Welfare of the Saints and Testimony of Church Leaders

I rejoice in again having the opportunity of meeting with the Saints in general conference. I have enjoyed the remarks that have been made thus far, and in humility I pray that the same good Spirit which has inspired all that has been said may continue during the remainder of the meeting today, and through the entire conference. I desire an interest in your faith and your prayers, that the remarks which I may make may be made under the inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord. When standing before the people, I never have had and desire, and hope and pray that I never may have, except to be able to say something to inspire them to live the lives of Latter-day Saints. ¶

Fifty-four years ago, as a little child, I took a sleigh ride with President Brigham Young, that is, I ran out and took hold of the back of the sleigh, intending to ride a block and then drop off and walk home ; but President Young was driving such a fine team, or at least his driver was, that I dared not let go, hence rode on till we reached the Cottonwood, and then when the sleigh slowed up, to pass through that stream, I jumped off, and the President saw me. He said, "Stop, Brother Isaac, stop. The little boy is nearly frozen. Put him under the buffalo robe and get him warm." Isaac Wilson was his driver. After I got warm he inquired my name, and told me about my father, and his love for him. He told me to tell my mother that he wanted her to send me up to his office in six months to have a visit with him ; and in six months I went for the visit. From that time, fifty-four years ago, until the day of his death, I was intimately acquainted with President Brighami Young, and this I can say also with respect to John Taylor, and with all of the general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For thirty-four years and a half I have been one of the general authorities. I have been associated with them in all of their councils. I know the hearts of these men. I know their desires. I know their devotion to God and to all that is for the uplift and the betterment of mankind. I can bear witness that I know, as I know that I live, that every word spoken here this morning by President Joseph F. Smith, hearing witness of the honor, the virtue, the integrity, and the uprightness of the men who presided over this Church, is true. I rejoice that in all my associations with the general authorities of the Church since I was six years of age I have never heard one word, in public or in private, fall from the lips of these men, but what would be for the benefit, for the uplift, for the improvement morally and intellectually, physically and spiritually of the Latter-day Saints. ¶

I rejoice that in all my travels, at home or abroad, I have never found anything, in all the world, of the teachings of uninspired men, which has had the slightest attraction for me. I rejoice that the more I come in contact with the world and the peoples of the world, the more I rejoice in the strength and the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I rejoice beyond my ability to express it that the Lord has given to the Latter-day Saints, as individuals, a testimony, a knowledge, for themselves of the divinity of this work in which we are engaged, that we as individuals do not have to rely upon the testimony of others. I rejoice that all the manifestations of power together with the gifts and graces of the gospel which were had in the Church when the Savior was upon the earth, or immediately following his crucifixion are enjoyed today to the fullest extent by the faithful, loyal, true and patriotic Latter-day Saints. I rejoice in the fact, and have often spoken of it in the various conferences throughout the Church, that as this gospel has been preached the world over, men and women from every denomination and from every clime have yielded obedience to it. I rejoice that in the preaching of the gospel, men with all their worldly wisdom have never been able to capture any of the loyal, faithful young men who have gone forth to proclaim it. The world maintains that "Mormonism," socalled, is not true, that our religion is a delusion, a snare, and a fraud, and that Joseph Smith was a false prophet. Do you mean to tell me that the young men of our Church, sweet, clean, pure, upright and honest, who have never heard anything but good all the days of their lives, would be so neglected by the Lord that he would not be good enough in eighty odd years, to show one of them the error of his way, and point out the straight and narrow path that leads back to him? ¶

Ministers of the .different sects, with all their worldly wisdom, have never been able to convert any of our faithful young missionaries, many of whom have gone forth to proclaim the restored gospel, without experience, education or learning, so far as book learning is concerned ; but, on the other hand, with a burning testimony in their hearts of the divinity of this work. ¶

Yet some of these young men without experience have been able to convert men who have studied for the various religious denominations. Men have given up their ministry, their pulpit, and even their salaries, to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, which was carried to them by men who were humble and weak, so far as worldly knowledge was concerned, but who were powerful in a knowledge of the gospel and the plan of life and salvation which has been restored again to the earth through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith, it is claimed, was a false prophet, but I want to bear witness here today that the same power, the same inspiration, the same spirit that accompanies the elders in proclaiming the divinity of the mission of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, as the Savior of the world, accompanies men when they proclaim that Joseph Smith was his Prophet and his representative in again restoring to the earth the plan of life and salvation. ¶

I want to bear witness that the gift of tongues, and the gift of healing, and the inspiration of Almighty God have accompanied the proclamation of this gospel all over the wide world. The evidences, the fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ, have accompanied the preaching of it in every land and in every clime. ¶

While presiding over the European mission, I had occasion time and time again, to give instructions to young men who came there to preach the gospel — young men who had had no education, who had had no experience, and many of them stood up for the first time in their lives and bore their testimonies in the Liverpool office. I told them to study, the gospel and to pray for the inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord ; an.d promised them that if they would only open their mouths and bear witness that Jesus Christ was the Redeemer of the world, and that Joseph Smith was his prophet, God would give them something to say even though their minds at first were a blank. Not only a score but many scores of elders have borne witness to me that this promise was fulfilled, and that God did in very deed bless them whenever they bore witness of the .divinity of the mission of Joseph Smith, the founder, under God, of the Church of Christ again upon the earth. ¶

I rejoice in knowing for myself, and not for another, that the leaders of this people were and are the servants of God, men who loved and love God, men willing to make sacrifices for the spread of the gospel at home and abroad. ¶

I feel today to bear witness before you of the untiring energy, of the unceasing labors of the late President Francis M. Lyman who presided over the Council of the Twelve at our last general .conference. I can remember, as a boy, that I always tried to get a seat about two-thirds of the way back, when coming to this tabernacle. I always sat on the aisle, and I can remember when president Lyman returned from his first and his second missions. I can remember listening to the burning words of his knowledge of the gospel. I can remember his preaching upon the Word of Wisdom, and making as strong an impression upon my heart to continue to live the Word of Wisdom, as any man I ever listened to. I can remember when he said that a Latter-day Saint ought to love the work of God more than a cup of coffee, or a cup of tea, or a chew of tobacco, or a drink of liquor ; that when God had revealed to him that this was his work, any convert ought to show gratitude enough to leave alone those things which God had said were not good for man. I can remember how he inspired me with a determination to continue to be absolutely honest with God in the payment of my tithing. I can remember how he said that it was the duty of the Latter-day Saints to keep an account, and to be as absolutely honest in paying to God one-tenth of all that they made as if they were in partnership with the Lord ; that as no honest Latter-day Saint would steal from his earthly partner, why then should he not be honest with God? I testify that he was honest. I testify that Francis M. Lyman was an honest tithe-payer — honest to the core. I testify that he observed the Word of Wisdom, and in every ward and in every stake, wherever his voice was raised, he taught nothing but what he was himself practicing. He has gone from us. I have been almost as intimately associated with him as a boy is with his father, for thirty-six years — two years in Tooele and thirty-four years in the Council of the Twelve, and upon all occasions, in public and in private, at home and abroad, he was always full of the spirit of teaching and admonition and showed forth a good example to the people. I have heard many people testify of their love for him. ¶

Every one of you, probably, have heard the sound of his voice ; and let me call upon you to remember not only the teachings of Francis M. Lyman but also to remember to follow his splendid example of honesty, integrity, diligence, and untiring energy in laboring for the advancement of God's kingdom. If you will .do this, I can promise you that when the battle of life is ended, and you have the privilege of meeting President Lyman, beyond the veil, you will have that same joy when he welcomes you, which you have experienced here on earth when he put his arm around you and said, "God bless you, my brother," or "my sister." This is my prayer, which may God grant, I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen, ¶