I have to confess that I

I have to confess that I am certainly taken by surprise. I had no expectation whatever of being called upon at this time. I do hope that the few minutes that I occupy I may be favored of the Lord and be influenced by his Holy Spirit. I have had experience enough along this line of work to realize that the servants of God, when they speak, should speak under the influence of the Holy Spirit ; that the servants of God ¶

are entitled, if they do the will of the Father, to revelation and inspiration. The Prophet Joseph Smith says that no man should testify that Jesus is the Christ, unless it be by the Spirit of prophecy and revelation. I am a very strong believer in this, although we are not always under his influence. ¶

Brethren and sisters, I do not think that you question my integrity and my loyalty and patriotism to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I think there are times when you have questioned very much what I say to you, and criticized me very severely sometimes, but I get a good deal of comfort out of the fact that none of the rest of you escape any better than I do. Our people and the children of men are very ready to criticize the brethren of the authorities and the local brethren who preside over the stakes and over the wards. They seem to feel that it is their right, and they certainly take advantage of it, some of them ; so that I am not discouraged at all. I often wonder when you do have the Spirit of God. I used to think I had it in the Southern States, when I became excited and sensational, and my face was red, and the cords of my neck were swollen — I thought then, in my ignorance, that it was the Holy Ghost. I learned differently afterwards. I am sure that was not the Spirit of God. I have learned since that the Spirit of God gives you joy and peace and patience and long-suffering and gentleness, and you have the spirit of forgiveness and you love the souls of the children of men. I have learned that the Holy Ghost is the spirit of prophecy and the spirit of revelation. I often think, when I reflect along this line, sometimes when I have preached and perhaps in my egotism I thought I had the Spirit of God, but after some of the brethren talked to me I was very doubtful about it. I think of my father — our father, the father of a great race of people — he prophecied once somewhere on these temple grounds, when the people were in poverty, when they were almost disheartened, and things looked so dark and dreary before them. Heber C. Kimball prophecied that goods would be sold as cheaply in Salt Lake City as in New York. After he sat down, he said to Brigham Young, "Well, Brother Brigham, I have done it now." ¶

Brother Brigham said, "Never mind, Heber ; let it go." ¶

They did not. either one of them, believe it (Laughter) ¶

After the meeting adjourned, Apostle Charles C. Rich, I am told, went up to Heber C. Kimball, and he said, "Heber, I don't believe a word you said." ¶

Heber said: "Neither do I." ¶

(Laughter.) But he rounded it out: "But God hath spoken." ¶

It was not Heber at all ; it was God who spoke through Heber as a prophet. A short time after, the prophecy was literally fulfilled. ¶

So that sometimes, and very often, the servants of God speak by the Spirit of God, but some of the people haven't got the same spirit, and do not believe the servants of God. Now, brethren, I want to express to you this thought, that it is just as necessary for you Latterday Saints to have the Spirt of God as it is for the apostles and the seventies and the presidents of stakes and the bishops, for when you speak, or when the servants of ¶

God speak under the influence of the Holy Spirit, it is the word of God to the Latter-day Saints. ¶

I do not care whether you like the mannerism or the crudity of the speaker. That does not make any difference, whatever; it is the word of God to you. ¶

Now, brethren, in a few words: I was very glad to hear Brother Penrose speak of the seventies. We are laboring under great difficulties in order to find men who are prepared to go out as witnesses of the Lord to the nations of the earth. I was at a seventies' meeting not long ago in the Richmond ward, and there were forty-five seventies there— a very splendid body of priesthood— and I said: "Now, brethren, I don't want to talk mission to you if you have to go to war. I guess it would be a good thing to find out how many of you are between the ages of eighteen and forty-five." Over forty of them stood up. I told them to go to war as soon as they could, and on their return, after peace is declared, be prepared to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is about the condition. The Lord said, not only to the seventies but to the priesthood of God: "If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work." I have that desire burning m my heart, like a living fire, and so has every other man who holds the priesthood of God and has the spirit of his appointment. Again in that same revelation, the Lord tells us what qualifies us for the work It is not money. What is it? It is faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, and any man who holds the priesthood of God, who has those gifts, he is qualified and fitted for the work. All he needs is to be ¶

called to the work by those holding divine authority. ¶

In conclusion : I have worked in the Church, perhaps not as well as I might have done, but I have staked everything on it. As I told a man one day, I had fifty-two cards in the beginning. I never played cards in my life — only smut. But to illustrate : I am not a card player, but in the begining I had fifty-two of them — that is a deck, I think. Some of you seventies are better informed, perhaps, than I, but at the present time I have only one card left. Do you know what I have staked it on ? Eternal life ; and if I fail in that I have failed in everything. Why? Because "salvation is the greatest gift of God to his children." Of all the gifts and all the blessings that God can give to his children, the "greatest gift is salvation." If you leave your father and if you leave your mother, your wife and your children, and your flocks and your herds, and all that you have, and go out as a witness for God, he has promised you an hundred fold. All the investments I ever made in my life, except the one of two Liberty Bonds I have been able to pay for, at four per cent, I have paid from eighteen per cent down, and all I got out of it was experience ; the other fellow got my money. (Laughter.) But this investment we have started out for, the Lord has promised you an hundred fold, and I pray God that this spirit may burn in the hearts of the priesthood of God, that every man shall understand for himself, as I understand for myself, that the priesthood of God is "inseparably connected with heaven." That is what places us in communication with our God. ¶

I know, as well as I know any- ¶

thing, that this is the kingdom of God, that this is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, that Joseph F. Smith is a prophet of God. I have always sustained the prophets of God, and I never talked with one of the Presidency of the Church that I did not rise to my feet and know that they were prophets of God. The Lord bless you. Amen. ¶