J. Golden Kimball

First Council of the Seventy (April 5, 1892 – September 2, 1938)

General Conference Addresses

  • April 1938 General Conference
    • Faith
      • “I love God, and I love God because he is a God of love, because he is a God of kindness, a God of forgiveness, for he has provided an opportunity that with all our weaknesses we can repent.”
      • “You good people learn to love God. But without faith what can you do ? All of us can have faith, and without it we cannot accomplish a single thing.”
  • October 1937 General Conference
    • Beware of Riches
      • “Plenty of money entitles you to anything: honor, society, and emoluments. The rising generation who are poor look upon this pleasure loving people with envy and a yearning for worldly things. And as the spirit of the age in which we live takes hold of them, they assert their individual independence and break away from what are called “old-fogy ideas, old bigotries, old superstitions.” They go recklessly wild, at sixty miles an hour, claiming what is termed the “new liberty of the twentieth century,” and run daringly into forbidden pastures. Today all over America we see everywhere among the rich and poor, the cultured, educated, and ignorant, the indications of the sensual tendencies of the age, and we forget for the moment the degradation and destruction to which such a life leads.”
      • “No single instance can be given as evidence that unlawful sensual pleasure can be indulged in without paying for it a thousand times in pain and remorse.”
  • April 1937 General Conference
    • A Testimony
      • “Now, I don’t know of anybody here present that has a greater reason to be thankful than I have. I may be ungrateful at times, and I may be unthankful, but I honor God, the eternal Father, and His Son Jesus Christ.”
  • October 1935 General Conference
    • The Savior Runs the Church
      • “I met quite a prominent man on the street—that is where I generally have my conversations—and he was “digging” at the Church. He was wondering why we do not have revelations. He was putting all those things up to me. I said : “Look here, my friend, I want to be kindly with you. You haven’t got the same spirit and testimony I have. I still retain my testimony that this is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. God is our Father, the Creator of the world, the Giver of all good gifts. Jesus Christ is his Son, the Redeemer of the world. I am willing for the Lord to run this Church, but I wouldn’t take a chance on it if you had anything to do with it.””
  • April 1935 General Conference
    • Sacrifice for the Gospel
      • “I am telling you plainly and frankly that the greatest joy, the greatest peace, and the greatest happiness I have ever had in my life have come when speaking under the spirit of testimony. I have felt that thrill throughout my being. It is a joy and happiness that cannot be expressed.”
      • “When we think we can preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ without sacrifice, without hardship, without persecution, then we have changed the whole plan.”
      • “If you will go out under the influence of the Holy Ghost and testify that God is the Father, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, you will get all the persecution you can stand.”
  • April 1934 General Conference
    • Need for Vision
      • “We have men who can look into the future. Men of vision is what the world needs.”
      • “Today, at the dawn of the twentieth century, we, as Latter-day Saints, are in sore need of a vision of the future which will uplift us above and beyond the petty, sordid interests of the moment, viz: That money devil, intemperance, and immorality, are some of the evils which are lying right across the highway of our future. It is riches, automobiles, oriental rugs, fashion, social functions, class distinction, and other worldly things that appeal to our covetousness more than just doing right, for they are advertised better and have a stronger appeal to our sordid natures.”
  • October 1933 General Conference
    • Tribute to BH Roberts
      • “When anything troubled me about the history of the Church or scripture, I went to Brother Roberts. He had the most wonderful mind and memory of any human being I have ever known, right up to the very last. A great light has gone out in my life. I will soon follow.”
  • October 1932 General Conference
    • Find a Good Man
      • “Whenever a man comes to me now and tells me how honest he is, how good he is, I am not going to do business with him.”
      • “I find that a man can act good and talk good and look good and not do any good.”
  • April 1932 General Conference
    • Follow the Spirit
      • “We never know, if we listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit, just what it will do for us.”
      • “Does the Lord God direct his servants? He certainly does. If he doesn’t we are a failure and we are no better than others. We do not know just what to say. I don’t.”
  • October 1931 General Conference
    • Debt
      • “An honest man is in hell when he is in debt. I know all about the feeling. I went through the mill of the gods, and it grinds slowly, but it grinds fine.”
      • “I pray God to soften the hearts of the people. They are doing wonderful things and they are going to do wonderful things. We have the organization. We have the inspiration. We have the knowledge. We know how to take care of people, if the Lord will soften our hearts and help us to give and keep giving. I pray the Lord, while the people are giving, that he will soften the hearts of bankers. As long as you can pay your interest and pay your taxes you are safe, but I want to tell you if you don’t pay it they will foreclose to protect the bank and its depositors.”
  • April 1931 General Conference
    • Service Among the Seventies
      • “Any time the Lord moves upon his servants to call upon the Seventies, I assure you they will respond for I am as familiar with the quorums of Seventy as any man in the Church. I have labored among the Seventies for nearly forty years, and I love the work and God has given me the spirit of my office and calling when laboring among them.”
      • “It is scripture; it is the word of God, and I would advise myself and every other man and woman in this Church to read the Bible. It is not read as much as it should be. The same is true of the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. You will find within the lids of those great books many prophecies and revelations, and if you will go to God and ask him in humility if these things are true he will give you the testimony and you will know.”
  • October 1930 General Conference
    • Heber C. Kimball Was a Prophet
      • “God answered my prayers, and isn’t that a pretty good evidence that God lives?”
      • “I am here to testify that the spirit of prophecy is in this Church. Any man who has a testimony that Jesus is the Christ has the spirit of prophecy, and I know that we have living prophets. Whenever the Lord desires, and it is his will to speak through his prophets, I have no fear and no doubt as far as I am individually concerned that they have the courage and the faith to speak the words of God.”
  • April 1930 General Conference
    • Prophets of God
      • “It was only two months ago that a young lawyer—I suppose he considers himself one of the brilliant young lawyers—undertook to criticize severely the President of the Church. I was somewhat disturbed. I said, “I am going to take out my watch and give you five minutes to name a better man.” I haven’t heard from him yet. I want to say to you, in full faith and confidence, no man has ever earned his place as the prophet of God, through loyalty, faithfulness, devotion and sacrifice, more than President Heber J. Grant.”
      • “No one ever gave me a nickel for any joy that I ever gave him. I think we need a little cheer, a little helpfulness, and a little encouragement.”
      • “The prodigal dollar seems to be swallowing all that is great and noble in the nation.”
  • October 1929 General Conference
    • Triumphs of the Pioneers
      • “At the conference six months ago I was fortunate in being called upon, and I occupied three minutes. To my surprise I was complimented everywhere I went. People say it was the best sermon I ever preached. Of course, did I believe what they said to me I would close now; but I have what I think is a message.”
      • “Few of us are so gifted as to be able to attract and to converse intelligently with our own children. A parent must be a genius to tell of the days of their strength, the days of their suffering, sorrows and defeats, and yet make clear how they won glorious victories.”
  • April 1929 General Conference
    • A Short Testimony
      • “I trust, my brethren and sisters, that in the few words I speak I may be able to impress the people of this Church with the fact, as I am quite sure I have done in the past, that I am frank and honest and sincere in my faith as a Latter-day Saint.”
  • April 1928 General Conference
    • Reflections on Heber C. Kimball
      • “What is the good of all this education and science if it cannot tell us that there is a survival after death? What is the good of it all if it cannot answer a simple question like that?”
      • “The words of a prophet, when spoken by the spirit of God, are the words of God, as he is the dictator.”
  • October 1927 General Conference
    • The Work is True
      • “I would like to have myself and everyone feel and realize that God, too, is molding his servants in this day and age of the world. The gospel has been restored upon the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, with all of its gifts and blessings pertaining thereto, and I am a living witness, a Seventy and a preacher of righteousness who, standing before you without fear and , without doubt—for I have seen the power of God made manifest through the administration of those ordinances.”
  • April 1927 General Conference
    • Inspiration
      • “I want to advise this people, if the Lord ever does give you an inspiration, for heaven’s sake write it down and remember it. If Joseph Smith the prophet had not done that, you would never have had some things contained in the Doctrine and Covenants.”
  • October 1926 General Conference
    • Lessons
      • “We never know how much good we do when we speak in the name of the Lord. I don’t believe, I can’t believe, that I ever converted a man in my life, but I have taught the truth, I have preached the gospel.”
      • “Temptation somewhere in the life of all finds us, as this life is a testing time. Therefore, watch and pray and ask God to leave us not in temptation but deliver us from evil, as ternptation is ever lying in wait and in a thousand forms is temptation repeated.”
      • “There is very little use of preaching religion or morals, or honesty, virtue and truthfulness to those whose motives and tendencies all point toward vice and sensuality unless they repent and sin no more.”
  • April 1926 General Conference
    • The Test
      • “Now, brethren, pray in your hearts; you need not make any to-do about it, but ask the Lord to inspire his servants to say things that will answer the questions and doubts that are creeping into the hearts of God’s people; for doubt and uncertainty is creeping into the hearts of a number of our people.”
      • “Now, brethren, you can judge yourselves. Do not bother about me. Be concerned about yourselves, and I will get along the best way I can.”
    • Mission Wisdom
      • “I have had some experience, along with my brethren in the Church, and while I may not have accomplished everything that I was appointed to do to the very best advantage, I desire to say to you that I have never been appointed to do a single thing in this Church but that, when I got the spirit of my appointment, I was qualified and fitted to assume that responsibility.”
      • “I prayed, and my companion prayed, and then we got up and moved on. I guess we would have starved to death if we had kept praying and had not hustled; the Lord doesn’t help people who do not hustle and move, after they pray, and do their duty.”
      • “One good mother stated that her son wrote her and said, “I have only $3, and if you do not send me some money I will be licking the paste off the signboards.” And the mother came to me somewhat disturbed and said : “Brother Kimball, what shall I do?” I said, “Let him lick paste for a while; he will find the Lord, but he never will with his pocket full of money.” I have repeatedly told the “Mormon” elders that they never found God yet with their pockets full of money.”
  • October 1925 General Conference
    • Callings
      • “The Savior, the Son of the living God, came upon this earth and went through all his sufferings and did the things he saw his Father do, but he was not understood. He was misinterpreted, and some of his children did it conscientiously, no doubt, and some very wickedly.”
      • “All great men have been misunderstood. So I conclude that to be misunderstood is greatness; that is, if you speak the truth.”
      • “I want to tell you in a few words that there is nothing in the world that the wicked dislike so much as the truth, and if you will tell the truth under the influence of the holy Spirit you will have to have faith in God and realize that you are in his service.”
  • April 1925 General Conference
    • To Preach the Gospel
      • “During my loneliness I have sought after God. I love God; I love him for his kindness, mercy, patience, and for his forgiveness. I sustain this work as best I know how, and I love the brethren, because they are kind to me, because they have patience, and because they are forbearing.”
      • “During the time of my poor health my family were very much concerned. They wanted me to go through a physical examination. Nothing in the world frightens me like a scientific examination. I went to the clinic of the Stanford University, to a young physician of some considerable renown. I passed through an examination—the X-ray, and all that stuff. This young doctor did not believe in God, man, or the devil. I found that out. I told him I was a “Mormon.” He said, “You will never get any better.” I said, “O, yes, I will, I have a greater physician than you are.” He said, “Who is he?” And I said, “The Lord Jesus Christ.” He said, “There’s nothing in it.” He was drowned last year, and I am still alive.”
      • “To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ; they were entrusted with a mission which carries with it suffering, sacrifice, sorrow, hatred and persecution, but the message brings to the human family, if they will have faith in God, repent of their sins, and be baptized by immersion and have hands laid upon them by the authorized servants of God for the reception of the Holy Ghost—there will come to them joy, happiness, virtue, goodness and godliness. To accept this mission is to fill a high place in the world’s history. To be a chosen people we have gone forth through trials, tribulations, suffering, sorrow, hate and agony, sacrifice and humiliation, and have humbly and faithfully performed the heavy, responsible tasks laid upon us by Jesus Christ for the good of his Father’s children. Surely we ought to be blessed, rewarded and entitled to recognition. A chosen people should not indulge in the thought that God’s whole attention is absorbed in watching over and caring for a favored few. Let the righteous of all nations rejoice in God’s grace and exult in his justice, which means that the righteous of all other nations have a share in the teachings of the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
  • October 1924 General Conference
    • Power of Testimony
      • “Brethren and sisters, I have a conviction burning within me, sometimes, like a living fire. There are a lot of things I do not know, but I know some things. I have paid the price. I have eaten the bread of adversity. I have drunk the water of affliction, and I have found God. I have told you that before. I have found God, and he has answered my prayers. I have heard that still small Voice—we call it a Voice—spoken to me not infrequently, and whenever have followed it I was right. So that I can say with you that I am blessed in all my ways, because the Father gives to me of his Holy Spirit to guide and direct me in every situation, if I am humble and contrite in spirit and in truth.”
  • April 1924 General Conference
    • Following God
      • “If you say there is such a man living upon the earth, however inspired he may be, or however good a man he may be, who can please and satisfy all people, I question whether that man ever lived. I know mighty well I am not one of them.”
  • April 1923 General Conference
    • Being Faithful
      • “To begin with, if the brethren and .sisters desire me to run smoothly and make no breaks, it will be advisable to keep awake until I finish my speech, as it requires exceeding great faith to put into practice what you preach, and it calls for much faith to believe what you teach. For me to be my natural self is somewhat dangerous, and to be original would cause the very air to resound with criticism. I fully realize that brevity, and to the point, should be added to the virtues.”
      • “We will never be shaken, if we know that Jesus is the Christ. It is a wonderful thing to know.”
  • October 1922 General Conference
    • Teaching Others
      • “I don’t want to brag about sickness, because it is a kind of a disgrace to get sick in this Church, and not have faith to be healed.”
      • “I will say right here, as far as God is concerned, and Jesus Christ, there is no disease that is incurable, if faith is exercised.”
      • “I feel aroused sometimes and the palms of my hands just itch to take hold of the jaw-bone of an ass and beat these things into dull men’s skulls; I would do it, too, if I only had the jaw-bone.”
  • October 1921 General Conference
    • Honesty
      • “There is nothing that I desire more, outside of the Spirit of God and the honoring of the Priesthood and the sustaining of this work, than to have an honest mind.”
      • “The Lord can do very little for a man who persists in being dishonest and untruthful.”
  • April 1921 General Conference
    • Mission Labors
      • “Brethren, I have had a pretty lonely time. I have had a pretty hard struggle. I haven’t suffered much pain. I have got a pretty good brain, but it has not been big enough to handle my body; I have tried to direct and control my body, but it wouldn’t obey. I have been administered to by some of the best men in this Church; no better men ever lived than the men who have administered to me, but I am sorry to say, and ashamed to say, I did not have the faith to be healed. There is not a man in this Church who knows any better than I do that God the Father and Jesus Christ the Redeemer are the great physicians. I have unfaltering, unwavering faith in God the Father and in his Son Jesus Christ, but you cannot be healed without faith; you have got to have the faith.”
  • October 1919 General Conference
    • Meeting God
      • “I may not have a perfect and true conception of God, but I love God; I love him for his perfection; I love him for his mercy; I love him for his justice; and notwithstanding my many weaknesses I am not afraid to meet him. For I know that he will deal justly by me; and the great joy I will have is that he will understand me and that is more than some of you have been able to do.”
  • June 1919 General Conference
    • Tribute to Joseph F. Smith
      • “President Smith was trained, instructed, and prepared for this great appointment as prophet, seer and revelator by the greatest men who ever lived, in my judgment, in the history of the world.”
      • “Joseph F. Smith was like that. He was a man of great integrity. Few men had greater integrity or greater faith. He loved God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might and that is all a man can do.”
  • October 1918 General Conference
    • Sustaining the Brethren
      • “Our people and the children of men are very ready to criticize the brethren of the authorities and the local brethren who preside over the stakes and over the wards. They seem to feel that it is their right, and they certainly take advantage of it, some of them; so that I am not discouraged at all.”
      • “So that sometimes, and very often, the servants of God speak by the Spirit of God, but some of the people haven’t got the same spirit, and do not believe the servants of God. Now, brethren, I want to express to you this thought, that it is just as necessary for you Latter-day Saints to have the Spirit of God as it is for the apostles and the seventies and the presidents of stakes and the bishops, for when you speak, or when the servants of God speak under the influence of the Holy Spirit, it is the word of God to the Latter-day Saints. I do not care whether you like the mannerism or the crudity of the speaker. That does not make any difference, whatever; it is the word of God to you.”
  • April 1918 General Conference
    • Standing Blameless
      • “I may not .stand blameless before God at the last day, but I am not afraid to meet my God and be judged by the Lord as to my desires, efforts and works. I understand the gospel of Jesus Christ well enough to know that God is perfect and deals out justice and mercy to his children; Jesus Christ is the door to the sheep-fold, and with all my many imperfections and weaknesses, if I am invited by the Master to come in at the door, all men who try to block my way will get run over and pushed aside.”
      • “Little do you people know what it costs in time, effort, and study, to acquire the art to sing; if we as a people put forth a tithe of the effort they do to sing, in studying the word of God, we would be the most intelligent people in all the world.”
  • October 1917 General Conference
    • Great Truth
      • “Why do I know it? Because I have learned it through the things which I have suffered. We have to suffer sometimes to find things out; until our hearts are twisted, before we are meek and humble and have faith in God.”
      • “There is a great test on, and it is only those who know that Jesus is the Christ that will be able to stand.”
  • April 1915 General Conference
    • Will We Pay the Price?
      • “You see this wall surrounding this block —do you think we built it to keep the Indians out? I want to tell you we built it to give employment; and when people were out of work, and hungry, we found something for them to do. If we could not find anything else to do, we built walls. That is what you want to do now—give service—give work.”
      • “If people are out of employment, you find something for them to do, and then bless them.”
      • “The greatest of all gifts is “Eternal Life,” but we have to pay for it, just like our fathers and mothers did. We will have to pay for it with service, and with sacrifice; as there can be no blessings obtained without sacrifice.”
    • Serving Missions
      • “Faith is a process; faith consists in hard work, and when you accept a call for a mission, the desire must be put in one’s soul day after day. You think it over and over, and then go doggedly back to it and keep on asking yourself, What is it I really want? You will have an awful time answering the question. If you have found out what you want, then my advice to you is to get prepared for it.”
  • October 1914 General Conference
    • Finding Billy Goats
      • “It must be understood by the Priesthood of God, in this Church, that there can be no such thing as resigning from a quorum of Priesthood in the Church. When you have made covenant with God and the Church and received the Priesthood you cannot resign. The only way to get out of a quorum of Priesthood is to commit sin, and get disfellowshiped from the Church. As long as you hold that Priesthood we have the right to receive you into the quorums and it is the duty of those who preside to labor with those who are careless and indifferent.”
      • “I believe all that has been revealed unto this people, whether I can live it or not; I believe it all; I swallow every bit of it, I don’t sugar-coat it, either.”
  • April 1914 General Conference
    • Old Time Enthusiasm
      • “What we need is old time enthusiasm. We should make a strong appeal to the rising generation and get the boys and girls to use their heads, and go to work with their hands. We need practical education, ambition, push. The whole family ought to work, none should be ashamed of work, but all should roll up their sleeves and dig.”
  • April 1913 General Conference
    • Prayer and Patience
      • “Whenever the time comes, in my ministerial labors, that I cannot be frank and honest with the people I will feel that my usefulness has come to an end. I cannot talk if I have not freedom, and if I ever feel that I have not the spirit of the people I will be unable to talk.”
      • “Pride in parentage won’t save you. If we get salvation, we must keep the commandments, and serve the Lord.”
      • “I don’t want to be radical, but I think we are in great danger; I think it is wrong for us to sit down quietly and feel satisfied that “All is well in Zion,” that our children and children’s children are not in constant danger. There was a time in the peaceful valleys of these mountains when we were as one great partiarchal family, when it seemed practically safe for our children to run hither and thither. When it was just as safe in this great city of Salt Lake as it is in your distant country places to leave your doors open. I was born right up here on the hill, and have known this city all my life: it is not safe any more.”
      • “I think if you will just ask the Lord for what you need each day, and you will believe that the Lord is near and can answer your prayers, then there may be friendship between you and God.”
      • “Prayer can be made in a simple, humble manner, without using a multitude of words. A person does not love the Lord just because He created him, or because He has given him health or wealth; it is not for outward manifestations. Your love may become weakened when illness and sorrow come to you. I hear people pray, “I thank thee, Lord, for health.” They ought to be thankful; it is the greatest blessing we can have. But what do you do when you are sick? Do you forget God? What do you do when you accumulate a little means? I haven’t been in poverty all of my life, and I haven’t been raised with a silver spoon in my mouth. I went out and fought my battles in the north country. I know what it costs to earn your bread by the sweat of your brow. I was mighty grateful for what I acquired, because I worked for it, I never grafted men for it, but I lost it. Now, have I forgotten God, because I lost it? Is my love and gratitude to God on so small a foundation that, just as soon as I lose my health, I will forget my Maker?”
      • “I ask the Latter-day Saint husbands if you have wives that look at everything just like you do? I would not give a snap of my finger for a woman that did not fight for her rights. I am thankful that my wife happens to be one of that kind; she has her own personality, her own individuality, and we don’t always see things just alike.”
      • “The father almost needs the patience of Job to get a family together for morning prayer.”
      • “There is no use of my trying to govern a family until I govern myself.”
  • October 1912 General Conference
    • Half-Way Men
      • “Not long ago I had one of my friends—he was a good friend, too, president of a stake—he said: “Brother Kimball, you don’t make yourself clear.” Well, I don’t know of any man on earth that ever did, so all people could understand aright. The Savior seemed unable, sometimes, to get His children to understand just what He meant, although He was very clear in the doctrine which He. preached. I know I have some friends who do not believe in the way I get at it, but I am not trying to please all of them, because that is absolutely an impossibility, so I have given it up. My temperament is such that I cannot say anything inspiring, or bubble with enthusiasm, and be clear, happy, or joyous, if I have to wear a restraining collar and cater to popular sentiments. I would like my preaching to have color, thrill. feel homelike, and revive old memories, and myself feel free as a colt in a pasture. Now, if I can’t feel that way among the Latter-day Saints, where on earth can I go that I will feel free?”
      • “God rises above men. We are Hke Him, but He is perfect and that is why 1 have faith in Him, knowing that I will be rewarded for all of my faithful labors, and for all of my mistakes I will have to be responsible.”
      • “I would rather be dead than to be numbered among half-way men, persons who have plaster cast expressions on their faces, and are without hearts, without souls, without love and bigness. They are the hypocritical class, such as were found among men when Jesus was on the earth. They have the gall and nerve to want everything on earth as a reward for their assumed generosity. They call it alms-giving or helping the poor; some call it religion, but that is a misnomer. That kind of people are a spineless class, self-righteous, intolerant, and the cause of endless mischief. They never fight in the open.”
      • “This world was not made just to hold people imbued with selfishness and unhappiness, with no ambition beyond eating, drinking and begetting. We ought to plan ahead, have some purpose, that is truly living.”
  • April 1911 General Conference
    • Happiness in Doing Your Duty
      • “I have not had very much experience in prophesying, but will ask the Latter-day Saints: If you prophesy do you stop to think about it, and wonder how the people will receive it? I take the position that there is no man living that was inspired of God, and prophesied in the name of the Lord, who took time to think about it; inspiration does not come that way.”
      • “I am a son of a prophet, but I never got my knowledge and information from my father. I expect to get it from the same sources from which he received it; and if I live as close to God as he lived, I will have the same knowledge of God as he had, and know that Jesus is the Christ.”
      • “The Lord knows if there is any one I sympathize with it is a man who is not doing his duty and who is a member of this Church, because I know how he feels. I am going to tell you how he feels, because I know whereof I speak. I have been in that place, in the history of my life.”
      • “Only those are happy who are doing their duty.”
  • October 1910 General Conference
    • Integrity
      • “We have had a great many elders who would have closed our missionary labors, as far as the world was concerned, but the Lord is not so short sighted and impatient; He has all eternity, and He proposes to save His children, “excepting the sons of perdition.” Some of us become very impatient with each other because we fancy we are better than others, and we become angry with our fellow-men because they will not do as well as we do. I love the Lord because He causes it to rain upon the just and the unjust; because the sun shines for them as brightly as it does for any of His children. And while He is just. He is merciful.”
      • “You can’t boast very much about your appearance. We are a hard working people, and we would not take a very good picture, unless you take the better side of us; but I tell you, in the name of the Lord, we have got clean hearts; we love the Lord; we love truthfulness; we desire to be honest, truthful, and virtuous. You can’t judge us by our appearance. If you knew the hearts of this people, there would not be the bitterness there is against the Latter-day Saints.”
      • “This is God’s work, and I look in sympathy upon men who oppose it. I stood on the street last night—something I hardly ever do—and listened to a man abuse the Church; and I had to laugh. I was a good deal like father was once when he was praying. In the midst of his prayer, he burst out in a loud laugh, and he said, “O Lord, forgive me; it makes me laugh to pray about some men;” it always amuses me when I see a man or a coterie of men try to break down this Church. I would say to these kind of men: You had better let the Church alone; you had better let the people alone; because you can’t destroy the Church.”
      • “If there is anything we are doing, as members of the Church, that is dishonest, untruthful or intolerant, God has not commanded it. We have got to be honest; we must be truthful; we must be moral, if we are saved in the kingdom of God. I do not know just what will come out of our complex situation, but I do believe this, most ardently, that “every tub shall stand upon its own bottom.” I believe that every man, woman, and child will have to have a testimony and a knowledge that this is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or they cannot stand.”
  • April 1910 General Conference
    • Revelation
      • “I have staked myself out. It will take me about eight minutes, and that is time enough to put about one half of you people asleep. I have discovered that some people are not good listeners, especially if they are not interested.”
      • “I have never been afraid of the children of men when I had the Spirit of God. I never was afraid of a mob in the Southern States when I had the Spirit of God, but I was scared pretty nearly to death after the Spirit left. It takes lots of courage to say always what you think. The trouble is, we think things sometimes we ought not to say.”
      • “The thought comes to me that Oliver Cowdery imagined he knew a great deal more than the prophet. There are others of that kind living in our own day. There were men in the days of the prophet who wanted his place, I have heard it said that there were only two or three of all the apostles in that day who did not want the prophet’s position. They imagined they were smarter than he was.”
      • “We need revelation for the calling of officers in the Church. Men should not be called merely through impression. I have felt censured for some work that I have done in the Church. I set apart Seventies as presidents of quorums, and after having set apart some of these presidents, I have been doubtful whether God had much to do with it, other than they had been- chosen and set apart by one who had authority. It has not been demonstrated by the actions of some men that they were chosen of God; they were chosen by mere impression and time was not taken to consider what God wanted. My conviction is that men ought not to be appointed by mere impression. The word of God teaches me that no man has a claim upon appointment in this Church, unless he is called of God as was Aaron. It doesn’t matter whose son he is; although I fancy sometimes that I got my position as one of the First Council, out of respect to my father, so that his name might be represented among the authorities of the Church.”
      • “Then came President Lorenzo Snow—I had the same Spirit and the same testimony concerning him. No man was ever kinder to Golden Kimball than Lorenzo Snow. He put his arm around me before he died, and said, “I need you: I need your help; God bless you.” That is the only time I have ever felt like a full grown man. I felt like I was eight feet tall, that God needed me. I have felt big only once, and that was the time when I thought God needed me in this great work.”
      • “I have read revelations that are not in the Doctrine and Covenants, and they were given to men for their comfort, for their consolation, to tell them that certain things were true. But the Prophet never received them; they were not given for the Church, for if they had been given for the Church they would have been received by the man appointed, and they would have been binding on the Church.”
      • “In conclusion, there are a lot of things that we are troubled over. I have spent a few sleepless nights myself, regarding the doings and actions of men who were in authority, but have concluded I am not responsible for anything I may regard as irregularities. I must not lift up my “heel against the anointed and say they have sinned when they have not sinned before the Lord.” If the Lord cannot care for His Church, what can I do? I am going to trust in the Lord, and I am going to trust in His Prophet, Joseph F. Smith.”
  • October 1909 General Conference
    • Temporal Salvation
      • “I desire it to go down in history to my posterity, that, while I have made a number of failures, I did not fail as a pioneer. When I left that country, I could have bought out a dozen men who had been raised and remained in Salt Lake City; I mean young men who worked behind the counter. But I lost it all through speculation. That is what I want to talk to you about. Speculation—there is nothing more dangerous to the people and to the Church of Latter-day Saints, unless it be immorality and wickedness. I point you back to history, to Nauvoo. What did the spirit of speculation do, according to the history. It nearly destroyed the people there.”
  • April 1909 General Conference
    • Be Generous
      • “I have said some things that I am sorry were said and printed. I never know just how I will begin nor how I will end.”
      • “Every Latter-day Saint in the Church should receive every truth, or else none of it. I believe it all.”
      • “What can, God do for a man who is not honest? You may baptize him every fifteen minutes, but if he does not repent, he will come up out of the water just as dishonest as ever. What can God do for a liar who refuses to repent? Can the Lord save him? He can’t claim salvation. Baptising him in water will not settle the trouble, unless you keep him under.”
      • “Men may deceive men; they may deceive apostles; they may deceive the President of the Church; they may even get into the temple, but that would not make them virtuous. You may confer the Holy Ghost upon them by the laying on of hands, but the Holy Ghost does not remain with the unrepentant; it will not remain in an unclean tabernacle. To deceive men is easy, but I want to tell you in the name of Israel’s God, and this thought should be burned into the souls of our sons and daughters, that unless they repent of all their sins and cease immoral practices, they cannot remain in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Holy Ghost will not stay with them; they will not have the testimony of Jesus. This doctrine is true.”
      • “Let us repent, if we have got any bitterness in our hearts toward each other, let us be generous, and forgiving. No man has any influence or power for good when angry.”
  • April 1908 General Conference
    • Let Us Be Kind
      • “When I was in the mission field, I said to the Elders: whenever you are moved upon by the Spirit of God, and the spirit of testimony, you are to testify that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, and I promise you it will make you all the trouble you can bear. I have never been afraid of the world, nor the children of men, when I have enjoyed the Holy Spirit.”
      • “I am trying to be wise, and I am trying to be prudent, and I confess to you I am having a terrible time. It is old men for counsel, young men for war. I believe I am a better warrior than I am a counselor.”
      • “Then I would like to take you on a trip down to Arizona, in the St. Johns country. I preached Faith there once, but I want to tell you I haven’t got enough faith to stay in such an undesirable country. You talk about good people; you talk about righteous people; I tell you there are people in this city who are not worthy to unlatch their shoestrings. That hard country, and their obedience to the Priesthood of God, has made those men great characters. You can’t discourage them.”
      • “A man can’t repent simply because an Apostle tells him to repent; he can’t do it until he gets the spirit of repentance, which is a gift from God; and some of us don’t get it very quickly. Some of us don’t get the spirit of repentance and see things right until our hair is gray. Brethren, let us be tolerant; let us be kind and considerate. It is the proper thing to despise sin and wickedness; but I think it is wrong to despise the man that has a weakness, and make him feel that he is good for nothing, and that there is not much chance for him. I think I can safely say to you Latter-day Saints : You will all be saved, every one of you; the only difference will be this, some will be saved sooner than others. Every man that has transgressed and done wrong must pay the penalty of his transgression, for salvation costs something, and you have to pay the price or you don’t get it.”
  • April 1907 General Conference
    • To Be Saved
      • “I am very doubtful if a man can be saved in the kingdom of God who has no individuality, and does not assert his agency, because salvation is an individual work.”
      • “Now, as I said, I waived certain rights when I became a member of this Church; I waived the right of sin. I had my agency and individuality; but as long as I am a member of this Church, I waive the right to sin, to transgress. When you joined the Church, became members of it, you also waived the right to do a great many things. You have no right to break the ten commandments, have you? You have no right to be dishonest. You have no right to commit adultery, or to be immoral. You have waived all these rights. You have waived the right to break the Word of Wisdom. And in many other things we have waived our rights, and sometimes I feel muzzled when I wrestle with my nature and human weaknesses. You know there is no other man just like me in all. Israel, and probably you are glad of it.”
      • “Experience teaches me that when I have been angry, I am quite sure I did not have the Holy Ghost, and I was not in any proper condition to administer reproof. It took me quite a long while to learn that. When I became excited, fanatical, and over-zealous, I mistakenly thought it was the Spirit of the Lord, but have learned better, as the Holy Ghost does not operate that way. My testimony is that the internal fruits of the Holy Ghost are joy, peace, patience, long suffering, and kindness.”
      • “My brethren and sisters, I want you to be good to me, and help save me. If I can be saved it is an encouragement to every man, woman and child in Israel to make the effort. If you have weaknesses, try and overcome them, and if you fail, try again, and if you then fail, keep trying, for God is merciful to His children. He is a good deal kinder to us than we are to ourselves, more kind to us, perhaps than some who hold the priesthood are to each other. I have learned the lesson that nothing on earth would be a greater failure to me than to fail to keep my family in the Church.”
  • October 1906 General Conference
    • Get Your Inheritance
      • “Now, there are many things about this work that I do not comprehend, but because I cannot tell it all it does not prove that it is not true. I have studied the history of this Church, and I testify that this is the Lord’s work, that He has given unto us Proohets and Apostles, the Holy Ghost, and all the gifts and blessings of the Gospel, and that we have been led by inspired men.”
      • “Construction is very difficult, destruction is easy. Ordinary men can criticize and destroy. It has required much sacrifice to establish this Church.”
  • April 1906 General Conference
    • The Lord’s Army
      • “My experience has taught me that the kingdom of evil is not going to lie down quietly while we are kicking it. You will generally find that enemy quite ready for a fight.”
      • “You owe first allegiance to your quorums and quorum meetings, for there is where you get your authority and power. Why is it that we are different from other men in the world It is not because we have greater knowledge and information, but because we hold the Priesthood.”
    • Suffering of the Saints
      • “It seems to be the destiny of the children of men to suffer sickness, sorrow, pain and poverty, and to die. With our most perfect organization, Priesthood and authority, we still have troubles, and skeletons in our closets. It is considered a good thing to look wise, especially when not over burdened with information.”
      • “Well, that is Mormonism; it is our Church, as long as we keep the comandments of God; and we can be put out of it only through apostasy, rebellion, or criminal actions. Now let us stay with it, and, like my brother Andrew, always tell good things about Zion and let other things alone.”
  • October 1905 General Conference
    • Labor for the Kingdom
      • “I am not going to announce any blood and thunder doctrine to you today. I have not been radical for four long months, not since I had appendicitis. I came very nearly being operated upon. I thought I was going to die for a few hours. People said to me, “Why, brother Kimball, you needn’t be afraid, you’ll get justice.” “Well,” I said, “that is what I am afraid of.” Well now, the Latter-day Saints need not get frightened; they will get justice.”
      • “I don’t know what the Lord wants in all things, if I did I would be willing to try and carry it out. The Lord’s ways are not as man’s ways, and He does things so differently from the way we want to do them that many of us are oftentimes surprised, and it requires constant faith to stay in this Church.”
      • “Some people that called themselves Latter-day Saints would have destroyed this Church long ago if they had had the power, but they couldn’t do it.”
      • “Now if any of you love this work devotedly, go out in the world and preach it, there are many millions of people that have never heard the Gospel.”
  • April 1905 General Conference
    • The Church Will Prevail
      • “New I grant, my brethren and sisters, that sometimes we have to endure, and I presume that if we live the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ we have to endure all things; but it requires a very prayerful heart to enable us to endure some things.”
      • “If I leave this Church I hope I will have manhood enough to leave it like a man, and not be a traitor and fight the people. I said to one man once, “You have a right to leave this Church, and it is a very simple thine to do. Just notify those in authority that you desire to withdraw.” It is our business to treat all such kindly, to sympathize with them, and if possible to uplift them; but I do not like a traitor, and never did.”
      • “Any of these backboneless people, any who are afraid that God’s work will not triumph, had better get in the background, and let those that have courage stand in the front of the battle. Of course, I might be the first one to run; I have not been tried yet; but I know I will be tried if I stay in this Church. I know that I cannot live on borrowed light. You can talk and preach and expound until you are black in the face, but if you do not know that Jesus is the Christ you will never stay in this Church.”
  • October 1904 General Conference
    • Apostates
      • “We must have a knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, or we can not stand. Latter-day Saints who have failed are those who have not obtained a knowledge that Jesus is the Christ; all such are liable to apostatize. I am afraid there will be a lot of apostates, and that worries me.”
      • “You can’t live on borrowed light any longer. This Church has passed through many close places, and, as my father said, it will pass through many other close places before victory and triumph is given to you or given to the Church. I know a good deal more about this Church than the man did, one of those strangers that come in our midst, who went on a hill here recently and stood in an ant bed, and when the ants commenced to bite he commenced to curse the “Mormons.” I suppose he thought they were “Mormon” ants, and he held us responsible for them.”
      • “Now I want to serve notice on all Catholic, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches—I don’t suppose they will take my advice; they never have done up to date, but I would like to continue giving them good advice—I would advise them never to receive a man into their church that had been a Latter-day Saint and apostatized from the church. Such individuals will never make good Catholics, good Methodists, nor good Presbyterians. They will be agitators, and make a deal of mischief in those churches, because they will be so restless and unsettled that no one near them will have any peace or rest; ana tney will get to asking a lot of questions. The first thing they will ask is, “Where do you get your authority from?” and that will worry you a little. And they will ask other hard questions, and make trouble and mischief. And then they are no account anyhow, as members of any church.”
  • April 1904 General Conference
    • Sustaining the Brethren
      • “Our special mission and calling is to see to it that all peoples and nations hear the glad tidings of great joy. Personally, I have no feelings against the Gentiles and those who are not of our faith, and I can say it honestly, thanking the Lord that I am broad minded enough to carry the olive branch in my hand and preach the Gospel of peace to the nations of the earth; but when it comes to apostates and our own people lifting up their voices against us, I tell you there is not influence enough to restrain me from rebuking them. I am not willing to fold my hands and stand silently by and hear apostates abuse our leaders and people. Why? Because they know better.”
  • April 1903 General Conference
    • How To Popularize the Church
      • “I have labored in the ministry long enough to know that should I be favored to enjoy the Holy Spirit and speak the things that the Lord shall give unto me; they will not be altogether in harmony with people who do not enjoy that spirit.”
      • “I have thought some little lately about the Bible, which we claim to be the word of God, “as far as it is translated correctly.” Taking that statement into consideration, there are no people on the earth that quibble so little about the Bible as do the Latter-day Saints. I am strongly impressed with the idea that the Bible cannot be understood only by the same spirit with which it was written. If that statement be true, I am impressed with the idea that the Christian world have not got very much of it, or else they would understand it more alike.”
      • “Now, we have the Book of Mormon; and if there is anything on earth that has made trouble for this people it is that book. It is largely the means of costing the lives of the Prophet Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum and hundreds of others belonging to this Church. But I am prepared to testify that it contains the word of God. We have also the Book of Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, which are accepted by this people as the revelations of God; and they have made an endless lot of trouble for this people, because they are the word of God. There is only “one of a city and two of a family” that are willing to accept them; so you need not think I am going to get discouraged because they do not believe all I say, and you need not think I am going to stop talking, if permission be given me, because some people do not believe all I say.”
      • “Brethren and sisters, I believe I will tell you how to popularize the “Mormon” Church. If you want to be popular, I can tell you how to be so. The “Josephite” church has started out in about the right line to accomplish their purpose, by cutting out a number of truths that Joseph Smith revealed to the Saints, and In this way they are trying to popularize themselves. Now, if you will stop sending out these fourteen hundred Elders, testifying that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, that we have apostles and prophets Inspired of God, that we enjoy revelation, that the signs follow the believer, that the sick are healed by the laying on of hands, that we have divine authority from God, then you will be popular. Are your prepared to do it? If you will stop going into these temples and receiving your endowments and being married for time and all eternity, that will help a little. After awhile, it seems to me, if I have the right spirit, they will refuse to allow us to hold offices if we go into these temples and receive our endowments from the Lord. And while they have not rejected us yet, I am rather impressed that they will reject us; for the Christian world have already done it, and I do not know but what this nation will. I do not know but I will be glad when it comes. If the Lord cannot take care of His Church and His people and look after their interests, then we have been mistaken. I tell you we have friends and we have men in the world who have the Spirit of God, who will rise up and protect this people. I am not numbered among those who think that we have no friends, for we have friends; but, brethren and sisters, you are not of the world, and therefore the world hateth you, speaking generally. If you want to be popular, stop doing the things that I have mentioned, and deny their truth. But if you want to stay with this Church, be true to your covenants. The time will come when you will be—as you are now—a light set upon a hill. I tell you, all the devils in hell cannot destroy this Church. And the devil never has been entirely comfortable since that temple (the Salt Lake Temple) was completed.”
  • April 1902 General Conference
    • Missionary Work Among the Church
      • “I expect to live a number of years yet, and I hope the fire won’t entirely burn out of me. I had one of the Apostles tell me, “Brother Kimball, if you don’t quit making so much noise, you will burn out.” “Well,” said I, “I want to burn out, and give room for somebody else, as I believe some men live too long.””
      • “The devil does not do his dirty work in the daytime, when the sun shines; but he is getting so he does some here under the blazing electric light. Are we going to watch our children?”
      • “The devil is breathing in the hearts of our young people, and the very air is stagnated in some of our larger cities with the spirit of immorality, and no greater sin can find its way in the hearts of our young people. I tell you, it is your duty and it is my duty to go out as missionaries; not to preach these things from the pulpit, not to talk- to our sons and daughters publicly, but privately, and point out to them in a proper way, the great and abominable evil of secret sin.”
  • October 1901 General Conference
    • Safety in the Church
      • “I can see only one course of safety for the young people of this Church, and that is, to teach them until they have an abiding faith in God the Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”
      • “The trouble has not come to us in the way of tornadoes, or cyclones; but it has come to us and to our sons and daughters in the way of temptations. There is a very great missionary work to be done right here, and I am in favor, while we are not abroad, of doing a missionary work at home.”
    • Focusing on What We Should
      • “Do not, dear brethren and sisters, take life too seriously, for we are not altogether responsible for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am very serious and solemn at times and worry a great deal. I read somewhere that the man that worries is not well balanced. Let us cease fretting about the Lord’s Church and become evenly balanced, so that we are not under the necessity of trusting to the arm of flesh, but are fixed and fastened to the rock of revelation.”
      • “Some of us are very much exercised about certain things that are transpiring in the Church, and in relation to the actions of others. This has always been the case since the organization of this work. While it may be true that many of this people have been tried over the actions of men, it will continue to be the case as long as men preside over us. I desire to inform you that men and women that are not keeping the commandments of the Lord, but are continually giving way to their weaknesses, justify themselves by pointing out what they consider mistakes in the presiding officers of the Church. They worry very much more about something that does not come under their supervision than they do about their transgressions.”
      • “There is every reason for us to believe that we will prevail over our enemies if we will sustain and support the Priesthood and mind our own business.”
  • April 1901 General Conference
    • Judgment and Courage of Missionaries
      • “I desire to say to the rising generation. You do not have to be Apostles, you do not have to be Presidents of Stakes, nor Bishops to enjoy the gifts and blessings pertaining to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, And I say to you that some of you—and I may be among that number—place too much stress upon the positions that men hold in the Church, and we fancy in our weakness that we cannot be saved, that we cannot serve God, that we cannot be faithful and true and enjoy revelation from God, unless we have high office in the Church. There is danger in exalted position, and where “much is given much is required.” The poorest man in all Israel, though he may carry a hoe and be dressed like a pauper, is entitled to revelation from God, and he is entitled to lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover through the prayer of faith.”
      • “Judgment comes with age, as a rule, not always. We young men that have responsibilities placed upon us oftentimes have a great deal of courage, but may lack judgment. The point I want to get at is this: we must have some very brave and courageous men.”
  • October 1900 General Conference
    • Preaching the Gospel Bravely
      • “I want to ask you Latter-day Saints if, when men are inspired of God and you exercise faith for them, as you have done in this conference, they are to be always held accountable for what they say under the influence of the Holy Spirit.”
      • “I have been fearful that some of us have become cowardly in our hearts in advocating the principles of the doctrines of Christ.”
      • “It is getting so a man dares not to open his mouth for fear he will say something, for fear he will tread on what they term holy ground.”
  • October 1899 General Conference
    • Carrying the Gospel to the Nations
      • “There are something like one hundred and twenty-two quorums of Seventy in the Church of Jesus Christ, numbering nearly eight thousand men. Over each quorum there are seven Presidents, the Lord having arranged it so that six of them can go on missions, and always leave one to look after the remainder. And in my opinion there should not be very many remaining to look after.”
      • “I desire to say that there is a percentage of the Seventies than whom there are no more faithful men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But the other percentage I have not much to say about.”
      • “I desire to proclaim from this stand that, as a Seventy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as a witness of the Lord to the nations of the earth, I am willing to go forth and cry aloud to the children of men repentance, and I ask no Seventy to do what I am not willing to do myself. I have the faith to testify, and am willing to do so, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, notwithstanding it is unpopular to do this.”
      • “We do not want any Seventies that are run by their wives either. I do not blame the wives for running their husbands, because I think we have Seventies that their wives ought to run. I hear it almost every day (I do not want you to think it at home either) “What a lovely husband that man is. If I only had a husband like that I would be happy.” I ask what kind of a husband he is. “Well, he shakes the quilts, he puts the carpets down, he helps wash the dishes, he helps dress the children,” etc. Well, if it takes all that to make a good man, you cannot count me in among them. I would rather go on a mission, and I would rather stay and die with my neck in the collar. I think it is honorable to do these things when you are at home, but if I have to do them, I want to stay at home but a very little while. I do not believe that God gave a man the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood and ordained him a Seventy in the Church of Jesus Christ, to be tagging after one little woman and spending his whole life in that way. That is what I want to say to you Seventies; I have said it and I don’t propose to take it back. The Lord bless you.”
  • April 1899 General Conference
    • Shaking Hands
      • “Brethren and sisters, we can afford to be sympathetic; we can afford of all people on the earth to be filled with sympathy and compassion. I am not concerned very much about what other religionists do. We have the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it has withstood every test.”
      • “I am sorry to say that some of my acquaintances, some who are near and dear to me, have been won from our Church through love and sympathy.”
      • “Even if you are in a hurry, stop and shake hands before going on, but do it right; have the spirit of God within you, and when you greet them say, “God bless you.””
      • “We should learn to love and honor each other. We should have the spirit of God burning within our hearts. You can make more converts in this way than by any other means.”
  • October 1898 General Conference
    • My Ambition
      • “I have only one ambition, only one desire burning in my heart, and that is, to serve the Lord and keep His commandments.”
      • “I have, however, an ambition to be saved in the kingdom of my Father. I desire to understand the Gospel, the plan of life and salvation, and if there is any greater ambition that can be given unto the children of men, I pray you to point out the pathway.”
  • April 1898 General Conference
    • Redeeming Zion
      • “It is now your duty to not only listen but to digest; not only to make resolutions, but to live up to the instructions that have been given, if you expect to receive the blessings of the Lord.”
      • “It is not a difficult thing to live in a log hut if you have never had anything better, but it is a difficult thing to drop to a log house when you have been living in a castle. But our pride has got to be humbled, young men.”
      • “Now I want to prophesy, as the son of a prophet, that if this people want to be blessed they must labor for Zion; for if you labor for money you shall perish. You are under covenant, and it is a demand that God makes of this people that they redeem Zion. You have got to be generous, and you have got to place all that you have and are upon the altar and learn to live the law of the celestial kingdom.”
    • Preaching the Gospel in the South
      • “You know, we should be like clay in the hands of the potter. We have got to be ground, moulded and fashioned into a vessel of honor. And a great many of us are lumpy, although some of these old Seventies have been ground for sixty years. It has taken a long time to grind them, so that they will become tractable like little children. It will take just as long, perhaps, to grind all the lumps out of me, and other young men.”
      • “I have a testimony that the Gospel is true. I can preach it a great deal better than I can live it.”
  • October 1897 General Conference
    • Study and Pray
      • “I have discovered in my short career that I don’t amount to very much; that all that I have tried to do within myself I have failed in. The only blessing of real comfort that I have received is in laboring in the ministry.”
      • “Now these are the last days, spoken of by the prophets; these are the “perilous times.” And I want to say to you that mountains of obstructions will be placed before this people, and if you have not been tried, you will be; if you have not been tested, you will be, before you gain eternal life.”
      • “I am fearful that some of the Latter-day Saints simply come to the leaders and listen to the servants of God, and they never study it out in their minds; they never go to the written word, and compare it with the servants of God in their doctrines and teachings, and consequently they are unable to judge righteously, and they are losing confidence. Their confidence is being shaken, and they are unable to judge, because they have not first studied it out in their minds, because, as a people, we are mentally lazy. I will say that, because I do not expect to preach here again for a long time. If any of us have got a bad taste in our mouth for anything that has transpired, why, let us repent, let us study it out in our minds, and then go to our Father, in humility, and ask Him if it is right, and if it is right He will cause a burning within our bosoms, and we shall know that it is right; but if it be not right, we shall have no such feelings, but we shall have a stupor of thought.”

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