I Am Very Grateful For The...

I am very grateful for the opportunity of meeting with you, my good brethren and sisters, in this session of the conference and, in fact, all of the sessions of the conference. ¶

I rejoice exceedingly in the truth. I thank the Lord every day of my life for his mercy and kindness and loving care and protection that have been extended to all his people, and for the many manifestations of his mercy and blessings unto us throughout all the length and breadth of the land, and through all the years since the organization of the Church, on the sixth day of April 1830. ¶

Our Mission To Save

Our mission is to save, to preserve from evil, to exalt mankind, to bring light and truth into the world, to prevail upon the people of the earth to walk righteously before God and to honor him in their lives and with the first fruits of all their substance and increase. ¶

I desire to say that "Mormonism," as it is called (and I place the word in quotation marks), is still, as always, nothing more nor less than the power of God unto salvation, unto every soul that will receive it honestly and will obey it. I say to you, that all Latter-day Saints, wherever you find them, provided they are true to their name, their calling, and their understanding of the gospel, are people who stand for truth, honor, virtue, purity of life, honesty in business and in religion; people who stand for God and his righteousness, his truth, his work in the earth, and for the salvation of the children of men. ¶

We have been laboring all these years in the Church to bring men to a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to bring them to repentance and obedience to the requirements of divine law. We have been striving to save men from error and persuade them to turn away from evil and learn to do good. ¶

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation, and it is absolutely necessary for every man and woman in the Church to work righteously, to observe the laws of God, and to keep the commandments that he has given, in order that they may avail themselves of the power of God ¶

unto salvation in this life; and the upright, covenanted people of the Church should be magnified and increased, until the world shall bow and acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ and that there is a people preparing for his coming in power and glory. ¶

Message Of Truth

We carry to the world the olive branch of peace. We present to the world the law of the Lord, the truth, as it has been revealed in the latter days for the redemption of the dead and for the salvation of the living. We bear no malice nor ill will toward the children of men. The spirit of forgiveness pervades the hearts of the Saints, and they do not cherish a desire for or feeling of revenge toward their enemies. They say in their hearts, let the Lord judge between us and our enemies; as for us, we forgive them, and we bear no malice toward any. ¶

While it may be said, and it is in a measure true, that we are but a handful in comparison with our fellowmen in the world, yet we may be compared with the leaven of which the Savior spoke, which will eventually leaven the whole world. Men must set aside their prejudices, personal desires, wishes, and preferences, and pay deference to the great cause of truth that is spreading abroad in the world. ¶

The spirit of the gospel leads men to righteousness, to love their fellowmen, and to labor for their salvation and exaltation; it inspires them to do good and not evil, to avoid even the appearance of sin; and the aim and purpose of this work is the eternal happiness of man, both in this life and in the life to come. ¶

The fruits of the Spirit of God — the fruits of true religion — are peace, love, virtue, honesty, integrity, and fidelity to every principle known in the law of the Lord. Read the fifth chapter of Galatians, and there you will discover the difference between the fruits of the Spirit of God and the fruits of the spirit of the world. That is one of the great differences between "Mormonism," so called, and the theology of the world. If we will bow to the gospel's mandates and adopt its principles in our lives, it will make us sons and daughters of God, worthy eventually to dwell in the presence of the Almighty in the heavens. ¶

God's Kingdom To Grow

The kingdom of God and the work of the Lord will spread more and more; it will progress more rapidly in the world in the future than it has done in the past. The Lord has said it, and the Spirit beareth record; and I bear testimony to this, for I do know that it is true. The kingdom of God is here to grow, to spread abroad, to take root in the earth, and to abide where the Lord has planted it by his own power and by his own word, never more to be destroyed, but to continue until the purposes of the Almighty shall be accomplished — every principle that has been spoken of by the prophets since the world began. It is God's work, which he himself, by his own wisdom and not by the wisdom of man, has restored to the earth in the latter days. He has established it upon principles of truth and righteousness, of purity of life, that it can no more be thrown down or left to another people, so long as the majority of the Church will abide in their covenants with the Lord and keep themselves pure and unspotted from the world. ¶

No people can ever prosper and flourish very long unless they abide in divine truth. The truth is mighty, and it will prevail. ¶

The Lord's Work

I want to say to you that there never was a time since the organization of the Church when a man led the Church. It was not so in the days of Joseph Smith nor Brigham Young; it has not been so since. It is the Lord's work, and do not forget that it is the Almighty who is going to do this work, and not man. No man shall have the honor of doing it, nor has any man ever had the power to do it of himself. ¶

If it had been the work of man, we would have been like the rest of the world, and it would not have been true of us that God has chosen us out of the world. But God has chosen us out of the world; therefore, we are not of it. Now, don't you forget it, my brothers and sisters and friends, and when you go home, if you have not been in the habit of doing so, or if you have neglected your duty, carry this injunction with you. Go into your secret chambers, go into your prayer rooms, and there by yourselves, or with your family gathered around you, bow your knees before the Lord in praise and in thanksgiving to him for his merciful providence that has been over you and over all his people from the inception of this work down to the present. ¶

Remember that it is the gift of God to man, that it is his power and his guiding influence that have accomplished what we see has been accomplished. It has not been done by the wisdom of men. They are instruments in the Lord's hands in accomplishing his purposes, and we should not deny that they are such; we should honor them. But when we undertake to give them the honor for accomplishing this work, and take the honor from the Lord, who qualified the men to do the work, we are doing injustice to our Heavenly Father. He will cut his work short in righteousness and will hasten his purposes in his own time. It is only necessary to try with our might to keep pace with the onward progress of the work of the Lord; then he will preserve and protect us and will prepare the way before us. ¶

Gratitude For Testimony

I feel grateful to my Heavenly Father that I have been permitted to live in this generation and have been permitted to become acquainted somewhat with the principles of the gospel. ¶

I am thankful that I have had the privilege of having a testimony of its truth, and that I am permitted to stand here and elsewhere to bear my testimony to the truth that the gospel has been restored to man. ¶

I have traveled among the nations preaching the gospel and have seen something of the conditions of the world; and I am aware that the gospel, as revealed in the Bible, cannot be found in modern Christianity. The ordinances of the gospel are not administered in any church except The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ¶

The world will not listen to the testimony of men who tell them that the Lord lives and that he is able to reveal his will to man today. Those of the world cannot advance nor learn the ways of the Lord nor walk in his paths because they do not have the gift of the Holy Ghost. This was the path pointed out by Peter and the apostles when the Spirit of the Lord rested upon them with great power to the convincing of the hearts of the people who cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said unto them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." ¶

(Acts 2:37-38.) This was the counsel given them, and inasmuch as they obeyed it, they were entitled to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which would bring peace and happiness, reveal to them their duties, and enable them to understand their relationship to the Lord. ¶

Conditions Of The World

If we look at the conditions of the world today, we must come to the conclusion that peace is not likely soon to be established on the earth. There is nothing among the nations that tends to peace. The Lord Almighty is the Creator of the earth; he is the Father of all our spirits. He has the right to dictate what we should do, and it is our duty to obey, and to walk according to his requirements. ¶

The gospel has been restored to the earth, and the priesthood again established, and both are enjoyed by this people. The world cannot understand this, and they behold it with wonder. ¶

We know that Jesus Christ lives. We know that he is our Savior and Redeemer. We have a testimony of this, independent of any written books, and we testify of these things to the world. ¶

We are engaged in the great latter-day work of preaching the gospel to the nations; it is a great and glorious work. ¶

We believe it is right to love God with all our hearts, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. ¶

The Perfect Law Of Liberty

These are among the principles of the gospel, and these principles have been taught to us from the commencement of our membership in this Church. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the perfect law of liberty; it will lead man to the highest state of glory and exalt him in the presence of our Heavenly Father if he is willing to listen to the counsels of those whom the Lord has appointed to guide them. ¶

We ask no odds of any man. We bear a fearless testimony that these things are true. We know that the one in whom we trust is God, for it has been revealed to us. We are not in the dark; neither have we obtained our knowledge from any man or collection of men, but through the revelations of Jesus Christ. ¶

A Witness Of The Truth

There is no harm in forsaking the follies and evils of the world and bowing in humility before the Lord, asking for his Spirit, and in obedience to the words of the Savior, being baptized for the remission of sins and having hands laid upon you for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that you may have a witness for yourselves of the truth of the words we speak to you. Do this humbly and honestly, and as sure as the Lord lives, I promise you that you will receive the testimony of this work for yourselves and will know it as all the Latter-day Saints should know it. This is the promise. It is sure and steadfast, and there are many in this congregation who can bear testimony that they have realized the fulfillment of these promises in this day. ¶

Worth Of A Testimony

This testimony comes from God; it convinces all to whom it is given in spite of themselves, and it is worth more to men than any sign or gift, because it gives peace, happiness, and contentment to the soul. It assures me that God lives; and if I am faithful, I shall obtain the blessings of the celestial kingdom. The earth will become purified and made a fit abode for heavenly beings and for the Lord our God to come and dwell upon, which he will do during the millennium. The gospel is salvation, and without it there is nothing worth having. This is what we are after. The reason that we are here is that we may overcome every folly and prepare ourselves for eternal life in the future. ¶

Let us be faithful and humble. Let us live the religion of Jesus Christ, put away the weaknesses of the flesh, and cleave to the Lord and his truth with undivided hearts, with full determination to fight the good fight of faith, and continue steadfast to the end. ¶

That God may grant us power to so do is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶