LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR.

us. I want them to comprehend and understand the blessings that are
within their reach. The Lord has given us a large number of sons and
daughters. They have got to take the places of their fathers, the same as
the sons of Adam had in his day and generation. A great responsibility
rests upon them. The Lord requires at the hands of our sons that they
shall bear off this kingdom of our God while they dwell in the flesh, that
they may be justified. The Lord told Oliver Cowdery, "And if it so be
that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this
people, and bring save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your
joy with him in the kingdom of my Father." [Doctrine and Covenants 18:15] It requires light, knowledge,
and understanding; it requires the spirit and power of God for us to
comprehend our position, our blessings, and our gifts that God has placed
upon us. I feel to rejoice and thank God myself that I have lived to see
what I do in these valleys of the mountains; that I have lived to see
these multitudes that fill these tabernacles and temples and labor here
in the building up of the kingdom of God. The Lord has been very mer-
ciful to me, and my life has been preserved to pass through these things,
and I still remain in the midst of this people. I have to acknowledge the
hand of God in the whole of it. I suppose you have to do so with regard
to your lives. The fact is, there is not a blessing that God has bestowed
upon us from the beginning but has been the gift of God. We should
understand this. We have preached the Gospel to every nation, kin-
dred, tongue, and people, as far as the Lord has opened doors for us
and we have had the privilege of going. Still the world to-day is full of
people who have not heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and while the
Priesthood rests upon our shoulders we are still under obligation and are
still held responsible for the salvation of the children of men, as far as we
have the privilege of bestowing these gifts upon the sons and daughters of
Adam. Only think that by embracing the Gospel of Christ we can become
heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, that we can have part in
the first resurrection, and come forth out of our graves and be clothed with
glory, immortality, and eternal lives, and pass into the presence of God
and the Lamb and dwell with them eternally in the heavens! Who com-
prehends this? Do the inhabitants of the earth? They do not. Satan
has warred against us from the organization of this Church, to try and
destroy this people; but so far we have been preserved. We should be
thankful for these blessings. I realize myself that we are dependent upon
the Lord in all things. The Lord is our preserver. He is the author of
our salvation. Jesus Christ has laid down His life to redeem us by His
blood, and through that we have these blessings bestowed upon us.

Among other things, we live in a generation in which the Lord has
enabled us to rear several temples—some in these mountains and some
before we came here; and hundreds and thousands of people go into these
temples to redeem their dead. This is a blessing the Latter-day Saints
should prize. It is a duty that is required at our hands to do what we can in
this direction. It is a blessing that the inhabitants of the earth have not
had for centuries until this dispensation. I hope that no man who has got
a record of his father's house will go down to his grave without having

308 LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENIAL STAR.

us. I want them to comprehend and understand the blessings that are within their reach. The Lord has given us a large number of sons and daughters. They have got to take the places of their fathers, the same as the sons of Adam had in his day and generation. A great responsibility rests upon them. The Lord requires at the hands of our sons that they shall bear off this kingdom of our God while they dwell in the flesh, that they may be justified. The Lord told Oliver Cowdery, "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father." It requires light, knowledge, and understanding; it requires the spirit and power of God for us to comprehend our position, our blessings, and our gifts that God has placed upon us. I feel to rejoice and thank God myself that I have lived to see what I do in these valleys of the mountains; that I have lived to see these multitudes that fill these tabernacles and temples and labor here in the building up of the kingdom of God. The Lord has been very merciful to me, and my life has been preserved to pass through these things, and I still remain in the midst of this people. I have to acknowledge the hand of God in the whole of it. I suppose you have to do so with regard to your lives. The fact is, there is not a blessing that God has bestowed upon us from the beginning but has been the gift of God. We should understand this. We have preached the Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, as far as the Lord has opened doors for us and we have had the privilege of going. Still the world to-day is full of people who have not heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and while the Priesthood rests upon our shoulders we are still under obligation and are still held responsible for the salvation of the children of men, as far as we have the privilege of bestowing these gifts upon the sons and daughters of Adam. Only think that by embracing the Gospel of Christ we can become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, that we can have part in the first resurrection, and come forth out of our graves and be clothed with glory, immortality, and eternal lives, and pass into the presence of God and the Lamb and dwell with them eternally in the heavens! Who comprehends this? Do the inhabitants of the earth? They do not. Satan has warred against us from the organization of this Church, to try and destroy this people; but so far we have been preserved. We should be thankful for these blessings. I realize myself that we are dependent upon the Lord in all things. The Lord is our preserver. He is the author of our salvation. Jesus Christ has laid down His life to redeem us by His blood, and through that we have these blessings bestowed upon us.

Among other things, we live in a generation in which the Lord has enabled us to rear several temples--some in these mountains and some before we came here; and hundreds and thousands of people go into these temples to redeem their dead. This is a blessing the Latter-day Saints should prize. It is a duty that is required at our hands to do what we can in this direction. It is a blessing that the inhabitants of the earth have not had for centuries until this dispensation. I hope that no man who has got a record of his father's house will go down to his grave without having