The Divinity of the Restored Work

My dear brethren and sisters, I feel somewhat like Brother Cannon said he felt. I do not know any other position in the Church that is as difficult for me to occupy as this ; but he has had a little the advantage of me — he has had the opportunity of going out to preach the gospel to the world. That opportunity I have never had yet; and for that reason, I have always shunned as much as possible standing before the people to teach the principles of eternal truth. ¶

It is not because I have feared in my heart, or anything of that kind, to bear my testimony. I do not know of an opportunity that I ever had that I did not always bear my testimony to the truthfulness of this work. My labor has been at home, though I often wonder in my own mind what the brethren have seen in me to put me in the positions that I have occupied. They have generally been presiding positions, and I have always taken advantage of the fact and induced the others to do the work. I tried as hard as I possibly could to get one of my counselors to take my place today, because he is able ; and I depend upon my counselors to a great extent in preaching the gospel in our stake. ¶

I do rejoice, my brethren and sisters, in the principles of the gospel. I rejoice in the testimony that the Lord has given me of the divinity of this work. There has never been a doubt in my mind that I can remember with regard to the divinity of the work that the Lord has established for the salvation of his children here upon the earth ; and I have never been in a place in my life where I have been afraid to bear that testimony. I have had the opportunity to go amongst people who are not members of our Church, and labor amongst them in different ways, and I do not know of a day when the opportunity ever came when I was afraid in bearing my testimony to them that I know that the gospel is true ; and in talking with a great many of them I have often thought within my own mind, that if I could explain the gospel as it appears to my mind, that I could convert anybody in the world. Those are the thoughts that generally come to me whenever contemplating upon the principles of eternal truth that our Father in heaven has revealed in this day. ¶

When we take into consideration, my brethren and sisters, the way that this Church came into existence, the youth of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and his illiteracy as far as the learning of the world is concerned — and then for him to bring forth such a great and marvelous work as has been brought forth — it seems to me that any man that will contemplate those things will have to come to the conclusion that this indeed is the work of God, and that the Prophet Joseph Smith must have been assisted by some power higher than man's. ¶

In the very early rise of the Church, my brethren and sisters, the revelation was given through the Prophet Joseph Smith to the Church that a great and a marvelous work was about to come forth among the children of men. We today have lived to see that great and marvelous work come forth, and today we can all testify that that prophecy which the Prophet made, that revelation which was given through him by our Father in heaven, has been literally fulfilled. The Church today is a great and marvelous work in the eyes of the people, and we all notice that, as the Savior said, "The leaven of the gospel will leaven the whole lump" — that it might be compared to a woman placing leaven in three measures of flour, and that it would leaven the whole lump. Now, I believe that is the condition, today. The world is looking upon the gospel, and is adopting a great many of its principles, while it does not recognize them as coming from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. ¶

The quotation that was made by Brother Ballard yesterday, from the speech of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., looks to me like a criterion to go by. He is looking forward to a church which a great many of the wise men of the world are looking forward to — a new church to come forth that will better prepare the people for an exaltation in the kingdom of God. It seems to me that they do not need to look further than the valleys of the mountains, amongst the Latter-day Saints. I believe that in this Church everything necessary for the salvation of the human family is contained. I do not know of anything that we can think of that would be of benefit to us, as the children of our Father in heaven, upon the earth, but what is incorporated in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My testimony is strong as far as that is concerned. I have labored in the Church from the time I was quite a young boy. I have been continually in positions in this Church, and my testimony has grown strong. I know, beyond any doubt whatever, that this is the work of God, that we are engaged in a work that will save and exalt us in the kingdom of our Father in heaven if we will do our part. But the question in my mind always is, as I say to our people, the only question that should be in our minds should be whether we are doing our part or not — whether we are standing in holy places as we have been commanded by our Father in heaven, when the judgments referred to by our Father are being poured out upon the children of men. Our Father in heaven has warned us of these things. I was talking to a friend yesterday, and I said, "These things should not stun us very hard, because we have been looking forward for them ; the prophets all the way along the line have declared that these things would take place, and that the only way of escape from them is by yielding obedience to the principles of eternal truth, which our Father in heaven has revealed for men, requiring them to turn from their sins, and serve God, and keep his commandments." ¶

We realize, as a people, that if we could persuade the nations of the earth to accept the principles of the gospel, and turn from the errors of their ways, that these judgments would be averted. At least, we have instances of this kind on record. When Jonah was sent to Nineveh to declare unto the people that unless they repented of their sins and turned from the error of their ways, that that great city would be destroyed, we all remember how Jonah feared to go there, and he felt in his heart that possibly those things would not take place. But he had to go, and the people listened to his instructions, turned from the error of their ways, and escaped that great judgment. We are told that they repented in sackcloth and ashes. I said that that would save the world today. ¶

I have no doubt in my mind at all, but that if the nations of the earth would turn from the error of their ways and seek to serve God and keep his commandments, that those judgments which are now poured out would be avoided. I remember talking with one of the wisest of men, as far as the learning of the world is concerned, time and time again. His parents came from the old country for the gospel's sake. He had become somewhat skeptical in regard to the principles of the gospel, and a short time ago I was talking to him with regard to them, and he declared to me: "I did not believe that any such a war could take place." I said to him : "You people who are so wise in the things of the world did not believe that those things would take place, but those who are foolish enough to believe in the prophecies of the prophets and the things that they told us, they told you right along all the time that these things would come." In order to get out of it, he said, "Wars generally come every forty or fifty years, anyhow." And I said, "You wise men of the world were going to prevent them — they never could happen again." ¶

These things are testimonies to us that we are engaged in the work of the Lord, and I pray God to bless us each and every one, that we may do our part, as far as we possibly can, to get the people to stand in holy places, that we may avoid the judgments which the Lord is pouring out upon the people. May God bless us to this end, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶