as being as important as that of any
people that ever lived in any age of
the world. I have often expressed
my views with regard to this. As
Elders of Israel, very few of us fully
comprehend our position, our calling,
or relationship to God, our responsi-
bility, or work the Lord requires at
our hands. The Lord has given unto
us the Priesthood. This is conferred
upon us that we may administer in
the ordinances of life and salvation.
But to enable us to perform our
duties acceptably, there is one thing
we need, one and all of us, and that
is the Holy Spirit. While in , President had a
dream in which the Prophet appeared to him and said:
"Brother Young, you exhort this
people to obtain the Holy Spirit;
with it they can do anything that
is necessary; without it they cannot
build up the kingdom of God." In
one of my dreams while in ,
I had the same admonition from
President Young. I thought he
was attending one of our confer-
ences. I said to him: "Can you
speak to us?" "No," he replied, "I
have done bearing my testimony in
the flesh; I have merely come to see
the people, to see you, to see what
you are doing. But I want you to
teach the Latter-day Saints to labor
to obtain the Holy Spirit. It is
one of the most important gifts that
the Saints of the living God can
possess. You all need this," he
said, "in order to build up Zion. If
you have not this Spirit—the Spirit
of the Holy Ghost, the testimony of
Jesus, the testimony of the Father
and Son—you cannot get along.
But if you are in possession of this
Spirit, your minds will be open to
comprehend the things of God."
This is true. There is not a man in
this Church and kingdom to-day,
who, if he is in possession of this
spirit, will set his heart upon the
things of this world. Any man that
loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. We have
received something better than the
love of gold, silver, houses and
lands; we have received the
promise of eternal life. We have
had conferred upon us the eternal
Priesthood by which our has created all worlds and
redeemed all worlds and has per-
formed all his works from eternity
to eternity.
Then, we should labor to obtain
this Spirit while we are upon the
earth that we may overcome every
evil. We have a mighty warfare on
hand. We have to contend against
the world, the flesh and the devil.
There are temptations that surround
every man and woman, that is, if
they attempt to keep the command-
ments of God, and no man or woman
can inherit eternal life without
passing through this warfare in the
flesh. Other generations have had
their turn. As a people it is our
turn to-day. The old patriarchs
and prophets have gone, their mis-
sions are ended, so far as their testi-
mony in the flesh is concerned; but
they were valiant in the testimony
of Jesus Christ; they kept the law,
and they will inherit a .
I often reflect upon the promises
made concerning the Priesthood.
The Lord, in a revelation upon this
subject, says, Doctrine and Cove-
nants, 33rd to 41st verses: Whoso-
ever is faithful unto obtaining these
two Priesthoods of which I have
spoken, and the , are sanctified by the spirit
unto the renewing of their bodies.
. . . All that my Father
hath shall be given unto him.
Therefore, all those who receive the
Priesthood, receive this oath and
HARDSHIP THE HERITAGE OF THE SAINTS, ETC. 329
as being as important as that of any
people that ever lived in any age of
the world. I have often expressed
my views with regard to this. As
Elders of Israel, very few of us fully
comprehend our position, our calling,
or relationship to God, our responsibility, or work the Lord requires at
our hands. The Lord has given unto
us the Priesthood. This is conferred
upon us that we may administer in
the ordinances of life and salvation.
But to enable us to perform our
duties acceptably, there is one thing
we need, one and all of us, and that
is the Holy Spirit. While in , President had a
dream in which the Prophet appeared to him and said:
"Brother Young, you exhort this
people to obtain the Holy Spirit;
with it they can do anything that
is necessary; without it they cannot
build up the kingdom of God." In
one of my dreams while in ,
I had the same admonition from
President Young. I thought he
was attending one of our conferences. I said to him: "Can you
speak to us?" "No," he replied, "I
have done bearing my testimony in
the flesh; I have merely come to see
the people, to see you, to see what
you are doing. But I want you to
teach the Latter-day Saints to labor
to obtain the Holy Spirit. It is
one of the most important gifts that
the Saints of the living God can
possess. You all need this," he
said, "in order to build up Zion. If
you have not this Spirit--the Spirit
of the Holy Ghost, the testimony of
Jesus, the testimony of the Father
and Son--you cannot get along.
But if you are in possession of this
Spirit, your minds will be open to
comprehend the things of God."
This is true. There is not a man in
this Church and kingdom to-day,
who, if he is in possession of this
spirit, will set his heart upon the
things of this world. Any man that
loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. We have
received something bettr than the
love of gold, silver, houses and
lands; we have received the
promise of eternal life. We have
had conferred upon us the eternal
Priesthood by which our heavenly
Father has created all worlds and
redeemed all worlds and has performed all his works from eternity
to eternity.
Then, we should labor to obtain
this Spirit while we are upon the
earth that we may overcome every
evil. We have a mightly warfare on
hand. We have to contend against
the world, the flesh and the devil.
There are temptations that surround
every man and woman, that is, if
they attempt to keep the commandments of God, and no man or woman
can inherit eternal life without
passing through this warfare in the
flesh. Other generations have had
their turn. As a people it is our
turn to-day. The old patriarchs
and prophets have gone, their missions are ended, so far as their testimony in the flesh is concerned; but
they were valiant in the testimony
of Jesus Christ; they kept the law,
and they will inherit a celestial
glory.
I often reflect upon the promises
made concerning the Priesthood.
The Lord, in a revelation upon this
subject, says, , 33rd to 41st verses: Whosoever is faithful unto obtaining these
two Priesthoods of which I have
spoken, and the magnifying their
calling, are sanctified by the spirit
unto the renewing of their bodies.
* * * All that my Father
hath shall be given unto him.
Therefore, all those who receive the
Priesthood, receive this oath and
