The first speaker was APOSTLE WILFORD WOODRUFF. "We are again called to assemble here to pay our last respects to one of God's noblemen. We have lying before us the tabernacle of President Joseph Young. It is said that he is dead. I suppose he is as we use the term death. His tabernacle lies here in this casket, but Uncle Jo- seph is not there! We call him "Uncle" because he has been related to almost all the Holy Priesthood of Israel from the organization of this Church. I ask Brother Lorenzo Young and Bro. Young's wives and his sons and daughters, if they feel to mourn in their hearts to-day? If they do, I do not; if they do, President Joseph Young does not; for it was one of the most glo- rious moments of his existence, whe- ther in time or in eternity, when he opened his eyes in the spirit world and struck hands with Joseph Smith, with Brigham Young, with his father's house, and with the El- ders of Israel with whom he has been associated here on the earth more or less for the last 50 years of his life. If Bro. Joseph ever felt while in the flesh to shout, glory, hallelujah! he did so when this new birth took place. Now these are some of the sentiments of my heart. I cannot mourn when I fol- low to the grave a man like Joseph Young; I have never been able to do it since I have been a member of the Church, when I havo [have] followed a true, faithful, Latter-day Saint to the grave. Death was a gloomy subject to me before I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was sad to see the bodies of men and women laid away in the tomb. I did not know where they came from, why they were here, where they were going. It was taking, as it were, a leap in the dark. But, thank God, the blood of Christ has burst the bonds of death, given us power in the resurrection, and the gospel of Jesus Christ has point- ed out to us the blessings, the glory and the privileges that we can en- joy in this world and in the world to come. Death has lost its gloom with me, with the Latter-day Saints. I do not know whether the spirit of Brother Joseph is watching over us to-day, seeing this funeral, hearing us talk upon this subject, or whether in the eternal world his joy is so great that he will say in his own mind to those that are left be- hind, "bury my body, I have got something else to do." I do not know that this is the case, God has not revealed it to me; but one thing I can say from the very depth of my heart, and that is, I rejoice and thank God that I had the privilege of becoming acquaint- ed with such a man as President Joseph Young and of being associat- ed with him in the flesh for nearly 50 years. His life is before me and you, it has been before the heavens and the earth. A purer man, a more virtuous man, a more honest man, according to the light and knowledge God bestowed upon him, I do not know that we have in our midst. "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, yea, saith the Spirit from henceforth, for they rest from their labors and their works do fol- low them." [Revelation 14:13] We have death here in this world. We attend funerals; our friends, our fathers, our moth- ers, our brethren, our sisters, our children die; we mourn over them in a measure; we follow them to the grave; but do you compre- hend and understand that when we have such a death as this here, there is a birth on the other side of the vail? Don't you think that Sarah, when she received Isaac, rejoiced at the birth of her son? [Genesis 21:1-7] Yes, she did, and so have all the mothers in Israel who comprehend the value of offspring. Now, whether there was any mourning in the spirit world when Isaac left, I do not know. I should think not, for those there would fully comprehend the value of spirits taking tabernacles on the earth. But here we have a death, a funeral. Well, if you could see the vail lifted up, and behold Uncle Jo- seph, the old patriarch, who has lived 84 years in the flesh, and more than half of his life in the Church and Kingdom of God, do you think you would see much mourning there? No you would not. Brother Joseph Young is re- joicing with Brother Joseph Smith and his brethren the Elders of Israel, and we certainly should rejoice on this occasion, when we are paying our respects to a man that has been faithful during these great many years, faithful to his God, faithful to his family, faithful to his quo- rum, faithful to the Church and kingdom of God and to his coven- ants. Brother Joseph has finished his work here in the flesh and gone into the presence of God and the Lamb, and we have the hope and consolation that this man will in- herit eternal life and come forth in the morning of the first resurrection. That same tabernacle which Uncle Joseph has occupied for over 84 years will come forth again, and he will be crowned with principalities and powers, and be made an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ to all the blessings that God himself possesses. Can you mourn? I can- not. I wish I might live as good a life and receive as good a glory and exaltation as I am satisfied Brother Joseph Young will obtain. He has lived to a great age. My first ac- quaintance with him was in 1834, in Kirtland. I traveled with him in Zion's Camp a thousand miles, led by President Joseph Smith; with Brother Brigham and many others from whom the Lord afterwards chose the first quorum of the Twelve Apostles, of whom Brother Pratt and myself are the only ones now alive. I always rejoiced in the society of Brother Young. He is from a noble family, and perhaps it is my duty here to say something with regard to his father. I made a remark in some of my public dis- courses that Father Joseph Smith was the first Patriarch ordained in this Church and Kingdom. I should have been more explicit in this matter. The father of Joseph Young and Brigham Young was the first ordained Patriarch in this generation, but he was ordained as Patriarch of his own family, he did not officiate as the Patriarch of the Church, as Father Joseph Smith did up to the day of his death. I wished to make these remarks be- cause I consider they are just and right. Well, now, what shall I say to you with regard to Bro. Joseph Young? You are acquainted with him, he has been in your midst. He was ordained the First President of the Seventies in 1835. He has held that office from that time up to the day of his death, and he will hold that position and the keys of that posi- tion after death and after the resur- rection. Not only so, but he will occupy a place as a king and priest to the Most High God, ruling and reigning in the house of Israel for ever. I want to say to the sons and daughters of Brother Joseph Young, follow your father as he has follow- ed Christ and you will rejoice in the eternal worlds with him. He has been a good father to you, a good husband, and a good counselor not only to his family but to the Church and Kingdom of God. He has been associated with these seven Presidents of the first quorum of Seventies. There are but few of those living to-day, and are here remaining who were ordained the same time that he was. He was or- dained a Patriarch under the hands and direction of his brother Brig- ham in the Endowment House a few years ago. He has held that office from that day to this; and his tabernacle will lie in the tomb but a very short time until it will burst the bonds of death and come forth out of the grave, and that spirit that to day is rejoicing in the spirit world will again return to the same house. I am glad of that. I rejoice in that principle that we can again have our bodies in which we have traveled on foot, without money and without reward, for many thousands of miles to preach the gospel, in which we have labored in weariness and hun- her [hunger] and thirst to perform this labor. Now this is a great conso- lation to me that this same house that our spirits dwell in to- day, we can have in the morning of the resurrection. This will be the case with Prest. Joseph Young, who lies here before us to-day. I was very much pleased in looking upon his face, so natural, so pleasant, so life-like in one sense of the word, it looks as though he went to sleep and was happy. His tabernacle shows, as it were, the happiness of his spirit when it departed. Brother Joseph's history has been of interest to us. He has magnified his calling, he has been true and faithful in all his days. Before he was a member of this Church he was a Methodist preacher. He taught the gospel according to the best light and knowledge he had. But when he had the Gospel carried to him by his brother, he embraced it, and it is said he never laughed in his life until he embraced our religion. When he was a Metho- dist preacher he was always gloomy and sober, very seldom smiled, but when he embraced the true gospel it is said he laughed for six months, he was so overjoyed to think that he had found out the truth. Well, I will promise you he is happy to- day, and he will see no more sorrow. I rejoice when I see a man who is true and faithful to the gospel, to the Priesthood, to his calling and covenants before God, I can tell you the heavens rejoice over him, the angels rejoice over him, and why should not we? I am pleased to have the privilege of making a few remarks on this oc- casion. I do not, however, wish to detain you, as there are others of my brethren who will speak. But I thank God that we have the privi- lege of paying our last respects to our departed brother. His body will now be laid away in the tomb, but by and by it will come forth and be glorified. I pray God my Eternal Father to let his blessing rest upon us; that his spirit may rest upon Bro. Lorenzo, and upon the wives, sons and daughters and friends of the deceased; that we may all of us take the admonition—for all these things are admonitions, to live faithful like unto our departed brother for "the night will come when no man can work." I have a desire myself to do good. I cannot remain here long. Many of my brethren have gone hence—Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, George A. Smith, P. P. Pratt, and now President Jo- seph Young. Many of my brethren who went with that Camp have gone hence—Brigham Young, He- ber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, George A. Smith, Parley P. Pratt, and now President Joseph Young. And there are but few of us left. How long we shall tarry here, I do not know, but while I live I want to do what good I can. I tell you it is a glorious blessing for men to receive the Priesthood of God, and to be called of God to preach the gospel. The old pro- phets and patriarchs are watching over us. They are anxious to see us perform our work. Brother Joseph came to me a few weeks since and talked about his death. He wanted to finish up his records before he left. He wished to do what he could for his dead while he was in the flesh. Well, I told him I rejoiced that he was looking after these things. But now, if he has left any- thing undone, his brother Lorenzo or his family will attend to the matter, as we have all got to do what we can to save both the living and the dead. May God bless us all, and give us power to finish our work, to be true and faithful unto death, that we may gain eternal life, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus, Amen.