Humility with Power

HUMILITY WITH POWER. BY ATTEWALL WOOTTON.

The genuine Christian spirit is the spirit of humility; without this, that true charity that Paul so beautifully describes has no safe foundation upon which to rest. There can be no arrogance in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this lit- tle child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." But, asks one, "Is not pride necessary to excellence?" Yes, that pride which scorns to stoop to an ignoble deed, to speak an unbecom- ing word, to think an unvirtuous thought; that pride which leads man to excel, not to excel his fellows, but to excel his former self, that pride which says I am wiser than I was yesterday, I am stronger than I was last week, I am better than I was last month, I am pos- sessed of more charity and love for my fellow men than I had last year; that pride which looks down, not with contempt, but with a desire to uplift, and looks up, not with envy, but for examples to follow. Christ is the great exemplar of humility, and his life and

teachings were in perfect accord. The were often ad- disciples monished to be humble and look not to the honors of men; in this connection, he said, "For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Pride of office should have no place in the Church of Christ, and only he who is willing to serve in the humblest capacity is worthy to be placed in positions of trust. He that is not governable is not fit

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to govern his fellows. The tradition of ages has firmly fixed on the minds of the people that office so dignifies a person that it is something to be sought after, but in the Church of Christ the office should find the man, and not the man the office. The officer-seeker is generally the most unfitted for the position, for he seeks it, not that he may do honor to the office, but that it may do honor to him. The Prophet Joseph Smith says, "We have learned by sad exper- ience, that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will im- mediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion." How differ- ent is that spirit from the teachings of our Savior! When there was a strife among his disciples as to which of them should be ac- counted the greatest, he told them, "The kings of the Gentiles ex- ercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is

chief as he that doth serve." An insatiable desire for office and the honors that are supposed to attach to it, have caused the down- fall and apostasy of numbers of prominent men in the early history

of The Church in this dispensation, and the same cause will produce the same effect in all cases and at all times. Every man who is called out of the world and has taken upon him the name of Christ should fit him self, through faith, humility, prayer, and study, to fill any place of responsibility to which he may be called, and he may be sure that the Lord will not lose sight of him, but, through the instrumentality of his inspired servants, the Lord will place every man in the position he is best prepared and qualified to fill. A man can be placed in no more dangerous position than upon a pinnacle where he is liable to become dizzy, and the greater the height and the more sudden the elevation, the greater is the danger of falling. A calling in the Priesthood is a sacred trust, an account of which will have to be rendered, and well will it be for him who uses it in humility with an eye single to the glory of God. All who are called to positions of responsibility should ever bear in mind the following beautiful passages from the Prophet Joseph Smith, Doctrine and Covenants, section 121, paragraphs 34, 35, 36, 41 and 42:

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"Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? "Because theiF hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson "That the rights of the Priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteous- ness. "No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by vir- tue of the Priesthood, only by persuasion, by long suffering, by gentleness, and meekness, and by love unfeigned; "By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly en- large the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile."