Outdoor Meeting
President Nephi Pratt, of the Northwestern States mission, expressed his gratitude in meeting with the Saints of God in the tons of the mountains, where they have gathered in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. He compared the conditions of the pioneers when they first entered this valley with conditions at the present, and recounted how they had been driven from a "Christian" community, who forbade the Saints worshiping God as they desired.
The speaker referred to the unstinted joy that filled their hearts, for they knew the Gospel was true, and were willing to sacrifice anything for it, even their lives if necessary. He also bore a faithful testimony of the truth of the Gospel
[Conference Report, Apr. 1905]
transcribed and proofread by David Grow, May 2006]
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Afternoon Session
Elder Nephi Pratt
My brethren and sisters, I have listened this day to that which I came to conference to hear. My heart has rejoiced in the things that we have heard. I am glad that I am here. I have come from the northwest, where I have labored for almost three years, to meet with the general body of the Church at these great conferences, for which privilege my heart is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving to the Lord. I rejoice in the mission over which I have been called to preside, notwithstanding the indifference of the people against most anything that bears the name of religion is so great that it is like the hide of a rhinoceros, scarcely penetrable, and it is all our Elders can do to get the privilege of having perhaps one gospel conversation in two or three days, and oftentimes that will be with people who have recently come from the east. In the year just past we baptized about seventy-five souls in that mission; about half of them were the children of people already in the Church.
I have to say that the Latter-day Saints whose sons have been sent up to our mission may be thankful to the Lord for the spirit that begins to burn in the hearts of those young men. Only the other day, in the great town of Seattle, on the Puget Sound, myself and counselors (one a son of Jesse N. Smith, the other Brother George W. Quibell) met with the Elders in Priesthood meeting. There were twenty-seven of us in all, and we had that spirit and power which has never been manifested to me in such great abundance as it was in the four and a half hours of that Priesthood meeting, one of the best I have ever been in—and I have been brought up in the midst of the Priesthood. Every soul present spoke by the power of inspiration, their hearts were melted, and they bowed their heads and wept for joy. They felt that they never wanted to commit a sin against the Lord, or even any folly, but desired to walk the straight and narrow path that leads up to eternal life. They felt like going with tears to sow the seed of eternal life among the people in that land.
We held meetings in Tacoma, sailed across the sound, and went over to the Island of Vancouver, and in our meetings there was a power that it was blessed to feel. We had liberty of speech, liberty of the Holy Spirit, and the Saints and strangers that came there will not soon forget these splendid meetings. We are not, however, setting the lakes nor the ocean on fire up there; but are working faithfully every day. Our missionaries are carrying literature from door to door, and whatever the result may be, we are doing the best we can. We hold meetings in the evenings, often upon the streets, and we sometimes have a baker’s dozen to listen to us, and at other times from four to six hundred persons.
We have heard the voice of inspiration through our Prophet who stands at the head of the Church, and in our field we know that he is a prophet of the living God; for we can testify that our hearts have burned within us when we have listened to his voice and testimony; and when we have yielded obedience to his counsel, we, too, have received revelation and inspiration from on high, such as men can only receive upon principles of righteousness.
This, brethren and sisters, is my testimony, and I bear it wherever I get a chance. I talk to men upon the trains, on the steamboats, on the streets, and in the homes of the people, and I find that the intelligent American citizen is not holding great condemnation over this people. Men are testifying to us of the confidence they have in us and in our leaders; and we feel greatly gratified at the manner in which some of the foremost men in Portland and Seattle speak of the industrial character of our people, and of the splendid way in which we unite together to bring about and make successful the great industries that have been established by us.
I wish to close my remarks by bearing my humble testimony that I know, and have known for many years, that God is with this people. I remarked this morning, as my mind meditated upon the apostate condition of some who have stood high in this Church, where are they? where is their power and where is their influence? This work never stopped a minute when they disapproved of what the prophets had done; on the contrary, it grew in numbers, in union, in power and strength. The light of those apostates has gone out, and their works are forgotten, but this people will continue to rise in might and power, and be prospered in the earth, for God has planted them; and Zion shall remain forever. Amen.
[Conference Report, Apr. 1905]
transcribed and proofread by David Grow, May 2006]
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Outdoor Meeting
President Nephi Pratt of the Northwestern States mission spoke on the restoration of the Gospel, and showed that there is but one Gospel, and that it is essentially and eternally unchangeable; hence the Gospel today must be the same as that which the Master established. He compared the principles taught by the former day Saints with those enunciated by Latter-day Saints showing them to be the same. Also the organization of the primitive Church with that of Christ’s church today was emphasized as to their similarity. Even the mode of preaching the Gospel is identical with that of early days, and the same bitterness towards the true followers of the lowly Nazarene is ever unchanged. The Gospel has been restored by an angel to Joseph Smith in fulfillment of ancient prophecy.
[Conference Report, Oct. 1905]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, May 2006]
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