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This is the last General Conference address delivered by Elder Woodruff prior to his death from Smallpox some two months later.
My dear brothers and sisters, I hope that through the blessings of the Lord I may be able to make you hear, and be guided by the Spirit of our Heavenly Father in my utterances. I desire to say only those things that the Lord would have me to say. I feel very thankful to the Lord for a testimony of the divinity of this work, for a knowledge that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world, and that Joseph Smith was divinely commissioned of our Heavenly Father to establish this work, which has attracted the attention and the interest, either for or against it, of so many people. If it were not that God is at the helm, and directing this work, it had as well been abandoned many years ago; but the great assurance which has possessed this people in every hour of trouble, has been that God would deliver them and lead them out of every difficulty, stronger in faith and in numbers than before. That has been the history of our people. Had it not been for this testimony, that the Lord Himself is the author of this work, the conditions which have arisen in the past would have caused the people's hope to sink within them, and the outlook would have been very forbidding.
From time to time we may expect trouble and difficulty, because the Lord has decreed that He would have a tried people; that he would purify the gold in the fire, but that none of the gold should be lost. The dross would be consumed, and the gold should still remain. Such has been the past experience of this latter-day work, which has grown so marvelously under the persecution and the trouble which has beset it, ever since it was started by the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Latter-day Saints, as a rule, are not easily shaken by conditions, however trying they may be. The experience of the past has shown us that the few men who have fallen by the wayside because they were filled with fear when trouble arose, have signally failed in their efforts to lead others from the Church. The majority of the people of God today are not easily moved nor frightened; their hearts do not sink within them when clouds appear upon our horizon. I believe it is pleasing in the sight of the Lord when His people have sufficient faith not to be easily moved, so that when any difficulties arise, or whenever they are beset by the enemies of righteousness, they do not feel that the whole work is going to pieces, and that the Church can no longer make the remarkable progress it has made up to the present time. Our past history should be a strength unto us, and a hope for the future. It should stimulate our faith in God. Indeed, in the minds of those who have a testimony of the truth, there is no doubt whatever in regard to the outcome of this work. They know it will triumph over all its adversaries, no matter how powerful they may be. Whatever agencies are organized to oppose the work, they know that God is all-powerful, and that He rules the destinies of men and nations, and He will bring His work to victory in the end. So the Latter-day Saints who are doing their duty are not easily moved. On the other hand, whenever anything has arisen in the shape of opposition, and whenever the clouds have been dark and threatening, those who were weak, because they were not doing their duty and keeping the commandments of the Lord, have always been the ones who thought the work was going to pieces, and that "the bottom was falling out of Mormonism." Whenever members of the Church have such feelings within them it is an evidence of their own weakness, and of the fact that they are not keeping the commandments of God, because of which they have not the assurance regarding the final victory of this work that a faithful man possesses. We expect there will be opposition, but at the same time we confidently expect that God, in the future as in the past, will deliver us if we will only do our duty. We never intend to so shape our faith and belief that it will please the adversary, or the world. The present chaotic condition of Christendom, with its jarring, differing sects, presents a practical illustration of what the Gospel would be if it were cut and pruned to suit the wishes of the enemy of all righteousness. This Gospel tree which was planted in the meridian of time by Jesus Himself and which was nurtured by Him and His followers, was shorn of many of its limbs and branches to suit the wishes of the ungodly, until its symmetry was lost.
The Priesthood was taken to God, while those who were devout in maintaining the pure principles which God had revealed were put to death in various ways, because they would not recant, and deny the testimony which God the Eternal Father had given to them. These faithful souls contended that man must fear God rather than man, that he must meet his obligations to God, and in so doing he could not help but be a good citizen of the state. Those who keep the commandments of God are certain to become a benefit to any community in which they live. Most people shiver at the thought of trouble, especially if it come to them individually. They may feel all right if it comes to some one else, but when it strikes home those who are inclined to be weak and doubtful in regard to this work become very fearful. For their part they do not want any persecution. All they desire is a smooth road, a pathway strewn with roses, where there are no obstacles to meet.
But we claim that this work is divine, and if we expect to receive the reward of obedience thereto we may expect to labor hard for it. If we gain the great reward, we shall not be able to shun the fight, but will have to be valiant for the testimony of Jesus, upholding righteousness, doing our duty to God and to our fellow men in every respect. When I see men, as I do sometimes, who are filled with fear every time there is prospect of trouble, I always think of the Apostles in the meridian of time. I think of how they, rather than deny the testimony of Jesus Christ, were willing to submit to the most ignominious death for the testimony which God had given them.
The pride of the Latter-day Saints in regard to this work is that it is true, revealed from God to man, and that, unlike the various man-made organizations there has been no necessity to call a convention for the revision of its creed, to suit the will and wishes of mankind. This fact has been one of the main features which has stimulated the Saints through all the troubles and trials which have come to them, and one of the things they have cherished most. As Latter-day Saints we have great reason to rejoice in the goodness of the Lord. He has never forsaken us; and while I do not think that we ought to tempt Providence, or do unwise things that would bring trouble upon us, I have no fear in regard to the outcome of this work, if every man in the Church does his duty to God and to his fellow man.
The fear is, if we have any in regard to our selves individually, can we keep the faith? Can we trust in God in times of trouble and adversity as well as in times of peace? For my part, I rejoice that the Lord is still at the helm. I ofttimes think of the experience of the Savior, after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, and was then tempted of the devil He was shown the kingdoms of this world, and was promised dominion over all of them if He would but fall down and worship Satan. What was the answer of Jesus? "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Then He was taken upon a pinnacle of the temple and told by Satan to cast himself down; "for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." The Savior answered him, "It is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Now, I feel that, as Latter-day Saints, we have no right to, figuratively, cast ourselves from the pinnacle of the temple. God expects us to use the wisdom He has given us and not to tempt Him. Then if trouble comes upon us, according to the will of God, we will be strong to meet it.
It is not always those who appear anxious to get into a fight who are the bravest when the battle is on. More frequently those who are the most reluctant to enter the combat are the ones who show the best qualities under fire. As a people we have never had any desire for trouble. We only desire to serve God and keep His commandments, and then to leave the result with Him. By doing this we will be justified in the eyes of God as well as in the eyes of all good men. We never expect the wicked or the ungodly to be pleased with the plan of life and salvation which the Lord has revealed, but we do hope that the honest in heart will be able to see the kingdom of God as it has been established.
A friend of mine, a few days ago, in speaking of that passage which is so familiar to us all relating the conversation of Christ with Nicodemus, brought to my mind a new phase of that part of it where the Savior says, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." In other words, we cannot expect a man to see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. I had never thought of it particularly in this light before, but there appears to be some force in it. Notwithstanding the kingdom of God was established by the Redeemer Himself, His enemies could not see it because they had not been "born again." It was right among them, yet they were not able to perceive it.
The same may be said in regard to the work which the Lord has established in this day. Notwithstanding the Church and kingdom of God is among the people, they see it not, they comprehend it not, because they have not been "born again." According to the words of the Savior, they cannot see the kingdom of God unless they are born again; consequently they do not recognize the fact that the Church of Christ is upon the earth, and the kingdom of God is here in embryo, because they will not receive the light which has come into the world, for they love the darkness of the world better than the light of the Lord. We believe, however, that every trouble and adversity which the Latter-day Saints are called to pass through will tend to call the attention of the honest in heart to the work of God, and will be the means of bringing salvation to hundreds and thousands. The very agencies which our enemies use to defeat this work will be overruled by God for the benefit of it. It must be very discouraging to the enemies of truth when they take a retrospective view of the history of the Latter-day Saints and see how the Lord in His kindness has turned, for the blessing and increase of the Latter-day Saints and the work of God, all their efforts against it. Everything they have done to defeat it has only tended to strengthen it. This is in accordance with the saying of the Lord, that man could do nothing against His work, but for it.
I love the work in which we are engaged. I have faith in it and in its final outcome. I believe in God the Eternal Father, and I know that we are able to approach Him. In His loving kindness He is mindful of us. We have access to Him, and He answers our prayers. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, and that this is His work, and that it will come out triumphant. I thank God that I have faith in the leaders of this people. I have faith and confidence in Joseph F. Smith, the man who stands at the head of this Church; I know him to be inspired of God. The Lord is with him, and with the help of God I want to follow his leadership, observe his counsels, and do the will of the Father as it shall be expressed through him. God grant that the spirit of peace which the Gospel brings may pervade the homes of all the Latter-day Saints, that we may not be filled with fear at any time, except in regard to our own condition, and lest we may not be keeping the commandments of God. The only reason that we have for fear is that we are not living near enough to the Lord; but if we are doing His will we need not fear, for though all earth and hell should assail His work, yet will it prosper, because it has the stamp of divinity upon it. It is the work of God, not of man. This is my humble testimony, my brethren and sisters, and I rejoice in bearing it, in the name-of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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