To me, like a child gets better looking and better every time we meet. I'm certainly delighted in being here and invited to conduct these services. We're, of course, meeting under the presidency of President Johnson. And I feel, my dear brethren and sisters, that we're fortunate. President Johnson has had a bad cold and has had to miss some meetings lately.

I'm grateful that he's here with us and the other brethren and all of you. And if you will now call in your minds and center them upon this meeting, the purpose of it, the Lord is ready to give us another blessing. And we will get our problems answered if we direct ourselves accordingly and call upon him in mighty faith for his blessings.

And every needful answer will come. Father Clyde Mackett, will you come and offer the opening prayer? Our Father which art in heaven, we bow our heads before thee at the beginning of this meeting. In humble prayer, consecrate and dedicate ourselves, area here, to the service of thy priesthood in the earth, and to the fulfillment of thy mind and will for us at this time.

We ask a blessing upon us, Father, that we may be enlightened and enriched in our lives, that we may have the knowledge imparted unto us, whereby we may set ourselves in order and bring ourselves in accord with thy teachings. We pray that you will answer our prayers and help us to unite our faith, that those that speak to us this day may be so.

under the pure inspiration of thy Holy Spirit. Help us to retain for future use the knowledge imparted unto us, and to have the wisdom to know the portions thereof that may be imparted unto other loved ones not present. Now unto this end, we set ourselves apart at this time, praying that thy Spirit may guide all that is accomplished.

And we do so in the name of our friend Jesus Christ. Amen. We have a knowledge of things as they were in the pre-existence. The great battle back there was Christ and Lucifer. Lucifer was cast out because of his antagonism to Jesus Christ and became Satan and became the God of this world. Today it is priesthood and Christ on one hand and the God of this world on the other. With these brief remarks, as a keynote, we'll ask Brother Comadre Chesky to be our first speaker. Brothers and sisters, I'm delighted to stand before you at this time.

in which I believe a great deal of enlightenment has been taught from this band. We have an inspired priesthood before us, and they are directed by the Councils on High. And if you will listen to the same gifts and power by which they are directed, you cannot fail but to partake of the glory of God, which is intelligence. All of us have Different avocations in life. Many of us, different ambitions. How many of you still believe in the counsels of the Prophet Joseph Smith? I am not able to say. But one thing was strenuously taught by him, and that was, find out your elections and make your calling sure. Learn to save yourselves first, and then save your families.

For myself, I'm overjoyed at the words of truth that we hear so often. And then if your eyes are open, you still see persons moving in tangents. The counsel is clear and direct, but intelligence is lacking and carrying it out. And we can go from tithing, clear up to celestial marriage, and find differences of opinion.

on how to live. Many enjoy the various personalities that are around us and they feel they ought to emulate these personalities in their own lives. Only one personality and character has ever been given to us to be emulated and that was our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Everything else is a form of mimicry. I recall at a time of Zion's camp the prophet was giving some instructions in relation to the needless taking of life, especially the animal kingdom. In order to test the brethren, after he had given them a sparing address, he stepped up to a group of them and took a rifle from the hand of one and shot a squirrel from a tree, gave them back their rifle and walked on. Orson Hyde, I told the brethren, let's cook the meat so it doesn't go to waste. And in his journals, the prophet had this to say about the incident. I perceived that the brethren understood what I did it for, and in their practice gave more heed to my precept than to my example, which was right. I believe that's what Brother Timpson meant.

when he declared to us that there are many members of the priesthood here and that they were men of truth. Our first allegiance to God and to the truth and to those servants that he has duly appointed to direct us and counsel us in making a success of our mission here. We hear a lot said about solidifying the people, becoming united.

And the views are very diverse as to how to become united. I've heard tales of people all over this continent who unite in physical exercises. I unite with the people I work with. A very simple task. If that were the measure of the man, to unite with you brethren in building cities and empires, I feel we've been building castles in the sky. I have here some words.

that I've copied out of the Truth magazine from a sermon that was spoken by one of our prophets before us today, some years back. These words strike at the truth. They move me to exercise greater faith in He who has given me life. The moment that the Lord is convinced that He has enough men who have established this law, firmly within their souls prophet was speaking of the celestial law which comprises all phases of our lives they're all familiar with it religiously social political will set about to redeem his people but until he can get these men who can with one voice receive the revelations of the spirit he is at a disadvantage and cannot endow us with the power necessary to accomplish His work. As long as there are two men standing in this group, and one receives in power the Spirit of the Lord, and the other can't receive it, there is disunity. And that disunity is what stands between us and the completion of the work of the Lord.

I trust all of you may come to understand this form of unity and that all else is only a means to an end. If we cannot work with all our heart, might, mind, and strength, we are poor participants in the kingdom of God. I pray for a continuance of the faith of this people that the windows of the heavens will be opened and that so much will be poured out that we will not be able to contain, that we may move along and get this work on the road and not grow weary with the years. Age will come to all of us, and we do not need to wait till tomorrow to accomplish the millennium within our own lives. I ask the blessings of the Lord upon all of us to take serious the work that's before us, to take stock of ourselves and to account to the shepherds that's been placed before us. I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

with the most benefit out of this. The testimony of this work, only hope can live up to the teachings that I received. Go on and prepare myself for the blessings that are in store for me if I continue to strive to develop my character to a point where I can be used. I hope that we can catch the vision of our missions. Brother Hellman is so beautifully for trade for us and get united in the way that he is working with us outside world it really makes me more conscious than ever of the need for leadership to get behind our leaders might be able to have the way pointed us to advance in pray for the spirit of the lord to continue with us in this meeting we might be able to retain and profit by the things we hear. I feel the giveaway at this time, but my heart is truly here with His people. I feel that it's the only way that the only place I ever want to be found is with His people. Lord, just be with us, and I do ask these things and pray for the blessings of the Lord to be with us, and I do it humbly in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

So would this be, my dear brothers and sisters, for your faith and prayers to attend me while I stand before you. In and of myself, I am nothing. I can only grab before you. I have been deeply impressed by the proceedings thus far, for the testimonies and for the words of instruction that have been given.

We, judging you folks by myself, little realize our responsibilities until we're brought face to face with conditions that help us to think and to take stock of ourselves. We are indeed a blessed people, more so than anyone on the face of the earth, and I sincerely mean that. I was working on a piece of equipment yesterday by the side of the road, and a man came walking up the road, and he stopped by, and he said, Are you Mr. Steve? I said, Yes. Well, how are you today? Well, I said, I'm fine. And he made himself at home. He came in close to where I was working and invited me over to church. He was a stranger to me.

And he immediately bore his testimony of the mission of the prophet Joseph Smith. I listened and thanked him for his testimony. And it brought to my attention, dear brothers and sisters, the world of information that we have and the advantages that we are receiving from the servants of God.

His apostles here upon the earth. He had filled a mission. And a second mission. And was spent. He said he spent two months over in Denver. And was responsible for converting of four members. Which is a pretty good harvest. But what will they obtain? What can he give? And I will reiterate.

favorite saying, we can't give to others what we do not possess and know ourselves. Now, with this, brothers and sisters, it helps us to, I hope and pray it does, help us to realize our great responsibility and has been brought out in meeting thus far. We have to know Brother Helmut said, we have to know how to teach our families or we can't teach them. Now, I feel to repent and to do better, my dear brothers and sisters. And with your faith and prayers, I humbly pray that you will have interest in me. And I will pray for the Lord to bless the honest in heart. And I strive to be honest because upon the earth will be built up.

on truth and faith that will prevail in the earth. And I am grateful for the lives of these men and I humbly pray that our Heavenly Father will bless and sustain and uphold them and give them every righteous design of their hearts because they have a great work to do and we have just as great a work to support them.

We need to be just as sincere and prayerful and dedicated in our responsibilities as anyone upon the face of the earth. It's an individual proposition. We know that. A moral fight. We have many of the comforts of life about us. But we have a moral fight, my dear brothers and sisters, that has never been before a people before on the earth.

that I know of. So it behooves us to improve our lives and to sustain these servants and these apostles of our Heavenly Father. I bear my testimony to this end, my dear folks, and pray that we will be united in faith and in every principle of the gospel that we might support them.

as we should, that this work might prosper and grow, and cities might be built, and Zion established in the earth. Right and truth might be established, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Brothers and sisters, I'm standing before you today, and I would be but an instrument in the hands of God to be useful in bearing witness to the truth that our hearts might be pricked and led to do better, to serve God with all our might, mind, and strength, and to walk in holiness before Him. I'm sure we little realize what perilous times we live in. And yet, as many of the brethren have said on many occasions, we live in the greatest and most significant time in the history of the earth so far. And God has set his hand to redeem his people and establish Zion and to usher in the millennium. We are a vanguard, brethren and sisters.

I think if we'd only realize the significance of this fact, we'd be led to greater works and be more diligent in serving God and building up his kingdom and establishing his priesthood in the earth. I'm sure that one of the greatest lacks that we have, the things we are lacking most in, is in humility. Because God cannot bless, and own and direct a person who is not humble before him and who does not acknowledge him and his hand in all things. There is a proneness to be proud and self-righteous because we're told we're the people of God and we are inclined unto self-righteousness and piousness and not acknowledge in gratitude the blessings of God both direct from him and through his servants. And I think one of the greatest sins of all is the sin of ingratitude. We are such a blessed people. The greatest of all the gifts of God are at our disposal. And we don't live up to them. We don't acknowledge God in all things as we should. Well, we certainly live by the grace of God from day to day. Every day as I see it is a living miracle.

that this small handful of people are able to go about their affairs and the degree of peace that we do, and we're able to go forward in accomplishing the commandments that he has given us to carry out. For he has indeed said that he would never give unto us a commandment without providing first the means by which to accomplish the same. And we of all people should not be fearful.

We of all people should have that faith that would move mountains. Humble ourselves before God that he might own and bless us. I was reminded of one of the scriptures here that I was given by a brother guy in his little book. Thought it might be well to read it here. These six things does the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination unto him. A proud heart.

a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, and hearts that devise us wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and seventh, one that the brethren have borne down upon so much in the past, he that soweth discord among brethren. And the first one listed was a proud heart.

I'm always reminded, too, of the teaching of Joseph Smith on this matter. He was, at the time, directing his remarks to the Twelve. But it certainly applies to us all. Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy and be ready to forgive our brother on the first animations of repentance and ask him forgiveness. And should we even forgive our brother or even our enemy before he repents or asks forgiveness, our Heavenly Father would be equally as merciful unto us. Again, let the twelve and all saints be willing to confess all their sins, and do not keep back a part. And let the twelve be humble, and not be exalted, and beware the pride, and not seek to excel one above another, but act for each other's good, and pray for one another.

and honor our brother or make honorable mention of his name, and not backbite or devour our brother. Why will not man learn wisdom by precept at this late age of the world, when we have such a cloud of witnesses and examples before us, and not be obliged to learn by sad experience everything we know?

Must the new ones that are chosen to fill the places of those that are fallen of the quorum of the twelve begin to exalt themselves until they exalt themselves so high that they will soon tumble over and have a great fall and go wallowing through the mud and mire and darkness, Judas-like to the buffetings of Satan, as several of the quorum have done, or will they learn wisdom and be wise? O God, give them wisdom.

and keep them humble, I pray. And to me, brethren and sisters, in this spirit of humility is the greatest strength. And this quality of humility is of such nature that when we say we have it, we've lost it. The greatest of all examples that we have before us in this thing is the Master Himself, who said that the least of these least of you be the greatest, for he was. And he went below, descended below all things that he might rise above them. But you never heard the Savior boast in his own strength, in his own in pride, or anything of like nature, but always acknowledging God his Father. I come to do his will, not mine. I do what I see him do.

And so I think, brethren and sisters, if we would get right down to cases and keep ever before our minds and in our hearts the example of the Savior himself. For as the other brother said, he is the only one worthy of emulation. He bought us with a price. He led the way for us to follow. We have his priesthood.

the priesthood after the order of the Son of God in our midst. It is blessing us every day. Are we going to follow and sustain and uphold the source of our blessings? Are we going off into the sagebrush and become a law to ourselves in our own pride and vain ambition? Let us get our loyalties straightened out and follow the priesthood of God as they are led by revelation to direct us.

And I pray and hope that we will gather together in our spirit, wherever we're called to labor, that we'll acknowledge God and his priesthood and follow the same unto our eternal exaltation. And I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. And I'll help in present blessed. All equal in height, always. I pray that the Lord will inspire my mind.

Because I realize, boy, I have no strength without him. Sincere's desire is to see the saints edified and build up in their faith. I want to continue the vein of thought that has been selected here by the Lord to give to you. And you, before you, are very frightening and startling things. I'm going to read from the Book of Mormon.

A condition that took place among the Nephite people. A condition that I have watched in my earlier life, that I see people going through individually now, and a condition that I have watched the group go through since I have been associated with it. It's very frightening, but it's very plain. And this condition has seemed to follow the sons and daughters of God, wherever and whenever they have lived upon the earth. And it's all taken place in a period of 36 months or less. Now, at my age, 12 months is a very few hours. And so 36 months is nothing to me. And all this, from a faithful condition to a condition of apostasy, in just a few months.

Because of certain things. They had had their great war. With the Lamanites. And under the son. Alma the son of Alma. Apparently the Lord blessed them. And the war ceased. Now it came to pass. In the sixth year. That's one year. Of the reign of the judges. Over the people of Nephi. There were no contention.

Nor wars in the land of Zarahemla. The war had ended. The battles were over. There was no contention. But a condition existed. That exists after all persecutions. Wars and trials. But the people were afflicted. Yea. Greatly afflicted. For the loss of their brethren. In the wars. And also for the loss of their flocks.

and herds, and also for the loss of the fields and grain which were trodden underfoot and destroyed by the Lamanites. Although peace reigned, the people found that they were in one poor condition after the war. They had to start from scratch again. But like all of us, and so great were their afflictions, that every soul had cause to mourn. And they believed that it was a judgment of God sent upon them because of their wickedness and their abomination. Therefore, they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty. Now, can you see the picture of those people? The Lord had helped them win the wars and the The Lamanites had left, but during the great chastisement, the judgment that they went through, they were thrown down onto their backs. Their homes were gone, their fields were gone, their finances were wasted. There wasn't a person among them that wasn't afflicted. So they mourned and were greatly afflicted and looked around them and decided that because of their abominations and wickedness,

The Lord had sent these judgments upon them. So now it was time for them to draw near to the Lord and to support him. There's a condition right there. The thing that goes through our lives every day, individually and collectively. So what happened? Concluding that this was the case, they began to establish the church more fully.

He rose up and began to support the work more fully. Yea, and many were baptized in the waters of Sidon and were joined to the church of God. Yea, they were baptized by the hand of Alma who had been consecrated the high priest over the people of the church by the hand of his father Alma. And it came to pass The next year, in the seventh year of the reign of the judges, there were about 3,500 souls that united themselves to the church of God and were baptized. And thus ended 24 months of the seventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, and there was continual peace in all the land.

So during 12 months, the sixth year, they found themselves on their back because of their like-mindedness and sins and crimes and so forth, whatever they were. They found themselves disposed of everything. But beginning with the seventh year, they repented and began to support the work of the Lord. They were re-baptized.

Others were baptized into the group, and the Lord began to bless and prosper them. They got new flocks, built new houses, and became prosperous, and there was continual peace among them. Twelve months. Now look. And it came to pass in the eighth year, in January, let's say, of the eighth year, the reign of the judges, that the people of the church began to wax proud because of their exceeding riches and their fine silk and their fine twined linen and because of their many flocks and herds. I just think, brethren and sisters, it was only a few months ago that they were mourning because they didn't have one sheep or one goat.

They'd all been killed in the storm. So these are all gifts from God. And they're gold and they're silver and all manner of precious things which they had obtained by their own investors. It says they were investors and they worked hard to obtain these things from their own investors. And in all things were they lifted up in the tide of their eyes.

and they began to wear very costly apparel. And this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people whom Alma had consecrated to be teachers and priests and elders over the church. Yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which they saw had begun to be among the people. Exciting!

That such a thing can happen to saints in a few months' time, because of full belly. For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches, and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful one towards another.

And they began to persecute those that did not live according to their own will and pleasure. I see that here among this group. It frightens me. And thus, in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, the eighth year of the reign of the judges, there began to be great contention. Twelve months ago, there was no contention. There was continual peace.

among the people of the Lord. Yea, there were envies and strife and malice and persecutions and pride, even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God. How could Father paint the picture of us any clearer? And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges.

again with some of us. Sometimes it happens collectively to us as a group. Sometimes we have crusades against the whole group by the law. And by the time they get through with us, we're wasted away. We're afflicted. The brethren are driven into the wilderness. The families are separated. The houses are gone.

The money is spent. We're afflicted, and there's not one among us that doesn't mourn. And what do we do first? We begin to say to each other, well, we're not going to let this happen again. If we needed chastisement, it's all right. No doubt the Lord has allowed his judgments to come upon us, and has let the Gentiles bring this.

prevail upon us because of our unworthiness. So now let us go forward and serve the Lord. So then with one heart and one mind we stand up and begin to support the work. And what does the Lord do? With his help and our own industry, within a few months time we begin to get additional houses, women and children.

Our people are brought in from their scattered condition and we are at church again. And the next morning that we wake up, we're persecuting each other. We're filled with vanity and pride and selfishness. Now, brethren and sisters, how long are we going to go through these experiences? Just like the prophet Joseph Smith said, you would think that after six years, thousand years, the brethren would open their eyes and not have to learn by experience to be faithful. That's what the brotherhood meant. They would think they would read the history of their forefathers and learn a few things, and they're the same way. This went on time and time and time again throughout the history of the Book of Mormon until finally the Nephites were all killed.

every man, woman, and child. The same experience, if you memorize the fourth chapter of Alma there, you've memorized about every other book in the Book of Mormon, because that's the history of the Mesite and Lamanite people. And that's our history. And we can look at people, we can look at men who are having a hard time individually.

And they're put down on their backs. They leave their homes and they leave their businesses. And they leave this and they leave that. And they're sorely afflicted. And they mourn for themselves and those who are associated mourn for them because of their afflicted condition. And finally they decide that they're going to rise up and serve the Lord and support him.

And before you know it, the Lord leads them into a condition where they're rebuilding their lives and their families and their homes. And before you know it, those men and women and children are saying, I did this. I did that. I can do the other thing. But if they get a little money, they begin to act like the world.

They begin to splurge. They begin to give the money to the children. They begin to do this and that after the spirit of the word. Down they have to go again. The Lord just seems to have to keep a club there. And we go. And we go. Now it looks like we would wear out pretty soon. But we don't. There is no more...

stubborn, hard-headed person in the world than the son of Jacob. Well, his father knows it, but that's the problem that he's facing. Now, you might say, but Brother Musser, we're not a wealthy people. We don't have all this wealth, and we're not going into the world. I'd like to point out a few mental problems that you have with yourselves that are entirely worldly, and that are just as bad as physical, physical entertainment in the world. This principle of gratitude that the brethren has been speaking of. How many of you actually know that God knows that he has a spirit of gratitude? Or how many of you say When I say to you, well, now, brother or sister, you surely should be grateful to God for giving us this blessing, and don't you think you ought to thank him? Oh, of course. Thank you, God. Isn't that what the little child says? When Daddy comes home and he has made an extended effort, an extra effort to get some little thing that the child will like,

Some little blessing for the child. She comes home and gives it to the child. The little child grabs it, runs away into the corner. The mother says, look here, John. Look here. Why don't you thank Daddy? Why, Daddy loves you, and he's gone to extra work to give you this little blessing. So why don't you thank him? Don't you think you should thank him and be filled with gratitude? Sure, thank you, Daddy.

Now, is that gratitude? Well, of course that's not gratitude. That's mimics. That's parody. That's saying thank you because you have been reminded to, and you can't go off and play with the toy until you do. For half of the dollar is in your hands and half of the dollar is in my hands, so you have to say thank you before I'll let go. It doesn't take the kid long to find their route. All you have to keep is one half of the candy in your finger. Now there's no gratitude to that. Gratitude is a welling up within the nature of the character.

Brothers and sisters, it's as much a part of a character as a character itself. And how does gratitude come? You can't have gratitude without intelligence. You can't have gratitude without knowing your position before your father and your father's high and exalted position and powers and rights.

You can't have genuine gratitude. Because in order to have that, you've got to know how little you are. The nature of your fallen character compared to the majesty, beauty, and splendor of your heavenly father. And yet, he so loves you and is so patient. And the nature of his character is so perfect that he strives with you and weeps with you and blesses you and chastises you. You can't have gratitude until you come to this knowledge and gain this intelligence. Then when you do, this gratitude becomes a part of your very character.

And you can't live, you can't endure without it. And you know that your father in heaven knows that you are grateful. That without his power, you could not breathe. Without his power, you could not see. Without his power, you could not exist at all. spiritual and your temporal existence. With this in mind, we cannot for one moment endure the spirit of the world. It would never enter into the nature of our character to say, I did this. I did that. I am a success. Leave a pixel. It doesn't mean when I Speak like this that you should be so ashamed and so humiliated that you cannot smile. Intelligence does not render you incapacitated along those lines, but it gives you the knowledge that King Benjamin had when he said, We are not even as faithful as it does to the earth, or as profitable. Compare it.

To the great character and work of our Father in Heaven. And this is what we have to compare ourselves with. Not fallen one another. Not the Gentiles. We can't compare ourselves with man. But we compare ourselves with him. With his character and the nature of his work. We arise in the morning. Our eyes behold.

beautiful sunshine, and we have a healthy body, why the first thing that should enter into our mind is gratitude to our Heavenly Father for allowing us this blessing. A woman prevails and gives birth to a baby. How many fathers and mothers will immediately stop and say, Father, thank you.

Without you, we could have not had this. How many begin to say, I, or we, and love the gift greater than a giver? Can you see why the prophets have said, you will travel through this life in fear and trembling? We don't fear man. Why, most generally, my strong brother, there's not a man on the earth that you fear. You could whip him in any battle. You don't fear a man or what he can do. So what does this fear and trembling mean? It means that when we gain this wonderful knowledge of our relationship between our Father and Heaven, who here, in the condition of our own, fallen characters and what we must do to gain a place of honor in his confidence that we fear and tremble for fear because of our weaknesses and our carnal natures we insult him we are not grateful enough to him we make a mockery out of sacred things and so in fear and trembling

We live each day. We tremble for fear that we're not living up to what he has asked us to do. He told us that we would do that. But you have the light by this is what they understand. And so everything. We thank him for everything. There is nothing so small that we shouldn't draw to his attention. I remember I saw My father and some other brethren, working with a certain physical situation, and the side of the building began to fall in a pole. The pole slipped out and went against the building and held it. And one of the brethren said, I'm grateful for that pole. My father says, I'm grateful for God who dressed the pole. And that's it, brethren and sisters.

Are we grateful for the car? First be grateful to God who has inspired and blessed the building of it. He has given us means wherewith we can provide and drive it. And then thank man for the little teeny bit that he has done. What man has done for the beautification of this earth is like a comma in the Bible.

compared to what God has done. So whatever we owe the little thanks we owe to man, let us first thank God that we must have that spirit of gratitude and know, and then we know, that everything that happens to us is a result of the blessings of our Father, and we know that he can take them back.

or given as he derives to. So we cannot say, I own this. I have this. This is my baby. This is my car. This is my house. Because we can have him taken from us at any moment in our lives and find ourselves on our back again. Now this is the spirit of the world that gets us into trouble.

This is the spirit that you're all trying to hide from from going into the rocks and into the valley where the world isn't. This has been the mistake of the saints from time immemorial is that they have tried to run from this spirit or otherwise from the nature of their own character that had been formed out of the dust of this wicked world.

And you can't run away from it. No matter where you go, you'll take it with you, if it's a part of you. So it has to be overcome, either here or there. This spirit of the world has to be overcome. And so you may as well quit praying for a millennium to come so you can overcome the world. Overcome it, and you have reached your millennium.

Now what does a brother mean in supporting? They mean to support the princess at her party. Here a brother comes to see me. He says, I just see your daughter. Go out of the door. She's a fine girl. Does she support you? What is my answer? Well, she certainly knows I'm her father. She doesn't know any other father, so she can say, you're my father, I know it.

And I have faith that you're my father. If she's working, she might bring me in a little money for her boy. The only way she can support me is to receive and practice the principles that are me. Support the principles that I support. It's easy to get a testimony that the president holds a high priesthood and represents the Lord and all common intelligence.

will teach us to pay a tenth of our money. But we can still have that information and pay that tenth and never support that man. Never support him. We'll go home and reject the principle that supports him and that makes his life what it is. Can you see that? Just like my son or daughter might call me father and might support me.

with a little money, but reject the principles of truth that are part of me and that I live for and will die for. So I can honestly say, no, he doesn't support me. No, he doesn't support me. There are many ways that we can win this race just to support these principles. And the reason, one reason, why we, why these people fell into this condition and we're in it, is that we do support the brethren in a physical way, that we go home and keep living according to the age-old principles that have been handed down by our fathers to us. Those are the hard principles to change and live. That's the new life. It isn't hard to pay the tenth.

I say it isn't hard, it becomes more natural to pay the tent than to change our character. And it isn't hard to know by following down the line of priesthood that these brethren have the right to shepherd us. But the sacrifice comes in, comes to us when we receive the new principles of salvation and apply them to our lives.

having to sacrifice the old principles that we have been wallowing in and our fathers and fathers after them for generations. So we don't receive the principles. We go right home and keep living like we have always lived. And although we know there are servants and we can call them in to administer to our wants, and we pay our tithing, we don't seem to get like them. And none of us seem to be joined together in the unity of the faith. And yet, we know they are his servants, we pray for them, and we pay our tithing. Now something must be locked. And that's it. The same principle that activates every fiber in my nature.

doesn't activate every fiber of your nature. A Lord doesn't activate mine. And there's where the unity comes in. I've got to receive the same principles of action revealed from God that Brother Johnson received if I'm going to be united with him. And it's not enough for me to know that he's a prophet and to support him financially.

still be disunited with him in my home, and in the nature of my life, and in the nature of my character, till I receive and practice the same principles that he receives and practices. You see that? And that's a hard thing to do. That's where it hurts. That's where sacrifice, the sacrifice of everything that we might have comes in. I've got to put it all upon the altar.

and begin to develop the new man, as he is developing the new man. Not to become like him, but like the principle that he has taken to himself, and that he is working to become like. And so I receive the same principles, and work to become like them, and by and by one morning, we're one, completely one.

And thus the husband and the wife becomes one in the same process. In a world without it, you cannot become one. A woman can support you as a husband and call you father and daddy and bury your children. And upon request, she can go out and make a living for you. And let every drop of the hat rise up in combat. And it comes to principle.

with the innocence of a little child, the same principles that you have received and have practiced in your life. She receives them with the same faith and innocence, and by and by, you and her are one. You see as one, you judge as one, you feel as one, you walk as one. Now, brethren and sisters, how more simply could the Lord give it to us, and how more much...

How could he make it easier for us? And I pray that we will begin to see the light of the people. For the Lord has extended his mercy to us, and I know that he's offering us another chance to accomplish the work that he has in view. I know that he's offering us a chance as a group.

I know that he's offering men and women another chance that the group may not know too much about. I know that he's offering most everyone a chance to come up and accomplish this very thing as well as offering it to the group. Now what are we going to do with what the Lord has given to us and what our own industry has got us about?

in our lives? Are we going to go with the spirit of the world and insult the Lord as we have in the past and draw away from his spirit? Are we going to be the same people that we were when we were down on our backs and said, Father, unless you do something for me, I am lost. Can you feel the same way?

sitting in your new home, all your children being healthy for a change, your women peaceful, and some money in your pocket, can you actually feel the same thing in regards to the Lord? Can you feel that you can't survive another second without his help and those conditions? If you do, You're entitled to all the Lord has. If you can't, then you're going to have to have it taken away again and lower it again into the depths of sorrow that you might come out with additional strength and experience to try the race again. It hurts within us, just like it hurts you when your little child has to come and be told to be grateful to you after you have sweat and shiven and made a special effort in its behalf, and then it has to be remembered and forced to be grateful. You know how it hurts. You feel abused. You feel bad. You feel like this drawing from a little child, which you do. Our Father,

is an exalted man with bodies, parts, and passions. And he feels the same way. How much more keener is his feeling of sorrow and affliction toward us when we begin to act like this. And when we begin to go to him, when we go to him after all he has done and begin to tell him what Satan has done for us. What this man has done, and that man, and how the world has helped us. Here's a woman who goes, whose husband has taught us for ten years how to keep the health, and how to walk with health, and so forth, and has given, and given his strength to. And all at once, some crackpot comes along.

with a little bit of truth to the city and she finds him out and he tells her practically the same truth about her health and she begins to work along health ways to redeem her son and it works and all at once she comes home to daddy she tells her son what a wonderful man he is he has taught me how to be healthy He has given me such a blessing. How does that poor Lord feel as he sits and hears his wife praise the great virtue and goodness of this Gentile? Isn't that what we do with our Father? Yes, we do exactly the same thing. We make him feel bad. He withdraws his spirit from us and his power.

And we were left alone. And believe me, when we were left alone for about six days, we lose our money, we lose our distribution, we lose our homes, our automobiles, and about everything else we have. And then we become humble enough again to ask Him to come and help us. Now this is a tiring thing in the eyes of our Father in Heaven.

He has said upon several occasions, finally, unless you come up, I'll have to spill you out of my mouth, my brethren and sisters. I am grateful that he has extended us another day of salvation and is willing to help us once again rise up as we give these people and gather our herds and our flocks and our grains together.

our brethren and our women and children and then build our houses. I am grateful that he has again stuck out his hand to help us do it. And I pray that this time he will become his true friend and we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt who he is and where our blessings come from and that we will not give one institution We will not give one fiber of creation that constitutes that he left your world one bit of satisfaction or praise that it has blessed us. President Hayward never appreciates a sun that moves. I was thinking very much in the same vein that is told about by the preceding speakers.

I was a little fearful when Guy got up and started to talk the way he did. I was afraid some new sin had broke out among us. But I'm glad it's still the same old one. Anyway, we're acquainted with it. I think along these lines very often. I see people reflecting in gratitude, and I see a good deal of self-satisfaction with myself. I've known this people now long enough that all our old clothes are worn out and we're dressed new. And I sat here today, and Brother Timpson...

spoke of how fine-looking the people were. I thought, well, that people have never been more prosperous. We've never seen better times. People have never been as well-clad, as well-fed, and as well-housed as they are today. None of us. And it surely would be pleasing in the eyes of God if we'd walk humbly. If there are any of you here that would learn from the precepts of others and not have to experience it all.

But some of us are contented that we live by the grace of God. And you ought to believe. Because this is a hard thing to learn. Very hard to learn. And there aren't any of us that are self-sufficient. I've seen men with their skills and their talents and their fierce labor try to perform and force the elements and the circumstances around their lives to yield. But they won't yield to a latter-day saint except by the grace of God. You ought to believe. We'll yield for these Gentiles.

These gentlemen, these bankers up here in Salt Lake City can make them feel by their pure sense of power and influence. But you can't. You're not like them and you never were and never will be. That is, most of you never were. There's a different lineage and birthright. And you shouldn't try to imitate them and try to practice your lives after the manner and fashion that they practice because it won't yield for you. The only way that it'll yield by...

For a latter-day saint is saved by the grace of God. Then when you get your blessings, your gratitude turns to the proper source and influence. It's been reviewed here for us. We got our blessings from the devil. We went soliciting from him and obtained. Where should our gratitudes be placed? And where should our alms go? And our long prayers. Do I go to the bank and borrow $500 to ask for $500 and get it?

I'm like the kid with the candy. I thank him very graciously. Takes off a lot of pressure. So I go away thankful to the banker. But I've learned that these things are by the grace of God. And that our lives and our breath and our existence, a man holds his family by the grace of God. And we sustain the priesthood by the grace of God. And they magnify their priesthood by the grace of God. That's the way these things work. And when we begin to believe it and understand it, both in our youth, And in our maturity, we'll see good times. And when we get that spirit out of our heart, we're due for a grubbing. People have clung together as long as any group we've ever had. A group of faces are as familiar as any we've had. But if you fail to heed these counsels, you won't last. You can't last. Because you're not the people that God's looking for. God's looking for a people that will walk in these pathways.

and tender under him the things that are rightfully his. He has acquired these gifts and graces and attributes and our praises and what little bit of glory we can pass on to him are very meager. And he's self-sufficient in himself and he's not dependent upon us. But these powers that are his are the powers that we're depending upon to save us. And we should strive with our might.

to obtain the confidence of God that he'll help us through these times. I've learned and I've told you before, and I think maybe I ought to tell you again, that the faults and failings normally, the serious, little things, that the serious imperfections of the character cannot be overcome except by the grace of God. Now, if you believe that, you'll have a key that will begin to help you. You can't do these things by yourself.

You can't acquire the attributes of godliness by yourself. You can't read and understand and make your declarations and resolutions and execute them by your own power and judgment. It doesn't lie within the power of man to do these things. And so we should heed the counsels that come to us from time to time. If you listen to the brethren, listen carefully, you'll find that you get taught the things you need to know.

My brother Jeff never gets up and speaks with people, but he admires me to exercise faith. He always tells me, and he always reviews those lectures on faith. I sat and listened to him one day, and if ever the word of God flowed from a man's mouth, it flowed from his. In relation to this subject, and the things that people ought to do to acquire the gift and power of God. If you'd listen to those things, you'd know.

It's impossible, as Scripture says, to please God without faith. And I can understand how it's impossible. Faith is an exercising of the mind. And in the exercise of faith in God, how do we exercise our mind? Why, we exercise our mind in confidence towards Him, in supplication, in praise, whatever manner of circumstances we might be in.

I sense the spirit of gratitude as a power of faith. I begin to exercise my gratitude by my faith. I begin to recognize the blessings that come into my hand, and I very quickly turn my mind toward God. So that's my faith. I recognize instantaneously the source of my blessings. I love to think on it. It's a simple old story that I heard, I don't know.

several years ago about the woman that was praying so earnestly for something to eat, the widow. One of the town smart alecks was walking along the walk in front of her house and heard her praying so earnestly to the Lord for something to eat and he thought he'd have some fun. So he went up to the grocery store and picked up a pack of flour and some things and brought it back to the widow and knocked on her door.

She invited him in, and he laid it on the table. He says, well, there's something for you to eat. She says, I heard you praying, and I was quite amused and went on to ridicule the old lady a little bit. She says, God didn't bring it, I did. Well, she says, God sent it if the devil did bring it. Now, these people uptown, they can see it any way they want to. But I've lived long enough to absolutely know beyond any shadow of doubt that all my gifts and blessings come by the grace of God.

then I'd be discouraged if they weren't. I'd feel like that his eyes weren't upon me and he wasn't concerned. And I'd go weary and discouraged. And I'd not have the power or the strength to lay hold upon eternal life. I'd feel that God is impossible to reach. And I think in this element of gratitude that we can obtain more blessings. If my child wants to obtain something to me, all I've got to do is just show just a little genuine, sincere, heartfelt gratitude.

It isn't anything that I don't feel I'm giving them. They might come pleading someday. Father, I need this. Or Dad, I need that. Or I want this. Can I take the cost? But all I looms up before my eyes is their rebelliousness and their indifference and their cruel attitude and their inconsideration. And I can turn them down as easy as I can draw a breath. Just as easy as I draw my breath. But just let that child come that has been faithful.

and gracious, and considerate towards me, and returns to me the thanks and gratitude that I rightly have acclaimed to. And there isn't anything that better him. One of my lovely daughters is sitting here today. She often reminds me that under certain circumstances, well, now here comes one of Father's lectures about the old days, those mean old days, that we crawled on our hands and knees for life and death. And I have to, by the sense of gratitude that I feel towards God for the favorable circumstances that I find myself in, have to remind my family that it wasn't always like this. And I feel like sometimes, well, there's no offense to this situation, but I sometimes feel like that they take it rather lightly, that it wasn't any life matter. It was life and death. And the way most of us obtained our integrity and maintained our integrity is by the grace of God to maintain our integrity and not become wards of the state to feed us and clothe us and many things. And I'm grateful for this.

experiences of the past that I might appreciate the present. I'm grateful I had a long, long dry spell on the church. Real long. And I'm glad that Joseph must have left me there tied to that old post long after I found her again or passed it. And once I got free that I'd praise God all the days of my life. The source of life and death. Well, the cook often reminds us that we learn things by contrast. And I've learned a lot of the things that I know by contrast. I learned...

to appreciate friends and brethren in the gospel of Jesus Christ by conscience. When I heard my old bishop break into high council as I had grown up and been potted on the knees of some of those old brethren, defamed the word of God and belittled the principles of life and salvation, I learned to appreciate men and regard them. And so I learned that lesson by conscience. And I've learned a lot of things by the things I've suffered, that if people will bow their heads in gratitude, You'll not wear shabbier clothes than you wear today. God's glad to see you well-dressed. If you can wear them in gratitude and not spend all your time before the mirror admiring yourself and letting yourself be puffed up in pride and so forth. But if you can wear them in gratitude, God's glad enough to see you have them. But you certainly ought to recognize the source of your blessing. When I have five minutes that I can spend in the company of my wife, my heart's filled with gratitude.

And I recognize the source of my blessings. I'd have probably picked a woman that, of my own choice, I might have had one of the devil's wives and had to thank him for it. I obtained my wife by the grace of God. And I know it. And these blessings that we obtain in this manner become dear to us because they're enduring and they last. How are you people? But this is the theme and the lesson for today. Let's learn it. In our school, we have to do a lot of things by repetition. We teach...

third and fourth grade arithmetic to high school students that they might learn to become proficient in simple arithmetic. We preach these things to you people repetitiously that you might remember to pay your gratitude to the people who is the person that's the source of your blessing. I haven't used it. I've fully talked about this before and I don't want to go into it very far because it upsets me a little bit. You know, I think of the people that want to see the servants of God all martyred and become martyrs to their faith and let them stand and watch and hear and think that because the brethren are giving their lives for the gospel that saves the people, it stirs me a little. I think there's stupidity. But I often think of how we expect Brother Johnson to do that stuff and how it's his character to do that stuff. How he's acquired the disposition that he has. I've watched him in his

work and I've observed that he's one of the most resourceful and proficient men that I've ever seen do anything. But the Lord's kept him very humble. Now why? Why has the Lord kept him humble? Because he had a work to do for him to do. And that's the only way he could do his work. That's the only way that the Lord could save Brother Johnson is in the spirit of humility. That's the only way that he can lead this people. And that's the only way that we can obtain our salvation. Absolutely the only way.

People have got to walk as cautiously and carefully as they can walk. Why do we have a group of enemies? Right here, right in our back door, you might say, or we're right in their back door. I don't know how it is. How is it? Why, they're there to keep us humble. And if this people wasn't living in the shadow of persecution, morning, noon, and night, we'd become as heavy and proud.

and unkind to one another as we could be in no time. But we've learned by sad experience that we need each other. Many of our friends have gone away and left the work and left the principle of plural marriage because they couldn't live it alone and they couldn't enjoy the people, so they've had to go away. They couldn't stay humble enough to be led by the priesthood. But we need each other, and if all were kept humble, I'm kept humble because I don't want to bring reproach upon my brethren. I've seen the brethren there often.

intimidated, intimidated because of their hardship that they see by their carelessness that they could bring upon their people. And that's good experience for us. It's good experience. Our operations in the South are very humble and the people have got to be that way and remain that way or they'll never, never, no, never rise out of the circumstances they're in because they need encouragement and help of their brethren. They need it.

If they don't get it, they're going to have a long, hard walk. But if they get it, they in turn can bless others. So we're in dire need, my dear brothers and sisters, to recognize the hand of God and to exercise faith unto Him and unto salvation. And there's no pleasanter way to approach God than in the spirit of gratitude. But it just as often reminded us that we should try to serve God out of the spirit of love.

which, to a very marked degree, I go along with, instead of the spirit of fear. Well, how do we go to God in love? Why, in the days of peace, we return our thanks and gratitude to him in the spirit of love and devotion and gratitude. And in our days of sorrow, we feel perfectly free to go and ask for a blessing. But it's in our days of peace we can negligently miss.

In these matters, then we go in shame and disgrace before God in our days of sorrow. And while we're all well clothed and well fed and well housed and well loved, it would be well for us to remember our blessings. God bless you. Amen. That's the wonderful sight, my daughters and sisters. And I'm grateful for the privilege I have of being here.

listening to the word of God peace. When President Musser started to speak, I was reminded of the passage of scripture wherein it says that all men are created equal. President Musser says that we're not all the same height. I was wondering if there was a mistake made. It reminded me of one of our last trips together. One of the brethren left the razor home. I wanted to know if he had an extra razor or if he could borrow one. I told him I had a pile driver. If he wanted to use that, he'd be welcome to it. He wanted to know what I meant by a pile driver. Well, some time ago, someone made me a present of one of these.

electric machine to put on your face. Soon after you get through using one of those things, the whiskers begin to come out again. So all the other power drivers, you drive them back in and then pretty soon they rise back. Brother Musser said to me one day, he said, do you shave with an electric razor or one of these filling machines? It depends upon The answer was, it depends upon who I'm going to see. Well, we're all created equal. The Lord put a mind in our head, and we all have the power to use it. Someone said at the commencement of the meeting that there was a war in heaven between two characters, and that war is still going on. We are equal enough to know that this is actual fact.

And the Lord has given us enough intelligence to know the difference between good and evil. Even the little child of the Gentiles is taught what's good for them and what's bad for them. And most of them are taught that to obey their parents is one of the first laws of heaven. Obedience to those who care for them.

And to be disobedient, they're punished. We who have had the gospel of Jesus Christ explained to us know the difference between good and evil as the Lord has intended us to do, to understand. But this great war that we've been talking about is still going on. But there's only two powers that we...

have to deal with. One of those powers will take us back into the presence of our Father in Heaven. The other will deal to us damnation. So the only thing that the brethren are trying to put over to you people is to heed the powers that will give you knowledge and understanding of the character of God.

that you might assimilate yourself into that character and we'd like to have you understand that you have nothing else in mind only to lay before you the conditions that actually exist among our people that might be holding us back from gaining these blessings the lord needs a people that he can put his trust in And we're trying to lead you along that road. That you might become some good along the way in assisting the Lord to redeem his people. And we cannot be of any use unless we understand the principles of the celestial kingdom. For the Lord has plainly said, The divine cannot be redeemed only upon the principles of the celestial kingdom. If we can learn wisdom, knowledge and understanding by the mistakes we make and listen to the counsels of the Lord through his servants, we can become a people that the Lord can use.

And I humbly pray that the Spirit of God will rest upon us enough so that we can so order our lives that we might become useful in this work. I don't feel like speaking longer, but I ask the blessings of God to be upon you that we might go on now from this meeting and put into practice those...

Wonderful principles that have been so beautifully laid before us this afternoon. God bless you. Amen. How many of you can say amen to what's been said today? If so, say amen. Surely he hath borne our grief and carried our sorrow, and he hath taken upon him the iniquity of us all. According to Raymond to the Smiths. Yes, I got it to them today.

for this privilege that we have had being able to come together in the association and under the direction of our holy priesthood here on the earth and we thank you for the words of life and salvation that we have received and i ask you to bless us that we may be able to remember them and apply them into our individual lives that we may strive to overcome evil in our own lives and learn to be like you are. That we may be able to do our work and keep our covenant and endure in faith to the end. And that we may eventually be able to come back and dwell in thy presence. We humbly ask you to bless Brother Johnson and those associated with him with thy Holy Spirit and with everything they stand in need of to guide and direct

people, and thy purposes. Bless us that we may be able to return to our homes and to our different vocations and works and be with us and bless us until we meet again. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.