| Show BEING YET one by one the great men and women who from the beginning fined filled the ranks of the church of god in this dispensation pensa tion are being laid to rest but it can be said of them truly as it is stated in holy writ of righteous abel that they although dead yet speak their testimony lives and will live forever the very monuments over the graves where their bodies sleep in peace until the morning of the resurrection are testimonies to the generations that pass by the departure from this life of thy the beloved president of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints wilford Woodruff suggests these thoughts for very appropriately it can be said of him that he being dead yet speak eth the whole work of his life whether he be viewed as the missionary who with the zeal of a paul tm traversed versed continents with the gospel of jesus or as the pioneer who endured har hardships defilo unto death for the sake of his master castr or as the state builder the leader of the people of god at a critical period parm of their history or as the father cotov and friend is an enduring testimony imprinted upon the pages of e history those who of late years have had the privilege of listening to the departed president of the saints must have been impressed impress ed with the fact that publicly and privately the essence of at his remarks has been that he knew positively the gospel as restored in this age to be true never did he hesitate in making j this statement to him religion was not theological speculation not sentimentality much less the vagaries lules of an enthusiast it was knowledge put to practical use in every department 1 of life to his mind prepare prepared 4 if for or great things by honesty of purpose righteousness and heavens heaven were opened asto as to inspired men of old Q ift and his religion became a certainty he knew that god lived that jesus the savior ruled joseph the prophet was a servant of th the alt mighty that the church is ark god church and that through the G gospel there is salvation for the living aba the dead he never tired of testifying to these facts there to is a great similarity between the testimony or president woodruff and that of tha apostle paul the latter at th the dose 0 i of his wonderful career could say may I 1 1 I have fought I 1 a good light fight I 1 have finished my course I 1 have kept the faith henceforth there Is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day it was the consciousness of this that prompted paul to exhort bis als df disciple timothy be not there forg ashamed of the testimony of our lord nor of me rig his P prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions Afflict lons of the gospel according to the power of god I 1 there is as we have observe observed ed r aeh similarity between the testimonies of 0 the two prominent servants of tug the lord both had suffered and labored tor ische e cause of truth perhaps more their co laborers both fouad fou od full knowledge of things divine increasing 1 with the accumulating begil r 1 iett eft as a legacy to their ihil dreB the testimony that the gospel oJe sUfi VA A ata well worthy to live for to suffer and even die for president woodruff has left with the saints his testimony upon another point which as history proves Is of no small importance it is this that before the death of joseph and hyrum the prophet left upon the shoulders of the twelve the responsibility of carrying on an the work of god upon this point pol nt his testimony was clear and positive in an address in the assembly hall on february 23 1892 the speaker said As I 1 have said joseph smith organized the church he lived but a short time with us though longer than the savior did after he entered the ministry the savior lived about three and a half years from the time he commenced comm encee his ministrations among the people until he was crucified joseph smith lived some fourteen years if I 1 mistake not after he organized this chua chuich eh he also was slain but before he died he organized the church with apostles patriarchs pastors teachers and the whole government of the church of god and that priesthood he organized or laid ladd the foundations of at remained with the people after his death as brother roberts has said tonight the twelve apostles stood next to the first presidency of the church and I 1 am a living witness myself to this work I 1 am a living witness to the testimony that he gave to the twelve apostles when all of us received our endows endowments ants under his hands I 1 remember the last speech that he ever gave us before his death it was before we started upon our ml mission s to the east bast he stood upon his feet some home three hours the room was filled as with consuming fire his face was as clear as amber and he was clothed upon by the power of god he laid before us our duty he laid before us the fullness of this great work of god and in his remarks to us he said 1 I have had sealed upon my head every key every power every principle of live and salvation that god has ever givenco gi given vento to any man who ever lived upon the face of the earth and theses these principles and this priesthood and power belong to this great and last dispensation which the god of heaven has set his hand to establish in the earth now said he addressing the twelve 1 I have sealed upon your heads every key every power and every principle which the lord has sealed upon my head continuing he said 1 1 I have lived so long up to the present presen t time I 1 have been in the midst of this people and in the great work and labor of redemption I 1 have desired to live to see this temple at nauvoo built but I 1 shall never live to see it completed but you will now we suppose but what he would live we dillant comprehend what he meant neither did the twelve in the days of the savior comprehend what he meant when me he said 1 I am going away from you if I 1 go not the comforter will not come unto you and so we did not understand joseph when he said he would not live to see that temple completed it was not given us to realize it at that time after addressing us in this manner lie he said 1 11 I tell you y ou the burden of this kingdom now rests upon your shoulders you have got to bear it off in all the world rid and if you dont do it you win will to te g damned that was pretty strong language but it was full of me meaning ahing it was full of significance joseph was trained in the PrIe priesthood stood before he came to this planet he understood the priesthood perfectly before lie he came here ile he understood its work and its lineage so tar far as lineage applies to offices in the priesthood he also understood that he was going away from this earth but we did not know it until after he was put 1 ut to death that the gospel Is true and that the power to administer the affairs of the church remains in the church even though death effects changes Is the testimony of one who was well acquainted quain ted with the prophet of god these truths have been handed down to the saints they are a tower of strength against a world that knows not the gospel and also against those who would mar the progress of the work of god by strife and contusion confusion |
