Remarks

President Joseph F. Smith, next addressed the assemblage. He said that, agreeable to the request of President Woodruff, he arose to speak to the Saints for a short time that morning, according to the inspiration that he might receive and the strength and assistance that might be given him of the Lord. Of himself he felt very weak and incapable of addressing so vast a congregation as he now saw before him; he felt exceedingly humble in the sight of God. ¶

He desired to add his acknowledgements, and also his thankfulness, to those expressed by President Woodruff, in that he was permitted to meet with the Latter-day Saints that morning. He was deeply grateful to his Heavenly Father for the privilege of meeting with them in conference in that Tabernacle for the first time in seven and a half years. To Him be given the glory and honor for every blessing that they had received; and he was also thankful to the President of the United States for exercising clemency towards him and again giving him his franchise and his citizenship in the community in which he lived. He was also most grateful to his friends who gave their influence and their assistance to this end. He need not name them, for they well knew the work that they had done. He fully acknowledged their kindness under God, and would endeavor to act consistent with the circumstances in which he was placed, and the condition in which the people of God were placed, in order that he might be able to continue his usefulness in the midst of the people at large. ¶

He desired to say that his faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ had undergone but one change since he met with the Saints there before. They might ask what the change was. His answer was this: “The change that has come upon my faith since I had the privilege of last meeting with you is that my faith is as much strong, as much more fervent, as much more determined as it is possible for it to have grown in the lapse of seven and a half years. That is the only change that has come upon my faith in regard to the principles of the Gospel. He loved the Gospel a little better than he did a few years ago; he loved his brethren a little better; he was trying a little harder to be a better man today than was the case a few years ago; and he was endeavoring to the best of his understanding and ability to live a little nearer unto the Lord now than he did a number of years ago. These were the changes that had come upon him during his exile, during his absence from the people and from his home. He trusted that he might continue in this direction, to grow and develop in faith, in understanding, in humility, and in all the graces of the Gospel until “the perfect day.” ¶

He desired to exhort his brethren and sisters to do likewise, to be just as faithful as it was possible for them to be, from this time henceforth and forever. They had received the truth, inasmuch as they had embraced the Gospel that had been restored to the earth in this dispensation through the Prophet Joseph Smith. They were engaged in the right cause, they were walking in the right path, inasmuch as they were endeavoring to follow the precepts of that Gospel. Let them continue in that path; let the Spirit of the Lord expand their hearts and minds, enlarge their understanding, quicken their perceptive faculties, extend their sympathy and love, and increase their faith and diligence in the performance of all the duties which devolved upon them as Latter-day Saints. All would then be well with them. The Kingdom of God was the kingdom of righteousness, Christ Himself being the “chief corner stone,” and the Latter-day Saints were His subjects; for they acknowledged no king but King Emanuel. He was their King, Lawgiver, and Ruler; He was their Dictator; because he dictated to them by the influences of His Holy Spirit. He inspired their hearts to do that which was right and righteous in His sight; He reproved them when they did wrong; He showed them, through the influences of His Holy Spirit, the right course—the righteous way, and He inspired their hearts to walk to that way. The Kingdom of God was established upon the earth and Christ, their head, was King. He had said that they should be subject to kings, and to emperors, and to presidents and rulers in the midst of the children of men, and to the powers that be, and to the laws that are, until He comes “whose right it is to reign,” and “subdues all things unto Himself.” ¶

This was the work in which they were engaged; this was the hope that inspired their hearts; this was the desire that was before them—that they might be subject to the powers that be, that they might work righteousness in their day and age, that they might be faithful in the discharge of every duty devolving upon them as men and women occupying a position in the community in which they lived; that they might be pure-minded, honorable, truthful, honest and sincere in all they undertook. ¶

While they acknowledged God as their head, while they acknowledged Christ as their Ruler, King, Lawgiver and Preceptor, still they were subject, and always had been subject to the governments under which they dwelt, and they expected to yield obedience unto the laws which existed, when those laws were made for the government of the children of men and for the establishment of peace and good order in the midst of the world. Where good government did not exist in this their great and glorious country it was not because the form of government was not good. It was not because, as a rule their laws were not intended to be good; but it often happened because those laws were not properly administered, or because the administration of the law was entrusted to those who were not just in their hearts. ¶

These were circumstances that they could not control. They were creatures subject to these conditions, and must yield obedience to them. They must honor this law of God and also the law of men, and seek to be good citizens. It was the right of every individual within the sound of his voice, and throughout the world, to exercise his or her own judgments as to what was good and what was evil; and so long as every man or woman did, according to the light which he or she possessed, that which was right and avoided that which was wrong, they might continue to plead with God that the errors and evils and wrongs which existed amongst us might cease and righteousness reign in their stead. It was the duty of every one to pray to God that justice might be administered and truth upheld and sustained in the midst of the children of men everywhere. ¶

As Latter-day Saints they believed in the Son of God, for they were Christians in every sense of the word. In believing this they did not alone depend upon that which was written in the Bible; they had not to depend entirely upon their faith in this matter. It was true they read the Bible, that they read the testimony of the ancient Apostles in the New Testament: they read the record of the Nephites on this continent, and they believed their testimony. But over and above that, great than all this, they had in their hearts the inspiration of God to man, teaching us that these things are true and that God lived, that Jesus is His Son, that He died for the world, that his blood cleanses us from all sin, through our obedience to the principles of the Gospel, and through our fidelity to the principles of righteousness in our lives. That was why it was impossible for a man who had once received the testimony of Jesus Christ to forsake God and join the various “isms” which existed in the world to-day. They might depart from this Gospel, from religion, from Christ, from the knowledge of God, from the faith of the Gospel of the Son of God, but they became infidels. This had been proven, and was known to be the fact. How careful then, they ought to be who had the privilege of knowing the truth for themselves. ¶

After enlarging upon the subject of faith in God, the speaker went on to say that during his exile he enjoyed perfect liberty; because the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the Gospel of liberty, and whoever received it was free indeed, though he be in chains, in bondage or in prison. It made no difference as to that. He was free because God had made him so, and there was no freedom greater than this. Those of their brethren who had been in prison for conscience sake were free men, even though restricted of their liberty for the time. Why was he free? Because he owed no man, so far as he knew; because he did not entertain malice in his heart toward any man. He was no man’s debtor to his knowledge, and, according to the best of his ability he never wronged or injured anyone. If he had, let that man come and show him wherein he had wronged him, and, God being his helper, he would make it right to the last farthing. He had endeavored to live within the pale of the kingdom of God—the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that would make all men free, inasmuch as they would receive the truth. ¶

His brethren and sisters would excuse him if he displayed a little fervor and enthusiasm—they might call it fanaticism if they pleased. What did he care? So that he was satisfied and knew that God had spoken to him, that he had received the truth, it made no difference. And if they had received the truth, could they be less fervent than he? No. Yet with all his thankfulness, with all his fervency, faith and confidence in the work in which they were engaged, he was not as earnest, devout, and thankful as he should be. There was still room to grow, to improve and enlarge his usefulness from day to day and from hour to hour, and he intended to try and improve upon each opportunity. ¶

They must be subject to the powers that be, subject to the authorities of the Priesthood and of the Church; subject to their counsels of righteousness. They would only counsel them in that which was good in the sight of God. It was not an exhibition of freedom or manhood for men to disobey the words of God and the righteous counsels of His chosen servants. A man was a coward indeed who would do so. There was no cowardice in a man obeying at all times righteous counsel when it came from the Presidency of the Church, from the Apostles, from their Presidents of Stakes, from their Bishops, and Teachers, and from those who were authorized to teach, instruct, and counsel the people of God. It was manly, it was noble, it was independence of spirit for a man to hearken to such counsel and to be obedient to such men. It was brave; for the world looked upon the Latter-day Saints with scorn and contempt, and thought they were deceived. But they were not. The finger of scorn was sometimes pointed at them because they said they were not ashamed to listen to the counsels of those good men who led and instructed them. But the people had proved them; they knew their principles, how they had guided the Saints in the past, they knew their integrity, their honor, their worth, their fortitude; and could therefore well afford to be guided by them in all things and be united with them. It was manly and Godlike to do so; not to do it was cowardly. ¶

Would any man dare to tell him he was a coward when he listened to good counsel, no matter from whom it came? It took courage to do as they had done; and that was why the Latter-day Saints were independent men. They were chosen and uplifted of God because they dared to obey the truth, to acknowledge in the presence of the whole world that Jesus was the Christ and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the living God. They dared and proposed to continue to do this to the end of their time, knowing that it was right, and did not intend to shrink from that duty, God helping them. ¶

In conclusion the speaker exhorted the Saints to be faithful, humble, and diligent in the performance of all their duties, never wavering nor faltering in the least, but remaining steadfast in the principles of the Gospel. Then God would bless and prosper them and their children after them, from generation to generation. ¶