Inspiration to a Greater Hope

Inspiration to a Greater Hope By George F. Richards, Jr. My apology for presenting this letter is the desire that its contents may inspire, to some degree, at least one soul to a greater hope — an increased faith. It was written to my wife's cousins, while I was engaged as a missionary in Great Britain a few years ago and soon after the death of a favorite son and brother — a world-war hero, on France's battlefield. We had be- come acquainted with our relatives only a short while pre- viously and had been entertained very bounteously under their hospitable roof. — G. F. R., Jr. My dear Kinsfolk: — It is now 5 am. Please do not think me presumptuous in writing you — and I feel that you will not, for it seems as if I had always known you — but I cried myself awake at four o'clock this morning from a dream in which I was visiting again in your lovely home, enjoying your hospitality, and was so sin- cerely sympathetic and anxious to express some thoughts that might help to minimize your grief, and was so earnestly engaged with you in what seemed to be mutually agreeable conversation on spiritual matters arising out of the distressing death of your son and brother, whom you all loved so dearly, that the im- pressions were indeed very real and the feeling of sympathy was so keen as to preclude further sleep. Naturally, I could not do otherwise than awaken my wife, your cousin , and tell her all about the dream; and then I felt as if I must write you — I was, on the spur of the moment, going to say "then and there" — so I arose for that purpose. What I may say, I hardly know at the present moment. It would seem almost that I should apologize first that such a vivid dream should be required to arouse me to a task that ordinary brotherhood and acquaintance demand. But you realize that it requires considerable to get some people into action, and I may be placed in that class. Should someone else say that, it might hurt me just a little, however. I am somewhat diffident about presenting to anyone the gospel message of truth which has brought me to this land, unless I feel certain of some degree of responsive feeling. It should not be so. But that is just one in- dication of mortality. And yet I know, as I know that I live

INSPIRATION TO A GREATER HOPE 879 and that the sun shines and that day alternates with night, that another gospel dispensation — the last, and the one into which all former dispensations are to be gathered — has been brought to earth by divine messengers, who held the keys of the dis- pensation of the meridian of times, in which Christ was born, and in which he officiated; and that his Church has again been organized, with apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, teachers, etc.; that the Church is founded on revelation and on Jesus Christ, as of old; that the Priesthood of God is in the Church; and that the fruits of this Priesthood and of the Church organ- ization are plainly observable in the lives of the Latter-day Saints, who strive to serve God with true purpose of heart; that the signs spoken of in Mark 16:17, 18; 1 Cor. 12:4, 7-11, 28-30, are in the Church, and are manifested abundantly; and that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, in its purity only, may men and women understand the true philosophy of life — preex- istence, mortality, and immortality — and be saved in the king- dom of God, which means eternal progress for the soul of man. I do not claim this testimony of man, but it has come to me from God, who has, in my case at least, made good his promise, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you;" and this knowledge has come as a result of faith, of fervent prayer, and an effort to live hon- orably and to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh. O, my dear kinsfolk, if you could feel as I feel, and as hun- dreds of thousands of good, faithful Latter-day Saints feel, and could, by the grace of God, understand the gospel message we bear, and realize how far astray from the simple path of the Master the religious denominations of today have strayed, you would think yourselves the most blessed of mortals. And, even in the presence of this seemingly great disaster, which has for a time completely blighted your hopes and darkened your lives, you would look forward to the great and glorious resurrection with the knowledge that our passing from this life is but a temporary divorcement of the spirit from the body, that the spirit is not to be imprisoned or hampered, but that it will be associated with others of its acquaintance^ in the world of spirits; and that, through obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel and to the priesthood, all men may be saved. You would understand that the Priesthood authorizes men to whom it has been given to "seal on earth" and it shall be sealed in heaven, and "to loose on earth" and it shall be loosed in heaven. You would understand the fatherhood of God and the brother- hood of man; you would know, if you understood the gospel as restored in its fulness, how the marriage covenant and its ties of relationship are to be extended into eternity, how the state*

880 IMPROVEMENT ERA ment of the Savior, "Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5), and the fact that many people have died without even hearing the gospel or receiving its ordinances, may be explained, in order to show the justice and also the mercy of God; why the Latter-day Saints have already built six temples and have two more in course of construction, one in Canada and the other in Hawaii, in which sacred and essential ordinances are performed both for the living and for the dead; the interpretation and sig- nificance of Mai. 4:5, 6, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the chil- dren, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse;" and how the gradual decay of religion and the organization of many religious creeds have come about, with their attendant multiplied rites and cere- monies, and the changing of the ordinances of the gospel of Christ. It would make me so happy, even in the midst of pres- ent sadness, to be able to tell you of some of these things, which you cannot find in the churches of the day. In fact, I am not so sure but my tears, and pent up feelings of the dream this morning, were largely from joy, as you all seemed to be hungry for what I had to give, and were finding comfort in my ex- planations of the beauties of the gospel, both in its application to life upon earth and the glorious hope that it affords through- out eternity. I spoke of diffidence. The Latter-day Saints, or the mem- bers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — com- monly called "Mormons" — are spoken evil of the world over. I may say that the word "Mormon" has a peculiar origin, a significant meaning, and around it are woven woderful facts about the early inhabitants of the Western Continent, new to modern civilization but brought forth by divine power in com- paratively recent years, but time will not permit nor would your patience endure explanations in detail at the present moment. As a Church, we are and have been persecuted. In this respect, we fare no better than did the Primitive church, for it was also Christ's Church, and recognized by him; hence, its followers were derided and persecuted. Because of misrepresentation, people are very prejudiced against us; and an honest, sincere investigation can only be profitably undertaken with such preju- dice allayed. There would be an end put to all controversy were people to investigate conditions for themselves, but the "so and-so said such-and-such" system and the writings of anti-"Mor- mons" are drawn upon wholly by those who ridicule and malign us. Even encyclopedias will not accept for publication the truth

INSPIRATION TO A GREATER HOPE 881 regarding the Latter-day Saints, but prefer the works of our enemies from which to obtain their information. But, thank the Lord, some Christian individuals have lived among us, and have had the moral courage to speak the truth and to write it; and of the truth regarding "Mormons" and "Mormonism," so called, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are justly proud. I value my religion before father, or mother, or wife, or children. All else in the world would be as nothing without the gospel of Jesus Christ, in its original purity, as it is again restored, and without the testimony of its truth, of which I bear record. Else why should I have left a pleasant and lucrative profession at the call of those whom, I believe, have authority from God, not through a channel of man-made systems but by direct, divine appointment, and by the laying on of hands? We are charged with being weak-minded for the very thing I have suggested in the last sentence; and yet, for years prior to the war there were upwards of two thousand missionaries of our Church actively engaged continuously in different parts of the world, each spending from two to three years in the service of the Master, and each paying his own expenses, or being sup- ported by his parents, relatives, or friends at home, who enjoy the same faith and testimony as they. Does the world need this missionary service for the spread of truth? Let me quote the Reverend David Walters, of Leeds, as reported in The British Congregationalist, of October 30, 1910, for it represents pretty well the condition of the world today religiously: "I have heard it said, over and over again, 'When you preachers of re- ligion decide among yourselves what we ought to believe, we shall be ready to listen.' It is not a mere excuse; it is the expression of weariness and uncertainty. Different preachers not only contradict one another, but very few of us, if any, preach with that accent of assurance which carries con- viction. We cannot make the people believe more deeply than we do our- selves. We do not know where we are. Hesitation is never inspiring. I believe that we shall get out of this period of uncertainty, and that God will raise up in his own time, when conditions are favorable, another Paul, Augustine, or Calvin, who will interpret for us our great gospel in terms that will be real and convincing to the modern mind. It will be a newer theology than anything we have yet had, and yet it will be recognized as the old. The hearts of men will leap in response to it, and will say 'This is true. This is what we have been waiting for;' and we shall preach it with a consciousness that we are in line with all the faithful preachers of the past, and yet that we preach in language that is understood by the present generation." Note the italics. The "newer theology" has already come; but, as Christ was not recognized as the one for whom the Jews were looking, and they rejected him and cruci-

882 IMPROVEMENT ERA fied him, so the gospel is again restored in all its original beauty, and though unrecognized or spurned by ministers, and by the world at large; its leavening influence is now being felt in the world; and the individuals to whom the Lord has mercifully borne record of its truth are extremely happy, and are striving to live Christlike lives; they have suffered persecution; they have been driven from their homes in the dead of winter; they have pioneered the Great American Desert; and have made their home in the tops of the Rocky Mountains to blossom as the rose. My cousins, please pardon so much of the "I" throughout this letter. If anything I have written may have seemed to you unkind, do not harbor the impression or feeling. I have only a feeling of sincere brotherly love and interest in your welfare, and in the welfare of mankind, and a desire to help humanity in general and my own kindred in particular. There is the maxi- mum of comfort and encouragement in this newly revealed gos- pel message. Nothing else in the whole world is so much to be desired or so justly to be prized by the Lord's children. I regret very much your great loss. Your dear son is among the many valiant heroes of this age. Long live the memory of their contribution to humanity; and may the principles which the giving of their lives will make effective in the world ever bear testimony of their courage and of the justice and sacredness of their sacrifice. No man can do more than to die, unless it be to live, for a great cause. Let the mercy of heaven attend you all in your extreme sac- rifice, and may the Spirit of the Lord assuage your grief and heal your broken hearts. We deeply sympathize with you in your bereavement. Only those who have loved, and have lost dear ones, are able to appreciate your sorrow. With sincerest regard, I am, Affectionately yours, (Signed)