"You can always tell an Englishman," said President Gordon B. Hinckley to President Ken Cork of the Newcastle-under-Lyme England stake in a reception line at April General Conference time in Salt Lake in the mid-1970s. President Hinckley moved down the line, shaking hands, and came back to President Cork: "But you can't tell him much."

Typical of this prophet's humor!

Humor is humor because of the hint of irony in it, because it hints at something that is true, draws attention to it, and says it anyway. We recognize the truth or accuracy of the statement, and laugh or smile because we sense the truth in it.

I had the feeling I was teaching---or trying to teach---a group of "Englishmen" in a class a few years ago when I shared this marvelous statement from President Brigham Young:

"Some have supposed that it would make but little difference with them whether they learned much or little, whether they attained to all the intelligence within their reach or not while they tarry in this world, believing that if they paid their tithing, went to meetings, said their prayers, and performed those duties which were especially commanded, that . . . as soon as they lay off this mortal body all would be well with them. But this is a mistaken idea and will cause every soul to mourn who embraces and practices upon it. When they arrive in the world of resurrected bodies, they will realize, to their sorrow that God required of them in this world not only obedience to his revealed will, but a searching after His purposes and plans" (as cited in Selected Writings of Robert J. Matthews [1999], page 110).

The group of priesthood I shared this with in Utah were clearly a bunch of Englishmen, for most of them rejected the statement and vocally corrected President Young and my teaching. Truly, you can always tell an Englishman, . . . but you can't tell him much!

How sad that in some (many?) instances it is common to be able to extend that to: "You can always tell a high priest in the Church, but you can't tell him much." It is an indictment, and, sadly, it is common.

When Brother Matthews cited this statement from President Young, he then added: "Note the phrase, 'searching after His purposes and plans.' I am reminded of a statement attributed to Elder Sterling W. Sill, who reportedly said, 'It isn't enough just to obey the Lord---we ought to agree with him."

This sentence from Elder Sill was the first Sabbathought we shared with you back last summer.

A final idea: what would such "Englishmen" or Utah high priests or other people in their natural, fallen state do with this statement from Nephi?

"And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be" (2 Nephi 32:7).

Can we all say with the Jerusalem Twelve, "Lord is it I?" or do we say, "I know high priests like that," and shake our heads wearily? We all need to take this one very seriously.

More on this later.

Steve