Character, Mettle and Mission of the Latter-day Saints

IMPROVEMENT ERA. Vol. XIII. , OCTOBER, 1910. No. 12. Character, Mettle and Mission of the Latter-day Saints.* BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH. I consider it a great honor to have the privilege of being associated, in the work of mutual improvement, with such a body of intelligent people as are assembled here this afternoon. I desire to express to you, my brethren and sisters engaged in this glorious cause, my heartfelt gratitude and feeling of thankfulness for the interest that you manifest in your attendance at this con- ference, and otherwise in the cause of human redemption. You cannot be engaged, it seems to me, in a better work than this in which you are engaged as teachers, instructors and leaders among the youth of Zion, and the children of the people among whom we dwell. I feel impelled to say, that notwithstanding the refer- ences that we have heard to the misdeeds of some, to the falling of individuals into error, sin and transgression against the laws of life, health and morality, and against all the laws of God and of human propriety, I believe — and I think my ground is good for such belief — that there is not another people of the same magni- tude, surrounded by the same environments, circumstances and

• An address before the M. I. A. Annual Conference, in the Taber- nacle, Salt Lake City, June 5, 1910.

10U IMPROVEMENT ERA. temptations, that can produce as large a percentage of upright- ness, of purity, honesty, virtue and honor as this people can do. I would like to proclaim that thought and truth to the world, that they may know the truth, for it is the truth. Duty of the Saints and their Leaders as Persistent Teachers. 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 disci- ples, in which he required that they should be perfect, even as their Father 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 principles of life and salvation. The duty of the Latter-day Saints, and the para- mount duty of those who are leaders in this work of mutual improvement in the Church, is to inculcate 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 acknowledge his hand in all things. When we look at the imperfections of our fellow-beings, some of the inclinations of those with whom we are intimately associated in the various or- ganizations of the Church, and discern in them their natural prone- ness 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 sacrei than life itself, it makes the task seem almost discouraging, and it seems impossible for us to accomplish 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.

CHARACTER AND MISSION OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. 1055 But what shall we do? Shall we quit because there are those with whom we come in contact who are not willing 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 mankind, 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, 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 indi- vidual, or a number of individuals that we are seeking to benefit, to uplift, to purify, to get into their hearts the principles of just- ice, of righteousness, of virtue and of honor, that would fit them to inherit the kingdom of God; to associate 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 should be unknown to all the workers in the Sunday schools, in the Mutual Improve- ment 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 from 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 according 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. The Purpose We Have in View. 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. What

1056 IMPROVEMENT ERA. is it? What do I have in my mind to accomplish? This may be considered selfish, but, first of all, the paramount desire of my heart is that I may, by the help of my God, save myself; that I, by the help of God, may be worthy, eventually, to be exalted in the kingdom of God. Next to it, and equal to it— for that also is as necessary to my salvation and happiness as is my own salvation — is that those whom God has given to me, whom he has placed in my care, over whom he has made me guardian and responsible, that these may be worthy to be saved and exalted in the king- dom of God. Then, reaching out to my neighbor and to my asso- ciates, and to all my fellow-members in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for they come next. We are bound together in the bond of the new and everlasting covenant. We are children of the same covenant. We are born of the same mother — the water of baptism. We have come out from that watery grave unto a newness of life and unto a forgiveness of sins. Thus you and I, who have been born again, are born of the same mother, and are endowed with the same spirit from on high. Then my sympathy goes out to you next. My earnest desire is that you shall do your duty. Next to myself, and those immediately connected or united with me by the bonds of the new and ever- lasting covenant, come the people of God. Then what? Then the dead that have died without a knowledge of the truth. Their sal- vation is necessary. Our condition here is not perfect. Neither can we become perfect without them; neither can they be made perfect without us, according to the revelations of God to the world in the latter- days. And then who? Then to the strangers abroad in the world, and all the sons and daughters of God in every part of the earth, that the gospel may be sent to them, that they may be taught the words of life and salvation, the words of truth and righteousness, faith in God, love for God, faith in the divine mission of the Lord Jesus Christ, faith in his atone- ment for the sins of the world, faith in his resurrection from the dead, by which every son and daughter of Adam shall be brought forth from their sleeping dust, and shall live again, their identities being preserved, just as truly as the identity of the Son of God was preserved, who was not suffered to see corruption. These are truths that I believe in; that we ought to teach;

CHARACTER AND MISSION OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. 1057 that we ought to live and obey; and we, every man and woman of us, should be watchmen and watchwomen upon the towers of Zion, seeking to ameliorate the conditions of those who are under the bonds of sin and darkness. We should seek to bring them to the marvelous light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that they with us, if we are faithful, may walk in the light of Christ, as he is in the light, that we may have fellowship with him, and his blood shall cleanse us from all sin. The Mission of Jesus Christ and His Prophet Joseph Smith. It is the duty of the Latter-day Saints, the duty of these aux- iliary 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 for- get it. Do not let him perish out of your thoughts and minds. Remember that the Lord God 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 condemn the works of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as they did ridicule and make light of and condemn the mission of the Christ, and yet with all their condemnation, their scoffing, their ridicule, their contempt and murderous persecution 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 conceal- ment and into exile, time and again, because they sought his life; he that was charged with doing good by the power of Satan; he that was charged with violating 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, smote 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

1058 IMPROVEMENT ERA. — 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 cost so much, 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 representative, 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, 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 of people, 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 the gospel to them, so is Hyrum Smith, so is Brigham Young, and so are all the faithful apostles that lived in this dispen- sation 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 did 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 hence as he did. I am not going to question that thought, at least, not dispute it. I leave it in the hand of God, for I believe that all these things will be over-

CHARACTER AND MISSION OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. 1059 ruled for good, for the Lord will suffer nothing to go to his people in the world that he will not over-rule eventually for their greater good. The Sacredness of Home. Now, I did not expect to speak so long to you, and I do not in- tend to speak much longer. I hope you will remember the sugges- tions that have been made. Sister Tingey has preached to us one of the purest of gospel sermons, and we have had a number of excel- lent gospel sermons during these meetings, this forenoon and this afternoon. Brethren and sisters, let us remember them. I trust, especially, that you will cherish in your souls the thought that there is no other place in the world that should be so attractive, so desirable, so peaceful and so lovely to us and to our children as our homes. God should be our partner there. The Spirit of the Lord should dwell with us in our homes; and by the aid of the good spirit that comes from the Lord we should be able to banish from our homes all jealousy, all anger, all disputation, all lack of confidence one in another. We should be united. It should be a place where love abounds— the love of God; the pure love of the husband to his wife; the pure and unselfish love of the wife to her husband ; the pure and indestructible love of the par- ents for the children; and the filial love of the children to the par- ents. This love for each other should find lodgment, should find joy, existence or being forever, in the precincts of that sacred place we call home — where mother is, where the children are born, where the parents live, where the children nestle to their par- ents. 0 my soul! what is there that should be more sacred to us? What is there that should be kept more pure, holy, spotless, or sinless than that place we call home? Why should a man quar- rel with his family at home? Why should a woman quarrel with her husband or the children in their home? Why should there be dissatisfaction, misunderstandings, lack of confidence or lack of love, one for another, in our homes? 0 I do not see how such things can be! And yet, sometimes they come. Sometimes they come because the husband is not altogether thoughtful of the rights of his wife. Sometimes they come because the wife is not altogether thoughtful of the circumstances and conditions under

1060 IMPROVEMENT ERA. which her husband is laboring. Misunderstandings arise, and these little difficulties come about in a moment of thoughtlessness or forgetfulness, perhaps, when we do not realize, or when we cease to realize, that this is my wife; this is the mother of my children; this is my home; here is the duelling place of my chil- dren— my sons and my daughters. They forget that. They let that thought escape their minds. A word of anger is spoken, and, like a spark to the powder can, everything is exploded at once. We ought to know better than that. We ought to have lived longer than to submit to such things as that. Save the Sinners Who Sit in Darkness. And remember, too, that we are not to call the righteous to repentance, but to save men who are in darkness. We are to save the sinners, if we can — that is, we can't save them, but we can point out the way by which they can save themselves, with the help of the Lord. That is our duty. We must so live that our example, and precept as well, shall tend always to bring men to reflection, and eventually to conviction, that we are at least sin- cere in our religion and faith, and that it is good to imitate our example. Let our light so shine that others may see our good works and be inclined to come and glorify our Father who is in heaven. Character of the Latter-day Saints. A good deal could be said, but I realize that I am encroach- ing on the time. God bless the Mutual Improvement Associations. I feel in my soul— and I do not want to sit down till I say it again — that I am standing before as good a people, and, without boast- ing, I believe a better people than can be found anywhere else in the world. In saying this, however, I do not do it in the Pharisaic- al spirit that was illustrated by our Savior of old. I do not say it in the spirit of the one who said, "I thank thee, 0 Lord, that I am not as other men." I say, in the spirit of humility and grati- tude and thankfulness to the Lord, that I am looking upon people who devote their time, who give their talents, their faith, their means and their efforts to the benefit of the youth of Zion, for the good of Israel. Therefore, I feel that I am justified in saying that