XXX. NO ONE CAN LIVE TO HIMSELF.

The fable¹ of the body and its members.

In the ancient book of wisdom ascribed to Aesop, there may be found the following fable with its moral: "The Members of the Body once rebelled against him. They said he led an idle, lazy life at their expense. The Hands declared that they would not again lift a crust even to keep him from starving, the Mouth that it would not take a bit more food, the Legs that they would carry him about no longer, and so on with the others.

"The Body quietly allowed them to follow their own courses, well knowing that they would all soon come to their senses, as indeed they did, when, for want of the blood and nourishment² supplied from the stomach, they found themselves fast becoming mere³ skin and bone.

"No one can live to himself."

The time of Aesop.

Aesop lived in the long ago. Tradition declares that he was born five hundred and fifty years before the time of Jesus. But already in that remote age men had learned to appreciate the value of organizing themselves into communities and churches and governments. Already, men had discovered that to live to oneself was to fight alone a losing fight against all the forces of the world.

The growth of society.

From the time that Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, and their children began to settle two and two in the land to till it and to cultivate it, man has understood the advantages of friendly association. First it was the family. The family has always been, {228} and is still the actual basis of society. The members of the family clung together, and each one worked for the interest of the whole. Then, when the families increased they became associated in clans⁴ and tribes. Then, with the increase of population, came the organization of communities, religious association, governments. For protection, for worship, for education, for commerce and trade, for civilization, men have banded themselves together, and have worked for larger units, of which the individuals were but members. Only by such banding together can a community become socially efficient.

A football squad⁵.

Now, we may easily understand what this means if we apply the principle to the organization of a football squad. There are eleven men, you know, in the "team." One of them is the captain. When the squad is in action, playing hard against an opposing team, no single man can hope alone to win the game. The strength of the squad depends upon its team work. While each individual must put forth⁶ the best that is in him, whether in bucking⁷ the line or in playing the open field, that best must be so directed as to add to the sum total of the strength and efficiency of the united eleven. No member of that team may live or play to himself. And the orders of the captain must be obeyed. Some player in the line may think the orders poor—wholly wrong in fact—yet he must obey those orders. If he does not, he will go down to ruin himself, and he may possibly drag his team with him to shame and disaster. For, as is clearly evident, when he neglects to follow the command of the captain, he stands alone; the other ten obey orders. {229} Alone he can accomplish nothing. Nor is that the worst; by disobeying orders, he may spoil the premeditated play and lose the game. The football man is required to learn, therefore, that he is only a member of a body; that he must act with the body; that if he attempts to act in opposition⁹ to the body calamity¹⁰ is sure to follow; that success can come only through concerted effort. The football squad is an organization of society for efficiency.

The teachings of Jesus.

As it is with the football squad so it is with society in the large. Men and women are organized into communities and associations of various kinds for greater efficiency, and are subject to the laws governing organized society. Now, since Jesus was not primarily a social reformer, nor a social teacher, we should not be surprised if He had little to say about man's duties to organized society. Yet since He touches in His teachings nearly all phases of temporal and spiritual life, we might expect that somewhere He has something to say about the larger aspects of society. And we do really find it so. The three chief social institutions in the world are the family, the state, and the church. About man's duties to each one of these Jesus has something significant to say. Let us consider briefly¹¹ the most important sayings of Jesus concerning these three fundamental institutions.

The family.

In the teaching of Jesus, marriage is presented as a divinely appointed sacrament, and the family as a sacred institution One day the Pharisees came to Jesus to test Him, and asked, "Is it lawful¹² for man to put away his wife? And {230} He answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept¹³. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave¹⁴ to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh; so then they are no more twain but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together let no man put asunder¹⁵."

The family sacred.

Thus emphatically did Jesus teach that the marriage relation was ordained¹⁷ of God. And in doing so He declared also that the family is a sacred institution and its claims should never be put aside. The crying shame of the world today is the common practice of divorce. Boys and girls who become acquainted with the teachings of Jesus, should grow up with a horror of the divorce court. They should learn to look upon marriage as one of the highest privileges accorded to them by the heavenly Father. And boys and girls in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should rejoice in the thought, that, when the proper time comes, they may go into the House of the Lord and have there performed the divine sacrament of marriage for time and for all eternity¹⁸. For the Lord has said in this generation, "Whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man."

The state.

Jesus was equally emphatic¹⁶ in His teachings of man's duty to the state—to organized civil government. Certain of the Pharisees {231} and of the Herodians were sent one day to try to catch Jesus in his words. "And when they were come they say unto Him, Master, we know that Thou art true, and carest for no man: for Thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But He, knowing their hypocrisy¹⁹, said unto them. Why tempt⁸ ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto Him, Caesar's. And Jesus answering said unto them. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled²¹ at Him."

The state divinely instituted.

They had good cause, indeed, to marvel²⁰ at Him; for, not only had He quieted them with a sufficient answer, but He had also declared a fundamental principle of the state. A government cannot exist without revenue to maintain its organization and to enforce the laws enacted²² for the protection and the welfare of its citizens. Caesar was doing much for Palestine. It was not only right, therefore, but just that the Jews should pay taxes to Rome. And so it is in our own day. "We believe," asserted Joseph Smith, "that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man." It becomes therefore the duty of every honest citizen to do his utmost to uphold the righteous laws of the government, and to help in the maintaining of peace and order. And it is not only right, but just, that we should pay the taxes imposed by the government. We all enjoy the benefits derived²³ from civil organization—protection, liberty, {232} illumination, trade, good roads, and all. The man who tries, then, to evade²⁴ the taxes and the responsibilities of the government is dishonest.

The Church.

But in declaring that it is right to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, Jesus also taught that man owes likewise certain duties to his The Church, religious organization. Render, said He, "to God the things that are God's." In line with this thought we are instructed by another experience of the Lord's. When Jesus and His disciples²⁵ came one day in their journeyings to Capernaum, "they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your Master pay tribute (the temple tax)? He saith Yes, And when He was come into the house Jesus prevented (anticipated) him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon, of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children or of strangers? Peter saith unto Him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee."

These gatherers of tribute money, were, it appears, those who collected the taxes for the support and maintenance of the temple at Jerusalem. Jesus was Himself the son of God. He was the Master of the temple. He might have been free from the tax. But Jesus recognized the fact that the principle was right; therefore, He paid the tax. And in doing so, He taught the lesson {233} that it is right and just for every citizen in the kingdom of God to pay the taxes imposed for the maintenance of the kingdom. As with the state, so with the kingdom of God, he who tries to evade the temple tax is dishonest. "Behold," declared Jesus to the great modern Prophet, "now it is called today (until the coming of the Son of man), and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people, for he that is tithed shall not burn at His coming."

The teachings of our own Church.

The children of the Latter-day Saints have much for which to be thankful. Here we are reared in the sanctity of the home, in love and in the fear of God. Our family relations are established to continue throughout the eternities. Here we are taught to yield honor and obedience²⁶ to established government, and to deserve the benefits provided by it. Here we are taught to revere²⁷ the priesthood of God, to pay ungrudgingly our tithes²⁸ and our offerings, and to do our best from day to day in the upbuilding of righteousness. And this we do that we may live and profit and prosper²⁹ together; for no one can live to himself alone.
THE REFERENCES

Mark 12:13-17. Doc. and Cov. 49:15.

Matt. 17:24-27. Doc. and Cov. 134:1.

Doc. and Cov. 64:23.
{234} THE QUESTIONS

1. What is the meaning of Aesop's fable?

2. Explain by means of the football squad how man can not live to himself.

3. What did Jesus teach concerning man's duty to the family?

4. What are a man's obligations to the state in which he lives?

5. What does a man owe to the church to which he belongs?

6. Why should the children of the Latter-day Saints be grateful above all other children?

1 fable   

n.寓言；童话；神话

参考例句：

• The fable is given on the next page. 这篇寓言登在下一页上。
• He had some motive in telling this fable. 他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

2 nourishment   

n.食物，营养品；营养情况

参考例句：

• Lack of proper nourishment reduces their power to resist disease.营养不良降低了他们抵抗疾病的能力。
• He ventured that plants draw part of their nourishment from the air.他大胆提出植物从空气中吸收部分养分的观点。

3 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

4 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

5 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

7 bucking   

v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的现在分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• a bucking bronco in the rodeo 牛仔竞技表演中一匹弓背跳跃的野马
• That means we'll be bucking grain bags, bustin's gut. 那就是说咱们要背这一袋袋的谷子，得把五脏都累坏。 来自辞典例句

8 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

11 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

12 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

13 precept   

n.戒律；格言

参考例句：

• It occurs to me that example is always more efficacious than precept.我想到身教重于言教。
• The son had well profited by the precept and example of the father.老太爷的言传身教早已使他儿子获益无穷。

14 cleave   

v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋

参考例句：

• It examines how the decision to quit gold or to cleave to it affected trade policies.论文分析了放弃或坚持金本位是如何影响贸易政策的。
• Those who cleave to the latter view include many conservative American politicians.坚持后一种观点的大多是美国的保守派政客。

15 asunder   

adj.分离的，化为碎片

参考例句：

• The curtains had been drawn asunder.窗帘被拉向两边。
• Your conscience,conviction,integrity,and loyalties were torn asunder.你的良心、信念、正直和忠诚都被扯得粉碎了。

16 emphatic   

adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的

参考例句：

• Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决，不容有任何人怀疑。
• He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。

17 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

18 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

19 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

20 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

21 marvelled   

v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I marvelled that he suddenly left college. 我对他突然离开大学感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I marvelled at your boldness. 我对你的大胆感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

23 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

25 disciples   

n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一

参考例句：

• Judas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. 犹大是耶稣十二门徒之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "The names of the first two disciples were --" “最初的两个门徒的名字是——” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

26 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

27 revere   

vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏

参考例句：

• Students revere the old professors.学生们十分尊敬那些老教授。
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven.中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。

28 tithes   

n.（宗教捐税）什一税，什一的教区税，小部分( tithe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For your tithes and offerings, please use the envelopes at the entrance. 什一捐款及奉献：奉献信封摆放于入口处。 来自互联网
• Although she left the church officially, she still tithes. 虽然她正式离开了该教堂，但她仍然对教堂缴纳什一税。 来自互联网

29 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。