July 14,
2013 – Our Priceless Heritage Talk
I have been
asked to share with you the talk Our
Priceless Heritage by President Ezra Taft Benson given in October 1976 (Ensign
Nov. 1976) near the end of our nation’s Bicentennial celebration. I am grateful for this opportunity to reflect
on my heritage, my citizenship in this great nation, and my membership in the
restored church of Christ.
The freedom
and abundant blessings we enjoy today are because of the faithful deeds, the
noble lives, the courage, industry, self-reliance, integrity, and faith in God
of our forefathers.
President
Benson paid “honor to the founders of our beloved republic”. He says, “The Declaration of Independence to
which these great men affixed their signatures is much more than a political document. It constitutes a spiritual manifesto –
revelation, if you will- declaring not for this nation only, but for all
nations, the source of man’s rights.”
“Fifty-six
men signed the document on August 2, 1776, or, in the case of some, shortly
thereafter. They pledged their lives! – And
at least nine of them died as a result of the war. If the Revolution had failed, if their fight
had come to naught, they would have been hanged as traitors. They pledged their fortunes! – And at least
fifteen fulfilled that pledge to support the war effort. They pledged their sacred honor! – Best expressed
by the noble statement of John Adams. He
said: All that I have, and all that I am, and all that I hope, in this life, I
am now ready here to stake upon it; and I leave off as I begun, that live or
die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration! It is my living sentiment, and by the
blessing of God it shall be my dying sentiment, Independence, now, and INDEPENDENCE
FOR EVER.”
“How fitting
it is that we sing:
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more that self their country
loved,
And mercy more than life! – America the Beautiful, Hymn
338
“Their lives
should be reminders that we are the blessed beneficiaries of a liberty earned
by great sacrifices of property, reputation, and life.”
President
Benson went on to say, “Other great stalwarts who also pledged lives,
possessions and their sacred honor were the Mormon pioneers. This they did by covenant before God when
they came to membership in His kingdom, ‘to stand as witnesses of God at all
times and in all things, and in all places…even unto death.’ (Mosiah 18:9)”
“Our Mormon
forebears covenanted their lives! – And not a few gave them. They gave their fortunes! – And many, if not
most, lost their lands, homes, and businesses.
They gave their sacred honor! – this by covenant to God.”
“Today we
live in a choice land, yes, a land choice above all other lands. This because of the heritage bequeathed to us
by our forebears, a heritage of self-reliance, initiative, personal industry,
and faith in God, all in an atmosphere of freedom.”
In Ether
2:12 we read, “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.”
“Were these
Founding Fathers and pioneer forefathers to counsel us today in their
fundamental beliefs – so manifest by their acts – what would they say to us?’
“First: They would counsel us to have faith in
God. It was by this faith that both were
sustained in their privations, sacrifices, and sufferings. They placed their trust in God. He was their defense, their refuge, and their
salvation.”
“Second: They would counsel us to strengthen our homes
and family ties. Though they did not
possess our physical comforts, they left their posterity a legacy of something
more enduring – a hearthside where parents were close by their children, where
daily devotions, family prayer, scripture reading, and the singing of hymns was
commonplace. Families worked,
worshipped, played and prayed together.
Family home evening, now a once-a-week practice among the Saints, was to
our pioneer forebears almost a nightly occurrence. Were we to pattern our homes accordingly,
family unity and solidarity, crowned with love and happiness, would prevail.”
“Third: They
would counsel us on the dignity of work, to practice thrift, and to be
self-sustaining. Theirs was a philosophy
that neither the world nor the government owes a man his bread. Man is commanded of God to live by the sweat
of his brow, not someone else’s.”
“And
finally: These noble Founders and
pioneers would counsel us to preserve the freedoms granted to us by God. They knew that the foundation of this nation
was spiritual, that the source of all our blessings was God. They knew that this nation can only prosper in
an atmosphere of freedom.”
“Those
intrepid forebears knew that their righteousness was the indispensable
ingredient to liberty, that this was the greatest legacy they could pass on to
future generations. They would counsel
us to preserve that liberty by alert righteousness. Righteousness is always measured by a nation
or an individual keeping the commandments of God.”
A dictionary
defines a pioneer as “one who goes before to prepare or open up the way for
others to follow.”
Elder M.
Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “We need to walk
together as today’s pioneers, living Christlike lives, supporting good causes
in our communities, and strengthening our families and homes.”
“The
suffering of the pioneers forged a strength in their lives that has been passed
on to us. We face different challenges
today. Our struggle is found in living
in a world steeped in sin and spiritual indifference, where self-indulgence,
dishonesty, and greed seem to be present everywhere.”
“We need to
commit to serve the Lord and our communities with the same diligence and faith
that the pioneers had. We must ever be
on our guard that we do not become casual in keeping God’s commandments, in
abiding by His laws, and in being honest and trustworthy in all that we
do. We must avoid the entrapments of
evil found on the Internet, so readily accessible through our computers,
tablets, and cell phones. If we become casual in these things, Lucifer will
find a way to dull our commitment and destroy our faith and our love for the
Lord and for one another. Avoiding the
temptations and evils of the world requires the faith and fortitude of a real
modern-day pioneer.”
President
Thomas S. Monson in this month’s First Presidency Message (Ensign, July 2013)
has asked, “Can we somehow muster the courage and steadfastness of purpose that
characterized the pioneers of the former generation? Can you and I, in actual fact, be pioneers? I know we can be.”
I am
grateful for the counsel of prophets past and present, to remember and learn
from the past. To have faith in God, strengthen
our homes and families, to keep the commandments and “to stand as witnesses of
God at all times and in all things, and in all places.”
I know that
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s church, restored upon
the earth today through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know
that Thomas S. Monson is called of God to be our prophet today.
These things
I say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
