Charge to the Priesthood

To the seventy thousand or more priesthood members assembled tonight, I should like to quote the truth and the admonition given by Peter the chief Apostle to the members of the priesthood over nineteen hundred years ago. That chief Apostle wrote these lines and addressed them to the elders of that time:

". . . I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

"Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

"And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

"Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world"  1 Pet. 5:1-9

These instructions are nineteen-hundred-years old, yet new today, and just as applicable as then to the elders of this Church. Peter said they should be "ensamples to the flock." I should just like to ask if that example starts at home. What better place to exercise the lofty ideals of the priesthood?

Gratitude for Parents

The older I grow, the more grateful I am for my parents, for what they did in that old country home. They lived the gospel. Father used to preach it, particularly to visitors who came, more than to us boys and girls; but both Father and Mother lived the gospel. I realize more than ever before that my testimony of the reality of the existence of God dates back to that home when I was a child, and it was through their teachings and their examples that I received, even as a child, the absolute knowledge that God is my Father, that I received then the knowledge of the reality of the spiritual world, and I testify to you tonight that that is a reality.

It is easy for me to accept as a divine truth the fact that Christ preached to the spirits in prison while his body lay in the tomb  1 Pet. 3:18-19 It is true. And it is just as easy for me to realize that one may so live that he may receive impressions and direct messages through the Holy Ghost. The veil is thin between those who hold the priesthood and those on the other side of the veil.

Testimony Borne in the Home

That testimony began, was borne in that home, because of the example of a man who lived the priesthood and a wife who sustained him and lived it in the home. I do not know that Peter had that in mind, particularly, when he mentioned "being ensamples to the flock"  1 Pet. 5:3 but I do know that each home is a part of that flock. The influence you spread in your home will go throughout the ward, the stake, and then will go throughout the city, the state, the country, and the world.

The most precious thing in the world is a testimony of the truth. Truth never grows old, and the truth is that God is the source of your priesthood and mine, that he lives, that Jesus Christ stands at the head of this Church, and that every man who holds the priesthood, if he lives properly, soberly, industriously, humbly, and prayerfully, is entitled to the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I know that it is true!

Exemplify Truth in Our Homes

God help us to defend the truth—better than that, to live it, to exemplify it in our homes. What we owe to our parents we cannot express. Are you going to have that same influence on your children, you parents—fathers and mothers? Never set an improper example before them. You are men of the priesthood, and you are leaders. Never let them hear a cross word. You should control yourself. He is a weak man who flies into a passion, whether he is working a machine, plowing, or writing, or whatever he may be doing in the home. A man of the priesthood should not fly into a passion. Learn to be dignified.

Home is Transformed by Priesthood Honored

To hold the priesthood of God by divine authority is one of the greatest gifts that can come to a man, and worthiness is of first importance. The very essence of priesthood is eternal. He is greatly blessed who feels the responsibility of representing Deity. He should feel it to such an extent that he would he conscious of his actions and words under all conditions. No man who holds the Holy Priesthood should treat his wife disrespectfully. No man who holds that priesthood should fail to ask the blessings on his food or to kneel with his wife and children and ask for God's guidance. A home is transformed because a man holds and honors the priesthood. We are not to use it dictatorially, for the Lord has said that ". . . when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man"  D&C 121:37 That revelation given by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith is one of the most beautiful lessons in pedagogy or psychology and government ever given, and we should read it over and over again in the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

The Divine Brotherhood

Let us realize that we are members of the greatest fraternity, the greatest brotherhood—the brotherhood of Christ—in all the world, and do our best each day, all day, to maintain the standards of the priesthood.

Let us live honest, sincere lives. Let us be honest with ourselves, honest with our brethren, honest with our family, honest with men with whom we deal, always honest, for eyes are upon us, and the foundation of all character rests upon the principles of honesty and sincerity.

God is guiding this Church. Be true to it. Be true to your families, loyal to them. Protect your children. Guide them, not arbitrarily, but through the kind example of a father, a loving mother, and so contribute to the strength of the Church by exercising your priesthood in your home and in your lives, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.