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REMARKS

Made at the General Conference of the
Chu[r]ch, in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake
City, Sunday morning, October 7th,
1894, by

PREST. WILFORD WOODRUFF.

-[REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER.]-

I feel as though I want to say a few
words to the Latter-day Saints, although
I am in very poor condition physically
to talk to the public. This has been one
of the most interesting conferences I
have ever attended; and if I am allowed
to be proud of anything, I certainly
have felt proud and have rejoiced at
the spirit that has been manifested by
the Apostles in their teachings. One
of the subjects that they have dwelt
upon I desire to speak of, and that is
with regard to the Word of Wisdom.
The brethren have dwelt very strongly
upon this subject, and it is right that
they should. The Word of Wisdom
applies to Wilford Woodruff, the Presi-
dent of the Church, and it applies to
all the leaders of Israel, as well as to
the members of the Church; and if
there are any of these leading men who
cannot refrain from using tobacco or
liquor in violation of the Word of Wis-
dom, let them resign, and let others
take their places. As leaders of Israel,
we have no business to indulge in these
things. There may be things contrary
to the Word of Wisdom that we in-
dulge in, and that we think we cannot
live without; if we cannot, let us die.

President George Q. Cannon has been
laying before us the truth with re-
gard to the position which we occupy
here. This is the work of God, and we
stand as an example to the world.
Therefore, all of us, from head to foot,
should make up our minds to keep the
commandments of God. If I do not
value my standing, my salvation, my
crown of glory and eternal life more
than I value those things which are
represented as being unwise for us to
use, then I am not fit to occupy my posi-
tion. And this applies to every man in
Israel. We all ought to take a course
whereby we might be justified before
the Lord. We live in the last dispensa-
tion and fulness of times, and we are
placed here to guide and direct the
affairs of the Church of God on the
earth. Hence we ought to be wise men;
we ought to be righteous men, holy
men, temperate men; we ought to be
men that will stand in a position to re-
ceive the Spirit of God to guide and
direct us. If we do not stand in this
position, we are not fit to perform this
work.

Brethren and sisters, give heed to the
teachings that we have received during
this conference. As a people, we are ad-
vancing, and not standing still. We
send Elders abroad, and they report to
us every little while what they are
doing; but there is a class of Elders at
work every week that do not report to
us. You see their works, though you
may not comprehend them. As the
Savior said, "Ye may discern the face
of the sky; but can ye not discern the
signs of the times?" [##Matthew 16:3##] The Latter-day
Saints should observe the signs of the
times. The Lord is fulfiling every-
thing that He has said. There is
nothing given in these records of divine
truth but will have its fulfilment. Mes-
sengers have gone forth in the world
to make the commencement and to
carry out these great events that are
spoken of in the revelations of God. I
think it is time we should improve and
advance. The Lord is going to cut His
work short in righteousness, or no flesh
will be saved. The Lord is at work for
Zion, and He has made no mistake in
calling the Latter-day Saints to these
Rocky Mountains—the everlasting hills
which old father Jacob gave to Joseph
in blessing him. We are here and
laboring to promote the interest and
welfare of the Church of God. I feel
to rejoice at the manifestation of the
Spirit of God during this conference.
Many of us have been in this Church a
good while and are advanced in years.
I hope that what time we remain here
we may spend to good advantage. Let
us try to do our duty in all matters ap-
pertaining to the work of God. I am
thankful for the blessings we enjoy to-
day. Zion is growing. The earth is
advancing. The judgments of God are
approaching. The Lord says:

After your testimony cometh the testimony of
earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the
midst of her, and men shall fall upon the
ground, and shall not be able to stand.

And also cometh the testimony of the voice
of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and
the voice of tempests, and the voice of the
waves of the sea, heaving themselves beyond
their bounds.

And all things shall be in commotion; and
surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear
shall come upon all people. [##Doctrine and Covenants 88:89-91##]

The revelations of God have got to
be fulfilled. When? Some time before
the coming of the Son of Man—and
that is not far off. Therefore, let us try
to live our religion, and set an example
before one another and the world. I
accept the reproof of any Apostle or
Elder if there is any requirement of the
Lord that I am not fulfilling. That is
the way I feel, and I think we all should
feel so. We are greatly blessed in hav-
ing received the Gospel of Christ, in
having received the Priesthood and the
power to go forth and warn the nations,
that they may be left without excuse in
the day of God's judgment. And the
honest and meek of the earth have been
gathered to the mountains of Israel,
that they may stand here in holy places
while the judgments of God overtake
the world. Joseph Smith was raised up
by the power of God, and the Priest-
hood and Apostleship has been with us
from that day to this, and will continue
until Christ comes to reign. Christ has
passed through His trials and afflictions;
He has redeemed the world; He has
gone home, and He sits in glory with
the righteous, and will come with them.
All the prophets and apostles, those of
our day as well as of other generations,
will come with Him. Joseph Smith
stood at the head of the greatest dispen-
sation God ever gave to man.

These things are true. Let us try to do
our duty, walk uprightly before the
Lord, and appreciate the blessings we
enjoy. Let our prayers ascend before
the Lord to assist and guide us in every-
thing, that when we get through with
our work we may be satisfied. If the
eyes of this people were open to com-
prehend the truths of eternity, they
would see the importance of laboring
while the day lasts. Our sons and
daughters, if their eyes were open to
comprehend what lies before them,
would also labor with all their might to
qualify themselves for it, and our sons
would be prepared to go to the nations
to warn them, that their garments shall
be clean from the blood of all men.
Elders are being sent to almost every
part of the earth, and the cloud is be-
ginning to lift from off Zion. The
world is beginning to see us as we are.
They open their eyes and marvel at
what they see here. We are beginning
to be understood better than we have
been, and this will go on until a great
many in the world will feel that Utah is
a good place to live in. Our lakes and
rivers will not overflow and drown us;
but we will be protected from the earth-
quakes, from the cyclones, and from the
judgments that are now overtaking the
world. Very strange things have taken
place during this year, and the judg-
ments of God will continue.

I pray God that His blessings may
rest upon us; that our eyes may be
opened to see, our ears to hear and our
hearts to understand our duty and what
He requires at our hands, that we may
be justified when we get through. We
are all passing along. Many of our
missions will close in a short time, and
we will go as others have done. Then,
if not before, we will comprehend the
blessings we enjoy. When we get the
other side of the veil we will appreciate
this dispensation in which we live. I
do not know whether we do here or not.
I think many times we do not. I have