How Marvelous Are the Works of God

The responsibility that rests upon one who occupies this position would be overpowering but for the knowledge that those who stand here do so in obedience to the requirement that has been made by our heavenly Father to convey to the children of men the message of the gospel. ¶

How Marvelous Are the Works of God

Many times during the sessions of this conference my eyes have been dimmed by tears, not necessarily because of the thing that was said, but because of the influence that has pervaded this great assembly. While enjoying the remarks of the brethren my mind has dwelt on the opportunities offered in this great and wonderful universe, and I have felt to exclaim: "How marvelous are thy works, O Lord!"You who are here today, if you will examine yourselves, if you will count your many blessings, will say with me, surely no people that have ever lived upon the earth have such occasion to be thankful for the mercies of our heavenly Father extended to them. Each of us a weak instrument, each of us comparatively helpless but for the mercy of the Lord that has been and is extended unto us. ¶

Gratitude for Our Many Blessings

I am reminded of a prophet of old who stated that he was born of goodly parents. How thankful we ought to be for that wonderful blessing. I stand here today as one of the humblest among you, thankful beyond expression for my ancestry, grateful for my wife and my children, appreciative of the opportunity I have of associating with the best men and the best women who live upon the earth. When I realize the former barrenness and sterility of the Western land, and now see this beautiful valley dotted by the homes of the children of our Lord, ¶

the meeting houses and temples erected to him, and when I behold these wonderful mountains capped by eternal snow, and realize that our heavenly Father decreed that here his children should have their feet planted, and from here should go forth the word of the Lord, I feel deeply grateful that I have my humble home among this people in the midst of these delightful surroundings with the privilege of entering into the House of the Lord to receive his blessings with my brethren and my sisters. ¶

When I look into your faces I realize that you represent a great group of people who are not here today, many of whom, yes most of whom, are of necessity as grateful as we for the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon them. I have mentioned, only the physical comfort when I have referred to the surroundings, but the greater and more precious gift of our heavenly Father is the blessing that has come to us to know that he lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is the prophet of this latter dispensation, and that there is upon this earth at the present time a priesthood endued with power from on high. What would it mean to us if suddenly there were taken from us this knowledge? How would it affect us if we had to part with the authority that God had conferred upon us? It would mean that there had been closed to us the doors of the celestial kingdom. It would mean that the crowning blessing toward which I have been taught to look since I was a child would not be realized. That of the companionship of my loved ones, the association of the father and the mother, and I may say mothers, for in my case I was fortunate to have two mothers, the companionship of many other good men and good women, who are dear to me almost as life itself, could not be enjoyed in' the celestial kingdom. I have been taught to look forward to the time when I may have their eternal companionship, and I rejoice and with deep gratitude thank my Father in heaven for that assurance. ¶

Grateful for a Living Testimony

When I ponder over the condition of the people of this world, the doubt that is in the mind of the human family, I am reminded that it is only a repetition of history. Then people of the earth during past centuries have received the ministry of our heavenly Father, through his divinely-appointed servants, but because of their indifference, and carelessness, because of selfishness and evil, they have forfeited the knowledge that God lives, and they have turned from the worship of the true and living God to worship Baal, and the other false gods, that men have erected under the influence of the adversary of all righteousness. Today, as I think of the men who stand as religious leaders among the people, and observe how helpless they are to inspire faith in the minds and lives of individuals, and realize that in the mercy of the Lord the Latter-day Saints have received, not something that is uncertain, but a living individual testimony that has been born into the lives of each soul who has complied with the simple requirements of our ¶

heavenly Father, namely — faith in him, repentance of sin, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, I am profoundly grateful. Without exception, each repentant baptized believer who has complied with these requirements of the Lord has received a witness for himself that this is our Father's work. ¶

The Faithless Condition of the World

Observing the faithless condition of the world today I am constrained to read to you from a portion of the record of Mormon as contained in the Book of Mormon, and as inscribed on plates and buried in the Hill Cumorah by Moroni. He says: ¶

"And now, I speak also concerning those who do not believe in Christ "Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation — behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when he shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God — then will ye say that there is no God? ¶

"Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? ¶

"Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would dwell with the damned souls in hell. ¶

"For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you." ¶

Call to Repentance

Brethren and sisters, this is the record that was written by this man hundreds of years ago. As I said, history repeats itself. If there had been time I might have referred to the various dispensations when the Lord has revealed himself. I am now reading from one of the dispensations as recorded in the Book of Mormon: ¶

"O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day. ¶

"And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues; ¶

"Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them. ¶

"For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? ¶

"And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is a shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles. ¶

"But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. ¶

"Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man. ¶

"And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trumpet shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death. ¶

"And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still. ¶

"And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. ¶

"Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God? ¶

"Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought? ¶

"And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles. ¶

"And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God; and is a God of miracles. ¶

"And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief." ¶

Remember he was preaching the gospel to the unbelievers. I want to repeat the last clause. ¶

"And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. ¶

"Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth. ¶

"For behold, thus saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. ¶

"And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned; ¶

"And these signs shall follow them that believe — in my name shall they cast "out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover; ¶

"And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth. ¶

"And now, behold, who can stand against the works of the Lord? Who can deny his sayings? Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord? Who will despise the works of the Lord? Who will despise the children of Christ? Behold, all ye who are despisers of the works of the Lord, for ye shall wonder and perish. ¶

"O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing', and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him. ¶

"Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not that ye may consume it on your lusts,,\but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God. ¶

"See that ye are not baptized unworthily; see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out. ¶

'^Behold, / speak unto you as though I spake from the dead; for I know that ye shall hear my zuords." ¶

This man was the one who completed the record. This man hid it away, and yet it seems almost as if it were his dying witness unto the children of men. He calls attention to the fact that these words will reach them, and by the power of God they have reached hundreds of thousands, yea millions, of the children of men who dwell upon the earth. He was a prophet of the Lord. He had the authority to speak in the name of the Lord. He did testify without fear of the things that he knew were necessary for the salvation of men. He bore witness of the power that comes to those who possess the holy Priesthood, and in this day in which we live, although hundreds of years have elapsed, his testimony has been brought forth by the gift and power of God, translated and printed and scattered broadcast among the human family, as another witness of the divinity of our Lord and Master. ¶

The Gospel a Panacea for the Ills of Mankind

My brethren and sisters, I thank my heavenly Father for the blessing' that comes to me this day. I am grateful to him for everything that I enjoy. I thank him for your companionship, and for the comfort and satisfaction that I enjoy, as I visit to and fro in the stakes of Zion, and in the missionary field in seeing men and women like yourselves who are anxious to know the will of our heavenly Father, and who in their hearts are saying: "Father in heaven, show me thy will and I will endeavor to keep thy commandments."In the past two months I have traveled more than eleven thousand miles in this wonderful land of America, from the eastern seaboard to the western seaboard. I have borne witness of the divinity of this work, I have found great and good men outside the pale of this, or of any church, who are apparently anxious to know what the end will be as a result of the condition that this world finds itself in. It has been my privilege to explain to some of these my faith in the divine mission of Jesus Christ, my knowledge that our heavenly Father loves his children, as he always has done; the assurance that has burned into my soul, for which I am grateful, that I know that the work of our heavenly Father is upon the earth, that the gospel of Jesus Christ will solve the problem and be a panacea for the ills that afflict mankind. I have borne witness of this, and I ¶

have found response in the hearts of some of these our Father's children who do not understand the truth. Again let me express my gratitude for the blessings that I enjoy. My heart is full of thanksgiving for all that has been bestowed upon me and upon you. God grant that we may sustain his name and his Church, that we will uphold the hands of those who preside over us, and by so doing continue to be worthy of that assurance that passeth understanding, that we are indeed the children of God, heirs of salvation in his celestial kingdom, as a result of observing his laws and keeping his commandments, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶

A ladies' chorus sang, "Beneath the Lord's safe wing,"accompanied by Mrs. Ellen Sheimer on the violin and Miss R. Matsen on the piano, John J. McClellan at the organ. ¶