July 4th!
The Holiday that Makes all Holidays Possible!
Dear Elders and Sisters:
Patriotism: This
month we celebrate two wonderfully special holidays – July 4th, the holiday
that makes all the other holidays possible, and July 24th, Pioneer Day, the holiday
that reminds us of the Lord’s promises through the Book of Mormon that this is
the Promised Land. This land we live in
is truly a blessed country. We enjoy all
freedoms. The Lord’s prophecies
regarding this country as a blessed nation are clear. Every member should understand the divine
plan our Heavenly Father had to raise up the first free people in modern times.
(Ether 2:12) states: “Behold, this is a choice land and
whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity,
and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the
Land, who is Jesus Christ…” The Lord
truly preserved this continent from the Roman Empire to be inhabited at a time
and with a people that he would raise up.
Listen to Nephi’s prophecy; “And I looked and beheld a
man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the
many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon
the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my
brethren, who were in the promised land.” (Nephi 13:12)
At the proper time, God inspired Columbus to overcome
almost insurmountable odds to discover the American continent bringing this
rich new land to the attention of the gentiles in Europe. (Ezra Taft Benson Oct 1961 Conference
Address) Columbus himself declared:
“With a hand that could be felt, the Lord opened my mind to the fact that it
would be possible to sail and he opened my will to desire to accomplish the
project…This was the fire that burned within me…Who can doubt that this fire
was not merely mine, but also the Holy Spirit urging me to press forward.” (As
quoted by Arnold K Garr, “Preparing for the Restoration” Ensign, June 1999)
But before that He, the Lord, miraculously guided several
groups of chosen people to this land.
One of these groups, as you know, are the Nephites. Nephi, son of Lehi, prophesied in 1 Nephi 13
that: People in Europe would come to
this country to escape tyranny and persecution and pursue religious
freedom. The kingdoms in Europe would
try to exercise dominion over the people who had fled to America. But the
people in America would win. 2,300 years
before this war, the Lord foretold who would win.
Jacob warned: “And this land shall be a land of liberty
unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land…” (2 Nephi 10:11)
The great Captain Moroni moved quickly to purge the
Kingmen from within knowing what great evil would come upon the people if they
were to establish a King.
When the people of the brother of Jared demanded a king,
he had no problem forseeing its consequences saying; “Surely this thing leadeth
into captivity.” And it did.
When Jesus Christ governs, there is no need for a king to
meet the needs of the people. He, Jesus
Christ, will meet all their needs. He
who has suffered all will provide all.
Quoting from the D&C; “And for this purpose have I
established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I have
raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of
blood.” (D&C 101:80)
Having declared America a land of liberty, God undertook
to raise up “wise” men who would write a constitution of liberty and establish
the first free people in modern times.
He declared that the United States Constitution was divinely inspired
for the specific purpose of protecting rights and freedom and eliminating
bondage and oppression.
“The framers of the Constitution were part of a special
generation of marked political genius, raised up to deal with the issues that
surrounded the birth of this, the American nation. That assembly that met to consider the
weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, but concluded their deliberations
by signing an entirely new Constitution, constituted a conclave unparalleled in
the political annals of man. This was no accident of history. It was, in fact, essential to the eternal
purposes of the Father and the Son.” (In The Lion’s Den, Verterli &
Hainsworth, 279)
Because of and by the constitution the Lord would bring
forth the Book of Mormon and the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Those men who assembled in Philadelphia in the summer of
1787 constituted one of the most remarkable assemblies in human history. They were men of great learning, men of
commerce, men of law, students of history and political theory, experienced in
war, theology, and politics. Of the
fifty-five men that set their hands to the task of writing a new constitution,
most were exceptionally gifted… a [significant] number were men of outstanding
intellect. What they gave to future
generations was a political document like no other– a Constitution that made
self-government, in the literal sense, possible.” (Ibid)
And self-government allows men to follow the One, even
Jesus Christ. That this document was
divinely inspired is of little doubt.
Pres. Reagan told this story about the Signers of the Declaration of
Independence and how they were struggling about the signing of the
document. His source comes from the
journals of Thomas Jefferson.
Remember, their contemplated act was an act of treason
against the mother country, punishable by death. Consequently, they had locked themselves in a
room, we now call Independence Hall, and were hotly debating whether or not to
sign: “The doors were locked, they were
meeting in secret, there was contention in the room about signing the document,
when an old man stood and told them that this was their greatest hour in the
history of this nation and to step forward and sign the document and men would
praise them forever. With the spirit
they felt, they immediately went to the table and began to sign and when they
turned to have the stranger come forward and sign, he was not there, the doors
were still locked and he was gone.
(Writings of Thomas Jefferson) (President Reagan told this story and one
of the church curriculum writers called Senator Hatch and he talked to the
President and the President responded with this letter, “I’m sorry to be so
late in getting back to you about your request for more information about the
unknown person at the signing of the Declaration of Independence who made an
eloquent plea that it should be signed.
The statement comes from the writings of Thomas Jefferson. I am confident in the validity of the story. I have seen it more than once in a variety of
publications, which were not quoting me as the source. In fact, I doubt they even knew I had used
it. Again my apologies for taking so
long to get back to you. Sincerely,
Ronald Reagan)
And then add this from a July 4th 1854 address by Orson
Hyde found in the Journal of Discourses…“In those early and perilous times, our
men were few, and our resources limited.
Poverty was among the most potent enemies we had to encounter; yet our
arms were successful; and it may not be amiss to ask here, by whose power
victory so often perched on our banner?”
"It was by the agency of that same angel of God that
appeared unto Joseph Smith, and revealed to him the history of the early
inhabitants of this country, whose mounds, bones and remains of towns, cities
and fortifications speak from the dust in the ears of the living with the voice
of undeniable truth. This same angel
presides over the destinies of America, and feels a lively interest in all our
doings. (See Mormon 8:35) He was in the camp of Washington; and by an
invisible hand, led on our fathers to conquest and victory; and all this to
open and prepare the way for the Church and the Kingdom of God to be
established on the Western hemisphere, for the redemption of Israel and the
salvation of the world."
"This same angel was with Columbus, and gave him
deep impressions, by dreams and by visions, respecting this New World…was with
him on the stormy deep, calmed troubled elements, and guided his frail vessel
to the desired haven. Under the
guardianship of this same angel, or Prince of America, have the United States
grown, increased, and flourished, like the sturdy oak by the rivers of water.”
(JD, Vol 6, p.368)
And as confirmation of the divine nature of what these
men did and who they were to the Lord, this account from the Prophet Wilford
Woodruff…
“I will say here that two weeks before I left St. George,
the spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not
redeem them. Said they, ‘You have had
the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever
been done for us. We laid the foundation
of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we
remained true to it and were faithful to God.’
“These were the signers of the Declaration of
Independence, and they waited on me for two days and two nights…I straightway
went into the baptismal font and…[was baptized] for the signers of the
Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men…” (Journal of
Discourses, Volume 4, 160)
The Lord had a marvelous work and a wonder to bring forth
from this the American continent. The
Constitution verified the sacred right and privilege that God created all men
free and warned that those who sought to over-through such freedoms were
evil. President Ezra Taft Benson said;
“…to me the Constitution of the United States of America is just as much from
my Heavenly Father as the Ten Commandments.” (Conference Report, April
1948) The Lord foretold through his
prophets that this gentile nation would raise up to become the richest and most
powerful nation on the face of the earth, “even above all other nations”. 1
Nephi 18:15,30, Ether 2:12
In President J. Rueben Clark’s great address ‘Stand Fast
By Our Constitution’ he stated; “We are great in our physical strength. Whether we measure our strength by the
numbers of our people, by the vastness of our natural resources, by the scope,
intensity, and volume of our industries, by the abundance of our national life,
by the fertility of our inventions, by our gifts in the sciences and arts, by
our fields, our flocks, our herds, by our conquests in travel by land or sea or
air – measured by any or all of these we stand the peer of any people the world
now knows or has ever known. The great
nations of antiquity were but pygmies in contrast. No modern nation can match
us. Rome took a thousand years to reach
her height; our Mother Country (England) has taken a like time to reach hers;
we have taken but a century and a half to come to our stature.” (Stand Fast By Our Constitution, President
Clark, p. 15 –16)
But, The Lord also foretold there would be an attack on
the United States from a threat of a vast, world-wide secret combination which
would not only threaten the United States but seek to over-through all
nations. (Ether 8:25) In connection with the attack on the US, the
Lord told the prophet Joseph Smith there would be an attempt to over-through
the US by destroying the constitution.
Joseph Smith predicted that “the time would come when
this nation would so far depart from its original purity, its glory, and its
love for freedom and its protection of civil rights and religious rights, that
the Constitution of our country would
hang as it were by a thread. He said
also, that this people, the sons of Zion, would rise up and save the
Constitution and bear it off triumphantly.”
(Journal History, July 4, 1854)
President Ezra Taft Benson stated: “It is my conviction
that the elders of Israel, widely spread over the nation, will, at the crucial
time, successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary
balance of strength to save the institutions of our constitutional
government. Conference Address October
1961.
You, Elders and Sisters are those of whom the Prophet
Joseph and President Benson speak. At a
crucial time, as righteous Elders and Sisters in the four quarters of Zion, you
will rally and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the
constitution. President David O. McKay
said: “Next to being one in worshipping God, there is nothing in this world
which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the
Constitution of the United States.”
You will be asked to rise up as “wise” men and women in
the exercise of your free-agency in order that the Lord’s work moves
forward. It appears to me that the
freedom we enjoy hinges on the righteous exercise of individual free agency. Over two hundred years ago, the Lord inspired
wise men he had raised up to bring forth the constitution. Each on his own had to exercise his
free-agency and choose to participate in something great that guarantees so
much for you and me.
C.S. Lewis said: “…free will ….. is [also] the only thing
that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.” And with the Kingdom of Heaven at stake, it
is of no surprise that the Lord would send holy angels to ensure the freedom of
a people in order to bring forth the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the
gospel.
Our Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation completely hangs
on the principle of free agency. The
great war in heaven was fought over this principle: Satan would force us but
Heavenly Father was so committed to our Free-Agency that it cost him one-third
of His spirit children. What will you,
dear Elders and Sisters, do with your free-agency? Will you make a difference with your
choices? Will you conduct your life in
such a manner that all of your individual choices will sum together to make a
life of goodness, righteousness and wise leadership? Will you be counted among those “wise men”
the Lord will use to defend the constitution?
“This land is consecrated by the Lord to them whom he
might bring unto it, if they will serve him according to the commandments which
he gives them. If those possessing the land are obedient, they will live in
liberty, free of any fear of captivity.
However, because it is a holy land, a consecrated land, the Lord will
not long tolerate iniquity. Only through
disobedience will the blessing turn to condemnation: ‘for if iniquity shall
abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it
shall be blessed forever’” (If Men Were Angels, Hainsworth, p. 13)
Is this not the story of the Book of Mormon? How could one ever dispute it was written for
us and our day? The book of Mormon
describes four signs which portend imminent danger. Three are internal and one is external. "The internal danger signals are; the
accumulation of wealth leading to pride, the appearance of ambitious men, and
the presence in society of ‘secret combinations to get power and gain’. The external threat comes from foreign
enemies organized in secret combinations seeking conquest in one form or
another.” (If Men Were Angels, Ibid, p.76)
Does this not describe our time? President Ezra Taft Benson repeatedly warned
us of our obligations. His talk entitled
“Be Not Deceived” provides the secret: [He] said there were three keys one
could use to avoid deception: “What can
we do to preserve our Constitution, and how can we avoid being misled into
doing those things that would actually help to destroy it? Herein lies the keys; First, the scriptures;
second, the words of the prophets, especially and particularly the living one;
and, third, the Holy Ghost.” (Benson, Teaching, p. 616)
Today I have written of wise men the Lord raised up to be
part of something great – the coming forth of the Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution of the United States.
I have noted that their individual choices aggregated to become a great
work. In a coming day, history will be
written regarding you, your family and your service in the church. What will be your legacy? Will your posterity note your wise exercise
of free-agency to be part of something great in the form of self, family and
the kingdom of god? With our modern day
Captain Moroni, President Monson, will our history be similar to that of the
Nephite time?
“And in these prosperous circumstances were the people of
Nephi [or Monson or the Lord]…And they did prosper exceedingly, and they became
exceedingly rich; yea, and they did multiply and wax strong in the land.”
“And thus we see how merciful and just are all the
dealings of the Lord, to the fulfilling of all his words unto the children of
men; yea, we can behold that his words are verified, even at this time,, which
he spake unto Lehi, saying:”
“Blessed are thou and thy children; and they shall be
blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall prosper in the
land. But remember, inasmuch as they
will not keep my commandments they shall be cut off from the presence of the
Lord.” (Alma 50:17-22)
I bear humble testimony that the Lord prepared this land
for you and me, a promised land, choice above all others for those who live His
commandments. I know that we have a rich
and blessed heritage to preserve and that it will be the correct and wise use
of our free agency that will preserve this land and its inspired and holy
constitution. I bear testimony that we are the wise men and women the Lord has
preserved for these last days when this land will come under condemnation as
His children depart from His ways. And
that as a result of your righteous exercise of free-agency goodness will
prevail and the constitution will be preserved.
May we adopt the pleading words of the prophet Nephi who said;
“Oh Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee
forever, I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is
he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh…” (2 Nephi 4:34)
May it be so, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ
our Lord and Redeemer, Amen.
And with much love and appreciation to you for
having exercised your free will and rights to be here as a servant of the Lord
Jesus teaching repentance and baptizing converts!
President Clark
