Show r f DI DISCOURSE C URSE Delivered by u President Wilford W ford Wood Wood- i s Woods ruff ruf at the General Conference Conference- Conference T Sunday ag after noon noot Oct Oot 6 1889 f The following passage ge from the th sixty-eighth sixty section of the Doctrine and Covenants was read by President dent George Q Q Cannon r My servant Orson Hyde was calle called t I everI by his ordinance to proclaim the ever ever- lasting everlasting gospel by the Spirit of ot the th t am-t living God from people to people and from land to land in the conc t tion tl wicked 1 t J ot of the in their syna o- o gues synagogues reasoning with and expoundIng s all Scriptures unto them i i And behold and is an pie unto all those who were ordained G- G GP P J t this Priesthood whose mission is appointed unto them to go forth And this is an unto them that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture shall be the will of the Lord Loril shall be the mind of the Lord shall be the word of ot the Lord shall be the voice of the Lord and the power of ot God unto salvation Behold this is the promise of the Lord unto you 0 ye my servants President Woodruff then said I have traveled over one hun hun- hundred hundred hundred dred and fifty thousand miles preaching the Gospel to large and small congregations to saints and to sinners and I have never yet seen the lay day on arising tomy to tomy tomy my feet that I have known what I 1 Iwas was going to say to the people And this Is is the case with the Elders gen gen- generally generally generally in their ministrations You who have attended the meetings of this Conference perceived that we caned called upon brethren from the right and left to speak to us and if you have any discernment you certainly can testify that they spoke by the Spirit it and power power r of o God dur dur- during cur cur- curing ing my whole life in company with the Prophet Joseph Oliver Cowdery the witnesses of the Book of Mor Mor- Mormon Mormon Mormon Apostles mon with the first Twelve Apos Apos- all aJI of whom are in the spirit world mingling with the Gods and andI I have never attended a Conference when I have felt b better and been more edified in listening to the re- re remarks re remarks remarks marks of the same Bame number of men than at this Conference The Elders rs have spoken by inspiration and an anthey d they have declared unto us u s eternal truths As I said last Jast night nigh nighat t at our i meeting so I would remark here no man that God ever made beginning with wit h Father Adam down through the th e history of the world that has ever eve r Kingdom been called to build up the King King- dom of God and preach the Gospel has been able to perform that work wor k only by the Power of the Holy Ghost neither can any man do it i t today We e are all alJ dependent upon n the Holy Holy Ghost And what is th e Holy Ghost The rhe t testimony of th the e Father and the Son It is one of the God God head head God the Father GOthe God the Son and God the Holy Ghost Will the Holy Ghost deceive any man It will not When a man mn speaks as he Is moved upon by hy the tb Holy Ghost it is the spirit of in- in inspiration Inspiration inspiration it is the word of God it is the the will of God It t cannot lie he it cannot deceive It leads into aU all truth and reveals to man the will of o ohis ohis f his Maker Jesus instructed His disciples t to take no thought what they should eat or what they should drink They were traveling without pura purse or scrip as many of us have done don donin in our time The Lord knew they would have need of something to t teat eat and He knew that somebody toy y would he be raised up to supply their r wants He also instructed instructed them to take no thought what they should say sa magistrates when having baving to appear before magic magis- and rulers rulers for the same e should be given them the hour it i iwas iwas t was needed This ie Is the condition of the fiat Lal ter ter- ter day ter-day day Saints The Apostle has said sald He hath chosen the weak I things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and and things which are not to bring to nought t things which are ThIS has been heeD the case ia in the dealings of God with man of all aU ages and 1 it certainly is the case in this our day When I look upon the ten thou thou- thousand thousand thousand sand before faces of Latter day Saints be be- be- be fore ore me the present time and when I contemplate what God hath bath wrought in establishing this people in the midst of these mountain val- val leys val leys valleys eys and when I bring my myself elf face to face with the wonderful ap age we live in and sense tile mighty responsibilities that rest upon us as watchmen upon the walls of Zion and as 88 watchmen to this when generation generation I contemplate these things if any man under heaven feels his weakness weak weak- weakness weakness Andin ness it is Wilford Woodruff And And- in saying this of myself I 1 know I Iam Iam am expressing the feelings of my brethren associated with me in ref ref- reference reference to themselves as Counselors as well as the sentiments of the Twelve respecting r themselves and those of every Elder ot of Israel who appreciates his calling in Christ J Jesus We have been called from the ithe plow the plane and the anvil and i the various avocations of life and without preparation the Elders Elden of 1 this Church are sent forth by com com- command command command mand of Almighty God to preach to and warn the nations of the earth arth Jseph Joseph Smith has been referred to by some of of the 1 speakers and their testimony testimony- of prophett him is true A greater prophet Ido than he excepting Jesus Christ Christ r I ri i do not beU believe ve ever live lived In R this I gi give ve it as my own personal views I dont don't don t believe God ever raised up a greater prophet save J Jesus esus himself lf The dispensation hw he was he-was greatest was called t to usher in is the great great- i est ever given gIven to man and it re required re- re required j Just such a R man to stand atthe t at atthe the truet head of it-a it it a man who was we true to God and his brethren who was waa a aseer seer faithe and an revelator and whose faIth faitha a in God was such that he n never vr wavered or doubted but M Der evered t himself and enco encouraged raged others to move forward in the great work be be- before before be before fore them The world called him illiterate and ignorant However they might regard him our tu testimony t tt t mony of him is that h hb was taught of God Himself Him elf and of the angels who visited him and that he fulfilled certain revelations and predictions referring to this age as contained in the Bible and other records of Divine truth And as 8 has been stated during this Conference he brought forth the Book of the Mormon Mormon the stick of Joseph Jose h hi Josephin in i n the hands of Ephraim in Ephraim-in in fulfil fulfil- fulfilment ment of the testimony mony of Isaiah translating that record through the and thereby then reveal reveal- revealing ing to us the history of the earl early In- In Inhabitants Inhabitants habitants of ot neut That book ok informs us that two distinct nations inhabited this land Jand the founders of both of which were brought here by the power of God from the eastern 1 continent the first known after after- afterwards afterwards 1 wards as 8 the J tracing their 1 ori origin n to the t ow tower J of pf Babel They y ya bK a a flourished and became a mighty p people OPle but they turned from the thet t right way of the Lord and when they had ripened in iniquity they f like other nations of the earth were destroyed by the judgments of God The other nation was known as and bein named after atter the sons BOns of Lehi the be head head of the family who by yi command of or God left their native r Y- Y land laud Jerusalem some four hun hun- hundred hun hun-f f died dyed years before Christ and tra- tra trai traveled tra trail i il ed by land and in in ships of ef f their own construction crossed the tile great waters and came cameto came cameto to this land They dwelt here rb for hundreds of years and also beL became be- be became L came a great an ani i mighty people t an aD outline of whose history is re- re recorded recorded re recorded corded in that book The interest interest- interestIng interesting interesting ing mission of the Savior to the k people of this Ibis continent is also re- re recorded recorded re recorded corded here the establishing of the Church among the believing N Ne- Ne Ne e- e and their labors in the work of perfection And I may say the remains of some of the cities built by these peoples have been dis- dis discovered discovered dis discovered covered and written about by such such men as Stephens and Catherwood v and aDd others doubtless much re- re reIr remains re-fr re Ir mains yet to come to li light ht in corroboration corroboration f oration of the testimony of or this J f divine record The Prophet Joseph not only performed per per- performed r- r formed this work but organized the j Church with prophets and apostles elders priests teachers and deacons I ae ft it was organized in the days of Jesus and His Apostles And there thereS is a feature connected with the ther r J Church as it exists today that is pe- pe f collar from all other dispensations that that bat we have any account of that that- that f i nearly the whole body of its male members m ha have ve received ved some portion of the Priesthood until we have to- to today today to-t to day In these mountains some twenty t ty y thousand m men n bearing either they the Priesthood after the order of Aaron y or 01 There is a reason r f f for tor this There never has been aI a I time in il in all aU the dispensations of God GodY Y to man Ulan when there has been so BO BOr r much need for the labors of the ser ser- serI servants ser servants I of God as in this our OUi day and the tibe Lord therefore has called caU d a great t number of men en to bear the thet-i thet J Priesthood and directed them to gor go r unto all nations tongues and peoples J rA Z as He showed John the Reve- Reve Reves Ef Beve-Ef s later He would do in the last days as recorded in the chapter of the thel book of Revelations And in ful- ful fulfilment ful thereof we have not only one forth to the nations proclaim proclaim- Ee ng q this Gospel revealed to man by f the angel of God but in further further J obedience to the divine command have e come out from Babylon until f Ure 0 number some BOme two hundred thou thou- thour thousand r sand Mud ad gathered here And Aud by what what what- power er have we come here And Why by did you leave the States oft of t hlis nation England Scotland Ire- Ire land lend land Wales Norway Sweden Denmark Den Den- Denv v mark Austria Germany and nuu other 1 t nations You heard the Elders They told you they had been een sent R ff- ff by God Clod and that they had the ful- ful JI iR flees iH 9 of the Gospel to offer to man t and they explained to you the prin- prin r maples thereof They told you there i fn but one Gospel and that God l never Dd-never revealed but the one the I 1 that Paul referred to 00 when i 41 i he said Though we or an a angel gel from heaven preach any other Gos Gos- Gospel Gospel pel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed You be- be believed believed be believed and obeyed and gathered with the Saints And what was it these Elders taught you It was that you must have faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God that you must repent of your sils and be baptized by immersion for remission of the same and then have hands h laid upon your head forthe for forthe forthe the reception of the Holy Ghost And this Comforter this Holy Spirit you received ved and it bore witness unto you you that you had in- in indeed indeed in indeed deed been initiated initiated into the Church of Christ And if 1 I were to call upon this congregation of Latter Latter- Latter day day Saints today and ask every everyman everyman everyman man and woman who thus heard and obeyed and who did receive this testimony for themselves to torise torise torise rise to their feet how many do you think would remain seated Not many if any The fact that you are thus gathered here and that you ha have ve the these e many years re- re remained remained re remained faithful to the cause canse you espoused is evidence that you did receive and are still in possession of this testimony And I would say if there are present today any strangers who are not acquainted with the principles of our religion let them gaze upon this congregation congregation congregation tion of over ten thousand faces let them travel through the settlements of or the Saints north and south BOuth and contemplate the work that has hus been accomplished in redeeming the earth and aud making it habitable and then let Jet them ask themselves the question are not these people in earnest Are they not sincere Are they deceivers deceivers deceivers ers these missionary Elders who have been the means of inducing the people of all lands to 00 thus settle and make homes in these valleys Do you believe in their works and their mission You say no But let me tell you there is not an honest man upon the face of the earth tarth ac- ac acquainted acquainted ac acquainted with the history of f f the day Latter day Saints that can say suy this at heart And I testify to you as I would to the whole world had I the power to do so that God has set His hand to fulfil the word of the Lord as given in the Bible the book of all books the Christian world pro pro- pro profess fess to believe in the revelations of St John the predictions of Isaiah Jeremiah Joel others contained within its ita sacred lids who spoke of the great work of the last days and I testify that the day has come which Daniel Damel saw the day referred to by him in his Interpretation of dream when the God of heaven should set up a kingdom which should nev never r be This Kin Kingdom dom was represented to him as a little stone cut out ut of the mountain without hands which stone smote the image representing the different nations that then ex- ex existed existed ex existed isted and should exist on the feet breaking it to pieces and ft became beame a great mountain and filled the whole earth Was Daniel a pro pro- prophet pro prophet phet het He was and was highly favored of God because of his mighty faith Isaiah saw our day and time and was glad Sing 0 heavens and be joyful li o 0 Singling sInging earth and aed break forth forth into l sIng sIng- iii ling ing 0 mountains for the Lord hath comforted his people and will have mercy upon his afflicted What is the matter The Lord is going to comfort Zion He is goin going to have mercy upon her afflicted ones But Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath bath forgotten me Can a woman forget her sucking child saith the Lord H I Yea she may forget but I will not forget thee Behold I have graved thee upon the palms of my hands thy walls are continually before me This refers to the building up of Zion in the last days the gathering together of the people I preparatory to the coming of the theton ton Son of Man As far as constitutional liberty is concerned I will say the God of heaven has raised up our nation as foretold by His Prophets generations generations genera- genera ago He inspired Colum- Colum Columbus bus and moved upon him to 00 cross the ocean in search of this continent The world is acquainted with the history of his course his pleadings with the courts of Europe and his final triumph h in finding sympathy in the King and Queen of Spain who furnished the necessary necessary necessary sary means to make the exploration It is also well known how our fore fore- forefathers forefathers |