Discourse 1893-04-06
NO. 17. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, SATURDAY, . VOL. XLVI
ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
The services of the Conference were
continued this morning in the upper
room of the Temple.
The Tabernacle choir sang the an-
them:
Let all Israel join and sing.
(Music by Joseph J. Daynes; choir-
isters led by Evan Stephens.)
PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF
Made brief appropriate remarks and
then offered the
DEDICATORY PRAYER,
as follows:
Our Father in heaven, thou who hast
created the heavens and the earth, and
all things that are therein; [3 Nephi 9:15; Mormon 9:11] thou most
glorious One, perfect in mercy, love and
truth, we, thy children, come this day
before thee, and in this house which we
have built to thy most holy name, hum-
bly plead the atoning blood of thine
Only Begotten Son, that our sins may
be remembered no more against us for-
ever, but that our prayers may ascend
unto thee and have free access to thy
throne, that we may be heard in thy
holy habitation. And may it graciously
please thee to hearken unto our peti-
tions, answer them according to thine
infinite wisdom and love, and grant that
the blessings which we seek may be
bestowed upon us, even a hundred fold,
inasmuch as we seek with purity of
heart and fulness of purpose to do thy
will and glorify thy name.
We thank thee, O thou Great Elo-
heim, that thou didst raise up thy ser-
vant, Joseph Smith, through the loins of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and made
him a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and
through the assistance and administra-
tions of angels from heaven, thou didst
enable him to bring forth the Book of
Mormon—the stick of Joseph, in the
hand of Ephraim,—in fulfillment of the
prophecies of Isaiah and other Prophets,
which record has been translated and
published in many languages. [Ezekiel 37:19-22] We also
thank thee, our Father in heaven, that
thou didst inspire thy servant and give
him power on the earth to organize thy
Church in this goodly land, in all its
fulness, power, and glory, with Apostles,
Prophets, Pastors, and Teachers, with
all the gifts and graces belonging there-
to, and all this by the power of the
Aaronic and Melchisedec Priesthood,
which thou didst bestow upon him by
the administration of holy angels, who
held that Priesthood in the days of the
Savior. We thank thee, our God, that
thou didst enable thy servant Joseph to
build two temples, in which ordinances
were administered for the living and the
dead; that he also lived to send the
Gospel to the nations of the earth and
to the islands of the sea, and labored
exceedingly until he was martyred for
the word of God and the testimony of
Jesus Christ.
We also thank thee, O our Father in
heaven, that thou didst raise up thy
servant Brigham Young, who held the
keys of thy Priesthood on the earth for
many years, and who led thy people to
these valleys of the mountains, and laid
the corner stone of this great Temple
and dedicated it unto thee, and who did
direct the building of three other tem-
ples in these Rocky Mountains which
have been dedicated unto thy holy
name, in which temples many thousands
of the living have been blessed and the
dead redeemed.
Our Father in heaven, we are also
thankful to thee for thy servant John
Taylor, who followed in the footsteps of
thy servant Brigham, until he laid down
his life in exile.
Thou hast called thy servants Wilford
Woodruff, George Q. Cannon, and
Joseph F. Smith, to hold the keys of the
Presidency and Priesthood this day, and
for these shepherds of thy flock we feel
to give thee thanksgiving and praise.
Thy servant Wilford is bound to
acknowledge thy hand, O Father, in
the preservation of his life from the hour
of his birth to the present day. Nothing
but thy power could have preserved him
through that which he has passed during
the eighty-six years that thou hast grant-
ed him life on the earth.
For the raising up of the Twelve
Apostles, we also thank Thee, our God,
and for the perfect union which exists
among us.
We thank thee, O Lord, for the perfect
organizations of thy Church as they
exist at the present time.
O Lord, we regard with intense and
indescribable feelings the completion of
this sacred house. Deign to accept this
the fourth temple which thy covenant
children have been assisted by thee in
erecting in these mountains. In past
ages thou didst inspire with thy Holy
Spirit thy servants, the Prophets, to
speak of a time in the latter days when
the mountain of the Lord's house should
be established in the top of the moun-
tains and should be exalted above the
hills. [Isaiah 2:2] We thank thee that we have had
the glorious opportunity of contributing
to the fulfillment of these visions of
thine ancient seers, and that thou hast
condescended to permit us to take part
in the great work. And as this portion
of thy servants' words has thus so mar-
velously been brought to pass, we pray
thee, with increased faith and renewed
hope, that all their words with regard to
thy great work in gathering thine Israel
and building up thy kingdom on earth
in the last days may be as amply fulfilled,
and that, O Lord, speedily.
We come before thee with joy and
thanksgiving, with spirits jubilant and
hearts filled with praise, that thou hast
permitted us to see this day for which,
during these forty years, we have hoped,
and toiled, and prayed, when we can
dedicate unto thee this house which we
have built to thy most glorious name.
One year ago we set the capstone with
shouts of Hosanna to God and the
Lamb. And today we dedicate the
whole unto thee, with all that pertains
unto it, that it may be holy in thy sight;
that it may be a house of prayer, [Doctrine and Covenants 109:16] a house
of praise and of worship; that thy glory
may rest upon it, that thy holy presence
may be continually in it; that it may be
the abode of thy Well-Beloved Son, our
Savior; that the angels who stand before
thy face may be the hallowed messengers
who shall visit it, bearing to us thy
wishes and thy will, that it may be sanc-
tified and consecrated in all its parts
holy unto thee, the God of Israel, the
Almighty Ruler of mankind. And we
pray thee that all people who may enter
upon the threshold of this, thine house,
may feel thy power and be constrained
[t]o acknowledge that thou hast sanctified
it, that it is thy house, a place of thy
holiness. [Doctrine and Covenants 109:13]
We pray thee, Heavenly Father, to
accept this building in all its parts from
foundation to capstone, with the statue
that is on the latter placed, and all the
finials and other ornaments that adorn its
exterior. We pray thee to bless, that
they decay not, all the walls, partitions,
floors, ceilings, roofs and bridging, the
elevators, stairways, railings, and steps,
the frames, doors, windows, and other
openings, all things connected with the
lighting, heating and sanitary apparatus,
the boilers, engines, and dynamos, the
connecting pipes and wires, the lamps
and burners, and all utensils, furniture
and articles used in or connected with
the holy ordinances administered in this
house, the veils and the altars, the
baptismal font and the oxen on which it
rests, and all that pertains thereto, the
baths, washstands and basins. Also the
safes and vaults in which the records
are preserved, with the records them-
