PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF

In April, 1838, while in the town of
Kirtland, in walking across the street
I met two men who held the Apostle-
ship. They said to me, "Brother
Woodruff, we have something that we
want you to join us in." Said I, "What
is it?" "We want another Prophet to
lead us." "Whom do you want?"
"We want Oliver Cowdery. Joseph
Smith has apostatized." After listen-
ing to them, I said to them: "Unless
you repent of your sins you will be
damned and go to hell, and you will
go through the fulness of eternal
damnation, and all your hopes in this
life will pass before you like the frost
before the rising sun. You are false.
Joseph Smith has not apostatized.
He holds the keys of the kingdom of
God on earth, and will hold them until
the coming of the Son of Man, whether
in this world or in the world to come."
I am happy to say that those men did
repent pretty soon, turned to the
Church, and died in it.

I feel thankful today that Joseph F.
Smith is with us as a son of Hyrum
Smith. He bears a true and faithful
testimony of his father. I would to
God that Joseph Smith had a son in
the flesh who would do as Joseph F.
Smith does here—bear testimony to
the truth of his father. The Prophet
Joseph Smith has no son that stands
in the midst of the Church of God and
bears record of his father. He never
has had; possibly never will have.

I will give you a testimony here that
will show you where I stand with re-
gard to this matter. Joseph Smith
never ordained his son Joseph, never
blessed him, never set him apart, to
lead this Church and kingdom on the
face of the earth. When he or any
other man says he did, they state that
which is false before high heaven.

The last speech that Joseph Smith
ever made to the quorum of the Apos-
tles was in a building in Nauvoo, and
it was such a speech as I never heard
from mortal man before or since. He
was clothed upon with the Spirit and
power of God. His face was clear
as amber. The room was filled as
with consuming fire. He stood three
hours upon his feet. Said he: "You
Apostles of the Lamb of God have
been chosen to carry out the purposes
of the Lord on the earth. Now, I
have received, as the Prophet, seer and
revelator, standing at the head of this
dispensation, every key, every or-
dinance, every principle and every
Priesthood that belongs to the last
dispensation and fulness of times. And
I have sealed all these things upon
your heads. Now, you Apostles, if
you do not rise up and bear off this
kingdom, as I have given it to you,
you will be damned."

I am the only witness left on earth
that can bear record of this, and I
am thankful that I have lived to see
the day in which I stand. I am thank-
ful to see the sons of these Prophets
and Apostles holding the Holy Priest-
hood in our day and generation. I do
not believe the day will ever come—
it is too late in the day, in my opinion
—when any Elder in this Church will
be called to stand before any two of
the Apostles with us today and give
unto them the declaration that I gave
unto the two Apostles I have referred
to. I do not think any of the Apostles
will occupy that position. I have faith
to believe that these men who bear
the Apostleship will hold it and live
their religion. They have been called
and ordained of God for this purpose.
I do not think that one of them will
apostatize. I believe they will be with
you and with this Church while they
stand in the flesh, true and faithful
to God.

Brother Cannon has been laying be-
fore you something with regard to the
nation in which we live and what has
been said concerning it. I am going
to bear my testimony to this assembly,
if I never do it again in my life, that
those men who laid the foundation of
this American government and signed
the Declaration of Independence were
the best spirits the God of heaven
could find on the face of the earth.
They were choice spirits, not wicked
men. General Washington and all the
men that labored for the purpose were
inspired of the Lord.

Another thing I am going to say
here, because I have a right to say it.
Every one of those men that signed
the Declaration of Independence, with
General Washington, called upon me,
as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ,
in the Temple at St. George, two con-
secutive nights, and demanded at my
hands that I should go forth and at-
tend to the ordinances of the House of

PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF

In April, 1838, while in the town of Kirtland, in walking across the street I met two men who held the Apostleship. They said to me, "Brother Woodruff, we have something that we want you to join us in." Said I, "What is it?" "We want another Prophet to lead us." "Whom do you want?" "We want Oliver Cowdery. Joseph Smith has apostatized." After listening to them, I said to them: "Unless you repent of your sins you will be damned and go to hell, and you will go through the fulness of eternal damnation, and all your hopes in this life will pass before you like the frost before the rising sun. You are false. Joseph Smith has not apostatized. He holds the keys of the kingdom of God on earth, and will hold them until the coming of the Son of Man, whether in this world or in the world to come." I am happy to say that those men did repent pretty soon, turned to the Church, and died in it.

I feel thankful today that Joseph F. Smith is with us as a son of Hyrum Smith. He bears a true and faithful testimony of his father. I would to God that Joseph Smith had a son in the flesh who would do as Joseph F. Smith does here—bear testimony to the truth of his father. The Prophet Joseph Smith has no son that stands in the midst of the Church of God and bears record of his father. He never has had; possibly never will have.

I will give you a testimony here that will show you where I stand with regard to this matter. Joseph Smith never ordained his son Joseph, never blessed him, never set him apart, to lead this Church and kingdom on the face of the earth. When he or any other man says he did, they state that which is false before high heaven.

The last speech that Joseph Smith ever made to the quorum of the Apostles was in a building in Nauvoo, and it was such a speech as I never heard from mortal man before or since. He was clothed upon with the Spirit and power of God. His face was clear as amber. The room was filled as with consuming fire. He stood three hours upon his feet. Said he: "You Apostles of the Lamb of God have been chosen to carry out the purposes of the Lord on the earth. Now, I have received, as the Prophet, seer and revelator, standing at the head of this dispensation, every key, every ordinance, every principle and every Priesthood that belongs to the last dispensation and fulness of times. And I have sealed all these things upon your heads. Now, you Apostles, if you do not rise up and bear off this kingdom, as I have given it to you, you will be damned."

I am the only witness left on earth that can bear record of this, and I am thankful that I have lived to see the day in which I stand. I am thankful to see the sons of these Prophets and Apostles holding the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. I do not believe the day will ever come— it is too late in the day, in my opinion —when any Elder in this Church will be called to stand before any two of the Apostles with us today and give unto them the declaration that I gave unto the two Apostles I have referred to. I do not think any of the Apostles will occupy that position. I have faith to believe that these men who bear the Apostleship will hold it and live their religion. They have been called and ordained of God for this purpose. I do not think that one of them will apostatize. I believe they will be with you and with this Church while they stand in the flesh, true and faithful to God.

Brother Cannon has been laying before you something with regard to the nation in which we live and what has been said concerning it. I am going to bear my testimony to this assembly, if I never do it again in my life, that those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits, not wicked men. General Washington and all the men that labored for the purpose were inspired of the Lord.

Another thing I am going to say here, because I have a right to say it. Every one of those men that signed the Declaration of Independence, with General Washington, called upon me, as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Temple at St. George, two consecutive nights, and demanded at my hands that I should go forth and attend to the ordinances of the House of