Report on the Western States Mission

(President of Western States Mission.) I am pleased to have the opportunity of meeting with you here this afternoon. There are but few of us present, but as I said to Brother Pratt before the beginning of this meeting, there have been many times in my life that I have spoken to smaller audiences than the one here today. I have seen smaller audiences in larger halls too, where we have gone to the expense of renting and invited the people to our meetings, done everything possible to get them to come and listen to the testimony of the Elders, and we have had but few present. I note that there are just eighty present now; and it is a coincidence that the most glorious meeting I ever attended in my life, was held with just eighty people. That meeting continued five hours and a half, and I never attended in all my life a meeting where there was a more glorious outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord than was witnessed on that occasion. Some of the Elders, after the meeting was concluded, looked at their watches, and were surprised to ascertain we had been present five and a half hours, The reason that our meeting was marked by such an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord, was that every individual present was living close to the Lord ; and when we offered our petitions unto Him that His Spirit should be in that meeting, He could not refuse to answer our prayer. I saw on that occasion stalwart men arise to bear their testimonies and they broke down and sobbed like children. Such an outpouring of the Spirit, I say, I never witnessed in my life before, nor do I expect to ever witness another greater. ¶

We who have assembled here this afternoon, have come for the purpose of having our hearts and souls satisfied with reference to the principles of the Gospel. We have come to be fed the bread of life, and listen to the inspiration of our Father given to His servants in the words that they shall utter. We have come for the purpose of receiving a portion of the Spirit of the Lord, and although in the Tabernacle this afternoon thousands are gathered to hear the inspired words of the servants of God, there is no reason why our prayers ascending to our Father shall not result in us obtaining the same rich blessings. ¶

I have listened with interest this afternoon to the remarks that have been made by Brother Pratt, who has the privilege and blessing of presiding over one of the missions of the United States. I have listened to the testimony he has borne respecting the integrity of the men and women who have stood foremost in this Church, some of whom are standing there today. I have listened with interest to his recital of the conditions which prevailed in these valleys while he was a boy — conditions that we know nothing about, and by which, consequently, we will never be tried. Our trials will come in some other way. We are surrounded today by all the luxuries that God can bless us with ; and the Lord has promised us, if we will keep His commandments, that there is nothing the earth produces that shall not be ours. He has verified those words, and has blessed us with an abundance of this world's goods, including the beautiful buildings by which we are surrounded, in which we can meet from time to time. The two buildings upon the Temple block, in which are being held today meetings of the Saints, are filled to overflowing. We have assembled in another building, and if this was filled to overflow, there are other buildings we could repair to, where meetings could be held, and the voice of the Lord, through His servants, could be heard by us. ¶

My experience, in the few years that I have lived, has taught me there is no safety, no genuine happiness, joy, nor pleasure comes to an individual except he be keeping the commandments of the Lord. There is no real joy nor happiness in the things of this world. I find men in my travels about the country who are undecided about the affairs of life, and who ridicule religion. I find other men who say there is something in religion, but "I cannot understand it ; it is all a mystery to me." In some instances, men's hearts are torn asunder, and their families are divided one against another, because they do not know God; they have not received His revelations; they have not tasted of the inspiration that comes through the voice of His servants. They do not know what it means to kneel down and listen to the voice of the Spirit in answer to prayer. They do not realize what this means ; they cannot understand it as we do, therefore they are disrupted, torn asunder, dissatisfied, discontented, continually complaining of this Church and that, and the doctrine that is taught. ¶

I sat in the Tabernacle this morning and listened to the inspired words of President Smith when he arose in that congregation, and called the people to order, gave out the hymn, and by virtue of his diVine calling took charge of that gathering, and I thought of another conference that I read of a short time ago, where a body of religious worshipers were gathered together. They have a man whom they sustain as the head of their church, and this man has two counselors. I thought of the beginning of their meeting, when the congregation was called to order by the chairman, one of the members arose and said, "I move that it be the sense of this meeting that the present presidency of this church preside over this meeting." I thought when I read it, how devoid they are of the Spirit of God ; and I could not help but contrast what I had read with what I saw this morning. ¶

It is said that this is a most peculiar doctrine that we preach, a most peculiar religion that we have embraced. The fact is this is the religion of Jesus Christ, the Church that He established. That is the reason it is regarded as a peculiar religion. The burden of the message that was given to the Elders in the early history of this Church was, "Faith, repentance, and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins." A short time ago I met upon the train a lady and gentleman, and they began to talk about Brigham Young. This lady had been to Utah. They were sitting just opposite me, and I said, "Wait a minute before you go any farther with your conversation. I want to tell you that I am a Mormon Elder." This lady then said to me. "Tell me why it is that the people of Utah hold Brigham Young up as such a great man ?" I said : "My good lady, they have reason, they have cause, for it. If you would investigate the early history of Utah, if you could see the immigrants who came from the work shops of Europe, if you could see those people who never knew what it was to own land of their own before coming to the valleys of Utah, and saw the inspiration of that great man in planting those people in the various parts of this state, and then could see today the offspring of those men and women, you, if you were candid, would never cease praising the name of Brigham Young. And yet," I said, "Brigham Young was not the one who did it, it was God, our Eternal Father. Brigham Young was merely His instrument in accomplishing this great pioneer work." I believe, after our conversation, she had a different idea and understanding of the work that Brigham Young has done. ¶

What has been the cause for this people coming from the islands of the sea, and from the continent of Europe, and establishing themselves in these valleys? The primary cause of it has been repentance from their sins, and baptism for the remission of those sins ; and without it they would not be here. Without it there would not be that bond of union that we see today, and there would be no Temples erected in these mountains. Without it we would not be here to tell the story of our faith in God and in His Son Jesus Christ; and I say therefore, the fundamental principles we have to learn are, "First, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second repentance from our sins, third baptism by immersion for the remission of sins." ¶

Sometimes the Elders come to me and say: "We have preached faith, repentance and baptism for so long that this people know all about it." I say, "There is no theme you can teach that is of more importance to the Latter-day Saints than faith, repentance, and baptism." I believe we ought to be made to think of the first time we went down in the water and were baptized for the remission of our sins. One of our Elders remarked last night at our meeting here, "When an Elder of Israel arises to address a congregation, and asks for the interest of their faith and prayers, I wonder how many realize the importance of that request? I wonder how many say Heavenly Father, bless the speaker, that he may speak under Your influence." Now, I wonder how many of us recall the time of our baptism, immersion for the remission of sins, and remember the things connected therewith. I wonder how many of us review those things, and see if today we are much better. I wonder if we ask ourselves if there are things that we should repent of today. ¶

President Smith was moved upon this morning to read the Eightyninth section of the Doctrine and Covenants. You have read it many times, no doubt, that beautiful Word of Wisdom. He felt impressed to read that, and he called the people to repentance, and asked them to turn unto the Lord, for the Lord is mighty to save, He is merciful to us. He holds out His hand with charity towards us, and will save us if we will, as Brother Pratt has told us this afternoon, work for our salvation, work for our exaltation. ¶

I love this Gospel. I love the principles that have been revealed through Joseph Smith and the other prophets who have ministered unto us. I love my brethren and sisters who have embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sometimes I hear Elders say in the mission field, "I have left every thing that was near and dear to me." I do not say that, because the people that I am sent to, those who are in darkness, who know not Jesus Christ, who know not the sound of His voice, who do not understand revelation, they are near and dear to me, for they are the children of my Father. I have been sent to preach the Gospel to them, to bear my testimony to them; I have been sent to tell them that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that the Book of Mormon is a divine record revealed by the Lord unto this generation. This is what I have been sent for, to call them to repentance, just as President Smith felt called upon to call the people of Israel to repentance today, and ask them to turn unto Him, to turn unto the Lord and serve Him, and keep His commandments. ¶

I know this work is true, as I know I live. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of the living God. I know that Brigham Young and all of Joseph Smith's successors have been prophets of the Lord. I know that the Apostles who are today in our midst, who have been ordained Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, are men after God's own heart. I have associated with them. I have come in close contact with them, and I have enjoyed the privilege of meeting with them in the temple in council with them, and I know the teachings they give are the teachings that have been inspired by our Father in Heaven. My brethren and sisters, let me exhort you to listen to their counsel and teachings, to listen to the advice they give, and if they chide or admonish you, let me ask in all humility that you will receive that chastisement and counsel that they give in the spirit that it is given, and the Lord will bless us, and will pour out His Spirit upon you, and though your afflictions in this life may be great, you will have much to praise the Lord for. His Spirit will take possession of you, and it will make no difference whether we are but few, God will be with us, and He will bless us, and will pour out His Spirit upon us in abundance, and we shall come near to the Lord, and there shall be just a thin vail between us and our Father, and when we kneel down and offer our prayers, we will hear the voice of the Spirit. May God bless those who have assembled here this afternoon, pour out upon them His Holy Spirit, cause them to reflect upon the first principles of the Gospel, and then go on from faith to faith until we shall know our Father in heaven as He knows us. When we kneel down at our bedside or around the family altar, and pour out our soul to our Father in heaven for blessings upon ourselves or upon our family, may our faith be such that those blessings will surely be realized upon our head, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶