Discourse

I ask for the faith and prayers of the congregation. I am laboring under the disadvantage of a severe cold, but I realize that the prayers of the Saints avail much in the interest of any of our Father’s children. ¶

I will read a portion of the second chapter of the Prophet Joel: ¶

And it shall come to pass that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. ¶

In reading this portion of the Scripture, it is not my intention to follow it as a text, but to draw your attention to it as one of the most precious promises of God to His people. It seems to me that such promises should be fastened upon the mind of every Saint. ¶

Many principles have been touched upon as important to the Church of Christ. Our brethren have spoken about matters of faith, of a temporal and spiritual character, and pointed out to us the obligations into which we entered when we stepped down into the waters of baptism. They have touched upon the education of the youth of Zion. It has been admitted by some speakers at least that skepticism, to some extent, has made its appearance among the youth of the Latter-day Saints. Our efforts to a great extent have been to cure this evil. It would, however, be useless to anticipate the possibility of so living and so teaching that we could save all the children that belong to us, or keep from their minds the influence of the skepticism of the time in which we live. We should make every effort to implant in the minds of our children faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This obligation rests upon us from the instructions given us in the revelations of God. In the organization of the Church the necessary provisions were made to meet the requirements of the case. Our quorums of priests and teachers were instituted for the purpose of laying the faith deep in the hearts of the sons and the daughters of Zion, that they should need to entertain no doubt if they would only exercise the minds their heavenly father has given them. ¶

The passage read informs us that the Lord would bring about a time when dreams and visions and inspiration by the spirit should be manifested to a large extent among His people. In fact, the passage takes a much wider field, saying that God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh; but when the Prophet Joseph came forward and announced that he had been permitted to receive manifestations from God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, the world was opposed to the idea. When he declared that God had again spoken from heaven, the whole world came into commotion. But they were led to witness one of the greatest displays ever witnessed. One ray of light after another dawned upon the universe in rapid succession, and they have continued to flow, and will do so until our Father in heaven may see fit to restrain them. ¶

Have we pointed out to the young that living and active faith is the result of inspiration from God? That inspiration is among the moving forces of the universe? ¶

Joseph Smith, the Prophet, announced that God the Father, and Jesus Christ, His Son, were revealed to him, and commissioned him to commence the work of ushering in the dispensation of the fullness of times, in which God would renew everything upon the earth, and the sons and daughters of men should bask in the rays of eternal life. At that time the world had informed us that the voice of inspiration was hushed. The windows of heaven were closed so far as revelation and prophecy were concerned. I would ask the stranger as well as the Latter-day Saint, was it not inspiration that led to the discovery of the power of steam? It is true all the details did not dawn upon the first discoverer, but others who accepted his ideas developed the system to the extent we see to-day. It was by the direction of God that this work, which revolutionized the world was brought about. And thus we see the promise fulfilled that the Spirit should be poured out upon the whole world. The same might be applied to the invention of telegraphic communication by electricity. The inspirations have been given gradually, one by one, and they have all been given for the purpose that the Children of God may see the fulfillment of the promise, that the Spirit should be poured out upon all flesh. Well may we, in contemplating it all, exclaim, “What hath God wrought!” We should write upon the hearts of our children that inspiration is the groundwork of every good work, and that those works are done in fulfillment of His promise to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. We believe that many works of the mechanic and also the formation of our government have been accomplished as the results of inspiration. Men may not at the time have acknowledged the hand of God in these things, but we have seen it and acknowledged it to be the fulfillment of the promises of the Lord. We should, therefore, remember this and instruct our children in this beautiful principle, and teach them to drink of this clear stream of life—inspiration. We should instruct the sons and daughters of Zion that they may understand the doctrine of life and salvation, the doctrine of faith in God, inspiration and prophesying, in order that they may be willing to carry the Gospel to the nations of the earth. This should be our position, and we should labor to this end. We have gone abroad to lift up our voice of warning to all people. ¶

When we read the revelations we are taught that we are not responsible for anybody’s sins but our own. This is different from what was taught in the ages when there was no light of revelation. We must not suffer for the sins of others. God says: “Every man must stand or fall by his own deeds.” No matter what others do, God is just in all His ways. When this work was introduced the manifestations of God broke out on all sides, and its accomplishments are among the wonders of the world. ¶

Our conference is about to be closed. We have been together from every part of the land. We have come to be instructed, to receive rebuke if need be, or admonition, in order that we might be strengthened in our faith. My testimony now is that Christ lives. He is still here, and his work shall remain and increase until He who rules on high is satisfied with our labors. He was the author of the work and laid the responsibility upon us to go out into the whole world. God Himself has planted us upon the Rock of Ages to be the saviors of mankind. Jesus lives. He is the Savior of the world. Let us keep His commandments and take the consequences. Our duty is first to God, next to our country, and then to our families. Zion will continue to rise and shine, and no power will be able to restrain her, for it is the work of God, and I so testify to you. ¶