My brethren and sisters, I feel that the word of God has come to us in rich measure in every session of this conference. We have been reassured; we have been strengthened; we have been edified; and we are happy in our knowledge of the truth.

I want to read to you a sentence written by Charles A. Lindbergh. He said: "It should now be branded on our conscience that unless science is controlled by a greater moral force, it will become the anti-Christ prophesied by the early Christians." He also refers to great spiritual truths which emanate from God. "Unless the actions of a people are guided by these truths," he points out, "it is only a matter of time before their walls will collapse as they did at Berlin, Munich, and Nuremberg."

The Bible Source of Spiritual Truths

The spiritual truths referred to by Colonel Lindbergh are contained in the fulness of the restored gospel and are itemized and emphasized in the Holy Bible. We invite people everywhere to search the scriptures. "We believe the Bible to be the word of God"  A of F 1:8 said the Prophet Joseph Smith. There is and has been much controversy about the Bible. What the world needs today are fewer people to argue and more people to read and think. There are many interpretations and a diversity of opinion, and as a result there is much confusion and division in the religious world. I am sure one of our major difficulties is that mankind has lost guidance and wanders about from place to place and from theory to theory without either guide or compass. Without guidance man lives in a vacuum with no road to the future.

The Bible is the Word of God

Like many of you, I believe in the Bible. It is the word of God. It is reliable and trustworthy. It contains the wisdom of the ages and is the source of all that is best in our modern life. It is an outline of history covering a period about which people generally are not well informed. From the standpoint of literature it ranks among the best, and I have found that among many writers and public speakers are those who are indebted to the Holy Bible for the effectiveness and renown of their literary production. I often think of Abraham Lincoln's appraisal of the Bible and his acknowledgment of its value. It was not an offhand opinion given by him of this sacred volume. Lincoln was qualified to speak on this subject. He said, "This great book . . . is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through that book. But for it we should not know right from wrong. It seems to me that nothing short of infinite wisdom could by any possibility have devised this excellent and perfect moral code." (August 1864.)

Lincoln's quotations from the Old and New Testaments are numerous. These quotations appear not only in his speeches but also in his private correspondence. In his second inaugural address, which is noted for its eloquence and its masterful presentation, scriptural quotations abound, and the name of Deity is frequently used, and religious sentiment runs through the entire speech. President Lincoln, as you know, was a religious man without any church affiliation. He was often on his knees in prayer. Passages like the following are used by him:

"Judge not, that ye be not judged"  Matt. 7:1

"Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!"  Matt. 18:7

". . . the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether"  Ps. 19:9

Confidence in Spiritual Truths

Lincoln appeared to have unlimited confidence in scriptural teachings. He used them in private correspondence and in his daily conversations. In one of his letters he quotes from the third chapter and the 19th verse of Genesis: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread"  Gen. 3:19 In the same letter he quotes the golden rule  Matt. 7:12 and alludes to the temptations of Jesus. When asked to repeat his stand on a certain matter, he refused by quoting from the 16th chapter of Luke: ". . . If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead"  Luke 16:31

There can be no question about Lincoln's familiarity with the Bible, or that he read it frequently, and that he memorized large portions of it. His greatest speeches, like his farewell talk on leaving Springfield, his second inaugural, and his masterful oration at Gettysburg, furnish irrefutable evidence of the debt he owes the English Bible. Most people will agree that from the standpoint of greatness and wise statesmanship Lincoln tops the list.

I have spoken as I have about our great American because I believe he is a product of the truths contained in the Holy Bible. These truths were part of him. They entered into his decisions, his philosophy his contacts with his fellow men, his literary style, and his success as a leader of the nation. And so I urge the reading of the Bible. It is a powerful book and contains treasures of truth which are vital to man's development. It is a strong testimony of the existence of God and the divine mission of Jesus Christ.

Read the Book Itself

May I suggest that you turn to the book itself instead of reading the commentaries of scholars and pretenders of religion. The latter will not satisfy, for the things of God are understood by the Spirit of God  1 Cor. 2:11 But the Bible should be read searchingly as admonished by Jesus  John 5:39 It is and has been a source of comfort and strength in times of sorrow and disappointment. Its pages are filled with quotable passages concerning the conduct of man and his spiritual and moral well-being.

The influence of the Bible reaches into the laws and the governments of nations, into the art, literature, and folklore of races and communities. No book has wielded a wider influence.

Alters the Lives of Men and of Nations

I need not tell you that there is a peculiar sanctity and force about its words. In it are the messages of mighty prophets who ". . . spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost"  2 Pet. 1:21 History has proved that the Bible has altered the lives of men and nations. It has touched deeply the heart of humanity. Public men who have attained to eminence in our own country have been equipped with a knowledge of its contents. It is a converter of souls to a better life, to a belief in God and a wholesome respect for his laws and commandments.

Green, in his A Short History of the English People, gives a marvelous testimony to the effect of the printed Bible during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He writes: "No greater moral change ever passed over a nation than passed over England during the years which parted the middle of Elizabeth's reign from the meeting of the long Parliament. England became the people of a book, and that book was the Bible. Its literary and social effects were great, but far greater was the effect of the Bible on the character of the people at large. Its influence called on human action. The whole temper of the nation felt the change. A new conception of life, a moral and religious impulse spread through every class."

It was the Bible that led the Prophet Joseph Smith into the presence of the Father and the Son and opened the door to a new gospel dispensation. Thousands of people have been brought into the Church because of their familiarity with scriptural teachings. It validates the Book of Mormon and establishes its divine origin. It is a bulwark against the tyranny of infidelity and atheism.

Desperate attempts have been made by its enemies to minimize and discredit its influence. Fortunately, they have failed, and they will continue to fail. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away," said the Savior  Matt. 24:35 The Bible will survive the onslaughts of the adversary.

The time-honored volume is a pillar of freedom. From its pages come the doctrines of equal rights; the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man; patience, tolerance, and love; the dignity and worth of the human soul; and the right and obligation to worship God and to account to him for all that we do, what we say, and what we think.

I believe most people are searching for standards and beliefs which will sustain them through life, which is not always sunshine and flowers. For some it is hard and cruel, and the burden is heavy. Many of these people believe in God, but they do not have the firm and resolute conviction to carry on. Where shall we go for guidance and inspiration? Where can we find God and spirituality? It cannot be found in the current literature of the day. It cannot be found in statistics or on the financial page of the daily newspaper. Seldom can we find it in the colleges and the universities of the land or in the lecture hall. There is only one source—one only—and that is in the revelations of God to his servants, the prophets. The biblical characters are men who walked and talked with God. There is much to learn from them and the distant past. Five thousand years of human experience should offer a good guideline for the modern world. May we search the Bible diligently, eagerly, and prayerfully, I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.