Missionary Work and Redemption of the Dead

My brethren and sisters, I feel very thankful to my Heavenly Father that He has spared my life to assemble once more with you in conference. I have listened with a great deal of pleasure to the remarks that have been made by President Smith. What a vast body of men there is in this Church! and what is their object in life? I understand it to be the salvation of the human family. While President Smith was speaking, I looked around here and I saw a large number of presidents of missions. Our Elders go out into the world, leaving their homes and families, and travel without purse or scrip, and their object is to bring salvation to the honest in heart. These presidents of missions send the Elders from house to house, bearing the message of salvation and the printed word to all who will receive it. In reflecting upon this, I thought how strange it is that these missionaries, going forth as they do with the message of peace, offering the people a book or a tract containing the word of God, should be treated in the way they are. Sometimes the doors are closed in their faces, and the people curtly tell them that they will not receive their books or tracts; and in many cases the Elders are treated with contempt, though this is not always the case. Supposing the minister of any denomination was to present himself at my house and respectfully offer me a book setting forth his religious views. I was wondering if I would slam the door in his face and treat him with ¶

contempt. No. I would at least be respectful and say that I did not wish to receive it. You, my brethren, who are abroad in the world, know that you have to meet these conditions; but your object is, as we all know, to promote peace and salvation wherever you go. That is your mission, and I rejoice to know that you are very successful in that mission, and that many are receiving your message and obeying the Gospel. ¶

We rejoice that the work of the Lord is growing and increasing, and we testify that its mission will be prospered in the earth. This is the work of the Lord. He is at the helm, and He will certainly take care of it. It is our duty, of course, to do the very best we can, and as the President has said, we should so order our lives as to be above reproach. We should not only preach the Gospel by precept, but we should do so by our acts. Seeing that we are devoting our lives to this cause, let our lives be such that all men who come in contact with us may see our good works. ¶

In addition to all that has been done in the missionary fields, there are other places where the great work of salvation is being carried on. Thousands and tens of thousands are being added to the Church annually in the temples of the Lord. Those who, during their lifetime, did not have the opportunity that we have had of receiving the Gospel, are now receiving the benefits of salvation. This work is growing and multiplying in the temples, as well as the work abroad. The object of those who work in the temples is also to bring salvation to the fullest extent, both to the living and the dead. Notwithstanding all that may be said in relation to the work in the temple, you know, my brethren and sisters, that when you go to the house of the Lord and receive the ordinances there administered, they are all calculated to make you better men and women, better fathers and mothers; and everything that is done in those houses is for salvation. The testimony of all who go there is that it makes them feel better prepared to battle with life. They become better fathers and mothers, and better citizens of the United States or of any other country. I can testify to this, and thousands that are before me, who have been through the house of the Lord could bear me out in this testimony, if called upon. There is nothing done there in any manner that has a tendency in the least to harm any individual, but everything that is done is for the best good and salvation of the people. ¶

I rejoice in these things, my brethren and sisters. I am thankful to the Lord that He has given me a testimony of the truth of this Gospel. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that he laid the foundation for this great work. He it was that laid the foundation of all these organizations that we have heard about this morning, and this work will increase and multiply upon the earth. May the Lord help us all to be faithful and true always to the covenants that we have made with the Lord, that we may keep them faithfully and never do anything that would bring His displeasure upon us. God grant it to all of us. Again I express my thanks and praise the name of my Heavenly Father for His continued mercies and goodness unto me, and for extending my life until I am now nearly eighty-three years of age. I thank the Lord for all these blessings, and dedicate myself unto Him with a determination to serve Him as long as I live upon the earth. I ask Him for His blessing upon you all, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶