Blessings of Conference gatherings and the missionary work of the Church

I hope that while I speak a few minute's I may be heard by this large congregation. I am indeed pleased to see the good attendance this rainy morning. It shows that the Latter-day Saints desire to come and hear the word of the Lord. We have heard it this morning from our president, and my advice to all is to try to remember the precious advice he has given unto us. ¶

It is a blessing for the Saints to come together in these general conferences. We have the opportunity of renewing old acquaintances and of being renewed and ¶

strengthened in the testimony of Jesus. The Lord, in commanding us to meet regularly in these general conferences and in our quarterly conferences, had the object in view of uniting us and making us one people ; so that whether we live north or south, east or west, we may come together and partake of the same spirit. Israel of old were also commanded to go to a place chosen by the Lord, where His sanctuary should be built; and when Jerusalem became the temple city they went there annually to offer their sacrifices, and there they met people of every tribe of Israel. At home they lived in their own territories, each tribe by itself ; but on the annual occasions when they went to Jerusalem, they mixed and mingled with one another ; they became acquainted with one another's views, and thus kept the national feeling strong in their hearts. When Jeroboam rebelled against Rehoboam, the unwise son of Solomon, he saw the force of this custom among the people, and he forbade them to go to Jerusalem, for he knew if they went there to worship at the sanctuary of the Lord and heard the truth spoken, and worshiped Him in the true manner that He had ordained, that their hearts would be turned from him who had rebelled against legitimate authority and was trying to lead the people astray. To keep the people from going to Jerusalem he built altars in Bethel and Dan, and raised golden calves there. He succeeded in making Israel sin, although there were mighty prophets raised up among that part of Israel, who tried to lead the people back to the worship of Jehovah ; but the people gradually sank in wickedness and idolatry, and were carried away captive many years before the same fate befell their brethren of Judea. Now, I look upon this custom of ours, of coming together here in our conferences, as a potent means for the uniting of the people, making them as one, and strengthening their faith by partaking of the same spirit, hearing the same doctrines preached, and being encouraged to follow the advice given, and to make themselves Latter-day Saints indeed. ¶

We have a great work to perform; the Lord has started this work, has revealed Himself in our day, and given us the Gospel in its purity, and we owe it to our fellow men to make known that which has been given unto us. To the credit of the Latter-day Saints I will say that our missionaries go out, year after year, willingly and with the full determination to perform this duty of informing men concerning what God has done. ¶

We have been reproached by ministers of other religions because our elders labor mostly among those who have faith in the Bible and in Christ. They say, "Why don't you labor among the Pagans?" We are not yet a very numerous people ; we have not the means to pay our missionaries as other missionary societies have to pay theirs, even if it were the better way ; but we have found that the better way for our elders to labor out in the world is to go depending upon the Lord and not upon the dollar. When they do so, the power of the Lord is with them, and they have influence for good over men. Our elders have been sent mostly to the nations that believe in God and that Christ is the Redeemer, to show them the way that the Lord ¶

has ordained for the salvation of souls. We claim that the Christian world had gone astray, that they did not keep the principles of the Gospel in their original purity, that nearly all the men who held the apostolic authority formerly became martyrs and that gradually the power of the priesthood was taken away from men ; and now we bear this testimony that God has again restored the priesthood unto the earth. We believe that the books of the Bible were written by inspiration from on high. We have conversed with those who say they believe in the Bible, and have shown them that the doctrines as taught by us are consistent with the doctrines contained in the Bible. When we have preached unto men, how often they have said : "Well, this is taken from your Bible, but that is not contained in ours." We have asked them to show us their Bible, and then we have proved to them that their Bible is the same that we believe in. ¶

I feel thankful that the Gospel as given unto us is consistent, all through, with the holy scriptures. I feel thankful that the Lord has kept His hand over His written word, that it has come down unto us even to this day, in the good shape that it has, and this notwithstanding its having passed through so many versions. ¶

Our elders, however, go not to the Christian nations alone, but you will find them also among the Pagans. Still we have not had as many to go there yet, as we will have, for this Gospel is unto all people. Men will be sent to all nations to preach the Gospel, and we believe that wherever Israel are found they will listen and accept the word of the Lord and be gathered out. For I verily believe that the words of the prophet Joel will yet come to pass, that in Zion and Jerusalem shall be means of escape. He saw the future ; he prophesied of it. I believe that the Jews, the Israelites, will be gathered back to their home in the Holy Land. There is at present a movement of this kind. When you compare the statistics of the population of Jerusalem now with that of a few years ago, you can see that the Jews, longing for their home land, are rapidly increasing their numbers in that city, and the spirit of gathering is working upon them. There is another gathering, unto this land, which was also prophesied by ancient prophets that it would take place, and this movement is now in progress. The Book of Mormon is clear upon it, when it tells us that people from all nations shall be gathered to this land. We have people from every part of the world and from a great many nations ; and they have come here, melting together into one body, becoming members of the same church, and aspiring to become members of the kingdom of God when that shall be established in its fullness upon the earth. The world sends missionaries out among the Pagans. I think they do good in bringing the light as contained in the Bible unto some of those people ; but how few there are that receive it. I remember when I and some other elders were in Syria, and we would meet these missionaries in their carriages, riding along the road, having nice places and servants, and when the people heard that we traveled as of old, without pay, at our own expense, they wondered and said : "Well, you can't be missionaries;" ¶

for they had another idea of what missionaries were — men who had means to hire things done and so on. ¶

We are working to-day in Japan. We have a branch in Hindoostan — that is we have Saints there; and we have also Saints in Syria, among the Mohammedans. This work will spread rapidly. ¶

Our missionaries who are laboring in Europe, particularly in England and Scandinavia, have found considerable opposition, but this opposition has not hindered the progress of the work, for more people are baptized. In some cities they will not rent us halls in which to hold our meetings, hence we have built chapels and meeting houses of our own, and though they have threatened that we should not be able to have them in peace, so far we have had them, and can invite the people to come and worship with us, or hear our elders speak. In one city in Norway they will not rent us a hall ; we have a good many Saints there, and many investigators ; our brethren have found a good hall, and we have told them to buy it, so that the people can have a place in which to worship. ¶

Our elders go out at their own expense. They labor for the love they have for their fellow men, and this love is rewarded by their gathering souls into Christ. ¶

On the South Sea islands, among the Maoris and Samoans, we are trying to establish schools for the people, in which they can be taught not only the common branches of education but also the doctrines of the Gospel. Among the Maoris there has been established a high school, and the people feel to thank the Lord that such an institution has been established among them ; and thus we will be able to keep hold of the young men and young women who, wanting to get a higher education, would otherwise have to go and get it among the outsiders. They are taught there not only the branches that we generally think belong to education, but also practical things such as manual labor, husbandry, agriculture, and all of those things that will benefit them and help them to be men among men. We feel thankful for the success this school already has had among the people there, and I know it will be a growing institution and one that will be productive of much good among that people ; for they seem to be a people earnest in their desire to serve the Lord. ¶

Looking upon the different missions, we feel satisfied with the work that has been done during the past year. Our elders are working zealously for the spread of the truth, and we commend them for their good labors. We are pleased with the labors of the presidents of the different missions. They are men of God, men who are able to inspire our young men who before leaving home have had very little opportunity of mingling with men. These experienced men who are presidents of missions know how to counsel them, how to help them, that they may get the right hold of the work and be able to explain the principles of the Gospel unto those with whom they come in contact. ¶

At home, in Zion here, we see growth and progress. Our people have been very diligent in building houses of worship. They are not satisfied with the old house or building that has served many ¶

years ; they want to show the Lord that His house should be one to inspire admiration also, from an architectural side. Not that the word of God can not be delivered in the old log house just as well as in the fine edifices that have been erected of late, but when the people are able to build better, I think they show more reverence for their Heavenly Father by building better houses of worship to be dedicated to his name ; and I must commend the Saints for their diligence in this direction. The church has helped as much as possible. The Trustee-in-Trust is willing to use the means at his command to help the Saints in this work; but there are so many other calls upon the Trustee-in-trust, for the expenses in the missions, and the expenses of the Church, the poor, and the maintenance of the Church schools, that he is not able to grant all the help the people would like to have in this matter. I believe, however, that you who are helping yourselves and then calling on the Lord to help you, feel more satisfied than if you were to have all the money you needed for these purposes and do nothing yourselves. It is the workers that will succeed ; it is the laborer that will be rewarded. Our faith must show itself in works ; otherwise, it is a dead faith. ¶

Now, brethren and sisters, let us take hold; let us do what we can for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God ; let us listen to the counsel given us this morning and obey the commandments of the Lord ; and even if you say about the Word of Wisdom, that it was not given as a commandment but as a word of counsel, do not feel that that gives you any more liberty to go ¶

contrary to the advice given. It is a revelation from the Lord, and He in His goodness has given it unto us for our good, knowing as He does, what is best, both bodily and spiritually. Shall we then follow His counsel, and continue to do that, or take those things into our systems that He has said are injurious ? I hope that we will be strong in our determination to keep the Word of Wisdom and to do it not only to please our Heavenly Father, but because we know that what He says to us is for our own good. We will not lose any pleasure by it. There may be a little self-denial to those who have gotten into the habit of using things that are forbidden, but even self-denial gives joy and pleasure. ¶

May the Lord bless His Saints ; may Zion grow ; may truth spread ; may the time hasten when the laws of God shall be known and obeyed ; I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶