Conference Address

My brethren and sisters, it is always a great privilege to be allowed to bear testimony of the truth of the great work in which we are engaged. It may be in the great Tabernacle where we are now assembled or it may be in a humble cottage meeting; it matters little. It is very good for all of us, every member, to give voice to his testimony, to his belief, to his faith in this the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ¶

Testimony of the Truth ¶

This work is of God; established by him, by the voice of revelation. It is the truth. It has been my joy, throughout the years of my life, to discover from time to time, that every principle, every doctrine, every historic event in the building of this great latter-day kingdom, are in harmony with every discovered and revealed truth. This is the truth, and we must rely upon it, learn to understand that it is the truth; otherwise the great joy that the Lord has offered us in this work will not be ours. I agree with Brigham Young that another name for the gospel might well be truth. ¶

Along with truth comes light. Light is never found except in the presence of truth. The Lord in his latter-day revelations said over and over again that truth and light go together. We who receive truth have light to point the way, to solve our problems, to tell us where we are going, and to give us an enlightening faith to help us in the journey of life. ¶

Truth also does something else for us: It gives us power, not only principles and doctrines of truth and light, but it also gives power to accomplish the work of the Lord in these latter-days. ¶

The Sealing Power ¶

I trust all of us listened intently to the sermon by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith today. The power of the priesthood, the power of this ¶

Church, culminates in the sealing power which is exercised ordinarily in the temples of the Most High. He might have quoted, if he had had more time this morning, from Moroni the prophet, who was visiting Joseph Smith the boy, as he was then, the change made in the statement of Malachi. Moroni said, if I remember correctly, ¶

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. ¶

And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. ¶

If it were not so — ¶

— and this is the greatest part of this revelation, ¶

If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. (D. & C. 2:3.) ¶

That is the power that belongs to the Church, to the priesthood, to those who walk in truth and light. It is the power that holds the earth's events together, that makes possible the accomplishment of God's purposes in these latter-days. ¶

Importance of Temple Work ¶

I trust that we all, as has been advised here today, seek to win the power that flows out of the temples of the Lord, by giving some of our time and means to genealogy and temple work. Thereby strength will come to us, for the temples are places of revelation. They are the places around which the Saints have always gathered and will do so, more and more, in the days to come. ¶

I bear testimony to the truth of this work, to its accompanying light, to its great accompanying power, and thank the Lord for the gospel of Jesus Christ, restored in these days. I pray that all of us may get some measure of the exquisite joy and happiness that come to those who accept the truth and live its principles, who surrender to it. God be with us all and bless us, bless all who labor in this great cause. May the work grow and increase until it shall cover the earth with its truth and light and power, I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶