Remarks

(Of the First Council of Seventy) ¶

Every man or woman who is called to a position of this kind has a great desire to be guided and influenced by the Holy Spirit. I have had a great deal of experience during my life in a public way, but never at any time did I feel more uncertain and doubtful as to my success in speaking to the people than I do at the present time. I have all kinds of experiences in talking to people. When I thought I had the Spirit of the Lord, some of the people did not think so. So that you can never tell; and if you say there is such a man living upon the earth, however inspired he may be, or however good a man he may be, who can please and satisfy all people, I question whether that man ever lived. I know mighty well I am not one of them. ¶

Now my brethern and sisters, there is not a man in this vast congregation more happy to be with you than I am today. I am a native of Utah, I was born here, I have lived here, and I have never crossed the waters. I have heard from time to time, since our last conference, some who were non-" Mormons,"some who were nonresidents of Utah, and some of our own rising generation, speak very lightly about what President Brigham Young said when he entered this valley, " This is the place." Well, I am here to say it is the place, and I just came from California, too. ¶

This vast congregation, as I understand it, consists of representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There may be representatives, and are, from every stake of Zion, and you have come up here to be awakened, to be aroused -- not that you are told anything special that you do not already know. I cannot think of a thing that I ever heard that will be new to you; but if you can be awakened and return to your people and arouse them, then this has been a great conference. I had that feeling while I was away. I have not had as much physical force as I desire. I am a little low on vitality. I run out of gasoline every little while. ¶

Now, the brethren of the authorities have been very kind to me; they have been very considerate, and I am very appreciative. I have a letter that I value more than gold and silver, signed by the Presidency of this Church, and they closed their letter to me saying: " You have our love, our confidence and our blessing." I do not know whether I am appreciative, I think I am. The Presidency never will ¶

know how much good that did me. Not that I was in doubt, not that I was in uncertainty about the matter, but I love my people, I always say, God save the people, for if it were not for people, we would not need this great Church. I do not know what God would do if he had no people. I have said it before, and I say it again. I was with an apostle on a trip in the south, and we found a bishop without any people. He wept, and came to the apostle to know what to do. " Well you will have to stay here until some people come to you." All the people he had was his wife, and anybody that can preside over his wife, I take my hat off to him. So I feel like that good woman in ancient days who said: ¶

" Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Why, bless your hearts, I haven't a doubt in my mind -- I have doubts about myself and about others -- about this work. I have found God, God answered my prayers, and God softened the hearts of the people, and they fed me and they gave me a place to lay my head. It seems to me when I read the scriptures, that the apostles of old, whom the Savior chose, were stupid; they did not seem to understand nor comprehend what the Savior was trying to teach, just as some of our people are. They, the people, seem to be stupid, they seem not to understand. Finally these apostles were taken out, after the Savior had completed his labors, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them, and he told them: " Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." And he spoke to them again, -- " Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: * * * * and he will show you things to come." ¶

That is the same Spirit, the same guiding Spirit that our elders have: these young "kid-boys"that you are sending out all over the world. They are blessed and set apart, and that Spirit is with them. I remember when I was presiding over the Southern States mission: for two years of that time I brought home two emigrations a year, and when I went to the President's office to report, that great Prophet, the President of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, who was interested in me, said: " Brother Kimball, sit down a minute." We only had a few minutes -- it didn't take five minutes. He told me more than once: " Now, Brother Kimball, I have had visions, I have had revelations, I have seen angels, but the greatest of all is that still small voice." Any elder who has gone out and kept the commandments of God, knows he has heard that word behind him saying: " This is the way, walk ye in it, when you turn to the right and when you turn to the left." ¶

My brethren and sisters, I am not disposed to occupy any more of your time. I love God's people, I am willing to live and die with God's people. Come weal or woe, come life or death. I have a prayer ¶

that I offer sometimes when I walk by the wayside, and I say: "I now place myself and all my affairs"-- I haven't got any affairs however -- "in the kind care and keeping of the Father, with a loving trust, knowing that all things are working for my best good."I am willing to follow God's leading, even though it may sometimes seem hard to do so. I am blessed in all of my labors because the Father gives to me of his Spirit to guide and direct me in every situation. Like you, I have committed many blunders; like thousands of people, tragedy comes to our homes without any fault of ours; but we love our children, and I am now learning to pray: "O God the eternal Father, I thank thee that the children thou gavest me are thy children." ¶

God bless you. I know this work is true, and I know, if I know anything, that all the keys and the powers and the authority that were vested in the Prophet Joseph Smith from God the eternal Father and his messengers, were conferred upon Brigham Young, upon my father and other apostles, upon the present president of the Church and the apostles. So all we need to do, brethren and sisters, is to work for salvation -- the greatest gift of God to the children of men, and as my father said: " If you are saved, no one will be more surprised than you are." Now the Lord bless you, in the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶