The Principle of Revelation Vital

My brethren and sisters, I have rejoiced greatly in the spirit of this conference. We have listened already to some very fine instructions and some pointed testimonies which were faith-promoting. I desire that the same good spirit that has actuated the other speakers may also be with me. ¶

The Principle of Revelation Vital

No more important topic has been touched upon at this conference than the principle of revelation, which is vital to the salvation of the souls of men. It would be difficult to imagine the true Church ¶

of God being upon the earth without the principle of revelation or direct communication. Holy Writ tells us that the prophets of old spoke and wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, which is the spirit of truth and the spirit of revelation. Many pages of the Bible are filled with references to this important subject. Even in the very beginning, we learn that God created man in his own image and after his likeness, and placed him in the Garden of Eden and spoke to him there. We are led to believe that God appeared to him in person, and it was only when Adam departed from the commandment of God that he was shut out from his presence, and even under those trying circumstances, the Lord sent an angel to communicate with Adam and to bear testimony to him. Surely that was an important time and an important matter. And so it was with others that followed. ¶

The Case of Abraham

You will remember, my brethren and sisters, that Abraham, that mighty patriarch of old and friend of God. — who was a righteous man and a righteous judge — diligently sought after the blessings of the fathers and the Priesthood, and he found them ; for it would appear, from what he says in respect to this important matter, that the Lord appeared to him. Abraham said : ¶

"And finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same ; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God. I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers. ¶

"It was conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundations of the earth, to the present time, even the right of the firstborn, or the first man, who is Adam, our first father, through the fathers, unto me." ¶

And again the Lord spake unto Abraham, and he said : ¶

"For I am the Lord thy God; I dwell in heaven; the earth is my footstool; I stretch my hand over the sea, and it obeys my voice ; I cause the wind and the fire to be my chariot ; I say to the mountains — Depart hence — and behold, they are taken away by a whirlwind, in an instant, suddenly. ¶

"My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee. ¶

"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations * * * " ¶

"Now, after the Lord had withdrawn from speaking to me, and withdrawn his face from me, I said in my heart: Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee * * * " ¶

And so, it appears, that God appeared to Abraham and talked with him face to face. Surely this was a great and a glorious revelation, and Abraham was put in the way of obtaining the Priesthood, — divine authority — and great and mighty blessings were conferred upon him. ' ¶

The Lord Advises Isaac

And the same is true of his son Isaac. At a time when there was famine in the land, Isaac was on the verge of departing and going into Egypt, but the Lord advised him to remain in the land, for he said: "I will bless thee, and give the land unto thee," and the Lord renewed upon Isaac the promises that he had given to Abraham. This blessing came to Isaac through revelation. How wonderful! ¶

The Lord Spoke to Jacob in a Dream

And in the case of Jacob, the third member of that quorum of patriarchs, it appears that he had a wonderful dream. He saw in vision a ladder reaching from the earth unto heaven, and the angels of God descending and ascending upon the ladder; but at the head stood the Lord. He saw him with his eyes, and the Lord spoke to him and blessed him and put upon him the promises that he had made to Abraham and Isaac. And so, through the power of revelation, these blessings came to those great patriarchs. ¶

The Voice of Revelation to Moses

You will remember, that the voice of revelation came to Moses from the burning bush. It was a wonderful manifestation, because in that voice there was instruction and a definite command given to Moses that he should go down into Egypt and deliver the people out of bondage. But, mark you. the Lord went with him. The Lord spoke by the mouth of Moses to, Pharaoh, and through the power of God, Moses wrought those ten mighty miracles in Egypt, by which the Children of Israel were delivered and brought out of bondage. ¶

But the Lord was near; he did not depart nor desert his people; he spoke to them in the wilderness. The voice of revelation came out from Mount Sinai, even the voice of God to the children of Israel — giving them the Ten Commandments, the decalogue. How wonderful was this great manifestation! How otherwise, my brethren and sisters, could the children of Israel have received this communication and this great law — a law that is really, you might say, sufficient for man's instruction all the days of his life. ¶

The Prophets, Seers, and Revelators of Old

So we might say of the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jere miah ; they were seers and revelators, and wrote by the power of the Holy Ghost. Mighty predictions were made by these prophets, which are now in process of fulfilment. ¶

Amos, the prophet, said: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." That is a most astounding statement. It would appear that the Lord will not work among the children of men, and will do nothing except that he will reveal himself concerning these matters to his servants, the prophets. Where does that place any man or woman, or any people, who claim that the canon of scripture is full and that God no more speaks to his people? We know that a veil is drawn between the Lord and the children of men, but it is not reasonable to suppose that the Being who has given the gospel to his children upon the earth, will sit behind the veil there, silent, perfectly silent, and decline to speak to his children. The idea is monstrous, it is unreasonable. ¶

The Church of Christ Built Upon Revelation

And so, my brethren and sisters, if the Old Testament has emphasized the principle and power of revelation, it is doubly emphasized in the New Testament. You have already heard, at this conference, of an interview between the Savior and his apostles, when he asked them this significant question: "'Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" And they said: "Some say thou art John the Baptist; some Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." "But," said he, "whom say ye that I am?" Now, you will remember the answer of Peter, how striking, how impressive it was. lie said: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered and said: "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." Some have gone so far as to say that the rock he referred to was Peter. Surely, the Lord Jesus Christ would not build his Church upon one who was lesser in power and lesser in authority than himself. No, it is evident that he had reference to revelation. It was the rock of revelation. This is the view that we take. This is the doctrine that we promulgate. We say : Yes, the Church of Jesus Christ is built upon the rock of revelation, and everything points to this fact, so far as the Latter-day work of God is concerned. ¶

You know Daniel, speaking of the future, said that in the days of these kings, or the latter days, the God of heaven would set up a kingdom that should never be thrown down nor given to another people, and should stand forever. How did the God of heaven proceed to set up that kingdom? By the principle and power of revelation, for it seems that the Father and the Son descended from the heavens, in answer to the prayer of a boy. They stood before him, and revealing themselves, wanted to know what he desired. Now, his question was simple and direct and beautiful. He said : I want to know which of all the sects of the day is the true church, that I may know which one to join. And the Lord said to him that, none of the sects ¶

are true, and that their creeds were an abomination to him, and that their professors were teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. They had a form of godliness but denied the power thereof. Now, mark you, a moment before the youth was confused, he knew not which way to turn, a moment later his question was answered and he knew perfectly the situation and how to act. All this came about with him through the medium of revelation. Without revelation Joseph Smith, the boy, and Joseph Smith, the Prophet, would have been perfectly helpless. ¶

No Greater Communications Than Found in the Doctrine and Covenants

So, we see this principle operating throughout our Church in its beginning. John the Baptist appeared and delivered his power and Priesthood, and Peter, James and John appeared and delivered their authority — the keys and power which they held — and put them upon Joseph Smith, the Prophet. Let me say to you, in attestation of the testimony of this people and this Church, we have a book of revelations, containing the doctrines and teachings of the Church. This book represents to us the voice of God, yea the voice of God to his servant Joseph Smith and to the people of the Latter-day Saints. I maintain that you may search the scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, and you will find no greater communication to the children of men than some of the things that are contained in the book of Doctrine and Covenants. Do you not remember that mighty revelation called the "Vision of the three glories"? Do you not remember that great and mighty revelation on Priesthood? Do you not remember, that serious, valuable and most precious revelation pertaining to the eternity of the marriage covenant? Could there be any religion, — anything greater than the truths set forth in these mighty revelations ? ¶

Power and Authority of the Living Oracles of God

And, while we have access to these things, to holy writ, to the scriptures that have been given, we also are permitted to sit under the droppings of the sanctuary and to listen to the voice of the living oracles of God, to his prophets, whom he has called to preside over us, even President Grant, to whom has been committed the keys of the kingdom of heaven, to bind upon earth and it shall be bound in heaven, to loose upon earth and it shall be loosed in heaven, "And whomsoever he blesses," God has said, "I will bless ; and whomsoever he curses, I will curse." That is the power, that is the authority that go with this Priesthood and with this people, and I rejoice in it. ¶

I bear testimony to the truth that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was his prophet, and that the revelations of God to us will guide us and will be instrumental, through our obedience, of bringing salvation to us in the kingdom of God. This is my testimony and I bear it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶