Testimony of the Restored Gospel

My brethren and sisters. I feel very keenly my responsibility in being invited to make a few remarks to this splendid body of Latter-day Saints; and I realize that without the assistance of the Spirit of the Lord, it will be impossible for me to discharge acceptably to the Lord this great responsibility. I therefore crave an interest in your faith and prayers, to the end that there may be no impediment whatever in the enjoyment of that Spirit today, to which we are entitled on all such occasions, and that always leads and guides into all truth. ¶

I have been profoundly impressed by the large attendance, not only in this building but in the larger tabernacle, in spite of the inclemency of the weather, and I have been asking myself the ques- ¶

tion, What does this mean, that so many people are gathered from far and near upon these grounds? I call to mind that which you no doubt have already thought of, that it is one hundred years ago, this spring, since the Prophet Joseph Smith received that wonderful manifestation of the Father and the Son, at which time the great Latter-day work was ushered in. He was blessed more than any other man that we have knowledge of in seeing the Father and the Son, both personally before him, one of whom, the Son, told him in reply to his query, that none of the sects of the earth then extant were right; and he became the instrument in the hands of the Lord in establishing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are not all privileged to enjoy the same manifestation which he enjoyed, but through the establishment of that work, the Church of Jesus Christ, there has been placed within the reach of all of our Father's children, a knowledge of the divinity of the work that the Prophet Joseph Smith was instrumental in establishing upon the earth; and I have been thinking seriously of that phase of the great Latter-day work. ¶

The question has been raised in outside quarters, what is it that holds the Latter-day Saints together? What is it that gives strength and stability to "Mormonism?" Because, contrary to the expectation of those who hope for the failure and the downfall of the latter-day work, with the growing years and the advancement of time, it seems to gather in strength and stability with promise of perpetuity for all time. ¶

I recall an incident in the life of the Savior, familiar to all of you, found in the 16th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, which reads: ¶

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him. Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¶

As it was in those days, so it is in these days, flesh and blood cannot reveal unto men and women a knowledge of the divinity of the personality of the Lord Jesus.Christ, or of the existence of God our Eternal Father and a knowledge of his character and attributes. Men, by human learning and human seeking, cannot find out these things which pertain to divinity. There is a way provided, however, in the divine providence of the Father whereby men may come to a knowledge of the truth, and know these things for themselves, and that way is open to the Latter-day Saints and to all men and women. Flesh and blood cannot give to men and women a knowledge of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith; man-wisdom alone cannot bring that knowledge to our Father's children. But there is a way provided whereby a knowledge of that great truth can be brought within the ¶

reach of every man and woman, and that way is pointed out in.the incident to which I have called attention: "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." He is my Father in heaven, and if we will do right today, he is just as willing to bless us with the knowledge of his divinity as he was willing to bless the Apostle Peter with a knowledge of the divinity of the Savior. ¶

So, in answer to the query, wherein does the strength of "Mormonism" lie? my answer would be this, that it lies in the individual testimony that is given to all Latter-day Saints who will honestly and prayerfully and righteously live for that same divine testimony. That testimony does not depend upon our learning, nor upon our education. That testimony does not depend upon family relationship nor worldly possessions. It depends upon conditions that every man and woman can comply with. If we will exercise faith in God the eternal Father, if we will repent in all sincerity of our shortcomings and our transgressions, if we will go down into the waters and receive baptism by immersion, by one having authority, for the remission of our sins; if we then shall receive the imposition of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and live in such a way that his influence shall be with us and abide with us, we shall know for ourselves whether or not this work is of God the eternal Father, and whether the Savior has spoken in divine right, and is indeed the Savior of the world; and no power of man can take this knowledge from the Latter-day Saints. We may know these things for ourselves, and we are not dependent upon any other man or any other men in all the world for a knowledge of these things; and if there is one thing that we should prize above another, it is that testimony which our heavenly Father has promised unto us. We need it; we are not safe without it, in this day of contending creeds and conflicting opinions, with reference to matters religious. It is of the utmost importance that our feet should be planted upon a foundation that cannot be moved, that is safe and solid beyond all question; and that is the foundation of this great Latter-day work, that is the foundation upon which your faith and mine is placed, and until it rests upon that foundation it is not secure. It is given unto every man and every woman and to every boy and girl, for the Lord is no respecter of persons, and "in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Thus, when our elders go into.the nations of the earth, they make the promise to all nations, that that testimony is within the reach of our Father's children; and in our testimony meetings, as they are held throughout the length and breadth of Zion, the Saints from England, from Scotland, from Belgium, from any and every other part of the world in which the gospel has been preached, bear record of the same truth, that in the land from which they came the Holy Ghost is enjoyed by those who have accepted the truth. They all bear the same testimony of the goodness of God to them' in o-rving to them a knowledge of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the divinity of the great Latter-day work that he was in- ¶

strumental in initiating upon the earth. And so long as we enjoy that testimony we shall never be led astray; for this is God's work, it is not the work of man. It is the work of the Almighty, and he will take care of it, and it will never fall, no matter what its enemies may hope and pray to the contrary. ¶

Upon another occasion, the Savior was confronted with a defection in the ranks of those who had been his professed believers, and turning to the Twelve, he said to them, "And will ye also go away?" And Peter, that same apostle that was so impetuous on all occasions, said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words 'of eternal life." So it is today. Outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where shall we go? For in this work is found the words of eternal life, for it is indeed the work of God, and it has to deal with everything that is essential to the growth and the happiness of our Father's children, in temporalities as well as spiritualities, for the Lord is interested in all that concerns your happiness and mine. He is our Father in very deed, and in the establishment of his work upon the earth in these days he has in mind not only the spiritual welfare of his children, but also their temporal welfare; and through his servants from time to time he gives unto us his mind and will. ¶

And here I want to bear testimony to the character of his servants as they have been placed in the Church in the past, and as they exist in the Church today. I know that these men are men of God. I know that they give to the Latter-day Saints the revelations of the Lord, the mind and will of God, the Father, and that in so far as we will abide by the counsels which they are inspired to give unto us from time to time we shall be continually in the path of eternal life; that we shall enjoy real happiness in this life and prepare ourselves for that which is greater in the life to come. I do not know of the divinity of the Latter-day work by what any man has said to me; but I know as I live that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of the living God, and that his successors in the presidency have been and are prophets of the living God, for the inspiration of the Almighty has given into my soul that knowledge, to my complete and absolute satisfaction. I pray the Lord that he will bless the Latter-day Saints, that he will help us to be true to the opportunities we enjoy, that his Spirit will ever be with us through our lives, and that in the end we will all receive that welcome plaudit, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶