Lake City, Sunday, October 4th,
1896, by
PREST. WILFORD WOODRUFF.
-[REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER.]-
If I ever felt thankful in my life for
anything, I do this morning that I am
alive, that I stand in the flesh and have
again the privilege of assembling in
conference. I am thankful that I have
the privilege of meeting in this capacity
Prophets, Patriarchs, Apostles, Elders
and Latter-day Saints. For the sixty-
three years of the sixty-six since the
organization of the Church I have been
blessed to meet, when at home, with the
general conferences of the Church. I
have listened to the testimony of Pro-
phets and Apostles and Elders of Israel,
ncluding that good and great man, the
Prophet Joseph Smith, whom God
raised up and appointed from before the
foundation of the world to stand in the
flesh in the latter days and organize the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, to prepare the way for the com-
ing of the Son of Man, to warn the
whole world as far as doors should be
opened, and to prepare for the great
events to transpire in the generation in
which we live. The testimony of the
Prophet Joseph has been a strong one
concerning the great and last dispensa-
tion of God to man on the earth. Up-
wards of eighteen hundred years have
rolled away since the death of the
Savior of the world and His Apostles,
and the God of heaven knows what it
cost the Jewish nation to shed the blood
of their Savior and their Shiloh, and
the blood of the Apostles. The blood
of the Lord's anointed which was shed
by that nation in that day cost more than
the human family can comprehend.
Well might the Savior say, while pass-
ing through that ignominious death upon
the cross, "Father, forgive them; for
they know not what they do." [Luke 23:34] Truly,
they knew not what they did; but the
effect of it has been manifest with the
house of Israel now for eighteen hun-
dred years, and the end is not yet. So
I will say with regard to the Gentiles
The God of heaven knows what it will
cost them for shedding the blood of the
Prophet of God and his brother, and
the Apostles and brethren who laid
down their lives for the word of God
and testimony of Jesus Christ. It costs
s[o]mething to shed righteous blood.
And the Gentiles have not got eighteen
hundred years before them in which to
pay the debt. The words of the Lord
have got to be fulfilled upon them in the
day and generation in which these holy
men have been slain.
I refer to these things because I know
not how long I may have the privilege
of bearing my testimony of the Gospel
of Christ on the earth. The revelations
that are in the Bible, the predictions of
the Patriarchs and Prophets who saw
by vision and revelation the last dis-
pensation and fullness of times, plainly
tell us what is to come to pass. The
49th chapter of Isaiah is having its ful
fillment, as are the sayings of the Patri-
archs and Prophets as laid down in the
records of divine truth. And they will
be rapid in their fulfillment. I have
often said in my teachings, if the world
want to know what is coming to pass,
let them read the revelations of St. John.
Read of the judgments of God that are
going to overtake the world in the last
dispensation. Read the papers and see
what is taking place in our own nation
and in the nations of the earth, and
what does it all mean? It means the
commencement of the fulfillment of
what the Prophets of God have predict-
ed. In the Doctrine and Covenants
there are many revelations given through
the mouth of the Prophet of God; these
revelations will all have their fulfillment,
as the Lord lives, and no power can
hinder it. In one of the revelations the
Lord told Joseph Smith:
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]
I want to bear testimony to this con-
gregation, and to the heavens and the
earth, that the day is come when those
angels are privileged to go forth and
commence their work. They are labor
ing in the United States of America;
they are laboring among the nations of
the earth; and they will continue.
These things are at our doors, and
neither you nor I can hinder them. We
need not marvel or wonder at anything
that is transpiring in the earth. The
world do not comprehend the revela-
tions of God. They did not in the days
of the Jews; yet all that the Prophets
had spoken concerning them came to
pass. So in our day, these things will
come to pass. I heard the Prophet
Joseph bear his testimony to these
events that would transpire in the earth.
I have had the privilege during my life
to see the beginning of the fulfillment of
the words of the Prophet of God unto
the inhabitants of the earth. He lived
but a short time; but the Savior's life
was much shorter after entering the
ministry. He was put to death, as were
all His Apostles, excepting John; and
that blood has been paid for as far as
time would admit. We cannot draw a
veil over the events that await this
generation. No man that is inspired by
the Spirit and power of God can
close his ears, his eyes or his lips
to these things. I do not know that I
shall live to see much more; it is not
likely that I shall; but I have lived to
see the commencement in the earth. I
have lived to see the words of the Pro-
phet of God being fulfilled concerning
Zion, concerning the mountains of Israel,
and the gathering together of the Lord's
people to prepare for the coming of the
Son of Man. We have been led to
these mountains in fulfillment of revela-
tion. We have laid a foundation for
the gathering of the House of Israel
and the Saints of the living God. I
hope that we as a people may com-
prehend these things. I have listened
to the testimony, not only of the Pro-
phet of God, but also of many of the
Apostles. I remember very well the
last charge that Joseph gave to the
Apostles. We had as little idea that
he was going from us as the Apostles of
the Savior did that He was going to be
taken from them. Joseph talked with
us as plainly as did the Savior to His
Apostles, but we did not understand
that he was about to depart from us any
more than the Apostles understood the
Savior. Now, I have heard of other
parties rising up and pretending that
the Prophet Joseph Smith gave unto
them a charge to lead and direct the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. I want to say that it is false;
there is not a word of truth in it. When
he delivered that charge to the Apostles
he was filled with the power of God.
His face was clear as amber, and the
room was filled with the Spirit of God,
like the holy fire. In his address he told us
that he had received at the hands of
the Almighty God all the keys, and
powers, and priesthood, and ordinances
and gifts belonging to the dispensation
in which we lived. "Now," says he,
"I have sealed all these blessings upon
your heads, upon you Apostles of the
Lamb of God, who have been chosen
to bear off this Church and kingdom on
the earth;" and after making this solemn
proclamation to us, he said, "Now, you
have got to round up your shoulders
and bear off this kingdom, or you will
be damned." I never shall forget that.
All of those Apostles today are in the
spirit world, excepting myself, and they
know that what he said is true; and
