Elder Jonathan C. Cutler

(President of the Curlew Stake of Zion)

It is certainly gratifying to see the interest manifested by the Latter-day Saints in attending our conferences I presume that on the Temple block, at the present time, in the three buildings, and on the grounds, there are not less than twelve to fifteen thousand Latter- day Saints, eager to get inspiration from the servants of the Lord. To me this is very gratifying and pleasing indeed. I feel truly thankful for the title Latter-day Saint which I bear. I am also pleased, and appreciate the honor to be counted worthy, to be a representative of this great Church. While I feel that I am out of place to be called upon to address the Latter-day Saints who come so far to these conferences, and while I feel that the brethren and sisters who attend would rather hear the general authorities than some of the local brethren, yet, obedient to the call, I comply and desire that the Lord will bless me with his Spirit, and if he has anything to say, through me, I would only be too pleased to give utterance, for I desire to do all the good I can, and as little harm as possible.

The Apostle Peter gives us to understand that God is no respecter of persons, but in all nations he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted of him. We are all God's children. We have a perfect right to be equal. We were created equal, and we have a perfect right to remain equal, according to our works and our diligence here in the earth. But it is true we have our agency. We had it in the beginning, when the spirits were organized in the spirit world. God did not see fit to take our agency from us, but in the spirit world we exercised our free agency, and we still have the privilege here of exercising it. Men and women can do as they please. God is not going to compel us to do anything. As the poet says, "He'll call, persuade, direct aright-in countless ways be good and kind but never force the human mind." We are all acting on our own resources and responsibilities,-upon our own honor and judgment. God does not interfere, but gives all a chance; and he is no respecter of persons, and the call is to all, regardless of creed.

There seems to be at present in the whole world a disregard for law and order. I look back to my younger days-I am still a boy, but I look back to when I was younger than I am today-and I see a marked change in conditions as they now exist. Remember that law and order were observed in heaven. It is true we had the right to exercise our agency, but, at the same time, law and order were prevailing, even in the spirit world, in heaven. The laws of our government are patterned after the laws of God. Law and order at least should prevail here in this great nation of ours; in fact, they should in the whole world. But there is a strong tendency today to disregard both law and order.

Before I arose from my bed this morning I received a thought that I pondered over. At the place that I was stopping, I heard in the hallway a mother say to her child, "Child, don't go down stairs." And the child said, "Why?"-seemed to rebel at once. That seems to be the condition at the present time; we haven't learned the lesson that Adam learned. You remember the Lord told Adam in the beginning to offer sacrifice. There were no whys nor wherefores with Adam; it was the Lord's right to speak and Adam understood it. You remember a little later, when the angel visited him, he put this question to him, "Adam, why do you offer sacrifice?" Adam said, "I know not, only that God has commanded it."

Above all, I believe that Latter-day Saints should learn this lesson. We are beginning to fall into the ways of the world, and we question the authority of God here on the earth, and when we are asked, as the little child was asked this morning, not to go down the stairs, we want to know why. We do not follow the example of Adam. This seems to be the tendency in the Church today. We find that a great many of our people have lost track of the law of order and rule, and want to be a law unto themselves.

It is very true that in cases, when the time is ripe and proper, we have a right to counsel. For instance, we take the body of lawmakers that we have. When they go into council, they have a right there to express their opinions, they have a perfect right to discuss matters, give their ideas, and finally come to a conclusion, and it becomes a law. But then it becomes our duty, as subject to that law, to obey, and not to ask the whys and wherefores. They, have taken it into council, and have decided upon the law, and I feel that it is the duty of every one to obey such law and order after it has been established.

With Latter-day Saints, I feel that it is more important even than with other citizens of this great nation of ours. It is true that in the beginning, while in the spirit world, there was a council held; and you remember that God called the gods together. They, met in council. No doubt they discussed matters pro and con, but finally they decided upon a plan of redemption. That plan was accepted by all who were there. No doubt we were there, according to the words of Job, because he gives us to understand-or the Lord does, in speaking to him, when he puts this question to him, "Job, declare, if thou hast understanding, where wast thou when this earth was created, when the morning stars sang together, and all of the sons of God shouted for joy?" We were present in the spirit world. We gave a voice of utterance to the plan of redemption, and sanctioned it while in the spirit world. But that did not deprive the spirits of their agency. After that council had decided upon a plan, we find that one man arose and rebelled against that great body. Lucifer, the son of the morning, rebelled against that council. He did not see fit to be governed by law and order, and became a law unto himself; and he had such great influence and power, even after that council had decided upon a plan, that he drew away a third of the hosts of heaven, and they followed him, using their agency. We who were valiant had greater blessings pronounced upon us. The blessing was given to all who were valiant, and kept their first estate, that the time would come when they would have the privilege of coming here upon the earth and taking a body, whereby the spirit might be clothed. We had a clear understanding, no doubt, of our second estate, and we are here now as the Lord promised that we should be, all who were valiant in the spirit world.

Now, I believe above all that the Latter-day Saints should be subject to law and order. I believe I am thoroughly converted to the fact that all Latter-day Saints, when the law goes forth, have not the privilege to ask the whys and wherefores, because when we do this, I am sure that we grieve the Spirit of the Lord, and it leaves us. We read in the D&C, where the Lord says, That it mattereth not whether he speaks by his own voice, or the voice of his servants, it is binding upon the hearer. Amos gives us to understand that "Surely the Lord God will do nothing but that he reveals his secrets unto his servants the prophets." God has never had a people that he acknowledged upon the earth, for whom he did not provide a mouthpiece to lead them. After God had visited the boy prophet, and after the organization of the Church, Joseph was apparently left to himself, and he led the people as a prophet of God. And we are still led by that same authority here today. So it matters not whether the Lord speaks direct, or whether he speaks as he always has spoken, through his mouthpieces here on the earth; and it pains me to see the disrespect for the authority of God here in the earth that we find is being manifest among the Latter- day Saints.

I feel that we are living in the time that the Apostle Paul saw, and many of the other apostles and prophets. We are living in the times that Daniel saw. We are living in the day that John the Revelator saw when he said. "I saw an angel flying through the midst of heaven," etc. We are living in that very day. The angel Moroni has come. He has delivered his message unto mankind, he has delivered the record of the forefathers, the Nephites and the Lamanites, and the work is established again here upon the earth with the promise that no other people have ever enjoyed, and that is this, that it shall never be taken from the earth nor given to another people. This is the knowledge that Latter-day Saints possess today, that this gospel which is here never will be given to another people - - though we have no particular promise that you and I will remain faithful; that depends upon our own works, our own acts, whether we remain firm and true or not.

I am reminded of a prediction made by Heber C. Kimball. And I remember quoting this at one time in Summit county when I was there on a Mutual mission, and at the close of the meeting an elderly man came to me, and he corroborated what I said, except that while I put it "half," he said, "You have made a mistake; I heard him make the utterance, that the day would come that two-thirds of the Latter-day Saints would apostatize and leave the Church." I got this from this witness, who heard him say so.

I ponder over this at times, and I wonder what is going to be the outcome. It is true, we are naturally looking after self, but when we take a broad view of the situation of life and the hereafter, we are only one royal family. While, of course, we desire to be saved, with our immediate kin and relatives-and that seems to be the nearest and dearest wish to-I believe our ambition is stronger, and we are working harder to save our immediate family, which I feel is perfectly right and well. I believe we are just a little bit too selfish along this line. I have often thought this that I would not be fortunate if my family were saved or exalted and all of my neighbors and associates were not enjoying the same blessing that I enjoy. I accept life as a reality. I accept life after we leave here as a reality. I believe the way I am living here I will want to live after I leave here. I believe the company that I enjoy here I will want to enjoy after I leave here; and for that reason the communities that I live in and the good people that I get acquainted with and want to associate with here, I Believe I will want to associate with when I get on the other side. And so I take a broad view of the situation, and the reality of life here and hereafter; I have the same interest for my neighbor, for my fellow man that I have for myself.

I feel, then, that we should mete out charity to one another. I feel that we should live here as we desire to live when we go on the other side. I have heard a great many people express themselves that when we get on the other side there will be an awful change, that the separation that we call death is going to bring about a wonderful change-habits that we have formed here, things that we have been accustomed to here will leave us, that we will not be bothered with these bodies when we leave here. This is not the doctrine taught by Alma, by any means. It is just the reverse. And I believe that as Ecclesiastes says, "As we lay the body down, so shall we take it up again." I believe that if we have formed an evil habit, that habit will stay with us until we overcome it. If it would not, there would be no justice; mercy would take the place of justice, which God says is not going to be-for mercy will claim its own, justice will demand its own-and if the change which we call death is going to make us perfect, I see no use of the extra exertion to be what we should be here in the flesh. But I am converted to the fact that when we leave here we will find ourselves in the condition just where we left this life.

For an illustration, I am going to tell of an instance that occurred while I was laboring in Summit county, to show to you that the appetites which we have here go with us, and we only get rid of them by sacrifice. And I am converted that it is easier to get rid of these things here than it is after we leave here. I called at the home of a good brother and his wife and family. In our discussion, I found he had been a strong, heavy tobacco user. He told me of his experience in quitting this habit. He told me that his brother had died some two years before, and that he also was a heavy tobacco user.

After he had been dead two or three months, he appeared to his brother and his brother's wife, at their bedside, and said. "John, get up and roll me a smoke." His brother obeyed and got up and rolled him a smoke and offered it to him, and he appeared to sit down on a chair, and his brother sat down by the side of him; and he said, "You inhale it;" and he obeyed. His brother held the third draw and he said, "That will do; now I can leave the earth."

This coincides with what Parley P. Pratt gives us in the Key to Theology. Here was a man who had been dead two or three long months, and according to his own testimony, he had not been able to leave the earth and go to the spirit world, but had been hovering around the earth. Parley P. Pratt tells us in the Key to Theology, that at the place where the evil deeds are committed, the spirits linger in wretched loneliness for months. Now, according to the statement of this good brother, which I could not deny after questioning him, his brother came to him. I tried to make him think that it was imaginary, but he turned to his good wife and said, "Mother, did we imagine that my brother came, or was it real?" She said, "We were as wide awake as we are at the present time; we walked to him and conversed with him, and on leaving us, he went into the other room and awoke our elder son and he talked with him."

I bring this up as an illustration, because I have heard some of our good old brethren and sisters, and some of our younger ones say, I will take the extra stripe, I will satisfy the appetite while I am here, and take my chances on the other side. Now, this good brother, who had formed that habit, after the visitation of his brother to him, said, "If this is the condition of my brother, who left with that appetite, I am going to make the sacrifice and quit." He bore his testimony to me that it had been two long years since he had touched tobacco.

Now I want to say to you, my brethren and sisters, in all candor, that life is a reality here, and I believe as we live here we will live after we leave here. I believe if I do not want to associate with a man here, he would be very repulsive to me on the other side. If I could not make him a congenial companion here. I do not believe I would want to on the other side. until some differences had been adjusted.

Do we find conditions of this kind in our neighborhood today? I believe we do. We find neighbors who will not speak to neighbors. We find enmity exists, even in the settlements, and in some cases, in the immediate homes of the Latter-day Saints. It is entirely wrong, and this should be eradicated from the heart of every Latter-day Saint.

I want to leave my witness that this body of Latter-day Saint may know the gospel is true. I know that God lives. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, raised up in these the last days to bring about God's purposes before the second coming of Christ here to reign in the earth. The living oracles are here, handed down from Presidents Young, Taylor, Woodruff, Snow, down to President Smith-and today Heber J. Grant stands as a mouthpiece to us, and I say, God bless him, bless his associates, his counselors and the apostles, and all of the presiding authorities; and I would exhort you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for them, sustain them, and uphold them, and if we will do it, God will sustain and uphold us, but if we do not, I am afraid we will be left to ourselves, and we will apostatize and leave the Church, as was predicted by Brother Kimball.

May the Lord bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Swanee Singers sang, "The boys of the old brigade."