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our hearts should be filled this morn-
ing with gratitude and thanksgiving,
that we have the privilege again of
meeting in an Annual Conference of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints. I hope and trust that
the hearts of the Saints will be lifted
up in prayer to God, that during the
time we shall spend together in this
capacity, the Spirit and power of
God may rest upon the Apostles and
Elders who will address us, and upon
the Saints themselves who may hear.

I feel very thankful myself that I
still have the privilege of meeting in
general Conference with the Saints
of God. I realize that we are weak
instruments in the hands of God who
are called to perform this work. The
Lord has chosen the weak things of
the world from the foundation of the
earth, to perform His work in every
age and generation of men. I pray
that the Apostles and Elders of Israel
may be clothed upon with the Spirit
and power of God while they address
the Latter-day Saints. We want to
bear in mind that our strength, our
hope and our power is in the hands
of God, and not in men. The Lord
Himself has stretched forth His hand
to establish this Church, His king-
dom, His work, His Zion, the gather-
ing together of His people in fulfill-
ment of the revelations of God which
have been given to the inhabitants of
the earth since the foundation of the
world—since the day the old Patri-
arch, Father Adam, was brought
forth, and placed in the Garden of
Eden. From that day until now His
work has been performed by the in-
spiration of Almighty God, and not
by the power of man. The very things
in our history that we have been called
to pass through; the scenes which
have been enacted have shown, and
they show to-day to all heaven and
earth, in the warfare, in the opposi-
tion, in the labor that are manifested
among the sons of men—from the
creation of the world till to-day—
that this is the work of God. The
various persecutions, the efforts which
have been manifested against the orga-
nization of this Church and kingdom
for its overthrow and destruction,
should show—and have shown to hea-
ven and earth—that there is a power
on earth outside the power of man.

We have no power in ourselves.
We never have had in the guidance
and direction of this kingdom, only
through the interposition of Almighty
God. I have never read anywhere,
that I know of, of the same power
manifested in any dispensation to
the children of men, which was mani-
fested to the Prophet of God in the
organization of this Church, when
the Father and the Son both appeared
to the Prophet Joseph in answer to
his prayer, and when the Father said,
"This is my beloved Son; behold
Him; hear ye Him." [##Joseph Smith-History 1:17##] This was an
important revelation, which has never
been manifested in the same manner
in any dispensation of the world, that
God has given concerning His work.
So in its organization, the Prophet of
God was administered to by the
angels of heaven. They were his
teachers, they were his instructors,
and all that he did, and all that he
performed from the commencement,
from that day to the day of his mar-
tyrdom, was by the revelation of
Jesus Christ. We ought to under-
stand this, and, as a people, have
faith in God, in His revelations, in
His promises. We should look forth
for the fulfillment of these pro-
mises unto us in the day and genera-
tion in which we live. They will be
fulfilled. The Lord is at work. He
has set His hand to accomplish the
great dispensation of which all the
patriarchs and prophets have spoken
since the world began. Therefore let
not your hearts be troubled; believe
in God, believe in Jesus Christ, be-
lieve in the Gospel which has been
preached unto us, and keep and ful-
fill the commandments of God; then
all will be right. The Lord will not
fail the Latter-day Saints; He will
not fail in His work, in the gathering
of His people; He will not fail the
seed of Abraham; He will not fail the
seed of Judah. They will be gathered
home to Jerusalem, their holy place.
They will receive their city and Tem-
ple, and be prepared for the coming
of their King.

Zion will arise and prosper. If
the Latter-day Saints will but do their
duty, there is nothing in the way of
our accomplishing all that has been