There are many times when I feel a great desire to speak to the people
because I have things in my heart that I would like to say. I cannot
say at the present time however, that I have any great desire to
speak, still I will bear my testimony and express a few thoughts in my
reflections that are upon me today.
I am happy and greatly pleased in what I have witnessed, and I feel
that the heavens are pleased with our proceedings this day. I feel
that they are right. The kingdom of God is onward; it is not backward.
It is wisdom that we perform what we have done today.
The act of organizing the council of the first presidency of the
church and kingdom of God, I have regarded as a most solemn scene, to
See this mighty host of priesthood who are assembled in this house
vote in such unanimity, and to see this vast congregation rise in a
body with uplifted hands to heaven, it is like the rushing of many
waters—there is power in it; there is power with this people; there is
power with the priesthood and in the ordinances of the house of God.
And what we have done today will have its effect, it will have its
effect in the heavens and on the earth. The responsibility that we
bear as elders of Israel, before the heavens and before the earth and before each other, is very great. We are called of God; we
have been chosen, we have been ordained as men who have been called to
bear the priesthood and to attend to the ordinances of the house of
God, to preach the Gospel, to warn this generation, to build up Zion,
to redeem the earth, to erect temples unto the name of the Most High
God, to redeem the living and the dead, and to carry out those great
purposes which have been foreordained before the world was. It is a
great calling, it is a great responsibility: and I feel that we, as
servants of God and as elders of Israel, that we should try in our
minds to comprehend these things.
I reflect a good deal with regard to our position, as was described to
us today by Brother Pratt. It has been my faith and belief from the
time that I was made acquainted with the Gospel that no greater
prophet than Joseph Smith ever lived on the face of the earth save
Jesus Christ. He was raised up to stand at the head of this great
dispensation—the greatest of all dispensations God has ever given to
man. He remarked on several occasions when conversing with his
brethren: "brethren you do not know me, you do not know who I am." As
I remarked at our priesthood meeting on Friday evening, I have heard
him in my early days while conversing with the brethren, say, (at the
same time smiting himself upon the breast) "I would to God that I
could unbosom my feelings in the house of my friends." Joseph Smith
was ordained before he came here, the same as Jeremiah was. Said the
Lord unto him, "Before you were begotten I knew you" etc.
So do I believe with regard to this people, so do I believe with
regard to the apostles, the high priests, seventies and the elders of
Israel bearing the holy priesthood, I believe they were ordained
before they came here; and I believe the God of Israel has raised them
up, and has watched over them from their youth, and has carried them
through all the scenes of life both seen and unseen, and has prepared
them as instruments in his hands to take this kingdom and bear it off.
If this be so, what manner of men ought we to be? If anything under
the heavens should humble men before the Lord and before one another,
it should be the fact that we have been called of God.
I believe the eyes of the heavenly hosts are over this people; I
believe they are watching the elders of Israel, the prophets and
apostles and men who are called to bear off this kingdom. I believe
they watch over us all with great interest.
I will here make a remark concerning my own feelings. After the death
of Joseph Smith I saw and conversed with him many times in my dreams
in the night season. On one occasion he and his brother Hyrum met me
when on the sea going on a mission to England. I had Dan Jones with
me. He received his mission from Joseph Smith before his death; and
the prophet talked freely to me about the mission I was then going to
perform. And he also talked to me with regard to the mission of the
Twelve Apostles in the flesh, and he laid before me the work they had
to perform; and he also spoke of the reward they would receive after
death. And there were many other things he laid before me in his
interview on that occasion. And when I awoke many of the things he had
told me were taken from me, I could not comprehend them. I have had many interviews with Brother Joseph until the last 15 or 20
years of my life; I have not seen him for that length of time. But
during my travels in the southern country last winter I had many
interviews with President Young, and with Heber C. Kimball, and Geo.
A. Smith, and Jedediah M. Grant, and many others who are dead. They
attended our conference, they attended our meetings. And on one
occasion, I saw Brother Brigham and Brother Heber ride in carriage
ahead of the carriage in which I rode when I was on my way to attend
conference; and they were dressed in the most priestly robes. When we
arrived at our destination I asked President Young if he would preach to
us. He said, "No, I have finished my testimony in the flesh I shall
not talk to this people any more. But (said he) I have come to see
you; I have come to watch over you, and to see what the people are
doing. Then (said he) I want you to teach the people—and I want you to
follow this counsel yourself—that they must labor and so live as to
obtain the Holy Spirit, for without this you cannot build up the
kingdom; without the spirit of God you are in danger of walking in the
dark, and in danger of failing to accomplish your calling as apostles
and as elders in the church and kingdom of God. And, said he, Brother
Joseph taught me this principle. "And I will here say, I have heard
him refer to that while he was living. But what I was going to say is
this: the thought came to me that Brother Joseph had left the work of
watching over this church and kingdom to others, and that he had gone
ahead, and that he had left this work to men who have lived and
labored with us since he left us. This idea manifested itself to me,
that such men advance in the spirit world. And I believe myself that
these men who have died and gone into the spirit world had this
mission left with them, that is, a certain portion of them, to watch
over the Latter-day Saints.
I feel myself as though we are blessed of the Lord, and that we ought
to be satisfied. I feel that we should humble ourselves before God,
that we should labor to magnify our callings, and honor this
priesthood which we received before we came here while we live out the
few days appointed to man in the flesh. And I do hope and pray God
that we may magnify our priesthood and calling while we tarry here, so
that when we get through our earthly mission and go into the spirit
world, we may meet with Brothers Joseph and Brigham and Heber and the
rest of the faithful men whom we knew and labored with while in the
flesh, as well as Father Adam, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and
all the prophets and apostles who have had their day and their time
and their generation, and who have finished their work here below and
gone home to glory. Do you not think they are interested about us? I
tell you they are. And I desire when I die, and my spirit goes into
the spirit world, to meet these men and to go where they are; and I
wish to live in that way and manner so as to be worthy of this
blessing. And when I say this of myself I wish it to apply to all
Israel. It will not pay us to apostatize; neither will it pay us to sin,
it costs ten thousand times more than it is worth from beginning to
end. Therefore, let us be true and faithful to God. And inasmuch as we
have voted today to sustain the presidency of this church and
kingdom, let our prayers ascend night and morning into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, in behalf of the men who now stand at our
head, and also in behalf of the apostles and in behalf of all the
priesthood of God in their place and station. And inasmuch as we do
this we will grow, we will advance, the Spirit of God will be poured
out upon us which will reveal unto us the mind and the will of God
concerning us. And Zion will continue to increase in power on the
earth, and eventually accomplish all for which it is designed, which
is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.