Remarks

I feel very humble, my brethren and sisters, and very much dependent upon our heavenly Father. This is the first time in my life that I have been called upon to address the people of God in one of our general conferences, and I can assure you that, while I feel very grateful for this opportunity, I feel very humble and very dependent upon our heavenly Father. I realize most fully that we are engaged in the work of our Father, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and the Father of our spirits; and I know, too, that to speak to his people, who have listened to the servants of the Lord and obeyed the promptings of the spirit, who have embraced the faith and are endeavoring to carry out the work of our Father upon the earth -- to feed you people -- a man must be inspired of our Father. This is his work, and we know and understand the things of God only through the Spirit of our Father. It is not the elegant words spoken by masters of the English language, or the learning of men that can send that prompting and that inspiration and conviction to the hearts of God's people. It can only be sent there through the inspiration of our Father. And while I know, too, that we as individuals are not permitted to have inspiration or revelation for the Church, I know by experience that we are entitled to that revelation and that inspiration for our own guidance, and to help us in the discharge of all the duties and responsibilities that rest upon us. And if we are not in communion with that spirit, it is because our receiving instrument is out of tune; for our Father in heaven will never neglect his people, will never fail to do his part; and if I am not receiving the inspiration of the Father, it is because of some act in my life or some neglect, or something, that has gotten the instrument God has given to me in his Spirit out of tune with the sending instrument of our Father. Our Father has told us, through the Prophet Brigham Young, that every spirit is born pure into the earth, and it becomes contaminated only as the spirit is subject to the tabernacle of flesh in which it is encased; for our tabernacles are earthy, and made up of the earth and are subject to death. And just as our spirits are overcome by the weaknesses of that body, are we out of harmony with our Father. ¶

I know that this work is true; I know that the Prophet Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God; and I know that the Savior is the Son of God; and that this work has been established in the earth in these last days never again to be thrown down or given to another people. And I realize, too, that simply to be a member of this Church does not mean exaltation; for just as surely as the Lord has given us our free agency, just so surely must we exercise that agency in the right direction. Joining this Church and doing nothing in it will not bring us salvation or exaltation; for the Lord has given us the plan, and he has given us the knowledge that he lives and that this is his work, and then he has left us to work out our own salvation. And we have a mighty responsibility resting upon us as Latter-day Saints; for we not only have to live the gospel at home, but it is our mission to take it to every nation of the earth. And when we consider the few Latter-day Saints that there are, compared with the numerous hosts of the whole world, we can understand to a small degree the responsibility that this is. When the beloved John was cast upon the isle of Patmos and he was permitted to look down through the stream of time; when he saw that angel flying through the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach to all the inhabitants of the earth, he saw our day, and we are living in fulfilment of that revelation that was given to John the divine, for that angel has flown from the midst of heaven, and has delivered this message to the inhabitants of this earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. We are carrying out that vision and that prediction that was made by our beloved prophet when he saw these things. ¶

I pray, my brethren and sisters, that we may be able to live up to all of the duties, obligations and responsibilities that rest upon us. We sometimes speak of its being our duty to do the things in this Church that we are called upon to do, but I take it that it is more of a privilege. We ought to assume it as one of the highest privileges in our lives that we are permitted to hold the Priesthood of the Son of God, that we are permitted to act in the name of our Father in heaven and to be his ambassadors upon the earth to carry out his work. This is a privilege of which we ought to be proud and glad to receive and glad to carry out in our lives. I pray that we may be loyal and devoted to this cause, spending our energies and efforts and all that we have and are in helping to establish God's work in the earth, I pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. ¶