Read the Scriptures

Only those who stand before great audiences like this can feel what it means to occupy the time of the meeting. One is always reminded that the responsibility that rests upon those who are assigned any duties in this Church is great, and that unless the Lord comes to to rescue these duties cannot be adequately discharged. ¶

I have been much impressed at this conference, I think more than ever before, by the fact of the divine appointment of the leaders of this Church. I think I have never recognized more fully the power, the inspiration, that rests upon the President of this Church and his counselors, and the twelve apostles, men who have been appointed and ordained in the time in which we live, to lead Latter-day Israel. It is to me a great testimony, to; listen to the inspired! doctrine and teachings of Christ, manifested through these men. ¶

I have been reminded of two or three passages of scripture pertaining to our pre-mortal state. The Lord, in speaking to Jeremiah, as recorded in the first chapter, told him that before he was born he knew him, and ordained him a prophet unto the nations. In the Pearl of Great Price, we find more scripture which proves the divine appointment of men who take part in the administration of God's work in the earth. ¶

The Lord revealed unto Abraham some things pertaining to us in this life, and in the language of Abraham I read : ¶

"Now the Lord has shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was, and among all these were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good,, and He stood in the midst of them, and He said : These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good, and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born." ¶

The Lord told Abraham that with him were many of the noble and great ones, whom He would make His rulers. The world believes not in the ante-mortal state of men, according to the teachings of their churches and their ministers. They halve not arrived at that knowledge, because they have not obeyed the law upon which that blessing is predicated, for it is a great and glorious blessing to a man or a woman to obtain a knowledge, while they sojourn in the flesh, that before they came here they lived, and that God organized intelligences, and established them, so that when they should come into the earth, some should be His rulers ; not particularly the riders of nations, but ¶

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the rulers of His Church, in the day that His Church should be in the earth, for he says, "These I will make my rulers.'" These men were tried, and proved to be the spirits, among others, who were able to be leaders of men ; and before they were born in this earthlife, in the clays of their "primeval childhood," when they were "nurtured at his side," in immortality, the God of our Fathers and their fathers had given unto them their calling; and we have thousands of people who stand in the midst of Israel, as also many who have passed away, who can testify, and do testify, that the leaders' of this Church were inspired men, who were called and ordained to be his rulers in the day and age in which they were to come on the earth. ¶

The history of Joseph Smith is evidence to this people, that he was and is a prophet of the Living God, and impresses even those who do not believe with evidence of his leadership. We find no greater* leadership in all the world than in this "Mormon" Prophet, who labored early and late, unceasingly, to establish in the minds and hearts of men that faith and that knowledge which he had received in his communication with the Father, the Father of all the children of men who have to be reached in the flesh, and with Jesus Christ. He gave his life for the testimony which he bore, that he had seen the Father and' the Son, and that they had revealed unto him the true order of worship. And as the world grows older, men and women of all countries will become acquainted with his work and with his character, and they will point to him as being the man who was a leader of men ; and when they recognize that he was a leader of men, then the power of the Almighty will rest upon them, and they will recognize in him a leader of God's people here in the earth. Then will they begin to remember the Lord, and will begin to come unto him in repentance, and will finally come unto Him in His kingdom. It may take unto eternity before the truth, that has been preached to them while here in the flash, shall pierce them, but except a few who may reject it, all will receive it ultimately. ¶

Now I want to say a word' about Brigham Young. How many people have given consideration as to what it took to build that Temple on this block, to lay those mighty stones, to plan that mighty edifice? I think there are but few in the Church today who can properly estimate what one of those stones weigh, and what it took to build that great structure. I question very much if any of us have given it sober or serious thought. None but a man moved upon by God could build such a building. It stands there as a monument, and will stand as a monument, that Brigham Young was and is a prophet of God, and that God did inspire him. You know when he stood at the head of the Church he preached the gospel with as much power as any prophet has ever done. Men asked him how he was going to build the temple. He said, "The Lord has shown unto me the pattern of the temple, and I know what it shall be like, and how to builcf. it." Those ¶

words of his are there in granite. That is evidence to this Church and to the world that he was a leader of men, a mighty man, and a glorious character, one who was ordained, and one who stood in the midst of the Gods when these rulers of the Church were chosen. Brigham Youngwas among them. So was the Prophet Joseph. So was John Taylor, who also gave his life, offered it in Carthage jail when Joseph and Hyrum fell martyrs, and who gave up their lives because of persecution many years later, when he stood at the head of this great Church. Wilford Woodruff was there. Lorenzo Snow was there. Joseph F. Smith was there. Heber J. Grant was there. God said, "These I will make my rulers." And you who have the testimony of Jesus, you who have received the knowledge that this latter-day work is true, you know, in your own hearts, that these men were and are leaders of God's people in the great work He has established upon the earth. ¶

As I listened to President Grant, at our opening session, tell the people what they should do, and what he had done for them1 in the way of establishing them more firmly in their industries, so that they might pay their debts and live as becometh the people of God, and as He intended they should, there was testimony in his heart, the testimony and words of the living Redeemer shone forth in his countenance. The living God governs the words and testimonies of his servants as they come upon the earth, just as he counseled with them when they stood among the spirits and knew them to be the men that He would have them to be. ¶

God, our eternal Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, has proved to the world that he has never made a mistake with the men that He has called to lead Israel ; from the days of Adam until now. He has chosen men that He knew> before their worldly career, who would come forth in time, and be the leaders of men, and He said through Paul, the Apostle, that He hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. And Moses tiells us, in Deuteronomy, that the "nations of the earth were divided according to the number of the children of Israel," and Israel was known of the Lord, and leaders of Israel were recognized by Him because of their ability to carry on His work. Why was Jeremiah ordained a prophet? Because God knew who he was, knew that he was a prophet because of the power that he had received through observing the laws of the gospel of Jesus Christ before the world was. God knew that he would be, in his day and in his time, when he should come to the earth according to appointment, a prophet of the living God, and one in whom the Lord could repose confidence, because of his stability, strength, power, life, and love for His work. ¶

I want you Latter-day Saints to go home, with this feeling in your hearts that he who leads this Church is a man divinely called and associated with men who are duly appointed to act in the name of God, and who have the power to ordain others ; and that through ¶

them comes revelation for the guidance of this Church, for the preaching of the gospel, for the redemption of mankind; that they are children of our Father, called by our Father to be leaders of the children of men before they lived upon the earth. A man will make no mistake who follows them, and receives their advice, and who keeps the commandments of God. ¶

I heard President Grant say, recently, that he would consider it a favor to him, if men and women would abstain from the use of tea and coffee, tobacco, liquor, and coca-cola; that they would have power given them to establish themselves in the faith, and save themselves from debt, sickness, and disease. And he read from the revelations, that the destroying angel would pass them, by; and he is a prophet of God. ¶

Read in the scriptures ; in them is life and light and the power that leads back unto God, our Father. A shor-t time ago, I asked; the) branch presidents and conference presidents and each missionary in the Central States mission, to take up a labor with the members of their branches, and with every member of the Church with whom they came in contact, encouraging them to read the scriptures, not only in preparation for their lessons for auxiliary organizations, but separate and apart from that — to read the scriptures one-half hour a day. I tell you if men and women will do this the Lord's truth will come into their minds and into their hearts, and they will remember constantly the word of God, and will avoid the pitfalls that are everywhere present to entrap those who have a knowledge that this is the Church of God in the earth, and that there is none other through which salvation to the human family can come. May God give us the power to be true to his work I humbly pray in His name. Amen. ¶