REMARKS BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF. It is not my purpose at all to de- tain this congregation, but before dismissing I feel that I would like to say a few words. We are not in the habit of flattering any man, but I want to say a few words concerning Brother Pratt. If there is any man dead or alive who has dwelt longer in this church and kingdom than he has I do not know him. If there is any man that has travelled more miles in preaching the gospel of Christ, in bearing testimony of the kingdom of God on the earth, I do not know who he is. When Brother Pratt embraced this gospel he was a boy—in one sense of the word illiter- ate and unlearned, the same as Joseph Smith and the most of us. Whatever knowledge Brother Pratt has obtained, either of the learning of the world or of the kingdom of God, he has obtained it by diligence and labor since he em- braced this gospel. I have been as- sociated with Brother Pratt myself for 47 years. I have travelled with him by sea and by land, in foreign countries and at home, and I never saw a man in my life that I know of that has spent as few moments idly as he has. I have never seen a storm at sea so heavy—even when shipping seas over the bow, side and stern—but what he would read his book. Whenever the breakers be- came too heavy he would simply shut up the book until they were over. If there is a man on this con- tinent who is more at home in the starry heavens, in the astronomical world than Brother Pratt I do not know who he is. If there is a man more deep- ly versed in mathematics than Brother Pratt, I do not know who he is. There may be many men equal to him in these things, but if there are, I do not know them. How has he obtained his knowledge? He has obtained it since he embraced this work. He has improved his time. Brother Pratt is the only living man to-day that was in the first quorum of the Twelve in its first organization, and I am pleased to listen to his testimony of the gos- pel of Christ; for I want to say to Brother Pratt and to all other men, we all have to acknowledge this; Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, the Apostles, and all men in this Church and kingdom, if there is anything to us, if there is anything about us, if we have any knowledge, or any power, or any influence, we have to give God the honor of it. It is not of ourselves. Joseph Smith always acknowledged t[h]is, as have all men in this Church and King- dom. We have been called from the plow, from the plane, from the ham- mer—ignorant, illiterate boys, and thrust into the vineyard; and all the power we have, or ever had, in building up this Kingdom, we have to acknowledge it as coming from the hand of God. Brother Pratt was one of the earliest men who shoul- dered his knapsack and travelled through this American continent to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to this nation. Frequently he would suffer from ague all day and go along and preach his sermon at night. These are experiences that he and others have passed through in the early rise of this Church, and I feel to thank God that we can still hear his voice and the voice of others who have been long in this Church and Kingdom. I hope the Lord will preserve his life until he is satisfied with it. He has lifted up his voice long and loud, ac- cording to the commandment of God to him, in bearing record of this gospel and kingdom to the nations of the earth. I was struck in my mind, in contemplating our own experi- ence, with some of the remarks he has made to-day with regard to the Apostle Philip—how our own expe- rience has agreed with that of the ancient apostle. How many times have we been called by revelation to go to the right or left, here, there and the other place, contrary to our expectation? I will here relate what took place in my own experience. I was in Staffordshire in the year 1840. I was in the town of Stanley and held a meeting in the City Hall. I had a week's appointments out in that town. Before I rose to speak to the people, the Spirit of the Lord said to me, "This is the last meeting you will hold with this people for many days." I told the congrega- tion when I rose what the Spirit of the Lord had manifested to me. They were as much surprised as I was. I did not know what the Lord wanted, but I saw the purpose of God afterwards. The Spirit of the Lord said to me, "Go south." I traveled eighty miles; went into the south of England. As soon as I arrived, I met John Benbow. It was clearly made manifest to me why I had been called thither. I had left a good field, where I was baptizing every night in the week. When I got to this place, I found a people—some 600 of them—who had broken off from the Wesleyan Methodists and formed themselves into a sect called the United Brethren. I found they were praying for light and truth, and that they had gone about as far as they could go. I saw that the Lord had sent me to them. I went to work amongst them and ultimately baptized their superintendent, forty preachers and some 600 members; I baptized every member of that denomination but one. Altogether some 1800 were bap- tized in that field of labor. I sup- pose some of those then baptized may be in this congregation to-day. I name these things to show how we have to be governed and control- led by the revelations of God day by day. Without this we can do no- thing. Many of our brethren who were with us at that time and who came to this valley, have passed be- hind the vail. Eight of the quorum of the Twelve who were in the flesh and most of them with the pioneers, to-day are in the spirit world. We are passing away. I know as Brother Pratt has said, that this is the kingdom of God. Is- rael is being gathered together. The revelations of God are being fulfilled, and nothing will be left unfulfilled. Therefore, as Saints of the living God, let us be faithful to our testimony. We have the king- dom of God. We are called of God by inspiration and commandment to warn this generation, to preach the gospel, to gather the people, to build up Zion, to build Temples, to redeem the living and the dead, and to carry out the great work which is laid upon our shoulders, and may God enable us to accomplish these things for Jesus' sake. Amen.