it, it is an es- 
 sential part of our religion to do it. Apr. C. R., 1918, p. 4. 
 
 LOOK FOR GOOD; NOT FOR EVIL. Change the focus of 
 your view, and of your eye, from watching for evil to 
 watching for that which is good, that which is pure, and 
 leading and prompting those who err into that path which 
 has no error in it, and that will not admit of mistakes. Look 
 for good in men, and where they fail to possess it, try to 
 build it up in them; try to increase the good in them; look 
 for the good ; build up the good ; sustain the good ; and speak 
 as little about the evil as you possibly can. It does not do 
 any good to magnify evil, to publish evil, or to promulgate 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 319 
 
 it by tongue or pen. There is no good to be obtained by it. 
 It is better to bury the evil and magnify the good, and prompt 
 all men to forsake evil and learn to do good; and let our 
 mission be to save mankind and to teach and guide in the 
 path of righteousness, and not to sit as judges and pass 
 judgment upon evil-doers, but rather to be saviors of men. 
 Apr. C. R. } 1913, p. 8. 
 
 ESTIMATE MEN BY THEIR NOBLE DEEDS One fruitful 
 source of apostasy from the Church comes from an inclina- 
 tion on the part of those who apostatize to consider the 
 small, mostly unintentionally committed errors of its offi- 
 cers, rather than the broader and more important labors 
 which enter into their experience. Young men so inclined 
 turn from the infinite truth of the gospel, and the mighty 
 plan of salvation, the eternal purposes of God, to carp and 
 cavil upon the insignificant actions and the imperfect achieve- 
 ments of men, judging the inspiring magnitude of the former 
 by the disagreeable and tiresome detail of the latter. Many 
 of the serious annoyances of communal life among the Saints 
 would be obliterated entirely if men would search for the 
 great and noble aspirations actuating their neighbors, rather 
 than for the imperfect sidelights that lay bare their puny 
 shortcomings. Those who wish to advance in the world 
 will avoid soul-destroying, mind-narrowing thoughts, and 
 devote the days allotted to them, which it will be found are 
 none too numerous, in studying the greater, nobler, and 
 grander subjects that tend to build character, provide hap- 
 piness, and create harmony with the mighty purposes of the 
 Church and its founder, the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 Let us estimate our brethren by their best desires and 
 noblest aspirations, not by their trifling shortcomings and 
 failures. We estimate the majesty of the Wasatch by Monte 
 Christo, Baldy, Observatory, the mighty Cottonwoods, Clay- 
 ton, Timpanogos, and Nebo its loftiest peaks not by its 
 rolling elevations or hillocky spurs, rocks ravines or tri- 
 
320 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 fling canyons. So also let us judge our fellows, and so the 
 Church. It is the better way. Improvement Era, March, 
 1902, Vol. 5, p. 388. 
 
 LET Us SUSTAIN ONE ANOTHER. Let us sustain Christ, 
 his people, and his cause of righteousness and redemption; 
 let us sustain one another in the right, and kindly admonish 
 one another in regard to wrongdoing, that we may be friends 
 and saviors on Mount Zion, one for another, and that we 
 may help the weak and strengthen them, encourage the 
 doubtful and bring light to their right understandings as 
 far as it is possible, that we may be instrumental in the 
 hands of God of being saviors among men. Not that we 
 have power to save men. We have not ; but we have power 
 to show them how they can obtain salvation through obe- 
 dience to the laws of God. We can show them how to walk 
 in order to be saved, for we have the right to do that, we 
 have knowledge and understanding as to how to do it, and 
 it is our privilege to teach it and to enforce it by example as 
 well as by precept among our associates wherever we are in 
 the world. Off. C. R., 1907, pp. 9, 10. 
 
 Do NOT BEAR MALICE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. Breth- 
 ren and sisters, we want you to be united. We hope and 
 pray that you will go from this conference to your homes 
 feeling in your hearts and' from the depths of your soul to 
 forgive one another, and never from this time forth to bear 
 malice towards another fellow-creature. I do not care 
 whether he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latter-day Saints or not, whether he is a friend or a foe, 
 whether he is good or bad. It is extremely hurtful for any 
 man holding the priesthood, and enjoying the gift of the 
 Holy Ghost to harbor a spirit of envy, or malice, or retalia- 
 tion, or intolerance toward or against his fellow-men. We 
 ought to say in our hearts, let God judge between me and 
 thee, but as for me, I will forgive. I want to say to you 
 that Latter-day Saints who harbor a feeling of unforgive- 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 321 
 
 ness in their souls are more guilty and more censurable than 
 the one who has sinned against them. Go home and dismiss 
 envy and hatred from your hearts; dismiss the feeling of 
 unforgiveness ; and cultivate in your souls that spirit of 
 Christ which cried out upon the cross, "Father, forgive 
 them ; for they know not what they do." This is the spirit 
 that Latter-day Saints ought to possess all the day long. 
 The man who has that spirit in his heart and keeps it there 
 will never have any trouble with his neighbor ; he will never 
 have any difficulties to bring before the bishop, nor high 
 council ; but he will always be at peace with himself, at peace 
 with his neighbors, and at peace with God. It is a good 
 thing to be at peace with God. Oct. C. R., 1902, pp. 86, 87. 
 HONOR YOURSELVES AND YOUR NEIGHBORS. We ad- 
 monish, we beseech our brothers and sisters, in the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ, not only to honor themselves by a proper 
 course of living, but also to honor and love and be charitable 
 to their neighbors, every one of them. We admonish you not 
 only to keep the greatest of all the commandments that has 
 ever been given of God to man, to love the Lord your God, 
 with all your heart, and mind, and strength, but we exhort 
 you also to observe that second law, next unto it, to 1o : /e 
 your neighbors as yourselves ; return good for evil, do not 
 revile others because you are or may be reviled. We have 
 no need to tear down the houses of other people (using this 
 expression as a symbol). We are perfectly willing that they 
 should live in the homes they have erected for themselves, 
 and we will try to show them a better way. While we will 
 not condemn that which they love and cherish above all 
 other things in the world, we will endeavor to show them a 
 better way and build them a better house, and then invite 
 them kindly, in the spirit of Christ, of true Christianity, to 
 enter the better dwelling. That is the principle, and I wish 
 to impress it upon you this morning. I desire to impress, if 
 I can, upon the minds of the parents the necessity of prop- 
 
 22 
 
322 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 erly instructing and teaching their children with reference 
 to this glorious principle, charity and love, that love for our 
 neighbor that will enable us to cherish his rights as sacredly 
 as we cherish our own, to defend the rights and liberties, 
 put up the fallen bars in the fences of our neighbors that 
 are carelessly left down, just as we would put our own bars 
 up surrounding our own fields, in order to protect our crops 
 from the ravages of stray animals. Ap. C. R., 1917, p. 4. 
 
 AVOID COURTS. Be reconciled to each other. Do not 
 go to the courts of the Church nor to the courts of the land 
 for litigation. Settle your own troubles and difficulties ; 
 and, as Bishop Hunter used to say, which is an axium that 
 cannot be disputed, there is only one way in which a diffi- 
 culty existing between man and man can be truly settled, 
 and that is when they get together and settle it between 
 them. The courts cannot settle troubles between me and 
 my brother. Oct. C. R., 1916, pp. 6, 7. 
 
 LET Us LIVE OUR RELIGION. I will say now to all of 
 the Latter-day Saints, Let us live our religion ; let us pay our 
 tithing and be blessed ; let us remember the poor and the 
 needy, and sustain and help them; let us visit the sick and 
 afflicted, and administer consolation unto them; let us help 
 the weak; let us do all in our power to build up Zion, to es- 
 tablish righteousness in the earth, and to plant in the hearts 
 of the people the glorious truth that Jesus is the Christ, the 
 Redeemer of the world, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of 
 the living God, whom the Lord raised up in these last days 
 to restore the everlasting gospel and the power of the holy 
 priesthood to the world. Oct. C. R. } 1902, p. 88. 
 
 LET Us BE TRUE TO THE FAITH. We should set an ex- 
 ample ; we should be true to the faith, as Brother Stephens 
 sings to us ; true to the faith ! We should be true to our cov- 
 enants, true to our God, and true to one another, and to 
 the interests of Zion, no matter what the consequences may 
 be, no matter what may result. I can tell you that the man 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 323 
 
 who is not true to Zion and to the interests of the people 
 will be the man who will be found, bye and bye, left out 
 and in a pitiable spiritual condition. The man who stays 
 with the kingdom of God, the man who is true to this peo- 
 ple, the man who keeps himself pure and unspotted from the 
 world, is the man that God will accept, that God will uphold, 
 that he will sustain, and that will prosper in the land, whether 
 he be in the enjoyment of his liberty or be confined in prison 
 cells, it makes no difference where he is, he will come out 
 all right. Oct. C. R., 1906, p. 9. 
 
 CHURCH DUTIES ARE PARAMOUNT. Our duties in the 
 Church should be, I think, paramount to every other interest 
 in the world. It is true that we are under the necessity of 
 looking after our worldly interests. It is, of course, neces- 
 sary for us to labor with our hands, and oui minds, in our 
 various occupations for obtaining the necessaries of life. It 
 is essential that the Latter-day Saints should be industrious 
 and persevering in all the labors that devolve upon them, for 
 it is written that "the inhabitants of Zion shall remember 
 their labors, inasmuch as they are appointed to labor, in all 
 faithfulness ; for the idler shall be had in remembrance be- 
 fore the Lord." Again it is written: "Let every man be 
 diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in 
 the Church, except he repents and mends his ways." Again : 
 "Thou shalt not be idle ; for he that is idle shall not eat the 
 bread nor wear the garments of the laborer." But in all 
 our labors in life, in all the cares that beset us, and the tem- 
 poral responsibilities that rest upon us, we should put upper- 
 most in our thoughts, and highest in our appreciation and 
 love, the cause of Zion, which is indeed the cause of truth 
 and righteousness. Oct. C. R., 1907, p. 2. See Doc. and 
 Cov. 42:42; 68:30; 75:29. 
 
 WE SHOULD STUDY THE GOSPEL. I believe it is good 
 to seek knowledge out of the best books, to learn the his- 
 tories of nations, to be able to comprehend the purposes of 
 
324 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 God with reference to the nations of the earth; and I be- 
 lieve that one of the most important things, and perhaps more 
 important to us than studying the history of the world, is 
 that we study and become thoroughly acquainted with the 
 principles of the gospel, that they may be established in our 
 hearts and souls, above all other things, to qualify us to go 
 out into the world to preach and teach them. We may know 
 all about the philosophy of the ages and the history of the 
 nations of the earth ; we may study the wisdom and knowl- 
 edge of man and get all the information that we can ac- 
 quire in a lifetime of research and study, but all of it put 
 together will never qualify any one to become a minister 
 of the gospel unless he has the knowledge and spirit of the 
 first principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Apr. C. R., 
 1915, p. 138. 
 
 ENCOURAGE SINGING. It delights my heart to see our 
 little children learning to sing, and to see the people, our 
 people everywhere, improving their talents as good singers. 
 Everywhere we go among pur people, we find sweet voices 
 and talent for music. I believe that this is a manifestation 
 to us of the purpose of the Lord in this direction toward our 
 people, that they will excel in these things, as they should 
 excel in every other good thing. Apr. C. R., Sunday School, 
 1904, p. 81. 
 
 CULTIVATE SINGING. I can remember when I was a lit- 
 tle boy, hearing my father sing. I do not know how much 
 of a singer he was, for at that time I was not capable of 
 judging as to the quality of his singing, but the hymns he 
 sang became familiar to me, even in the days of my child- 
 hood. I believe that I can sing them still, although I am not 
 much of a singer. When young men go out into the world 
 to preach the gospel, they will find it very beneficial for 
 them to know how to sing the songs of Zion. I repeat the 
 admonition and request made by Brother McMurrin, who 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN . 325 
 
 has recently returned from a lengthy mission to Europe, 
 that the young men who are eligible to preach the gospel, 
 and who are likely to be called into the missionary field, 
 begin at once to improve their talent to sing, and do not 
 think it is beneath their dignity to join the choirs of the 
 wards in which they live and learn how to sing. When we 
 listen to this choir, under the leadership of Brother Stephens, 
 we listen to music, and music is truth. Good music is gra- 
 cious praise of God. It is delightsome to the ear, and it is 
 one of our most acceptable method's of worshiping God. 
 And those who sing in this choir and in all the choirs of the 
 Saints, should sing with the spirit and with the understand- 
 ing. They should not sing merely because it is a profes- 
 sion, or because they have a good voice; but they should 
 sing also because they have the spirit of it and can enter 
 into the spirit of prayer and praise to God who gave them 
 their sweet voices. My soul is always lifted up, and my 
 spirit cheered and comforted, when I hear good music. I 
 rejoice in it very much indeed. Oct. C. R., 1899, pp. 68, 69. 
 BE FREE FROM DEBT. One of these subjects is, that in 
 the time of prosperity, which we are now enjoying, it is high- 
 ly proper for the Latter-day Saints to get out of debt. I 
 have unceasingly urged this thought upon the brethren for 
 the past year or more. Wherever I have had the opportu- 
 nity of speaking, I have scarcely ever forgotten to hold out 
 to the people the necessity that I feel, at least of our set- 
 tling our obligations and freeing ourselves from debt in the 
 day of prosperity. Our experience in the years that have 
 passed must have led us to the conclusion that we have pe- 
 riods of prosperity, followed by period's of depression. We 
 have now had a long period of success and prosperity, and 
 we may expect, almost at any time, to see these conditions 
 change and a time of depression spread over the land and 
 over the people. I would say, in connection with this sub- 
 ject, that one of the best ways that I know of to pay my 
 
326 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 obligations to my brother, my neighbor, or business associ- 
 ate, is for me first to pay my obligations to the Lord. I can 
 pay more of my debts to my neighbors, if I have contracted 
 them, after I have met my honest obligations with the Lord, 
 than I can by neglecting the latter; and you can do the 
 same. If you desire to prosper, and to be free men and 
 women and a free people, first meet your just obligations 
 to God, and then meet your obligations to your fellowmen. 
 Bishop Hunter used to put the matter in these words : 
 "Brethren, pay your tithing and be blessed," and that is just 
 what I mean. Apr. C. R., 1903, p. 2. 
 
 WHAT THE LORD REQUIRES OF His SAINTS. There is 
 a circumstance recorded in the Scriptures, that has been 
 brought forcibly to my mind while listening to the remarks 
 of the elders who have spoken to us during conference. A 
 young man came to Jesus and asked what good thing he 
 should do that he might have eternal life. Jesus said unto 
 him, "Keep the commandments." The young man asked 
 which of them. Then Jesus enumerated to him some of the 
 commandments that he was to keep he should not murder, 
 nor commit adultery, nor steal, nor bear false witness, but 
 he should honor his father and mother, and love his neigh- 
 bor as himself, etc. Said the young man, "All these I have 
 kept from my youth up : what lack I yet ?'' Jesus said, "If 
 thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to 
 the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and come 
 and follow me." And we are told that he turned away sor- 
 rowful, because he had great possessions. He would not 
 hearken to, nor obey the law of God in this matter. Not 
 that Jesus required of the young man to go and sell all that 
 he possessed and give it away ; that is not the principle in- 
 volved. The great principle involved is that which the elders 
 of Israel are endeavoring to enforce upon the minds of the 
 Latter-day Saints today. When the young man turned away 
 in sorrow, Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 327 
 
 shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." (See Matt. 
 10:16-23.) 
 
 Is this because the rich man is rich ? No. May not the 
 rich man, who has the light of God in his heart, who pos- 
 sesses the principle and .spirit of truth, and who understands 
 the principle of God's government and law in the world, en- 
 ter into the kingdom of heaven as easily, and be as accept- 
 able there as the poor man may? Precisely. God is not a 
 respecter of persons. The rich man may enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven as freely as the poor, if he will bring his 
 heart and affections into subjection to the law of God and 
 to the principle of truth ; if he will place his affections upon 
 God, his heart upon the truth, and his soul upon the accom- 
 plishment of God's purposes, and not fix his affections and 
 his hopes upon the things of the world. Here is the diffi- 
 culty, and this was the difficulty with the young man. He 
 had great possessions, and he preferred to rely upon his 
 wealth rather than forsake all and follow Christ. If he had 
 possessed the spirit of truth in his heart to have known the 
 will of God, and to have loved' the Lord with all his heart 
 and his neighbor as himself, he would have said to the Lord, 
 "Yea, Lord, I will do as you require, I will go and sell all 
 that I have, and give it to the poor." If he had had it in his 
 heart to do this, that alone might have been sufficient, and 
 the demand would probably have stopped there; for un- 
 doubtedly the Lord did not deem it essential for him to go 
 and give his riches away, or to sell his possessions and give 
 the proceeds away, in order that he might be perfect, for that, 
 in a measure, would have been improvident. Yet, if it had 
 required all this to test him and to prove him, to see whether 
 he loved the Lord with all his heart, mind, and strength, and 
 his neighbor as himself, then he ought to have been will- 
 ing to do it ; and if he had been, he would have lacked noth- 
 ing, and would have received the gift of eternal life, which is 
 the greatest gift of God, and which can be received on no 
 
328 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 other principle than the one mentioned by Jesus to the 
 young man. If you will read the sixth lecture on faith, 
 in the book of Doctrine and Covenants, you will learn that no 
 man can obtain the gift of eternal life unless he is willing 
 to sacrifice all earthly things in order to obtain it. We can- 
 not do this so long as our affections are fixed upon the world. 
 
 It is true that we are in a measure of the earth, earthy ; 
 we belong to the world. Our affections and our souls are 
 here ; our treasures are here, and where the treasure is there 
 the heart is. But if we will lay up our treasures in heaven; 
 if we will wean our affections from the things of this world, 
 and say to the Lord our God, "Father, not my will, but thine 
 be done," then may the will of God be done on earth as it is 
 done in heaven, and the kingdom of God in its power and 
 glory will be established upon the earth. Sin and Satan will 
 be bound and banished from the earth, and not until we at- 
 tain to this condition of mind and faith will this be- done. 
 
 Then let the Saints unite ; let them hearken to the 
 voices of the servants of God that are sounded in their ears ; 
 let them hearken to their counsels and give heed to the 
 truth ; let them seek their own salvation, for, so far as I am 
 concerned, I am so selfish that I am seeking after my salva- 
 tion, and I know that I can find it only in obedience to the 
 laws of God, in keeping the commandments, in performing 
 works of righteousness, following in the footsteps of our 
 file leader, Jesus the Exemplar and the Head of all. He is 
 the way of life, he is the Light of the world, he is the Door 
 by which we must enter, in order that we may have a place 
 with him in the celestial kingdom of God. Journal of Dis- 
 courses, Vol. 18, 1877, pp. 133-135; Oct. C. R., 1875. 
 
 CULTIVATE GRATITUDE. We are almost daily put under 
 obligations to one another, especially to friends and acquain- 
 tances, and the sense of obligation creates within us feel- 
 ings of thankfulness and appreciation which we call grati- 
 tude. The spirit of gratitude is always pleasant and satis- 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 329 
 
 fying because it carries with it a sense of helpfulness to 
 others; it begets love and friendship, and engenders divine 
 influence. Gratitude is said to be the memory of the heart. 
 
 And where there is an absence of gratitude, either to 
 God or man, there is the presence of vanity and the spirit 
 of self-sufficiency. Speaking of Israel, Paul says : "Be- 
 cause that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as 
 God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imag- 
 inations, and their foolish heart was darkened" (Rom. 1:21). 
 
 Thomas Gibbons expresses in verse most beautifully the 
 idea of ingratitude : 
 
 "That man may last, but never lives, 
 Who much receives, but nothing gives ; 
 Whom none can love, whom none can thank, 
 Creation's blot, creation's blank." 
 
 Naturally people feel grateful to those who have 
 done them a kindness, and the feeling of gratitude is gen- 
 erally a sufficient compensation for those who have done a 
 kind and unselfish act. But when one does a favor for an- 
 other, and behind that favor is the secret and selfish intent 
 that the gratitude which is awakened by the favor shall be- 
 come a debt which the receiver at some time and in some 
 way must repay to the selfish needs of the one who be- 
 stowed the favor, then gratitude becomes a debt which it 
 is expected will be paid. 
 
 An act of apparent kindness can never result in good 
 when it is intended to put any man under obligations that 
 deprive him of his freedom to act. That is the characteristic 
 of a politician. It is buying up one's freedom, and such a 
 bargain is worse upon the man who seeks to make it than 
 Shylock's contract for a pound of flesh. 
 
 When we win the 'friendship of others, because that 
 friendship is helpful and encouraging to us, and because we 
 need it for our happiness in life, gratitude of others toward 
 
330 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 us has a beautiful and lasting charm. That is the gratitude 
 which Saints enjoy. 
 
 It is always safer and better to enjoy the gratitude 
 which we feel to others than to set store upon the gratitude 
 which we think others should have toward us. The grate- 
 ful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and 
 with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers 
 jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride 
 destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. 
 How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and 
 loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, 
 through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude 
 toward God and man ! Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 38, April, 
 1903, pp. 242, 243. 
 
 BACKIUTIXG. In a letter recently received by me, the 
 following request and question were submitted for my 
 opinion : "I would like you to define backbiting. There seems 
 to be a difference of opinion respecting the meaning of the 
 term. Some claim that so long as you speak the truth 
 about a person, it is not backbiting, no matter what you say 
 or how you say it. Would it not be better if we knew a 
 person had faults, to go to him privately and labor with him, 
 than to go to others and speak of his faults ?" 
 
 Nothing could be farther from the spirit and genius of 
 the gospel than to suppose that we are always justified in 
 speaking the truth about a person, however harmful the 
 truth to him may be. The gospel teaches us the funda- 
 mental principle of repentance, and we have no right to dis- 
 credit a man in the estimation of his fellow^men when he has 
 truly repented and God has forgiven him. We are con- 
 stantly beset by temptation, and often say and do things 
 of which we immediately repent, and no doubt, if our re- 
 pentance is genuine, it is always acceptable to our heavenly 
 Father. After he has accepted the contrition of the human 
 heart and forgiven men their trespasses, it is dangerous for 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 331 
 
 us to hold up their evil deeds for the contempt of the world. 
 
 As a rule, it is not necessary to be constantly offering 
 advice to those who in our judgment are possessed of some 
 fault. In the first place, our judgments may be in error; 
 and in the second place, we may be dealing with a man who 
 is strongly imbued with the spirit of repentance, and who, 
 conscious of his weakness, is constantly struggling to over- 
 come it. The utmost care, therefore, should be observed 
 in all our language that implies a reproach of others. As 
 a general rule, backbiting is better determined by the spirit 
 and purpose that actuate us in speaking of things we consider 
 faults in others than in the words themselves. A man or 
 woman who possesses the Spirit of God will soon detect in 
 his or her own feelings the spirit of backbiting, as that spirit 
 is present in the remarks that are made concerning others. 
 The question of backbiting, therefore, is probably best deter- 
 mined by the ancient rule, "That the letter killeth and the 
 spirit giveth life." Juvenile Instructor, October 15, 1904, 
 Vol. 39, p. 625. 
 
 Do NOT INFLICT WOUNDS, BUT HEAL WOUNDS. Al- 
 most anyone can inflict a wound. It may be made by a 
 word, a slight, or by general conduct. But the healing of a 
 wound is an art not acquired by practice alone, but by the 
 loving tenderness that comes from universal good will and 
 a sympathetic interest in the welfare and happiness of oth- 
 ers. If people were always as ready to administer kindness 
 as they are indifferent to the pain of others if they were 
 as patient to heal as they are quick to wound many an 
 unkind word would never be spoken, many a slight would 
 be avoided. The art of healing is really one of the highest 
 qualities and attributes of man; it is a characteristic of a 
 great and noble soul; the sure indication of generous im- 
 pulse. 
 
 In the discipline of the home, of the school, and social 
 life, the infliction of wounds may be unavoidable, if they be 
 
332 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 not an actual necessity ; but wounds should never be left 
 open to fester they should be bound up and cared for until 
 they are healed. Perhaps the most perfect ideal in the art 
 of healing is the mother whose tender and gracious love 
 asserts itself in taking away the sting of a deserved or un- 
 deserved punishment. How her love heals every wound! 
 How quick her caresses bind up and soothe! The example 
 of her life is the wisdom which love teaches. In the school, 
 children may suffer humiliation into which their wayward 
 or careless conduct has brought them, and their punish- 
 ment may be just ; but their wounds the teacher should never 
 leave unhealed. Nature wounds us when we violate her 
 laws ; but nature has her antiseptic methods of treating and 
 healing every wound. The wise teacher has his also. 
 
 The cultivation of kindly thoughts and sentiments to- 
 wards others is always helpful in the art of healing. It is 
 sometimes helpful to lift ourselves out of our own shells in 
 which, by our surroundings and habits of thought, we are 
 incrusted, and place ourselves in the positions which others 
 occupy in life. Constant consideration for the welfare and 
 happiness of others is every day imposed upon us by the 
 divine injunction, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 
 
 The test, then, of our soul's greatness is rather to be 
 sought in our ability to comfort and console, our ability to 
 help others, rather than in our ability to help ourselves and 
 crowd others down in the struggle of life. If the reader 
 will stop a moment to reflect upon the healing qualities of 
 Christ's life, he will understand that Christ was a Master in 
 the art of healing, not alone of the wounds he made, but 
 of self-inflicted wounds and the wounds that others made. 
 What a comfort his life is to those in sorrow ! How in- 
 stinctively our thoughts turn to him ! How prone we are to 
 go to him for consolation ! He is truly the great Healer of the 
 afflictions of others. Juvenile Instructor, March, 1903, Vol. 
 38, pp. 178, 179. 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 333 
 
 USE GOOD LANGUAGE. Language, like thought, makes 
 its impression and is recalled by the memory in a way that 
 may be unpleasant if not harmful to those who have been 
 compelled to listen to unseemly words. Thoughts that in 
 themselves are not improper may be exalted or debased by 
 the language used to express them. If inelegant expres- 
 sions should be eschewed, what shall be said of profanity? 
 Juvenile Instructor, May 1, 1906, Vol. 41, p. 272. 
 
 Do NOT DESTROY LIFE WANTONLY. I have just a few 
 words to say in addition to those that have already been said, 
 in relation to shedding blood and to the destruction of life. 
 I think that every soul should be impressed by the senti- 
 ments that have been expressed here this evening by all who 
 have spoken, and not less with reference to the killing of our 
 innocent birds, natives of our country, who live upon the ver- 
 min that are indeed enemies to the farmer and to mankind. 
 It is not only wicked to destroy them, it is abominable, in 
 my opinion. I think that this principle should extend, not 
 only to the bird life, but to the life of all animals. When I 
 visited, a few years ago, the Yellowstone National Park, and 
 saw in the streams and the beautiful lakes, birds swimming 
 quite fearless of man, allowing passers-by to approach them 
 as closely almost as tame birds, and apprehending no fear 
 of them, and when I saw droves of beautiful deer herding 
 along the side of the road, as fearless of the presence of men 
 as any domestic animal, it filled my heart with a degree of 
 peace and joy that seemed to be almost a foretaste of that 
 period hoped for when there shall be none to hurt and none 
 to molest in all the land, especially among all the inhabitants 
 of Zion. These same birds, if they were to visit other re- 
 gions, inhabited by man, would, on account of their tame- 
 ness, doubtless become more, easily a prey to the gunner. 
 The same may be said of those beautiful creatures the deer 
 and antelope. If they should wander out of the park, be- 
 yond the protection that is established there for these ani- 
 
334 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 mals, they would become, of course, an easy prey to those 
 who were seeking their lives. I never could see why a man 
 should be imbued with a blood-thirsty desire to kill and de- 
 stroy animal life. I have known men and they still exist 
 among us who enjoy what is, to them, the "sport" of hunt- 
 ing bird's and slaying them by the hundreds, and who will 
 come in after a day's sport, boasting of how many harmless 
 birds they have had the skill to slaughter, and day after day, 
 during the season when it is lawful for men to hunt and kill 
 (the birds having had a season of protection and not appre- 
 hending danger) go out by scores or hundreds, and you may 
 hear their guns early in the morning on the day of the open- 
 ing, as if great armies had met in battle; and the terrible 
 work of slaughtering the innocent birds goes on. 
 
 I do not believe any man should kill animals or birds 
 unless he needs them for food, and then he should not kill 
 innocent little birds that are not intended for food for man. 
 I think it is wicked for men to thirst in their souls to kill 
 almost everything which possesses animal life. It is wrong, 
 and I have been surprised at prominent men whom I have 
 seen whose very souls seemed to be athirst for the shedding 
 of animal blood. They go off hunting deer, antelope, elk, 
 anything they can find, and what for? "Just for the fun of 
 it !" Not that they are hungry and need the flesh of their 
 prey, but just because they love to shoot and to destroy life. 
 I am a firm believer, with reference to these things, in the 
 simple words of one of the poets : 
 
 'Take not away the life you cannot give, 
 For all things have an equal right to live." 
 Juvenile Instructor, April, 1913, Vol. 48, pp. 308-309. 
 
 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS. The point which seems the 
 most perspicuous, and which will appear with greatest force 
 to your minds, no doubt, on this occasion, is that it should 
 have a speedy ending. Not so, however, with the efforts of 
 those students who graduate with honors from this college, 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 335 
 
 today. Before them lies a strange, meandering, endless path, 
 by them as yet untrodden, however well beaten by the weary 
 feet of pilgrims who have passed over to the great beyond. 
 This path is fraught with all there is in life, of good or ill 
 to them. They are entering upon the great problem of life, 
 and each will be compelled to solve that problem for himself. 
 The problem of death which is spiritual midnight the un- 
 enlightened soul will solve itself. As the stream flows nat- 
 urally down the slope to the dead waters of our inland' sea, 
 so is the common trend of the natural man down to the 
 dark valley of the shadows of death. He needs to make no 
 effort to reach this goal; by lazily floating on the tide of 
 common events, he will reach it all too soon. But, to the 
 fountain of life, to the summit of existence, to the fulness 
 of moral, religious and intellectual manhood, the finger board 
 of truth points eternally up the stream. To reach this glo- 
 rious fountain, to scale this magnificent height, one must 
 work; he must stem the current, must climb the hill must 
 climb and work and persevere. Thus he will succeed'. 
 
 It is a very important thing to make a commencement 
 in life. It is no less important to make that commencement 
 upon a sound and proper footing. A man going to the sum- 
 mit of Twin Peaks, which tower towards the heavens on the 
 southeast of us, will have a long, weary journey before he 
 reaches his destination. Although not far away at first, if he 
 starts off toward the northwest, the longer he continues 
 in that direction the further he goes from his objective point. 
 True, he may circumscribe the earth and, if he keep the 
 proper bearings, will come back to the point at last. But 
 eternity is a wondrous globe to circumnavigate, and we will 
 find it to our advantage not to undertake the feat when we 
 can so easily avoid it by commencing as we should. Error 
 is a worthless and an injurious thing. To avoid it should 
 always be our careful study. Mistakes, if they are indeed 
 mistakes, are never fortunate, and may be extremely painful 
 
336 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and hard to rectify. But the sooner rectified the better. It 
 is braver and more honorable to promptly disavow and fly 
 from error, no matter what the present seeming cost, or to 
 frankly acknowledge a mistake, and apologize for it, and 
 thus get rid of it, than to crouch beneath the burden, which 
 is moral cowardice. 
 
 The students now graduating from this school in the 
 branches of education which they have taken, are ready to 
 commence the application of the knowledge they have ac- 
 quired to the practical duties of life. You may apply this 
 knowledge to the development of the natural resources and 
 prosperity of our country, or to the betterment of the social 
 problems of the times in which you live, or you may apply it 
 to the further intellectual development of yourselves and 
 others. That which you have gained by study and the as- 
 sistance of your teachers should be wisely used by you as an 
 aid to the attainment of other and greater knowledge. 
 
 Whatever may be your course in the future, or your 
 choice of occupation, always remember the grand scriptural 
 injunction: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 
 thy might ; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, 
 nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." (Ec. 9:10.) 
 This scripture applies directly to the temporal life and death, 
 and only to them. Whatever is worth doing at all, should be 
 well and faithfully and thoroughly done. The failures occur- 
 ring in the legitimate pursuits of life, resulting solely from 
 the unprofitableness thereof, are few and far between. The 
 vast majority of failures are the results of neglect, or of 
 want of careful attention, or of ignorance, or of dishonesty 
 on the part of the applicants, and not of the business itself. 
 
 Carefully select your occupation with a view to your 
 qualifications or adaptability therefor; let it be worthy of 
 the noblest ambition and purest desire, and then engage in 
 it in earnest, put your heart into it, and your mind upon it, 
 with due consideration to other essential things, until you 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 337 
 
 succeed. All extremes should be avoided. To fix the heart 
 and mind upon a single object, however good, and close the 
 eyes to all else in life, may make an expert, a bigot, or a crank, 
 but never a wise and broad-minded man. It is foolish to be- 
 come too much absorbed in material things. Labor and re- 
 laxation should go hand in hand, and pure and undefiled 
 religion will lighten every burden you have, to bear, and help 
 to sweeten the bitter draught of many a sorrowing soul. The 
 proper admixture of labor and leisure will not only promote 
 the highest mental capabilities, but also the most perfect 
 physical conditions. 
 
 Man is a dual being. He is spiritual and he is phys- 
 ical. The latter is dependent upon the former for intelli- 
 gence and life. The body without the spirit is dead, but the 
 spirit is an immortal and an independent principle and be- 
 ing. It is the more important part, yet man bestows more 
 thought and labor upon the body, as a rule, than upon the 
 better part. Neither should be neglected, least of all, the 
 spiritual. This is truth, and it is the truth that makes man 
 free. By it they stand, without it they fall. 
 
 The Great Teacher of the world has said, "If ye con- 
 tinue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye 
 shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 
 (John 8:31-2.) Again : "And truth is knowledge of things as 
 they are, and as they were, and as they are to come." (Doc. 
 and Cov. 93:24.) 
 
 This knowledge of truth, combined with proper regard 
 for it, and its faithful observance, constitutes true education. 
 The mere stuffing of the mind with a knowledge of facts is 
 not education. The mind must not only possess a knowl- 
 edge of truth, but the soul must revere it, cherish it, love 
 it as a priceless gem ; and this human life must be guided 
 and shaped by it in order to fulfil its destiny. The mind 
 should not only be charged with intelligence, but the soul 
 should be filled with admiration and desire for pure intelli- 
 
 23 
 
338 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 gence which comes of a knowledge of the truth. The truth 
 can only make him free who hath it, and will continue in it. 
 And the word of God is truth, and it will endure forever. 
 
 Educate yourself not only for time, but also for eternity. 
 The latter of the two is the more important. Therefore, 
 when we shall have completed the studies of time, and enter 
 upon the commencement ceremonies of the great hereafter, 
 we will find our work is not finished, but just begun, we may 
 then say with the poet: 
 
 "Lay this aside say not your work is done, 
 No need of love or goodness ever dies, 
 But in the lives of others multiplies, 
 Say it has just begun." 
 
 In conclusion permit me to repeat a portion of the first 
 psalm ; "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel 
 of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sit- 
 teth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the 
 law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and 
 night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of 
 water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf 
 also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall pros- 
 per. The ungodly are not so : but are like the chaff which 
 the wind driveth away." Contributor, Vol. 16, pp. 569- 
 671. Delivered at the commencement exercises of the Lat- 
 ter-day Saints College, Salt Lake City, June 5, 1895. 
 
 OUR MAIN PURPOSE OF LIFE. The important consid- 
 eration is not how long we can live but how well we can 
 learn the lessons of life, and discharge our duties and obli- 
 gations to God and to each other. One of the main pur- 
 poses of our existence is that we might conform to the im- 
 age and likeness of him who sojourned in the flesh without 
 blemish immaculate, pure, and spotless ! Christ came not 
 only to atone for the sins of the world, but to set an exam- 
 ple before all men and to establish the standard of God's 
 
MANY DUTIES OF MAN 339 
 
 perfection, of God's law, and of obedience to the Father. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 21, p. 104, December, 1917. 
 
 How TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. Love your neighbor 
 as yourself? How are you to do it? If your neighbor is in 
 danger, protect him to the utmost of your power. If you 
 see your neighbor's property in danger of injury, protect 
 his property as you would your own, as far as it lies in your 
 power. If your neighbor's boy or girl is going astray, go 
 directly to your neighbor, in the spirit of love, and help him 
 to reclaim his child. How are we to love our neighbor as 
 we love ourselves? It is the simplest thing in the world; 
 but too many people are selfish and narrow and not given 
 to that breadth of feeling which reaches out and considers 
 the benefit and welfare of their neighbors ; and they narrow 
 themselves down to their own peculiar and particular benefit 
 and blessing and well being, and feel to say : "O, let my 
 neighbor take care of himself." That is not the spirit that 
 should characterize a Latter-day Saint. Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 21, pp. 103, 104, December, 1917. 
 
 QUESTION OF CHURCH LEADERS. We have come to ask 
 you if you are in strict accord with the two great com- 
 mandments: 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
 thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, * 
 * * and thy neighbor as thyself." Improvement Era, Vol. 
 21, p. 98, December, 1917; Matt. 22:34-40. 
 
 THE SIN OF INGRATITUDE. And I believe that one of 
 the greatest sins of which the inhabitants of the earth are 
 guilty today is the sin of ingratitude, the want of acknowl- 
 edgment, on their part, of God and his right to govern and 
 control. We see a man raised up with extraordinary gifts, 
 or with great intelligence, and he is instrumental in devel- 
 oping some great principle. He and the world' ascribe his 
 great genius and wisdom to himself. He attributes his suc- 
 cess to his own energies, labor and mental capacity. He 
 does not acknowledge the hand of God in anything con- 
 
340 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 nected with his success, but ignores him altogether and 
 takes the honor to himself; this will apply to almost all the 
 world. In all the great modern discoveries in science, in the 
 arts, in mechanics, and in all the material advancement of 
 the age, the world say, "We have done it." The individual 
 says, "I have done it," and he gives no honor or credit to 
 God. Now, I read in the revelations through Joseph Smith, 
 the prophet, that because of this, God is not pleased with the 
 inhabitants of the earth, but is angry with them because 
 they will not acknowledge his' hand in all things. Deseret 
 Weekly Nezvs, 1884, Vol. 33, p. 130; Doc. and Cov. 59:21. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 Marriage, the Home and the Family 
 
 NECESSITY OF MARRIAGE. The house of the Lord is a 
 house of order and not a house of confusion ; and that means 
 that the man is not without the woman in the Lord, neither 
 is the woman without the man in the Lord ; and that no man 
 can be saved and exalted in the kingdom of God without 
 the woman, and no woman can reach the perfection and ex- 
 altation in the kingdom of God alone. That is what it 
 n-.eans. God instituted marriage in the beginning. He 
 made man in his own image and likeness, male and female, 
 and in their creation it was designed that they should be 
 united together in sacred bonds of marriage, and one is not 
 perfect without the other. Furthermore, it means that there 
 is no union for time and eternity that can be perfected 
 outside of the law of God and the order of his house. Men 
 may desire it, they may go through the form of it in this life, 
 but it will be of no effect except it be done and sanctioned 
 by divine authority, in the name of the Father and of the 
 Son and of the Holy Ghost. Apr. C. R., 1913, pp. 118- 119. 
 
 ' MARRIAGE, GOD-ORDAINED AND SANCTIONED. "And 
 again, I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not 
 ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto 
 man" (Doc. and Cov. 49:15). 
 
 I desire to emphasize this. I want the young men of 
 Zion to realize that this institution of marriage is not a man- 
 made institution. It is of God. It is honorable, and no man 
 who is of marriageable age is living his religion who remains 
 single. It is not simply devised for the convenience alone 
 of man, to suit his own notions, and his own ideas ; to mar- 
 ry and then divorce, to adopt and then to discard, just as he 
 pleases. There are great consequences connected with it, 
 consequences which reach beyond this present time, 'rjto "11 
 
342 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 eternity, for thereby souls are begotten into the world, and 
 men and women obtain their being in the world. Marriage 
 is the preserver of the human race. Without it, the pur- 
 poses of God would be frustrated ; virtue would be destroyed 
 to give place to vice and corruption, and the earth would be 
 void and empty. 
 
 Neither are the relationships that exist, or should ex- 
 ist, between parents and children, and betw r een children and 
 parents, of an ephemeral nature, nor of a temporal character. 
 They are of eternal consequence, reaching beyond the veil, 
 in spite of all that we can do. The man, and the woman 
 who are the agents, in the providence of God, to bring liv- 
 ing souls into the world, are made before God and the heav- 
 ens, as responsible for these acts as is God himself responsi- 
 ble for the works of his own hands, and for the revelations 
 of his own wisdom. The man and the woman who engage in 
 this ordinance of matrimony are engaging in something that 
 is of such far-reaching character, and is of such vast im- 
 portance, that thereby hangs life and death, and eternal 
 increase. Thereupon depends eternal happiness, or eternal 
 misery. For this reason, God has guarded this sacred insti- 
 tution by the most severe penalties, and has declared that 
 whosoever is untrue to the marriage relation, whosoever is 
 guilty of adultery, shall be put to death. This is scriptural 
 law, though it is not practiced today, because modern civili- 
 zation does -not recognize the laws of God in relation to the 
 moral status of mankind. The Lord commanded, "Whoso- 
 ever sheddeth innocent blood, by man shall his blood be 
 shed." Thereby God has given the law. Life is an im- 
 portant thing. No man has any right to take life, unless 
 God commanded it. The law of God as to violation of the 
 marriage covenant is just as strict, and is on a parallel with 
 the law against murder, notwithstanding the former is not 
 carried out. * * * 
 
 Now, every young person throughout the Church should 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HUME AND FAMILY 343 
 
 understand this very thoroughly. The Church authorities 
 and the teachers of our associations should inculcate the sa- 
 credness, and teach the duty of marriage, as it has been re- 
 vealed in the latter days to us. There should be a reform 
 in the Church in this regard, and a sentiment created in 
 favor of honorable marriage, and that would prevent any 
 young man, or any young woman, who is a member of the 
 Church, from marrying except by that authority which is 
 sanctioned of God. And no man holding the priesthood who 
 is worthy and of age should remain unmarried. They should 
 also teach that the law of chastity is one of most vital im- 
 portance, both to children, and to men and to women. It is a 
 vitally important principle to the children of God in all their 
 lives, from the cradle to the grave. God has fixed dreadful 
 penalties against the transgression of his law of chastity, of 
 virtue, of purity. When the law of God shall be in force 
 among men, they will be cut off who are not absolutely pure 
 and unsoiled and spotless both men and women. We ex- 
 pect the women to be pure, we expect them to be spotless 
 and without a blemish, and it is as necessary and important 
 for man to be pure and virtuous as for woman ; indeed, no 
 woman would ever be other than pure if men were so. The 
 gospel of Jesus Christ is the law of love, and love of God 
 with the whole heart and mind is the greatest commandment, 
 and the next is like unto it: love thy neighbor as thyself. 
 This also should be remembered in the marriage relation, 
 for, while it is said that the desires of the woman shall be 
 to her husband, and he shall rule over her, it is intended that 
 that rule shall be in love and not in tyranny. God never 
 rules tyrannically, except when men so corrupt themselves 
 that they are unfit to live. Then, and under such conditions, 
 it is the story of all his dealings with mankind, that he sends 
 judgments upon them and wipes them out and destroys 
 them. Improvement Era, July, 1902, pp. 713-17. 
 
 RIGHTEOUSNESS AND NECESSITY OF MARRIAGE. Many 
 
344 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 people imagine that there is something sinful in marriage; 
 there is an apostate tradition to that effect. This is a false 
 and very harmful idea. On the contrary, God not only com- 
 mends but he commands marriage. While man was yet im- 
 mortal, before sin had entered the world, our heavenly 
 Father himself performed the first marriage. He united our 
 first parents in the bonds of holy matrimony, and commanded 
 them to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. 
 This command he has never changed, abrogated or annulled ; 
 but it has continued in force throughout all the generations 
 of mankind. 
 
 Without marriage the purposes of God would be frus- 
 trated so far as this world is concerned, for there would be 
 none to obey his other commands. 
 
 There appears to be a something beyond and above the 
 reasons apparent to the human mind why chastity brings 
 strength and power to the peoples of the earth, but it is so. 
 
 Today a flood of iniquity is overwhelming the civ- 
 ilized world. One great reason therefor is the neglect of 
 marriage; it has lost its sanctity in the eyes of the great 
 majority. It is at best a civil contract, but more often an 
 accident or a whim, or a means of gratifying the passions. 
 And when the sacredness of the covenant is ignored or lost 
 sight of, then a disregard of the marriage vows, under the 
 present moral training of the masses, is a mere triviality, a 
 trifling indiscretion. 
 
 The neglect of marriage, this tendency to postpone its 
 responsibilities until middle life, that so perniciously affects 
 Christendom, is being felt in the midst of the Saints. 
 
 Certainly we are not in favor of the very early mar- 
 riages that prevailed a few centuries ago. 
 
 But what we wish to impress upon the Saints is that 
 the legitimate union of the sexes is a law of God, that to 
 be blessed of him, we must honor that law ; that if we do not 
 do so the mere fact that we are called by his name will not 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 345 
 
 save us from the evils that neglect of this law entails, that 
 indeed we are only his people when we observe his laws ; that 
 when we do not do so we may expect the same unfortunate 
 rsults to come upon us as flow to the rest of humanity from 
 the same causes. 
 
 We believe that every man holding the holy priesthood 
 should be married, with the very few exceptions of those 
 who through infirmities of mind or body are not fit for mar- 
 riage. Every man is a worse man in proportion as he is un- 
 fit for the married state. We hold that no man who is mar- 
 riageable is fully living his religion who remains unmarried. 
 He is doing a wrong to himself by retarding his progress, 
 by narrowing his experiences, and to society by the unde- 
 sirable example that he sets to others, as well as he, him- 
 self, being a dangerous factor in the community. 
 
 We say to our young people, get married, and marry 
 aright. Marry in the faith, and let the ceremony be per- 
 formed in the place God has appointed. Live so that you 
 may be worthy of this blessing. If, however, obstacles, not 
 at present removable, prevent this most perfect form of 
 marriage, have your bishop perform the ceremony, and then, 
 at the earliest possible moment, go to the temple. But do 
 not marry those out of the Church, as such unions almost 
 invariably lead to unhappiness and quarrels and often 
 finally to separation. Besides, they are not pleasing in the 
 sight of heaven. The believer and unbeliever should not be 
 yoked together, for sooner or later, in time or in eternity, 
 they must be divided again. 
 
 And now we desire with holy zeal to emphasize the 
 enormity of sexual sins. Though often regarded as insig- 
 nificant by those not knowing the will of God, they are, in 
 his eyes, an abomination, and if we are to remain his favored 
 people they must be shunned as the gates of hell. The evil 
 results of these sins are so patent in vice, crime, misery and 
 disease that it would appear that all, young and old, must 
 
346 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 perceive and sense them. They are destroying the world. If 
 we are to be preserved we must abhor them, shun them, not 
 practice the least of them, for they weaken and enervate, they 
 kill man spiritually, they make him unfit for the company of 
 the righteous and the presence of God. Juvenile Instructor, 
 Vol. 37, p. 400, July 1, 1902. 
 
 MALE AND -FEMALE ENTER HEAVEN. No man will ever 
 enter there until he has consummated his mission ; for we 
 have come here to be conformed to the likeness of God. He 
 made us in the beginning in his own image and in his own 
 likeness, and he made us male and female. We never could 
 be in the image of God if we were not both male and female. 
 Read the Scriptures, and you will see it for yourselves 
 as God has said it. He has made us in his own form and 
 likeness, and here we are, male and female, parents and chil- 
 dren. And we must become more and more like him more 
 like him in love, in charity, in forgiveness, in patience, 
 longsuffering and forbearance, in purity of thought and 
 action, in intelligence, and in all respects, that we may be 
 worthy of exaltation in his presence. It is for this that 
 we have come to the earth. This is the work that we have 
 to perform. God has shown us the way and given us the 
 means by which we may consummate and fill our mission 
 upon this earth and perfect our destiny ; for we are destined 
 and foreordained to become like God, and unless we do 
 become like him we will never be permitted to dwell with 
 him. When we become like him you will find that we will 
 be presented before him in the form in which we were 
 created, male and female. The woman will not go there 
 alone, and the man will not go there alone, and claim ex- 
 altation. They may attain a degree of salvation alone, but 
 when they are exalted they will be exalted according to 
 the law of the celestial kingdom. They cannot be exalted 
 in any other way, neither the living nor the dead. It is 
 well for us to learn something about why we build temples, 
 
M. [RRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 347 
 
 and why we administer in them for the dead as well as for 
 the living. We do this that we may become like unto him, 
 and dwell with him eternally; that we may become sons of 
 God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. 
 Tabernacle Sermon, June 12, 1898. 
 
 MARRIAGE TO REPLENISH THE EARTH. Those who 
 have taken upon themselves the responsibility of wedded 
 life should see to it that they do not abuse *the course of 
 nature; that they do not destroy the principle of life within 
 them, nor violate any of the commandments of God. The 
 command which he gave in the beginning to multiply and 
 replenish the earth is still in force upon the children .of men. 
 Possibly no greater sin could be committed by the people 
 who have embraced this gospel than to prevent or to destroy 
 life in the manner indicated. We are born into the world 
 that we may have life, and we live that we may have a 
 fulness of joy, and if we will obtain a fulness of joy, 
 we must obey the law of our creation and the law by which 
 we may obtain the consummation of our righteous hopes and 
 desires life eternal.-^r. C. R., 1900, p. 40. 
 
 ETERNAL MARRIAGE. Why did he teach us the principle 
 of eternal union of man and wife ? Because God knew that 
 we were his children here, to remain his children forever 
 and ever, and that we were just as truly individuals, and 
 that our individuality- was as identical as that of the Son of 
 God, and would therefore continue, worlds without end. 
 So that the man receiving his wife by the power of God, 
 for time and for all eternity, would have the right to claim 
 her and she to claim her husband, in the world to come. 
 Neither would be changed, except from mortality to im- 
 mortality; neither would be other than himself or herself, 
 but they will have their identity in the world to come pre- 
 cisely as they exercise their individuality and enjoy their 
 identity here. God has revealed this principle, and it has 
 its bearings upon the evidence that we possess of the actual, 
 
348 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 
 
 literal resurrection of the body, just as. it is and as the 
 prophets have declared it in the Book of Mormon. Apr. 
 C. #.,1912, pp. 136-137; Mosiah 15 :20-23 ; 16:7-11 ; Alma 40. 
 
 ETERNITY OF THE FAMILY ORGANIZATION. Our 
 associations (family) are not exclusively intended for this 
 life, for time, as we distinguish it from eternity. We live 
 for time and for eternity. We form associations and re- 
 lations for time and all eternity. Our affections and our 
 desires are found fitted and prepared to endure not only 
 throughout the temporal or mortal life, but through all 
 eternity. Who are there besides the Latter-day Saints who 
 contemplate the thought that beyond the grave we will con- 
 tinue in the family organization? the father, the mother, the 
 children recognizing each other in the relations which they 
 owe to each other and in which they stand to each other? 
 this family organization being a unit in the great and perfect 
 organization of God's work, and all destined to continue 
 throughout time and eternity? 
 
 We are living for eternity and not merely for the mo- 
 ment. Death does not part us from one another, if we have 
 entered into sacred relationships with each other by virtue 
 of the authority that God has revealed to the children of 
 men. Our relationships are formed for eternity. We are 
 immortal beings, and we are looking forward to the growth 
 that is to be attained in an exalted life' after we have proved 
 ourselves faithful and true to the covenants that we have 
 entered into here, and then we will receive a fulness of 
 joy. A man and woman who have embraced the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ and who have begun life togther, should be 
 able by their power, example and influence to cause their 
 children to emulate them in lives of virtue, honor, and in 
 integrity to the kingdom of God which will redound to their 
 own interest and salvation. No one can advise my children 
 with greater earnestness and solicitude for their happiness 
 and salvation than I can do myself. Nobody has more 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 349 
 
 interest in the welfare of my own children than I have. I 
 cannot be satisfied without them. They are part of me. 
 They are mine ; God has given them to me, and I want them 
 to be humble and submissive to the requirements of the 
 gospel. I want them to do right, and to be right in every 
 particular, so that they will be worthy of the distinction that 
 the Lord has given them in being numbered among his 
 covenant people who are choice above all other people, be- 
 cause they have made sacrifice for their own salvation in the 
 truth. Speaking of the fashions of the world, I do not care 
 to say very much on the subject, but I do think that we live 
 in an age the very trend of which is to vice and wickedness. 
 I believe that to a very large extent the fashions of the day, 
 and especially the fashions of women, have a tendency to 
 evil and not to virtue or modesty, and I deplore that evident 
 fact, for you see it on every hand. Young men want to 
 get homes that are palatial, that are fine in all their appoint- 
 ments, and as modern as anybody else's before they will 
 get married. I think it is a mistake. I think that young 
 men and young women, too, should be willing, even at this 
 day, and in the present condition of things, to enter the 
 sacred bonds of marriage together and fight their way to- 
 gether to success, meet their obstacles and their difficulties, 
 and cleave together to success, and co-operate in their 
 temporal affairs, so that they shall succeed. Then they will 
 learn to love, one another better, and will be more united 
 throughout their lives, and the Lord will bless them more 
 abundantly. I regret, I think it is a crying evil, that there 
 should exist a sentiment or a feeling among any members 
 of the Church to curtail the birth of their children. I think 
 that is a crime wherever it occurs, where husband and wife 
 are in possession of health and vigor and are free from 
 impurities that would be entailed upon their posterity. I 
 believe that where people undertake to curtail or prevent 
 the birth of their children that they are going to reap 
 
350 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 disappointment by and by. I have no hesitancy in saying 
 that I believe this is one of the greatest crimes of the world 
 today, this evil practice. Relief Society Magazine, Vol 4, 
 June, 1917, p. 314 et. seq. 
 
 IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE WITHIN THE CHURCH. I 
 would rather go myself to the grave than to be associated 
 with a wife outside of the bonds of the new and everlasting 
 covenant. Now, I hold it just so sa'cred ; but some members 
 of the Church do not so regard the matter. Some people feel 
 that it does not make very much difference whether a girl 
 marries a man in the Church, full of the faith of the gospel, 
 or an unbeliever. Some of our young people have married 
 outside the Church, but very few of those who have done 
 it have failed to come to grief. I would like to see Latter- 
 da}- Saint women marry Latter-day Saint men, and Latter- 
 day Saint men marry Latter-day Saint women ; and let 
 Methodists marry Methodists. Catholics marry Catholics, 
 and Presbyterians marry Presbyterians, and so on to the 
 limit. Let them keep within the pale of their own faith 
 and church, and marry and inter-marry there, and let 
 the Latter-day Saints do the same thing in their Church ; 
 then we will see who comes out best in the end. Oct. C. 
 R., 1909, pp. 5, 6. 
 
 No MARRIAGE IN HEAVEN. Why did Jesus teach the 
 doctrine that there was no marrying, nor giving in marriage 
 in the other world? Why did he teach the doctrine that 
 marriage was instituted by the Father and designed to be 
 accomplished in this life? Why did he rebuke those who 
 sought to entrap him when they brought to him the example 
 of the fulfilment of the law of Moses, for Moses wrote 
 the law that God gave him, that if a man married in Israel 
 and died without issue, it was the duty of his brother to 
 take his widow and raise up seed unto his brother ; and 
 when seven of these brothers (which is doubtless a prob- 
 lem that these men put to the Savior in order to entrap him 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 351 
 
 if they could) had taken her, to whom should she belong 
 in the resurrection, since they all had her? Jesus declared 
 to them, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the 
 power of God." They did not understand the principle of 
 sealing for time and for all eternity; that what God hath 
 joined together neither man nor death can put asunder. 
 (Matt. 19:6) They had wandered from that principle. It 
 had fallen into disuse among them; they had ceased to un- 
 derstand it; and consequently they did not comprehend the 
 truth ; but Christ did. She could only be the wife in eternity 
 of the man to whom she was united by the power of God 
 for eternity, as well as for time; and Christ understood the 
 principle, but he did not cast his pearls before the swine that 
 tempted him. Apr. C. R.> 1912, p. 136. 
 
 PLURAL MARRIAGE FORBIDDEN. Official Statement 
 "Inasmuch as there are numerous reports in circulation 
 that plural marriages have been entered into contrary to 
 the official declaration of President Woodruff, of September 
 26, 1890, commonly called the Manifesto, which was issued 
 by President Woodruff and adopted by the Church at its 
 general conference, October 6th, 1890, which forbade any 
 marriages violative of the law of the land; I, Joseph F. 
 Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
 day Saints, hereby affirm and declare that no such marriages 
 have been solemnized with the sanction, consent or knowl- 
 edge of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and 
 
 "I hereby announce that all such marriages are pro- 
 hibited, and if any officer or member of the Church shall 
 assume to solemnize or enter into any such marriage he 
 will be deemed in transgression against the Church and will 
 be liable to be dealt with according to the rules and regu- 
 lations thereof, and excommunicated therefrom. 
 
 "JOSEPH F. SMITH, 
 
 "President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." 
 Apr. C. R., 1904, p. 75. 
 
352 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 FURTHER STATEMENT. We have announced in previous 
 conferences, as it was announced by President Woodruff, as 
 it was announced by President Snow, and as it was re- 
 announced by me and my brethren, and confirmed by the 
 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, plural marriages 
 have ceased in the. Church. There isn't a man today in this 
 Church, or anywhere else, outside of it, who has authority 
 to solemnize a plural marriage not one! There is no man 
 or woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
 who is authorized to contract a plural marriage. It is not 
 permitted, and we have been endeavoring to the utmost 
 of our ability to prevent men from being led by some de- 
 signing person into an unfortunate condition that is for- 
 bidden by the conferences, and by the voice of the Church, 
 a condition that has to some extent at least, brought re- 
 proach upon the people. I want to say that we have been 
 doing all in our power to prevent it, or to stop it; and in 
 order that we might do this, we have been seeking, to our 
 utmost, to find the men who have been the agents and the 
 cause of leading people into it. We find it very difficult to 
 trace them, but when we do find them, and can prove it 
 upon them, we will deal with them as we have dealt with 
 others that we have been able to find. Apr. C. R., 1911, p. 8. 
 
 MARRIAGE AND LARGE FAMILIES DESIRABLE. Bachelor- 
 hood and small families carry to the superficial mind the 
 idea that they are desirable because they bring with them 
 the minimum of responsibility. The spirit that shirks 
 responsibility shirks labor. Idleness and pleasure take the 
 place of industry and strenuous effort. The love of pleasure 
 and of an easy life in turn make demands upon young men 
 who refuse to look upon marriage and its consequent family 
 enlargement as a sacred duty. The real fault lies with the 
 young men. The license of the age leads them from paths 
 of duty and responsibility to the pitfalls of a pleasure-lov- 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 353 
 
 ing world. Their sisters are the victims of neglect and of 
 a ijreat social and family wrong. 
 
 Women would marry if they coukl, and would accept 
 cheerfully the responsibilities of family life. This loss to 
 the home is a loss the nation must feel, as years go on. 
 Time will vindicate the laws of God and the truth that in- 
 dividual human happiness is found in duty and not in pleas- 
 ure and freedom from care. 
 
 The spirit of the world is contagious. We cannot live 
 in the midst of such social conditions without suffering 
 from the effects of their allurements. Our young people 
 will be tempted to follow the example of the world about 
 them. There is already a strong tendency to make sport 
 of the obligations to marry. Pretexts of ambition are set 
 up as an excuse to postpone marriage till some special ob- 
 ject is attained. Some of our leading young men desire 
 to complete first a course of study at home or abroad. Being 
 natural leaders in society their example is dangerous, and 
 the excuse is one of questionable propriety. It were better 
 far that many such young men never went to college than 
 that the excuse of college life be made the reason for post- 
 poning marriage beyond the proper age. Juvenile Instruc- 
 tor, Vol. 40, pp. 240, 241, April 15, 1905. 
 
 BE TRUE TO YOUR WIVES AND CHILDREN. And oh ! 
 my brethren, be true to your families, be true to your wives 
 and children. Teach them the way of life. Do not allow 
 them to get so far from you that they will become oblivious 
 to you or to any principle of honor, purity or truth. Teach 
 your children so that they cannot commit sin without viola- 
 ting their conscience, teach them the truth, that they may 
 not depart from it. Bring them up in the way they should 
 go, and when they get old they will not depart from it. If 
 you will keep your boys close to your heart, within the 
 clasp of your arms ; if you will make them to feel that you 
 love them, that you are their parents, that they are your 
 
 24 
 
354 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 children, and keep them near to you, they will not go very 
 far from you, and they will not commit any very great sin. 
 But it is when you turn them out of the home, turn them 
 out of your affection out into the darkness of the night 
 into the society of the depraved or degraded; it is when 
 they become tiresome to you, or you are tired of their in- 
 nocent noise and prattle at home, and you say, "Go off some- 
 where else, " it is this sort of treatment of your children 
 that drives them from you, and helps to make criminals 
 and infidels of them. You cannot afford to do this. How 
 would I feel to enter into the kingdom of God (if such a 
 thing were possible) and see one of my children outside 
 among the sorcerers, the whoremongers, and those who love 
 and make a lie, and that because I have neglected my duty 
 toward him or have not kept a proper restraint upon him ? 
 Do you think I shall be exalted in the kingdom of my God 
 with this stain and blot upon my soul? I tell you, No! No 
 man can get there until he atones for such crime as this 
 for it is a crime in the sight of God and man for a father 
 to carelessly or wilfully neglect his children. This is my 
 sentiment. Take care of your children. They are the hope 
 of Israel, and upon them will rest, by and by, responsibility 
 of the bearing of the kingdom of God in the earth. The 
 Lord bless them and keep them in the path of righteousness, 
 I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Apr. C. R., 
 1902, p. 87. 
 
 RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. I sincerely hope 
 that \ve shall succeed in impressing upon the minds of the 
 rising generation a sincere regard, not only for themselves, 
 to keep themselves pure and unspotted from the world, but 
 a sincere regard for the rights and privileges of others. 
 Our children should be taught to respect not only their 
 fathers and their mothers, and their brothers and sisters, but 
 they should be taught to respect all mankind, and especially 
 should they be instructed and taught and brought up to 
 
MARRL /(//, THE HOME AND FAMILY 355 
 
 honor the aged and the infirm, the unfortunate and the poor, 
 the needy, and those who lack the sympathies of mankind. 
 
 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. They ought to be taught better at home. They 
 should be thoroughly taught better than this in our Sunday 
 schools, and in all the schools, so far as that is concerned, 
 that our children attend. Our children should be taught to 
 venerate that which is holy, that which is sacred. They 
 should venerate the name of God. They should hold in 
 sacred veneration the name of the Son of God. They should 
 not take Their holy names in vain; and they should also 
 be taught to respect and venerate the temples of God, the 
 places of worship of their fathers and mothers. Our children 
 should be taught also that they have rights in the house of 
 the Lord equal to their parents and equal to their neighbors 
 or anybody else. It always pains me to see our little ones 
 disturbed in this right. I witnessed a little circumstance 
 in our meeting this afternoon in the aisle ; a little child was 
 sitting by its mother on a seat. Somebody came along and 
 took the little child off its seat, and occupied the seat him- 
 self, leaving the child to stand. I want to say to you, my 
 brethren and sisters, that that act sent a pang to my heart. 
 I would not, for anything in the shape of remuneration of 
 a worldly character, grieve the heart of a little child in the 
 house of God, lest an impression should be left upon its 
 mind that would make the house of worship a distasteful 
 place, and it would prefer not to come within its walls, than 
 to come and be offended. Juvenile Instructor, Vol 39, p. 
 657, Semi- Annual S. S. Conference, October 9, 1904. 
 
 MUTUAL TREATMENT OF HUSBAND, WIFE AND CHIL- 
 
356 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 DREN. Parents, in the first place, whether they do it or 
 not, should love and respect each other, and treat each other 
 with respectful decorum, and kindly regard all the time. 
 The husband should treat his wife with the utmost courtesy 
 and respect. The husband should never insult her; he 
 should never speak slightly of her, but should always hold 
 her in the highest esteem in the home, in the presence of their 
 children. We do not always do it, perhaps ; some of us, 
 perhaps, do not do it at all. But nevertheless it is true that 
 we ought to do it. The wife, also, should treat the hus- 
 band with the greatest respect and courtesy. Her words 
 to him should not be keen and cutting and sarcastic. She 
 should not pass slur's or insinuations at him. She should not 
 nag him. She should not try to arouse his anger or make 
 things unpleasant about the home. The wife should be a 
 joy to her husband, and she should live and conduct her- 
 self at home so the home will be the most joyous, the most 
 blessed place on earth to her husband. This should be the 
 condition of the husband, wife, the father and the mother, 
 within the sacred precincts of that holy place, the home. 
 Then it will be easy for the parents to instil into the hearts 
 of their children, not only love for their fathers and their 
 mothers, not only respect and courtesy towards their parents, 
 but love and courtesy and deference between the children 
 at home. The little brothers will respect their little sisters. 
 The little boys will respect one another. The little girls 
 will respect one another and the girls and boys will respect 
 one another, and treat one another with that love, that 
 deference and respect that should be observed in the home on 
 the part of the little children. Then it will be easy for the 
 Sunday school teacher to continue the training of the child 
 under the hallowed influence of the Sabbath school ; and 
 the child will be tractable and easily led, because the founda- 
 tion of a correct education has been laid in the heart and 
 mind of the child at home. The teacher can then help the 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 357 
 
 little children, brought up under these proper influences, 
 to render respect and courtesy to all men and especially 
 to the unfortunate, the aged and the infirm. Apr. C. R., 
 1905, pp. 84-85. 
 
 WE SHOULD BE EXAMPLES TO OUR FAMILIES. When 
 I think of our mothers, the mothers of our children, and 
 realize that under the inspiration of the gospel they live 
 virtuous, pure, honorable lives, true to their husbands, true 
 to their children, true to their convictions of the gospel, oh, 
 how my soul goes out in pure love for them; how noble 
 and how God-given, how choice, how desirable and how in- 
 dispensable they are to the accomplishment of God's pur- 
 poses and the fulfilment of his decrees ! My brethren, can 
 you mistreat your wives, the mothers of your children? 
 Can you help treating them with love and kindness? Can 
 you help trying to make their lives as comfortable and 
 happy as possible, lightening their burdens to the utmost 
 of your ability, making life pleasant for them and for their 
 children in their homes? How can you help it? How can 
 any one help feeling an intense interest in the mother of his 
 children, and also in his children? If we possess the Spirit 
 of God, we can not do otherwise. It is only when men 
 depart from the right spirit, when they digress from their 
 duty, that they will neglect or dishonor any soul that is 
 committed to their care. They are bound to honor their 
 wives and children. Intelligent men, men of business, men 
 of affairs, men who are involved constantly in the labors 
 of life, and have to devote their energies and thought to 
 their labors and duties, may not enjoy as many comforts 
 with their families as they would like, but if they have the 
 Spirit of the Lord with them in the performance of their 
 temporal duties, they will never neglect the mothers of 
 their children, nor their children. They will not fail to teach 
 them the principles of life and set before them a proper 
 example. Don't do anything yourselves that you would have 
 
358 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 to say to your boy, "Don't do it." Live so that you can say, 
 "My son, do as I do, follow me, emulate my example." That 
 is the way fathers should live, every one of us ; and it is a 
 shame, a weakening, shameful thing for any member of the 
 Church to pursue a course that he knows is not right, and 
 that he would rather his children should not follow. Apr. 
 C. R., 1915, pp. 6-7. 
 
 THE TRUEST GREATNESS. After all, to do well those 
 things which God ordained to be the common lot of all man- 
 kind, is the truest greatness. To be a successful father 
 or a successful mother is greater than to be a successful 
 general or a successful statesman. One is universal and 
 eternal greatness, the other is phenomenal. It is true that 
 such secondary greatness may be added to that which we 
 style commonplace; but when such secondary greatness is 
 not added to that which is fundamental, it is merely an 
 empty honor, and fades away from the common and uni- 
 versal good in life, even though it may find a place in the 
 desultory pages of history. Our first care, after all, brings 
 us back to that beautiful admonition of our Savior: "Seek 
 ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; and all 
 these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33.) 
 
 We should never be discouraged in those daily tasks 
 which God has ordained to the common lot of man. Each 
 day's labor should be undertaken in a joyous spirit and with 
 the thought and conviction that our happiness and eternal 
 welfare depend upon doing well that which we ought to do, 
 that which God has made it our duty to do. Many are un- 
 happy because they imagine that they should be doing some- 
 thing unusual or something phenomenal. Some people 
 would rather be the blossom of a tree and be admiringly 
 Seen than be an enduring part of the tree and live the com- 
 monplace life of the tree's existence. 
 
 Let us not be trying to substitute an artificial life for 
 the true one. He is truly happy who can see and appreciate 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 359 
 
 the beauty with which God has adorned the commonplace 
 things of life. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 40, pp. 572-3, Dec. 
 15, 1905. 
 
 PARENTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. The par- 
 ents in Zion will be held responsible for the acts of their 
 children, not only until they become eight years old, but, per- 
 haps, throughout all the lives ,of their children, provided they 
 have neglected their duty to their children while they were 
 under their care and guidance, and the parents were respon- 
 sible for them. Apr. C. R., 1910, p. 6. 
 
 THE FATHER THE PRESIDING AUTHORITY OF THE FAM- 
 ILY. There is no higher authority in matters relating to the 
 family organization, and especially when that organization 
 is presided over by one holding the higher priesthood, than 
 that of the father. This authority is time honored, and 
 among the people of God in all dispensations it has been 
 highly respected and often emphasized by the teachings of 
 rhe prophets who were inspired of God. The patriarchal or- 
 der is of divine origin and will continue throughout time and 
 eternity. There is, then, a particular reason why men, 
 women and children should understand this order and this 
 authority in the households of the people of God, and seek 
 to make it what God intended it to be, a qualification and 
 preparation for the highest exaltation of his children. In 
 the home the presiding authority is always vested in the 
 father, and in all home affairs and family matters there is 
 no other authority paramount. To illustrate this principle, 
 a single incident will perhaps suffice. It sometimes hap- 
 pens that the elders are called in to administer to the mem- 
 bers of a family. Among these elders there may be pres- 
 idents of stakes, apostles, or even members of the first 
 presidency of the Church. It is not proper under these 
 circumstances for the father to stand back and expect the 
 elders to direct the administration of this important ordin- 
 ance. The father is there. It is his right and it is his duty 
 
360 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 to preside. He should select the one who is to administer 
 the oil, and the one who is to be mouth in prayer, and he 
 should not feel that because there are present presiding 
 authorities in the Church that he is therefore divested of 
 his rights to direct the administration of that blessing of the 
 gospel in his home. (If the father be absent, the mother 
 should request the presiding authority present to take 
 charge.) The father presides at the table, at prayer, and 
 gives general directions relating to his family life whoever 
 may be present. Wives and children should be taught to feel 
 that the patriarchal order in the kingdom of God has been 
 established for a wise and beneficent purpose, and should 
 sustain the head of the household and encourage him in the 
 discharge of his duties, and do all in their power to aid him 
 in the exercise of the rights and privileges which God has 
 bestowed upon the head of the home. This patriarchal order 
 has its divine spirit and purpose, and those who disregard 
 it under one pretext or another are out of harmony with 
 the spirit of God's laws as they are ordained for recognition 
 in the home. It is not merely a question of who is perhaps 
 the best qualified. Neither is it wholly a question of who is 
 living the most worthy life. It is a question largely of law 
 and order, and its importance is seen often from the fact 
 that the authority remains and is respected long after a man 
 is really unworthy to exercise it. 
 
 This authority carries with it a responsibility, and a 
 grave one, as well as its rights and privileges, and men can 
 not be too exemplary in their lives, nor fit themselves too 
 carefully to live in harmony with this important and God- 
 ordained rule of conduct in .the family organization. Upon 
 the authority certain promises and blessings are predicated, 
 and those who observe and respect this authority have cer- 
 tain claims on divine favor which they cannot have except 
 they respect and observe the laws that God has established 
 for the regulation and authority of the home. "Honor thy 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 361 
 
 father and thy mother : that thy days may be long upon the 
 land which the Lord thy God giveth thee," was a funda- 
 mental law to ancient Israel, and is binding upon every 
 member of the Church today, for the law is eternal. 
 
 The necessity, then, of recognizing the patriarchal order 
 and authority of the home rests upon principle as well as 
 upon the person who holds that authority, and among the 
 Latter-day Saints family discipline, founded upon the law 
 of the patriarchs, should be carefully cultivated, and fathers 
 will then be able to remove many of the difficulties that now 
 weaken their position in the home, through unworthy chil- 
 dren. 
 
 The principles here set forth are of more importance 
 than many parents have heretofore attached to them, and the 
 unfortunate position today in the homes of many of the el- 
 ders of Israel is directly traceable to a want of appreciation 
 of their truthfulness. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 37, p. 148, 
 March 1, 1902. 
 
 DUTIES OF FATHERS. May the fathers in Israel live as 
 they should live ; treat their wives as they should treat them ; 
 make their homes as comfortable as they possibly can ; 
 lighten the burdens upon their companions as much as pos- 
 sible ; set a proper example before their children ; teach 
 them to meet with them in prayer, morning and night, and 
 whenever they sit down to partake of food, to acknowledge 
 the mercy of God in giving them the food that they eat and 
 the raiment that they wear, and acknowledge the hand of 
 God in all things. This is our duty, and if we do not do it 
 the Lord will be displeased, for he has said so. He is only 
 pleased with those who acknowledge his hand in all things. 
 -Oct. C. R., 1909, p. 9; Doc. and Cov. 59:7, 21. 
 
 MOTHERHOOD THE FOUNDATION OF HOME AND NATION. 
 Motherhood lies at the foundation of happiness in the home, 
 and of prosperity in the nation. God has laid upon men 
 and women very sacred obligations with respect to mother- 
 
362 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 hood, and they are obligations that cannot be disregarded 
 without invoking divine displeasure. In I Timothy 2:13-15, 
 we are told that, "Adam was first formed, then Eve. And 
 Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was 
 in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved 
 in child-bearing, if they continue in faith and charity and 
 holiness with sobriety." Can she be saved without child- 
 bearing? She indeed takes an awful risk if she wilfully 
 disregards what is a pronounced requirement of God. How 
 shall she plead her innocence when she is not innocent? 
 How shall she excuse her guilt when it is fastened upon 
 her? 
 
 The question of parental obligation in the matter of 
 children is not generally denied. A failure to fulfil the 
 obligation, however, is too frequently excused. 
 
 "Children," we are told, "are a heritage of the Lord ;" 
 they are also, the Psalmist tells us, "his reward." If chil- 
 dren are cut off from their birthright, how shall the Lord 
 be rewarded? They are not a source of weakness and pov- 
 erty to family life, for they bring with them certain divine 
 blessings that make for the prosperity of the home and the 
 nation. "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man ; so 
 are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his 
 quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they 
 shall speak with the enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127:4, 5). 
 
 What answer shall men and women make in excuse 
 of conduct which contravenes the commandments of God? 
 Those whose hearts are in touch with God's most sacred 
 laws will make great sacrifices honestly to fulfil them. 
 
 There has, however, of late arisen a condition in our 
 social life that is working against the divine requirements of 
 motherhood. Men and women plead the enormous increase 
 in the cost of child-bearing. The requirements for mother- 
 hood in matters of doctors' fees, nurses' bills and hospital 
 charges, are so great as to discourage men and women of 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 363 
 
 slender means. The burden of such expenses are certainly 
 becoming great, and if they are likely to stand directly in 
 the way of God's requirements, something should be done 
 either to remove them or mitigate them, and some means 
 should be provided that will protect the family and the na- 
 tion against destruction. It is a problem well worthy the 
 attention of our law-makers, who appropriate generously 
 in matters that are insignificant when compared with the 
 health, wealth and physical prosperity of the nation that en- 
 courages the birth of children. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 
 50, pp. 290, 291, May, 1915. 
 
 HUSBAND'S SUCCESS DEPENDENT UPON WIFE'S FITNESS. 
 There is no organization or government in the world so per- 
 fectly planned for the education of men and women to ex- 
 ecutive responsibilities as is the Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latter-day Saints. Government in the home and in the 
 Church constitutes an important part in the lives of the peo- 
 ple, and the government in the home is the basis of all suc- 
 cessful government in church or state. In the home the 
 mother is the principal disciplinarian in early child life, and 
 her influence and discipline determine in a great measure the 
 ability of her children to assume in manhood and woman- 
 hood the larger governments in church and state. 
 
 In addition, however, to home government, women 
 often stand with their husbands in responsible places and 
 share in some measure the success or failure which charac- 
 terizes their husbands' administration of affairs. In select- 
 ing men to occupy responsible positions in the Church, it 
 not infrequently happens that a useful and competent man 
 is barred from consideration because of the deplorable want 
 of fitness in the wife, and though a wife may not always bar 
 a husband's opportunities, she may, nevertheless, prove a 
 great hindrance to him in the discharge of the duties that 
 belong to his office. If our sisters could only realize how 
 helpful they might be to their husbands who hold responsi- 
 
364 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ble positions in the Church, and if they would only take 
 pride and pleasure in their husbands' administration of 
 affairs, the conduct of men in public office would in many 
 instances be very greatly improved. 
 
 The word and the law of God are as important for 
 women who would reach wise conclusions as they are for 
 men; and women should study and consider the problems 
 of this great latter-day work from the standpoint of God's 
 revelations, and as they may be actuated by his Spirit, which 
 it is their right to receive through the medium of sincere and 
 heartfelt prayer. A woman without heartfelt devotion for 
 the things of God is not prepared to stand at her husband's 
 side and enjoy his confidence in the graver responsibilities 
 that devolve upon him in the government of the Church. 
 Husbands are justified in withholding their confidence from 
 and in refusing to be influenced by wives whose worldly 
 ambitions and want of appreciation of divine things lead 
 them to contend for personal advantages and selfish gains. 
 Wives of leaders should have a generous feeling for all 
 that relates to the affairs over which their husbands pre- 
 side. Such women should not be exclusive in their social 
 relations, and shoufd avoid the evils that frequently come 
 from yielding to the influence and views of a small coterie 
 that may have selfish aims and personal advantages to 
 serve. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 38, pp. 371, 372, 1903. 
 
 DUTY OF PARENTS. It is the duty of Latter-day Saints 
 to teach their children the truth, to bring them up in the way 
 they should go, to teach them the first principles of the 
 gospel, the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins, 
 and for membership in the Church of Christ ; teaching them 
 the necessity of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the 
 laying on of hands, which will lead them into all truth, and 
 which will reveal to them things that have passed and things 
 which are to come, and show to them more clearly those 
 things which are present with them, that they may compre- 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 365 
 
 hend the truth, and that they may walk in the light as Christ 
 is in the light ; that they may have fellowship with him and 
 that his blood may cleanse them from all sin. Apr. C. R., 
 1912, p. 135. 
 
 WATCH YOUR CHILDREN. Some people have grown to 
 possess such unlimited confidence in their children that they 
 do not believe it possible for them to be led astray or to do 
 wrong. They do not believe they could do wrong, because 
 they have such confidence in them. The result is they turn 
 them loose, morning, noon and night, to attend all kinds of 
 entertainments and amusements, often in company with 
 those whom they know not and do not understand. Some of 
 our children are so innocent that they do not suspect evil, 
 and, therefore, they are off their guard and are trapped into 
 evil. Oct. C. R., 1909, p. 4. 
 
 DUTY TO TEACH CHILDREN. Another great and im- 
 portant duty devolving upon this people is to teach their 
 children, from their cradle until they become men and 
 women, every principle of the gospel, and endeavor, as far 
 as it lies in the power of the parents, to instil into their 
 hearts a love for God, the truth, virtue, honesty, honor and 
 integrity to everything that is good. That is important for 
 all men and women who stand at the head of a family in 
 the household of faith. Teach your children the love of God, 
 teach them to love the principles of the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ. Teach them to love their fellow men, and especially 
 to love their fellow members in the Church, that they may 
 be true to their fellowship with the people of God. Teach 
 them to honor the priesthood, to honor the authority that 
 God has bestowed upon his Church for the proper govern- 
 ment of his Church. Apr. C. R., 1915, pp. 4, 5. 
 
 WHAT TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN. We are a Christian 
 people, we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we feel that 
 it is our duty to acknowledge him as our Savior and Re- 
 deemer. Teach it to your children. Teach them that the 
 
3(>6 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Prophet Joseph Smith had restored to him the priest- 
 hood that was held by Peter and James and John, who were 
 ordained under the hands of the Savior himself. Teach them 
 that Joseph Smith, the prophet, when only a boy, was chosen 
 and called of God to lay the foundations of the Church of 
 Christ in the world, to restore the holy priesthood, and the 
 ordinances of the gospel, which are necessary to qualify 
 men to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Teach your chil- 
 dren to respect their neighbors. Teach your children to 
 respect their bishops and the teachers that come to their 
 homes to teach them. Teach your children to respect old 
 age, gray hairs, and feeble frames. Teach them to venerate 
 and to hold in honorable remembrance their parents, and 
 to help all those who are helpless and needy. Teach your 
 children, as you have been taught yourselves, to honor the 
 priesthood which you hold, the priesthood which we hold 
 as elders in Israel. Teach your children to honor them- 
 selves, teach your children to honor the principle of presi- 
 dency by which organizations are held intaqt and by which 
 strength and power for the well-being and happiness and 
 upbuilding of the people are preserved. Teach your children 
 that when they go to school they should honor their teachers 
 in that which is true and honest, in that which is manly and 
 womanly, and worth while ; and also teach them to avoid the 
 bad examples of their teachers out of school, and the bad 
 principles of men and women who are sometimes teachers 
 in schools. Teach your children to honor the law of God and 
 the law of the state and the law of our country. Teach them 
 to respect and hold in honor those who are chosen by the peo- 
 ple to stand at their head and execute justice and admin- 
 ister the law. Teach them to be loyal to their country, loyal 
 to righteousness and uprightness and honor, and thereby 
 they will grow up to be men and women choice above all 
 the men and women of the world. Apr. C. R., 1917, pp. 5, 6. 
 WHAT CHILDREN SHOULD BE TAUGHT. I pray you, my 
 
M. IRRL [GE, Till*: HOME AND FAMILY 367 
 
 brethren and sisters, who have children in Zion, and upon 
 whom rests the greater responsibility, teach them the princi- 
 ples of the gospel, teach them to have faith in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and in baptism for the remission of sins when 
 they shall reach the age of eight years. They must be taught 
 in the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ by their par- 
 ents, or the blood of the 'children will be upon the skirts of 
 those parents. It seems to me so plain a duty and so neces- 
 sary for them to see to it that their children avail themselves 
 of the opportunities that are afforded them in having them 
 taught and instructed in these principles in the Sunday 
 Schools that are established in the Church and conducted 
 Sunday after Sunday for the benefit of their children. I 
 should feel contemptible, I was going to say, in my own 
 mind, in my own feelings, if I had children w r ho w r ere neg- 
 lected by their parents in regard to these matters. Our little 
 ones are only too anxious to go to Sunday school, no matter 
 what may occur, whether it rains or is cold or pleasant, or 
 what not; whether they are sick or well, they cannot be 
 kept from the Sunday school unless there is great cause for 
 it. Apr. C, R., 1903, p. 81. 
 
 TRAINING OF CHILDREN AT HOME AND IN SUNDAY 
 SCHOOL. It does not need argument to convince our minds 
 that our children will be just about what we make them. 
 They are born without knowledge or understanding the 
 most helpless creatures of the animal creation born into the 
 world. The little one begins to learn after it is born, and 
 all that it knows greatly depends upon its environment, the 
 influences under which it is brought up, the kindness with 
 which it is treated, the noble examples shown it, the hallowed 
 influences of father and mother, or otherwise, over its infant 
 mind. And it will be largely \vhat its environment and its 
 parents and teachers make it. 
 
 The child of the lowest of our native tribes born in a 
 wigwam and the child born in luxury start out almost equal, 
 
368 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 so far as the possibilities of learning are concerned. A great 
 deal depends upon the influences under which it is brought 
 up. You will observe that the most potent influence over 
 the mind of a child to persuade it to learn, to progress, or to 
 accomplish anything, is the influence of love. More can be 
 accomplished for good by unfeigned love, in bringing up a 
 child, than by any other influence that can be brought to bear 
 upon it. A child that cannot be conquered by the lash, or 
 subdued by violence, may be controlled in an instant by un- 
 feigned affection and sympathy. I know that is true ; and 
 this principle obtains in every condition of life. 
 
 The Sunday school teacher should govern the children, 
 not by passion, by bitter words or scolding, but by affection 
 and by winning their confidence. If a teacher get the confi- 
 dence of a child it is not impossible to accomplish every de- 
 sired good with that child. 
 
 I would have it understood that I believe that the great- 
 est law and commandment of God is to love the Lord our 
 God with all our mind, might and strength, and our neigh- 
 bors as ourselves, and if this principle is observed at home 
 the brothers and sisters will love one another; they will be 
 kind and helpful to one another, showing forth the principle 
 of kindness and being solicitous for one another's good. Un- 
 der these circumstances the home comes nearer being a 
 heaven on earth, and children brought up under these influ- 
 ences will never forget them, and though they may be in 
 trying places, their memories will revert to the homes where 
 they enjoyed such hallowed influences, and their better na- 
 tures will assert themselves no matter what the trials or 
 temptations may be. 
 
 Brethren and sisters of the Sunday school, I implore 
 you to teach and control by the spirit of love and forbear- 
 ance until you can conquer. If children are defiant and dif- 
 ficult to control, be patient with them until you can conquer 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 369 
 
 by love, and you will have gained their souls, and you can 
 then mold their characters as you please. 
 
 Sometimes children do not like their teachers, and the 
 teachers are impatient with the children, and complain of 
 them as being very uncouth, uncontrollable and bad. The 
 children in their turn tell their parents how they despise 
 their teachers, and say they don't want to go to school any 
 more because the teacher is so cross. I have heard of these 
 things and know them to be true. On the other hand, if 
 children say to father and mother, "We think we have the 
 best teacher in the world, in our Sunday school," or, "We 
 have the best teacher in our district school that ever lived," 
 it proves that those teachers have won the affections of the 
 children, and the little ones are as clay in the hands of the 
 potter to be molded in any shape desired. This is the posi- 
 tion you teachers should occupy, and if you get their affec- 
 tions this will be the report the children will make regard- 
 ing you. Oct. C. R., 1902, pp. 92, 93. 
 
 TEACH CHILDREN THE GOSPEL. It is the duty of parents 
 to teach their children the principles of the gospel, and to be 
 sober-minded and industrious in their youth. They should 
 be impressed from the cradle to the time they leave the 
 parental roof to make homes and assume the duties of life 
 for themselves, that there is a seed time and harvest, and as 
 a man sows, so shall he reap. The sowing of bad habits in 
 youth will bring forth nothing better than vice, and the sow- 
 ing of the seeds of indolence will result invariably in pov- 
 erty and lack of stability in old age. Evil begets evil, and 
 good will bring forth good. 
 
 I have heard people say, "We pass this way but once, 
 and we might as well have a good time and make the most 
 of it while life lasts." This is in keeping with the predic- 
 tion in the Book of Mormon : "And there shall be many 
 which shall say, Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow 
 we die ; and it shall be well with us. * * * Yea, and 
 
 25 
 
370 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, 
 false, and vain, and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed 
 up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels 
 from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark" (II 
 Xephi 28:7-9). 
 
 Let the parents in Zion give their children something to 
 do that they may be taught the arts of industry, and equip- 
 ped to carry responsibility when it is thrust upon them. 
 Train them in some useful vocation that their living may be 
 assured when they commence in life for themselves. Re- 
 member, the Lord has said that "the idler shall not eat the 
 bread of the laborer," but all in Zion should be industrious. 
 X cither should they be given to loud laughter, light and fool- 
 ish speeches, worldly pride and lustful desires, for these are" 
 not only unbecoming, but grievous sins in the sight of the 
 Lord. And, w<e read that the wages of sin is death, and death 
 is banishment from the Spirit and presence of the Lord. 
 
 And above all else, let us train our children in the prin- 
 ciples of the gospel of our Savior, that they may become fa- 
 miliar with the truth and walk in the light which it sheds 
 forth to all those who will receive it. "He that seeketh me 
 early," the Lord has said, "shall find me, and shall not be 
 forsaken." It behooves us, therefore, to commence in early 
 life to travel in the strait and narrow path which leads to 
 eternal salvation. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 52, pp. 19, 20, 
 January, 1917; Rom. 6:23; Prov. 8:17. 
 
 TEACH CHILDREN THE STORY OF JESUS' DEATH. Should 
 the little children of the kindergarten be taught the events 
 leading up to and culminating in the death of our Savior? 
 It is a principle widely accepted that it is not desirable to 
 teach these little ones those things that are horrifying to 
 childish natures. And what may be said of children is 
 equally true in all stages of student life. But death is not an 
 unmixed horror. With it are associated some of the pro- 
 fed ndest and most important truths of human life. Al- 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 371 
 
 though painful in the extreme to those who must suffer the 
 departure of dear ones, death is one of the grandest bless- 
 ings in divine economy ; and we think children should be 
 taught something of its true meaning as early in life as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 We are born that we may put on mortality, that is, that 
 we may clothe our spirits with a body. Such a blessing is 
 the first step toward an immortal body, and the second step 
 is death. Death lies along the road of eternal progress ; and 
 though hard to bear, no one who believes in the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ, and especially in the resurrection, would have 
 it otherwise. Children should be taught early in life that 
 death is really a necessity as well as a blessing, and that we 
 would not and could not be satisfied and supremely happy 
 without it. Upon the crucifixion and the resurrection of 
 Jesus, one of the grandest principles of the gospel depends. 
 If children were taught this early in life, death would not 
 have the horrifying influence that it does have over many 
 childish minds. 
 
 Children are sure to be brought into some acquaintance- 
 ship with the incident of death, even during the kindergar- 
 ten period ; and it would be a great relief to the puzzled and 
 perplexed conditions of their minds if some intelligent state- 
 ments of the reason for death were made to them. No ex- 
 planation of death to a child's mind can anywhere be found 
 that is more simple and convincing than is the death of our 
 Master, connected as it is and ever must be with his glorious 
 resurrection. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 40, p. 336, June 1, 
 1905. 
 
 WISE GIVING TO CHILDREN. It is very gratifying to 
 parents to be able to respond to the desires of their children, 
 but it is undoubtedly a cruelty to a child to give it every- 
 thing it asks for. Children may wisely be denied things 
 which even in themselves are harmless. Our pleasures de- 
 pend very often more upon the qualities of our desires than 
 
372 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 upon the gratification. A child may be ladened with gifts 
 which affords him little or no pleasure, simply because he has 
 no desire for them. The education then of our desires is one 
 of far-reaching importance to our happiness in life ; and 
 when we learn that there is an education of our intellects and 
 we are set about that education with prudence and wisdom, 
 we shall do much to increase not only our happiness but also 
 our usefulness in the world. 
 
 God's ways of educating our desires are, of course, al- 
 ways the most perfect, and if those who have it in their 
 power to educate and direct the desires of children would 
 imitate his prudence, the children would be much more for- 
 tunate in combating the difficulties that beset men every- 
 where in the struggle for existence. And what is God's way ? 
 Everywhere in nature we are taught the lessons of patience 
 and waiting: We want things a long time before we get 
 them, and the fact that we wanted them a long time makes 
 them all the more precious when they come. In nature we 
 have our seed-time and harvest ; and if children were taught 
 that the desires that they sow may be reaped by and by 
 through patience and labor, they will learn to appreciate 
 whenever a long-looked-for goal has been reached. Nature 
 resists us and keeps admonishing us to wait ; indeed, we are 
 compelled to wait. 
 
 A man has a much greater capacity to enjoy that for 
 which he has labored for a number of years than one who 
 has a similar object given to him. It is, therefore, most un- 
 fortunate for children when their parents greatly weaken or 
 almost wholly destroy the children's capacity for the enjoy- 
 ment of some of the most wholesome pleasures of life. The 
 child who has everything he wants and when he wants it 
 is really to be pitied, for he has no ability to enjoy it. There 
 may be a hundred times more pleasure in a dollar piece for 
 one child than for another. 
 
 Our desires are the strongest motives which incite us 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 373 
 
 to energy and which make us productive and creative in 
 life. If they are weak, our creations are likely to be puny 
 and worthless. Money that a boy works for has a value 
 upon his life and an actual purchasing power greatly in ex- 
 cess of the money that has been given to him. And what 
 is true of boys is in a large measure true of girls. The girl 
 who earns something, who works persistently and patiently 
 that she may have money she can call her own has a capacity 
 for enjoying the objects of her desires greatly in excess of 
 the girl who never learned to earn a dollar. She also knows 
 and appreciates the value of a dollar more than the girl who 
 never had to wait until she earned it. It is a mistake for 
 parents to suppose that a daughter ought never to be re- 
 quired to earn anything. Every effort by which we seek 
 the fulfilment of our desires gives strength and character to 
 manhood and womanhood. The man who builds a house has 
 vastly more enjoyment in its occupation than the man who 
 has had a house given to him. 
 
 It is just as wrong systematically to give a child every- 
 thing he desires as to deny the child everything. When in- 
 dulgent parents fancy that they are adding to the pleasure 
 of their children's lives by giving to them whatever they 
 wish, such parents are in fact destroying the capacity of 
 their children to enjoy the gratification of desires weakened 
 and perverted by over-indulgence. The ability to give to 
 children wisely is indeed a rare attainment, and is acquired 
 only by a thoughtful and prudent exercise of the highest 
 sense of duty which parents can feel for their children. Duty 
 is always preferable to indulgence. Juvenile Instructor, p. 
 400, July 1, 1903. 
 
 Do NOT PLACE CHILDREN UNDER PLEDGES. We believe 
 it is questionable wisdom to put children under a pledge of 
 any kind. We ourselves do not put our children under 
 pledges, and we see no reason why we should permit others 
 to do it. Instructions can be given to children warning them 
 
374 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 against the use of strong drinks arid tobacco just as well 
 without their being pledged as by placing that responsibility 
 upon them. No man or set of people should be permitted 
 to call our children together for the purpose of joining a 
 temperance society, without they first obtain the consent of 
 the parents or guardians of those children; and we take it 
 for granted that no such . consent would be given. We 
 also take it for granted that boards of education could not 
 consistently, without such permission, allow such a thing to 
 be done in the public schools. 
 
 It should be understood that we, the Latter-day Saints, 
 teach temperance and morality as part of our religion, and 
 that we ourselves are competent to do this kind of work 
 among our own children without the aid of outside temper- 
 ance societies. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 37, p. 720, Dec. 1, 
 1902. 
 
 CHILDREN HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS WITH ELDERS IN THE 
 HOUSE OF THE LORD. Our children should be taught also that 
 they have rights in the house of the Lord equal to their 
 parents and equal to their neighbors or anybody else. Oct. 
 C. R., 1904, p. 88. 
 
 DON'T MORTGAGE YOUR HOUSES. My brethren, see to 
 it that you do not put a mortgage upon the roof that covers 
 the heads of your wives and your children. Don't do it. 
 Don't plaster your farms with mortgage*, because it is 
 from your farms that you reap your food, and the means 
 to provide your raiment and your other necessaries of life. 
 Keep your possessions free from debt. Get out of debt as 
 fast as you can, and keep out of debt, for that is the way 
 in which the promise of God will be fulfilled to the people 
 of his Church, that they will become the richest of all people 
 in the world. But this will not happen while you mortgage 
 your homes and your farms, or run into debt beyond your 
 ability to meet your obligations; and thus, perhaps, your 
 name and credit be dishonored because you over-reached 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 375 
 
 yourselves. "Never reach further than you can gather," 
 is a good motto. Apr. C. R., 1915, p. 11. 
 
 No SUBSTITUTE FOR THE HOME. The growing ten- 
 dency throughout the country to abandon the home for the 
 hotel and for the nomadic life with its ever-shifting and 
 restless spirit, manifests itself here and there among the 
 Latter-day Saints. A word of warning at this time may not 
 be inappropriate to those who imagine that there is some 
 charm as well as benefit in moving about the world in quest 
 of pleasure and novelties that come from changing fre- 
 quently one's habitation. 
 
 There is no substitute for the home. Its foundation is 
 as ancient as the world, and its mission has been ordained 
 of God from the earliest times. From Abraham sprang two 
 ancient races represented in Isaac and Ishmael. The one 
 built stable homes, and prized its land as a divine inher- 
 itance. The other became children of the desert, and as 
 restless as its ever-shifting sands upon which their tents were 
 pitched. From that day to the present, the home has been 
 the chief characteristic of superior over inferior nations. 
 The home then is more than a habitation, it is an institution 
 which stands for stability and love in individuals as well as 
 in nations. 
 
 There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart 
 from the home, and every effort made to sanctify and pre- 
 serve its influence is uplifting to those who toil and sacrifice 
 for its establishment. Men and women often seek to sub- 
 stitute some other life for that of the home ; they would 
 make themselves believe that the home means restraint ; that 
 the highest liberty is the fullest opportunity to move about 
 at will. There is no happiness without service, and there 
 is no service greater than that which converts the home into 
 a divine institution, and which promotes and preserves family 
 life. i 
 
 Those who shirk home responsibilities are wanting in an 
 
376 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 important element of social well-being. They may indulge 
 themselves in social pleasures, but their pleasures are su- 
 perficial and result in disappointment later in life. The occu- 
 pations of men sometimes call them from their homes ; but 
 the thought of home-coming is always an inspiration to 
 well doing and devotion. When women abandon the home 
 and its duties, the case is a more deplorable one. The evil 
 effects are not confined to the mother alone. The children 
 are robbed of a sacred right, and their love is bereft of its 
 rallying place around the hearthstone. The strongest attach- 
 ments of childhood are those that cluster ab^ut the home, 
 and the dearest memories of old age are those that call up 
 the associations of youth and its happy surroundings. 
 
 The disposition among the Saints to be moving about 
 ought to be discouraged. If communities must swarm let the 
 young go, and let the old homes be transmitted from gen- 
 eration to generation, and let the home be erected with the 
 thought that it is to be a family abiding place from one 
 generation to another, that it is to be a monument to its 
 founder and an inheritance of all that is sacred and dear in 
 home life. Let it be the Mecca to which an ever-increasing 
 posterity may make its pilgrimage. The home, a stable and 
 pure home, is the highest guaranty of social stability and 
 permanence in government. 
 
 A Latter-day Saint who has no ambition to establish a 
 home and give it permanency has not a full conception of 
 a sacred duty the gospel imposes upon him It may be 
 necessary at times to change our abode ; but a change 
 should never be made for light or trivial reasons, nor to sat- 
 isfy a restless spirit. Whenever homes are built the thought 
 of permanency should always be present. Many of the 
 Saints live in parts of the country that are less productive 
 than others, that possess few natural attractions, yet they 
 cherish their homes and their surroundings,and'the more sub- 
 stantial men and women of such communities are the last 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 377 
 
 to abandon them. There is no substitute in wealth or in 
 ambition for the home. Its influence is a prime necessity 
 for man's happiness and well-being. Juvenile Instructor, 
 Vol. 38, pp. 145, 146, March 1, 1903. 
 
 WORSHIP IN THE HOME. We have in the gospel the 
 truth. If that is .the case, and I bear my tesvimony that so 
 it is, then it is worth our every effort to understand the 
 truth, each for himself, and to impart it in spirit and prac- 
 tice to our children. Far too many risk their children's spir- 
 itual guidance to chance, or to others rather than to them- 
 selves, and think that organizations suffice for religious train- 
 ing. Our temporal bodies would soon become emaciated, if 
 we fed them only once a week, or twice, as some of us are 
 in the habit of feeding our spiritual and religious bodies. 
 Our material concerns would be less thriving, if we looked 
 after them only two hours a week, as some people seem to 
 do with their spiritual affairs, especially if we in addition 
 contented ourselves, as some do in religious matters, to let 
 others look after them. 
 
 No; on the other hand, this should be done every day, 
 and in the home, by precept, teaching and example. Breth- 
 ren, there is too little religious devotion, love and fear of 
 God, in the home ; too much worldiness, selfishness, indiffer- 
 ence, and lack of reverence in the family, or these never would 
 exist so abundantly on the outside. Then, the home is what 
 needs reforming. Try today, and tomorrow, to make a 
 change in your home by praying twice a day with your 
 family; call on your children and your wife to pray with 
 you. Ask a blessing upon every meal you eat. Spend ten 
 minutes in reading a chapter from the words of the Lord 
 in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Cove- 
 nants, before you retire, or before you go to your daily toil. 
 Feed your spiritual selves at home, as well as in public 
 places. Let love, and peace, and the Spirit of the Lord, 
 kindness, charity, sacrifice for others, abound in your fam- 
 
378 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ilies. Banish harsh words, envyings, hatreds, evil speaking; 
 obscene language and innuendo, blasphemy, and let the 
 Spirit of God take possession of your hearts. Teach to your 
 children these things, in spirit and power, sustained and 
 strengthened by personal practice. Let them see that you 
 are earnest, and practice what you preach. Do not let your 
 children out to specialists in these things, but teach them by 
 your own precept and example, by your own fireside. Be a 
 specialist yourself in the truth. Let our meetings, schools 
 and organizations, instead of being our only or leading 
 teachers, be supplements to our teachings and training in 
 the home. Not one child in a hundred would go astray, if 
 the home environment, example and training, were in har- 
 mony with the truth in the gospel of Christ, as revealed and 
 taught to the Latter-day Saints. Fathers and mothers, you 
 are largely to blame for the infidelity and indifference of 
 your children. You can remedy the evil by earnest worship, 
 example, training and discipline, in the home. Improve- 
 ment Era, Vol. 7, Dec., 1904, p. 135. 
 
 THE BASIS OF A TRUE HOME. A home is not a home 
 in the eye of the gospel, unless there dwell perfect confidence 
 and love between the husband and the wife. Home is a place 
 of order, love, union, rest, confidence and absolute trust; 
 where the breath of suspicion of infidelity can not enter ; 
 where the woman and the man each have implicit confidence 
 in each other's honor and virtue. Second Sunday School 
 Convention. 
 
 THE IDEAL HOME. What then is an ideal home a 
 model home such as it should be the ambition of the Latter- 
 day Saints to build ; such as a young man starting out in 
 life should wish to erect for himself? And the answer came 
 to me: It is one in which all worldly considerations are 
 secondary. One in which the father is devoted to the family 
 with which God has blessed him, counting them of first im- 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 379 
 
 portance, and in which they in turn permit him to live in 
 their hearts. One in which there is confidence, union, love, 
 sacred devotion between father and mother, and children 
 and parents. One in which the mother takes every pleasure 
 in her children, supported by the father all being moral, 
 pure, God-fearing. As the tree is judged by its fruit, so 
 also do we judge the home by the children. In the ideal 
 home true parents rear loving, thoughtful children, loyal to 
 the death, to father and mother and home ! In it there is the 
 religious spirit, for both parents and children have faith in 
 God, and their practices are in conformity with that faith ; the 
 members are free from the vices and contaminations of the 
 world, are pure in morals, having upright hearts beyond 
 bribes and temptations, ranging high in the exalted standards 
 of manhood and womanhood. Peace, order, and contentment 
 reign in the hearts of the inmates let them be rich or poor, 
 in things material. There are no vain regrets ; no expres- 
 sions of discontent against father, from the boys and girls, in 
 which they complain : "If we only had this or that, or were 
 like this family or that, or could do like so and so !" com- 
 plaints that have caused fathers many uncertain steps, dim 
 eyes, restless nights, and untold anxiety. In their place is 
 the loving thoughtfulness to mother and father by which the 
 boys and girls work with a will and a determination to 
 carry some of the burden that the parents have staggered 
 under these many years. There is the kiss for mother, the 
 caress for father, the thought that they have sacrificed their r 
 own hopes and ambitions, their strength, even life itself to 
 their children there is gratitude in payment for all that has 
 been given them ! 
 
 In the ideal home the soul is not starved, neither are the 
 growth and expansion of the finer sentiments paralyzed for 
 the coarse and sensual pleasures. The main aim is not to 
 heap up material wealth, which generally draws further and 
 further from the true, the ideal, the spiritual life ; but it is 
 
380 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 rather to create soul-wealth, consciousness of noble achieve- 
 ment, an outflow of love and helpfulness. 
 
 It is not costly paintings, tapestries, priceless bric-a-brac, 
 various ornaments, costly furniture, fields, herds, houses 
 and lands, which constitute the ideal home, nor yet the 
 social enjoyments and ease so tenaciously sought by many; 
 but it is rather beauty of soul, cultivated, loving, faithful, 
 true spirits ; hands that help and hearts that sympathize ; love 
 that seeks not its own, thoughts and acts that touch our lives 
 to finer issues these lie at the foundation of the ideal 
 home. Improvement Era, Vol. 8, 1904-05, pp. 385-388. 
 
 FOUNDATION OF ALL GOOD IN HOME. The very founda- 
 tion of the kingdom of God, of righteousness, of progress, 
 of development, of eternal life and eternal increase in the 
 kingdom of God, is laid in the divinely ordained home ; and 
 there should be no difficulty in holding in the highest rev- 
 erence and exalted thought, the home, if it can be built upon 
 the principles of purity, of true affection, of righteousness 
 and justice. The man and his wife who have perfect con- 
 fidence in each other, and who determine to follow the laws 
 of God in their lives and fulfil the measure of their mission 
 in the earth, would not be, and could never be, contented 
 without the home. Their hearts, their feelings, their minds, 
 their desires would naturally trend towards the building of 
 a home and family and of a kingdom of their own; to the 
 laying of the foundation of eternal increase and power, 
 glory, exaltation and dominion, worlds without end. Juve- 
 nile Instructor, Vol. 51, p. 739. 
 
 SECURE HOMES. In my judgment it would be prudent 
 and wisdom for the young people to secure lands near the 
 homes of their parents and near the body of the Church, 
 where they can have the advantage of Sunday schools and 
 the gatherings of the Saints, and in so doing they will be 
 building for themselves instead of permitting the stranger 
 to come in and take the lands strangers with whom in many 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 381 
 
 instances we could not affiliate. We all know there are 
 classes who come in here who up to date have not proved 
 desirable neighbors to affiliate with, and it is just as well 
 for our own young people to stay in the land of their birth 
 and build them homes. I will say that we do not approve of 
 the disposition of some to go afar off where life, property 
 and liberty are not safe. We wish them to remain- together, 
 so that if it is necessary or desirable that the Saints should 
 colonize, they might do it in order. 
 
 I do not want to be understood as saying or thinking 
 that one little state is big enough to contain all the young 
 people, and I think it is wisdom and necessary for the Lat- 
 ter-day Saints to take every advantage in this respect that is 
 possible. I think our young people should get homes in 
 Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado in our own state and 
 in adjoining states in blessed America, under this grand 
 and glorious government where life and property, and the 
 liberties of men are safe and protected, where mob violence 
 and revolutionary spirit do not s'talk forth as in some coun- 
 tries of the world. 
 
 Another thing. In the old times an effort was made 
 to co-operate and combine together and establish home in- 
 dustries for the production of the things that were needful 
 for consumption of the people and to produce a revenue as 
 well. Today we have allowed the home industry spirit to 
 perish almost from amongst us, and we do not witness the 
 same loyalty among the people to those things which are pro- 
 duced at home that there should be. There are too many peo- 
 ple who would rather patronize some "cheap John" and buy 
 shoddy goods, just because they can get them a few pence 
 cheaper, than to sustain home industry, and get all wool and 
 a yard wide. We should not encourage foreign capital to 
 the exclusion of our own, and patronize foreign labor against 
 our own, but we should build up our home institutions. 
 From a Sermon, given in Logan, April 7, 1910. 
 
382 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 OWN YOUR HOMES. It was early the rule among the 
 Latter-day Saints to have the lands so divided that every 
 family could have a spot of ground which could be called 
 theirs ; and it has been the proud boast of this people that 
 among them were more home owners than among any other 
 people of like numbers. This condition had a good tendency, 
 and whatever men said of us, the home among this people 
 was a first consideration. It is this love of home that has 
 made the Saints famous as colonizers, builders of settle- 
 ments, and redeemers of the deserts. But in the cities there 
 appears now to be coming into vogue the idea that renting 
 is the thing. Of course, it may be necessary as a temporary 
 makeshift, but no young couple should ever settle down with 
 the idea that such a condition, as far as they are concerned, 
 shall be permanent. Every young man should have an am- 
 bition to possess his own home. It is better for him, for 
 his family, for society, for the state, and for the Church. 
 Nothing so engenders stability, strength, power, patriotism, 
 fidelity to country and to God, as the owning of a home a 
 spot of earth that you and your children can call yours. And, 
 besides, there are so many tender virtues that grow with 
 such ownership that the government of a family is made 
 doubly easy thereby. 
 
 Let us continue, as a people, to be unlike the world in. 
 this regard. I hope the Saints will ever be a home-owning 
 people, and never become roamers, roomers and renters. We 
 should no more follow the prevailing notions in this than 
 in some other things. The people of Zion have a higher 
 destiny than being led by the nose, as it were, by the pre- 
 vailing whims. We do not purpose being led by evil tenden- 
 cies, but rather glory in being leaders ourselves in all that 
 makes for the welfare and happiness of the home, the ad- 
 vancement of the Church, the prosperity of the state. 
 Improvement Era, Aug., 1904, Vol. 7, p. 796. 
 
 Do NOT MORTGAGE YOUR HOMES. Whenever a panic 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 383 
 
 comes, or there is severe financial depression because of 
 monetary conditions, the people have before them a painful 
 object lesson on the evils of mortgaging, especially of their 
 homes and places of business. 
 
 Men owe it to their wives and children to be prudent 
 and conservative when business considerations touch the 
 home, and it is doubtful whether they really have a moral 
 right to expose helpless wives and children to the mercies 
 of the money lender. The evils are too abundantly manifest 
 to permit of mortgaging homes that should be sacred to the 
 needs of those who are dependent upon them. 
 
 The Latter-day Saints have often been warned and are 
 now earnestly admonished not to hazard their homes, and 
 with them their wives and children, upon the altar of finan- 
 cial speculation. 
 
 What was taught in the early days of our history in 
 this intermountam region is equally true today, and it is the 
 duty of every Latter-day Saint, so far as it is possible, to 
 own his home, to possess an earthly inheritance. It has been 
 our pride that among the people of all the world nowhere 
 can a greater percentage be found of those who have title 
 to the homes in which they live. Instead of declining year 
 by year in the total number of homes owned by the Latter- 
 day Saints of Salt Lake City, and other large cities, there 
 should be an increase. The matter of the Saints possessing 
 title to their homes is something more than a question of 
 whether it pays best to rent or to own. It is a question of 
 vital importance to our future position and relative strength 
 in a land to which by every rule of equity and prudence we 
 are entitled. There is a virtue and an assurance and a cer- 
 tainty in the ownership of one's home that are never felt 
 by those who are shifting from place to place without any 
 landed possession. The influence upon child life that comes 
 from the possession and ownership of the family home is of 
 itself a sufficient reason to guard it against the repeated evils 
 
384 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 of mortgaging. The Latter-day Saints owe it to themselves 
 and they owe it to their God to be steadfast in the posses- 
 sion of the lands to which they hold titles, either by purchase 
 or settlement. The evil of mortgaging homes to eastern 
 firms, to men and companies who have no other motive than 
 to secure their pound of flesh, is growing among the people, 
 and especially among those in the larger cities. Against such 
 evils the people have in the past been abundantly warned. 
 If necessity compels the husband to place a mortgage upon 
 the home, let it come, if possible, through a friend and not 
 through those who may be the enemies of the people. If 
 the Latter-day Saints will give heed to the prudent admoni- 
 tions and lessons of the past, they will hesitate in the pres- 
 ence of the alluring temptations which are now everywhere 
 held out, to mortgage their homes, their places of business, 
 the canals, and the farms, for the means with which to 
 speculate and grow rich. It is to be hoped, therefore, that 
 where the Saints have mortgages upon their homes they will 
 be persistent in their endeavors to remove them, and they 
 are advised to keep intact and beyond menace the titles to 
 their lands. 
 
 The admonitions here given are directed especially to 
 those disposed to mortgage for the purpose of speculation, 
 and not to those who may find it necessary through building 
 societies or otherwise to secure homes by monthly or other 
 periodical payments. The latter practice may lead to eco- 
 nomic habits, while speculations too frequently create a spirit 
 of extravagance. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 36, pp. 722-723. 
 
 EVILS OF MORTGAGING. What a -blessed condition would 
 result in Zion if the evil of going into debt, of mortgaging 
 the home, could be made very clear to every Latter-day Saint, 
 young and old ! Well, indeed, would it be if some of the 
 burdens of the mortgage and. its accompanying sorrows, 
 could be felt and understood by every man who has in con- 
 templation the pawning of his home and land for money 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 385 
 
 that he might comprehend its slavery and terror as thor- 
 oughly prior to the deed as he is sure to feel it after. In 
 that event, he might be warned in time to avoid the fatal 
 step, and awake as from a horrid dream to rejoice in his 
 deliverance. With few exceptions mortgages on private prop- 
 erty end in disaster to the giver. * * * What should we 
 think of men who would jeopardize the position and place 
 of the people of Zion ! The land of Zion is an inheritance, 
 and every man who mortgages his part of that inheritance 
 places in jeopardy the land. Thus not only disinheriting 
 himself, but committing a crime against the whole commu- 
 nity and the intelligence and wisdom that should charac- 
 terize every true Latter-day Saint. The result of such action 
 is appalling, and its contemplation something fearful to 
 every lover of the people of God, the more so when one pos- 
 sesses a knowledge of how widespread is the evil. 
 
 Mortgaging, then, looked upon in its true light, is not 
 only a private burden and detriment, in which a man's fam- 
 ily is thrown out of house and home, and his own abilities, 
 happiness and talents are destroyed or sadly diminished, 
 but it is positively a public crime, in a community like ours. 
 Disposing of inheritances in Zion partakes of the nature of 
 such action as individuals pulling up and selling for money 
 the gold bricks from the streets of the Celestial City. It is 
 intolerable, when looked upon in the right light ! The old 
 proverb : "Who goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing," and 
 "Lying rides on debt's back," should appeal directly to every 
 man who contemplates mortgaging. But if personal appeal 
 is not strong enough, let him remember that his home or 
 farm is likely to go for half its value to satisfy his debt, and 
 that his family who depend upon him will be left without 
 adequate shelter and support. But if neither reason is strong 
 enough to hold him back, let him remember Zion and his 
 inheritance therein, and let her cause cry aloud to him to 
 bring him to a realizing sense of the triple crime that he is 
 
 26 
 
386 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 about to commit, in order that his hand may be stayed, and 
 he saved the humiliation, worry, anxiety and sorrow that 
 must inevitably overtake him, unless he repent. Improve- 
 ment Era, Dec., 1901, Vol. 5, pp. 147. 
 
 OUR FIRST DUTY TO OUR HOUSEHOLD. I want to tell 
 you that we will be honest with you ; we feel that it is the 
 first duty of Latter-day Saints to take care of themselves and 
 of their poor; and then, if we can extend it to others, and 
 as wide and as far as we can extend charity and assistance 
 to others that are not members of the Church, we feel that 
 it is our duty to do it. But first look after the members of 
 our own household. The man who will not provide for 
 his own house, as one of old has said, is worse than an 
 infidel. Apr. C. R., 1915, p. 10. 
 
 UNCHASTITY, A DOMINANT EVIL. The character of a 
 community or a nation is the sum of the individual qualities 
 of its component members. To say so is to voice at once an 
 ordinary platitude and an axiom of profound import. The 
 stability of a material structure depends upon the integrity 
 of its several parts and the maintenance of a proper correla- 
 tion of the units in harmony with the laws of forces. The 
 same may be said of institutions, systems, and organizations 
 in general. 
 
 Not alone is it fundamentally proper and in strict ac- 
 cord with both the spirit and the letter of the Divine Word, 
 but absolutely essential to the stability of the social order 
 that the marriage relation shall be defined and regulated 
 by secular law. Parties to the marriage contract must be 
 definitely invested w r ith the responsibilities of^the status they 
 assume; and for fidelity to their obligations they are an- 
 swerable to each other, to society, and to their God. 
 
 Sexual union is lawful in wedlock, and if participated 
 in with right intent is honorable and sanctifying. But with- 
 out the bonds of marriage, sexual indulgence is a debasing 
 sin, abominable in the sight of Deity. 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 387 
 
 Infidelity to marriage vows is a fruitful source of di- 
 vorce, with its long train of attendant evils, not the least of 
 which are the shame and dishonor inflicted on unfortunate 
 though innocent children. The dreadful effects of adultery 
 cannot be confined to the erring participants. Whether 
 openly known or partly concealed under the cloak of guilty 
 secrecy, the results are potent in evil influence. The im- 
 mortal spirits that come to earth to tabernacle in bodies of 
 flesh have the right to be well born, through parents who are 
 free from the contamination of sexual vice. 
 
 It is a deplorable fact that society persists in holding 
 women to stricter account than men in the matter of sexual 
 offense. What shadow of excuse, not to speak of justifica- 
 tion, can be found for this outrageous and cowardly discrim- 
 ination? Can moral defilement be any the less filthy and 
 pestilential in man than in women? Is a male leper less to 
 be shunned for fear of contagion than a woman similarly 
 stricken ? 
 
 So far as woman sins it is inevitable that she shall suf- 
 fer, for retribution is sure, whether it be immediate or de- 
 ferred. But in so far as man's injustice inflicts upon her 
 the consequence of his offenses, he stands convicted of 
 multiple guilt. And man is largely responsible for the sins 
 against decency and virtue, the burden of which is too often 
 fastened upon the weaker participant in the prime. The 
 frightful prevalence of prostitution, and the tolerance and 
 even condonation with which the foul traffic is treated by so- 
 called civilized society, are black blots on the pages of cur- 
 rent history. * * * 
 
 Like many bodily diseases, sexual crime drags with it- 
 self a train of other ills. As the physical effects of drunk- 
 enness entail the deterioration of tissue, and disturbance of 
 vital functions, and so render the body receptive to any dis- 
 temper to which it may be exposed, and at the same time 
 lower the powers of resistance even to fatal deficiency, so 
 
388 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 does unchastity expose the soul to divers spiritual maladies, 
 and rob it of both resistance and recuperative ability. The 
 adulterous generation of Christ's day were deaf to the voice 
 of truth, and through their diseased state of mind and 
 heart, sought after signs and preferred empty fable to the 
 message of salvation. 
 
 We accept without reservation or qualification the af- 
 firmation of Deity, through an ancient Nephite prophet : 
 "For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. 
 And whoredoms are an abomination before me ; thus saith 
 the Lord of Hosts." (Jacob 2:28.) 
 
 We hold that sexual sin is second only to the shedding 
 of innocent blood in the category of personal crimes ; and 
 that the adulterer shall have no part in the exaltation of the 
 blessed. 
 
 We proclaim as the word of the Lord : 
 
 "Thou shalt not commit adultery:" 
 
 "He that looketh on a woman to lust after her, or if any 
 shall commit adultery in their hearts, they shall not have 
 the Spirit, but shall deny the faith." Improvement Era, 
 June, 1918, Vol. 20, p. 738; Doc. and Cov. 63:16. 
 
 DEGREES OF SEXUAL SIN. There are said to be more 
 shades of green than of any other color, so also we are of 
 the opinion there are more grades or degrees of sin associ- 
 ated with the improper relationship of the sexes than of any 
 other wrong doing of which we have knowledge. They all 
 involve a grave offense the sin against chastity, but in nu- 
 merous instances this sin is intensified by the breaking of 
 sacred covenants, to which is sometimes added deceit, intim- 
 idation or actual violence. 
 
 Much as all these sins are to be denounced and de- 
 plored, we can ourselves see a difference both in intent and 
 consequence between the offense of a young couple who, 
 being betrothed, in an unguarded moment, without premed- 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 389 
 
 itation fall into sin, and that of the man, who, having entered 
 into holy places and made sacred covenants, plots to rob the 
 wife of his neighbor of her virtue either by cunning or force, 
 and accomplishes his vile intent. 
 
 Not only is there a difference in these wrongs, judging 
 from the standpoint of intent, but also from that of the con- 
 sequences. In the first instance the young couple who have 
 transgressed can make partial amends by sincere repentance 
 and by marrying. One reparation, however, they cannot 
 make. They cannot restore the respect that they previously 
 held for each other ; and too often as a consequence of this 
 loss of confidence their married life is clouded or embittered 
 by the fear that each has for the other, having once sinned, 
 may do so again. In the other case, others are most disas- 
 trously involved, families are broken up, misery is forced 
 upon innocent parties, society is affected, doubt is thrown 
 upon the paternity of children, and from the standpoint of 
 gospel ordinances, the question of descent is clouded and 
 pedigrees become worthless; altogether, wrongs are com- 
 mitted both to the living and the dead, as well as to the yet 
 unborn, which it is out of the power of the offenders to re- 
 pair or make right. 
 
 Sometimes an argument is advanced to limit the pro- 
 visions of the law of God, as given in the Book of Doctrine 
 and Covenants, both with regard to punishment and to for- 
 giveness to those who have entered the House of the Lord 
 and received their endowments. This is not possible, as so 
 many of these provisions were given in revelations published 
 several years before the Saints were permitted to receive 
 these holy ordinances, indeed, before any temple was built. 
 The law as given, we believe to be general, appyling to all 
 the Saints. But undoubtedly when, in addition to the actual 
 offense against the laws of chastity, covenants are broken, 
 then the punishment for the double offense will, either in this 
 life or that which is to come, be correspondingly greater 
 
390 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and more severe. Juvenile Instructor, Nov. 15, 1902, Vol. 
 37, p. 688. 
 
 PURITY. There is something in man, an essential part 
 of his mind, which recalls the events of the past, and the 
 words that we have spoken on various occasions. Words 
 which we spoke in our childhood \ve can readily bring to 
 mind. Words that we heard others speak in our infancy, we 
 can recall, though we may be advanced in years. We recall 
 words that were spoken in our youth and in our early man- 
 hood, as well as words that were spoken yesterday. May I 
 say to you that in reality a man cannot forget anything ? He 
 may have a lapse of memory ; he may not be able to recall 
 at the moment a thing that he knows, or words that he has 
 spoken ; he may not have the power at his will to call up 
 these events and words ; but let God Almighty touch the 
 mainspring of the memory, and awaken recollection, and you 
 will find then that you have not even forgotten a single idle 
 word that you have spoken. I believe the word of God to be 
 true, and therefore, I warn the youth of Zion, as well as 
 those who are advanced in years, to beware of saying- 
 wicked things, of speaking evil, and taking in vain the 
 name of sacred things and sacred beings. Guard your words, 
 that you may not offend even man, much less offend God. 
 
 We believe that God lives, and that he is judge of the 
 quick and the dead. We believe that his eye is upon the 
 world, and that he beholds his groveling, erring and weak 
 children upon this earth. We believe that we are here by 
 his design, and not by choice ; that we are here to fulfil a 
 destiny, and not to fulfil a whim, or for the gratification of 
 mortal lusts. We believe that we are immortal beings. We 
 believe in the resurrection of the dead, and that as Jesus 
 came forth from the grave to everlasting life, his Spirit and 
 body uniting again never more to. be separated, so has he 
 opened the way for every son and daughter of Adam, 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 
 
 whether living or dead, to come forth from the grave to a 
 newness of life, to become immortal souls, body and spirit, 
 united, never to be severed any more. We raise our voices 
 against prostitution, and against all forms of immorality. 
 We are not here to practice immorality of any kind. Above 
 all things, sexual immorality is most heinous in the sight of 
 God. It is on a par with murder itself, and God Almighty 
 fixed the penalty of the murderer at death: "Whoso shed- 
 cleth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Further- 
 more, he said that whosoever committed adultery should be 
 put to death. Therefore, we raise our voices against sexual 
 immorality, and against all manner of obscenity. 
 
 Then, we say to you who have repented of your sins, 
 who have been buried with Christ in baptism, who have been 
 raised from the liquid grave to newness of life, born of rhe 
 water and of the Spirit, and who have been made the chil- 
 dren of the Father, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus 
 Christ we say to you, if you will observe the laws of God, 
 and cease to do evil, cease to be obscene, cease to be immoral, 
 sexually or otherwise, cease to be profane, cease to be infidel, 
 and have faith in God, believe in the truth and receive it, and 
 be honest before God and man, that you will be set up on 
 high, and God will put you at the head, just as sure as you 
 observe these commandments. Whosoever will keep the 
 commandments of God, no matter whether it be you or any 
 other people, they will rise and not fall, they will lead and 
 not follow, they will go upward and not downward. God will 
 exalt them and magnify them before the nations of the earth, 
 and he will set the seal of his approval upon them, will name 
 them as his own. This is my testimony to you. Improve- 
 ment Era, Vol. 6, p. 501, May, 1903. 
 
 THREE THREATENING DANGERS. There are at least 
 three dangers that threaten the Church within, and the au- 
 thorities need to awaken to the fact that the people should 
 
392 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 be warned unceasingly against them. As I see these, they 
 are the flattery of prominent men in the world, false edu- 
 cational ideas, and sexual impurity. 
 
 But the third subject mentioned personal purity, is 
 perhaps of greater importance than either of the other two. 
 \Ye believe in one standard of morality for men and women. 
 If purity of life is neglected, all other dangers set in upon 
 us like the rivers of waters when the flood gates are opened. 
 Improrcincnt Era, Vol. 17, No. 5, p. 476. March, 1914. 
 
 THE GOSPEL THE GREATEST THING. One of the most 
 important duties devolving upon the Latter-day Saints is the 
 proper training and rearing of their children in the faith of 
 the gospel. The gospel is the greatest thing in all the world. 
 There is nothing to compare with it. The possessions of this 
 earth are of no consequence when compared with the bless- 
 ings of the gospel. Naked we came into the world, arid 
 naked we will go out of the world, so far as earthly things 
 are concerned ; for we must leave them behind ; but the 
 eternal possessions which are ours through obedience to the 
 gospel of Jesus Christ do not perish the ties that God has 
 created between me and those whom he has given to me, 
 and the divine authority which I enjoy through the holy 
 priesthood, these are mine throughout all eternity. No 
 power but sin, the transgression of the laws of God, can 
 take them from me. All these things are mine even after I 
 leave this probation. Improvement Era, Vol. 21, pp. 102, 
 103, December, 1917. 
 
 DUTY OF HUSBAND TO WIFE. If there is any man who 
 ought to merit the curse of Almighty God it is the man who 
 neglects the mother of his child, the wife of his bosom, the 
 one who has made sacrifice of her very life, over and over 
 again, for him and his children. That is, of course, assum- 
 ing that the wife is a pure and faithful mother and wife. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 21, p. 105,, December, 1917. 
 
 WIVES AND HUSBANDS IN ETERNITY. We expect to 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 393 
 
 have our wives and husbands in eternity. We expect our 
 children will acknowledge us as their fathers and mothers 
 in eternity. I expect this ; I look for nothing else. Without 
 it I could not be happy. The thought or belief that I should 
 be denied this privilege hereafter would make me miserable 
 from this moment. I never could be happy again without the 
 hope that I shall enjoy the society of my wives and children 
 in eternity. If I had not this hope, I should be of all men 
 most unhappy; "for if in this life only we have hope in 
 Christ, we are of all men most miserable." All who have 
 tasted of the influence of the Spirit of God, and have had 
 awakened within them a hope of eternal life, cannot be 
 happy unless they continue to drink of that fountain until 
 they are satisfied, and it is the only fountain at which they 
 can drink and be satisfied. Deseret Weekly News, Vol. 33, 
 p. 131, 1884. 
 
 IMPORTANCE OF FILIAL AFFECTION. Do not add to their 
 burdens by neglect, by extravagance or by misconduct. 
 Rather suffer that your right hand be cut off, or your eye 
 plucked out than that you would bring sorrow or anguish 
 to your parents because of your neglect of filial affection to 
 them. So children, remember your parents. After they 
 have nurtured you through the tender years of your infancy 
 and childhood, after they have fed and clothed and educated 
 you, after having given you a bed to rest upon and done all 
 in their power for your good, don't you neglect them when 
 they become feeble and are bowed down with the weight of 
 their years. Don't you leave them, but settle down near 
 them, and do all in your power to minister to their comfort 
 and well-being. Improvement Era, Vol. 21, p. 105, Decem- 
 ber, 1917. 
 
 FAMILY GOVERNMENT BY LOVE. I learned in my child- 
 hood, as most children, probably, have learned, more or less 
 at least, that no love in all the world can equal the love of 
 a true mother. 
 
394 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 I did not think in those clays, and still I am at a loss to 
 know, how it would be possible for anyone to love her chil- 
 dren more truly than did my mother. I have felt sometimes, 
 how could even the Father love his children more than my 
 mother loved her children? It was life to me; it was 
 strength ; it was encouragement ; it was love that begot love 
 or likeness in myself. I knew she loved me with all her 
 heart. She loved her children with all her soul. She would 
 toil and labor and sacrifice herself day and night, for the 
 temporal comforts and blessings that she could meagerly 
 give, through the results of her own labors, to her children. 
 There was no sacrifice of self of her own time, of her 
 leisure or pleasure, or opportunities for rest that was con- 
 sidered for a moment, when it came in comparison with her 
 duty and her love to her children. 
 
 When I was fifteen years of age, and called to go to a 
 foreign country to preach the gospel or to learn how, and 
 to learn it for myself the strongest anchor that was fixed 
 in my life, and that helped to hold my ambition and my de- 
 sire steady, to bring me upon a level and keep me straight, 
 was that love which I knew she had for me who bore me 
 into the world. 
 
 Only a little boy, not matured at all in judgment, with- 
 out the advantage of education, thrown in the midst of the 
 greatest allurements and temptations that it was possible for 
 any boy or any man to be subjected to and yet, whenever 
 these temptations became most alluring and most tempting 
 to me, the first thought that arose in my soul was this : 
 Remember the love of your mother. Rememlber how she 
 strove for your welfare. Remember how willing she was to 
 sacrifice her life for your good. Remember what she taught 
 you in your childhood and how she insisted upon your read- 
 ing the New Testament the only book, except a few little 
 school books, that we had in the family, or that was within 
 reach of us at that time. This feeling toward my mother be- 
 
. THE IIOMI*. AND FAMILY 395 
 
 came a defense, a barrier between me and temptation, so 
 that I could turn aside from temptation and sin by the help 
 of the Lord and the love begotten in my soul, toward her 
 whom I knew loved me more than anybody else in all the 
 world, and more than any other living being could love me. 
 
 A wife may love her husband, but it is different to that 
 of the love of mother to her child. The true mother, the 
 mother who has the fear of God and the love of truth in 
 her soul, would never hide from danger or evil and leave her 
 child exposed to it. But as natural as it is for the sparks 
 to fly upward, as natural as it is to breathe the breath of 
 life, if there were danger coming to her child, she would 
 step between the child and that danger ; she would defend 
 her child to the uttermost. Her life would be nothing in 
 the balance, in comparison with the life of her child. That 
 is the love of true motherhood for children. 
 
 Her love for her husband would be different, for if 
 danger should come to him, as natural as it would be for her 
 to step between her child and danger, instead, her disposi- 
 tion would be to step behind her husband for protection, 
 and that is the difference between the love of mother for chil- 
 dren and the love of wife for husband there is a great dif- 
 ference between the two. 
 
 I have learned to place a high estimate upon the love 
 of mother. I have often said, and will repeat it, that the love 
 of a true mother comes nearer being like the love of God 
 than any other kind of love. The father may love his chil- 
 dren, too ; and next to the love that the mother feels for her 
 child, unquestionably and rightfully, too, comes the love that 
 the father feels for his child. But, as it has been illustrated 
 here by Brother Edward H. Anderson, the love of the father 
 is of a different character, or degree, to the love of the 
 mother for her child ; illustrated by the fact he related here 
 of having the privilege of working with his boy, having him 
 in his presence, becoming more intimate with him, learning 
 
396 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 his characteristics more clearly; becoming more familiar 
 and more closely related to him; the result of which was 
 that his love for his boy increased, and the love of the boy 
 increased for his father, for the same reason, merely because 
 of that closer association. So the child learns to love his 
 mother best, as a rule, w r hen the mother is good, wise, pru- 
 dent, and intelligent, because the child is with her more, 
 they are more familiar with each other and understand each 
 other better. 
 
 Now, this is the thought that I desire to express : Fath- 
 ers, if you wish your children to be taught in the principles 
 of the gospel, if you wish them to love the truth and under- 
 stand it, if you wish them to be obedient to and united with 
 you, love them! arid prove to them that you do love them 
 by your every word or act to them. For your own sake, for 
 the love that should exist between you and your boys 
 however wayward they might be, or one or the other might 
 be, when you speak or talk to them, do it not in anger, do 
 it not harshly, in a condemning spirit. Speak to them 
 kindly; get them down and weep with them if necessary 
 and get them to shed tears with you if possible. Soften 
 their hearts ; get them to feel tenderly toward you. Use no 
 lash and no violence, but argue, or rather reason ap- 
 proach them with reason, with persuasion and love un- 
 feigned. With these means, if you cannot gain your boys 
 and your girls, they will prove to be reprobate to you ; and 
 there will be no means left in the world by which you can 
 win them to yourselves. But, get them to feel as you feel, 
 have interest in the things in which you take interest, to 
 love the gospel as you love it, to love one another as you, 
 love them; to love their parents as the parents love the 
 children. You can't do it any other way. You can't do 
 it by unkindness ; you cannot do it by driving ; our children 
 are like we are ; we couldn't be driven ; we can't be driven 
 now. We are like some other animals that we know of in 
 
MARRIAGE, THE HOME AND FAMILY 397 
 
 the world. You can coax them ; you can lead them, by hold- 
 ing out inducements to them, and by speaking kindly to them, 
 but you can't drive them ; they won't be driven. We won't 
 be driven. Men are not in the habit of being driven ; they 
 are not made that way. 
 
 This is not the way that God intended, in the begin- 
 ning, to deal with his children by force. It is all free love, 
 free grace. The poet expressed it in these words : 
 
 "Know this, that every soul is free, 
 To choose his course and what he'll be; 
 For this eternal truth is given, 
 That God will force no man to heaven." 
 
 You can't force your boys, nor your girls into heaven. 
 You may force them to hell, by using harsh means in the 
 efforts to make them good, when you yourselves are not as 
 good as you should be. The man that will be angry at his 
 boy, and try to correct him while he is in anger, is in the 
 greatest fault ; he is more to be pitied and more to be con- 
 demned than the child who has done wrong. You can only 
 correct your children by love, in kindness, by love unfeigned, 
 by persuasion, and reason. 
 
 When I was a child, sometimes a wayward, disobedient 
 little boy not that I was wilfully disobedient, but I would 
 forget what I ought to do ; I would go off with playful boys 
 and be absent when I should have been at home, and I would 
 forget to do things I was asked to do. Then I would go 
 home, feel guilty, know that I was guilty, that I had neg- 
 lected my duty and that I deserved punishment. 
 
 On one occasion I had done something that was not just 
 right, and my mother said to me : "Now, Joseph, if you do 
 that again I shall have to whip you." Well, time went on, 
 and by and by, I forgot it, and I did something similar 
 again; and this is the one thing that I admired more, per- 
 haps, than any secondary thing in her ; it was that when she 
 
398 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 made a promise she kept it. She never made a promise, 
 that I know of, that she did not keep. 
 
 Well, I was called to account. She said: "Now, I 
 told you. You knew that if you did this 1 would have to 
 whip you, for I said I would. I must do it. I do not want 
 to do it. It hurts me worse than it does you, but I must 
 whip you." 
 
 Well, she had a little rawhide, already there, and while 
 she was talking or reasoning' with me, showing me how much 
 I deserved it and how painful it was to her, to inflict the 
 punishment I deserved, I had only one thought and that was : 
 "For goodness' sake, whip me ; do not reason with me," for 
 I felt the lash of her just criticism and admonition a thou- 
 sand fold worse than I did the switch. I felt as if, when she 
 laid the lash on me, I had at least partly paid my debt and had 
 answered for my wrong doing. Her reasoning cut me down 
 into the quick ; it made me feel sorry to the very core ! 
 
 I could have endured a hundred lashes with the raw- 
 hide better than I could endure a ten-minutes' talk in which 
 I felt and was made to feel that the punishment inflicted up- 
 on me was painful to her that I loved punishment upon 
 my own mother ! Extracts from an address given at a 
 "Home Evening" meeting in Granite Stake, 1909. Improve- 
 ment Em, Vol. 13, pp. 276-280. 
 
 THE HOMH AND THE CHILD. But what are we doing 
 in our homes to train our children ; what to enlighten them ? 
 What to encourage them to make home their place of amuse- 
 ment, and a place where they may invite their friends for 
 study or entertainment? Have we good books, games, 
 music, and well-lighted, well-ventilated, warm rooms for 
 their convenience and pleasure? Do we take personal inter- 
 est in them and in their affairs? Are we providing them 
 with the physical knowledge, the mental food, the health- 
 ful exercise, and the spiritual purification, that wil enable 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 399 
 
 them to become pure and robust in body, intelligent and hon- 
 orable citizens, faithful and loyal Latter-day Saints? 
 
 We frequently neglect giving them any information 
 concerning their bodily well-being. In our cities we appear 
 to be providing our young people too much mental exercise, 
 and no physical diversion and work, while in our country 
 settlements, we seem to be overburdening them with bodily 
 labor, and in many cases doing little or nothing for their men- 
 tal development and recreation. Hence, in the one case they 
 seek forbidden places and pleasure, on account of too much 
 mental exercise ; and in another, because of too little. 
 
 Now then, are we studying their wants as we do our 
 business, and our farms and our animals ? Are we looking 
 after them, and if necessary bringing them in from the street 
 when absent, and providing them in our homes with what 
 they lack? Or are we to a great extent neglecting these 
 things in the home and home training, and considering our 
 children of secondary value to horses and cattle and lands? 
 
 These are important points for consideration, and fath- 
 ers and mothers should honestly study them, and as hon- 
 estly answer them to their own satisfaction. We may well 
 invest means in the home for the comfort, convenience, en- 
 tertainment and training of our children. We may well give 
 our sons and daughters some time for recreation and di- 
 version, and some provision in the home for satisfying their 
 longing for legitimate physical and mental recreation, to 
 which every child is entitled, and which he will seek in the 
 street or in objectionable places, if it is not provided in the 
 home. In addition to this, and supplementary to the train- 
 ing in the home, it is to be hoped that our organizations will 
 as soon as possible provide every arrangement for legitimate 
 entertainment and recreation, physical and intellectual, that 
 will tend to attract our young people, and hold them interest- 
 ed, loyal and contented within the pale of our own influence 
 and organizations. Imp. Era, Vol. 11, pp. 302-3, 1997-8. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Amusements and Fashions. 
 
 i 
 
 YOUTH SHOULD LOOK FORWARD. Our youth should not 
 be left to spend their time almost entirely in the mad whirl 
 of pleasure and amusement, without a thought of advancing 
 years with the attendant bodily ailments and physical infirm- 
 ities which are bound to come. They should be given to 
 understand that what are generally considered as the pleas- 
 ures of youth are on the wing, and will. soon pass, leaving 
 in their rear only sad remembrances of wasted opportunities 
 that cannot be recalled. They should not be permitted to 
 waste their time and their parents' substance in frivolous 
 pastime and riotous living, which can only result in vicious 
 or evil habits being formed. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 52, 
 January, 1917, p. 19. 
 
 PROPER AMUSEMENTS. Our amusements should be 
 characterized by their wholesome social environments. We 
 should have proper regard to the character of those with 
 whom we associate in places of amusement ; and we should 
 be governed by a high sense of responsibility to our parents, 
 to our friends and to the Church. We should know that the 
 pleasures which we enjoy are such as have upon them the 
 stamp of divine approval. They should be endorsed by our 
 parents and by our religious associates, and by those true 
 principles which should always regulate our intercourse with 
 one another in Church membership. Amusements which, 
 in themselves, and in commendable social surroundings, may 
 be proper and wholesome, should be avoided unless associ- 
 ates are unquestionable and the places are reputable and are 
 conducted under proper restraints. 
 
 There are limits in our recreations beyond which we 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 401 
 
 cannot safely go. They should be guarded in character and 
 curtailed in frequency to avoid excess. They should not 
 occupy all, nor even the greater part of our time ; indeed, 
 they should be made incidental to the duties and obligations 
 of life, and never be made a controlling motive or factor in 
 our hopes and ambitions. There are so many dangers lurk- 
 ing in those amusements, and the fascination for them which 
 take hold upon the lives of our young people, sometimes to 
 the very possession of them, that they should be carefully 
 guarded and warned against the temptations and evils that 
 are likely to ensnare them, to their destruction. Juvenile 
 Instructor, Vol. 49, June, 1914, pp. 380, 381. 
 
 PROPER CHARACTER OF AMUSEMENTS. The character 
 and variety of our amusements have so much to do with the 
 welfare and character of our young people that they should 
 be guarded with the utmost jealousy for the preservation 
 of the morals and stamina of the youth of Zion. 
 
 In the first place, they should not be excessive ; and 
 young people should be discouraged from giving themselves 
 up to the spirit and frivolity of excessive mirth. No Latter- 
 day Saint needs to be told that two or three dances a week 
 for his children are out of all sense of reason. Too fre- 
 quent dances are not only injurious to stability of character, 
 but they are highly detrimental to good health ; and wher- 
 ever possible other amusements than the ball room should be 
 introduced into the lives of our young people. They should 
 be trained to appreciate more and more amusements of a 
 social and intellectual character. Home parties, concerts 
 that develop the talents of youth, and public amusements that 
 bring together both young and old, are preferable to the ex- 
 cessive practice of dancing. 
 
 In the second place, our amusements should be consist- 
 ent with our religious spirit of fraternity and religious devo- 
 tion. In too many instances the ball room is devoid of our 
 supplication for Divine protection. Our dancing should be, 
 
 27 
 
402 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 as far as possible, under the supervision of some Church or- 
 ganization, and we should be scrupulously careful to open 
 the dance by prayer. * * * The question of amusements 
 is one of such far-reaching importance to the welfare of the 
 Saints that the presiding authorities of every ward should 
 give it their most careful attention and consideration. 
 
 In the third place, our amusements should interfere as 
 little as possible with the work of the school-room. It is 
 very desirable that the early education of our young people 
 should be carried on with as little interruption as possible ; 
 and frequent dances during the school season are detrimental 
 both to the body and to the mind. 
 
 Lastly, it is to be feared that in many homes, parents 
 abandon all regulation respecting the amusement of their 
 children, and set them adrift to find their fun wherever and 
 whenever they can. Parents should never lose control of the 
 amusements of their children during their tender years, and 
 should be scrupulously careful about the companionship of 
 their young people in places of amusement. Juvenile In- 
 structor, Vol. 39, March 1, 1904, pp. 144, 145. 
 
 SOCIAL DUTIES. The city people have become accus- 
 tomed to living near neighbors for years without associating 
 together. There are instances where good people, well ac- 
 quainted in business and upon the street, have lived neigh- 
 bors for twenty-five or more years, and yet not invited each 
 other to their homes, to take dinner together, nor to have a 
 social hour or evening. They live so near each other that 
 they can almost shake hands, from door to door, yet never 
 call, nor associate together ; they are perfectly exclusive. 
 That is not a wise nor a good way, especially when, as Lat- 
 ter-day Saints, we should be looking after the welfare of 
 mankind, by preaching the gospel in word and in deed. 
 Would it not be much better if we arranged a little dinner, 
 or invited our neighbor to come and join us in a little social, 
 to become acquainted and make him feel we are not strang- 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 403 
 
 ers to him, nor he to us? And let us remember the defini- 
 tion which Christ sanctioned of neighbor, as well as the re- 
 quirement ; He that showeth mercy unto me is my neighbor, 
 and the commandment is : Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
 thyself. 
 
 I hope we shall do better. But there is really little so- 
 ciability among us, and there is an exclusiveness that is not 
 in keeping with the warmth of the gospel. We do not think 
 enough of each other ; we do not care for each other ; we 
 take little or no notice of each other ; and finally, we pass 
 each other on the street without the slightest recognition. 
 We scarcely bow to a brother, unless we are really intimate 
 with him. That is not the spirit that belongs to "Mormon- 
 ism." It is contrary to that friendship and sociability that 
 ought to characterize Latter-day Saints. I believe in the 
 broadest, most charitable, the kindest and most loving spirit 
 that it is possible for broad-minded and big-souled men to 
 exercise or to possess; and that this spirit ought to be the 
 spirit possessed and diffused by the Saints everywhere. 
 
 Let us, then, gather in the honest in heart, and treat 
 them and one another with the spirit of warmth and love 
 characteristic of the gospel. Then talk about the unfortu- 
 nate, the drunken, the weak, the erring! Do not shun them, 
 either. They ought to be saved as well as everybody else; 
 and, if it is possible, let us save them, too, as well as the 
 worthy, the good and the pure. Let us save the sinner, and 
 bring him to a knowledge of the truth, if possible. 
 
 Our Mutual Improvement Associations are invited to 
 make a specialty of this social work ; the bishops should 
 lend their aid to the officers in selecting and setting apart 
 capable and experienced missionaries, as well as ward teach- 
 ers, who should devote their energies, among other things, 
 to the development of a more social spirit among the people. 
 The indifferent youth, as well as the stranger and the 
 friendless, in our midst, should be made welcome at our 
 
404 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 gatherings, and be induced to feel at home among the peo- 
 ple of God. And then, let it be remembered, every family, 
 every person, has a duty in this line. Because men or women 
 are not ward or association officers is no good reason why 
 they should be exempt from the common social amenities 
 of life, nor why they should not be subject to doing good 
 temporally, spiritually jand socially. Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 7, October, 1904, p. 957. 
 
 THE DANGER OF PLEASURE HUNTING. In order that a 
 young man may make up his mind what course in life to 
 take he must pay some thought on where he is going in the 
 long run ; what shall be the condition he would like to enjoy 
 through life, and particularly the end towards which he 
 would like to work. Otherwise it will be hard for him to 
 steer his actions from day to day towards the goal of his 
 ambition. 
 
 Calmly viewing the hundreds of sayings to be found in 
 good books, and hearing also the experiences and warnings 
 of many more wise men who live in our time and settle- 
 ments, who are exemplary shepherds of the people in our 
 many Church organizations, and who are constantly giving 
 warning against excessive pleasure-seeking, the thoughtful 
 young man must confess that pleasure is not the goal that 
 he would seek that the man would seek who desires to 
 make the best out of life. 
 
 The wise man is, therefore, going to steer his course 
 away from the living death of pleasure-seeking. He is not 
 going into bondage or debt to buy automobiles and other 
 costly equipages to keep pace with the rush of fashionable 
 pleasure-seeking, in this respect. He is not going to borrow 
 money to satisfy the popular craze for traveling in Europe 
 or in our own country with no purpose in view but pleasure. 
 He is not going to grow nervous and gray in a struggle for 
 means that his wife and daughter, for mere pleasure, may 
 spend the summer at costly, fashionable resorts, or in dis- 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 405 
 
 tant lands. It is true that there are many in our commu- 
 nity who do not appear to be wise, and who are doing just 
 these and other foolish acts for so-called pleasure. 
 
 The result of this hunt for pleasure and excitement and 
 for keeping pace with what only the very wealthy can but 
 ought not to do, is that many are forced to undertake all 
 kinds of illegitimate schemes to obtain money to gratify the 
 tendency. Hence the growth of financial immorality. Many 
 underhanded methods are adopted to obtain means, and even 
 cheating and lying and deceiving friends and neighbors 
 are frequently resorted' to in order that money may be ob- 
 tained to gratify this inordinate desire for pleasure. The 
 story is told of one good lady who got flour, at her grocer's 
 on credit, and sold it for cash at a bargain to get money to 
 go pleasure-seeking. Thus the morals are corrupted. This 
 applies to rich and poor alike. 
 
 You men who are sensible fathers, is this course worth 
 while ? 
 
 Young men who have a goal in sight, is this the course 
 to take to fit your purpose and to get the best results out of 
 life? 
 
 Without discussing wealth and fame, shall we not call 
 a halt in this pleasure craze, and go about the legitimate bus- 
 iness of true Latter-day Saints, which is to desire and 
 strive to be of some use in the world? Shall we not instead 
 do something to increase the genuine joy and welfare and 
 virtue of mankind as well as our own by helping to bear the 
 burdens under which the toilers are groaning, by rendering 
 loving, devoted and unselfish service to our fellow men? 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 12, July, 1909, p. 744. 
 
 HARMFUL EFFECTS OF BAD BOOKS. It would be diffi- 
 cult to estimate the harmful influences upon the thoughts, 
 feelings, and actions of the young, brought about by the 
 practice of reading dime novels. Books constitute a sort of 
 companionship to everyone who reads, and they create within 
 
406 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the heart feelings either for good or for bad. It sometimes 
 happens that parents are very careful about the company 
 which their children keep and are yet very indifferent about 
 the books they read. In the end the reading of a bad book 
 will bring about evil associates. 
 
 It is not only the boy who reads this strange, weird and 
 unnaturally exciting literature that .is affected by its influ- 
 ence, but in time he influences others. This literature be- 
 comes the mother of all sorts of evil suggestions that ripen 
 into evil practices and bring about an unnatural and debased 
 feeling which is ever crowding out the good in the human 
 heart and giving place to the bad. It was Shelley who said 
 that "strange thoughts beget strange deeds," and when our 
 children are reading books that are creating strange and un- 
 usual and undesirable thoughts in their minds we need not be 
 surprised to learn that they have committed some unusual, 
 some strange, or unnatural act. It is in the thoughts and 
 feelings that we have to combat the evils and temptations 
 of the world, and the purification of our thoughts and feel- 
 ings should be made the special effort of every father and 
 mother. Fuller once wrote, "It seems my soul is like a filthy 
 pond where fish die soon and frogs live long." It is re- 
 markable how easy it is to learn sin and how hard it is to 
 forget it. 
 
 A story is told of an English officer in India, who one 
 day went to the book shelf to take down a book. As he 
 reached his hand up over the volume his finger was bitten 
 by an adder. After a few hours the finger began to swell. 
 Later on the swelling went into his arm, and finally the 
 whole body was affected, and in a few days the officer was 
 dead. There are adders concealed in many a cheap 'and 
 trashy book, and they are always common in dime novels. 
 Their effects upon our souls are poisonous, and in time they 
 are sure to produce a moral and spiritual death. 
 The influence of these novels is all the more dan- 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 407 
 
 gerous because the feelings and thoughts which they 
 engender in the heart and mind are more or less hid- 
 den, and the evil consequence of such reading frequently 
 does not manifest itself until some overt and horrible act is 
 the result of months and sometimes years of imagination 
 and wonderment. Let the Saints beware of the books that 
 enter their homes, for their influences may be as poisonous 
 and deadly as the adder which brought death to the English 
 officer in India. Juvenile Instructor, May 1, 1902, Vol. 37, 
 p. 275. 
 
 PROPER READING. There is altogether too much novel 
 reading of that class of novels which teaches nothing useful, 
 and only tends to the excitement of the emotions. Exces- 
 sive novel reading we all know is detrimental to the intellec- 
 tual development of those who engage in it, and the wise and 
 those' who seek advancement might well give more time to 
 useful, educational works books that would enlighten the 
 reader on history, biography, religion, and other important 
 subjects which all well-informed people are expected to un- 
 derstand. 
 
 Many of our young people, and some older ones, too, are 
 not familiar with their own religion nor with the beautiful 
 and striking doctrines of the gospel with which it is so laden. 
 This class devote more time to reading useless or sensational 
 books than they do to the study and contemplation of works 
 that would familiarize them with the principles of the gospel. 
 If they were better informed in this line, and understood the 
 saving doctrines and every-d'ay questions of their religion, 
 more than they do, they would not be trapped by false teach- 
 ings, false leaders, and advocates of cults that are false. 
 They would not be misled as some of them are. Improve- 
 ment Era, May, 1909, Vol. 12, p. 561. 
 
 RAFFLING AND GAMBLING. Is it proper to raffle prop- 
 erty for the benefit of missionaries ? No ; raffling is a game 
 
408 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 of chance, and hence leads to gambling; for that reason, if 
 for no other, it should not be encouraged among the young 
 men of the Church. President Young declared raffling to be 
 a modified name of gambling; said that "as Latter-day Saints 
 we cannot afford to sacrifice moral principles to financial 
 gain," and advised the sisters through the Woman's Ex- 
 ponent not to raffle. President Lorenzo Snow endorsed 
 and approved of these sentiments ; and I have often 
 expressed my unqualified disapproval of raffling ; the 
 General Sunday School Board have declared against it ; 
 and finally the state law makes it unlawful to raffle with 
 dice ; and if it is unlawful with dice, in principle, is it not just 
 as injurious with any other device? With all these objec- 
 tions, should it riot be clear to anyone that raffling horses, 
 quilts, bicycles and other property is not sanctioned by the 
 moral law nor approved by the general Church authorities. 
 Pint it continues just the same, and if you do not believe in it, 
 you should refuse to patronize it, so helping the cause. Now, 
 how shall we aid the missionary who wishes to sell a horse, 
 or what not ? Let everybody give a dollar, and let the donors 
 decide, by vote, to what worthy man, not of their number, 
 the horse shall be given. No chance about that it is pure 
 decision, and it helps the people who wish to buy chances 
 solely for the benefit of the missionary to discourage the 
 gambling propensities of their natures. However, here 
 is an additional thought : The element of chance enters very 
 largely into everything we undertake, and it should be re- 
 membered that the spirit in which we do things decides very 
 largely whether we are gambling or are entering into legiti- 
 mate business enterprises. Improvement Era, Vol. 6, Feb- 
 ruary, 1903, p. 308. 
 
 GAMES OF CHANCE. To Whom It May Concern: 
 Among the vices of the present, age gambling is very gen- 
 erally condemned. Gambling under its true name is for- 
 bidden by law, and is discountenanced by the self-respecting 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 409 
 
 elements of society. Nevertheless, in numerous guises the 
 demon of chance is welcomed in the home, in fashionable 
 clubs, and at entertainments for worthy charities, even with- 
 in the precincts of sacred edifices. Devices for raising money 
 by appealing to the gambling" instinct are common acces- 
 sories at church sociables, ward fairs, and the like. 
 
 Whatever may be the condition elsewhere, this custom 
 is not to be sanctioned within this Church ; and any or- 
 ganization allowing such is in opposition to the counsel and 
 instruction of the general authorities of the Church. 
 
 Without attempting to specify or particularize the many 
 objectionable forms given to this evil practice amongst us, 
 we say again to the people that no kind of chance game, 
 guessing contest, or raffling device can be approved in any 
 entertainment under the auspices of our Church organiza- 
 tions. 
 
 The desire to get something of value for little or noth- 
 ing is pernicious ; and any proceeding that strengthens that 
 desire is an effective aid to the gambling spirit, which has 
 proved a veritable demon of destruction to thousands. Risk- 
 ing a dime in the hope of winning a dollar in any game of 
 chance is a species of gambling. 
 
 Let it not be thought that raffling articles of value, of- 
 fering prizes to the winners in guessing-contests, the use of 
 machines of chance, or any other device of the kind is to be 
 allowed or excused because the money so obtained is to be 
 used for a good purpose. The Church is not to be supported 
 in any degree by means obtained through gambling. 
 
 Let the attention of stake and ward officers, and those 
 in charge of the auxiliary organizations of the Church be 
 directed to what has been written on this subject and to this 
 present reminder. An article over the signature of the 
 President of the Church was published in the Juvenile In- 
 structor, October 1, 1902 (Volume 37, p. 592), in which 
 
410 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 were given citations from earlier instruction and advice to 
 the people on this subject. For convenience, part of that 
 article is repeated here. In reply to a question as to whether 
 raffling and games of chance are justifiable when the pur- 
 poses to be accomplished are good, this was said : "We say 
 emphatically, No. Raffle is only a modified name of gam- 
 ble." 
 
 President Young once said to Sister Eliza R. Snow: 
 "Tell the sisters not to raffle. If the mothers raffle, the 
 children will gamble. Raffling is gambling." Then it is 
 added: "Some say, What shall we do? We have quilts on 
 hand we cannot sell them, and we need means to supply 
 our treasury, which we can obtain by raffling for the bene- 
 fit of the poor. Rather let the quilts rot on the shelves than 
 adopt the old adage, The end will sanctify the means.' As 
 Latter-day Saints, we cannot afford to sacrifice moral prin- 
 ciple to financial gain." Improvement Era, December, 1908, 
 Vol. 12, p. 143. 
 
 THE EVIL OF CARDS. But, you say, we must have recre- 
 ation ; what shall we do ? Turn to domestic enterprises, and 
 to the gaining of useful knowledge of the gospel. Let the 
 love of reading good and useful books be implanted in the 
 hearts of the young, let them be trained to take pleasure and 
 recreation in history, travel, biography, conversation and 
 classic story. Then there are innocent games, music, songs, 
 and literary recreation. What would you think of the man 
 who would argue for whisky and beer as a common beverage 
 because it is necessary for people to drink? He is per- 
 haps little worse than the man who would place cards in 
 the hands of my children whereby they would foster the 
 spirit of chance and gambling leading down to destruction 
 because they must have recreation. I would call the first 
 a vicious enemy, and refer him to water to drink; and the 
 latter an evil spirit in the guise of innocence, and refer him 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 41 1 
 
 to recreation containing no germs of spiritual disease lead- 
 ing to the devil ! 
 
 Let our evenings be devoted to innocent amusements in 
 the home, and let all chance games be banished from our 
 families, and only recreation indulged in that is free from 
 gambling and the gambling spirit. And let excessive card- 
 playing, and the person who strolls about among neighbors 
 at all hours of the night and day encouraging the evil, be 
 put far from us. Just as sure as we encourage this evil it 
 will bring other grievous troubles in its wake, and those who 
 indulge excessively will lose the spirit of the gospel, and go 
 to temporal and spiritual ruin. 
 
 Young people in their recreations should strive to form 
 a love for that which will not be injurious. It is not true 
 that only that recreation <can be enjoyed that is detrimental 
 to the body and spirit. We should train ourselves to find 
 pleasure in that which invigorates, not stupefies and de- 
 stroys the body; that which leads upward and not down; 
 that which brightens, not dulls and stunts the intel- 
 lect ; that which elevates and exalts the spirit, not that 
 clogs and depresses it. So shall we please the Lord, en- 
 hance our own enjoyment, and save ourselves and our chil- 
 dren from impending sins, at the root of which, like the evil 
 genius, lurks the spirit of cards and gaming. Improvement 
 &ra, Vol. 14, June, 1911, pp. 735-8. 
 
 WASTING TIME WITH CARDS. It is no uncommon 
 thing for women, young and middle-aged, to spend whole 
 afternoons, and many of them, evenings as well, in playing 
 cards, thus wasting hours and days of precious time in this 
 useless and unprofitable way. Yet those same people, when 
 approached, declare they have no time to spend as teachers 
 in the Sabbath schools, and no time to attend either Sunday 
 schools or meetings. Their church duties are neglected for 
 lack of time, yet they spend hours, day after day, at card's. 
 They have thereby encouraged and become possessed of a 
 
412 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 spirit of indolence, and their minds are filled with the vile 
 drunkenness, hallucination, charm and fascination, that take 
 possession of the habitual card-player to the exclusion of all 
 spiritual and religious feeling. Such a spirit detracts from 
 all sacred thought and sentiment. These players at length 
 do not quite know whether they are Jews, Gentiles, or Saints, 
 and they do not care a fig. 
 
 While a simple game of cards in itself may be harmless, 
 it is a fact that by immoderate repetition it ends in an infat- 
 uation for chance schemes, in habits of excess, in waste of 
 precious time, in a dulling and stupor of the mind, and in 
 the complete destruction of religious feeling. These are seri- 
 ous results, evils that should and must be avoided by the 
 Latter-day Saints. Then again, there is the grave danger 
 that lurks in persistent card playing, which begets the spirit 
 of gambling, of speculation, and that awakens the dangerous 
 desire to get something for nothing. Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 6, August. 1903, p. 779. 
 
 CARD PLAYING. One's character may be determined in 
 some measure by the quality of one's amusements. Men 
 and women of industrious, business-like, and thoughtful 
 habits care little for frivolous pastimes, for pleasures that 
 are sought for their own sake. It is not easy to imagine 
 that leading men in the Church could find any pleasure that 
 was either inspiring or helpful at the card table ; indeed the 
 announcement that a president of a stake, bishop of a ward, 
 or other leading official of the Church was fond of card play- 
 ing would be a shock to every sense of propriety even among 
 young people who are not seriously inclined to the duties and 
 responsibilities of life. Such a practice would be looked 
 upon as incompatible with the duties and responsibilities of 
 a religious life. Even business men, as a rule, are distrust- 
 ful of business associates whose inclinations engage them in 
 frequent card playing. 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 413 
 
 But it may be said that the same objections do not hold 
 good in respect to young people who do not take life so 
 seriously; but the evil is that young people who indulge in 
 the frivolous and vicious pastime of card playing are never 
 likely to take life seriously unless they forsake such ques- 
 tionable pleasures early in life. It is the serious and thought- 
 ful man and woman who are most likely to assume the 
 higher and nobler responsibilities of life, and their tastes 
 and pleasures are never satisfied by means of a deck of cards. 
 
 Card playing is an excessive pleasure ; it is intoxicating 
 and, therefore, in the nature of a vice. It is generally the 
 companion of the cigarette and the wine glass, and the latter 
 lead to the poolroom and the gambling hall. Few men and 
 women indulge in the dangerous pastime of the card table 
 without compromising the business affairs and the higher 
 responsibilities of life. Tell me what amusements you like 
 best and whether your amusements have become a ruling 
 passion in your life, and I will tell you what you are. Few 
 indulge frequently in card playing in whose lives it does not 
 become a ruling passion. 
 
 Cards are the most perfect and common instrumental- 
 ities of the gambler that have been devised, and the com- 
 panionship of cards, unlike the companionship of most other 
 games, is that of the gambling den and the saloon. But cards 
 do not stand alone in their enticement to evil. Any game 
 that ultimately leads to questionable society, because it is the 
 chief pleasures of such society, should be excluded from the 
 home. There are innocent games enough to satisfy the re- 
 quired pleasures of the home without encouraging card 
 playing. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 38, September 1, 1903, 
 p. 529. 
 
 STOP CARD PLAYING. I am told that the prevalence of 
 card parties in the homes of the Latter-day Saints is much 
 greater than is supposed by those whom society people never 
 think of inviting to make the card table the source of an 
 
414 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 evening's pastime. The presiding authorities are not in- 
 vited to these card parties, and, as a rule, are not permitted 
 to witness them, simply because those who give such parties 
 feel that a deck of cards in the hands of a faithful servant 
 of God is a satire upon religion. 
 
 I have heard that some who are called to officiate in 
 holy ordinances have, when absent from the House of the 
 Lord or when tardy in arriving, excused themselves because 
 of the time occupied in giving or attending a card party. 
 Those who thus indulge are not fit to administer in sacred 
 ordinances. They are no more worthy than others who vio- 
 late good morals in any respect. They should be excused. 
 
 I am told that young people offer as an excuse for 
 such questionable pastime the accusation that cards are 
 played in the homes of certain leading men in the Church. 
 1'ishops, however, ought never to be deterrred in their ef- 
 forts to suppress the evil by counter complaints of this kind. 
 The bishop has the same right to inquire, through the 
 means of his teachers, into the pleasures of the homes of 
 the highest authorities of the Church as he has into those 
 of its most humble members. If it be true that card playing 
 is prevalent in the Church, the bishops are charged with the 
 responsibility of the evil, and it is their duty to see that it is 
 abolished, or that men and women who encourage it be 
 brought to account before their brethren and sisters for the 
 pernicious example they are setting before the youth of 
 Zion. Certainly no bishop can report his ward in good con- 
 dition where such a practice prevails. 
 
 Presidents of stakes are not without their responsibility 
 in this matter, and at the general priesthood meetings of the 
 stakes they should make searching inquiry of the bishops 
 concerning card parties in the homes of the Saints. It is 
 an easy matter for every bishop to know through the medium 
 of the ward teachers, whether there are any practices in the 
 homes of the people inconsistent with the mission of "Mor- 
 
; IMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 415 
 
 monism," and card playing is certainly inconsistent with 
 that mission. No man who is addicted to card playing 
 should be called to act as a ward teacher, such men cannot 
 be consistent advocates of that which they do not themselves 
 practice. 
 
 The card table has been the scene of too many quar- 
 rels, the birthplace of too many hatreds, the occasion of too 
 many murders to admit one word of justification for the ly- 
 ing, cheating spirit which it too often engenders in the hearts 
 of its devotees. 
 
 My frequent and emphatic expressions on this subject 
 are the result of the alarm I have felt over the. well founded 
 reports that have come to me concerning the prevalence of 
 card playing in the homes of some who profess to be Latr 
 ter-day Saints. Upon every officer in the Church responsi- 
 bility in any way for the dangers of the card table is placed, 
 and placed heavily, the duty of doing all that he or she pos- 
 sibly can in a prayerful and earnest manner to eradicate 
 the evil. Let us be fully conscious of the old adage which 
 says that "The devil likes to souse whatever is wet," and 
 stop card playing in the home before it reaches the gam- 
 blers' table. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 38, Sept. 15, 1903, 
 p. 561. 
 
 PERNICIOUS NATURE OF CARD PLAYING. Card playing 
 is a game of chance, and because it is a game of chance it 
 has its tricks. It encourages tricks ; its devotees measure 
 their success at the table by their ability through devious and 
 dark ways to win. It creates a spirit of cunning and devises 
 hidden and secret means, and cheating at cards is almost 
 synonymous w r ith playing at cards. 
 
 Again, cards have a bad reputation and they are the 
 known companions of bad men. If no other reason existed 
 for shunning the card table, its reputation alone should serve 
 as a warning. It may be conceded that superb skill is often 
 acquired in this game of chance, but this skill itself endan- 
 
416 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 gers the moral qualities of the possessor and leads him on 
 to questionable practices. 
 
 Such games as checkers and chess are games more of 
 fixed rules, whose application are open and freer from cun- 
 ning devices. Such games do not intoxicate like cards and 
 other games of chance. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 38, Octo- 
 ber 1, 1903, p. 591. 
 
 CARDS IN THE HOME. But if cards are played in the 
 home and under the eye of an anxious and loving parent, 
 what harm can come from it all? is asked. Most vices in 
 the beginning take on attractive and innocent appearing 
 garbs, and a 'careful examination of the career of many an 
 unfortunate man will reveal the first step of his misfortune 
 in some "innocent pastime" whose, vice rarely manifests it- 
 self in its infancy. There are different spirits in the world 
 and the gambling spirit is one of them, and cards have been 
 from time immemorial the most common and universal means 
 of gratifying that spirit. An "innocent game of cards" is 
 the innocent companion of an innocent glass of wine and the 
 playmate of tricksters. 
 
 Again, all amusements become pernicious when pursued 
 excessively. No game in the world has been played a thou- 
 sandth part of the time, aye all the games in the world have 
 not consumed a thousandth part of the time, that cards have 
 taken. The game itself leads to excessiveness ; it is the en- 
 emy of industry ; it is the foe of economy ; and the boon 
 companion of the Sabbath-breaker. The best possible ex- 
 cuse that any one can render for playing cards is that there 
 is a possible escape from the dangers to which it leads ; and 
 the best explanation that people can give for such a vice is 
 the adventurous spirit of man that delights in that which 
 is hazardous to his physical and moral safety. Juvenile 
 Instructor, Vol. 38, Oct. 1, 1903, p. 593. 
 
 EVIL FASHIONS. In my sight the present-day fashions 
 
4 
 
 AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 417 
 
 are abominable, suggestive of evil, calculated to arouse base 
 passion and lust, and to engender lasciviousness, in the 
 hearts of those who follow the fashions, and of those who 
 tolerate them. Why? Because women are imitating the 
 very customs of a class of women who have resorted to that 
 means to aid them to sell their souls. It is infamous, and I 
 hope the daughters of Zion will not descend to these per- 
 nicious ways, customs and fashions, for they are demoraliz- 
 ing and damnable in their effect. Oct. C. R., 1913, p. 8. 
 
 IMPROPER FASHIONS. Please set the example before 
 your sisters that God would have them follow. When we 
 teach people to observe the laws of God and to honor the 
 gifts that are bestowed upon them in the covenants of the 
 gospel of Jesus Christ, we don't want you teachers to go out 
 and set an example before your sisters that will destroy their 
 faith in our teachings. I hope you will take that to heart, 
 for it has a meaning to it. I am talking to the teachers among 
 the sisters. We hear it reported, from time to time, that 
 some of the teachers that are sent out among our sisters not 
 only do not set the example that they ought to set, but they 
 set the example that they should not set for our sisters ; they 
 teach them by example to break the word of wisdom, rather 
 than to keep it. They teach them to mutilate their garments, 
 rather than to keep them holy and undefiled, by setting the 
 example before them, and we can tell you the names if you 
 want to know. I am not scolding; I don't want it to be 
 understood that I am finding fault. I am only telling a sol- 
 emn truth, and I am sorry that I have it to say, but I want 
 it to be distinctly understood. We see some of our good sis- 
 ters coming here to the temple occasionally decorated in the 
 latest and most ridiculous fashions that ever disgraced the 
 human form divine. They do not seem to realize that they 
 are coming to the house of God, and we have to forbid them 
 entrance, or find fault with them, and they go away grieved 
 and say sometimes, "We don't want to go there any more." 
 
 28 
 
418 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 . 
 
 \\ hy ? Because they come unprepared, like the man who 
 
 was found at the feast without the wedding garment, who 
 
 also had to be turned out (Matt. 22 :1-14). We have to turn 
 
 them out occasionally, because they will not hearken to the 
 
 counsel that has been given to them. Oct. C. R., 1914, p. 
 
 130. 
 
 EXCLUSIVE CLUBS AMONG CHURCH MEMBERS. There 
 is no need of exclusive clubs among the Latter-day Saints. 
 The many auxiliary organizations should be made to supply 
 every legitimate public, and social amusement of the young 
 people, and, in addition to the regular Church and quorum 
 meetings, should meet every religious and ethical educational 
 need of our community. Improvement Era, Vol. 12, Feb- 
 ruary, 1909, p. 313. 
 
 A LESSON FOR THE BOYS. Self-respect requires, among 
 other things, that one shall behave like a true gentleman, in 
 a house of worship. No self-respecting person will go to a 
 house devoted to the service of God to whisper, gossip and 
 visit ; rather, it is one's duty to put on self-restraint, to give 
 one's undivided attention to the speaker, and concentrate the 
 mind upon his words that his thoughts may be grasped to 
 our benefit and profit. 
 
 Among the strong helps to gain self-respect are per- 
 sonal purity and proper thoughts which are the basis of all 
 proper action. I wish that all young men could appreciate 
 the value there is in this practice, and in giving their youth- 
 ful days to the service of the Lord. Growth, development, 
 progress, self-respect, the esteem and admiration of men 
 naturally follow such a course in youth. The Savior set a 
 striking example in this matter, and was early about his 
 Father's business. He did not leave it until his older years, 
 but even as early as twevle he had developed so far in this 
 line that he was able to teach men of wisdom and doctors 
 of knowledge in the f emplc. Samuel, the prophet, had so 
 prepared himself by a pure, self-respecting childhood that he 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND FASHIONS 419 
 
 was perfectly attuned to the whisperings of God. The shep- 
 herd youth David was chosen above his older brethren to 
 serve in high places in the Master's cause. Other great 
 characters in history were also selected early in life; and 
 the best men in all ages gave their young manhood to the 
 service of God who honored them abundantly with com- 
 mendation and approval. In more modern times the Lord 
 chose Joseph Smith in early youth to be the founder of the 
 new and glorious dispensation of the gospel. Brigham 
 Young was but a youth when he determined to devote his 
 life to the Church; John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and in 
 fact all the early founders of the Church devoted their youth 
 and manhood to the cause of Zion. You may look around 
 you today, and who are the leaders among the people but 
 those who early and zealously devoted themselves to the 
 faith? And you may foretell who are to be the leaders by 
 observing the boys who show self-respect and purity and 
 who are earnest in all good works. The Lord will not choose 
 men from any other class of his people and exalt them into 
 prominence. The opposite course, waiting to serve the 
 Lord until the wild oats of youth are sown, is reprehensible. 
 There is always something lacking in the man who spends 
 his youth in wickedness and sin, and then turns to right- 
 eousness in later years. Of course, the Lord honors his re- 
 pentance, and it is better far that a man should late turn from 
 evil than to continue in sin all his days, but the fact is clear 
 that the best part of his life and strength are wasted, and 
 there remains only poor, broken service to offer the Lord. 
 There are regrets and heartburnings in repenting late in 
 life from the follies and sins of youth, but there are consola- 
 tion and rich reward in serving the Lord in the vigorous 
 days of early manhood. 
 
 Self-respect, deference for sacred things, and personal 
 purity are the beginnings and the essence of wisdom. The 
 doctrines of the gospel, the Church restraint, are like school- 
 
420 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 masters to keep us in the line of duty. If it were not for 
 these schoolmasters, we would perish and be overcome by 
 the evil about us. We see men who have freed themselves 
 from Church rstraint and from the precious doctrines of the 
 gospel, who perish about us every day ! They boast of free- 
 dom, but are the slaves of sin. 
 
 Let me admonish you to permit the gospel schoolmaster 
 to teach you self-respect and to keep you pure and free 
 from secret sins that bring not only physical punishment, 
 but sure spiritual death. You cannot hide the penalty which 
 God has affixed to them a penalty often worse than death. 
 It is the loss of self-respect, it is physical debility, it is insan- 
 ity, indifference to all powers that are good and noble all 
 these follow in the wake of the sinner in secret, and of the 
 unchaste. Unchastity, furthermore, not only fixes its pen- 
 alty on the one who transgresses, but reaches out unerring 
 punishment to the third and fourth generation, making not 
 only the transgressor a wreck, but mayhap involving scores 
 of people in his direct line of relationship, disrupting family 
 ties, breaking the hearts of parents, and causing a black 
 stream of sorrow to overwhelm their lives. 
 
 Such a seeming simple thing, then, as proper conduct 
 in a house of worship leads to good results in many respects. 
 Good conduct leads to self-respect, which creates purity of 
 thought and action. Pure thought and noble action lead to a 
 desire to serve God in the strength of manhood and to be- 
 comes subservient to the schoolmasters, Church restraint, 
 and the doctrines of the gospel of Christ. Improvement 
 Era, Vol. 9, 1905-6, pp. 337-339. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 Love Your Enemies. 
 
 WE ARE NOT DISCOURAGED. We are not disheartened, 
 we are not discouraged, we are not faint-hearted. We be- 
 lieve in the Lord and we know that he is mighty to save, that 
 he has guided the destinies of this people from the first mo- 
 ment until the present, and that it is not in consequence of 
 the wisdom of men that we have escaped the plots, schemes 
 and machinations of our enemies, and that we have been 
 permitted to live and grow in the land, to become what we 
 are, but it is through the wisdom, mercy and blessing of Him 
 who rules the destinies not only of men but of nations. We 
 owe all to God; we extend our thankfulness and gratitude 
 to him for the manifestations of his love and care and pro- 
 tection. Oct. C. R., 1906, p. 2. 
 
 I FORGIVE ALL MEN. I feel in my heart to forgive all 
 men in the broad sense that God requires of me to forgive 
 all men, and I desire to love my neighbor as myself ; and to 
 this extent I bear no malice toward any of the children of my 
 Father. But there are enemies to the work of the Lord, as 
 there were enemies to the Son of God. There are those who 
 speak only evil of the Latter-day Saints. There are those 
 and they abound largely in our midst who will shut their 
 eyes to every virtue and to every good thing connected with 
 this latter-day work, and will pour out floods of falsehood 
 and misrepresentation against the people of God. I forgive 
 them for this. I leave them in the hands of the just Judge. 
 Let him deal with them as seemeth him good, but they are 
 not and cannot become my bosom companions. I cannot 
 condescend to that. While I would not harm a hair of their 
 head, while I would not throw a straw in their path, to hinder 
 
422 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 them from turning from the error of their way to the light 
 of truth; I would as soon think of taking a centipede or a 
 scorpion, or any poisonous reptile, and putting it into my 
 bosom, as I would think of becoming a companion or an 
 associate of such men. 
 
 These are my sentiments, and I believe that they are 
 correct. If you can throw yourself in the way of the sinner 
 to stop him in his downward course, and become an instru- 
 ment in the hand of the Lord of turning him from the way 
 of vice, iniquity, or crime, into the way of righteousness and 
 uprightness, you are justified, and that is demanded of you. 
 You should do this. If you can save a sinner from his 
 wickedness, turn the wicked from the course of death that 
 he is pursuing, to the way of life and salvation, you will 
 save a soul from death, and you will have been an instrument 
 in the hand of the Lord of turning the sinner unto right- 
 eousness, for which you will receive your reward. Some of 
 our good Latter-day Saints have become so exceedingly 
 good( ?) that they cannot tell the difference between a Saint 
 of God, an honest man, and a son of Beelzebub, who has 
 yielded himself absolutely to sin and wickedness. And they 
 call that liberality, broadness of mind, exceeding love. I do 
 not want to become so blinded with love for my enemies that 
 I cannot discern between light and darkness, between truth 
 and error, between good and evil, but I hope to live so that 
 I shall have sufficient light in me to discern between error 
 and truth, and to cast my lot on the side of truth and not on 
 the side of error and darkness. The Lord bless the Latter- 
 day Saints. If I am too narrow with reference to these 
 matters, I hope that the wisdom of my brethren and the 
 Spirit of Light from the Lord may broaden the soul. 
 Oct. C. R., 1907, pp. 5, 6. 
 
 WE LEAVE OUR ENEMIES IN GOD'S HANDS. We thank 
 God for his mercies and blessings; and I do not know but 
 
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES 423 
 
 what we owe in some small degree gratitude to those who 
 have bitterly opposed the work of the Lord ; for in all their 
 opposings and bitter strife against our people, the Lord has 
 developed his power and wisdom, and has brought his people 
 more fully into the knowledge and favor of the intelligent 
 people of the earth. Through the very means used by those 
 who have opposed the work of God, he has brought out 
 good for Zion. Yet it is written, and I believe it is true, 
 that although it must needs be that offenses come, woe unto 
 them by whom they come ; but they are in the hands of the 
 Lord as we are. We bring no railing accusation against 
 them. We are willing to leave them in the hands of the 
 Almighty to deal with them as seemeth him good. Our 
 business is to work righteousness in the earth, to seek for 
 the development of a knowledge of God's will and of God's 
 ways, and of his great and glorious truths which he has 
 revealed through the instrumentality of Joseph the Prophet, 
 not only for the salvation of the living but for the redemp- 
 tion and salvation of the dead. Apr. C. R., 1908, p. 2. 
 
 LEAVE RESULTS IN GOD'S HANDS. God will deal with 
 them in his own time and in his own way, and we only 
 need to do our duty, keep the faith ourselves, to work right- 
 eousness in the world ourselves, and leave the results in the 
 hands of him who overruleth all things for the good of 
 those who love him and keep his commandments. Apr. C. 
 R. f 1905, p. 6. 
 
 OUR DEBT TO OUR ENEMIES. I was going to say that 
 we did not owe anything to our enemies ; that was the first 
 thought that sprang into my mind, but I will hold that back. 
 I think w r e owe something to our enemies, too, for the ad- 
 vancement of the cause of Zion, for up to date everything 
 that has been done to thwart the purposes of God and to 
 frustrate his designs has been overruled for the good of 
 Zion and for the spread of truth. And that will continue 
 
424 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 to be the case until the end, for they are fighting God's 
 work, and not mine nor that of any other man. Oct. C. R., 
 1906, p. 2. 
 
 A PRAYER FOR OUR ENEMIES. Let the Lord God have 
 mercy upon those who seek to hurt the cause of Zion. O 
 God, pity the misguided, the erring, the foolish, the unwise. 
 Put thy Spirit in their hearts, turn them from the error of 
 their ways and from their follies, and bring them back into 
 the way of righteousness and into thy favor. I ask mercy 
 for my enemies those who lie about me and slander me, 
 and who speak all manner of evil against me falsely. In 
 return, I beseech God my heavenly Father to have mercy 
 upon them ; for those who do it, not knowing what they are 
 doing, are only misguided, and those who are doing it with 
 their eyes open certainly need, most of all, the mercy, com- 
 passion and pity of God. May God pity them. May he have 
 mercy upon them. I would not harm a hair of their heads, 
 for all I am worth in the world. I would not throw a block 
 in their way to prosperity. No ; and I beseech my brethren 
 that they keep hands off the enemies of our people and those 
 who are paving their own road to destruction and will not 
 repent, who are sinning with their eyes open, who know that 
 they are transgressing the laws of God and villifying and ly- 
 ing against the servants of the Lord. Have mercy upon 
 them. Do not touch them ; for that is just what they would 
 like. Let them alone. Let them go. Give them the liberty 
 of speech they want. Let them tell their own story, and 
 write their own doom. We can afford it. They do not hurt 
 us, and if it affords them any amusement, I am sure they 
 are welcome to it. Oct. C. R., 1905, p. 95. 
 
 THE GOLDEN RULE. We need mercy ; then let us be 
 merciful. We need charity ; let us be charitable. We need 
 forgiveness ; let us forgive. Let us do unto others what we 
 would that they should do unto us. Let us welcome the new 
 
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES 425 
 
 year and dedicate to it our best efforts, our loyal service, our 
 love and fellowship, and our supplication for the welfare and 
 happiness of all mankind. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 46, Jan- 
 uary, 1911, p. 16. 
 
 WHY THE WORLD DOES NOT LOVE Us. "If ye were 
 of the world, the world would love its own ; but because ye 
 are not of the world, but I' have chosen you out of the world, 
 therefore the world hateth you" (John 15 :19). The followers 
 of Jesus were his chosen people, and because they were chosen 
 by him, the world hated them. The Jews were the chosen 
 people of God, and because they were his chosen people 
 the world hated them. Nowhere in the world today is 
 the word Jew wholly disassociated with the feeling of con- 
 tempt. The feelings may differ greatly in degree, but they 
 are all of one kind. The word "Mormon," or Latter-day 
 Saint, is everywhere likewise associated with feelings of 
 contempt. Contempt is the heritage of a chosen people. 
 Ought we therefore to court the contempt of the world? 
 By no means. On the other hand, we should not be dis- 
 couraged because it comes to us unsought. Some of our 
 friends mostly in the Church, some few out of it would 
 lift us out of the contempt of the world, and keep us out of 
 it, if we would simply be governed by their counsels. The 
 truth is, we are not strangers to hatred; and the contempt 
 of the world has been our lot so much that we have no 
 reason to be discouraged when it comes, even in violent 
 forms. The danger lies not so much in our own peculiarity 
 as in the disposition of many of our people to court popular- 
 ity at all costs, as if it were something devoutly to be 
 wished for. There is too often a timid submission before 
 the indignation storms that occasionally sweep over the 
 country. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 39, August, 1904, p. 464. 
 
 LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Let us, brethren, love one an- 
 other, and exercise patience and forbearance, avoiding judg- 
 ment, except when called upon to render it, and then tem- 
 
426 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 pering the law with a father's love. The Latter-day Saints 
 must be promoters of both law and religion, as exemplified 
 in the justice and mercy of God. Improvement Era, Vol. 
 6, 1903, p. 550. 
 
 KEEP ALOOF FROM THE WICKED. We should keep our- 
 selves aloof from the wicked; the dividing line should be 
 distinctly drawn between God and Belial, between Christ and 
 the world, between truth and error, and between right and 
 wrong. We ought to cleave to the right, to the good, to 
 the truth, and forsake the evil. Deseret Weekly News, 
 Vol. 31, 1882, p. 674. 
 
 THE ENEMIES TO FEAR. For my part I do not fear the 
 influence of our enemies from without, as I fear that of those 
 from within. An open and avowed enemy, whom we may see 
 and meet in an open field, is far less to be feared than a lurk- 
 ing, deceitful, treacherous enemy hidden within us, such as are 
 many of the weaknesses of our fallen human nature, which 
 are too often allowed to go unchecked, beclouding our minds, 
 leading away our affections from God and his truth, until 
 they sap the very foundations of our faith and debase us 
 beyond the possibility or hope of redemption, either in this 
 world or that to come. These are the enemies that we all 
 have to battle with, they are the greatest that we have to 
 contend with in the world, and the most difficult to conquer. 
 They are the fruits of ignorance, generally arising out of 
 unrebuked sin and evil in our own hearts. The labor that is 
 upon us is to subdue our ^passions, conquer our inward 
 foes, and see that our hearts are right in the sight of the 
 Lord, that there is nothing calculated to grieve his Spirit 
 and lead us away from the path of duty. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 Education and Industrial Pursuits 
 
 WE ARE EVER LEARNING. We are not "ever learning 
 and never coming to a knowledge of the truth." On the con- 
 trary, we are ever learning and are ever drawing nearer to 
 a proper comprehension of the truth, the duty and the re- 
 sponsibility that devolve upon members of the Church who 
 are called to responsible positions in it. Not only does this 
 apply to those members who are called to act in responsi- 
 ble positions, but it applies to those who may be termed "lay 
 members," if we may use such a term with reference to mem- 
 bers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 
 
 Who is there, under the circumstances that exist around 
 us, that is not growing ? Who is there of us that is not learn- 
 ing something day by day? Who is there of us that is not 
 gaining experience as we pass along, and are attending to 
 the duties of membership in the Church, and to the duties 
 of citizens of our state, and citizens of our great and glo- 
 rious nation? It seems to me that it would be a very sad 
 comment upon the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints and her people to suppose for a moment that we are 
 at a standstill, that we have ceased to grow, ceased to im- 
 prove and to advance in the scale of intelligence, and in the 
 faithful performance of duty in every condition in which we 
 are placed as a people and as members of the Church of 
 Christ. Oc*. C. R., 1915, p. 2. 
 
 ADDRESS ON IGNORANCE. The subject which has been 
 dwelt upon is a broad one : "What can be done to stem the 
 tide of evil that is sweeping through the land?" I appre- 
 hend that one of the greatest evils existing, that is "sweep- 
 ing through the land," is that of ignorance, coupled with in- 
 
428 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 difference. I presume that if the ignorant were not so in- 
 different to these facts and to their condition they might be 
 prompted to learn more than they do. The trouble with 
 men and women is that they too frequently close their eyes 
 to the facts that exist around them, and it seems to be very 
 difficult for many of the people to learn and adapt to their 
 lives those simple truths that should be in fact the household 
 words and precepts of every Latter-day Saint, and of every 
 home of a Latter-day Saint. How shall we stem the tide of 
 this evil, this indifference, this consequent ignorance. It 
 appears to me that the only way to do it is to wake up and 
 become interested, or to interest ourselves in those things 
 which are so important and necessary to the happiness and 
 well-being of the children of men, especially that which is so 
 needful for the happiness and well being of ourselves indi- 
 vidually. 
 
 It isn't all that is necessary, to learn the truth or to 
 cease to be ignorant. Following that comes the application 
 of the understanding and knowledge that we gain, to those 
 works and things that are needful for our protection and 
 for the protection of our children, our neighbors, our homes, 
 our happiness. 
 
 I see occasionally, as I walk out in the evening, crowds 
 of little girls and boys who seem to me from their appear- 
 ance as not yet having reached their teens, little boys and 
 little girls perhaps from ten to fourteen, and perhaps some 
 of them older, in defiance of the curfew law, playing in the 
 streets, loitering together in shady nooks, in alleys, in the 
 recesses about their homes or the homes of somebody else. 
 This I apprehend is an evil, a very serious evil. How will 
 you stem it? How can it be prevented? M. I. A. Confer- 
 ence, 1910; Young Woman's Journal, Vol. 21, pp. 403-406. 
 
 THE VALUE OF PRACTICAL EDUCATION. I have often 
 thought of the undesirableness of the young men of our com- 
 munity seeking for light employments, and lucrative posi- 
 
EDUCATION, INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS 429 
 
 tions, without regard to manual and mechanical skill, and 
 knowledge and ability in agriculture. 
 
 None can deny that there is too great a tendency among 
 the young men, especially in our larger cities, to seek the 
 lighter employments. Politics, law, medicine, trade, clerk- 
 ing, banking, are needful and good in their place, but we 
 need builders, mechanics farmers, and men who can use 
 their powers to produce something for the use of man. 
 
 Salaried positions, in which little responsibility is re- 
 quired, are well enough for young men who are making a 
 beginning, but it should be the ambition of all to get out and 
 take upon themselves responsibility, and to become inde- 
 pendent, by themselves becoming producers, and skilful 
 workers. 
 
 If life is valuable in comparison with the experience we 
 obtain, every youth will increase the worth of his life in pro- 
 portion to the new obstacles that he is able to conquer. In a 
 routine, there are no difficulties to encounter; neither is 
 there profit to the mind or body in the sameness of depend- 
 ent positions. But let the man who would grow and develop, 
 go forth into the practical and productive ways of life. 
 These will lead to broadmindedness and independence, while 
 the other road ends in narrowness and dependence. 
 
 And here, also, a word to parents who have daughters. 
 Are you fitting them for the practical duties of mother and 
 wife, that they may in due time go out and make homes 
 what they should be? Or are you training your daughters 
 to play the lady by making them accomplished in flourishes, 
 and expert in ostentatious embellishments ? Is mother doing 
 all the work? If you say yes to the last two questions, you 
 are not doing your full duty to your child. For, while ac- 
 complishment and polished grace, attainments in music and 
 art, and a knowledge of the sciences, are good and useful in 
 their place, it is not intended that these shall replace the com- 
 mon labors of life. Where children are so trained, their 
 
430 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 parents have done them a positive injustice, of which both 
 the children and the parents may live to be ashamed. 
 
 While we are educating our children in all that may be 
 termed the beautiful in science and art, we should not fail 
 to insist that they shall learn to do practical things, and that 
 they do not despise the common labors of life. Any other 
 course toward them is an injustice to the boys and girls, as 
 well as to ourselves and the community in general. 
 
 I believe the morals of the people will improve as skill 
 in workmanship and productive labors is acquired. Parents, 
 too, will find it easier to govern and control their children, 
 if these are trained in useful manual labor. We shall not 
 then witness the sad spectacle of young men loafing about 
 our cities hunting for some easy place that just suits their 
 notions of work, which, if they can not find, they will not 
 labor at all, but go without in idleness. Mischief and devil- 
 ment, frequently so common because the hands are unem- 
 ployed, will decrease, and better order will prevail. 
 
 Thus, while not decrying education in the aesthetic sense, 
 I think it is a serious duty devolving upon parents and those 
 who have educational matters in hand to provide a supple- 
 mental if not a co-ordinate course in practical labor for 
 every boy and girl, which shall make them proficient in hand- 
 iwork, and enable them to expend their powers in the., pro- 
 duction of something for the material use and benefit of man. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 6, January, 1903, p. 229. 
 
 PRACTICAL EDUCATION ADVOCATED. I desire again to 
 say that I would be pleased to see more of our young men 
 learning trades instead of trying to learn professions, such 
 as the profession of law, or of medicine, or other profes- 
 sions. I would rather a man would become a good mechanic, 
 a good builder, a good machinist, a good surveyor, a good 
 farmer, a good blacksmith, or a good artisan of any kind 
 than to see him follow these other kinds of professions. We 
 need, however, those who are capable of teaching in the 
 
EDUCATION, INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS 431 
 
 schools, and I would like to see a greater interest manifested 
 by our young men and women in normal training, that they 
 might become proficient teachers and look forward to fol- 
 lowing this profession, because it is a most important one, 
 and great results will follow the faithful performance of the 
 duties and labors of those who are engaged in it. The train- 
 ing of our young, the giving of proper instruction to those 
 who are seeking education, and creating facilities in our 
 midst for all who desire not only the common branches of 
 education, but the higher branches, that they may obtain 
 these privileges and benefits at home instead of being com- 
 pelled to go abroad to complete their education. 
 
 Some of our friends took very grievous offense at what 
 I said in respect to some of these things last April, I believe. 
 I was sorry to hear what they said in relation to this. Why, 
 bless your soul, the counsel that I gave last April in relation 
 to these matters was in the interest of all parties and of all 
 professions. I did not speak a disrespectful word of any 
 profession. I simply advised, and I still advise, the young 
 men of Zion to become artisans rather than to become law- 
 yers. I repeat it ; and yet I would to God that every intelli- 
 gent man among the Latter-day Saints was able to read law 
 and to be his own lawyer. I wish that every young man 
 could and would study and become familiar with the laws of 
 his state and with the laws of his nation, and with the laws 
 of other nations. You cannot learn too much in these direc- 
 tions; but I think there are too many trying to be lawyers, 
 for the good of that profession. They are eating one another 
 up, to some extent. Not long ago a young man who had 
 studied law and hung out his shingle here, after waiting for 
 business, trying to stir up business for some length of time, 
 came so near starving himself and family that he came and 
 wanted to know what to do. He could not make a living 
 in the profession of law. I asked him if he knew how to 
 do anything else. He said yes, he was a good printer. Well, 
 
432 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 then, I said, abandon the profession of law and take up the 
 profession of printing; do something that you can do and 
 that you can make a living at. If he had any practice at 
 all in law my counsel to him, if he had obeyed it and he did 
 would have been a benefit to those who remained in the 
 profession. There are some men, most honorable, most gen- 
 uine, and most intelligent, who are following the profession 
 of the law. I wish I could say that much of all. 
 
 Then, my brethren and sisters, get out of debt. My 
 young friends, learn to become skilful in the arts and in 
 mechanics and in something that will be material, useful in 
 building up the commonwealth where we live and where all 
 our interests are centered. Oct. C. R., 1903, pp. 5, 6. 
 
 BOYS SHOULD BE TAUGHT THE ARTS OF INDUSTRY. One 
 of the things that I think is very necessary is that we should 
 teach our boys mechanism, teach them the arts of industry, 
 and not allow our sons to grow up with the idea that there 
 is nothing honorable in labor, except it be in the professions 
 of law, or in some other light, practically unproductive, and 
 I was going to say, unremunerative employment, but I know 
 of scarcely any employment more remunerative than is the 
 practice of law to those, at least, who are proficient. But 
 what do they do to build up the country? What do they 
 produce to benefit the world? There may be a few of 
 them who have farms ; there may be a few of them who have 
 manufactories; there may be a few of them who may be 
 interested and engaged in other productive labor, something 
 that will build up the country and the people and establish 
 permanence, stability and prosperity in the land; but the 
 vast majority of them are leeches upon the body politic and 
 are worthless as to the building up of any community. There 
 are a good many of our boys who feel that they could not be 
 farmers, and that the pursuit of farming and stock-raising- 
 is beneath their dignity. There are some who think it is 
 
EDUCATION, INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS 433 
 
 menial and low for them to engage in building enterprises 
 as masons, carpenters, or builders in general. 
 
 There are but a few of our boys who take to the ham- 
 mer and to the anvil and to those pursuits of labor that are 
 essential to the permanence of any community in the world 
 and that are necessary to build up the country. 
 
 I say that we are remiss and slack in relation to these 
 things, that we are not instilling them sufficiently in the 
 minds of our children, and that we are not giving them the 
 opportunity that they should enjoy of learning how to pro- 
 duce from the earth and the materials that are on the face 
 of it or in the bowels of it, that which is necessary for the 
 advancement and prosperity of mankind. Some of us have 
 the idea that it is degrading for our daughters to learn how 
 to cook, how to keep house, or to make a dress, apron or 
 bonnet, if necessary. No; daughters in families that are 
 blessed with plenty of means are taught to play the piano, 
 to sing, to go out in society and spend their time in idle, use- 
 less pleasure, instead of being taught how to be economical, 
 industrious and frugal, and how to become good housewives. 
 That is degrading ! I would like to say to this congregation, 
 and to the world, that if I possessed millions of dollars I 
 would not be satisfied or content in my mind unless my 
 boys knew how to do something that would bring them in 
 a living, how to handle a pitchfork, or to run a mowing 
 machine or reaper, or how to plow the ground and sow the 
 seed ; nor would I be satisfied if my daughters did not know 
 how to keep a house. I would be ashamed of my children 
 if they did not know something of these things. 
 
 We need manual training schools instead of so much 
 book-learning and the stuffing of fairy tales and fables 
 which are contained in many of our school books of today. 
 If we would devote more money and time, more energy and 
 attention to teaching our children manual labor in our 
 
 29 
 
434 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 schools than we do, it would be a better thing for the rising 
 generation. 
 
 There are many subjects of this character, in addition 
 to the principles of the gospel of eternal truth and the plan 
 of life and salvation, that can be dwelt upon with profit by 
 those who may speak to us. Apr. C. R., 1903,. pp. 2, 3. 
 
 MANUAL TRAINING AND AGRICULTURE. We want to 
 make these valleys of the mountains teem with the prod- 
 ucts of our own labor, and skill, and intelligence. I believe 
 it to be suicidal for us to patronize those who are at a dis- 
 tance from us, when we should and could go to work and 
 organize our labor and produce everything at home ; we 
 might thereby give employment to everybody at home, de- 
 velop the intelligence and the skill of our children, instead 
 of letting them hunt after these fancy occupations that so 
 many young people desire above manual labor. The schools 
 of the Latter-day Saints and some of the state schools ire 
 beginning to introduce manual labor. Some of our boys 
 are learning how to make tables, chairs, sofas, book-cases, 
 bureaus and all that sort of thing all good as far as it goes ; 
 but if we want a mason to lay brick, we have to look 
 mostly to some man that has come from England or Ger- 
 many, or from somewhere else, to lay our brick. Why ? Be- 
 cause our boys do not like to lay brick. If we want a good 
 blacksmith, we must hunt up some foreigner who has learned 
 the trade in his mother country, and who has come here with 
 knowledge of blacksmithing ; we must find such a man before 
 we can get blacksmithing done, because boys do not like to 
 be blacksmiths. They don't like even to be farmers ; they 
 would rather be lawyers or doctors than to be farmers. This 
 is the case with too many of our boys, and it is a great mis- 
 take. I hope the time will come when the children of "'lie 
 Latter-day Saints will learn that all labor that is necessary 
 for the happiness of themselves and of their neighbors, or 
 of mankind in general, is honorable ; and that no man is de- 
 
EDUCATION, INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS 435 
 
 grading himself because he can lay brick, or carry on car- 
 pentry or blacksmithing, or any kind of mechanism, no mat- 
 ter what it is, but that all these things are honorable, and are 
 necessary for the welfare of man and for the building up of 
 the commonwealth. Oct. C. R., 1909, p. 8. 
 
 AGRICULTURE AND MECHANIC ARTS IN CHURCH 
 SCHOOLS. We have sought to encourage in our Church 
 schools the establishment of departments of mechanic arts 
 and manual training ; and, so far as I know, everything pos- 
 sible is being done, at least in the principal schools, for the 
 training of our youth, not only in the regular mechanic arts, 
 but also in the art of agriculture. An agricultural course 
 has recently been started in the Brigham Young University, 
 and one of our most proficient scientists has been called to 
 take charge of the class. I am happy to say that some of our 
 oldest farmers are delighted with the information that they 
 have obtained by attending this class. I heard a brother 
 who had been farming for many years say that he had al- 
 ways been under the impression that when a man could not 
 do anything else, all he had to do was to turn his attention 
 to the plow and cultivate the soil, for anybody could be 
 a farmer, but he had found out since attending his class that 
 it required intelligence and intelligent application to be a 
 good farmer, as well as to be a good artisan. In connec- 
 tion with this I may state a circumstance that came under 
 my own observation years ago. A certain brother had lived 
 upon his farm for some fourteen or fifteen years. He had 
 cultivated it every year the best he could, but it had become 
 so impoverished that he could not make a living off it any 
 longer, and he became so disgusted with the country, espe- 
 cially with his farm, that he concluded, if he could only trade 
 the farm off for a team and wagon that would take him out 
 of the country, he would be glad to go. By and by, his man 
 came along, and he sold his farm for a team and wagon, in 
 which he put his wife and children and moved to some other 
 
436 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 country. The purchaser took possession of this worn-out 
 farm, and within three years, by intelligent operation, he was 
 able to gather from that farm forty bushels of wheat to the 
 acre, and other products in proportion. The nutriment of 
 the soil had been exhausted, and it needed resuscitation ; so 
 he went to work, gave it the nourishment it required, and 
 reaped a bountiful harvest as a result of his wisdom. There 
 are too many of our farmers who think it does not need any 
 skill to be a farmer ; but this good brother in Provo, to 
 whom I alluded, found it did. So we are teaching agricul- 
 ture in our schools, as well as the mechanic arts. The Brig- 
 ham Young College is putting up a building now wherein 
 are to be taught all sorts of industries ; where our youth will 
 be able to learn carpentry, blacksmithing, domestic arts, and 
 other trades that will be useful to them. Yet we find it a 
 drag to induce anybody possessed of means to contribute 
 very largely to it. Some of our wealthiest men felt they 
 were doing their utmost when they donated perhaps a hun- 
 dred dollars towards a building that will cost eight or ten 
 thousand dollars, if not more. Apr. C. R., 1906, pp. 5, 6. 
 
 WE SHOULD STUDY AGRICULTURE. In connection with 
 this matter, I think it is wisdom for us, as agriculturists, to 
 study agriculture and to become able to produce out of an 
 acre of ground as much as the ''heathen Chinee," or as much 
 as any other people can produce from the same ground. I 
 do not see why we cannot learn to cultivate the soil as intel- 
 ligently and as profitably as any other class of people in the 
 world ; and yet it is a well known fact that up to the present 
 we have not devoted that attention, care, thought fulness, or 
 that intelligence to agriculture in our country that we should 
 have done and that we are now learning to do, by the aid 
 of schools where men who desire to follow agriculture 
 may learn the nature of the soil and all the other conditions 
 necessary to produce the largest results for their labor. 
 Apr. C. R., 1910, p. 4. 
 
EDUCATION, INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS 437 
 
 DIGNITY OF AGRICULTURE. I believe there is no labor 
 on earth more essential to the well-being of a community or 
 more honorable than the labor which is necessary to produce 
 food from mother earth. It is one of the most noble occupa- 
 tions. And next to it is the tending of the flocks of sheep 
 and cattle. This is another noble occupation, if it is only 
 carried on properly and righteously. These are the founda- 
 tion of the prosperity of every community in the world. 
 When the farming community is prosperous, when the Lord 
 blesses the earth and makes it fruitful, then the blacksmith, 
 the carpenter, and those who follow other pursuits, will also 
 be prosperous. But when the earth refuses to yield of its 
 strength for the good of mankind, then all other business is 
 stagnant and will languish. Therefore, let us till the earth ; 
 let us cultivate the soil ; let us produce our own living out of 
 the earth, by the blessing of God, as far as we possibly can, 
 always keeping in mind that we have entered into solemn 
 covenant with God, which is an eternal covenant, and from 
 which he cannot depart or be moved, and in which we can 
 only fail by ourselves transgressing that new and everlasting 
 covenant and turning away from it. Apr. C. R., 1898, p. 70. 
 
 ENCOURAGE FORESTRY. Professor Fernow, of the De- 
 partment of Forestry, at Washington, declares that at the 
 present rate of consumption our supply of timber suitable 
 for manufactured lumber will not last thirty years. If it 
 were true that our lumber supply was likely to be exhausted 
 within the next hundred years, it would still be a matter of 
 alarming concern to the people of this country. The use of 
 lumber is not the only serious question involved. Our trees 
 aid the precipitation of moisture and store it away for its 
 gradual distribution during the hot summer months. 
 
 The time is not distant in Utah when people will be 
 compelled to grow their own lumber, just as they grow 
 other products of the farm. What would we do without 
 Oregon and the Sierras of Nevada? Oregon timber may 
 
438 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 now be very plentiful and rainfall ample, but some day the 
 Oregonians will demand a cessation of their forest destruc- 
 tion. 
 
 It is the business of presiding authorities in the stakes 
 and wards of the Church to study thoughtfully and to for- 
 ward the interests of the people. It is to be hoped that these 
 authorities will look into the matter of establishing the for- 
 estry industry, and see if some thing can be done in their sec- 
 tions of the country to inaugurate the planting of trees on 
 private estates for the supply of lumber in years to come. It 
 would be commendable in the highest degree to the Latter- 
 day Saints if they would set apart here and there a small 
 acreage of their land to tree culture. If this matter were 
 taken up in priesthood meetings and some united action 
 agreed upon, future disaster may be averted. 
 
 The Latter-day Saints ought not to be governed by 
 purely selfish motives in the use of their landed inheritances. 
 The number among us who have converted a single acre of 
 our farms into forestry must be extremely small, and yet 
 it is a duty which we owe to ourselves and to those who 
 have the right to rely upon us to give this matter our earn- 
 est consideration. The cultivation of timber lands will in 
 time be remunerative ; but we are so accustomed to look 
 for immediate returns that we insist upon an early harvest 
 for all that we do. The policy of living for today is not only 
 destructive of our material interests, but it begets a selfish- 
 ness harmful to religion and discreditable to patriotism. 
 
 No ward or branch of the Church can long remain free 
 from a public interest without endangering its spiritual life 
 and the spirit of progress. Public interests are necessary to 
 protect us against the elments of social and material decay. 
 Evidences of the truth of these principles are abundantly 
 manifest in those communities where public spirit has been 
 wanting and public improvements have not been undertaken 
 
EDUCATION, INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS 439 
 
 for years. The wise and active president of a stake or 
 bishop of a ward will not fail to appreciate the value of a 
 public spirit and a united effort in the accomplishment of 
 some necessary and commendable public undertaking; and 
 if there is not something immediately at hand, he will look 
 about to discover, if he can, a means for calling out in a 
 united and patriotic way the energies of the people. We here 
 therefore suggest that one of the public duties which every 
 Latter-day Saint owes to the Church and to his country is 
 the extension of valuable timber forests upon both private 
 lands and public domains. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 38, 
 August 1, 1903, p. 466. 
 
 YOUNG WOMEN SHOULD HAVE PRACTICAL PREPARA- 
 TION FOR LIFE. I, too, think it is very important that young 
 women should early form some design, some definite pur- 
 pose in life. Let that resolve be a noble one, a good one ; 
 something with a view of benefiting others as well as one's 
 self. Perhaps your sphere may be in the household ; if so, let 
 every member feel that you are indispensable to the comfort 
 of home, by your good works and your love and patience. 
 You may be a'stay and a comfort and a help to your mother, 
 though you may not be called to herculean tasks or heroic 
 sacrifice. Fix in your minds noble thoughts, cultivate ele- 
 vated themes, let your aims and aspirations be high. Be in 
 a certain degree independent ; to the degree of usefulness, 
 helpfulness and self-reliance, though no human beings can be 
 said truly to be independent of their fellow beings, and there 
 is no one reckless enough to deny our utter dependence on 
 our heavenly Father. Seek to be educated in the highest 
 meaning of the term ; get the most possible service out of 
 your time, your body and brains, and let all your efforts be 
 directed into honorable channels, that no effort shall be 
 wasted, and no labor result in loss or evil. 
 
 Seek the very best society; be kind, polite, agreeable, 
 seeking to learn whatever is good, and comprehend the 
 
440 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 duties of life that you may be a blessing to all those with 
 whom you associate, making the very most and best of your 
 lot in life. * * * * 
 
 It does not matter how wealthy the Latter-day Saints 
 become; so long as they are worthy of that name they will 
 teach their sons and daughters the dignity of labor and how 
 grand it is to be practical in the duties and responsibilities 
 of life. One of the speakers during the general conference 
 remarked that if his children could not cultivate but one 
 set of faculties, rather than theoretical, he would choose 
 practical labor. It is very important to the walfare, use- 
 fulness, happiness, and comfort of our daughters (in view 
 of certain circumstances) that they learn some branch of 
 industry that could be turned to practical account in the way 
 of making a living, should circumstances require it. Moth- 
 ers should see to it that their daughters do this, and that 
 when she is no longer by them, they may be capable of 
 providing themselves with the necessaries of life. 
 
 There are people fond of saying that women are the 
 weaker vessels. I don't believe it. Physically, they may be ; 
 but spiritually, morally, religiously and in faith, what man 
 can match a woman who is really convinced? Daniel had 
 faith to sustain him in the lion's den, but women have seen 
 their sons torn limb from limb, and endured every torture 
 satanic cruelty could invest, because they believed. They are 
 always more willing to make sacrifices, and are the peers of 
 men in stability, Godliness, morality and faith. I can not 
 understand how a man can be unkind to any woman, much 
 less to the wife of his bosom, and the mother of his children, 
 and I am told that there are those who are absolutely brutal, 
 but they are unworthy the name of men I believe that most 
 women are very devoted to their children, desiring for them 
 most ardently all that is good, and I loathe with every fiber 
 of my soul the son who turns against the mother who gave 
 him birth. I cannot tolerate the young lady who appears 
 
EDUCATION, INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS 441 
 
 well in society -at the expense of the comfort of her mother 
 at home. Do not fear to divide the burdens, and to do all 
 in your power to brighten the lot of your mother, and you 
 will find blessings that are never discovered in the path of 
 selfishness. 
 
 And I exhort you young sisters to sustain those who 
 are placed over you, to improve all your opportunities, and 
 refrain from evil; and, mark me, you will attain to a high 
 standard of character and the honors of life, and become po- 
 tent factors in forming your communities. Maintain your dig- 
 nity, integrity, and virtue at the sacrifice of life. Take 
 this course, and although you may be ignorant of many 
 things, you will be esteemed as of the noblest types of 
 womanhood. With such virtues for her adornments, no man 
 could help loving such a young lady. Young Woman's 
 Journal, Vol. 3, 1891-1892, pp. 142-144. 
 
 OBJECT OF CHURCH SCHOOLS. The object, I may say 
 almost the only purpose, for the maintenance of Church 
 schools is that true religion and undefiled before God the 
 Father, may be inculcated in the minds and hearts of our 
 children while they are getting an education, to enable the 
 heart, the soul and the spirit of our children to develop with 
 proper teaching, in connection with the secular training that 
 they receive in schools. Oct. C. R., 1915, p. 4. 
 
 VALUE OF CHURCH SCHOOLS. In my opinion the Church 
 schools are laying the foundation for great usefulness among 
 the people of God, and they should be sustained by the peo- 
 ple and by the Church. The Church is sustaining them, and 
 as we acquire more means and become more free from ob- 
 ligations which have been resting upon the Church for 
 years, we will be more free-handed to administer to the 
 needs of our Church schools, as well as other requirements 
 of that nature. Apr. C. R., 1906, p. 6. 
 
 PURPOSE OF CHURCH SCHOOLS. The purpose of our 
 Church schools is the harmonious development of our young 
 
442 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 people in all that relates to their future . well-being and 
 progress; and eternal progress can be enjoyed only when 
 the principles of eternal life are associated with their daily 
 existence. Whatever hinders upward progression deadens 
 the sensibilities and real enjoyments of this world's life. 
 An education that has for its highest ideals the pursuit of 
 worldly ambitions is wanting in that free and unrestrained 
 flow of the spirit which makes for higher freedom and a 
 more wholesome life. As we ripen in years and in experi- 
 ence, our spiritual lives have more and more to do with our 
 real happiness. Our thoughts are more frequently turned 
 inward as wt contemplate the approaching end of this life 
 and the unfolding of the greater life to come. Juvenile In- 
 structor, Vol. 47, November, 1912, p. 630. 
 
 THE CHURCH AMPLE FOR ALL NECESSARY ORGANIZA- 
 TIONS : The Church is provided with so many priesthood 
 organizations that only these can be recognized therein. No 
 outside organization is necessary. There is no call for in- 
 dividuals to organize clubs, or special gatherings in social, 
 educational, or national capacity, in order to express wishes 
 or desires for reforms that can always be expressed in the 
 organizations that already exist in the Church. There is 
 enough to do in the general ward organizations, under 
 Church control, to fill all requirements, to satisfy all right- 
 eous ambitions, and to develop the latent talent of the peo- 
 ple. It is neither proper nor necessary to establish further 
 public organizations under individual leadership, unsanc- 
 tioned by the Church authorities. If further public organ- 
 izations are required, they will be founded by proper author- 
 ity, when it can be proved that there is indeed any need for 
 them. Such separate action leads to clannishness, conflict 
 and disunion, and is not pleasing in the sight of God. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 6, Dec., 1902, p. 150. 
 
 DEVELOP FACULTIES IN CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS. 
 \Yhere men are ambitious to show their ability and fitness 
 
EDI 'CATION, INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS 443 
 
 as leaders, teachers, organizers, champions of a righteous 
 cause, or saviors of men, let them develop these qualities in 
 the many suitable organizations now existing in the Church, 
 which are waiting, yea, often crying aloud, for men with just 
 such superior ability. This course, pursued with the right 
 spirit, will do good, and meet the blessings of the Lord ; 
 while the other, by playing upon their pride of nationality, 
 their natural desire to conquer, and their sectional clannish- 
 ness, will lead to schisms among the people that will finally 
 cause them to lose the spirit of the gospel. Improvement 
 Era, Vol. 6, Dec., 1902, p. 151. 
 
 THE FOUNDATION OF PROSPERITY. The very founda- 
 tion of all real prosperity is home industry and home manu- 
 facture. This lies at the foundation of the prosperity of 
 every permanently prosperous community. It is the source 
 of wealth. I think, therefore, we ought to encourage home 
 manufacture and every home industry. We ought to co- 
 operate together, if there is any kind of business in which 
 there is a profit, let us co-operate together and let us have 
 the benefit of that profit among ourselves instead of giving 
 it to strangers. Deseret Weekly News, Vol. 33, 1884, p. 466. 
 
 THE OBJECT OF CO-OPERATION. Co-operation is a prin- 
 ciple that President Young was very much concerned about, 
 and that he endeavored, with his brethren, to impress upon 
 the minds of the people throughout the land. Under his ad- 
 ministration our co-operative institutions were established, 
 and by his efforts, many of the people, especially in the 
 southern part of Utah and in Arizona, became united to- 
 gether in organizations, that were called "the United Order." 
 The object was co-operation, that the principles of union in 
 labor as well as in faith might be developed to its fullest 
 extent in the midst of the Saints. Deseret Weekly News, 
 Vol. 33, 1884, p. 466. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Missionaries. 
 
 How MISSIONARIES ARE CALLED. No person but the 
 President of the Church has the authority to call mission- 
 aries to preach the gospel; others may suggest or rec- 
 ommend, but they do so to him, and he issues the call. 
 We draw attention to this fact as it occasionally happens 
 that some brother is spoken to about going on a mission 
 by one of the general authorities, by the president of the 
 stake or by his bishop, and he at once goes to work and 
 begins to prepare to leave, sometimes going so far as to 
 rent his farm, sell his belongings or lease his property. 
 Then, when no date is appointed for his departure and no 
 field of labor assigned him, he feels disappointed and ag- 
 grieved. Jurcnilc Instructor, Vol. 37, February, 1902, 
 p. 82. 
 
 REQUIREMENTS OF PROSPECTIVE MISSIONARIES. In ac- 
 cordance with the present regulations of the First Presi- 
 dency brethren are not now sent on missions who have not 
 themselves a testimony of the truth of the work of the 
 Lord. It is deemed inconsistent to send men out into the 
 world to promise to others through obeflience to the gospel 
 that which they have not themselves received. Neither is 
 it considered proper to send men out to reform tHem. Let 
 them first reform at home if they have not been strictly 
 keeping the commandments of God. This applies to the 
 Word of Wisdom as well as' to all other laws of heaven. 
 No objection is offered to men being called who in earlier 
 years may have been rough or wayward, if in later years 
 they have lived a godly life and brought forth the precious 
 fruits of repentance. Neither should men be sent who are 
 not in good health ; a sickly elder is able to do but little 
 
MISSIONARIES 445 
 
 good himself and often impedes the work of his com- 
 panion ; and, too frequently, has to be sent home after a 
 short absence entailing suffering on himself and expense to 
 the people or the Church. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 37 
 February, 1902, p. 82. 
 
 THE KIND OF MEN WANTED FOR MISSIONARIES. We 
 do not want boys that have been in saloons, that have been 
 in houses of ill-fame, that have been gamblers, that have 
 been drunkards, that have been infamous in their lives 
 we do not want such to go into the ministry of this holy 
 gospel to represent the Son of the living God and the power 
 of redemption to the world. We want young men that have 
 been born or adopted in the covenant, that have been reared 
 in purity, that have kept themselves unspotted from the 
 world, and can go into the nations of the earth and say to 
 men, "Follow me, as I follow Christ." Then we would like 
 to have them know how to sing, and to pray. We expect 
 them to be honest, virtuous, and faithful unto death to 
 their covenants, to their brethren, to their wives, to their 
 fathers and mothers, to their brothers and sisters, to them- 
 selves and to God. Where you get men like this to preach 
 the gospel to the world, whether they know much to begin 
 with or not, the Lord will put his Spirit into their hearts, 
 and he will crown them with intelligence and power to 
 save the souls of men. For the germ of life is in them. It 
 has not been vitiated or corrupted; it has not been driven 
 away from them. Oct. C. R., 1899, pp. 72-3. 
 
 NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS OF MISSIONARIES. An- 
 other thing one of the indispensable qualifications of the 
 elders who go out into the world to preach is humility, 
 meekness and love unfeigned, for the well-being and the 
 salvation of the human family, and the desire to establish 
 peace and righteousness in the earth among men. We can 
 not preach the gospel of Christ without this spirit of hu- 
 mility, meekness, faith in God and reliance upon his prom- 
 
446 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ises and word to us. You may learn all the wisdom of men, 
 but that will not qualify you to do these things like the 
 humble, guiding influence of the Spirit of God will. "Pride 
 goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a 
 fall." 
 
 It is necessary for the elders who go out into the 
 world to preach to study the spirit of the gospel, which is 
 the spirit of humility, the spirit of meekness and of true 
 devotion to whatever purpose you set your hand or your 
 mind to do. If it is to preach the gospel, we should devote 
 ourselves to the duties of that ministry, and we ought to 
 strive with the utmost of our ability to qualify ourselves 
 to perform that specific labor, and the way to do it is to 
 live so that the Spirit of God will have communion and be 
 present with us to direct us in every moment and hour of 
 our ministry, night and day. Apr. C. R., 1915, p. 138. 
 
 FURTHER QUALIFICATIONS OF MISSIONARIES. There 
 are many excellent men but very few really good mission- 
 aries. The characteristics of a good missionary are: A 
 man who has sociability whose friendship is permanent 
 and sparkling who can ingratiate himself into the confi- 
 dence and favor of men who are in darkness. This cannot 
 be done offhand. You must get acquainted with a man, 
 learn him and gain his confidence and make him feel and 
 know that your only desire is to do him good and bless 
 him ; then you can tell him your message, and give him the 
 good things you have for him kindly and lovingly. There- 
 fore, in selecting missionaries, choose such as have socia- 
 bility, who have friendship and not enmity towards men ; 
 and if you have not any such in your ward, train and qualify 
 some young men for this work. Some men can never make 
 good missionaries, and you should not select such. In the 
 very first place, a missionary should have in himself the 
 testimony of the Spirit of God the witness of the Holy 
 Ghost. If he has not this, he has nothing to give. Men are 
 
MISSIONARIES 447 
 
 not converted by eloquence or oratory ; they are convinced 
 when they are satisfied that you have the truth and the 
 Spirit of God. Improvement Era, also Digest of Instruc- 
 tions, Y. M. M. I. A., 1904. 
 
 WHAT MISSIONARIES SHOULD TEACH. Our elders are 
 instructed here, and they are taught from their childhood up, 
 that they are not to go out and make war upon the religious 
 organizations of the w r orld when they are called to go out 
 to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, but to go and bear 
 with them the message which has been given to us through 
 the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph, in "this latter 
 dispensation, whereby men may learn the truth, if they 
 will. They are sent out to offer the olive branch of peace 
 to the world, to offer the knowledge that God has spoken 
 from the heavens once more to his children upon the earth ; 
 that God has in his mercy restored again to the world the 
 fulness of the gospel of his Only Begotten Son, in the flesh, 
 that God has revealed and restored to mankind the divine 
 power and authoritv from himself, whereby they are enabled 
 and authorized to perform the ordinances of the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ necessary for their salvation ; and their per- 
 formance of these ordinances must of necessity be accep":- 
 L'ble unto God who has given to them the authority to per- 
 form them in his name. Our elders are sent out to preach 
 repentance of sin, to preach righteousness, to preach to 
 the world the gospel of life, of fellowship, and of friendship 
 irinong mankind, to teach men and women to do that which 
 is right in the sight of God and in the presence of all men, 
 to teach them the fact that God has organized his Church, 
 a Church of which he, himself, is the author and the founder 
 not Joseph Smith, not President Brigham Young, not the 
 Twelve Apostles, that have been chosen in this dispensation 
 to them does not belong the honor of establishing the 
 Church. God .is its author, God is its founder, and we are 
 sent out, and we send out our elders, to make this proclama- 
 
448 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 tion to the world, and leave it to their own judgment and 
 discretion as to whether they will investigate it, learn the 
 truth for themselves, and accept it, or whether they will 
 reject it. We do not make war upon them; if they do not 
 receive it, we do not contend with them ; if they fail to bene- 
 fit themselves by receiving the message that we give to 
 them for their own good, we only pity. Our sympathy goes 
 out to those who will not receive the truth and who will not 
 walk in the light when the light shines before them ; not 
 hatred, not enmity, not the spirit of condemnation ; it is 
 our duty to leave condemnation in the hands of Almighty 
 God. He is the only real, true, righteous impartial judge, 
 and we leave judgment in his hands. It is not our business 
 to proclaim calamities, judgments, destruction, and the 
 wrath of God upon men, if they will not receive the truth. 
 Let them read the word of God, as recorded in the New and 
 the Old Testaments ; and, if they will receive it, let them read 
 the \vord that has been restored through the gift and power 
 of God to Joseph the prophet, as contained in the Doctrine 
 and Covenants and in the Book of Mormon. Let them read 
 these things, and they will learn there, themselves, the prom- 
 ises that God has made to those who will not hearken when 
 they hear the truth, but will close their ears and their eyes 
 against the light. We need not repeat these things and try 
 to impose upon the feelings and judgments of men by 
 threatening them or by warning them against the dangers 
 and evils that may come upon the ungodly, the disobedient, 
 the unthankful, and those who will not yield to the truth. 
 They will learn it soon enough, if we do not mention it to 
 them at allApr. C. R. f 1915, pp. 3-4. 
 
 WHAT AND How To TEACH. The question often arises 
 in the minds of young men who find themselves in the mis- 
 sion field, "What shall I say?-' And another follows closely 
 upon it, "How shall I say it?" To those who go out in 
 earnestness and who have made a partial study of the 
 
MISSIONARIES 449 
 
 principles of the gospel at home, the first question will soon 
 be solved even if they have failed to make the very best 
 use of their time and opportunities in our schools, asso- 
 ciations, and religious meetings. They will soon find attrac- 
 tion in the principles of truth, and as they find time, by close 
 application, become familiar with the teachings set forth in 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed to and taught by the 
 Latter-day Saints. But the second question, involving the 
 best method of delivering the message which the missionary 
 has gone out to proclaim, that is not always so readily solved. 
 And yet, the success or failure of a mission largely depends 
 upon the false or accurate solution of this problem. 
 
 While no specific rule may be given, experience has 
 taught that the simplest way is the best. Having learned the 
 principles of the gospel, through a prayerful spirit and by 
 careful study, these should be presented to men in humility, 
 in the simplest forms of speech, without presumption or 
 arrogance and in the spirit of the mission of Christ. This 
 cannot be done if a young missionary waste his effort in a 
 vain-glorious attempt to become a noisy orator. This is the 
 point I wish to impress upon the elders, and to advise that 
 all oratorical effort be confined to appropriate times and 
 places. The mission field is not the place for such effort. 
 The gospel is not successfully taught by ostentatious display 
 of words and argument, but rather is expressed by modest 
 and rational statements of its simple truths, uttered in a way 
 that will touch the heart and appeal, as well, to reason and 
 sound sense. 
 
 It isn't the rounded period, but the thought which it 
 contains that is of value ; nor is it the faultless sentence so 
 much as the spirit accompanying the speaker that awakens 
 life and light in the soul. The spirit must first be with the 
 missionary, if he shall succeed in awakening its response in 
 his hearers ; and this is true whether the words be spoken 
 in conversation, face to face, or in public gatherings. The 
 
 30 
 
450 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 spirit will not manifest itself in the person who devotes his 
 time to deliver what he has to say in pompous words or 
 with display of oratory. He hopes to please artificially, and 
 not effectively through the heart. 
 
 It is, therefore, of great importance that the gospel 
 should be preached in the simplest and most intelligible way. 
 This does not mean that the language should not be choice, 
 nor that all the refinement possible should not be employed, 
 but that there should be no affectation, nothing "put on." 
 There is enough in the gospel to occupy our earnest time and 
 language, without devoting our time to artificial effects. By 
 earnestness and simplicity the missionary will not only estab- 
 lish himself in the truth, but his testimony will convince 
 others. He will also learn to stand for himself with God as 
 his helper; he will touch the hearts of the people and will 
 have the pleasure of seeing them come to an understanding 
 of his message. The spirit of the gospel will shine forth from 
 his soul and others \vill partake of his light and rejoice 
 therein. The other course will be ineffectual, serving no 
 useful purpose, either to the missionary himself or to those 
 who, hear him, but rather leading to vanity, emptiness and 
 futility. 
 
 In the mission field, as in our daily lives, it is best to 
 be natural, rational neither given to exaggeration of spirit- 
 ual gifts nor to destructive affectation in act or language. 
 It is best to develop simplicity of speech, earnestness of 
 manner, humility of spirit, and a feeling of love for our 
 fellows, thereby cultivating that well-balanced common sense 
 in our lives that shall command the respect and admiration 
 of the honest in heart and insure the continual presence and 
 aid of the Spirit of God. 
 
 NOT ALL MEN READY To ACCEPT THE GOSPEL. I was 
 struck by a remark made by one of the brethren with respect 
 to the many people who saw and heard the Prophet Joseph 
 Smith and yet didn't believe that he was a prophet of God, or 
 
MISSIONARIES 451 
 
 a man raised up by the Almighty to lay the foundations of 
 this great latter-day work. It was said that the Lord had 
 not revealed it unto them. Now, I do not dispute that state- 
 ment, nor call it in question ; but it occurred to me that there 
 are thousands of men who have heard the voices of the in- 
 spired servants of God, unto whom the Almighty has borne 
 record of the truth, and yet they have not believed it. It is 
 my opinion that the Lord bears record to the testimonies of 
 his servants unto those who hear those testimonies, and it is 
 left with them whether or not they will harden their hearts 
 against the truth and not listen to it, and abide the conse- 
 quences. I believe the Spirit of the Almighty God is upon 
 most of the elders who go out into the world to proclaim 
 the gospel. I believe their words are accompanied by the 
 testimony of the Spirit of God. But all. men are not open 
 to receive the witness and the testimony of the Spirit. And 
 the responsibility will rest with them. Yet it may be possible 
 the Lord withholds his Spirit from some, for a wise purpose 
 in him, that their eyes are not opened to see and their 
 minds not quickened to comprehend the word of truth. As 
 a rule, however, it is my opinion that all men who are 
 seeking after the truth and are willing to receive it, will also 
 receive the witness of the Spirit which accompanies the 
 words and testimonies of the servants of the Lord; while 
 those whose hearts are hardened against the truth and will 
 not receive it when it is borne record of to them, will remain 
 ignorant and without a comprehension of the gospel. I 
 believe there are tens of thousands of people who have 
 heard the truth and have been pricked in their hearts, but 
 they are seeking every refuge they possiby can to hide 
 themselves from their convictions of the truth. It is among 
 this class that you will find the enemies to the cause of 
 Zion. They are opposing the truth in order to hide them- 
 selves from their convictions of the truth. There 
 are men, possibly within the sound of my voice 
 
452 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 certainly within the limits of this city who have read 
 our books, who have listened to the discourses of the 
 elders, and who are familiar with the doctrines of the 
 Church; but they will not acknowledge openly, at least 
 the truth of this gospel and the divinity of this work. Well, 
 the responsibility rests with them. God will judge them 
 and deal with them in his own way and time. Many of 
 them, through their efforts to bring reproach upon the 
 cause of Zion, are awakening the attention of people in the 
 world to "Mormonism," and thus unwittingly advancing the 
 cause of Zion, while they know it not. I thank God my 
 Father that he brings good out of the evil designed against 
 his people by their enemies. And he will continue to do this. 
 The clouds may gather over our heads, and, as in the past, 
 it may seem impossible for us to penetrate them; yet there 
 can be no clouds so dark, so gloomy or so heavy, but God 
 will roll them away in his own time and will bring good out 
 of threatening evil. He has done it in the past, he will do it 
 in the future ; for it is his work, not the work of man. Apr. 
 C.R., 1899, pp. 40-41. 
 
 OUR PEOPLE GENEROUS TO MISSIONARIES. I believe 
 I can confidently say that the Latter-day Saints, as a rule, 
 are among the most hospitable, generous and kind hearted 
 people that can be found upon the earth. Not long ago 
 one of our elders returned from a mission in the South. 
 There had been a question raised in his mind as to whether 
 the Latter-day Saints in Zion would be as open-handed, as 
 hospitable, as kind-hearted and as willing to receive and 
 entertain a stranger as were the people of the South, and he 
 determined to put the matter to the test. The story of his 
 visits to some of our people here is published in the Improve- 
 ment Era, No. 6, Vol. 1, p. 399. I cannot give it to you in 
 detail, but will only attempt a brief outline. Representing 
 himself as a minister of the gospel from the state of Ten- 
 nessee, traveling without purse or scrip, as the elders of 
 
MISSIONARIES 453 
 
 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were gen- 
 erally doing, he called upon Brother B. Y. Hampton, of 
 the Hampton House, and asked for entertainment without 
 charge. Bro. Hampton readily consented to take care of 
 him. He next called at the Temple Barber Shop, with a sim- 
 ilar representation, and asked for a "shave and shingle," on 
 the same terms, which was readily complied with, and he 
 was asked to "come again." He next called upon Brother 
 Henry Dinwoodey, and presenting himself as before, asked 
 for means to pay his fare on the railroad, going north, 
 whereupon Brother Dinwoodey handed him out the money. 
 Needing a mainspring in his watch, he called upon Brothers 
 John Daynes & Son, and introduced himself as before, and 
 they cheerfully repaired his watch. He then called upon 
 Thomas G. Webber, of Z. C. M. I., and in the same guise 
 asked for a pair of shoes, which Col. Webber generously 
 gave him. Having a tooth which needed filling, he called 
 at the dental parlors of Dr. Fred Clawson, whom he con- 
 vinced, after some difficulty, that he was not an old friend 
 and school mate, but really a minister of the gospel from 
 Tennessee, having a similar name; the doctor readily con- 
 sented to filling his tooth without money or price. 
 Thus it was proven that the Latter-day Saints were as 
 generous, as kind hearted, as ready to help the stranger of 
 another religion, as were the good people of the Southern 
 States, and for that matter of any other country. Having 
 put these people to the test, in other words, having weighed 
 them in the balance and found them not wanting in each 
 case, he fully explained his motive and who he was, to their 
 mutual delight. And when the elder returned their gifts or 
 declined to receive the favors granted him without proper 
 remuneration in each case, as I understand, the brethren 
 insisted that what they had done was in good faith on their 
 part, and he was welcome to the same, believing that an 
 elder who had spent two years and upwards on a mission, 
 
454 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 laboring without purse or scrip, would be likely to stand 
 almost as much in need of such help as would the strange 
 minister whom he had personated. Apr. C. R., 1898, pp 
 46-7. 
 
 ADVICE To MISSIONARIES. The missionary labor ac- 
 complished by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints is a subject of growing comment and marvel among 
 people of the world who come to learn of its extent and 
 results. This feeling of wonder is blended with admiration 
 in the minds of those who study the. details of our mission- 
 ary system, and who are able to appreciate the self-sacrifice, 
 enduring faith, and God-fearing reliance by which the mis- 
 sionaries of the Church are distinguished. The fact that 
 those of our people who go forth on missions do so at their 
 own expense, unsalaried, indeed, without hope of pecuniary 
 reward, spending years away from home usually years of 
 early manhood the years that are regarded as most valu- 
 able in shaping the individual's course and position in life 
 this fact, indeed, may well arouse the surprise and admira- 
 tion of the world. 
 
 Many of our devoted missionaries are valiantly striving 
 to do their best, and to make their best better, day by day ; 
 great is and greater yet shall be their reward. Others are 
 lacking in energy and effort ; their work is done, if at all, 
 in a half-spirited way, and their thoughts are ever running 
 ahead to the time of their release and return. 
 
 To those of the first class the days are all too short 
 and the months too few for the exalted labors in which 
 they find such genuine satisfaction and happiness. To the 
 others the days drag and the weeks are burdensome. 
 
 The individual elder is left largely to the guidance of 
 the spirit of his calling, with which he should be imbued. If 
 he fail to cultivate that spirit, which is the spirit of energy 
 and application, he will soon become torpid, indolent and 
 unhappy. Every missionary should strive to devote part of 
 
MISSIONARIES 455 
 
 each day to study and prayerful thought on the principles 
 of the gospel and the theology of the Church. He should 
 read and reflect and pray. True, we are opposed to the 
 preparing of set sermons to be delivered with the thought of 
 .oratorical effect and rhetorical display; yet when an elder 
 arises to address a congregation at home or abroad, he should 
 be thoroughly prepared for his sermon. His mind should be 
 well stored with thoughts worth uttering, worth hearing, 
 worth remembering ; then the spirit of inspiration will bring 
 forth the truths of which his auditors are in need, and give 
 to his words the ring of authority. 
 
 Brethren you to whom these words of admonition 
 apply, for your own sakes, if not for the sake of those whose 
 welfare is your charge 'beware of indolence and neglect. 
 The adversary is only too eager to take advantage of your 
 apathy, and you may lose the very testimony of which you 
 have been sent to bear record before the world. 
 
 We would recommend to conference presidents and 
 other presiding officers in the various branches of the 
 Church, that where possible, they have the elders in their 
 charge follow regularly and systematically a study of the 
 standard works and other approved publications of the 
 Church, thus more fully equipping themselves as teachers to 
 the world. 
 
 There is little excuse for the idle man in any walk of 
 life; work is abundant for every one who will labor; hut 
 least of all is there excuse or palliation in the case of a listless 
 or idle missionary pretending to be busy in the service of his 
 Lord. 
 
 It is to be earnestly recommended that elders abroad on 
 missions, as indeed Latter-day Saints in general, avoid con- 
 tentious argument and debate regarding doctrinal subjects. 
 The truth of the gospel does not depend for its demonstra- 
 tion on heated discussion ; the message of truth is most ef- 
 
456 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 fectively delivered when expressed in words of simplicity 
 and sympathy. 
 
 The history of our missionary work already written 
 proves the futility of public debate and argument between 
 our elders and their opponents ; and this in spite of the fact 
 that in the great majority of such undertakings the forensic 
 victory has been won by our representatives. A testimony 
 of the truth is more than a mere assent of the mind, it is a 
 conviction of the heart, a knowledge that fills the whole soul 
 of its recipient. 
 
 Missionaries are sent forth to preach and teach the first 
 principles of the gospel, Christ and him crucified, and prac- 
 tically nothing more in the way of theological doctrine. They 
 are not commissioned to expound their own views on intri- 
 cate questions of theology, nor to mystify their hearers with 
 a show of profound learning. Teachers they are and must 
 be, if they meet in any degree the responsibilities of their high 
 calling; but they should teach as nearly as they can after the 
 manner of the Master seeking to lead by love for their fel- 
 lows, by simple explanation and persuasion; not 'trying to 
 convince by force. 
 
 Brethren, leave these themes of profitless discussion 
 alone ; keep closely to the teachings of the revealed word, as 
 made plain in the standard works of the Church and through 
 the utterances of the living prophets ; and let not a difference 
 of views on abstruse matters of doctrine absorb your at- 
 tention lest thereby you become estranged from one another 
 and separated from the Spirit of the Lord. 
 
 The standard works of the Church and other approved 
 writings should be carefully studied and commented on by 
 the brethren; every Latter-day Saint and particularly every 
 elder in the field should seek to become learned in the gos- 
 pel; but let it not be forgotten that to understand the in- 
 spired writings aright the reader must himself have the 
 
MISSIONARIES 457 
 
 spirit of inspiration ; and this spirit will never impel one to 
 hostile discussion or wordy contests. 
 
 Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,, 
 and all else that is desirable, including the knowledge for 
 which you yearn, shall be given unto you. Juvenile Instruc- 
 tor, Vol. 38, October 15, 1903, p. 624. 
 
 MISSIONARIES AND THE WORD OF WISDOM. Young 
 men cannot hope to be successful missionaries who violate 
 the Word of Wisdom. Its observance is necessary to that 
 spiritual fervor and assurance which carry conviction to the 
 hearts' of those who receive the words of the elders. The 
 absolute necessity of the observance of the Word of Wisdom 
 in the missionary field makes it desirable that all who violate 
 this important law to the people, reform before they can hope 
 to accomplish anything helpful to others, either by precept or 
 example. 
 
 There is no thoughtful Latter-day Saint who does not 
 look forward with some pleasure to the time when his son 
 will be called on a mission. No greater honor can come to a 
 home than a call to represent the work of the Lord among 
 the nations ; yet parents are too frequently indifferent about 
 the preparation that their sons receive prior to the call to fill 
 a mission. Fundamental in that preparaiton is the observ- 
 ance of the Word of Wisdom. So important do I esteem this 
 subject that at a recent conference in the Beaver stake I 
 was led to speak upon it at considerable length. The ex- 
 tracts that follow from that discourse should be of interest 
 and deep concern to every reader of the Juvenile Instructor : 
 
 "Now, I do wish with all my heart not because I say 
 it, but because it is written in the word of the Lord that 
 you would give heed to this Word of Wisdom. It was given 
 unto us 'not by commandment' ; but by the word of President 
 Brigham Young, it was made a commandment unto the 
 Saints. It is written here for our guidance, for our hap- 
 piness and advancement in every principle that pertains to 
 
458 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the kingdom of God, in time and throughout eternity, and I 
 pray you to observe it. It will do you good; it will ennoble 
 your souls ; it will free your thoughts and your hearts from 
 the spirit of destruction ; it will make you feel like God, who 
 sustains even the sparrow, that it does not fall to the 
 ground without his notice; it will bring you nearer to the 
 similitude of the Son of God, the Savior of the world, who 
 healed the sick, who made the lame to leap for joy, who 
 restored hearing to the deaf and sight to the blind, who 
 distributed peace, joy, and comfort to all with whom he came 
 in contact, and who cursed and destroyed nothing, save it 
 was the barren fig tree, and that was to show forth his power 
 more than anything else : 
 
 " 'And all saints who remember to keep and do these 
 sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall 
 receive health in their navel, and marrow to their bones. 
 
 " 'And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowl- 
 edge, even hidden treasures; 
 
 " 'And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and 
 not faint. 
 
 " 'And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the 
 destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of 
 Israel, and not slay them.' Doc. and Cov. 89. 
 
 "Are these glorious promises not sufficient to induce us 
 to observe this Word of Wisdom? Is there not something 
 here that is worthy our attention? Are not 'great treas- 
 ures' of knowledge, even 'hidden treasures,' something to be 
 desired? But when I see men and women addicting them- 
 selves to the use of tea and coffee, or strong drinks, or to- 
 bacco in any form, I say to myself, here are men and women 
 who do not appreciate the promise God has made unto 
 them. They trample it under their feet, and treat it as a 
 thing of naught. They despise the word of God, and go 
 contrary to it in their actions. Then when affliction over- 
 takes them, they are almost ready to curse God, because he 
 
MISSIONARIES 459 
 
 will not hear their prayers and they are left to endure sick- 
 ness and pain. 
 
 "And among the least things that we should do is to 
 keep the Word of Wisdom. Brethren and sisters, do not be 
 so weak! I recollect a circumstance that occurred three 
 years ago in a party that I was traveling with. There were 
 one or two who persisted in having their tea and coffee at 
 every place they stopped. I preached the Word of Wisdom 
 right along; but they said, 'What does it matter? Here is 
 So-and-so, who drinks tea and coffee.' Thus the act of one 
 woman or one man nullified not only all that I or my breth- 
 ren ,said in relation to it, but also the word of God itself. 
 I said at one time, 'Oh, yes, you say it is a good thing to 
 drink a little tea or coffee, but the Lord says it is not. 
 Which shall I follow ?' The Lord says that if we will ob- 
 serve the Word of Wisdom we shall have access to great 
 treasures of knowledge, and hidden treasures ; we shall run 
 and not be weary, we shall walk and not faint; and the 
 destroying angel shall pass us by, as he did the children of 
 Israel, and not slay us. But the class of men of whom I 
 speak say, in effect, 'We don't care what the Lord says or 
 promises, we will drink tea and coffee anyhow.' Such 
 people will set a bad example, no matter what others say 
 or what God has said. They will take the bits in their 
 own mouths, and do as they please, regardless of the effect 
 upon the Saints. I say, out upon such practices! If I 
 could not travel with the people of God and observe the 
 laws of God, I would quit traveling. But if the Lord will 
 give me strength to keep his word, so that I can teach it 
 conscientiously, from the heart as well as from the lips, I 
 will visit you, and labor with you, and plead with you. I 
 will pray for you and earnestly beseech you, my brethren and 
 sisters, especially the young men of Zion, to cease prac- 
 ticing these forbidden things, and observe the laws of God, 
 so that you can run and not be weary, walk and not faint, 
 
460 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and have access to great treasures of knowledge, hidden 
 treasures, and every blessing that the Lord has promised 
 through obedience." Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 37, Decem- 
 ber, 1902, p. 721. 
 
 CAUTION To MISSIONARIES. I am sorry to say it, but 
 if these two boys, recently drowned, had kept away from 
 those rivers, where they had no special duty, or calling, 
 they would not have been drowned as they were. I would 
 like it to be understood by the presidents of missions, and 
 by the elders, that are out in the world, that it is not a 
 good thing, neither is it at all wise for our elders to go out 
 on excursions, on dangerous lakes, or streams, or bodies of 
 water, just for fun. They would better keep away. The 
 Lord will protect them in the discharge of their duty ; and 
 if they are more careful of their health, there will not be 
 so many of them become a prey to disease. We know of 
 some incidents that were the cause of the death of some of 
 our brethren who have passed away in the mission field. 
 They lacked caution. They did not exercise the best wis- 
 dom and judgment. They went too far for their strength 
 and were not as careful of themselves as they ought to 
 have been. I do not speak this to blame these brethren. 
 I have not the least doubt but they have done according to 
 the best wisdom they possessed; but there is such a thing 
 as overdoing. A man may fast and pray till he kills him- 
 self, and there isn't any necessity for it; nor wisdom in 
 it. I say to my brethren, when they are fasting, and pray- 
 ing for the sick, and for those who need faith and prayer, 
 do not go beyond what is wise and prudent in fasting and 
 prayer. The Lord can hear a simple prayer, offered in faith, 
 in half a dozen words, and he will recognize fasting that may 
 not continue more than twenty-four hours, just as readily 
 and as effectually as he will answer a prayer of a thousand 
 words and fasting for a month. Now, remember it. I 
 have in mind elders now on missions, anxious to excel their 
 
MISSIONARIES 461 
 
 associates. Each wants to get the most "red marks" of credit, 
 and so he will exert himself beyond his strength ; and it is 
 unwise to do it. The Lord will accept that which is enough, 
 with a good deal more pleasure and satisfaction than that 
 which is too much and unnecessary. It is good to be earn- 
 est, good to be diligent, to persevere, and to be faithful all 
 the time, but we may go to extremes in these things, when 
 we do not need to. The Word of Wisdom dictates that when 
 we become weary we should stop and rest. When we 
 are threatened with exhaustion through over exertion, 
 wisdom would caution us to wait, to stop ; not to take a 
 stimulant to urge us on to greater extremes, go where we 
 can retire and rest and recuperate according to the laws 
 of nature. That is the best way to do. 
 
 Now, I do not blame my dear brethren who have met 
 with death abroad; yet, I wish that they could and would 
 have escaped it. Oct. C. R., 1912, pp. 134-135. 
 
 HEALTH OF MISSIONARIES To BE GUARDED. Presi- 
 dents of all the Missions are under strict instructions from 
 the Presidency of the Church to guard carefully the health 
 of the elders that are laboring under their direction. These 
 presidents of Missions are also under instructions to send 
 home any and all elders whose health or whose other cir- 
 cumstances may make it necessary for them to return. 
 Oct. C. R. f 1904, p. 41. 
 
 MISSIONARIES IN ILL HEALTH. I would like to ex- 
 hort the elders who are upon missions, and those who shall 
 go upon missions in the future, not to allow the thoughts to 
 enter their hearts that they will be criticised or be made to 
 suffer in their character or their standing in the Church be- 
 cause their health will not permit them to fulfil a two or 
 three years' mission abroad. We would like them rather te 
 feel in themselves a wholesome aversion to coming home 
 without having filled an honorable mission, when their 
 health and other conditions will permit them to do so; and 
 
462 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 if they have any reluctance about coming home at all, be- 
 fore completing their missions, it should be based upon this 
 principle. Oct. C. R., 1904, p. 42. 
 
 CARE OF RETURNED MISSIONARIES. It is also a good 
 thing for the bishops in all the wards to look after their 
 returned missionaries. It is a pity that after so many of our 
 boys who go abroad and fill good missions return home, 
 they should be apparently dropped or ignored by the pre- 
 siding authorities of the Church and be permitted to drift 
 away again into carelessness and indifference, and event- 
 ually, perhaps, to wander entirely away from their Church 
 duties. They should be kept in the harness, they should 
 be made active in the work of the ministry, in some way 
 that they may better keep the spirit of the gospel in their 
 minds and in their hearts and be useful at home as well as 
 abroad. 
 
 There is no question as to the fact that missionary 
 service is required and is as necessary in Zion, or here at 
 home, as it is abroad. Many people seem to be careless 
 with reference to the proper training of their children. We 
 see too many boys that are falling into very careless, if not 
 into pernicious, ways and habits. Every missionary boy 
 who returns from his mission full of faith and good desire 
 should take it upon himself to become a savior as far as 
 possible of his young and less experienced associates at 
 home. When a returned missionary sees a boy falling into 
 bad ways and is becoming accustomed to bad habits, he 
 should feel that it is his duty to take hold of him, in con- 
 nection with the presiding authorities of the stake or of 
 the ward in which he lives, and exercise all the power and 
 influence he can for the salvation of that erring young man 
 who has not the experience that our elders abroad have 
 had, and thus become a means of saving many and of 
 establishing them more firmly in the truth. Oct. C. R., 
 1914, pp. 4-5. 
 
MISSIONARIES. 463 
 
 WORK FOR RETURNED MISSIONARIES. Returned mis- 
 sionaries ought to be in demand where brave hearts, strong 
 minds and willing hands are wanted. The genius of the 
 gospel is not that of negative goodness mere absence of 
 what is bad ; it stands for aggressive energy well directed, 
 for positive goodness in short, for work. 
 
 We hear much of men who are specially gifted, of 
 geniuses in the world's affairs ; and many of us force our- 
 selves to think that we are capable of little and therefore may 
 as well take life easy since we do not belong to that favored 
 class. True, not all are endowed with the same gifts, nor 
 is every one imbued with the strength of a giant ; yet 
 every son and every daughter of God has received some 
 talent, and each will be held to strict account for the use 
 or misuse to which it is put. The spirit of genius is the 
 spirit of hard work, plodding toil, whole-souled devotion to 
 the labor of the day. 
 
 Let no one think that any honorable labor is beneath 
 him; harbor no dislike for the work of the hands, but let 
 the mind direct them in skill and energy. The example set 
 by our late beloved President Wilford Woodruff has often 
 been cited abroad, and held up for the admiration and 
 emulation of those who are not of us ; it is that of most of 
 the leading men of our Church. Even in his old age he 
 did his share of physical toil, and rejoiced in his ability to 
 "hoe his row" and hold his own with his grand-children on 
 the farm. 
 
 "My son, be up and doing, and the Lord be with thee. 
 Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 38, p. 689. 
 
 DUTY OF A PERSON CALLED ON A MISSION. When a 
 man is called to go on a mission, and a field of labor is as- 
 signed to him, he should, I think, say in his heart, "Not my 
 will be done, but thine, O Lord." Deseret Weekly Neivs, 
 Vol. 33, 1884, p. 226. 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 False Teachings 
 
 THE DEVIL'S KNOWLEDGE. The devil knows the Father 
 much better than we. Lucifer, the son of the morning, knows 
 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, much better than we ; but in him 
 it is not and will not redound to eternal life ; for knowing, he 
 yet rebels ; knowing, he is yet disobedient ; he will not receive 
 the truth ; he will not abide in the truth ; hence he is perdi- 
 tion, and there is no salvation for him. The same doctrine 
 applies to me and to you and all the sons and daughters of 
 God who have judgment and knowledge and are able to 
 reason between cause and effect, and determine the right 
 from the wrong, and the good from the evil and who are 
 capable of seeing the light and distinguishing it from the 
 darkness. Then this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, to know 
 the only true and living God and his Son whom he has sent 
 into the world, which knowledge comes through obedience 
 to all his commandments, faith, repentance of sin, baptism 
 by immersion for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy 
 Ghost by the laying on of hands by divine authority, and 
 not by the will of man. Apr. C. R., 1916, p. 4. 
 
 THE ENEMY OF THRUTH ALWAYS ARRAYED AGAINST 
 THIS WORK. From the day that the Prophet Joseph Smith 
 first declared his vision until now, the enemy of all righteous- 
 ness, the enemy of truth, of virtue, of honor, uprightness, 
 and purity of life, the enemy to the only true God, the 
 enemy to direct revelation from God and to the inspirations 
 that come from the heavens to man, has been arrayed against 
 this work. Apr. C. R., 1909, p. 4. 
 
 WHY THE TRUTH is HATED. Why should men be embit- 
 tered against you because of this, because of your belief in 
 Joseph Smith? Why should they become your enemies 
 
FALSE TEACHINGS. 465 
 
 because you declare your faith in a new revelation from the 
 Father and from the Son to mankind for their guidance? 
 Why should they ? Let me tell you why : for the very same 
 reason precisely that the embittered and unbelieving Phar- 
 isees and hypocrites of the Savior's time persecuted the 
 Redeemer of earth, for the very reason that they later put 
 to death the disciples of Jesus Christ, whom he ordained as 
 apostles and as special witnesses of himself, who bore 
 testimony of him and of the gospel to all the nations of the 
 earth. They put them to death one by one, some of them in 
 the most cruel manner, simply because they preached Jesus 
 Christ, and him crucified and risen from the dead, and 
 ascended into heaven, and sitting with all glory and power 
 and majesty and might at the right hand of his Father, God. 
 The world felt injured by it. Why? Because it laid the ax 
 at the root of the tree of error, of superstition, and of tradi- 
 tion, of lack of faith, and unbelief. It laid the ax at the root 
 of the tree of wickedness, in the world, and of ignorance of 
 God and his principles, and the plan of life and salvation, 
 and the world hated the disciples because of it, and they 
 hated the Son of God because of it, and they crucified him. 
 They hated the disciples because of it, and they put them to 
 death. That is why they hate you, for the same reason ; that 
 is, those who do hate you, those who have exercised their 
 power, their will and their thoughts or minds sufficiently to 
 be imbued with the spirit of persecution and hatred against 
 the light and the truth. Oct. C. R., 1911, p. 5. 
 
 ONLY THOSE WHO DENY THE FAITH CONTEND. You 
 find the spirit of contention only among apostates and those 
 who have denied the faith, those who have turned away from 
 the truth and have become enemies to God and his work. 
 There you will find the spirit of contention, the spirit of 
 strife. There you will find them wanting to "argue the 
 question," and to dispute with you all the time. Their food, 
 their meat, and their drink is contention which is abominable 
 
 31 
 
466 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 in the sight of the Lord. We do not contend. We are not 
 contentious, for if we were we would grieve the Spirit of 
 the Lord from us, just as apostates do and have always 
 done. Apr. C. R., 1908, p. 7. 
 
 BEWARE OF FALSE TEACHERS. I know that this is the 
 work of God, and he is carrying it on. The honor of triumph 
 over error, sin and injustice will belong to God and not to 
 you or me, or any other man. Some men there will be who 
 would limit the power of God to the power of men, and we 
 have some of these among us and they have been among our 
 school teachers. They would have you disbelieve the inspired 
 accounts of the Scriptures that the winds and the waves are 
 not subject to the power of God. That the claim of the 
 Savior to cast out devils, raise the dead, or perform miracu- 
 lous things, such as cleanse the leper, was only a myth. They 
 would make you believe that God and his 'son Jesus Christ 
 did not appear in person to Joseph Smith, that this was 
 simply a myth, but we know better ; the testimony of the 
 Spirit has testified that this is the truth. And I say, beware 
 of men who come to you with heresies that things come by 
 laws of nature of themselves, and that God is without power. 
 I am thankful that men who make such claims are few in 
 number in the world, and I hope they will become fewer 
 still. Logan Journal, April 7, 1914. 
 
 WHERE TO EXPECT FALSE DOCTRINES. Among the 
 Latter-day Saints, the preaching of false doctrines disguised 
 as truths of the gospel, may be expected from people of two 
 classes, and practically from these only ; they are : 
 
 First The hopelessly ignorant, whose lack of intelli- 
 gence is due to their indolence and sloth, who make but 
 feeble effort, if indeed any at all, to better themselves by 
 reading and study; those who are afflicted with a dread 
 disease that may develop into an incurable malady laziness. 
 
 Second The proud and self -vaunting ones, who read by 
 
FALSE TEACHINGS. 467 
 
 the lamp of their own conceit ; who interpret by rules of their 
 own contriving; who have become a law unto themselves, 
 and so pose as the sole judges of their own doings. More 
 dangerously ignorant than the first. 
 
 Beware of the lazy and the proud; their infection in 
 each case is contagious ; better for them and for all when 
 they are compelled to display the yellow flag of warning, 
 that the clean and uninfected may be protected. Juvenile 
 Instructor, Vol. 41, p. 178. 
 
 KNOWLEDGE OF SIN UNNECESSARY. It has been very 
 wisely said that "the knowledge of sin tempteth to its com- 
 mission." 
 
 It has been said that now and then the morbid curiosity 
 of a missionary leads him into questionable places, and the 
 only excuse he has for visiting these dens of vice is that he 
 would like to see the shady side of life in some of our great 
 cities that he may know thereof for himself. He wants to see 
 "Paris by night" in order that he may know something of the 
 actual life of vast numbers of his fellowmen. Such knowl- 
 edge can have no beneficial effect upon the thoughts or 
 feelings of the missionary who seeks it. It does not strenghten 
 him in the duties of his calling. It is a peculiar sort of knowl- 
 edge that is enticing to the feelings and imaginations, and 
 tends in some measure to degrade the soul. 
 
 It is not necessary that our young people should know 
 of the wickedness carried on in any place. Such knowledge is 
 not elevating, and it is quite likely that more than one young 
 man can trace the first step of his downfall to a curiosity 
 which led him into questionable places. Let the young men 
 of Zion, whether they be on missions or whether they be at 
 home, shun all dens of infamy. It is not necessary that they 
 should know what is going on in such places. No man is 
 better or stronger for such knowledge. Let them remember 
 that "the knowledge of sin tempteth to its commission," and 
 then avoid those temptations that in time to come may 
 
468 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 threaten their virtue and their standing in the Church of 
 Christ. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 37, May, 1902, p, 304. 
 
 RETREAT FROM EVIL. Sometimes in life, we are brought 
 face to face with an enemy whose evil ways are beyond our 
 power of combat, a victory over which cannot be hoped for. 
 There is only one escape from moral annihilation and that 
 is in retreat. The man with accumulated and unforgiven 
 wrong behind him may find all retreat cut off and his 
 condition in the world hopeless ; and he who recklessly cuts 
 off every opportunity of retreat by the neglected evils of the 
 past is most unfortunate. 
 
 The daily practice, then, of seeking divine mercy and 
 forgiveness as we go along, gives us power to escape evils, 
 that can be overcome only by a safe retreat from them. 
 Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 44, August, 1909, p. 339. 
 
 THE LAW OF RECOMPENSE. Let me impress it upon 
 you that one never can hold quite the same relation to a law 
 of God which he has transgressed, as if one has lived in 
 conformity with its requirements. It is unreasonable to 
 expect it, and contrary to the laws of nature to conclude that 
 you can. If a person has determined that sin can easily be 
 wiped out, and hence, that he will enjoy unlawful pleasures 
 in youth, repenting in later life with an idea in his mind that 
 repentance will blot out completely the results of his sin and 
 debauchery, and place him on a level with his fellow who 
 has kept in virtue the commandments, from the beginning 
 time will wake him up to his serious and great mistake. He 
 may and will be forgiven, if he repent ; the blood of Christ 
 will make him free, and will wash him clean, though his sins 
 be as scarlet; but all this will not return to him any loss 
 sustained, nor place him on an equal footing with his neigh- 
 bor who has kept the commandments of the better law. Nor 
 will it place him in the position where he would have been, 
 had he not committed wrong. He has lost something which 
 can never be regained, notwithstanding the perfection, the 
 
FALSE TEACHINGS. 469 
 
 loving mercy, the kindness and forgiveness of the Lord God. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 7, January, 1904, p. 225. 
 
 SYMPATHY WITH CRIMINALS. There is a deplorable 
 tendency among the people of this nation to sympathize with 
 murderers, bank defaulters, evil adventurers, and a hundred 
 other classes of criminals who are at large or who have been 
 arrested or convicted for breaking the law. Such a tendency 
 is not alone manifest among the people of the various states 
 and territories of our nation, it is also apparent among the 
 Latter-day Saints. This sympathy for criminals is entirely 
 abnormal, and has a tendency to lower and destroy the moral 
 sentiment of any people who indulge in it. For a Latter-day 
 Saint to sympathize either with crime or with -criminals, is a 
 burning shame, and it is high time that the teachers of the 
 community should stem such tendency and inculcate a senti- 
 ment that would make it extremely abhorent to commit 
 crime. Young men may please God by thinking right, by 
 acting right, by shunning, as they would destruction, not 
 only every crime, but the spirit to either see or sympathize 
 with the criminal, or to hear or read the detail of his dam- 
 nable acts. It is an old saying, that we are what we think; 
 then, to be a good Latter-day Saint it is necessary to think 
 pure thoughts, to imbibe pure ideas, and to let the mind dwell 
 continually upon the noble things, and the good deeds, and 
 the exalted thoughts of life, discarding all sympathy or 
 interest for crime and criminals, and all thought of evil. The 
 man or woman who will resort to the court room, who will 
 visit criminals with flowers, who will read and constantly 
 duscuss every detail of crime, should be condemned, frowned 
 upon, and their actions should be made detestable in the 
 eyes of the pure in heart. When a murderer is condemned, 
 he should be detested, dropped, and forgotten ; and so also 
 should criminals of other classes who sin grievously against 
 law and the commandments of God. Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 5, August, 1902, p. 803. 
 
470 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 THE CRIME OF WITCHCRAFT AND OTHER SUPERSTI- 
 TIONS. After all the horrors, persecutions, and cruelties that 
 have been brought about by the senseless belief in witchcraft, 
 it seems strange in this age of enlightenment that men or 
 women, especially those who have received the gospel, can 
 be found anywhere who believe in such a pernicious super- 
 stition. The Bible and history alike conclusively brand this 
 superstition as a child of evil. In ancient times, God required 
 the Israelites to drive the Canaanites from their land, and 
 witchcraft was one of the crimes which he laid at the door 
 of the Canaanites, and for which they were adjudged 
 unworthy of the land which they possessed. 
 
 Witchcraft has not infrequently been the last resort of 
 the evil doer. Men bereft of the Spirit of God, when the 
 voice of the Lord has ceased to warn them, have frequently 
 resorted to witchcraft, in the endeavor to learn that which 
 Heaven withheld; and the people of God from very early 
 days to the present have been troubled with superstitious and 
 evil-minded persons who have resorted to divination and 
 kindred devices for selfish purposes, and scheming designs. 
 In the middle ages it rested like a nightmare upon all 
 Christendom. 
 
 Let it not be forgotten that the evil one has great power 
 in the earth, and that by every possible means he seeks to 
 darken the minds of men, and then offers them falsehood and 
 deception in the guise of truth. Satan is a skilful imitator, 
 and as genuine gospel truth is given the world in ever- 
 increasing abundance, so he spreads the counterfeit coin of 
 false doctrine. Beware of his spurious currency, it will 
 purchase for you nothing but disappointment, misery and 
 spiritual death. The "father of lies" he has been called, and 
 such an adept has he become, through the ages of practice in 
 his nefarious work, that were it possible he would deceive 
 the very elect. 
 
 Those who turn to soothsayers and wizards for their 
 
FALSE TEACHINGS. 471 
 
 information are invariably weakening their faith. When 
 men began to forget the God of their fathers who had 
 declared himself in Eden and subsequently to the later 
 patriarchs, they accepted the devil's substitute and made for 
 themselves gods of wood and stone. It was thus that the 
 abominations of idolatry had their origin. 
 
 The gifts of the Spirit and the powers of the holy 
 priesthood are of God, they are given for the blessing of the 
 people, for their encouragement, and for the strengthening 
 of their faith. This Satan knows full well, therefore he seeks 
 by imitation-miracles to blind and deceive the children of 
 God. Remember what the magicians of Egypt accomplished 
 in their efforts to deceive Pharaoh as to the divinity of the 
 mission of Moses and Aaron. John the Revelator saw in 
 vision the miracle-working power of the evil one. Note his 
 words : "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the 
 earth ; * * * and he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh 
 fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 
 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of 
 those miracles," etc. (Rev. 13:11-14.) Further, John saw 
 three unclean spirits whom he describes as "the spirits of 
 devils, working miracles." (Rev. 16:13-14.) 
 
 That the power to work wonders may come from an 
 evil source is declared by Christ in his prophecy regarding 
 the great judgment : "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, 
 Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name 
 have cast out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful 
 works ? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you ; 
 depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Mate. 7:22-23). 
 
 The danger and power for evil in witchcraft is not so 
 much in the witchcraft itself as in the foolish credulence that 
 superstitious people give to the claims made in its behalf. It 
 is outrageous to believe that the devil can hurt or injure an 
 innocent man or woman, especially if they are members of 
 the Church of Christ without that man or woman has faith 
 
472 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 that he or she can be harmed by such an influence and by 
 such means. If they entertain such an idea, then they are 
 liable to succumb to their own superstitions. There is no 
 power in witchcraft itself, only as it is believed in and ac- 
 cepted. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 37, p. 560. 
 
 SUPERSTITIOUS PRACTICES. It is needless to assert that 
 to those who are intelligent, and not bound by old notions 
 and superstitions, there is no truth in what people call witch- 
 craft. Men and women who come under the influence of a 
 belief therein are bewitched by their own foolishness, and 
 are led astray by pretenders and mischief-makers who "peep 
 and mutter." It is really astonishing that there should be 
 any to believe in these absurdities. No man or woman who 
 enjoys the Spirit of God and the influence and power of the 
 holy priesthood can believe in these superstitious notions ; 
 and those who do, will lose, indeed have lost, the influence 
 of the Spirit of God and of the priesthood, and are become 
 subject to the witchery of Satan, who is constantly striving 
 to draw away the Saints from the true way, if not by the dis- 
 semination of such nonsense, then by other insidious meth- 
 ods. 
 
 One individual can not place an affliction upon another 
 in the way that these soothsayers would have the people 
 believe. It is a trick of Satan to deceive men and women, 
 and to draw them away from the Church and from the in- 
 fluence of the Spirit of God, and the power of his holy 
 priesthood, that they may be destroyed. These peep-stone- 
 men and women are inspired by the devil, and are the real 
 witches, if any such there be. Witchcraft, and all kindred 
 evils, are solely the creations of the superstitious imagina- 
 tions of men and women who are steeped in ignorance, and 
 derive their power over people from the devil, and those 
 who submit to this influence are deceived by him. Unless 
 they repent, they will be destroyed. There is absolutely no 
 possibility for a person who enjoys the Holy Spirit of God 
 
FALSE TEACHINGS. 473 
 
 to even believe that such influences can have any effect upon 
 him. The enjoyment of the Holy Spirit is absolute proof 
 against all influences of evil ; you never can obtain that 
 Spirit by seeking diviners, and men and women who "peep 
 and mutter." That is obtained by imposition of hands by 
 the servants of God, and retained by right living. If you have 
 lost it, repent and return to God, and for your salvation's 
 sake and for the sake of your children, avoid the emissaries 
 of Satan who "peep and mutter" and who would lead you 
 clown to darkness and death. 
 
 It is impossible for anyone possessing the spirit of the 
 gospel and having the power of the holy priesthood to be- 
 lieve in or be influenced by any power of necromancy. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 5, September, 1902, p. 896-899. 
 
 THE MESSIAH CRAZE. Your communication has been 
 received. In response, I send you a few of my reflections 
 on the subject of the so-called "Messiah craze" among the 
 Lamanites. 
 
 Just what these manifestations have been is a matter 
 of some doubt, in my mind, not as to their evident purpose, 
 judging from the many newspaper reports of the main fea- 
 tures of the manifestations so much talked about, for it 
 seems clear that the purpose or object thereof has been to 
 awaken in the benighted minds of these degenerate people 
 a belief and faith in and ultimately a knowledge of a cruci- 
 fied and risen Redeemer, and the righteous precepts which 
 he taught. 
 
 That God will manifest his purposes to the Lamanites 
 in his own time and way there can be no doubt in the minds 
 of those who believe in the divine authenticity of the Book 
 of Mormon for in that book this fact is made unmistak- 
 ably clear, but just how he will do so in every particular, 
 and just what agencies he will use to bring about his pur- 
 poses in this regard, may be matters of conjecture beyond 
 what has actually been revealed, One of the agencies, we 
 
474 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 know will be the Book of Mormon itself. Through the 
 medium of the holy priesthood, which has been restored to 
 the earth in these latter times, God will also operate to ac- 
 complish his will. So far, however, but little of good has 
 been effected through either of these channels, on account 
 of the extremely benighted condition of the minds, and the 
 wild, nomadic habits of the red men. And for many other 
 sufficient reasons they have not been susceptible to the im- 
 pressions of the Holy Spirit, nor capable of rising to the 
 comprehension of its power. 
 
 The time had not come, and is not yet come, for them 
 to receive the message and the work bequeathed them by 
 their fathers, as designed of God but the time will come, 
 and may be nearer at hand than many anticipate. That these 
 supernatural manifestations, if they indeed are such, indicate 
 the beginning of that time may without inconsistency be be- 
 lieved. To suppose that the work will be accomplished in a 
 day or in any very brief period would be folly. God has 
 not heretofore worked, nor will he be likely to so work 
 among this remnant of his people. Their fall and degrada- 
 tion came slowly, by degrees, and in like manner will their 
 redemption, doubtless, come to pass. Yet he will cut his 
 work short in righteousness, and it behooves the Saints to 
 be always ready. 
 
 That the Lord will hasten their enlightenment by means 
 of dreams, visions, and heavenly manifestations, when the 
 time shall come, and that holy messengers may appear to 
 them from time to time and that among them shall yet be 
 inspired men of God raised up as teachers to instruct them 
 in the truth, we cannot doubt, for these things have been 
 promised in the last times both in the Book of Mormon and 
 in the Bible, and also in the revelations to Joseph Smith the 
 prophet. But all these things will come to pciss as God has 
 determined, in his own time and way. And blessed will he 
 be who shall be worthy to bear the message of good tidings 
 
FALSE TEACHINGS. 475 
 
 and the offering of peace, the word of God and the means 
 of redemption to the seed of Joseph, to whom the promises 
 are made, and woe to him who shall despise and scoff in the 
 day of God's power. 
 
 With reference to who the personage is (one or more) 
 who is claimed by the Lamanites to have visited them, there 
 appears to me to be room for grave doubts. From all the 
 reports I have seen upon this subject, it is not at all con- 
 clusive to my mind that he was indeed the Messiah. Upon 
 this point we must consider the sources of our information ; 
 it has come to us second handed, through interpreters and 
 writers whose knowledge of the Lamanitish tongues may or 
 may not be very imperfect, who have absolutely no knowl- 
 edge of the ancient history of the race, and of the purposes 
 and promises of God concerning them. That they know the 
 scriptural account of Jesus, the Son of God, his crucifixion, 
 resurrection, and ascension on high, with the promise to 
 come again in like manner as he ascended, and this only, we 
 need not question ; but knowing only this and nothing more 
 respecting this matter, they might easily be misled by the 
 reports coming from persons far removed from the actual 
 witnesses. 
 
 And yet to a Latter-day Saint, who knows something of 
 the history of those people and of the promises made to them 
 by their forefathers, hearing the same story, would conclude 
 that perhaps one or more of the three Nephite disciples who 
 tarried, whose mission was to minister to the remnants of 
 their own race, had made an appearance to Porcupine and 
 perhaps to many others, and taught them Jesus and him 
 crucified and risen from the dead, and that he was soon to 
 come again in power and great glory to avenge them of 
 their wrongs upon the wicked and restore them to their lands 
 and to the knowledge of their fathers and of the Son of 
 God. 
 
 This would be a very natural conclusion and not at all 
 
476 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 inconsistent with the established principles of the gospel 
 and our knowledge of the manner of God's dealings with 
 the children of men. While it is more than likely that Christ 
 might send messengers to the Lamanites to prepare the way 
 for his coming in the fulness of time, it is highly improbable 
 that Christ himself would appear to a people so utterly un- 
 prepared to receive and comprehend him. 
 
 True, the Father and the Son appeared to the boy Jo- 
 seph in the beginning of this dispensation, but he was a 
 chosen instrument from eternity to open up the last dispen- 
 sation of the gospel, and God had prepared a chosen band to 
 join him in that work. But Moroni, John, Peter, James and 
 John, and diverse other messengers were sent to open the 
 way and prepare the foundations of this great work and re- 
 store the records of the ancient people of this continent to 
 the world. The foundations of that work having been laid, 
 the authority of God established, the order of the Priesthood 
 and the laws of the Church revealed, shall we look for these 
 things to be ignored, or for the knowledge of God to come 
 through the appointed channels ? 
 
 While they will come in harmony with revealed and 
 established truth, and not in conflict therewith, nor in con- 
 flict with the order of heaven which exists on the earth, the 
 object to be attained by such manifestations as the Laman- 
 ites claim to have had, admitting the same to be true and 
 from God, can be no other than to begin the preparation of 
 the Lamanites to receive a correct knowledge of God and of 
 their fathers, and of the holy gospel already revealed and 
 established among men, that they might believe, obey and be 
 saved thereby. 
 
 Far be it from me to wish to close the channels of com- 
 munication between the Savior of the world himself and the 
 remnants of Lehi. No one can be more free to admit his per- 
 fect right and power to visit whom he pleases, at his pleas- 
 ure, for the channels of communication between God and 
 
FALSE TEACHINGS. 477 
 
 man cannot be cut off nor closed by man, nor ever will be 
 while God has a purpose to accomplish by revealing him- 
 self. But that we may not be deceived, led into error, 
 tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, the foolish 
 vagaries or the cunning craftiness of men, or follow the 
 false cry of, Lo here is Christ, or there, God has instituted 
 the true order of communication between himself and man,, 
 and has established it in his Church, and to this truth all 
 mankind wMl do well to take heed, lest they be deceived. 
 That which is in harmony with this is of God, that which is 
 contrary to it is from beneath. It is in perfect harmony with 
 the order of heaven for ministering spirits or messengers 
 from God or Christ to visit the Lamanites or any other peo- 
 ple, as Cornelius of old was visited, and as Christ visited 
 Saul, and for the same purposes. Letter to Editor of Young 
 Woman's Journal in answer to question regarding reported 
 visitations to Indians. Young Woman's Journal, Vol 2, 
 1890-1891, pp. 268-271. 
 
 ONE MIGHTY AND STRONG. In conclusion we would 
 say that the Latter-day Saints by this time should be so 
 well settled in the conviction that God has established his 
 Church in the earth for the last time, to remain, and no more 
 to be thrown down or destroyed ; and that God's house is a 
 house of order, of law, of regularity, that erratic disturbers 
 of that order of men of restless temperament, who, through 
 ignorance and egotism, become vain babblers, yet make great 
 pretentions to prophetic powers and other spiritual graces 
 and gifts, ought not to have any influence wrth them, nor 
 ought the Saints to be disturbed in their spirit by such char- 
 acters and their theories. The Church of Christ is with the 
 Saints. It has committed to it the law of God for its own 
 government and perpetuation. It possesses every means for 
 the correction of every wrong or abuse or error which may 
 from time to time arise, and that without anarchy, or even 
 revolution ; it can do it by process of evolution by develop- 
 
478 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ment, by an increase of knowledge, wisdom, patience and 
 charity. 
 
 The presiding quorums of the Church will always be 
 composed of such men, they will be chosen in such manner, 
 that the Saints can be assured that solid wisdom, righteous- 
 ness, and conscientious adherence to duty, will characterize 
 the policy of those who are en-trusted with the administra- 
 tion of the affairs of the Church. While, from time to time, 
 as the work of the Lord may have need of their services, men 
 of exceptional talents and abilities, will develop among the 
 people of God ; and without disorder or eruption or excite- 
 ment, they will be called of the Lord through the appointed 
 agencies of the priesthood and Church authority, to positions 
 that will afford them opportunity for service. They will be 
 accepted by the Saints in the regular order, appointed by 
 the law of the Church, just as Edward Partridge was called 
 and accepted, and just as the "one mighty and strong" will be 
 called and accepted when the time comes for his services. 
 
 JOSEPH F. SMITH, 
 JOHN R. WINDER, 
 ANTHON H. LUND, 
 
 First Presidency. 
 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 10, 1906-7, pp. 929-943. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Auxiliary Organizations 
 
 DEFINITION OF AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS. I have 
 in mind our auxiliary organizations; what are they? Helps 
 to the standard organizations of the Church. They are not 
 independent. I want to say to the Young Men's and Young 
 Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, and to the Relief 
 Society, ;md to the Primaries, and to the Sunday schools, 
 and Religion classes, and all the rest of the organizations in 
 the Church, that not one of them is independent of the 
 priesthood of the Son of God, not any of them can exist 
 a moment in the acceptance of the Lord when they withdraw 
 from the voice and from the counsel of those who hold the 
 priesthood and preside over them. They are subject to the 
 powers and authority of the Church, and they are not inde- 
 pendent of them ; nor can they exercise any rights in their 
 organizations independently of the priesthood and of the 
 Church. Apr. C. R., 1913, p. 7. 
 
 PLACE OF AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CHURCH. 
 It is sometimes argued that the auxiliary organizations of 
 the Church are not councils of the priesthood. This is ad- 
 mitted, but, on the other hand, the board's general, stake 
 and ward are composed of men holding the priesthood, and 
 though being called to be an officer in an auxiliary organiza- 
 tion confers no additional office in the priesthood, it takes 
 none away the brother still remains a high priest, seventy, 
 or elder as before. Furthermore, the officers of these organ- 
 izations are duly presented at the general or local confer- 
 ences, as the case may be, and are there sustained by the 
 vote of the people, and by that vote, these organizations be- 
 come recognized institutions of the Church, and as such 
 the officers should be respected in their callings and given 
 
480 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 recognition and support in the performance of their duties 
 in all that relates to the bodies which they represent. 
 
 The principles laid down in the foregoing relating to the 
 Sunday Schools apply equally to all auxiliary organizations 
 of the Church. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 39, January 1, 
 1904, pp. 17-18. 
 
 RELATION BETWEEN AUTHORITIES OF WARD AND AUX- 
 ILIARY ORGANIZATIONS. Questions are frequently asked 
 touching the relationship that should exist between the pre- 
 siding authorities of a ward and the authorities of an aux- 
 iliary organization, such, for example, as the superintendent 
 of the Sunday School. The organizations of the Church are 
 intended to promote harmony, and if understood there is no 
 reason why discord should arise between the bishop and 
 those called upon to act in the auxiliary organizations. The 
 question is often asked, for instance, who should select and 
 install a superintendent of a Sunday School, or what step 
 should be taken in cases where the superintendent of a 
 school for any reason whatever vacates his office. The first 
 step in case the superintendent vacates his office is for his 
 first or second assistant, as the case may be, to request the 
 secretary of the school either to notify or remind the bishop 
 of the ward of the vacancy, and at the same time notify, the 
 stake superintendent of Sunday Schools; and this notice or 
 reminder should be given to the bishop and stake super- 
 intendent at the earliest possible convenience in order that 
 all unnecessary delays may be avoided. The second step in 
 such cases, is the selection of the proper officer or officers to 
 fill the vacancy or vacancies. It is, of course, within the 
 authority of the bishop of a ward to select and install the 
 superintendent of the Sunday School in his ward, but bish- 
 ops of wards should not take such a step without the co- 
 operation of the stake superintendent. This last named 
 officer represents the presidency of the stake in carrying on 
 the work of this auxiliary organization of the Church. The 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 481 
 
 stake presidency holds the stake superintendent responsible 
 in a large measure for the character of the man and the 
 progress of the work of the Sunday Schools throughout the 
 stake, and the bishops therefore who proceed to select and 
 install the ward superintendent without the approval or 
 knowledge of the stake superintendent, does not show proper 
 respect for him or for the stake president, who is entitled to 
 be represented, in the selection of a ward superintendent. 
 On the other hand, a stake superintendent is not author- 
 ized to organize the superintendency of a Sunday School 
 without consulting the bishop of the ward, with whom it is 
 his duty to be in complete harmony. There is wisdom, as 
 well as order, in the mutual recognition of these stake and 
 ward authorities. In the first place, the superintendent, by 
 reason of his experience in Sunday School work, and his 
 knowledge of the special qualifications required, may be, 
 from his point of view, well qualified to make suitable rec- 
 ommendations. On the other hand, the bishop is, or at any 
 rate should be, more familiar than any one else with the 
 character and daily lives of the members of his ward. After 
 satisfying the special requirements made by a stake super- 
 intendent there may be wanting in the proposed ward super- 
 intendent same indispensable characteristics, or there may 
 be some tin worthiness known only to the bishop. If the 
 stake superintendent therefore, and the bishop of the ward 
 approach each other in a spirit of harmony and mutual help- 
 fulness there is no reason why they may not be united in 
 nearly every instance upon the most suitable man. Should 
 a case arise in which the bishop and stake superintendent 
 find themselves unable to agree, or both wish to defer to the 
 judgment of some higher authority, the proper step to take 
 is to submit the matter to the president of the stake for his 
 judgment or decision, as the case may be. When such an 
 agreement has been arrived at, it is the duty of the bishop to 
 install the new superintendent in his office. 
 
 32 
 
482 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 In connection with the subject here touched upon, a 
 question has also arisen respecting the propriety of a bishop 
 presiding over a Sunday School when the superintendent is 
 present. If I were bishop, I should recognize with scru- 
 pulous care all the presiding officers in my ward, and should 
 think it discourteous to them to assume the duties to which 
 they had been called. There are, without doubt, instances 
 where the bishop can with propriety offer suggestions that 
 will be helpful to the superintendent without the least hu- 
 miliation to him ; and there may be extreme cases in which 
 the bishop would be justified in assuming the control of a 
 school, but it should not be the rule. On the other hand, if 1 
 were a school superintendent I would show the greatest 
 deference to the bishop whenever he was present, and aim 
 as far as possible to satisfy his wishes, and make the school 
 all he could desire it should be. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 
 39, January, 1904, pp. 16-17. 
 
 PURPOSE AND DUTIES OF RELIEF SOCIETY. A word or 
 two "in relation to the Relief Society. This is an organiza- 
 tion that was established by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is, 
 therefore, the oldest auxiliary organization of the Church, 
 .and it is of the first importance. It has not only to deal with 
 the necessities of the poor, the sick and the needy, but a 
 part of its duty and the larger part, too is to look after 
 the spiritual welfare and salvation of the mothers and daugh- 
 ters of Zion; to see that none is neglected, but that all are 
 guarded against misfortune, calamity, the powers of darkness, 
 and the evils that threaten them in the world. It is the duty 
 of the Relief Societies to look after the spiritual welfare of 
 themselves and of all the female members of the Church. It 
 is their duty to collect means from those who have in abun- 
 dance, and distribute it wisely unto those in need. It is a 
 part of their duty to see that there are those capable of being- 
 nurses as well as teachers and exemplars in Zion, and that 
 they have an opportunity to become thoroughly prepared for 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 483 
 
 this great labor and responsibility. I have heard of a dis- 
 position on the part of some of our sisters to become a law 
 unto themselves in relation to these things. I would like to 
 say that it is expected of the Relief Society, especially the 
 general authorities of that great organization, that they will 
 have a watchcare over all its organizations among the 
 women of Zion. They stand at the head of all such ; they 
 ought to stand at the head, and they should magnify their 
 calling, and see to it that error is not permitted to creep in, 
 that cabals are not formed, that secret combinations may not 
 get a foothold, to mislead the sisters. They should see to it 
 that the other organizations of women in the Church corre- 
 spond and are in harmony with their organization. Why 
 should this be? In order that the women of Zion may be 
 united, that their interests may be in common, and not 
 conflicting or segregated, and that the purpose of this organ- 
 ization may be realized and the organization itself be effec- 
 tive for good in every part of the Church throughout the 
 world, wherever the gospel is preached. We realize that it 
 is impossible for men or women possessing physical weak- 
 nesses on account of age or infirmities, to meet every re- 
 quirement ; but we expect every man and woman entrusted 
 with responsibility -in the Church to do their duty to the. 
 utmost of their ability. That we look for ; that we pray for ; 
 for that we labor to the best of the ability and strength we 
 possess. Apr. C. R., 1906, pp. 3-4. 
 
 OBJECTS OF THE RELIEF SOCIETY. Furthermore, I de- 
 sire to commend the work of the Relief Society, an organ- 
 ization that was effected by the Prophet Joseph Smith. The 
 objects of this organization are manifold. It is not de- 
 'signed to look only after the poor and the needy as to their 
 bodily necessities, but it is also intended to look after the 
 spiritual, mental and moral welfare of the mothers and 
 d'; lighters in Zion, and all who are engaged or interested in 
 female work. I commend the Relief Societies to the bishops, 
 
484 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and say, be friendly to these organizations, because they are 
 auxiliary organizations and a great help to the bishops. 
 Oct. C. R., 1902, p. 88. 
 
 DUTIES AND PURPOSE OF THE RELIEF SOCIETY. I will 
 speak of the Relief Society as one great organization in the 
 Church, organized by the Prophet Joseph Smith, whose duty 
 it is to look after the interests of all the women of Zion and 
 of all the women that may come under their supervision and 
 care, irrespective of religion, color or condition. I expect to 
 see the day when this organization will be one of the most 
 perfect, most efficient and effective organizations for good in 
 the Church ; but that day will be when we shall have women 
 who are not only imbued with the spirit of the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ, and with the testimony of Christ in their hearts, but 
 also with youth, vigor and intelligence to enable them to 
 discharge the great duties and responsibilities that rest upon 
 them. Today it is too much the case that our young, vigor- 
 ous, intelligent women feel that only the aged should be 
 connected with the Relief Society. This is a mistake. We 
 want the young women, the intelligent women, women of 
 faith, of courage and of purity to be associated with the 
 Relief Societies of the various stakes and wards of Zion. 
 "We want them to take hold of this work with vigor, with 
 intelligence and unitedly, for the building up of Zion and the 
 instruction of women in their duties domestic duties, public 
 duties, and every duty that may devolve upon them. Apr. 
 C. R. } 1907, p. 6. 
 
 THE RELIEF SOCIETY. I can say the same with refer- 
 ence to the first and most important auxiliary organization 
 of the Church, that of the Relief Society. They have been 
 doing the best they could ; but now we have suggested a 
 complete organization of that society, that is, the general 
 authorities of that organization; and we trust that from 
 this time forth, they will be able to begin with renewed en- 
 ergy, judgment and wisdom, the performance of the duties 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 485 
 
 that devolve upon them, even those who are called to take 
 the oversight of this great work in Zion, the Relief Society 
 organization. Apr. C. R., 1911, p. 7. 
 
 OBJECT OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS AND CHURCH SCHOOLS. 
 The object of our Sunday Schools and the object of our 
 Church schools', the great, the paramount object, is to teach 
 our children the truth, teach them to be honorable, pure- 
 minded, virtuous, honest and upright, and enable them, by our 
 advice and counsel and by our guardianship over them, until 
 they reach the years of accountability, to become the honor- 
 able of the earth, the good and the pure among mankind, 
 the virtuous and the upright, and those who shall be worthy 
 to enter the house of God and not be ashamed of themselves 
 in the presence of angels, if they should come to visit them. 
 Apr. C. R., 1903, p. 82. 
 
 THE TEACHER ESSENTIAL IN SUNDAY SCHOOL WORK. 
 One of the essentials to a good Sunday School is to have 
 good, pure-minded, intelligent, noble, true and faithful teach- 
 ers. If you will have a child develop to what he should be, 
 he that teaches the child should be developed to what he 
 ought to be ; and until he is developed in intelligence, in 
 faith, in works of righteousness, in purity of heart and mind 
 and spirit, he is not in a very good position to elevate others 
 to it Oct. C. R., 1903, p. 99. 
 
 THE FIRST QUALIFICATION OF A SUNDAY SCHOOL 
 TEACHER. The first qualification for a teacher in our Sun- 
 day Schools is that he be heart and soul a Latter-day Saint. 
 He must believe in and unreservedly accept the doctrines of 
 the Church, otherwise his teachings will be subversive of the 
 very purpose for which these schools are maintained. 
 
 It is a self-evident truth, that no one can give what he 
 does not possess ; and the teacher who is lacking a testimony 
 of the gospel can never inspire such testimony in his pu- 
 pils. 
 
 The measure of personal liberty allowed by our liberal 
 
486 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Church organization in the matter of giving instruction is 
 great ; but such liberty must not be degraded into a license 
 to teach as the doctrines of the Church what is but the per- 
 sonal belief of the individual. A teacher rinding himself a 
 non-believer in any of the principles or tenets of the Church, 
 will, if he be truly honorable, voluntarily ask release from 
 his position. No one can in righteousness be asked to teach 
 what he does not believe and accept as the truth ; nor will 
 one who is sincere in his convictions attempt to do so; still 
 less will any teacher who loves the truth dishonor his posi- 
 tion by employing its opportunities to inculcate personal 
 views not in harmony with the teachings of the Church. 
 Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 39, April 1, 1914, p. 210. 
 
 THE PRINCIPLE OF SABBATH SCHOOL TEACHING. There 
 is one point that has rested upon. my mind in relation to the 
 Sabbath Schools, and it is this : I think there is nothing in 
 the Sunday School work more necessary or essential than 
 that all the teachers of the Sunday Schools should win the 
 love and the confidence of their pupils. I believe that 
 greater good can be done in the Sunday Schools by the 
 teachers where they have the absolute affection and con- 
 fidence of their pupils than under any other conditions. You 
 may teach them, you may drill them in concert, and you may 
 have them commit to memory, and labor in every other way 
 that you possibly can to accomplish the good that you desire 
 with your children, but in nothing, in my opinion, can you 
 succeed so well as when you possess their undivided love 
 and confidence. If a child thinks a teacher is harsh with 
 him or her, or unkind toward him, or does not feel a real, 
 genuine love for him, if he feels that the teacher is not taking 
 a real interest in him as one who loves him, he can never be 
 led to possess the right spirit ; but when he feels that the 
 teacher loves him, is trying to do him good and to teach him 
 that which will be for his everlasting welfare, then you have 
 an influence over that child, that when he studies he will 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 487 
 
 study with a purpose and with an earnest desire to be 
 benefited and to please the teacher; because he knows and 
 feels in his little heart that the teacher loves him and is seek- 
 ing to do him good. I have entertained this sentiment from 
 the beginning, in relation to the instruction of the little 
 children. It is a principle that obtains at the home as well 
 as in the Sunday School. If you can only convince your 
 children that you love them, that your soul goes out to them 
 for their good, that you are their truest friend, they, in turn, 
 will place confidence in you and will love you and seek to do 
 your bidding and to carry out your wishes with your love. 
 But if you are selfish, unkindly to them, and if they are not 
 confident that they have your entire affection, they will be 
 selfish, and will not care whether they please you or carry out 
 your wishes or not, and the result will be that they will 
 grow wayward, thoughtless and careless, and although you 
 may drill them, like a parrot, to repeat verses and to speak in 
 concert, and all that sort of thing, they will do it mechani- 
 cally, without affection, and without its having that effect 
 upon their souls that you desire it should have. Apr. C. R., 
 1902, pp. 97-98. 
 
 THE STAKE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD. As the General 
 Sunday School Union Board represents the First Presidency 
 of the Church and constitutes under the direction of the 
 Presidency and Council of the Twelve, the highest author- 
 ity in the Church on Sunday School matters, so the Stake 
 Board, under the direction of the Stake Presidency and 
 General Sunday School Board, represents the highest author- 
 ity in Sunday School work in the stake. If it were not so, 
 there would be no unity. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 43, Aug- 
 ust, 1908, p. 310. 
 
 THE IMPORTANCE OF M. I. A. WORK. I want to say 
 a few words to the Mutual Improvement Associations. You 
 young men and young women, officers of the Mutual Im- 
 provement Associations, I implore you to go from this con- 
 
488 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ference and do your duty. Look after the wayward, the 
 disobedient, the thoughtless, and the indifferent. It is nec- 
 essary that they should be guarded and looked after. As 
 it has been expressed here time and again, it is better for us 
 to save our own boys who are being misled at home, than 
 it is for us to go out into the world and spend years of 
 time and endless means in order to gather in a few people 
 from the world, while some of our own boys and girls need 
 redemption as much as they, besides these people of the 
 world are so full of the traditions and superstitions of their 
 fathers when they gather to Zion that it is difficult, if not 
 impossible, for them to entirely overcome these traditions and 
 get down to a full comprehension of the gospel and a com- 
 plete reception of the truth. Yet a soul saved out in the 
 world is as precious in the sight of God as a soul saved at 
 home. But we have work to do right at home, at our own 
 doors ; and it will not do for us to neglect the work neces- 
 sary to be done at our own thresholds, and then go out into 
 the world to do work that is no more necessary. Let us do 
 our duty everywhere. Oct. C. R., 1902, p. 87. 
 
 THE FIELD OF THE YOUNG MEN'S MUTUAL IMPROVE- 
 MKXT ASSOCIATIONS. The systematic work now being done 
 by the quorums of priesthood provides our young men with 
 the necessary teachings in formal theology and trains them 
 in the duties that pertain to their callings in the priesthood. 
 
 There is, however, a strong need among the young men 
 of the Church to have an organization and meetings which 
 they themselves conduct; in which they may learn to pre- 
 side over public assemblies ; to obtain a practice necessary 
 to express themselves before the public; and to enjoy them- 
 selves in studying and practicing civil, social, scientific, re- 
 ligious and educational affairs. 
 
 The Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations 
 therefore should be strengthened and their efficiency in- 
 creased in order to offset and counteract the tendency now so 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 489 
 
 prevalent to establish private clubs, secret and social organ- 
 izations, and select educational societies. 
 
 They may be made to cover all these requirements, and it 
 will be a wise policy to grant them the fullest liberty, con- 
 sistent with the order and policy of the Church, in the selec- 
 tion of their officers, management and conduct of their as- 
 sociations. 
 
 It is of vital importance that not only the young men of 
 our Church, but also the regularly constituted stake and ward 
 officers thereof shall have a clear understanding as to the 
 place and privileges which the Mutual Improvement Asso- 
 ciations hold among the Latter-day Saints, in order to pro- 
 mote harmony, union of purpose, and the best interests of 
 all concerned. 
 
 To define this field and to give an understanding to our 
 young people and all concerned, we deem it expedient that a 
 declaration should be made at this our June conference, that 
 there is as great opportunity now as ever before for these 
 organizations, and that increased activity in other depart- 
 ments should cause no abatement of effort or efficiency in our 
 associations; but rather that renewed effort should be put 
 forth by the Improvement workers, and that every facility 
 should be afforded them by stake and ward authorities to 
 accomplish their glorious mission among the youth of Zion. 
 
 The field to be occupied is religious, social and educa- 
 tional. The religious work is not to be formally theological 
 in its nature, but rather to be confined to the limits outlined 
 by President Brigham Young, when the organizations were 
 first established: "Let the keynote of your work be the es- 
 tablishment in the youth of an individual testimony of the 
 truth and magnitude of the great Latter-day work; and the 
 development of the gifts within them." In other words, to 
 obtain a testimony of the truth and to learn to declare and 
 express that testimony ; and to develop all noble gifts within 
 them. 
 
490 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 The social includes control of various public and private 
 amusements ; musical, dramatic and other entertainments and 
 festivals ; field sports, athletic tournaments, excursions and 
 other varieties of social gatherings. 
 
 The educational should include regular class work in 
 ethics and practical religion, literature, science, history, bi- 
 ography, art, music, civil government supplemented by de- 
 bates, oratorical and musical contests, lectures, essays, writing 
 for publication, reading and speaking under the auspices of 
 the organization, and if necessary carried on in departments 
 under instructors capable of specializing in their particular 
 lines. 
 
 \Ye have directed the General Board to appoint commit- 
 tees to have in charge, under the direction of the whole 
 Board, these various lines, who have a thorough knowledge 
 of the work, and who are in sympathy with our young men. 
 
 These committees may be sub-divided or added to as the 
 wisdom of the Board or the exigencies of the work may de- 
 mand ; and like organizations may be instituted in the various 
 stakes and wards, as far as practicable or necessary. At the 
 meetings of the Board reports from these committees will be 
 asked for and given as a regular order of business. 
 
 We believe that this course will promote the welfare of 
 all and a good feeling among our young people, and prevent 
 their seeking other organizations and interests to which to 
 devote their time and attention. 
 
 There is no mental, social or physical excellence or en- 
 joyment that the Church does not foster and desire to pro- 
 mote among the young men of our community, and its pur- 
 pose in sustaining the Mutual Improvement Associations and 
 charging them with the care of our young men is to answer 
 every desire of this nature and to provide among ourselves 
 the gratification of every legitimate ambition and impulse to 
 excel in these fields without having to seek opportunities 
 elsewhere. 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 491 
 
 From the presiding priesthood of the Church in the 
 stakes of Zion, and in the wards and missions, we therefore 
 ask, in behalf of our young men, sympathy and support, to 
 sustain and uphold the Young Men's Mutual Improvement 
 Associations in the field of usefulness herein briefly outlined, 
 and to provide them with places of meeting and- amusement. 
 
 We ask that the associations be permitted to select men 
 of education and ability for class and special teachers, who 
 are suitable, agreeable and capable, and who are in love with 
 the young people and in full sympathy with them and their 
 views. 
 
 Granting them the fullest liberty consistent with the or- 
 der and policy of the Church will encourage them in the 
 faith, and they will be not a whit less amenable to the Church 
 authorities, but rather will grow more enthusiastic in every 
 way for the promotion of the work of the Lord. The Young 
 Men's Mutual Improvement Associations have been from the 
 first in very deed helps to the priesthood, and in behalf of its 
 members we pledge ourselves and them to continue in this 
 line in the future; being certain that no trust or added re- 
 sponsibility imposed upon our young people will be violated, 
 but they will prove loyal to the authorities and the work of 
 the Lord. 
 
 Respectfully, 
 
 JOSEPH F. SMITH, 
 HEBER J. GRANT, 
 B. H. ROBERTS, 
 
 General Superintendency. 
 
 The foregoing Declaration of the Place and Privileges 
 of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association was 
 read and adopted at the Annual Conference, June 5, 1909. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 12, August, 1909, p. 819. 
 
 PURPOSE OF MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATIONS. Our 
 work is in one sense primary work, and yet it reaches beyond 
 
492 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 primary grades. The firsthand great object of the organization 
 of the Mutual Improvement Associations as auxiliary organi- 
 zations of the priesthood in the Church was to become in- 
 strumental in bringing the youth of Zion to a knowledge of 
 the truth, and in guiding them into the straight and narrow 
 path. We have found that there is in some degree a feeling 
 of shyness and of fear that seizes the minds of some of our 
 youth when the organizations of the Priesthood are men- 
 tioned. Some of the children grow up more or less indiffer- 
 ent, more or less afraid of the responsibilities involved in 
 the performances of the Church duties. They are like colts 
 that need training, and it is difficult sometimes to reach them. 
 But through these auxiliary organizations we have been able 
 to reach out a guiding hand, and to exert an influence for 
 good over many of our young men and women, whom it 
 would have been difficult to reach by the organizations of the 
 priesthood. In so far these organizations have accomplished 
 a most excellent primary work ; for this is in the sense of a 
 primary work, and I do not kn.ow but the necessity of our 
 organizations will continue as long as we have children grow- 
 ing up amongst us who are shy of the priesthood, and who 
 are afraid of assuming the duties and responsibilities that 
 belong to the Church. 
 
 Then we have instituted class work, have written man- 
 uals, and have given out subjects for study and improvement 
 by all those who are connected with these organizations 
 which have been intended to lead them along into greater 
 experiences and better understanding of the principles of the 
 gospel of Jesus Christ. For, after all, this is the great and 
 grand object of these organizations. 
 
 The fact is, my brethren and sisters and friends, that the 
 gospel of Christ is the biggest thing in the world. Very few 
 of us, probably, comprehend its greatness. The way we are 
 situated in life, engaged day in and day out, week in and 
 week out, year in and year out, in the daily vocations of life ; 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 493 
 
 struggling to earn bread for our necessities, and the necessi- 
 ties of those who are dependent upon us, struggling to build 
 homes for ourselves and our children ; struggling to collect 
 the elements of the earth and subdue them, and to bring 
 them into subjection to our will; working, toiling, striving 
 day by day in temporal things, in the cares and thoughts of 
 the world, we are inclined to give very little thought, very 
 little reflection to the more important things, those things 
 which shall endure after mortality shall come to an end. And 
 the most of mankind have come to the conclusion, judging 
 them by their acts, and their walk and conversation in life 
 that the greatest thing in the world is to obtain wealth. And 
 then, having obtained wealth and the hings that wealth pro- 
 duce, or will bring to them, they feel that the rest of life and 
 the responsibilities of it are very trifling and unimportant, 
 and they leave their religion to their priests, if they have any 
 religion at all. And the great majority of the world today, I 
 believe, that is, on our hemisphere, are becoming very indif- 
 ferent toward religion of any kind. The cheaper it can be 
 found or obtained by them the better they like it; the less 
 exertion required of them to be members of a church organ- 
 ization the better it suits them. The less care they are required 
 to give to religion the better they like it ; and if they can find 
 something that will bring solace and ease and relaxation to 
 an overburdened conscience for having committed crime in 
 the thought that men possess power to forgive sin, that suits 
 them about as well as anything else, and a little better. Hence 
 we can see where the world is drifting today as far as re- 
 ligion is concerned. If they can get it cheap, if it does not 
 cause them any exertion, they do not mind having just a lit- 
 tle of it. But this is not the case with Lutter-day Saints. 
 Nor is it the case with a living religion. For I want to tell 
 you that the religion of Christ is not a Sunday religion ; it 
 is not a momentary religion ; it is a religion that never ends ; 
 and it requires duties of its devotees on Monday, Tuesday, 
 
494 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Wednesday and all the days of the week just as sincerely, 
 just as strongly, as it does on the Sabbath day. And I would 
 not give the ashes of a rye straw for a Sunday religion, or 
 for a religion that is manufactured by men, whether by 
 priests or laymen. My religion is the religion of God. It is 
 the religion of Jesus Christ, otherwise it would be absolutely 
 worthless to me, and it would be worthless to all other men, 
 so far as religion is concerned. If it is not in my soul, if I 
 had not received it in my heart, or if I did not believe it with 
 all my might, mind and strength, and be it, live it, and keep 
 it secure in my heart all the days of my life week days as 
 well as days of rest, in secret as well as in public, at home and 
 abroad, everywhere the same ; then the religion of Christ, the 
 religion of well doing, the religion of righteousness, the re- 
 ligion of purity, the religion of kindliness, faith, salvation 
 from temporal sins, and salvation and exaltation in the King- 
 dom of our God my religion would not be the gospel of the 
 Son of God to me. This is "Mormonism ;" and that is the 
 kind of religion we want to teach to our children. We must 
 receive it ourselves and teach it from our hearts to their 
 hearts and from our affections to their affections, and we 
 can then inspire them because of our own faith and our own 
 faithfulness and convictions of the Church. 
 
 These organizations of young men and women are in- 
 tended to help the wayward, giddy and wild ; to work with 
 those who are at large in the world, who are not subject to 
 any organization at all ; to gather them in ; hunt them up, and 
 get hold of them by love, by kindness, by the spirit of salva- 
 tion, the spirit to bring them to a knowledge of the truth, 
 that they may find the way of life and walk in it ; that they 
 may have light everlasting within themselves through the 
 Spirit of God. 
 
 All truth cometh from the Lord. He is the fountain of 
 truth ; or in other words, he is the everlasting spring of life 
 and truth, and from him cometh all knowledge, all wisdom, 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 495 
 
 all virtue and all power. When I read books that are scat- 
 tered broadcast through the world, throwing discredit upon 
 words and teachings and doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 saying that some of the ideas Jesus uttered, truths that he 
 promulgated, have been enunciated before by the ancient 
 philosophers among the heathen nations of the world, I want 
 to tell you that there is not a heathen philosopher that ever 
 lived in all the world from the beginning, that had a truth 
 or enunciated a principle of God's truth that did not receive 
 it from the fountain head, from God himself. God knew the 
 truth before any heathen philosopher. No man has received 
 intelligence but has had to come to the Fountain Head. He 
 may not have known it, may not have realized the source of 
 his knowledge, but it came from God. God taught the first 
 truth that was ever taught to man. The Lord has bestowed 
 his truth upon the earth from generation to generation and 
 he has visited the people in various ways, from age to age, 
 according to the nearness with which he could draw them to 
 himself. He has raised up philosophers among them, teach- 
 ers of men, to set the example, and to develop the mind and 
 understanding of the human race in all nations of the world. 
 God did it, but the world do not give credit to God, but give 
 it to men, to heathen philosophers. They give credit to them. 
 I give it to God. And I tell you God knew the truth before 
 they did, and through revelation they got it. If they received 
 light at all they had it from God, just as Columbus got it 
 from the Lord. What inspired Columbus with the spirit of 
 unrest, the spirit of longing, with an intense desire that he 
 could not overcome to seek out this western hemisphere ? 
 Brethren and sisters, I acknowledge God's hand in it. It was 
 inspiration that seized Columbus and he was moved by it. But 
 men do not acknowledge God's hand in it. In the Book of 
 Mormon, we learn it was God's Spirit working upon him. 
 The Lord moved upon Columbus and he could not restrain 
 the influence that was upon him until he had accomplished 
 
496 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the work. The same may be said of any intelligent man that 
 has enlightened humanity, from the earliest ages down to the 
 present time. 
 
 Let me say to you, my fellow workers in the cause of 
 Zion, do not forget to acknowledge the hand of God in all 
 things. He told the Jews that he had other sheep that were 
 not of that fold, and that he must visit them. He did visit 
 them. He came to the sheep of the fold occupying this con- 
 tinent, dwelling here unknown to the Jews, and he revealed 
 the principles of the gospel to them. And when he visited 
 them, he said, "Ye are they of whom I said, Other sheep I 
 have which are not of this fold ; them also I must bring, and 
 they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and 
 one shepherd." (Ill Nephi 15:21.) 
 
 Read in the Doctrine and Covenants of a parable in 
 which the kingdom of God is likened unto a man with twelve 
 servants working in his field, each having his portion, calling 
 and allotment. The Lord visited the first and taught him the 
 truth and cheered him up by his presence and voice and 
 counsel ; then he visited the second, then the third and so 
 on until the twelfth, each in his time, each in his season, 
 each according to his necessities. (Doc. and Cov. 88: 51-63.) 
 
 And so it has been with God from the foundation of the 
 world. He has visited all nations, kindred, tongues, and 
 people, and yet the truth has not been revealed to the world 
 in its fulness, and men have not been called to do the work 
 that Christ was called to do ; nor the work that Abraham 
 was called to do ; nor that which Noah was appointed to do ; 
 nor that appointed to the twelve apostles to preach his name 
 and proclaim his gospel to the world. They were called like 
 Columbus to do work God required them to do. Later God 
 revealed the power of steam to Watt, just as he has inspired 
 every other philosopher and scientist and great man of the 
 world. I acknowledge the hand of God in it. I give God 
 the honor, the glory; and I know that it is in accordance 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 497 
 
 with his purpose that he has inspired these things to be 
 brought to pass. I believe that Mohammed was an inspired 
 man and the Lord raised him up to do the work he did. 
 
 I believe God raised up Joseph Smith to lay the founda- 
 tions of the gospel of Christ in the dispensation of the ful- 
 ness of times ; that it will remain and no more be broken 
 up; but will continue until God's promises are accomplished 
 in the world and Christ shall come and reign, whose right 
 it is to reign in the midst of the earth. This is what I believe 
 about it, and the Lord's hand was in the raising up of Jo- 
 seph Smith to accomplish the work. 
 
 Joseph Smith was called to do this work ; and he did it. 
 He has been an instrument in the hands of God by giving 
 each of us the power to obtain knowledge for ourselves 
 through the mercy and love of God, and to become teachers 
 of it to the world; teachers not only to our children, but to 
 nations that are in darkness and know not the truth. And it 
 is a living, daily religion, an hourly religion. It requires us 
 to do right today, this hour, this week, this month and this 
 year ; and so on from year to year, to live our religion which 
 is the religion of Jesus Christ of righteousness, of truth, of 
 mercy, of love, forgiveness, kindness, union, and peace on 
 earth and good will to man and all the world. This is our 
 mission. 
 
 May the Lord bless you my brethren and sisters, and 
 my fellow workers in the cause of Zion, is my prayer. 
 Young Woman's Journal, Vol. 18, 1907, pp. 312-315. 
 
 THE FOUNTAIN OF TRUTH. We hear frequently of men 
 who throw discredit on the doctrine of Jesus Christ, our 
 Savior and Redeemer, because some of the principles, doc- 
 trines, and philosophy which he taught are said to have been 
 spoken before his day by heathen philosophers. 
 
 A variety of examples are sometimes quoted to show 
 that Zoroaster and other ancient philosophers made known 
 truths, and that the Old Testament, the Avesta, and other 
 
 33 
 
498 GOSPEL DOCTRlMi 
 
 writings, contain sentiments, which were repeated, perhaps 
 in slightly different form, by the Son of God. He taught 
 nothing new, they say, and so they incline to belittle his mis- 
 sion, and accuse him of plagiarizing the truth. 
 
 It is conceded by a number of competent students that 
 the ideals which have grown from the doctrines of Christ 
 are a direct development of what is found in the teachings of 
 the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms and in the 
 second part of Isaiah. But, on the other hand, it is just as 
 certain that these ideals receive a finish and an enrichment, 
 by the touch of the Savior, vastly beyond vmd above what 
 they possessed before, and also they are placed on deeper and 
 firmer foundations. This, let it be said to begin with, is be- 
 cause they were his before they were ever uttered by man. 
 
 Even in the five distinctive and characteristic topics gen- 
 erally considered by commentators original in the teachings 
 of Jesus, we find little if anything new, except the enlarge- 
 ment. These are named as, the Fatherhood of God ; sub- 
 jects or members of the Kingdom; the Messiah; the Holy 
 Ghost ; and the Tri-Unity of God. 
 
 But the idea of the Fatherhood of God was .not un- 
 known either to the Pagans or to Israel. Zeus from the 
 time of Homer had borne the name "Father of gods and 
 men." But. both in Jewish and Pagan literature, the idea 
 was superficial and meant little more than "originator" 
 (Gen. 1 :26) ; and in the old Jewish scripture God is more 
 particularly called the Father of his people, Israel (Deut. 
 14 :1 ; Isaiah 63 :6). But in the teachings of Christ there is a 
 fuller embodiment of revelation in the word Father, and the 
 application which he makes of the Fatherhood of God in- 
 vests his life with supreme tenderness and beauty. As an 
 example : In the old scriptures, we are told, "Like as a 
 father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear 
 him;" (Psalm 103:13,) but by the interpretation of Jesus, 
 the love of God as Father extends beyond these limitations 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 499 
 
 even to those who are unthankful and evil : "But I say unto 
 you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good 
 to them that hate you, and pray for them which dispitefully 
 use you, and persecute you ; that ye may be the children of 
 our Father which is in heaven : for he maketh his sun to rise 
 on the evil and' on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and 
 the unjust" (Matt. 5:45). "But love ye your enemies, nd 
 do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again ; and your re- 
 ward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the 
 Highest ; for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." 
 (Luke 6:35.) . 
 
 And so with other doctrines of Christ; while perhaps 
 not new, they were enriched by the addition of fuller, broad- 
 er, more loving conceptions of God and his purposes ; in 
 which compulsion was eliminated, and lowly service, love, 
 and self-acrifice were substituted and made the true forces 
 of an acceptable life. Even the answer to the lawyer's ques- 
 tion, often called the eleventh commandment, "Master, 
 which is the great commandment in the law?" had been 
 given to the children of Israel, (Lev. 19:18) over two thou- 
 sand years before its perfected meaning was impressed upon 
 the learned Pharisee. (Matt. 22:34, 40.) 
 
 But what of all this ? Are we therefore to discredit the 
 teachings of the Savior? Verily no. Let it be remembered 
 that Christ was with the Father from the beginning, that the 
 gospel of truth and light existed from the beginning, and is 
 from everlasting to everlasting. The Father, Son and Holy 
 Ghost, as one God, are the fountain of truth. From this 
 fountain all the ancient learned philosophers have received 
 their inspiration and wisdom from it they have received all 
 their knowledge. If we find truth in broken fragments 
 through the ages, it may be set down as an incontrovertible 
 fact that it originated at the fountain, and was given to 
 philosophers, inventors, patriots, reformers, and prophets by 
 the inspiration of God. It came from him through his Son 
 
500 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, in the first place, and from 
 no other source. It is eternal. 
 
 Christ, therefore, being the fountain of truth, is no 
 imitator. He taught the truth first ; it was his before it was 
 given to man. When he came to the earth he not only pro- 
 claimed new thought, but repeated some of the everlasting 
 principles which had been heretofore only partly understood 
 and enunciated by the wisest of men. And in so doing he 
 enlarged in every instance upon the wisdom which they had 
 originally received from him, because of his superior abilities 
 and wisdom, and his association with the Father and the 
 Holy Ghost. He did not imitate men. They made known 
 in their imperfect way what the inspiration of Jesus Christ 
 had taught them, for they obtained theii enlightenment 
 first from him. He taught the gospel to Adam, and made 
 known his truths to Abraham and the prophets. He was the 
 inspirer of the ancient philosophers, Pagan or Israelite, as 
 well as of the great characters of more modern times. 
 Columbus, in discovery ; Washington, in the struggle for 
 freedom ; Lincoln, in emancipation and union ; Bacon, in 
 philosophy; Franklin, in statesmanship and diplomacy; 
 Stephenson, in steam ; Watts, in song ; Edison, in electricity ; 
 and Joseph Smith, in theology and religion, found the 
 source of their wisdom and the marvelous truths which they 
 advocated, in Jesus Christ. 
 
 Calvin, Luther, Melanchthon, and all the reformers, 
 were inspired in thoughts, words, and actions to accomplish 
 what they did for the amelioration, liberty and advancement 
 of the human race. They paved the way for the more per- 
 fect gospel of truth to come. Their inspiration, as with that 
 of the ancients, came from the Father, his Son Jesus Christ, 
 and the Holy Ghost, the one true and living God. This may 
 also truthfully be said concerning the Revolutionary fathers 
 of this nation, and all who have in the ages past contributed 
 to the progress of civil and religious freedom. There is no 
 
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 501 
 
 light or truth which did not come to them first from him. 
 Men are mere repeaters of what he has taught them. He 
 has voiced no thought originating with man. The teachings 
 of Jesus did not begin with his incarnation ; for, like truth, 
 he is eternal. He not only inspired the ancients, from the 
 beginning, but when he came to earth he reiterated eternal, 
 original truth, and added gloriously to the revelations men 
 had uttered. When he returned to the Father, he still took, 
 and does take, an interest in his children and people, by re- 
 vealing to them new truths, and by inspiring their actions; 
 and, as men grow in the knowledge of God, they shall be- 
 come more and more like him unto the perfect day, when his 
 knowledge shall cover the earth as the waters cover the 
 deep. 
 
 It is folly, therefore, to discredit the Savior on the 
 grounds that he has uttered nothing new ; for, with the 
 Father and the Spirit, he is the author of that which persists 
 the truth that which has been, that which is, and that 
 which will continue forever. Improvement Era, Vol. 10, 
 1907, pp. 627-30. 
 
 PURPOSE AND DUTIES OF RELIGION CLASSES. The Re- 
 ligion Class work is an adjunct to the Church schools. It is a 
 necessary and most interesting adjunct to our auxiliary or- 
 ganizations. It was established to assist in the proper train- 
 ing and education of our children, and I commend it to the 
 presiding authorities, throughout the Church, and bespeak 
 for it their kind attention, encouragement and assistance, so 
 far as it lies in their power. Let us take care of these things, 
 for they nurture and strengthen our children in the right 
 direction, and there is nothing more important. It is extreme 
 folly for any people to send thousands of missionaries out 
 into the world to preach the gospel to the nations, and 
 neglect their own children at home. I think our very first 
 interest should be to look after our children, and see that they 
 have every advantage necessary to bring them up in the way 
 
502 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 they should go, that when they get old they may not depart 
 from it. Apr. C. R., 1906, p. 6. 
 
 TEACHERS MUST BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST. Any man 
 who will question the divinity of the mission of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, or will deny the so-called miracles of the scrip- 
 tures, is unfit to be a teacher of Latter-day Saint children. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 21, December, 1917, p. 104. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Political Government. 
 
 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. I believe with all my soul 
 in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in the law of God, and I do 
 not think any honest and intelligent man or woman could 
 help but believe in the justice, the righteousness and the 
 purity of the laws that God wrote upon the tablets of stone. 
 These principles that I propose to read to you are the founda- 
 tion and basic principles of the Constitution of our country, 
 and are eternal, enduring forevermore, and cannot be 
 changed nor ignored with impunity : 
 
 "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord 
 thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, 
 out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods 
 before me." 
 
 That is what it means now, and what it meant to the 
 Latter-day Saints, and what the Latter-day Saints under- 
 stood it to mean, when they embraced the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." He is the 
 Father of our spirits, the Father of our Lord and Savior 
 Jesus Christ, who is our God; and we shall not have any 
 other before him. 
 
 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or 
 any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in 
 the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth : 
 
 "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve 
 them : for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the 
 iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and 
 fourth generation of them that hate me ; and showing mercy 
 unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my command- 
 ments." (Exodus 20: 1-7.) 
 
504 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Infidels will say to you : "How unjust, how unmerciful, 
 how un-Godlike it is to visit the iniquities of the parents upon 
 the children to the third and fourth generations of them that 
 hate God." How do you see it ? This way : and it is strictly 
 in accordance with God's law. The infidel will impart infi- 
 delity to his children if he can. The whoremonger will not 
 raise a pure, righteous posterity. He will impart seeds of 
 disease and misery, if not of death and destruction, upon his 
 offspring, which will continue upon his children and descend 
 to his children's children to the third and fourth generation. 
 It is perfectly natural that the children should inherit from 
 their fathers, and if they sow the seeds of corruption, crime 
 and loathsome disease, their children will reap the fruits 
 thereof. Not in accordance with God's, wishes, for his wish 
 is that men will not sin and therefore will not transmit the 
 consequences of their sin to their children, but that they 
 will keep his commandments, and be free from sin and from 
 entailing the effects of sin upon their offspring ; but inasmuch 
 as men will not hearken unto the Lord, but will become a 
 law unto themselves, and will commit sin they will justly 
 reap the consequences of their own iniquity, and will nat- 
 urally impart its fruits to their children to the third and 
 fourth generation. The laws of nature are the laws of God, 
 who is just ; it is not God that inflicts these penalties, they 
 are the effects of disobedience, to his law. The results of 
 men's own acts follow them. 
 
 "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy Gol in 
 vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his 
 name in vain." 
 
 This is an eternal principle; it is not one that we may 
 obey today and disobey tomorrow, or that we may espouse 
 today as a part of our faith, and abandon tomorrow with 
 impunity. It is a principle that is inherent in the plan of life 
 and salvation, for the regeneration of mankind. 
 
 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS .505 
 
 days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seve.ith 
 day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not 
 do my work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man- 
 servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy strarg- 
 er that is within thy gates," etc. 
 
 That is : Thou shalt honor the Sabbath day and keep it 
 holy. Do we do it? Is it necessary to do it? It is abso- 
 lutely necessary to do so in order that we may be in har- 
 mony with God's law and commandments ; and whenever 
 we transgress that law or that commandment we are guilty 
 of transgressing the law of God. And what will be the re- 
 sult, if we continue? Our children will follow in our foot- 
 steps ; they will dishonor the command of God to keep one 
 day holy in seven ; and will lose the spirit of obedience to the 
 laws of God and his requirements, just as the father will lose 
 it if he continues to violate the commandments. 
 
 "Honor thy father and thy mother : that thy days may 
 be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." 
 
 When will we ever outgrow that command ? When can 
 we set it aside ? When shall we reach the time that we can 
 dishonor our father and mother? Never! It is an eternal 
 principle, and I am sorry to say not sorry for the Japs and 
 for the Chinese these heathen nations, as we have been in the 
 habit of calling them I am not sorry for them, but for the 
 comparison with them. Those heathen nations set the civilized 
 Christian world an example in the honor they bestow upon 
 their parents, and yet this Christian people and nation and 
 all the Christian nations of the earth, who have the word of 
 the Lord, and the counsels of the Son of God for their guid- 
 ance, are not leading out in setting an example of obedience, 
 as they should, to this great commandment of the Lord. 
 "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be 
 long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." 
 
 Again, "Thou shalt not kill." That is a command of 
 God. It is irrevocable, unless he revokes it ; you and I can't 
 
506 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 revoke it ; we must not transgress it ; it is binding upon us. 
 \Ye should not take away the life we cannot restore or give 
 back. It is an eternal, unchangeable law. 
 
 'Thou shalt not commit adultery." Just as unchange- 
 able ! just as eternal ! for the adulterer hath no place in the 
 kingdom of God, fior can he attain to an exaltation there. 
 
 'Thou shalt not steal." 
 
 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neigh- 
 bor." 
 
 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt 
 not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his 
 maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy 
 neighbor's." (Exodus 20: 8-17.) 
 
 "Thou shalt not covet." We may say we are thankful 
 that the Lord has blessed our neighbor above that which he 
 has blessed us. We may be thankful that the Lord has 
 given to our neighbor greater wisdom and ability to honestly 
 gather to himself. But we should not covet it. We should 
 not be envious, because we are commanded not to be. 
 
 Now, these are the commandments of God, the prin- 
 ciples, contained in these commandments of the great Eternal 
 are the principles that underly the constitution of our coun- 
 try, and all just laws. Joseph Smith, the prophet, was in- 
 spired to affirm and ratify this truth, and he further pre- 
 dicted that the time would come, when the constitution of 
 our country would hang as it were by a thread, and that 
 the Latter-day Saints, above all other people in the world, 
 would come to the rescue of that great and glorious pala- 
 dium of our liberty. We cannot brook the thought of ir being 
 torn into shreds, or destroyed, or trampled under foot and 
 ignored by men. We cannot tolerate the sentiment, at 
 one time expressed, by a man high in authority in the nation. 
 He said : "The constitution be damned ; the popular sentiment 
 of the people is the constitution !" That is the sentiment of 
 anarchism, and has spread to a certain extent, and is spread- 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 507 
 
 ing over "the land of liberty and home of the brave." \Ve 
 do not tolerate it. Latter-clay Saints cannot tolerate such a 
 spirit as this. It is anarchy. It means destruction. It is 
 the spirit of mobocracy, and the Lord knows we have suf- 
 fered enough from mobocracy, and we do not want any more 
 of it. Our people from Mexico are suffering from the ef- 
 fects of that same spirit. We do not want any more of it, 
 and we cannot afford to yield to that spirit or contribute to 
 it in the least degree. We should stand with a front like 
 flint against every spirit or species of contempt or disrespect 
 for the constitution of our country and the constitutional 
 laws of our land. Apr. C. R., 1912,. pp. 8-11. 
 
 THE LAWS OF GOD AND THE LAWS OF THE LAND. Near- 
 ly all the brethren who have spoken at this conference have 
 referred to the circumstances in which we, as a people, are 
 now placed ; and it would seem unnecessary for me to make 
 any further reference to this all-prevailing subject with 
 which 'the people generally are more or less familiar, and in 
 which we necessarily are considerably interested. But while 
 the brethren who have spoken have merely referred to 
 some of the sayings of the Prophet Joseph, and to items in 
 the revelations through him, to the Church, I feel impressed 
 to read in the hearing of the congregation one or two pas- 
 sages from the revelations previously referred to. I will, 
 therefore, call the attention of the congregation to a verse or 
 two in the revelation given in 1831, which will be found 
 on page 219 of the Doctrine and Covenants : 
 
 "Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that 
 keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of 
 the land : 
 
 "Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he 
 reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies 
 under 'his feet. 
 
 "Behold, the laws which ye have received from my 
 hand are the laws of the Church, and in this light we shall 
 
508 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 hold them forth. Behold here is wisdom." (Doc. and Cov. 
 58: 21-23.) 
 
 The following I quote from a revelation given in De- 
 cember, 1833, page 357 : 
 
 "According to the laws and the constitution of the 
 people which I have suffered to be established, and should 
 be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, ac- 
 cording to just and holy principles, 
 
 "That every man may act in doctrine and principle per- 
 taining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I 
 have given unto them, that every man may be accountable 
 for his own sins in the day of judgment. 
 
 "Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in 
 bondage one to another ; 
 
 "And for this purpose have I established the constitution 
 of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up 
 unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shed- 
 ding of blood." (Doc. and Cov. 101 :77-80.) 
 
 Again, in a revelation on page 342 : 
 
 "And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of 
 the land, it is my will that my people shall observe to do all 
 things whatsoever I command them ; 
 
 "And that law of the land which is constitutional, 
 supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights 
 and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable be- 
 fore me ; 
 
 "Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren 
 of my Church, in befriending that law which is the con- 
 stitutional law of the land ; 
 
 "And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more 
 or less than these cometh of evil. 
 
 "I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free 
 indeed ; and the law also maketh you free ; 
 
 "Nevertheless, *when the wicked rule, the people mourn ; 
 
 '"Wherefore, honest men, and wise men should be 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 509 
 
 sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should 
 observe to uphold ; otherwise whatsoever is less than these 
 cometh of evil. 
 
 "And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall 
 forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live 
 by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth 
 of God; 
 
 "For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, pre- 
 cept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you here- 
 with ; 
 
 "And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my 
 name's sake, shall find it again, even life eternal ; 
 
 "Therefore be not afraid of -your enemies, for I have 
 decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in 
 all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto 
 death, that you may be found worthy ; 
 
 "For if ye will not abide in my covenant, ye are not 
 worthy of me." (Doc. and Cov. 98 : 4-15.) 
 
 This, as I understand it, is the law of God to the 
 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the 
 world. And the requirements here made of us must be 
 obeyed, and practically carried out in our lives, in order that 
 we may secure the fulfilment of the promises which God has 
 made to the people of Zion. And it is further written, that 
 inasmuch as ye will do the things which I command you, thus 
 saith the Lord, then am I bound; otherwise there is no 
 promise. We can therefore only expect that the promises 
 are made and will apply to us when we do the things which 
 we are commanded. (Doc. and Cov. 82: 10; 101: 7; 124: 
 47-49.) 
 
 We are told here that no man need break the laws of 
 the land who will keep the laws of God. But this is further 
 defined by the passage which I read afterwards the law 
 of the land, which all have no need to break, is that law which 
 is the constitutional law of the land, and that is as God him- 
 
510 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 self has defined it. And whatsoever is more or less than 
 this cometh of evil. Now, it seems to me that this makes this 
 matter so clear that it is not possible for any man who pro- 
 fesses to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latter-day Saints to make any mistake, or to be in doubt as 
 to the course he should pursue under the command of God 
 in relation to the observance of the laws of the land. I main- 
 tain that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
 has ever been faithful to the constitutional laws of our 
 country. I maintain, also, that I have a right to this opin- 
 ion, as an American citizen, as one who was not only born 
 on American soil, but who descended from parents who for 
 generations were born in America. I have a right to inter- 
 pret the law in this manner, and to form my own conclusions 
 and express my opinions thereon, regardless of the opinions 
 of other men. 
 
 I ask myself, What law have you broken? What con- 
 stitutional law have you not observed ? I am bound not only 
 by allegiance to the government of the United States, but by 
 the actual command of God Almighty, to observe and obey 
 every constitutional law of the land, and without hesitancy 
 I declare to this congregation that I have never violated, 
 nor transgressed any law, I am not amenable to any penalties 
 of the law, because I have endeavored from my youth up to 
 be a law-abiding citizen, and not only so, but to be a peace- 
 maker, a preacher of righteousness, and not only to preach 
 righteousness by word, but by example. What, therefore, 
 have I to fear? The Lord Almighty requires this people to 
 observe the laws of the land, to be subject to "the powers 
 that be," so far as they abide by the fundamental principles 
 of good government, but he will hold them responsible if 
 they will pass unconstitutional measures and frame unjust 
 and prescriptive laws, as did Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, in 
 relation to the three Hebrew children and Daniel. If law- 
 makers have a mind to violate their oath, break their cove- 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 511 
 
 nants and their faith with the people, and depart from the 
 provisions of the constitution, where is the law, human or 
 divine, which binds me, as an individual, to outwardly and 
 openly proclaim my acceptance of their acts? 
 
 I wish to enter here my avowal that the people called 
 Latter-day Saints, as has been often repeated from this stand, 
 are the most law-abiding, the most peaceable, long-suffering 
 and patient people that can today be found within the con- 
 fines of this republic, and perhaps anywhere else upon the 
 face of the earth ; and we intend to continue to be law-abid- 
 ing so far as the constitutional law of the land is concerned ; 
 and we expect to meet the consequence of our obedience to 
 the laws and commandments of God, like men. These are 
 my sentiments briefly expressed, upon this subject. 
 
 No NATIONALITIES IN THE CHURCH. In speaking of 
 nationalities, we all understand or should that in the Church 
 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there is neither Scan- 
 dinavian, nor Swiss, nor German, nor Russian, nor British, 
 nor any other nationality. We have become brothers in the 
 household of faith, and we should treat the people from these 
 nations that are at war with each other, with due kindness 
 and consideration. It is nothing but natural that 'people who 
 are born in a land, though they may have emigrated from it, 
 who have left their kindred there, many of them, that they 
 will naturally have a tender feeling toward their fatherland. 
 But the Latter-day Saints who have come from England and 
 from France and from Germany and Scandinavia and Hol- 
 land, into this country, no matter what their country may be 
 involved in, it is not our business to distinguish them in 
 any way by criticism or by complaint toward' them, or by 
 condemnation, because of the place where they were born, 
 they could not help where they were born, and they have 
 come here to be Latter-day Saints, not to be Germans, nor to 
 be Scandinavians, nor to be English or French, nor to be- 
 long to any other country in the world. They have come 
 
512 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 here to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- 
 ter-day Saints, and good and true citizens of the United 
 States, and of the several states in which they live, and of 
 other places throughout the world, where Latter-day Saints 
 are building homes for themselves. Apr. C. R., 1917, p. 11. 
 
 LATTER-DAY SAINTS LOYAL To THE UNITED STATES. 
 We must always bear in mind that we are not only citizens of 
 the kingdom of God, but we are citizens of the United States, 
 and of the States in which, we dwell. We have ever been 
 loyal both to our state and nation, as well as to the Church 
 of God, and we are at the defiance of the world to prove to 
 the contrary. We have been willing to fight our country's 
 battles, to defend her honor, to uphold and sustain her 
 good name, and we propose to continue in this loyalty to our 
 nation and to our people unto the end. Apr. C. R., 1905, 
 p. 46. 
 
 LOYALTY TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 And I hope with all my soul that the members of the 
 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be loyal in 
 their very hearts and souls, to the principles of the constitu- 
 tion of our country. From them we have derived the lib- 
 erty that we enjoy. They have been the means of guaran- 
 teeing to the foreigner, that has come within our gates, and 
 to the native born, and to all the citizens of this country, the 
 freedom and liberty that we possess. We cannot go back 
 upon such principles as these. We may go back upon 
 those who fail to execute the law as they should. We may 
 be dissatisfied with the decision of judges, and may desire 
 to have them removed out of their places. But the law pro- 
 vides ways and means for all these things to be done under 
 the constitution of our country, and it is better for us to 
 abide the evils that we have than to fly to greater evils that 
 we know not what the results will be. Oct. C. R., 1912, 
 p. 8. 
 
 PROUD OF THE UNITED STATES. I feel proud of the 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS .513 
 
 nation of which \vc arc a part, because I am convinced in 
 my own mind that there is not another nation upon the face 
 of the globe where the Lord Almighty could have estab- 
 lished his Church with so little difficulty and opposition as 
 he has done here in the United States. This was a free 
 country and religious toleration was the sentiment of the 
 people of the land. It was the asylum for the oppressed. All 
 the people of the world were invited here to make homes of 
 freedom for themselves, and under these tolerant circum- 
 stances the Lord was able to establish his Church, and has 
 been able to maintain it and preserve it up to this time, that it 
 has grown and spread, until it has become respectable 
 not only by its members, not only by the few years of age that 
 it possesses, but respectable because of its intelligence, re- 
 spectable because of its honesty, its purity, union and indus- 
 try, and for all its virtues. Apr. C. R., 1905, p. 6. 
 
 ORIGIN AND DESTINY OF THE UNITED STATES : LOYAL- 
 TY OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS. This great American na- 
 tion the Almighty raised up by the power of his omnipotent 
 hand, that it might be possible in the latter days for the 
 kingdom of God, to be established in the earth. If the 
 Lord had not prepared the way by laying the foundations 
 of this glorious nation, it would have been impossible (un- 
 der the stringent laws and bigotry of the monarchial gov- 
 ernments of the world) to have laid the foundations for 
 the coming of his great kingdom. The Loid has done this. 
 His hand has been over this nation, and it is his purpose 
 and design to enlarge it, make it glorious above all others, 
 and to give it dominion, and power over the earth, to the 
 end that those who are kept in bondage and serfdom may 
 be brought to the enjoyment of the fullest freedom and 
 liberty of conscience possible for intelligent men to exer- 
 cise in the earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
 day Saints \vill be a strong supporter of the nation of which 
 we are a part, in the accomplishment of this grand purpose. 
 
 34 
 
514 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 There are no more loyal people to their country on God's 
 earth today than are the Latter-day Saints to this country. 
 There are no better, purer or more honorable citizens of 
 the United States to be found than are found within the 
 pale of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I 
 testify to this, and I know whereof I speak. We never have 
 been enemies to our nation. We have always been true to 
 it. Though we have been persecuted, we have said, We will 
 put our trust in thee. We have been driven and maligned, 
 not by the nation, but by insidious, wicked, unprincipled, 
 hypocritical, lying, deceitful goats in sheep's clothing, who 
 are jealous and constantly raising a hue and cry against 
 the covenant people of God. Our government would have 
 befriended us, protected us, preserved our rights and liber- 
 ties, and would have defended us in the enjoyment of our 
 possessions, if it had not been for these infernal hounds 
 who are enemies to morality and to the truth. If there be 
 anything despicable, if there be anything that can never, no, 
 never, enter into the kingdom of God, it is a wilful liar ; and 
 if we have not been lied about, maligned and misrepresented 
 of late, then I do not know what lying is. Well, let the 
 falsifiers go on and lie. Some people are evidently doomed 
 to lie. President Woodruff used to say there were some 
 people in his day who were born to lie, and they were true 
 to their missions. There are some of these born liars still 
 with us and still true to their mission. They cannot, it would 
 seem, tell the truth ; they often do not when it would be for 
 their best good. So let them go on and lie as much as they 
 desire. But let us do right, keep the laws of ' God, and 
 the laws of man, honor our membership in the kingdom of 
 God, our citizenship in the state of Utah, and our broader 
 citizenship in the nation of which we are a part, and then 
 God will sustain and preserve us, and we will continue to 
 grow as we have done from the beginning, only our fu- 
 ture growth will be accelerated and be far greater than it 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS ,515 
 
 has been in the past. These slanders and falsehoods that 
 are circulated abroad with the view of bringing the ire 
 of the nation upon us will, by and by, be swept away, and 
 because of these misrepresentations the truth will be brought 
 out clearer and plainer to the world. Thus the word of the 
 Lord will be verified, that they cannot do anything against, 
 but for, the kingdom of God. This is the Lord's work ; it is 
 not man's ; and he will make it triumphant. He is spreading 
 it abroad, and giving it deep root in the earth, that its 
 branches may grow and spread, and its fruit be seen 
 throughout the length and breadth of the land. Apr. C. R., 
 1903, pp. 73-74. 
 
 SAINTS To SERVE GOD. The Latter-day Saints are 
 in the midst of -these mountains for the express purpose of 
 serving Almighty God. We have not come here to serve 
 ourselves nor to serve the world. We are here because we 
 have believed in the gospel that has been restored in the 
 latter day through the Prophet Joseph Smith. We are here 
 because we believe that God Almighty has organized his 
 Church and has restored the fulness of the gospel and holy 
 priesthood. We are here because we have received the tes- 
 timony of the Spirit of God that the course which we have 
 pursued in this regard is right and acceptable in the sight of 
 the Lord. We are here because we have come in obedience 
 to the command of the Almighty. Oct. C. R., 1899, p. 43. 
 
 GUIDED BY GOD TO THE WEST. On somewhat parallel 
 lines our people might go back in memory to Ohio and to 
 Missouri and to Illinois, and recall incidents and conditions 
 that existed in those early days by which our people were 
 harassed, mobbed, persecuted, hated and driven away from 
 their possessions in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. It was 
 hard for our people in those times, and under the conditions 
 that then existed, to see where God in his providence de- 
 signed good for his people in permitting these conditions to 
 exist. But who today will dispute the fact that, although 
 
516 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 we were compelled to leave Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, 
 against our will, our wishes, our interests temporally, as was 
 supposed, it was for our ultimate good? Who of us will 
 now contend that the overruling Providence which brought 
 us to this place made a mistake? None of us! When we 
 look back to it we see clearly, beyond any possible doubt, 
 that the hand of God was in it. And while it was necessary 
 for us to be moved from our footholds on the soil that our 
 fathers had obtained from the government of the United 
 States, and from old settlers, and while we were compelled 
 to do it against our supposed interests we now see it has 
 resulted in the greatest blessing possible to us and the 
 Church. 
 
 What could we have done in Ohio? What room was 
 there for growth and development for the Church of Jesus 
 Christ of Latter-day Saints in Caldwell county, or in Jack- 
 son county, or in Clay county, Missouri? Where was the 
 chance for this Church to spread abroad, grow, and obtain a 
 foothold in the earth, as we possess it today, in the state of 
 Illinois? a populous state, her lands occupied by older in- 
 habitants who were uncongenial and unfriendly. They 
 had no faith in our good intentions, nor in the divinity of 
 our cause. They feared us, because the Saints were pro- 
 gressive. The spirit of growth, development, and of ad- 
 vancement, characterized the life and labors and existence 
 of communities of Latter-clay Saints, as it has with our 
 people in Mexico. Oct. C. R., 1912, p. 6. 
 
 TRUE PATRIOTISM. Patriotism should be sought for 
 and will be found in right living, not in high sounding 
 phrases or words. True patriotism is part of the solemn 
 obligation that belongs both to the nation and to the indi- 
 vidual and to the home. Our nation's reputation should be 
 guarded as sacredly as our family's good name. That repu- 
 tation should be defended by every citizen, and our children 
 should be taught to defend their country's honor under all 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 517 
 
 circumstances. A truly patriotic spirit in the individual 
 begets a public interest and sympathy which should be 
 commensurate with our nation's greatness. To be a true 
 citizen of a great country takes nothing from, but adds to, 
 individual greatness. While a great and good people nec- 
 essarily adds greatness and goodness to national life, the 
 nation's greatness reacts upon its citizens and adds honor to 
 them, and insures their welfare and happiness. Loyal citi- 
 zens will probably be the last to complain of the faults and 
 failures of our national administrators. They would rather 
 conceal those evils which exist, and try to persuade them- 
 selves that they are only temporary and may and will in time 
 be corrected. It is none the less a patriotic duty to guard our 
 nation whenever and wherever we can against those change- 
 able and revolutionary tendencies which are destructive of a 
 nation's weal and permanence. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 47, 
 July, 1912, pp. 388-9. 
 
 IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL PATRIOTISM. Our national 
 welfare should always be a theme deeply rooted in our minds 
 and exemplified in our individual lives, and the desire for our 
 nation's good should be stronger than political party adher- 
 ence. The nation's welfare means the welfare of every one 
 of its citizens. To be a worthy and a prosperous nation, it 
 must possess those qualities which belong to individual 
 virtues. The attitude of our country toward other nations 
 should always be honest and above suspicion, and every 
 good citizen should be jealous of our nation's reputation 
 both at home and abroad. National patriotism is, therefore, 
 something more than mere expression of willingness to fight, 
 if need be. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 47, July, 1912, p. 389. 
 
 THE CHURCH NOT PARTISAN. The Church of Jesus 
 Christ of Latter-day Saints is no partisan Church. It is not 
 a sect. It is THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY 
 SAINTS. It is the only one today existing in the world that 
 can and does legitimately bear the name of Jesus Christ and 
 
518 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 his divine authority. I make this declaration in all sim- 
 plicity and honesty before you and before all the world, bitter 
 as the truth may seem to those who are opposed and who 
 have no reason for that opposition. It is nevertheless true 
 and will remain true until he who has a right to rule among 
 the nations of the earth and among the individual children 
 of God throughout the world shall come and take the reins 
 of government and receive the bride that shall be prepared 
 for the coming of the Bridegroom. Improvement Era, Vol. 
 20, May, 1918, p. 639. See also Gospel Doctrine, pp. 169-70. 
 
 THE CHURCH LOYAL. All churches claim to be divinely 
 appointed, and place God above country, and any man who 
 renders true homage to God can not break the law, for he 
 lives above it. No man can be a good Latter-day Saint and 
 not be true to the best interests and general welfare of his 
 country. After all these years, it is folly to say that the 
 Church is antagonistic to the national government. The part 
 which oun people took in the Mexican and Spanish- Amer- 
 ican wars should be enough to eternally brand such state- 
 ments false. The allegiance claimed from its members by 
 the Church does not prevent a member from being a loyal 
 citizen of the Nation. It rather aids him ; fidelity to the 
 Church enables a man better to entertain patriotic alle- 
 giance to his nation and country. There is nothing re- 
 quired of a Latter-day Saint that can in any way be con- 
 strued to militate against loyalty to the nation, and for that 
 reason Senator Smoot is under no obligations to the 
 Church that can come in conflict with his fealty to country. 
 It is plain that the campaign of the ministers is unjustified. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 7, March, 1904, p. 382. 
 
 LATTER-DAY SAINTS ARE GOOD CITIZENS. A good Lat- 
 ter-day Saint is a good citizen in every way. I desire to say 
 to the young men of our community: be exemplary Latter- 
 day Saints, and let nothing deter you from aspiring to the 
 greatest positions which our nation has to offer. Having 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 519 
 
 secured a place, let your virtue, your integrity, your honesty, 
 your ability, your religious teachings, implanted in your hearts 
 at the knees of your devoted "Mormon" mothers, "so shine 
 before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify 
 your Father which is in heaven." Improvement Era, Vol. 
 6, April, 1903, p. 469. 
 
 CHURCH NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR POLITICAL PARTIES. 
 The Church of Christ is not responsible for the actions of 
 either of the political parties, in any sense, or form. If it 
 were, they would stop their quarreling and contending, and 
 the bitterness and animosity they exhibit towards one an- 
 other would cease. If we had anything to do with them, we 
 would stop their wrangling, and we would have peace in 
 their ranks. The fact that they quarrel as they do is proof 
 positive we have nothing to do with them. Apr. C. R., 
 1899, p. 41. 
 
 THE CHURCH NOT IN POLITICS. The Church does not 
 engage in politics ; its members belong to the political parties 
 at their own pleasure to the Republicans, the Democrats, 
 or to no party at all. They are not asked, much less re- 
 quired, to vote this way or that a requirement made by 
 the Protestant mnisters of their members against the Saints. 
 But they cannot justly be denied their rights as citizens, and 
 there is no reason why they should be, for, on the average, 
 they are as loyal, as sober, as well educated, as honest, as in- 
 dustrious as virtuous, as moral, as thrifty, and as worthy in 
 every other respect as any people in the nation or on the 
 earth, for that matter. I think that they are just a little 
 better in these respects than most other communities or indi- 
 viduals. 
 
 To the young men who may be disheartened by false 
 attacks upon the Saints, and to the missionaries in the world, 
 who are driven and persecuted, I wish to say : have no fear ; 
 slacken not your labors for the truth ; live as becometh 
 Saints. You are in the right way, and the Lord will not let 
 
520 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 your efforts fail. This Church stands in no danger from 
 opposition and persecution from without. There is more 
 to fear in carelessness, sin and indifference, from within ; 
 more danger that the individual will fail in doing right and 
 in conforming his life to the revealed doctrines of our Lord 
 and Savior Jesus Christ. If we do the right, all will be well, 
 the God of our fathers will sustain us, and every opposition 
 will tend only to the further spread of the knowledge of 
 truth. Improvement Era, Vol. 6, June, 1903, p. 625. 
 
 SHUN THE SPIRIT OF MOB VIOLENCE. Nobody in the 
 world deplores more than do the Latter-day Saints the prev- 
 alence and brutality of mob violence. If mob violence in this 
 country did not have its origin in the drivings and persecu- 
 tions of the Latter-day Saints, it is certain that no class of peo- 
 ple in this country have suffered more and longer from the 
 lawlessness of the mob than have the Latter-day Saints. For 
 more than half a century the "Mormons" have been the 
 victims of lawless mob violence against which very little 
 has been said, for the chief reason that the victims had been 
 so long pursued by hatred and prejudice that the world 
 had been taught to withdraw all its sympathy from them. 
 \Yhipping, driving, and shooting "Mormon" elders in the 
 South called forth no anxiety and little objection upon the 
 part of the press; and the "Mormon" elder, pure and up- 
 right in his life, has received less sympathy and protest in 
 his favor than the negro ravisher who deserved, perhaps, the 
 punishment, however inexcusable the method of execut- 
 ing it. 
 
 The Latter-day Saints in Utah, and everywhere, are 
 earnestly and prayerfully admonished to shun as a sacred 
 religious duty the spirit of mob violence. It is better to be 
 patient and endure deprivations of human rights than 
 to violate the institutions of our country, and to substitute 
 violence for law and order. If the reign of the mob extends 
 its hideous rule over this country as rapidly in the future 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS .521 
 
 as it has done in the past, it may reach communities where 
 the Saints live before they are aware of its presence. It is 
 not only the duty of every Latter-day Saint, therefore, to 
 refrain from the violent and unlawful conduct of bodies 
 of men bent upon human destruction, but to exercise his 
 influence and power to restrain others from imbuing their, 
 hands in the blood of their fellow men. Juvenile Instructor, 
 Vol. 38, September, 1903, p. 564. 
 
 THE DANGER OF MOBS. One of the greatest menaces 
 to our country is that of the combination of men into irre- 
 sponsible, reckless mobs, wild with prejudice, hatred and 
 fanaticism, led by men of ambition, or passion, or hatred. 
 There is no other thing in the world that I can conceive of so 
 absolutely obnoxious to God and good men as a combina- 
 tion of men and women filled with the spirit of mobocracy. 
 Men combining together to stop or shut off the food sup- 
 ply from the mouth of the honest laborer, to starve the 
 man that is willing to work, and the wife and the children 
 who are dependent upon him, because he is not willing to 
 join a mob, is one of the most infamous perils and menaces 
 to the people of our country today. I do not care who they 
 are, or what name they go by. They are a menace to the 
 peace of the world. Oct. C. R., 1911, p. 122. 
 
 THE BASIS OF LABOR UNIONS. If we are to have labor 
 organizations among us, and there is no good reason why 
 our young men might not be so organized, they should be 
 formed on a sensible basis, and officered by men who have 
 their families and all their interests around them. The 
 spirit of good-will and brotherhood, such as we have in the 
 gospel of Christ, should characterize their conduct and or- 
 ganizations. For be it known, the religious note is and 
 should remain the dominant note of our character and of all 
 our actions. 
 
 While there is no reason why workmen should not 
 join together for their own mutual protection and benefit, 
 
522 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 there is every reason why in so doing they should regard 
 the rights of their fellows, be jealous of the protection of 
 property, and eliminate from their methods of warfare, boy- 
 cots, sympathetic strikes, and the walking delegate. Im- 
 provement Era, Vol. 6, August, 1903, p. 182. 
 
 LABOR UNIONS. Labor unions will find that the same 
 eternal law of justice applies to unions that applies to in- 
 dividuals, that fair dealing and rational conduct must be 
 maintained if financial misfortunes are averted. Where 
 there are Latter-day Saints in unions they should assume a 
 conservative attitude and never arouse men's prejudices by 
 inflaming their pasisons. There can be no objections to a 
 firm and persistent contention for the right of labor, if the 
 contention is maintained in the spirit of reason and fair- 
 ness. Above all things, the Latter-day Saints should hold 
 sacred the life and liberty of their fellow-men, as also their 
 rights of property and maintain inviolate every right to 
 which humanity is entitled. 
 
 The unions are forcing our people into an inconsistent 
 and dangerous attitude when they compel Latter-day 
 Saints within the union to make war upon their brethren 
 who are without the union, and thereby denying the most 
 sacred and God-given rights of one class of Saints that an- 
 other class may gain some advantage over a third person, 
 their employer. Such conduct is destructive of the liberty 
 which every man is entitled to enjoy, and will lead in the 
 end to the spirit of contention and apostasy. 
 
 It is not easy to see how the Latter-day Saints can 
 endorse the methods of modern labor unions. As a people 
 we have suffered too much from irrational class prejudice 
 and class hatred to participate in violent and unjust agi- 
 tations. No one denies the right of laborers to unite in 
 demanding a just share of the prosperity of our country, 
 provided the union is governed by the same spirit that 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 523 
 
 should actuate men who profess the guidance of a Christian 
 conscience. 
 
 In the present status of capital and labor there should 
 be mutual interests ; .and at the same time workmen should 
 realize that there is a limit to the pressure which capital can 
 endure by the demands made upon it. Competition has 
 always given some measure of relief to the laborer by the 
 demands of capital for human service, and men should not 
 therefore abandon themselves to the supposed power of 
 arbitrary demands which labor unions are now making in 
 many cases upon their employers. The contention for the 
 recognition of unions is often a very indefinite factor, for no 
 one seems to know just what that recognition means now, or 
 what it is to mean in the future. If recognition means the 
 exclusive right of any class of men to gain a livelihood by 
 their work, then recognition should be persistently and 
 forcefully resisted. 
 
 The Latter-day Saints, whether in the unions or out 
 of them, know very well whether individual or united 
 demands are arbitrary and unjust, and they will lose noth- 
 ing by a manly refusal to violate their sense of justice. 
 Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 38 June, 1903, p. 370. 
 
 CAUSE OF WAR. The condition of the world today 
 presents a spectacle that is deplorable, so far as it relates 
 to the religious convictions, faith and power of the inhab- 
 itants of the earth. Here we have nations arrayed against 
 nations, and yet in every one of these nations are so-called 
 Christian peoples professing to worship the same God, 
 professing to possess belief in the same divine Redeemer, 
 many of them professing to be teachers of God's word, and 
 ministers of life and salvation to the children of men, and 
 yet these nations are divided one against the other, and 
 each is praying to his God for wrath upon and victory 
 over his enemies and for his own preservation. Would it be 
 possible, could it be possible, for this condition to exist if 
 
524 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the people of the world possessed really the true knowledge 
 of the gospel of Jesus Christ ? And if they really possessed 
 the Spirit of the living God could this condition exist? No; 
 it could not exist, but war would cease, and contention and 
 strife would be at an end. And not only the spirit of war 
 would not exist, but the spirit of contention and strife that 
 now exists among the nations of the earth, which is the 
 primal element of war, would cease to be. We know that 
 the spirit of strife and contention exists to an alarming ex- 
 tent among all the people of the world. Why does it exist ? 
 Because they are not one with God, nor with Christ. They 
 have not entered into the true fold, and the result is they do 
 not possess the spirit of the true Shepherd sufficiently to 
 govern and control their acts in the ways of peace and 
 righteousness. Thus they contend and strive one against 
 another, and at last nation rises up against nation in fulfil- 
 ment of the predictions of the prophets of God that war 
 should be poured out upon all nations. I don't want you 
 to think I believe that God has designed or willed that war 
 should come among the people of the world, that the nations 
 of the world should be divided against one another in war, 
 and engaged in the destruction of each ! God did not De- 
 sign or cause this. It is deplorable to the heavens that such 
 a condition should exist among men, but the conditions do 
 exist, and men precipitate war and destruction upon them- 
 selves because of their wickedness, and that because they 
 will not abide in God's truth, walk in his love, and seek to 
 establish and maintain peace instead of strife and conten- 
 tion in the world. Oct. C. R., 1914, p. 8. 
 
 ATTITUDE TOWARDS WAR. We do not want war. We 
 do not want to see our nation go to war. We would like to 
 see it the arbiter of peace for all nations. We would like 
 to see the government of the United States true to the con- 
 stitution, an instrument inspired by the spirit of wisdom 
 from God. We want to see the benignity, the honor, the 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 525 
 
 glory and the good name, and the mighty influence for peace 
 of this nation, extended abroad, not only over Hawaii and 
 the Philippines, but over the islands of the sea east and vest 
 of us. We want to see the power, the influence for good, 
 for elevating mankind, and for the establishment of right- 
 eous principles spread out over these poor, helpless peoples 
 of the world, establishing peace, good will and intelligence 
 among them, that they may grow to be equal, if possible, 
 to the enlightened nations of the world. Oct. C. R., 1912, 
 p. 7. 
 
 WE WANT PEACE. We want peace in the world. We 
 want love and good-will to exist throughout the earth, and 
 among all the people of the world ; but there never can come 
 to the world that spirit of peace and love that should exist, 
 until mankind will receive God's truth and God's message 
 unto them, and acknowledge his power and authority which 
 is divine, and never found in the wisdom only of men. Oct. 
 C. R. } 1914, p. 7. 
 
 WHEN PEACE SHALL COME. We will never have peace 
 until we have truth. We will never be able to establish peace 
 on earth and good will until we have drunk at the fountains 
 of righteousness and eternal truth, as God has revealed it to 
 man. Oct. C. R., 1914, p. 129. 
 
 PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MEN. We certainly 
 live in troublesome times ; and, notwithstanding the peace 
 that pervades our own land, we are not without our troubles 
 at home. There is, among us today, I am sorry to say, the 
 germ of the spirit that has prompted, very largely, the con- 
 ditions that exist in Europe today; internal unrest, dissatis- 
 faction, discontent, internal contention over political, labor 
 and religious matters, and almost every subject that affects 
 society at this time. And the very germ that has prompted 
 the terrible results that we see in the nations of Europe, is 
 at work among us here today. We need not forget it, nor 
 ignore it, either. 
 
526 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 There is just one power, and one only, that can prevent 
 war among the nations of the earth, and that is true religion 
 and undenled before God, the Father. Nothing else will 
 accomplish it. It is a very common expression today that 
 there is good in all religions. So there is ; but there is not 
 sufficient good in the denominations of the world to prevent 
 war, nor to prevent contention, strife, division and hatred of 
 one another. 
 
 And, put all the good doctrines, in all the denominations 
 of the world, together, and they do not constitute sufficient 
 good to prevent the evils that exist in the world. Why ? Be- 
 cause the denominations lack the essential knowledge of 
 God's revelation and truth, and the enjoyment of that Spirit 
 which comes from God that leadeth unto all truth, and that 
 inspires men to do good and not evil, to love and not to hate, 
 to forgive and not to bear malice, to be kind and generous 
 and not to be unkind and contracted. 
 
 So, I repeat, there is but one remedy that can prevent 
 men from going to war, when they feel disposed to do it, and 
 that is the Spirit of God, which inspires to love, and not to 
 hatred, which leads unto all truth, and not unto error, which 
 inclines the children of God to pay deference to him and to 
 his laws and to esteem them as above all other things in the 
 world. 
 
 The Lord has told us that these wars would come. We 
 have not been ignorant that they were pending, and that 
 they were likely to burst out upon the nations of the earth 
 at any time. We have been looking for the fulfilment of the 
 words of the Lord that they would come. Why? Because 
 the Lord wanted it? No ; not by any means. Was it because 
 the Lord predestined it, or designed it, in any degree? No, 
 not at all. Why? It was for the reason that men did not 
 hearken unto the Lord God, and he foreknew the results that 
 would follow, because of men, and because of the nations of 
 the earth ; and therefore he was able to predict what would 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 527 
 
 befall them, and come upon them in consequence of their 
 own acts, and not because he has willed it upon them, for 
 they' are but suffering and reaping the results of their own 
 actions. 
 
 Well, my sisters, "peace on earth, and good will to 
 men," is our slogan. That is our principle. That is the prin- 
 ciple of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And while I think it is 
 wrong, wickedly wrong, to force war upon any nation, or 
 upon any people, I believe it is righteous and just for every 
 people to defend their own lives and their own liberties, and 
 their own homes, with the last drop of their blood. I believe 
 it is right, and I believe that the Lord will sustain any people 
 in defending their own liberty to worship God according to 
 the dictates of their conscience, any people trying to preserve 
 their wives and their children from the ravages of the war. 
 But we do not want to be brought into the necessity of hav- 
 ing to defend ourselves. 
 
 If the condition of the world appears to you as it does 
 to me, at the present time, it seems to me that you have with- 
 in your hearts and minds one of the strongest evidences, that 
 has ever been brought to your understanding, of the truth of 
 the declaration which God gave to the world through Joseph 
 Smith, that "they draw near to me with their lips, but their 
 hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the com- 
 mandments of men: having a form of godliness, but they 
 deny the power thereof," and have it not. (History of the 
 Church, Vol. 1, p. 6.) In Germany, at this time, Protestants 
 and Catholics are praying to God for victory over their foes. 
 In France and in England and in Russia and in Belgium, and 
 Austria, and in all other countries, that are at war with one 
 another, they are praying, Protestants and Catholics together, 
 for victory. The Allies are praying for victory, to the same 
 God, supposed to be, for these are called Christian nations, 
 and they are members of the same churches, worshiping in 
 the same forms of religion, and yet they are calling upon God 
 
528 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 one against another, to defend them against their enemies, 
 and to strengthen their arms to destroy their foes. What 
 does it prove ? It proves what God said. They have n6t his 
 Spirit ; they have not his power to guide them. They are not 
 in possession of his truth ; and, therefore, the very conditions 
 that exist are the results of this unbelief in the truth; and 
 this worship of men and organizations and powers of men is 
 divested of the power of God. 
 
 Now, my sisters, I am speaking from my point of view, 
 and my point of view is that Christ was divinely appointed 
 and sent into the world to relieve mankind of sin through 
 repentance; to relieve mankind from the death which came 
 upon them by the sin of the first man. I believe it with all 
 my soul. I believe that Joseph Smith was raised up by Al- 
 mighty God to renew the spirit, power and plan of God's 
 Church, of Christ's gospel and holy priesthood. I believe 
 it with all my soul, or I would not be here. I therefore stand 
 upon this principle, that the truth is in the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ, that the power of redemption, the power of peace, 
 the power for good-will, love, charity and forgiveness, and 
 the power for fellowship with God, abides in the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ and in obedience to it on the part of the people. 
 I therefore admit, and not only admit but claim, that there is 
 nothing greater on earth, nor in heaven, than the truth of 
 God's gospel which he has devised and restored for the sal- 
 vation and the redemption of the world. And it is through 
 that that peace will come to the children of men, and it will 
 not come to the world in any other way. The nations cannot 
 possess it without they come to God, from whom they are to 
 receive the spirit of union and the spirit of love. And those 
 organizations in the world, created with a view to combining 
 men, possess in them so many of the elements of self-de- 
 struction that they cannot exist long, as they are, and under 
 the influences which hold them together today. I can tell 
 you that there is no combination formed by men that will 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 529 
 
 prosper and continue to endure, unless it is based upon the 
 principles of truth, righteousness, and justice toward all. 
 When a man comes to me and says : "You must be my serv- 
 ant, you must obey me, or conform to my plan, or we will 
 starve you to death," I don't care how many elements of 
 goodness there are in the organization that will exclude me 
 from a right to worship God according to the dictates of my 
 conscience or that would prevent me from laboring in honest 
 labor to earn my bread, it possesses the elements of decay 
 and destruction, and it cannot last, for it is wiong, absolutely 
 wrong. 
 
 In the gospel is the light of freedom. Men worship God 
 according to the dictates of their own conscience. We can- 
 not compel you to obey the principles of the gospel at all. 
 
 That is the principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But 
 these man-made organizations will force you to do as they 
 will or they will damn you and destroy you ; and therein lies 
 the element of self-destruction in themselves, because they 
 can only last for a time. Relief Society Magazine, Vol. 2, 
 No. 1, 1914, p. 13. 
 
 THE KEY TO PEACE. There is only one thing that can 
 bring peace into the world. It is the adoption of the gospel 
 of Jesus Christ, rightly understood, obeyed and practiced by 
 rulers and people alike. It is being preached in power to all 
 nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples of the world, by the 
 Latter-day Saints, and the day is not far distant when its 
 message of salvation shall sink deep into the hearts of the 
 common people, who, in sincerity and earnestness, when the 
 time comes, will not only surely register their judgment 
 against a false Christianity, but against war and the makers 
 of war as crimes against the human race. For years it has 
 been held that peace comes only by preparation for war; 
 the present conflict should prove that peace comes only by 
 preparing for peace, through training the people in right- 
 
530 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 eousness and justice, and selecting rulers who respect the 
 righteous will of the people. 
 
 Not long hence and the voice of the people shall be 
 obeyed, and the true gospel of peace shall dominate the 
 hearts of the mighty. It will then be impossible for war 
 lords to have power over the life and death of millions of 
 men as they now have, to decree the ruin of commerce, in- 
 dustry, and growing fields, or to cause untold mental agony 
 and human misery like plague and pestilence to prevail over 
 the nations. It looks much as if, after the devastation of 
 wars, as promised in the scriptures, (and who shall say that 
 it may not follow this war?) the self-cons.titu.ted monarchs 
 must give way to rulers chosen by the people, who shall be 
 guided by the doctrines of love and peace as taught 
 in the gospel of our Lord. There will then be instituted a 
 new social order in which the welfare of all shall be upper- 
 most, and all shall be permitted to live in the utmost liberty 
 and happiness. Improvement Era, Vol. 17, No. 11, Septem- 
 ber, 1914, p. 1074. 
 
 GOD STRIVES WITH WARRING NATIONS. Would the 
 nations of the earth that are at war with each other be at war 
 as they are, if the Spirit of God Almighty had pervaded their 
 souls and moved and actuated them in their designs? No; 
 not at all. Worldly ambition, pride, and the love of power, 
 determination on the part of rulers to prevail over their 
 competitors in the national games of life, wickedness at 
 heart, desire for power, for worldly greatness, have led the 
 nations of the earth to quarrel with one another and have 
 brought them to war and self-destruction. I presume there 
 is not a nation in the world today that is iot tainted with 
 this evil more or less. It may be possible, perhaps, to trace 
 the cause of the evil, or the greatest part of it, to some par- 
 ticular nation of the earth; but I do not know. This I do 
 believe, with all my heart, that the hand of God is striving 
 with certain of the nations of the earth to preserve and pro- 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 531 
 
 tect human liberty, freedom to worship him according to the 
 dictates of conscience, freedom and the inalienable right of 
 men to organize national governments in the earth, to clioose 
 for themselves their own leaders ; men whom they may select 
 as standards of honor, of virtue and truth, men of wisdom, 
 understanding and integrity ; men who have at heart the 
 well-being of the people who choose them to govern, to enact 
 and execute the law in righteousness. I believe that the 
 Lord's hand is over the nations of the world today, to bring 
 about this rule and this reign of liberty and righteousness 
 among the nations of the earth. He has some hard material 
 to work with, too. He is working with men who never 
 prayed, men who have never known God, nor Jesus Christ 
 whom he hath sent into the world, and whom to know is life 
 enternal. God is dealing with nations of infidels, men who 
 fear not God, and love not the truth, men who have no re- 
 spect for virtue or purity of life. God is dealing with men 
 who are full of pride and ambition ; and he will find it diffi- 
 cult, I fear, to control them and lead them directly in the 
 course that he would have them pursue to accomplish his 
 purposes ; but he is striving to uplift. God is striving to 
 bless, to benefit, to happify, to ameliorate the condition of 
 his children in the world, to give them freedom from ignor- 
 ance and a knowledge of him to learn of his ways and to 
 walk in his paths, that they may have his Spirit to be with 
 them always, to lead them into all truth. Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 20, July, 1917, p. 823. 
 
 CONDUCT OF THE BOYS IN THE ARMY. Therefore, 
 when our boys and our mattirer men are invited and chosen, 
 selected and called, to go out to help to protect and defend 
 these principles, we hope and pray, and we certainly have 
 some reason to believe that there will be some, at least, from 
 amidst the great family of mankind in the world, who will 
 have some affinity with the Spirit of God and at least some 
 desire, some inclination, to hearken to the whisperings of the 
 
532 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 still small voice of the Spirit, that leadeth to peace and hap- 
 piness, to the well-being and the uplifting of mankind in the 
 world and to life eternal. When a Latter-day Saint, a man 
 born, perhaps, and reared under the bond of the New and 
 Everlasting Covenant of the gospel, enlists in the army of 
 the United States, in the National Guard, which has been 
 recommended here by President Penrose to you and which 
 I confirm and emphasize, because I think the citizens of the 
 state should be united together, and the cities and the state 
 should stand together and should have sympathy and fellow- 
 ship for each other, more than they could expect to derive 
 from those of other states and places, who are strangers and 
 foreigners to them that when our boys, thus born, are 
 called into the army of the United States, I hope and pray 
 that they will carry with them the Spirit of God, not the 
 spirit of bloodshed, of adultery, of wickedness, but the spirit 
 of righteousness, the spirit which leads to do good, to build 
 up, to benefit the world, and not to destroy and shed blood. 
 
 Remember the passage of scripture that was quoted 
 here by President Lund, as related in the Book of Mormon, 
 concerning the pure young men that abjured war and the 
 shedding of blood, lived pure and innocent, free from the 
 contaminating thought of strife, of anger, or wickedness in 
 their hearts ; but when necessity required, and they were 
 called to go out to defend their lives, and the lives of their 
 fathers and mothers, and their homes, they went not to 
 destroy but to defend, not to shed blood but rather to save 
 the blood of the innocent and of the unoffending, and the 
 peace-lovers of mankind. 
 
 Will those men who go out from Utah, irom the Church 
 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, forget their prayers? 
 Will they forget God? Will they forget the teachings that 
 they have received from their parents at home? Will they 
 forget the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the 
 covenants that they have made in the waters of baptism, and 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 533 
 
 in sacred places ? Or will they go out as men, in every sense 
 pure men, high-minded men, honest men, virtuous men, 
 men of God? That is what I am anxious about. 
 
 I want to see the hand of God made manifest in the 
 acts of the men that go out from the ranks oi the Church of 
 Jesus Christ and from the state of Utah, to help to defend 
 the principles of liberty and sound government for the hu- 
 man family. I want to see them so live that they can be in 
 communion with the Lord, in their camps, and in their secret 
 places, and that in the midst of battle they can say : "Father, 
 my life and my spirit are in thine hand !" 
 
 I want to see the boys that go away from here in this 
 cause, go feeling just as our missionaries do when sent 
 out into the world, carrying with them the spirit a good 
 mother feels when she parts with her boy, on the morning 
 of his departure for his mission. She embraces him with all 
 the mother's love in her soul ! 
 
 I know how the mother feels for her boy when he goes 
 away from home on a mission, where he will be in the midst 
 of strangers, without friends, trying to preach the gospel to 
 the world. She says to him: ''My boy, I have taught you 
 the principles of the gospel. I have taught you to pray to 
 God, at my knees, from the time you were a child until you 
 have reached manhood. I have taught you virtue. I have 
 taught you honor. I have taught you to stand for the Truth, 
 and to honor your father and your mother in the world, and 
 by so doing honor the fathers and the mothers, and the 
 daughters of all men, wherever you go. Never in your life 
 think of defiling any man's wife, or daughter, any more 
 than you would think of defiling your mother or your sister ! 
 Go out into the world from your home clean. Keep yourself 
 pure and unspotted from the world, and you will be immune 
 from sin, and God will protect you. You will be in his 
 hands. Then, if anything should happen that would cost you 
 your life, you will lay it down in the service of humanity and 
 
534 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 of God. You would lay down your life pure and undented. 
 Your spirit would ascend from that tenement of clay inhab- 
 ited in this world, into the glorious presence of God, unde- 
 filed, uncontaminated, pure and clean as the spirit of a child 
 just born into the world. Thus you would be acceptable to 
 God, ready to receive your crown of glory and everlasting 
 reward." 
 
 So I would say, "My boy, my son, and your son, when 
 you go out to face the disasters that are now afflicting the 
 world, go out as you do on a mission, be just as good 
 and pure and true in the army of the United States as you 
 are in the army of the elders of Israel that are preaching the 
 gospel of love and peace to the world. Then, if you un- 
 avoidably fall a prey to the bullet of the enemy you will go 
 pure as you have lived ; you will be worthy of your reward ; 
 you will have proved yourself a hero, and not only a hero, 
 but a valiant servant of the living God, worthy of his ac- 
 ceptation and of admission into the loving presence of the 
 Father!" 
 
 It is in such things as this that we can see the hand of 
 God. If our boys will only go out into the world this way, 
 carrying with them the spirit of the gospel and the behavior 
 of true Latter-day Saints, no matter what may befall them in 
 life, they will endure with the best. They will be able to 
 endure as much as anybody else can possibly endure of fa- 
 tigue or of suffering, if necessary, and when they are 
 brought to the test they will stand it ! Because they have no 
 fear of death! They will be free from fear of the conse- 
 quences of their own lives. They will have no need to dread 
 death, for they have done their work; they have kept the 
 faith ; they are pure in heart, and they are worthy to see God ! 
 I have some feeling in these matters, for I have boys of 
 my own, and I love my sons. They have grown up with me. 
 They are mine! The Lord gave them to me. I expect to 
 claim them, in the relationship of father and sons that exists 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 535 
 
 between us, throughout all eternities that will come. I would 
 rather see my sons shot down by the enemies of God and 
 humanity, by those who are inimical to the freedom of the 
 children of men, while defending the cause of Righteousness 
 and Truth, a thousand times rather, than to see them die the 
 vile death of sinners and of transgressors of the laws of God. 
 While death in battle might be instantaneous, or it might 
 linger, perhaps, to one whose cause is just it would be honor- 
 able ; but the death that is caused by the transgressions of the 
 laws of God, by the poison and sting of sin, is to be dreaded 
 worse, a thousand times than to die sinless in defending the 
 cause of Truth. 
 
 I don't want to see one of my boys lose the faith of the 
 gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't want to see one of them deny 
 Chist, the Son of the living God, the Savior of the world. I 
 do not want one of them to turn his back upon the divine 
 mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith whose blood courses in 
 their veins. I would rather see them perish in defending a 
 cause of righteousness, a thousand times, while they are firm 
 in the faith, than I would see them live to deny that faith and 
 the God that gave them life ! That is where I stand with ref- 
 erence to the matters that are facing us at this moment ! 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 20, July, 1917, p. 824, June C. R. 
 
 MESSAGE TO THE BOYS IN WAR SERVICE. Our coun- 
 try is at war. This regrettable condition has been forced 
 upon us by enemies of representative government and indi- 
 vidual freedom. Despotism is endeavoring to gain the 
 ascendency and to establish its might in the earth. Many 
 of our young men who have been reared in the Church, 
 taught the principles of the gospel in the Sabbath Schools 
 and other organizations of the Church, have been called to 
 the colors in defense of our liberties and the liberty and 
 freedom of the world. In all probability they will be sent to 
 the front before many months have passed to take their 
 places in the trenches in the European battlefields and en- 
 
530 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 gage in this appalling conflict the like of which the world 
 has never seen until this day. 
 
 We most sincerely hope that our young men will prove 
 loyal to their country and stand honorably in its defense and 
 prove themselves worthy in every respect as defenders of 
 those principles for which our government was born and for 
 which it still exists. 
 
 In going forth to war these young men are liable to be 
 confronted with danger far greater than that which they 
 might expect from the bullets of the enemy. There are 
 many evils that usually follow in the wake of marshaled 
 armies equipped for and engaged in war, far worse than 
 honorable death which may come in the conflict of battle. It 
 matters not so much when our young men are called, or 
 where they may go, but it does matter much to their parents, 
 friends and associates in the truth, and above all to them- 
 selves, how they go. They have been trained all their lives 
 as members of the Church to keep themselvs pure and un- 
 spotted from the sins of the world, to respect the rights of 
 others, to be obedient to righteous principles, to remember 
 that virtue is one of the greatest gifts from God. Moreover, 
 that they should respect the virtue of others and rather die 
 a thousand times than defile themselves by committing dead- 
 ly sin. We want them to go forth clean, both in thought and 
 action, with faith in the principles of the gospel and the 
 redeeming grace of our Lord and Savior. We would have 
 them remember that only by living clean and faithful lives 
 can they hope to attain the salvation promised through the 
 shedding of the blood of our Redeemer. 
 
 If they will go forth in this manner, fit companions for 
 the Spirit of the Lord, free from sin, and trusting in tHfe 
 Lord, then whatever befalls them they will know that they 
 have found favor in the sight of God. Should death over- 
 take them while thus engaged in the discharge of duty in 
 defense of their country, they need have no fear, for their 
 
POLITICAL GOVERNMENTS 537 
 
 salvation is assured. Moreover, under conditions such as 
 these they will have a better claim to the blessings of the 
 Almighty and, like the two thousand young men of Hela- 
 man's army, they will be more likely to receive the protecting 
 care from the Lord. 
 
 Let them go in the spirit of truth and righteousness ; the 
 spirit which will direct them to save rather than destroy; 
 which leads to do good rather than to commit evil ; with love 
 in their hearts for their fellow men, prepared to teach all 
 mankind the saving principles of the gospel. And, should 
 they be required, in the defense of the principles for which 
 they go, to shed the blood of any among the contending 
 forces, it shall not be a sin, and the blood of their enemies 
 shall not be required at their hands. 
 
 We will have no fear for those who will be true to the 
 covenants they have made in the waters of baptism and ob- 
 serve to keep the commandments of God. If they die, they 
 shall die unto the Lord and shall stand before him spotless 
 and void of offense. And should they return unharmed, 
 we will give to our Father in heaven the credit for his pro- 
 tecting care over them while in the discharge of perilous 
 duty. While they are away the prayers of the Saints will 
 ascend in their behalf for their protection, and we sincerely 
 hope their prayers will not be without avail, and surely they 
 will avail if our boys will continue to be worthy of the mer- 
 cies of the Lord. Juvenile Instructor, August, 1917, p. 404, 
 Vol. 52. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Eternal Life and Salvation. 
 
 ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION. Every man born into 
 the world will die. It matters not who he is, nor where he 
 is, whether his birth be among the rich and the noble, or 
 among the lowly and poor in the world, his days are num- 
 bered with the Lord, and in due time he will reach the end. 
 We should think of this. Not that we should go about with 
 heavy hearts or with downcast countenances ; not at all. I 
 rejoice that I am born to live, to die, and to live again. I 
 thank God for this intelligence. It gives me joy and peace 
 that the world cannot give, neither can the world take it 
 away. God has revealed this to me, in the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ. I know it to be true. Therefore, I have nothing to 
 be sad over, nothing to make me sorrowful. All that I have 
 to do with in the world is calculated to buoy me up, to give 
 me joy and peace, hope and consolation in this present life, 
 and a glorious hope of salvation and exaltation in the pres- 
 ence of my God in the world to come. I have no reason to 
 mourn, not even at death. It is true, I am weak enough to 
 weep at the death of my friends and kindred. I may shed 
 tears when I see the grief of others. I have sympathy in 
 my soul for the children of men. I can weep with them 
 when they weep; I can rejoice with them when they rejoice; 
 but I have no cause to mourn, nor to be sad because death 
 comes into the world. I am speaking now of the temporal 
 death, the death of the body. All fear of this death has been 
 removed from the Latter-day Saints. They have no dread 
 of the temporal death, because they know that as death 
 came upon them by the transgression of Adam, so by the 
 righteousness of Jesus Christ shall life come unto them, 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 539 
 
 and though they die, they shall live again. Possessing this 
 knowledge, they have joy even in death, for they know that 
 they shall rise again and shall meet again beyond the grave. 
 They know that the spirit dies not at all ; that it passes 
 through no change, except the change from imprisonment in 
 this mortal clay to freedom and to the sphere in which it 
 acted before it came to this earth. We are begotten in the 
 similitude of Christ himself. We dwelt with the Father 
 and with the Son in the beginning, as the sons and daugh- 
 ters of God; and at the time appointed, we came to this 
 earth to take upon ourselves tabernacles, that we might be- 
 come conformed to the likeness and image of Jesus Christ 
 and become like him ; that we might have a tabernacle, 
 that we might pass through death as he has passed through 
 death, that we might rise again from the dead as he has 
 risen from the dead. As he was the first fruits of the res- 
 urrection of the dead, so shall we be the second fruits of 
 the resurrection from the dead; for as he came forth, so 
 shall we come forth. What is there, therefore, to be sad 
 about? What is there to make us heavy of heart or sor- 
 rowful in this matter? Nothing at all. Sorrowful, indeed, 
 to think that we shall live forever ! Is there any cause for 
 sorrow to know that we shall rise from the dead, and pos- 
 sess the same tabernacle that we have here in mortality? Is 
 there cause for sorrow in this great, glorious gospel truth 
 that has been revealed to us in this dispensation? Certainly 
 there can be no sorrow connected with a thought like this. 
 There must be only joy connected with this knowledge the 
 joy that springs from the ten thousand feelings and affec- 
 tions of the human soul; the joy that we feel in associa- 
 tion with brethren, with wives and children, with fathers 
 and mothers, with brothers and sisters. All these joyous 
 thoughts spring up in our souls at the thought of death and 
 the resurrection. Wherein should we be sad or sorrowful? 
 On the contrary, it is cause for joy unspeakable, and for 
 
540 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 pure happiness. I cannot express the joy I feel at the 
 thought of meeting my father, and my precious mother, 
 ivho gave me birth in the midst of persecution and poverty, 
 who bore me in her arms and was patient, forbearing, tender 
 and true during all my helpless moments in the world. The 
 thought of meeting her, who can express the joy? The 
 thought of meeting my children who have preceded me be- 
 yond the veil, and of meeting my kindred and my friends, 
 what happiness it affords ! For I know that I shall meet 
 them there. God has shown me that this is true. He has 
 made it clear to me, in answer to my prayer and devotion, 
 as he has made it clear to the understanding of all men who 
 have sought diligently to know him. Oct. C. R., 1899, pp. 
 70-71. 
 
 CLOSE RELATION OF THE NEXT LIFE. I feel sure 
 that the Prophet Joseph Smith and his associates, who, un- 
 der the guidance and inspiration of the Almighty, and by 
 his power, began this latter-day work, would rejoice and 
 do rejoice, I was going to say if they were permitted to 
 look down upon the scene that I behold in this tabernacle, 
 but I believe they do have the privilege of looking down 
 upon us just as the all-seeing eye of God beholds every part 
 of his handiwork. For I believe that those who have been 
 chosen in this dispensation and in former dispensations, 
 to lay the foundation of God's work in the midst of the 
 children of men, for their salvation and exaltation, will not 
 be deprived in the spirit world from looking down upon 
 the results of their own labors, efforts and mission assigned 
 them by the wisdom and purpose of God, to help to redeem 
 and to reclaim the children of the Father from their sins. 
 So I feel quite confident that the eye of Joseph, the prophet, 
 and of the martyrs of this dispensation, and of Brigham, and 
 John, and Wilford, and those faithful men who were asso- 
 ciated with them in their ministry upon the earth, are care- 
 fully guarding the interests of the kingdom of God in which 
 
ETERNAL LIFE . INJD SALVATION 541 
 
 they labored and for which they strove during their mortal 
 lives. I believe they are as deeply interested in our welfare 
 today, if not with greater capacity, with far more interest, 
 behind the veil, than they were in the flesh. I believe they 
 know more; I believe their minds have expanded beyond 
 their comprehension in mortal life, and their interests are 
 enlarged and expanded in the work of the Lord to which 
 they gave their lives and their best service. Although some 
 may feel and think that it is a little extreme to take this view, 
 yet I believe that it is true ; and I have a feeling in my heart 
 that I stand in the presence not only of the Father and of 
 the Son, but in the presence of those whom God commis- 
 sioned, raised up, and inspired, to lay the foundations of 
 the work in which we are engaged. Accompanying that 
 sense or feeling, I am impressed with the thought that I 
 would not this moment say or do one thing that would be 
 taken as unwise or imprudent, or that would give offense to 
 any of my former associates and co-laborers in the work of 
 the Lord. 
 
 I would not like to say one thing, or express a thought, 
 that would grieve the heart of Joseph, or of Brigham, or of 
 John, or of Wilford, or Lorenzo, or of any of their faithful 
 associates in the ministry. Sometimes the Lord expands our 
 vision from this point of view and this side of the veil, that we 
 feel and seem to realize that we can look beyond the thin veil 
 which separates us from that other sphere. If we can see, 
 by the enlightening influence of the Spirit of God and 
 through the words that have been spoken by the holy 
 prophets of God, beyond the veil that separates us from the 
 spirit world, surely those who have passed beyond, can see 
 more clearly through the veil back here to us than it is pos- 
 sible for us to see to them from our sphere of action. I be- 
 lieve we move and have our being in the presence of heaven- 
 ly messengers and of heavenly beings. We are not separated 
 from them. We begin to realize more and more fully, as we 
 
542 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 become acquainted with the principles of the gospel, as they 
 have been revealed anew in this dispensation, that we are 
 closely related to our kindred, to our ancestors, to our 
 friends and associates and co-laborers who have preceded us 
 into the spirit world. We cannot forget them; we do not 
 cease to love them; we always hold them in our hearts, in 
 memory, and thus we are associated and united to them by 
 ties that we cannot break, that we cannot dissolve or free 
 ourselves from. If this is the case with us in our finite con- 
 dition, surrounded by our mortal weaknesses, shortsighted- 
 ness, lack of inspiration and wisdom, from time to time, 
 how much more certain it is, and reasonable and consistent, 
 to believe that those who have been faithful, who have gone 
 beyond, are still engaged in the work for the salvation of the 
 souls of men, in the opening of the prison doors to them 
 that are bound and proclaiming liberty to the captives, who 
 can see us better than we can see them that they know us 
 better than we know them. They have advanced; we are 
 advancing; we are growing as they have grown; we are 
 reaching the goal that they have attained unto ; and there- 
 fore, I claim that we live in their presence, they see us, they 
 are solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than 
 ever. For now they see the dangers that beset us ; they can 
 comprehend better than ever before, the weaknesses that are 
 liable to mislead us into dark and forbidden paths. They 
 see the temptations and the evils that beset us in life and 
 the proneness of mortal beings to yield to temptation and 
 to wrong doing; hence their solicitude for us and their love 
 for us and their desire for our well being must be greater 
 than that which we feel for ourselves. I thank God for the 
 feeling that I possess and enjoy, and for the realization that 
 I have that I stand, not only in the presence of Almighty 
 God, my Maker and Father, but in the presence of his Only 
 Begotten Son in the flesh, the Savior of the world; and I 
 stand in the presence of Peter and James, (and perhaps the 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 543 
 
 eyes of John are also upon us and we know it not) ; and that 
 I stand also in the presence of Joseph, and Hyrum, and Brig- 
 ham, and John, and those who have been valiant in the tes- 
 timony of Jesus Christ and faithful to their mission in the 
 world, who have gone before. When I go, I want to have 
 the privilege of meeting them with the consciousness that I 
 have followed their example, that I have carried out the 
 mission in which they were engaged, as they would have 
 it carried out; that I have been as faithful in the discharge 
 of duty, committed to me and required at my hand, as they 
 were faithful in their time, and that when I meet them, I 
 shall meet them as I met them here, in love, in harmony, in 
 unison, and in perfect confidence that I have done my duty 
 as they have done theirs. 
 
 I hope you will forgive me for my emotion. You would 
 have peculiar emotions, would you not, if you felt that you 
 stood in the presence of your Father, in the very presence of 
 Almighty God, in the very presence of the Son of God and 
 of holy angels? You would feel rather emotional, rather 
 sensitive. I feel it to the very depths of my soul this mo- 
 ment. So I hope you will forgive me, if I exhibit some of 
 my real feelings. Apr. C. R., 1916, pp. 2-4. 
 
 CONDITION IN A FUTURE LIFE. Some people dream, 
 you know, and think, and teach that all the glory they ever 
 expect to have in the world to come is to sit in the light and 
 glory of the Son of God, and sing praises and songs of joy 
 and gratitude all their immortal lives. We do not believe in 
 any such things. We believe that every man will have his 
 work to do in the other world, just as surely as he had it to 
 do here, and a greater work than he can do here. We be- 
 lieve that we are on the road of advancement, of develop- 
 ment in knowledge, in understanding, and in every good 
 thing, and that we will continue to grow, advance, and 
 develop throughout the eternities that are before us. That 
 is what we believe. Apr. C. R., 1912, p. 8. 
 
544 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 SPIRITUAL DEATH. But I want to speak a word or two 
 in relation to another death, which is a more terrible death 
 than that of the body. When Adam, our first parent, par- 
 took of the forbidden fruit, transgressed the law of God, 
 and became subject unto Satan, he was banished from the 
 presence of God, and was thrust out into outer spiritual 
 darkness. This was the first death. Yet living, he was dead 
 dead to God, dead to light and truth, dead spiritually ; cast 
 out from the presence of God ; communication between the 
 Father and the Son cut off. He was as absolutely thrust 
 out from the presence of God as was Satan and the hosts 
 that followed him. That was spiritual death. But the Lord 
 said that he would not suffer Adam nor his posterity to 
 come to the temporal death until they should have the means 
 by which they might be redeemed from the first death, which 
 is spiritual. Therefore angels were sent unto Adam, who 
 taught him the gospel, and revealed to him the principle by 
 which he could be redeemed from the first death, and be 
 brought back from banishment and outer darkness into the 
 marvelous light of the gospel. He was taught faith, re- 
 pentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, in the name 
 of Jesus Christ, who should come in the meridian of time 
 and take away the sin of the world, and was thus given a 
 chance to be redeemed from the spiritual death before he 
 should die the temporal death. 
 
 Now, all the world today, I am sorry to say, with the 
 exception of a handful of people who have obeyed the new 
 and everlasting covenant, are suffering this spiritual death. 
 They are cast out from the presence of God. They are 
 without God, without gospel truth, and without the power 
 of redemption ; for they know not God nor his gospel. In 
 order that they may be redeemed and saved from the spirit- 
 ual death which has spread over the world like a pall, they 
 must repent of their sins, and be baptized by one having au- 
 thority, for the remission of their sins, that they may be 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 545 
 
 born of God. That is why we want these young men to go 
 out into the world to preach the gospel. While they them- 
 selves understand but little, perhaps, the germ of life u, m 
 them. They have been horn again, they have received the 
 gift of the Holy Ghost, and they have the authority of the 
 holy priesthood, by which they can administer in the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
 Though they may know but little in the beginning, they 
 can learn, and as they learn they can preach, and as they 
 have opportunity they can baptize for the remission of sins. 
 Therefore, we want them to do their duty at home. We 
 want them above all things to be pure in heart. Oct. C. R., 
 1899, p. 72. 
 
 THE UNPARDONABLE SIN. Now, if Judas really had 
 known God's power, and had partaken thereof, and did 
 actually "deny the truth" and "defy" that power, "having 
 denied the Holy Spirit after he had received it," and also 
 "denied the Only Begotten," after God had "revealed him" 
 unto him, then there can be no doubt that he "will die the 
 second death." 
 
 That Judas did partake of all this knowledge that 
 these great truths had been revealed to him that he had 
 . received the Holy Spirit by the gift of God, and was there- 
 fore qualified to commit the unpardonable sin, is not at all 
 clear to me. To my mind it strongly appears that not one 
 of the disciples possessed sufficient light, knowledge, nor wis- 
 dom, at the time of the crucifixion, for either exaltation or 
 condemnation; for it was afterward that their minds were 
 opened to understand the scriptures, and that they were 
 endowed with power from on high ; without which they were 
 only children in knowledge, in comparison to what they 
 afterwards became under the influence of the Spirit. 
 
 Saul, of Tarsus, possessing extraordinary intelligence 
 and learning, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel., taught ac- 
 cording to the perfect manner of the law, persecuted the 
 
 36 
 
546 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Saints unto death, binding and delivering unto prisons 
 both men and women ; and when the blood of the Martyr 
 Stephen was shed, Saul stood by keeping the raiment of 
 those who slew him, and consented unto his death. And 
 "he made havoc of the Church, entering into every house, 
 and haling men and women committed them to prison." 
 And when they were put to death, he gave his voice against 
 them, and he "punished them oft in every synagogue, and 
 compelled them to blaspheme ; and being exceedingly mad 
 against them, persecuted them even unto strange cities." 
 and yet this man committed no unpardonable sin, because 
 he knew not the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:3; 9:1 ; 22:4; 26:10, 11. 
 
 While, for the crime of adultery with Bathsheba, and 
 for ordering Uriah to be put in the front of battle in a time 
 of war, where he was slain by the enemy, the priesthood, and 
 the kingdom were taken from David, the man after God's 
 own heart, and his soul was thrust into hell. Why? Be- 
 cause "the Holy Ghost spake by the mouth of David" or, 
 in other words, David possessed the gift of the Holy Ghost, 
 and had power to speak by the light thereof. But even 
 David, though guilty of adultery and the murder of Uriah, 
 obtained the promise that his soul should not be left in hell. 
 Which means, as I understand it, that even he shall escape 
 the second death. 
 
 While suspended upon the cross, in the agonies of 
 death, as he was about to yield up his spirit, our gracious, 
 glorious Savior breathed this memorable and merciful 
 prayer: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what 
 they do." (Luke 23:34.) 
 
 No man can sin against light until he has it; nor 
 against the Holy Ghost, until after he has received it by the 
 gift of God through the appointed channel or way. To sin 
 against the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, 
 the Witness of the Father and the Son, wilfully denying 
 him and defying him, after having received him, constitutes 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 547 
 
 this sin. Did Judas possess this light, this witness, this 
 Comforter, this baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, this 
 endowment from on high? If he did, he received it before 
 the betrayal, and therefore before the other eleven apostles. 
 And if this be so, may you say, "he is a son of perdition 
 without hope ?" But if he was destitute of this glorious gift 
 and outpouring of the Spirit, by which the witness came to 
 the eleven, and their minds were opened to see and know 
 the truth, and they were able to testify of him, then what 
 constituted the unpardonable sin of this poor, erring crea- 
 ture, who rose no higher in the scale of intelligence, honor 
 or ambition than to betray the Lord of glory for thirty 
 pieces of silver? 
 
 But not knowing that Judas did commit the unpardon- 
 able sin ; nor that he was a "son of perdition without hope" 
 who will die the second death, nor what knowledge he pos- 
 sessed by which he was able to commit so great a sin, I 
 prefer, until I know better, to take the merciful view that he 
 may be numbered among those for whom the blessed Mas- 
 ter prayed, "Father, forgive them ; for they know not what 
 they do." Improvement Era, Vol. 21, June, 1918, p. 732. 
 
 THE RESURRECTION. Speaking of the resurrection, the 
 subject on which so much has been said during this con- 
 ference, and appropriately said, too we distinctly believe 
 that Jesus Christ himself is the true, and only true type of 
 the resurrection of men from death unto life. We believe 
 there is no other form of resurrection from death to life ; 
 that as he rose, and as he preserved his identity, even to the 
 scars of the wounds in his hands and feet and side, that he 
 could prove himself to those that were skeptical of the 
 possibility of rising from the dead, that he was indeed him- 
 self, the Lord crucified, buried in the tomb, and raised again 
 from death to life, so it will be with you and with every 
 son and daughter of Adam, born into the world. You will 
 not lose your identity any more than Christ did. You will 
 
548 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 be brought forth from death to life again, just as surely as 
 Christ was brought forth from death to life again, just as 
 surely as those who ministered to the Prophet Joseph Smith 
 had been raised from death to life therefore, in the same 
 manner in which Christ has been raised, so will life, and the 
 resurrection from death to life again, come upon all who 
 have descended from our first parents. The death' that 
 came into the world by Adam's transgression has been con- 
 quered, and its terror vanquished by the power and right- 
 eousness of the Son of God. He came to redeem man from 
 the temporal death, and also to save him from spiritual 
 death if he will repent of his sins, and will believe on the 
 name of Christ, follow his example, and obey his laws. 
 Apr. C. R., 1012, p. 135-136. 
 
 NATURE OF MINISTERING ANGELS. We are told by the 
 Prophet Joseph Smith, that "there are no angels who minis- 
 ter to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to 
 it." Hence, when messengers are sent to minister to the 
 inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from 
 the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and 
 fellow-servants. The ancient prophets who died were those 
 who came to visit their fellow creatures upon the earth. 
 They came to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob ; it was such 
 beings holy beings if you please that waited upon the 
 Savior and administered to him on the Mount. The 
 angel that visited John, when an exile, and unfolded 
 to his vision future events in the history of man upon 
 the earth, was one who had been here, who had toiled 
 and suffered in common with the people of God; for 
 you remember that John, after his eyes had beheld the 
 glories of the great future, was about to fall down and 
 worship him, but was peremptorily forbidden to do so. 
 "See thou do it not ; for I am thy fellow servant, and 
 of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the 
 sayings of this book: worship God." (Rev. 22:9.) Jesus has 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 549 
 
 visited the people of this earth from time to time. He 
 visited and showed himself in his spiritual body to the 
 brother of Jared, touching certain stones with his ringer, 
 that the brother of Jared had fashioned out of the rock, 
 making them to give light to him and his people in the 
 barges in which they crossed the waters of the great deep 
 to come to this land. He visited others at various times 
 before and after he tabernacled in the flesh. It was Jesus 
 who created this earth, it therefore is his inheritance, and 
 he had a perfect right to come and minister to inhabitants 
 of this earth. He came in the meridian of time and tab- 
 ernacled in the flesh, some 33 years among men, introduc- 
 ing and teaching the fulness of the gospel, and calling 
 upon all men to follow in his footsteps ; to do the same 
 thing that he himself did, that they might be worthy to 
 inherit with him the same glory. After he suffered the death 
 of the body, he appeared, not only to his disciples and 
 others on the eastern continent, but to tne inhabitants of 
 this continent, and he ministered unto them as he did to the 
 people, in the land of Palestine. In like manner our fathers 
 and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed 
 away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to 
 enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given 
 them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, 
 bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of 
 warning, of reproof and instruction, to those whom they 
 had learned to love in the flesh. And so it is with Sister 
 Cannon. She can return and visit her friends, provided it be 
 in accordance with the wisdom of the Almighty. There 
 are laws to which they who are in the Paradise of God 
 must be subject, as well as laws to which we are subject. It 
 is our duty to make ourselves acquainted with those laws, 
 that we may know how to live in harmony with his will 
 while we dwell in the flesh, that we may be entitled to 
 come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, clothed 
 
550 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 with glory, immortality and eternal lives, and be permitted 
 to sit down at the right hand of God, in the kingdom of 
 heaven. And except we become acquainted with those 
 laws, and live in harmony with them, we need not expect 
 to enjoy these privileges; Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, 
 Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Jedediah M. Grant, 
 David Patten, Joseph Smith, Sen., and all those noble men 
 who took an active part in the establishment of this work, 
 and who died true and faithful to their trust, have the right 
 and privilege, and possess the keys and power, to minister 
 to the people of God in the flesh who live now, as much 
 so and on the same principle as the ancient servants of 
 God had the right to return to the earth and minister to 
 the Saints of God in their day. 
 
 These are correct principles. There is no question about 
 that in my mind. It is according to the Scriptures; it is 
 according to the revelation of God to the Prophet Joseph 
 Smith; and it is a subject upon which we may dwell with 
 pleasure and perhaps profit to ourselves, provided we have 
 the Spirit of God to direct us. Discourse delivered at the 
 funeral services of Elizabeth H. Cannon, Fourteenth ward 
 assembly rooms, Salt Lake City, Jan. 29, 1882. Journal of 
 Discourses, Vol. 22, pp. 350-353. 
 
 REDEMPTION BEYOND THE GRAVE. "But wo unto him 
 that has the law given ; yea, that has all the commandments 
 of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that 
 wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state" (II 
 Nephi 9:27-38; see also Alma 11 :40,41). 
 
 Now, it is evident that such as these have no chance 
 for redemption, no matter what may be done for them in 
 hope or by faith, for they will have sinned against life and 
 knowledge, and are, therefore, worthy of damnation. It is 
 nowhere revealed that such as these will ever be forgiven, 
 although we are informed that all of God's judgments are 
 not given unto men. 
 
INTERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 551 
 
 There is no other means of salvation revealed or given 
 to the children of men except that offered by the Son of 
 Clod, and those who reject this, whether before or after 
 they have received it in part, cannot be saved, because they 
 rejected the means of their redemption and salvation. Not 
 so with those to whom Christ went to deliver the gospel 
 when his body lay in the tomb; they were disobedient to the 
 message of Noah, which was a warning to them to repent or 
 they should be destroyed by a flood. We are not told to 
 what extent the gospel of Christ, in its fulness, was pro- 
 claimed to them, but are left to suppose that the message 
 of Noah was not the fulness of the gospel, but a cry of re- 
 pentance from sin that they might escape destruction by the 
 flood. They hardened their hearts against Noah's message, 
 and would not receive it, and were punished for this diso- 
 bedience in their destruction by the flood ; thus in part pay- 
 ing the penalties for their disobedience ; but not having re- 
 ceived the light they could not be condemned as those spoken 
 of in 9th Nephi, who had all the commandments of God 
 given unto them. 
 
 Therefore, Jesus went with his message to their spirits 
 in prison and proclaimed liberty and deliverance to them 
 through their obedience in the spirit world, that the work 
 might be done for them in the flesh, and they be judged ac- 
 cording to men in the flesh, and live according to God in the 
 spirit. So there is no conflict in these scriptures. Of course, 
 there is a difference between those who receive the light of 
 the gospel and the testimony of Jesus Christ and afterwards 
 rebel against that light and reject it, thereby putting Christ 
 to an open shame, and crucifying him, and those who are 
 referred to by Alma: "Therefore the wicked remain as 
 though there had been no redemption made." These are 
 not under as great a condemnation as those who have re- 
 ceived it and rejected it; but so long as they remain unre- 
 pentant and wicked, there is no redemption for them any 
 
552 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 more than for the others ; but it is possible that these may 
 repent in the spirit world. 
 
 In relation to the deliverance of spirits from their prison 
 house, of course, we believe that can only be done after the 
 gospel has been preached to them in the spirit, and they 
 have accepted the same, and the work necessary to their re- 
 demption by the living be done for them. That this work 
 may be hastened so that all who believe in the spirit world 
 may receive the benefit of deliverance, it is revealed that the 
 great work of the Millennium shall be the work in the tem- 
 ples for the redemption of the dead; and then we hope to 
 enjoy the benefits of revelation through the Urim and 
 Thummim, or by such means as the Lord may reveal con- 
 cerning those for whom the work shall be done, so that we 
 may not work by chance, or by faith alone, without knowl- 
 edge, but with the actual knowledge revealed unto us. It 
 stands to reason that, while the gospel may be preached unto 
 all, the good and the. bad, or rather to those who would 
 repent and to those who would not repent in the spirit 
 world, the same as it is here, redemption will only come to 
 those who repent and obey. There is, no doubt, great leni- 
 ency given to people who are anxious to do the work for 
 their dead, and in some instances, very unwortny people may 
 have the work done for them; it does not follow, however, 
 that they will receive any benefit therefrom, and the correct 
 thing is to do the work only for those of whom we have the 
 testimony that they will receive it. However, we are dis- 
 posed to give the benefit of the doubt to the dead, as it is 
 better to do the work for many who are unworthy than to 
 neglect one who is worthy. Now, we know in part and see 
 in part, but we steadfastly look forward to the time when 
 that which is perfect will come. We are left largely to our 
 own agency here, to exercise our own intelligence and to 
 receive all the light that is revealed so far as we are capable 
 of receiving it, and only those who seek the light, and desire 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 553 
 
 it, are likely to find it. Improvement Era, Vol. 5, Decem- 
 ber, 1901, pp. 145-7. 
 
 NATURE OF DEATH. God" has given laws to govern all 
 his works, and especially has he given laws to govern his 
 people, who are his sons and daughters. We have come to 
 sojourn in the flesh, to obtain tabernacles for our immortal 
 spirits ; or, in other words, we have come for the purpose of 
 accomplishing a work like that which was accomplished by 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. The object of our earthly existence 
 is that we may have a fulness of joy, and that we may be- 
 come the sons and daughters of God, in the fullest sense of 
 the word, being heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus 
 Christ, to be kings and priests unto God, to inherit glory, 
 dominion, exaltation, thrones and every power and attri- 
 bute developed and possessed by our heavenly Father. This 
 is the object of our being on this earth. In order to at- 
 tain unto this exalted position, it is necessary that we go 
 through this mortal experience, or probation, by which we 
 may prove ourselves worthy, through the aid of our elder 
 Brother, Jesus. The spirit, without the body is not perfect. 
 It is not capacitated, without the body, to possess a fulness 
 of the glory of God, and therefore it cannot, without the 
 body, fulfil its destiny. We are foreordained to become con- 
 formed to the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ; and in 
 order that we may become like unto him, we must follow 
 in his footsteps, even until we sanctify ourselves by the law 
 of truth and righteousness. This is the law of the celestial 
 kingdom, and when we die, its power will bring us forth in 
 the morning of the first resurrection, clothed with glory, im- 
 mortality and eternal lives. Unless we do keep the law that 
 God has given unto us in the flesh, which we have the priv- 
 ilege of receiving and understanding, we cannot be quick- 
 ened by its glory, neither can we receive the fulness thereof, 
 and the exaltation of the celestial kingdom. 
 
 "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before 
 
554 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the foundations of the world, upon which all blessings are 
 predicated ; and when we obtain any blessing from God, it 
 is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. "- 
 (Doc and Cov. 130:20.) 
 
 We must, therefore, learn the laws of heaven, which 
 are the laws of the gospel, live and obey them with all our 
 hearts, and in faith abide in them, perfecting ourselves 
 thereby, in order to receive the fulness of the glory of that 
 kingdom. * * * 
 
 While we are in mortality we are clogged, and we see 
 as through a glass darkly, we see only in part, and it is dif- 
 ficult for us to comprehend the smallest things with which 
 we are associated. But when we put on immortality, our con- 
 dition will be very different, for we ascend into an enlarged 
 sphere; although we shall not become perfect immediately 
 after our departure from the body, for the spirit without 
 the body is not perfect, and the body without the spirit is 
 dead. The disembodied spirit during the interval of the 
 death of the body and its resurrection from the grave is 
 not perfect, hence it is not prepared to enter into the ex- 
 altation of the celestial kingdom ; but it has the privilege 
 of soaring in the midst of immortal beings, and of enjoy- 
 ing, to a certain extent, the presence of God, not the fulness 
 of his glory, not the fulness of the reward which we are seek- 
 ing and which we are destined to receive, if found faithful 
 to the law of the celestial kingdom, but only in part. 
 
 The righteous spirit that departs from this earth is as- 
 signed its place in the Paradise of God ; it has its priv- 
 ileges and honors which are in point of excellency, far above 
 and beyond human comprehension ; and in this sphere of ac- 
 tion, enjoying this partial reward for its righteous conduct 
 on the earth, it continues its labors, and in this respect is 
 very different from the state of the body from which it is 
 released. For while the body sleeps and decays, the spirit 
 receives a new birth ; to it the portals of life are opened. It 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 555 
 
 is born again into the presence of God. The spirit of our 
 beloved sister in taking its departure from this world is born 
 again into the spirit world, returning there from the mis- 
 sion it had been performing in this state of probation, hav- 
 ing been absent a few years from father, mother, kindred, 
 friends, neighbors, and from all that was dear; it has re- 
 turned nearer to the home-circle, to old associations and 
 scenes, much in the same way as a man who comes home 
 from a foreign mission, to join again his family and friends 
 and enjoy the pleasures and comforts of home. 
 
 This is the condition of her whose remains now lie be- 
 fore us, and of every one who has been faithful to virtue and 
 purity, while traveling here below; but more especially of 
 those who while here had the privilege of obeying the gos- 
 pel, and who lived true and faithful to its covenants. In- 
 stead of continuing here among the things of time, sur- 
 rounded as we are with the weaknesses of a fallen world, 
 and subject to earthly cares and sorrows, they are freed from 
 them to enter a state of joy, glory and exaltation; not a ful- 
 ness of any one of them, but to await the morning of the res- 
 urrection of the just, to come forth from the grave to redeem 
 the body, and to be reunited with it, and thus become a liv- 
 ing soul, an immortal being never more to die. Having ac- 
 complished its work, having gone through its earthly pro- 
 bation, and having fulfilled its mission here below, it is then 
 prepared for the knowledge and glory and exaltation of the 
 celestial kingdom. This Jesus did ; and he is our forerunner, 
 he is our exemplar. The path which he marked out we have 
 to walk in, if we ever expect to dwell, and be crowned with 
 him in his kingdom. We must obey and put our trust in 
 him, knowing that he is the Savior of the world. 
 
 What reason have we to mourn? None, except that 
 we are deprived for a few days of the society of one whom 
 we love. And if we prove faithful while in the flesh we will 
 soon follow, and be glad that we had the privilege of passing 
 
556 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 through mortality, and that we lived in a day in which the 
 fulness of the everlasting gospel was preached, through 
 which we will be exalted, for there is no exaltation but 
 through obedience to law. Every blessing, privilege, glory, 
 or exaltation is obtained only through obedience to the law 
 upon which the same is promised. If we will abide the law, 
 we shall receive the reward ; but we can receive it on no 
 other ground. Then let us rejoice in the truth, in the res^- 
 toration of the priesthood that power delegated to man, by 
 virtue of which the Lord sanctions in the heavens what man 
 does upon the earth. The Lord has taught us the ordinances 
 of the gospel by which we may perfect our exaltation in 
 his kingdom. We are not living as the heathen, without law ; 
 that which is necessary for our exaltation has been revealed. 
 Our duty, therefore, is to obey the laws, then we shall re- 
 ceive our reward, no matter whether we are cut down in 
 childhood, in manhood or old age ; it is all the same, so long 
 'as we are living up to the light we possess we shall not be 
 shorn of any blessing, nor deprived of any privilege; for 
 there is a time after this mortal life, and there is a way pro- 
 vided by which we may fulfil the measure of our creation 
 and destiny, and accomplish the whole great work that we 
 have been sent to do, although it may reach far into the fu- 
 ture before we fully accomplish it. 
 
 Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain, 
 neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead, 
 although he had accomplished the purpose for which he 
 then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all his work. 
 And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved 
 every son and daughter of our father Adam that has or ever 
 will be born upon this earth to the end of time, except the 
 sons of perdition. That is his mission. We will not finish 
 our work until we have saved ourselves, and then not until 
 we shall have saved all depending upon us ; for we are to 
 become saviors upon Monut Zion, as well as Christ. We are 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 557 
 
 called to this mission. The dead are not perfect without us, 
 neither are we without them. We have a mission to perform 
 for and in their behalf; we have a certain work to do in 
 order to liberate those who, because of their ignorance and 
 the unfavorable circumstances in which they were placed 
 while here, are unprepared for eternal life ; we have to open 
 the door for them, by performing ordinances which they 
 cannot perform for themselves, and which are essential to 
 their release from the "prison-house/' to come forth and 
 live according to God in the spirit, and be judged according 
 to man in the flesh. 
 
 The Prophet Joseph Smith has said that this is one of 
 the most important duties that devolves upon the Latter-day 
 Saints. And why? Because this is the dispensation of the 
 fulness of times, which will usher in the millennial reign, 
 and in which all things spoken by the mouths of holy proph- 
 ets, since the world began, must be fulfilled, and all things 
 united, both which are in heaven and in the earth. We 
 have that work to do; or, at least all we can of it, leav- 
 ing the balance to our children, in whose hearts we should 
 instil the importance of this work, rearing them in the love 
 of the truth and in the knowledge of these principles, so 
 that when we pass away, having done all we can do, they 
 will then take up the labor and continue it until it is con- 
 summated. 
 
 May the Lord bless this bereaved family and comfort 
 them in their deprivation. Those who die in the Lord shall 
 not taste of death. When Adam partook of the forbidden 
 fruit he was cast out from the presence of God into outer 
 darkness ; that is, he was shut out from the presence of his 
 glory and the privilege of his society, which was spiritual 
 death. This was the first death ; this indeed was death ; for 
 he was shut out from the presence of God; and ever since, 
 Adam's posterity have been suffering the penalty of this 
 spiritual death, which is banishment from his presence and 
 
558 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the society of holy beings. This first death will also be the 
 second death. Now we look upon the mortal remains of our 
 departed sister ; her immortal part has gone. Where ? Into 
 outer darkness? banished from the presence of God? No, 
 but born again into his presence, restored, or born from 
 death to life, to immortality and to joy in his presence. This 
 is not death, then; and this is true in relation to all Saints 
 who die in the Lord and the covenant of the gospel. They 
 return from the midst of death to life, where death has no 
 power. 
 
 There is no death except to those who die in sin, with- 
 out the sure and steadfast hope of the resurrection of the 
 just. There is no death where we continue in the knowledge 
 of the truth and have hope of a glorious resurrection. Life 
 and immortality are brought to light through the gospel; 
 hence, there is no death here; here is peaceful slumber, a 
 quiet rest for a little season, and then she will come forth 
 again to enjoy this tabernacle. If there is anything lacking 
 in regard to ordinances pertaining to the House of the Lord, 
 which may have been omitted or not reached, those require- 
 ments can be attended to for her. Here are her father 
 and mother, her brothers and sisters ; they know the ordin- 
 ances necessary to be performed in order to secure every 
 benefit and blessing that it was possible for her to have re- 
 ceived in the flesh. These ordinances have been revealed 
 unto us for this very purpose, that we might be born into 
 the light from the midst of this darkness from death 
 into life. 
 
 We live, then ; we do not die ; we do not anticipate death ; 
 but we anticipate life, immortality, glory, exaltation, and to 
 be quickened by the glory of the celestial kingdom, and re- 
 ceive of the same even a fulness. This is our destiny; this 
 is the exalted position to which we may attain, and there 
 is no power that can deprive or rob us of it, if we prove 
 faithful and true to the covenant of the gospel. Funeral 
 
INTERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 559 
 
 sermon preached over the remains of Emma Wells, Salt Lake 
 City, April 11, 1878. Journal of Discourses, Vol. 19, 1878, 
 pp. 258-265. 
 
 THE RESURRECTION. Guided by the Spirit of the Lord 
 Jesus, by faith in God, in the testimony of his prophets and 
 in the scriptures, I accept the doctrine of the resurrection 
 with all my heart, and rejoice at its confirmation in nature 
 with the awakening of each returning spring. The Spirit 
 of God testifies to me, and has revealed to me, to my com- 
 plete personal satisfaction, that there is life after death, 
 and that the body which we lay down here will be reunited 
 with our spirits to become a perfect soul, capable of re- 
 ceiving a fulness of joy in the presence of God. Improve- 
 ment Era, Vol. 16, 1912-1913, pp. 508-510. 
 
 THE RESURRECTION. It is true all of us are clothed 
 with mortality, but our spirits existed long before they took 
 upon them this tabernacle that we now inhabit. When this 
 body dies, the spirit does not die. The spirit is an immor- 
 tal being, and when separated from the body takes its flight 
 to the place prepared for it, and there awaits the resurrec- 
 tion of the body, when the spirit will return again and 
 re-occupy this tabernacle which it occupied in this world. 
 
 This great and glorious principle of the resurrection is 
 no longer a theory, as some think, but it is an accomplished 
 fact which has been demonstrated beyond all successful con- 
 tradiction, doubt or controversy. Job, who lived before the 
 resurrection of Christ, possessing the spirit of prophecy, 
 looked forward to the time of the resurrection. He compre- 
 hended the fact. He understood the principles and knew 
 the power and design of God to bring it to pass, and pre- 
 dicted its accomplishment. He declares : "I know that my 
 Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day 
 upon the earth ;" he further says, "and though after my skin 
 worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" 
 (Job 19:26). He looked forward to something not yet 
 
560 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 done, something which had never been done in this world 
 before his day. It was not accomplished till long after his 
 time. Having received the spirit of the gospel and of reve- 
 lation, he was enabled to look down into unborn time and see 
 his body which had mouldered and crumbled into dust 
 raised from the dead. What he saw by the eye of faith has 
 become actual history unto us, and \ve possess not only the 
 history of the fact but a knowledge by the testimony of the 
 Holy Ghost of its truth. We are not therefore situated as 
 Job was, we live in the latter times which are pregnant with 
 grand and glorious events, among the greatest of which is 
 this glorious principle of the resurrection of the dead, which 
 is no longer a mere prediction, a cherished hope, or a pro- 
 phetic promise, but a reality ; for long before our day it has 
 actually been accomplished. Christ himself burst the bar- 
 riers of the tomb, conquered death and the grave and came 
 forth "the first fruits of them that slept." But, says one, 
 how can we know that Jesus was put to death or resur- 
 rected ? We have plenty of evidence to show that Jesus was 
 crucified and resurrected. We have the testimony of his 
 disciples, and they produce irrefutable evidence that they 
 did see him crucified, and witnessed the wounds of the nails 
 and spear which he received on the cross. They also testify 
 that this body was laid away in a sepulchre wherein no man 
 had lain, and they rolled a great stone- to the door and de- 
 parted. 
 
 Now the chief priests and Pharisees were not satisfied 
 with the crucifixion and burial of our Lord and Savior; 
 they remembered that while living he had said that after 
 three days he would rise again, so they established a strong 
 guard to protect the sepulchre and set a seal upon the stone, 
 lest his disciples should come by night and steal away the 
 body and say unto the people, "He is risen from the dead," 
 and thus perpetrate a fraud upon the world. 
 
 Lo and behold ! by this act those unbelieving guards 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 561 
 
 became actual witnesses to the fact that a heavenly personage 
 came and rolled away the stone and that Jesus came forth. 
 The disciples witness and testify to the resurrection, and 
 their testimony can not be impeached. It therefore stands 
 good, and is true and faithful. 
 
 But is this the only evidence we have to depend on? 
 Have we nothing but the testimony of the ancient disciples 
 to rest our hopes upon? Thank God we have more. And 
 the additional evidence which we possess enables us to be- 
 come witnesses to the truth of the testimony of the 
 ancient disciples. We go to the Book of Mormon ; it testi- 
 fies of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in plain 
 and unmistakable terms ; we may go to the book of Doctrine 
 and Covenants containing the revelations of this dispensa- 
 tion, and we shall find clear and well defined evidence there. 
 We have the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the 
 testimony of Oliver Cowdery, and the testimony of Sidney 
 Rigdon, that they saw the Lord Jesus the same that was 
 crucified in Jerusalem and that he revealed himself unto 
 them. Joseph and Sidney testify to it as follows : 
 
 "We, Joseph Smith, Jr., and Sidney Rigdon, being in 
 the Spirit on the sixteenth of February, in the year of our 
 Lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-two, by the 
 power of the Spirit our eyes were opened and our under- 
 standings were enlightened, so as to understand the things 
 of God even those things which were from the beginning 
 before the world was, which were ordained of the Father, 
 through his Only Begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the 
 Father, even from the beginning, of whom we bear record, 
 and the record which we bear is the fulness of the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ, who is the Son, whom we saw and with whom 
 we conversed in the heavenly vision" (Doc. and Cov. sec. 
 76:11-16). 
 
 They were called to be special witnesses of Jesus Christ 
 and his death and resurrection. 
 
 37 
 
562 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 We have also the testimony of the ancient disciples 
 who lived on this continent of the crucifixion and resurrec- 
 tion. You will find their testimony recorded in the Book 
 of Mormon. The disciples who lived upon this continent 
 knew what traaspired at Jerusalem ; the Lord showed them 
 these things. After his resurrection he manifested himself 
 to his disciples on this continent, and showed them the 
 wounds he had received on Calvary. They were convinced 
 that Jesus was the Christ and the Redeemer of the world. 
 They beheld him in the flesh and they bear witness of it, 
 and their testimony is true. We have the testimony of 
 many witnesses. We have the testimony of eleven special 
 witnesses to the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, 
 which book testifies of Christ's resurrection, containing as 
 it does the records of the ancient prophets and disciples of 
 Christ on this continent, thus confirming their testimonies. 
 
 Is this all the evidence we have? No. Joseph Smith 
 boldly declared to the world that if mankind would sin- 
 cerely repent of their sins and be baptized by authority they 
 should not only receive a remission of their sins, but, by the 
 laying on of hands, they should receive the Holy Ghost, and 
 should know of the doctrine for themselves. Thus all who 
 obey the law and abide in the truth become witnesses of 
 this and other equally great and precious truths. Today 
 there are thousands of Latter-day Saints living in Utah and 
 throughout the world who have attained to the possession 
 of these things, both men and women. If we witness by 
 our acts, and from our hearts, our determination to carry 
 out the mind and will of the Lord we shall have this double 
 assurance of a glorious resurrection, and be able to say as 
 the Prophet Job said his was a glorious declaration "For 
 I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall [again] 
 stand at the latter day upon the earth ; and though after my 
 skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see 
 God ; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall be- 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 563 
 
 hold, and not another ; though my reins be consumed within 
 me" (Job 19:25,26). Thousands have received this testi- 
 mony and can witness unto God and testify from their hearts 
 that they know these things. 
 
 I bear my testimony, and surely it is of as much force 
 and effect, if it be true, as the testimony of Job, the testi- 
 monies of the disciples of Jerusalem, the disciples on this 
 continent, of Joseph Smith, or any other man who told the 
 truth. All are of equal force and binding on the world. If 
 no man had ever testified to these things upon the face of 
 the globe, I want to say as a servant of God, independent of 
 the testimonies of all men and of every book that has been 
 written, that I have received the witness of the Spirit in 
 my own heart, and I testify before God, angels and men, 
 without fear of the consequences, that I know that my Re- 
 deemer lives, and I shall see him face to face, and stand 
 with him in my resurrected body upon this earth, if I am 
 faithful ; for God has revealed this unto me. I have received 
 the witness, and I bear my testimony, and my testimnoy is 
 true. 
 
 The testimony of the Latter-day Saints is in addition to 
 and consonant with that of the disciples of Jesus Christ who 
 lived at Jerusalem, those who lived on this continent, the 
 Prophet Joseph, Oliver, Sidney, and others, of our crucified 
 and risen Redeemer, because they received it not of them, but 
 by the same Spirit by which they received it. No man ever 
 received this testimony unless the Spirit of God revealed it 
 unto him. 
 
 We will see Brother Urie again. Sister Urie will meet 
 him on the other side of the grave. The spirit and the 
 body will be reunited. We shall see each other in the flesh, 
 in the same tabernacles that we have here while in mortal- 
 ity. Our tabernacles will be brought forth as they are laid 
 down, although there will be a restoration effected; every 
 organ, every limb that has been maimed, every deformity 
 
564 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 caused by accident or in any other way, will be restored and 
 put right. Every limb and joint *hall be restored to its 
 proper frame. We will know each other and enjoy each 
 other's society throughout the endless ages of eternity, if we 
 keep the law of God. It is for us to remain true and faith- 
 ful and keep our covenants, and to train our children up 
 in the paths of holiness, virtue and truth, in the principles 
 of the gospel, that we may with them be prepared to enjoy 
 the perfect and eternal day. Discourse delivered at the fu- 
 neral services of James Urie, Sixteenth ward, Salt Lake City, 
 February 3, 1883. Journal of Discourses, Vol. 24, pp. 
 75-82. 
 
 ON THE RESURRECTION. I believe that as Christ arose 
 from the dead, so shall all the faithful arise. We shall all 
 see each other again. I know that Jesus is the Christ, that 
 after his death and burial he arose from the dead, and be- 
 came the first fruits of the resurrection. To all believers, 
 and to the Latter-day Saints especially, there is sweet com- 
 fort in this knowledge, and in the thought that through obe- 
 dience to the ordinances and principles of the gospel, which 
 Christ, our Savior, taught and enjoined upon the people and 
 his disciples, men shall be born again, redeemed from sin, 
 arise from the grave, and, like Jesus, return into the pres- 
 ence of the Father. Death is not the end. When we, sor- 
 rowing, lay away our loved ones in the grave, we have an 
 assurance based upon the life, words and resurrection of 
 Christ, that w r e shall again meet and shake hands and asso- 
 ciate with them in a better life, where sorrow and trouble 
 are ended, and where there is to be no more parting. 
 
 This knowledge is one of the greatest incentives that we 
 have to live right in this life, to pass through mortality, do- 
 ing and feeling and accomplishing good. The spirits of all 
 men, as soon as they depart from this mortal body, whether 
 they are good or evil, we are told in the Book of Mormon, 
 are taken home to that God who gave them life, where there 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 565 
 
 is a separation, a partial judgment, and the spirits of those 
 who are righteous are received into a state of happiness 
 which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, 
 where they expand in wisdom, where they have respite from 
 all their troubles, and where care and sorrow do not annoy. 
 The wicked, on the contrary, have no part nor portion in the 
 Spirit of the Lord, and they are cast into outer darkness, 
 being led captive, because of their own iniquity, by the evil 
 one. And in this space between death and the resurrection 
 of the body, the two classes of souls remain, in happiness or 
 in misery, until the time which is appointed of God that the 
 dead shall come forth and be reunited both spirit and body, 
 and be brought to stand before God, and be judged accord- 
 ing to their works. This is the final judgment. 
 
 Where a man has obeyed the principles of the gospel, 
 used his influence for good, injured no soul, loved righteous- 
 ness, and despised wrong doing, laying down his body to the 
 rest of the righteous in the grave, I feel and know that, in 
 addition to the spirit's promised state of peace and rest in 
 paradise, there will be a glorious reunion of body and spirit, 
 a bright awakening for him in the resurrection, and a fu- 
 ture beyond, full of happiness. When this time shall come, 
 none but God knoweth, but we do know that all men shall 
 come forth from the dead. 
 
 Now, I know these statements to be true ; I know them 
 to be true by the thrill of the inspiration of God which 
 fills my entire being with this knowledge. To me they are 
 consistent with God's wisdom and with his holy purposes. 
 We have the testimony of Christ, the testimony of the 
 prophets, the whisperings of the Holy Spirit, and with 
 these evidences, I cannot help but believe, and know that 
 there is a resurrection of the dead, a literal, actual resur- 
 rection of the body. I cannot believe that a wise and mer- 
 ciful God would create a man like our friend and brother, 
 upright, honorable, honest in all his dealings and in his 
 
566 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 life, only to live a few years, then to pass away forever, to 
 be known no more. As Jesus arose from the dead so will 
 he, and all the innocent and righteous, arise. The elements 
 which compose this temporal body will not perish, will not 
 cease to exist, but in the day of the resurrection these ele- 
 ments will come together again, bone to bone, and flesh to 
 flesh. The body will come forth as it is laid to rest, for there 
 is no growth nor development in the grave. As it is laid 
 down, so will it arise, and changes to perfection will come by 
 the law of restitution. Improvement Era, Vol. 7, June, 
 1914, p. 619. 
 
 RESURRECTION AND FINAL JUDGMENT. When the 
 spirit leaves the body, it returns, says the prophet, imme- 
 diately to God, to be assigned to its place, either to as- 
 sociate with the good and the noble ones who have lived in 
 the paradise of God, or to be confined in the "prison-house" 
 to await the resurrection of the body from the grave. There- 
 fore we know that Brother Clayton has gone to God, gone 
 to receive the partial judgment of the Almighty which per- 
 tains to the period intervening between the death of the 
 body and the resurrection of the body, or the separation of 
 the spirit from the body and their uniting together again. 
 This judgment is passed upon the spirit alone. But there 
 will come a time, which will be after the resurrection, when 
 the body and spirit shall be reunited, when the final judg- 
 ment will be passed on every man. This is in accordance 
 with the vision of John the Revelator : 
 
 "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before 
 God ; and the books were opened ; and another book was 
 opened, which is the book of life ; and the dead were judged 
 out of those things which were written in the books, accord- 
 ing to their works. 
 
 "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and 
 death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: 
 * * * and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. 
 This is the second death. 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALl 'ATION 567 
 
 "And whosoever was not found written in the book 
 of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20: 12-15). 
 
 That is the final judgment, which we will all receive 
 after we have performed this our earthly mission. 
 
 The Savior did not finish his work when he expired on 
 the cross, when he cried out, "It is finished." He, in using 
 those words, had no reference to his great mission to the 
 earth, but merely to the agonies which he suffered. The 
 Christian world, I know, say he alluded to the great work 
 of redemption. This, however, is a great mistake, and is 
 indicative of the extent of their knowledge of the plan of 
 life and salvation. I say he referred merely to the agonies 
 of death, and the sufferings he felt for the wickedness of 
 men who would go so far as to crucify their Redeemer. It 
 was this feeling and this alone, that prompted him to cry 
 out in the agony of his soul, "It is finished," and then he 
 expired. 
 
 But his work was not completed ; it was in fact only 
 begun. If he had stopped here instead of his being the 
 Savior of the world, he, as well as all mankind, would have 
 perished irredeemably, never to have come forth out of the 
 grave; for it was designed from the beginning that he 
 should be the first fruits of them that slept ; it was part of 
 the great plan that he should burst the bands of death and 
 gain the victory over the grave. If, therefore, his mission 
 had ceased when he gave up the ghost, the world would 
 have slumbered in the dust in interminable death, never to 
 have risen to live again. It was but a small part of the mis- 
 sion of the Savior that was performed when he suffered 
 death; it was indeed the lesser part; the great had yet to 
 be done. 
 
 It was in his resurrection from the tomb, in his coming 
 forth from death unto life, in uniting again the spirit and 
 the body that he might become a living soul ; and when this 
 was done, then he was prepared to return to the Father, 
 
568 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 And all this was in strict accordance with the great plan of 
 salvation. For even Christ himself, though without sin, was 
 required to observe the outward ordinance of baptism, in 
 order to fulfil all righteousness. 
 
 So, after his resurrection from the dead he could return 
 to the Father, there to receive the welcome plaudit, Well 
 done ; you have done your work, you have accomplished your 
 mission, you have wrought out salvation for all the children 
 i)f Adam; you have redeemed all men from the grave; and 
 through their obedience to the ordinances of the gospel 
 which you have established, they can also be redeemed from 
 the spiritual death, again to be brought back into our pres- 
 ence, to partake of glory, exaltation and eternal life with 
 us. 
 
 And so it will be when we come forth out of the grave, 
 when the trump shall sound, and these our bodies shall rise 
 and our spirits shall enter into them again, and they shall 
 become living souls no more to be dissolved or separated, 
 but to become inseparable, immortal, eternal. 
 
 Then we shall stand before the bar of God to be judged. 
 So says the Bible, so says the Book of Mormon, and so say 
 the revelations which have come direct to us through the 
 Prophet Joseph Smith. And then those who have not been 
 subject and obedient to the celestial law will not be quick- 
 ened by the celestial glory. And those who have not been 
 subject and obedient to the terrestrial law will not be quick- 
 ened by the terrestrial glory. And those who have not been 
 subject and obedient to the telestial law, will not be quick- 
 ened by a telestial glory ; but they will have a kingdom with- 
 out glory. 
 
 The sons of perdition, men who once were in posses- 
 sion of the light and truth, but who turned away from *hem 
 and denied the Lord, putting him to an open shame, as did 
 the Jews when they crucified him and said, "His blood be 
 on us, and on our children ;" men who consent, against light 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 569 
 
 and knowledge, to the shedding of innocent blood, it will be 
 said unto them, "Depart from me, ye cursed" (Matt. 25 :41). 
 I never knew you ; depart into the second death, even ban- 
 ishment from the presence of God for ever and ever, where 
 the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched, from 
 whence there is no redemption, neither in time nor in eter- 
 nity. Herein is the difference between the second and the 
 first death, herein man became spiritually dead ; for from the 
 first death he may be redeemed by the blood of Christ, 
 through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, 
 but from the second there is no redemption at all. 
 
 We read in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that 
 the devil tempted Adam, and he partook of the forbidden 
 fruit, and transgressed the commandment, wherein he be- 
 came subject to the will of the devil because he yielded unto 
 temptation, and because of this transgression he became 
 "spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same 
 death, which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall 
 be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say Depart, 
 ye cursed!" (Doc. and Cov. 29:41.) 
 
 But who will receive such punishment? Only those 
 who deserve it, those who commit the unpardonable sin. 
 
 Then there is the banishment of the transgressor (not 
 the sons of perdition) into the prison house, a place of pun- 
 ishment, with no exaltation, no increase, no dominion, no 
 power, whose inhabitants after their redemption may become 
 servants of them that have obeyed the laws of God and kept 
 the faith. That will be the punishment of such as reject the 
 truth, but sin not unto death. Discourse delivered at funeral 
 of William Clayton, in Seventeenth ward meetinghouse, 
 Salt Lake City, December 7, 1879. Journal of Discourses, 
 Vol. 21, 1881, pp. 9-13. 
 
 CONDITION OF CHILDREN IN HEAVEN. If we have re- 
 ceived the testimony of the spirit of truth in our souls we 
 know that all is well with our little children who pass away, 
 
570 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 that we could not, if we would, better their condition; 
 and least of all would it better their condition if we 
 could call them back here, for the reason that so long as 
 man is in the world, clothed with mortality, surrounded by 
 the evils that are in the world, he runs chances and is sub- 
 ject to risks, and there are responsibilities resting upon him 
 which may prove fatal to his future prosperity, happiness 
 and exaltation. It is only those who are thoroughly and 
 firmly grounded in the truth, who are established in the prin- 
 ciples of life, that will be able to certainly claim the reward 
 of the faithful, and an exaltation in the presence of the 
 Father. As soon as any man turns away from the truth 
 that binds him to God, that moment he is in danger, and 
 may fall. 
 
 But, with little children who are taken away in infancy 
 and innocence before they have reached the years of account- 
 ability, and are not capable of committing sin, the gospel re- 
 veals to us the fact that they are redeemed, and Satan has no 
 power over them. Neither has death any power over them. 
 They are redeemed by the blood of Christ, and they are 
 saved just as surely as death has come into the world 
 through the fall of our first parents. It is further written 
 that Satan has no power over men or women, except that 
 power which he gains over them in this world. In other 
 words, none of the children of the Father who are redeemed 
 through obedience, faith, repentance, and baptism for the 
 remission of sins, and who live in that redeemed condition, 
 and die in that condition are subject to Satan. Therefore 
 he has no power over them. They are absolutely beyond his 
 reach, just as little children are who die without sin. To 
 my mind this is a consolation and a glorious truth that my 
 soul delights in. I am grateful to my heavenly Father that 
 he has revealed it unto me, for it affords a consolation that 
 nothing else can give, and it brings a joy to my spirit 
 that nothing can take away, except the consciousness on my 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 571 
 
 part of having sinned and transgressed against light and 
 knowledge which I may have possessed. 
 
 Under these circumstances, our beloved friends who 
 are now deprived of their little one, have great cause for 
 joy and rejoicing, even in the midst of the deep sorrow 
 that they feel at the loss of their little one for a time. They 
 know he is all right ; they have the assurance that their little 
 one has passed away without sin. Such children are in the 
 bosom of the Father. They will inherit their glory and their 
 exaltation, and they will not be deprived of the blessings 
 that belong to them; for, in the economy of heaven, and in 
 the wisdom of the Father, who doeth all things well, those 
 who are cut down as little children are, without any respon- 
 sibility for their taking off, they, themselves, not having the 
 intelligence and wisdom to take care of themselves and to 
 understand the laws of life, and in the wisdom and mercy 
 and economy of God our heavenly Father, all that could have 
 been obtained and enjoyed by them if they had been per- 
 mitted to live in the flesh will be provided for them here- 
 after. They will lose nothing by being taken away from us 
 in this way. 
 
 This is a consolation to me. Joseph Smith, the prophet, 
 is the author under God of these principles. He was in 
 touch with the heavens. God revealed himself unto him, 
 and made known unto him the principles that lie before us, 
 and which are comprised in the everlasting gospel; Joseph 
 Smith declared that the mother who laid down her little 
 child, being deprived of the privilege, the joy, and the satis- 
 faction of bringing it up to manhood or womanhood in this 
 world, would, after the resurrection, have all the joy, satis- 
 faction and pleasure, and even more than it would have been 
 possible to have had in mortality, in seeing her child grow 
 to the full measure of the stature of its spirit. If this be 
 true, and I believe it, what a consolation it is. Jesus Christ 
 was the Son of God before he came into the world, yet he 
 
572 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 came as an infant, grew and developed into manhood, and 
 when his spirit departed from its tabernacle it went to pro- 
 claim the gospel to the spirits which were imprisoned, pos- 
 sessing all the intelligence, powers and faculties which it 
 had in the flesh, except the possession of the body, wherein 
 he became absolutely like unto God. And so I believe it 
 is with all men that come into the world. Every spirit that 
 comes to this earth to take upon it a tabernacle is a son or a 
 daughter of God, and possesses all the intelligence and all 
 the attributes that any son or daughter can enjoy either in 
 the spirit world or in this world, except that in the spirit and 
 separated from the body, they lacked just the tabernacle of 
 being like God the Father. It is said that God is a spirit, 
 and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and 
 in truth. But he is a spirit, possessing the tabernacle of 
 flesh and bones, as tangible as a man's, and therefore to be 
 like God and Jesus all men must have a body. It matters 
 not whether these tabernacles mature in this world, or have 
 to wait and mature in the world to come, according to the 
 word of the Prophet Joseph Smith ; the body will develop, 
 either in time or in eternity, to the full stature of the spirit, 
 and when the mother is deprived of the pleasure and joy of 
 rearing her babe to manhood or to womanhood in this life 
 through the hand of death, that privilege will be renewed to 
 her hereafter, and she will enjoy it to a fuller fruition than 
 it would be possible for her to do here. When she does it, 
 there, it will be with the certain knowledge that the results 
 will be without failure. Whereas, here, the results are un- 
 known until after we have passed the test. 
 
 With these thoughts in my mind, I take consolation in 
 the fact that I shall meet my children who have passed be- 
 hind the veil ; I have lost a number, and I have felt all that a 
 parent can feel, I think, in the loss of my children. I have 
 felt it keenly, for I love children, and I am particularly fond 
 of the little ones, but I feel thankful to God for the knowl- 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 573 
 
 edge of these principles, because now I have every confidence 
 in his word and in his promise that I will possess in the 
 future all that belongs to me, and my joy will be full. I 
 will not be deprived of any privilege or any blessing that I 
 am worthy of, and that may be properly entrusted to me. 
 But every gift, and every blessing that it is possible for me 
 to become worthy of I shall possess, either in time or in 
 eternity, and it will matter not, so that I acknowledge the 
 hand of God in all these things, and say in my heart, "the 
 Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name 
 of the Lord." This is the way we should feel with regard 
 to our children, or our relatives, or friends, or in whatever 
 vicissitudes we may be called to pass through. 
 
 Now, the beauty of this to me is that I know these 
 things, that I am satisfied of them, and so long as I possess 
 the spirit of truth I have no fear that any doubt or uncer- 
 tainty will ever enter my mind in regard to these principles. 
 There is only one course that I might pursue which would 
 bring about mistrust and fear, trembling and doubt, in rela- 
 tion to these things. And that would be for me to deny 
 the truth and cut myself loose from the guiding influences 
 of the Holy Spirit, for I do know that so long as a man is 
 under the guiding influence of the Spirit of God he never 
 can deny these truths which God has revealed to him, and in 
 that condition he is not subject to the power of Satan. It is 
 only when he transgresses the law of God, and dismisses 
 these principles from his thoughts, that he becomes subject 
 to the powers of evil, that his mind becomes darkened, and 
 he begins to doubt and fear. But, let a man have the Spirit 
 of God in his heart, that Spirit which reveals the things of 
 God unto men, and makes them to know the truth as God 
 himself knows it, he never can doubt those things which 
 God has revealed. Therefore, I rejoice in these truths, for I 
 know they are true. 
 
 I know that Brother Heber and his companion, if they 
 
574 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 are faithful to the light they possess, and to the covenants 
 that they have entered into before the Lord, will just as as- 
 suredly inherit the joy and the possession and the glory of 
 this little one that has now departed, as that they see its 
 little form lying here before them this moment. Everyone 
 who has the spirit of truth in his soul must feel this to be 
 true. Remarks at the funeral of Daniel Wells Grant, child 
 of Heber J. Grant, and Emily Wells Grant, in family resi- 
 dence, Salt Lake City, March 12, 1895. Young Woman's 
 Journal, Vol. 6, pp. 369-374. 
 
 STATUS OF CHILDREN IN THE RESURRECTION. The spir- 
 its of our children are immortal before they come to us, and 
 their spirits, after bodily death, are like they were before 
 they came. They are as they would have appeared if they 
 had lived in the flesh, to grow to maturity, or to develop their 
 physical bodies to the full stature of their spirits. If you see 
 one of your children that has passed away it may appear to 
 you in the form in which you would recognize it, the form 
 of childhood ; but if it came to you as a messenger bearing 
 some important truth, it would perhaps come as the spirit 
 of Bishop Edward Hunter's son (who died when a little 
 child) came to him, in the stature of full-grown manhood, 
 and revealed himself to his father, and said: "I am your 
 son." 
 
 Bishop Hunter did not understand it. He went to my 
 father and said : "Hyrum, what does that mean ? I buried 
 my son when only a little boy, but he has come to me as 
 a full-grown man a noble, glorious young man, and de- 
 clared himself my son. What does it mean?" 
 
 Father (Hyrum Smith the Patriarch) told him that the 
 Spirit of Jesus Christ was full grown before he was born 
 into the world ; and so our children were full grown and pos- 
 sessed their full stature in the spirit, before they entered 
 mortality, the same stature that they will possess afer they 
 have passed away from mortality, and as they will also ap- 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 575 
 
 pear after the resurrection, when they shall have completed 
 their mission. 
 
 Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child 
 that was laid away in death would come up in the resurrec- 
 tion as a child ; and pointing to the mother of a lifeless 
 child, he said to her: "You will have the joy, the pleasure, 
 and satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrec- 
 tion, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit." There 
 is restitution, there is growth, there is development, after 
 the resurrection from death. I love this truth. It speaks 
 volumes of happiness, of joy and gratitude to my soul. 
 Thank the Lord he has revealed these principles to us. 
 
 In 1854, I met with my aunt, the wife of my uncle, Don 
 Carlos Smith, who was the mother of that little girl that 
 Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was speaking about when he 
 told the mother that she should have the joy, the pleasure, 
 and the satisfaction of rearing that child, after the resurrec- 
 tion, until it reached the full stature of its spirit; and that 
 it would be a far greater joy than she could possibly have 
 in mortality, because she would be free from the sorrow 
 and fear and disabilities of mortal life, and sKe would know 
 more than she could know in this life. I met that widow, 
 the mother of that child, and she told me this circumstance 
 and bore testimony to me that this was what the Prophet 
 Joseph Smith said when he was speaking at the funeral of 
 her little daughter. 
 
 One clay I was conversing with a brother-in-law of 
 mine, Lorin Walker, who married my oldest sister. In the 
 course of the conversation he happened to mention that he 
 was present at the funeral of my cousin Sophronia, and that 
 he heard the Prophet Joseph Smith declare the very words 
 that Aunt Agnes had told me. 
 
 I said to him, "Lorin, what did the Prophet say?" and 
 he repeated, as nearly as he could remember, what the 
 Prophet Joseph said in relation to little children. The body 
 
576 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 remains undeveloped in the grave, but the spirit returns to 
 God who gave it. Afterwards, in the resurrection, the spirit 
 and body will be reunited; the body will develop and grow 
 to the full stature of the spirit; and the resurrected soul 
 will go on to perfection. So I had the statement of two wit- 
 nesses who heard this doctrine announced by the Prophet 
 Joseph Smith, the source of intelligence. 
 
 Eventually I was in conversation with Sister M. Isa- 
 bella Home. She began to relate to me the circumtsance 
 of her being present at the funeral that I refer to, when 
 Joseph spoke of the death of little children, their resurrec- 
 tion, as little children, and of the glory, and honor, and 
 joy, and happiness the mother would have in rearing her 
 little children in the resurrection to the full stature of their 
 spirits. "Well," she said, "I heard Joseph say that. I was 
 at that funeral." Sister Isabella Home told me this. 
 
 Then I said to her : "Why haven't you spoken about 
 it before? How is it you have kept it to yourself all these 
 long years? Why haven't you let the Church know some- 
 thing about this declaration of the Prophet?" 
 
 She replied : "I did not know whether it was my duty 
 to do so, or whether it would be proper or not." 
 
 I said: "Who else was there?" 
 
 "My husband was there." 
 
 "Does he remember it?" 
 
 "Yes, he remembers it." 
 
 "Well, will you and Brother Home give me an affidavit 
 in writing, stating the fact, and let it be sworn to?" 
 
 She said, "With the greatest of pleasure." 
 
 So I have the testimony in affidavit form of Brother 
 and Sister Home, in addition to the testimony of my aunt, 
 and the testimony of my brother-in-law, in relation to the 
 Prophet Joseph's remarks at that funeral. 
 
 Just a little while later, to my joy and satisfaction, the 
 first man I ever heard mention it in public was Franklin D. 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 577 
 
 Richards ; and when he spoke of it, I felt in my soul: the 
 truth has come out. The truth will prevail. It is mighty, 
 and it will live; for there is no power that can destroy it. 
 Presidents Woodruff and Cannon approved of the doctrine 
 and after that I preached it. 
 
 It is a good thing for us not to attempt to advance new 
 doctrine, or new and advanced thought in relation to princi- 
 ples and doctrines pertaining to, or presumed to pertain to, 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ, without weighing it carefully, 
 with the experience of years, before you attempt to make a 
 doctrinal test and to advance it to the people of the Lord. 
 There is so much simple truth, necessary to be understood, 
 that has been revealed to us in the gospel that it is extreme 
 folly in us to attempt to go beyond the truth that has been 
 revealed, until we have mastered and can comprehend the 
 truth that we have. There is a great deal within our reach 
 that we have not yet mastered. Improvement Era, Vol. 21, 
 May, 1918, pp.567-573. 
 
 ADDRESS AT FUNERAL SERVICES OF MARY A. FREEZE. 
 There does -not seem to be much left to be said. I endorse 
 heartily and fully every kindly sentiment that I have heard 
 expressed here this afternoon with reference to our departed 
 sister. I have known her, as a worker in the Church, for a 
 goodly number of years, and have had the pleasure of fre- 
 quently meeting her in the various capacities in which she 
 has labored in the Church, and in every instance I have been 
 more and more impressed with the pure character and spirit 
 of the woman. There was a calmness about her appear- 
 ance, her conversation, a.nd her conduct that seemed to 
 indicate a well-matured character and a well-established 
 principle of life. There seems nothing I have ever perceived 
 in her that appeared flighty, unsettled, or unstable, but in 
 everything, her life indicated a life of stability, of reliability 
 and fidelity to the Lord and to his covenants. 
 
 After hearing the many good things that have been said 
 
 38 
 
578 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 (yet, as Brother Joseph E. Taylor has remarked, "not half 
 has been told") in relation to the good life and labors of our 
 dear sister, it makes my mind revert to the blessed hopes 
 that are inspired in our souls by and through our faith in the 
 gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ the hope that that gospel 
 inspires in our souls that we are following in the footsteps of 
 our Redeemer and that every man and woman following in 
 his footsteps will become like him, will enjoy the blessed priv- 
 ileges which he enjoyed, will pass through the varied ordeals 
 through which he passed, and will eventually land at the same 
 goal and will be blessed with the same privileges, and power 
 and glory, and exaltation that he, himself, vindicated, proved 
 and fulfilled in his life and death and resurrection from 
 death to life again. I cannot conceive of any more desir- 
 able thing than is vouchsafed to us in the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ that though we die, yet we shall live again, and 
 though we die and dissolve into the native elements of 
 which our tabernacles are composed, yet these elements 
 will again be restored to each other and reorganized, and 
 we will become again living souls just as the Savior did 
 before us ; and his having done so has made it possible for 
 all the rest of us. What can there be more joyous to 
 think of than the fact that Brother Freeze, who loved his 
 wife and whom she loved, to whom he was true and who 
 was true to him all her days of association with him as wife 
 and mother, will have the privilege of coming up on the 
 morning of the first resurrection clothed w r ith immortality 
 and eternal life, and resume the relationship that existed 
 between them in this life, the relationship of husband and 
 wife, father and mother, parents of their children, having 
 laid the foundation for eternal glory and eternal exaltation 
 in the kingdom of God! Life without this hope would seem 
 to me in vain. And yet there is nothing that I have ever 
 discovered in the world, except the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
 that gives this assurance. Nothing has ever pointed it out 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 579 
 
 in a tangible way except the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus 
 Christ has laid this foundation, has taught this principle and 
 this truth, and has uttered that memorable sentiment that 
 "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he 
 live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never 
 die" (John 11:25,26). 
 
 Now, to me this explains the sentiment expressed by 
 Brother Joseph E. Taylor when he said he did not feel the 
 presence of death when he went to visit her. Do you feel 
 the presence of death here? He did not feel it then. Just 
 prior to the departure of her spirit, there was no element 
 of death there. The element of dissolution the separation 
 of the spiritual from the temporal, of the immortal from the 
 mortal was visible, but in the presence of the Spirit of the 
 Lord, and with the hope inspired in the gospel of the Son of 
 God, that "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, 
 yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in 
 me shall never die," and in the knowledge of the fact that 
 every provision the Lord has given by which we may be pre- 
 pared to enjoy the fulness of these blessings has been ob- 
 served and entered into, believed and followed by this good 
 woman, what reason could there be under such circum- 
 stances, for thoughts of death? It was not death but a 
 change from mortality to immortality, from death, in fact, 
 to life everlasting. 
 
 Now, I believe that if ever a soul in the world is en- 
 titled to the enjoyment or realization of that saying of the 
 Son of God this good woman is entitled to it ; for I believe, 
 according to her knowledge, she was true to every principle 
 by which she might fulfil the intent of it and by which she 
 may receive the verification of it in the world to come. 
 
 I do not feel that it would be proper or necessary for 
 me to occupy very much time, but while the brethren and 
 sisters were speaking, the thought naturally passed through 
 my mind what will be her occupation in the world to come ? 
 
580 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 What will she do there? We are told that she will not be 
 idle. She could not be idle. In God's plans, there is no 
 such thing as idleness. God is not pleased with the thought 
 of idleness. He is not idle, and there is no such thing as 
 inertia in the providences and in the purposes of God. We 
 are either growing and advancing, or are retrograding. We 
 are not stationary. We must grow. The principles of ever- 
 lasting growth and development tend to glory, to exaltation, 
 to happiness, and to a fulness of joy. What has she been do- 
 ing? She has been working in the temple, among other 
 things. She has been working, also, as a minister of life 
 among young women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- 
 ter-day Saints. She has labored diligently and earnestly in 
 trying to persuade the daughters of Zion to come to a knowl- 
 edge of the truth as she possessed it. She seemed to be 
 thoroughly established in it. I have never discovered the 
 least symptom of any dubiety in her mind in reference to 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has been laboring to bring 
 others of the daughters of Zion to the same standard of 
 knowledge, faith and understanding of the principles of the 
 gospel of Christ that she herself possessed, a ministering 
 angel and a mother in Israel, seeking the salvation of other 
 daughters and other mothers in Israel. What can you con- 
 ceive of grander than a calling like that? Then, as I said, 
 she has been at work in the temple. What for? Adminis- 
 tering ordinances that God has revealed are essential to the 
 salvation of the living and their preparation for greater ex- 
 altation and glory here and hereafter, and also for the re- 
 demption of the dead. What can you think of greater than 
 this? To my mind, there isn't anything so great and so 
 glorious in this world as to labor for the salvation of the 
 living and for the redemption of the (!ead. We read of the 
 Savior going to preach the gospel to the spirits in prison, 
 when his body lay in the tomb. That was a part of 
 the great mission he had to perform. He was sent not only 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 581 
 
 to preach the gospel to those dwelling in mortality, but he 
 was foreordained and anointed of God to open the doors of 
 the prison house to those in bondage and to proclaim his 
 gospel to them. 
 
 I have always believed, and still do believe with all my 
 soul that such men as Peter and James and the twelve disci- 
 ples chosen of the Savior in his time, have boen engaged all 
 the, centuries that have passed since their martyrdom for 
 the testimony of Jesus Christ, in proclaiming liberty to the 
 captives in the spirit world and in opening their prison doors. 
 I do not believe that they could be employed in any greater 
 work. Their special calling and anointing of the Lord him- 
 self was to save the world, to proclaim libeity to the cap- 
 tives, and the opening of the prison doors to those who were 
 bound in chains of darkness, superstition, and ignorance. I 
 believe that the disciples who have passed away in this dis- 
 pensation Joseph, the Prophet, and his brother Hyrum, 
 and Brigham and Heber, and Willard, and Daniel, and John, 
 and Wilford and all the rest of the prophets who have lived 
 in this dispensation, and who have been intimately associated 
 with the work of redemption and the other ordinances of 
 the gospel of the Son of God in this world, are preaching 
 that same gospel that they lived and preached here, to those 
 who are in darkness in the spirit world and who had not the 
 knowledge before they went. The gospel must be preached 
 to them. We are not perfect without them they cannot be 
 perfect without us. 
 
 Now, among all these millions of spirits that have 
 lived in the earth and have passed away, from generation 
 to generation, since the beginning of the world, without 
 the knowledge of the gospel among them you may 
 count that at least one-half are women. Who is going to 
 preach the gospel to the women ? Who is going to carry the 
 testimony of Jesus Christ to the hearts of the women who 
 have passed away without a knowledge of the gospel ? Well, 
 
582 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 to my mind, it is a simple thing. These good sisters who 
 have been set apart, ordained to the work, called to it, au- 
 thorized by the authority of the holy priesthood to minister 
 for their sex, in the House of God for the living and for the 
 dead, will be fully authorized and empowered to preach the 
 gospel and minister to the women while the elders and 
 prophets are preaching it to the men. The things we experi- 
 ence here are typical of the things of God, and the life be- 
 yond us. There is a great similarity between God's purposes 
 as manifested here and his purposes as carried out in his 
 presence and kingdom. Those who are authorized to 
 preach the gospel here and are appointed here to do that 
 work will not be idle after they have passed away, but will 
 continue to exercise the rights that they obtained here under 
 the priesthood of the Son of God to minister for the salva- 
 tion of those who have died without a knowledge of the 
 truth. Some of you will understand when I tell you that 
 some of these good women who have passed beyond have 
 actually been anointed queens and priestesses unto God and 
 unto their husbands, to continue their work and to be the 
 mothers of spirits in the world to come. The world does not 
 understand this they cannot receive it they do not know 
 what it means, and it is sometimes hard for those who ought 
 to be thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the gospel even 
 for some of us, to comprehend, but it is true. 
 
 Now, may the Lord bless Brother Freeze. As Sister 
 Martha Tingey has said, Sister Freeez could never have 
 done the work she has done if it had not been for his sec- 
 onding her in her efforts. He consented to her partially 
 neglecting her home duties in order to labor in a broader 
 field for the salvation of others. But just here let me say 
 a word to you mothers. Oh, mothers, salvation, mercy, life 
 everlasting begin at home. "What profiteth it a man, though 
 he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" What 
 would it profit me, though I should go out into the world and 
 
INTERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 583 
 
 win strangers to the fold of God and lose my own children? 
 Oh ! God, let me not lose my own. I can not afford to lose 
 mine, whom God has given to me and whom I am responsi- 
 ble for before the Lord, and who are dependent upon me 
 for guidance, for instruction, for proper influence. Father, 
 do not permit me to lose interest in my own, in trying to 
 save others. Charity begins at home. Life everlasting 
 should begin at home. I should feel very badly to be made to 
 realize, by and by, that* through my neglect of home, 
 while trying to save others, I had lost my own. I do not 
 want that. The Lord help me to save my own, so far as 
 one can help another. I realize I cannot save anybody, but 
 1 can teach them how to be saved. I can set an example 
 before my children how they can be saved, and it is my duty 
 to do that first. I owe it more to them than to anybody else 
 in the world. Then, when I have accomplished the work I 
 should do in my own home circle, let me extend my power 
 for good abroad just as far as I can. 
 
 My brethren and sisters, I know as I know I live that 
 Joseph Smith was and is and ever will be the instrument 
 chosen of God the eternal Father to lay the foundation of 
 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to 
 establish the Kingdom of God on earth, never more to be 
 thrown down. I bear testimony to you. I know as I know 
 I live that every doctrine that he taught is calculated to 
 build up, to ennoble, to enlarge the soul, to establish peace 
 and righteousness in the hearts of the children of men, and 
 lead them up to God, and not away from him, I know it as 
 I know I live. It is true, and I thank God that, like my dear 
 sister here, whose earthly remains only now are with us, he 
 has made me to believe it and to accept of it without re- 
 course. I believe it with all my heart, just as I believe I 
 live, and as I believe my own mother and father. Let us all 
 strive for this belief, and if we will, we shall have joy and 
 satisfaction, and we shall enter into God's rest, right here, 
 
584 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 in this world. For he that entereth into God's rest here 
 will never more be disturbed by the hallucinations of sin and 
 wickedness, and the enemies of truth will have no power 
 over him. 
 
 That God will help us to reach that point is my prayer, 
 and may the blessings of the Lord attend the family of Sis- 
 ter and Brother Freeze and their children, that not one of 
 them will ever take a course that will bring sorrow to their 
 beloved and sainted mother. That has been one of the stim- 
 ulants of my life, one of the things that has made me strive 
 to do good. I would not grieve my blessed mother, if I 
 knew it, for anything in the world. There is nothing be- 
 tween me and the heavens that would compensate for doing 
 something that would grieve or hurt my mother. Why? 
 Because she loved me, she would have .died for me over 
 and over again, if such were possible, only to have saved me. 
 Why shoudl I grieve, why should I disappoint her? Why 
 should I take a course contrary to her own life and her life's 
 teachings to me, for she taught me honor, and virtue, and 
 truth, and integrity to the kingdom of God, and she taught 
 me not only by precept but by example. I would not grieve 
 her for the world. Boys and girls, do not do anything to 
 grieve your mother. You know she was a Latter-day Saint, 
 you know she was true to her convictions. Be as true as she 
 was, and, as the Lord lives, you will be exalted with your 
 mother, and will have a fulness of joy, which may God 
 grant is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. Young 
 Woman's journal, Vol. 23, 1911, pp.* 128-132. 
 
 THE RESURRECTION. Now I am going to take the lib- 
 erty of reading a little scripture to you, and then, as I go 
 along, express my belief and conviction in relation to what 
 we believe as Latter-day Saints with reference to the resur- 
 rection from the dead. I shall not take the pains or time 
 to go into the subject in detail, for there are a great many 
 scriptures that can be brought to bear upon the subject, 
 
ETERN. I!. LIFE < IND .V. ILVATION 585 
 
 scattered through the New Testament, in the declaration of 
 the Son of God ; but I will content myself by reading the 
 description of his resurrection. We all know that he was 
 lifted up on the cross ; that he was pierced in the side, and 
 that his life blood flowed from the body; and that he 
 groaned upon the cross and gave up the spirit ; that his body 
 was taken from the cross, embalmed and wrapped in clean 
 linen and laid in a new sepulchre wherein the body of no 
 man had ever been laid. And then, remembering the re- 
 mark that he was to lay down his body and take it up again, 
 the claim that he made that that temple was to be destroyed 
 but that it would be raised up the third day, that he was 
 going to lay down his life and take it up again, the chief 
 priests went to the chief authorities and demanded that a 
 great stone be placed at the mouth of the supulchre and 
 that a seal be placed upon it, and that also a guard should be 
 placed there, lest his disciples should come at night and take 
 away the body and impose upon the public the claim that he 
 had risen from the dead. And so a cordon of soldiers were 
 placed to guard the tomb, and a great stone was placed at the 
 mouth of the sepulchre, and a seal was placed upon it accord- 
 ing to the history given in the scriptures of it, so that it 
 would be absolutely impossible for the disciples of Christ to 
 perpetrate a deception upon the world by clandestinely 
 stealing and taking away the body of Chrisl and then pro- 
 claiming to the world that his body had been raised from the 
 dead. Sometimes even the enemies of the truth and those 
 who are seeking to destroy it become the unwitting means 
 of verifying truth and of putting it beyond possibility of a 
 doubt ; for if they had not taken this precaution themselves, 
 and if their guard had not been placed at the tomb to guard 
 the sepulchre to see that no fraud could be perpetrated, then 
 they could easily have gone out to the world and said, "Why, 
 his disciples came and took the body away; they slipped 
 in and stole it at night." But they closed their own mouths 
 
586 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 in a vain attempt to destroy the effects of the resurrection 
 from the dead upon the mind of the people and upon the his- 
 tory of the world. 
 
 Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not 
 with them when Jesus came, after his resurrection. "The 
 other disciples therefore said unto him, we have seen the 
 Lord. But he said unto them, Ecxept I shall see in his hands 
 the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the 
 nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe" 
 (John 20:25). 
 
 We have a great many Didymuses in our day and gen- 
 eration, but we hope that there are none of them here, but 
 rather the other class Jesus named. 
 
 "And after eight days again his disciples were within, 
 and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being 
 shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 
 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and be- 
 hold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it 
 into my side : and be not faithless, but believing. And 
 Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my 
 God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen 
 me, thou hast believed : blessed are they that have not seen, 
 and yet have believed" (John 20:26-29). 
 
 The disciple who wrote this, the beloved disciple, 
 the personal witness himself, he who ran to the sepulchre 
 and who outran Peter and came to it first, and looked 
 into it, and who afterwards went into it after Peter, he 
 who has written these words, says further: "And many 
 other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, 
 which are not written in this book: but these are written, 
 that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of 
 God ; and that believing ye might have life through his 
 name" (John 20:30,31). 
 
 Now what I want to call to your mind is, emphatically, 
 the undeniable and unequivocal and direct description of 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 587 
 
 the body, the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 given in this description of his resurrection and appearance 
 to his disciples, which dissipates all imagination or thought 
 that the death of the body and the departure of the spirit 
 from the body is the resurrection of the dead. Does it not? 
 Christ is the Son of God, and his disciples bear faithful 
 record of the truth as they witnessed it, as they declare 
 they did witness it, for they declare that they sa\v it with 
 their eyes, heard it with their ears, were pricked in their 
 hearts, and they examined the wounds with their own hands, 
 to see and feel that he was indeed the same individual, the 
 same person, the same body that was crucified, bearing the 
 same marks that were inflicted upon the body while it was 
 extended upon the cross all this must go to show to you 
 that the resurrection of Christ was the resurrection of him- 
 self, and not his spirit. Before I proceed further, there is 
 another scripture that I will read to you, from the 24th 
 chapter of Luke : 
 
 "And, behold, two of them went the same clay to a vil- 
 lage called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three- 
 score furlongs. And they talked together of all these things 
 which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they 
 communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, 
 and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they 
 should not know him" (Luke 24:14-16). 
 
 And he journeyed and talked with them on the way, 
 and unfolded the scriptures unto them, but they did not 
 know that it was he. They did not personally know that it 
 was Christ resurrected. 
 
 "And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he 
 took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them." 
 Now this is not the testimony of John. This is the testi- 
 mony of Luke, another of the disciples of Christ. 
 
 "And their eyes were opened, and they knew him ; and 
 he vanished out of their sight. And they suid one to an- 
 
588 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 other, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked 
 with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scrip- 
 tures? And they rose up the same hour, and returned to 
 Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and 
 them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, 
 and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things 
 were done in the way, and how he was known of them in 
 breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself 
 stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be 
 unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and sup- 
 posed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, 
 Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your 
 hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, thai it is I myself: 
 handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as 
 ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed 
 them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed 
 not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here 
 any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and 
 of an honey comb. And he took it, and did eat before them. 
 And he said unto them, these are the words which I spake 
 unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be 
 fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the 
 prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me" (Luke 24: 
 30-44). 
 
 Now shall we accept the scriptural definition of the res- 
 urrection of the body? Shall we accept Christ's manifesta- 
 tion in his own person resurrected from the dead? Or shall 
 we take the Rev. Mr. Phillips' opinion of it, that the death 
 of the body and the separation of the spirit from it is the 
 resurrection of the dead? Which do you choose? 
 
 Joseph the Prophet declared in the Book of Doctrine 
 and Covenants (sec. 130:22) that the Father has a body of 
 flesh and bones as tangible as man's, and the Son of God has 
 a body of flesh and bones, as he himself has declared that 
 he has, and is not a mere spirit, but is a risen being, a res- 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 589 
 
 urrected soul. And the Holy Ghost is d personage of spirit, 
 but not a personage of bones and flesh, as are the Father 
 and the Son. Consequently, the Holy Spirit, or the Holy 
 Ghost, may be conferred upon men, and he may dwell with 
 them for a while, or he may continue to dwell with them in 
 accordance with their worthiness and he may depart from 
 them at his will. 
 
 Now I am going to read a little from the Book of Mor- 
 mon, a book of scripture that was translated by the gift and 
 power of God, for the voice of God declared to the three wit- 
 nesses that it had been translated by the gift and power of 
 God and that it was true. The three witnesses declared and 
 testified to its truth and other eight witnesses besides the 
 Prophet Joseph, declared that they beheld the plates and 
 handled them, and saw the engravings on them, and that 
 they do know that Joseph Smith did have the plates from 
 which the Book of Mormon was translated. And it is one 
 of the greatest puzzles to scientists that they are discover- 
 ing in the path of the ancient civilization of this continent 
 evidences and proofs of the divinity of the Book of Mor- 
 mon, that they cannot dispute or gainsay. And their won- 
 der is, how Joseph Smith, a man unlearned in history, in 
 theology, in science, a man without book learning, prac- 
 tically could ever so closely hit upon facts that are now be- 
 ing discovered by explorers and scientists throughout this 
 historical country that the Book of Mormon covers, and 
 they say it is perplexing to them. It is astonishing to them 
 that three men could testify, as the three witnesses to the 
 Book of Mormon have testified, and that the other eight 
 witnesses could testify as they have done, and yet not one 
 of them ever repudiate his testimony. They cannot under- 
 stand and they cannot account for it upon any scientific 
 principle. If it was a fraud, and these men were deceived 
 or led into a trap, and did it by sophistry or with a purpose 
 of deceiving the world, surely some one or more of them 
 
590 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 would have risen to the truth before they died and have 
 divulged the fraud. But no, not one of them did. They 
 apostatized from Joseph, but they did not deny the divinity 
 of the Book of Mormon. They remained faithful and true 
 to their testimony to that. True, they declared that Joseph 
 Smith had gone astray, that the Church had gone astray, 
 just like all other apostates have declared. You never saw 
 apostates anywhere who would admit that they were wrong ; 
 but they always claim that they are right, and the Church 
 is wrong. So it was with Oliver Cowdery until he repented 
 and returned to the Church. 
 
 So it was with David Whitmer until the day of his 
 death. He believed that Joseph had been led astray, first, 
 into receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood as well as the 
 Aaronic priesthood. That he received the Aaronic priest- 
 hood and was ordained under the hand of John the Baptist 
 he admitted and believed, but he denied any ordination un- 
 der the hands of Peter, James and John to the Melchizedek 
 priesthood, and consequently he went to work and organ- 
 ized a church and a presidency after the order of the Aaronic 
 priesthood. But never, up to the time of his death, did he 
 deny his testimony as one of the three witnesses, and in his 
 dying words he declared that his testimony contained in this 
 book is true. 
 
 So did Oliver Cowdery. He came back into the Church 
 after saying many bad things and after wandering about 
 for a while, and confessed his follies and his wrong, and 
 claimed that if he could only be permitted to come back a 
 lay member in the Church it would be all that he could ask, 
 or would ask for. He felt that he was unworthy of anything 
 better or greater, and he was permitted to come back and be 
 baptized. 
 
 Martin Harris also came back and was baptized into the 
 Church, and died with his testimony on his lips, for not one 
 of them ever repudiated his testimony. 
 
ETERNAL \Al : E t IND SALl 'ATION 591 
 
 Furthermore, not one of the eight witnesses ever did 
 either. Neither did the Prophet Joseph. So, here you have 
 a record, the witnesses of which remain unimpeached and 
 whose integrity no power beneath the kingdom of God can 
 impeach, for they told the truth, and they abode in the 
 truth which they told until they died in the flesh. 
 
 Now, one of the ancient disciples or prophets who lived 
 upon this continent, who was inspired of God and who de- 
 livered this message to the world afterwards that was en- 
 graven upon plates of gold, and preserved and handed down 
 and revealed in this dispensation of the world, has some- 
 thing precious to say upon this subject. This is not from 
 Jerusalem. This is not a message that was delivered to the 
 disciples of Christ in Jerusalem ; but this is a message that 
 was delivered by a prophet who lived upon this continent; 
 and here are his words : 
 
 "And he shall come into the world to redeem his people ; 
 [for this was before the coming of Christ to redeem his peo- 
 ple] and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those 
 who believe on his name ; and these are they that shall have 
 eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else." 
 
 Now let me say here: "He shall come into the world, 
 and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who 
 believe on his name." 
 
 And those who believe will do the works that he com- 
 mands. No man that will believe in truth will ever refuse 
 to do what is required. And these are they that believe, 
 that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none 
 else. 
 
 "Therefore, the wicked remain as though there had been 
 no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands 
 of death ; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from 
 the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to 
 their works. Now, there is a death which is called a tem- 
 poral death: and the death of Christ shall loose the bands 
 
59 J GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this tem- 
 poral death ; the spirit and the body shall be reunited again 
 in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to 
 its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we 
 shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we 
 know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. 
 Now this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, 
 both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked 
 and the righteous ; and even there shall not so much as a hair 
 of their heads be lost; but all things shall be restored to 
 its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be 
 brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, 
 and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one 
 eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether 
 they be good or whether they be evil. Now, behold, I have 
 spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, 
 and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. 
 [Xot the resurrection of the spirit, but the resurrection of 
 the mortal body.] I say unto you that this mortal body is 
 raised to an immortal body ; that is from death ; even from 
 the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their 
 spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided ; thus 
 the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can 
 no more see corruption" (Alma 11 :40-45). 
 
 Now that is the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints. That 
 is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and, as he is the first 
 fruits of the resurrection from the dead, as he was raised' up, 
 so will he raise up all the children of his Father upon whom 
 the curse of Adam came. For as by one man came tem- 
 poral death upon all men, so by the righteousness of Christ 
 all shall come to life, through the resurrection from the dead 
 upon all men, whether they be good or whether they be 
 evil, whether they be black or white, bond or free, learned 
 or unlearned, or whether they be young or old, it matters 
 not. The death that came by the fall of our first parents is 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 593 
 
 eradicated by the resurrection of the Son of God, and you 
 and I cannot help it. Journal of Discourses, October 26, 
 1867. 
 
 WORK FOR THE DEAD. The work for our dead, which 
 the Prophet Joseph laid upon us with more than ordinary 
 injunction, instructing us that we should look after those 
 of our kinsfolk, and our ancestors who have died without 
 the knowledge of the gospel, should not be neglected. We 
 should avail ourselves of those sacred and potent ordin- 
 ances of the gospel which have been revealed as essential to 
 the happiness, salvation and redemption of those who have 
 lived in this world when they could not learn the gospel 
 and have died without the knowledge of it, and are now 
 waiting for us, their children, who are living in an age when 
 these ordinances can be performed, to do the work neces- 
 sary for their release from the prison-house. Through our 
 efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from 
 them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, 
 that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the 
 spirit world of the work that has been done for them by 
 their children here, and will rejoice with you in your per- 
 formance of these duties. Oct. C. R., 1916, p. 6. 
 
 TEMPLE ORDINANCES UNCHANGED. We are engaged 
 in temple work. We have built four temples in this land, 
 and we built two temples in the eastern country before we 
 came here. During the lifetime of the Prophet Joseph Smith 
 one of the two was built and dedicated, and the foundation 
 of the other was laid and the walls had well progressed when 
 he was martyred. It was finished by the efforts of the peo- 
 ple under the most trying circumstances, and in poverty, 
 and was dedicated unto the Lord. The ordinances of the 
 house of God were administered therein as they had been 
 taught to the leading authorities of the Church by the 
 Prophet Joseph Smith himself. The same gospel, the same 
 ordinances, the same authority and blessings, that were acl- 
 
 39 
 
594 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ministered by the Prophet Joseph Smith and taught by him 
 to his associates are now being enjoyed by and taught to the 
 Latter-day Saints in the four temples that have been built 
 in these valleys of the mountains. When you hear anybody 
 say that we have changed the ordinances, that we have 
 transgressed the laws, or have br.oken the everlasting cove- 
 nants which were entered into under the personal adminis- 
 tration of the Prophet Joseph Smith, tell them for me, tell 
 them for President Snow, for President Cannon, and for all 
 those who are living today who received blessings and 
 ordinances under the hands of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 
 that they are in error. The same gospel prevails today, and 
 the same ordinances are administered today, both for the 
 living and for the dead, as were administered by the Prophet 
 himself, and delivered by him to the Church. Oct. C. R., 
 U )CO, pp. 46, 47. 
 
 CARK AND XKKD OF TKMPLES. We feel that an effort 
 should be made to preserve the temples of God, those 
 houses that have been erected for the purpose of adminis- 
 tering the ordinances of the gospel therein, tor the living 
 and the dead. We desire that these buildings shall be pre- 
 served and kept in repair and in a wholesome condition, so 
 that the Spirit of the Lord may dwell in them, and that 
 those who minister therein, may feel the presence and influ- 
 ence of his Spirit. We also feel that when the time shall 
 come and our hands shall be free from the obligations that 
 now rest upon us, other places should be prepared for the 
 convenience of the Latter-day Saints in more distant stakes, 
 in order that those who are living at great distances from 
 the center may have the privilege of receiving the ordinances 
 of the gospel without being put to the great expense and loss 
 of time that is necessary now in journeying from 500 to 
 1000 miles in order to reach the houses of God. We hope 
 to see the day when we shall have temples built in the vari- 
 ous parts of the land where they are needed for the con- 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALIVATION 595 
 
 venience of the people ; for we realize that one of the great- 
 est responsibilities that rests upon the people of God today is 
 that their hearts shall be turned unto their fathers, and that 
 they shall do the work that is necessary to be done for them 
 in order that they may be joined together fitly in the bond 
 of the New and Everlasting Covenant from generation to 
 generation. For the Lord has said, through the Prophet, 
 that this is one of the greatest responsibilities devolving upon 
 us in this latter day. Oct. C. R. f 1902, pp. 2, 3. 
 
 PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN THE SPIRIT WORLD. Never 
 has there been a name brought to the intelligence of the 
 human race since the foundations of the world that has cost 
 so much, that has accomplished so much, that has been re- 
 vered and honored so much as the name of Jesus Christ, 
 once so hated and persecuted, and once crucified. The day 
 will come, and it is not far distant either, when the name 
 of the Prophet Joseph Smith will be coupled with the name 
 of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God, as his repre- 
 sentative, as his agent whom he chose, ordained and set 
 apart to lay anew the foundations of the Church of Jesus 
 Christ possessing all the powers of the gospel, all the rites 
 and privileges, the authority of the holy priesthood, and every 
 principle necessary to fit and qualify both the living and the 
 dead to inherit eternal life and to attain to exaltation in the 
 kingdom of God. The day will come when you and I will 
 not be the only ones who will believe this, by a great deal, 
 but there will be millions living and dead who will proclaim 
 this truth. This gospel revealed to the Prophet Joseph is 
 already being preached to the spirits in prison, to those who 
 have passed away from this stage of action into the spirit 
 world without. the knowledge of the gospel. Joseph Smith 
 is preaching that gospel to them. So is Hyrum Smith. So 
 is Brigham Young, and so are all the faithful apostles that 
 lived in this dispensation under the administration of the 
 Prophet Joseph. They are there, having carried with them 
 
596 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 from here the holy priesthood that they received under 
 authority, and which was conferred upon them in the 
 flesh ; they are preaching the gospel to the spirits in prison, 
 for Christ, when his body lay in the tomb, went to pro- 
 claim liberty to the captives and opened the prison doors to 
 them that were bound. Not only are these engaged in that 
 work, but hundreds and thousands of others : the elders that 
 have died in the mission field have not finished their mis- 
 sions, but they are continuing them in the spirit world. 
 Possibly the Lord saw it necessary or proper to call them 
 hence as he did. I am not going to question that thought, 
 at least, nor dispute it. I leave it in the hand of God, for 
 I believe that all these things will be overruled for good, 
 for the Lord will suffer nothing to go to his people in the 
 world that he will not overrule eventually for their greater 
 good. M. I. A. Conference, June 5, 1910;Fo?m Woman's 
 Journal, Vol. 21, pp. 456-460. 
 
 VISION OF THE REDEMPTION OF THE DEAD. On the 
 third of October, in the year nineteen hundred and eighteen, 
 I sat in my room pondering over the Scriptures and reflect- 
 ing upon the great atoning sacrifice that was made by the 
 Son of God for the redemption of the world, and the great 
 and w r onderful love made manifest by the Father and the 
 Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world, that 
 through his Atonement and by obedience to the principles 
 of the gospel, mankind might be saved. 
 
 While I was thus engaged, my mind reverted to the 
 writings of the Apostle Peter to the primitive saints scattered 
 abroad throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and other 
 parts of Asia where the gospel had been preached after the 
 crucifixion of the Lord. I opened the Bible and read the 
 third and fourth chapters of the first epistle of Peter, and 
 as I read I was greatly impressed, more than I had ever 
 been before, with the following passages : 
 
 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 597 
 
 for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to 
 death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit : 
 
 "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits 
 in prison ; 
 
 "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long- 
 suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark 
 was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved 
 by water" (I Peter 3:18-20). 
 
 "For for this cause was the gospel preached also to 
 them that are dead, that they might be judged according to 
 men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit" 
 (I Peter 4:6). 
 
 As I pondered over these things which are written, the 
 eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the 
 Lord rested upon me, and I saw the hosts of the dead, both 
 small and great. And there were gathered together in one 
 place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, 
 who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they 
 lived in mortality, and who had offered sacrifice in the sim- 
 ilitude of the great sacrifice of the Son of God, and had suf- 
 fered tribulation in their Redeemer's name. All these had 
 departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious res- 
 urrection, through the grace of God the Father and his 
 Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. 
 
 I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and 
 were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance 
 was at hand. They were assembled awaiting the advent of 
 the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their re- 
 demption from the bands of death. Their sleeping dust was 
 to be restored unto its perfect frame, bone to his bone, and 
 the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body 
 to be united never again to be divided, that they might re- 
 ceive a fulness of joy. 
 
 While this vast multitude waited and conversed, re- 
 joicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of 
 
598 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the 
 captives who had been faithful, and there he preached to 
 them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection 
 and the redemption of mankind from the fall, and from 
 individual sins on conditions of repentance. But unto the 
 wicked he did not go, and among the ungodly and the unre- 
 pentant who had defiled themselves while in the flesh, his 
 voice was not raised, neither did the rebellious who rejected 
 the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets 
 behold his presence, nor look upon his face. Where these 
 were, darkness reigned, but among the righteous there was 
 peace, and the saints rejoiced in their redemption, and 
 bowed the knee and acknowledged the Son of God as their 
 Redeemer and Deliverer from death and the chains of hell. 
 Their countenances shone and the radiance from the pres- 
 ence of the Lord rested upon them and they sang praises 
 unto his holy Name. 
 
 I marveled, for I understood that the Savior spent about 
 three years in his ministry among the Jews and those of the 
 house of Israel, endeavoring to teach them the everlasting 
 gospel and call them unto repentance ; and yet, ' notwith- 
 standing his mighty works and miracles and proclamation of 
 the truth in great power and authority, there were but few 
 who barkened to his voice and rejoiced in his presence and 
 received salvation at his hands. But his ministry among 
 those who were dead was limited to the brief time interven- 
 ing between the crucifixion and his resurrection ; and I won- 
 dered at the words of Peter wherein he said that the Son 
 of God preached unto the spirits in prison who sometime 
 were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited 
 in the days of Noah, and how it was possible for him to 
 preach to those spirits and perform the necessary labor 
 among them in so short a time. 
 
 And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my un- 
 derstanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 599 
 
 not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who 
 had rejected the truth, to teach them; but behold, from 
 among the righteous he organized his forces and appointed 
 messengers, clothed with power and authority, and coin- 
 missioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel 
 to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of 
 men. And thus was the gospel preached to the dead. And 
 the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable 
 day of the Lord, and proclaim liberty to the captives who 
 were bound ; even unto all who would repent of their sins 
 and receive the gospel. Thus was the gospel preached to 
 those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of 
 the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets. 
 These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, 
 vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the 
 Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and all other princi- 
 ples of the gospel that were necessary for them to know 
 in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged 
 according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in 
 the spirit. 
 
 And so it was made known among the dead, both small 
 and great, the unrighteous as well as the faithful, that re- 
 demption had been wrought through the sacrifice of the Son 
 of God upon the cross. Thus was it made known that our 
 Redeemer spent his time during his sojourn in the world of 
 spirits, instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the 
 prophets who had testified of him in the flesh, that they 
 might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead 
 unto whom % he could not go personally because of their re- 
 bellion and transgression, that they through the ministra- 
 tion of his servants might also hear his words. 
 
 Among the great and mighty ones who were assem- 
 bled in this vast congregation of the righteous, were Father 
 Adam, the Ancient of Days and father of all, and our glo- 
 rious Mother Eve, with many of her faithful daughters who 
 
600 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 had lived through the ages and worshiped the true and liv- 
 ing God. Abel, the first martyr, was there, and his brother 
 Seth, one of the mighty ones, who was in the express image 
 of his father Adam. Noah, who gave warning of the flood; 
 Shem, the great High Priest ; Abraham, the father of the 
 faithful ; Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, the great law-giver of 
 Israel, who declared by prophecy that the Redeemer was 
 anointed to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty 
 to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that 
 were bound, were also there. 
 
 Moreover, Ezekiel, who was shown in vision the great 
 valley of dry bones which were to be clothed upon with 
 flesh to come forth again in the resurrection of the dead, 
 living souls ; Daniel, who foresaw and foretold the establish- 
 ment of the kingdom of God in the latter days, never again 
 to be destroyed nor given to other people ; Elias, who was 
 with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration, and Malachi, 
 the prophet who testified of the coming of Elijah of whom 
 also Moroni spake to the Prophet Joseph Smith declaring 
 that he should come before the ushering in of the great and 
 dreadful day of the Lord, were also there. The Prophet 
 Elijah was to plant in the hearts of the children the promises 
 made to their fathers, foreshadowing the great work to be 
 done in the temples of the Lord in the Dispensation of the 
 Fulness of Times, for the redemption of the dead and the 
 sealing of the children to their parents, lest the whole earth 
 be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at his coming. 
 
 All these and many more, even the prophets who dwelt 
 among the Nephites and testified of the coming of the Son of 
 God, mingled in the vast assembly and waited for their de- 
 liverance, for the dead had looked upon the long absence of 
 their spirits from their bodies as a bondage. These the Lord 
 taught, and gave them power to come forth, after his resur- 
 rection from the dead, to enter into his Father's kingdom, 
 there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life, and 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 601 
 
 continue thenceforth their labors as had been promised by 
 the Lord, and be partakers of all blessings which were held 
 in reserve for them that love him. 
 
 The Prophet Joseph Smith, and my father, Hyrum 
 Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, 
 and other choice spirits who were reserved to come forth 
 in the fulness of times to take part in laying the foundations 
 of the great Latter-day work, including the building of the 
 temples and the performance of ordinances therein for the 
 redemption of the dead, were also in the spirit world. I ob- 
 served that they were also among the noble and great ones 
 who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church 
 of God. Even before they were born, they, with many oth- 
 ers, received their first lessons in the world of spirits, and 
 were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to 
 labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men. 
 
 I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, 
 when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in 
 the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, 
 through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, 
 among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of 
 sin in the great w r orld of the spirits of the dead. The dead 
 who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the or- 
 dinances of the house of God, and after thty have paid the 
 penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall 
 receive a reward according to their works, for they are 
 heirs of salvation. 
 
 Thus was the vision of the redemption of the dead re- 
 vealed to me, and I bear record, and I know that this record 
 is true, through the blessing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus 
 Christ, even so. Amen. Joseph F. Smith. 
 
 This Vision of the Redemption of the Dead was sub- 
 mitted, October 31, 1918, to the Counselors in the First 
 Presidency, the Council of the Twelve and the Patriarch, 
 
602 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 and by them unanimously accepted. Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 22, December, 1918, pp. 166-170. 
 
 MODERATION IN BURIAL DISPLAYS. A good friend 
 who is often called upon to attend to the proprieties on be- 
 half of the dead, calls attention in a letter to the indulgence 
 of extravagance in the laying away of our departed friends 
 and relatives. She believes that the Lord is not pleased with 
 the profusion of flowers, the expensive dress, and even with 
 the ornaments of gold in the form of rings and other jew- 
 elry used in decorating the dead. 
 
 We certainly recommend moderation and wisdom in the 
 use of flowers, the hire of carriages, and the purchase of 
 caskets. In the old scriptures we have numerous examples 
 of simplicity in burials. While we are not called upon liter- 
 ally to follow these, they should be a lesson to us to avoid 
 ostentations, and to attend to these matters with only such 
 displays and preparations as will show due respect for the 
 departed, and proper consideration for the living. 
 
 Relating to dress, the Latter-day Saints burial clothes 
 are all sufficient for our day. Anything more is unneces- 
 sary, which good, common sense would clearly suggest ; 
 while the burial of jewelry with the dead can serve no good 
 purpose. It savors of vanity, and might prove a temptation 
 to grave robbers, a naturally horrible thought. In like 
 manner with carriages and caskets, only the necessary and 
 modest should be used. Improvement Era, Vol. 12, Decem- 
 ber, 1908, p. 145. 
 
 WHO CANNOT BE REACHED BY THE GOSPEL. And he that 
 believes, is baptized, and receives the light and testimony of 
 Jesus Christ, and walks well for a season, receiving the ful- 
 ness of the blessings of the gospel in this world, and after- 
 wards turns wholly unto sin, violating his covenants, he will 
 be among those whom the gospel can never reach in the 
 spirit world ; and all such go beyond its saving power, they 
 will taste the second death, and be banished from the pres- 
 
ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVATION 603 
 
 ence of God eternally. Oct. C. R., Deseret Weekly News, 
 Vol. 24, 1875, p. 708. 
 
 PRINCIPLE OF BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD. Here will come 
 in the principles of baptism for the dead, and of proxy and 
 heirships, as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, 
 that they may receive a salvation and an exaltation, I will 
 not say a fulness of blessing and glory, but a reward ac- 
 cording to their merits and the righteousness and mercy of 
 God, even as it will be with you and with me. But there is 
 this difference between us and the antediluvians they re- 
 jected the gospel, consequently they receivd not the truth 
 nor the testimony of Jesus Christ ; therefore they did not sin 
 against a fulness of light, while we have received the ful- 
 ness of the gospel; are admitted to the testimony of Jesus 
 Christ, and a knowledge of the living and true God, whose 
 will it is also our privilege to know, that we may do it. Now 
 if we sin, we sin against the light and knowledge, and per- 
 adventure we may become guilty of the blood of }esus 
 Christ, for which sin there is no forgiveness, neitner in 
 this world nor in the world to come. Oct. C. R., Deseret 
 Weekly News, Vol. 24, 1875, p. 708. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 Joseph Smith, the Prophet. 
 
 THE REALITY OF JOSEPH'S VISION. Our critics say 
 it was an apparition that the Prophet Joseph saw, but he did 
 not say so. He said the personages who appeared to him 
 were real men, and there is nothing more improbable in his 
 statement than in the recital in the Bible of the conception 
 and birth of Christ, and of John the Baptist. To us has 
 come the account of the birth, life and work of Christ, and 
 there is nothing in the narrative to cause us to believe it more 
 readily than that story of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Christ 
 walked and talked and counseled with his friends when he 
 came down from heaven over 1900 years ago. Is there 
 any reason why he could not come again, why he should not 
 visit this earth once more and talk with men today? If 
 there is I should be glad to hear it. 
 
 The thing I want to impress upon you is that God is 
 real, a creature of flesh and bones the same as you are and I 
 am. Christ is the same, but the Holy Ghost is a creature of 
 spirit. 
 
 If Joseph Smith's teachings were untrue, then those of 
 the Great Nazarene fall to the ground, for they are one and 
 the same. You can't philosophize the truths of the gospel 
 away, nor explain them by saying the prophet was a vic- 
 tim of apparitions, for they are real, tangible facts behind 
 which stand a great mass of proof as good as has ever been 
 offered to substantiate any statement. It is a comfort, a 
 blessing, a delight to me, and I pray that it may ever be so 
 to you. Logan Journal, March 14', 1911. 
 
 SERVICE OF JOSEPH SMITH. Our faith in Jesus Christ 
 lies at the foundation of our religion, the foundation of our 
 hope for remission of sins, and for exaltation after death, 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 605 
 
 and for the resurrection from death to everlasting life. Our 
 faith in the doctrines that have been restored through the 
 instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith confirms and 
 strengthens us and establishes beyond a question or doubt, 
 our faith and belief in the divine mission of the Son of God. 
 Joseph Smith was the instrument chosen of God and en- 
 dowed with his authority to restore the holy priesthood, the 
 power of God to bind on earth and in heaven, the power 
 of the priesthood by which men may perform ordinances of 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind. 
 Through Joseph Smith the gospel of repentance, baptism in 
 water for the remission of sins, the baptism of the Holy 
 Ghost and by fire, have been restored, and the knowledge that 
 Jesus is the Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, is made 
 manifest through the Spirit of truth. We are obligated 
 to this humble servant that the Lord chose to lay the foun- 
 dation of this work for the ordinances of the gospel of the 
 Son of God, then and still unknown to the world, by which 
 we may become united together as families, as kindreds, un- 
 der the bonds of the new and everlasting covenant, for 
 time and for all eternity. We are obligated to the Prophet 
 Joseph Smith, as an instrument in the hand of the Lord, 
 for the knowledge that we possess of the work which is 
 necessary to be done in the house of God, for the salvation 
 of the living and the redemption of the dead, and for the 
 eternal union of souls who are united in this life by the 
 power of God, under the bond of the everlasting covenant. 
 We are indebted, or obligated at least, to the Prophet Joseph 
 Smith as the instrument in the hands of God, for the knowl- 
 edge we now possess that a man cannot be exalted into the 
 presence of God and the full enjoyment of his glory, alone. 
 It was not designed for the man to be alone, for the man is 
 not without the woman, neither the woman without the 
 man, in the Lord Oct. C. R., 1916, p. 3. 
 
 JOSEPH SMITH'S NAME WILL NEVER PERISH. God 
 
606 . GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 lives, and Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. Joseph 
 Smith is a prophet of God living, not dead ; for his name 
 will never perish. The angel that visited him and declared 
 God's message unto him, told him that his name should be 
 held for good and for evil throughout the world. This 
 prediction was made in the days of his youth, before the 
 Church was organized, and before there was any prospect of 
 that which has since been accomplished. The declaration 
 was made, notwithstanding it then seemed an absolute im- 
 possibility ; but from the day it was spoken until this mo- 
 ment, and from now on until the winding-up scene, the 
 name of Joseph Smith, the prophet of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury, has been, is being, and will be heralded abroad to the 
 nations of the earth, and will be held in honor or contempt 
 by the people of the world. But the honor in which it is 
 now held by a few will by and by be increased that his 
 name shall be held in reverence and honor among the chil- 
 dren of men as universally as the name of the Son of God is 
 held today ; for he did and is doing the work of the Master. 
 He laid the foundations in this dispensation for the restora- 
 tion of the principles that were taught by the Son of God, 
 who for these principles lived, and taught, and died, and 
 rose from the dead. Therefore I say, as the name of the 
 Son of God shall be held in reverence and honor, and in the 
 faith and love of men, so will the name of Joseph Smith 
 eventually be held among the children of men, gaining 
 prestige, increasing in honor, and commanding respect and 
 reverence, until the world shall say that he was a servant and 
 Prophet of God. The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. 
 Peace on earth, good will to man, is the proclamation that 
 Joseph the Prophet made, and that is the same as his Mas- 
 ter, the Lord Jesus Christ, made, to the world. That is 
 the mission we are trying to fulfil, and the proclamation we 
 are seeking to make to the world today. It is the mission 
 that these young men have been chosen to proclaim, and be 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 607 
 
 witnesses of to the nations of the earth. It is their duty 
 to see to it that this proclamation and this gospel of peace 
 and good will shall be sent to every nation, and kindred, and 
 tongue, and people, under the whole heavens. God bless 
 Israel, is my earnest prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen. 
 Oct. C. R., 1907, pp. 125-6. 
 
 THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH. Brother Woodruff, in 
 the course of his remarks, made the assertion that Joseph 
 Smith was the greatest prophet that has ever lived, of whom 
 we have any knowledge, save and except Jesus Christ him- 
 self. The world would say that he was an imposter; and 
 the Lord said that his name should be had for good and for 
 evil among all the nations of the earth ; and this much, at 
 least, so far as his name has become known, has been ful- 
 filled. This prediction was made through the Prophet Jo- 
 seph Smith himself, when he was an obscure youth, and 
 when there was but little prospect of his name ever becoming 
 known beyond the village where he lived. It was at an 
 early period of his life, and at the beginning of the work 
 that this prophecy or revelation was given, and it has been 
 truly verified. Today there is not another man, perhaps, 
 who has figured in religion, whose name is so wide-spread 
 among the nations, as that of Joseph Smith. In connection 
 with the work of which he was the instrument in the hands 
 of God of laying the foundation, his name is spoken of in 
 nearly every civilized nation upon the globe, for good or for 
 evil. Where it is spoken of for good, it is by those who 
 have had the privilege of hearing the gospel which has come 
 to the earth through him, and who have been sufficiently 
 honest and humble to receive the same. They speak of him 
 with a knowledge which they have received by the inspira- 
 tion of the Holy Spirit, through obedience to the principles 
 which he taught, as a prophet and as an inspired man. They 
 speak to his praise, to his honor, and they hold his name in 
 honorable remembrance. They revere him, and they love 
 
608 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 him, as they love no other man, because they know he was 
 the chosen instrument in the hands of the Almighty in re- 
 stoiing the gospel of life and salvation unto them, of opening 
 their understandings of the future, of lifting the ve : l of 
 eternity, as it were, from before their eyes. Those who 
 have received the principles which he promulgated know 
 they pertain not only to their own salvation, happiness and 
 peace, spiritual and temporal, but to the welfare, happiness, 
 salvation and exaltation of their kindred who have died 
 without a knowledge of the truth. 
 
 The work in which Joseph Smith was engaged was not 
 confined to this life alone, but it pertains as well to the life 
 to come, and to the life that has been. In other words, it 
 relates to those who have lived upon the earth, to those who 
 are living, and to those who shall come after us. It is not 
 something which relates to man only while he tabernacles 
 in the flesh, but to the whole human family from eternity 
 to eternity. Consequently, as I have said, Joseph Smith is 
 held in reverence, his name is honored ; tens of thousands 
 of people thank God in their heart, and from the depths of 
 their souls, for the knowledge the Lord has restored to the 
 earth through him, and therefore they speak well of him 
 and bear testimony of his worth. And this is not confined to 
 a village, nor to a state, nor to a nation, but extends to 
 every nation, kindred, tongue and people where the gospel, 
 up to the present, has been preached in America, Great 
 Britain, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and upon 
 the islands of the sea. And the Book of Mormon, which 
 Joseph Smith was the instrument in the hands of God of 
 bringing forth to this generation, has been translated into 
 the German, French, Danish, Swedish, Welsh, Hawaiian, 
 Hindustani, Spanish, and Dutch languages, and this book 
 will be translated into other languages, for according to 
 the predictions it contains, and according to the promises 
 of the Lord through Joseph Smith, it is to be sent unto 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 609 
 
 every nation, and kindred, and people under the whole 
 heavens, until all the sons and daughters of Adam shall 
 have the privilege of hearing the gospel as it has been re- 
 stored to the earth in the dispensation of the fulness of 
 times. 
 
 The world presume that we have not received a knowl- 
 edge of the truth. Those who are in ignorance in regard 
 to the character, life, and labors of Joseph Smith, who 
 have never read his revelations or studied or investigated 
 his claims to divine authority, and are ignorant of his mis- 
 sion, revile him, sneer at his name, and ridicule his claims 
 to prophetic inspiration, and call him an impostor in his 
 day, except by a few who hearkened to his instruction, and 
 believed his testimony. The great majority of mankind 
 then living who knew of Christ, deemed him an impostor, 
 and considered him worthy to be put to death ; precisely the 
 same feeling existed towards Joseph Smith. 
 * * * * 
 
 Let us return to the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was 
 accused of nearly everything that was vile, by his enemies, 
 who, as is well known by the Latter-day Saints, were gen- 
 erally entirely ignorant of his true character and mission. 
 What did Joseph Smith do? Was human blood found upon 
 his hands ? No, verily no. He was innocent. Was he a 
 slanderer and vilifier? No, verily, he was not. Did he 
 wrongfully and unjustly accuse men of wickedness? No, he 
 did not. Did he institute an order of things that has proved 
 injurious to the human family? Let the people who have 
 become acquainted with his doctrines, and with the institu- 
 tions which he established upon the earth, and his own life's 
 labor, answer. 
 
 He was born December 23, 1805, in the state of Ver- 
 mont. His parents were American citizens, as had been 
 their ancestors for generations. In the spring of 1820, he 
 received the first supernatural or heavenly manifestation. 
 
 40 
 
610 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 He was then fourteen years of age. Ordinarily we do not 
 expect a very great deal from a boy who is only fourteen 
 years of age, and it is not likely that a boy of that tender age 
 could have become very vicious or wicked, especially when he 
 was born and reared on a farm, apart from the corrupting 
 vices of great cities, and free from contact with the debasing 
 influence of vile associations. It is not likely that he spent 
 many idle moments during the working years of his life, up 
 to fourteen years of age ; for his father had to labor for his 
 living and earn it from the soil by the labor of his hands, 
 being a poor man with a large family to support. 
 
 In 1820, as I have said, Joseph Smith received a rev- 
 elation in which he claimed that God had declared that he 
 was about to restore the ancient gospel in its purity, and 
 many other glorious things. In consequence of this, Joseph 
 Smith became very notorious in the neighborhood where 
 he resided, and people began to regard him with a great 
 deal of suspicion. He was at once called an impostor, and 
 a few years later he was styled by his enemies, "old' Joe 
 Smith." His fame became known throughout the United 
 States. He was called a "money digger," and many other 
 contemptuous things. If you will look at his history, and 
 at the character of his parents, and surroundings, and con- 
 sider the object of his life, you can discover how much 
 consistency there was in the charges brought against him. 
 All this was done to injure him. He was neither old nor 
 a "money digger," nor an impostor, nor in any manner de- 
 serving of the epithets which they applied to him. He had 
 never injured anybody, nor robbed anybody, he never 
 did anything for which he could be punished by the laws 
 under which he lived. 
 
 \Yhen he was between 17 and 18 years of age, he re- 
 ceived another heavenly manifestation, and some great and 
 glorious things were revealed to him, and for four years 
 subsequently he received visits from a heavenly messenger. 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 611 
 
 He did not claim he was in communication with wicked 
 men or demons from the lower regions. He claimed he was 
 in communication with Moroni, one of the ancient prophets 
 who lived upon this continent. He was a good man when 
 he lived here, and it is not likely that he had become wicked 
 since he went away. This personage, he claimed, revealed 
 to him the mind and will of the Lord, and showed him the 
 character of the great work that he, in the hands of God, 
 was to be instrumental in establishing in the earth when the 
 time should come. This was the labor that was performed 
 by the angel Moroni, during the four years intervening be- 
 tween 1823 and 1827. In 1827 he received from the hands 
 of the angel Moroni, the gold plates from which this book 
 (Book of Mormon) was translated by him through the 
 inspiration of the Almighty, and the gift and power of God 
 unto him. I heard it read when I was a child. I have read 
 it many times since, and I have asked myself, scores of 
 times, have you ever discovered one precept, doctrine, or 
 command, within the lids of that book, that is calculated to 
 injure anybody, to do harm to the world, or that is in con- 
 tradiction to the word of God as contained in the Bible? 
 And the answer invariably came, No, not one solitary thing ; 
 every precept, doctrine, word of advice, prophecy, and 
 indeed every word contained within the lids of that book 
 relating to the great plan of human redemption and salva- 
 tion is calculated to make bad men good and good men 
 better. 
 
 Did Joseph Smith during the three years intervening 
 between 1827 and 1830, while he was laboring with his hands 
 for a scanty subsistence, dodging his enemies, and trying 
 to evade the grasp of those who sought to destroy him and 
 prevent the accomplishment of his mission, struggling all the 
 while against untold obstacles and depressing embarrass- 
 ments to complete the translation of this book, have much 
 
612 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 chance of becoming' wicked or corrupt? I do not think he 
 had. When he had finished translating the Book of Mor- 
 mon he was still only a boy, yet in producing this book he 
 developed historical facts, prophecies, revelations, pre- 
 dictions, testimonies and doctrines, precepts and principles 
 that are beyond the power and wisdom of the learned world 
 to duplicate or refute. Joseph Smith was an unlearned 
 youth, so far as the learning of the world is concerned. 
 He was taught by the angel Moroni. He received his edu- 
 cation from above, from God Almighty, and not from man- 
 made institutions ; but to charge him with being ignorant 
 would be both unjust and false ; no man or combination of 
 men possessed greater intelligence than he, nor could the 
 combined wisdom and cunning of the age produce an 
 equivalent for what he did, He was not ignorant, for he was 
 taught by Him from whom all intelligence flows. He pos- 
 sessed a knowledge of God and of his law, and of eter- 
 nity, and mankind have been trying, with all their learning, 
 wisdom and power and not content with that, they have 
 tried with the sword and cannon to extirpate from the 
 earth the superstructure which Joseph Smith, by the power 
 of God, erected ; but they have signally failed, and will yet 
 be overwhelmed by their efforts to destroy it. 
 
 Again, the world say that Joseph Smith was an indolent 
 person. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
 was organized April 6, 1830. Joseph Smith was martyred 
 in Carthage, Illinois, on the 27th day of June, 1844 four- 
 teen years after the organization of the Church. What did 
 he accomplish in these fourteen years? He opened up com- 
 munication with the heavens in his youth. He brought forth 
 the Book of Mormon, which contains the fulness of the 
 gospel; and the revelations contained in the Book of Doc- 
 trine and Covenants ; restored the holy priesthood unto man ; 
 established and organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- 
 ter-day Saints, an organization which has no parallel in all 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 613 
 
 the world, and which all the cunning and wisdom of men for 
 ages has failed to discover or produce and never could have 
 done. He founded colonies in the states of New York, Ohio, 
 Missouri and Illinois, and pointed the way for the gathering 
 of the Saints into the Rocky Mountains ; sent the gospel into 
 Europe and to the islands of the sea; founded the town of 
 Kirtlancl, Ohio, and there built a temple that cost scores 
 of thousands of dollars ; he founded the city of Nau- 
 voo in the midst of persecution; gathered into Nauvoo and 
 vicinity some 20,000 people, and commenced the building of 
 the temple there, which when completed cost one million 
 dollars ; and in doing all this he had to contend against the 
 prejudices of the age, against relentless persecution, mob- 
 ocracy, and vile calumny and slander, that were heaped upon 
 him from all quarters without stint or measure. In a word, 
 he did more in from fourteen to twenty years for the salva- 
 tion of man than any other man save Jesus only, who ever 
 lived, and yet he was accused by his enemies of being an 
 indolent and worthless man ! 
 
 Where shall we go to find another man who has accom- 
 plished a one-thousandth part of the good that Joseph Smith 
 accomplished ? Shall we go to the Rev. Mr. Beecher, or Tal- 
 mage, or any other of the great preachers of the day ? What 
 have they done for the world, with all their boasted intelli- 
 gence, influence, wealth, and the popular voice of the world 
 in their favor ! Joseph Smith had none of their advantages, 
 if these are advantages. And yet, no man in the nineteenth 
 century, except Joseph Smith, has discovered to the world a 
 ray of light upon the keys and power of the holy priesthood, 
 or the ordinances of the gospel, either for the living or the 
 dead. Through Joseph Smith, God has revealed many things 
 which were kept hidden from the foundation of the world in 
 fulfilment of the prophets and at no time since Enoch 
 walked the earth has the Church of God been organized as 
 perfectly as it is today, not excepting the dispensation of 
 
614 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Jesus and his disciples, or, if it was, we have no record of 
 it. And this is strictly in keeping with the objects and char- 
 acter of this great latter-day work, destined to consummate 
 the great purpose and designs of God concerning the dispen- 
 sation of the fulness of times. 
 
 The principle of baptism for the redemption of the 
 dead, with the ordinances appertaining thereto, for the com- 
 plete salvation and exaltation of those who have died with- 
 out the gospel, as revealed through Joseph Smith, is alone 
 worth more than all the dogmas of the so-called Christian 
 world combined. 
 
 Joseph Smith is accused of being a false prophet. It is, 
 however, beyond the power of the world to prove that he was 
 a false prophet. They may so charge him, but you who have 
 received the testimony of Jesus Christ, by the spirit of proph- 
 ecy, through his administrations, are my witnesses that they 
 have not the power to prove him false, and that is why they 
 are so vexed about it. In my humble opinion many of our 
 enemies know that they lie before God, angels and men, when 
 they make this charge, and they would only be too glad to 
 produce proof to sustain their accusations, but they cannot. 
 Jpseph Smith was a true prophet of God. He lived and died 
 a true prophet, and his words and works will yet demon- 
 strate the divinity of his mission to millions of the inhab- 
 itants of this globe. Perhaps not so many that are now liv- 
 ing, for they have in a great measure rejected the gospel, 
 and the testimony which the elders of this Church have 
 borne to them ; but their children after them, and generations 
 to come, will receive with delight the name of the Prophet 
 Joseph Smith, and the gospel which their fathers rejected. 
 Amen. Discourse delivered in Assembly Hall, Salt Lake 
 City, Oct. 29, 1882. Journal of Discourses, Vol. 24, 1884, 
 pp. 8-16. 
 
 PREDICTION OF JOSEPH SMITH FULFILLED. As the time 
 remaining is so short, I think I could not do better than de- 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET' 615 
 
 vote it to continuing the subject dwelt upon by Brother Can- 
 non. 
 
 The Doctrine and Covenants, as well as the Book of 
 Mormon, contains indisputable evidence of the divine calling 
 and mission of Joseph Smith. For instance, I will refer the 
 congregation to the revelation given December 25, 1832, 
 in relation to the great war of the Rebellion, with which all 
 are more or less familiar (Doc. and Cov. 87). A portion of 
 that revelation has been literally fulfilled, even to the very 
 place indicated in the prediction where the war should com- 
 mence ; which, as was therein stated, was to terminate in 
 the death and misery of many souls. 
 
 Again, in the revelation given in March, 1831, to Parley 
 P. Pratt and Lemon Copley, the following remarkable pre- 
 diction is found: 
 
 "But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob 
 shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blos- 
 som as the rose. Zion shall flourish upon the hills and re- 
 joice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together 
 unto the place which I have appointed" (Doc. and Cov. 
 49:24,25). 
 
 Who, let me ask, unless he was inspired of the Lord, 
 speaking by the gift and power of God, at that remote period 
 of the Church's history, when our numbers were few, when 
 we had no influence, name or standing in the world who, 
 I would ask, under the circumstances in which we were 
 placed when this prediction was made, could have uttered 
 such words unless God inspired him? Zion is, indeed, flour- 
 ishing on the hills, and is rejoicing on the mountains, and 
 we who compose it are gathering and assembling together 
 unto the place appointed. I now ask this congregation if 
 they cannot see that this prediction (which was made many 
 years before the idea prevailed at all among this people that 
 we should ever migrate and gather out to these mountain 
 valleys) has been and is being literally fulfilled? If there 
 
616 . GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 were no other prophecy uttered by Joseph Smith, fulfilment 
 of which could be pointed to, this alone would be sufficient to 
 entitle him to the claim of being a true prophet. 
 
 Again, in the revelation given February, 1834, this re- 
 markable promise and prophecy is found : 
 
 "Verily I say unto you, I have decreed a decree which 
 my people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this 
 very hour, unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, 
 shall give unto them. Behold they shall, for I have decreed 
 it, begin to prevail against mine enemies from' this very hour, 
 and by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the 
 Lord their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never 
 cease to prevail until the kingdoms of the world are subdued 
 under my feet, and the earth is given unto the Saints, to pos- 
 sess it for ever and ever" (Doc. and Cov. 103:5-7). 
 
 Is there a person within the sound of my voice, or any- 
 where else upon the face of the wide earth, who can say that 
 this promise has failed, that this prediction is not founded in 
 truth, that so far it has not been fulfilled? I stand before 
 this vast congregation, and am at the defiance of any human 
 being to say that this was not pronounced by the spirit of 
 truth, by the inspiration of the Almighty, for it has been ful- 
 filled, and is being fulfilled, and that, too, in the face of oppo- 
 sition of the most deadly character : and what remains will 
 be fulfilled literally and completely. And it is the fear in the 
 heart of Satan that this will be the case that causes him to 
 stir up his emissaries to oppose the kingdom of God and 
 seek, if possible, to destroy this great and glorious work. 
 For it is a living fact, a fact that fills the hearts of the 
 righteous and God-fearing with unspeakable joy, and the 
 hearts of the wicked and ungodly with consternation and 
 jealous fear, that this work of God, this work of redemp- 
 tion and salvation in which we are engaged, is moving for- 
 ward and is destined to continue in its onward march until 
 the kingdoms of the world shall be subdued and brought 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 617 
 
 under the law of Almighty God. And that this will come 
 to pass, I can assure you, the enemy of all righteousness 
 comprehends as well as we do. Yes, he knows that this 
 will eventually be the case, better than many who profess 
 to have received the Holy Spirit in their hearts ; and, there- 
 fore, he . is diligently seeking to stir up the hearts of the 
 wicked to fight against the Saints of God, until they are dis- 
 comfited, and Zion is free. 
 
 These predictions concerning the triumph of the cause 
 of God over the wicked who contend against them, were 
 uttered by Joseph Smith in his youth, in the early rise of 
 the Church when, to all human appearance, their fulfilment 
 was absolutely impossible. At that time there were but few 
 who could believe, that dared to believe the truth of these 
 predictions. The few, comparatively, that did believe when 
 they heard, were those whose minds had been enlightened 
 by the Holy Spirit of promise and who, therefore, were pre- 
 pared to receive them. As these predictions have been ful- 
 filled, so those not yet fulfilled will come to pass in the due 
 time of the Lord; and as this latter-day work has so far 
 grown and assumed force and power in the earth, so it will 
 continue to do, and there is no power beneath the celestial 
 kingdom that can prevent its growth, or the consummation 
 of all that has been predicted concerning it. Apr. C. R., 
 Journal of Discourses, Vol. 25, 1884, pp. 97-101. 
 
 JOSEPH SMITH, THE BOY. To me there is a sweet fas- 
 cination in the contemplation of his childhood and youth. I 
 love to contemplate the innocence and the artless simplicity 
 of his boyhood. It bears record that he was honest, that 
 he was led by the Spirit of God to perform his wonderful 
 mission. How could a child at his age be impelled by other 
 than honest motives in the accomplishment of his high and 
 holy calling? What he did he was led to do by the inspira- 
 tion and guidance of his heavenly Father, of this I feel 
 assured. 
 
618 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 He was much like other children ; his play was like that 
 of his companions ; his thoughts, like those of most children, 
 were innocent, and consequently he was incapable of the 
 knavery and connivance that his enemies declared he prac- 
 ticed. Though poor, his parents were honest and good ; 
 they delighted in the truth, and it was their honest desire to 
 live according to the best light within them. Love and good 
 will to all found expression in their hearts and actions, and 
 their children were imbued with like sentiments. They 
 were firm believers in God, and trusted in his watchcare over 
 his children. They had frequently received manifestations 
 of his loving kindness, in dreams, visions, and inspirations, 
 and God had healed their little ones, in answer to prayer, 
 when they were nigh unto death. It was in such an at- 
 mosphere that the boy was reared. Joseph was a remark- 
 ably quiet and well-disposed child who gave his parents lit- 
 tle or no trouble. As early as the age of eight, he gave 
 proof that besides being thoughtful, easily governed, and of 
 sweet and loving disposition, he possessed the foundation 
 principles of a good character filial affection, patience, en- 
 durance, courage. 
 
 Concerning his spiritual manifestations, is it reason- 
 able to suppose that there could have been premeditated 
 deceit on the part of the boy, and such a boy, in his simple 
 statement of what he saw and heard ? No ; neither could the 
 answer which the heavenly messenger gave to him, have 
 been composed in the child's own mind. Joseph Smith's 
 testimony concerning his heavenly manifestations, in later 
 life, was as simple, straight-forward, plain, and true, as it 
 had been in childhood ; the fidelity, courage, and love im- 
 planted in and characteristic of his life in boyhood neither 
 faltered nor changed with maturity. His wisdom came in 
 revelations of God to him. 
 
 One marked illustration of his character was his love for 
 children. He never saw a child but he desired to take it up 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 619 
 
 and bless it, and many he did so bless, taking them in his 
 arms and upon his knee. I have myself sat upon his knee. 
 He was so fond of children that he would go far out of his 
 way to speak to a little one, which is to me a striking char- 
 acteristic of true manhood. He had a like true love for the 
 human race. I know, and have known from my childhood, 
 that he was a prophet of God, and I believe in his divine 
 mission with all my heart ; and in the authenticity and inspi- 
 ration of the revelations which he received, and the Book of 
 Mormon which he was instrumental in bringing forth. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 21, December, 1917, p. 167. 
 
 JOSEPH SMITH, A RESTORER. I think it is wrong to 
 count Joseph the prophet one who fought old forms, in the 
 sense that he established new principles and doctrines. He 
 fought existing religious forms, it is true, but he merely 
 became the means, in God's providence, to restore the old 
 truths of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ, the plan 6*f 
 salvation, which is older than the human race. It is true, 
 also, that his teachings were new to the people of his day, 
 because they had apostatized from the truth but the prin- 
 ciples of the gospel are the oldest truths in existence. They 
 were new to Joseph's generation, as they are in part to ours, 
 because men had gone astray, been cast adrift, shifted hither 
 and thither by every new wind of doctrine which cunning 
 men so-called progressives had advanced. This made the 
 Prophet Joseph a restorer, not a destroyer, of old truths. 
 And this does not justify us in discarding the simple, funda- 
 mental principles of the gospel and running after modern 
 doctrinal fads and notions. Improvement Era, Vol. 15, 
 June, 1912, p. 737. 
 
 PLURAL WIVES OF JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET. I 
 can positively state, on indisputable evidence, that Joseph 
 Smith was the author, under God, of the revelation on plural 
 marriage. On this subject, we have the affidavit of 'William 
 Clayton, private secretary of Joseph Smith, that he wrote 
 
620 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the revelation as it was given through the lips of the prophet, 
 and that he himself sealed to Joseph Smith as a plural wife, 
 Lucy Walker, at Joseph Smith's own residence, on May 1, 
 1843. This lady is still living, in Salt Lake City, and is will- 
 ing to testify at any moment to this fact. Following are some 
 of the names of young ladies who were sealed to the Prophet 
 Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, as testified to under oath by them- 
 selves this during the lifetime of the prophet: Eliza R. 
 Snow, Sarah Ann Whitney, Helen Mar Kimball, Fanny 
 Young (sister to Brigham Young), and Rhoda Richards 
 (sister to Willard Richards who was with the prophet at 
 his martyrdom in Carthage jail). All these noble women 
 have testified, under oath, giving names and dates, that they 
 were sealed, during his lifetime, to the Prophet Joseph 
 Smith. These facts have been published in Jenson's His- 
 torical Record, and in the Dcscrct News, in years past ; and 
 I know, by the established and virtuous character of these 
 noble women, that their testimonies are true. 
 
 A careful reading of the revelation on plural marriage 
 should convince any honest man that it was never written 
 by Brigham Young, as it contains references to Joseph Smith 
 himself, and his family, which would be utterly nonsensical 
 and useless if written by President Young. The fact is, we 
 have the affidavit of Joseph C. Kingsbury, certifying that he 
 copied the original manuscript of the revelation within three 
 days after the date on which it was written. I knew Joseph 
 C. Kingsbury well. Furthermore, the revelation was read 
 by Hyrum Smith to a majority of the members of the High 
 Council, in Nauvoo, at about the time it was given, to which 
 fact we have the sworn statements of the members of the 
 High Council. Improvement Era, Vol. 5, October, 1902, 
 p. 988. 
 
 WHAT DOES THE MARTYRDOM OF JOSEPH AND HYRUM 
 TEACH Us? What does the martyrdom teach us? The 
 great lesson that "where a testament is there must also of 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 621 
 
 necessity be the death of the testator" (Heb. 9:17) to make 
 it of force. Moreover, that the blood of martyrs is indeed 
 the seed of the Church. The Lord permitted the sacrifice, 
 that the testimony of those virtuous and righteous men 
 should stand as a witness against a perverse and unrighteous 
 world. Then, again, they were examples of the wonderful 
 love of which the Redeemer speaks : "Greater love hath no 
 man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" 
 (John 15:13). This wonderful love they manifested to. 
 the Saints and to the world; for both realized and ex- 
 pressed their conviction, before starting on the journey to 
 Carthage, that they were going to their death. They might 
 have escaped; in fact, had but a few days before made the 
 start for the Rocky Mountains, but were recalled by the 
 groundless fears of false friends who made the accusation 
 that they were fleeing from dangers that were equally as 
 great towards the peace and happiness of the members of 
 the Church as they could possibly be towards themselves. 
 
 Satan said to Job: "All that a man hath will he give 
 for his life." Of the true servant, and where perfect love 
 abides, that is not true ! Joseph and Hyrum Smith returned 
 and calmly went to their death, feeling that their lives were 
 of no value to themselves if unvalued by their friends, or if 
 they were needed as a sacrifice for the protection of their 
 worthy followers. Their courage, their faith, their love for 
 the people were without bounds, and they gave all that they 
 had for their people. Such devotion and love left no doubt 
 in the minds of those who enjoyed the companionship of 
 the Holy Spirit that these good men and true, were indeed 
 the authorized servants of the Lord. 
 
 This martyrdom has always been an inspiration to the 
 people of the Lord. It has helped them in their individual 
 trials ; has given them courage to pursue a course in right- 
 eousness and to know and to live the truth, and must ever 
 be held in sacred memory by the Latter-day Saints who 
 
622 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 have learned the great truths that God revealed through his 
 servant Joseph Smith. Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 51, June, 
 1916, p. 381. 
 
 DIVINE AUTHORITY OF JOSEPH SMITH AND His SUC- 
 CESSORS. I bear my testimony to you and to the world that 
 Joseph Smith was raised up by the power of God to lay the 
 foundations of this great latter-day work, to reveal the ful- 
 ness of the gospel to the world in this dispensation, to re- 
 store the priesthood of God to the world, by which men may 
 act in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the 
 Holy Ghost, and it will be accepted of God; it will be by 
 his authority. I bear my testimony to it ; I know that it is 
 true. 
 
 I bear my testimony to the divine authority of those 
 who have succeeded the Prophet Joseph Smith in the pres- 
 idency of the Church. They were men of God ; I knew 
 them ; I was intimately associated with them, and as one man 
 may know another, through the intimate knowledge that he 
 possesses of him, so I can bear testimony to the integrity, 
 to the honor, to the purity of life, to the intelligence, and 
 to the divinity of the mission and calling of Brigham, of 
 John, of Wilford and of Lorenzo. They were inspired of 
 God to fill the mission to which they were called, and I 
 know it. I thank God for that testimony, and for the spirit 
 that prompts me and impels me toward these men, toward 
 their mission, toward this people, toward my God and my 
 Redeemer. I thank the Lord for it, and I pray earnestly 
 that it may never depart from me worlds without end. 
 Improvement Era, Vol. 14, Nov., 1910, p. 74. 
 
 GOD'S GUIDING HAND SEEN IN CHURCH HISTORY. In 
 connection with this thought it may be proper, consistent 
 and timely, for me to remark that each individual member 
 of the Church assembled here this morning is a free man or 
 a free woman, possessing to the utmost degree all the qual- 
 ifications and characteristics of freemen, independent with 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET o23 
 
 reference to individual action and choice, of every other 
 mail and of every other woman present. This being a fact, 
 which is a fact, the unanimity exhibited on the part of the 
 audience, with reference to the actions that have been taken, 
 vindicate the belief and the assertion which I make, that the 
 members of this congregation are certainly in harmony with 
 the will of the Father. They are united; they see eye to 
 eye; their sympathy is with one another and with the cause 
 they represent. Their hearts are in the work in which they 
 are engaged, and that because of their choice, because they 
 have fully weighed all matters connected with their stand- 
 ing in the Church, and with regard to the course which they 
 have taken today; they have, voluntarily, without coercion, 
 without compulsion, without any restraint, except the re- 
 straint of their own consciences, shown that they see eye 
 to eye, that they are one and are therefore entitled to be 
 acknowledged of the Master as his own and as of him. I 
 believe that there is not a freer, more independent nor a more 
 intelligent people to be found anywhere in the world, who 
 are more independent in choosing the course which they pur- 
 sue, in the work that they perform and in everything that 
 they have to do with, than the Latter-day Saints. 
 
 There is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ 
 of Latter-day 'Saints, in good standing, anywhere in all the 
 world today that is not such by reason of his independence 
 of character, by reason of his intelligence, wisdom and abil- 
 ity to judge between right and wrong and between good and 
 evil. There is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ 
 anywhere, in good standing, living a proper life, that would 
 not hold up his hand against evil, against wrong, against 
 sin, against the transgression of the laws of God against 
 unrighteousness or vice of any kind, with as much freedom 
 and independence and with as firm determination as any 
 other man or woman in the world. 
 
 I am thankful to have the privilege, this moment, of ex- 
 
6J4 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 pressing this my view and firm belief and my knowledge of 
 the real character of the Latter-day Saints throughout the 
 world. And, when I say Latter-day Saints, I mean mem- 
 bers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
 founded by God, through the instrumentality and agency 
 of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was chosen of God and 
 ordained and qualified and authorized to lay the foundations 
 of the Church of Jesus. Christ, never more to be destroyed 
 nor left to other people, never more to cease but to continue 
 until the purposes of God should ripen and be accomplished 
 for the salvation of the children of men and for the redemp- 
 tion of the living, and of the dead who have died without a 
 knowledge of the plan of life and salvation. In stating this 
 I state the results of my experience in associations with such 
 men as those who laid the foundations of the Church of 
 Jesus Christ, from the Prophet Joseph Smith down to this 
 moment. 
 
 As a child I knew the Prophet Joseph Smith. As a 
 child I have listened to him preach the gospel that God had 
 committed to his charge and care. As a child I was fa- 
 miliar in his home, in his household, as I was familiar under 
 my own father's roof. I have retained the witness of the 
 Spirit that I was imbued with, as a child, and that I re- 
 ceived from my sainted mother, the firm belief that Joseph 
 Smith wa^ a prophet of God; that he was inspired as no 
 other man in his generation, or for centuries before, had 
 been inspired; that he had been chosen of God to lay the 
 foundations of God's Kingdom as well as of God's Church; 
 that by the power of God he was enabled to bring forth the 
 record of the ancient inhabitants of this continent, to revive 
 ,and to reveal to the world the doctrine of Jesus Christ, not 
 only as he taught it in the midst of the Jews, in Judea, but 
 as he also taught it and as it was also recorded in greater 
 simplicity and plainness upon this continent, among the de- 
 scendants of Lehi. As a child I was impressed, deeply, 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 625 
 
 with the thought, and firmly with the belief, in my soul that f 
 the revelations that had been given to and through Joseph 
 the Prophet, as contained in this book, the Book of Doc- 
 trine and Covenants, were the word of God, as were the 
 words of the ancient disciples when they bore record of the 
 Father and of the Son. That impression made upon me in 
 my childhood has followed through all the vicissitudes of 
 more than sixty years of actual and practical experience in 
 the mission field, throughout the nations of the world, and at 
 home in the midst of the authorized servants' of God, who 
 officiated in the name of the Father and of the Son to propa- 
 gate, to build up, and to push forward the work inaugurated 
 by the instrumentality of the boy Joseph Smith. 
 
 In my childhood, too, I was instructed to believe in the 
 divinity of the mission of Jesus Christ. I was taught by 
 my mother, a Saint indeed that Jesus Christ is the Son of 
 God ; that he was indeed no other than the Only Begotten of 
 God in the flesh, and that, therefore, no other than God the 
 eternal Father is his Father and the author of his existence 
 in the world. I was taught it from my father, from the 
 Prophet Joseph Smith, through my mother who embraced 
 the gospel because she believed in the testimony of Joseph 
 Smith, and she believed in the honor, integrity and truth- 
 fulness of her husband ; and all my boyhood days and' all my 
 years in the world I have clung to that belief ; indeed, I have 
 never had any serious dubiety in my mind, even in child- 
 hood ; and when I could only imperfectly understand things 
 with reference to the divinity of the mission of the Son of 
 God, I accepted it as being true in the sense in which only it 
 can be true ; for in no other than the literal sense, as it is 
 described in the scriptures of divine truth and in the testi- 
 monies of the prophets, can it be true that Jesus Christ is 
 the Son of God. I believe it. I have believed it all my life ; 
 but I owe to the Prophet Joseph Smith the fixed and unal- 
 terable confirmation of that belief, until it has come to be, 
 
 41 
 
626 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 in my soul, a knowledge of the truth ; and in so far as I 
 have continued in the word of the Lord, I believe, I have 
 been led to know the truth. I believe that I possess that 
 freedom that comes from a knowledge of the truth, which 
 teaches all men rightetmsness, virtue, honor, faith, charity, 
 forgiveness mercy, longsuffering patience and devotion to 
 that which is good, and abstinence from that which is evil. 
 
 "The truth will make you free." Free from what? 
 From error, free from doubt, and uncertainty, free from 
 unbelief, free from the powers of darkness, free from the 
 possibility of being tempted beyond your strength ; but to 
 resist error and to shun even the appearance of sin. This 
 truth makes a man a Latter-day Saint. This knowledge of 
 the truth makes you free to worship God and to love him 
 with all your heart and mind and strength, and to do the 
 next best thing to love your neighbor as nearly as you 
 pssibly can as you love yourselves. 
 
 The truth that I have received teaches me that Joseph 
 Smith was a prophet of God, teaches me to accept without 
 recourse, other than the full and free acceptance of that 
 truth, that God Almighty, the Father of Jesus Christ, the 
 Father of our spirits, the maker of heaven and earth, con- 
 descended to come down to this our mother earth, in person, 
 in company with his beloved Son, and show themselves to 
 Joseph Smith. I believe it. The truth has made me feel that 
 this must be true. It cannot be error, foi the Lord God 
 Almighty could never build the structure that he has built 
 upon the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, if it had 
 been founded in error or untruth. This people never could 
 have combined and adhered together, never could have been 
 united, never could have seen eye to eye, never could have 
 been one, in order that they might be acknowledged of God 
 as his own, if we had been building upon error. If our 
 foundations were laid in untruth and in unrighteousness this 
 could not be. But the Lord is at the bottom of this. Joseph 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 627 
 
 Smith was not at the foundation of it. He was not responsi- 
 ble, only so far as he was obedient to the will of the Father. 
 God is responsible for this work. The Lord Almighty has 
 made the promises concerning this work, not Joseph Smith, 
 not Hyrum Smith. No other man has made true promises 
 with reference to the future of Zion and to the building up 
 of the kingdom of God in the earth, except God inspired 
 him to do it. Not of himself has man ever done anything 
 of the kind. The Lord is at the bottom ; the Lord is at the 
 top ; the Lord is all the way through this work, and every 
 fibre of it is in his keeping and is moved by his magic power 
 and by the inspiration of his Holy Spirit. That is my testi- 
 mony to you. 
 
 I believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, because more 
 than ever I come nearer the possession of the actual knowl- 
 edge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, 
 through the testimony of Joseph Smith contained in this 
 book, the Doctrine and Covenants, that he saw Him, that 
 he heard Him, that he received instructions from Him, that 
 he obeyed those instructions, and that he today stands be- 
 fore the world as the last great, actual, living witness of the 
 divinity of Christ's mission and his power to redeem man 
 from the temporal death and also from the second death 
 which will follow man's own sins, through disobedience to 
 the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank God 
 for Joseph Smith. I believe in his mission, having accepted 
 this great truth and his narration of it. 
 
 The greatest event that has ever occurred in the world 
 since the resurrection of the Son of God from the tomb, 
 and his ascension on high, was the coming of the Father 
 and of the Son to that boy Joseph Smith, to prepare the 
 way for the laying of the foundation of his kingdom not 
 the kingdom of man never more to cease nor to be over- 
 turned. Having accepted this truth, I find it easy to accept 
 of every other truth that he enunciated and declared dur- 
 
628 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 ing his mission of fourteen years in the world. He never 
 taught a doctrine that was not true. He never practiced 
 a doctrine ' that he was not commanded to practice. He 
 never advocated error. He was not deceived. He saw ; he 
 heard; he did as he was commanded to do; and, therefore, 
 God is responsible for the work accomplished by Joseph 
 Smith not Joseph Smith. The Lord is responsible for it, 
 and not man. 
 
 .1 am happy to express to this audience my knowledge 
 of the successors of Joseph Smith. They reared me, in part, 
 so to speak. In other words, with them I journeyed across 
 the deserts, by the side of my ox-team, following President 
 Brigham Young and his associates to these barren wastes, 
 barren as they were when we first entered this valley. I be- 
 lieved in him then, and I know him now ! I believed in his 
 associates, and I know them now ; for I lived with them ; I 
 slept with them ; I traveled with them ; I heard them preach 
 and teach and exhort, and I saw their wisdom which was 
 not the wisdom of man but the wisdom of Almighty 
 God. When President Young set his foot down here, upon 
 this desert spot, it was in the midst of persuasion, prayers 
 and petitions on the part of some Latter-day Saints who 
 had gone forward and landed upon the coast of California, 
 that beautiful, rich country, semi-tropical, abounding in re- 
 sources that no inland country could possess, inviting and 
 appealing for settlers at that time, and just such settlers as 
 President Brigham Young could have taken there honest 
 people, people who were firm in their faith, who were estab- 
 lished in the knowledge of truth and righteousness, and in 
 the testimony of Jesus Christ, which is the spirit of proph- 
 ecy, and in the testimony of Joseph Smith which was a con- 
 firmation of the spirit of Christ and of his mission. 
 
 These people pleaded with President Young: "Come 
 with us," they said, "and go to the coast. Go where roses 
 bloom all the year round, where the fragrance of flowers 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 629 
 
 scents the air, from May until May; where beauty reigns; 
 where the elements of wealth are to be found, and only 
 need to be developed. Come with us." 
 
 "No," said President Young, "we will remain here, and 
 \ve will make the desert blossom like the rose. We will 
 fulfil the Scriptures by remaining here." 
 
 I heard him tell one of the Battalion boys who came 
 back from California with a little buckskin sack of gold nug- 
 gets, and who shook them in the face of President Young, 
 and said to him : "Look what we could get if we were to 
 go to California ! The land is full of gold ;" but President 
 Young pointed his finger (I was there and saw and heard 
 
 it), and he said: "Brother , you may go to California, 
 
 if you will. Those who want to go there can go, but we will 
 remain here; and I want to tell you that those who remain 
 here and obey counsel, in a few years will be able to buy out 
 every one of you who go to California ten-fold over." 
 
 (Bishop George Romney: "That is true; I know the 
 man.") 
 
 Why, bless your soul, what did President Young know 
 about Utah, at that early day ? We did not know that there 
 was even a lump of coal in existence in the land. I myself 
 passed the first fall and winter after our entrance into this 
 valley hauling wood out of Mill Creek canyon and Parley's 
 canyon ; and during that fall and winter I hauled forty loads 
 of wood with my oxen and wagon out of these canyons. 
 Every load I cut and hauled diminished the supply of wood 
 for fuel for the future; and I said to myeslf: What will we 
 do when the wood is all gone? How will we live here when 
 we can't get any more fuel, for it was rapidly going. I 
 followed that pursuit until it took me three days in the moun- 
 tains with my ox-team and wagon, to get a load of wood 
 for winter fuel; and. what were we to do? Yet President 
 Young said, "This is the place." 
 
 Well, ordinarily, our judgment and our faith would 
 
630 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 have been tried, in the decision of the president, if we had 
 not implicit confidence in him. If we had not known that 
 he was the mouthpiece of God, that he was the real and le- 
 gitimate successor of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Pres- 
 idency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
 we would have doubted his wisdom and we would have fal- 
 tered in our faith in his promise and word; but no, we be- 
 lieved him, and we stayed ; and so far as I am concerned, I 
 am here yet; and I propose to remain here as long as the 
 Lord wants me to stay. And what has developed? 
 
 Our good friends from the east used to come out here 
 in the early days, and upbraid us. They said : "Why, it is 
 the fulfilment of the curse of God upon you. You have been 
 driven away from the rich lands of Illinois and Missouri 
 into a desert, into a salt land." 
 
 "I said : "Yes, we have salt enough here to save the 
 world, thank God, and we may find use for it by and by." 
 
 Well, before the wood gave out entirely in the moun- 
 tains, we discovered coal up here in Summit county, and 
 then we began to discover it all along the mountains here, 
 and we kept on discovering it, until at last we have learned 
 that we have coal enough in Utah to furnish fuel for the 
 whole world for a hundred years, if they want to come and 
 get it. We have it right here, any amount of it; and they 
 haven't got that in California ; they come up here to get 
 their coal. 
 
 We have discovered that this country was really the 
 gold-mine country of the world; that here abounded silver 
 as well as gold in greater abundance than in California. We 
 have discovered now that some of our mountains here are 
 practically made of copper, and men are hewing copper out 
 of the mountains by millions of tons, so to speak, and com- 
 ing it in the way of business into money ; and thank the Lord, 
 we do not have to go to Liverpool for the salt we use in 
 making butter. We have it right here, just as good and 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 631 
 
 pure as the best they can fetch from England or anywhere 
 else in the world ; and this salt land has proven to be a boon, 
 a consolation and a blessing beyond all power of description. 
 
 When the army came out here, in 1858, we wanted some 
 bullets to go out and meet General Johnston and his forces 
 that were coming in not to kill them ; we did not want the 
 bullets to kill them ; we just wanted the bullets to scare them 
 with. Some of the boys went out here into the mountains 
 with a pick and shovel, and they dug up lead, impregnated 
 somewhat with silver. They brought it in, improvised a lit- 
 tle furnace and ran out a few tons of lead. I had the honor 
 of being associated with that little company of men, and I 
 brought home with me some thirty or forty pounds of lead 
 that we just quarried out of the hill with a pick and shovel. 
 
 When I rode up to the office here, to report to Presi- 
 dent Young my return from my mission of over three years, 
 the army was approaching, and he said to me: "Well, 
 Joseph, have you got a horse?" 
 
 I said, "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Have you got a gun?" 
 
 I said, "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Have you got any ammunition?" 
 
 I said "No, sir." 
 
 "Well," he said, "you report to Brother Rockwood, at 
 the commissary office and he will furnish you with ammu- 
 nition, and you take your gun and go out to the front." 
 
 So I w^ent home and sat up all that night, running bullets 
 out of my mountain lead ; reported the next day to Brother 
 Rockwood, received a chunk of Mother Gadbury's cheese 
 and some crackers, and started on my horse, with a brother- 
 in-law, for the front. I. spent part of the winter of 1858, 
 and all of the spring and a portion of the summer of 1859, 
 guarding Uncle Sam's troops ; and we never hurt one of 
 them, not one. We never molested a single individual of 
 them ; but we hedged up their way and they camped out at 
 
632 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 Fort Bridger all winter long, and we sent them salt to save 
 them; and they rejected it, because they were afraid there 
 was something in the salt, more than the savor of it. But 
 I assure you the salt was pure and good. 
 
 Now, just before that time, I was a farmer. I had to 
 plow my land and farm it, but I did not have a spear of 
 grass or hay to feed my team, and how was I going to do 
 my spring work? This valley produced mighty little hay 
 at that time. I hitched up my team, my brother and I, and 
 we drove sixty miles to the north and bought a couple of 
 loads of wild grass hay, and carted that hay down sixty 
 miles to feed our teams in order to plow our land. I used 
 to think, how in the world are we going to live in Utah 
 without feed for our teams. Just then the Lord sent a 
 handful of alfalfa seed into this valley, and Christopher 
 Layton planted it, watered it, and it matured ; and from 
 that little beginning, Utah can now produce a richer crop 
 of hay than Illinois or Missouri can do. So the hay ques- 
 tion was settled and the coal question was settled. Then the 
 question of producing food from the land. Why, it was a 
 marvel. One good man cultivated his little farm for thirty 
 years, without a change, and raised from fifty to sixty bush- 
 els of wheat per acre each year on his farm, during that en- 
 tire period. So the soil is rich, and everything is favorable 
 for Zion here where President Young determined that he 
 would stay ; if we had not stayed here, it is clear we would 
 have been overwhelmed and swallowed up by the multi- 
 tudes who rushed to California. 
 
 Now, my brethren and sisters, I know whereof I speak 
 with reference to these matters, for I have come down 
 through every atom of it, at least from the expulsion from 
 the city of Nauvoo; in February, 1846, when I stood upon 
 the bank of the river and saw President Young and the 
 Twelve apostles, and as many of the people of Nauvoo as 
 had teams or could possibly migrate, cross the Mississippi 
 
JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET 633 
 
 river on the ice. The river froze within a day or two, be- 
 cause of heavy frost, which enabled them to cross as they 
 did, and thus the first real marvel and manifestation of the 
 mercy and of the power of God was manifest, in making 
 a roadway across the Mississippi a mile wide at that place 
 by which our people could go on their journey to the West. 
 I saw them go. My brother was with them, and I wondered 
 if I would ever see him again. We remained there in Nau- 
 voo until September, 1846, when the city was besieged, at 
 the mouth of the cannon and musket, and my mother and 
 her family were compelled to take all that they could move 
 out of the house their bedding their clothing, the little 
 food they possessed, leaving the furniture and everything 
 else standing in the house, and fled across the river, where 
 we camped without tent or shelter until the war was over. 
 The city was conquered, and the poor people that were left 
 there were compelled to seek shelter somewhere else. From 
 that moment on, I have been in the conflict. I have seen it and 
 experienced it all the way through ; and I am satisfied with 
 my experience. 
 
 I bear record to you of the divinity of the work in which 
 you are engaged, and I bear record to you and testify that 
 it has been the power of God, not that of President Young 
 or of his associates, that has kept the people together and 
 united them. By that power you have been able to come here 
 this morning and with one united voice, and uplifted hands, 
 sustain in the positions to which they have been chosen the 
 men who have been called and appointed and ordained by 
 virtue of authority from God, to preside over you and teach 
 you things that are good to be taught and good to be known 
 and observed, which will bring life and salvation to those 
 who will hearken and be obedient. 
 
 The Lord bless you; the Lord bless the pure in heart 
 throughout the world. May the Lord have mercy upon the 
 suffering nations that are afflicted by this terrible calamity 
 
034 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 of war. May he save the poor and the needy and' the hon- 
 orable among the children of men, to come eventually to a 
 knowledge of his truth, that they may be saved in his king- 
 dom. 
 
 Much could be said. Joseph Smith taught the build- 
 ing of temples. I can scarcely quit. Joseph Smith was 
 the instrument in the hand of God in revealing the ordi- 
 nances of the house of God that are essential to the salva- 
 tion of the living and the dead. Joseph Smith taught these 
 principles, and his brethren to whom he taught them have 
 carried out his views. They have put his doctrines to the 
 test. They have obeyed his counsel, and they have honored 
 him and his mission and sustained him as man has never been 
 sustained by any other people under God's heavens. So we 
 will continue to sustain Joseph the prophet, and his work 
 that he has accomplished among the children of men, and we 
 will abide in the truth forever, by the help of God ; even so, 
 Amen. Sermon, Salt Lake Assembly Hall, July 8, 1917. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 Personal Testimonies and Blessings. 
 
 A TESTIMONY. I declare unto you in all candor, and in 
 all earnestness of soul, that I believe with all my heart in 
 the divine mission of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, that I am 
 convinced in every fiber of my being that God raised him 
 up to restore to the earth the gospel of Christ, which is in- 
 deed the power of God unto salvation. I testify to you that 
 Joseph Smith was instrumental in the hand of the Lord in 
 restoring God's truth to the world, and also the holy priest- 
 hood, which is his authority delegated unto man. I know 
 this is true, and I testify of it to you. To me it is all-in-all ; 
 it is my life, it is my light ; it is my hope, and my joy ; it 
 gives me the only assurance that I have for exaltation, for 
 my resurrection from death, with those whom I have loved 
 and cherished in this life, and with whom my lot has been 
 cast in this world honorable men, pure, humble men, who 
 were obedient unto God and his commands, who were not 
 ashamed of the gospel of Christ, nor of their convictions or 
 knowledge of the truth of the gospel; men who were made 
 of the stuff of which martyrs are made, and who were will- 
 ing at any moment to lay down their lives for Christ's sake, 
 and for the gospel, if need be, which they had received with 
 the testimony of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. I want to 
 be reunited with these men when I shall have finished my 
 course here. When my mission is done here, I hope to go 
 beyond into the spirit world where they dwell, and be re- 
 united with them. It is this gospel of the Son of God that 
 gives me the hope that I have of this consummation, and of 
 the realization of my desire in this direction. I have staked 
 all on this gospel, and I have not done it in vain. I know 
 
636 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 in whom I trust. I know that my Redeemer lives, and that 
 he shall stand upon the earth in the latter day, and, as Job 
 has expressed it, "Though worms shall destroy this body, 
 yet in my flesh shall I see God." Oct. C. R. } 1907, pp. 4, 5. 
 THIS is GOD'S WORK A TESTIMONY. My brethren 
 and sisters, I desire to bear my testimony to you : for I have 
 received an assurance which has taken possession of my 
 whole being. It has sunk deep into my heart ; it fills every 
 fiber of my soul ; so that I feel to say before this people, 
 and would be pleased to have the privilege of saying it be- 
 fore the whole world, that God has revealed unto me that 
 Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Redeemer 
 of the world ; that Joseph Smith is, was, and always will be, 
 a prophet of God, ordained and chosen to stand at the head 
 of the dispensation of the fulness of times, the keys of which 
 were given to him, and he will hold them until the winding- 
 up scene keys which will unlock the door into the kingdom 
 of God to every man who is worthy to enter, and which 
 will close that door against every soul that will not obey the 
 law of God. I know, as I live, that this is true, and I bear 
 my testimony to its truth. If it were the last words I should 
 ever say on earth, I would glory before God my Father that 
 I possess this knowledge in my soul, which I declare unto 
 you as I would the simplest truths of heaven. I know that 
 this is the kingdom of God, and that God is at the helm. 
 He presides over his people. He presides over the presi- 
 dent of this Church,and has done so from the Prophet Joseph 
 down to the Prophet Lorenzo ; and he will continue to pre- 
 side over the leaders of this Church until the winding-up 
 scene. He will not suffer it to be given to another people, 
 nor to be left to men. He will hold the reins in his own 
 hands; for he has' stretched out his arm to do his work, and 
 he will do it, and have the honor of it. At the same time 
 God will honor and magnify his servants in the sight of 
 the people. He will sustain them in righteousness. He will 
 
TESTIMONIES AND BLESSINGS 637 
 
 lift them on high, exalt them into his presence, and they 
 will partake of his glory forever and ever. 
 
 It is the Lord's work; and I plead with you not to for- 
 get it. I implore you not to disbelieve it; for it is true. 
 All that the Lord has said concerning this latter-day work 
 will come to pass. The world cannot prevent it. The blind 
 that will not see, the deaf that will not hear, cannot prevent 
 the work from going on. They may throw blocks before the 
 wheels, they may ridicule, they may malign, they may stir up 
 the spirit of persecution and bitterness against the Saints, 
 they may do all in their power to deceive the people and 
 lead them astray; but God is at the helm, and he will lead 
 his people to victory. Men and women may be deceived 
 by the craftiness of the adversary and by the spirit of dark- 
 ness that is in the world ; they may be deceived with Chris- 
 tian Science, with hypnotism, with animal magnetism, with 
 mesmerism, with spiritualism, and with all the other man- 
 made and demon-stimulated isms which exist in the world ; 
 but the elect of God shall see and know the truth. They 
 will not be blind, because they w*ll see ; they will not be 
 deaf, because they will hear ; and they will walk in the light, 
 as God is in the light, that they may have fellowship with 
 Jesus Christ and that his blood may cleanse them from all 
 their sins. 
 
 May God help us to realize this. May he deliver us from 
 secret combinations, and from the snares that are set to 
 entrap our feet and to win our affections from the kingdom 
 of God. I repeat what I have said scores of times, the 
 kingdom of God is good enough for me. This organiza- 
 tion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
 meets all my wants, and I have no need to fly to organiza- 
 tions that are gotten up by men for the purpose of making 
 money. I pray God that his kingdom may be sufficient for 
 you, that you may abide in the truth, and not be led away 
 
638 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 by those deceptive spirits that have gone forth in the world 
 to lead men astray. 
 
 Spiritualism started in the United States about the time 
 that Joseph Smith received his visions from the heavens. 
 What more natural than that Lucifer should begin reveal- 
 ing himself to men in his cunning way, in order to deceive 
 them and to distract their minds from the truth that God was 
 revealing? And he has kept it up pretty well ever since. 
 May God bless Israel, and preserve us in the truth. May 
 he bless our president, prolong his years, and continue unto 
 him the strength of body and mind that he possesses this 
 day, and even more vigor as the years roll by. May the 
 Lord have mercy upon our beloved brother, President Can- 
 non, who is absent from us, and return him once more to 
 his home, and to the bosom of the Church, if he has not 
 willed otherwise. This is my humble prayer, in the name of 
 Jesus. Amen. Apr. C. R., 1901, pp. 72, 73. 
 
 A TESTIMONY. There is no salvation but in the way 
 God has pointed out. There is no hope of everlasting life 
 but through obedience to" the law that has been affixed by 
 the Father of life, "with whom there is no variableness, 
 neither shadow of turning;" and there is no other way by 
 which we may obtain that light and exaltation. Those mat- 
 ters are beyond peradventure, beyond all doubt in my mind ; 
 I know them to be true. Therefore, I bear my testimony to 
 you, my brethren and sisters, that the Lord God Omnipotent 
 reigneth, that he lives and that his Son lives, even he who 
 died for the sins of the world, and that he arose from the 
 dead ; that he sits upon the right hand of the Father ; that 
 all power is given unto him; that we are directed to call 
 upon God in the name of Jesus Christ. We are told that we 
 should remember him in our homes, keep his holy name fresh 
 in our minds, and revere him in our hearts ; we should call 
 upon him from time to time, from day to day; and, in fact, 
 every moment of our lives we should live so that the desires 
 
TESTIMONIES AND BLESSINGS 639 
 
 of our hearts will be a prayer unto God for righteousness, 
 for truth, and for the salvation of the human family. Let 
 us guard ourselves so that there may not come into our souls 
 a single drop of bitterness, by which our whole being might 
 be corroded and poisoned with anger, with hatred, envy or 
 malice, or any sort of evil. We should be free from all these 
 evil things, that we may be filled with the love of God, the 
 love of truth, the love of our fellowmen, that we may seek 
 to do good unto all men all the days of our lives, and above 
 all things be true to our covenants in the gospel of Jesus 
 Clinst.Apr. C. R., 1909, p. 6. 
 
 THE PLEDGE OF MY LIFE. I feel happy, this morning 
 in having the privilege to say to you that in the days of my 
 childhood and early youth, I made a pledge with God and 
 with his people that I would be true to them. In looking 
 over the experiences of my life, I cannot now discern, and 
 do not remember a circumstance, since the beginning of my 
 experience in the world, where I have felt, for a moment, to 
 slacken or relax in the pledge and promise that I made to 
 God and to the Latter-day Saints, in my youth. And if 
 there is a man, or a woman, in the world that can point out 
 to me an instance, in all my life, where I have been untrue 
 to my pledge, or promise, or covenant, I shall be glad to 
 receive that information from that man or woman. As an 
 elder in Israel I tried to be true to that calling ; I tried to my 
 utmost to honor and magnify that calling. When I became 
 a seventy, I felt in my heart to be true to that calling, and 
 I strove, with all the intelligence and fervor of my soul, to 
 be true to it. I have no knowledge nor recollection of any 
 act of mine, or any circumstance in my life where t proved 
 untrue or unfaithful to these callings in the priesthood of 
 the Son of God. Later in my life, when I was called to act as 
 an apostle, and was ordained an apostle, and set apart to be 
 one of the Twelve, I strove to honor that calling, to be true 
 to it, and to my brethren, to the household of faith, and to 
 
640 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 the covenants and obligations involved in receiving this holy 
 priesthood which is after the order of the Son of God. I 
 am not aware that I ever violated one of my obligations or 
 pledges in these callings to which I have been called. I have 
 sought to be true and faithful to all these things. I have 
 endeavored to be true to my family ; and if ever I have vio- 
 lated one pledge or promise, or neglected one obligation 
 that rests upon me in these relationships, I do not know it. 
 And when I have made pledges to the people of God, or to 
 the world, if ever 1 have violated those pledges I do not 
 know it. Furthermore, I do not believe there is a man liv- 
 ing who does know it, or who can truthfully testify that I 
 ever did violate those pledges. 
 
 I stand before you today, my brethren and sisters and 
 friends, on the ground that I have tried to be true to God, 
 to the utmost of my knowledge and ability ; that I have tried 
 to be true to my people, to the utmost of my knowledge and 
 ability; and I have been true to the world in every pledge 
 and promise that I have made to the world, notwithstanding 
 there have been men who have shown a disposition to make 
 it appear that I was a hypocrite, that I was tvvo-faced; that 
 I was one thing to the world and another thing in secret. 
 I want it distinctly understood that those who have conveyed 
 such an idea as this to mankind have been wilfully injuring 
 me, wronging me, and falsifying me and my character before 
 the people, and I want it distinctly understood those things 
 must stop. They must stop at least among men who profess 
 to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints. I can endure to be maligned and persecuted by my 
 enemies, who are also enemies of the Kingdom of God, but 
 I do not want to be maligned and belied by men who pro- 
 fess to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
 day Saints, neither intentionally nor otherwise. Now, I trust 
 that you understand clearly what I mean. I do not know 
 how I can make it much plainer or clearer, with the knowl- 
 
TESTIMONIES AND BLESSINGS 641 
 
 edge that I have of language. Then, I repeat, as the Lord 
 has helped me in the past to be true to my covenants, that 
 I have entered into with him and with you, with my breth- 
 ren and with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints, so by his help and by his blessing I propose to be 
 true throughout the future of my life, whether I am per- 
 mitted to live long or short ; it matters not to me. While I 
 live, I hope to be a true man, an honest man, a man who can 
 face all mankind and, at last, who can stand before God, 
 the Judge of the quick and the dead and not quail for what 
 I have done in the world. Oct. C. R., 1910, pp. 2, 3. 
 
 A BLESSING. I bless you with all my soul, because you 
 love the truth, and you manifest it. There is nothing in 
 God's world that draws men and women so near to my heart 
 as that they love the truth and that they love God, that they 
 love the cause of Zion and are devoted to the interests of 
 the Church. This endears men and women to my heart; I 
 love them when they love this work and when they show 
 their interest in it. It lifts my soul to heaven and fills it 
 with joy unspeakable. Oct. C. R., 1908, p. 97. 
 
 A TESTIMONY. My brethren and sisters, I know that 
 my Redeemer lives. I know, as I know I live, that in per- 
 son he has visited man in our time and day, and that we are 
 not now dependent alone on the history of the past for the 
 knowledge that we possess, of which record is borne by the 
 Spirit of God, shed abroad in the hearts of all who enter into 
 the covenant of the gospel of Christ. But we have the re- 
 newed and later witness and manifestation of heavenly 
 visions and of the visitation of God the Father and Christ 
 the Son, to this their footstool ; and they have in person de- 
 clared their entity, their being, and they have manifested 
 their glory. They have stretched forth their hands to ac- 
 complish their work the work of God, and not the work of 
 man and while those who have been faithful shall be 
 crowned with glory and honor in the presence of God, the 
 
 42 
 
642 GOSPEL DOCTRINE 
 
 honor and the glory, the credit and the praise, for the con- 
 tinuance and for the advancement and growth of the king- 
 dom of God in the earth, will be due to the Father and the 
 Son and the Holy Spirit, whose power and whose agency, 
 whose influence and purpose, have been behind the work 
 of God every moment since it was first given to man. It is 
 by this power that it has grown and continued, and has be- 
 come what it is, and it will continue to grow and spread, 
 until it shall fill the earth with the glory of God, and with 
 the knowledge of the Father and of the Son, whom to know 
 is life eternal. This is my testimony to you, my brethren 
 and sisters, and I bear witness of it in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. Amen. Improvement Era, Vol. 12, Septem- 
 ber, 1909, p. 914. 
 
 I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES. I know that my 
 Redeemer lives. We have all the testimony and all the evi- 
 dence of this great and glorious truth that the world has, 
 that is, all that the so-called Christian world possesses ; and 
 in addition to all that they have, we have the testimony of 
 the inhabitants of this western continent, to whom the Savior 
 appeared and delivered his gospel, the same as he delivered 
 it to the Jews. In addition to all this new testimony, and 
 the testimony of the holy scriptures from the Jews, we have 
 the testimony of the modern prophet, Joseph Smith, who 
 saw the Father and the Son, and who has borne record of 
 them to the world, whose testimony was sealed with his 
 blood and is in force upon the world today. We have the 
 testimony of others, who witnessed the presence of the Son 
 of God in the Kirtland temple, when he appeared to them 
 there, and the testimony of Joseph, and of Sidney Rigdon, 
 who declared that they were the last witnesses of Jesus 
 Christ. Therefore, I say again I know that my Redeemer 
 lives ; for in the mouths of these witnesses this truth has 
 been established in my mind. 
 
 Besides these testimonies, I have received the witness 
 
TESTIMONIES AND BLESSINGS 643 
 
 of the Spirit of God in my own heart, which exceeds all 
 other evidences, for it bears record to me, to my very soul, 
 of the existence of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I know that 
 he lives, and that in the last day he shall stand upon the 
 earth, that he shall come to the people who shall be prepared 
 for him, as a bride is prepared for the Bridegroom when he 
 shall come. I believe in the divine mission of the Prophet 
 Joseph Smith, and I have every evidence that I need at 
 least enough to convince me, of the divinity of his mission. 
 
 I am proud to say that I have accepted, and have tried 
 to keep and honor, every word that has proceeded from the 
 mouth of God through him. As it is written, "Man shall 
 not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth 
 out of the mouth of God," no one will dare to accuse me of 
 side-tracking from or of refusing to obey any doctrine taught 
 by or revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Im- 
 provement Era, Vol. 14, 1910, p. 73. 
 
 TESTIMONY. Now, there are many other things, but I 
 cannot tell them all to you. I begin to feel that I am 
 getting to be an old man, or rather a young man in an old 
 body. I think I am just about as young as I ever was in 
 my life in spirit. I love the truth today more than I ever 
 did before, because I see it more clearly, I understand it 
 better from day to day by the promptings and inspiration of 
 the Spirit of the Lord that is vouchsafed to me; but my 
 body gets tired, and I want to tell you, sometimes my pour 
 old heart quivers considerably. Oct. C. R., 1917, pp. 6, 7. 
 
President Joseph F. Smith 
 
 An Appreciation. 
 
 President Joseph Fielding Smith, sixth and beloved 
 President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints, has without question seen longer service in the 
 Church than has any other living man. For sixty-five years 
 he has been in the active ministry, under a great variety of 
 callings; for fifty-one years he has held the apostolic call- 
 ing; since 1867 he has been one of the general authorities 
 of the Church; during seventeen years he has been Presi- 
 dent of the Church. No other man is so beloved in the 
 Church. To advertise that President Smith will be at a 
 meeting is to warn the people that standing room will be at 
 a premium. His words are accepted as of inspired author- 
 ity ; his acts as of an honest man, tried long and severely in 
 the crucible of life. 
 
 The confidence of the people in their President, Prophet, 
 Seer and Revelator, has not come alone from the exalted 
 positions he has so long occupied. The Latter-day Saints 
 have been gathered from all corners of the earth, and from 
 all walks, after they had become convinced that the gospel 
 as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith is of certain 
 truth. Intelligence rules in the earthly Zion The leaders 
 of the people are subjected to searching consideration by the 
 people, and the confidence given them is in proportion to 
 their deserts. It is, therefore, a noble tribute to the worthi- 
 ness of the man, Joseph F. Smith, that he is the synonym 
 for all that the people respect and hold dear. 
 
 Surely, this man who presides over the Church, and 
 
AN APPRECIATION 645 
 
 whose life is an open book, has been prepared for his labor. 
 If weakness were in him he would have had ample opportu- 
 nity to fall. From his birth, the spirit of the great latter- 
 day work has hovered over him; and with every passing 
 year he has been immersed in the history of the Church. 
 
 When he was born, in Far West, on November 13, 
 1838, apostasy, jealousy, persecution and the beckoning 
 hands of untruth were shaking the Church. The Church 
 did not fall, but the hearts of the faithful were sorely tried, 
 and even the baby, Joseph F., must have assimilated some 
 of the solemnity of those days when the Church was being 
 purified for its future work. It was a preparation of noble 
 extent to sit, in those early years, on the knees of his patri- 
 arch father or of his prophet uncle, even though the wide 
 import of their conversation was not understood by the boy. 
 It was a training in steely strength, even for the child, to 
 witness the homecoming of the bodies of his murdered father 
 and uncle. For such robbery of the dearest in life the hu- 
 man breast naturally and instinctively clamors for revenge. 
 Yet, the whole life of the boy, grown to manhood, has been 
 that of forgiving and loving, so that all may be made to see 
 the truth. Who knows at what cost the man within has 
 been conquered. The Church has suffered such unjust yet 
 persistent opposition from the beginning that one wonders 
 that it retains its gentle love for all the children of men. 
 
 It was splendid preparation for the man who was to be 
 in God's harness all the years of a long life to witness the 
 exodus of Nauvoo. Home and lands, household property 
 and trinkets of sentiment all had to be left behind. The 
 driven people were in the desert with their God, and lo! 
 their faith waxed strong. It was during the exodus that 
 President Smith learned lessons of faith that never have 
 been forgotten. Their cattle were lost and their hope was 
 gone, but the praying mother, in communion with the Source 
 of Truth, arose and went directly to the place where the 
 
646 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 oxen had strayed. Though only eight years old the boy 
 drove an ox team across Iowa. 
 
 "In 1848, when nine years old, I drove a four-ox team 
 across the plains to Salt Lake City," writes President Smith, 
 in an album of a friend. That was training for the boy! 
 From the days of that blistering, dusty journey there was 
 no relapse to a longing for the easy things of life. After 
 the arrival in the valley came the toilsome conquest of 
 Widow Smith's farm. The father was gone and the children 
 were young. Our President, from his own life, can under- 
 stand the lot of the widow, and the fatherless. 
 
 Then the mother died. The strong spirit and wise mind 
 could no longer guide the boy. The father had been mur- 
 dered in cold blood because he was fearless in the cause of 
 truth ; the mother had died from the strain and sorrow of 
 a life tossed in the furious storm of those days ; no material 
 wealth was his. Thus stood the fourteen-year old boy who 
 was to become the leader of his people. Men are shorn of 
 earthly support that they may grow strong in Godly ways ! 
 
 The training had been severe, but of infinite value. 
 When the boy was only fifteen years old he was called to 
 go on a mission to the Sandwich Islands. By the labor of 
 his hands he worked his way to California ; by more labor, 
 earned his passage to the islands. To object or to question 
 was not possible for one who had survived his training. Dur- 
 ing that first mission the spirit of the work came upon him. 
 In sermon, by visit, through his quiet influence, he led men 
 and women into the way of everlasting truth. By the power 
 of the Priesthood he held, he healed the sick, drove out evil 
 spirits and brought peace to the souls of those who were 
 heavy laden. 
 
 After nearly five years he was allowed to return home. 
 Again he had to work his way. At last he was again with 
 the body of his people in Salt Lake City, but penniless. The 
 Lord does not always reward in gold and silver. He was not 
 
AN APPRECIATION 647 
 
 permitted to remain home long, for mission succeeded mis- 
 sion. From the Sandwich Islands he was called to England 
 for three years ; then from England again to the Sandwich 
 Islands. To preach the gospel without purse and scrip be- 
 came the order of his life. 
 
 Joseph F. Smith's ceaseless devotion to the gospel did 
 not escape the notice of the watchful, keen-eyed leader, 
 Brigham Young, who loved with a mighty love the memory 
 of the martyrs Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It was a joy to 
 the Prophet Brigham Young to find one of the blood of the 
 martyrs, giving himself to the cause for which they died. 
 In various ways did President Young test the materials of 
 which Joseph F. Smith was made. However, the long and 
 hard training of boyhood and the insistent discipline in the 
 mission field had not been in vain. President Young found 
 him loyal to his family, his country, his Church and his God. 
 Not even his bitterest enemy will deny that President Smith 
 is loyal. 
 
 After some years, on July 1, 1866, a beautiful and sol- 
 emn day, President Brigham Young ordained Joseph F. 
 Smith to the apostleship. A year later, in October, 1867, he 
 was admitted to the quorum of the Twelve. If there can be 
 any talk in the Church of Christ of earning a position, Joseph 
 F. Smith had earned his place in the apostolic quorum, by 
 his purity, his intelligence, his integrity and his activity in 
 behalf of the Church. Moreover, the people of the Church 
 delight to honor the blood of the Prophet who was God's 
 instrument in the mighty work of the restoration of the 
 gospel. Welcome was he, when he entered upon his work 
 as one of the general authorities of the Church. 
 
 As a member of the quorum of the Twelve, Joseph F. 
 Smith showed the same activity that had so emphatically 
 characterized his former labors. From settlement to settle- 
 ment he traveled, to counsel, to preach and to take active 
 part in the building of the West, which was ye.t in its swad- 
 
648 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 dling clothes of conquest. Vigorous were his words wher- 
 ever he went. Without doubt was his faith. His testimony 
 of the gospel was as the highest knowledge. He was then 
 as now a fearless champion of truth. 
 
 At the time Apostle Smith assumed a place among the 
 general authorities of the Church, Utah conditions were rap- 
 idly changing. Many non-members of the Church, who had 
 come in to share in the bounties of the desert made to blos- 
 som by the Saints, could not content themselves with their 
 rich material harvest, but must needs take up arms against 
 the Church. When the leaders of the Church were charged 
 with disloyalty to the country, when their motives were 
 painted as those of devils, when the whole system of "Mor- 
 mon" faith was branded as the rottenest immorality, the peo- 
 ple who remembered the days of Carthage and Nauvoo had 
 difficulty to keep down the cry of vengeance. Across the 
 weary desert they had trailed, leaving many by the way ; in 
 the sweat of their brows they had won the wilderness to 
 their use, and all this that they might serve unmolested, their 
 holy God, in a worship founded on purity and truth. It was 
 then that the clear-visioned, clear-thinking leaders raised 
 their voices in protest against further injustice. Apostle 
 Smith, a man of deep affections, had fought away from him- 
 self the desire for revenge for the beastly murder of his 
 manly father; but, being a man of strength, he could not 
 submit indifferently to the new injustice that was proposed. 
 The Fighting Apostle they called him, as he hurled back 
 the untruths about "Mormonism," and his relentless watch- 
 fulness became a deterrent power among those who planned 
 evil for a good and peaceful people. 
 
 A fighting apostle he has always been fighting ior 
 the cause of truth. Yet, Joseph F. Smith is temperament- 
 ally a man of peace. Gentle and kind are his ways. A gen- 
 tleman, is the instinctive appellation bestowed upon him by 
 all who meet him. In character, voice and manner he i 
 
AN APPRECIATION 649 
 
 the dignified peacemaker. Nevertheless, his loyalty is such, 
 and his convictions are so firmly established, that evil may 
 not be spoken about truth, without arousing the lion within 
 him. To measure the ground ; to give the foe full place and 
 warning, to try strength according to the laws of decency, 
 but never to give quarter to evil or untruth or injustice 
 that is the method of Joseph F. Smith. 
 
 In time, the years of toil wore upon President Brigham 
 Young, who asked that more counselors, to act as assistants, 
 be given him. Among those whom he chose for this pur- 
 pose was Joseph F. Smith. This indicated that during his 
 apostolic career he had not forfeited the confidence of the 
 president, that he had won earlier in his life. When, at 
 length, the great founder of Utah passed away, and the first 
 presidency was again reorganized, the abilities and charac- 
 ter of Apostle Smith made him, under God's inspiration, a 
 counselor to President John Taylor. Under the adminis- 
 trations of Presidents Taylor, Woodruff and Snow, for 
 twenty-one years, President Smith remained as a counselor 
 in the first presidency, until at length, in the providence of 
 God, he became the president of the Church. 
 
 The vast gathering in the great Tabernacle, November 
 10, 1901, will ever be remembered by those present. The 
 Priesthood of the Church was seated according to their of- 
 fices in the Priesthood. One by one the quorums arose, 
 elders, seventies, high priests and the others, and voted to 
 sustain the appointment of Joseph Fielding Smith to the 
 Presidency. In his vigorous, later manhood, his eye clear, 
 his voice distinct, his spirit compelling, he was vividly the 
 greatest among the thousands of able men, the flower of a 
 vigorous people, who had assembled there that day. 
 
 The day was the fulfilment of prophecy, for many years 
 before, his attainment of the exalted position of the Presi- 
 dency had been predicted with the voice of authority. 
 
 Of the administration of the affairs of the Church un- 
 
650 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 der Joseph F. Smith's presidency nothing need be said for 
 we live in it and know its eloquent message. The stakes 
 at home, the missions in Europe and in the islands of the sea, 
 have been visited by the President in his official capacity. 
 Prosperity, good will, spiritual power and growth, over- 
 shadow the Church. The stakes of Zion have been in- 
 creased, the wards multiplied, hundreds of beautiful meeting 
 houses have been constructed, the Priesthood has risen to a 
 fuller recognition of its place in the Church, the temples have 
 become crowded, new temples are being built, new converts 
 have been added in mighty numbers, and in a thousand other 
 ways has the Church prospered; and above all, in the face 
 of a most bitter persecution, which has been heralded 
 throughout the world, the faith of the people has increased 
 until it is nigh unto impregnable. If any doubt all this, let 
 him journey over the Church, then visit one of the general 
 conferences of the Church. There is faith in Israel! 
 
 Not only long but varied has been the experience of 
 this great man who presides over the Church. True to the 
 genius of "Mormonism" he has been closely identified with 
 all the affairs of the community in which he has lived. For 
 seven successive terms he was a member of the Utah legis- 
 lature. When the Johnston army pantomime was in prog- 
 ress, President Smith joined the militia and assisted in mak- 
 ing preparations to protect the homes of the people. He 
 has helped to locate settlements and to find ways for bring- 
 ing water upon the thirsting land. He has encouraged all 
 legitimate business, and as far as time has permitted, has 
 taken part in it. From his earliest life he has managed his 
 farm, and even today, with his sons, has built one of the 
 most modern livestock farms in the West, as an example to 
 others. 
 
 Education, guided in schools, was largely denied him, 
 but educated is President Smith. He has read widely, spoken 
 with many men of many minds, and has thought deeply. 
 
AN APPRECIATION 651 
 
 Of broad and generous sympathies with everything that is 
 noble and good, he has acquired a culture, which none dares 
 question. Schools, the public press, the theater, music and 
 the fine arts have been encouraged by him. As a most il- 
 luminating sidelight upon his wisdofti is the fact that if not 
 all of a family can be educated, he insists that the girls must 
 be given the first chance, for they are the mothers and mak- 
 ers of men. 
 
 To those who do not know President Smith, it must 
 seem strange that the honors that have almost overwhelmed 
 him, have all come unsought. President Smith is a modest 
 man. Like all truly great men he is not immersed in 
 thoughts of his own greatness. Rather does he admiringly 
 place the power he observes in other men above his own; 
 Nevertheless, and most naturally, position after position in- 
 volving trust has come to him, though he has never sought 
 one. Those who must find flaws in the Church point out 
 that President Smith is officially connected with many busi- 
 ness enterprises. Yet, those who find fault with this condi- 
 tion will not realize that men who can be absolutely trusted 
 to guard the affairs of others as they would their own, are 
 everywhere sought after. President Smith's demonstrated 
 integrity has brought many offices which no doubt he would 
 gladly relinquish to others. But "Mormon," Jew and Gen- 
 tile know that as far as President Smith can control things, 
 only honor and justice and simple honesty will prevail wher- 
 ever he is found. 
 
 During the Smoot investigations it seemed as if the 
 whole United States were arrayed against the relatively few 
 people who, during half a century, had given themselves to 
 the conquest of the Great American Desert. The charges 
 filed against this people, if sustained, would make the "Mor- 
 mon" people unfit to dwell in the "land of the free and the 
 home of the brave." To face the investigating committee 
 composed of the best minds of the Senate and House of 
 
652 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 Representatives of the United States Congress, many were 
 subpoenaed. The first witness was President Smith. For- 
 tunately, the hearing is preserved and printed so that all may 
 read it. Matching mind and will and heart and sense against 
 the great ones of the land, President Smith was easily their 
 compeer. Read it. Who has ever heard that hearing used 
 as a campaign document against "Mormons"? When Jo- 
 seph F. Smith's history is written, his mighty contest with 
 the most authoritative body in the land will make his figure 
 stand out in noble relief. Among the men of earth, high or 
 low, President Smith is never at a disadvantage. 
 
 Those who had had even slight acquaintance with Pres- 
 ident Smith were not surprised at the evidence of his power 
 among men. In all his public work he is masterful. He is en- 
 dowed with high physical attractiveness, his musical voice is 
 compelling, his language chaste and correct, and his thoughts 
 appeal to the intellect as well as to the emotions. Those 
 who have seen him before the ten thousand at the great 
 tabernacle in Salt Lake City, have no fear that he may not 
 be measured with the men he meets. 
 
 Perhaps the best evidence of the high intellect of Pres- 
 ident Smith is shown in his clear understanding and expla- 
 nation of the principles of the gospel. Men often sink to 
 oblivion in quagmires of theological vagueness. In matters 
 of theological doctrine the President is lucid as the noon-day 
 light. Some few years ago, certain men, loving to conjec- 
 ture the improbable, insisted on knowing what would happen 
 if all the men holding the Priesthood were to die, save one 
 elder. At one of the great conferences (general), before ten 
 thousand assembled Saints, President Smith, in one-half 
 dozen sentences cleared up the whole subject. It would be 
 the privilege and duty of the one remaining elder to organ- 
 ize again the whole Church with apostles, prophets, etc., ac- 
 cording to the revelation ! The powers and purpose and 
 duty of the priesthood were thus driven into the understand- 
 
AN APPRECIATION 653 
 
 ings of the people, as they never had been before. His ser- 
 mons abound in such clarifying statements, backed by a sim- 
 ple, unfailing faith that looks for simplicity rather than mys- 
 tery in the things of God. 
 
 Perhaps enough has been said. The man of whom we 
 write is tender and gentle, and withal does not love much 
 praise. To him and his families many children have been 
 born. To them he is loyal with all his power, for he well 
 knows that loyalty, with all other virtues, begins at home. 
 Over his families he watches with tender solicitude. They 
 in turn love him with an invariable love. It is common 
 knowledge that when the children were young, his rest was 
 not easy if he had not seen the little ones properly tucked 
 away for the night. The same father-heart beats for the 
 people whose accepted leader he is. The hearts of the peo- 
 ple ache over the long hours he spends in the office working 
 out the affairs of the Church, especially now that he is no 
 longer as young as he once was. But, he is not to be dis- 
 suaded. He must see his people tucked away for the night, 
 before his heart will be at peace. So works love ! and who 
 shall say him nay, whose care from boyhood has been the 
 welfare of his people? 
 
 "Has this man no faults?" asks the green-eyed critic. 
 To be sure he has, for he is mortal. But, this writing is not 
 to show his faults; and indeed, the writer does not know 
 them, any more than he knows the full virtue of this man 
 who for eighty long years has lived his life openly among his 
 people, and who is the freest from adverse criticism in his 
 community. Men are not measured by their faults, but by 
 their worthy deeds and qualities. In the scales of eternal 
 justice the main requirement is that our virtues outweigh 
 our failings. Curiously enough, the only current criticism 
 of President Smith, among those who oppose him, is that he 
 is too loyal to his people, his friends, his convictions. Is not 
 that the eternal cry of the enemy who reaches out for de- 
 
654 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 serters ? In every manly quality, friend and foe agree that 
 he reaches above the majority of men. 
 
 Sure is our President of his reward. For him God will 
 richly provide. Our question may rather be, has he had 
 during the earth's journey, his full measure of reward? 
 Have we done our full duty? For the cause of the Church 
 he was bereft of father and mother. In the service of the 
 Church he has been unable to use his splendid talents for the 
 gathering of wealth in our day he might justly be called a 
 poor man. The ease of life has been denied him, for almost 
 daily he has been "under orders." Above ail, as a leader 
 in Israel, the calumny and hatred of the Church have been 
 heaped upon him. Only a few years ago, when past his 
 prime, the most heartless persecution to which any member 
 of the Church has been submitted was his. For several years 
 an influential newspaper, standing at that time for the per- 
 secution of the Church, by means fair or foul, printed daily 
 vile cartoons of President Smith and equally vile editorials 
 about him and his work. Every indignity conceivable to the 
 human mind was offered him because he was the embodi- 
 ment of the Church. 
 
 Should the question be put to him, he would answer 
 that he has had a rich reward. Perhaps he feels, let it be 
 hoped he does, the outpouring of loving thoughts from the 
 people whenever his name is mentioned. He has been blessed 
 to serve. That is also a great reward for effort. His life 
 has been crowned with the assurance, from all, that his work 
 has been well done. That is the most satisfying reward. 
 
 May his health be preserved and his life be lengthened 
 out. There is much work yet to be done, and men do not 
 frequently rise to the fulness of his measure ! At the begin- 
 ning of his eighty-first year, the people give loving greetings 
 and good wishes and heartfelt gratitude, to Joseph F. Smith, 
 President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 
 Dr. John A. Widtsoe, 1918; also in Improvement Era, 
 Vol. 18, November, 1914, pp. 38-45. 
 
Reminiscences 
 
 The Era has asked me to write a few remembrances of 
 incidents connected with my personal association with the 
 late President Josephh F. Smith, while they are yet fresh 
 in memory, and it is a pleasure to comply. 
 
 The first time I ever remember seeing Joseph F. Smith 
 was in the then little village of Wellsville, in the year 
 1867. He was twenty-eight years of age, and had re- 
 cently been chosen one of the twelve' apo.stles. Presi- 
 dent Brigham Young and company were making a tour 
 of the northern settlements, and the new apostle, Joseph 
 F. Smith, was among the number. I heard him preach 
 in the old meetinghouse at Wellsville, and I remarked at 
 the time what a fine specimen of young manhood he was 
 strong, powerful, with a beautiful voice, so full of sym- 
 pathy and affection, so appealing in its tone, that he im- 
 pressed me, although I was a youth of but eighteen. He 
 was a handsome man. 
 
 At that time I was clerking in a little store owned 
 by Father Ira Ames, one of the old Kirtland veterans of 
 the Church. Apostle George A. Smith was one of that 
 company and he was entertained at Brother Ames' home, 
 where I also lived. I recall that at the dinner table, Father 
 Ames asked George A. who of the Smiths this young man 
 Joseph F. was. 
 
 George A. replied that he was Hyrum's son ; his mother 
 Mary Fielding Smith. 
 
 Brother Ames remarked that he looked like a likely 
 young fellow, and George A. replied in about/ these words: 
 
 "Yes, I think he will be all right. His father and 
 mother left him when he was a child, and we have been 
 looking after him to try and help him along. We first sent 
 him to school, but it was not long before he licked the 
 
656 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 schoolmaster, and could not go to school. Then we sent 
 him on a mission, and he did pretty well at that. I think he 
 will make good as an apostle." 
 
 Some years ago I related this incident to President 
 Smith, and he told me that the reason he had trouble with 
 the schoolmaster was that the schoolmaster had a leather 
 ^trap with which he used to chastise the children. He was 
 a rather hard-hearted schoolmaster, one of the olden type 
 that believed in inflicting bodily punishment. 
 
 President Smith said: "My little sister was called up 
 ( Aunt Martha, now living in Provo) to be punished. I saw 
 the schoolmaster bring out the leather strap, and he told 
 the child to hold out her hand. I could not stand for that. 
 I just spoke up loudly and said, 'Don't whip her with that,' 
 and at that he came at me and was going to whip me, and 
 instead of him whipping me, I licked him good and plenty/' 
 
 At the time of this incident, Joseph F. (for by that 
 name he was affectionately called) was about fifteen years 
 of age. But he was a strong, powerful youth, and his big 
 heart could not tolerate such punishment, especially if it 
 bordered on the cruel, to be inflicted upon a little child. 
 
 Another incident which I have heard him relate which 
 shows his courage and integrity, occurred when he was re- 
 turning from his mission to the Sandwich Islands, in the fall 
 of 1857. He came home by way of Los Angeles, by what was 
 called the Southern Route. In that year Johnston's Army 
 was on the move for Utah, and naturally enough there was 
 much excitement and bitterness of feeling concerning the 
 "Mormons." In southern California, just after the little 
 train of wagons had traveled only a short distance and made 
 their camp, several anti-"Mormon" tcughs rode into the 
 camp on horseback, cursing and swearing and threatening 
 what they would to the "Mormons." Joseph F. was a 
 little distance from the camp gathering wood for the fire, 
 but he saw that the few members of his own party had 
 
REMINISCENCES 657 
 
 cautiously gone into the brush clown the creek, out of sight. 
 When he saw that, he told me, the thought came into his 
 mind, "Shall I run from these fellows ? Why should I 
 fear them ?" With that he marched up with his arm full of 
 wood to the campfire where one of the ruffians, still with his 
 pistol in his hand, shouting and cursing about the "Mor- 
 mons," in a loud voice said to Joseph F., 
 
 "Are you a 'Mormon'?" 
 
 And the answer came straight, "Yes, siree ; dyed in the 
 wool ; true blue, through and through." 
 
 At that the ruffian grasped him by the hand and said, 
 "Well, you are the - - pleasantest man I ever met! 
 
 Shake, young fellow, I am glad to see a man that stands 
 up for his convictions." 
 
 These incidents show the inherent bravery, courage, 
 integrity, of the man, and also tenderness and pity for the 
 little helpless sister. These are the qualities upon which 
 great men are builded. 
 
 In the spring of 1877, I was called to accompany Presi- 
 dent Smith on a mission to Europe. I was called by him to 
 labor in the business affairs of the Liverpool office, and 
 from that time until the day of his death, I think I have 
 enjoyed his personal confidence more than any man living. 
 When I look back on it all now, I can see what a treasure, 
 a blessing, a favor -from the Almighty it has been to me. 
 
 During the last eleven years, especially, I have traveled 
 with him almost constantly whenever he has gone from 
 home. I have been with him on three different trips to 
 Europe, including the first missionary trip above mentioned, 
 and on four trips to the Sandwich Islands. Everywhere, and 
 on all occasions, I have found him the same great, brave, 
 true-hearted, noble and magnificent leader, so simple and 
 unaffected, so entirely democratic and unassuming. 
 
 He was always careful with his expenditures, too. 
 He abhorred debt, and no man have I ever known who was 
 
 43 
 
(oS PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 so prompt to pay an obligation to the last penny. He could 
 not rest until the Church was out of debt, and though hun- 
 dreds of schemes, and many of them extra good schemes, 
 too, were presented to him, which no doubt would have 
 meant an increase of wealth for the Church, yet he reso- 
 lutely set his face against debt; and would not, under any 
 conditions or circumstances involve the Church in that way. 
 Neither would he himself become involved in debt in his 
 own individual affairs, but persistently stuck to the old 
 motto, "Pay as you go." 
 
 Many of the older people now alive can recall that 
 forty years ago, or even less, he was considered a radical, 
 and many a one of that time shook his head and said, "What 
 will become of things if that fiery radical ever becomes 
 president of the Church. But from the time he was made 
 president of the Church, and even before that time, 
 he became one of the most tolerant of men ; tolerant of 
 others' opinions, and while he would denounce sin with such 
 righteous wrath as you would seldom see. in any man, yet for 
 the poor sinner he had compassion and pity, and even for- 
 giveness, if sincere repentance were shown. None more 
 ready than he to forgive and forget. 
 
 One touching little incident I recall which occurred on 
 our first trip to the Sandwich Islands. As we landed at the 
 wharf in Honolulu, the native Saints were out in grear 
 numbers with their wreaths of leis, beautiful flowers of 
 every variety and hue. We were loaded with them, he, of 
 course^ more than anyone else. The noted Hawaiian band 
 w r as there playing welcome as it often does to incoming 
 steamship companies. But on this occasion the band had 
 been instructed by the Mayor to go up to the "Mormon" 
 meetinghouse and there play selections during the festivities 
 which the natives had arranged for. It was a beautiful sight 
 to see the deep-seated, love, the even tearful affection that 
 these people had for him. In the midst of it all I noticed a 
 
REMINISCENCES 659 
 
 poor old blind woman, tottering under the weight of about 
 ninety years, being led in. She had a few choice bananas in 
 her hand. It was her all her offering. She was calling, 
 "losepa, losepa." Instantly, when he saw her, he ran to her 
 and clasped her in his arms, hugged her, and kissed her 
 over and over again, patting her on the head saying, "Mama, 
 Mama, my dear old Mama." 
 
 And with tears streaming down his cheeks he turned 
 to me and said, ''Charlie, she nursed me when I was a boy, 
 sick and without anyone to care for me. She took me in 
 and was a mother to me." 
 
 Oh, it was touching it was pathetic. It was beautiful 
 to see the great, noble soul in loving, tender remembrance of 
 kindness extended to him, more than fifty years before; and 
 the poor old soul who had brought her love offering a few 
 bananas it was all she had to put into the hand of her 
 loved losepa ! 
 
 On these ocean trips there was much spare time, and 
 we often whiled away an hour or two playing checkers. He 
 could play a good game of checkers, much better than I. 
 In fact, he could beat me four times out of five, but once in 
 a while, when I played more cautiously, and no doubt when 
 he was more careless, I could beat him. If he was beating 
 me right along and I made an awkward move, and could see 
 instantly that I had moved the wrong checker, he would 
 allow me to draw it back if I noticed it immediately ; but on 
 the other hand, if I had beaten him for a game or two and 
 should put my finger on a checker to draw it back, even 
 though it were on the instant, he would call out with force 
 enough, and in that positive way of his, "No you don't, you 
 leave it right there." It is in these little incidents that we 
 show the human side of our natures. 
 
 He loved sport manly sport. He was a natural ath- 
 lete; and in his youth at foot-racing, jumping, wrestling, 
 which were among the primitive sports of primitive days, he 
 
660 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 was a match for anyone. In later years I had induced him 
 to take up with the ancient and royal Scottish game of golf. 
 He got so that he could play a very good game, excellent 
 indeed for a man of his years. But on one occasion, down 
 at Santa Monica, when we were playing, we were up within 
 about one hundred feet of the flag at the hole we were mak- 
 ing for. A slight stroke should have driven the ball nearer 
 the flag, but the inclination to look up as one tries to hit 
 the ball got the best of him, and the consequence was he 
 topped the ball and it rolled only a couple of feet or so. He 
 bent over for the next stroke, and the one thing which all 
 golfers most fear, and the hardest to overcome, is that 
 habit of looking up or taking the eye off the ball just as 
 you go to strike. This he did, the second time, when he 
 topped it again and it moved but a few feet further. The 
 third time he went up to it and hit it a whack that sent it 
 rolling one hundred feet beyond the flag. His son, Wesley, 
 who was playing with us, called out, "Why, papa, what did 
 you do that for? You knew it would roll away down there 
 in the ditch!" The President straightened up and said, 
 with a smile, "Well,. I was mad at it!" I have laughed 
 hundreds of times at that, "I was mad at it." 
 
 Of course, we agreed well together, otherwise we would 
 not have been companionable during all these years. But 
 sometimes I could not fully agree with him on some matters 
 that we discussed. I recall one night we were on ship- 
 board returning from Europe, in 1906. It was a bright 
 moonlight night, and w r e stood there leaning over the railing 
 enjoying the smooth sea and balmy summer night air. The 
 Smoot investigation, which had just occurred a little while 
 before and which had stirred up so much controversy 
 throughout the land, was fresh in our minds, and we were 
 talking of it. I took the position that it would be unwise 
 for Reed Smoot to be re-elected to the United States Senate. 
 I was conscientious in my objection, and I had marshaled 
 
REMINISCENCES 66 1 
 
 all the facts, arguments, and logic, that I could; and I was 
 well informed, I thought, on the subject, and had presented 
 them to him in as clear and yet in as adroit a manner as I 
 possibly could. It would take too much space here to go 
 over the arguments, but it seemed to me that I had the best 
 of it. I could see he began to listen with some little im- 
 patience, and yet he let me have my say, but he answered in 
 tones and in a way that I shall never forget. Bringing his 
 fist down with some force on the railing between us, he said, 
 in the most forceful and positive manner: 
 
 "If ever the Spirit of the Lord has manifested to me 
 anything clear and plain and positive, it is this, that Reed 
 Smoot should remain in the United States Senate. He can 
 do more good there than he can anywhere else." 
 
 Of course, I did not contend further with him, but 
 accepted from that hour his view of the case and made it 
 mine, too. Twelve years have passed since that time, and 
 looking back on it now, I cannot help but think how mar- 
 velously and splendidly the inspiration of the Almighty has 
 been vindicated, while my argument, facts and logic have all 
 fallen to the ground. 
 
 During the last six or eight years, hundreds of promi- 
 nent people, Democrats as well as Republicans, passing 
 through Salt Lake City, even Secretary McAdoo, himself, 
 among them, have stated to President Smith that Utah had 
 a great big man in the United States Senate in the person 
 of Senator Reed Smoot. President Smith's judgment, or 
 rather his inspiration in this matter, has been vindicated to 
 the last degree. 
 
 As a preacher of righteousness, who could compare 
 with him? He was the greatest that I ever heard strong, 
 powerful, clear, appealing. It was marvelous how the words 
 of living light and fire flowed from him. He was a born 
 preacher, and yet he did not set himself up to be such. He 
 never thought highly of his own great qualities. Rather, he 
 
662 PRESIDENT JOSEPPI F. SMITH 
 
 was simple, plain and unaffected to the last degree; and yet, 
 there was a dignity with it all which enabled anyone and 
 everyone to say : "He is a man among men !" As preacher, 
 leader, teacher, husband, father, citizen and man, I ask, who 
 among our mighty ones can be likened unro him? 
 
 He loved a good story and a good joke. There was a 
 good laugh in him always. He had no patience with vile 
 stories, but there was a fine vein of humor in him, and he 
 could relate incidents of his early life ami entertain the 
 crowd about him as few men ever could. 
 
 He was the most methodical in all his work of any per- 
 son I ever knew. Every letter that he received had to be 
 indorsed by him with the date and any other information, 
 and all carefully filed away. He could not stand for dis- 
 order. Everything in connection with his work was orderly. 
 He could pack his suitcase or a trunk and line out and 
 smooth out every piece of clothing in it so it would hold 
 more and be better packed than if anybody else had done it. 
 His clothes, too, were always clean. Most men as they grow 
 old are likely to have their clothes more or less spotted 
 through dropping food on their clothing. But not so with 
 him. To his last day his clothes were as clean and as well 
 taken care of as if he had been a young man of thirty. 
 
 He was a most strenuous worker and never considered 
 saving himself at all. You could go up to his little office in 
 the Beehive most any night when he was well, and find him 
 writing letters or attending to some other work. Perhaps 
 some dear old soul had written him a personal letter, and 
 he would work into the night answering it with his own 
 hand. Indeed, he over-worked himself and no doubt injured 
 his strong constitution. 
 
 He was careless about eating careless as to what he 
 ate and when he ate. His living was exceedingly simple and 
 plain. He rarely got to bed before midnight, and the con- 
 sequence was he did not get sufficient sleep and rest. 
 
REMINISCENT 'ES 663 
 
 I k' was very fond of music and loved to sing the songs 
 of Zion. 
 
 His love for little children was unbounded. During 
 the trip we took last year down through the southern settle- 
 ments to St. George and return, when the troops of little 
 children were paraded before him, it was beautiful to see 
 how he adored these little ones. It was my duty to try and 
 get the company started, to make time to the next settle- 
 ment where the crowds would be waiting for us, but it was 
 a difficult task to pull him away from the little children. He 
 wanted to shake hands with and talk to every one of them. 
 
 Once in a while someone would come up to him and 
 say, "President Smith, I believe I am a kinsman of yours." 
 
 I knew then that we were good for another ten min- 
 utes' delay, for that great heart of his, that went out to 
 every kinsman as well as to the little children, could not be 
 torn away quickly from anyone claiming kinship with him. 
 
 I have visited at his home when one of his little children 
 was down sick. I have seen him come home from his work 
 at night tired, as he naturally would be, and yet he would 
 walk the floor for hours with that little one in his arms, 
 petting it and loving it, encouraging it in every way with 
 such tenderness and such a soul of pity and love as not one 
 mother in a thousand would show. 
 
 While he was a hard-headed, successful business man, 
 yet very few in this dispensation have been more gifted with 
 spiritual insight than he. As we were returning from an 
 eastern trip, some years ago, on the train ju&t east of Green 
 River, I saw him go out to the end of the car on the plat- 
 form, and immediately return and hesitate a moment, and 
 then sit down in the seat just ahead of me. He had just 
 taken his seat when something went wrong with the train. 
 A broken rail had been the means of ditching the engine 
 and had thrown most of the cars off the track. In the 
 sleeper we were shaken up pretty badly, but our car re- 
 mained on the track. 
 
664 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 The President immediately said to me that he had gone 
 on the platform when he heard a voice saying, "Go in and 
 sit down." 
 
 He came in, and I noticed him stand a moment, and he 
 seemed to hesitate, but he sat down. 
 
 He said further that as he came in and stood in the 
 aisle he thought, "Oh, pshaw, perhaps it is only my imagina- 
 tion ;" when .he heard the voice again, "Sit down," and he 
 immediately took his seat, and the result was as I have 
 stated. 
 
 He, no doubt, would have been very seriously injured 
 had he remained on the platform of that car, as the cars 
 were all jammed up together pretty badly. He said, "I have 
 heard that voice a good many times in my life, and I have 
 always profited by obeying it." 
 
 On another occasion, at a function which was held in 
 the palatial home of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. McCune, he made 
 an extended talk to the gathering. He then said that when 
 a certain brother who had been called to a responsible posi- 
 tion in the Church was chosen for that position, he himself 
 had never heard this spiritual voice more plainly and more 
 clearly telling him what to do, than in this naming of the 
 individual who was to be called for that certain office. 
 
 He lived in close communion with the Spirit of the 
 Lord, and his life was so exemplary and chaste that the Lord 
 could easily manifest himself to his servant. Truly he could 
 say, ''Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." Not every ser- 
 vant can hear when He speaks. But the heart of President 
 Smith was attuned to the Celestial melodies he could hear, 
 and did hear. 
 
 What shall I say of the grand and glorious work that 
 he has done in rearing the large and splendid family that 
 .he leaves behind. What a noble work for any man ! Indeed, 
 no man without great nobility of soul could have accom- 
 plished it. Is not this bringing up a good family, and a large 
 
REMINISCENCES 665 
 
 family of good citizens, good men and women, good for the 
 Church,, for the State, and for the Nation? Is not this, I 
 say, about the most God-like piece of work that a man can 
 do in this world? The thinking mind, who goes into this 
 question deep enough, will see that here is the work, not 
 only of a man, of a great man, but of a God in embryo. The 
 whole Church can take pride in the vindication of this great 
 principle which he has so successfully wrought out. No 
 ordinary man could accomplish that. Happy the wife who 
 can call him husband. Happy and blessed indeed the chil- 
 dren who call him father. Never was man more moral and' 
 chaste and virtuous to the last fiber of his being than he. 
 Against all forms or thoughts of licentiousness, he was set, 
 and as immovable as a mountain. "Blessed are the pure in 
 heart," and as he was of the very purest he shall see God. 
 
 It is written that a truly great man is known by the 
 number of beings he loves and blesses, and by the number 
 of beings who love and bless him. Judged by that stand- 
 ard alone, where is his equal to be found in all this world! 
 
 I can say of Joseph F. Smith as Carlyle said of Luther, 
 that he was truly a great man, "great in intellect, in courage, 
 in affection, and in integrity. Great, not as a hewn obelisk, 
 but as an Alpine mountain." No heart ever beat truer to 
 every principle of manhood and righteousness and justice 
 and mercy than his ; that great heart, encased in his mag- 
 nificent frame, made him the biggest, the bravest, the tender- 
 est, the purest and best of all men who walked the earth in 
 his time! 
 
 "His life was gentle, and the elements 
 
 So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up 
 
 And say to all the world, 'This was a Man !' " 
 
 Charles W . Nibley, Presiding Bishop of the Church, Im- 
 provement Era, Vol. 22, January, 1919, pp. 191-198. 
 
A Biographical Sketch 
 
 It was John Locke, the great characteristic English 
 philosopher, who, at the age of thirty, wrote : 
 
 "I no sooner perceived myself in the world, but I found 
 myself in a storm which has lasted hitherto." 
 
 To Joseph F. Smith, who is among the greatest and 
 most unique and notable individualities of that peculiar peo- 
 ple, the Latter-day Saints, this sentence of Locke's is 
 especially applicable. Only his life was enveloped in storm 
 before he could perceive. He is the son of Hyrum Smith, 
 the second patriarch of the! Church, and brother of the 
 Prophet Joseph. His mother was Mary Fielding, of Eng- 
 lish origin, a woman of bright and strong mind and of ex- 
 cellent business administrative qualities. 
 
 It was during the Missouri troubles. Governor Boggs 
 had issued his order to exterminate the "Mormons." On 
 the first day of November, 1838, through the heartless 
 treachery of Colonel Hinkle, Joseph and Hyrum and several 
 other leaders of the people were betrayed into the hands of 
 an armed mob under General Clark. They were to be taken 
 prisoners, and confined in jail, and perhaps shot. On the 
 following day, these betrayed leaders were given a few 
 moments to bid farewell to their families. Under a strong 
 guard of militia mobocrats, Hyrum was marched to his 
 home in Far West, and, at the point of the bayonet, with 
 oaths and curses, was ordered to take his last farewell of his 
 wife. For his "doom was sealed," and he was told that he 
 would never see her again. Imagine such a shock to his 
 companion ! It would have overpowered and come near 
 ending the life of an ordinary person. But with the natural 
 strength of her mind, coupled with the sustaining care of 
 God, she was upheld in this fiery trial with its added mis- 
 
A BIOGRAPHICAL SK1LTCH 667 
 
 cries to follow. It was on the 13th day of the same month 
 of November, 1838, in the midst of plundermgs, and scenes 
 of severest hardships and persecution, that she gave birth to 
 her first-born who was named Joseph Fielding Smith. In 
 the cold of the following January, leaving four little ones, 
 under the care of her sister, Mercy R. children of her hus- 
 band by a former wife then dead she journeyed in a wagon 
 with her infant to Liberty jail in Clay county, where the 
 husband and father was confined, without trial or convic- 
 tion, his sole offense being that he was a "Mormon." She 
 was permitted to visit him in jail, but was later compelled 
 to continue her flight from Missouri with her children to 
 seek shelter in Illinois. 
 
 Such were the stormy environments of birth, and such 
 was the first pilgrimage of the infant Joseph who has since 
 compassed the earth and the islands of the sea, promulgat- 
 ing and defending the principles for which his father endured 
 imprisonment and later martyrdom, and for which his moth- 
 er suffered untold persecution and distress. 
 
 Joseph's early years were spent amidst the agitations 
 which culminated in the martyrdom of his uncle and his 
 father on the memorable 27th day of June, 1844. After the 
 abandonment of the city by the Twelve, and when the ma- 
 jority of the Saints had been driven from Nauvoo, in Sep- 
 tember, 1846, his mother fled from the city and camped on 
 the west side of the Mississippi River, among the trees on 
 its banks, without wagon or tent,, during the bombardment 
 of the city by the mob. Having later succeeded in making 
 exchanges of property in Illinois for teams and an outfit, 
 she set out for Winter Quarters, on the Missouri River. 
 Joseph, a lad of only about eight years, drove a yoke of 
 oxen and a wagon most of the distance through the state 
 of Iowa to Winter Quarters, and his other occupation, after 
 leaving Nauvoo, was principally that of herd boy. 
 
 On these western plains he drank in the freedom of 
 
668 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 the spirit of the West, and developed that physical strength 
 which, notwithstanding his later sedentary occupation, is 
 still observable in his robust, erect and muscular form. 
 
 He is a lover of strength and a believer in work. 
 "Labor is the key to the true happiness of the physical and 
 spiritual being. If a man possesses millions, his children 
 should still be taught how to labor with their hands; boys 
 and girls should receive a home training which will fit them 
 to cope with the practical, daily affairs of family life, even 
 where the conditions are such that they may not have to do 
 this work themselves ; they will then know how to guide 
 and direct others/' said he, in a recent conversation with the 
 writer. 
 
 The great and overpowering desire of all the Saints 
 was to obtain means to gather to the Valley. For this pur- 
 pose various kinds of labor was sought in Iowa and neigh- 
 boring states, from farming to school teaching. In the fall 
 of 1847, he drove a team for his mother to St. Joseph for 
 the purpose of securing provisions to make the coveted jour- 
 ney to the Salt Lake Valley, in the spring following. The 
 trip was successfully made. 
 
 It was in the fall of that year, while tending his moth- 
 er's cattle near Winter Quarters, that he experienced one of 
 the most exciting incidents of his life. The cattle were 
 their only hope of means for immigration to the Valley. This 
 fact was deeply impressed upon the boy, so that he came to 
 view them as a precious, heritage, as well as a priceless 
 charge given to him as a herd boy. He understood the re- 
 sponsibility ; and that is much, for neither Joseph, the boy, 
 nor Joseph, the man, was ever known to shirk a duty or 
 prove recreant to a responsibility. 
 
 One morning, in company with Alden and Thomas 
 Burdick, he set out upon the usual duties of the day. The 
 cattle were feeding in the valley some distance from the 
 settlement, which valley was reached in two ways, one 
 
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 669 
 
 over a "bench" or plateau, the other through a ravine or 
 small canyon. The boys had each a horse. Joseph's was a 
 bay mare, swifter than the others. Alden suggested that 
 Thomas and Joseph go the short route to the left, over the 
 "bench," and he would go up the canyon to the right, so 
 that they would meet in the valley from the two directions. 
 The suggestion was gladly adopted, and the two set out 
 with youthful frolic, and soon arrived at the upper end of 
 the valley, where the cattle could be seen feeding by a 
 stream which divided it in the center and wound down the 
 canyon from the direction of the settlement. Having the 
 day before them, they amused themselves with "running" 
 their horses, and, later, in "jumping" them over a little 
 gully in the upper part of the valley. As they were engaged 
 in this amusement, suddenly a band of twenty or thirty 
 Indians came into view, around a point in the lower end of 
 the valley, some distance below the cattle. Thomas first saw 
 them, and frantically yelled, "Indians," at the same time 
 turning his horse for the "bench" to ride for home. Joseph 
 started to follow, but the thought came to his mind, "My 
 cattle, I must save my cattle !" From that moment, only 
 this thought filled his mind; everything else was 'blank and 
 dark. He headed his horse for the Indians, to get around 
 the herd before the reels should reach it. One Indian, naked 
 like the others, having only a cloth around the loins, passed 
 him, flying to catch Thomas. Joseph reached the head of 
 the herd, and succeeded in turning the cattle up the ravine 
 just as the Indians approached. His efforts, coupled with 
 the rush and yells of the Indians, stampeded the herd, 
 followed by Joseph who, by keeping his horse on 
 the "dead" run, succeeded for some time in keeping between 
 the herd and the Indians. Here was a picture ! the boy, the 
 cattle, the Indians, headed on the run for the settlement ! 
 Finally the reds cut him away from the herd, whereupon he 
 turned, going down stream a distance, then circling around 
 
670 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 the ravine to the right, to reach the cattle from the other 
 side. He had not gone far in that direction when other 
 Indians were seen. They started for him, overtaking him 
 as he emerged from the valley. He still spurred his horse, 
 going at full speed, and while thus riding, two of the naked 
 reds closed up beside him in the wild race, and took him, 
 while the horses were going at full speed, one by the left 
 arm and the other by the right leg, and lifted him from the 
 saddle, for a moment holding him in the air, then suddenly 
 dropping him to the ground. 
 
 Undoubtedly he would have been scalped but for the 
 timely appearance of a company of men going to the hay 
 fields, on the opposite side of the ravine, which scared the 
 thieving Indians away, they having obtained both the boys' 
 horses for their pains. In the meantime Thomas had given 
 the alarm. Two relief companies were formed in the settle- 
 ment, one a posse of horsemen under Hosea Stout, who 
 went up the canyon and found the cattle with Alden Bur- 
 dick (the pursuing Indians having abandoned the chase from 
 fright), while the other took the "bench" route, and dis- 
 covered Joseph, who with them spent the day in a fruitless 
 search for the Indians and the cattle supposed to have been 
 stolen. "I remember, on my way home," says Joseph, "how 
 I sat down and wept for my cattle, and how the thought of 
 meeting mother, who could not now go to the Valley, wrung 
 my soul with anguish." But happily, his bravery and 
 fidelity to trust, which are indissolubly interwoven with his 
 character as a man, had saved the herd. 
 
 Leaving Winter Quarters in the spring of 1848, they 
 reached the Salt Lake Valley on September 23, Joseph driv- 
 ing two yoke of oxen with a heavily loaded wagon the 
 whole distance. He performed all the duties of a day- 
 watchman, herdsman and teamster, with other requirements 
 imposed upon the men. Arriving in Salt Lake City, he again 
 had charge of the herds, interchanging .with such labors as 
 
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 671 
 
 plowing, canyon work, harvesting and fencing. During this 
 whole time he never lost an animal entrusted to his care ; 
 this notwithstanding the numerous large wolves abounding 
 in the country. 
 
 His education was obtained from his mother who early 
 taught him, in the tent, in the camp, on the prairie, to read 
 from the Bible. He has had no other, save that sterner edu- 
 cation gathered from the practical pages of life. But his 
 opportunities in later years have not gone unused, and 
 there are few college-bred .men who delight more in books 
 than Joseph. He is, too, a fair judge of the manner and 
 matter of books. His leisure for reading is limited, owing 
 to his constant employment in the affairs of the Church: 
 but he loves to read books of history, philosophy, science ; 
 and has specially delighted in such authors as Seiss and 
 Samuel Smiles, who may be said to be his favorites. He is 
 fond of music, of which, though not a judge, he is a great 
 lover, especially enjoying the music of the human voice. 
 
 In 1852, his mother died, leaving him an orphan at the 
 age of fourteen. When fifteen years of age, he, with other 
 young men, was called on his first mission to the Sandwich 
 Islands. The incidents of the journey to the coast by horses, 
 his work in the mountains at a shingle mill for means to 
 proceed, and the embarkment and journey on the Vaquero 
 for the islands, are sufficient for a long chapter in them- 
 selves ; while his labors in the Maui conference, under Presi- 
 dent F. A. Hammond, his efforts to learn the language in the 
 district of Kula, his attack of sickness, the most severe of his 
 life, caused by the Panama fever, and his other labors and 
 varied, trying experiences while there, would fill a volume. 
 He says, "Of the many gifts of the Spirit which were mani- 
 fest through my administration, next to my acquirement of 
 the language, the most prominent was perhaps the gift of 
 healing, and by the power of God the casting out of evil 
 spirits, which frequently occurred." 
 
672 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 One incident shows how the Lord is with his servants : 
 Joseph was studying the language, being alone with a native 
 family in Wailuku. One night while he sat by a dismal 
 light poring over his books in one corner of the room where 
 dwelt a native and his wife, the woman was suddenly pos- 
 sessed ; she arose and looking toward Joseph made the most 
 fearful noises and gestures, accompanied by terrible physi- 
 cal contortions. Her husband came on his bended knees and 
 crouched beside him, frightened to trembling. The fear 
 that our young missionary felt under those circumstances 
 was something indescribable, but presently it all left him, 
 and he stood up facing the maniac. woman, exclaiming: "In 
 the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I rebuke you." Like a 
 flash, the woman fell to the floor like one dead. The hus- 
 band went to ascertain if she were alive, and pronounced 
 her dead. Then he returned, and set up a perfect howl, 
 which Joseph likewise rebuked. What should Joseph do? 
 His first impression was to get away from the horrid sur- 
 roundings, but upon reflection he decided that such action 
 would not be wise. His feelings were indescribable, but 
 having rebuked the evil, it was subdued and peace was 
 restored, and he proceeded again with his studies. These 
 are the class of experiences that bring a lone missionary, 
 young as he was, close to the Lord. 
 
 After his release, and while returning from the mission 
 in Hawaii, this incident occurred : At Honolulu he went on 
 board the barque Yankee, on October 6, 1857, and with a 
 company of elders landed in San Francisco, about the end 
 of the month. With Edward Partridge, he went down the 
 coast to Santa Cruz county, Cal., and from thence with a 
 company of Saints, under Captain Charles W. Wandell, 
 southward to the Mojave river, where he and others left 
 the company and made a visit to San Bernardino on their 
 way to the Salt Lake Valley. It must be said that the feel- 
 ing against the "Mormons," first, on account of the exag- 
 
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 673 
 
 Derated reports of the Mountain Meadows massacre, and 
 . secondly, because of the coming of Johnston's army to Utah, 
 \vas exceedingly bitter on the coast. As an illustration: 
 while they were in Los Angeles, a man, William Wall by 
 name, came near being hung because he had confessed he 
 was a "Mormon." A mob of men had passed sentence on 
 him, and had prepared every detail to hang him. It was 
 only through the wise counsel of a man among them, whose 
 better judgment prevailed, that he was not hung. This 
 man pointed out to the mob that here was a man who had 
 not been near Utah when the massacre took place, a man who 
 had no sympathy with it, who could in no vvay be counted 
 as a criminal. Why should he suffer? And so Wall was 
 finally discharged and given time to get out of the country. 
 It was under such conditions, and such prevailing sentiment, 
 that President Smith, then a lad of nineteen, found him- 
 self on his journey home, and on his trip to San Bernardino. 
 With another man, and a mail carrier, he took pas- 
 sage in a mail wagon. They traveled all night, and at day- 
 light stopped near a ranch for breakfast. The passenger and 
 the mail carrier began to prepare breakfast, while Joseph 
 Avent a short distance from camp to look after the horses. 
 Just while the carrier was frying eggs, a wagon load of 
 drunken men from Monte came in view, on their road to 
 San Bernardino to kill the "Mormons," as they boasted. 
 
 The oaths and foul language which they uttered, be- 
 tween their shooting, and the swinging of their pistols, were 
 almost indescribable and unendurable. Only the West 
 in its palmiest frontier days could produce anything like its 
 equal. They were all cursing the "Mormons," and titter- 
 ng boasts of what they would do when they met them. They 
 got out at the ranch, and one of them, tumbling around, 
 caught sight of the mail wagon, and made his way towards 
 it. The passenger and the mail carrier, fearing for their 
 safety, had retired behind the chaparral, leaving all the 
 
 44 
 
674 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 baggage and supplies, including the frying eggs, exposed 
 and unprotected. 
 
 Just as the drunken man approached, President Smith 
 came in view on his way to the camp, too late to hide, for he 
 had been seen. The ruffian was swinging his weapon, 
 and uttering the most blood-curdling oaths and threats ever 
 heard against the "Mormons." "I dared not run," says 
 President Smith, "though I trembled for fear which I 
 dared not show. I therefore walked right up to the camp 
 fire, and arrived there just a minute or two before the 
 drunken desperado, who came directly toward me, and, 
 swinging his revolver in my face, with an oath cried out : 
 'Are you a - - "Mormon?"' " 
 
 President Smith looked him straight in the eyes, and 
 answered with emphasis : "Yes, sir'ee ; dyed in the wool ; 
 true b]ue, through and through." 
 
 The desperado's arms both dropped by his sides, as if 
 paralyzed, his pistol in one hand, and he said in a .subdued 
 and maudlin voice, offering his hand : "Well, you are the 
 
 pleasantest man I ever met ! Shake. I am glad 
 
 to see a fellow stand for his convictions." Then he turned 
 and made his way to the ranch house. Later in the clay, on 
 seeing President Smith, he only pulled his slouch hat 
 over his eyes, and said not a word. 
 
 In 1858, Joseph F. Smith joined the militia which in- 
 tercepted Johnston's army, serving until the close of hostil- 
 ities, under Colonel Thomas Callister. He was later chap- 
 lain of Colonel Heber C. Kiinball's regiment, with the rank 
 of captain. He took part in many Indian expeditions, and 
 was in every sense a minute man in the Utah militia. 
 
 In the spring of 1860, though only about 22 years of 
 age, he was sent on a mission to Great Britain. As he had no 
 money, he and his cousin Samuel H. B. Smith, each drove 
 a four-mule team over the plains to Winter Quarters to pay 
 their way. "It happened that the owners of these teams were 
 
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 675 
 
 rank apostates, so that when the young men arrived at their 
 destination, it was very well known that" they were Latter- 
 day Saints. They were moneyless, and decided finally to go 
 to Des Moines where they tried without success to get 
 something to do. They hunted for work in the harvest 
 fields, but found no one who wished to employ them. The 
 feeling was still bitter against the "Mormons" in this re- 
 gion, for it was only about fourteen years since the rem- 
 nant of the Saints had been driven from Nauvoo. One 
 day they met a man who asked them who they were, and 
 where they were going, and having been told that they 
 were going to England on a mission, the man stated that 
 he had a sister in England whom he wished to emigrate, 
 and asked that they take the money with them for her 
 emigration. He stated that they might use it as they saw fit: 
 provided on arrival they would let his sister have the money 
 to pay her passage to America. They agreed to this, and 
 immediately went on their way to Burlington where they 
 took a steamer for Nauvoo; but when they got on board 
 they learned that the steamer would not land at that place, as 
 they had been told; and they also heard the most bitter im- 
 precations against the Latter-day Saints, uttered in the most 
 profane and indecent language. 
 
 Landing at Montrose, where the boat took on freight, 
 the feeling was still more bitter. The Saints were cursed, and 
 boasts were made of what evil would befall any "Mormon" 
 who would dare to make his appearance. Getting on board 
 the skiff, next morning, which was to carry them over to 
 Nauvoo, the young men found that the spirit of the mob was 
 just as bitter as ever, but it was not known here that they 
 were "Mormons." Several men asked them who they were, 
 and their replies were evasive. Finally, a Catholic priest 
 came to them and asked where they were from. '*O ! from 
 the West," was the reply. 
 
 "How far west?" 
 
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 "From the Rocky Mountains." 
 
 But the priest finally pinned them down by asking, 
 "Are you 'Mormon' elders from Utah?" 
 
 President Smith says that under those circumstances, 
 for a moment, never had temptation to deny the truth come 
 to him with stronger force, but it was only for a moment. 
 He answered, "Yes, sir, we are 'Mormon' missionaries on 
 our way to England." 
 
 The reply seemed to satisfy the .priest; and, contrary to 
 expectations, it did not in the least increase the imprecations 
 of the passengers. When they landed at Nauvoo, they went 
 directly to the Mansion House, and, strange to say, the 
 Catholic priest also stayed there. If they had not truthfully 
 answered the queries on the boat, he would have found them 
 out here, to their shame. 
 
 "I had never felt happier," says President Smith, "than 
 when I saw the minister there, ami knew that we had told 
 him the truth about our mission." 
 
 On this mission he served nearly three years, returning 
 in the summer of 1863 ; it was during these years that the 
 intimacy between President George Q. Cannon, who pre- 
 sided over the mission, and Joseph F. Smith began ; friend- 
 ship and love for each other were engendered, which have 
 since grown stronger through the intimate careers of two 
 beautiful lives. On his return, President Young proposed 
 at a Priesthood meeting that Joseph and his cousin, Samuel, 
 each be given a present of $1,000 to begin life with. Presi- 
 dent Smith realized in the neighborhood of $75 in pro- 
 visions and merchandise, but mostly a legacy of much an- 
 noyance from certain people who entertained the current 
 thought that he had thus obtained a small fortune. With 
 the exception of the cost of his passage and stage fare home, 
 which was sent him by his aunt, Mercy R. Thompson, 
 amounting to about $100, he paid his own expenses through- 
 out, as he had done on previous missions. 
 
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 677 
 
 President Smith has been too busy with his work to 
 make money, and his temporal affairs are a strong testi- 
 mony to his exclusive devotion to the public good. 
 
 He had only been at home a short time, when, in the 
 early spring of 1864, he was called to accompany Ezra T. 
 Penson and Lorenzo Snow on a second mission to the 
 Sandwich Islands to regulate the affairs of that mission, 
 which had been greatly disarranged by the well-known, 
 shrewd and covetous actions of Walter M. Gibson. In this 
 mission he acted as principal interpreter for the apostles. 
 After Gibson was excommunicated from the Church, Joseph 
 was left in charge of the mission, with W. W. Cluff and 
 Alma L. Smith as his fellow-laborers. It was many months 
 after Gibson had been cut off before his people left his 
 jurisdiction and returned to the standard of the Church. 
 Among the works accomplished by Joseph and his asso- 
 ciates on this mission was the selection of the Laie planta- 
 tion as a gathering place for the Saints, which was after- 
 wards, on their recommendation, purchased by a committee 
 sent for that purpose by President Young, and which has 
 proven a valuable possession for the mission, and for the 
 Church in a general way. Joseph and his aids returned in 
 the winter of 1864-5. 
 
 It was while on this mission that the drowning incident 
 occurred, mentioned in Whitney's sketch of President 
 Lorenzo Snow. President Smith's part in the affair has 
 never been fully told. The ship upon which they arrived lay 
 anchored in the channel in which the sea was nearly always 
 rough. A breakwater had been built, under shelter of which 
 the natives skilfully steered their boats ashore. There was 
 much danger, however, in approaching it. When it was 
 proposed that the party should land in the ship's unwieldy 
 freight-boat. President Smith strongly opposed the propo- 
 sition, telling the brethren that at the breakwater there was 
 great danger of capsizing, the boat being a clumsv old tu\ 
 
678 PRESIDENT JOSEPH P. SMITH 
 
 unfit for such a load. He refused to go ashore, and tried to 
 prevail upon the others to abandon the attempt until a better 
 boat could be obtained. He offered to go ashore alone, and 
 to return with a safer boat to land the party. So persistent, 
 however, were some of the brethren, that he was chided 
 for his waywardness, and one of the apostles even told him : 
 "Young man, you would better obey counsel." But he re- 
 iterated his impression of danger, refusing positively to land 
 in that boat, and again offering to go alone for a better boat. 
 But the brethren persisted, whereupon he asked that they 
 leave their satchels with their clothes and valuables on the 
 anchored ship with him, and that he be permitted to stay. 
 This they reluctantly consented to do, and set out for land. 
 
 Joseph stood upon the ship and saw them depart, filled 
 with the greatest apprehension for their safety. When the 
 party reached the breakwater, he saw one of the great waves 
 suddenly overturn the boat, dropping the company into 
 twenty or thirty feet of water. A boat came out from shore, 
 manned with natives, who set to work to gather them up, 
 and obtained all but President Snow, when the boat which 
 picked them up started for land. It was then that Elder 
 W. W. Guff demanded that they return for Brother Snow, 
 who would otherwise have been abandoned and left for 
 drowned. He was found and dragged into the boat for 
 dead, his life being thus saved by Brother Cluff. All this 
 time, Joseph stood in the greatest agony as a witness, help- 
 less, on the deck of the ship. His first information of his 
 companions' fate came from some passing natives who re- 
 plied to his inquiry that one of the men (Brother Snow) 
 was dead. But through the blessings of God and self- 
 effort it was, fortunately, not quite so serious, his life having 
 been restored. 
 
 Joseph had saved himself and the satchels, and he has 
 always considered that while the brethren fatefully said of 
 the incident : "It was to be," that a prevention in this case 
 
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 679 
 
 would have been much better than a cure. The incident 
 illustrates two predominating traits in his character: When 
 he is convinced of the truth, he is not afraid to express him- 
 self in its favor to any man on earth. When he does ex- 
 press himself, it is often with such earnestness and vigor 
 that there is danger of his giving offense. 
 
 On his return home, he labored in the Church his- 
 torian's office for a number of years ; also as clerk in the 
 endowment house, succeeding Elder John V. Long in that 
 capacity; being in charge, after the death of President 
 Young, until it was closed. He had been ordained an 
 apostle under the hands of President Young, on July 1, 
 1866, and on the 8th of October, 1867, he was appointed to 
 fill a vacancy in the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In the 
 year following, he was sent with Elder Wilford Woodruff 
 of the Council of the Twelve and Elder A. O. Smoot to 
 Utah county. Here he served one term in the Provo city 
 council. 
 
 On Eebruary 28, 1874, he went on his second mission 
 to England, where he presided over the European mission, 
 returning in 1875, after the death of President George A. 
 Smith. On his return he was appointed to preside over the 
 Davis .stake, until the spring of 1877, when he left on his 
 third British mission, having first witnessed the dedication 
 of the first temple in the Rocky Mountains, at St. George, 
 April, 1877. He arrived in Liverpool, May 27, and was 
 joined a short time afterwards by Elder Orson Pratt, who 
 had been sent to publish new editions of the Book of Mor- 
 mon and the Doctrine and Covenants. When news arrived 
 of the death of President Young, they were released, and 
 returned home, arriving in Salt Lake City, September 27. 
 
 In August of the following year, he was sent with Elder 
 Orson Pratt on a short eastern mission, visiting noted 
 places in the history of the Church in Missouri, Ohio, New 
 York and Illinois. It was on this trip that they had their 
 
680 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 famous interview with David Whitmer. When the First 
 Presidency was organized, in October, 1880, he was chosen 
 second counselor to President John Taylor, who died July 
 25, 1887. He was chosen to the same position in the Presi- 
 dency under President Woodruff; and holds it at present 
 under President Snow. 
 
 It would require too much space to name his various 
 civil positions held in Salt Lake City, and in the legislature 
 of the territory, where he served the people long and faith- 
 fully. All my readers are familiar with the work of his 
 recent years ; it is like an open book to the whole people. 
 
 So he has been constantly in the service of the public, 
 and by his straightforward course has won the love, con- 
 fidence and esteem of the whole community. He is a friend 
 of the people, is easily approached, a wise counselor, a man 
 of broad views, and, contrary to first impressions, is a man 
 whose sympathies are easily aroused. He is a reflex of the 
 best character of the "Mormon" people inured to hard- 
 ships, patient in trial, God-fearing, self-sacrificing, full of 
 love for the human race, powerful in moral, mental and 
 physical strength. 
 
 President Joseph F. Smith has an imposing physical 
 appearance. Now completing his 62nd year, he is tall, 
 erect, well-knit and symmetrical in build. He has a promi- 
 nent nose and features. When speaking, he throws his full, 
 clear, brown eyes wide open on the listener who may readily 
 perceive from their penetrating glimpse the wonderful 
 mental power of the tall forehead above. His large head is 
 crowned with an abundant growth of hair, in his early years 
 dark, but now, like his full beard, tinged with a liberal 
 sprinkling of gray. In conversation, one is forcibly im- 
 pressed with the sudden changes in appearance of his 
 countenance, under the different influences of his mind : now 
 intensely present, with an enthusiastic and childlike interest 
 in immediate subjects and surroundings ; now absent, the 
 
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 681 
 
 mobility of his features, set in that earnest, almost stern, ma- 
 jesty of expression so characteristic of his portraits so in- 
 dicative of the severity of the conditions and environments 
 of his early life. 
 
 As a public speaker, his leading trait is an intense 
 earnestness. He impresses the hearer with his message 
 more from the sincerity and simplicity of its delivery, and 
 the honest earnestness of his manner, than from any learned 
 exhibition of oratory or studied display of logic. He 
 touches the hearts of the people with the simple eloquence 
 of one who is himself convinced of the truth presented. He 
 is a pillar of strength in the Church, thoroughly imbued 
 with the truths of the gospel, and the divine origin of God's 
 great latter-day work. His whole life and testimony are an 
 inspiration to the young. 
 
 I said to him : "You knew Joseph, the prophet ; you are 
 old in the work of the Church: what is your testimony to 
 the youth of Zion concerning these things ?" And he replied 
 slowly and deliberately : 
 
 "I was acquainted with the Prophet Joseph in my 
 youth. I was familiar in his home, with his boys and with 
 his family. I have sat on his knee, I have heard him preach, 
 distinctly remember being present in the council with my 
 father and the Prophet Joseph Smith and others. From my 
 childhood to youth I believed him to be a Prophet of God. 
 From my youth until the present I have not believed that he 
 was a Prophet, for I have known that he was. In other 
 words, my knowledge has superseded my belief. I remem- 
 ber seeing him dressed in military uniform at the head of 
 the Nauvoo Legion. I saw him when he crossed the river, 
 returning from his intended western trip into the Rocky 
 Mountains to go to his martyrdom, and I- saw his lifeless 
 body together with that of my father after they were mur- 
 dered in Carthage jail ; and still have the most palpable 
 remembrance of the gloom and sorrow of those dreadful 
 
682 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 days. I believe in the divine mission of the prophets of the 
 nineteenth century with all my heart, and in the authenticity 
 of the Book of Mormon and the inspiration of the book of 
 Doctrine and Covenants, and hope to be faithful to God and 
 man and not false to myself, to the end of my days."- 
 Edward H. Anderson, in Lives of Our Leaders, and Ju- 
 venile Instructor, 1901. 
 
Last of the Old School of Veteran Leaders 
 
 Surrounded by members of his family, President Joseph 
 F. .Smith peacefully closed his active life upon earth, on 
 Tuesday morning-, at 4:50 o'clock, November 19, 1918, at 
 his home, the Beehive House, Salt Lake City, Utah. His 
 noble work on earth is ended. He served the people of the 
 Church in almost every useful private and public capacity 
 all his life. He mounted, round by round, on the ladder of 
 'experience, as herd boy, pioneer, teacher, missionary, legisla- 
 tor, counselor ; and for the past seventeen wonderful years, 
 was leader and mouthpiece of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latter-day Saints. 
 
 President Smith's administration began October 17, 
 1901, when he was chosen by the Twelve and set apart as 
 President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints, the choice being ratified by a special conference and 
 solemn assembly of the Priesthood, on Sunday, November 
 10, 1901. Hence, for a few days more than seventeen years, 
 he stood at the head of God's "marvelous work and a won- 
 der," upon the earth. His leadership was characterized by 
 a steady growth of the people in both spiritual and temporal 
 affairs. Much of their progress was stimulated by his fore- 
 thought and consideration, by his inspiration from the Lord 
 freely granted to the people, and by his ability to gather men 
 about him who willingly co-operated with him for the ad- 
 vancement and progress of the Church, the State and the 
 community. In both religion and business, he was- conserva- 
 tive, staunch, firm, and yet progressive a leader beloved 
 and respected by all. Every Church worker among his 
 nearest associates, as well as in the stakes of Zion, and in the 
 
684 PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH 
 
 far flung missions of the world, fairly loved and admired 
 him, and so did the members of the Church. 
 
 As editor of the Improvement Era and the Juvenile In- 
 structor, and general superintendent of the Sunday Schools 
 and Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, he was 
 a stimulating power, a fountain of wisdom to his associates. 
 Had he devoted himself to literary work, his success in that 
 line would have been quite-as marked as in public discourse 
 and leadership. 
 
 He showed great tenderness and love for his large and 
 honorable family. In his last address to his children, 
 November 10, 1918, his heart's dearest sentiments were ex- 
 pressed to them in these words : "When I look around me, 
 and see my boys and my girls whom the Lord has given to 
 me, and I have succeeded, with His help, to make them 
 tolerably comfortable, and at least respectable in the world 
 I have reached the treasure of my life, the whole substance 
 that makes life worth living." 
 
 He was ever anxious for the welfare of the young peo- 
 ple, as well as the old, and every good effort for their ad- 
 vancement was sanctioned and supported by him. Even in 
 the midst of the cares, burdens and anxieties of his active 
 life weighing heavily upon him, he was never known to be 
 too busy to give counsel, experience, testimony, helpful ideas, 
 sympathetic consideration to workers or members of the 
 Church who called upon him. His courtesy to all was pro- 
 verbial. 
 
 The passing of President Joseph F. Smith marks an 
 epoch in the history of the Church. He was the last of the 
 old school of veteran leaders who pioneered and founded 
 our commonwealth. The patience with which he bore the 
 arduous labors of his life, fully, bravely, and cheerfully, will 
 be a lasting inspiration to all who knew him. The story of 
 his achievements for the Church, in spiritual and temporal 
 
.LAST OF OLD SCHOOL OF LEADERS 685 
 
 affairs, during his long administration, would make a volume 
 of thrilling interest. His mortal lips are sealed in death, but 
 his spirit lives forever. Beloved by all, the noble workman 
 has gone to his rest, having -done his full duty for the 
 advancement of the "marvelous work and a wonder" estab- 
 lished of the Lord, which must ever continue upon its tri- 
 umphant march. Edivard H. Anderson, May, 1919. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abraham, 39. 
 
 Adam, 39. 
 
 Administration, to sick, 256. 
 
 Advancement, personal, helps 
 
 Church, 131. 
 Agriculture, 434. 
 Almighty, see God. 
 Amusements, 400, 401. 
 Angel, 548.' 
 Anger, 268. 
 Animal, 333. 
 Apostle, 221, 222. 
 
 labors in spirit world, 581. 
 Apostleship, proselyting office, 
 
 217. 
 
 Appetite, 300. 
 Army, conduct of boys in, 531. 
 
 message to boys in, 535. 
 Atonement, 120. 
 Authority, 125, 170. 
 
 all should e-xercise, 208. 
 
 gives power, 186. 
 
 how administered, 186. 
 
 know duties of, 187. 
 
 man's relation to, 56. 
 Authorities, pray for, 279. 
 Auxiliary organizations, 179. 
 
 place in Church, 479. 
 
 relation to ward, 480. 
 
 Backbiting, 330. 
 Baptism, see Ordinances. 
 Baptism, 111, 117, 118, 121. 
 
 when to b. children, 120. 
 Bible, 57. 
 
 Birth control, see Children. 
 Birth control, 349, 362. 
 Bishop, 225, 230, 233, 234. 
 Blessing, how obtained, 60, 84, 
 296. 
 
 for truth, 12. 
 
 personal, 181, 635, 641. 
 Books, 29,5, 405. 
 Book of Mormon, witnesses to 
 
 590. 
 
 Boys, how achieve greatness, 
 419. 
 
 Boys, lesson for, 418. 
 taught industry, 432. 
 
 Calamity, Lesson in, 67. 
 
 Calvin, 39, 500. 
 
 Card playing, 410, 411, 412, 413, 
 
 415, 416. 
 Chance, 408. 
 
 Charity, see Poor, see also Tith- 
 ing. 
 
 Charity, 294. 
 Child, see Birth control. 
 Children, be true to, 353, 398. 
 
 condition of in heaven, 569. 
 
 consult parents, 201. 
 
 do not pledge, 373. 
 
 duties to teach, 365. 
 
 filial affection, 393. 
 
 how to give to, 371. 
 
 in the resurrection, 574. 
 
 relation to parents, 342. 
 
 responsible for, 359. 
 
 teach gospel, 369. 
 
 teach Jesus' death, 370. 
 
 training at home, 367. 
 
 treatment of familv members, 
 355. 
 
 watch your, 365. 
 
 what to teach, 365. 
 
 when to baptize, 120. 
 Church, see Officers. 
 Church, see Priesthood, also 
 
 Kingdom of God. 
 Church ample for all organiza- 
 tions, 442. 
 
 contempt is heritage, 425. 
 
 democratic institution, 84. 
 
 desires to be known, 139. 
 
 destiny of, 91. 
 
 devil against it, 464. 
 
 duties paramount, 323. 
 
 government, 178. 
 
 house in order, 477. 
 
 how officers chosen, 188. 
 
 how vote in, 196. 
 
 identity unchanged, 140. 
 
 in advance of members, 131. 
 
688 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Church, is kingdom of God, 87. 
 
 loyal, 518. 
 
 man and, 131. 
 
 message of, 89. 
 
 mission to save, 88. 
 
 no nationalities in, 141, 511. 
 
 no neutrals in, 142. 
 
 no classes in, 141. 
 
 not in politics, 519. 
 
 not man-made, 171. 
 
 not partisan, 170, ,517. 
 
 offers peace, 89. 
 
 personal advancement helps, 
 131. 
 
 political parties and, 519. 
 
 privilege to be associated 
 with, 133. 
 
 purpose and duty of, 87, 191. 
 
 what it stands for, 192. 
 
 worth of standing in, 133. 
 Church Leaders, see Church 
 
 Officers. 
 Church Leaders, help them, 223. 
 
 be courageous, 193. 
 
 goodness of, 210. 
 
 not self called, 209. 
 
 purpose of visits, 250. 
 
 what advocate, 114. 
 Church Records, names to be 
 
 in, 134. 
 
 Church Schools, agriculture in, 
 435. 
 
 object of, 441, 485. 
 
 value of, 441. 
 Christ, see also Jesus. 
 Christ the great example, 22. 
 
 his rest, 155. 
 
 taught gospel to Adam, 39. 
 Citizen, Saint good, 518. 
 Classes, no classes in Church, 
 
 141. 
 Clubs, no exclusive in Church, 
 
 418. 
 
 College, see School, see Uni- 
 versity. 
 
 Columbus, 39. 
 Comforter, see Holy Ghost and 
 
 Holy Spirit. 
 Comforter, Holy Ghost, Holy 
 
 Spirit, 73. 
 
 Commandments, two great, 339. 
 Commencement address, 334. 
 
 Consecration, 299. 
 
 Constitution, loyalty to, 512. 
 
 Contention, 465. 
 
 Cooperation, 443. 
 
 Counsel, 200. 
 
 Courage, leaders must have, 
 
 193. 
 
 be not discouraged, 147. 
 Courts, avoid, 322. 
 Covenants, of Latter-day Saints 
 
 . 132 - 
 Criminals, 469. 
 
 Daughter, education of, 429. 
 Dead, vision of redemption of, 
 596. 
 
 work for, 593. 
 Death and eternal progress, 371. 
 
 nature of, 553. 
 
 spiritual, 544. 
 Debt, 325. 
 
 Devil, arrayed against truth, 
 464. 
 
 his knowledge, 464. 
 Difficulty, settlement of, 53. 
 Discouragement, 147, 421. 
 Disobedience, treatment of, 139. 
 Disturbance, Gospel causes, 146. 
 Doctrine and Covenants, 56. 
 Doctrine, where to expect 
 
 false, 466. 
 Duty, first to household, 386. 
 
 Earth, typical of heaven, 26. 
 Edison, 39. 
 
 Education, see School. 
 Education, danger of false, 392. 
 
 defined, 337. 
 
 for eternity, 338. 
 
 for women, 439. 
 
 industrial pursuits, 427. 
 
 practical, 430. 
 
 value of practical, 428. 
 Elders, 230. 
 
 to proclaim gospel, 230. 
 Elohim, 85. 
 
 Enemy, in God's hands, 422, 
 423. 
 
 love your, 421. 
 
 our debt to, 423. 
 
 prayer for, 424. 
 
 those to fear, 426. 
 
INDEX 
 
 589 
 
 Instates of, exaltation, 85. 
 Internal, life, 538. 
 
 nature of salvation, 13. 
 
 progress and death, 371. 
 
 relations of family, 342. 
 Eternity, educate for, 338. 
 
 we live for, 348. 
 Evidence, revelation and legal, 
 
 49. 
 Evil, not caused by God, 69. 
 
 fashions, 416. 
 
 retreat from, 468. 
 
 unchastity dominant, 386. 
 Exaltation, estates of, 85. 
 Excess, see Temperance, Mod- 
 eration. 
 Experiments, to be avoided, 337. 
 
 Eaith, see Testimony. 
 Faith, 122. 
 
 be true to, 322. 
 
 reality of, 6. 
 False teachings, 464. 
 Family, 341. 
 
 basis of government, 203. 
 
 eternity of, 348. 
 
 father presiding authority, 359. 
 
 governed by love, 393. 
 
 importance of filial affection, 
 393. 
 
 large f. desirable, 352. 
 
 mutual treatment, 355. 
 
 should be example to, 357. 
 Fashions, 349, 400, 416,- 417. 
 Fast day. 298. 306. 
 Fasting, 299, 305. 
 Father, duties of, 361. 
 Father presiding authority of 
 
 family, 359. 
 Female, and male in heaven, 
 
 346. 
 
 Final Judgment, and resurrec- 
 tion, 566. 
 
 Find, search and, 151. 
 First Presidency, not always 
 apostles. 216. 
 
 relation of members. 219. 
 
 when to organize. 214. 
 Fi'rst Principles, 116. 121. 
 Flatterv, danger of. 392. 
 Food, spirit needs, 262. 
 Forestry, 437. 
 
 Forgiveness, 421. 
 Franklin, 39. 
 Free agency, 58. 
 Freedom, use of, 59. 
 Saints to exercise, 59. 
 Freeze, Mary A., funeral ser- 
 vices of, 577. 
 
 Future life, see Life Hereafter. 
 Future life, condition in, ,543. 
 
 Gambling, 407, 408. ' 
 
 General authorities, see Church 
 
 Leaders. 
 
 General authorities, questions 
 to, 223. 
 
 temporal support of, 224. 
 Gift of Holy Ghost, 124. 
 Gift of tongues, 251. 
 Gifts of Spirit, 471. 
 Giving, to children, 371. 
 God, directs work, 64. 
 
 an eternal being, 78. 
 
 attain blessings of, 60. 
 
 at the helm, 168. 
 
 do not limit, 69. 
 
 extent of power, 69. 
 
 fatherhood of, 37. 
 
 fatherly love, 498. 
 
 Father and Son distinct, 83. 
 
 his rest, 71. 
 
 his warfare, 71. 
 
 how to secure blessings of, 
 84. 
 
 inspires man, 75. 
 
 man, and, 64. 
 
 man in image of, 71. 
 
 need of trust in, 79. 
 
 not author of evil, 69. 
 
 nothing temporal with, 85. 
 
 purposes unchangeable, 41. 
 
 personal knowledge of, 64. 
 
 right to rule, 66. 
 
 Saints to serve, 515. 
 
 speaks to honest, 65. 
 
 Spirit of, 73. 
 
 strives with warring nations, 
 530. 
 
 this God's work, 636. 
 
 will to exalt men, 66. 
 
 warfare, 71. 
 
 work cannot be stopped, 94. 
 Golden Rule, 424. 
 
690 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Good, foundation in home, 380. 
 Good Will, Church stands for, 
 
 192. 
 Government, family at basis of, 
 
 203. 
 
 Gospel, see Gospel principles. 
 Principles of Gospel, 36. 
 Gospel, all comprehensive, 104 
 
 be as broad as, 150. 
 
 causes disturbance, 146. 
 
 designed for temporal, 261. 
 
 divinity of, 95. 
 
 first principles of, 116, 121. 
 
 greatest thing, 392. 
 
 is simple, 11. 
 
 men not ready for, 450. 
 
 message, 89. 
 
 message of love, 114. 
 
 most important, 131. 
 
 principles eternal, 14. 
 
 preached in spirit world, 595. 
 
 shield from terror, 109. 
 
 should study, 323. 
 
 taught to Adam, 39. 
 
 teach to children, 369. 
 
 trumpet, 110. 
 
 where leads, 90. 
 Gossip, 136. 
 Grant, Heber J., 36. 
 Grant, Rachel, 29. 
 Gratitude, 328. 
 
 Grave, redemption beyond, 550. 
 Greatness, truest, 358. 
 
 Harmony, 159. 
 Hate, of truth, 464. 
 
 why Church is hated, 425. 
 Heaven, condition of children 
 in, 569. 
 
 mafe and female in, 346. 
 
 no marriage in, 350. 
 
 typical of earth, 26. 
 Heal, wounds, 331. 
 High Council, duty of, 226. 
 High priests, duties of, 225, 227. 
 
 duties of quorums, 227. 
 History, 295. 
 Hobbies, 143. 
 
 Holy Ghost, blasphemy against. 
 18. 
 
 Holy Spirit, Comforter, 73. 
 
 personage of spirit, 74. 
 
 Holy Ghost, religion fruit of, 
 112. 
 
 Spirit of Lord, 82. 
 Holy Spirit, see Comforter, Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 nature of influence, 72. 
 Holy, venerate h. things, 355. 
 ! I ome, see Household. 
 Home, 341. 
 
 basis of, 378. 
 
 child, and, 398. 
 
 first duty to, 386. 
 
 foundation of good in, 380. 
 
 ideal, 378. 
 
 motherhood, foundation of, 
 361. 
 
 no substitute for, 375. 
 
 not mortgage, 374, 382. 
 
 secure, 380. 
 
 training of children, 367. 
 
 worship in, 377. 
 Honest, God speaks to, 65. 
 Honor, Church stands for, 192. 
 
 reward of all, 10. 
 Hopelessness, 146. 
 Household, see Home. 
 House of the Lord, see Temple. 
 House of the Lord, children 
 
 have rights in, 374. 
 Husband, depends on wife, 363. 
 
 duty to wife, 392. 
 
 treatment of family, 355. 
 
 wife in eternity, 392. 
 
 Identity, immortal, 28. 
 Idler, 295. 
 
 no place, 296. 
 
 Ignorance, address on, 427. 
 Image, man in God's, 71. 
 Industry, 282. 
 
 learn arts of, 432. 
 Ingratitude, sin of, 339. 
 Immortality, see Eternal. 
 Immortality, indistructible iden- 
 tity, 28. 
 
 Immortality of man, 16, 27. 
 Injustice, how avoid, 268. 
 Inspires, God i. man, 75. 
 Inspiration, spirit of, 42. 
 Intelligence, eternal, 32. 
 Israel, to nourish, 91. 
 
 lehovah, see Jesus. 
 
INDEX 
 
 691 
 
 Jesus, see also Christ. 
 Jesus, eternal, 39. 
 
 first born, 85. 
 
 is the Son, 85\ 
 
 teachers must believe in, 502. 
 
 teach story of to children, 370. 
 Judgment, use of judgment, 59. 
 
 Keys of Priesthood, distinction 
 
 between and priesthood, 168. 
 Kill, only for need, 334. 
 Kimball, Jleber C, 212. 
 
 tribute to, 246. 
 Kindliness, 332. 
 Kingdom of God, see Church. 
 Kingdom of God, is Church, 87. 
 
 to continue, 92. 
 Knowledge, is limited, 11. 
 
 of devil, 464. 
 
 of sin unnecessary, 467. 
 
 Labor, blessings obtained by, 
 296. 
 
 morals and, 430. 
 
 unions, 521, 522. 
 Language, use good, 333. 
 Latter-day Saints, see Saints. 
 Latter-day Saints, character of, 
 163. 
 
 are as leaven, 90. 
 
 Church in advance of, 131. 
 
 conduct of boys in army, 531. 
 
 covenants of, 132. 
 
 free people, 58. 
 
 good citizens, 518. 
 
 law-abiding, 114. 
 
 loyal to U. S., 512. 
 
 must be workers and thinkers, 
 140. 
 
 may know truth, 8. 
 
 message to boys in army, 
 535. 
 
 no cause for worry, 107. 
 
 possess spirit of salvation, 91. 
 
 requirements of, 326. 
 
 to serve God, 515. . 
 Latter-day work, God directs, 
 
 64. 
 
 Leaders, see Officers, Church. 
 Learning, ever learning, 427. 
 Lesser Priesthood, see Priest- 
 hood. 
 
 Lesser Priesthood, 234, 
 
 be active, 233. 
 Life, 333. 
 
 Life hereafter, see Future Life. 
 Life hereafter, 540, 542. 
 
 our relation to, 540. 
 Life, main purpose of, 338. 
 
 not destroy wantonly, 333. 
 
 the test of, 86. 
 Light, let shine, 106. 
 Lincoln, 39. 
 Love, gospel message of, 114. 
 
 your enemies, 421. 
 
 govern family by, 393. 
 
 one another, 4^5. 
 Loyalty of Church, 518. 
 
 United States proud of, 512. 
 Luther, 39, 500. 
 
 Man, broad as Gospel, 150. 
 
 cause versus, 90. 
 
 destiny of, 77. 
 
 dual being, 337. 
 
 eternal spirit, 40. 
 
 eternally responsible, 27. 
 
 experiences like God's, 78. 
 
 God and, 64. 
 
 God inspires, 75. 
 
 God's will to exalt, 66. 
 
 greatest achievement, 4. 
 
 his three conditions, 20. 
 
 honor himself, 321. 
 
 an immortal being, 86. 
 
 love one another, 425. 
 
 master of appetite, 300. 
 
 to be master, 311. 
 
 origin and destiny, 114. 
 
 personal advancement helps 
 Church, 131. 
 
 possibilities, 83. 
 
 respect rights, 354. 
 
 settlement of difficulties, 53. 
 Male, and female in heaven, 346. 
 Manual training, 434. 
 Marriage, 129, 341. 
 
 eternal, 347. 
 
 God-ordained, 341. 
 
 none in heaven, 350. 
 
 necessity of, 341. 
 
 plural forbidden, 351. 
 
 purpose of, 347. 
 
 righteousness and, 343. 
 
692 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Marriage, within Church, 350. 
 
 Master, man to be, 311 
 Mechanic arts, 435. 
 Melanchthon, 39, 500. 
 Melcfyizedek Priesthood, res- 
 toration of, 236. 
 Members, checks upon, 205. 
 Messiah craze, 473. 
 Ministering angels, 548. 
 .Misfortune not caused by God, 
 
 69. 
 
 Missionaries, advice to, 454. 
 all men not ready for gospel, 
 
 450. 
 
 care of returned, 462. 
 caution to, 460. 
 duty when called, 463. 
 elders as, 230. 
 guard health, 461. 
 how called, 444. 
 kind wanted, 445. 
 people generous to, 453. 
 qualifications of, 445, 446. 
 requirements of, 444. 
 to teach, 447. 
 what to teach, 447. 
 Word of Wisdom, 457. 
 work for returned, 463. 
 Mob, danger of, 521. 
 shun spirit of, b^v. 
 Morals, and laoor, 430. 
 "Mormonism," defined, 87. 
 Mortality, how rise above weak- 
 ness of, 264. 
 Moderation, 300, 305. 
 Mortgage, do not mortgage 
 
 home, 374, 382. 
 evils of, 384. 
 Mother, her love, 395. 
 Motherhood, foundation of na- 
 tion, 361. 
 
 Mutual Improvement Associa- 
 tions, see Young Men's 
 'Mutual Improvement Associa- 
 tions, see Young Ladies' 
 Mutual Improvement Asso- 
 ciations. 
 
 Mutual Improvement Associa- 
 tions, importance of, 487. 
 purpose of, 491. 
 
 Nationality, none in Church, 
 
 141, 511. 
 Nation, foundation of, 361. 
 
 God strives with warring, 530. 
 Neglects, correct our, 281. 
 Neighbor, honor your, 321. 
 
 how to love, 339. 
 Nephite apostles, 475. 
 Neutrals, none in Church, 142. 
 
 Obedience, 129, 263. 
 
 blessings from, 272. 
 
 to ordinances indispensable, 
 265. 
 
 value of, 267. 
 
 Occupation, how to prepare 
 for, 336. 
 
 most desirable, 429. 
 Officers, Church see Leaders. 
 Officers, all necessary, 204. 
 
 dependent on people, 197. 
 
 duties of, 190, 193. 
 
 how chosen, 188. 
 
 order of vote for, 197. 
 
 Consult parents about chil- 
 dren, 201. 
 
 qualities of, 191. 
 
 to set example, 195. 
 One Mighty and Strong, 477. 
 Ordinance, see Baptism, etc. 
 Ordinance, obedience to indis- 
 pensable, 265. 
 
 sanctity of, 177. 
 Organization, necessity of, 185. 
 
 Parents, in eternity, 79. 
 
 consult, 201. 
 
 duties of, 364. 
 
 relation to children, 342. 
 
 responsible for children, 359. 
 
 of spirits, 85. 
 
 Partisan, Church not, 517. 
 Patent Medicines, 30Z 
 Patriarch, duties of, 225. 
 Patriotism, importance of, 517. 
 
 true, 516. 
 Peace, key to, 529. 
 
 when to come, 525. 
 People determine officers, 197. 
 Perfection, 163. 
 
 Persecution, follows revelation, 
 57. 
 
INDEX 
 
 693 
 
 Persistence, 165. 
 Personal blessings, 635. 
 Personal testimonies, 635. 
 Philosophers, inspired by God, 
 
 39. 
 
 Philosophy, 48, 295. 
 Plan of Life, 88. 
 Flan of Salvation, eternal na- 
 ture of, 13. 
 Pleasure hunting, 404. 
 Pledge, do not p. children, 373. 
 
 of my life, 639. 
 Plural marriage forbidden, 351. 
 
 wives of Joseph Smith, 619. 
 Political Government, 503. 
 Politics, and the Church, 519. 
 
 Church not in, 519. 
 Poor, see Charity and lathing. 
 Poor, 282. 
 
 place in Church, 296. 
 
 stfiould be tithe-payers, 289. 
 Prayer, 269, 273, 274. 
 
 blessings follow, 281. 
 
 for authorities, 279. 
 
 how to pray, 275. 
 
 practical, 276. 
 Preexistence, 14, 114. 
 Preside, who fit to 206. 
 President of Church, authority 
 of, 219. 
 
 all under his direction, 217. 
 
 divine missions of, ^il. 
 
 inspired, 213. 
 Presiding authority, father in 
 
 family, 359. 
 
 Presiding Bishopric, 222. 
 Presiding officers, authority of, 
 230. 
 
 composition, 478. 
 Priesthood, 168. 
 
 all officers necessary, 204. 
 
 all should exercise authority, 
 208. 
 
 authority of, 218. 
 
 blessing upon, 224. 
 
 conferring of, 169. 
 
 definition and purpose of, 174. 
 
 distinction between keys and, 
 168. 
 
 duty of, 196. 
 
 explanation of, 181. 
 
 Priesthood, greater than its of- 
 fices, 184. 
 
 held alone by Joseph, 55. 
 
 how authority administered, 
 186. 
 
 how honor, 207. 
 
 its offices, 216. 
 
 jurisdiction of quorums, 188. 
 
 keys held by Joseph alone, 
 55. 
 
 keys of, 176. 
 
 Ljesser, 234. 
 
 Lesser, be active, 233. 
 
 many hold, 198. 
 
 membership rolls, 207. 
 
 mission of, 174. 
 
 mlust be called; to preside, 
 217. 
 
 nearly all hold, 197. 
 
 obligations of, 206. 
 
 order of, 215. 
 
 order of presidency, 179. 
 
 presiding authority, 178. 
 
 privileged to bless, 182. 
 
 responsibilities of quorums, 
 199. 
 
 serious acceptance of, 185. 
 
 sanctity of ordinances, 177. 
 
 study Section 107, 205. 
 
 truth will unite, 195. 
 
 use of titles, 203. 
 
 vote in, 196. 
 
 what it is, 199, 173. 
 Principles of the Gospel, not 
 
 new, 36. 
 Profanity, 303. 
 Prohibtion, 302. 
 
 Prosperity, foundation of, 443. 
 Purity, see Unchastit\. 
 Purity, 390. 
 
 Church stands for, 192. 
 
 Question, when to submit, 223. 
 Quorum, see Priesthood. 
 Quorum, responsibility of, 199. 
 
 Raffling, 407. 
 
 gambling, 410. 
 Reading, 295, 407. 
 Recomp :nse, the law of, 468. 
 Redeemer, see Jesus. 
 Redeemer, I know he lives, 80, 
 84, 642. 
 
694 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Redemption^ toeyorwi Igrave, 
 550. 
 
 vision of dead, 596. 
 Relief Society, 179. 
 
 duties of, 482. 
 
 duty and purpose of, 484. 
 
 object of, 483. 
 
 purpose of, 482. 
 Religion, be true to, 322. 
 
 fruits of true, 90. 
 
 spirit of, 152. 
 Religion Classes, purpose and 
 
 duties of, 502. 
 
 Religious, not naturally, 148. 
 Repentance, 123. 
 
 change with, 117. 
 
 fallacy of death-bed, 116. 
 Responsibility, man's eternal, 
 
 personal, 84. 
 
 Rest, for followers of Christ, 
 155. 
 
 God's, 71. 
 
 Resurrected beings parents, 85. 
 Resurrection, 29, 85, 547, 564, 
 577, 584. 
 
 condition of children, 569. 
 
 final judgment, 566. 
 
 status of children, 574. 
 Retreat from evil, 468. 
 Revelation, 128. 
 
 enjoyed by all, 43. 
 
 legal evidence and, 49. 
 
 modern necessary, 45. 
 
 new, 43. 
 
 persecution follows, 57. 
 
 proper channels for, 50. 
 
 theory and divine, 47. 
 
 value of, 42. 
 
 when expect new, 46. 
 Righteousness and marriage, 
 343. 
 
 will prevail, 5. 
 Rights, respect others', 354. 
 Reward, according to works, 
 
 155. 
 Rule, God's right to, 66. 
 
 Sabbath, see Sunday. 
 Sabbath, 300, 303. 
 don't rob, 310. 
 
 Sabbath, keep holy, 307. 
 
 meaning of, 304. 
 
 purpose of, 304. 
 
 what do on, 304. 
 Sacrament, 252. 
 Saints, see Latter-day Saints. 
 Salvation, see Plan of salvation. 
 Salvation, 538. 
 
 spirit of, 91. 
 
 spiritual and temporal, 260. 
 Saloon, 301. 
 Saturday's work, 303. 
 Save, mission of Church, 88. 
 School, address to graduates, 
 334. 
 
 need manual training, 432. 
 Science, 48. 
 
 defined, 6. 
 Search, 151. 
 Secret societies, 135. 
 Secret organizations, 134. 
 Seventy, duties of, 228, 229. 
 
 how to replenish quorums, 
 
 229. 
 Sick, order of administration to, 
 
 256. 
 
 Singing, 324. 
 Sin, degrees of sexual, 388. 
 
 how cleansed, 116. 
 
 knowledge of, unnecessary, 
 467. 
 
 mpardonable, 545. 
 
 washed away by atonement, 
 
 120. 
 
 Smith, Hyrum, meaning of mar- 
 tyrdom, 620. 
 Smith, Joseph, 39, 604. 
 
 Joseph, the boy, 617. 
 
 Joseph, meaning of martyr- 
 dom, 620. 
 
 a resource, 619. 
 
 Joseph, name will not perish, 
 605. 
 
 Joseph, plural wives of, 619. 
 
 Joseph, prediction fulfilled, 
 614. 
 
 Joseph, reality of first vision 
 
 of, 604. 
 
 Joseph will reveal himself, 52. 
 Joseph restorer, 619. 
 
 service of, 604. 
 
 testimony about, 210. 
 
INDEX 
 
 695 
 
 Smith, Joseph F., an appre- 
 ciation, 644. 
 
 a biographical sketch, 666. 
 
 editorial on his death and life, 
 683. 
 
 reminiscences, 655. 
 Snow, Erastus, tribute to, 249. 
 Snow, Lorenzo, 212. 
 Social duties, 402. 
 Soul, test of greatness, 332. 
 Spirit, memories, 15. 
 
 needs food, 262. 
 
 preexistence of, 114. 
 Spirit of God vs. Holy Ghost, 
 
 82. 
 Spirit world, laDors in, 581. 
 
 preaching in, 595. 
 Spiritual death, 20, 544. 
 Spiritual gifts, 251. 
 Spiritual and temporal, 260. 
 Staines, W. C, 29. 
 Stake, jurisdiction, 189. 
 Stake Presidents, Counsel to, 
 225. 
 
 duties of, 225. 
 Stake Sunday School Board, 
 
 487. 
 
 Stephenson, 39. 
 Strong drinks, 301. 
 Study the gospel, 323. 
 Success, defined, 152. 
 Sunday, see Sabbath. 
 Sunday, need of worship, 305. 
 Sunday School, how to teach, 
 368. 
 
 object of, 485. 
 
 principle of teaching, 485. 
 
 qualification of teachers, 485. 
 
 Stake Board, 487. 
 
 teacher essential, 485. 
 
 training of children, 367. 
 Superstitions, 470, 472. 
 Sympathize;, with unfortunate, 
 294. 
 
 Tasks, respect daily, 358. 
 
 Taylor, John, 212. 
 
 Teach, what, 366. 
 
 Teacher, dignity of calling, 235. 
 
 beware of false, 466. 
 
 essential in Sunday School 
 485. 
 
 Teacher, must believe in Christ, 
 502. 
 
 principle of Sunday School, 
 485. 
 
 qualification for Sunday 
 School, 485. 
 
 value of work, 236. 
 Temperance, 300, 301, 305. 
 Temple, care and need of, 594. 
 
 ordinances unchanged, 593. 
 Temporal death, 20. 
 Temporal, gospel designed for, 
 261. 
 
 and spiritual, 260. 
 
 nothing, with God, 85. 
 
 spiritual and, 260. 
 Terror, gospel shield from, 109. 
 Testimony, see Faith. 
 Testimony, 158, 636, 638, 641, 
 643. - 
 
 how to acquire, 158. 
 
 personal, 635. 
 
 purpose of bearing, 258. 
 
 use of, 257. 
 Theory, 47. 
 Thinkers, Latter-day Saints 
 
 must be, 140. 
 
 Time, cease to waste, 295. 
 Tithe-payers, books open to, 
 293 
 
 a Church help, 289. 
 Tithing, 282. 
 
 commercialism and, 291. 
 
 how used and accounted -for, 
 293. 
 
 law of revenue, 283. 
 
 test a, 283. 
 
 use of, 291. 
 
 why instituted, 282. 
 
 widow and, 286, 289. 
 Tobacco, 301. 
 True to family, 353. 
 Truth, 1. 
 
 blessings for, 12. 
 
 Church stands for, 192. 
 
 foundation of gospel, 1. 
 
 from God, 6. 
 
 gospel on foundation of, 112. 
 
 how foundation laid, 9. 
 
 how may know, 8. 
 
 man saved by, 2. 
 
 not superseded, 3. 
 
696 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Truth, the fountain of, 36, 497. 
 
 why hated, 464. 
 
 will prevail, 5. 
 
 will unite, 19,5. 
 
 Twelve anostles, labors in spirit 
 world, 581. 
 
 Unchastity, see Purity. 
 Unchastity, danger of, 392. 
 
 degrees of, 388. 
 
 dominant evil, 386. 
 
 how avoid, 2^3. 
 Unfortunate, respect, 355. 
 
 should sympathize with, 294. 
 Unions, see Labor unions. 
 United States, loyalty to Con- 
 stitution, 512. 
 
 loyalty of Saints, 512. 
 
 origin and destiny, 512. 
 
 Saints loyal to, 512. 
 Unpardonable Sin, 545. 
 Untruth, where to expect it, 466. 
 Utah, guided to, 515. 
 
 possibilities of, 630. 
 
 Venerate, 355. 
 
 Violence, shun spirit of, 520. 
 Virtue, Church stands for, 192. 
 Vision, redemption of dead, 
 
 596. 
 V'tality and patent medicines, 
 
 302. 
 Vote, how in Church, 196. 
 
 order of, 197. * 
 
 Vulgarity, 303. 
 
 War, attitude towards, 524. 
 
 cause of, 523. 
 
 conduct o7 boys in, 531. 
 
 God strives with nations, 530. 
 
 message to boys in, 535. 
 Ward, relation to auxiliary or- 
 ganizations. 480. 
 
 jurisdiction, 189. 
 Warfare, God's, 71. 
 Washington, 39, 500. 
 Waste, 295. 
 Watts, 39. 
 
 Weakness, how rise above, 264. 
 Y\ ealth, 144. 
 West, guided to, 515. 
 Wicked, keep from, 426. 
 Wife, and husband in eternity, 
 392. 
 
 be true to, 353. 
 
 determines husband, 363. 
 
 treatment of family members, 
 
 355. 
 
 Wisdom in everything, 305. 
 Witchcraft, 470, 472. 
 Woodruff, Wilford, 212. 
 Women, practical preparation 
 
 of, 439. 
 Word of Wisdom, 305. 
 
 missionaries and, 457. 
 Work of Lord will grow, 92. 
 Workers, Latter-day Sain is 
 
 must be, 140. 
 
 World, not love Church, 425. 
 Worry, no cause for, 1'07. 
 Wounds, not inflict, 331. 
 
 Young, Brigham, 211. 
 
 testimony to, 628. 
 Young Ladies' Mutual Im- 
 provement Associations,' see 
 Mutual Improvement As- 
 sociations see Young Men's 
 Mutual Improvement Asso- 
 ciations. 
 
 Young Ladies' Mutual Im- 
 provement Association, 179. 
 order of presiding, 180. 
 Young. Men's Mutual Imorove- 
 ment Associations, sec 
 Mutual Improvement As- 
 sociations see Young Ladies' 
 Mutual Improvement' Asso- 
 ciations. 
 
 Young Men's Mutual Improve- 
 ment Association, 179. 
 field of, 488. 
 
 order of presiding, 180. 
 Youth, address to, 334. 
 
 look forward, 400. 
 Zion, no place for idlers, 296. 
 to remain, 92. 
 

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