Remarks

Apostle Franklin D. Richards, was the next speaker. He expressed his desire to bear his testimony to his fellow-men concerning the truth of the Gospel as given to the world in these last days. He rejoiced exceedingly that God had sent His servants to the land of his nativity to testify of the glorious work that had been established. It was fifty-three years ago last June that he obeyed the message. The speaker had previously commenced the work of searching the scriptures in order to learn the truth and he had not had to wait long till he found it. In the latter part of the same year the Lord had revealed it to him, and from that day till now, he had never, not even in the darkest hours of trials, had a doubt as to its genuineness. He had found it out through obedience to the principles laid before us this morning and by the reception of the Holy Spirit and the experience of His power, both in soul and in body. He was sorry that he had not been able to do more than he had for the advancement of the kingdom of God and the salvation of his fellowmen. The Lord had blessed him from time to time with spiritual gifts and he knew certainly that the work in which he was engaged was the work of the most high God. ¶

We need never have any doubt concerning this work. The man who was honored as the instrument of introducing it into the world was a servant of God. He received it from Jesus Christ, our Savior. ¶

The speaker testified that he knew that the Redeemer lives and that He will stand on the earth in the latter days. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. He appeared in his spiritual body to the brother of Jared and to Moses, and he came in the fulness of time and took upon him a body of flesh and bones, and became like man in all respects, but he was a perfected type, and He is the great and glorious Being who has the control of the affairs connected with this Gospel. The inhabitants of the earth will have to hear Him. Blessed be God, our Father, for the knowledge we have received of Him. There is not an earthly monarch from Nimrod to Nebuchadnezzar, and the old Roman Emperors, or the Czars and Sultans and Pharaohs and other mighty men who have ruled with power in the world and who have gone in the spirit world but will have to acknowledge that Jesus came to save the human race, when He brings them out of their graves. ¶

He said that he who believes in the Father also believes in Him, and, “if you do not believe, you shall die in your sins.” That has been the condition of the past ages. But Christ came to save them. We must all lay our bodies down in the dust, but the day shall come when we shall rise again, and then shall every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. Blessed are they who have already received this knowledge. We do not know how to be thankful enough for this great blessing. We have all to be tried. Abraham was tried till every hope seemed to be cut off. His only child was laid on the altar, but the Patriarch still believed that God was mighty to raise him from the dead. Many of us have been similarly tried, when we have seen our children on a bed of sickness. We have called the Elders to administer to them, but all hope seemed gone and we thought all was over, when God finally restored the beloved ones to us. God’s children are of little account before they have been tried and have faithfully endured. When we have learned to take everything as it comes and yet have the first determination, “I and my house will serve the Lord;” when we can give up everything and do this as it behooves the servants of God, then we are prepared to receive the things back again as ours, which are not so now. Let us, then, go on and keep the commandments of God. We need more of the Spirit of the Lord, if we wish to see our way through all trials and difficulties. May God grant us the glorious privilege to attain unto perfect manhood and become like our Savior, Jesus Christ. ¶