Comfort for the Sick and the Japan Mission

My beloved brethren and sisters, I feel very much honored this morning in having the privilege of standing before you I pray that the spirit which has actuated the brethren in speaking to you during this conference may rest upon me, and that you, through your faith and prayers may continue to draw out from the speakers those very words and sentiments which shall bless and comfort you and increase your faith in the service of the Lord. From the beginning of this conference I have been impressed with the spirit that has characterized the labors of the brethren throughout the Stakes of Zion in preparing for this great gathering; for their labors have tended to prepare the minds of the people for greater light, greater intelligence, and greater manifestations of the power of the Lord in blessing His children. ¶

I remember a little incident that occurred last Sunday in a fast meeting that I attended. Some very sick children and people were prayed for in that meeting, and the Lord manifested His power in blessing many of them, and as a rule they began to amend from that very hour. We know, brethren and sisters, that the issue -of life and death and the welfare of the human family are in the hands of our Great Creator; and that it should be so we realize as fully as any people that live upon the earth. The wisdom of the Almighty we begin to comprehend to such a degree that we feel to leave all things in His hands after we have done our whole duty, after we have prayed and fasted and worked for the restoration of the sick. We feel that the Father is over all, and that by His power are the sick raised from their beds of affliction; and without His good pleasure we cannot realize the blessings that we in our finite wisdom think we ought to possess. It is proper that our Heavenly Father should hold within His grasp the welfare of His children in life and death; and He commands us, in cases of sickness, to call upon the Elders of His Church, that they may anoint with oil, and by the prayer of faith draw down His blessings. We receive the blessings always, whether in life or death; for He knows what is best for His children, and so we bow in humility before Him and acknowledge His hand in all things. ¶

I make these remarks this morning because my heart is filled with joy and satisfaction, where I see the power of the Lord manifested in raising up the sick. And when the power of the destroyer, by permission of the Lord, takes away a sick one, then my heart goes out in sympathy for the afflicted family, and I mourn with them in their deep sorrow. Nevertheless I know that the Lord has His hand over His people in mercy, and He will heal the broken-hearted and comfort those who mourn. Those who are raised up by His power, if they honor the blessing they receive, will live to do a mighty work, while those who die will pass into the presence of the Father, there to meet with Him and with those they have loved in life, and they will not lose any blessing that they would have gained had they lived longer upon the earth. ¶

I rejoice in the principles of the Gospel, because they are saving in their nature. I am rejoiced at the condition of the Stakes and wards of Zion and the organizations of the Holy Priesthood. I am rejoiced above measure at the glad response given to the words of our Prophet Lorenzo Snow in relation to the law of tithing; still, there is yet room for improvement. I rejoice at the numerous missions that have been opened, where the Elders are permitted to go forth and proclaim the word of the Lord and the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I rejoice that a new mission is being opened in Japan, and I feel assured that there will be no failure in it. Whatever trials these brethren may have to meet will only tend to make them live nearer to the Lord and to feel after Him for their own sustenance. They will prosper in that mission, and the door will be opened wide for the Elders to proclaim the Gospel among those teeming millions of brown men. So will it be in other lands. President George Q. Cannon, in the conference prior to his death, said that the doors of the Gospel must be opened to other lands; and in saying that he echoed the very sentiments of President Snow and President Smith. ¶

This mission to Japan is the beginning of this great opening to nations where yet the Gospel has not been preached by the Elders. I rejoice also in the condition of the Stakes of Zion. I observe in the hearts of the people a desire to improve, a desire to advance, a desire to live nearer to the Lord, to keep His holy commandments, and to be worthy of the blessings that He has in store for the faithful. ¶

There are some things, however, that I regret. I am sorry that this favored city of ours is so full of temptations for the youth of Zion. I regret the introduction of fads and fashions into the midst of the Latter-day Saints. I regret the number of whisky saloons that are in the streets of Salt Lake City. But I do not know of any means of preventing these temptations from coming to our boys and girls — and we are all boys and girls when it comes to temptation. Probably these things must be, or the Lord would not permit them. We must be a tried people; we must overcome temptation, and prove to the Lord whether through evil and through good report we will be faithful to His cause. We must be taught to shun the very appearance of evil, and we must teach our children to do the same. Our words and our actions must tend to the welfare of our fellow men, to the redemption of Zion, to the spread of the Gospel and the upbuilding of His kingdom in the earth, that a rule and reign of righteousness and purity may come to the earth — not through the absence of temptation, but through the power of His children to overcome and trample under foot all temptation. ¶

I testify to you of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was divinely inspired. He was filled with the power of his mission to such an extent that he came as near being a perfect man as ever stood upon the earth, excepting our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the fulfilment of his mission upon the earth, he exemplified the teachings and actions of his Master. So have the brethren who have followed in his footsteps as prophets, seers and revelators to Israel. President Young, President Kimball, and others of the Apostles saw with prophetic eye the temptations and allurements that would be spread 'neath the feet of the Latter-day Saints in the future, and they lifted up their voices and warned the people of those trials that were to come — not those trials which would make them more shining in the faith, their armor brighter and their lances keener in defense of the truth, but the trials of temptation and sin that would creep right into the very homes of the Saints, especially in the cities, and bring ruin and sadness to the family circle. The Apostles and Prophets have warned us always to shun temptation; to expect that allurements would come into our midst, but to so shape our lives that we could overcome them. For this purpose we have our Improvement associations, our Sunday schools, our Primaries, and all the other auxiliary associations belonging to the Church. They were instituted for the education of the youth of Zion. But I consider that the training of the parents is the stepping-tone to the training of the boys and girls. I am in full accord with that master mind who, when asked how soon the training of children should begin, replied, "Two hundred years before they are born." The training of the parents under the influence of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is going to produce a wonderful result in the character of coming generations. I see the physical benefits that will come through the observance of the Word of Wisdom. I see the mental and spiritual blessings that will come through the observance of the laws of chastity and purity of life. The study of the revelations of the Lord will educate the parents, and the result upon the children will be very great. If we can keep in the line of right and truth, and so train our children after us, the harvest will be wonderful. The kingdom of God must come upon the earth. Peace must reign supreme. But before the kingdom of God can come, before peace can prevail, the people must be trained to love peace and union, to love the Lord, to love each other. They must love their neighbors as themselves, and their God above all. They must keep His laws, in order that this spirit of peace and brotherly love may be disseminated abroad from the rivers to the ends of the earth, and the way be prepared for Jesus to come and reign as Kings of kings and Lord of lords. The Gospel must be preached to every creature, for a witness, before the end of unrighteousness can come. ¶

I rejoice over the prospects which are before you as a people. I rejoice in the spirit of truth that has brought you together today. I pray with all my heart that the Spirit of the Lord may fill President Snow, that his body may be renovated, that he may be freed from cold, and be able to mingle with us before the conference closes. I pray that the spirit of peace, joy and health may enter his heart and his whole body, from this very moment, and I hope that my brethren will pray with me to this end. I trust that the spirit of this conference may increase in power and goodness for the benefit of the Saints everywhere — that it may go out into every land and clime, especially where there is a Latter-day Saint Elder humbly toiling for the spread of the truth, and rest upon him, as well as upon all the families of the Saints that have been able to gather here, that all may rejoice together because of this glorious conference. And the honor and the glory be to God our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶