Witness of the Spirit

My brethren and sisters, I esteem it a privilege and a blessing to have the opportunity of bearing my testimony in association with my brethren who have spoken, for truly I can say I know this is the work of God. I know it in every part of my being. I feel it in my physical nature; I see it in my intellectual nature; I realize it in my spiritual nature; for I have been baptized by the spirit of this work, not only in water, but by the Holy Ghost and by the fire of the Lord, and God has borne witness to my soul that He is the author of this latter-day work. The sentiment expressed by the song which our sister has just sung for us is the sentiment of my heart. All my interests are identified with the Latter-day Saints. This people shall be my people; their God shall be my God; where they go I want to go, whether it be in this world or the world to come. With these my brethren whom I love, and whose labors I recognize, and whose virtues I venerate. I want to be associated in time and in eternity. My heart has rejoiced with a fulness of joy during this conference. From the first discourse delivered by President Smith, on Sunday morning, right to the present time, I have felt the presence of the Spirit of the Lord. I know that President Smith's words were inspired by that Spirit, and our brethren who have addressed us have felt its influence, and it has been imparted from them to the congregation. ¶

I have not words to express the joy and gratitude which spring up in my bosom in contemplating the goodness of God to me from my boyhood to the present time. When I first embraced the Gospel I received a testimony of its truth. I received it from the Spirit that comes from on high. It entered into my soul, and bore witness to me in every part of my existence that God is the author of this work. As time has rolled on, and I have passed through many different circumstances in many different lands, and I think of how God has preserved me, directed me, and enlightened me, and blessed my testimony to others, I praise Him this afternoon in the midst of the congregation. I feel in my heart, bless and praise the Lord, O my soul! He is my God. I revere and adore Him as my Father and my King, and I want to be obedient to him and to serve Him in all things. ¶

It does not matter where or how my labors may be directed, I desire them to be in the interest of this great work which our Father has commenced. This work cannot be overcome by the powers of evil, nor by the powers of the world; neither will you or I as individuals be so overcome if we will hearken to the testimonies which have been delivered to us, the instructions which are imparted, and be willing to be guided by that authority which has come down from God out of heaven in the last days for the guidance and salvation of the children of men. No feeling of rebellion should ever rise in our hearts; no word of reproach or improper criticism should escape our lips in regard to those men whom God has called and ordained, and whom we sustain by our uplifted hands when we assemble in conference. It would be a good thing if the thoughts of our minds and the words of our mouths were always directed for the interest and the furtherance of this great work that our Father has begun. We ought not to speak a word anywhere which would militate against it, or against the men whom God has appointed. ¶

I think sometimes of the words of the Apostle James in regard to the power of the tongue. What good can be accomplished by using the powers of speech in the proper direction! What wrong can be accomplished when these powers are prostituted to speak evil. "Thou shalt not speak evil of the Lord's anointed." I hope you recognize that saying. We are under promise that we will not do it. We should speak that which is good, not that which is evil. And we should hesitate when we find an opportunity, or when some circumstance arises which might induce us to say something that would be improper in regard to our brethren. James says: "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity," it "setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." We hear a great deal of talk among the Methodists about hell fire. If you want to know what hell fire is, just hear some angry woman when she is rattling that little red rag — the tongue. I mean the man as well; for I do not confine it to the sisters. I believe I have heard worse things from the mouths of men than from the lips of women. I do not confine it to the one sex. Perhaps it is "six of one and half a dozen of the other." ¶

We should be careful what we say. If we cannot say anything good, let us hold our tongues, and do as the mother sometimes roughly tells the children: "Shut your mouth." It is a good thing to be able to shut your mouth, and to keep it shut, when you ought not to talk; and it's a good thing to be able to open your mouth at the proper time and at the proper season and bring forth words of eternal life for the blessing, enlightenment, comfort, and consolation of the sons of men. When Christ spoke He spoke words of life. "My words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life," He said. And they were. He brought forth words of eternal life for the guidance and blessing of mankind. "When He did rebuke, His words were sharp — sharper than a two-edged sword; but He didn't rebuke unless there was a proper occasion. He had authority and power to use words of rebuke as well as of comfort and of enlightenment. Let us take care that when we speak we speak to good purpose, for light and for truth, and to comfort and bless humanity, not to speak evil of our brethren or of our sisters. This is very common advice, but I fear we "take advice" very often and do not put it to use. ¶

When I contemplate what God has done in the building up of this latter-day work to the present time, I feel full of joy and gladness. And these things are prophetic to me of the future. I know, as I know that I am here, that this work will go forward. It does not matter what men may do or say in regard to us; God is our Father and He is at the head of this work. He revealed it in the beginning. He placed His Son Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, at the head of this work, to conduct it from that time forward; and He has been with it to the present day. He is with our brethren who have been called to stand at the head of affairs. His spirit rests upon them; His light is in their souls, and their words are inspired of Him. And He will continue to be and abide with this work until it is perfected, and He can present it to the Father as an accomplished and perfect work. But there is a great deal to do before that time shall come. This Gospel of the kingdom is to be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations. We should be glad when our sons, our brothers, our fathers, or any of our friends, are called upon to go out into the world and lift up their voice in the proclamation of this last divine message to man. "We should rejoice in their labors, and be willing to make what we call sacrifices for their sake and for the sake of mankind. Every man who holds the Priesthood should be willing and glad to work anywhere in this kingdom for the salvation and redemption of the human family. This Gospel will be preached, no matter what laws may be enacted in the nations that are afar off. No matter what barriers may be raised for the time being, they will all be swept out of the way by the power of God, in His due time; and this Gospel will be preached, Israel will be gathered, temples will be reared and ministrations will go on therein for the benefit of the living and the redemption of the dead.* As our brethren finish their earthly work, and their bodies are laid down to rest for a while, to be purged in the tomb, they will go forth in the spirit, as Christ did, and as the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum and the rest of the valiant servants have done, and publish the Gospel to the spirits that are behind the veil. A mighty work is going on there, and as our brethren depart hence and their places are taken up by their posterity, they will carry on this work in the spirit world, where there is a wider sphere for their operations than here in the flesh. And they will find that much of the seed that has been sown in mortality among the nations of the earth, which has not appeared to fructify, or to bring forth fruit (for many people have heard the word and have not obeyed it, but have gone down to the grave in their darkness) will come to life and light and power in the world behind the veil. Thousands upon thousands who have heard the Gospel, but have not obeyed it, will be ready to receive it when the servants of God present it to them in the spheres behind the veil. The work of God will be carried on there, and the work of the ordinances will be performed in this sphere, in the temples that are and will be erected. "We have only begun this great work, notwithstanding the many thousands of vicarious ordinances that have been performed. This work will go on. It is a mighty work, and you and I can be engaged in It. We should be glad to labor in any capacity and in any place where we can do something toward the building up of the kingdom of God and the redemption of the human family. This work must go on until all nations and peoples and tribes and tongues on the earth, behind the veil and wherever the sons and daughters of Adam are, have heard the sound of the Gospel and have had the opportunity of bowing in obedience to it. Until that is done this work cannot be consummated. It will go on, with Christ at the head, until every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ¶

This is a work in which we should rejoice with all our souls, and be willing to labor in it wherever we may be directed by that authority that has come down from God. I rejoice in the work of God with all my heart. I have done so ever since I embraced it. I am willing today, as I have ever been, to go here or there and to labor in any direction. The man who is not willing to labor as a deacon is not fit to be a president. A man who will not work in a humble capacity is not fit to be exalted. The Lord will bless our labors in time and in eternity, and we will see the fruits thereof and rejoice in them in the presence of our Father. I know that the spirit which has been with us in this conference is the light of the Lord. It is the spirit that proceeds from the presence of God to lighten the souls of men. It is the light of Christ, the light and the life of the world, the power of the Lord. It comes from His presence; it fills our souls with joy and peace; it strengthens us to resist the evils of the flesh and to overcome Satan and his works, and it will be and abide with this Church and grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day. ¶

I feel in my soul to bless and praise the Lord for His goodness to me. I bear testimony that this is His work, and I desire to labor in it in time and in eternity. I invoke upon you, my brethren and sisters, the blessing and peace of God. May the kingdom of God go forth, as it will. Roll on, thou glorious kingdom of the latter-days! Spread wide thy light and thy power, and the kingdoms of this world shall bend to it; the powers of darkness shall be rebuked, the clouds shall roll away, and the light and might of God shall increase in the earth until all things are subdued unto Him; and the earth itself shall be redeemed and shine in the glory of God, and Christ shall grace it with His presence and crown it with His glory. May God help us to be faithful and serve Him all our days and finally save us in His kingdom, for Christ's sake. Amen. ¶