| Chapter 18 I MET THE ENEMY About fifty years ago I was in the Eastern Iowa District and very busy in my missionary work. I received a letter from my wife asking me to come home. She had passed through an experience that had scared her till she was about sick. A drunken wretch had come to my house about two o’clock in the night and had tried to break in the front door. My wife awoke, grabbed the two babies out of bed, ran through the living room into the kitchen and would have gone out the back door as he came in at the front door. Well he didn’t get into the house, but my wife was scared sick. I came home. She told me her story and I said, it’s about time to clean up this town. I went over to see V. M. Eliston, the pastor of the Christian church. I laid the matter before him and told him what we ought to do. He agreed with me. I said let’s get together and put all these booze joints out of this town. He agreed to that. We made our plans. They were short and was to call the two churches together and tell them what we are going to do and ask them for their financial support. Then send out and get the best anti-saloon men we could get, and one night each week have a lecture [183] that was red-hot and keep it up for six months. And then without announcement would send out men enough to canvass the county in one day and secure 65 per cent of the voters and that would put them out. We agreed. Then we went and secured the help of the Methodist pastor and we three began. We really set that town on fire and the saloon element organized against us and threatened our lives, but we went on. One of the best men secured for a speaker was a Methodist preacher from Fort Dodge, Iowa. His subject was, “The Man Eating Tiger of India and the Moorhead Saloon.” He really made a blood-curdling address. Our plan worked. It had to work. We got our helpers, canvassed the county in one day and secured 65 per cent of the voters and put the saloons out of the county and they stayed out for many years. I’m an uncompromising foe to strong drink and tobacco, and that word “strong drink’’ does not stop at beer, wine, whiskey, etc. It goes on down the line and includes all that the revelation on the “word of wisdom” includes. And we are told by Joseph Smith, the seer, that revelation included tea and coffee. What kind of stand are you taking on this question Just a few days ago I was called to preach a funeral of a good sister who lived 150 miles south of my home town. Four carloads went together. I was with them, we stopped in a nice little south Missouri town to eat. One man said I know where there is a good place to eat, we started. I was about the middle of the line. He came to a booze joint, he said this is it. They started in. I said, why this is a booze joint. I’m not going to eat in there. He remarked this is a good place to eat. I said, “not for [184] me”. I’d rather go hungry. Now my stand is this: These people called ‘‘Latter Day Saints”, the church of the first born must show to the world a finer distinction of life. A higher atmosphere. A cleaner way of life. What say you, my brother. Do you still walk with me? Well that fellow did. He followed me up the street to a good restaurant and respected me for my decision. The time has come that we as a people must arise in the strength of Israel’s God and make this place a clean place to live in. Can’t you see why we should do our utmost to put it out of the town and county? Drive that monster from the nation and save our boys and girls. Did you read in that prophecy of John the Baptist referring to the mission of our Lord that he said, ‘‘Whose fan is in his hand and He will thoroughly purge His floor and gather the wheat into His garner, but shall burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire? Hi there you men of God are you willing to take your station as a watchman on the towers of Zion? What say you? The wedding garment must be worn and that great Master the Skipper of the ship, the Captain of our salvation calls for clean men. Brave sailors. True to the message we bear. Familiar with the strains of music that came from that army of men who stood on the platform at the General Conference and sang, “I’ll say what you want me to say and I’ll do what you want me to do.” 1 are you going to do about that this year at the 1962 conference I Let’s follow that song with, ‘‘I would be true, for there are those who trust me. I would be pure for there are those who care. I would be strong for there is much to suffer. I would look up and laugh and love and lift. If you are not willing to take out the weeds in your own door yard, [185] don’t try to tell any one else to pull up theirs. Hi there, are we working for money, or honor, or praise of men or are we trying to build the city of our God? This voice of warning is for you, not for some one else. The word of wisdom was for every one who belongs to the church. And all others who would hear its call. You may have health today, but tomorrow will the peace of mind and body, and plenty to the one who is clean today and willing to do their work. Wisdom holds in her right hand a length of happy days. Riches with splendid honors joined is what her left displays. Wisdom guides the young and tender lambs to green pastures. The man of God will take his station and fill it with love, power, sweetness, and glory, so it will shine, and his sermons will ring in the ears of the transgressor, thrill the lives of men, challenge all to a better life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You better go into the closet and tell your Lord what you are going to do about this. I read a prayer in the Old Testament, “Lord who shall abide in Thy Tabernacle, and who shall dwell in Thy Hoiy Hill of Zion?” If you wait for some one else to make this a Holy Hill. you’ll not be permitted to make your home here. You will have to move. It takes more than a deed to your lot to make a home in Zion? It takes a clean body, a clean mind, a tongue that is not spraying poison among the saints and neighbors, a sweetness and love that stands out as a challenge. A life of kindness that cannot be forgotten. Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb, and shall I fear to own His cause or blush at His sweet name? [186] “I WILL CONSIDER IN MY DWELLING PLACE” Wonderful, isn’t it? That the Lord my God will talk to us in Zion. Well that sounds 0. K., but to whom will He speak and with whom will He hold conversation. I read of how He talked to a little boy who was only eight years old. But I can see how He could talk to a boy easier than he could talk to some grown up. That little boy was clean, sweet and good, while many grown up would have so many things to hold them down. These grown ups are not as pure as a little child. But still the Lord said I would consider in His dwelling place and that dwelling place is Zion. There will be some who will abide in His tabernacle and dwell in His holy hill of Zion. So there will be some in Zion who will be pure in heart. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. The pure in heart are those who are keeping the second commandment. If we can gather a nucleus of those who will keep this second commandment, we can have Zion. For Zion is no nearer, nor any farther away than the spiritual condition of my people justify. So it’s up to us to make good. Shall we take a lesson from the Jews who have gathered back to the Holy Land? In the land of Israel, there are 300 kibbetz or farm settlements as of 1955, all share alike and all profits are turned back to the improvement of their kibbetz. Men and women work together side by side. In 1955 8½ million boxes of oranges were shipped out or exported. 350,000 acres of citrus groves. The Israelites are not paying so much attention to religion right now, they are building up their nation. But when they turn to God and accept the Gospel I wonder if they will set the example of [187] equality in temporal things to the people of Zion. When they turn to their stronghold and soften their hearts in brotherly love and build a Zion for their persecuted people and the work of God shall be established over there and they learn of the stick of Joseph that was given to convince the Jew as well as the Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ, we may see the fulfillment of the word in Zion and in Jerusalem will be deliverance. We are challenged by this report coming from Israel of them sharing alike, and turning the profits into the building up of their kihbetz or farm settlements. It surely seems to me we will have a lot of adjustments to make to reach a time and place in our Zion that we may share in some way that our Zion may live. We could share together enough to meet our emergencies instead of giving our money to insurance companies to make them rich. If ye are not one ye are not mine. Father I pray that they may be one as thou Father and I are one. Can we believe in Him and have enough love in our hearts to assist the needy that are among us? O Lord give us grace that we may endure the cross and bear the chastisement if necessary until we may know how to serve Thee more perfectly and come to a unity of the faith: That is: Our plan and system of faith will be to work for that goal when we will all be one. Our aims will be one, as our hopes are one, that we may dwell with Thee. A unity of the faith to me would be that we all believe the same thing and are working to build up the kingdom when there will be no poor among us. 0 give us grace that when Thou shall come we may dwell with Thee. [188] WATCHMAN WHAT OF THE NIGHT It seems as if we are coming to a time of great decision. A shifting of our positions or possessions. The nations are trying to out do each other in the making of weapons of destruction. They are afraid the other fellow might get one step ahead. So it is a fulfillment of His word. Men’s hearts will fail them for fear, for looking for the things that are coming upon the earth. Crime on every land and every sea. It sounds good to me that the Lord would prepare a place of safety. a place called Zion. The Lord knows the future. If He did not there never could have been a prophet, for prophecy is telling of that which is in the future. Watchman point out to me some of the things that I may take with me to go through the night. We all have some vision in the day, for God causes the sun to shine upon us. We can see in the sunlight. But what of the night? We want a light that will shine through the night. We can get along fine as long as our health is good, but when sickness comes we need a physician and we look around to find a good physician. Now that is the situation around us and we look for our road. We need a highway on which to walk that we need not err. Rumblings of war, slaughter on the highways, people running around mad for pleasure. Divorce courts crowd ed for room. Delinquency on every hand, reckless living, drinking, and smoking, cursing and murder, fighting and quarreling. We must have a city of refuge, a place of safety to which we may gather that we may escape the destruction of the wicked. Watchman, what of this night? Traveler, the day star of hope has come in that God. [189] has restored to earth, by angel ministry: “The light at Eventide.” “The marvelous work and a wonder.” “This Gospel of the Kingdom.” “The Kingdom shall never be destroyed.’’ ‘‘The little stone that was cut out of the mountain without hands.” “Royal Priesthood.” “A chosen generation to show forth the praises of Him who bath called us out of darkness into light and whomsoever believeth on Him shall not be confounded.” So the pathway that is offered to you now is: If any man shall do the will of the Captain of our salvation he will know that he is on the Ship of Zion and can communicate his deep desires and earnest and needful requests to this Captain by spiritual radio. This system is new to the worldly people, but as old as the everlasting hills and older, and is being installed in the homes of saints as fast as they can arrange those homes and clarify the atmosphere there in until the Spirit of the instilation will not be interfered with and a healthy people can grow up unto Him who stands ready to lead them up to and into the glorious day of the wedding when the Lord, my God shall come. So to the traveler I would say: See the church in its beauty of organization. See the self-sacrificing ministry. See the principles of Doctrine with none left out. See the Stick of Joseph prepared in 1829 and preserved to convince the Jews as they return. See the former rains return to Palestine (the old home of the Jews) 1853-54. See the Jews return. See Israel becomes a nation on May 14, 1948. See the goal of the church is Zion. See the Saints are gathering home to Zion. [190] COME AND LET US SING TOGETHER What more can He say than to you He has said You who unto Jesus for refuge has fled, Press onward, press onward, the prize is in view, A crown of bright glory is waiting for you.” [191] |
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