"We thank thee, O thou Great Elohim, that thou didst raise up thy servant, Joseph Smith, through the loins of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and made him a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and through the assistance and administrations of angels from heaven, thou didst enable him to bring forth the Book of Mormon,--the stick of Joseph, in the hand of Ephraim,--in fulfilment of the prophecies of Isaiah and other prophets, which record has been translated and published in many languages. We also thank thee, our Father in heaven, that thou didst inspire thy servant and give him power on the earth to organize thy Church in this goodly land, in all its fulness, power and glory, with Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, and Teachers, with all the gifts and graces belonging thereto, and all this by the power of the Aaronic and Melchisedek Priesthood, which thou didst bestow upon him by the administration of holy angels, who held that Priesthood in the days of the Savior. We thank thee, our God, that thou didst enable thy servant Joseph to build two temples, in which ordinances were administered for the living and the dead; that he also lived to send the Gospel to the nations of the earth and to the islands of the sea, and labored exceedingly until he was martyred for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. "We also thank thee, O our Father in heaven, that thou didst {162} raise up thy servant Brigham Young, who held the keys of thy Priesthood on the earth for many years, and who led thy people to these valleys of the mountains, and laid the corner-stone of this great Temple and dedicated it unto thee, and who did direct the building of three other temples in these Rocky Mountains which have been dedicated unto thy holy name, in which temples many thousands of the living have been blessed and the dead redeemed. "Our Father in heaven, we are also thankful to thee for thy servant John Taylor, who followed in the footsteps of thy servant Brigham, until he laid down his life in exile. "Thou hast called thy servants Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith, to hold the keys of the Presidency and Priesthood this day, and for these shepherds of thy flock we feel to give thee thanksgiving and praise. Thy servant Wilford is bound to acknowledge thy hand, O Father, in the preservation of his life from the hour of his birth to the present day. Nothing but thy power could have preserved him through that which he has passed during the eighty-six years that thou hast granted him life on the earth. "For the raising up of the Twelve Apostles, we also thank thee, our God, and for the perfect union which exists among us. "We thank thee, O Lord, for the perfect organizations of thy Church as they exist at the present time.