Remarks

I hope, my brethren and sisters, that I may have the Spirit of the Lord to be with me in the few remarks that I may make this afternoon. This is the first time that I have been called upon to speak at a general conference, and I certainly feel the need of the aid of your faith and prayers, my brethren and sisters, and of the Spirit of the Lord. ¶

I rejoice that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am proud of my parentage — of my father and of my mother. I am proud of the teachings that they gave to me in my youth, and I only hope and pray that I may always be faithful to the teachings of my beloved parents. I have a testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that this is the work of God, that the men who stand at the head of this Church are men of God, that they have the Priesthood, that they are called and chosen in this day to lead God's Church, and I pray that the Lord will bless them always with health and with strength, that they may carry on this great work, the leadership of which has been given to them in this dispensation. ¶

As a young man I have often wondered if the youth of Zion really and truthfully appreciate the wonderful privilege they have of working in the Church of God, if they really have faith in the doctrines and principles that are set forth by this wonderful Church of ours. I consider it a great privilege to work in the Church of God, and I desire always to work in it. ¶

I have often wondered if we have the faith in the truth that is necessary for us to have, in order to stand when trials and tribulations come upon us. I wonder if I could stand if the same trials and tribulations should come upon me that have come upon those who have passed to the great beyond. When trials and persecutions were heaped upon the prophet and upon the leaders of this Church, it took faith, my brethren and sisters, to stand in those perilous times. In the times of Kirtland, in those dark days when apostles, some of them, were leaving the Church, apostatizing, because the evil one had gained power over them. Then such men as John Taylor, wonderfully brave and courageous, stood forth and testified to the people that it was through Joseph, the Prophet of God, that they had been taught the truth; it was through him that they had received the power of God to perform the ordinances of life and salvation, that he had shown them the way of eternal life, and he asked them why they were going back upon these wonderful truths. Even the man who converted John Taylor in Canada was being affected by the many things that had been said. John Taylor met him and said to him that the gospel was the same now as when he had preached it in Canada and that it did not make any difference what man might do, yet the gospel of Jesus Christ was true. Thus Brother Taylor testified to him, and that man, be it to his honor, returned again. He had not left the Church, but he returned again to his full fellowship and died a faithful member of this Church. That same man, President John Taylor, died away from home, away from the love of his dear ones. In a letter written to his children and to his friends gathered in the Gardo House on the first day of November, 1886, he pleaded with his children and with his wives to live true to the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He thanked the brethren for being present upon his birthday and celebrating that day in his honor. He gave up his life for the testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ which he knew to be true. ¶

When the Prophet Joseph was in Carthage jail, Willard Richards and other men were there with him. On the day of the martyrdom, in talking to some of these men, the Prophet Joseph wanted them to leave Carthage jail. He knew what would be his end. It may be true, my brethren and sisters, that in the heat of battle we are willing to give up our lives for a thing that we hold dear, but this man, Joseph Smith, knew for some years previous to the time that he was martyred that he should give his life for the testimony that he had received. In a letter written to John C. Bennett in 1840, Joseph Smith, in describing Nauvoo, said to him that if their enemies would leave them there long enough Nauvoo would become one of the most beautiful cities upon the banks of the Mississippi. In a meeting held in April, 1842, in talking to the Relief Society, Joseph Smith said that he would not be with them very long. He said that the people of the world would hear his voice only for a short time. On the 6th 'day of August, 1842, when he uttered that wonderful prophecy concerning the people coming into ¶

these Rocky Mountains, he did not say "I will go with you,"but he said: "You will go into the valleys of the Rocky Mountains." When incarcerated in Carthage jail he realized that the end was near, and he desired that his brethren should not remain with him there. He tried to get Hyrum to leave him, but that faithful brother would not go. He asked Willard Richards to go but Willard turned to him and said: "Brother Joseph, you did not ask me to cross the river with you. You did not ask me to come to Carthage — you did not ask me to come to jail with you, and do you think I would forsake you now:" But I will tell you what I will do, if you are condemned to be hung for treason, I will die for you." That was the faith of that man — willing to sacrifice his life for the Prophet of the living God. ¶

We are not called upon, brethren and sisters, to sacrifice our lives for this gospel, but are we willing to sacrifice a little of our time in our block teaching, in our High Council work, in Sunday schools and in other opportunities that are given to us to serve God? Are we willing to go into the homes of the Saints and preach unto them the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we willing to lay our all upon the altar of God, if necessary, and if called upon to do so? I firmly believe, my brethren and sisters, that if Joseph Smith at the last moment even, had said to the people that he alone was responsible for this Church, that he alone was responsible for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, that they would have ceased their persecutions against him and would have heralded him as one of the greatest men that had ever lived. They would have considered the Book of Mormon as the greatest piece of literature that had ever been given in the English language. I firmly believe that, my brethren and sisters. But because he was true and faithful to the testimony that God had given unto him, that he had seen God, that he had seen Jesus Christ, that angels of the living God had come to him and had given unto him the keys of the dispensations that they held, making him the prophet of the dispensation of the fulness of times, they ridiculed the Book of Mormon, they made fun of him, and finally took his life. But what an example of courage and bravery he has given to the world, dying for the testimony that he knew that the work he had founded was the work of God and not of man. ¶

I am thoroughly converted, my brethren and sisters, to work, work in the Church of God, to do the things that are required of us; and I believe then that the Lord will bless us with health and with strength to carry on his great purposes. Men in these days in which we live have also shown themselves to be courageous to the faith that comes to them as children. My own father, when he was a boy not more than fourteen years of age, was an elder in the Church of Jesus Christ, preaching the gospel to the people in his native land, Denmark. On one occasion he went into the home of a certain rich man. This man thought a great deal of him and offered him the greatestest temptation ¶

that could be placed in the path of my beloved father — that of an education. He offered to put him in school, to educate him and to make him the heir of all he owned if he would renounce "Mormonism." But that boy, having the faith and testimony of Jesus Christ, refused to give up the pearl of great price. He had found the truth, and he lived faithful always to that testimony that was given to him as a boy. On his death bed, the last words that he gave unto his children were that they should remain true to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I only hope we all may be true to this wonderful gospel. I know that the Priesthood of God is here upon the earth, that the keys of this Priesthood are vested in the President of this Church, Heber J. Grant. I know him to be a prophet of the living God. When I came to England as a missionary, President Grant was the President of the European mission. I was appointed to labor in the Newcastle conference. There was a certain woman living in one of the towns in that conference who was afflicted with deafness, and she desired that President Grant should administer unto her. He did not have time, because of other conference appointments, to go to the town where she resided, but he promised the elders that if they would administer to that woman that she would be healed; and I bear you my testimony that his words were fulfilled, that the elders did lay their hands upon the head of that woman and she received her hearing. These things, my brethren and sisters, are faith-promoting to me. They testify to me that the Spirit of God is with the men who are. at the head of our Church. The Priesthood of God is the greatest thing that has been given to us. In it is the greatest and most glorious opportunity given to young men to exercise authority in the saving of souls. And no matter what may be said, I bear you my humble witness that these men do hold this Priesthood and are the leaders of the Church and Kingdom, of God. May God bless you, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶