| Collection Name | The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star Vol. 5 (1845) |
| Collection Description | Church publication for Great Britain. |
| Collection Number | N/A |
| Source Link | Brigham Young University |
| Courtesy Of | Gifted to BYU by Ronald Dennis, April Spurgiesz, Patti Richins and Douglass R. Winslow |
| Rights and Use | Copyright and Use Information |
| Transcript | View Full Transcript |
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I am pleased to add my testimony regard- ing Brother Erastus Snow. I know of no man who has labored more faithfully and energetically. None were too insignificant for his notice. He took an interest in all. There is no man whose life is a better example for the youth of Israel. My ideal of an apostle was Erastus Snow. When I was called as an apostle I prayed that the same spirit of self-sacrifice might inspire me. No man can say anything but good of him. He has been a Latter-day Saint in very deed, and has gained an exaltation in the celestial kingdom of God.
The Lord keeps His own counsels in these things, and it is not given to us to know and under- stand the day and the hour when the Son of Man will come; but it is for us always to be prepared, and to so live that we shall be prepared for Him when He does come. And whether we lay down our bodies before the coming of the Son of Man or not it mattereth not, so that we have filled our days with usefulness, are prepared to come forth when the trump shall sound and call forth the dead. I do most heartily endorse those senti- ments which have been expressed concerning the dead who die in the Lord. They do not taste of death. It seems to me that there is no death, but they are moving on to life—life eternal."
Erastus Snow is dead! How few, even among Latter-day Saints—how few, indeed, of his immediate associ- ates—comprehended his worth, or fully appreciated his generous, un- selfish disposition. He was great because [he was] good. An intellectual giant, yet humble as a child.
Measure his life's work, and how beautiful and perfect in every part it now in the presence of death seems. As husband and father, tender and true, affectionate and just. As friend and brother, devoted and unchange- able. As statesman and scholar, pro- found and farseeing. As defender of constitutional liberty, valiant and con- sistent. As a servant of God, faith- ful, devoted, true. Magnanimous to enemies, generous to friends. Un- swerving in life, trusting and confident in death. Such was Erastus Snow.
In his home, gentle and affectionate; pru- dent in his exmple; consistent and wise in his language; loving and kind, and as just as God has made mortal man. In traveling with him I have often wondered at the inspiration which guided him, especially in talk- ing to the young. His words of coun- sel fell in the kindest accents; his rebukes were administered in fearless- ness, and were followed by kindess. He possessed a judicial mind, and had he followed the profession of the law none would have excelled him for the greatness of his decisions. God was with him. I have seen His power manifest in him. Brother Erastus has worthily performed the labors of an apostle.
There is no tribute that is not due to Erastus Snow. As a preacher of the Gospel, he was eloquent; as a colon- izer, true; as a legislator, wise; as a councilor, fearless; as a friend, un- swerving; as a father, unexcelled in love and integrity. I have looked upon him as one of the brightest of earth's sons, and, had he remained in his native State, he would have shone in the councils of the nation. May the blessings of heaven rest on his numerous family, and may we say of them, they were worthy descendants of a noble sire, who was devoted to the work of God.
The name of Erastus Snow will never be forgotten in the history of the Church of Christ. From early youth to his latest day he was ever found in the unflinching performance of his duties as a servant of the Most High. Without exaggeration it can be said of him that he died with the harness on. In every position he was called to fill—and they were many— he exhibited those nobler traits which
two great virtues that give a man power with the heavens— integrity and purity of character. Let a man possess these, let his heart be true and unflinching, let his life be pure, and, if we add to these humility, he is proof against a multitude of weaknesses and can resist a host of temptations.
We none of us are perfect whilst we dwell in the flesh; but the man who in humble reliance upon God never falters in the fight for the right, never wavers in his allegiance to the truth, and ever maintains inviolate his covenants, is one whom we can all pause to admire, and strive, by heaven's help, to imitate.
And further, brethren and sisters, are we not the sons and daughters of God, and when he shall appear, if we are faithful, shall we not be like him? Yes; and when the glorious day ar- rives we shall once more have the privilege of standing upon this earth and meeting in joy and thanksgiving, not only our brother who has just left us, but Joseph and Brigham, and thousands of others who have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb, and who, through the merits of His atonement, are anointed kings and priests unto God, and with Him reign exalted in His kingdom. May we all be found worthy of this reward
