Remarks

One unaccustomed to standing before a congregation of this size cannot fail to be overawed as he occupies, for the first time, this position, and his trust must be placed in the Lord for guidance in the few words of testimony that he would like to bear. ¶

This morning, as I listened to what President Ivins told us, to his reading of predictions that have been made with reference to ancient Israel, and to the complete fulfilment, so far as the fulfilment has at this time been made complete, of all those predictions, my mind went also to the predictions that have been made with reference to modern Israel. I thought of that wonderful prediction made by the Prophet Joseph Smith, in the later years of his life, in which he said that the Latter-day Saints should be led to the Rocky Mountains, and that here in the midst of these valleys they should become a mighty people. It then was a wonderful prediction in itself, because he had never seen in his natural vision these valleys, and yet his prophetic eyes had been opened to understand what the future of this people should be. ¶

Later, when the people were led by the Prophet Brigham Young to these valleys, it is not surprising to me that when his eyes first beheld this spot upon which this tabernacle now is built, this valley in which this splendid city is located, he was able to say, "This is the place." ¶

I have watched within the short period of my own life that fulfilment of another prediction, which tradition says — I do not know that it is written — was made at the time the ward in which I live was first organized, very early in 1850. At that time it is said that President Brigham Young made a statement that the time would come when that section lying between Salt Lake City and Ogden would be so closely populated that it would be difficult to say when you left one settlement or town and entered another. At that time there was not much of a population in that particular district; indeed,. there was a section of that country lying between here and Ogden that did not at that time appear to lend itself to population — the Sand Ridge. We considered it to be a place where no one could reside, a place inhabited only by lizards and an occasional jack rabbit, and yet the prophet of the Lord had said that it should become populous. Go there now, my brethren and sisters, traverse the section between this city and Ogden, and witness the literal fulfilment of that prediction which I have heard mentioned all the years of my life. Indeed it had scarcely begun to be fulfilled when I first remember that particular district. Today some of the best and most productive gardens are located along that section of the country between here and Ogden. And a more intensively cultivated section cannot be found in the state of Utah. Literally, it is true that one going from here to Ogden can scarcely tell when he leaves one settlement and enters another. Verily these predictions of modern prophets have been fulfilled, and in their fulfilling there has also been fulfilled that wonderful prediction contained in the 35th chapter of Isaiah, wherein that prophet of old said, ¶

"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." ¶

Men will say, of course, that this has been brought about by the hands of men, and so it has, but God's purposes are always fulfilled by men, by the instrumentality of men whom he raises up to fulfil his purposes. Men have gone out into the mountains, conserved the water supply, poured it upon the parched land, and the land has been made fruitful because of the work of man, but that is literally the way the Lord fulfils the predictions of his prophets. ¶

My testimony to you, my brethren and sisters, is that God is guiding the destinies of this people, that every word that has been spoken with reference to ancient Israel, and with reference to modern Israel, will be fulfilled, and I bear this testimony to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶

The hymn, "Let the mountains shout for joy,"was sung by a quartette and the choir. ¶