My brethren: I do not wish to bring a light thought to this very solemn and wonderful occasion, so rich in its spirituality, but I cannot but remember a story I read recently, where a man got up without any presumed preparation—that is not quite what my position should have been—but as he got up, he said, "I guess you gentlemen are wondering what I am going to say. So am I."

We have pictured in strong language, painted with vivid colors, our duty to our dead. President Joseph Fielding led off and Brother Bowring and Brother Clissold have supported in a wonderful way. I think that none of us—perhaps that is not quite the way to say it—but I think that many of us, including myself, have had presented to us this matter not altogether in a new way, but in a way that has brought home a little more clearly than perhaps we have heretofore enjoyed, our duty and responsibility with reference to the caring for our dead.

I should like to say this much in justification for myself. I think I have never while I have been in the First Presidency, raised any objection to the gathering of the materials necessary to be gathered in order that we might do work for our deceased ancestors. I always regarded it as money properly spent, perhaps not always has it been spent in the most wise way—I have no criticism to offer, for I know nothing about it—but I do know this, that in the carrying on of human undertakings, wherever you begin to make great expenditures of money, there is always some lack of wisdom, sometimes lack of foresight, occasionally, oh so occasionally in this Church, a lack of integrity.

Just branching off for a moment—the amount of money that is collected by you bishops and sent in to the treasury of the Church is enormous. And the percentage of malfeasance in the collection of that money is simply microscopic. This is a great Church in its integrity in the handling of Church funds.

Now, as I sat and listened here, one or two thoughts came into my mind. I do not wish to speak long because I know that you want to hear from President McKay and I am sure he will have a great message for you. But I do want to say this: if we are to go forward in the manner suggested by the two brethren who have spoken to us, we must have a supporting force. It cannot be done merely by words. We the Priesthood, the Melchizedek Priesthood, must support it, work for it, make it our job. And in making it our job, there is something more than words, more than pretence. There must be living. We must live as we know we should live.

We are endowed with some portion—and pardon my repetition of what I have already said—endowed with some portion of the authority of God himself. He does not live in unclean temples. We must be clean. We must keep his commandments, for if and when he leaves us, as he will if we do not live as we should, we shall for the time being lose our power, lose our usefulness, lose our enthusiasm, lose all that we ought to have in order to go forward, and it will take some time after we have found out our mistakes and our errors to get back into the work.

Repentance is not easy. Repentance, as the Lord has said, is marked by two elements—a confession in the proper way to the proper person, and a forsaking of the sin  D&C 58:43

I repeat, if you will pardon, that the authority which you brethren and all of us have who have the Melchizedek Priesthood, is a type of authority that carries with it the greatest power that has ever been revealed to humankind. The mighty forces of which we now talk so glibly, and ignorantly, are subject to the powers which you have, and they are powers which can rest effectively and fully in the humblest, the very humblest. It takes no elaborate equipment, no great funds of wealth, no tremendous political power, in order for the humblest of us to have in us the power which over-tops everything else of which we know.

It requires no elaborate equipment, no great institutions, no scholars of years and years and years to direct us. One of the ancient prophets declared regarding the way of blessings, "the way of holiness," that it is so plain that "the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein"  Isa. 35:8

We do not need any expensive equipment in order to live righteously, in order to have within our reach under the inspiration and power of the Lord the greatest force, the greatest authority of which God has ever made us aware.

And so while we must do this missionary work which is so important, we must remember to keep the supporting army, the whole Church, in proper shape, with proper equipment, with righteous living, with a determination to do the right, to the last extremity if necessary.

I do not wish to speak longer. I only ask you, do not forfeit the power and the authority which you have; paraphrasing, do not sell your great spiritual birthright for a mess of pottage of some slight worldly value.

May God bless all of us, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen.