THE DESERET WEEKLY.
REMARKS
Made at the General Conference of
Church, in the Tabernacle, Salt
Lake City, Sunday, , by
PREST. WILFORD WOODRUFF.
-[REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER.]-
If I ever felt thankful in my life for
anything, I do this morning that I am
alive, that I stand in the flesh and have
again the privilege of assembling in
conference. I am thankful that I have
the privilege of meeting in this capacity
Prophets, Patriarchs, Apostles, Elders
and Latter-day Saints. For the sixty-
three years of the sixty-six since the
organization of the Church I have been
blessed to meet, when at home, with the
general conferences of the Church. I
have listened to the testimony of Pro-
phets and Apostles and Elders of Israel,
ncluding that good and great man, the
Prophet Joseph Smith, whom God
raised up and appointed from before the
foundation of the world to stand in the
flesh in the latter days and organize the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, to prepare the way for the com-
ing of the Son of Man, to warn the
whole world as far as doors should be
opened, and to prepare for the great
events to transpire in the generation in
which we live. The testimony of the
Prophet Joseph has been a strong one
concerning the great and last dispensa-
tion of God to man on the earth. Up-
wards of eighteen hundred years have
rolled away since the death of the
Savior of the world and His Apostles,
and the God of heaven knows what it
cost the Jewish nation to shed the blood
of their Savior and their Shiloh, and
the blood of the Apostles. The blood
of the Lord's anointed which was shed
by that nation in that day cost more than
the human family can comprehend.
Well might the Savior say, while pass-
ing through that ignominious death upon
the cross, "Father, forgive them; for
they know not what they do." [Luke 23:34] Truly,
they knew not what they did; but the
effect of it has been manifest with the
house of Israel now for eighteen hun-
dred years, and the end is not yet. So
I will say with regard to the Gentiles
The God of heaven knows what it will
cost them for shedding the blood of the
Prophet of God and his brother, and
the Apostles and brethren who laid
down their lives for the word of God
and testimony of Jesus Christ. It costs
s[o]mething to shed righteous blood.
And the Gentiles have not got eighteen
hundred years before them in which to
pay the debt. The words of the Lord
have got to be fulfilled upon them in the
day and generation in which these holy
men have been slain.
I refer to these things because I know
not how long I may have the privilege
of bearing my testimony of the Gospel
of Christ on the earth. The revelations
that are in the Bible, the predictions of
the Patriarchs and Prophets who saw
by vision and revelation the last dis-
pensation and fullness of times, plainly
tell us what is to come to pass. The
49th chapter of Isaiah is having its ful
fillment, as are the sayings of the Patri-
archs and Prophets as laid down in the
records of divine truth. And they will
be rapid in their fulfillment. I have
often said in my teachings, if the world
want to know what is coming to pass,
let them read the revelations of St. John.
Read of the judgments of God that are
going to overtake the world in the last
dispensation. Read the papers and see
what is taking place in our own nation
and in the nations of the earth, and
what does it all mean? It means the
commencement of the fulfillment of
what the Prophets of God have predict-
ed. In the Doctrine and Covenants
there are many revelations given through
the mouth of the Prophet of God; these
revelations will all have their fulfillment,
as the Lord lives, and no power can
hinder it. In one of the revelations the
Lord told Joseph Smith:
Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are
crying unto the Lord day and night, who are
ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down
the fields;
But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up
the tares while the blade is yet tender, (for
verily your faith is weak,) lest you destroy the
wheat also.
Therefore let the wheat and the tares grow
together until the harvest is fully ripe, then ye
shall first gather out the wheat from among the
tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, be-
hold and lo! the tares are bound in bundles, and
the field remaineth to be burned. [Doctrine and Covenants 86:5-7]
I want to bear testimony to this con-
gregation, and to the heavens and the
earth, that the day is come when those
angels are privileged to go forth and
commence their work. They are labor
ing in the United States of America;
they are laboring among the nations of
the earth; and they will continue.
These things are at our doors, and
neither you nor I can hinder them. We
need not marvel or wonder at anything
that is transpiring in the earth. The
world do not comprehend the revela-
tions of God. They did not in the days
of the Jews; yet all that the Prophets
had spoken concerning them came to
pass. So in our day, these things will
come to pass. I heard the Prophet
Joseph bear his testimony to these
events that would transpire in the earth.
I have had the privilege during my life
to see the beginning of the fulfillment of
the words of the Prophet of God unto
the inhabitants of the earth. He lived
but a short time; but the Savior's life
was much shorter after entering the
ministry. He was put to death, as were
all His Apostles, excepting John; and
that blood has been paid for as far as
time would admit. We cannot draw a
veil over the events that await this
generation. No man that is inspired by
the Spirit and power of God can
close his ears, his eyes or his lips
to these things. I do not know that I
shall live to see much more; it is not
likely that I shall; but I have lived to
see the commencement in the earth. I
have lived to see the words of the Pro-
phet of God being fulfilled concerning
Zion, concerning the mountains of Israel,
and the gathering together of the Lord's
people to prepare for the coming of the
Son of Man. We have been led to
these mountains in fulfillment of revela-
tion. We have laid a foundation for
the gathering of the House of Israel
and the Saints of the living God. I
hope that we as a people may com-
prehend these things. I have listened
to the testimony, not only of the Pro-
phet of God, but also of many of the
Apostles. I remember very well the
last charge that Joseph gave to the
Apostles. We had as little idea that
he was going from us as the Apostles of
the Savior did that He was going to be
taken from them. Joseph talked with
us as plainly as did the Savior to His
Apostles, but we did not understand
that he was about to depart from us any
more than the Apostles understood the
Savior. Now, I have heard of other
parties rising up and pretending that
the Prophet Joseph Smith gave unto
them a charge to lead and direct the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. I want to say that it is false;
there is not a word of truth in it. When
he delivered that charge to the Apostles
he was filled with the power of God.
His face was clear as amber, and the
room was filled with the Spirit of God,
like the holy fire. In his address he told us
that he had received at the hands of
the Almighty God all the keys, and
powers, and priesthood, and ordinances
and gifts belonging to the dispensation
in which we lived. "Now," says he,
"I have sealed all these blessings upon
your heads, upon you Apostles of the
Lamb of God, who have been chosen
to bear off this Church and kingdom on
the earth;" and after making this solemn
proclamation to us, he said, "Now, you
have got to round up your shoulders
and bear off this kingdom, or you will
be damned." I never shall forget that.
All of those Apostles today are in the
spirit world, excepting myself, and they
know that what he said is true; and
those of us who have the Spirit of God
know that it is true.
I feel to thank God for the progress
of the work. The Elders of Israel are
abroad among the nations carrying the
Gospel to the children of men, and the
Lord is blessing them and opening the
way before them. It is true, our doc
trine is not popular. In fact, the Latter-
day Saints as a body have been under a
ban, in a great measure, from the or-
ganization of the Church until of late.
The doctrine of Jesus is an unpopular
doctrine. But there is only one Gospel;
never was but one Gospel ordained of
God to man for the salvation of the
human family. That Gospel was taught
by the Savior and by His Apostles. It
was taught Joseph Smith by Moroni, and
the Priesthood was given unto him by
John the Baptist, and Peter, James and
John. [Joseph Smith—History 1:59, 72] The first principle of that Gos-
pel is faith. Well, the people of the
world may say, we all believe in Jesus
Christ. Yes, but there is something to
do besides believing in Christ. We
must repent of our sins, be baptized
for the remission of them, and receive
the Holy Ghost. This is the doctrine
taught by Christ and His Apostles.
The same Gospel was taught to Adam
and by him to his chil[d]ren. These doc-
trines have been revealed to us by the
administration of angels. The gifts
the graces, and powers that belonged
to that Gospel are with this people, and
have been from the organization of the
Church.
My brethren and sisters, we must be
faithful, because the responsibility is
great and mighty that rests upon us as
bearers of the Holy Priesthood. You
will see many strange things take place
in the earth. We are at the end, so to
speak, of the six thousand years. We
are bordering on the millennium, when
the Son of Man shall come in the
clouds of heaven. Therefore, we can-
not lay down our Priesthood and the
work which the God of heaven has put
into our hands. The eyes of God
and the heavenly host are upon us.
The eyes of the Prophet Joseph and all
those sanctified spirits who have laid
down their lives for the work of God
and testimony of Jesus are upon us
Therefore, I feel this morning to bear
my testimony to these things. The
Lord has blessed me, so far as life is
concerned, a long time. I have been
connected with this Church while almost
two or three quorums of Apostles have
passed away. Let us lay these things
to heart. Let us look at our position
before the Lord. Let us be true and
faithful in the work of the ministry and
in doing the things God requires at our
hands. God has blessed us. He has
led us unto these mountains of Israel.
The prophet of God was inspired to
bring the people to this great American
desert. There were no marks of the
white man here, no marks of agricul-
ture, and nothing to encourage any
man to stop here; but President Brig
ham Young pitched his tent here, and
laid the foundation of this city, with
these broad streets and sidewalks, in
the midst of sand and sagebrush. The
Lord's Spirit was with him, and he saw
what was to do here. We are in the
midst of the mountains of Israel, pro-
phesied of as the gathering place of the
people of God in the last days, where
they might stand in holy places while
the judgments of God worked in the
earth. Let us try to do our duty, and
labor for the Holy Spirit. The devil
and the fallen spirits have labored from
the creation of the world to thwart the
purposes of God. He did it in the
days of Christ. He tempted even Him
forty days and forty nights. His Apos-
tles did not escape, either. We shall
not escape any more than they did
The arch-enemy is laboring for the
overthrow of this Church and kingdom.
He knows something about it. There-
fore, you and I ought to pursue a course
wherein we can be justified before the
Lord. There are many events before us
and at our door, and they follow each
other in quick succession. No power
on earth or under the earth can stay the
fulfillment of these things. You can
hardly see them with your eyes hear
them with your ears, and feel them in
your spirits. And when these strange
things take place, no man should mar-
vel and wonder at them, because they
are in the great programme. They
have been decreed by Almighty God,
and these things are only the begi[n]ning
of sorrows.
I want to make a few remarks on
another subject. Whenever the Lord
has a people on the earth, no matter in
what age of the world, they will dove-
tail right square into any other dispen-
sation. You may see that throughout
the whole history of the world. When
Christ was born and entered into the
ministry, and when He chose His Apos-
tles, they acknowledged every revelation
that had ever been given from fa[t]her
Adam down to their day. They had
the same Gospel, the same gifts, the
same fruits. Now, if these Latter day
Saints are the saints of God, their
works will be the same as were Christ's
and the Apostles. I hold in my hand
the Doctrine and Covenants, containing
revelations given through the Prophet
Joseph Smith while he dwelt in the
flesh. Read those revelations, and
from beginning to end they unite with
all dispensations God has had on the
earth. And that is not all. When God
has a people on the earth the fruits of
the Gospel will be manifest. In my
boyhood I went to Sabbath school, un-
der old Dr. Porter. I read the New
Testament; I read about the gifts and
graces that Christ and His Apostles
had; and I asked Dr. Porter why it was
that they did not contend for this faith,
and why they did not have these gifts
and graces. "Oh," said he, "those
things were given in the dark ages of
the world, to convince the world that
Jesus was the Christ. We live today in
the glorious Gospel light of Christ, and
we do not need them." Then, said I, for
God's sake give me the dark ages of
the world! That has been my spirit
from that day to this. Here are
thousands of men and women in this
house, if they had the opportunity,
could rise up and bear testimony that
the fruits of the Gospel which the
Apostles enjoyed are with these peo-
ple. These Elders who have traveled
thousands of miles can bear testimony
that wherever this Gospel has been
preached and wherever the Elders of
Israel have administered, the gifts and
graces have followed them. I bear tes-
timony to this. My brethren can bear
testimony to it. The sick have been
healed, devils have been cast out, the
lame have leaped, the deaf have heard,
and all the gifts and graces that ever
were manifest have been enjoyed among
these Elders of Israel. Several years
ago I met a man and woman here in
the street. The woman said, "Do you
know me?" I said I do not. "Do you
know this man that is with me?" "No,
I do not." "Why," said she, "you laid
hands on this boy in Herefordshire
fifty years ago. He was dumb—
never spoke a word till you laid hands
upon him and blessed him; and he has
spoken ever since." We have no business
to claim to be Saints of the living God
without we have the Gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and if we have that,
these gifts will be with us. You know
this as well as I do. Joseph Smith had
the whole spirit and power of this rest-
ing upon him while he lived. He taught
these principles to us, and they have
been realized, and will be until this
scene is wound up. This work shows
for itself. That Gospel was taught
Joseph Smith by an angel, as John the
Revelator says:
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach
unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.
Saying with a loud voice, fear God, and give
glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is
come. [Revelation 14:6-7]
Yes, the hour of God's judgment is
come, and we should be prepared.
Who besides the Latter day Saints,
since the days of Christ and His
Apostles, have ever taught the principle
of the redemption of the dead? Here
we have four temples reared in this
State by the Latter-day Saints, and tens
of thousands of the dead have been re-
deemed by the administration of the
Gospel of Christ to their posterity or
friends. This is one of the evidences of
the fulfillment of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. The prophet says, "Saviors
shall come up on mount Zion * * and
the kingdom shall be the Lord's." [Obadiah 1:21] If
we were not the saints of God, we
could not do this. Whatever other
dispensations may have done in this
direction, we have no record of it.
Jesus himself preached this doctrine.
While his body lay in the tomb he went
and preached to those who were in the
spirit world, that they might be judged
according to men in the flesh. [1 Peter 4:6] This
work is with the Latter-day Saints, and
will remain with us.
We lost one of our Apostles a short
time since. He was about the youngest
man in the quorum of the Apostles.
He was called suddenly away from us.
There is a meaning to this. Many times
things take place with us that we do not
comprehend, unless it is given to us by
revelation. But there is a meaning in
the loss of that young Apostle. I had a
manifestation of that while in San Fran-
cisco recently. One evening, as I fell
asleep, I was very much troubled with
evil spirits, that tried to afflict me; and
while laboring to throw off these spirits
and their influence, there was another
spirit visited me that seemed to have
power over the evil spirits, and they de-
parted from me. Before he left me he
told me not to grieve because of the de-
parture of Abraham Hoagland Cannon;
for the Lord had called him to fill
another important mission in the spirit
world, as a pure and holy Apostle from
Zion in the Rocky Mountains—a labor
which would not only prove a great
benefit to his father's household, but to
the Church and kingdom of God upon the
earth. I feel to name this, because it is
true. I have become acquainted with
many things in our history that I have
marveled at. While in the St.
George Temple I had a son, who was
in the north country, drowned. He
was 21 years of age, and was a faith-
ful young man. He had a warning of
this. In a dream he was notified how
he would die. We had testimony of that
after his death. I asked the Lord why
he was taken from me. The answer to
me was, "You are doing a great deal
for the redemption of your dead; but the
law of redemption requires some of
your own seed in the spirit world to
attend to work connected with this."
That was a new principle to me; but it
satisfied me why he was taken away. I
name this, because there are a great
many instances like it among the Latter
day Saints. This was the case with
Brother Abraham Cannon. He was
taken away to fulfill that mission. And
where we have anything of this kind,
we should leave it in the hands of God
to reconcile.
Let us try as Latter-day Saints to
qualify ourselves to do the will of God
and bear off His kingdom, and be true
and faithful to the end, which may God
grant, for Christ's sake. Amen.