The Blessings of Conference

My brethren and Sisters, I have rejoiced in the proceedings of this conference thus far, and after the next few moments, I am sure I shall rejoice in the remainder of the proceedings. In the midst of my surprise at being called upon, and in the fact that I had never thought that it should fall to my lot to be called upon, I trust that you will bear with me, my brethren and sisters, and that the testimony which I may express may find a response in your hearts, and that we may have occasion to rejoice together, feeling that God is blessing us as He has blessed us in the past, in the worthy work in which we are engaged. We are truly grateful for the opportunities we have of drawing near unto the Lord through our service in His cause, because He said, that if we will draw near unto Him He will draw near unto us. And I am sure the experience of every Latter-day Saint will confirm that statement of the Lord, that every Latter-day Saint who is in His service are, in their humility, drawn near unto Him. It is inevitable that, under such circumstances, the Lord will draw near unto us. It is the only way of approach to the Lord and to receive the blessings of His Spirit, which brings consolation and peace and happiness. For, after all, I think little genuine happiness comes to us and permanently remains with us, except that it be through the Spirit of the Lord, and that sweet influence that comes with association with the Spirit of the Lord. No other organization, perhaps, in the world affords to its members opportunity for individual effort, and the privilege of drawing near unto the Lord by service, as does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every member of the Church has an opportunity to show faith in the principles of the gospel which they have espoused, to show forth faith in God and in His goodness and mercy, by their obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Not only that, but he has opportunity to show faith in his willingness to lend a helping hand to his fellow man, and in his desire to be of service in this great dispensation of the fulness of times. I am sure that those who have had experience in the work of the Lord will ¶

bear testimony to this fact, that it is a wonderful work and that wonderful blessings follow those who put their heart into it. ¶

I come from Benson stake, as was announced ; and perhaps some of you are inquiring where the Benson stake is. It is not a new stake, having been taken from a part of the Cache stake, in the year 1901, if I remember correctly the year. It is composed of the northern part of Cache county, and was named in honor of Elder Ezra T. Benson of the Council of the Twelve at one time, and who resided in Logan, in the Cache stake, from which Benson stake was taken. Cache stake was divided into four stakes. The work is growing there, my brethren and sisters, as it is growing in other parts of the vineyard of the Lord. This is a day of financial distress, which some of us are inclined to call hard times and in fact they are hard times. I sometimes believe, however, that hard times are more a matter of mental attitude than of actual conditions. ¶

It is hard times because in times of plenty, and a particularly easy money market, some of us indulged in the things that we would like to avoid, and which we thought, by reason of our prospects, we were entitled to; hard times because, in great measure we ignored the counsels that were given us, from time to time, by those who' had been called to preside over us. In the face of these conditions, I feel that the people of the Church have drawn nearer unto the Lord than they have done in many years past, and sometimes I have rejocied that conditions have so shaped themseves that we are inclined to1 turn toward the Lord, and that we are more inclined to turn toward religion, and to be more neighborly, and more sympathetic to our1 brethren and sisters than we have been before. ¶

As a result of the conditions that I have mentioned, I feel that the Latter-day Saints are drawing nearer to the Lord today than they have drawp before in years past; and the Lord is making good His promise to draw near unto the people. ¶

My brethren and sisters, I know that we are engaged in the work of the Lord; that this gospel which has been restored to the earth in these the last days is the plan of life and salvation to those who believe and do; that the line of succession from the Prophet Joseph Smith to the Prophet and President, Heber J. Grant, has been unbroken; that the truth which was established in the earth with the restoration of the gospel remains upon the earth; that those who preside over the Church have that same authority that was conferred upon Joseph Smith; and that we as a people will be saved and exalted just in proportion to our obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel as promulgated from time to time by the mouthpiece of God upon the earth, and his associates. ¶

May God bless us as Latter-day Saints, and the people of the world generally. May He draw, us near unto Him at all times, is my prayer, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶