ence, Ogden, Sunday, July
15, 1894, by
PREST. WILFORD WOODRUFF.
[REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER.]
I feel very refreshed to get away from
home once in a while and mingle with
the people, and listen to the teachings,
revelations and prophecies of the pro-
phets, apostles, seers and revelators
among the Latter-day Saints. I am
glad to meet with the Saints today in
Ogden.
I have a good many things upon my
mind that I do not expect I shall ex-
press here this afternoon; but a few
things I want to say.
The subject of revelation is frequently
referred to. We occupy a position be-
fore God, angels and men, and at least
one world, that is very interesting and
important. God never gave to man a
dispensation of more importance than
the one you and I live in; and to sup-
pose that this Zion of God, this great
work of preparing the way for the final
triumph of the Son of God and the estab-
lishment of His throne and kingdom on
earth could pass through a generation
without revelation is one of the most
mysterious things on the face of the
earth. God never had a people or a
Church in any age of the world that
was not governed by men who held the
Holy Priesthood and the keys of the
kingdom of God, and those men were
obliged to have revelation. We have
the records containing some of their
revelations before us.
With regard to this dispensation I
want to give you some of my views. In
the first place, the dispensation was
pointed out and proclaimed through
the mouth of almost every prophet that
has ever dwelt in the flesh. These
prophets pointed to this Zion, to this
work, to this gathering together, and
to the warning of the world by prophets,
apostles and elders, called of God to
go out and proclaim the Gospel and
warn the nations, that they might be
left without excuse in the days of God's
visitation of judgment upon the world.
There is no Elder who has gone out to
preach and who has baptized anybody
but knows that he has had to have
revelation to enable him to magnify
his calling. He could not live without
this and do his duty. In the commence-
ment of this work the Lord raised up a
man to be a prophet, seer and revelator.
Joseph Smith was kept in the spirit
world for thousands of years to be born
in the flesh at the right time, and to be
inspired of God, to be visited by Him,
and to be qualified and prepared for the
mission given into his hands. How long
did Joseph Smith live in the flesh after
he organized this Church? A little over
fourteen years. What did he do during
that time? He organized the Church of
God, upon the foundation of apostles
and prophets, Christ Jesus being the
chief corner stone. He also gave unto
us a code of revelations. No more
sublime revelations were ever given by
God to man. Read the Bible, the Book
of Mormon, and all the books on earth,
and then read these revelations, and
you will see the Spirit of God, not only
in him, but in the dispensation in which
these revelations were given. He gave
us a foundation to work upon, and rev-
elations to guide us and carry us into
the celestial kingdom. The question
may be asked, How is it with regard to
those that followed him? Where are
the revelations of President Young?
Do you find them on record? Only a
few; but the Holy Ghost and the revela-
tions of God were with Brigham Young
from the day that he received this
Gospel until the day that he laid down
his life and his tabernacle was carried
to the grave. There was no necessity
particularly for Brigham Young to give
written revelation, only in a few instan-
ces. So with John Taylor. So with
Wilford Woodruff. And so in a great
measure probably with all who may
follow us, until the coming of the Son
of man. But are we without revelation?
We are not. We know our duty, and
in a measure we know what lies before
us. Some of the people have had the
idea that the Presidency of this Church
and the Twelve Apostles should have
nothing to do with temporal matters.
Well, we would be in a bad fix if we did
not deal in temporal matters. Joseph
Smith stood at the head of this dispensa-
tion all the days he dwelt in the flesh. So
did Brigham Young. I traveled with Brig-
ham Young at home and abroad, and I
never saw a day in my life but what he
had the spirit and power of revelation of
God with him. This power was with him
when he came to this land. It was with
him when he laid the foundations of our
temples, and when he laid out the city
of Salt Lake. He did all these things
by the inspiration and Spirit of Almighty
God.
The Lord requires a great deal of this
people. The Elders of Israel were
called from the various occupations of
life to go and preach the Gospel. They
preached to you in your native lands.
They told you, in the name of the Lord,
if you would receive the Gospel, repent
of your sins, and be baptized for the
remission of them, you should receive
the Holy Ghost. Did you not receive
it? Yes, you did, or else you have no
business here. You would not be here
if you had not been inspired by the
Spirit of God. These are truths, and
you know them for yourselves. The
fruits of the Gospel have been manifest
from the beginning of this Church, and
will be until the scene is wound up.
I saw a curious thing here today as I
came to meeting. I saw a military camp
at the depot. It brought a flood of re-
flection to my mind. I traveled with
Joseph Smith, sixty years ago this sum-
mer, one thousand miles, to Jackson
County, Missouri, our brethren having
been driven by a military body from
their homes. We went up there and
accomplished all we were sent to do.
We have had military gatherings in this
land for the last sixty years. We had
quite a military display in Jackson
County. We had a military gathering
in Clay County. We had a military
gathering in Ray County, and in Cald-
well County. What were all these mili-
tary gatherings for? Was their object
to protect the railroads of the nation?
Not at all. What was their purpose?
It was to drive the Latter-day Saints, to
destroy them, to take their property,
and root them out of the earth if they
had the power; and except for the
power of God they would have accom-
plished it. I was singularly struck in
looking at this military body. What
are they here for? Are they here to
drive the "Mormons" out of Ogden? It
does not look like it. I think it is to
protect the property of these railroads.
What does all this mean? Does it not
mean that there is a change of affairs in
the earth? What are the signs of the
times? Do the Latter-day Saints com-
prehend them? This is a fast age. The
Lord is going to cut His work short in
righteousness. Read these revelations,
for they contain the history of what is
going to pass in the earth. The Lord
said to Joseph in the beginning of this
Church:
"Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels
are crying unto the Lord day and night, who
are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap
down the fields;
But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up
the tares while the blade is yet tender, (for
verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the
wheat also.
Therefore let the wheat and the tares grow
together until the harvest is fully ripe, then ye
shall first gather out the wheat from among the
tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, be-
hold and lo! the tares are bound in bundles,
and the field remaineth to be burned." [Doctrine and Covenants 86:5-7]
What is the matter with the world
today? What has created this change
that we see coming over the world?
Why these terrible earthquakes, torna-
dos, and judgments? What is the mean-
ing of all these mighty events that are
taking place? The meaning is, these
angels that have been held for many
