Elder Charles W. Nibley

(Presiding Bishop of the Church)

I am always awed in my spirit when I stand before this wonderful congregation. My soul is subdued. I have felt in my heart that we have had a time of rejoicing together this conference. I know with a certainty and a surety that this is the Work of God.

"Mormonism" of Special Planting

This thing called "Mormonism" is of his special planting and nurturing and bringing to pass. As was read in our hearing by President Grant this forenoon, "a great and a marvelous work is about to come forth." It is coming forth. We are only, it is true, at the beginning of it, but it is growing marvelously; and it has gathered, by the Spirit of the Lord, the inspiration of his Spirit in the hearts of our parents who received the gospel in the old countries and in this country, and brought us of the younger generation, to this choice and favored land. It has grown to such an extent, through his blessing, that we ourselves are not apprised of the influence and power that it exerts in this nation and in the world; but it is his work that is doing it, it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves. So all honor and glory be given unto him through his beloved Son. I rejoice to be connected with such a work and such a people, the best people that the Lord has in all the world. There are many good people, many millions of good people, all over the earth, in many respects as good as we are; but of all the world, of all those who dwell on the earth, this people up to this hour are the only ones, after all, who have been willing to listen to the call of the elders and the voice of the Spirit, who have sought him sufficiently so that they know in their hearts and souls, as well as you know, as well as the Latter-day Saints everywhere know, that this is the work of the Lord, that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ; not only so, but that he is our Father, that he is the only true and living God. Dead gods-there may be false gods, plenty on every hand, but our Eternal Father is the only true and living God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. We worship him and he has revealed himself to this Church. He it is who has built up this Church; Christ, our Redeemer and Savior. He it is who is guiding it now. It is not President Heber J. Grant; it is not in his wisdom or power to guide this Church aright as a man, not at all, nor in Anthon H. Lund, nor C. W. Penrose. It is the Lord God Almighty that guides this Church, that has founded it, that has placed it where it is, and he will magnify it, lead it, bless it, and prosper it in the earth; and I say that the Lord has chosen a good people. They are the best, since they are the only ones, yet, who have been willing to listen to his call. Many more will come as the gospel is preached, and the gospel is to be preached in all the world, as a witness before the end comes, and there is an abundance of preaching to do.

A Good Missionary Work

I rejoiced in the priesthood meeting the other night to hear of the organization in some of the different stakes, Liberty stake, Granite stake especially, and probably in other stakes, missionary laborers, brethren called, sisters called, set apart by the power of the holy Priesthood to proclaim the gospel to their neighbors here at home, to visit from house to house; a good work, very best kind of work! Where is there any work that brings the joy that the preaching of the gospel brings, the reaching out to save a soul? There is no other joy like it.

Saving and Thrift Enjoined

I want to say a word or two upon another subject. We have been blest greatly as a people; and during the late years, the years of the war, means have flowed in upon us in rich abundance. These conditions will not always continue. If we are in debt I think we ought to try to get out of debt. I think we ought to observe thrift. A good many people have forgotten what that word means. Thrift, saving, not necessarily being stingy, but save your means, economize. We have grown in the expenditure of our means to be extravagant and a good many of us are in debt heavily. We ought to make every effort this fall, and from now on, to free ourselves from debt. Then we will be free to go and preach the gospel if we are called to go. I know I try to economize, although I have plenty to live upon, yet if I may be pardoned for being a little personal, I haven't bought a pair of shoes for more than a year; I never had but two pairs of shoes at any one time in my life. I have had my old shoes patched up. I have felt it was my duty to-economize, and to practice thrift, to be careful of expenditure; and so, brethren and sisters, for the sisters also can help in this just as much as the brethren, let us try to practice old-time thrift and economy. I don't think it matters a great deal whether the feather in your wife's hat is just about six inches longer than the feather in my wife's hat. I don't think it makes such an awful difference. And that is about all there is in these foolish and extravagant expenditures.

Contributions to the Arizona Temple

I rejoice to know that the Latter-day Saints are remembering the Lord. I can testify to you, it is my privilege to do so, that the Latter-day Saints are a good people, notwithstanding all their weaknesses-and we have a good many weaknesses, I have, oh, so many, doing foolish things, uttering foolish words. I need the Spirit of the Lord every minute to guide me and to direct me aright; and yet, the Lord has blest the Saints, so that they are remembering him in their tithes and in their offerings. I want to praise this people, notwithstanding a wave of criticism, a wave that carries us sometimes off our feet in this direction or the other. If we will only be a little patient, that will all pass by, and in thirty days probably we can say with McCarty, who, I think, was the author of If I were King-"Where are the woes of yesterday? The wind has blown them all away."

A little while ago the Presidency sent out a notice which was printed in our newspapers, asking for those who felt like contributing to the building of the Arizona Temple, to send such offerings to the Presiding Bishop's Office. There has been reported something over five hundred wards out of nearly nine hundred wards and branches and missions, and more than seventy-seven thousand dollars has been received at the Presiding Bishop's Office up to this date. More than three hundred wards have not yet reported. Some missions have not yet reported. In all there will pretty surely be received from the Saints for the building of the Arizona Temple more than one hundred thousand dollars. Now when you consider what the people are doing, sending out missionaries, doing so many things, building meetinghouses, engaged in so many Church activities that take means, and then this added contribution, I say it is a testimony that the Latter-day Saints, after all, are a mighty good people, and I believe the Lord in the main is pleased with us.

The Church in Business

One other item, and I am through: I hear a very considerable criticism among our people here at home about the Church being in business. What right has the Church to be in business? they ask. It is not fair. Other churches are not in business. No, that is true. Other churches experience considerable difficulty in raising funds enough to pay their ministers. So they are trying to combine the different Protestant churches and thereby save considerable expense. And, since there is no special difference in doctrine, no special, positive point for them to stand for, one church would be just as good as a dozen of that kind. But I want to tell you my brethren and sisters, that this is not that kind of a church. The Lord has established this Church. The time was when these Protestant churches had a very definite and positive principle and ground to stand upon and to stand for, to live and die for, if necessary, and they did die for it by the thousands and tens of thousands, and that principle was the principle of liberty, liberty to worship God as they pleased, liberty to give if they pleased, liberty to believe in indulgences being sold, if they wanted to believe in them, and liberty to disbelieve in it; and for this definite principle of liberty they fought and died that we might inherit the liberty that they purchased with their blood. I recall returning from Europe on one trip with President Smith, and I secured on the boat for him to read, because he didn't have much time to read except when at sea, Motley's Rise of the Dutch Republic, and after he had read it he made this observation: "Why the persecutions and trials that we have suffered as a people are nothing to what those Holland people, those Dutch people, have gone through in their eighty years' war." Liberty came to this nation, liberty has been established here. All honor to Protestantism. I take off my hat to the work that Protestantism has done for the world in bringing liberty, with its Luther and all who followed him. That having been accomplished, there seems to be little, so far as I can see-and I am not judging or criticising-of any definite purpose in Protestantism to stand for. But this Church is different, this Church is established to be in business. That is what it is here for, so that it has means to help in this direction and the other. Why what would it amount to without the ability to do things, to accomplish results? Do you need help in this direction, or the other, in colonizing, in building up towns and cities, in establishing this industry or the other, that will be for the benefit of the people? If so the Church is here to help. That is-what it is here for.

The Church Will Grow More and More Helpful

And it will grow more and more helpful all the time. Do not forget that, as Elder Ballard told us this forenoon, the Lord in his mercy, after he had revealed the law of consecration, and when we were not able, and we are not able yet by a long way, to accept that law, the Lord then revealed a lesser law, the law of tithing. The time will come when the law of consecration will be in force and instead of the Church being in business in a small way, it will be in business in the greatest possible way, because it will control all our means. That is what it is here for. That is what it will accomplish ultimately, but now we are not able, we are not far enough along to even consecrate ten per cent as tithing, so we need not clamor for the united order, or the law of consecration, not yet, until more of us-and I include myself in that number-until more of us are able to accomplish the consecration of ten per cent of what he gives us. So I raise my voice in protest against this criticism about the Church being in business, this or the other. As the years roll on it will be ten times more in business than it is now. The very thing that is criticised is largely what gives it power and influence in the world.

I pray that the blessings of the Lord may be upon this people, continue upon them. I know they are a good people. This people shall be my people; their God my God; where they go or stay, I go or stay, because there is none like them in all the world. God bless you. Amen.