April 1889
The Deseret Weekly. "General Conference." April 13, 1889: pg. 481-491.
Woodruff, Wilford. "Discourse.“ The Deseret Weekly, April 20, 1889: pg. 513-516.
GENERAL CONFERENCE
President Wilford Woodruff
Apostle Heber J. Grant
Apostle John Henry Smith
Elder Charles W. Penrose
Saturday Afternoon
Apostle Moses Thatcher
Apostle John W. Taylor
Sunday Morning
Apostle Geo. Q. Cannon
Elder John Morgan
Sunday Afternoon
General Authorities
President Wilford Woodruff
Discourse
Apostle Lorenzo Snow
Monday Morning
Apostle Franklin D. Richards
Bishop Orson F. Whitney
Monday Afternoon
Apostle Francis M. Lyman
Statistical Report
President George Q. Cannon
President Wilford Woodruff
Woodruff, Wilford. "Discourse.“ The Deseret Weekly, April 20, 1889: pg. 513-516.
GENERAL CONFERENCE
President Wilford Woodruff
Apostle Heber J. Grant
Apostle John Henry Smith
Elder Charles W. Penrose
Saturday Afternoon
Apostle Moses Thatcher
Apostle John W. Taylor
Sunday Morning
Apostle Geo. Q. Cannon
Elder John Morgan
Sunday Afternoon
General Authorities
President Wilford Woodruff
Discourse
Apostle Lorenzo Snow
Monday Morning
Apostle Franklin D. Richards
Bishop Orson F. Whitney
Monday Afternoon
Apostle Francis M. Lyman
Statistical Report
President George Q. Cannon
President Wilford Woodruff
GENERAL CONFERENCE
The Fifty-ninth General Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, convened in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, at 10 a. m., April 6th, 1889.
There were on the stand, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles: Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, George Q. Cannon, Moses Thatcher, John Henry Smith, Heber J. Grant and John W. Taylor; of Counselors to the Twelve, Daniel H. Wells; Patriarch, John Smith; of the Presiding Council of the Seventies, Henry Herriman, Jacob Gates, Abram H. Cannon, Seymour B. Young, John Morgan; of the Presiding Bishopric, William B. Preston, Robert T. Burton, John R. Winder. There were also present a large number of Presidents of Stakes and other prominent brethren from various parts of Utah and surrounding States and Territories.
Conference was called to order by President Wilford Woodruff.
The choir sang:
All hail the glorious day,
By Prophets long foretold
When, with harmonious lay,
The sheep of Israel’s fold
On Zion’s hill His praise proclaim,
And shout hosanna to His name.
The opening prayer was offered by Apostle Moses Thatcher.
Singing by the choir:
The great and glorious Gospel light
Has ushered forth unto my sight,
Which in my soul I have received,
From bondage and from death relieved.
The Fifty-ninth General Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, convened in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, at 10 a. m., April 6th, 1889.
There were on the stand, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles: Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, George Q. Cannon, Moses Thatcher, John Henry Smith, Heber J. Grant and John W. Taylor; of Counselors to the Twelve, Daniel H. Wells; Patriarch, John Smith; of the Presiding Council of the Seventies, Henry Herriman, Jacob Gates, Abram H. Cannon, Seymour B. Young, John Morgan; of the Presiding Bishopric, William B. Preston, Robert T. Burton, John R. Winder. There were also present a large number of Presidents of Stakes and other prominent brethren from various parts of Utah and surrounding States and Territories.
Conference was called to order by President Wilford Woodruff.
The choir sang:
All hail the glorious day,
By Prophets long foretold
When, with harmonious lay,
The sheep of Israel’s fold
On Zion’s hill His praise proclaim,
And shout hosanna to His name.
The opening prayer was offered by Apostle Moses Thatcher.
Singing by the choir:
The great and glorious Gospel light
Has ushered forth unto my sight,
Which in my soul I have received,
From bondage and from death relieved.
President Wilford Woodruff
said: I feel that our hearts should be filled with gratitude and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father this morning for the blessings which we enjoy. We have again the privilege of assembling in the tabernacle of our God to hold the General Conference, and while we attend this Conference I hope that our hearts may be lifted up in prayer to our Heavenly Father that we may enjoy and receive His Holy Spirit, that our hearts may be united together, that the Spirit of God may be with us to instruct us, and guide us and direct us in our teaching, our counsel, our labor, while we are here together in this capacity. I feel thankful myself to have the privilege of once more meeting with the Latter-day Saints under these conditions. I feel that the Lord has been very merciful to us in granting us this privilege and the benefits which we have enjoyed in these valleys of the mountains. We will call upon our brethren to bear their testimony, and teach and instruct us as they shall be led by the Holy Spirit.
said: I feel that our hearts should be filled with gratitude and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father this morning for the blessings which we enjoy. We have again the privilege of assembling in the tabernacle of our God to hold the General Conference, and while we attend this Conference I hope that our hearts may be lifted up in prayer to our Heavenly Father that we may enjoy and receive His Holy Spirit, that our hearts may be united together, that the Spirit of God may be with us to instruct us, and guide us and direct us in our teaching, our counsel, our labor, while we are here together in this capacity. I feel thankful myself to have the privilege of once more meeting with the Latter-day Saints under these conditions. I feel that the Lord has been very merciful to us in granting us this privilege and the benefits which we have enjoyed in these valleys of the mountains. We will call upon our brethren to bear their testimony, and teach and instruct us as they shall be led by the Holy Spirit.
Apostle Heber J. Grant
expressed his pleasure at once more meeting the Saints in General Conference. He said substantially: I trust we may be blessed with the Spirit of God, that we may be strengthened in the faith of the Gospel, and that we may form resolutions, and adhere to them, that will enable us to be more energetic in keeping the commandments of our Heavenly Father. The longer I live, and the more experience I gain, the more gratitude I feel for the breadth of the mercy of the Almighty to all mankind. None can read the revelations given to the Saints with an unbiased mind without being grateful for the principles communicated to this people. We are liable to become narrowed in our conceptions of the glories and economy of God, and lose sight of the fact that He is the Father of all peoples. It is, however, difficult to realize that He will bless even those who oppose His work. We should remember that it is according to His design to, in course of time, save all mankind except the sons of perdition. The Saints are accused of being illiberal in their views. This is unjust to those who understand the true genius of the Gospel. Of course there are those among us who are contracted, because they do not understand the scope of the plan of salvation and do not live according to their requirements. This is no fault of the system, but the wrong lies in those who do not conform to it. We are called upon to proclaim the fullness of the Gospel to all peoples until Christ shall come.
All will be rewarded according to the deeds done in the body. There is but one individual in every case capable of impeding the progress toward salvation of those who have professed to embrace the Gospel, that is the person himself. A disposition to run in grooves often shown by people belonging to the Church. They select one principle and follow that to the exclusion or neglect of other doctrines of equal importance. We must conform to the whole system, and thus erect a perfect individual religious structure. We should not merely follow those principles in our practice that are easy of application to us because of our natures or circumstances. Those who imagine that merely to know that the Gospel is true as a whole will save them in the presence of God, without reducing the doctrines to practice, are laboring under a delusion. It is in line with the sectarian idea of the efficacy of death-bed repentance, which is a fallacy. Imbued with this error some people have held that a murderer by a confession of faith at the last moment, before he expiates his crime upon the scaffold will be saved, while his victim who probably made no such profession, for want of time, perhaps, will be lost. The breaking of every law brings its own punishment, and the keeping of the law brings its reward. Unless the conditions of future reward are complied with it will not be forthcoming.
I desire to overcome my shortcomings, realizing that I cannot attain to a glorious destiny in any other way. He who trusts in the arm of flesh will have nothing to lean upon in the day of final judgment. But he who takes the Holy Spirit for his guide will be enabled to pass by the angels and the Gods to his exaltation. Unless we are so guided we are liable to meet with obstacles that will cause us to stumble and perhaps fall. Brother Grant concluded with a forcible exhortation to personal righteousness.
expressed his pleasure at once more meeting the Saints in General Conference. He said substantially: I trust we may be blessed with the Spirit of God, that we may be strengthened in the faith of the Gospel, and that we may form resolutions, and adhere to them, that will enable us to be more energetic in keeping the commandments of our Heavenly Father. The longer I live, and the more experience I gain, the more gratitude I feel for the breadth of the mercy of the Almighty to all mankind. None can read the revelations given to the Saints with an unbiased mind without being grateful for the principles communicated to this people. We are liable to become narrowed in our conceptions of the glories and economy of God, and lose sight of the fact that He is the Father of all peoples. It is, however, difficult to realize that He will bless even those who oppose His work. We should remember that it is according to His design to, in course of time, save all mankind except the sons of perdition. The Saints are accused of being illiberal in their views. This is unjust to those who understand the true genius of the Gospel. Of course there are those among us who are contracted, because they do not understand the scope of the plan of salvation and do not live according to their requirements. This is no fault of the system, but the wrong lies in those who do not conform to it. We are called upon to proclaim the fullness of the Gospel to all peoples until Christ shall come.
All will be rewarded according to the deeds done in the body. There is but one individual in every case capable of impeding the progress toward salvation of those who have professed to embrace the Gospel, that is the person himself. A disposition to run in grooves often shown by people belonging to the Church. They select one principle and follow that to the exclusion or neglect of other doctrines of equal importance. We must conform to the whole system, and thus erect a perfect individual religious structure. We should not merely follow those principles in our practice that are easy of application to us because of our natures or circumstances. Those who imagine that merely to know that the Gospel is true as a whole will save them in the presence of God, without reducing the doctrines to practice, are laboring under a delusion. It is in line with the sectarian idea of the efficacy of death-bed repentance, which is a fallacy. Imbued with this error some people have held that a murderer by a confession of faith at the last moment, before he expiates his crime upon the scaffold will be saved, while his victim who probably made no such profession, for want of time, perhaps, will be lost. The breaking of every law brings its own punishment, and the keeping of the law brings its reward. Unless the conditions of future reward are complied with it will not be forthcoming.
I desire to overcome my shortcomings, realizing that I cannot attain to a glorious destiny in any other way. He who trusts in the arm of flesh will have nothing to lean upon in the day of final judgment. But he who takes the Holy Spirit for his guide will be enabled to pass by the angels and the Gods to his exaltation. Unless we are so guided we are liable to meet with obstacles that will cause us to stumble and perhaps fall. Brother Grant concluded with a forcible exhortation to personal righteousness.
Apostle John Henry Smith
said he was a believer in the fullness of the Gospel, as revealed anew in this age. It is rational, and man can rely upon it. There is no promise made in that Gospel but is based upon man's doing something to obtain its fulfilment. In none of the walks of life have I been enabled to see that the rewards that men and women receive are the results of negligence. We can never obtain any good thing but through the exercise of the powers we possess, and by which we seek to secure the same. To some, blessings appear to come easily. But it is observable that when such is the case, the boon is appreciated but lightly. I am so deeply fixed in my own view as to the need of practical religion, that there is but little room in me for theories established by the wisdom or gifts of men. Rewards are the result of performance. This is a clear proposition, and by its aid one is able to clearly go to work for the production of practical results. When the divine Master proposes to give rewards to men as a result of the purity of their motives, the exercise of their faculties, the use of their powers, this is indeed of worth. Thus comes to us in this day, through the revelation of correct principle, a glorious field for intelligent operation. It is inconsistent to expect the reward without the performance of the labor on which its production is predicated. When men reflect upon the idea, as presented to us by Brother Grant, that they can disobey these laws and conditions continuously, can revel in wickedness and sin and expect the reward of righteousness, they are deceiving themselves. How inconsistent to outrage every law and requirement of heaven, and expect to stand an equal chance with the obedient—those who have done right and have sought to fulfil in all respects the requirement of high heaven.
There are none of us who are the fathers and mothers of families but who know with our hearts the abiding confidence we have in a dutiful so a, in the thoughtful daughter, in the consistent and upright child, while the wayward and thoughtless cause us anxiety, concern, and deep regrets. We may cling to the latter and labor in their interests, to train them in the way of light and instil into them a love of honor and truth, but that confidence and that love are not so fixed in them as in the obedient, the upright, and the thoughtful. We can only judge of things pertaining to the future and the judgments that will be meted out to the sons and daughters of men, in some measure, by those things which present themselves in our present experience.
We have gathered from the world to these mountains, and have come for the purpose of keeping ourselves in practical training in the principles of life, theoretically received in the first place. Many of the preachers to whom we had previously listened had been of the opinion that no matter what might be a man’s week-day practice, so long as he was devout on the Sabbath, he was relieved from great responsibility. Those who have been warned and forewarned through the medium of the Gospel fullness should take heed to the greater requirements now imposed upon them. Those who have entered into holy places should remember the obligations of chastity, imposed by the divine Master, they took upon themselves. There need be no mistake regarding those requirements. They pertain to the higher law, forming the basis of future exaltation. These things cannot be too deeply impressed upon the minds of the young. They should be taught that they ought to prefer to sacrifice life rather than their virtue. This should be embodied in our teachings, both by precept and example. Thus will the hosts of Israel become pure and clean in the sight of the Almighty. How great is the importance of this instruction! Unless virtue is practiced, sad indeed will be the condition of the community. To be exemplars and instructors in this regard is one of the chief duties of parents. There should be instituted with all Saints a searching self-scrutiny. The inquiry should be whether they individually have been living according to their professions. In relation to the purity of conduct of the young, there has been a large measure of success, as thousands of the youth of both sexes would, I am satisfied, rather give up life than sacrifice their virtue Yet, the seducer is abroad, and nothing should be more closely guarded than chastity.
said he was a believer in the fullness of the Gospel, as revealed anew in this age. It is rational, and man can rely upon it. There is no promise made in that Gospel but is based upon man's doing something to obtain its fulfilment. In none of the walks of life have I been enabled to see that the rewards that men and women receive are the results of negligence. We can never obtain any good thing but through the exercise of the powers we possess, and by which we seek to secure the same. To some, blessings appear to come easily. But it is observable that when such is the case, the boon is appreciated but lightly. I am so deeply fixed in my own view as to the need of practical religion, that there is but little room in me for theories established by the wisdom or gifts of men. Rewards are the result of performance. This is a clear proposition, and by its aid one is able to clearly go to work for the production of practical results. When the divine Master proposes to give rewards to men as a result of the purity of their motives, the exercise of their faculties, the use of their powers, this is indeed of worth. Thus comes to us in this day, through the revelation of correct principle, a glorious field for intelligent operation. It is inconsistent to expect the reward without the performance of the labor on which its production is predicated. When men reflect upon the idea, as presented to us by Brother Grant, that they can disobey these laws and conditions continuously, can revel in wickedness and sin and expect the reward of righteousness, they are deceiving themselves. How inconsistent to outrage every law and requirement of heaven, and expect to stand an equal chance with the obedient—those who have done right and have sought to fulfil in all respects the requirement of high heaven.
There are none of us who are the fathers and mothers of families but who know with our hearts the abiding confidence we have in a dutiful so a, in the thoughtful daughter, in the consistent and upright child, while the wayward and thoughtless cause us anxiety, concern, and deep regrets. We may cling to the latter and labor in their interests, to train them in the way of light and instil into them a love of honor and truth, but that confidence and that love are not so fixed in them as in the obedient, the upright, and the thoughtful. We can only judge of things pertaining to the future and the judgments that will be meted out to the sons and daughters of men, in some measure, by those things which present themselves in our present experience.
We have gathered from the world to these mountains, and have come for the purpose of keeping ourselves in practical training in the principles of life, theoretically received in the first place. Many of the preachers to whom we had previously listened had been of the opinion that no matter what might be a man’s week-day practice, so long as he was devout on the Sabbath, he was relieved from great responsibility. Those who have been warned and forewarned through the medium of the Gospel fullness should take heed to the greater requirements now imposed upon them. Those who have entered into holy places should remember the obligations of chastity, imposed by the divine Master, they took upon themselves. There need be no mistake regarding those requirements. They pertain to the higher law, forming the basis of future exaltation. These things cannot be too deeply impressed upon the minds of the young. They should be taught that they ought to prefer to sacrifice life rather than their virtue. This should be embodied in our teachings, both by precept and example. Thus will the hosts of Israel become pure and clean in the sight of the Almighty. How great is the importance of this instruction! Unless virtue is practiced, sad indeed will be the condition of the community. To be exemplars and instructors in this regard is one of the chief duties of parents. There should be instituted with all Saints a searching self-scrutiny. The inquiry should be whether they individually have been living according to their professions. In relation to the purity of conduct of the young, there has been a large measure of success, as thousands of the youth of both sexes would, I am satisfied, rather give up life than sacrifice their virtue Yet, the seducer is abroad, and nothing should be more closely guarded than chastity.
Elder Charles W. Penrose
said he could echo the words of President Woodruff, uttered at the opening of the conference, that our hearts should be filled with joy and gratitude because of the privileges we enjoy. Such is my condition. I am in full faith of the principles of the Gospel. My heart is engaged in this work. Such has been the case ever since I first received it. I know the doctrines are true, and I am willing to bear testimony to them wherever my lot may be cast. I have not been idle since by absence from you, but have been busily engaged in forwarding the interests of the work of God. I endorse the principles that have been advanced here this morning. We will be rewarded according to our lives and opportunities, and so shall we be judged. The Lord offers rewards for good deeds and for good action, because of our condition. The time will come when neither rewards nor punishments will affect our course. When on a higher plane, we will do right for the love of it and refrain from wrong. We should, so far as practicable, reach after and approximate to that condition in this mortal sphere. It is to that state that God wishes to bring us. He desires us to be influenced by the Holy Spirit, which is the mind of God. The Lord is just, and it is well that he will not judge us as we sometimes judge each other. Man views the outward evidences. God comprehends all the circumstances, motives and temptations leading to the courses we pursue. He will also judge according to the principle of mercy, which, however, will not rob justice. Both principles will meet together, and each have its due. We should think of this when we attempt to sit in judgment upon each other. We have no right to judge persons unless we are appointed to perform that function. Be not too censorious, especially regarding the acts of those set to guide the affairs of the Church. Each should rather sit in judgment upon himself than upon his neighbor. There are times and places when and where to talk and to be silent. We should find out where these times and places are. We should do more and talk less. If we did we would place fewer stumbling blocks in our own way and in the way of our neighbor. As we show ourselves here so will we be placed in the world to come. If we are not entitled to an exaltation we will not get it; if we are worth of it we will obtain it no matter what may be thought of us by our brethren and sisters. When we get there we will be valued for what we are, no matter as to appearances. Let us be merciful and charitable, and help each other, and put no stumbling block in the way of our neighbors. It is bad enough for him who has sinned that he has done so. For him there is sorrow and humiliation, without more being unnecessarily heaped upon him. May we learn to overcome evil and devote ourselves to the interests of the kingdom of God, that the crowns and inheritances of the just may be ours.
The choir sang:
O my Father, Thou that dwellest
In the high and glorious place!
When shall I regain Thy presence,
And again behold Thy face?
Closing prayer by President Angus M. Cannon.
Adjourned till 2 p.m.
said he could echo the words of President Woodruff, uttered at the opening of the conference, that our hearts should be filled with joy and gratitude because of the privileges we enjoy. Such is my condition. I am in full faith of the principles of the Gospel. My heart is engaged in this work. Such has been the case ever since I first received it. I know the doctrines are true, and I am willing to bear testimony to them wherever my lot may be cast. I have not been idle since by absence from you, but have been busily engaged in forwarding the interests of the work of God. I endorse the principles that have been advanced here this morning. We will be rewarded according to our lives and opportunities, and so shall we be judged. The Lord offers rewards for good deeds and for good action, because of our condition. The time will come when neither rewards nor punishments will affect our course. When on a higher plane, we will do right for the love of it and refrain from wrong. We should, so far as practicable, reach after and approximate to that condition in this mortal sphere. It is to that state that God wishes to bring us. He desires us to be influenced by the Holy Spirit, which is the mind of God. The Lord is just, and it is well that he will not judge us as we sometimes judge each other. Man views the outward evidences. God comprehends all the circumstances, motives and temptations leading to the courses we pursue. He will also judge according to the principle of mercy, which, however, will not rob justice. Both principles will meet together, and each have its due. We should think of this when we attempt to sit in judgment upon each other. We have no right to judge persons unless we are appointed to perform that function. Be not too censorious, especially regarding the acts of those set to guide the affairs of the Church. Each should rather sit in judgment upon himself than upon his neighbor. There are times and places when and where to talk and to be silent. We should find out where these times and places are. We should do more and talk less. If we did we would place fewer stumbling blocks in our own way and in the way of our neighbor. As we show ourselves here so will we be placed in the world to come. If we are not entitled to an exaltation we will not get it; if we are worth of it we will obtain it no matter what may be thought of us by our brethren and sisters. When we get there we will be valued for what we are, no matter as to appearances. Let us be merciful and charitable, and help each other, and put no stumbling block in the way of our neighbors. It is bad enough for him who has sinned that he has done so. For him there is sorrow and humiliation, without more being unnecessarily heaped upon him. May we learn to overcome evil and devote ourselves to the interests of the kingdom of God, that the crowns and inheritances of the just may be ours.
The choir sang:
O my Father, Thou that dwellest
In the high and glorious place!
When shall I regain Thy presence,
And again behold Thy face?
Closing prayer by President Angus M. Cannon.
Adjourned till 2 p.m.
Saturday Afternoon.
Proceedings resumed at 2 p. m.
Singing by the choir:
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God.
He whose word can not be broken,
Chose thee for His own abode.
Prayer by Bishop Orson F. Whitney.
Singing:
We’re not ashamed to own our Lord,
And worship Him on earth.
Proceedings resumed at 2 p. m.
Singing by the choir:
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God.
He whose word can not be broken,
Chose thee for His own abode.
Prayer by Bishop Orson F. Whitney.
Singing:
We’re not ashamed to own our Lord,
And worship Him on earth.
Apostle Moses Thatcher
addressed the assemblage, his remarks being substantially as follows:
I feel the need of the faith and prayers of the Saints. Unless the Elders are inspired by the Holy Spirit there is little profit in their utterances. May my remarks be of a character to forward the interests of truth and righteousness. I am grateful to the Lord for His mercy and kindness to this people.
We are favored with the presence of a greater number of Apostles now than we have had for several years. We meet under the Presidency of Brother Wilford Woodruff. To those who have been suffering wrong these are great privileges. When we meet as we do now we should beseech the Lord for His Spirit, that we may be united with each other, and exercise a great degree of faith, thus fulfilling the prayer of Jesus to the Father regarding the principle of unity. Unless we are one we are not in the full sense the people of God. We should conduct ourselves in a way to tend to bring this to pass. To be united spiritually we must also be in the bond of union in temporal things. If this course be taken there might be restored the condition which existed among the ancient Nephites, when every man dealt justly with his neighbor. That people, however, lost what blessed state subsequently, indulged in pride, disputations and general unrighteousness. All proper action is the product of correct belief, the former being a product of the latter.
The speaker gave details for he establishment in one of the counties of Utah in 1874 of a board of trade, which undertook the exportation of wheat to the Pacific Coast. A mutual agreement was entered into among the producers for mutual benefit. The business was done through an agent of the people’s own choosing. The transactions opened in that connection with the association, at the time referred to, with wheat at the rate of 60 cents a bushel. By the united method of business adopted in a short time it was raised to one dollar and seven and a half cents a bushel. This was not done by competition, but by unity. The people were united and strong. A similar result was attained by the same process and union of interests in the conducting of contracts for building certain railroads in this region. Subsequently the people became jealous of each other. Contentions appeared, the old condition ensued, and the people have not since been so prosperous. Employment has not been so plentiful. Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile Institution was organized by President Brigham Young. His mind, reaching into the future, comprehending the interests of the people, he was led by the Spirit of God to organize it. It has done a mighty work, but it has not filled its mission. It is paying, perhaps, today a quarter of a million of dollars per annum for labor, and we have a shoe factory here that is worth of any community. They have established a tannery that gives employment to many men, and they are gradually advancing themselves in the establishment of home industries which bid fair to make Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile Institution what we have long hoped and prayed it might become. But if we seek to undermine its influence, if we seek to show in the midst of the people that God did not inspire President Young in its establishment, or, if He did, that those who have conducted it have departed from the spirit in which it was organized, then its mission will never be successful. But if we shall build safely and energetically upon the broad and deep foundation which the Lord has given us in His revelations, we shall succeed in these things, the busy hum of machinery shall make music throughout the fair vales of Utah, and we shall have our home industries that will teach our youth how to become interested, how to become industrious, how to become self-supporting, and how to become united in things both spiritual and temporal.
Recent efforts have been made to combine, to unite the wealth of this Territory, and we have succeeded to some extent. It was not the fruits of the labor of any one man or any score of men, but it was the result of the Spirit of God acting upon the hearts of those who had influence in financial circles. The object of that combination was not to form a monopoly in the midst of the people. Those who have interested themselves in the movement have never dreamed that it should become a monopoly and a means of oppression to the people; but the object was that, through this union, the several banks throughout the Territory would be enabled to loan their money more closely, and with greater advantage to the people. The cheaper you can make money to a community, the quicker will you give the means of enhancing and fostering those things which we so much desire to see established. When money becomes cheap the avenues of trade are open, and if we had today perhaps five millions of dollars unnecessarily invested in commercial circles, and that amount of means could be employed in building up and furthering home industries, how much happier we would become.
I thank the Lord for the woolen mills in Provo; and I trust that the mills which have been recently erected in Salt Lake City may prove a success.
I heard it said the other day that a gentleman who came from Boston, representing six different woolen mills, went to examine the products of the Provo mill, and after inspecting the texture of the home-made goods, and on learning the price, he declared that he could do no business in Utah and therefore gave an order for a thousand pairs of blankets to be manufactured and shipped to Boston. When we can get on this basis and begin to export from Utah instead of importing everything, we shall become independent. What makes England—that little island—so powerful at the present time is her manufacturing interests, swaying the commerce of almost all the Christian world, and a greater portion of the heathen world also. We shall not become a strong, united and influential people, until the best ability, prompted by the Spirit of God, shall come together of one heart and one mind and unite us in these things, build up Zion, and make the people happy, industrious, and prosperous in all they undertake to do.
God grant that the inspiration of His Holy Spirit may gradually draw this people together and not permit the spirit of the adversary to tear us apart. That which binds together unites. That which softens the heart, that which makes the selfish man lay his money upon the altar and devote it to God, that which makes him feel that the riches of eternity are more valuable to him than the riches of this world is that which purifies and sanctifies, and makes the people of one heart and one mind. That which tends to divide them and array them one against the other in spiritual and temporal things comes from beneath, and is not of God.
I am not afraid of what the world may do. We may be opposed from the outside; but the harder they press us the more cohesive shall we become. It is the dangers inside that I fear—the divisions that are arising amongst the people—that which is selfish, and makes men haughty, proud, and hard-hearted; which does not prompt them to feed the widow and the orphan, but rather to do the opposite—make themselves wealthy and live in palaces which their brethren and sisters whom God created, and whom He loves as much as He loves them, are neglected.
As God’s children, we should feel towards each other as one common family. Let those who have riches in abundance give freely to those who have but little. I do not mean to say encourage idleness; but encourage industry and the prosperity of the people; and may God grant the time is not far distant when all that we have, for the love of the things of God, shall be laid upon the altar of sacrifice for the building up of His Kingdom on earth.
addressed the assemblage, his remarks being substantially as follows:
I feel the need of the faith and prayers of the Saints. Unless the Elders are inspired by the Holy Spirit there is little profit in their utterances. May my remarks be of a character to forward the interests of truth and righteousness. I am grateful to the Lord for His mercy and kindness to this people.
We are favored with the presence of a greater number of Apostles now than we have had for several years. We meet under the Presidency of Brother Wilford Woodruff. To those who have been suffering wrong these are great privileges. When we meet as we do now we should beseech the Lord for His Spirit, that we may be united with each other, and exercise a great degree of faith, thus fulfilling the prayer of Jesus to the Father regarding the principle of unity. Unless we are one we are not in the full sense the people of God. We should conduct ourselves in a way to tend to bring this to pass. To be united spiritually we must also be in the bond of union in temporal things. If this course be taken there might be restored the condition which existed among the ancient Nephites, when every man dealt justly with his neighbor. That people, however, lost what blessed state subsequently, indulged in pride, disputations and general unrighteousness. All proper action is the product of correct belief, the former being a product of the latter.
The speaker gave details for he establishment in one of the counties of Utah in 1874 of a board of trade, which undertook the exportation of wheat to the Pacific Coast. A mutual agreement was entered into among the producers for mutual benefit. The business was done through an agent of the people’s own choosing. The transactions opened in that connection with the association, at the time referred to, with wheat at the rate of 60 cents a bushel. By the united method of business adopted in a short time it was raised to one dollar and seven and a half cents a bushel. This was not done by competition, but by unity. The people were united and strong. A similar result was attained by the same process and union of interests in the conducting of contracts for building certain railroads in this region. Subsequently the people became jealous of each other. Contentions appeared, the old condition ensued, and the people have not since been so prosperous. Employment has not been so plentiful. Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile Institution was organized by President Brigham Young. His mind, reaching into the future, comprehending the interests of the people, he was led by the Spirit of God to organize it. It has done a mighty work, but it has not filled its mission. It is paying, perhaps, today a quarter of a million of dollars per annum for labor, and we have a shoe factory here that is worth of any community. They have established a tannery that gives employment to many men, and they are gradually advancing themselves in the establishment of home industries which bid fair to make Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile Institution what we have long hoped and prayed it might become. But if we seek to undermine its influence, if we seek to show in the midst of the people that God did not inspire President Young in its establishment, or, if He did, that those who have conducted it have departed from the spirit in which it was organized, then its mission will never be successful. But if we shall build safely and energetically upon the broad and deep foundation which the Lord has given us in His revelations, we shall succeed in these things, the busy hum of machinery shall make music throughout the fair vales of Utah, and we shall have our home industries that will teach our youth how to become interested, how to become industrious, how to become self-supporting, and how to become united in things both spiritual and temporal.
Recent efforts have been made to combine, to unite the wealth of this Territory, and we have succeeded to some extent. It was not the fruits of the labor of any one man or any score of men, but it was the result of the Spirit of God acting upon the hearts of those who had influence in financial circles. The object of that combination was not to form a monopoly in the midst of the people. Those who have interested themselves in the movement have never dreamed that it should become a monopoly and a means of oppression to the people; but the object was that, through this union, the several banks throughout the Territory would be enabled to loan their money more closely, and with greater advantage to the people. The cheaper you can make money to a community, the quicker will you give the means of enhancing and fostering those things which we so much desire to see established. When money becomes cheap the avenues of trade are open, and if we had today perhaps five millions of dollars unnecessarily invested in commercial circles, and that amount of means could be employed in building up and furthering home industries, how much happier we would become.
I thank the Lord for the woolen mills in Provo; and I trust that the mills which have been recently erected in Salt Lake City may prove a success.
I heard it said the other day that a gentleman who came from Boston, representing six different woolen mills, went to examine the products of the Provo mill, and after inspecting the texture of the home-made goods, and on learning the price, he declared that he could do no business in Utah and therefore gave an order for a thousand pairs of blankets to be manufactured and shipped to Boston. When we can get on this basis and begin to export from Utah instead of importing everything, we shall become independent. What makes England—that little island—so powerful at the present time is her manufacturing interests, swaying the commerce of almost all the Christian world, and a greater portion of the heathen world also. We shall not become a strong, united and influential people, until the best ability, prompted by the Spirit of God, shall come together of one heart and one mind and unite us in these things, build up Zion, and make the people happy, industrious, and prosperous in all they undertake to do.
God grant that the inspiration of His Holy Spirit may gradually draw this people together and not permit the spirit of the adversary to tear us apart. That which binds together unites. That which softens the heart, that which makes the selfish man lay his money upon the altar and devote it to God, that which makes him feel that the riches of eternity are more valuable to him than the riches of this world is that which purifies and sanctifies, and makes the people of one heart and one mind. That which tends to divide them and array them one against the other in spiritual and temporal things comes from beneath, and is not of God.
I am not afraid of what the world may do. We may be opposed from the outside; but the harder they press us the more cohesive shall we become. It is the dangers inside that I fear—the divisions that are arising amongst the people—that which is selfish, and makes men haughty, proud, and hard-hearted; which does not prompt them to feed the widow and the orphan, but rather to do the opposite—make themselves wealthy and live in palaces which their brethren and sisters whom God created, and whom He loves as much as He loves them, are neglected.
As God’s children, we should feel towards each other as one common family. Let those who have riches in abundance give freely to those who have but little. I do not mean to say encourage idleness; but encourage industry and the prosperity of the people; and may God grant the time is not far distant when all that we have, for the love of the things of God, shall be laid upon the altar of sacrifice for the building up of His Kingdom on earth.
Apostle John W. Taylor
spoke in substance as follows: I have had great pleasure in this conference thus far. I can bear testimony to what has been said. It makes us rejoice to hear the Gospel preached in plainness. What we have just heard is of the utmost importance. During the last several years I have been traveling among you as a peacemaker. Nine-tenths of the difficulties among the Saints are over financial affairs. You can readily see the truth of the statement of Brother Thatcher that unless we are one temporally we cannot be spiritually. Any Elder who would come up to this stand and speak, his expressions would be to the same effect.
We are taught that if any are sick they should send for the Elders to administer the anointing with oil and offer the prayer of faith, and the Lord would raise them up. It is not the man who administers that is to do the raising up of the sick, but the Lord. The miraculous signs are enumerated in the New Testament. Anciently the Disciples were informed that whatever they asked in the name of Christ, believing, would be granted them. A certain incident occurred wherein they failed to cast an evil spirit out of an afflicted person, and they explained the fact to the Savior. He said that the reason for the failure was that they had not fasted, and lacked in faith. The speaker cited several instances of healing by the Apostles anciently—notably the lame man at the gate of the Temple, related in the Acts. Christ performed many mighty miracles and works. In one place, however, he failed to accomplish much because of the lack of faith in the people. When the boy Joseph Smith, afterwards called to be a great Prophet, was administered unto by the Father and the Son, it was the result of a prayer offered in full faith that there would be an answer. Not all have the same gifts, but they are given to men according to the will of the spirit which imparts them. I have a greater desire for the gift of wisdom than any other. In laboring among the Saints I discern that spiritual gifts abound among them.
We have the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, containing the revelations given through Joseph Smith the Prophet. In it the Saints are enjoined to call for the Elders, but if they have not faith to be healed they shall be nourished with mild herbs, administered with skill by the hand of a friend. No one can administer herbs with skill unless this subject be made a matter of study. In this line people should have a knowledge of what they are doing. Many people have died for the lack of the application of this requisite skill. There are some who are so fanatical that they would almost rather see those related to them die for the want of a little skillful attention than have it said that a doctor had been in their house. I have been somewhat prejudiced in the past against doctors, but the more I become acquainted with some of them the more I think of them and the less I think of some of the charges they make.
The speaker gave an instance in his experience, in which a doctor who was traveling with him rendered effective service in some cases of emergency. This medical professional was traveling with the speaker in the capacity of an Elder, but had numerous occasions to make practical application of his skill.
Our greatest desire should be to build up the Kingdom of God upon the earth; and our example should be such as to lead other men to glorify and honor the name of God. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were prophets of the Most High. I know that John Taylor was a prophet and that Wilford Woodruff is a Prophet, Seer and Revelator. I declare unto you that the word of God will roll on until it fills the whole earth. Separate yourselves from all that is impure; cleave to that which is good, praiseworthy and exalting in its nature and the Lord will bless His people. Keep your covenants, do everything that has been commanded by the Lord in righteousness and walk always in that straight and narrow path that leadeth to eternal life.
The choir sang “The Battle Hymn of Israel.”
Closing prayer by Apostle George Q. Cannon.
spoke in substance as follows: I have had great pleasure in this conference thus far. I can bear testimony to what has been said. It makes us rejoice to hear the Gospel preached in plainness. What we have just heard is of the utmost importance. During the last several years I have been traveling among you as a peacemaker. Nine-tenths of the difficulties among the Saints are over financial affairs. You can readily see the truth of the statement of Brother Thatcher that unless we are one temporally we cannot be spiritually. Any Elder who would come up to this stand and speak, his expressions would be to the same effect.
We are taught that if any are sick they should send for the Elders to administer the anointing with oil and offer the prayer of faith, and the Lord would raise them up. It is not the man who administers that is to do the raising up of the sick, but the Lord. The miraculous signs are enumerated in the New Testament. Anciently the Disciples were informed that whatever they asked in the name of Christ, believing, would be granted them. A certain incident occurred wherein they failed to cast an evil spirit out of an afflicted person, and they explained the fact to the Savior. He said that the reason for the failure was that they had not fasted, and lacked in faith. The speaker cited several instances of healing by the Apostles anciently—notably the lame man at the gate of the Temple, related in the Acts. Christ performed many mighty miracles and works. In one place, however, he failed to accomplish much because of the lack of faith in the people. When the boy Joseph Smith, afterwards called to be a great Prophet, was administered unto by the Father and the Son, it was the result of a prayer offered in full faith that there would be an answer. Not all have the same gifts, but they are given to men according to the will of the spirit which imparts them. I have a greater desire for the gift of wisdom than any other. In laboring among the Saints I discern that spiritual gifts abound among them.
We have the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, containing the revelations given through Joseph Smith the Prophet. In it the Saints are enjoined to call for the Elders, but if they have not faith to be healed they shall be nourished with mild herbs, administered with skill by the hand of a friend. No one can administer herbs with skill unless this subject be made a matter of study. In this line people should have a knowledge of what they are doing. Many people have died for the lack of the application of this requisite skill. There are some who are so fanatical that they would almost rather see those related to them die for the want of a little skillful attention than have it said that a doctor had been in their house. I have been somewhat prejudiced in the past against doctors, but the more I become acquainted with some of them the more I think of them and the less I think of some of the charges they make.
The speaker gave an instance in his experience, in which a doctor who was traveling with him rendered effective service in some cases of emergency. This medical professional was traveling with the speaker in the capacity of an Elder, but had numerous occasions to make practical application of his skill.
Our greatest desire should be to build up the Kingdom of God upon the earth; and our example should be such as to lead other men to glorify and honor the name of God. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were prophets of the Most High. I know that John Taylor was a prophet and that Wilford Woodruff is a Prophet, Seer and Revelator. I declare unto you that the word of God will roll on until it fills the whole earth. Separate yourselves from all that is impure; cleave to that which is good, praiseworthy and exalting in its nature and the Lord will bless His people. Keep your covenants, do everything that has been commanded by the Lord in righteousness and walk always in that straight and narrow path that leadeth to eternal life.
The choir sang “The Battle Hymn of Israel.”
Closing prayer by Apostle George Q. Cannon.
Sunday Morning.
Meeting was called to order at 10 a. m.
The choir sang:
With all my powers of heart and tongue,
I’ll praise my Maker in my song;
Angels shall hear the notes I raise,
Approve the song, and join the praise.
Prayer was offered by Elder Abram H. Cannon.
The choir sang:
Shall I, for fear of feeble man,
The Spirit’s course in me restrain?
Or, undismayed in deed and word,
Be a true witness for my Lord?
Meeting was called to order at 10 a. m.
The choir sang:
With all my powers of heart and tongue,
I’ll praise my Maker in my song;
Angels shall hear the notes I raise,
Approve the song, and join the praise.
Prayer was offered by Elder Abram H. Cannon.
The choir sang:
Shall I, for fear of feeble man,
The Spirit’s course in me restrain?
Or, undismayed in deed and word,
Be a true witness for my Lord?
Apostle Geo. Q. Cannon
addressed the congregation. He read from 1 John, chapter iii:
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not; whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
In standing up to address you I depend upon the assistance of your faith and prayers. It is a serious responsibility to address an audience like this upon the principles of salvation. I should not attempt it if I did not hope to be assisted by the Spirit of God. We are in peculiar circumstances. There never was a time when, as a people, we needed to counsel from the Lord more than we do at present. We cannot live without the word of God. Our gathering into these mountains has been in compliance with the will of heaven. The organization of these settlements in this mountain region is due to the fact that God has given commands, and the Saints have gathered in obedience thereto. Our preservation, growth, union and strength are all attributable to His blessings. If these were withdrawn we would be in a most pitiable condition.
We assemble to be instructed that we may better understand our relation and obligations to our Father, and to better know how to discharge our duties. Thus far He has not concealed His counsel nor withheld His words from us. The reflection gives me joy, that from the organization of the Church the Latter-day Saints have not been left to grope in the dark, without the will of God to guide them. The voice of revelation has not been withdrawn. There has been a voice from God, by which the people could receive a knowledge of His will. Shall we not today praise the Lord that there has been no darkness so great as to prevent the light of the eternal world coming to us? Our path has been plainly marked out. Mankind may have been pursuing devious paths, but the direction in which we should travel has been plainly manifest to us. This has been the case from the beginning, and I thank God that this certainty has been given to us.
Our Father has answered our prayers in the past, and has shown us what to do. Persecution has laid its heavy hand upon us, but we have not been left to ourselves. This great work has not been deserted by its Founder; nor has His favor been withdrawn from us. He has ever been near to give us light and every gift necessary for our circumstances. This has been a great blessing and is worth more to us than all worldly honor. Who is there that values eternal truth, that loves God, that desires eternal salvation, who would not give all he possesses for the blessings and favor of God? Men have died for less truth than we have today. They have made great sacrifices for principles less Godlike than those that have been revealed to us. These men have felt that they could sacrifice life itself for communication with the eternal world. Men have prayed for the Priesthood and authority of God, and have made boundless sacrifices to obtain it. What would Martin Luther have given for this authority? As it was, he dared the whole world; he took his life in his hand, and was willing to die for even the modicum of truth he possessed. But how much more willing he would have been to make the sacrifice if he had had the truths that we possess.
In the providence of God. His will was not communicated till this latter age. The earth had been drenched with the blood of Apostles and righteous men. The Priesthood was taken back to God till the time when He saw fit to communicate it. The courageous reformers will be rewarded for their labors, and receive the ordinances and salvation which they sought for God’s work is from eternity to eternity, and none of His children will be lost except the sons of perdition. Those men who struggled so nobly for the right will receive the great reward their fidelity to truth has entitled them to.
To us who have beheld this glorious day the blessings and knowledge of the gospel are given. We are chosen to be saviors to our ancestors—saviors of the world—because of the grace of God to us. What a people we should be, and how our hearts should swell in gratitude to God. Men have died for these principles we have received. They were hunted and slain because of their fidelity to the truth. How is it with us? Contrast our circumstances with those of the men to whom I refer. We have everything necessary for our comfort; elegant houses, abundant food and clothing, no hardships such as the ancient Apostles suffered. For us there has been persecution comparatively light or there has been no sawing asunder, no beheading, no having to run to caves and dwell there with our wives and children; but we are enjoying all the blessings which God in His wonderful kindness has bestowed upon us, and he asks us to give unto Him our hearts. He asks us not to worship earthly things, but says to us, “Choose first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and I will add unto you these other blessings. I want your hearts; I want your affections; I want your devotion; I want you to obey me.” These are the requests which God, our great Creator, our beneficent Father wishes of us. Will we give to our father that obedience which belongs to Him, the source of our strength and life? How our hearts should swell praise to Him, for He has rewarded us a hundred fold for all we have done.
Each Elder who goes on a mission testifies of the great happiness enjoys in that labor. He testifies that God was with him and His angels were round about him. These Elders return and associate among the people. Today, you may go through our settlements, and though they may have spent years on missions, you cannot find them by their poverty; there is no distinction in their property to indicate their sacrifice, because God has multiplied His temporal blessings upon them and prosperity attends them. Thus God manifests that He is willing to reward those who serve Him. Examine these things and you will find they are true. You Latter-day Saints can testify to them. This shows that those who serve God are blessed as no others are. Those who have been liberal to the poor, and have been strict in the payment of their tithes, have also received of similar blessings. They have been prospered more than those who have been stingy and neglectful of their duties. In this way God has been testifying to us that He rewards us for serving Him. And if we continue to obey His laws, blessings will continue to flow unto us, and the favor God will be upon us.
The Apostle John says that “we will be like Him.” It is for this purpose that God has revealed the Gospel—that His children may become like unto Him. I do not mean in a spiritual sense; that is, in the way these things are spiritualized by some men. We believe that we are the literal offspring of Deity. We have descended from that great Being who formed this earth, and from Him we have inherited the glorious aspirations to be like unto Him. With this hope within us we will seek to purify ourselves as He is pure.
In remarks made here a few Sundays ago by Elder Penrose, he referred to a doctrine held by some men about each people having their own God to worship. The Indian has his idea of God; the Hindoo has his idea of God; the various nations of the earth have their different views of God; and the Christian has his idea of God. Now, there is something correct in this. We worship that which we admire; and no doubt everything that is admirable pertains to God and the Godhead. We may not have it all even with our light and our intelligence. We may not comprehend all the attributes, and certainly cannot comprehend the greatness of our God. Others may have ideas of Him, correct to a certain extent. There is truth among even Pagans. With the lowest of the human species there is something of truth from God. As men advance they receive more truth. This is the distinction between us and others. We believe in a God of revelation who will give more and more light to us till we can become like Him.
We worship the Being who has revealed Himself to us. It was necessary at the outset of this work to have a revelation from Him. There were many erroneous ideas about God, and the first revelation to Joseph Smith was the appearance of the Father and the Son. I have heard that there are some among us who say both are one person. This is a fallacy. There are two personages, the Father and the Son. God is the Being who walked in the Garden of Eden, and who talked with the Prophets. This revelation came to us in certainty. As I said, in the very outset, the Father and the Son were revealed in ineffable glory and were seen by mortal men. Their testimony, this testimony, stands on record, corroborated and sustained by the testimony of others who have since seen the Lord Jesus Christ; we are living witnesses that they have seen Him, that He lives, and that He is indeed the Son of God and one of the two which form the Godhead. In this respect we differ from others; among this people there is knowledge concerning God. We know to a certain extent of Him and His attributes. “As man now is, God was; as God now is, man may be.” We possess the attribute He possesses, and the object of the Gospel is to lead us to what He is. This is the true theory of evolution—that we can progress to become like unto God. This is the incentive of faithfulness.
Who that comprehends this principle would think of sacrificing such glorious prospects by committing sin? No one who has the Spirit of God would sin to be deprived of these great blessings. We may do things when we are not conscious of the results, but no Latter-day Saints will commit sin in view of the glorious prospects we have ourselves. There have been thousands upon thousands who have made all kinds of sacrifices for earthly preferment. But who shall compare this with the great glory that God has in store for us? Who shall compare it with the Kingdom which God has promised unto us? He has promised that we shall sit upon a throne, that we shall have a crown, that we shall have a posterity as numerous as the stars in heaven, as countless as the sands by the seashore. “For,” says he, “I seal upon you the blessings of kingdoms, of thrones, of principalities, of powers, and of dominions. I seal upon you the blessings of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; I seal upon you the promise that you shall come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, clothed with glory, clothed with immortality, clothed with eternal life.” These are the promises which are made to the Latter-day Saints. They have been sealed upon the heads of most of you. What sacrifice is there, then, that we should not make for such blessings? None. There are none of us who understand these things that will relinquish them for worldly pleasure.
Those not of us, and yet who profess Christianity, say that our doctrines are strange. Are they any more strange than the principles believed in by the Christian world? They worship Jesus as their God, and He is. But he was once a babe, and there are many who worship his mother Mary. He was born of a woman. And if one God was born of woman, may not others be also? To say they could not is not logical. Some deny the doctrine of pre-existence in the face of the fact Jesus the Lord was born of woman and that this same God had appeared to Moses and others. Is it mystery to say that if He could be born of woman, our spirits could also be so compressed that we could be born as infants? Because we do not comprehend these things, shall we reject them, or shall we wait till we receive the full light? On one occasion Jesus met a man possessed of devils, who said their name was Legion. The devils besought Him that they might enter a herd of swine. Jesus gave permission, and they entered the swine, which ran down into the Sea of Galilee and were drowned. Just think of a legion of devils in one man! Yet that was the fact. These spirits had rebelled against God in heaven, and lost their first estate. They wander about the earth, seeking to lead men astray, and endeavoring to bring the rest of the family of God to the same condition in which they are. We have in this an instance of how spirits can be compressed.
We had an existence before we came into mortality. There is probably not a man or woman who has not an impression as of something they feel they have forgotten. How many there are who recognized, as something they were familiar with, the principles of the Gospel. I believe that when we meet our Father, the recollection that we were with Him will come back again. We will also know our mother, and those with whom we before associated. We will know each other, father, mother, husband, wife, children. I was a boy when my people gathered with the Church. I was curious to see the Prophet Joseph. I had no means of identifying him, but recognized him as though I had seen him before; and I doubt not that I had. There are kindred spirits that are drawn together no doubt by ties that were formed anterior to their birth into this sphere. In the future our memories and our powers will be quickened. There is a remarkable power latent in the human mind, and when quickened by the Spirit of God it will reach back to the life that was before this. Abraham saw that he had been chosen to perform a mighty work.
I will refer briefly to one doctrine which I have heard of. I have heard that there are those among us who entertain an idea that some are predestined to be damned, no matter what they do. This is a fallacy. Men and women confound foreknowledge with fore-ordination. God knew that Pharaoh would oppress Israel; but it was in Pharaoh’s power to choose his own course. He was not foreordained to be damned, but God knew what he would do. Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him and become a devil, but he was not foreordained to become such as he did. It was his own choice. The doctrine that men are fated to commit sin is false. There is no such doctrine existing in the Gospel of the Son of God. We have our free and unfettered agency, as we were told so plainly yesterday.
We have the agency to do that which is right; the agency also to do that which is wrong. But it is for us to do that which is right. It is for us to keep the commandments of God and to serve Him with all our hearts; and if we will do this God will bring us off triumphant. We shall triumph over every obstacle, and this Kingdom of our God will spread and increase in power; it will overcome all the difficulties with which it has to contend, until every word spoken concerning it will be fulfilled. It will fill the whole earth; it will rule and bear dominion, and Jesus will come to reign on the earth for a thousand years. If we are faithful we shall reign with Him; those who go to sleep will be resurrected and will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air as well as those who lie in the grave, as the Apostle Paul says. That day is near at hand. Be encouraged; do not be discouraged and fearful in your hearts, for God is watching over this work and over you. There is not a hair of your heads but what is numbered. Not a sparrow—a bird that is so common among us here now—can fall to the ground without His notice, and you are of more value than many sparrows. God watches over you; His care is for you; His angels are around about you.
Remember what He said on one occasion: “Be careful that you do not offend the least of these my little ones; for I say unto you that their angels are before the face of my Father continually.” Offend not then the elect of God. Be careful about trespassing upon your brethren and sisters. Their angels stand constantly before the face of our Father in heaven, pleading their cause, watching over them, and having charge concerning them.
I have spoken about the evil spirits and the evil influences of Satan; but I have not mentioned that glorious host of angels and pure spirits that are at the right hand of God our Eternal Father, and are as agents who are carrying out His behests over His elect at all times, lest they should strike their feet against a stone. God takes care of us and of all His children; and if we will be faithful unto Him, no matter how deep our afflictions may be, no matter how heavy our sorrows, no matter though it may seem to us we will be crushed to earth, God is still near unto us; His angels have charge concerning us, and we shall be saved and delivered, and eventually exalted, if we are faithful to our God, which I pray for you all and myself, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
addressed the congregation. He read from 1 John, chapter iii:
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not; whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
In standing up to address you I depend upon the assistance of your faith and prayers. It is a serious responsibility to address an audience like this upon the principles of salvation. I should not attempt it if I did not hope to be assisted by the Spirit of God. We are in peculiar circumstances. There never was a time when, as a people, we needed to counsel from the Lord more than we do at present. We cannot live without the word of God. Our gathering into these mountains has been in compliance with the will of heaven. The organization of these settlements in this mountain region is due to the fact that God has given commands, and the Saints have gathered in obedience thereto. Our preservation, growth, union and strength are all attributable to His blessings. If these were withdrawn we would be in a most pitiable condition.
We assemble to be instructed that we may better understand our relation and obligations to our Father, and to better know how to discharge our duties. Thus far He has not concealed His counsel nor withheld His words from us. The reflection gives me joy, that from the organization of the Church the Latter-day Saints have not been left to grope in the dark, without the will of God to guide them. The voice of revelation has not been withdrawn. There has been a voice from God, by which the people could receive a knowledge of His will. Shall we not today praise the Lord that there has been no darkness so great as to prevent the light of the eternal world coming to us? Our path has been plainly marked out. Mankind may have been pursuing devious paths, but the direction in which we should travel has been plainly manifest to us. This has been the case from the beginning, and I thank God that this certainty has been given to us.
Our Father has answered our prayers in the past, and has shown us what to do. Persecution has laid its heavy hand upon us, but we have not been left to ourselves. This great work has not been deserted by its Founder; nor has His favor been withdrawn from us. He has ever been near to give us light and every gift necessary for our circumstances. This has been a great blessing and is worth more to us than all worldly honor. Who is there that values eternal truth, that loves God, that desires eternal salvation, who would not give all he possesses for the blessings and favor of God? Men have died for less truth than we have today. They have made great sacrifices for principles less Godlike than those that have been revealed to us. These men have felt that they could sacrifice life itself for communication with the eternal world. Men have prayed for the Priesthood and authority of God, and have made boundless sacrifices to obtain it. What would Martin Luther have given for this authority? As it was, he dared the whole world; he took his life in his hand, and was willing to die for even the modicum of truth he possessed. But how much more willing he would have been to make the sacrifice if he had had the truths that we possess.
In the providence of God. His will was not communicated till this latter age. The earth had been drenched with the blood of Apostles and righteous men. The Priesthood was taken back to God till the time when He saw fit to communicate it. The courageous reformers will be rewarded for their labors, and receive the ordinances and salvation which they sought for God’s work is from eternity to eternity, and none of His children will be lost except the sons of perdition. Those men who struggled so nobly for the right will receive the great reward their fidelity to truth has entitled them to.
To us who have beheld this glorious day the blessings and knowledge of the gospel are given. We are chosen to be saviors to our ancestors—saviors of the world—because of the grace of God to us. What a people we should be, and how our hearts should swell in gratitude to God. Men have died for these principles we have received. They were hunted and slain because of their fidelity to the truth. How is it with us? Contrast our circumstances with those of the men to whom I refer. We have everything necessary for our comfort; elegant houses, abundant food and clothing, no hardships such as the ancient Apostles suffered. For us there has been persecution comparatively light or there has been no sawing asunder, no beheading, no having to run to caves and dwell there with our wives and children; but we are enjoying all the blessings which God in His wonderful kindness has bestowed upon us, and he asks us to give unto Him our hearts. He asks us not to worship earthly things, but says to us, “Choose first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and I will add unto you these other blessings. I want your hearts; I want your affections; I want your devotion; I want you to obey me.” These are the requests which God, our great Creator, our beneficent Father wishes of us. Will we give to our father that obedience which belongs to Him, the source of our strength and life? How our hearts should swell praise to Him, for He has rewarded us a hundred fold for all we have done.
Each Elder who goes on a mission testifies of the great happiness enjoys in that labor. He testifies that God was with him and His angels were round about him. These Elders return and associate among the people. Today, you may go through our settlements, and though they may have spent years on missions, you cannot find them by their poverty; there is no distinction in their property to indicate their sacrifice, because God has multiplied His temporal blessings upon them and prosperity attends them. Thus God manifests that He is willing to reward those who serve Him. Examine these things and you will find they are true. You Latter-day Saints can testify to them. This shows that those who serve God are blessed as no others are. Those who have been liberal to the poor, and have been strict in the payment of their tithes, have also received of similar blessings. They have been prospered more than those who have been stingy and neglectful of their duties. In this way God has been testifying to us that He rewards us for serving Him. And if we continue to obey His laws, blessings will continue to flow unto us, and the favor God will be upon us.
The Apostle John says that “we will be like Him.” It is for this purpose that God has revealed the Gospel—that His children may become like unto Him. I do not mean in a spiritual sense; that is, in the way these things are spiritualized by some men. We believe that we are the literal offspring of Deity. We have descended from that great Being who formed this earth, and from Him we have inherited the glorious aspirations to be like unto Him. With this hope within us we will seek to purify ourselves as He is pure.
In remarks made here a few Sundays ago by Elder Penrose, he referred to a doctrine held by some men about each people having their own God to worship. The Indian has his idea of God; the Hindoo has his idea of God; the various nations of the earth have their different views of God; and the Christian has his idea of God. Now, there is something correct in this. We worship that which we admire; and no doubt everything that is admirable pertains to God and the Godhead. We may not have it all even with our light and our intelligence. We may not comprehend all the attributes, and certainly cannot comprehend the greatness of our God. Others may have ideas of Him, correct to a certain extent. There is truth among even Pagans. With the lowest of the human species there is something of truth from God. As men advance they receive more truth. This is the distinction between us and others. We believe in a God of revelation who will give more and more light to us till we can become like Him.
We worship the Being who has revealed Himself to us. It was necessary at the outset of this work to have a revelation from Him. There were many erroneous ideas about God, and the first revelation to Joseph Smith was the appearance of the Father and the Son. I have heard that there are some among us who say both are one person. This is a fallacy. There are two personages, the Father and the Son. God is the Being who walked in the Garden of Eden, and who talked with the Prophets. This revelation came to us in certainty. As I said, in the very outset, the Father and the Son were revealed in ineffable glory and were seen by mortal men. Their testimony, this testimony, stands on record, corroborated and sustained by the testimony of others who have since seen the Lord Jesus Christ; we are living witnesses that they have seen Him, that He lives, and that He is indeed the Son of God and one of the two which form the Godhead. In this respect we differ from others; among this people there is knowledge concerning God. We know to a certain extent of Him and His attributes. “As man now is, God was; as God now is, man may be.” We possess the attribute He possesses, and the object of the Gospel is to lead us to what He is. This is the true theory of evolution—that we can progress to become like unto God. This is the incentive of faithfulness.
Who that comprehends this principle would think of sacrificing such glorious prospects by committing sin? No one who has the Spirit of God would sin to be deprived of these great blessings. We may do things when we are not conscious of the results, but no Latter-day Saints will commit sin in view of the glorious prospects we have ourselves. There have been thousands upon thousands who have made all kinds of sacrifices for earthly preferment. But who shall compare this with the great glory that God has in store for us? Who shall compare it with the Kingdom which God has promised unto us? He has promised that we shall sit upon a throne, that we shall have a crown, that we shall have a posterity as numerous as the stars in heaven, as countless as the sands by the seashore. “For,” says he, “I seal upon you the blessings of kingdoms, of thrones, of principalities, of powers, and of dominions. I seal upon you the blessings of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; I seal upon you the promise that you shall come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, clothed with glory, clothed with immortality, clothed with eternal life.” These are the promises which are made to the Latter-day Saints. They have been sealed upon the heads of most of you. What sacrifice is there, then, that we should not make for such blessings? None. There are none of us who understand these things that will relinquish them for worldly pleasure.
Those not of us, and yet who profess Christianity, say that our doctrines are strange. Are they any more strange than the principles believed in by the Christian world? They worship Jesus as their God, and He is. But he was once a babe, and there are many who worship his mother Mary. He was born of a woman. And if one God was born of woman, may not others be also? To say they could not is not logical. Some deny the doctrine of pre-existence in the face of the fact Jesus the Lord was born of woman and that this same God had appeared to Moses and others. Is it mystery to say that if He could be born of woman, our spirits could also be so compressed that we could be born as infants? Because we do not comprehend these things, shall we reject them, or shall we wait till we receive the full light? On one occasion Jesus met a man possessed of devils, who said their name was Legion. The devils besought Him that they might enter a herd of swine. Jesus gave permission, and they entered the swine, which ran down into the Sea of Galilee and were drowned. Just think of a legion of devils in one man! Yet that was the fact. These spirits had rebelled against God in heaven, and lost their first estate. They wander about the earth, seeking to lead men astray, and endeavoring to bring the rest of the family of God to the same condition in which they are. We have in this an instance of how spirits can be compressed.
We had an existence before we came into mortality. There is probably not a man or woman who has not an impression as of something they feel they have forgotten. How many there are who recognized, as something they were familiar with, the principles of the Gospel. I believe that when we meet our Father, the recollection that we were with Him will come back again. We will also know our mother, and those with whom we before associated. We will know each other, father, mother, husband, wife, children. I was a boy when my people gathered with the Church. I was curious to see the Prophet Joseph. I had no means of identifying him, but recognized him as though I had seen him before; and I doubt not that I had. There are kindred spirits that are drawn together no doubt by ties that were formed anterior to their birth into this sphere. In the future our memories and our powers will be quickened. There is a remarkable power latent in the human mind, and when quickened by the Spirit of God it will reach back to the life that was before this. Abraham saw that he had been chosen to perform a mighty work.
I will refer briefly to one doctrine which I have heard of. I have heard that there are those among us who entertain an idea that some are predestined to be damned, no matter what they do. This is a fallacy. Men and women confound foreknowledge with fore-ordination. God knew that Pharaoh would oppress Israel; but it was in Pharaoh’s power to choose his own course. He was not foreordained to be damned, but God knew what he would do. Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him and become a devil, but he was not foreordained to become such as he did. It was his own choice. The doctrine that men are fated to commit sin is false. There is no such doctrine existing in the Gospel of the Son of God. We have our free and unfettered agency, as we were told so plainly yesterday.
We have the agency to do that which is right; the agency also to do that which is wrong. But it is for us to do that which is right. It is for us to keep the commandments of God and to serve Him with all our hearts; and if we will do this God will bring us off triumphant. We shall triumph over every obstacle, and this Kingdom of our God will spread and increase in power; it will overcome all the difficulties with which it has to contend, until every word spoken concerning it will be fulfilled. It will fill the whole earth; it will rule and bear dominion, and Jesus will come to reign on the earth for a thousand years. If we are faithful we shall reign with Him; those who go to sleep will be resurrected and will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air as well as those who lie in the grave, as the Apostle Paul says. That day is near at hand. Be encouraged; do not be discouraged and fearful in your hearts, for God is watching over this work and over you. There is not a hair of your heads but what is numbered. Not a sparrow—a bird that is so common among us here now—can fall to the ground without His notice, and you are of more value than many sparrows. God watches over you; His care is for you; His angels are around about you.
Remember what He said on one occasion: “Be careful that you do not offend the least of these my little ones; for I say unto you that their angels are before the face of my Father continually.” Offend not then the elect of God. Be careful about trespassing upon your brethren and sisters. Their angels stand constantly before the face of our Father in heaven, pleading their cause, watching over them, and having charge concerning them.
I have spoken about the evil spirits and the evil influences of Satan; but I have not mentioned that glorious host of angels and pure spirits that are at the right hand of God our Eternal Father, and are as agents who are carrying out His behests over His elect at all times, lest they should strike their feet against a stone. God takes care of us and of all His children; and if we will be faithful unto Him, no matter how deep our afflictions may be, no matter how heavy our sorrows, no matter though it may seem to us we will be crushed to earth, God is still near unto us; His angels have charge concerning us, and we shall be saved and delivered, and eventually exalted, if we are faithful to our God, which I pray for you all and myself, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder John Morgan
said: I have been requested to occupy a few moments in which to bear my testimony to what has been said. I do this with pleasure, and feel confident that the principles we have heard here today have fallen upon the ears of the Saints as the truth. I rejoice to see that the cause of the Kingdom of God is onward and upward. The experiences the Saints are passing through will be invaluable to them in the future.
I bear my testimony that this work will continue to grow until it will fill the whole earth, and that the time will come when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. Notwithstanding the opposition arrayed against this work, it will triumph over all things, which may God grant in the name of Jesus, amen.
The choir sang the hymn:
How will the Saints rejoice to tell
And count their sufferings o’er,
When they upon Mount Zion stand
And view the landscape o’er.
Benediction was pronounced by Patriarch John Smith.
said: I have been requested to occupy a few moments in which to bear my testimony to what has been said. I do this with pleasure, and feel confident that the principles we have heard here today have fallen upon the ears of the Saints as the truth. I rejoice to see that the cause of the Kingdom of God is onward and upward. The experiences the Saints are passing through will be invaluable to them in the future.
I bear my testimony that this work will continue to grow until it will fill the whole earth, and that the time will come when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. Notwithstanding the opposition arrayed against this work, it will triumph over all things, which may God grant in the name of Jesus, amen.
The choir sang the hymn:
How will the Saints rejoice to tell
And count their sufferings o’er,
When they upon Mount Zion stand
And view the landscape o’er.
Benediction was pronounced by Patriarch John Smith.
Sunday Afternoon.
Services commenced at 2 p. m.
The choir sang:
Mortals awake! with angels join,
And chant the solemn lay;
Love, joy, and gratitude combine,
To hail th’auspicious day.
Prayer was offered by Apostle F. D. Richards.
The choir sang:
How great the wisdom and the love
That filled the courts on high,
And sent the Savior from above,
To suffer, bleed and die!
The Priesthood were arranged and seated in quorums in solemn assembly, according to the following order.
The members of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and Counselors to the Twelve, in the upper seats of the center of the stand.
On the south wing of the stand were the Patriarchs—the Patriarch of the Church in front—Presidents of Stakes, their Counselors, and High Councilors.
The High Priests in the north centre of the body of the hall, the quorum presidents in front of them.
The Seventies in the south centre and south division of the body of the house, the first seven presidents and members of quorum councils in front.
The Elders were located in the rear of the High Priests.
On the north wing of the stand were the Bishops and their Counselors, with the Presiding Bishopric in front.
On the extreme left of the body of the hall were the Lesser Priesthood—Priests, Teachers and Deacons—with the quorum presidents in the front.
The general congregation were seated in those portions of the body of the building not occupied by the Priesthood, and in the gallery.
Services commenced at 2 p. m.
The choir sang:
Mortals awake! with angels join,
And chant the solemn lay;
Love, joy, and gratitude combine,
To hail th’auspicious day.
Prayer was offered by Apostle F. D. Richards.
The choir sang:
How great the wisdom and the love
That filled the courts on high,
And sent the Savior from above,
To suffer, bleed and die!
The Priesthood were arranged and seated in quorums in solemn assembly, according to the following order.
The members of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and Counselors to the Twelve, in the upper seats of the center of the stand.
On the south wing of the stand were the Patriarchs—the Patriarch of the Church in front—Presidents of Stakes, their Counselors, and High Councilors.
The High Priests in the north centre of the body of the hall, the quorum presidents in front of them.
The Seventies in the south centre and south division of the body of the house, the first seven presidents and members of quorum councils in front.
The Elders were located in the rear of the High Priests.
On the north wing of the stand were the Bishops and their Counselors, with the Presiding Bishopric in front.
On the extreme left of the body of the hall were the Lesser Priesthood—Priests, Teachers and Deacons—with the quorum presidents in the front.
The general congregation were seated in those portions of the body of the building not occupied by the Priesthood, and in the gallery.
Apostle George Q. Cannon
said: The object in arranging the Priesthood as they are this afternoon in their several quorum capacities is to form a general assembly of the Priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and in presenting the authorities of the Church they will be presented to each quorum separately, for such quorum separately, for such quorum to vote by a rising vote and by lifting up their right hands. If there be any who object to any name that is presented they will have the privilege of making manifest their objections. After one name is presented and it is carried by all the Priesthood, they will then sit down and it will be submitted to the entire congregation, including the Priesthood, who will rise, with the Saints in the galleries and elsewhere, to their feet, and vote as a congregation upon the names that shall be offered.
The first quorum to vote will be the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Then the Presidents of Stakes, or, rather the Patriarchs, the Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, and the High Councils. Then the High Priests will vote; then the Seventies, then the Elders, then the Bishops and their Counselors and then the Lesser Priesthood, including the Priests, Teachers and Deacons, after which the body of Saints and Priesthood will be called on separately to vote.
Apostle George Q. Cannon presented the General Authorities, which were voted upon by the different divisions of the Priesthood, in the order given above, each division acting separately by rising and holding the right hand toward heaven. After the vote of each quorum or division was obtained upon the name of each individual presented, the action by vote of the whole assembly was taken.
The following is the order in which the authorities were presented by Brother Cannon, the vote in each instance being unanimous:
Wilford Woodruff, as Prophet, Seer and Revelator and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world.
George Q. Cannon as First Counselor in the First Presidency.
Joseph F. Smith as Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Lorenzo Snow as President of the Twelve Apostles.
As members of the Council of the Twelve Apostles—Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Brigham Young, Moses Thatcher, Francis M. Lyman, John H. Smith, George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, and John W. Taylor.
Counselors to the Twelve Apostles—John W. Young and Daniel H. Wells.
After the above named brethren were voted upon and unanimously sustained, for the positions mentioned, the voting was done by the general assembly only, and not by quorums, on the following:
The Twelve Apostles, with their Counselors, as Prophets, Seers and Revelators.
Patriarch to the Church: John Smith.
First Seven Presidents of the Seventies: Henry Herriman, Jacob Gates, Abram H. Cannon, Seymour B. Young, C. D. Fjeldsted, John Morgan and B. H. Roberts.
Wm. B. Preston as Presiding Bishop, with Robert T. Burton as his First, and John R. Winder as his Second Counselor.
Franklin D. Richards as Church Historian and General Church Recorder.
The Priesthood of the Sixth Ward officiated in the administration of the Sacrament.
The choir and congregation sang: We thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet, To guide us in these latter days; We thank Thee for sending the Gospel, To lighten our minds with its rays.
said: The object in arranging the Priesthood as they are this afternoon in their several quorum capacities is to form a general assembly of the Priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and in presenting the authorities of the Church they will be presented to each quorum separately, for such quorum separately, for such quorum to vote by a rising vote and by lifting up their right hands. If there be any who object to any name that is presented they will have the privilege of making manifest their objections. After one name is presented and it is carried by all the Priesthood, they will then sit down and it will be submitted to the entire congregation, including the Priesthood, who will rise, with the Saints in the galleries and elsewhere, to their feet, and vote as a congregation upon the names that shall be offered.
The first quorum to vote will be the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Then the Presidents of Stakes, or, rather the Patriarchs, the Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, and the High Councils. Then the High Priests will vote; then the Seventies, then the Elders, then the Bishops and their Counselors and then the Lesser Priesthood, including the Priests, Teachers and Deacons, after which the body of Saints and Priesthood will be called on separately to vote.
Apostle George Q. Cannon presented the General Authorities, which were voted upon by the different divisions of the Priesthood, in the order given above, each division acting separately by rising and holding the right hand toward heaven. After the vote of each quorum or division was obtained upon the name of each individual presented, the action by vote of the whole assembly was taken.
The following is the order in which the authorities were presented by Brother Cannon, the vote in each instance being unanimous:
Wilford Woodruff, as Prophet, Seer and Revelator and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world.
George Q. Cannon as First Counselor in the First Presidency.
Joseph F. Smith as Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Lorenzo Snow as President of the Twelve Apostles.
As members of the Council of the Twelve Apostles—Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Brigham Young, Moses Thatcher, Francis M. Lyman, John H. Smith, George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, and John W. Taylor.
Counselors to the Twelve Apostles—John W. Young and Daniel H. Wells.
After the above named brethren were voted upon and unanimously sustained, for the positions mentioned, the voting was done by the general assembly only, and not by quorums, on the following:
The Twelve Apostles, with their Counselors, as Prophets, Seers and Revelators.
Patriarch to the Church: John Smith.
First Seven Presidents of the Seventies: Henry Herriman, Jacob Gates, Abram H. Cannon, Seymour B. Young, C. D. Fjeldsted, John Morgan and B. H. Roberts.
Wm. B. Preston as Presiding Bishop, with Robert T. Burton as his First, and John R. Winder as his Second Counselor.
Franklin D. Richards as Church Historian and General Church Recorder.
The Priesthood of the Sixth Ward officiated in the administration of the Sacrament.
The choir and congregation sang: We thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet, To guide us in these latter days; We thank Thee for sending the Gospel, To lighten our minds with its rays.
President Wilford Woodruff
then addressed the congregation. He was listened to with deep attention, and bore a powerful testimony to the truth of the Gospel. His remarks will shortly be published in the Deseret Weekly.
Discourse
by President Wilford Woodruff
While the Sacrament is being passed to this congregation I will try to make a few remarks; but whether or not I shall be heard by this assembly I cannot say.
If after the scene we have passed through during the last hour any man can answer in his mind and satisfy himself before an assembly of this kind to occupy the position that I do, unless he is assisted by the God of Israel, he is made different material to what I am. That which we have had before us this afternoon is a testimony to heaven and earth that what has been presented here could not have been witnessed in the midst of any other people on the face of the earth, unless that people were the children of God. Here we have had ten thousand men and women lift up their hands in a vote to sustain not only the Presidency of the Church and Twelve Apostles, but other men in their various positions, and without a dissenting vote. Where on the earth can a scene of this kind be seen except among the Latter-day Saints?
I feel it my privilege, right and duty to now make a few remarks with regard to myself and the dealings of God with me. But before doing that I will say that the Lord has never set His hand, in any age of the world, to perform a work among the sons of Adam, but He has prepared an element for that work. You will see this in the whole history of His dealings with the human family. It is so in the generation in which we live. The God of heaven, having set His hand to carry out His great purposes and decrees, which have been revealed in the records of divine truth, has been under the necessity of preparing a people to take hold of and to perform the work which He has decreed should come to pass. Ten thousand of that people are before me today, with tens of thousands throughout the land.
With regard to myself I will say that in my early youth, while reading the bible—the record of Judah, and the New Testament—I read of Jesus Christ, of His Apostles, their works, and the dealings of God with them, and of the doctrines which they received and taught to those around them. There was something glorious in those principles which the Savior of the world and His disciples taught in their day. I had a great desire in my boyhood and youth that I might live to behold a people who were inspired of the Almighty, and who had power and authority to go forth and teach those principles which I read of within the lids of the Bible. At that time I could not hear them taught. They were not taught by any person within my knowledge. But, as I have said, I had a longing desire that I might live to behold a people on the earth who would teach these principles to me. I spent many a midnight hour in my mill, and among the rocks, in the forests and in the fields, in pouring out my soul to God and praying that I might live to behold a people on the earth who would teach these principles. In answer to my prayers, the God of heaven promised me that I should live to find such a people. He promised me that I should have a name and a place within the House of God and among His people—a name that should not be cut off. I am strongly impressed today, in reflecting upon our history and the history of myself, and the position which I occupy, with the promises of God to me in those early days. They have been fulfilled; and this day has crowned the pinnacle of the responsibility which is placed upon my head. I marvel when I contemplate these things, which are in fulfillment of the promises of God unto me. And when I say this of myself, I speak of hundreds of the Elders of Israel who have been moved upon in the same manner that I have been. Those with whom I stood connected in the early period of the Church—the Prophet Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and those men that laid the foundation of this Church and kingdom, together with other Prophets and Patriarchs—have passed away. They are on the other side of the veil. I still have the privilege of remaining, and I this day have been called to this responsibility in the midst of my brethren—a responsibility that no man can fill unless he is inspired of God.
But I will say this to my brethren and sisters, in the name of Israel’s God: The Almighty will never permit me, nor any other President who holds the keys of the Kingdom of God, to lead you astray. If I do not walk in the paths of righteousness and do what is right in the position that I occupy, He will remove me out of my place, or any other man who attempts to lead the people astray. The position which I occupy, and that occupied by my brethren the Apostles, should not have a tendency, if we have the Spirit of God, to make us lifted up or exalted in our spirits before the Lord. I know, as the God of Israel lives, that I have no power, nor have I had, in this Church, to perform any work pertaining to this Kingdom until it has been given unto me by the God of heaven. I know Joseph Smith had not, nor Brigham Young, nor John Taylor, nor any Apostle or Elder in this Church and Kingdom. And the moment that I attempt to become lifted up in the pride of my heart, because of any position that I hold, that moment I become a very unwise man. So with anyone else. The higher our position the more our responsibility. During the little time I may spend here in the flesh, I stand in need of the prayers of the Latter-day Saints, of those who have faith in God. So do my brethren that surround me. So do all the authorities of the Church. We all stand in need of the Holy Ghost and the power of God. Without this we are not qualified to fill the positions which we are called to occupy.
I know that this is the work of God. So do all you who have ever had the testimony of the Holy Ghost with you. The God of heaven has set His hand to establish His Kingdom. In fulfilment of the revelations of heaven which He has inspired men to declare and put on record from generation to generation. His hand has been manifest from the beginning of the work until the present day. It will be until this scene is wound up. I have a great desire that, as a people, we may be united in heart; that we may have faith in the revelations of God, and look to those things which have been promised unto us. We should be humble before the Lord. Trace the history of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, from the manger to the cross, onward through sufferings, mingled with blood, to the throne of grace, and there is an ensample for the Elders of Israel, an ensample for all those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. In meekness and lowliness of heart He labored faithfully while He dwelt in the flesh to carry out the will of His father. God has laid upon our shoulders and has sealed upon our heads the holy and eternal Priesthood, which is from eternity unto eternity. Without that Priesthood we have no power to administer in the ordinances of the Gospel of Christ, either for the living or the dead. But with that Priesthood we have power to perform the work that is assigned unto us. By that Priesthood we have preached the Gospel, we have administered in the ordinances of the House of the Lord, and we have gathered together the sons and daughters of Zion into these valleys of the mountains.
I feel as though I want to bear my testimony to the truth of this good old book, the Bible, for a few minutes—the book that all the Christian world profess to believe in. There is an effort made today by the infidel and unbelieving world to ridicule the Bible, as not being the word of the Lord. I will refer to a few things that have been manifested in fulfilment of the record. To commence with, I will touch upon the first dealings of God with man. The first son that was begotten by Father Adam, whose name was Cain, proved to be a murderer. He slew his brother Abel, who held the Priesthood, and the Lord pronounced a curse upon him. He showed Cain the position he was in, and told him what the result of his crime would be; and Cain said unto the Lord.
“My punishment is greater than I can bear.
“Behold, Thou has driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it shall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me.”
But the Lord said unto him:
“Therefore, whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven fold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.”
What was that mark? It was a mark of blackness. That mark rested upon Cain and descended upon his posterity from that time until the present. Today there are millions of the descendants of Cain, through the lineage of Ham, in the world, and that mark of darkness still rests upon them. Though nearly six thousand years have passed and gone, this mark is visible to the whole human family. Yet the fool and the infidel say there is no God, and they ridicule the Bible.
The Lamanites, on this continent, suffered a similar experience. They went to war against the Nephites; they thirsted for blood, and they painted themselves red; and the Lord put a curse of redness upon them. Hundreds of years have passed since then, but wherever you meet the Lamanites today, you see that mark upon them.
Read the history of ancient nations and the dealings of God with them, as contained in the Bible and other historical works. When those ancient kingdoms and peoples became wicked and corrupt, when they turned away from all that was virtuous and holy, the Lord raised up prophets to warn them; and these prophets, though perhaps unpopular in the eyes of those with whom they dwelt, warned these nations and cities of the judgments that would overtake them. What followed the warnings of these prophets? Read the fall of the mighty cities of Thebes, Nineveh, Memphis, Tyre and Sidon, Babylon the Great, and Jerusalem itself. All these great and mighty cities and nations were warned by the servants of God of the judgments that would overtake them. Did the inhabitants of those cities believe the words of the prophets? They did not. But did those words come to pass? They did; and those cities were laid waste and their inhabitants destroyed. Thus the words of the prophets and inspired men were fulfilled to the very letter, not one jot or tittle falling unfulfilled. And yet the infidel says there is no God. These same prophets and patriarchs also saw, by vision and revelation, our day; they pointed out the generation in which we live, and they all declared that, in the latter days, the God of heaven would set His hand to gather together His people and establish His kingdom. The Revelator St. John also declared what should come to pass in the latter days. In the 14th chapter of Revelation he says:
“And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads.”
These one hundred and forty-four thousand were sealed out of all the twelve tribes of Israel, because they were righteous in the latter days.
Following this, John says:
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of his judgment is come.”
Again, John says:
“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Following this, he speaks of the reaping down of the earth and of the judgments of God which were to come upon the inhabitants thereof.
In fulfilment of the declaration of St. John, the angel of God has flown through the midst of heaven. He has delivered the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of the earth, and revealed unto them the word of the Lord. The Holy Priesthood has also been restored. This Gospel was to be preached “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” It has now been preached almost sixty years—from the organization of the church until today; and in fulfilment of the revelations of these inspired Prophets and Apostles, a multitude of people are today gathered together in these valleys of the mountains. In fulfilment of those revelations I stand today in this Tabernacle, which the prophet saw was to be built upon the tops of the mountains, as a covering from the heat and the storm. In this Tabernacle today, also, are ten thousand Latter-day Saints, which is a witness to Jew and Gentile of the fulfilment of the promises of God. Yet the infidel says, “Behold, there is no God.” The man who says there is no God is a fool. We are here in fulfilment of prophecy and revelation. We have received the Gospel of Christ. The Kingdom of God has been organized. It is rolling on; and it will continue to roll on until this scene is wound up.
Now, I want to give a little exhortation to my brethren. Brother George Q. Cannon touched upon a very important principles this forenoon—a principle which has often rested upon my mind; that is, with regard to the spirits that surround us. He said that one-third of the hosts of heaven were cast out because of their rebellion. I suppose we may say that at least one hundred thousand millions were cast down from heaven to earth. Where are they? Some are in Salt Lake, some in New York, some in Amsterdam, some in Constantinople, some in Jerusalem; in fact, they are in every city and hamlet wherein the inhabitants of the earth dwell, and especially where there are any Latter-day Saints. And whether there are one hundred or not to every man, woman and child, there are enough of them, at least, to labor for our overthrow. I say to my Counselors, to the Apostles, to the Seventies, the High Priests, the Bishops, and all men who bear the Holy Priesthood, do you suppose these devils are around us without trying to do something? Are they asleep? Have they not a work to perform? I say to my brethren who bear the Priesthood, we have got a mighty warfare to wage with these spirits. We cannot escape it. What will they do to you? They will try to make us do anything and everything that is not right. These devils would be very glad to make me and my brethren think we are great men, smarter than any one else; to divide us one against the other, and to cause us to seek to confess our brother’s sins instead of our own. We should therefore watch ourselves well. I should do this; my Counselors and the Apostles should; we all should. And unless we are united together, as has been said before, we are not the Lord’s. But today we have certainly manifested a union here that the world is not acquainted with. We have, however, a mighty responsibility resting upon us. The eyes of all the heavenly hosts are upon us. The eyes of Father Adam, and the patriarchs and prophets, both ancient and modern, who have gone to the other side of the veil, are over us. And if our eyes are open to comprehend the things of God, we can comprehend our responsibilities; we can comprehend the powers of the Holy Priesthood and the relationship which we sustain to God. We certainly should humble ourselves before the Lord. We should labor with our might to build up the Kingdom of God in what little time we have to spend here in the flesh. Our aim is high. We aim at eternal life; we aim at immortal glory; we aim at a place in the celestial Kingdom of our God, with God and Christ and those who have kept the celestial law. In order to get there, we have got to keep the same law that has exalted Those who have gone before us. This is not our home. We were kept in the spirit world until this generation, and have been brought forth, through the loins of Joseph and Ephraim, to stand in the flesh and to bear off the Kingdom, to hold the Holy Priesthood, to do the works of righteousness, to build temples, to redeem our dead, and to attend to those ordinances which the God of heaven has declared we shall perform. This is our work. We have a long eternity before us. But all of us will have to meet at the bar of God—the righteous and the wicked, those who are living and those who are dead.
This is the condition of the Latter-day Saints. I hope that we may escape the power of the enemy. As was said here this forenoon, it matters but very little what may take place outside of Zion, or outside the Kingdom of God. The God of Israel holds the destiny of this nation; He holds the destiny of this people, and of all men on the face of the earth. They are at His command and in His power. He will hold this nation, as He did Jerusalem, responsible for the course they pursue with regard to the Latter-day Saints. We also will be held responsible for the course we pursue. The Lord has led this Church from its organization until the present day. He will lead it until the coming of the Son of Man. He is not going to desert His people nor His cause. But it is our duty to plead with the Lord, remember our prayers, keep our covenants, and walk perpetually before Him, that we may have His favor and blessing resting upon us.
I wish to say with regard to the rising generation—the sons and daughters of the Latter-day Saints—that they should take the counsel of their fathers; they should honor their parents, and honor God, and receive such counsel as is given unto them by wise men. I think many times that our children do not comprehend the position they occupy. They do not comprehend what lies before them. Their fathers are passing away. Yet this Kingdom has got to remain on the earth until the coming of the Son of Man. This work has got to follow their fathers; it has got to rest upon the sons and daughters of Zion. I have a great desire that the institutions which have been organized in Zion for their welfare may be blessed; that our sons and daughters may attend the Primaries, the Sabbath Schools and Mutual Improvement Associations, and unite together in these societies, that they may receive the benefit of the same.
Brethren and sisters, God bless you. Let us labor with one heart and one mind, and make our wants known unto the Lord. Let our prayers ascend unto the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth, and they will be heard and answered. I know that if we are blessed, if we are preserved, and if we are saved, it is and will be through the mercy and blessing of God. I know also that inasmuch as we will obey His commandments we will receive His protection and blessing. Zion will be redeemed. Zion will be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. The Jews will be gathered home to Jerusalem. And the promises and prophecies concerning both the Jews and the Saints of God will all have their fulfilment in the earth. My prayer to God is that we may be true and faithful to the end of our days, and that we may magnify our calling us Apostles, Elders and Saints while we dwell in the flesh. Amen.
then addressed the congregation. He was listened to with deep attention, and bore a powerful testimony to the truth of the Gospel. His remarks will shortly be published in the Deseret Weekly.
Discourse
by President Wilford Woodruff
While the Sacrament is being passed to this congregation I will try to make a few remarks; but whether or not I shall be heard by this assembly I cannot say.
If after the scene we have passed through during the last hour any man can answer in his mind and satisfy himself before an assembly of this kind to occupy the position that I do, unless he is assisted by the God of Israel, he is made different material to what I am. That which we have had before us this afternoon is a testimony to heaven and earth that what has been presented here could not have been witnessed in the midst of any other people on the face of the earth, unless that people were the children of God. Here we have had ten thousand men and women lift up their hands in a vote to sustain not only the Presidency of the Church and Twelve Apostles, but other men in their various positions, and without a dissenting vote. Where on the earth can a scene of this kind be seen except among the Latter-day Saints?
I feel it my privilege, right and duty to now make a few remarks with regard to myself and the dealings of God with me. But before doing that I will say that the Lord has never set His hand, in any age of the world, to perform a work among the sons of Adam, but He has prepared an element for that work. You will see this in the whole history of His dealings with the human family. It is so in the generation in which we live. The God of heaven, having set His hand to carry out His great purposes and decrees, which have been revealed in the records of divine truth, has been under the necessity of preparing a people to take hold of and to perform the work which He has decreed should come to pass. Ten thousand of that people are before me today, with tens of thousands throughout the land.
With regard to myself I will say that in my early youth, while reading the bible—the record of Judah, and the New Testament—I read of Jesus Christ, of His Apostles, their works, and the dealings of God with them, and of the doctrines which they received and taught to those around them. There was something glorious in those principles which the Savior of the world and His disciples taught in their day. I had a great desire in my boyhood and youth that I might live to behold a people who were inspired of the Almighty, and who had power and authority to go forth and teach those principles which I read of within the lids of the Bible. At that time I could not hear them taught. They were not taught by any person within my knowledge. But, as I have said, I had a longing desire that I might live to behold a people on the earth who would teach these principles to me. I spent many a midnight hour in my mill, and among the rocks, in the forests and in the fields, in pouring out my soul to God and praying that I might live to behold a people on the earth who would teach these principles. In answer to my prayers, the God of heaven promised me that I should live to find such a people. He promised me that I should have a name and a place within the House of God and among His people—a name that should not be cut off. I am strongly impressed today, in reflecting upon our history and the history of myself, and the position which I occupy, with the promises of God to me in those early days. They have been fulfilled; and this day has crowned the pinnacle of the responsibility which is placed upon my head. I marvel when I contemplate these things, which are in fulfillment of the promises of God unto me. And when I say this of myself, I speak of hundreds of the Elders of Israel who have been moved upon in the same manner that I have been. Those with whom I stood connected in the early period of the Church—the Prophet Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and those men that laid the foundation of this Church and kingdom, together with other Prophets and Patriarchs—have passed away. They are on the other side of the veil. I still have the privilege of remaining, and I this day have been called to this responsibility in the midst of my brethren—a responsibility that no man can fill unless he is inspired of God.
But I will say this to my brethren and sisters, in the name of Israel’s God: The Almighty will never permit me, nor any other President who holds the keys of the Kingdom of God, to lead you astray. If I do not walk in the paths of righteousness and do what is right in the position that I occupy, He will remove me out of my place, or any other man who attempts to lead the people astray. The position which I occupy, and that occupied by my brethren the Apostles, should not have a tendency, if we have the Spirit of God, to make us lifted up or exalted in our spirits before the Lord. I know, as the God of Israel lives, that I have no power, nor have I had, in this Church, to perform any work pertaining to this Kingdom until it has been given unto me by the God of heaven. I know Joseph Smith had not, nor Brigham Young, nor John Taylor, nor any Apostle or Elder in this Church and Kingdom. And the moment that I attempt to become lifted up in the pride of my heart, because of any position that I hold, that moment I become a very unwise man. So with anyone else. The higher our position the more our responsibility. During the little time I may spend here in the flesh, I stand in need of the prayers of the Latter-day Saints, of those who have faith in God. So do my brethren that surround me. So do all the authorities of the Church. We all stand in need of the Holy Ghost and the power of God. Without this we are not qualified to fill the positions which we are called to occupy.
I know that this is the work of God. So do all you who have ever had the testimony of the Holy Ghost with you. The God of heaven has set His hand to establish His Kingdom. In fulfilment of the revelations of heaven which He has inspired men to declare and put on record from generation to generation. His hand has been manifest from the beginning of the work until the present day. It will be until this scene is wound up. I have a great desire that, as a people, we may be united in heart; that we may have faith in the revelations of God, and look to those things which have been promised unto us. We should be humble before the Lord. Trace the history of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, from the manger to the cross, onward through sufferings, mingled with blood, to the throne of grace, and there is an ensample for the Elders of Israel, an ensample for all those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. In meekness and lowliness of heart He labored faithfully while He dwelt in the flesh to carry out the will of His father. God has laid upon our shoulders and has sealed upon our heads the holy and eternal Priesthood, which is from eternity unto eternity. Without that Priesthood we have no power to administer in the ordinances of the Gospel of Christ, either for the living or the dead. But with that Priesthood we have power to perform the work that is assigned unto us. By that Priesthood we have preached the Gospel, we have administered in the ordinances of the House of the Lord, and we have gathered together the sons and daughters of Zion into these valleys of the mountains.
I feel as though I want to bear my testimony to the truth of this good old book, the Bible, for a few minutes—the book that all the Christian world profess to believe in. There is an effort made today by the infidel and unbelieving world to ridicule the Bible, as not being the word of the Lord. I will refer to a few things that have been manifested in fulfilment of the record. To commence with, I will touch upon the first dealings of God with man. The first son that was begotten by Father Adam, whose name was Cain, proved to be a murderer. He slew his brother Abel, who held the Priesthood, and the Lord pronounced a curse upon him. He showed Cain the position he was in, and told him what the result of his crime would be; and Cain said unto the Lord.
“My punishment is greater than I can bear.
“Behold, Thou has driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it shall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me.”
But the Lord said unto him:
“Therefore, whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven fold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.”
What was that mark? It was a mark of blackness. That mark rested upon Cain and descended upon his posterity from that time until the present. Today there are millions of the descendants of Cain, through the lineage of Ham, in the world, and that mark of darkness still rests upon them. Though nearly six thousand years have passed and gone, this mark is visible to the whole human family. Yet the fool and the infidel say there is no God, and they ridicule the Bible.
The Lamanites, on this continent, suffered a similar experience. They went to war against the Nephites; they thirsted for blood, and they painted themselves red; and the Lord put a curse of redness upon them. Hundreds of years have passed since then, but wherever you meet the Lamanites today, you see that mark upon them.
Read the history of ancient nations and the dealings of God with them, as contained in the Bible and other historical works. When those ancient kingdoms and peoples became wicked and corrupt, when they turned away from all that was virtuous and holy, the Lord raised up prophets to warn them; and these prophets, though perhaps unpopular in the eyes of those with whom they dwelt, warned these nations and cities of the judgments that would overtake them. What followed the warnings of these prophets? Read the fall of the mighty cities of Thebes, Nineveh, Memphis, Tyre and Sidon, Babylon the Great, and Jerusalem itself. All these great and mighty cities and nations were warned by the servants of God of the judgments that would overtake them. Did the inhabitants of those cities believe the words of the prophets? They did not. But did those words come to pass? They did; and those cities were laid waste and their inhabitants destroyed. Thus the words of the prophets and inspired men were fulfilled to the very letter, not one jot or tittle falling unfulfilled. And yet the infidel says there is no God. These same prophets and patriarchs also saw, by vision and revelation, our day; they pointed out the generation in which we live, and they all declared that, in the latter days, the God of heaven would set His hand to gather together His people and establish His kingdom. The Revelator St. John also declared what should come to pass in the latter days. In the 14th chapter of Revelation he says:
“And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads.”
These one hundred and forty-four thousand were sealed out of all the twelve tribes of Israel, because they were righteous in the latter days.
Following this, John says:
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of his judgment is come.”
Again, John says:
“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Following this, he speaks of the reaping down of the earth and of the judgments of God which were to come upon the inhabitants thereof.
In fulfilment of the declaration of St. John, the angel of God has flown through the midst of heaven. He has delivered the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of the earth, and revealed unto them the word of the Lord. The Holy Priesthood has also been restored. This Gospel was to be preached “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” It has now been preached almost sixty years—from the organization of the church until today; and in fulfilment of the revelations of these inspired Prophets and Apostles, a multitude of people are today gathered together in these valleys of the mountains. In fulfilment of those revelations I stand today in this Tabernacle, which the prophet saw was to be built upon the tops of the mountains, as a covering from the heat and the storm. In this Tabernacle today, also, are ten thousand Latter-day Saints, which is a witness to Jew and Gentile of the fulfilment of the promises of God. Yet the infidel says, “Behold, there is no God.” The man who says there is no God is a fool. We are here in fulfilment of prophecy and revelation. We have received the Gospel of Christ. The Kingdom of God has been organized. It is rolling on; and it will continue to roll on until this scene is wound up.
Now, I want to give a little exhortation to my brethren. Brother George Q. Cannon touched upon a very important principles this forenoon—a principle which has often rested upon my mind; that is, with regard to the spirits that surround us. He said that one-third of the hosts of heaven were cast out because of their rebellion. I suppose we may say that at least one hundred thousand millions were cast down from heaven to earth. Where are they? Some are in Salt Lake, some in New York, some in Amsterdam, some in Constantinople, some in Jerusalem; in fact, they are in every city and hamlet wherein the inhabitants of the earth dwell, and especially where there are any Latter-day Saints. And whether there are one hundred or not to every man, woman and child, there are enough of them, at least, to labor for our overthrow. I say to my Counselors, to the Apostles, to the Seventies, the High Priests, the Bishops, and all men who bear the Holy Priesthood, do you suppose these devils are around us without trying to do something? Are they asleep? Have they not a work to perform? I say to my brethren who bear the Priesthood, we have got a mighty warfare to wage with these spirits. We cannot escape it. What will they do to you? They will try to make us do anything and everything that is not right. These devils would be very glad to make me and my brethren think we are great men, smarter than any one else; to divide us one against the other, and to cause us to seek to confess our brother’s sins instead of our own. We should therefore watch ourselves well. I should do this; my Counselors and the Apostles should; we all should. And unless we are united together, as has been said before, we are not the Lord’s. But today we have certainly manifested a union here that the world is not acquainted with. We have, however, a mighty responsibility resting upon us. The eyes of all the heavenly hosts are upon us. The eyes of Father Adam, and the patriarchs and prophets, both ancient and modern, who have gone to the other side of the veil, are over us. And if our eyes are open to comprehend the things of God, we can comprehend our responsibilities; we can comprehend the powers of the Holy Priesthood and the relationship which we sustain to God. We certainly should humble ourselves before the Lord. We should labor with our might to build up the Kingdom of God in what little time we have to spend here in the flesh. Our aim is high. We aim at eternal life; we aim at immortal glory; we aim at a place in the celestial Kingdom of our God, with God and Christ and those who have kept the celestial law. In order to get there, we have got to keep the same law that has exalted Those who have gone before us. This is not our home. We were kept in the spirit world until this generation, and have been brought forth, through the loins of Joseph and Ephraim, to stand in the flesh and to bear off the Kingdom, to hold the Holy Priesthood, to do the works of righteousness, to build temples, to redeem our dead, and to attend to those ordinances which the God of heaven has declared we shall perform. This is our work. We have a long eternity before us. But all of us will have to meet at the bar of God—the righteous and the wicked, those who are living and those who are dead.
This is the condition of the Latter-day Saints. I hope that we may escape the power of the enemy. As was said here this forenoon, it matters but very little what may take place outside of Zion, or outside the Kingdom of God. The God of Israel holds the destiny of this nation; He holds the destiny of this people, and of all men on the face of the earth. They are at His command and in His power. He will hold this nation, as He did Jerusalem, responsible for the course they pursue with regard to the Latter-day Saints. We also will be held responsible for the course we pursue. The Lord has led this Church from its organization until the present day. He will lead it until the coming of the Son of Man. He is not going to desert His people nor His cause. But it is our duty to plead with the Lord, remember our prayers, keep our covenants, and walk perpetually before Him, that we may have His favor and blessing resting upon us.
I wish to say with regard to the rising generation—the sons and daughters of the Latter-day Saints—that they should take the counsel of their fathers; they should honor their parents, and honor God, and receive such counsel as is given unto them by wise men. I think many times that our children do not comprehend the position they occupy. They do not comprehend what lies before them. Their fathers are passing away. Yet this Kingdom has got to remain on the earth until the coming of the Son of Man. This work has got to follow their fathers; it has got to rest upon the sons and daughters of Zion. I have a great desire that the institutions which have been organized in Zion for their welfare may be blessed; that our sons and daughters may attend the Primaries, the Sabbath Schools and Mutual Improvement Associations, and unite together in these societies, that they may receive the benefit of the same.
Brethren and sisters, God bless you. Let us labor with one heart and one mind, and make our wants known unto the Lord. Let our prayers ascend unto the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth, and they will be heard and answered. I know that if we are blessed, if we are preserved, and if we are saved, it is and will be through the mercy and blessing of God. I know also that inasmuch as we will obey His commandments we will receive His protection and blessing. Zion will be redeemed. Zion will be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. The Jews will be gathered home to Jerusalem. And the promises and prophecies concerning both the Jews and the Saints of God will all have their fulfilment in the earth. My prayer to God is that we may be true and faithful to the end of our days, and that we may magnify our calling us Apostles, Elders and Saints while we dwell in the flesh. Amen.
Apostle Lorenzo Snow
read from Matthew, chapter 13, verses 44 to 49. He said he was aware that he would be unable to make all of the vast congregation hear, but would endeavor to speak as distinctly as possible. The Lord has said, Let men come unto me and I will show them their weaknesses. I dare say the experience of many Elders is in conformity to this saying. It is impossible to accomplish our duties as Saints unless we have the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I am sure I would not have started out if the Lord had not given me an assurance that He would bear me up. There has been today a marvelous exhibition of union so far as formality is concerned. There has also been something beyond this; there has been a Spirit in the hearts of those who have voted, to prompt them to this union. How many there are who are not united in supporting the Priesthood of God is not for me to say, but when we do right we are united in upholding those called by our votes to fill offices in the Church.
We say that we have no reason to feel proud when we are selected to fill responsible positions. We have learned the obstacles that we have to surmount when we are called to act in the name of the Lord. I know my feeling when I was unexpectedly called to be an Apostle. I did desire an office once, and that was to be an Elder. It was upon the Prophet’s invitation, and I desired it because my soul was filled with the Holy Ghost, and had manifested to me that there was a God who had restored the everlasting Gospel. It was also revealed to me that Jesus was the Son of God. These things were revealed to me by the Lord, and I received a most perfect knowledge of their truth. This knowledge is still clear to my mind. There has never, during the trying times I have passed through, been a time when a shadow of doubt has come to me.
There are sacrifices connected with being called to the Priesthood, and the higher we are called, the greater the sacrifice that will be required of us. This Priesthood cost the Son of God his life, which He gave freely; and you and I will have to learn to make sacrifices freely in order to carry out the purposes of God. The Lord has blessed certain individuals, and selected them, not because they were better than many around them, but perhaps they had more faith than others, and they were called to go to prison. This was done to try them, and they were required to make sacrifices that others with less faith could not make. When they have shown that they were worthy, they have been blessed. We may have an opportunity to follow their example, perhaps not in the same manner, but in some of the numerous ways that we are called upon to make sacrifices in for the cause of truth.
We have voted to sustain the Church authorities, and it is our duty to uphold them in all our actions. The voice of slander or complaint should not be heard among us.
We have found the treasure spoken of in that which I have read from the Bible. I know it is of great value. I have made sacrifices, but they are unworthy in comparison to the blessings for which I am seeking. Are we willing to sacrifice all that we have in order to obtain the glories of the Kingdom of God? We made covenant with our Father at the waters of baptism that we would do this; that we would devote our time and talents in following the dictates of the Holy Spirit. Not even our wives and our children would stand in the way. When we were called on missions, we left all to proclaim the principles of the Gospel. We would not withhold anything that we possessed, but would devote all to the cause of God. When I was called to be an Apostle, I covenanted with the Lord that I would not even withhold my life if called upon to lay it down in the cause of truth.
The first time I saw the Prophet Joseph was when I was a boy. He was talking to a small congregation. He told them of the visits of the angel to him. He was not then a great preacher, but afterwards became a powerful speaker. The people loved to hear him, because he was full of revelation. He had received authority to ordain men to the Priesthood, and according to the promise of the Lord, those who accepted the principles he taught received from the Lord a testimony of their truth. The Latter-day Saints are today witnesses that this testimony followed the administration of the Elders.
I feel that at this Conference we have renewed our determination to keep the commands of God; and I pray that He will give us strength to go forth and manifest increased diligence in keeping His commandments, that we may be saved in our Father’s kingdom.
The choir sang: O Father, whose almighty power.
Prayer by Elder John Nicholson.
read from Matthew, chapter 13, verses 44 to 49. He said he was aware that he would be unable to make all of the vast congregation hear, but would endeavor to speak as distinctly as possible. The Lord has said, Let men come unto me and I will show them their weaknesses. I dare say the experience of many Elders is in conformity to this saying. It is impossible to accomplish our duties as Saints unless we have the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I am sure I would not have started out if the Lord had not given me an assurance that He would bear me up. There has been today a marvelous exhibition of union so far as formality is concerned. There has also been something beyond this; there has been a Spirit in the hearts of those who have voted, to prompt them to this union. How many there are who are not united in supporting the Priesthood of God is not for me to say, but when we do right we are united in upholding those called by our votes to fill offices in the Church.
We say that we have no reason to feel proud when we are selected to fill responsible positions. We have learned the obstacles that we have to surmount when we are called to act in the name of the Lord. I know my feeling when I was unexpectedly called to be an Apostle. I did desire an office once, and that was to be an Elder. It was upon the Prophet’s invitation, and I desired it because my soul was filled with the Holy Ghost, and had manifested to me that there was a God who had restored the everlasting Gospel. It was also revealed to me that Jesus was the Son of God. These things were revealed to me by the Lord, and I received a most perfect knowledge of their truth. This knowledge is still clear to my mind. There has never, during the trying times I have passed through, been a time when a shadow of doubt has come to me.
There are sacrifices connected with being called to the Priesthood, and the higher we are called, the greater the sacrifice that will be required of us. This Priesthood cost the Son of God his life, which He gave freely; and you and I will have to learn to make sacrifices freely in order to carry out the purposes of God. The Lord has blessed certain individuals, and selected them, not because they were better than many around them, but perhaps they had more faith than others, and they were called to go to prison. This was done to try them, and they were required to make sacrifices that others with less faith could not make. When they have shown that they were worthy, they have been blessed. We may have an opportunity to follow their example, perhaps not in the same manner, but in some of the numerous ways that we are called upon to make sacrifices in for the cause of truth.
We have voted to sustain the Church authorities, and it is our duty to uphold them in all our actions. The voice of slander or complaint should not be heard among us.
We have found the treasure spoken of in that which I have read from the Bible. I know it is of great value. I have made sacrifices, but they are unworthy in comparison to the blessings for which I am seeking. Are we willing to sacrifice all that we have in order to obtain the glories of the Kingdom of God? We made covenant with our Father at the waters of baptism that we would do this; that we would devote our time and talents in following the dictates of the Holy Spirit. Not even our wives and our children would stand in the way. When we were called on missions, we left all to proclaim the principles of the Gospel. We would not withhold anything that we possessed, but would devote all to the cause of God. When I was called to be an Apostle, I covenanted with the Lord that I would not even withhold my life if called upon to lay it down in the cause of truth.
The first time I saw the Prophet Joseph was when I was a boy. He was talking to a small congregation. He told them of the visits of the angel to him. He was not then a great preacher, but afterwards became a powerful speaker. The people loved to hear him, because he was full of revelation. He had received authority to ordain men to the Priesthood, and according to the promise of the Lord, those who accepted the principles he taught received from the Lord a testimony of their truth. The Latter-day Saints are today witnesses that this testimony followed the administration of the Elders.
I feel that at this Conference we have renewed our determination to keep the commands of God; and I pray that He will give us strength to go forth and manifest increased diligence in keeping His commandments, that we may be saved in our Father’s kingdom.
The choir sang: O Father, whose almighty power.
Prayer by Elder John Nicholson.
Monday Morning.
Apostle Francis M. Lyman, who was released from the penitentiary at six o’clock this morning, after serving a term for unlawful cohabitation, was on the stand.
The choir sang:
Great is the Lord! ‘tis good to praise His high and holy name;
Well may the Saints in latter-days His wondrous love proclaim!
Prayer was offered by Elder Jacob Gates.
Singing
Come, thou glorious day of promise,
Come and spread thy cheerful ray,
When the sheep of Israel
Shall no longer go astray.
Apostle Francis M. Lyman, who was released from the penitentiary at six o’clock this morning, after serving a term for unlawful cohabitation, was on the stand.
The choir sang:
Great is the Lord! ‘tis good to praise His high and holy name;
Well may the Saints in latter-days His wondrous love proclaim!
Prayer was offered by Elder Jacob Gates.
Singing
Come, thou glorious day of promise,
Come and spread thy cheerful ray,
When the sheep of Israel
Shall no longer go astray.
Apostle Franklin D. Richards
addressed the Conference, the following being the substance of his remarks: It is a great blessing which but few of us fully realize, that we are permitted to associate together in the holy faith. It is different to what it was when the Church was in its infancy. The Saints are now more fully taught, as the doctrines were not fully revealed at first. We should dismiss the cares of the world and concentrate our desires and faith on what is before us on the truth that there is a great influence and means to bring forth that which is needed for the instruction of the people. What is said may not necessarily be new, but it will be profitable whether new or old. As it is physically, the simplest food is often the most desirable, so with spiritual instruction. It is needful that we should adapt to our lives that which has already been given to us. In this way we seek to conform to the image of God’s own beloved Son. Thus we can see ourselves progressing from grace to grace and faith to faith, on the way to a fullness after the similitude of Christ. I am often reminded, in reading the Book of Mormon, in the work of the revision in translating the volume into the Jewish language, of the fact that Lehi and his family were brought from the land of Jerusalem, which the Lord predicted was to be visited with destruction. They were planted in this land, which is choice above all others.
Having been engaged in looking over the Book of Mormon, I am reminded of those earnest and impressive words of one of the early prophets, I believe Nephi—and reiterated also by Benjamin—with regard to the goodness, mercy, and blessings of God unto us. He realized that the Lord had compassion on his father, Lehi, He informed him that Jerusalem was going to be taken captive. In His great mercy He had shown him the impending ruin, and brought him and his family forth into this goodly land of America, which the Lord had said was the choice land above all others. In the multitude of God’s mercies to us, we have occasion to be thankful that our lot is cast in this land of promise—this land of Joseph; a land choice for its richness and fertility of soil. But still of greater importance because of the liberty and the constitutional government that has been established herein; for we can see now what the liberal principles of republican government give unto us, in the inconvenience which we and our brethren and our families experience from time to time because of the limitation of their liberty on account of religion. It is thus in this land of free government, what would it be under an absolute monarchy or even a limited monarchy? We read of the Bartholomew massacre. Some of us may have traveled over the very places where men have been burned at the stake for their religious faith when their faith only extended to their morality, because they had no authority to administer under the ordinances of the Lord. If men in those times could so readily give themselves up to be a consuming sacrifice for the little faith they had to hope for, the little knowledge that they possessed, how much more have we occasion to be thankful? We have reason to be full of gratitude to God.
The speaker then delineated many of the glorious promises that had been prophetically made concerning the land of America and which were being realized by the Saints. He then spoke upon a number of themes, including among which were the object for which the Saints have gathered—to learn of the ways of the Lord; the things of God can only be understood by His Spirit; the necessity of prayerful devotion; keeping the Sabbath holy; the necessity of avoiding all profane expressions; the observance of fast days; the great work devolving upon the Saints to be done in behalf of the dead; the proper use of the authority of the Priesthood; the resurrection, and other subjects. An adequate idea of Brother Richards’ discourse could not be given in a synopsis. It was reported in full.
addressed the Conference, the following being the substance of his remarks: It is a great blessing which but few of us fully realize, that we are permitted to associate together in the holy faith. It is different to what it was when the Church was in its infancy. The Saints are now more fully taught, as the doctrines were not fully revealed at first. We should dismiss the cares of the world and concentrate our desires and faith on what is before us on the truth that there is a great influence and means to bring forth that which is needed for the instruction of the people. What is said may not necessarily be new, but it will be profitable whether new or old. As it is physically, the simplest food is often the most desirable, so with spiritual instruction. It is needful that we should adapt to our lives that which has already been given to us. In this way we seek to conform to the image of God’s own beloved Son. Thus we can see ourselves progressing from grace to grace and faith to faith, on the way to a fullness after the similitude of Christ. I am often reminded, in reading the Book of Mormon, in the work of the revision in translating the volume into the Jewish language, of the fact that Lehi and his family were brought from the land of Jerusalem, which the Lord predicted was to be visited with destruction. They were planted in this land, which is choice above all others.
Having been engaged in looking over the Book of Mormon, I am reminded of those earnest and impressive words of one of the early prophets, I believe Nephi—and reiterated also by Benjamin—with regard to the goodness, mercy, and blessings of God unto us. He realized that the Lord had compassion on his father, Lehi, He informed him that Jerusalem was going to be taken captive. In His great mercy He had shown him the impending ruin, and brought him and his family forth into this goodly land of America, which the Lord had said was the choice land above all others. In the multitude of God’s mercies to us, we have occasion to be thankful that our lot is cast in this land of promise—this land of Joseph; a land choice for its richness and fertility of soil. But still of greater importance because of the liberty and the constitutional government that has been established herein; for we can see now what the liberal principles of republican government give unto us, in the inconvenience which we and our brethren and our families experience from time to time because of the limitation of their liberty on account of religion. It is thus in this land of free government, what would it be under an absolute monarchy or even a limited monarchy? We read of the Bartholomew massacre. Some of us may have traveled over the very places where men have been burned at the stake for their religious faith when their faith only extended to their morality, because they had no authority to administer under the ordinances of the Lord. If men in those times could so readily give themselves up to be a consuming sacrifice for the little faith they had to hope for, the little knowledge that they possessed, how much more have we occasion to be thankful? We have reason to be full of gratitude to God.
The speaker then delineated many of the glorious promises that had been prophetically made concerning the land of America and which were being realized by the Saints. He then spoke upon a number of themes, including among which were the object for which the Saints have gathered—to learn of the ways of the Lord; the things of God can only be understood by His Spirit; the necessity of prayerful devotion; keeping the Sabbath holy; the necessity of avoiding all profane expressions; the observance of fast days; the great work devolving upon the Saints to be done in behalf of the dead; the proper use of the authority of the Priesthood; the resurrection, and other subjects. An adequate idea of Brother Richards’ discourse could not be given in a synopsis. It was reported in full.
Bishop Orson F. Whitney.
I hope you will sustain me by your faith and prayers while I address you. I have rejoiced with you in the instructions received during this Conference; in the glorious manifestations of the Spirit of God, exhibited in the remarks that have been made. I am thankful to be numbered among a people who receive such great blessings. I rejoice that we have with us so many of the brethren of the Twelve, who have been released from imprisonment, in which they have been held for the testimony of Jesus. We, as the people of God, are expected to acknowledge His hand under all circumstances, and in all things, whether they be pleasant or disagreeable, whether they appear like success or seeming failure. Even if we had not the leading brethren with us there is a faith in the hearts of the Saints that would acknowledge the hand of the Almighty in that condition. Job remembered his Creator in the day of his prosperity, but more fully exhibited the greatness of his soul in his subsequent adversity, which he bore with exemplary patience, giving glory to God. When advised by his wife to curse God and die, his answer was, in effect, “The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” He knew how to confess God’s hand in all things. it is in the midst of trouble, persecution and trial that the greater opportunity is given to men to show the metal that is in them.
A few weeks ago we listened to a discourse from this stand in which the speaker eloquently portrayed the greatness of General Grant on the field of Appomattox, and showed the magnanimity of his great soul towards his fallen foe. But I consider that General Lee, the man who then surrendered, evinced equal valor, equal greatness, at least, when on the field of Gettysburg he saw his shattered forces falling back and the hopes of the Confederacy melting like snow before the sun under that decisive stroke, which in reality decided the question of the war. In the moment of defeat, when a weak man might have blown out his brains or fallen to cursing, all that General Lee did was to say, with a sigh, “We cannot always win victories.” The patience that he there manifested showed the greatness of his soul no less than the magnanimity of his victor on the field of Appomattox.
Of all people on earth there are none having stronger opportunities for exhibiting great qualities than the Latter-day Saints. All will have in their time the privilege of showing patience, courage, heroism—the attributes of a Job. Against none is the anger of the Lord kindled except those who will not keep his commandments and acknowledge His hand in all things. The Saints are led by faith, but the world by the grosser senses. In the spirit world we maintained our stand by sight. We are having a more severe test now, when the face of our Father is hidden from our gaze. It is greater to believe and not see than it is to believe because we have seen. It is greater to receive a silent revelation of God’s will than to demand visible manifestations to bolster up our positions. The inward evidence is superior to the visible, the latter being but a product of the former. The genius which creates is greater than that which is created.
Then let us go on and manifest the virtue of the Savior and His followers, even though we do not see him. We should do this because the spirit of revelation impels us forward, doing right for right’s sake. May God bless his Church, His Priesthood and people. The victory of this work is as sure as the rising of tomorrow’s sun.
Singing:
Ye who are called to labor and minister for God
Blest with the royal Priesthood, and called by His word.
Benediction by President Angus M. Cannon.
Adjourned till 2 p. m.
I hope you will sustain me by your faith and prayers while I address you. I have rejoiced with you in the instructions received during this Conference; in the glorious manifestations of the Spirit of God, exhibited in the remarks that have been made. I am thankful to be numbered among a people who receive such great blessings. I rejoice that we have with us so many of the brethren of the Twelve, who have been released from imprisonment, in which they have been held for the testimony of Jesus. We, as the people of God, are expected to acknowledge His hand under all circumstances, and in all things, whether they be pleasant or disagreeable, whether they appear like success or seeming failure. Even if we had not the leading brethren with us there is a faith in the hearts of the Saints that would acknowledge the hand of the Almighty in that condition. Job remembered his Creator in the day of his prosperity, but more fully exhibited the greatness of his soul in his subsequent adversity, which he bore with exemplary patience, giving glory to God. When advised by his wife to curse God and die, his answer was, in effect, “The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” He knew how to confess God’s hand in all things. it is in the midst of trouble, persecution and trial that the greater opportunity is given to men to show the metal that is in them.
A few weeks ago we listened to a discourse from this stand in which the speaker eloquently portrayed the greatness of General Grant on the field of Appomattox, and showed the magnanimity of his great soul towards his fallen foe. But I consider that General Lee, the man who then surrendered, evinced equal valor, equal greatness, at least, when on the field of Gettysburg he saw his shattered forces falling back and the hopes of the Confederacy melting like snow before the sun under that decisive stroke, which in reality decided the question of the war. In the moment of defeat, when a weak man might have blown out his brains or fallen to cursing, all that General Lee did was to say, with a sigh, “We cannot always win victories.” The patience that he there manifested showed the greatness of his soul no less than the magnanimity of his victor on the field of Appomattox.
Of all people on earth there are none having stronger opportunities for exhibiting great qualities than the Latter-day Saints. All will have in their time the privilege of showing patience, courage, heroism—the attributes of a Job. Against none is the anger of the Lord kindled except those who will not keep his commandments and acknowledge His hand in all things. The Saints are led by faith, but the world by the grosser senses. In the spirit world we maintained our stand by sight. We are having a more severe test now, when the face of our Father is hidden from our gaze. It is greater to believe and not see than it is to believe because we have seen. It is greater to receive a silent revelation of God’s will than to demand visible manifestations to bolster up our positions. The inward evidence is superior to the visible, the latter being but a product of the former. The genius which creates is greater than that which is created.
Then let us go on and manifest the virtue of the Savior and His followers, even though we do not see him. We should do this because the spirit of revelation impels us forward, doing right for right’s sake. May God bless his Church, His Priesthood and people. The victory of this work is as sure as the rising of tomorrow’s sun.
Singing:
Ye who are called to labor and minister for God
Blest with the royal Priesthood, and called by His word.
Benediction by President Angus M. Cannon.
Adjourned till 2 p. m.
Monday Afternoon.
Arise! Arise! With joy survey
The glory of the latter day,
was sung by the choir.
Prayer by Elder Junius F. Wells.
Singing by the choir,
How are Thy servants blest! O Lord,
How sure is their defense,
Eternal wisdom is their guide,
Their help, Omnipotence.
Arise! Arise! With joy survey
The glory of the latter day,
was sung by the choir.
Prayer by Elder Junius F. Wells.
Singing by the choir,
How are Thy servants blest! O Lord,
How sure is their defense,
Eternal wisdom is their guide,
Their help, Omnipotence.
Apostle Francis M. Lyman
addressed the conference. He said: I am pleased with the privilege of meeting with the Saints in General Conference and listening to the testimonies of the servants of the Lord. He also was willing to bear his testimony and speak of the goodness of God. We have greater cause to rejoice than any other people. The Lord has revealed the truth regarding Himself, His Son and the Holy Ghost, and our relationship to Him and the principles that will enable us to be His sons and daughters. We are charged with the duty of preaching the Gospel to the whole world. He has given us the Spirit of the Lord to enable us to accomplish this. The Church has now been established for nearly a generation. We are gathered on this land, and God has given us the living oracles, who are within our reach. Each individual Saint worthy the name has a personal testimony that this is the work of God, never to be removed nor abolished. The Church is fully organized and the organization is perpetual. The Church cannot be diminished by the loss of any member or quorum. The God of heaven has established and maintains it. He has sustained it since the first revelation of the Father and the Son to Joseph Smith. The hearts of men have been prepared to receive the truth, and many thousands have embraced it. No man is indispensable. God can raise up whom He will. Those whom He selects are required to be honest, pure and valiant for the truth. So with all the members. They should be willing to endure, to perform missions or do whatever is required. There should be in the hearts of the Saints a supreme love for the truth, and a love for mankind, no matter as to their condition. They should be filled with charity and render assistance by word and deed to the afflicted, that mankind may become one. There are here a host of men bearing the Priesthood, representing God on the earth. The Lord expects all such to do their duty. No man can be excused for sins either of omission or commission.
We are expected to attend the meetings of the Saints, especially those at which the sacrament is administered. We are to partake of it till Christ shall come. This ordinance tends to strengthen the Saints. Those who are neglectful regarding it will lose faith, and among such the sick will not be so readily healed. People who live near to the House of God and do not attend on such occasions are not living the light and spirit of the Gospel. The necessity of attending to sacrament meetings should be taught by parents to their children. It is a question as to our salvation until we have completed the race. We have run well for a season, but the question of our continuing to the end is one of great importance. We should be a devout and prayerful people. Those who neglect the things of which I have been speaking are unworthy of the blessings of the Lord. We have been preserved and increased and the work is not diminishing. The faith of the Gospel is increasing in the hearts of the people. When the time of trial comes we will learn that the Saints are better than they appear to be. They know that God lives, and the Church and kingdom of our Father cannot be broken. The Lord has made this fact known to Israel.
It is important for us, as the servants of the Lord, to be devoted, to be faithful, to be humble, to be contrite, charitable, kind and loving, and try to win the erring and lead them in the paths which lead to eternal life. We should cultivate the Spirit of the Lord and its enlightening influence, that we may know on all occasions that what is presented by His Servants comes from God Himself.
When the President of the Church is presented to the people, his Counselors, the Apostles, all or any one of them, there should really be in the heart of every Latter-day Saint a testimony that he is the man to be the President—as we can testify to-day in regard to Brother Woodruff, Brother Cannon, Brother Smith, and the Apostles who stand here and hold their positions today in the midst of Israel. It is necessary the people should know they are men of God, not only through their personal acquaintance and knowledge of them and their close association with them in times of trouble, but they should know by the gift and power of God, and then they cannot be wrong. Unless they have this knowledge they are not as thoroughly established in the kingdom as they ought to be. Every man who has not this knowledge is liable to have misgiving and doubts in respect to these chief quorums of the Church. In every measure that is adopted, every mission that is established, and everything that is laid before the people and required of them, there should be a testimony abiding in the hearts of the Saints that they all come from God.
Now, do the Latter-day Saints know this? I say they do; and no Apostle can stand up here and teach the Latter-day Saints an error without the people detecting it. If an Apostle goes astray, if he sins against God and against his fellowmen, if he is not upright, devout and true to the cause which God has entrusted to his care, the Latter-day Saints will detect it. All men, women, and children who have reached the years of understanding and have received the Holy Ghost are entitled to know men—to know their Bishops, their Presidents of Stakes, and the members of their High Councils; to know the High Priests and Seventies. They have the testimony in their hearts that these are men of God; they can reckon them up quite correctly, tell exactly where they stand, their degree of faith, and judge them by their work—not by their faith and testimony alone, but by the things which they perform.
Now, you High Priests and Seventies, if you are not honest men, if you do not keep the commandments of God, if you drink with the drunkard and swear with the profane, and if you are corrupt, we will find you out; God will find you out; for you cannot deceive in the Kingdom of God. You cannot obtain by deception any of the rights, blessings, and privileges of the Lord or His Kingdom. If, again, there are those who do not honor the Priesthood, if we do not exercise ourselves in righteousness, in purity, in justice, in holiness—I would not give a fig for the authority or power of such men.
Why is it that the Latter-day Saints are not broken to pieces and discouraged? We were not discouraged in the very beginning when there were but few of us. When the Prophet stood almost alone, hounded from place to place, persecuted and prosecuted, why was he not discouraged? Because he could not be. We cannot be discouraged, for God is at the helm, and has established us individually as well as collectively. In Wards and in Stakes, and in branches of the whole Church, God hath planted this work upon the earth, and it will remain.
Are we to blame for it? No. Did I originate any of it? No, not a sentiment, not one thought or particle of it. Was it originated by the Prophet Joseph? No, nor any other man. It is the work of God and will endure, and the choice spirits which He has gathered from among the nations of the earth, those whom He is sending from above, are those who were faithful before they came here, who will be faithful here, and will endure hereafter. That is the class of people and of spirits who are come to the earth, whom God has gathered and is sending to us.
Persecution never destroys the Church and Kingdom of God. It only makes men more faithful, more devoted; it only increases their strength; for have we not the surest of all promises, that if we keep the commandments of God we shall receive persecution? And when the Church has been withdrawn from the earth, when prophets have been killed, when the Savior Himself was killed, and His servants before him—it has all happened in accordance with the mind and will of God. Would the Savior’s life have been taken had it not been necessary? No. It was necessary that He should die and that His blood should be spilt in order that we might obtain a remission of sins and be made free; that He should be resurrected as all other men will be. Was it necessary that the Prophet Joseph should be tried as he was, and proven as he was proven? Yes, not only to prove him, but to prove to the world to whom he was sent; and it is necessary that the servants of God today should endure and travel throughout the world, preaching the Gospel and laboring for the people—guarding, preserving and teaching them, in order that they might be saved, and that the world may be proved and judged; for light has come into the world, and those who reject it will be damned.
I pray that the blessing of God may be upon all Israel. But I find I am talking too loud. My lungs are not very strong—they have not been working lately in this way. Therefore I shall have to close. I pray, however, that God’s blessing may be upon you all. I thank God and testify to you that this Church is properly organized. It came a little sooner than it did after the death of President Young; but it came just when the Lord decided, and He will always show us not only in regard to the keeping of the Quorum of the First Presidency filled, but in the filling of the Quorum of the Twelve, and every other vacancy that may occur in the various departments of the Church, that the kingdom may be fully manned, that no one person will have to do the labor of two or three; but that every man shall bear his equal proportion of the responsibilities pertaining to the Kingdom of God, which is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
addressed the conference. He said: I am pleased with the privilege of meeting with the Saints in General Conference and listening to the testimonies of the servants of the Lord. He also was willing to bear his testimony and speak of the goodness of God. We have greater cause to rejoice than any other people. The Lord has revealed the truth regarding Himself, His Son and the Holy Ghost, and our relationship to Him and the principles that will enable us to be His sons and daughters. We are charged with the duty of preaching the Gospel to the whole world. He has given us the Spirit of the Lord to enable us to accomplish this. The Church has now been established for nearly a generation. We are gathered on this land, and God has given us the living oracles, who are within our reach. Each individual Saint worthy the name has a personal testimony that this is the work of God, never to be removed nor abolished. The Church is fully organized and the organization is perpetual. The Church cannot be diminished by the loss of any member or quorum. The God of heaven has established and maintains it. He has sustained it since the first revelation of the Father and the Son to Joseph Smith. The hearts of men have been prepared to receive the truth, and many thousands have embraced it. No man is indispensable. God can raise up whom He will. Those whom He selects are required to be honest, pure and valiant for the truth. So with all the members. They should be willing to endure, to perform missions or do whatever is required. There should be in the hearts of the Saints a supreme love for the truth, and a love for mankind, no matter as to their condition. They should be filled with charity and render assistance by word and deed to the afflicted, that mankind may become one. There are here a host of men bearing the Priesthood, representing God on the earth. The Lord expects all such to do their duty. No man can be excused for sins either of omission or commission.
We are expected to attend the meetings of the Saints, especially those at which the sacrament is administered. We are to partake of it till Christ shall come. This ordinance tends to strengthen the Saints. Those who are neglectful regarding it will lose faith, and among such the sick will not be so readily healed. People who live near to the House of God and do not attend on such occasions are not living the light and spirit of the Gospel. The necessity of attending to sacrament meetings should be taught by parents to their children. It is a question as to our salvation until we have completed the race. We have run well for a season, but the question of our continuing to the end is one of great importance. We should be a devout and prayerful people. Those who neglect the things of which I have been speaking are unworthy of the blessings of the Lord. We have been preserved and increased and the work is not diminishing. The faith of the Gospel is increasing in the hearts of the people. When the time of trial comes we will learn that the Saints are better than they appear to be. They know that God lives, and the Church and kingdom of our Father cannot be broken. The Lord has made this fact known to Israel.
It is important for us, as the servants of the Lord, to be devoted, to be faithful, to be humble, to be contrite, charitable, kind and loving, and try to win the erring and lead them in the paths which lead to eternal life. We should cultivate the Spirit of the Lord and its enlightening influence, that we may know on all occasions that what is presented by His Servants comes from God Himself.
When the President of the Church is presented to the people, his Counselors, the Apostles, all or any one of them, there should really be in the heart of every Latter-day Saint a testimony that he is the man to be the President—as we can testify to-day in regard to Brother Woodruff, Brother Cannon, Brother Smith, and the Apostles who stand here and hold their positions today in the midst of Israel. It is necessary the people should know they are men of God, not only through their personal acquaintance and knowledge of them and their close association with them in times of trouble, but they should know by the gift and power of God, and then they cannot be wrong. Unless they have this knowledge they are not as thoroughly established in the kingdom as they ought to be. Every man who has not this knowledge is liable to have misgiving and doubts in respect to these chief quorums of the Church. In every measure that is adopted, every mission that is established, and everything that is laid before the people and required of them, there should be a testimony abiding in the hearts of the Saints that they all come from God.
Now, do the Latter-day Saints know this? I say they do; and no Apostle can stand up here and teach the Latter-day Saints an error without the people detecting it. If an Apostle goes astray, if he sins against God and against his fellowmen, if he is not upright, devout and true to the cause which God has entrusted to his care, the Latter-day Saints will detect it. All men, women, and children who have reached the years of understanding and have received the Holy Ghost are entitled to know men—to know their Bishops, their Presidents of Stakes, and the members of their High Councils; to know the High Priests and Seventies. They have the testimony in their hearts that these are men of God; they can reckon them up quite correctly, tell exactly where they stand, their degree of faith, and judge them by their work—not by their faith and testimony alone, but by the things which they perform.
Now, you High Priests and Seventies, if you are not honest men, if you do not keep the commandments of God, if you drink with the drunkard and swear with the profane, and if you are corrupt, we will find you out; God will find you out; for you cannot deceive in the Kingdom of God. You cannot obtain by deception any of the rights, blessings, and privileges of the Lord or His Kingdom. If, again, there are those who do not honor the Priesthood, if we do not exercise ourselves in righteousness, in purity, in justice, in holiness—I would not give a fig for the authority or power of such men.
Why is it that the Latter-day Saints are not broken to pieces and discouraged? We were not discouraged in the very beginning when there were but few of us. When the Prophet stood almost alone, hounded from place to place, persecuted and prosecuted, why was he not discouraged? Because he could not be. We cannot be discouraged, for God is at the helm, and has established us individually as well as collectively. In Wards and in Stakes, and in branches of the whole Church, God hath planted this work upon the earth, and it will remain.
Are we to blame for it? No. Did I originate any of it? No, not a sentiment, not one thought or particle of it. Was it originated by the Prophet Joseph? No, nor any other man. It is the work of God and will endure, and the choice spirits which He has gathered from among the nations of the earth, those whom He is sending from above, are those who were faithful before they came here, who will be faithful here, and will endure hereafter. That is the class of people and of spirits who are come to the earth, whom God has gathered and is sending to us.
Persecution never destroys the Church and Kingdom of God. It only makes men more faithful, more devoted; it only increases their strength; for have we not the surest of all promises, that if we keep the commandments of God we shall receive persecution? And when the Church has been withdrawn from the earth, when prophets have been killed, when the Savior Himself was killed, and His servants before him—it has all happened in accordance with the mind and will of God. Would the Savior’s life have been taken had it not been necessary? No. It was necessary that He should die and that His blood should be spilt in order that we might obtain a remission of sins and be made free; that He should be resurrected as all other men will be. Was it necessary that the Prophet Joseph should be tried as he was, and proven as he was proven? Yes, not only to prove him, but to prove to the world to whom he was sent; and it is necessary that the servants of God today should endure and travel throughout the world, preaching the Gospel and laboring for the people—guarding, preserving and teaching them, in order that they might be saved, and that the world may be proved and judged; for light has come into the world, and those who reject it will be damned.
I pray that the blessing of God may be upon all Israel. But I find I am talking too loud. My lungs are not very strong—they have not been working lately in this way. Therefore I shall have to close. I pray, however, that God’s blessing may be upon you all. I thank God and testify to you that this Church is properly organized. It came a little sooner than it did after the death of President Young; but it came just when the Lord decided, and He will always show us not only in regard to the keeping of the Quorum of the First Presidency filled, but in the filling of the Quorum of the Twelve, and every other vacancy that may occur in the various departments of the Church, that the kingdom may be fully manned, that no one person will have to do the labor of two or three; but that every man shall bear his equal proportion of the responsibilities pertaining to the Kingdom of God, which is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
President George Q. Cannon
presented figures from the statistical report of the Church. A communication from the General Superintendency of the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association was read, showing the movement to be in a prosperous condition. Condensed statistics were also given from reports of the Primary Association, Young Ladies’ Improvement Society, Relief Society and the Sunday School general organization.
The Central Committee of Education, as follows, was presented to the Conference: Wilford Woodruff, President, Salt Lake City; Lorenzo Snow, Brigham City; George Q. Cannon, Salt Lake City; Karl G. Maeser, Provo; Willard Young, Salt Lake City; George W. Thatcher, Logan; Amos Howe, Salt Lake City; Anton H. Lund, Ephraim; James Sharp, Salt Lake City.
The vote to sustain the educational committee was unanimous.
presented figures from the statistical report of the Church. A communication from the General Superintendency of the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association was read, showing the movement to be in a prosperous condition. Condensed statistics were also given from reports of the Primary Association, Young Ladies’ Improvement Society, Relief Society and the Sunday School general organization.
The Central Committee of Education, as follows, was presented to the Conference: Wilford Woodruff, President, Salt Lake City; Lorenzo Snow, Brigham City; George Q. Cannon, Salt Lake City; Karl G. Maeser, Provo; Willard Young, Salt Lake City; George W. Thatcher, Logan; Amos Howe, Salt Lake City; Anton H. Lund, Ephraim; James Sharp, Salt Lake City.
The vote to sustain the educational committee was unanimous.
President George Q. Cannon
said: It is very gratifying to me, and I have no doubt it is to all present, to hear the voice of Brother Lyman again in our midst, and to listen to the testimony which he bears. I know it is a great gratification to us, and that it is an equal gratification to the rest of you, to see him once more among us. The instructions which he has given unto us are true, and have been inspired by the Spirit of God.
We have had during this conference many excellent testimonies and instructions which if we can remember and apply in our lives, carry out practically by making these instructions a part of the rules for the conduct of our lives, will be of incalculable benefit to us.
Remarks have been made concerning the effect of persecution upon us, and how that persecution has a tendency to solidify the Saints. This undoubtedly is the case where they are faithful. A great many have made inquiries concerning the probably length of time that we shall have these things to contend with, and have asked, “Have you any idea when this will cease and when we shall be relieved from these afflictions?” Now, I think myself that they are having a very salutary effect upon us. Personally I feel that I have been benefited by that through which I have passed—that it has been of some little service to me in bringing me experience. I have no doubt it has had the same effect upon most of this people, if not all. It is every remarkable the manner in which the Lord controls the conduct of Satan for the good of His people. Satan intends or has intended persecution to destroy the work of God. But instead of that it becomes a means of developing His work. It has the effect of purifying the people; it has the effect of giving them a knowledge concerning the work in which they are engaged. It tests them and develops their character, and gives them opportunities of exhibiting unto the Lord and to their fellow men the kind of characters they are; and gives them that which is very important in its place—a knowledge concerning themselves. It is most important, indeed, that we should know ourselves, that we should become familiar with the peculiarities of our own natures, that we may see our weaknesses, and so be able by the help of the Lord to correct them. I therefore feel gratified that the Lord has permitted these things. I do not know what would become of us if we had nothing but prosperity. Suppose Satan did not persecute us—that there was no opposition to us—would we be tested? Would we be the people that we are today if we had no afflictions, no persecutions, no ordeals to endure, no temptations to resist. Certainly not. Prosperity would not develop us. We could not know ourselves, neither could we be known if there were nothing but prosperity for us. But as it is the wrath of man is made to praise God; that which Satan designs as the means of destroying the work of God in the wisdom of our Eternal Father is controlled so as to accomplish His purposes, to test His children, and give them that experience without which they cannot be perfected. Hence we should be able to recognize the hand of God in these afflictions, just as we were told this morning by Bishop Whitney to recognize the hand of God even in the most adverse circumstances that we may be called upon to pass through.
There is one subject that I have felt should like to allude to before this conference adjourns. It is the disposition which is manifested in many quarters to scatter out. We hear of young men going east, west, north and south, scattering, in fact, all over. We hear that a good many of our young men are leaving this valley, leaving this county, and taking steps to secure for themselves tracts of land in adjoining States and Territories, in places remote from their own homes.
I have felt to ask if this is a wise proceeding under our circumstances? We have been called to gather, not to scatter; we have been called by the Lord to build up Zion—to beautify the waste places of the earth, not to spread out all over creation and become so thin and so weak that there is no strength or power with us. This latter would be bad policy. “But,” says one, “if I do not now do this I cannot secure land. The land will all be taken up.” Well, suppose it is. If we have land here—and such is the case—we can live here. I notice that people who are not of our faith come into this valley and see numberless opportunities which we do not care anything about, or do not think it worth while to pay any attention to. They take places and beautify and adorn them, and they become a means of wealth in their hands.
There is an abundance of land in the valley for hundreds and thousands of families if we would make use of the facilities which we now have. But somebody wants 640 acres; somebody wants “the earth and the fulness thereof;” and as was remarked to me yesterday, “they want a hog pasture in addition.”
This is not wise. We should concentrate ourselves and combine our efforts, and not look to the ends of the earth and see how much is going to waste that we are missing. I am sometimes reminded of an expression attributed to Brother Parley Pratt. When he came to this valley in the early days he was traveling in Parley’s Park—named after him—then a splendid region for grass; and he said to his companion, “What thousands of dollars I am losing.” His friend inquired “How?” for he was surprised, knowing as he did that Brother Pratt was not possessed of very much then; we were all poor in those days. “Why,” said he, “here are all these acres of grass going to waste, and if I only had a lot of cattle to eat it, what a lot of money I would make.”
Well he had not the money because he had not the cattle. Of course he said what I have repeated jocosely; but there are a great many people who seem to have that idea in earnest, and because there are large tracts of land of which they hear in remote valleys they are anxious to strike out and take possession for fear that somebody else will get them. This is not wise. Let us be governed by wisdom in our movements. This is the way to build up Zion. It is not be scattering abroad or attempting to grow faster than our strength. You know how it has been. We have extended our settlements to remote distances in the past, and those settlements have had to be abandoned afterwards through a variety of circumstances. It would therefore be unwise for us to repeat this. It is necessary. We can grow fast enough right along here in these valleys which are already occupied, by making use of the facilities within our reach.
I have admired President Woodruff in this respect. He has set the people an example. He came in here with the pioneers and settled on a little farm of twenty acres. That is the extent of his farming land, and he has lived upon it from the time when the pioneers came in—or, rather, from the time he came in afterwards with his family. He has been content with it, and has made a pretty good living there by his industry. Others can do just as well.
When in Utah County I was conversing with one of the brethren there who has a comparatively small area of land, and yet he makes an excellent livelihood by raising small fruits. I asked him, “Is there a market for these?” “A market,” he answered “why, I can sell all I can raise, and if I had every so many more I could sell fruits of this character. They want them in the East. I send fruits to Denver and other places, and people are constantly asking me for more than I can raise.” I do not know how that is, but this was his testimony to me.
There are many ways in which we can make a living without traveling all over the Territory to get hold of large tracts of land. I felt as though I wanted to make these remarks before the conference closed, and of course you must all judge for yourselves as to their correctness. But this is the view I take of the building up of Zion. I do not believe it is a good policy for us at the present time—for our young men—to be moving off into remote places, and thereby weakening the hands of their fathers, brethren and friends at home.
I pray God to bless us when we shall separate from this conference, and to fill us with His Holy Spirit, that we might be enlightened by it continually. I ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
The choir sang an anthem. “O, be joyful.”
said: It is very gratifying to me, and I have no doubt it is to all present, to hear the voice of Brother Lyman again in our midst, and to listen to the testimony which he bears. I know it is a great gratification to us, and that it is an equal gratification to the rest of you, to see him once more among us. The instructions which he has given unto us are true, and have been inspired by the Spirit of God.
We have had during this conference many excellent testimonies and instructions which if we can remember and apply in our lives, carry out practically by making these instructions a part of the rules for the conduct of our lives, will be of incalculable benefit to us.
Remarks have been made concerning the effect of persecution upon us, and how that persecution has a tendency to solidify the Saints. This undoubtedly is the case where they are faithful. A great many have made inquiries concerning the probably length of time that we shall have these things to contend with, and have asked, “Have you any idea when this will cease and when we shall be relieved from these afflictions?” Now, I think myself that they are having a very salutary effect upon us. Personally I feel that I have been benefited by that through which I have passed—that it has been of some little service to me in bringing me experience. I have no doubt it has had the same effect upon most of this people, if not all. It is every remarkable the manner in which the Lord controls the conduct of Satan for the good of His people. Satan intends or has intended persecution to destroy the work of God. But instead of that it becomes a means of developing His work. It has the effect of purifying the people; it has the effect of giving them a knowledge concerning the work in which they are engaged. It tests them and develops their character, and gives them opportunities of exhibiting unto the Lord and to their fellow men the kind of characters they are; and gives them that which is very important in its place—a knowledge concerning themselves. It is most important, indeed, that we should know ourselves, that we should become familiar with the peculiarities of our own natures, that we may see our weaknesses, and so be able by the help of the Lord to correct them. I therefore feel gratified that the Lord has permitted these things. I do not know what would become of us if we had nothing but prosperity. Suppose Satan did not persecute us—that there was no opposition to us—would we be tested? Would we be the people that we are today if we had no afflictions, no persecutions, no ordeals to endure, no temptations to resist. Certainly not. Prosperity would not develop us. We could not know ourselves, neither could we be known if there were nothing but prosperity for us. But as it is the wrath of man is made to praise God; that which Satan designs as the means of destroying the work of God in the wisdom of our Eternal Father is controlled so as to accomplish His purposes, to test His children, and give them that experience without which they cannot be perfected. Hence we should be able to recognize the hand of God in these afflictions, just as we were told this morning by Bishop Whitney to recognize the hand of God even in the most adverse circumstances that we may be called upon to pass through.
There is one subject that I have felt should like to allude to before this conference adjourns. It is the disposition which is manifested in many quarters to scatter out. We hear of young men going east, west, north and south, scattering, in fact, all over. We hear that a good many of our young men are leaving this valley, leaving this county, and taking steps to secure for themselves tracts of land in adjoining States and Territories, in places remote from their own homes.
I have felt to ask if this is a wise proceeding under our circumstances? We have been called to gather, not to scatter; we have been called by the Lord to build up Zion—to beautify the waste places of the earth, not to spread out all over creation and become so thin and so weak that there is no strength or power with us. This latter would be bad policy. “But,” says one, “if I do not now do this I cannot secure land. The land will all be taken up.” Well, suppose it is. If we have land here—and such is the case—we can live here. I notice that people who are not of our faith come into this valley and see numberless opportunities which we do not care anything about, or do not think it worth while to pay any attention to. They take places and beautify and adorn them, and they become a means of wealth in their hands.
There is an abundance of land in the valley for hundreds and thousands of families if we would make use of the facilities which we now have. But somebody wants 640 acres; somebody wants “the earth and the fulness thereof;” and as was remarked to me yesterday, “they want a hog pasture in addition.”
This is not wise. We should concentrate ourselves and combine our efforts, and not look to the ends of the earth and see how much is going to waste that we are missing. I am sometimes reminded of an expression attributed to Brother Parley Pratt. When he came to this valley in the early days he was traveling in Parley’s Park—named after him—then a splendid region for grass; and he said to his companion, “What thousands of dollars I am losing.” His friend inquired “How?” for he was surprised, knowing as he did that Brother Pratt was not possessed of very much then; we were all poor in those days. “Why,” said he, “here are all these acres of grass going to waste, and if I only had a lot of cattle to eat it, what a lot of money I would make.”
Well he had not the money because he had not the cattle. Of course he said what I have repeated jocosely; but there are a great many people who seem to have that idea in earnest, and because there are large tracts of land of which they hear in remote valleys they are anxious to strike out and take possession for fear that somebody else will get them. This is not wise. Let us be governed by wisdom in our movements. This is the way to build up Zion. It is not be scattering abroad or attempting to grow faster than our strength. You know how it has been. We have extended our settlements to remote distances in the past, and those settlements have had to be abandoned afterwards through a variety of circumstances. It would therefore be unwise for us to repeat this. It is necessary. We can grow fast enough right along here in these valleys which are already occupied, by making use of the facilities within our reach.
I have admired President Woodruff in this respect. He has set the people an example. He came in here with the pioneers and settled on a little farm of twenty acres. That is the extent of his farming land, and he has lived upon it from the time when the pioneers came in—or, rather, from the time he came in afterwards with his family. He has been content with it, and has made a pretty good living there by his industry. Others can do just as well.
When in Utah County I was conversing with one of the brethren there who has a comparatively small area of land, and yet he makes an excellent livelihood by raising small fruits. I asked him, “Is there a market for these?” “A market,” he answered “why, I can sell all I can raise, and if I had every so many more I could sell fruits of this character. They want them in the East. I send fruits to Denver and other places, and people are constantly asking me for more than I can raise.” I do not know how that is, but this was his testimony to me.
There are many ways in which we can make a living without traveling all over the Territory to get hold of large tracts of land. I felt as though I wanted to make these remarks before the conference closed, and of course you must all judge for yourselves as to their correctness. But this is the view I take of the building up of Zion. I do not believe it is a good policy for us at the present time—for our young men—to be moving off into remote places, and thereby weakening the hands of their fathers, brethren and friends at home.
I pray God to bless us when we shall separate from this conference, and to fill us with His Holy Spirit, that we might be enlightened by it continually. I ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
The choir sang an anthem. “O, be joyful.”
President Wilford Woodruff
said: I feel thankful that I have lived and had the privilege of attending this fifty-ninth annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is nearly fifty years since I was ordained into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Lord has told us while occupying these position and holding the keys of the Kingdom of God, that whomsoever you bless shall be blessed, and whomsoever you shall curse shall be cursed. I have never seen a moment in my life since I have been a member of this Church and Kingdom when I felt like cursing anybody, and I would not wish to do so unless I was commanded of the Lord. I have had a desire to bless my friends, and at this time, when I have the right and privilege, I feel to bless my brethren, my counselors, my brethren of the Twelve Apostles; and I feel to bless in the name of the Lord also the Patriarchs, Presidents of Stakes, the High Councilors, and those who bear the Holy Priesthood, even the High Priesthood throughout the land of Zion. Likewise the Seventies, Elders of Israel who are called as messengers to the nations of the earth, the Bishopric, the lesser Priesthood, and all the Saints of God who dwell in our midst. I feel to bless the Primary Associations—our little children; I feel to bless the Sabbath schools, the teachers and pupils; the Mutual Improvement Associations, the Relief Societies, and all those organizations which have been established by the hand of God and by His power, His helps in the building up and establishing of the Church and Kingdom of God on the earth. All these I feel to bless in the name of Jesus Christ and by virtue of the holy Priesthood, even so, Amen.
Brother Woodruff then pronounced the benediction.
Conference adjourned till ten o’clock on the 6th day of next October.
said: I feel thankful that I have lived and had the privilege of attending this fifty-ninth annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is nearly fifty years since I was ordained into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Lord has told us while occupying these position and holding the keys of the Kingdom of God, that whomsoever you bless shall be blessed, and whomsoever you shall curse shall be cursed. I have never seen a moment in my life since I have been a member of this Church and Kingdom when I felt like cursing anybody, and I would not wish to do so unless I was commanded of the Lord. I have had a desire to bless my friends, and at this time, when I have the right and privilege, I feel to bless my brethren, my counselors, my brethren of the Twelve Apostles; and I feel to bless in the name of the Lord also the Patriarchs, Presidents of Stakes, the High Councilors, and those who bear the Holy Priesthood, even the High Priesthood throughout the land of Zion. Likewise the Seventies, Elders of Israel who are called as messengers to the nations of the earth, the Bishopric, the lesser Priesthood, and all the Saints of God who dwell in our midst. I feel to bless the Primary Associations—our little children; I feel to bless the Sabbath schools, the teachers and pupils; the Mutual Improvement Associations, the Relief Societies, and all those organizations which have been established by the hand of God and by His power, His helps in the building up and establishing of the Church and Kingdom of God on the earth. All these I feel to bless in the name of Jesus Christ and by virtue of the holy Priesthood, even so, Amen.
Brother Woodruff then pronounced the benediction.
Conference adjourned till ten o’clock on the 6th day of next October.