Discourse 1876-04-09
THE DESERET NEWS
ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF
Recited several instances of the
power of faith, recorded in the Bible,
and said also by that same power
Joseph Smith had been enabled to
accomplish all that he did in lay-
ing the foundation of the great
latter-day kingdom. By faith the
apostles had been able to travel
without purse or scrip tens of
thousands of miles to preach the
Gospel. By faith President B.
Young led this people into the
wilderness, where the savage was
accustomed to roam. By faith, in-
dustry, and the blessing of God
this barren, desert land had been
turned into a fruitful field. Without
the power of God accompanying
the efforts of the Elders, this Terri-
tory would never have been peo-
pled by those we now saw here.
Every one who received the Gos-
pel was under obligation to bear
testimony to the truth. The pro-
phecies of the Bible could not have
been fulfilled, if an angel had not
come to the earth, and brought the
Gospel to the children of men.
Why did God choose that untutor-
ed boy, Joseph Smith, to be en-
trusted with the keys of salvation?
Why did he not choose one of the
popular preachers of the day? Sim-
ply because God could not use
them, for they would sell the king-
dom for popularity, hence he chose
a poor boy, and led him by revela-
tion day by day, until he had com-
pleted the work he was raised up
to do
He then spoke of those who had
never heard the fulness of the ever-
lasting gospel, and the necessity
for temples to be erected, so that
the ordinances of the gospel might
be performed for these in the spirit
world. He addressed a few encou-
raging words to the young men,
also to the members of the relief
societies.
