To say I have been very much interested in the instructions that we
have had at this Conference is but faintly to express my feelings. We
have had much very excellent teaching, which we will do well to give
heed to. I cannot believe that the congregations that have attended
this Conference will cast lightly aside these teachings. Certain it is
that all the preaching that can be done by those who are most
competent, and most richly endowed with the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, will not benefit the people in the least, unless they will
receive it, and will realize that the counsels which are given are
designed expressly for themselves. It is not for us to say, "that does
not mean me," and "that applies to my neighbor;" or "that has
reference to the doings of so and so." We should each feel that the
instructions given have direct reference to ourselves individually;
that counsel or that commandment is for me, and it is for me, as a
individual, to put it into practice. This is the only course that will
benefit, and fit us for the responsibilities that will de volve upon us
in the future. It will not do for us to say—"If brother so and so, or
sister so and so, will observe and carry out that counsel, I shall be
satisfied to remain as I am." We cannot obtain blessings from God by
taking this course; the only way to secure them is by diligence on our
own part. When we are prepared, by our own works and diligence, to
receive the blessings that God has in store for the faithful; then,
and not till then, shall we receive them. It will not do for us to be
satisfied for our brother to prepare himself to receive the blessings
God has promised to his children, and to rest content with seeing him
receive the light of truth, the blessings of the Gospel, and manifest
a willingness to work righteousness in the earth. That will not reach
us, only so far as we adopt his course and follow his example.
This is how I look at the requirements which God has made upon his
people collectively and individually, and I do believe that I have no
claim upon God or upon my brethren for blessing, favor, confi dence or love, unless, by my works, I prove that I am worthy
thereof, and I never expect to receive blessings that I do not merit.
Who does? I do not know that anybody does, yet if we were to judge by
the actions of some, we must come to the conclusion that they are
satisfied by seeing others live their religion.
I love the society of the good, honorable and pure, of those who love
virtue and work righteousness. To associate and be numbered with such
and to have my portion and my lot with them in this life, and to live
so that I can secure that association in the life to come, throughout
the countless ages of eternity. I take no pleasure in the society of
the wicked, for this reason—the pleasures of the wicked will cease and
be forgotten, and the wicked will die and will not be regretted, their
names will be cast out from the presence of God and from the things of
the righteous forever and ever. I, therefore, want no part with them,
but I want to cast my lot with those who are securing to themselves
eternal riches and happiness. To obtain these blessings I must be
found walking in their footsteps and following their examples,
otherwise I shall come short.
This is how I understand the principles of the Gospel and the work we
are engaged in. It is an individual work. You and I must secure the
blessings of eternal lives for ourselves, through obedience and the
mercy of God. We have the volition of our own wills and we can choose
evil or good, the society of the wicked or that of the good; we can
enlist under the banner of Christ, or under that of Belial. We have
this option, and can do whichever we choose. Therefore we must look
well to our ways, and see that we choose the right course, and build
upon a foundation that will not wash away. We have got to learn to
stand or fall for ourselves, male and female. It is true that we are
taught in the principles of the Gospel that man is the head of the
woman, and Christ is the head of the man; and according to the order
that is established in the kingdom of God, it is the duty of the man
to follow Christ, and it is the duty of the woman to follow the man in
Christ, not out of him.
But has not a woman the same volition that the man has? Can she not
follow or disobey the man as he can follow or disobey Christ?
Certainly she can, she is responsible for her acts, and must answer
for them. She is endowed with intelligence and judgment, and will
stand upon her own merits as much so as the man. That is why the
brethren, during this Conference, have been teaching the sisters that
they must refrain from the fashions of Babylon. They must use their
own judgment and agency as to whether they will obey this counsel or
not. If they will not obey it, they will be responsible as much as the
men are responsible for their acts. The man is responsible for the
woman only so far as she is influenced by, or is obedient to, his
counsels. Christ is responsible for the man so far as the man walks in
obedience to the laws and commandments he has given, but no further,
and so far will his atoning blood redeem and cleanse from sin; so far
as they obey them will the principles of eternal life revealed in the
Gospel have effect upon the souls of men, so also with women. So
sisters, do not flatter yourselves that you have nothing to answer for
so long as you may have a good husband. You must be obedient.
Obe dience is the first law of heaven. Without it the elements
could not be controlled. Without it neither the earth nor those who
dwell upon it could be controlled. The angels in heaven would not be
controlled without it, and in fact without obedience there could be no
union or order, and chaos and confusion would prevail. When we are
obedient we may be guided to the accomplishment of all that is
required of us by our heavenly Father, for it is on this principle
that the designs and purposes of God are accomplished. The elements
are obedient to his word. He said, "Let there be light and there was
light." He commanded the land and the waters to be divided, and it was
so. When Christ commanded the storm to be still, and the sea to be
calm, the elements were obedient to him. The earth, and all the worlds
which God has made are obedient to the laws of their creation, for
this reason there are peace, harmony, union, increase, power, glory
and dominion, which could not exist without obedience. For the lack of
obedience the whole world today lies in sin, for except the little
existing among this people, obedience cannot be found on the face of
the earth. Go to the religions of the day, do you find obedience
manifested by the people? No, but you find man everywhere self-willed
and untractable, therefore confusion and anarchy reign. It is said in
the Scriptures that all things are possible with God; but he only
works in accordance with the principles by which he himself is
governed; and hence he cannot convince nations of the truth against
their will. As the poet says—
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—
Bless him with wisdom, love and light—
In nameless ways be good and kind,
But never force the human mind.
That is the way that God deals with man, therefore I say, he cannot
work with this generation. They have set him aside and made themselves
supreme. They have fulfilled the words of the prophet Paul when he
said, "That in the last days perilous times should come, for men shall
be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without
natural affections, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady,
highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form
of godliness, but denying the power thereof," &c.
No one could better describe the condition of this generation, and yet
light has come into the world, but it is rejected, and for this reason
the world lies in sin, and under condemnation. The people of God lie
under condemnation too, so far as they are disobedient to the counsels
of God's servants. We talk of obedience, but do we require any man or
woman to ignorantly obey the counsels that are given? Do the first
Presidency require it? No, never. What do they desire? That we may
have our minds opened and our understandings enlarged, that we may
comprehend all true principles for ourselves; then we will be easily
governed thereby, we shall yield obedience with our eyes open, and it
will he a pleasure for us to do so.
The Lord does not accept obedience from men except that which they
render cheerfully and gladly in their hearts, and that is all that is
desired by his servants. That is the obedience we ought to render, and
if we do not we are under condemnation.
What matters what the world say in regard to us? Nothing. What do I
care? Have I spent thirty years of life, with the opportunities that
have been afforded me, and am yet ignorant of the way of eternal life.
If I have, then I am to be pitied. "Why then," says the blasphemer, "do
you yield obedience to the servants of God?" Because it is meat and
drink to me to do so. Because it is for my safety and for my best
good. I ask no odds of the world. I have learned that it is the very
best thing that I can do, and I should be a fool indeed not to do that
which is for my best good. I intend to do it, and I do not care what
the world say about me.
I am sorry to say that there are some of those who profess to be
Latter-day Saints, who meet with the Saints on the Sabbath and partake
of the Sacrament, witnessing that they are willing to take upon them
the name of Christ, and to follow him through evil as well as good
report, and yet in their hearts they oppose the plans and projects of
those whom they pretend to upheld and sustain. I know and could call
the names of some of these men. Shame on them! I say, in the name of
manhood, come out and show your colors! Say you will not be obedient,
and cease to be hypocrites, cease lying in the presence of God, and
trying to deceive yourselves and your brethren. Tell us what you are,
take your stand where you belong, and do not deceive the unwary. You
cannot deceive those who have the Spirit of God, for they can discern
your hearts.
I love the cause of the Gospel. I love this people, because, of all
others on the face of the earth they have enlisted under the banner of
King Emanuel. They have covenanted with God to keep his com mandments,
and they are the most willing of any on the face of the earth to
hearken to God's inspired servants. I love them for this reason, and I
want to be identified with them, not only in time but throughout
eternity. Without them I would have no home, no friends. I want none
without them.
Let us keep the commandments and counsels that have been given to us,
let us not be hearers of the word only, but let us be doers of it as
well as hearers. Let us put away the foolish fashions of the world,
live up to the truth, and seek to find out God, whom to know is life
eternal. The road to this knowledge is obedience to his laws and to
the whisperings of the still small voice in our own hearts. That will
lead us into truth if we will hearken, and do not blunt the monitor
that is within us. Let us do our duty, and be for God and his kingdom.
Let our motto be—"The kingdom of God or nothing." Because in the
kingdom there is everything, and outside of it nothing at all. We
heard here, the other day, from the President, that the Gospel
embraces everything that is good and true or desirable to the pure in
heart. I have said that outside the kingdom of God there is nothing,
but there is something. What is it? Disappointment, sorrow, anguish
and death, and everything that will make us miserable; while
everything that is good, desirable and worth possessing eternally is
to be found only in the Gospel of Christ.
Says one, "Do not people who are not Latter-day Saints have a great
many blessings and enjoy a great many good things?" Certainly they do,
they enjoy gold, silver and worldly honors—they have a plentitude of
greenbacks, houses, lands, carriages, horses, luxury and ease. Dives had all these, in this world, while Lazarus crawled at his feet
and begged for the crumbs that fell from his table; but afterward
Dives lifted up his eyes in hell and saw Lazarus in Abraham's bosom
enjoying the good things that he had formerly possessed in the world,
and he begged Abraham to send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in
water to alleviate his parching tongue. But even this poor boon was
denied him, he being informed that there was an impassable gulf
between them; and said Abraham to Dives—(in effect), "When you were in
the flesh you had Moses and the Prophets, you had the Gospel preached
to you, but you rejected and refused to obey it. You had your good
portion and your enjoyments in the world, now you are denied them, they
are given to Lazarus." How long do the honors, wealth, and pleasures
of the worldling last? Until death claims him for its own, then he
ceases to enjoy them, because he has failed to secure his title to
them, they have not been sealed upon him by the authority of the
Priesthood of the Son of God, which has power to bind on earth and it
is bound in heaven. If they have wives and children, when death calls
them they are no longer theirs, because they have not been sealed unto
them by the power of God. They do not obey the truth, they do not
receive the ministrations of the Priesthood, and consequently they are
deprived, not only of their wealth, but of their wives and children.
We are not living only for the few miserable years that we spend on
this earth, but for that life which is interminable; and we desire to
enjoy every blessing throughout these countless ages of eternity, but
unless they are secured to us by that sealing power which was given to
the Apostle Peter by the Son of God, we cannot possess them. Unless we
secure them on that principle, in the life to come we shall have
neither father, mother, brother, sister, wife, children, nor friends,
nor wealth nor honor, for all earthly "contracts, covenants, bonds,
obligations, oaths, vows, connections, and associations," are
dissolved in the grave, except those sealed and ratified by the power
of God. It is said in the Scriptures that the earth and its fullness
are the Lord's, and that they are to be given to the Saints of the
Most High God, and they are to possess them forever and ever.
You know that those who have not faith in the Gospel call us exclusive
and uncharitable; they say—"You cast out all except those of your
faith." Then enroll yourselves under the banner of King Emanuel, to
whom the earth and its fullness belong, and when it shall be given to
the Saints of the Most High God, you will come in for your share, and
only in that way can you do so. Obedience to the Gospel of Christ is
the only way to secure blessings for the life that now is, or that
which is to come. We are not talking in parables, neither are we
ignorantly repeating the words of the ancient Apostles. Our
declarations are founded upon modern revelation and inspiration, and
we know whereof we speak. We know that angels have come to earth and
that God has spoken in our day, that he has raised up Apostles and
Prophets, restored the holy Priesthood, and shown himself to man and
revealed his truth to those who dwell on earth. We know these things,
it is this that makes us bold to declare it to the world. We are not
ashamed of it, because we know it is the power of God unto salvation.
May God help us, and all who love the truth, to keep an eye single to
his glory and to the building up of his kingdom on the earth, that we
may be among those who shall be counted worthy to possess the earth
and its fullness forever and ever, is my prayer in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
- Joseph F. Smith