Closing Remarks: Invoking Heaven's Blessings

We have now approached the time for the closing of our Seventy-Eighth Annual Conference; and in conclusion, I desire to express my heartfelt gratitude to God for Hi's signal blessings, during) the sessions of our conference. The weather has been propitious, healthful, beautiful, and in every way suitable to our need. I presume there has been a larger attendance at each session than we have had at any former conference of the Church. I feel grateful to my brethren and sisters who have been in attendance, and I desire to express my heartfelt blessing upon every soul who has come to this conference with a desire to promote the well being and happiness of others, and who has desired to see righteousness and peace prevail. I thank you for your presence. ¶

I feel to bless my brethren who are acting in the important calling of presidents of the various stakes of Zion, on whom rest such great responsibilities, standing as they do at the head of these stake organizations of the Church as fathers and counselors to the people. May the Lord bless their counselors and the members of the various High Councils of the Church who are present. I invoke the special blessings of God our Father upon you, my brethren, that you may be filled, one and all, with the spirit of your callings; that you may have the gifts of wisdom and perfect discernment, that you may be just judges in Israel, and righteous counselors among the people, that all may see that you are indeed the servants of God and true representatives of His work in the earth. ¶

I pray God to bless the Bishops and their counselors and all those who are acting in the Lesser Priesthood ; may the spirit of their callings rest upon them. May our Bishops move forward in their great spiritual and temporal mission and in the future so far as possible, give employment to the youth of Zion. Find something for them to do that will give them an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in good works that will be beneficial to the cause of Zion and to themselves. I trust they will not forget this. ¶

I invoke the blessing of the Lord upon the various quorums of the Priesthood, the Seventies, the High Priests, the Elders, and upon the Patriarchs in the midst of Zion, that the spirit of their callings may rest upon them henceforth and forever. May they all be true men, true to their covenants, true to their God, true to themselves, true to the state and nation of which we are a part. ¶

I desire to invoke the blessings of the Lord also upon all the auxiliary organizations of the Church, that the spirit of their missions may rest abundantly and fruitfully upon them, that they will accomplish the greatest possible good in the spheres in which they act in the Church. ¶

I pray God to bless all our friends throughout the land and in all the world. May He bless and have mercy upon our enemies. May He open their eyes and their understanding, that they may comprehend the nature of the course they are taking and what it will result in to themselves at last. May the Lord have pity upon and turn them from their folly and the error of their way, and lead them into paths of peace and righteousness. ¶

I want to express my appreciation of the labors of Brother Evan Stephens, Brother John J. McClellan and their assistants, also of the devotion of the members of the choir who have been able to attend during the conference, and others who have given us the benefit of their talent and skill. We thank them for their service. God bless our choir. May God bless Brother Evan Stephens, a man full of the love of truth, full of the spirit of song, devoted to the cause of Zion, a man who is wedded to his profession and his work, striving for the uplifting of the children of Zion. May the Lord bless him for it, and I hope by and by, when he gets old enough he will grow large enough to get wedded to a good wife as well as to music. ¶

I ask the Lord to bless all Zion — may He bless you as husbands and wives, as fathers and mothers, as parents and children. May the blessings of peace, life and health abound in all your abiding places. ¶

I ask these blessings, my brethren and sisters, upon you one and all, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶