Ezra T. Benson

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (July 16, 1846 – September 3, 1869)

General Conference Addresses

• April 1867 General Conference
  • Word of Wisdom
    • “We can be happy only in keeping the commandments of God and in being wholly devoted to the things of His Kingdom.”
    • “He gave this without command or restraint, observing that it would be pleasing in His sight for His people to obey its precepts. Ought we not to try to please our Heavenly Father, and to please His servants who are paving the way for us into the Kingdom of God?”
• October 1865 General Conference
  • Exhortation to Home Manufacture
    • “Let us give diligent heed to these things. There is plenty for us to do if we are diligent in the things of the kingdom of God. How simple and plain are the principles of salvation! They pertain to us as mortals, and to this mortal world, and they show us that our heaven is here and will be of our own making, for we are of the earth, earthy; we came from the earth, and the meek will inherit it.”
• April 1863 General Conference
  • Practical Duties of the Saints
    • “Our enemies imagine that we want to wage war with them, but they are greatly mistaken, for we are only at war with their corruption, meanness, and degraded conduct.”
• April 1862 General Conference
  • Gratitude for the Blessings of the Gospel
    • “If we have been gathered here to these valleys of the mountains to be taught of the Lord, if we do not have the spirit of humility, how can we be taught? And if we are taught, what good will it do us? We require to be in that state of mind that will render us susceptible of instruction; then, at the close of this Conference we shall all have it to say that we have been well paid for coming together to worship the Lord, and we shall also feel that the teachings and instructions have been applicable to our organizations and circumstances in the different departments of the Holy Priesthood, which the Almighty has conferred upon his servants in these last days.”
    • “It behooveth us as Elders, Presidents, and Bishops to lay these principles to heart and have them riveted to our minds; to lie down and sleep and wake up again with them fresh in our minds in the morning, and go forth attending to the duties required of us by our callings in the Priesthood; and then we will profit by these instructions. Do not let us allow these wholesome teachings to go in at one ear and out of the other.”
• April 1861 General Conference
  • Testimony and Religion of the Saints
    • “While some are groveling in the dark, drying up in the things of God, and striving to lead into other channels, and doing that which will gratify their own corrupt dispositions, we should be endeavoring to increase in the light and knowledge of the truth, and to set an example that is worthy of all imitation.”
    • “If I were to go and pray to another God, I should expect that he would give me revelations to suit his own purpose, and that he would lead me out of the path in which I am now striving to walk. He would lead me away from the true and living God, and he would lead me into doubt and darkness.”
    • “If we are led by the Spirit of the true and living God, we are always led aright, we are always happy—always cheerful, we rejoice evermore, and pray without ceasing.”
• April 1855 General Conference
  • The Word of Wisdom
    • “The Word of Wisdom implies to cease from adultery, to cease from all manner of excesses, and from all kinds of wickedness and abomination that are common amongst this generation—it is, strictly speaking, keeping the commandments of God, and living by every word that proceedeth from His mouth.”
    • “When I hear a word dropped by anyone that will tend to thwart the design of God’s holy word, why then I feel most indignant.”

Other Reported Talks

• Necessity of Opposition, Discourse in Salt Lake City, February 16, 1853
  • “It is for our good, that we may not lie down and become indolent, and say all is ease now in Zion. But the devil is not dead yet; he is on hand to do his work, to perform his mission, which is to stir up the Saints to their duty, if they do not attend to it by being counseled from God. It has been so in every age of the world—it has been the experience of this people.”
  • “It is impossible to do anything, to any great extent, without an opposite. This is strictly according to the experience we have had. We must have an opposite, it must needs be that there is an opposite in all things to square us up, and make us ready to become useful in all things. I am glad of it, myself.”
  • “Can an Elder in Israel leave this place and go into the world to preach the Gospel without revelation? No. Can people live in these valleys of the mountains without it? No, they could no more live without the light of revelation than they could without eating bread, and performing the duties required at their hands. Well, what difference is there, then, if a man can have all that he needs?”
  • “We hear of meetings being established around in this city, for this ite, that ite, and the other ite. What is the matter with this portion of the people? Have they been neglecting their duties and their prayers? When I am out in the country, and stay at the houses of the brethren, I have an opportunity of seeing who prays. I stop all night at a brother’s house, I eat with his family, and I begin to know how he feels. If he is a praying man, he will ask me to pray with him, or he will pray for me, and his family, and the welfare of Israel.”
  • “I found, as I traveled round among the people, that many Elders of this Church seldom bow down to pray. We cannot live righteously without praying. Show me an individual who lives without prayer, and I will show you an individual who lives without the bread of life.”
• Liberty, Reform, Etc., Remarks in Salt Lake City, September 12, 1852
  • “When we talk about liberty, I consider it is liberty to do just about right—to do that which shall be for the good of the community we dwell with, for the society of the Saints, and the kingdom of God on the earth.”
  • “We are serving a God who is able to bring good out of evil for the salvation of his chosen people.”
• Address to Departing Missionaries, Remarks in Salt Lake City, August 28, 1852
  • “There is no calling under the heavens, among the children of men, that is so desirable and so great as to go and preach this Gospel.”
  • “When Satan begins to grin and show his teeth, you may know there are sheep not far off. Only put your trust in God, and he will keep you and preserve you, as in the hollow of his hand. Be comforted, brethren, whether you go to the nations of the earth or stay at home. It is just as necessary for men to live humble here as it is for them to live humble when they go there; for Satan is not dead yet, and brother Brigham says he is glad of it. It is necessary he should live on the earth a little while longer to stir up the Saints by way of remembrance of the covenant they have made; and I have become perfectly reconciled concerning the things of the kingdom, and am so from day to day.”

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