The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against It

I am very happy, my brethren and sisters, to have the privilege of meeting with you in conference this morning, and I trust that the few moments I occupy in speaking to you I may be inspired with the Spirit of the Lord. I desire an interest in your sympathy, and in your faith and prayers, that the Lord may inspire me in whatever I may say. ¶

I am truly thankful that I had the privilege of attending our meetings yesterday, and listening to the words of inspiration that flowed from the lips of those who addressed us. I was particularly interested in the remarks of our beloved President, and in the reports that he gave of the excellent conditions that exist in the Church. It made me glad, it made me feel that the work is rolling onward, and it gave me an assurance that truly the words uttered by Jesus to Peter upon that memorable occasion when he asked his disciples "Whom do men say that I am?" were being fulfilled. I would like to read to you this morning what the Savior said to Peter on that occasion, and comment a little on what I believe to be the fulfillment of those words in what we are witnessing: ¶

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Phillippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men sav that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thout art the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee. That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the sr-ites of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt. 16:13-18.) ¶

I reflected yesterday, in listening to the report of the President, on the fact that it seemed from the very incipiency of this work, in this day and age in which we live, that the gates of hell, in a measure, have been against this work. It seems as though most all the powers that could be brought to bear have been used in the effort to retard the progress of this work in this age. This Church has been organized, in fulfillment of the words of the Savior, ¶

upon the rock of revelation, and the gates Of hell, and all the powers of men that can be combined and brought to bear against this work, will not be able to retard its progress. We heard from the lips of our President, yesterday, that the Church is in a better condition than it ever has been since it was organized. There are more people living in accordance with the doctrines and commandments of the Gospel, as they are taught to us, than ever before ; and the quorums of the priesthood are more united in performing their duty, in extending and proclaiming the word to those who know not the truth, than they ever have been in the past. This is very gratifying. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, it seems that great powers have been brought to bear to retard this work, to bring to naught the work of the Lord, from the moment that the Prophet Joseph Smith announced to his friends, and to the world, that he had received a vision in which he had seen the Father and the Son, and in which he had been commanded to organize the Church as it was organized by the Savior anciently. Persecution followed him until the day he was martyred, and persecution pursued the Church from place to place, until the Saints were driven across the plains to these valleys of the mountains. Not only persecutions of wicked men were brought to bear against this people, but the Saints were brought face to face with persecutions, as it were, of the elements. It is said that the trail of our people across the plains could be traced by the graves of their loved ones, so many perished by the way; and then, of course, there were the hardships incident to redeeming the desert and laying the foundations of a new state. But notwithstanding all these things, the Church has come off triumphant, and the work has progressed, and is progressing today in the world more than it ever before has done. My testimony and firm belief is that it will continue to progress more and more. ¶

The work being done in the missions today, particularly in the mission that I have been engaged in, I can testify is very encouraging, and the people seem to be very desirous of hearing the truth concerning "Mormonism." Thus, notwithstanding the fact that the world is in a condition of disbelief in regard to the old isms they have before believed in, it seems to me that more than ever before is the way open to the elders of our Church to teach the Gospel to the people. ¶

Now; brethren and sisters, there are conditions that exist today, at home, that have to be met, and we must not believe, as I view it, that the persecutions that have been brought to bear upon us formerly will cease. Conditions confront us today that are different from those that confronted our fathers, and those who crossed the oceans and plains, and came to these valleys and subdued them, and made it possible for us to live here in peace and quietude, even in luxury, enjoying all the blessings of the Lord. There are conditions that we, particularly the younger people, have to encounter that are just as terrible, just as potent in their influence to drag down the Church of Christ, and to bring to naught His purposes in the earth, as were the persecutions and influences that were brought to bear against our fathers. We must not flatter ourselves that we are immune to those temptations and persecutions. We should realize that we are surrounded, all the time, by the influences of the evil one; and it is only those that will set their faces as flint against evil that will triumph in the end. The Savior said that those who endure to the end shall be saved ; and those who do not keep the commandments of the Lord will fall by the wayside. The decree has gone forth, and it will be fulfilled, that this Church will not be left to another people, and that this kingdom will increase, and go on to perfection; and the very gates of hell shall have no power or influence to overthrow the Church. Yet there is a possibility of some of us so far forgetting ourselves that we will slip out, and be left behind. ¶

I wish to appeal to the young folks, and ask, after we have had the examples of those who have crossed the plains, and subdued the desert, and endured the hardships incident to settling these valleys, shall we lie down before the temptations that stare us in the face ? Shall we allow the influence of Babylon to come among us, and destroy that which our fathers built up in our behalf? or shall we, the younger generation, set our faces' as flint against the temptations of the evil one, that are ever present wherever the people of this earth dwell? Shall we resist temptation, and make it possible for us to continue with the body of the Church, that will not be overpowered by the influences of the world, or be overwhelmed by any wicked influence or power under the sun? I know there are harmful conditions existing here that have to be met. I have had the privilege, for the last few months, of laboring among the young folks in this city, visiting in the stake where I reside, as a home missionary, and I have seen that the young people have great obstacles thrown in their path, and great temptations to overcome. I constantly feel it my duty to raise my voice against the possibility of the young people yielding to those temptations and evils. The parents should know all the conditions that surround the young 'folks, and they should throw a safeguard around their children, our young people, and set their faces against the evils of the day, and help them to overcome these conditions. ¶

I pray for the youth of Zion. I pray that they may have power to overcome the obstacles in their paths, and be able to keep themselves unspotted from the sins of the world and the generation in which we live. Wrong conditions are every day apparent, they are every day with us. It is our privilege and duty to live near unto the Lord, and to have His Spirit always to be with us, to guide us in the ways of all truth. I have often had occasion to make promise to those in the world who embraced our principles and became connected with this Church, that if they will live according to the dictates of the Spirit that they are entitled to, and that they receive at their baptism, there is no power in or out of the world that can take them out of this Church. It is only the men and women who forget themselves, and who live so that the Spirit of God leaves them, that the powers of evil can successfully assail and break down their faith, and cause them to do those things that result in loss of blessings that they would otherw'ise be entitled to. ¶

I bear my testimony that I know this work is true. I know that Joseph Smith was raised up in this day and generation for the special ¶

purpose of organizing the Church in its purity and fulness, and it exists today just as the church existed when our Savior established and organized it, when He came in the meridian of time. I know positively that those who have guided the Church from the days of Joseph Smith the Prophet until the present day have been prophets, seers and revelators unto the Church. I bear testimony that the power of God unto salvation is in the Gospel we have received. We should live in accordance with the teachings that we receive from day to day, from the living oracles that we have among us. The Lord can conduct this work without the use of the Bible, or the Book of Mormon, or any other book. He has seen fit to provide us with these books and records, for a wise purpose, but we should not restrict ourselves -to the letter of the word, but should endeavor to live according to the Spirit of the Gospel, and according to the spirit of the instructions that we receive from those who are placed in authority over us, whom the Lord has placed in our midst to tell us what to do. ¶

I have a testimony that this work will continue to progress, and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. I know these things beyond the question of a doubt, and it is a great consolation to me. I thank the Lord for the privilege of going into the world and teaching the Gospel to people that are sitting in darkness. The Savior said, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness, and then shall the end come." God is a just God, and he designs to judge the world by this gospel, and he will not judge them unless they have had the privilege of hearing it. ¶

In Mexico, where I have been engaged in missionary work, there are millions of people that have not the slightest conception of what "Mormonism" is ; in fact they have no conception of what true Christianity means ; therefore, how can they believe Christ taught and lived as He did unless these things are taught unto them? The missionary work in the world is a grand, and great, and glorious work, and it is our privilege to prepare Ourselves, as young men and women, to do this work in the world. I believe firmly that all those that have this desire in their heart will have the privilege of carrying the Gospel into the world. I can promise all young men and women, that if they will accept humbly, and perform thankfully the duties of the missionary, that there is no labor in their lives that will give them more joy. They will not desire any earthly recompense if they will labor faithfully and humbly, because the very act Of doing good unto others, bringing people from a state of darkness into light, is sufficient recompense for the time and trouble spent in performing this missionary work. ¶

I do not desire, my brethren and sisters, to prolong my remarks, as there are others who will address you ; but I desire to say again that I am happy to be here, and that I am happy to have had the privilege of bearing my testimony to you. I hope I will remain firm and faithful in this testimony, and that we all will do likewise, and go on to perfection in this great gospel of progression, and eventually be saved in the kingdom of our Father in heaven, is the prayer I ask, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶