The very fact that we have a people, that we have a Zion, that we have
a kingdom, that we have a Church and a Priesthood which is connected
with the heavens, and which has power to move the heavens, and that we
know that the heavens are communicating with us, directing the
performance of this great latter-day work in which the Latter-day
Saints are engaged, this very fact alone should fill our hearts with
humility before the Lord our God, and it should continually remind us
in our reflections and feelings of the responsibility we are under
both to Him and to one another, and also of our dependence upon him
for all the blessings we enjoy of a spiritual as well as a temporal
nature.
The prayer offered up by brother Pratt filled my mind with reflections
of the past. Almost half a century has expired since the Prophet of
God organized this Church upon the earth; but he and most of the men
who labored prominently with him, in laying the foundation of this
Church, are not with us today, their voices are hushed in death, they
have finished their earthly work, having labored a series of years,
and are now the other side of the veil. There are but two of the first
Quorum of the Twelve with us in the flesh, and only two of the second
Quorum. And this speaks in loud and forcible language, at least it
does to me, that what we have to do in the interest of the great cause
of salvation, we should perform it faithfully and diligently, making
the very best use of the few remaining days we have yet to labor in
the flesh.
While I refer to the absence of our brethren whose works remain and
whose memories are cherished, I am fully conscious this morning that
we who are left are not laboring alone, nor particularly for our own
benefit, in a temporal point of view; but I realize that we are called
and ordained of God to labor with him and the heavenly hosts, in the
accomplishment of his purposes, the bringing forth and establishing of
his Zion and Kingdom in the earth, and all that has been designed to
be consummated in this the dispensation of the fullness of times. I
also sense that when I and my brethren who still remain shall pass
away, we shall go as others have done—we shall not take this world or
any part of it with us. When Joseph Smith died, Nauvoo remained, he
did not take it with him; when President Brigham Young died,
Salt Lake City still remained, and when we join them we shall leave
behind us the things of time, even as Jesus did himself who was the
founder of the earth. This truth itself should incite the Latter-day
Saints to reflection, it should indelibly impress upon our memories,
the fact that we are working for something far greater, in real worth,
than dollars and cents, houses and lands, and this world's goods. We
have been gathered here in our present condition by the commandment
and by the inspiration of the Lord, to continue the work that others
commenced, and like them we must improve the time in doing what is
required of us, working faithfully for God and his Kingdom while the
day lasts.
I know, you know, and all Israel knows who have received the fullness
of the everlasting Gospel in this last dispensation of God to man,
that this is the work of God and not of man; we understand this
perfectly. This Church and Kingdom has been organized by the
administration of angels from God. The organization of this Church has
been governed and controlled by revelation and upon no other
principle, and what has already been accomplished since our existence,
as a church, reveals the handiwork of God, for no man could have done
what has been done unless God were with him. I rejoice to have the
privilege of meeting with so many of my brethren and sisters, and that
I have the privilege of bearing testimony to the divinity of this
latter-day work, and of the principles of salvation revealed from God
to man. The scene I behold this morning, and that which I behold in
traveling through the extent of this Territory, speaks to me in very
loud language that it is in fulfillment of the designs of God, and the
revelations of Jesus Christ, which are recorded not only in the Bible,
or on the stick of Judah, but also in the Book of Mormon, or stick of
Joseph in the hands of Ephraim, as well as in the New Testament, and
those revelations of modern date as those of ancient time, have been
sealed with the blood of him who brought them forth, and this
testimony therefore is in force to all the world. The Lord is not
trifling with this generation, neither is he trifling with the Saints
or with the world of mankind. During the last 48 years the Gospel has
been preached to this generation, and this work will continue
preaching to the Gentiles, until the Lord directs otherwise. The
harvest is ripe, and he, the Lord, said, through the Prophet Joseph,
he that would thrust in the sickle and reap was called of God. And
some have continued to labor faithfully almost from the organization
of this Church to the present time—almost half a century. I think it a
great blessing and privilege to stand in the midst of the people of
God in this age of the world to preach the Gospel of Jesus, and to
labor to build up Zion, in obedience to his commandments, and to carry
out his purposes in the day and age in which I live. We, as a whole
people, should certainly exercise our faith in God and in the
revelations, more especially those that immediately refer to our
present condition; no matter where they are found, in any of the
records of divine truth. The Lord has said unto us, through Joseph
Smith, that it matters not whether he speaks unto the children of men
by his own voice or by the ministrations of angels, or whether by the
voice of his servants, that it is all the same, it is his word, his
mind and his will to those to whomsoever it comes; and that
although the heavens and the earth pass away, not one jot or tittle of
his word shall remain unfulfilled.
I am a believer in this revelation and also in the records which are
left for us to pursue, the inspired words of ancient as well as modern
Prophets; and I also believe that they will have their fulfillment in
the due time of the Lord, and that no power on earth can prevent it.
and I do not believe there has been a revelation given from God to
man, from the days of father Adam to this hour, but what has had its
fulfillment, or will have, as fast as time will admit; and we are every
day of our lives making history, and we are also fulfilling the
prophecies of Isaiah and many other ancient men of God, who were
permitted in vision to see our day.
I know we live in a day of infidelity; I know that darkness covers the
earth and gross darkness the minds of the people; I know that the Lord
is angry with the wicked, and withholding his Spirit from the
inhabitants of the earth; I know that light has come into the world,
and that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are
evil. But as a servant of the living God I will say that,
notwithstanding all the unbelief of this wicked generation—the
Christian, the Jewish and the pagan world, together with the combined
efforts of the devil and wicked men, the fulfillment of the purposes of
God in their times and seasons cannot be frustrated. These volumes of
revelation are written on the pages of divine truth as in letters of
fire, and they will have their fulfillment whether men believe or
disbelieve, for they are the words of God.
It is a great work, an almighty work; it is a work different from that
of any dispensation which God has given to man. When I look upon these
Latter-day Saints I cannot help contemplating our calling and the
labor required at our hands, and, when I am reminded of the account
that we have all got to give before the judgment seat of God for the
use we make of our own time and talents, and the gifts of God and the
holy Priesthood, and the work of our God which has been committed to
us, I feel to ask, What manner of men ought we to be. Our souls should
be open to the building up of this Kingdom of God, and we should
continue with increased diligence to rear towards heaven these Temples
of our God, the foundation of which we have laid and commenced to
build upon, so that all Israel who dwell here may enter into them and
attend to the ordinances of the house of God. And I again say to the
Latter-day Saints, this work the God of Israel requires at your hands.
This requirement is not confined to the Twelve, the President of
Stakes and the Bishops, but it is binding upon every man who has
entered into covenant with the Lord our God, and I trust that one and
all will willingly share this responsibility, and not for a moment
permit this work to drag or appear laborious to perform.
I thank the Lord my God that my ears have been saluted with the sound
of the Gospel, and that I have had the privilege of reading the
revelations of God to us, and I know that, as an individual, I am held
responsible for my duty to Him. We have a harvest to reap both sides
of the veil. We have already done considerable work on this side, by
way of preaching the Gospel to the nations of the earth, as commanded
to do by God. Well do I remember the early experience of the first
Elders of the Church, how we traveled afoot for thousands of
miles, without purse or scrip, with valise in hand, and many times
having to beg our bread, from door to door, in order to impart to the
people a knowledge of the Gospel. Our garments are clear from the
blood of this generation, and the testimony of these Elders will yet
rise in judgment against this generation to condemn them.
Notwithstanding the unbelief of the Christian world, and
notwithstanding the warfare that may be waged against God and his
Christ, Zion will be redeemed and his kingdom will be established
never more to be thrown down. He holds the nations in his own hands,
and he also has his Saints in his holy keeping, and he will continue
to guide and direct and sustain his people, until they consummate all
unto which they have been ordained.
Look at these valleys! When we came here in 1847, they were barren and
desolate, without the least sign or mark of civilization. Today our
Territory is filled with villages, towns and orchards, and the land is
brought under a good state of cultivation, inhabited by a civilized
race. Who are they? Sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty; they are
a people that have been, as corn sifted in a sieve, among the Gentile
nations, and called out by the proclamation of the everlasting Gospel.
The Lord chose a boy from the humble walks of life, and endowed him
with intelligence and power to commence this great work, and also to
send forth others throughout this and to other nations bearing the
message of life, and this people opened their hearts to receive it,
and were baptized in water for remission of sins, and received the
laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost. They have been
born of the Spirit, and they have seen the king dom of God, and they
have received ordination in order to enter into it. And when they
enter into it, they have the spirit of it, and this makes the
difference between the Latter-day Saints and the former-day Saints. No
man can see the kingdom of God unless he is born of the Spirit; and
this is wherein these Latter-day Saints have faith in God, and observe
the signs of the times, and trust in him by this principle. Their
prayers have ascended in the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth, asking for
things which they stood in need of; and he has answered our prayers
and he has continued to sustain us until the present time. I ask, my
brethren and sisters, will the Lord withhold now his hand, will he now
close the heavens, withdrawing the power by which we have been upheld?
No, he will not; his hand will continue over us if we be true to him
and the laws he has given unto us. He has decreed before the
foundation of this world, before the fall of man, that in the
dispensation of the fulness of times, he would gather unto himself all
things, both things which are in heaven and things on the earth. He is
doing it, although the world generally does not know it.
Now, brethren and sisters, I do not wish myself to occupy all your
time this morning, but I want to say to you that our position, our
calling, our religion embrace the noble work of God, both temporal and
spiritual, which rests upon us. We have to go forth with our hands and
build up Zion. Zion will be built up; Zion will be redeemed, and she
will arise and shine and put on her beautiful garments; she will break
from off her neck her yoke, and she will be clothed with the glory of
our God. Zion has been sold for naught; she will be redeemed without
money; she will arise in her beauty and glory, as the Prophets
of God have seen her; she will extend her borders and strengthen her
stakes, and the God of heaven will comfort her, inasmuch as we will
unite together to carry out his purposes.
I see nothing to tempt me or you to turn aside from the work given us
to do. The Prophets have predicted that every weapon that is formed
against Zion shall be broken, and this is in accordance with the
revelations of God to us. He will continue this work and direct its
onward course, but he expects us to continue to reclaim the waste
places, and to continue to build Temples and also to impart of our
substance. And I wish all Israel to understand that when we impart of
our substance to build Temples that we do not do it to benefit the
Lord at all, he had his endowments a long time before we were born,
and also passed through his probation. We are his children, he wishes
to exalt us back to his presence, and he knows very well we are
obliged to walk in the same path and receive the same ordinances in
order to inherit the same glory that surrounds him. And when we erect
Temples in which to perform ordinances for the living and the dead, we
do it to benefit our own blessed selves. I want salvation, I wish to
inherit eternal life, I wish to get back to the presence of God from
whence I came, when I have finished my probation in the flesh. And I
believe that I desire nothing in this respect but what you also wish.
Then I know that it requires my diligence and my constant labor and
study, the little time I have to spend in the flesh, to do all I can
to build up Zion and to establish the Church and the kingdom of God
upon the earth. If we can only obtain eternal lives we shall attain to
the greatest of God's gifts to man. Our Savior, our Heavenly Father,
the angel Gabriel, Peter, James and John, Joseph Smith and Brigham
Young, are not coming back to build our Temples for us, they are not
coming to settle new country and open up new roads, plant out our
trees, build up and beautify this land, this is our part of the work,
and we have got it to do, working while we live, and when we go away
we shall move on exactly as others have done, leaving our houses, our
gardens, our flocks and herds, and all our earthly interests behind
us. And when we go to the spirit world and our eyes are opened on
eternal lives, we shall all marvel at the way in which our lives have
been spent. There is a veil over all the earth, it is ordained of God
that it should be so, and the fact of it being so will prove all of
his children whether we will abide in his covenant even unto death or
not. And those who are not willing to abide in their covenant unto the
end for the building up of the kingdom of God, are not worthy of a
place with God and with the Savior and those who have sealed their
testimony with their blood.
I pray the Lord to bless you and all those who may attend this
Conference, and also the brethren who may address you; and trust that
our prayers may continually ascend into the ears of the Lord on behalf
of Zion and her speedy redemption.
I will say before closing, that I have just returned from St. George,
where I have been laboring in the Temple. The work of God continues
there; as a general thing we have as much labor as the Temple is
capable of sustaining. The spirit of the work does not lag. And I can
safely add that just as quick as the people get the Temple done at
this place, the way will be opened before them, they will feel
the responsibility of attending to the work so essentially necessary
to be done on behalf of those who have lived and passed away without
having had the privilege of receiving the blessings of the Gospel; and
as their time and attention will be occupied in this direction will
they perceive the importance as well as the magnitude of the work.
There are many today who stand in need of this assistance, and as I
have often said, so say I again to this body of Latter-day Saints,
that this labor devolves upon us, and God requires it at our hands.
The Pro phet Joseph may turn the keys in the spirit world, and he and
those engaged with him may preach to the spirits in prison, but they
cannot baptize them nor confirm them, nor administer offices of the
endowment. Some person or persons dwelling in the flesh must attend to
this part of the work for them; for it takes just as much to save a
dead man who never received the Gospel as a living man. And all those
who have passed away without the Gospel have the right to expect
somebody in the flesh to perform this work for them, Amen.