Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy. BY GEORGE D. KIRBY. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men , but, within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (Matt. 23: 28). Just prior to the crucifixion of the Savior, he made a scath- ing denunciation of the Pharisees in which, among other things, he gave utterance to the above sentence. This whole chapter of Matthew is a stern rebuke to the hypocrite, and Christ's teachings to his disciples about this time were a continuous warning to beware of those who appeared "outwardly beautiful as whited sepulchers, but who within were full of dead men's bones." They were false spirits and their mission was to deceive. That which I have referred to above occurred in the year 33, the year in which the Christ was crucified, and we find God, seven- teen hundred and ninety-eight years later, giving his Church the same counsel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, ending with a warning which all men will do well to remember, ' 'Let every man beware lest he do that which is not in truth and righteousness before me" (Doctrine and Covenants 50: 9). The faithful are those who listen not to the hypocrite, but endure to the end, either in life or death, and they will inherit eternal life as their reward; but deceivers and hypocrites are deceiving themselves as well as others, and will be brought to judgment and condemned. Of course, some have been innocently and ignorantly deceived, and the Lord has said that they shall be reclaimed; but how much better it will be for us always to act in truth and righteousness, giving heed to the Lord and his teachings, rather than to the

HYPOCRISY. 43 hollow mockery of the hypocrites. How much better to avoid the necessity of proving, on the day of judgment, that we have been misled through ignorance! Notwithstanding there are many false spirits among us, there is much truth in the world, and this truth is broadening and will one day encompass the whole world, in accordance with the divine plan of God; but there is much to do before that condition is reached. "The harvest is great and the laborers few," and these few must not only teach the truth, but must denounce and wipe out the sophistry of the emissaries of Satan — the hypocrites. In order to accomplish this end, which will be accomplished in due time, of course, men must be continually on their guard. Elder 0. F. Whitney, in his epic poem, Elias, has this to say: Be not beguiled: not what men think and say, But what God sees and knows, is what avails. Men will be and are continually called upon to decide what is mere sophistry and what is truth; but if they have the proper spirit within them, they will not be led far astray. But, alas, so many do not possess the spirit they should. There is a tendency among the Saints to disregard, more or less, the teachings which are given them. If they live according to their best knowledge, there would be no saloons among us; there would be no use for tea and coffee and tobacco; there would be less of a craze for amuse- ment; our meetinghouses would be so crowded as to require larger ones; new temples would have to be erected in order to satisfy the demands for work for the dead; no difficulty would be experienced in getting plenty of missionaries to preach the gospel to the world; and there would be a spirit of forgiveness and faith such as few people have ever felt. Why do we not always live according to our highest convic- tions, and the light of the gospel? Is it because we have not been blessed of the Lord? No, it is not. Is it, then, because there is a degree of hypocrisy and deceit among us? When our enemies charge us with this and kindred qualities, there may be too much truth in the charges. And yet it is not a great deal that the Lord has required of us, and it is, moreover, of the highest benefit to us. But instead of doing all that he has required us to do, we

44 IMPROVEMENT ERA. choose often to stoop to petty sins that deprive us of blessings in this life and the other. We are too susceptible altogether to the influences that sur- round us. The Lord has commanded us to come out of Babylon; yet some follow after her in theories and fashions. We affiliate with those who would do us injury, adopt their ideas, and follow their practices. When will we leave off this? Instead of leading, we are led. In too many households of the world we see poodle dogs, pussy cats, birds and other things, that can be teth- ered by a string in order that mothers may attend clubs, etc., whereas, mothers should be rearing children and training them in the fear of God. The Latter-day Saints should see to it that these evil practices are not adopted by them. Some one has said, "The most deceived man is the one who deceives himself." I am reminded of the story of the Brooklyn woman who possesses a model servant in all respects, except that she is none too truthful. Lately the mistress has been using all her eloquence to make Nora see the error of her deceitfulness, but she had to own herself beaten when Nora, with a beaming Irish smile, turned to her, and in a most cajoling tone said, "Sure now, mum, an' wot de ye suppose the power of desavin' was given us for?" But, brethren, whatever we really are, that let us be in all fearlessness. Whatever we are not, that let us cease striving to seem to be— and we will be better citizens, better friends, and bet- ter candidates for the kingdom of God. Sugar City, Idaho. The Philosophy of Opposition. "in the making of a man, power is born of opposition; struggle begets strength; resistance provokes vigor of body and of spirit, the very obstacles to progress make progress possible. . . . Wherever resistance is overcome, limitations removed, or difficulties transferred into advantages, there is a conquest of character, and the growth of a larger soul in the process of appropriating to itself a larger world." John Grier Hibben, Atlantic Monthly.

MISSIONARIES OFgTHE BROOKLYN PONPEKEXCE, EASTERN STyiTES MISSION. Taken just before the Brooklyn and New York Conferences were joined.