(President of the Eastern States Mission.)

(President of the Eastern States Mission.) ¶

My dear brethren and sisters. It is indeed an honor to stand before such a vast congregation of Latter-day Saints, and I earnestly desire your faith and prayers that the few words I utter in your presence may be acceptable to the Lord. As our colored brother would say: I feel "powerful weak" in standing before you. I feel weak in myself, but I realize that my strength is in the Lord. I have not been called to this position of my own seeking, but, having been called by the servants of the Lord, I have put my trust in God and feel determined to go forth and do the very best I can. I know that if I do this all will be well; for, as expressed by our beloved president yesterday morning, surely the Lord God will make no requirements at the hands of his servants except he provide a way for the fulfilment or accomplishment of that thing ; and so, with ¶

the help of the Lord, I am going out to preach the gospel in the Eastern States mission. I feel that the paramount thing for us as Latter-day Saints today is the preaching of the gospel to the nations of the earth ; and, as explained by elder Ballard here this morning, the chastening hand of God has been outstretched in the world, the Lord has been speaking to us through these terrible afflictions of war, famine, pestilence and diseases, and surely the Lord will expect his servants to be there crying repentance unto these people when they are humbled in their spirits, when they are ready to turn to him. The Lord will expect us to be there crying repentance unto them, giving them the opportunity to go in at the gateway. I urge upon you to be ready to make the sacrifices that are necessary to take this great message to the nations of the earth. ¶

I was very much gratified the day before I left New York, when one of the elders who is to accompany elder Smith to Europe came to me and said that his brother, who has been a prosperous farmer in Wyoming, sent word to me that he had leased his farm out and was coming to the Eastern States mission, bringing his wife and daughter and two sons, all of whom would be engaged in the missionary work. I honestly believe that this man is investing his earnings, his profits, his time, and his talents, in the most judicious manner possible. It may be that his associates, in the town where he resides, will make more money within the next few years, but still I believe that this good brother has acted wisely and that his investment will bring him greater dividends, they will bring him greater returns from every ¶

standpoint, except that of mere money. I believe he will so establish his family in the Church and kingdom of God that great blessings will come unto them for generations to come, through this mission he is taking. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I know that this is the work of the Lord that we are engaged in. God has revealed this unto me. The Spirit of the Lord has testified to every fibre of my being, and to my soul, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and those who have succeeded him in the presidency of our Church are his rightful successors, that Heber J. Grant today is the mouthpiece of God on earth. He having called me to this position, I gladly respond, and though it seemed like a great sacrifice at first, I feel, as expressed by Elder Smith, to rejoice that the Lord has called me ; and now that the first step has been taken, and I have broken loose from the influence of the world and have partaken of the spirit and the joy of missionary work, I feel grateful to my father in heaven that I have been considered worthy to take this mission. I am very glad indeed that I am going. I want to assure my brethren of the First Presidency and the Twelve, and all of the presiding brethren, that they have my hearty support, that they have my love and my friendship. The same is true of you, my brethren and sisters, and all mankind. Toward you I have nothing in my heart but love and good fellowship. I pray that God will bless you and that he will bless me and give me the spirit of my calling; that when your sons and your daughters shall come to the Eastern States mission, that I may have wisdom to give them instructions that will make them strong in the fight for truth and righteousness. Brethren and sisters, support me to this end, and I know that this thing will be accomplished. ¶

May God add his blessings to all that has been said today, that our hearts may be made to rejoice, that the young and the old may be able to stand up and say, as one of old has said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth : And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see. God." I pray that this may be our happy lot, that we may be firm in the fight for truth and righteousness, and I pray for these things in Jesus' name. Amen. ¶