1am Deeply Appreciative My Brethren And Sisters...

I am deeply appreciative, my brethren and sisters, of this opportunity, and especially to have felt the wonderful spirit that has been with us in these meetings. I am sure it has come to us in large measure as a result of the inspired opening remarks of our beloved President. I hope that that same inspiration may continue with me for the next few moments. ¶

There is a passage in the scripture that has impressed itself upon me recently very much. It was Job who said: ¶

There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. (Job 32:8.) Born of this inspiration is the testimony we have of the divinity of the Savior of mankind. We know and bear witness to the world that he is the only Begotten Son of the Father, the Redeemer of mankind, the Lord God Almighty. ¶

The Prophet Joseph Smith tells us that the Holy Ghost is the medium through which inspiration is transmitted to us from on high and that the reception of the Holy Ghost is the distinguishing characteristic of Latter-day Saints. ¶

Paul made clear to the Corinthians the true relationship between the Holy Ghost and our personal testimony of the divinity of the Savior. He said: ¶

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. ¶

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues. (I Cor. 12:7-10.) Paul enumerates many gifts of the Spirit. The greatest gift, however, is not the performing of miracles or talking in tongues, or prophesying, etc.; but the inception of an individual testimony is the greatest of all gifts of the Spirit. And that is a gift which comes from God through the Holy Ghost and can be received by any man, woman, or child in the world who desires to know the truth. It is at once the greatest and certainly the most universal of all gifts born of the Spirit. It is indeed the Comforter promised to all who, through faith in God and repentance, seek with a contrite heart a remission of sins in the waters of baptism. ¶

It is received by all who thus qualify through the laying on of hands by those in authority as provided by the eternal laws of God. ¶

As surely as God sent his Son to redeem the sins of the world, so he sends the Holy Ghost to those who seek divine guidance in understanding the gospel. ¶

It is the Holy Ghost, a member of the Godhead, a Personage of spirit, who inspires the souls of men with an understanding of God's will. ¶

Now this inspiration comes through our lives of worthiness. Our testimony is the foundation upon which we progress. The inspiration of the Almighty, by and through which we received our witness, inspires us to bear testimony to others of our knowledge of God. ¶

Every true convert to the Church has felt the twofold power of his conversion and of this inspiration — first, to convert himself, and second, to assist in the conversion of others. ¶

It is our purpose as members of the Church to consider constantly the place of testimony in our lives. We dare not become complacent or unaware of this priceless gift which is ours. When we bear our testimony we are teaching others the truths that have enriched our lives and made us happy. Our testimonies are borne — First, to give thanks to God for the knowledge and assurance he has given us; second, to assist our brethren and sisters in the strengthening of their testimonies; and third, to carry the conviction which is ours into the hearts of all other people upon the face of the earth. ¶

We may sometimes find satisfaction in sharing our material wealth with others. But far greater satisfaction comes from sharing ourselves, our time, our energy, our affection, and particularly in imparting to others our testimony of God, the power of God unto salvation, the knowledge we possess of God and his purposes. When we are truly converted, we realize that "this is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent" (see John 17:3), and to sense our responsibility to others to assist them in attaining eternal life. ¶

Christ said to his disciples just prior to his ascension: ¶

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me. . . . (Acts 1:8.) For thou shalt be his witness unto all (Ibid., 22:15.) men We must then constantly qualify ourselves as witnesses of spiritual matters. ¶

One of President McKay's favorite poems illustrates the thought I have in mind: ¶

The builder who first bridged Niagara's gorge Before he swung his cable, shore to shore, Sent out, across the gulf, his venturing kite Bearing slender cord for unseen hands To grasp upon the further cliff, and draw A greater cord, and a greater yet; Till at last across the chasm swung The cable — then a mighty bridge in air! ¶

So we may send our little timid thought Across the void, out to God's reaching hands, Send our love and faith to thread the deep — Thought after thought, until the little cord Has greatened to a chain no chance to break, And we are anchored to the Infinite. ¶

— Edwin Markham* The Spirit then will reveal all things to us essential to our mission. We must be prepared to recognize and accept that *Reprinted by permission. ¶

which the Spirit offers, that which the Spirit would make clear to our understandings. Then knowledge flows freely to us from heaven. ¶

We know that through obedience to the principles of the gospel, all who believe on the name of Jesus Christ and endure in faith to the end, shall be saved in the celestial kingdom in the presence of the Father. ¶

We find in the life and works of Joseph Smith how the Spirit can magnify us for our callings if we but attune our lives thereto. ¶

I never expect to live long enough to see a more wonderful example of that inspiration than we witnessed here this morning when President McKay spoke under the inspiration of his high calling. ¶

Through the witness of the Spirit I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, raised up to fulfil the promises made of old, to bring to mankind the opportunity to become heir to all of the blessings the Lord has promised his children through the entire time of their sojourn here in mortality upon the earth. ¶

And now after 120 years of terrific scrutiny, the works and testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith stand unimpeached. No one can imagine a severer cross-examination than that to which he was subjected all through his life. ¶

By any standard, legal or otherwise, he was an almost perfect witness. Above all, he sealed his testimony with his blood. ¶

We who through the inspiration of the Almighty have received his testimony, and that of his faithful brother Hyrum, are charged with responsibility to accept and to perpetuate and add our solemn witness thereto, that the blood of this generation shall not be upon us. ¶

And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved. ¶

Behold, Jesus Christ is the name given by the Father, and there is none other name given whereby man can be saved; Wherefore, all men must take upon them the name which is given of the Father, for in that name shall they be called at the last day; Wherefore, if they know not the name by which they are called, they cannot have place in the kingdom of my Father. ¶

And now, behold, there are others who are called to declare my gospel, both unto Gentile and unto Jew; Yea, even twelve; and the Twelve shall be my disciples, and they shall take upon them my name; and the Twelve are they who shall desire to take upon them my name with full purpose of heart. ¶

And if they desire to take upon them my name with full purpose of heart, they are called to go into all the world to preach my gospel unto every creature. ¶

And they are they who are ordained of me to baptize in my name, according to that which is written. (D & C 18:22-29.) That we do constantly bear witness to the hope we have within us is further proof of the divine nature of the work in which we are engaged. Were it otherwise we could not be called the true Church of Jesus Christ. Where else in all the world are the true fruits of the inspiration of the Almighty to be found, inspiration that giveth the souls of men understanding. Throughout the history of the Church innumerable examples of spiritual guidance are found. One which I have cherished since childhood is an early experience of Wilford Woodruff. ¶

While traveling in New England, on assignment by Brigham Young, President Woodruff drove his carriage into the yard of Brother Williams. Brother Orson Hyde drove a wagon by the side of his carriage. President Woodruff's wife and children were in that carriage. ¶

He had only been there a few minutes when the Spirit said to him, "Get up and move that carriage." When he told his wife that he had to move the carriage, she asked, "What for?" He answered, "I don't know." ¶

That was all she asked on such occasions. When he told her that he did not know, that was enough. President Woodruff got up and moved his carriage four or five rods, and put the off fore wheel against the corner of the house. He then returned to bed. The same Spirit said, "Go and move your animals from that oak tree." They were two hundred yards from his carriage. ¶

He moved his horses and put them in a little hickory grove. Again he went to bed. In thirty minutes a whirlwind came up and broke that oak tree off within two feet of the ground. It swept over three or four fences and fell square in that dooryard, near Brother Orson Hyde's wagon, and right where the carriage had stood. What would have been the consequences if he had not listened to that Spirit? Why, President Woodruff, his wife, and children doubtless would have been killed. ¶

That was the still, small voice to him — no thunder, no lightning, but the still, small voice of the Spirit of God. ¶

It saved his life. It was the Spirit of revelation. ¶

We can all afford to develop a sensitiveness to the promptings of the Spirit in all things pertaining to our physical as well as our spiritual well-being. ¶

In speaking on this subject, Joseph Fielding Smith has said, "The testimony of the Holy Ghost is Spirit speaking to spirit, and is not confined solely to the natural or physical sense." ¶

I bear witness to you, my beloved brethren and sisters, that there is the testimony of the Spirit. I know by the manifestation of the Spirit that Jesus is the Christ, the Risen Lord, the Master of us all, whose sins he took upon himself. I know that through his redeeming sacrifice immortality and eternal life is ours, through our obedience to the great plan of life and salvation of which he was the Author. ¶

May we all become in our own right, saviors upon Mount Zion, instruments in the hands of the Lord in helping to establish his Church and kingdom here upon the earth, continually bearing our witness in his behalf, that the world may know that God has once again spoken from the heavens to give us direction and purpose in our lives. We as his duly ordained servants come to open the door to all who seek righteousness. ¶

The Lord has said: ¶

". . . this is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39)— a result which cannot be accomplished without understanding from on high, an understanding which the Almighty alone can inspire. ¶

God help us to accomplish the high purposes he has for us in life, I pray humbly, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶