Integrity of Church Leaders and Gratitude for the Gospel

I rejoice exceedingly in once more having the opportunity of meeting with the Latter-day Saints in general conference. I have never been present at any of the conferences, during the past thirty-five years, but what I have rejoiced exceedingly in the teachings of the servants of the Lord ; and I have been fed, as you no doubt have today, the bread of life by what we have heard. ¶

Integrity of the Leaders of the Church

I endorse every word that has been spoken regarding the divinity of the mission of the men who have presided over this Church. President Smith stated that he had nothing to say regarding the present administration, but appealed to the people for their verdict. It has fallen to my lot to labor now for thirty-five years, lacking a few days, with the Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and I can bear witness that I know, as I know that I live, that during all this time the inspiration of Almighty God has attended all of the men who have occupied the positions in the Presidency of this Church. I bear witness that at no time within my knowledge has any President of the Church had more of the inspiration of Almighty God, and more .of the love of his associates in the Presidency and of members of the Council of the Twelve, than has President Joseph F. Smith. I bear witness to you that each and every man chosen to occupy a position in the Council of the Twelve during the presidency of Joseph F. Smith has been chosen by the inspiration of Almighty God. I bear witness to you that from my knowledge in visiting among the people that there is a love and a faith and a determination to serve God existing today, the equal of any period during the past thirty-five years. ¶

I rejoice beyond expression in a knowledge that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, the Redeemer of mankind ; that he has spoken from the heavens ; that he has established upon the earth the plan of life and salvation, his gospel. I rejoice in knowing for myself that all the men who have succeeded Joseph Smith the Prophet, who stands at the head of this last dispensation, have possessed the inspiration of the office which they have held, and that they have in very deed been men of God, inspired of him. ¶

I rejoice in knowing that all the Latter-day Saints with whom I have come in contact for thirty-five years, who have been tithe-payers, who have been observers of the Word of Wisdom, who have attended their fast and sacrament meetings, who have attended to their prayers and have supplicated God for the guidance of his Spirit, have just as an abiding testimony and as firm a knowledge and conviction of the divinity of this work, and of the inspiration which has attended the men who have presided over it, as I possess. ¶

Gifts and Graces Enjoyed by the Saints

I rejoice in the fact that each Latter-day Saint who has embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and who has kept the commandments of God, day by day, year by year, has grown, as our President says that he has grown, in a knowledge of the truth, in a testimony of it, and in a love for it. I know that there are no gifts, no graces, no authority, which were possessed in the days of the Savior by his apostles which are not possessed today by the people of God. I know that the gift of tongues and the interpretation thereof exist in this Church of Christ. I know that the. healing power of Almighty God is in this Church. I know that but for the healing power of God it would not be my privilege to stand here before you today. I know that there are living monuments of the healing power of God among this people. If we had a record of all the wonderful blessings of the Lord which have come through the Priesthood since the establishment of the Church upon the earth, it would be a record far larger than the New Testament. I know that those who go out to proclaim this gospel, who keep themselves sweet, clean and pure before God. who keep their bodies and their minds in such a shape of .purity that they are entitled to the revelations of the Spirit of God, I know that they do receive the revelations of the Spirit. ¶

The Stability and Faith of Our Missionaries

Men have proclaimed this gospel now for eighty long years, and during that period, although the world say we are mistaken, although they say Joseph Smith was a false prophet, the Book of Mormon is not true, and claim that the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants are not revelations of God. yet in eighty long years men have gone out to proclaim this gospel, and have come home to testify to you that God has given them an individual knowledge of the truth of the Book of Mormon, of the truths contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, and he has given to them an individual knowledge that he lives, and that Jesus is the Redeemer of the world, and that Joseph Smith was in very 'deed a prophet of God. During all these eighty years no single missionary has ever returned home to announce that he has found the truth in Scandinavia, or in some other part of Europe, or in South Africa, or in Canada, or in any of these United States, or in Mexico, or Central or South America, or upon the islands of the Pacific, Men and women by the hundreds, yes by the thousands and by the tens of thousands, have received the testimony of these missionaries during eighty years, and have borne witness that they know that they have had the truth to deliver to them, and yet all the wisdom of all the world, all the study of all the ministers of the various denominations claiming that they have the truth, have failed to give the ability to convert one of the missionaries who it was claimed was preaching error. Why, it is absolutely ridiculous, it is absurd, to think that men of honesty, men of integrity, men with prayerful and humble hearts, men living virtuous, upright lives, and bowing down daily for eighty long years and supplicating God for the guidance of his Spirit, that the Lord would never show one of those Elders the error of his way and lead him to the true path of rectitude and right and the plan of life and salvation. Why, if we did not know that the gospel was true, do you think the Latter-day Saints would expend in money and in loss of time about two million dollars a year to proclaim it? Do you think that fathers and mothers would rejoice more in sending out their sons to proclaim the gospel than in having them make a fortune? Do you think for one minute that if there was any lack of faith, or a lack of knowledge on the part of the Latter-day Saints, that they would dare send out their boys to preach? Why, they would be frightened to death ; they would be afraid of losing their boys. Have we any fear that all the knowledge of all the world, that all the learning and study and all the doctrines of the world will convert one single, honest Latter-day Saint boy? Not a bit of it: not a bit of it! We know, as we know that we live, that they cannot convert our boys. Why? Because the boys have the truth to proclaim. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon told the truth when they said: ¶

"Now. after the many testimonies which have been given of him. this is the testimony last of all which we give of him, that he lives, for we saw him even on the right hand of God. and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father ; that by him and through him and of him the worlds were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God." ¶

The world may say, "We don't believe it." but it is a fact that these men did see the Savior. It is a fact that Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith, in the temple in Kirtland. did see the Savior, and that Moses and Elias and Elijah did appear, and that all the keys of the gospel of every dispensation were conferred upon them, and the fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ have been enjoyed by those who have rendered obedience to its truths. The growth, the strength, the power of the gospel proclaims the truth of these things. The failure of the wisdom of the world to turn away from the truth those who have received the witness and the testimony of the gospel from' our Heavenly Father, also bears strong witness to every thoughtful, intelligent man, of the growth and the power and the strength of the gospel of Jesus Christ. ¶

Reasons Against Furnishing Tobacco for Our Soldiers

I want to say just a word or two of counsel to the Latter-day Saints. There has been some agitation in the papers advocating that men and women show their generosity and their loyalty to the young men of Utah who have volunteered and offered their lives in defense of their country, by supplying those young men with tobacco ! They are arguing in the papers that it is not particularly harmful, that it is very mild, and so on ; that our tobacco is better and milder than the tobacco of France, etc., etc. As Latter-day Saints we have received a revelation from Almighty God not to use tobacco, and it behooves us each one to use his or her influence to the uttermost to see that our boys keep this commandment of the Lord and pay no attention to the sophistries and the ideas and the reasoning of men in favor of the use of tobacco. The end of all controversy has been reached for every true Latter-day Saint because the Lord has said, "Tobacco is not good for man." It is suggested that the tobacco sellers are advertising their wares. I want to read to you — and the book has opened at the place I want without my hunting for it — what the Lord promises if you and I will refrain from hot drinks (which the prophet of God said were tea and coffee), and from liquor and strong drinks of all kinds, and from tobacco. He says, "And all Saints who remember to keep and to do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones, and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures ; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint ; and I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them." ¶

He might have added, "And I the Lord do not give a promise unto those who fail to obey these commandments, that the destroying angel shall pass by them and not slay them." ¶

I find in this same book that when the Lord commands, and men obey not his commands, then they fail to get the blessing. Then men say that the promises of the Lord are not true and fulfilled ; but woe unto such, for their reward lurketh from beneath, and not from above. ¶

I find in this book, among the revelations of the Lord to you and to me, that when we do the things that the Lord commands, he declares : "Then am I bound." As Latter-day Saints we want to set our faces as flint against any proposition or any propaganda of any kind which will so affect our children, if they follow that propaganda, that they will not be entitled to the promises and the blessings that come from keeping the commandments of the Lord. ¶

Gratitude for a Knowledge of the Gospel

I thank the Lord again for a knowledge of the gospel, for a testimony of the divinity of it, for a love of the truth, for a desire to labor for it. There is no labor in all the world that has ever brought to me that same joy, that same happiness, that same exquisite bliss as has come to me by being able to testify to all the world of my knowledge of a Redeemer, and of my knowledge that Joseph Smith was his prophet, the true and the living prophet of God, and that he did establish the truth, and that it will grow and increase and prosper and that it will triumph. The only fear that I have ever had has been that I might fail because men with greater knowledge, with far greater wisdom, with greater power and inspiration, who have had more testimonies and more wonderful manifestations given to them than I have ever had, or ever hope to have, through failure to live the gospel have fallen by the wayside. But I know that if you and I can be humble, prayerful, full of love of God and love of our fellows, that we shall stand firm and faithful, and shall endure to the end, which may God grant is my prayer, and I ask it in humility, and in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶