Yesterday Elder Marion G Romney Mentioned The...

Yesterday Elder Marion G. Romney mentioned the matter of the Holy Spirit and said that one does not hear it with his ears. May I read to you a verse of scripture which verifies that. Nephi was rebuking his two brothers who were intent upon killing him as they journeyed toward the Promised Land. He reminded them that they thought to murder his father, but also their intent was to murder him, and therefore in their hearts they were murderers. Then he reminded them of the times which the Lord had tried to impress them in these words: ¶

"Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice;" ¶

— and this is the part I would like to have you hear — "but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; ..." (1 Nephi 17:45.) I used to wonder why Nephi didn't say "hear his words." Now I know that one doesn't hear them with his ears, as Brother Romney said. But into a person's mind there come words. These seem to be his own words, but with the Spirit upon him, are not his words. ¶

With these words comes a feeling. One actually feels the words, just as Nephi said. These brothers had lost that feeling, and therefore could not detect words given by the Spirit as apart from their own thoughts. ¶

This "feeling" comes to all who will hear. One's first experience in this likely is akin to those of all converts to the Church when they read what Moroni said. He told them that after they had heard these things, if they would ask God they would know of their truth. (Moroni 10:4.) I believe that James was referring to this fundamental truth when he wrote these words, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, . . ." (James 1:5.) The Prophet Joseph, reading, was impressed to go to the woods and pray. Anybody who cannot learn to hear by feeling will not go very far in the Church, in my humble opinion, for I believe that to be the way the majority of us know if these things are true. ¶

By that Spirit which whispers in my soul, and which I feel with my heart and my feelings at the same time, the knowledge of which rings constantly in my whole being, I know that Joseph Smith received many of his revelations by that means. By that whispered feeling, too, I know that he was a prophet of the Living God and that President McKay is likewise a prophet of the Living God. I would ask only one thing, that each of us as we leave this conference ask ourselves if during any of these meetings, we felt in our hearts the whispering, and had the words form into our minds as the whispering became feeling, and the message came clearly into our minds that the speaker has spoken truly. "That is true doctrine. He is speaking truth to us," it tries to say. ¶

To me this conference has been filled with that type of thing. I am proud to be a member of the Church. I am delighted to have the opportunity of bearing my testimony that I know these things are true, and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶