REMARKS
On the death of Elder Ezra T. Benson, by
Elder WILFORD WOODRUFF, de-
livered in the New Tabernacle, Salt
Lake City, .
REPORTED BY DAVID W. EVANS.
I am called upon this afternoon to make
some remarks upon the life and death of
Brother Ezra Taft Benson, who has been
suddenly taken out of our midst,—from time
into eternity.
I have long since considered it unneces-
sary to make any excuses for performing
my duty upon any occasion in public; but
if there is any position where a man might
have doubts about satisfying his own mind
or the minds of his friends, perhaps it is on
an occasion like this. It is well known, at
least to the Latter-day Saints, that the elders
of Israel rise to speak without any written
sermon or preparation of any kind. Many
of us have been engaged, the greater portion
of our lives, in preaching the gospel to the
world, and on every occasion we depend
for assistance and preparation upon the
spirit of God. This is my position this af-
ternoon. I rise before you with no prepared
sermon, and with no particular principles
that I have settled in my mind to address
you upon; depending, as on all occasions,
upon the spirit of God and the faith and
prayers of my friends. This dispen-
sation of Providence causes me many
reflections; and I presume it is the
case with every Latter-day Saint pres-
ent. In the first place I will ask the
question what position did Bro. Benson
occupy while in the flesh, and how many
have ever held the same position on the
face of the earth. The words contained in
the 7th verse of the 52nd chapter of the pro-
phecies of Isaiah are brought to my mind.
While contemplating the great work of
building up the Zion of God in the last
days he says:
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the
feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that
publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings
of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith
unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"
What position can any man occupy on the
face of the earth that is more noble, God-
like, high and glorious than to be a messen-
ger of salvation unto the human family?
What more responsible position can a man
occupy than to be an apostle of the Lord
Jesus Christ? I do not know of any in this
or any other generation. The thought also
arises in my mind how many individuals
have ever held this position on the earth?
I find in the history recorded in the Bible,
from the days of Adam down through the
different dispensations and generations,
that prophets have existed on the earth.
Adam, himself, was a prophet and he or-
dained his sons to the Melchizedek priest-
hood; the gospel of Christ was taught to him
after the Fall and he attended to the or-
dinances of the house of God. He was a
high priest and, as a high priest, held the
keys of the Kingdom of God. There were
many sons who were high priests, having
been ordained to this office by their father
Adam. Three years before his death he
called together Seth, Enos, Jared, Cainan,
Mahaleel, Methusaleh and many others of
his descendants in the Valley of Adam-Ondi-
Ahman, and there rose up and blessed them
with his great and last patriarchal blessing.
This has been given to us by revelation;
and these men were prophets and high
priests. [Doctrine and Covenants 107:53-56]
Tracing down the sacred history through
the different ages and dispensations we
learn that many prophets existed among
the children of men. Moses was a law-
giver in Israel and held the office of a
prophet, seer and revelator. When I say
that many prophets have existed, it proba-
bly needs some qualification. The number
of persons thus honored of God has not
been many when compared with the whole
of the people who have lived; but in every
gospel age and dispensation God has had
His prophets and servants upon the earth
to make known His will to its inhabitants.
In the days of Moses elders were chosen,
as His counselors; and seventy elders were
ordained to bear record of the things of
God and to assist Moses in the work to be
performed in his day; but we do not read of
apostles being chosen under Moses's dis-
pensation. [Numbers 11:16-17] Jesus tabernacled in the flesh
to establish the Kingdom of His Father up-
on the earth, and when he was thirty years
of age he went forth administering in the
ordinances of the house of God, and he
chose twelve Apostles to assist him, and he
gave to them the keys of the Kingdom of
God. [Matthew 10:1-4] And the highest office that any man
has ever held on the face of the earth in this
or any other generation is that of an apos-
tle.
We read that God set in His church first,
apostles, then prophets, evangelists, pastors,
teachers, gifts, graces and helps; and the
office of an apostle entitles him to hold the
keys of the Kingdom of God; and what
he binds on earth is bound in heaven, and
what he looses on earth is loosed in heaven.
The history of the Twelve whom Jesus
chose is to be found in the New Testa-
ment; within the lids of that book their
travels, the course they pursued and
the doctrines they taught are published
to the world. Nearly the whole of them
sealed their testimony with their blood.
Some were crucified as their master was;
some were beheaded; and all except John
suffered martyrdom in some way for the
word of God and the testimony of Jesus
Christ. This was the fate of the first quor-
um of Apostles we have any history of.
After the death and resurrection of the
Savior, when he ministered to His disci-
ples the last time on earth, He informed
them that He had other sheep not of this
fold whom He was going to visit and min-
ister unto. [John 10:16] The Book of Mormon is a
record of the descendants of the House of
Israel who dwelt on this continent an-
ciently. It gives us the history of the Jar-
edites who came from the Tower of Babel;
of Lehi and his family, who came from Je-
rusalem and also of the Lamanites and Ne-
phites, the descendants of Nephi and Lem-
uel, sons of Lehi. In that record we find
that Christ, after His death and resurrec-
tion, visited that branch of the house of Is-
rael which dwelt on this continent. [3 Nephi 11:1-17] On the
occasion of that visit we are informed that
Jesus chose Twelve Apostles and gave to
them the same power, keys, gifts and gra-
ces that He had given to His apostles on
the eastern continent; and they went forth,
and magnified their callings. [3 Nephi 12:1] All of this
quorum of the Twelve Apostles had the
promise of departing and being with Christ
when they were seventy-two years old,
except three of them. To these three Jesus
gave a promise similar to that which He
gave to John the Revelator,—namely that
they should tarry in the flesh until He
came. [3 Nephi 28:4-12] History informs us that the wicked
tried to kill John in various ways, placing
him, on one occasion, in a cauldron of boil-
ing oil, but his life was preserved; and that
finally in the reign of Domitian Cæser he
was banished to the Isle of Patmos to work
in the lead mines. [Revelation 1:9] While there he was
blessed with visions, revelations, know-
ledge, light and truth, a portion of which we
have recorded in what are called the Reve-
lations of St. John. In the reign of Nerva
John was recalled, and afterwards wrote
his epistles. The first quorum of Apostles
were all put to death, except John, and we
are informed that he still remains on the
earth, though his body has doubtless un-
dergone some change. Three of the Ne-
phites, chosen here by the Lord Jesus as
His Apostles, had the same promise—that
they should not taste death until Christ
came, and they still remain on the earth
in the flesh. [3 Nephi 28:4-12]
Thus we have an account in the B[ible]
and Book of Mormon of but two quorums
of Twelve Apostles being chosen previous
to this dispensation; but in these last days
the Lord called upon Joseph Smith, gave
him power and authority to organize His
church and kingdom again upon the
earth and gave him the Holy Priesthood
and the keys of the kingdom of God. Jo-
seph was ordained to the apostleship under
the hands of men holding the keys of the
kingdom of God in the days of Jesus,—
namely, Peter, James and John. [Doctrine and Covenants 27:12]
I shall not occupy time with entering
into the details of these things. I have re-
ferred to them to show the importance of
the office held by Brother Benson. He
was a member of one of the three quorums
of Apostles that have ever been chosen on
the face of the earth since Jesus Christ tab-
ernacled in the flesh, that we have any
knowledge of. The first chosen when Je-
sus commenced his public labors in the
flesh; the second after his resurrection,
here on this continent, and the third, since
the revelation of the gospel in our own day.
Here we find only thirty-six men, chosen
at various times and dispensations, in six
thousand years, to hold this order of priest-
hoo[d], unless they were chosen in the days
of Enoch and at times in which the Bible
does not inform us. This number has been
increased, however, by others who have
been chosen to fill vacancies in these quo-
rums, as in the case of Judas, and others;
but it is safe to say that the entire number
who have held this office from the days of
Adam until to-day has been very limited.
As to the number of inhabitants who have
dwelt on the earth during that period it is
a pretty difficult matter to form any correct
idea in relation to it; I do not think that
any statistician could tell this to any de-
gree of correctness. It is a kind of a given
point in these days to say that the popula-
tion of the earth is about a thousand mil-
lions, and that this number pass away every
generation. It is also estimated that about
three generations pass away in a century;
this gives three thousand millions in a cen-
tury, thirty thousand millions in a thousand
years, and one hundred and eighty thou-
sand millions in six thousand years,—
about the period that is supposed to have
elapsed since the creation of man upon the
earth. Whether these statistics are any-
thing like correct it is not of much impor-
tance to discuss; but it is an important re-
flection, that Brother Benson, who has been
associated with us so many years, is one
of the chosen few, of all the immense num-
bers who have dwelt on the face of the
earth, who have been called to hold the
office of apostles. Well might the prophet
say, "How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet," &c.
I will say that in my boyhood while at-
tending Sabbath School in my native State,
Connecticut, there seemed something glo-
rious, to me, about the apostles of Jesus
Christ who were called to preach the gos-
pel of the Son of God to the inhabitants of
the earth; and I have many times felt that
I would willingly walk a thousand miles to
see a prophet, an apostle or any man called
of God who could teach me the way to be
saved; a man who held in his hands the
power of the priesthood, who could com-
mand the elements and they would obey
him, and who could declare the words of
life in their truth and purity to the inhab-
itants of the earth. I always looked upon
the lives and missions of these men, though
despised by the world generally, as the
most important of any men who ever dwelt
in the flesh. Jesus himself was called
master of the house of Beelzebub, and trav-
elled through a constant scene of poverty,
ridicule, persecution and affliction; yet
there was something great, good, grand
and glorious in the life of the Savior of the
world. This was the fate of Him and His
apostles; and though they descended below
all things they held in their hands the des-
tiny and salvation, not only of that genera-
tion but of all the human race; and woe be
to that house, nation, kindred, tongue or
people who rejected their words and testi-
mony, for they will rise in judgment against
them.
From the days of my childhood until I
heard the fulness of the gospel, as taught
by the Latter-day Saints, I had a great desire
to live to see a prophet or apostle. I have
lived to see this day. I have lived to see
the church and kingdom of God on the
earth, with all its gifts, graces, power,
glory and dominion, revealed and organ-
ized by the ministrations of angels from
God in heaven and by the revelations of
the Lord Jesus Christ. I have lived to see
apostles and the full organization of the
priesthood again officiating in and adminis-
tering the ordinances of salvation to the
children of men.
Brother Ezra T. Benson, whose death
has occurred so unexpectedly, was one of
the few called in this day to bear testimony
to the nations of the earth of the restoration
of this gospel and he has traveled many
thousands miles to do so. He has been
true and faithful unto death, and he will
receive a crown of life. He has gone from
our midst to the spirit world to mingle with
the Gods, or at least with his brethren who
have gone before him; whether he will
mingle with the Gods until after the resur-
rection perhaps it is not for me to say. He
has gone home to receive his reward. What
a cloud of reflection it brings to the mind!
It speaks in loud language to every apostle,
prophet, elder and saint of God, and to
all the inhabitants of the earth, "Be ye also
ready!" That is what it says to all men.
If you have anything to do, any work to
perform that is of consequence to yourself
or friends, living or dead, do it.
Is there any sorrow or mourning in my
heart with regard to the departure of
Brother Benson? I would rather follow a
thousand apostles and prophets to the grave
and see their lifeless remains deposited in
the dark and silent tomb, than see one man
who has tasted the good word of God, and
the powers of the world to come [Hebrews 6:5] make
shipwreck of his faith, lose his crown and
go to perdition. I have had more sorrow
in seeing men, with whom I have traveled
and preached the gospel, turn from the
truth, commit wickedness and lose their
standing in the Church, than over all the
faithful Latter-day Saints I have seen laid
in the tomb. When I see a man depart
who, like Brother Benson, has been ever
willing to go and come and do the bidding
of those over him, I look forward with
great joy to his reward. He is the first
man in the Quorum of the Twelve, who, for
the last forty years, has had the privilege of
dying a natural death; for most of the
apostles who ever tabernacled in the flesh
have died as martyrs. We have had two in
our quorum who have died thus, besides
our prophet and patriarch. True, they will
receive a martyr's crown, so will all men
who are true and faithful unto death and
lay down their lives for the work of God
and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Brother Benson has died among his
friends; he had not been in pain or suffering,
or endured a lingering sickness. Thank God
he died in the harness and has gone home
to receive his reward. During the time he
has been a member of the church he has
been on many missions. I will here re-
mark, without entering into details, that
at the time the Saints were driven from
Illinois to this land, he was called upon
and sent east, as one of the agents of the
church to prove the eastern country,—our
Puritan fathers and friends in New Eng-
land, after we had been driven from our
homes, country, and the graves of parents,
wives and children, to see if they would
stretch out their hand to assist us while in
the wilderness. He labored faithfully on
that mission, visiting Boston and other
leading New England cities, calling for
contributions to help the poor, the widow
and the fatherless, who were, in a measure,
in a state of starvation in the wilderness
after having been driven from their homes
in the midst of an inclement winter. I be-
lieve he got fifty dollars. If he had gone
into Missouri and split rails by the day I
guess he would have made considerable
more money in the same time. But never
mind! He was faithful on his mission, and
returned faithful, and continued so from
the commencement of his career as a Lat-
ter-day Saint until the day of his death.
I rejoice in this, and it is a consolation to
his family, and to all Israel to know
that he has been true and faithful to
his calling. When I contemplate and rea-
lize that the little time spent here in this
mortal life will fix and mould our destiny
for all the endless ages of eternity I try to
realize what manner of men we all ought
to be.
I have traveled a good deal with Brother
Benson and have been acquainted with
him, as you have, a good many years past,
and I can bear this testimony of him,—he
has always been ready and willing to la-
bor in either temporal or spiritual things.
Here on this road he labored faithfully
during the past year in building a hun-
dred miles of the railroad; he and those
associated with him finished their job with
punctuality. All these things show the
untiring industry and perseverance of the
man.
This is the way with all of us. We are
all called to labor in temporal and spiritual
things in building up the kingdom of God
in these last days. We have to preach the
gospel to the children of men; we have to
warn the nations of the earth. We have
been called to do this; this is the command
of God to the elders of Israel. In obedience
to this they shoulder their knapsacks and
without purse or scrip, travel the world
over to declare to the children of men the
words of life and salvation. In doing this
they swim rivers, wade swamps and en-
dure much toil and privation. During the
last thirty-seven years of my life I haye [have] tra-
veled one hundred thousand miles in
obedience to this command. It will be well
with all men who are faithful in the per-
formance of these duties. Brother Benson
never performed a mission or any other
duty but what he will rejoice over forever,
and so it will be with us all. The reward
of the faithful will amply repay them for
all the labors they ever performed or for
the privations they have endured. No la-
bor we have ever done that has helped to
promote the happiness and well-being of
our fellowmen will go unrewarded. Bro-
ther Benson, to-day, instead of being with
his family in Logan, that is in the flesh, he
may be with them in spirit, is privileged
to mingle with his brethren who have
gone before,—Joseph, Hyrum, David, Par-
ley, Heber and the prophets and apostles
of former days. He is mingling with
them. They have finished their work in
the flesh, so has he. He has been suddenly
called away from his labors but his works
will follow him.
I wish to speak to my friends, a little,
with regard to the position which we occu-
py as Elders of Israel, and as the church and
kingdom of God upon the earth. I feel im-
pressed to do so. I do not know that I wish
to say a great deal more with regard to
Brother Benson. His labors are before us
and the world, and they are before God and
angels. I am satisfied with them and I do
not know who is not who was acquainted
with him. I wish, now, to say something
with regard to the organization of this
Church and the position occupied by Joseph
Smith, Elder Benson and the apostles and
priesthood of this Church.
We are living in a very important age, an
age in which preparations are making for
the second coming of the Messiah to reign
a thousand years upon the earth with His
Saints. The scriptures of the Old and New
Testament will never be fulfilled until this
comes to pass. An angel of God, the Reve-
lator John informs us, was to fly through
the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
gospel to preach to them that dwell on the
earth,—to every nation, kindred, tongue
and people, saying with a loud voice, "Fear
God and give glory to Him, for the hour of
His judgment is come, and worship Him
who made the heaven, the earth, the seas
and the fountains of water." [Revelation 14:6-7] You may
take up Isaiah and all the prophets, and
you will find that they refer to this latter-
day dispensation, when the Kingdom of
God should be established on the earth.
There never was a prophet, from Adam
down, whose records we have, but had his
eye upon this great dispensation of the last
days. When the Lord created the earth He
placed men upon it, and though the power
of sin has entered it, it has not been left by
the Lord to go at random. In Adam all
fell, or died, but in Christ, the apostle says,
all are made alive. [1 Corinthians 15:22] Our worthy President
has often said, when speaking upon the
prevalence of sin in this world, that one of
the greatest honors and blessings ever con-
ferred on the sons of men, was to come and
dwell in the flesh in a sinful world like this,
amid the power of evil, temptation and
darkness, that they might have the privi-
lege of overcoming them and of inheriting
eternal life, which is the greatest gift of
God. All the prophets have foreseen the
establishment of the Kingdom of God in the
last days; they have seen Zion pass through
all her travail and persecution to her final
triumph, when she possessed great glory,
power and dominion upon the land of
Joseph. Daniel saw the kingdom of God,
which he likens to a little stone cut out of
the mountains without hands, which grew
and increased in size until it filled the whole
earth. Daniel said this kingdom was to be an
everlasting kingdom. [Daniel 2:26-47]
Well, brethren and sisters, you and I
have lived to see the dawn of the great day
thus referred to by the prophets, in which
the God of heaven has set His hand for the
last time to establish His kingdom upon
the earth; a kingdom not to be overthrown,
but to remain until sin, Satan and the
power of the devil are banished from the
face thereof, and until, as the prophets have
said, the kingdoms of this world shall be-
come the kingdoms of our God and His
Christ.
This day we have lived to see. This taber-
nacle, this congregation, and the multitudes
through the valleys of the mountains are
the fruits of this work. How did it com-
mence? It commenced by an angel of God
flying through the midst of heaven and
visiting a young man named Joseph Smith,
in the year 1827. That was the time of a
great awakening among the sectarians of
the day,—a day of revivals and protracted
meetings, when the people were called upon
to join themselves to the sectarian churches.
This young man looked around amid the
the confusion among the different sects,
each proclaiming the plan of salvation dif-
ferently, and each claiming it was right and
that all others were wrong; in the midst of
this contention he did not know which to
join. While in this state of uncertainty he
turned to the Bible, and there saw that pas-
sage in the epistle of James which directs
him that lacks wisdom to ask of God. He
went into his secret chamber and asked the
Lord what he must do to be saved. The
Lord heard his prayer and sent His angel to
him, who informed him that all the sects
were wrong, and that the God of heaven was
about to establish His work upon the earth.
This angel quoted many of the prophecies
of Isaiah, and Jeremiah and told this
young man that they were about to be ful-
filled among the nations of the earth; and
he also told him that if he would listen and
render obedience to the commands of God,
he should be an instrument in the hands of
the Lord in establishing His kingdom upon
the earth. [Joseph Smith-History 1:27-54]
These visits were repeated from time to
time, during which Joseph received revela-
tion and much instruction in the things of
God. He taught some of these things to
his father and some of his brothers and a
few others, but he had no authority to
preach or administer in the ordinances of
the house of God. Why? Because, as the
prophet has said, "No man taketh this
honor unto himself except he be called of
God as was Aaron." [Hebrews 5:4] No man, in any gener-
ation, has ever had authority to preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ unless he was called
by revelation. You may read the history
of all the prophets and apostles from the
creation down, and they have all received
the holy priesthood under the hands of God
or angels, or under the hands of men who
have held this authority. It was so with
Joseph Smith. He could not find anybody
who possessed this authority, and he called
upon the Lord to know what to do, and the
Lord sent John the Baptist, who was be-
headed for his religion. [Doctrine and Covenants 27:8] John held
the Aaronic priesthood, and he came
and ordained Joseph Smith to the same
priesthood. This gave him power to ad-
minister in some of the ordinances of the
gospel of Christ. He could baptize for the
remission of sins, but he could not lay on
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. The
Lord afterwards sent Peter, James and
John, who held the keys of the kingdom in
their day and generation upon the earth,
and they ordained him an apostle, and
sealed upon his head every key, power and
blessing, and all the authority which they
exercised in their day. [Doctrine and Covenants 27:12]
This is the origin of the authority of the
the Latter-day Saints; and from that day
until the present the little stone cut out of
the mountain has been growing. The
Church was organized on the 6th of April,
1830, with six members, and the elders im-
mediately went forth, one here and another
there, bearing testimony and preaching the
doctrines the angel made known to Joseph,
and some few, out of many, have received
and obeyed the same. This gospel is the
the same as that taught by the ancient
apostles, namely, faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, repentance of sin, baptism for the
remission of sin, then the laying on of
hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost.
These were the doctrines taught by the
ancient apostles, and the signs that followed
believers anciently follow them in our day.
Said Jesus, when sending his apostles
forth, to preach:
"Go ye into all the world and preach the gos-
pel to every creature.
"He that believeth and is baptized, shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
"And these signs shall [f]ollow them that be-
lieve: In my name they shall cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues;
"They shall take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover." [Mark 16:15-18]
All these gifts and graces were promised
by Joseph and the early elders of the
Church, just the same as by the ancient
Apostles; and this is the testimony that
every elder has borne from that day until
the present. Has the Lord backed up this
testimony? He has. All of the Twelve
who have labored abroad, and we have
been doing so, more or less, thirty or forty years,
traveling hundreds of thousands of miles,—
have made this declaration. I have preached
to millions of my fellow-men in my own
and other countries; and I and the other
apostles, as well as hundreds of elders of
this Church and Kingdom, have all made
the same proclamation, to kings, princes,
presidents and rulers and to the inhabit-
ants of the earth wherever we have gone as
far as we have had an opportunity and have
had the privilege of opening our mouths.
We have borne the same testimony to all,—
namely, that all who would receive our
testimony and obey the gospel should re-
ceive the Holy Ghost. Would we have
dared to go forth and bear this testimony if
we had not known this was the work of
God? No, there is not a man on the face of
the earth who dare do it under any other
circumstances, for his hypocrisy and decep-
tion would soon have been apparent; the
very first man that received his testimony
would have proved it. Could we have
gathered our hundreds of thousands from
the nations of the earth if we had been de-
ceivers, and had preached false doctrines?
As the apostle says, "But though we or an
angel from heaven preach any other gospel
unto you than that which we have preached
unto you, let him be accursed." [Galatians 1:8] No, we
should have had no success; we might have
preached false doctrines until we were grey,
or as old as Methusaleh, but if we had we
should never have seen Utah, this taberna-
cle or these valleys of the mountains. But
the Lord backed up our testimony, and
tens of thousands throughout this Territory
and in the world, who received it,
can bear record that they have re-
ceived the Holy Ghost, and the revelations
of Jesus Christ, and that the gifts and graces
of the gospel have followed them.
This Church is organized exactly as it
was anciently,—with apostles, prophets,
pastors, teachers, gifts, helps and govern-
ments. Are all apostles, or are all pro-
phets? Do all have the gifts of healing, or
do all speak with new tongues? No, but
all these gifts and offices are in the Church,
and, as the apostle says, they are placed
there for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ, and for the
perfecting of the Saints—until we are come
to the unity of the faith, to the knowledge of
the Son of God and to the fulness of the
stature of a man in Christ Jesus. [Ephesians 4:12-13] That is
what they are given for, and they are needed
just as much as they ever were in any gen-
eration. But the world has been without
these blessings and wandering in darkness
for nearly eighteen centuries. Now the
Lord has raised up a people to establish His
Kingdom on the same foundation as an-
ciently. This is the work of the Latter-day
Saints. We have been called to warn this
generation; we understand the signs of the
times and know that the judgments of God
are at hand. If we had not been faithful to
our calling and mission, the Lord would
have raised up another people, because the
set time is at hand for Him to establish His
Kingdom.
There are one or two ideas more I wish to
refer to, with regard to the mission of
Christ. That mission did not end when He
was crucified. When that event took place
we are told that His body lay in the tomb
for three days, and that His spirit went to
preach to the spirits in prison, which some-
time were disobedient when the long suf-
fering of God waited in the days of Noah,
while the ark was preparing. Jesus went
and preached to them in the spirit that they
might be judged according to men in the
flesh. [1 Peter 3:19-20] [1 Peter 4:6] Here is a principle of which the
Christian world know nothing, and which
has been revealed to us in our own day,
—namely, preaching the gospel of life and
salvation to the spirits of those who pass
away without rendering obedience there-
unto. Nearly eighteen hundred years have
passed away since God had a church upon
the earth. In that time about fifty-four
thousand millions of human beings have
passed away without the gospel. Are they
to perish because they lived in generations
when God had no church on the earth?
No, they will be preached to by men who
go into the spirit world, who hold the keys
of the Kingdom of God, and the ordinances
of the house of God will be administer-
ed to them by their descendants and friends
here on the earth. The Apostle Paul evi-
dently had his mind on this subject when
he says, "Why then are they baptized for
the dead if the dead rise not?" [1 Corinthians 15:29]
I do not know how fully Brother Benson
has attended to the work for his dead, but
I know that he has worked hard for the
living; and when he goes into the spirit world
and meets with those for whom he has been
baptized and been the means of liberating
them from prison in the spirit world, what
joy he will have! And it will be so with
others. And this work of adminisiering [administering]
the ordinances of the house of God to the
dead, I may say, will require the whole of
the millenium, with Jesus at the head of the
resurrected dead to attend to it. The ordin-
ances of salvation will have to be attended
to for the dead who have not heard the gos-
pel, from the days of Adam down before
Christ can present this world to the Father
and say "It is finished." [John 19:30]
Brethren and sisters, let us be admonish-
ed by the death of Brother Benson, and if
we have anything to do let us do it. Let
us go to and attend to our ordinances, then
when we go to the spirit world and meet
with father, mother brother or sister they
cannot rise up and accuse us of negligence.
I have attended to the ordinances for a
great many of my friends, and I want you
to do the same, so that when we get to the
other side of the vail we may look back
and be satisfied. This power has been
placed in the hands of the Latter-day Saints,
then let us go forth and use it for the salva-
tion of the living and the dead. With re-
gard to the unbelief of the world, it will
not make the truth of God without effect.
These ordinances have been revealed to us;
we understand them, and unless we attend
to them we shall fall under condemnation.
I rejoice in the work of God and I rejoice
to live in this day and age of the world.
I want to live as long as I can do good; but
not an hour longer than I can live in fel-
lowship with the Holy Spirit, with my
Father in heaven, my Savior and with the
faithful Latter-day Saints. To live any
longer than this would be torment and
misery to me. When my work is done I
am ready to go; but I want to do what is
required of me. The gospel is the power
of God unto salvation to all who believe,
both Jew and Greek. Let us be faithful,
keep our covenants, do our duty, and at-
tend to all the ordinances of the gospel as
far as we can both for ourselves and our
dead. When we have done this we shall
be satisfied. I pray that God may bless
you; that he may bless the apostles who
dwell on the earth; that His power may
rest on the presiding Twelve, the Seven-
ties, the High Priests, the Bishops, Elders,
Teachers and Deacons, and all who have
entered into covenant to keep His com-
mandments. Let us be faithful and we
shall obtain our reward; we shall overcome
and obtain eternal life and a crown of
glory if we magnify our calling by living
the religion which we have received, which
may God grant for Christ's sake, Amen.