A Marvelous Work and a Wonder

A Marvelous Work and a Wonder Extracts from President Heber J. Grant's Opening Address at the Ninety-eighth General Conference, Salt Lake Tabernacle, Friday, April 6, 1928. It is certainly an inspiring sight to see this magnificent audience in attendance here this morning, at the ninety-eighth anni- versary of the birth of the Church. When I contemplate the fact that just a handful of people were in the Church ninety-eight years ago (the organization was effected with six members) and that now there are over half a million members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am reminded of the very wonderful revelation given to the father of the prophet (Doc. and Cov. section 4), over a year before the organization of the Church: "Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. "Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. "Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; "For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, (the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; "And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God. qualify him for the work. "Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, tem- perance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence. "Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." This audience testifies to the fact that a marvelous work and a wonder has been established. It testifies to the diligence of those who have gone forth, by the thou- sands and tens of thousands, during the last ninety-eight years, proclaiming the gospel in all parts of the world. I feel that we have great cause to be grateful for the blessings of the Lord to us as a people. The Prophet Joseph Smith I was profoundly impressed this morn- ing in listening to the congregation sing, "We thank thee, O God, for a Prophet." I am sure that whenever we, as Latter-day Saints, sing this hymn our minds go back to the time when it was written, and we think of the marvelous and wonderful work accomplished by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Speaking of the Prophet Joseph, an eminent writer refers to him in the follow- ing language: "Yet he being dead yet speaketh. The work be began has never ceased. ♦ ♦ ♦ "Who can explain Joseph Smith? What are 'revelations from God'? What is theii test? Is it not beyond all reason that a lad born of poor parents, devoid of any save the commonest education, too poor to buy books, should have accomplished what be did in less than forty years, unless there were some great reason for it? "Let any one. even a literary genius, after forty years of life, try to write a companion volume to the Book of Mormon, and then, almost daily for a number of years, give out 'revelations' by the score that internally har- monize one with another, at the same time, formulate a system of doctrine for a new church, introduce many new principles, resus- citate extinct priesthoods, and formulate a sys- tem of church government which has no superior on earth. "Would he succeed in making the system coherent? Could he influence scores of in- telligent, wise, thoughtful, educated, religiously trained men, like John Taylor. Dr. Richards, and scores of others, besides attracting thou sands to the fold of his church, as did Joseph Smith? Even if one were assured that the prophet was an imposter, that does not lessen