When I was a high councilor many years ago, I used to have the practice of putting my three children right in front. We had the signs of the monkeys to guide me in my talk. If I wasn't standing straight, eyes over the eyes. If I was speaking too loud, hands over the ears. When it was time to sit down, hand over the mouth.

Rachel, will you do that for me tonight? You watch and see how I accomplish this. It's an honor to be with you, President, again. He was my boss, up until they called him to be president of BYU. I was the adviser. An adviser is the lowest one on the possible pedestal of any organization.

And he was the Executive Director of the Priesthood department. My, we had some wonderful times together. And I miss him, but they were kind. They gave me Elder Bateman to replace him. Paul, it's always good to be with you. Please give your mother my best, one of my dear high school friends. I find myself continually feeling the inspiration of the last general conference. [INAUDIBLE] about 17 minutes of the whole proceedings. I felt the power of the messages, especially the doctrinal presentations on the restored gospel. Fortunately, we can continue to study these messages. Sessions are replayed on television and over the Internet, and the printed text is available in the Church magazines in a remarkably short period of time. And just one month after the final session, we have both the Ensign and the Liahona ready for distribution. I think that's a marvelous accomplishment. It is now possible to study these messages by topic for use in our personal study, for our family home evenings, and source material for our teaching the gospel in assignments that emphasize the words of the prophet. As I reviewed the sermons, I've been impressed with the doctrinal foundation taught, how the Lord has blessed us with additional truths to enforce the holy scriptures in our lives. From the beginning of time, the Lord has instructed His servants to make a record of His dealings with them. For example, in the days of Adam, a Book of Remembrance was kept in the which was recorded in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration. Abraham reported that "the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the rights of the priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands. Therefore our knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets and the stars as they were made known unto the fathers, have been kept even until this day. And I shall endeavor to write some of the things upon this record for the benefit of my posterity that shall come after me." And Moses in his great vision concerning the Lord's work was commanded, "And now, Moses, my son, I will speak unto thee concerning this Earth upon which thou standest. And thou shalt write these things which I shall speak." Throughout almost all periods of time, there's been a longing for the people to know the scriptures. In about 458 B.C., Ezra the Scribe, after bringing the people of Judah back to their land in Judea from their 75 years of captivity in Babylon, gathered them together so he could read the scriptures to them. "And the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street, which was before the water gate, and they spake unto Ezra the Scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the Priest brought the law before the congregation, before both men and women, and all they could hear with understanding upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein, before the street that was before the water gate, from morning until midday." You see, they've had a block plan for a long time. "Before the men and women and those who could understand, and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book, the law." During the time of the New Testament, too, missionaries such as Paul and Silas found the people who received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily. Even so, the Savior's Church had not been organized very long before the Apostasy began to enter in among the organized body of the Church. It compelled Paul to write to the early Saints, "I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." The early Christians suffered much persecution. However, by the first quarter of the fourth century, there was a great change and a general increasing in attitude towards Christianity. It was marked by the conversion of Constantine the Great, under whose patronage the Christian profession grew in favor and in fact became a state religion. But instead of humbly following the Savior, who established the Church, people began to seek Church offices for social honor and for wealth that accompanied them. Soon pomp and ceremony became a part of the Church. The ordinance of baptism was perverted. The sacrament was altered. Public worship became an exhibition of art. Men without authority exercised the prerogative of the Church in leading the people. The age of darkness was upon the earth. And a period of the Great Apostasy reigned over man. And they were in a condition similar to the Sadducees that sought to entrap the Savior concerning the marriage issue. The Savior told them, "Ye do err in knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God." I guess all of us find ourselves in positions at times when we try to answer the perplexities of life without having a foundation and a knowledge of the truth that will lead us in the right direction. It seems that there was a longing in some of the people to have the words of the Lord to guide them in their lives. As we move through the period commonly called the Dark Ages, we see an awakening and a desire of mankind to have the holy scriptures. In AD 385, the Pope recognized the need for making the scriptures available for the priests to use. He commissioned Jerome to work on a revised version that would be used by the Catholic priests. Jerome worked for 23 years to create the Vulgate Latin translation of the Bible. Almost 1,000 years later, 1,000 years later, John Wycliffe translated the Latin Bible into English. Very few men had the opportunity to have their own copy of the Bible, because it had to be handwritten. It took a copyist about 10 months to make a copy. Some people would borrow the scriptures for a day, or even for an hour, because they could not afford to buy them. It was said that a load of hay was the going price to use the Bible for an hour, because the scriptures were not readily available and accessible to most of the people. They were at the mercy of the teachers of religion for the knowledge of their content. Before the restoration of the gospel could occur, the scriptures needed to be available in a form that could be used by the common man. Between 1450 and 1455, Johann Gutenberg of Germany took the important step in that direction and published the Latin Vulgate Bible, the first book ever printed in the movable press. It was early in the 1500s that William Tyndale saw the need to make an English translation of the Bible directly from the Hebrew and Greek text rather than from the Latin Vulgate. As a scholar trained in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek, Tyndale was able to identify many errors in the Latin translation and would often turn to the Greek and Hebrew texts in his teaching. But his work of translation was interrupted by church leaders who were opposed to having the people have a knowledge of the scriptures. Tyndale was pursued and eventually imprisoned. He suffered mental and physical torment for 18 months, until October 6th of 1536, when he was taken from his cell, tied to a stake. There he uttered a loud prayer. "Lord, open the King of England's eyes." Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake for heresy. Since then Tyndale has become known as the father of our present English Bible. About 92% of Tyndale's translation survived in the English King James Version. The version prepared by a committee of scholars was printed in 1611, and it was widely used. The King James Version of the Bible is recognized worldwide for its beauty of expression and general accuracy, given the limitations of the manuscript from which it was translated. Now the scriptures were generally available to man. But there arose also a great conflict among religionists about which of the doctrines were to be followed and which were correct. Revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith have made it clear that the King James Version, as great as it was, did not contain all of the ancient manuscripts. Many plain and precious parts have been lost. There needed to be a clarification of the language in the scriptures, not made by scholars but by a prophet of God.

I am intrigued with the Lord's timing to bring forth His gospel again. It shows that He understands His children. The simplicity of life in the early 1800s was a good seedbed for the Restoration. Technology had been asleep for centuries. Communication almost had to be face to face. If you wanted to travel, you had to rely on the winds or the strength of man to move vessels over rivers, lakes, or seas. And by land, you had to travel by beast of burden or just plain walk. A half a century later may have been too late to find the humble, hardworking, rugged pioneers necessary to establish His Church. At the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith's birth, the world's population was about 1 billion. Since that time, we've seen a population explosion. Technology has similarly advanced, with the invention of steam power, electric power, the telegraph, the telephone, the radio, the internal combustion engine, air flights, television, and the computer, and on and on. Even to our day, it continues to expand and grow as we see new technologies coming. It seems as if the Lord has been opening the minds of man to prepare them for an age when the gospel would be preached in its fulness. This restoration has come at a time when a large number of God's children can have ready access to His word as revealed through His chosen prophets. The Lord needed someone who was teachable, who would be an instrument through which He would restore the gospel. He needed someone He could mold into a leader. Out of the weak things of the earth, the Lord raised up a prophet with power and with strength. The one foreordained for this great assignment was the Prophet Joseph Smith. Few prophets have come from more humble beginnings than the Prophet Joseph did. He had little opportunity for education. He was not quite 15 years of age when the Lord touched him and brought forth a marvelous vision, through which mankind would again know the true nature of God, His relationship to His Son, and Their relationship to the Holy Ghost. It is interesting that the Lord chose to reveal Himself to such a very young man. I think there are probably two reasons. Joseph had not been educated in the ways of the world. Therefore he could be more easily taught the pure doctrine by visitations and establishing his understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Second, Joseph would teach what he had learned from others in simplified words that could be understood by all mankind. Through Joseph, the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth. An essential part of the Restoration was the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon clears up the misconceptions about the gospel as presented in the Bible. It stands as tangible evidence of the reality of the First Vision and of Joseph Smith's divine calling. It teaches about faith in God. It strongly urges obedience to His will and testifies of the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth, that He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. It declares the truth of the divine origin of the Bible and corroborates its truths. It teaches of a purity of thought, word, and deed, and sets heaven as the highest goal of life. As in previous dispensations, the doctrinal base provided in the scriptures-- in this case, the Bible and the Book of Mormon-- make possible the establishment of the Savior's Church again on earth. My special interest in the words of the prophet came at a very impressionable age in my life. My father was the bishop of our ward. Each year he would plan a trip that would help impress on our minds the significant events that happened near our home in Logan, Utah. When I was 12 years of age, he planned a trip to Clarkston, Utah, for the Aaronic Priesthood holders of our ward. Arriving in Clarkston, we were driven to the town cemetery, where we were asked to gather around a tall granite marker. The marker was engraved with the name Martin Harris, one of the three witnesses to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Not only were we to see Martin Harris's grave, but also to hear Martin Harris's testimony by one who knew him. I'd like you to relive that event with me tonight, for I've been very bold. I've invited William Pilkington, the man that we met there, to come and meet with you and give you that testimony. Of course, that's alias Lael Woodbury. William, will you come forth please and give me that witness?

I thank you, young man, for introducing me.

And I thank you, Bishop [UNINTELLIGIBLE], for bringing these young men to this Clarkston Cemetery, for I want them to know, I want the whole world to know that what I am about to say is the absolute truth.

We had been in our new home a few days, one dark night, when a knock came on the door. Our family was gathered at home and we were all singing the songs of Zion. We stopped singing and Father opened the door. A strange man walked in. He was given a chair and he sat down. He said, "What is your name, sir?" And Father promptly told him our name was Pilkington, and he said, "Are you immigrants?" He was told that we had just immigrated from England. He said he wanted to hire a boy to go and live with him for one year. My brother Richard and I were sitting together on the right of the stranger. He looked at us and said, "I think this one will do." And that one was Willie. Me.

He then asked if I would like to go and live with him for a year. He said he had just sold his property in Smithfield and was going to a place across the valley called Clarkston. Father asked him how much I would get if I went for the year. He thought a little while, and then he said, "Well, I will give Willie a two-year-old heifer, and his board and clothes if he will work for me." I asked Father what he thought about the proposition. He said it was all right. I could go and work for him a year, and for me to be a good boy. So I put on my hat and my coat and kissed Mother and Father and all the rest of the family and went with him.

It was a very dark night, and the country being strange to me, he took hold of my hand. We walked for about 10 minutes and entered a log house, the first log house I was ever in. The rest of the family had all retired to bed, or so at least I thought. I thought it very strange the man did not tell me what his name was. He gave me a chair and sat me down close by a little round table. He then asked me if I'd had my supper, and I said, "Yes." And he said, "Well, maybe you can eat a little more." So he got a pan of milk, some bread, a bowl and spoon, and told me to eat all I wanted. He told me the folks had all gone to bed, and said, "Now I will go to bed, but before going, I will show you where you will sleep on the floor." And then he went to bed. Well, I was enjoying the bread and milk when my attention was attracted to an object over in the northwest corner of the room. As the oil lamp gives very light, I was puzzled as to what it could be, so I ate a little faster so I could go to bed. I was obliged to go between the table and this object, and in going around the table, I discovered a form of a man. He made a motion with his hand, as if he wanted me. Rather timidly, I went over to him and he told me to pull up a chair and sit down close to him. I still felt a rather crawly sensation creeping over me, but I pulled up the chair alongside the chair he was sitting on and sat down.

He asked me what my name was. And I promptly told him my name was William Pilkington. He asked me if we were immigrants. I told him our family had immigrated from England. He then asked me if I was going to live with them. I told him I thought I would live with them for about a year. Up to this time, neither one of them had told me what their name was, and it rather puzzled me. But then he asked me if I was a Mormon. Well, I told him my whole family were Mormons. He told me he was going to call me Willie. I told him that Mother called me Willie too. Then he said, "Willie, tomorrow night after the chores are done and we have had supper and all the folks have gone to bed, I want you to sit down in this chair close to mine, for I have lots to tell you." Well, I told him I would do that, and then I retired to bed on the floor. Between the floor being hard and what the old man had told me, I did not sleep very much, and arose very early the next morning not feeling very much refreshed, as that was the first time I had ever slept on the floor, and that with only one quilt under and one over me.

When I arose the next morning, I looked for the man who'd talked to me last night. I knew that I could recognize him, as in the darkness of the room he resembled a picture I had once seen of Rip van Winkle.

When I found him, however, I found a very old man, and he walked with a cane. He greeted me with, "Good morning, Willie," and shook my hand, and told me not to forget tonight. Well, I told him I wouldn't forget. I was wondering all day long what that old man wanted me for, an old decrepit man who wanted to talk to a boy he had found out was a Mormon boy.

At last, night came. Supper was over, and after having family prayer, they all retired to bed. The old gentleman then sat down in his armchair, put his elbow on the arm of the chair, and he crooked his finger as he did scores of times afterwards. And that was a signal for me to bring my chair alongside his. He again asked me what my name was. I told him. "Oh, yes. I am to call you Willie." He then said, "Wille, Willie, did you ever go to Sunday School?" I promptly told him, "Yes, sir." "What class where you in?" I promptly told him, "The Book of Mormon class." His eyes sparkled, and his whole body seemed to vibrate. He seemed like a changed being. He was very excited, trembling as I gazed into his eyes. He said, "Did you ever read the Book of Mormon?" "Yes, sir," was the reply. "Well, if you have read the Book of Mormon, what is the first reading that we find in the preface of the book?" After a little thinking, I said, "The first reading the Book of Mormon is the testimony of the three men testifying to the whole world that they saw an angel come down from heaven, that they saw the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and the angel told them that the translation was correct. And they bear record that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, and that their names will go forever before the world testifying that the Book of Mormon is true." He then said, "I know now, Willie, that you have read that glorious book. Willie, I'm going to ask you one more question. What were those three men's names?" I told him they were Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. And then this little old man, then 92 years of age, of whom in my mind I had likened to Rip van Winkle, whose whole being at this time was wonderful to behold, all lit up with the Spirit of God, whose eyes now were sparkling, whose whole being was transformed, stood up before me on that memorable occasion and, putting his walking cane in his left hand, he straightened up and, striking his breast with his right hand, exclaimed, "I am Martin Harris, one of the three witnesses to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, a man who had the privilege of standing before angels, a man whose eyes beheld the golden plates, a man whose ears heard the voice of God declare that the book was translated. He heard the voice of God declare that the book was translated correctly, and commanded him, that voice, to testify to all the world that it was correct." From that time on until his death, he never tired of telling me of the beauties of the gospel, and especially about the early rise of the church, and of the tribulations that beset the Prophet Joseph Smith and himself.

Thank you, William Pilkington for that witness and testimony. This experience electrified me. I realized that there stood a man who had actually heard the testimony of one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. Now I was having the privilege of hearing his witness on that hillside in Clarkston, Utah.

There's real power in the scriptures. I'm amazed how much it has given to us, to be beneficial to us in every age and in every time. As I study and review and comprehend the scriptures, I find a fundamental, basic plan. There's a value to each generation, from the very beginning of time. The greatest fear I have in this information age is that we will have so much clutter descending upon us that we will find it difficult to keep our lives in balance. I believe the scriptures provide insight into patterns that will help us prepare for the future. Present Theodore Roosevelt stated, "Every thinking man, when he thinks, realizes that the teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and so intertwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally impossible for us to figure out for ourselves what that life would be if these standards were removed. We would lose almost all the standards by which we judge both public and private morals, all of the standards towards which we strive to raise ourselves." Through the scriptures, the gospel of Jesus Christ is revealed to us. It is the ultimate good news. There is no news that even approaches the good news of the gospel and its beauty, its insight, its fulness, and its depth. Our love of the scriptures should be a paramount part of our faith and have it firmly anchored to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should not look upon reading the scriptures and our study of the scriptures as an inconvenience or something we must endure. In the word of God, there is power and nourishment and life. It is interesting to me how many promises the Lord has extended to those who read His words. The words can heal a wounded soul. The words of Christ will tell us all things we should do. There are other promises for those who turn to the word of God and trust in it fully. Let's examine a few. Joshua was told, "Meditate upon the words of the law day and night, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and they shall have good success." Good success. The psalms said, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." A light to lead and guide and direct us. Surely one of the promises of the Lord is the gospel will lead us out of darkness and [INAUDIBLE] the path that we should follow. In the New Testament, there is additional insight and power of the scriptures. In Luke, we read of the Savior appearing to two of His disciples following His Resurrection. After He departed from them, they said, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" There's a wonderful promise for you. I encourage you to find the real meaning of that promise, by having your heart burn within you as you study the words of the Lord. What will such study do for us? It will strengthen our testimony of the Savior, for He testifies Himself of Him. "Search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me." Paul made this statement: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness, that a man of God may be perfect, thoroughly finished unto all good works." Nephi saw the rod of iron in his father's dream, representing the word of God, and then he made this promise about the word of God: "Those who will harken unto the word of God and hold fast unto it, they would never perish. Neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them." Can you imagine a more wonderful promise than that? Through our study of the word of God, we will find the power to resist temptation. Listen to this promise extended to those who diligently study the scriptures and obey the word of God. Perhaps it's the most marvelous of them all. The prophet Mormon wrote, "Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a straight and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked, and land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of Heaven." In light of these great promises, my encouragement to you tonight is to not leave your study of the scriptures to chance. Do not trust in the things in the world that will prevent you from finding eternal values. Turn to the scriptures. In them is the plan of happiness. Through them, we can grow in knowledge and understanding of what the Lord has revealed to His prophets through all ages. Do not become so busy that you reduce the power that comes by reading the scriptures, because you're overtly involved in things of the world. Have faith and confidence in the Lord's dealings with His children here on earth. Build your faith strong by trusting what the Lord has given to us through His holy scriptures. Surely, here is a foundation we need to gain the fundamental witness of the saving grace of our Lord and Savior. We also have an opportunity of reviewing the messages of general conference. Please focus on applying the lessons we have been taught, so they will have an effect on each of our individual lives. For the Doctrine and Covenants tells us, "Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments, which he shall give unto you as he, the prophet, receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me. For his words, you shall receive as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith." President Hinckley has been strong in his desire to separate us from worldly involvement, which is penetrating even the sanctity of our own homes. It was last year that he announced that we were going to raise the standard of full-time missionary service. Listen to what he has to say. [VIDEO PLAYBACK] -The time has come, brethren, when we must raise the standards of those who are called to serve as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ to the world. I remind you that missionary work is not a rite of passage in the Church. It is a call, extended by the President of the Church to those who are worthy and able to accomplish it. I am confident that raising the bar on eligibility will cause our young people, particularly our young men, to practice in a greater measure self-discipline, to live above the low standards of the world, and to avoid transgression and take the high road in all of their activities. [END VIDEO PLAYBACK] Now that message not only applies to those preparing for missionary service. It has a rippling effect that extends to every member of the Church, and to those who must qualify to join the Church. To raise the standard of missionaries requires raising the standard of devotion in our own homes. The Church organizations that support the family, the Primary, the Aaronic Priesthood quorums, the Young Women, the Melchizedek Priesthood quorums, the Relief Society, the Sunday School, and so forth, must also have higher standards of performance. The charge has been given to us. Now, to obtain the promised blessings, we must respond by increasing our understanding of the doctrine and religiously applying the doctrine to our lives. Now in closing, I remind you the promise of the Lord which he gave to us when he said, "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, wherefore they speak the words of Christ, wherefore I say unto you, feast upon the words of Christ, for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what you should do." May the Lord bless each of us with the desire to study, to know, and grow in a knowledge of the scriptures. May you find them to be a guide and a source of power to you. May they direct you to the eternal good that we're all seeking here, in mortality and in the worlds to come. I promise you that the scriptures will lead you to life eternal. God lives. Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. We have an opportunity of being part of His great kingdom. Let us do it with all of the enthusiasm, with all of the power our souls can muster, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.