Show The Power of Faith MUM Dellvemd at tho Slxtyfourlh SamlAnnual Conference of Dacou the Church In the Tabornnolo Salt Uako City Sunday afternoon October 8 1800 by PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF = = = = RKfORTKD BY ARTHUR WINTBR I have never attended a conference I have been a member of this since northnow nearly sltjr yeanat bkh I have refused when called upon klhe proper authority and the Spirit al 1 God to speak and lo bear my trait according to the light that I Mil coal ante and I disliked to pats over this reference without saying something I lure been In poor condition for public fpeallrkh vlng had a severe cold upon Bflunss during the past week which lu prevented me from doing almost any kind of business I have been deeply interested In the inumonles of the servants of God who hive adJrcued us during this conference confer-ence They have laid before ui many treat truths My mind relll upon the abject of laid Faith Is the first principle prin-ciple ol the Gospel What Is faith t Paul In writing to the Ilebrevvt under tiles to eiplaln It lie says that faith Is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not scent and to prove Ibis he goes on to tell what different dif-ferent men accomplished through faith See xi chap Hebrews Iloole I upon burial one of the most Important prln clnes that God ever revealed to man lire we hale four temple hi thcio mountains and hundred of people are laboring In them Who for t tolls for pie lillar and the dend Why do they labor for the dead t Have they ever icen the resurrection of the dead t No eiccpt by t > vISion or revelation Hut thiy base pith In It and at an evidence of r that faith they perform Dili work They look forward the resurrection and eternal Judgment to 1 the celestial Ju Cem fnc 1 kingdom and the great blessings which God hat levealed for this salvation and exaltation of the children of men They do this by faith and It Is by this power that they have accomplished what they have during the last slaty years lly i nth Ibis tabernacle has been built lime temples have been reared anti I incif people have been gathered from i Ihi nations of the earth Thousands of I Elders have been called not from colleges I col-leges but from the various occupillons ot tile and sent forth Into the world llo preach the Go pel without money and without price Now for many tears they hate gone forth and preached this 1 Gospel Men have listened lo them and i some spirit I I or power has convinced I them that the testimony which these hider I have borne wn true These I humble men of God hand cone forth and said t The fullness r the I everlasting I ever-lasting bowel hat been revealed by the I admliiUtratlon I of angels the lord has raised up prophets and Inspired men I He has urganlicd the Church on the earth as It was In the days of Jesus Christ and the Apostles wo have brought you this Gospel hearken to II and we promise you In the name of cite lord henna Christ If you will receive our testimony repent of your sins go down s i Into the water and be baptized 1 for the remission of your sins you shall receive the gilt of the Holy I Ghost that shall bear record and witness unto you that what we say Is true What hiss been the result of this Thousands have believed that testimony and proved that Ie was true These Elders labored by faith t they traveled by faith they worked MII1 llll 1d 1 Mill elu by faith It was that sustained i them all the way through They traveled trav-eled without purse nnd scrip and through their faith the God of heaven fed and clothed them and opened the way before lefhl Yn fore them This has been the case now for slily years And many people believed be-lieved the testimony of these simple men They repented of their sins were baptized for the remission of them In the name of the Ialher and of the Son and of thollloly I Ghost it they received that Holy i l host and It bore testimony to them of the truths of the Gospel Brethren and titters Ills by faith that you are here today githcrcd from the nations of the eirtn lly that power you have been sustained until you have nc complUhed these things that are now before you In jour history eought t r oue lo look at these things I as they are We ought lo hive faith not only In wlut lls mist but In what Is to come It Is by faith I that 1 we look forward to the resurrection resur-rection of the dead Our forefathers are In the spirit world They died without the Gospel They never taw the face of a prophet or an apostle They laid dO11 their bodies and their spirits went Into the spirit world There they have listened the Gospel of Christ Jesus taught the Gospel In the spirit world l while Ills I body lay In the tomb Joseph JrIhnei Smith 11 rum Smith and those Llders 01 Israel who have been mart red and who have died for the wold 1 of God nnd testimony I of Jesus J have gone to preach this Goipl I there Snrlts goJ prison have received their testimony I The prison doors have been opened These spirits will come forth In the morning of the resurrection and they will receive these blessings and gtorlelhe tame us If they lh r er heard and received the Gospel In the flesh And these Latter 1 day Saints have built these temples and gone to work In them with just as rnuihasiur ante of the truth ol these things as though It had been founded In their cars by the Hump ol the archangel nf God They I have hid II this faith and they will I not be dltappolnled l Tint Is the condition the Latter day Saints are In today As to opposition we may expect that because the archenemy arch-enemy has labored aGain the work of dot In all ages of tine world Hut we hive reason to reioice and tube thankful thank-ful lo our Heavenly father 1 that we areas are-as well as we are today before Him I want the Litter day Saints lo bear In mind that the ancient patriarchs I and prophets spoke as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghostand they spoke the truth The Lord has Mid 1 11st what Me meant and meant what I He i said The word of the Lord will never fall un lullilled II you want to know what Is l coming l to Lass read the revelations of God In the little i In l oll Hook oil rAnd r-and In the Hook of Doclrine and Covenants Cove-nants The revelations of the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith are glorious revelations What the Lord promised In the commencement of this work has been fulfilled to the very letter up to the present Suit will continue We should lay these things to heart There has been a good deal sild with regard to our temporal nlMrs That Is rtlrr 3allj rfl tlo What the brethren have sold concerning our temporal condition It of Importance to us I still am of the opinion that inasmuch as Zion Is going to be built up on the earth It Is the mind and will of Coil that w e should do something for ourselves We ought to cultivate site earth We ought not to wait for the world to come and plant and dig our potatoes or plant and harvest our wheat or lu build railroads and carry them on The Presidency f the Church have shouldered a very heavy load connected with this sugar factory Why should w e not male sugar Utah tends a very great amount every year out of the r yf uh Territory for augur lithe should I not be The soil Is here and the talent here 10 rata beets and to make sugar Why should not the Latter 1 day Stints M I1t do this and keep their money at home Is there any sin In Ihls Not at all the more of these things we would do the Iof better rll I 1 kllhkn Lord would be pleased ill Ib ed with us I know there has been quite a 1 feeling ono way or another bo < cause we have burdened < l ourselves with these labors Hut It Is our duly lo try to get the Utter day Saints to cultivate tIle earth and to produce what they cat 8JII k r aw W er save and drlnkand what they wear Wn have tried to do this It Is true it cost a great deal in establish the sugar plant and the Church 1 had to shoulder great meisure of responsibility In connection wish It In order to carry It out I do not think we have don wrong In that When I go before my Tatlierln hcnvtnlnm i willing tobeir my part t > t the rui on tlblllly beciuse If 1 there Is anything on I eirth that I 1 was ever moved upon by the Spirit to do It 1 was to uniteIn that enterprise enter-prise with my brethren I believe It is ourdulyto minufacture what we ue as far as we can at home We refer lo 1 these temporal things because they are I nnd always will be connected with us I feel rcjolee myself that we an as well off m we arc There hasmv liven l n period when I we have been my better elf II than we are today cYI look hack lo the days when we cam here We found barren desert firs mm a r snah 3lir ill that led us here was Ilrlgham Young He was a prophet seer and revelator lie was never destitute of revelilion from She day tint I first knew him until his body was laid 1 In the tomb lie was great nuns man of Sod We seethe see-the result of his work here He was our architect to to speak lie I fulfilled I hit mission In I a great and wonderful manner and when he laid his body down he went to mingle with his brethren breth-ren and site God The GHpcI of Christ It I true The 7lon of God Is true We are here In fulfilment of the revelations and visions of the ancient patriarch and prophets I head Isaiah Jeremiah out the oilier prophets and see what they Mid W e I came here by the revelations of Gal l Many of the brethren felt It hard to I leave our beautiful Nauvoo And to go to the mountains Had I we not done this some of the revelations of God would i fl rMI have fallen unfulfilled I nay to the Latlerdty Saints have faith Let us I have filth In the promise and revelations revela-tions of Goal Do you comprehend I what Is manifest she earth toda > 1 The I seeds of destruction art everywhere 1 The judgmentsof God are beginning too 1 to-o forth Hut who acknowledges the Farad f of Gel UI In these things iI4g I rejoice that the I cloud of darkness is being lifted I from theeesof I our countrymen In regard i re-gard to the Latterday Saints I and that oll t Yk 1 they are manifesting l Undnets towards us Speaking ol our visit East I confess con-fess it was marvelous In soy eyes to tee how dllferenl these things are today to what they hive been In tin past They I begin to tee that the people In tie noun Hint of Israel are while men and that they have tome talent I thank God for these things I thank Him for the kindness we have received at the hands of the friends of our nation My prayer fl g bi ln to God Is that Hit blessings may rest upon our nation and upon the leaden I thereof and that the spirit I of liberty of I lel I law ol righteousness and of truth may rest upon all American citizens and everybody that dwells under this great government It Is one of the greatest governments God ever raised upon the earth W hat has U been raised up for That In the mlJst of It the Lord might establUh Ills 7Jon and Ills work Ilrethrcn and terslet us be true and faithful to our duties and lunar God Let us look forward tollie 1 exaltation 19 Ire and tho blessings I Hut 1 Godlias In store for those who keep Ills commandments Every I f man will lIu Judged according to the deeds don In the body There are I Iws 1 celestial lawn terrestrial and laws teleslial We speak of the celestial ilory and of the heavenly hosts Who ire the heavenly host They are those I w ho have tabernacled on this earth been faithlul to God and pasted I behind the veil And they arc Interested 1 In the 1 welfare of the Inhabit mts of the earth They are Interested Intlienalvallonuf I the human family They have labored for It In the Wi they do to today In I the spirit world These are the people 1 we look lo by faith I We are here upon ohf luS a mission r We are trying 1 lo fulfil that mistlon I hope we may be true and faithful It I am thankful before the Lord for the blessings that 1 have en lyedln this con ference and lor the testimonies I have heard from these Apostles They speak us men rl having I authority Inspired W the Spirit of God and they apse the truth Many f Irl tll leJrl r ur Many of our friends that have labored with us have passed away Wa ourselves our-selves I llnll pass 1 Away In our lime t may say that if i It had not been for the prayers of these thousands ol Litter i day < Saints I today should have been mingling with my brethren In the spirit worliL I know Ihall I have been preserved preser-ved by the prayers of rny brethren and airier I nlsd r lam l still rhb vou Iei I feel very weak and hardly qualified to mag nlfy my calling as an Apostle as the leader of the people of Israel In fact no man J Is only at moved upon by the o8 Jn1 lIrWnr power of GuJ What little time I may stay here I hope my heart 1 wilt not be seton set-on the I riches of this world I but ln on doing the wilt fb God nod Uniting with my brethren In I beating oil Hie 1 great work tlwl responsibility I resting upon ui If ro r we will do this all will be right When we get the other side of the veil we shall know something We now work by faith We have the evidence of Ihmgt I not teen 1 he I resurrection the eternal IJ Judgment I the 1 celestial I kingdom I and the great blessings that God Ins given In the holy I anointings I and endowment endow-ment In this temples are all for the future and they will 1 be fulfilled fur they are eternal truths We will never Wlh while I In the flesh with Ihls veil over us fully comprehend which lies before us in the world to come It will pay any mm to servo God and to keep Ills I commandments the few day helivci upon the earth With regard to our position before we came here I will I say that we dwelt I with 1 the lather I and with the Son as eiprested l In the li > mnO rny Fathers I that has been sung here That hymn is I a revelation though It was fives riotous by a woman Sister Snow 1 here are a great n nnt sisters j ti have the spirit of revelation 1 here Sans I reason why they should not be Inspired as welt as men We dwell In the presence of God before we came here and we have been tent here upon a minion and I donut do-nut want to II live any longer myself than I r irncr tW I can magnify vl that r calling What benefit bene-fit Is I It to any man lo dell here and to miss the object for which I he was sent even eternal le life r Therefore It does not pay any man to tin II When a man tint I It Is because he yields I lo I the enemy not because the devil has power over him Irrespective of his agency The devil Is laboring I for the destruction of the I human family hum the Gospel tent into the world to save them I 1 Ilrethrcn and sisters God bless you I am glad to meet with yod and to have a little lime to speak to you I hope I nnd trust ive may be true ai d faithful the end of our diys Hut we maybe satisfied when we get through with our I work that our hearts nny not bed up on amthing f that pcrlihcth but that ive may do what we can lo build I up Zion I and bring forth l salvation I lo mankind as fir at ell have the opportunity while I we dwell I In the flesh God bless II us and if guide us alt In all our work for Jesus sake Amen |