My brethren, I rejoice greatly at this opportunity of saying a few words and being in your midst.

I sense and understand somehow — I think I am correct — that there are just about one hundred forty-one spiritual gardens which we here tonight have to take care of after we leave this meeting, and I am sure that we all feel that we can go back to these places, having drawn from that great reservoir which has been given to us here, and give that heavenly and spiritual food to those people who live and who abide in the vicinity in which we operate.

You know, I have been struck with this thought, that in all of the history of religion, in all of the Bible stories and all the stories of the Book of Mormon, God's advent among men commenced with small beginnings. As we have been chatting here tonight, talking about this great and marvelous and wonderful man Moses, just for a moment let your mind dwell on that man, if you like — the cradle; then the leaving of his country because of what he had done; then, as I remember it, the Bible says that Moses, watching the flocks of Jethro, at the back of the desert near Mount Sinai, saw this peculiar burning bush, which was not consumed, and the voice said to him, as he drew near it: "Moses, Moses," and he said: "Here am I, God"  Ex. 3:1-4 And then think of the length of time it took the Lord God Almighty to prevail on him to do the thing that he should do; his excuses of his speech, of his tongue; and finally, I think, as it occurs to me, more in desperation than anything else, God said to him: "What have you got in your hand?" "A staff." "Throw it down," and it turned into a serpent, and Moses turned to flee. God said to him: "Pick it up by the tail," and he did  Ex. 4:1-5

Even after that he said: "I can't do it. I can't tell these people. They won't believe me." And God said to him: "Go; but I want to say to you, Moses, that Pharaoh will not let your people go, not by a —" I was going to say a jugful, but God said, "Not by a great handful"  Ex. 3:19 But he did, and he accomplished the purposes which God gave him to do. Why? Because within him dwelt that which dwells within us, this marvelous Melchizedek Priesthood. That is the reason.

Now, I do not pray for that Priesthood, but I do pray that we may function and operate under the great call and the noble assignment which have been given to us, in such a way that we may ever honor the Priesthood, be proud of our acts, and God may smile upon that which we do, and I do that in the name of Jesus, Amen.