The Church Built on Continuous Revelation

My brethren and sisters, I am pleased to have the privilege of meeting with you at this Conference—I desire in the performance of my duty the kind assistance of your prayers of faith—I have been edified through the instructions of my brethren—They have encouraged me and also corrected me, for I find in them instructions which will enable me to improve wherein I lack, and encourage me in the enjoyment of the blessings resulting from the duties which perhaps I have performed more faithfully than others—In contemplating the character of these instructions, it is a solemn testimony to me of the truth of which my brethren have spoken, that the Church is guided by the spirit of revelation—But we are not guided by the spirit of revelation as much as we ought to be—I think sometimes that we have not fully divested ourselves of the elements of sectarianism which some of us may have brought from the world and which others have imbibed because of their weaknesses—Our Elders, in preaching the Gospel in the various nations of the earth, call attention to the fact that it has always been a characteristic of humanity to profess a belief in the revelations and the remarkable manifestations of the power of God which have been exhibited before their day—But when confronted with the opportunity or necessity of exercising the same faith, and enjoying immediate revelation, they have been weighed in the balance and found wanting—The Church of Christ never did exist on the earth, only as it existed by the spirit of revelation from God—The Jews, when the Gospel was presented to them by John the Baptist and also by the Savior, had just the same opportunities that the Christian world of today have, that is, of reading from the Scripture, which had been made by the Prophets preceding them, and receiving instructions from the doctors of the law and those whose pretended business it was to expound the Scriptures—But when one came to them and said that the kingdom of God was nigh at hand, they were not prepared to receive it—The Gospel then as now was a test to all institutions—John the Baptist said "The ax is laid unto the root of the tree, therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire " Jesus was desiring to bring to the attention of His disciples the necessity of being built upon a solid foundation, and propounded a question unto them as recorded in Matthew, 16th chapter—He said: "Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" And His disciples said, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias: and others, Jeremiah or one of the Prophets " Thus we see that it was all guess work with them, so far as the general public were concerned—He turned to the Apostles and said: "But whom say ye that I am?" In response there came an emphatic testimony, not from a doctor of the law, not from an educated man, who had built his faith upon a mere reading of the ancient scripture, but from a poor, unlettered man, who had been called by the voice of the Son of God from the fisherman's net, when the Messiah had said to him and his brother Andrew, "Come and follow me and I will make you fishers of men "—From Peter the testimony came in no uncertain tones, saying, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God " And Jesus said to Peter: "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven " ¶

I wish to bear my testimony that flesh and blood never did, because it never could, reveal unto man the identity of the Son of God, or make plain to the understanding of the children of men the things of God in any respect; and if it required a revelation for the Apostle Peter to bear witness that Jesus was the Christ, it will require revelation for every man and woman in every dispensation of the Gospel, to bear the same testimony—Indeed, the Son of God enunciated this fact as an eternal doctrine, when he sent the Seventies out to declare the Gospel—He had commanded them to go without purse or scrip, just as the servants of God have been commanded in this dispensation, that the world may be tested and that the disciples of the Son of God may act upon the principle of faith and trust in God to provide for them the necessities and comforts of life—When the Seventy returned to the Savior with the report of their mission, they said that they lacked nothing: ¶

"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight ¶

"All things are delivered to me of my Father; and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him " ¶

This is a plain and simple doctrine, and whatever may be the attainments of mankind, based upon the opportunities of the age in which we live, augmented by the experience and the learning of the preceding generations, they cannot understand the things of God, without the spirit of revelation—I wish to bear my testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded upon the principle of revelation, and that it has been guided and controlled by the spirit of revelation from its inception to the present time—God designed to guide this Church by the voice of revelation—When I see any lack of confidence on the part of our people in the wisdom of the Prophet of God and his associates, I am impressed with the fact that we are lacking in that faith which belongs to the work of God—When the Prophet Joseph "Smith was instrumental in establishing this work, he made certain promises, such as have been alluded to by my brethren today—These promises have been fulfilled to the very letter—They not only extended to the remarkable manifestation of the gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost, but they extended to a promise that every man and every woman in the Church should have a substantial testimony concerning the propriety of every movement made by the Prophet of God, in advancing the interests of the work of God upon the earth—And it can be pointed out on the pages of history that neither the Prophet Joseph Smith nor any of his successors ever gave counsel unto the Saints of God that was not attended with blessings and prosperity to those who heeded and acted upon it—Moreover, it cannbt be found upon the pages of history where any man has risen up in opposition to that counsel and has stretched forth his hand to steady the ark of God, but what that man has come to disappointment and his folly has been made manifest in the midst of the people of God—I can bear my testimony that these evidences, which have been recorded as a result of the experience of this Church, will continue down to the latest period of time—God has established this work; He has maintained it; He has prospered it in the earth, and He will continue to do so from this time henceforth and forever—God bless you, in the name of Jesus—Amen ¶