REMARKS
Made by President Wilford Woodruff,
At Paris, Idaho (Bear Lake Stake
Conference) on Monday Afternoon,
.
-[REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER.]-
I am very pleased indeed to meet
with so many Latter-day Saints in this
tabernacle on a working day, and I
hope you will get paid for coming to
meeting today. I have felt amply
paid myself for my journey from Salt
Lake City in, listening to the instruc-
tions which our brethren have given
unto us. I told Brother Cannon this
morning that if, when a young man, I
could have attended a meeting of this
kind and heard instructions as
we have had given to us, I
should have felt that I was in heaven;
I should have been satisfied that I had
received what I had prayed for and de-
sired from my childhood. When I was
a boy I read in the New Testament
concerning Jesus Christ and His Gos-
pel, and the gifts and graces that were
then manifested, and I felt that the
principles there taught were the ones
that I desired to live to hear taught. I
prayed for this earnestly in my early
manhood. I have read the Bible
through a good many times in my life.
I have read the Book of Mormon
through a number of times. I have
also read the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants through a number of times;
and I have felt that God had never given
unto us stronger principles and more
glorious instructions in any of the
revelations of God than are recorded in
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.
They are all by the same author, but
to different men, and at different times.
I will read a few verses from the 121st
section of the Doctrine and Covenants.
This section contains the prayer and
prophecy of the Prophet Joseph while
he was in Liberty jail; and the truths
embodied therein are among the sub-
limest that God has ever revealed to
man:
For there is a time appointed for every
man, according as his works shall be. [Doctrine and Covenants 121:25]
God shall give unto you (the Saints)
knowledge by His Holy Spirit, yea by
the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost,
that has not been revealed since the world
was until now; [Doctrine and Covenants 121:26]
Which our forefathers have waited
with anxious expectation to be revealed
in the last times, which their minds were
pointed to, by the angels, as held in re-
serve for the fullness of their glory: [Doctrine and Covenants 121:27]
A time to come in the which nothing
shall be withheld, whether there be one
God or many Gods they shall be mani-
fest; [Doctrine and Covenants 121:28]
All thrones and dominions, princi-
palities and powers, shall be revealed
and set forth upon all who have endured
valiantly for the Gospel of Jesus Christ; [Doctrine and Covenants 121:29]
And also if there be bounds set to the
heavens, or to the seas; or to the dry
land, or to the sun, moon, or stars; [Doctrine and Covenants 121:30]
All the times of their revolutions: all
the appointed days, months, and years,
and all the days of their days, months,
and years, and their glories, laws, and
set times, shall be revealed, in the days of
the dispensation of the fulness of times, [Doctrine and Covenants 121:31]
According to that which was ordained
in the midst of the Counci[l] of the Eternal
God of all other Gods, before this world
was, that should be reserved unto the
finishing and the end thereof, when
every man shall enter into his eternal
presence, and into his mortal rest. [Doctrine and Covenants 121:32]
How long can rolling waters remain
impure? What power shall stay the
heavens? As well might man stretch
forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri
river in its decreed course, or to turn it
up stream, as to hinder the Almighty
from pouring down knowledge from
heaven, upon the heads of the Latter-day
Saints. [Doctrine and Covenants 121:33]
Behold, there are many called, but few
are chosen. And why are they not
chosen? [Doctrine and Covenants 121:34]
Because their hearts are set so much
upon the things of this world, and aspire
to the honors of men, that they do not
learn this one lesson— [Doctrine and Covenants 121:35]
That the rights of the Priesthood are
inseparably connected with the powers
of heaven, and that the powers of heaven
cannot be controlled nor handled only
upon the principles of righteousness. [Doctrine and Covenants 121:36]
That they may be conferred upon us, it
is true; but when we undertake to cover
our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain
ambition, or to exercise control, or do-
minion, or compulsion, upon the souls of
the children of men, in any degree of un-
righteousness, behold, the heavens with-
draw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord
is grieved; and when it is withdrawn,
Amen to the Priesthood, or the authority
of that man. [Doctrine and Covenants 121:37]
Behold! ere he is aware, he is left to
himself, to kick against the pricks; to
persecute the Saints, and to fight against
G[o]d. [Doctrine and Covenants 121:38]
We have learned, by sad experience,
that it is the nature and disposition of al-
most all men, as soon as they get a little
authority, as they suppose, they will im-
mediately begin to exercise unrighteous
dominion. [Doctrine and Covenants 121:39]
Hence many are called, but few are
chosen. [Doctrine and Covenants 121:40]
Who can comprehend this grand
language? Scarcely any person. The
Lord says in this revelation that
whether there be one God or many
Gods, they shall be revealed; and all
kingdoms, thrones, principalities and
powers shall be revealed unto those
who keep His commandments. Can
we comprehend this? Why, there is
not an astronomer that can tell us
scarcely one thing that is done in Mars,
or Venus, or Jupiter, or in any of the
planets, aside from the earth. Here
are worlds upon worlds—millions of
them—and what do we know about
them? Our own little planet, upon
which we live, is about as much as we
can comprehend. Look at the extent
of the blessings that are promised us!
These blessings and these revelations
are worthy the attention of the Latter-day
Saints.
In this revelation it is shown that
the Priesthood of which we have been
speaking, has power. It has power
with the heavens; it has power on
earth. And as was said this morning, it
does not make any difference what
portion of that Priesthood a man holds
—whether it is a President, an Apostle,
an High Priest, a Seventy, an Elder, a
Priest, a Teacher or a Deacon—when
he goes before God in prayer, with a
pure heart, that Priesthood has power
with the heavens. If a man magnifies
that Priesthood, the blessings of God
are with him.
The first sermon that I ever heard in
this church was in 1833, by old father
Zera Pulsipher, who died in the south,
after having lived to be considerably
over eighty years old. That sermon
was what I had prayed for from my
childhood. When I heard it I had a
testimony for myself that it was true.
I received it with every sentiment of
my heart. He preached in a school
house upon a farm that we owned in
Oswego County, New York. He
opened the door for any remarks to be
made. The house was crowded. The
first thing I knew I stood on top of a
bench before the people, not knowing
what I got up for. But I said to my
neighbors and friends, "I want you to
be careful what you say as touching
these men (there were two of them) and
their testimony, for they are servants
of God and they have testified
unto us the truth—principles that I
have been looking for from my child-
hood." I went forth and was baptized.
I was ordained a Teacher. I was al-
ways sorry that I was not a Deacon
first; for I had a desire to bear the
Priesthood in its various degrees, as far
as I was worthy. I had had a desire
for years, not only to hear the Gospel,
but to have the privilege and power of
preaching it to my fellow men. I was
a miller by trade, and I spent many a
midnight hour in the mill calling upon
the Lord for light and truth, and pray-
ing that I might hear the Gospel of
Christ and be able to teach it to
my fellow men. I rejoiced in
it when I did receive it. I
afterwards went with Zion's Camp
to Missouri in the spring of
1834, with the Prophet Joseph, his
brother Hyrum, and over two hund-
red of the Saints of God. That was a
great mission to me. I was with the
Prophet. I had read his revelations.
I had read the vision recorded in this
Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and
it had given me more light and more
knowledge with regard to the dealings
of God with men than all the revela-
tions I had ever read, in the Bible or
anywhere else. I had been taught
that there was one heaven and one
hell; and everybody that was not
sprinkled or baptized, infants and all,
would have to go to hell. It made no
difference whether the individual had
committed no wrong, if he had not
been received into the church by
sprinkling or baptism, he would have
to go to hell with the murderer, with
the whoremonger, with the wickedest
of men. On the other hand, every-
body that was sprinkled would go to
heaven. No matter if they had never
made a single sacrifice for the Gospel
of Christ, they would have the same
glory as Peter, James and John, who
had sacrificed their lives for the
Gospel's sake. That was the kind of
teaching I heard in my boyhood. I
did not believe one word of it then;
and I don't now. But this vision of
which I speak opened my eyes. It
showed me the power of God and the
righteousness of God in dealing with
the human family. Before I saw
Joseph I said I did not care how old
he was, or how young he was; I did
not care how he looked—whether his
hair was long or short; the man that
advanced that revelation was a prophet
of God. I knew it for myself. I first
met Joseph Smith in the streets of
Kirtland. He had on an old hat, and
a pistol in his hand. Said he, "Brother
Woodruff, I've been out shooting at a
mark, and I wanted to see if
I could hit anything;" and says
he, "Have you any objection
to it?" "Not at all," says I;
"there is no law against a man shoot-
ing at a mark, that I know
of." He invited me to his
house. He had a wolfskin, which he
wanted me to help him to tan; he wan-
ted it to sit on while driving his wagon
team. Now, many might have said,
"You are a pretty prophet; shooting a
pistol and tanning a wolfskin." Well
we tanned it, and used it while mak-
ing a journey of a thousand miles.
This was my first acquaintance
with the Prophet Joseph. And from that
day until the present, with all the
apostasies that we have had, and with
all the difficulties and afflictions we
have have been called to pass through,
I never saw a moment when I had any
doubt with regard to this work. I
have had no trial about this. While
the people were apostatizing on the
right hand and the left, and while
Apostles were urging me to turn
against the Prophet Joseph, it was no
temptation to me to doubt this work or
to doubt that Joseph Smith was a
prophet of God.
As I have said, while holding the
office of teacher, I went to Missouri in
Zion's Camp. After arriving in Mis-
souri, having gone through many
trials and tribulations, and suffering
from cholera, which caused us to lay
in the grave fifteen of our brethren, we
stayed at brother Lyman Wight's.
While at Lyman Wight's, I attended
council meetings with the Prophet,
with David Whitmer, with Oliver
Cowdery and other leading brethren
of the Church. David Whitmer was
the President of the Stake of Zion.
Brother Joseph reproved him very
sharply, as well as some of the other
brethren, because of their lack in ful-
filling the commandments of God and
doing their duty. While at that
place I had a great desire in my heart to
go and preach the gospel. I went off
one Sunday night by myself into a
hickory grove, several hundred yards
from the settlement, and I asked the
Lord to open the door for me that I
might go and preach the gospel. I
did not want to preach the gospel for
any honor I might get on this earth;
for I thoroughly understood as far as a
man could in my condition, what a
preacher would have to pass through.
It was not honor, nor wealth, nor gold,
nor silver that I desired; but I
knew this was the gospel of Christ,
revealed to me by the power of God; I
knew this was the Church of Christ; I
knew Joseph Smith was a prophet of
God; and I had a desire that I might
preach that gospel to the nations of the
earth. I asked the Lord to give me
that privilege. The Lord answered
that prayer and said I should have my
desire granted. I got up rejoicing. I
walked about two hundred yards out in
the open road, and when I got into the
road, there stood Judge Higbee. Says
he, "Brother Woodruff, the Lord has
revealed to me that it is your duty to be
ordained to go and preach the gospel."
Says I, "Has He?" "Yes." "Well,"
says I, "if the Lord wants me to preach
the gospel, I am perfectly willing to go
and do that." I did not tell him I had
been praying for this. The conse-
quence was, I attended a council at
Lyman Wight's, and was called and
ordained to the office of a Priest in the
Aaronic Priesthood, while other breth-
ren were ordained Elders. I was
called by Bishop Partridge to go to the
Southern country on a mission. Bishop
Partridge asked me a great many
questions, and I asked him questions.
It was then dangerous for any of our
brethren to go through Jackson Coun-
ty. He wanted me to go to Arkansas,
and the road led square through Jack-
son County. I asked him if we should
go through there (I had a companion with me—an Elder). Says he, "If you
have got faith to do it, you may; I
haven't." I thought that was a curious
remark from a Bishop. "Well," says
I, "the Lord says we must travel with-
out purse or scrip; shall we do it?"
Says he, "That is the law of God; if
you have got faith to do it, you can do
it." He said he had hardly got faith
to go into Jackson County. However,
we started and went through Jack-
son County. We came near los-
ing our lives, and were saved almost by
a miracle. We traveled through Ar-
kansas and other parts.
But I do not want to dwell on these
things. I merely wish to say that I
went out as a Priest, and my compan-
ion as an Elder, and we traveled thou-
sands of miles and had many things
manifested to us. I desire to impress
upon you the fact that it does not make
any difference whether a man is a
Priest or an Apostle, if he magnifies his
calling. A Priest holds the keys of
the ministering of angels. Never in
my life, as an Apostle, as a Seventy,
or as an Elder, have I ever had more
of the protection of the Lord than
while holding the office of a Priest.
The Lord revealed to me, by visions,
by revelations, and by the Holy Spirit,
many things that lay before me.
I was once moved upon to go and
warn old Father Hakeman, living on
Petty-John Creek, Arkansas. He had
been in Jackson County during the
persecution period. His wife died there.
His family consisted of five sons, all
over six feet tall. Most of them had
been whipped with hickory gads by
mobe, and he went south into Arkan-
sas, taking his sons with him. We
went a good deal out of our way for
the purpose of visiting Father Hake-
man. I had a vision the night pre-
vious, in which was manifested to me
the trouble that lay before us, but that
the Lord would deliver us. We arrived at
his house on Sunday morning. He was
taking breakfast. We had had break-
fast at the place where we stayed over
night. I saw a Book of Mormon on his
shelf. He did not seem to pay any
attention to us or to take any inter-
est in us. I took up the Book of
Mormon, and said, "You have a
very good book here." "Yes," said
he, "but it is a book that came from the
devil." That opened my eyes. He
had been an Elder; he had been in
Zion; he had been persecuted there and
driven out; but I found that he had
apostatized, and he was our enemy.
I saw he would do anything he could
against us. We left him and went to
Brother Hubbard's and stayed with
him three weeks, during which we
took our axes and cleared some land
for him. I was strongly impressed
three times to go up and warn Father
Hakeman. At last I did so, accor-
ding to the commandment of God to
me. The third time I met with him,
his house seemed to be full of evil
spirits, and I was troubled in
spirit at the manifestation. When
I finished my warning, I left him. He
followed me from his house with the
intention of killing me. I have no
doubt about his intention, for it was
shown to me in vision. When he came
to where I was, he fell dead at my feet,
as if he had been struck with a thun-
derbolt from heaven. I was then a
Priest, but God defended me and pre-
served my life. I speak of this because
it is a principle that has been manifest
in the Church of God in this genera-
tion as well as in others. I had the ad-
ministration of angels while holding
the office of a Priest. I had visions
and revelations. I traveled thousands
of miles. I baptized men, though I
could not confirm them because I had
not the authority to do it.
I speak of these things to show that
a man should not be ashamed of any
portion of the Priesthood. Our young
men, if they are Deacons, should labor
to fulfil that office. If they do that,
they may then be called to the office of
a Teacher, whose duty it is to teach the
people, visit the saints, and see that
there is no evil or iniquity carried on.
God has no respect to persons in this
Priesthood any further than as they
magnify their callings and do their
duty.
It may be called egotism for a man
to talk about himself; but I have a
right to give my experience as you have
a right to give yours; and I will give a
little of mine to my friends, because
I want our young men as well as our
old men to understand that the Lord
is not trifling with us at all. Brother
Cannon has told you that it is the
right of all the Latter-day Saints to
have revelation. That is true. There
is not a man, woman or child who has
received the gospel, but has the right
to receive revelation for himself or her-
self, as well as the Presidency of the
Church.
After traveling quite a time in Ten-
nessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and
other places, I was ordained an Elder,
by Warren Parrish, who was then pre-
siding in the southern country. We
labored together there for about a
year. After that, I was ordained to the
second quorum of Seventies, under
the hands of David Patten. I had
many blessings pronounced upon my
head by these Elders of Israel—similar
to those that were given to me by
Father Joseph Smith, the Patriarch,
and by those who administered to me
in the Kirtland Temple when I re-
ceived my endowments.
Now with regard to the revela-
tion. What is revelation? It
is the inspiration of the Holy
Ghost to man. Joseph Smith said to
Brother John Taylor in his day:
"Brother Taylor, you watch the im-
pression of the Spirit of God; you watch
the whisperings of that spirit to you;
you carry them out in your life, and it
will become a principle of revelation in
you, and you will know and understand
this spirit and power." This is the key,
the foundation stone of all revelation.
Joseph Smith was full of revelation.
He could translate anything given to
him of God. He could receive revela-
tion without the Urim and Thummin.
Many of the principal revelations con-
tained in the Doctrine and Covenants
were received without the use of the
Urim and Thummin. They were given
to him by the inspiration of Almighty
God. In my own experience I have
endeavored to get acquainted with that
spirit and to learns its operations. I
have many times had that spirit mani-
fested to me, and if I had not followed
its whisperings to me, I should have
been in my grave long ago, with many
of my companions. A few incidents I
will name.
After I came to these valleys and
returned to Winter Quarters, I was
sent to Boston by President Young.
He wanted me to take my family there
and gather all the Saints of God in
New England, in Canada, and in the
surrounding regions, and stay there
until I gathered them all. I was there
about two years. While on the road
there, I drove my carriage one evening
into the yard of Brother Williams.
Brother Orson Hyde drove a wagon
by the side of mine. I had my wife
and children in the carriage. After I
turned out my team and had my
supper, I went to bed in the
carriage. I had not been there but a
few minutes when the Spirit said to
me, "Get up and move that carriage."
I told my wife I had to get up and
move the carriage. She said, "What
for?" I said, "I don't know." That
is all she asked me on such occasions;
when I told her I did not know, that
was enough. I got up and moved my
carriage four or five rods and put the
off fore wheel against the corner of
the house. I then looked around me
and went to bed. The same Spirit said,
"Go and move your animals from that
oak tree." They were two hundred
yards from where my carriage was. I
went and moved my horses and put
them in a little hickory grove. I
again went to bed. In thirty min-
utes a whirlwind came up and broke
that oak tree off within two feet from
the ground. It swept over three or
four fences and fell square in that door-
yard, near Brother Orson Hyde's
wagon, and right where mine had
stood. What would have been the
consequences if I had not listened to
that Spirit? Why, myself and wife and
children doubtless would have
been killed. That was the still, small voice
to me—no earthquake, no thunder, no
lightning; but the still, small voice of
the Spirit of God. It saved my life.
It was the spirit of revelation to me.
When I moved the last company of
Saints from the East (there were about
one hundred of them) we arrived at
Pittsburg one day at sundown. We
did not want to stay there, so I went
to the first steamboat that was going to
leave. I saw the captain and engaged
passage for us on that steamer. I had
only just done so when the Spirit said
to me, and that too very strongly,
"Don't go aboard that steamer, nor
your company." Of course, I went
and spoke to the captain and told him
I had made up my mind to wait. Well,
it started and had only got five miles
down the river when it took fire and
three hundred persons were burned
to death or drowned. If I had not obeyed
that Spirit and had gone on that
steamer with the rest of the company,
you can see what the result would
have been.
Well, I have had a good deal of
experience in these things in my day
I have learned them so thoroughly
that I dare not disobey that Spirit.
After one Conference, when we had set
apart a good many missionaries, I went
home quite weary, and I said to myself,
I will go and have a rest. Before I
got in my house, the Spirit told me to
take my team and go to my farm.
My wife says, "Where are you going?"
"I am going down to the farm."
"What for?" "I don't know," says I.
I went down to the farm. I found that
the river had broken over and had sur-
rounded my house. The water was two
feet deep around my house. My hogs
were drowning, and my stables were
full. By going there I saved my house
and surroundings and stopped up the
break.
These may be considered small things;
still they show the working of the
spirit. I will now tell you one incident
where I did not obey the Spirit of
the Lord, and it came pretty near costing
me my life. I was over at Randolph
one December, visiting. On Monday
morning the Spirit said to me, "take
your team and go home." I made up
my mind to do it; but some of my
friends felt anxious that I should stop,
as my visit had been rather short, and
I was persuaded to stop. I stayed un-
til Saturday morning; but I felt uneasy.
That warning of the Spirit rested upon
me to that degree that I felt
condemned, and I told my
friends that I was going home.
I ate an early breakfast that
morning, put my horses in my
wagon, took some hay and grain, and
started for home by way of Wasatch,
which was some thirty miles from
there. When I got to Woodruff, the
Bishop wanted me to stay and hold
meeting there on Sunday. "No,"
says I, "I have already stayed too long
by one week." Well, after I got about
three miles from Woodruff, which is
fifteen miles from Wasatch, I met with
one of the most terrific snowstorms I
ever saw in my life. It was not five
minutes after it commenced before I
could not see the road. I could not
guide my horses at all, so I let them
go where they pleased. They had
been twice over the ground be-
fore. I shut down the wagon cover
and went to praying. I asked
the Lord to forgive me for not obeying
His commandments. At eight o'clock
my horses carried me into Wasatch,
the hubs of the wheels being under the
snow. I think they must have got
there by inspiration. I stayed there
until the Monday night. I made up
my mind then that whenever the
Lord told me to do anything I would
do it.
I speak of this because every man
should get the Spirit of God and then
follow its dictates. This is revelation.
It don't make any difference what the
Spirit tells you to do, it will never tell
you to do anything that is wrong. I
want our young friends, especially, to
be interested in the Gospel. I want
them to be interested in the Church
and Kingdom of God. I want them
to listen to their fathers, and to the
Elders of Israel and those that teach
them, that they may be qualified to
carry out these great and glorious prin-
ciples laid down here in the Doctrine
and Covenants. It will pay any man
to do what is right and to keep the
commandments of God. This Priesthood
has power on the earth; and when
those holding this Priesthood go before
the Lord and pray to Him, He will
hear them and answer their prayers.
This, brethren and sisters, is where our
power lies. It is with God, not with
man. He has heard us in the past, and
we have been preserved and protected
until the present time. We still live,
notwithstanding all the exertions that
have been made for our destruction.
We live in these valleys of the moun-
tains, and if we will do our duty we
shall live here. I want our young
people and their parents to listen to the
counsels that have been given
concerning the Sabbath schools,
the Mutual Improvement Associa-
tions and the Primaries. We are held
responsible for the sons and daughters
that have been given us. I meet with
sons of President Kimball, with sons
of President Young, with sons of
President Taylor, and with sons of
Apostles who have passed away. I re-
joice when I meet them. Their fathers
helped lay the foundation of this work.
They labored to promote the interests
and welfare of Zion. I rejoice to see
their posterity on the earth. I hope all
these young men bear a portion of the
Priesthood, and that they will magnify
their callings. The eyes of their
fathers who dwell in the spirit world,
are over them. Their bodies are in
the tomb; but their spirits are
awake. They are mingling with
the righteous. And they have an
anxiety about the welfare of their
children here. I am anxious myself
to have the rising generation take hold
of this work; and I hope we will not
disappoint our Heavenly Father. We
should read and study these revelations
of God and lay them to heart, and in-
asmuch as we do this, they will prove
of profit unto us.
Brethren and sisters, I am glad to
meet with you, and to bear my testi-
mony to you of the Gospel of Christ.
As I have often said, I have lived to
more than the allotted age of man.
I have lived while most everybody
with whom I was acquainted in Kirt-
land and Nauvoo has passed to the
other side of the veil. I expect to go
there myself, the same as the rest of
my brethren. But while I live I want
to be true and faithful to my God and
to the Saints. One of the greatest
blessings of God to me has been the
fact that myself and counselors live in
the hearts of the Latter-day Saints, and
I have felt to be humbled in the dust
before the Lord for this. We know
that you pray for us. We know that
you have respect for us. And we live
upon this principle. God has led this
Church from the beginning, by
prophets and inspired men. He
will lead this Church until the
scene is wound up. He will neither
permit me nor any other man to lead
this Church astray. If I turn from
the commandments of God and at-
tempt to lead the people astray, the
Lord will remove me out of my place,
for the Lord has set His hand to lead
this people by revelation and by in-
spired men. The Lord has "chosen
the weak things of the world to con-
found the things which are mighty;
. . . and things which are not,
to bring to nought things that are." [1 Corinthians 1:27-28]
We feel our weaknesses. I wish my-
self that I were a better man than I
am. Of course, I have endeavored to
do about the best I could in my weak
way. I still wish to do so. But I am
dependent upon the Lord and upon
the prayers of the Saints, the same as
my brethren. I pray God to bless you
and me. I pray that He will seal upon
the hearts of the Saints of God the
teachings that we have heard during
this conference. This is my prayer in
the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.