Show REMARKS Made at the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints In the Tabernacle Salt Lake City Sunday Sun-day April 4th 1897 by ELDER FRANKLIN D RICHARDS REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER Beloved hearers I have great toy i 10 being In the mid 01 the congregation of 1 Gods people We were greatly comforted com-forted and encouraged by the report given unto us this morning of the work which has been going on and which is in progress I may ar > throughout the world as far as the Gospel has been carried car-ried to the various nations Everone who understands Scriptures and who has studied I the Gospel according to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and His prophets Joseph Brigham John and Uilfbrd knows and understands that the ancient prophets and apostles all concurred with us or rather we concur with them In their views of the great works which they did in their day and of the vastly greater work that remaIn to be performed in the last days We should keep in mind as heads of farr tins as men ol Israel as Apostles High Priests Seventies Elders Priests Teachers and Deacons that we are but carrying out that which has been revealed re-vealed unto them which their faith rested rest-ed upon and which they beheld by the Spirit of prophesy in the great future We looking back upon their words their promises and prophecies have continually con-tinually Increasing most wonderful assurances of the work In which we are engaged I speak conscious ot the lact that the truths which we have embraced and which we are teaching to the inhabitants In-habitants of the earth are truths concerning con-cerning which the most of this congregation congre-gation are not only conversant with but rave bad testimonies ol the Holy Ghost This Is a great and grand feature In our work We have been commanded to teach the people lo repent of their sins nod to promise them the Holy Ghost to mIISnetb J rl guide otg e into truth to witness unto them the forgiveness oft their sins and I to lead them on In the way ol life and salvation It Is indeed a wonderful thing that in the age in which our great reformers lived such as Luther Calvin Knox and others who have lived since them none of them were able to restore to the people the original and true principles ol faith Mr Alexander Campbell got the nearest to It of any ol them that we know of He came to believe In faith repentance and in baptism for the remission re-mission of sins but he had not authority I author-ity even to administer baptism for the remission of sins and knowing he had I not authority he had not the audacity to J promise the human family that they should receive the Holy Ghost No I man ever had the authority to do that except he bore some portion of that Holy Priesthood which President Smith was speaking of this morning Hut when the Gospel came to us in these latter times through the Prophet Joseph Smith it came to us not only in word but in Spirit and in power Think ol the man John the Baptist who nearly I I Iwo thousand years ago baptized the Lord Jesus Christ and the people of Judea and Jerusalem by the hundreds and thousands in Jordan J think ol this same man coming and ordaining Joseph and Oliver to be priests after the order of Asocial Think you he dij not know how to baptize correctly He knew whether they were to he sprinkled or poured upon or baptlzd face downward I down-ward or face upward tie had learned how He had administered to the Son of God who instituted this plan of salvation Godlowho va fare for the whole I human family I He could teach this correctly and he taught Joseph and Oliver after he had conferred upon them the authority how to baptize bap-tize Hence we have the most implicit confidence that our mode of baptism is the only true mode ot baptism ever Instituted In-stituted by the Savior or else He would not have had It practiced upon Himself This principle has come down to us with a confidence and an assurance and with a Priesthood that is i continuous and eternal eter-nal The work that Is upon us today is In continuation of that principle upon which the Savior said to Nicodemus Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit ba cannot enter into 1 the king dom of God This is a fixed rule not only for people while they dwell in the onlK retf zJI tl ln fIt f flesh to be baptized for themselves but it is jut as fixed a principle for all those that ate dead Hence it Is that Paul says concerning the great work ol the Lord laving I made known unto us the mystery ol His will according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed la Himself that in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together to-gether In one all I things In Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in Im10 Our Gospel our mission and our ministry I is not only to the living but It is to the dead also Our Savior the apostle says died and rose gain that He might become the Lord of the dead as well as ol the living tFor For Christ also hath once suffered for Ins thLj just for 1 the unjust that He might bring vu to God being put to death In the flesh but quickened quick-ened by the Spirit Dy 1 hlch also Ile utint and prehed to the spirits In prison Which lomctiiuo were disobedient when once the lonpuflerlne of God waited In the days of Noah while the irk was a preparing He went and preached to those spirits In prison broke off their bonds and pit claimed deliverance to the captives wno had suffered the wrath ol God from the days ot the flood Now inasmuch as our Lord Jesus Christ went and opened the prison doors In His day and gave to the prisoners the blessings ol file and salvation and as His apostle and those Who labored with Him went yonder and laug ht these price pies to their k ndred dead Peter said for this cause was the I Gospel preached also to then that are dead so then m these latter days our Prophet Josepn who held ouch iweet converse and received such mighty power from men like John the Baptist ilio Peter James and John when he Aulshed up bis work give his liteno manacled and fettered but of his own voUtlonand sealed his testimony by which he proclaimed to the world that he was Willis to give all there I was cf him as testimony to the truth of the things which he laugh 11fe he Im gall yonder having 1 given his life lhat 1 he may De the Prophet of this list dispensation not only to the living but to those that are de dto our fathers and mothers grandfathers onJ Erindnotlers uncles and aunts cousins and kin Jrcl back aJar a-Jar as we Cln get nny re cents ol them here in the n 91 and then back ai far as they had an earthly ex s enc Tots Is I what is meant by In the last d liS gathering gath-ering together all things I which are In Chrit I together which 1 are slnw heaven and which are upon the earth that Ihey who have not had the Gospel preached to them In the flesh must have II preache Ito I-to them in the spirit The great Prophet Joseph 1 greater al than whom has not lived I except the Lord Jesus on fit earth has gone thereto there-to labor with his brother llyrum and he has vvidi him a council ol Twhe Apostles that have been ordained to the apostleship here in the fits besides the High Priests Seventies the L dent and the multitude of the faithful that have died I within the past pixt seven years since file Church wit organized or-ganized the authority of the Priesthood restored and the blessings of the king dom multiplied upon Gods people They are gone there and are busy at work ministering the Gospel the spirits spir-its that have passed beyond mortality I who ai well as we who live 4n life I Aeso can in no wile enter into the kingdom ol God and the blessings of the holy resurrection resur-rection without being baplizd not bio 1zd themselves but by proxy of their kindred or friend This need not bean be-an astonishing feature In our Gospel since our Savior did for all of u > lint which none of us could do forouiselvcs by the shedding of lIit blood for the sins of the whole world The Lord 1m blessed us through this knowledge and inspiration by the Prophet Joseph heP Sbhll r r ka Think what a ohe did while here He with Ills brethren built a Temple and dedicated it and received the personal per-sonal approval ol the Lord within its walls and the promise that His name should be there and that the Gcspel should go from that house lo the poe in foreign lands That is the worn that I upon us and it has come to us with a responsibility and power beyond that of any former dispensation of the Gospel Gos-pel to labor lor tne gathering together ol Ito I things which ard in I Christ both which are in heaven and which are on the earth ThU is I also according to the fulfillment of the prophecy ol Moe Away back In his day he had a glimpe of his Read In the 30th chapr of I Deuteronomy waere he read 10 Israel the law and got their vote that the uiJwkeI nv tl ol Wall it Ic It I he then Went oil r to te I Ilbem tinr I Ibey woUld keep ii so and so would be thefrwolessed future and lr they transgressed the laws he told them of the terrible alll ction that should I come upon them He says I And It shall come to piu when all these things are come upon thee the blessing and the curse which I have set before thee and thou shlt QdI them to mind amoue all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee And shall return unto the Lord thy God and halt obey his voice according to all that I command com-mand Ihee this day thou and thy children with all thine heart and with all thy soul That then fie Lord thy God will turn thy captivity and have compassion upon thee and will return and gather fit ee from all the nations hither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee If any ot thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee and from thence will he fetch heeThai That is the promise that is what this work of the list uays Is adapted to what Is I being carried on and what it will accomplish ac-complish While the Church on the earth outwardly numbers only about three hundred thousand there have been already nearly one million of baptisms bap-tisms performed m the Temples lor tne deliverance of those that are dead Thus the work Is going on and by and tok Jao tjObls tf tjO by When the Kingdom of God is established estab-lished in the earth and the baMor reigns here upon the earth In person and when His I great war k Is such that lie will 1 have a multitude of those that sleep In Jesus to come with Him as well as th righteous right-eous on the earth that are prepared for Him then III cClIe to pass that glorious glori-ous saying that if any ol thine be driven out unto the outmost pars of heaven from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee and from thence wll I he fetch thee This Is i the purpoe ol that werk of which the Apostle Paul also spoke when he said that in the dispen sitlnn of the fulness of tunes he might gather together in one all things in I Limit both which are In heaven and which are on earth Of Latter day Saints this Is I the glorious work in which YOU are engaged m these Utter days Do not forget it Keep these great and I glorious truths before your minds let your attention be absorbed ab-sorbed by these things instead of going into contention and stnfe envying and jealousy j folly and nonsense with du traction discord and unbelief Remember Remem-ber tint this is the work of the Lord entrusted en-trusted to you and hot vou are called to perform Ii The Priesthood that is I put upon you a i not for to curse nor to create discord i contention or strife it is put upon > ou to bless the people to bless each other to bless the human family to bless the dead and to labor for them seeing that they without us shall nol be made perfect that by and by we and they may together enter into the lulfi Iment of the promlss made to the lathers even the blessings of Abraham Abra-ham Isaac and Jacob We want to live so as to inherit and receive them In their lu mss so tint when the time conies that Abraham cur father shall come upon the earth m receive that inheiltanc tint has been promised him they who are the chllderu of Abraham will I be blessed with faithful Abraham We are only just getting this vast labor la-bor started the work ol those in the heavens and the klo those on the earth and while we seem already to be considerable of a people we are but Infantile compared with what we shall become I testify trul these principles of the Go < pel are true If there are any In nur midst Ibis dav who do not believe be-lieve the Gospel I wint to tell them tht In the mouth ol two or three witnesses wit-nesses every word shall be eubiished And jou are having it establ shed lure You may think perhaps there Is I not much sign flc nee to the tcs imonv of two or three but you will see the time wmn il will be very impoftint to you The Lord cs acini cd ill it rule under the Mosilc law and It is n rule lint has come Otc in I the jurisprudence ol the ages that in the mi nth of tw o or three wilne e cry word hill be esla1 Iishcd The I ho hear these things taught bv those ulu have experienced ami know them to te title will have U answer for the fact lint they heard And might have leccivccl a knowledge of these thirgs thtmuUc if they wauld When a nun is brought Into court and convicted of a crime by the mouth ol two I or three witnesses lie finds tint the testimonies rf those witneses iri very IKmcrlul Mniy a man lias ben mui to swing on the gallows or has been snot on the tulimjny of twj or three witnesses whoge ttstimGnei were far impeachable Si when we come into I the court of heaven ihv who are hearIng hear-ing life word of the Lord and living among t ui In the diyllgnt ol Ihe Golpel and hearken not unto us ways but rather persecute Gods pe jple by and by they will be liable to feel the force ol two or three witnesses in their cue You bad better lock Into It ourselves and all rr u is had better find the metis of sell Justification and live so that we can be above conviction cf the law in any sense It is one thin to live so that we can be justified Individually or before our families fam-ilies His i comparatively an easy matter to preserve union and fellowship with those ol our household and thoi who are cl kindied filth with us but when we come as members of a ward or ol a sake there is where we arc required to carry the union and fellowship of the Holy Spirit in our labors that will unite cement bind together and make strong instead of taking a course that will divide and render discordant impotent and unprofitable un-profitable We ought to study these principles and seek to enlarge our understandings and views of the things of God and of His character that via may be able to take a more cmprehei sive view of His work the nature and extent of our acts and the consequences thereof so that vve may be more useful und more influential lor good in flat ea th as we have opportunity both forth for-th living and for the dead It lathe duty of the Apostles to see to It tnat the Gospel Is I sent Into all the world We have not been 11 life > eUa send the Go < pcl into all life nations Some nations are so bouid up that they I will not admit the preaching of tms Go pel among them Tney cannot believe it because they e entertain their old anj vineratedlaiirs But the time Is i cum lug When they w II The Lord will open the way by and by that they who are worthy ai llla have rea bonds loosened till they can be gathered out It was yery much so in Ge many not many rears ago I recollect when I went over iito Dresden the capilal of axony and hunted out a few of the faithful there among whom was our beloved brothtr Doctor Karl G Miner who has made himself knotvn to all Irnel by his fait ful labortWe had to go by night to bap tize him lest we should be taken up oy the olhcers ol the law and he toon after had to make his escape fro 11 the country bo the work is moving and gradualli finding Its way like darkness gradually fe ISbairI dispel eJ by the rising I rgnnels of the z Toe Lord will bring threats thi igs to pass as last ai He shall I see fit We want to be continually increasing growing In grace and m the knowledge ol the truth and to live our religion home righteously right-eously and faithfully so that we may b able to adm miter m all things as vve may have occasion hereafter Tnis is i a wonderfully great and glorious Gospel It holds up before in grand inviting conditions and reward < which will make us rejoice In ai 1 tint we have suffered and instead of our cAll ingll sacrifice as we now do we shall feel lhat it is only like the sawing ol the seed of the husbandman He might call sowing his seed a sacrifice but it is i J because hs gets thirty tt foray sutv and a hundred fold in return I for it Sj we In alt that we are called to deny our selves of in these latter times shall rea Hzsbyand by a reward far italliand more than all and we shall rejoice and thank God we had Ihe opportunity I to pass through this experience Every one of us ought to treasure up these experiences ex-periences with the greatest interest and realize that It is i more to us than all the gold of Ophlr to know the truth and to abide In it and be sanctified by it unto Eternal Life Brethren and sisters I did not expect to speak but a few minutes but these things have come to mind and I have spoken Impromptu having nothing prem dilated I rejoice with vou In the workoftheLord The more I see of it the more thankful i and gladsome I feel concerning IL 1 beseecn you read the Scripture more There are a greatly great-ly things hidden up that il we would take time to read and hunt out would make us to feel our own Insignificance and unA arthiness in the sight of God except for Him I to work within us by His Spirit to will and to do His good pleasure pleas-ure We should pray much that vve may not be Otercone by temptation and that we may r ave power to contend against every princip e In the earth that Is I not ordained of God We ought to sick lor strength and ability to live and 10 prevail against every evil In order that the truth may triumph and salvation salva-tion immortality and Eternal Life bo brought to light through our efforts and lib it is they I were through the efforts and labors f ol the Savior and His early disciples I pra > the Lord to bless each and all ot ui3 Interests of Zion at home and abroad that the Elders in distant parts of the aith may be strengthened and refreshed as with wine when they shall read hear mil feel the spirit i ot this conference and they may be blessed i of the Lord to find access to the honest in blaltthe elect ol God that they may realize that the Lord has sent His angeis before them and given them dreams and manifestations to prepare them to know the Elders when they see them I remember re-member well when I first went to England Wherever I went aim as I we were told by the people that they had seen us in their dr ams and knew us as soon as vve arrived knew our names as well If the Lord goes with us in this way and labors vvllh us to bring to pass His purposes there Is i a potency in it there is I a testimony In it there is I a witness wit-ness to It that It Is the work of the Lord We ought to be glad and praise h thelladond ta is HimIf He i will i f make us His Instruments In bringing to pus His purposes and doing do-ing His holy will The great demand I lor mllonarie < has not diminished hut It is i increasing conlinual I y I want to have Ihe biethien and slsleis realize that Will e they are sustaining the affairs of each other and assisting so many brethren go Into the ministry though seemingly your Interests I rmy be allected here there Is I wherein vou arc sowing to reap an excellent ex-cellent and a preciou hmesl When 111 Elders comr back with redoubled backj cd spirit and power in Ihs Go pel let I them continue lo litor In I vour wards and vour associitions and ke p lint gil I that Is wilhla Ot them 07 by at Ihe kl Iiying I I o f cf fll I h e hand stirred up bAnd of they may be active members and grow nnd Increate and your wards will he bcncfilled and strengthened thereby YOllr r families u 11 be refreshed the vvrrk of the Lord will bt increased Aral Zion w II be purified Then thr more of you thit can go to the Tfnen lemple In fulfillment the suggestions of President Snow will carry home the rich fragrance of heaven and jou will Increase in faith and humility and r joice ireatly In the thinjs of God can linnally We want to get this more a id more that we may get never to ihe Lird and sanctify uur > elvci be ore Him by the workings of the Spld and the belief of the truth I pray file Lord lint He wilt send forth laborers mull His f Word has gone lo the utlern o > t paiu of the earth and until the gle It Work of the Lord is brought to pass here in our midst vvltli the living And the iLid So as Paul his said shall all Israel Le saved The Lord I help us to contribute etch And all of in our mile in llm gte It work 10 hcp to bring to pass the will anT lrst ii r lo r Iiih of God and establish 1 righteousness in the earth Is I mf player in Ihe name of the Lord Jeius Cu st Amen |