I have been asked the question many times, "Why did the Lord choose Joseph Smith to bring forth the Book of Mormon and to lay the foundation of this great Kingdom here on the earth? Why didn't He choose Dr. Haws, Dr. Porter, Mr. Beecher, or some great man?" I have never had but one answer in my life to all such men, and that is, "The Lord could not do anything with them, because of their unbelief, and their unwillingness to acknowledge His hand in all things." That is the reason the Lord has chosen weak instruments to do His work.

I have traveled forty years with Presi- dent Brigham Young, at home and abroad. I know something of his life. You know him. He is known to this people. He is known to the world. He was a great man, a good man, a righteous man. God raised him up to perform a great work, and he ac- complished it all until he finished his mission in the flesh, and then he went home to God, who gave him, and mingled with the Prophets and Aposltes.

The Prophet Joseph organ- ized the Church in 1830 and the world have been afraid of it ever since. He organized it by revela- tion. He had no power to accom- plish what he did except on the principle of revelation. The inspi- ration of Almighty God is the only power by which any of us in our day can do anything towards the building up of the kingdom of God. All that was ever spoken and placed on record by the ancient prophets and patriarchs was under the influ- ence of the Holy Ghost, and all their prophecies, if they are not ful- filled, will be fulfilled in the due time of the Lord.

The nearer we got to the Lord the more faith we have, and the farther we are off from Him the less our faith will be and the more likely we are to go into darkness. It requires faith in God to endure the tribulations through which the Saints are called to pass and to believe that all things will be fulfilled spoken of by the Prophets.

The published history of Zion's Camp gives an account of the bones of a man we dug out of a mound. His name was Zelph. The Lord showed the Prophet the history of the man in a vision. The arrow by which he was killed was found among his bones. One of his thigh bones was broken by a stone slung in battle. The bone was put into my wagon, and I carried it to Clay County, Missouri, and buried it in the earth.

Br Joseph saw that his eyes were glazed He speechless and uncon- cious He held his hand in his looking him in the sp face He says Br Fordham Do you not know me[?] at first he made no reply but we could all see the effects of the Spirit of God resting upon him He again said Elijah do you not know me[?] with a low whisper he said yes, He then said have you not faith to be healed, His answer a little planer was I am afraid it is to late if you had come sooner I think I might have been, He had the appearance of a man waking out of sleep, it was from the sleep of Death Joseph then said do you not believe that Jesus is the Christ, I do Br Joseph. Then the prophet of God spoke with a loud voice as in the Majesty of the GodHead Elijah I command you in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth to arise and be made whole. The words of the prophet was not like word of man but like the voice of God. It seemed to me that the House shook from its foundation, Elijah Fordham leaped from his bed like a man raised from the dead [to] life

"JOSEPH SMITH left as strong a testimony as was ever given to the human family, and sealed that testi- mony with his own life and blood."