Amen. I'll hear from President Wilson. Certainly not all equal in height, always. I pray that the Lord will inspire my mind because I realize fully I have no strength without him. Sincere 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 a very frightening and startling thing. 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 Alma, the son of Alma, by 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 persecution, 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 their 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.

And 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 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 nearer to the Lord and to support him. There's a condition, I guess, 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. They 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 rebaptized. Others were baptized into the gift. 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 a fine twined linen, and because of the 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 a gold and a 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. It's frightening that such a thing can happen to saints in a few months' time because of full bellies. 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.

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 its 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. There too, time 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 in 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 6,000 years, the brethren would open their eyes and not have to learn by experience to be faithful. That's what the brotherhood is.

Because you'd 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 Meshachs were all killed. Every man, woman, and child. The same experience. If you memorize the fourth chapter of Al-Mughirah, 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. 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 say they lose their homes and they lose their businesses. And they lose this and they lose 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. Or 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 world.

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 or hard-headed person in the world than the son of Jacob. Father knows it. It's a problem that he's facing. Now you might say, but Brother Musher, 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 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 the spirit of gratitude? 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. He comes home and gives it to the child. The little child, godly, runs away into the corner. The mother says, look here, John. Look here. Why don't you find Daddy?

Now, 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. And away she goes. Now, is that gratitude? Well, of course that's not gratitude. That's mimics. That's parroting. 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. Well, 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, brethren and sisters, which is as much a part of the character as the 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 right. 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 loved 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. You are the former of your 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. Be the pitfall. 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, compared 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 its 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 surveils 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 the giver? Can you see why the prophets have said you will travel through this life in Fear and trembling. We don't fear man. By most any of you strong brethren, there's not a man on the earth that you fear. You could whip him in any battle. You don't fear 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 he is 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. To be that, those who 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 sides of the building began to fall and a pole, a pole slipped out and went against the building and held it. And one of the brethren said, I'm grateful for that pole. Father says, I'm grateful for God who dressed the pole. That's it.

Brothers 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 give them as he desires 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 them taken from us at any moment in our lives and find ourselves on our back again. Now this is a story.

spirit of the world that gets us into trouble. This is the spirit that you're all trying to hide from when 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. That's all there is to it. Now, what do the brothers mean in supporting me? They mean to support the princes that are part of me. 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 recognize 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, I got it.

might call me father, and might support me with a little money, but reject the principles of truth that are a part of me, and that I live for, and will die for. So I can honestly say, no, he doesn't support me, or he doesn't support me. There are many ways that we can win this race with the support of these principles.

And the reason, one reason, why these people fell into this condition and were 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 tent. 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 principle 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 they 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 drawing 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 of my nature doesn't activate every fiber of your nature. But yours 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. I'll 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 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 that every drop of the hat lies up in combat. And it comes to principle. In a world without it.

until she receives, with the innocence of a little child, the same principles that you have received and are practicing 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, and you walk as one. Now, brethren and sisters, how more simply Could the Lord give it to us, and how could he make it easier for us to accomplish? And I pray that we will begin to see the light of his 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 brought 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? And if 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 regard for the Lord? Can you feel?

that you can't survive another second without his help under 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.

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 withdrawn.

From a little child. But you do. Our father. Is an exalted man. With body parts and parts. And he feels the same way. How much more. Keener. Is his feeling of sorrow. And affliction towards us. When we begin to act like this. And when we begin. To go to him. And 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. Here's a woman who goes, whose husband has taught her for ten years how to keep herself, 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 his 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 life? 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. It makes him feel bad. spirit from it, from his power, and we are left alone. And believe me, when we are left alone for about six days, we lose our money, we lose our disposition, 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 did these people and gather our herds in their flocks.

and our grains together, our brethren and our women and children, and we 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 we will become his two sons 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 the celestial world one bit of satisfaction or praise that it has blessed us. God bless you.