Where There Is No Vision

I am very happy, my brethren and (sisters, to be present at another Conference of this Church. The great testimonies that have gone forth from the speakers will add, I know, to the stability and strength of the membership of the Church, and men and women will become more convinced that the Spirit of God is with these men. who stand at the head and have the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to administer in the ordinances of the Gospel. ¶

When President Grant was addressing this congregation at the opening session the words of Solomon came to my mind : "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." It is through obedience to this principle that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has advanced and prospered. For a century of time it has maintained a steady growth because its people have kept the laws of God. ¶

I was more than happy to hear the President say that (the Church is out of debt. It maintains a great army of men both at home and abroad who give their time unselfishly, paying their own way, for the building up of the Church and kingdom of God. They are taken away from the great earning power of its membership for years at a time; yet (we find the Church strong, strong in faith, wonderful in power, out of debt, paying its way. There is nothing else like it under the shining sun. ¶

I draw the attention of the people of the world who have known this Church for many years and who have not been obedient to its teachings to the fact that they need the gospel of repentance, and unless they do repent they cannot inherit the glory that was promised by the early leaders to those who would accept the truth. ¶

I know the Gospel is true. It never was so wonderful as it is today. ¶

There never was more to do. Surely there is a famine in the land. , There has probably never been a time when there was more money or more food produced, or more clothing manufactured, than at the present time in this land of America. But there is a great famine, not for bread nor if or water, but for the hearing of the word of God. Elders are needed everywhere. The missionaries are working hard and doing perhaps twice the amount of work that ever was done before. We need more missionaries. We have but sixty-eight in the Central States Mission, which is one of the very oldest missions of the Church. We wish that more could come, but we will have to leave that in the hands of the Lord and with those in authority. ¶

I endorse all that has been said in regard to the strength of the leadership of our Church. It is the Church of God in the earth. It will win, it will lead, because God our eternal Father has not forsaken it, and the power of his Spirit has been felt among our leaders, as each president has come and gone. And this Spirit has been with the membership, too, as is evidenced in the testimonies they have borne in all parts of the world, from the inception of the work until now. ¶

I pray our Father's blessings upon us in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶