Certain basic truths must be accepted by all men now living if they would gain for themselves the fullness of that reward which is prepared in the mansions of the Father. These great truths are known only by revelation. They are revealed in the gospel, and are most devoutly believed by faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Many of them have been taught with power and conviction (in the sessions of this conference) by the living Oracles who stand at the head of this kingdom. They have been taught in plainness, and with that authorization and power which comes from the Holy Ghost and from no other source. May I be so bold as to recapitulate, as we near the close of the conference, a few of these great fundamental truths.

We believe that there is a God in heaven who is infinite and eternal  D&C 20:17 an almighty, all-powerful being—a personage of tabernacle, a being in the express image of whose body we mortal men have been created.

We believe that he has all power and all wisdom; that he knows all things, that in his infinite grace, love, and condescension for us, he has ordained the plan of creation, of redemption, of salvation, and of possible progression to an eternal exaltation on high.

We believe that he is our Father in heaven, literally; that we are his spirit offspring; that we dwelt with him in the pre-existent eternities, were taught by him, saw his face, knew of the terms and conditions that apply to the plan of salvation, and desired with an overwhelming longing that we, his spirit offspring, might progress to the state where we would have glorious bodies, and would attain the state of exaltation he then had.

We believe that he directed the creation of this earth, and all things that are on it; that he placed Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman, here; commanded them to multiply and fill the earth with posterity  Gen. 1:28 and to provide bodies for the hosts of spirit children who yet lived and dwelt in his presence.

We believe that Adam fell that men might be  2 Ne. 2:25 that the fall of Adam brought into the world a temporal death and a spiritual death—the temporal death being something that accompanies mortality and results in due course in the separation of body and spirit; and the spiritual death being to be cast Out of the presence of God and to die as pertaining to things of the spirit Or the things of righteousness.

We believe that after the fall of man, the voice of God was heard by Adam and his posterity; that angels from the presence of God ministered unto them; that the gift of the Holy Ghost was poured out upon those who diligently sought the Lord—by all of which means the fullness of the gospel, the plan of redemption and salvation, was made known; and that this plan was revealed from age to age in periods that we call dispensations of the gospel.

We believe that in the Meridian of Time the promised Messiah was born into the world as the literal Son of God; that he came into this world with life in himself, was the life and the light of the world; and by command of the Father (having the power to lay down his life and take it up again  John 10:17 to work out the infinite and eternal atonement.

We believe that he is literally the Son of God as you and I are the sons and daughters of our parents, and, as the angel said to King Benjamin, that "salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent"  Mosiah 3:18

We believe that he did in fact work out the infinite and eternal atonement; that he was lifted up upon the cross; that he died, was resurrected, rising again the third day to ascend to the Majesty on High.

We believe that he ransomed all men, unconditionally, from the temporal effects of the fall of Adam, in that all men will be raised in immortality and live eternally in that state, body and spirit inseparably connected; and that he offered to all men a conditional ransom from the spiritual effects of the fall of Adam, provided that men would repent and abide in the truths and laws of the everlasting gospel that are revealed from age to age.

We believe that the predicted era of gross darkness, of apostasy, came and succeeded the meridian dispensation, and that it was not until our day that the fullness of light and truth again burst upon the earth.

We believe that God has spoken again; that his voice has been heard again among men; that again angels have ministered from his presence; that again the gift of the Holy Ghost has been poured out upon those who have sought the Lord—by all of which means once again the kingdom of God has been set up among men, the Church of Jesus Christ has been established, and the decree gone forth that it will remain until the coming of the Son of Man, and of course, ever thereafter.

We believe that Joseph Smith, Jun., was the mighty prophet of the restoration; that by the grace and condescension of God (the young prophet having been prepared from eternity for his mission) he received line upon line, precept upon precept  Isa. 28:10 key, power, and authority upon key, power, and authority, until all things were restored, and every power and grace was had again that would enable men to be saved and exalted in the kingdom of the Father.

We believe, as our scripture so plainly recites, that:

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it  D&C 135:3

We believe that this plan of salvation—had of old, restored anew in our day—consists in these things: that men must come to a knowledge of the nature and kind of being that God is. They must learn his character, attributes, and perfections. They must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; must repent of their sins; must be baptized in water and of the Spirit by legal administrators who have power to bind on earth and to seal in heaven; and that then they must endure in righteousness and in faith, living by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God  Matt. 4:4 unto the end of their respective mortal probations.

We believe something more, as several of these brethren have said during this conference: that neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord  1 Cor. 11:11 but that the gate to exaltation and the fullness of eternal life in the kingdom of the Father is the new and everlasting covenant of marriage; and just as men may enter in at the gate of repentance and baptism, and work out for themselves a salvation hereafter by faith and diligence, so they may enter in at the gate of celestial marriage, and, conditioned upon keeping that covenant, come up in the resurrection as husband and wife, the family unit continuing through all eternity, and thus, eventually—as members of the family of God, members of the Church of the Firstborn—become joint heirs with Jesus Christ, and receive, inherit, and possess all things.

Now, we believe that God is no respecter of persons  Acts 10:34 that a soul is just as precious in his sight in this day as a soul has ever been in any age of the earth's history  Alma 39:17 and that he is just as willing now as he was in the days of any ancient prophet or any faithful people who have gone before to reveal to his children on earth the truths of salvation, and he will reveal them to any man who will come before him in faith, believing, seeking wisdom, as the young boy Prophet came when the hour had come for the opening of this final glorious dispensation.

I am grateful beyond any measure of expression that I have for the absolute certainty that there is in my heart of the divinity of this work, and I know that God Almighty will give any man this knowledge and open the door to possible, eventual salvation and exaltation to any man who will come in faith, believing, knocking at the door, and asking that he may receive the truth.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.