Discourse

My brethren and sisters and friends: By way of introduction I desire to say that I feel to thank God and all my friends for the blessing I enjoy at this time—for the privilege, once more, of entering this Tabernacle and beholding the faces of the Latter-day Saints. And I feel a good deal as Mark Antony did when he went to bury Caesar. “I come to bury Caesar,” said he, “not to praise him.” I come to see the Latter-day Saints, but not to preach to them. You have plenty of Apostles and Elders to preach the word of the Lord unto you. But I have long desired to again enter this Tabernacle of the Lord and see the Latter-day Saints. It has been some three years, I think, since I have met with the Saints of God in this house; and I will tell you how I felt about coming to Conference. I felt that it would not be doing our great and mighty nation any harm—a nation of sixty millions of people—for two or three old men, seventy-five or eighty years of age, to come into this Tabernacle and look at the Latter-day Saints, and at the faces of their wives and children. I do not know that I have a wife or child here. If I have they will be able to see how old I have grown since we last met. Some of us have tried to keep the law to such an extent that we have almost forgotten how our wives and children look. I feel, however, to say, God bless the Marshal and officers of the government as far as they can exercise mercy, charity and humanity toward the Latter-day Saints in fulfilling their duty as officers of the government. I feel thankful to-day for this privilege, and I feel at peace with all mankind. I am at peace with all my friends. As to my enemies, I do not know that I have any. If I have, I hope that we may be at peace upon the principles of the Gospel of Christ of righteousness and of truth. ¶

Now, with regard to preaching to you, my brethren and sisters, that is a subject I have thought very little about. I have preached this Gospel for some fifty-four years, and have learned by experience a great while ago that it is no use for an Elder in Israel to decide in his mind what he is going to say to the Saints of God. This is the way I feel to-day. And I will say this, that there are times in a man’s life when he cannot help reflecting upon the past. That is my condition to-day. Since I have entered this Tabernacle, and looked upon this congregation, my mind has reverted to my life from the time I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and this engenders in my bosom some very solemn reflections. Fifty-four years ago this last spring I traveled a thousand miles with the Prophet Joseph, and his brother Hyrum, Brothers Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith, and a great many other men—some 205 in all—mostly Elders in Israel—for the redemption of our brethren—to assist them in the midst of persecution. Our Prophets and Patriarchs, many of them, have passed away. They are on the other side of the vail. Since we came into these valleys forty years ago the twenty-fourth of last July—I drove President Young into this valley in my carriage, and he was sick at the time—eleven of the Apostles have passed away. They are in the spirit world mingling with the Gods, where they can plead for their brethren. These are reflections that rest upon my mind as I occupy this stand where I have met day after day and year after year with these noble men. President John Taylor, who was our last President and Apostle has also taken his departure. The last time I was in this house I met here with him. His work is finished. He has gone into the spirit world, where we shall all go very soon. Sometimes, in my reflections, I feel somewhat lonesome when I think these matters over. I feel as if I had lived two or three generations since the days of Kirtland and Nauvoo, or since the establishment of this Church and Kingdom with which I have been associated for so many years. I realize myself that I shall not dwell a great while upon the earth. I do not expect to dwell a great while longer with the Latter-day Saints. I have lived to the age of four score years, and when I contemplate the multitude that has passed away since we entered these valleys of the mountains, I can only expect to take my turn with the rest. But I will say this. I rejoice in the Gospel of Jesus Christ; I rejoice in the work of God; I rejoice in the principles of eternal life, light and truth, which have been revealed to the Latter-day Saints. ¶

We have been called as a people to pass through a great deal of affliction in our day and time. But this eternal truth remains on earth and in heaven—that the God of Israel has set His hand to establish His Church and Kingdom upon the earth, and to fulfill the revelations contained within the Holy Bible, the Old and New Testament, as well as other records which have been given concerning the last dispensation and fulness of times. ¶

We are all of us, brethren and sisters, dependent upon God our Heavenly Father for all our blessings, both temporal and spiritual. Indeed, while I contemplate our progress, our advancement, and the signs of the times in which we live, I feel that we, as Latter-day Saints, should try to fully realize and comprehend our responsibility before God, before each other, before the heavens, and before the earth. ¶

I have for a long time had a desire to mingle with the Latter-day Saints, and to take part in their institutions—the Sabbath schools, the Mutual Improvement Associations, and with the various organizations of the Church. But for several years I have been laboring in other portions of the country, and have been deprived of the privilege of meeting with the Saints so far as this portion of the Territory is concerned. ¶

I have desired from my youth up to become acquainted with the truth as contained in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From my youth up I have had a desire to live and find the people of God on the earth. I have lived to see that day. I have lived to see Prophets, Apostles and inspired men. I have associated with them for many years of my life. This has been a great pleasure to me, and a great satisfaction to my own spirit. ¶

And I desire to say to the Latter-day Saints, that we should remember that we are sent here on a mission; that we have been born in the flesh in this last dispensation of the fulness of times. We have been called to labor in the vineyard of the Lord, called to preach the Gospel, called to warn the nations of the earth, and many of them have been warned. We have traveled by land and by sea; have visited many foreign nations, also almost every part of our own nation, and some of us are drawing our missions to a close. ¶

I have a desire that the Latter-day Saints should try to live their religion, and endeavor to do what is right; that they should have faith in God, and in the revelations of God, and in the principles which have been revealed to the Saints for the salvation of the human family. ¶

We have a great many organizations in the Church and Kingdom of God, and have had almost from the beginning. They are so organized that all men and women, whether young or old, have a place of usefulness. We should try to improve our time, our talents and our opportunities while we are here upon the earth. I realize that this world is not our abiding place. We have an evidence of this every day of our lives. We are called to bury our Prophets, Apostles, Elders, fathers, mothers, wives and children, all of which shows us that we have no lease of life. We should therefore improve our time to-day. ¶

I have felt to give the Latter-day Saints my faith and prayers in all their labors and exertions to build up the kingdom of God. I try to build it up to the best of my ability in accordance with the light and truth and knowledge which God has given me. ¶

This is the first time that I have endeavored to speak in public for a good while. I have not been laboring in the midst of congregations like this. I have just passed through a week of sickness, which laid me prostrate. I feel the effects of it in my lungs, and in my system, yet I feel all right in my spirit. I felt as though I desired to look upon the faces of the Latter-day Saints, and hear the testimonies of my brethren. They have heard my testimony in years past. I have the same testimony to bear to-day. I bear record before God, angels and men, that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel has been revealed in these last days through the Prophets of God; and that Joseph Smith was raised up by the power of God as a Prophet, Seer and Revelator. He laid the foundation of this Church and Kingdom in its perfection, as it is at the present time. He brought forth the record as contained in the Book of Mormon, in fulfilment of the predictions of the Prophets of God; and also the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, which contains those grand and solemn revelations, and those principles of eternal truth, so precious to the Latter-day Saints. These things are true. We should study them; lay them up in our hearts, and practice them in our lives. This is the kingdom of God, and the Church of Jesus Christ. The Lord Almighty has set His hand to carry out the great programme of the last dispensation and fulness of times. If this had not been true Utah to-day would have been in all probability a desert as we found it in 1847, when first we came here. God has been watching over this people, and will continue to watch so long as we keep His commandments, so long will the hand of God be over the Latter-day Saints; Zion will arise; Zion will be clothed upon by the power of God. The Lord is watching over her; the heavens have been watching over this people, and have been from the beginning. We have the blessings of God with us. They are manifest in our temporal and spiritual affairs. ¶

As I said in the beginning of my remarks, I realize that the voices of those we were accustomed to hear in the past are hushed in death. We shall hear them no more. The rest of us will follow in their train. We shall all pass away in our time, and we have a long eternity before us in the world to come. Those that have passed away have closed their work here, and are laboring to-day on the other side of the vail. ¶

You have had laid before you, during this Conference, some things pertaining to the redemption of our dead, and some things in regard to the building of temples. These, brethren and sisters, are important works. They are works which we do for others that they cannot do for themselves. This is what Jesus Christ did when He laid down His life for our redemption, because we could not redeem ourselves. We have fathers and mothers and kindred in the spirit world, and we have a work to perform in their behalf. As an individual I have had a great interest in this work of redeeming the dead, and so have my brethren and sisters. This is a labor we must continue as far as we have opportunity. This principle was taught by the Apostle Paul. He asks, “If the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead?” This is a work that rests upon the Latter-day Saints. Do what you can in this respect, so that when you pass to the other side of the vail your fathers, mothers, relatives and friends will bless you for what you have done, and inasmuch as you have been instruments in the hands of God in procuring their redemption, you will be recognized as Saviors upon Mount Zion in fulfillment of prophecy. ¶

I hope that our institutions—those that have been referred to in our Epistle—the Relief Societies, Sunday schools, Mutual Improvement Associations, etc., will continue to do good. They have done a great deal of good, and still have the power to do more. These institutions belong to the organizations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The brethren and sisters should continue to labor in them in behalf of the rising generation of this people. The Mutual Improvement Associations are good schools in which to prepare our young men for the vineyard of Christ. So also as the various quorums of the priesthood, and we should all labor to the best of our ability to fulfill the duties devolving upon us. ¶

I feel the effect of my sickness; I feel it upon my lungs, and do not think it necessary to continue my remarks. I am glad to see you, and say God bless you, and I pray that God may pour out His Spirit upon you that we may magnify our calling, do our duty, keep the commandments of God, so that when we get through our work we may be satisfied with our history. I feel to bless this congregation, as far as I have the right and privilege to bless, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Latter-day Saints have been trying to do their duty, but there is room for all to improve; let us walk uprightly and labor for the truth, and for the inspiration of Almighty God to assist us in all we endeavor to accomplish. I pray our heavenly Father to uphold and sustain you, to bless you and your families, to bless you as husbands and wives and children and as Latter-day Saints, or any other capacity in which we are called to act. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶