Part 16 (2/2)

”January 24th, I left Preston and went to Longton with Brother Hyde.

We preached once each, and baptized ten; from thence returned to Preston and stayed two or three days. Then I started on a mission to Eccleston and other places, visiting six branches and strengthening them. I was absent about eighteen days and baptized fifteen; the weather being so cold that many dared not go into the water. Returned to Preston and stayed three days. On the Sabbath Elder Hyde and myself administered the sacrament and confirmed twelve. From thence went to Longton and baptized three, ordained one priest, one teacher, and one deacon, and blessed about thirty children. Again returned to Preston. From thence went to Whittle; preached once, and baptized five; and returned to Preston February 23rd.

”From this time to our departure from England we were continually engaged in the work of the ministry, proclaiming the everlasting Gospel in all the regions round, and baptizing all who believed and repented of their sins. The Holy Ghost, the comforter, was given to us and abode with us in a remarkable manner.”

”The time when we expected to return to our native land being near at hand, it was considered best for us to spend the short time we had to remain in visiting and organizing the branches; placing such officers over them, and giving such instructions as would be beneficial to them during our absence. Accordingly Brothers Hyde, Fielding and myself visited a branch nearly every day, and imparted such instructions as the Spirit directed. We first visited the branches south of Preston, and after spending some time in that direction we journeyed to the north, accompanied by Brother Willard Richards, who had returned from Bedford March 7th, where he had been proclaiming the Gospel. In consequence of sickness his labors had not been so extensive as they otherwise would have been, and were confined within a short distance of the city of Bedford, where he raised up two small branches of about forty members, which he set in order, and ordained James Lavender an Elder, and other officers to preside. He had labored under considerable difficulty in consequence of the conduct of Elder Goodson, who taught many things which were not in wisdom, and which proved a barrier to the spread of the truth in that region. His health being poor, he was not able to preach much.

”While we were attending to our duties in that section we received a very pressing invitation from a Baptist church, through the medium of their deacon, to pay them a visit, stating that the society were exceedingly anxious to hear from our lips the wonderful things we had proclaimed in the regions round about. We endeavored to excuse ourselves from going, as our engagements were such that it would require the short time we had to stay to attend them. They seemed determined not to take a denial and pleaded with such earnestness that we could not resist their entreaties, and we finally consented to go and preach once. Having arrived at the village, which was between Downham and Burnley, we found a large congregation already a.s.sembled in the Baptist chapel, anxiously waiting our arrival. The minister gave out the hymns and Elder Hyde spoke on the resurrection with great effect, after which the minister gave out another hymn, which was sung by the a.s.sembly, and then he requested me to address them. I spoke briefly on the first principles of the Gospel. During the services the congregation was overjoyed, tears ran down their cheeks, and the minister could not refrain from frequently clapping his hands for joy, while in the meeting. After the service was over he took us to his house where we were very kindly entertained. After partaking of his hospitality, he with some more friends accompanied us to our lodgings, where we remained in conversation until a very late hour. The next morning while we were preparing to depart we were waited upon by several of the citizens who requested us to preach again that day, stating that great interest was felt by the inhabitants, many of whom were in tears, fearing they should hear us no more, and that a number of influential men had suspended operations in their factories to allow their workmen the privilege of hearing us preach; but we were obliged to deny them, as it was necessary to attend to the appointments we had previously made. We could scarcely go away from them, and when we did so they wept like little children. Such a desire to hear the Gospel I never saw equalled before.

”After commending them to the grace and mercy of G.o.d, we went to Downham, where we preached in the afternoon, after which we baptized several and confirmed forty. In the evening we called the churches of Chatburn, Downham, c.l.i.thero and Waddington together, and after confirming some, we ordained Priests, Teachers and Deacons to preside over the branches.

”From thence we went to Preston, and after a short stay visited Penwortham and Longton, and organized the churches in those places, which numbered about fifty members each.”

CHAPTER XXV.

CONDITION OF THE CHURCH AT HOME--PRUNING OFF THE DEAD BRANCHES--A DAY OF CHOOSING--APOSTATES CONSPIRE TO OVERTHROW THE CHURCH-- FLIGHT OF THE PROPHET FROM KIRTLAND--FALL OF OLIVER COWDERY AND OTHER APOSTLES--”SHOW UNTO US THY WILL, O LORD, CONCERNING THE TWELVE!”

While the Apostles are setting in order the Church in England, preparatory to their departure for America, let us fly before them over the sea and note some of the changes which have taken place since they left Kirtland.

The Church had suffered terribly from the ravages of apostasy. At no time in its history has it seemed so near destruction, as in the early part of 1837, the period of the opening of the British Mission. The causes are noted elsewhere in these pages, and deserve a niche in the temple of memory for all time. The Ohio mobbings, the Missouri persecutions, the martyrdom, the exodus, nor all that Zion's cause has suffered since, have imperilled it half so much as when mammon and the love of G.o.d strove for supremacy in the hearts of His people, and the Saints, for a time forgetful of their high calling, laid aside their spiritual mission and went groveling after ”the beggarly elements of the world.”

Only once in the history of the work, has its almighty Author found it necessary to reveal that ”something new must be done for the salvation of the Church.”

That ”something new,” as we have seen, was a great spiritual movement, to counteract the tendency to carnal or temporal things, which was resting like the sleep of death upon the drooping eyelids of the Zion of G.o.d.

To root out the deadly Upas-tree, rouse Zion from her slumber beneath its pestilential shade, and prune off the withered branches from the Tree of Life, was the first care of the Prophet after despatching the Elders for England.

A conference a.s.sembled ”in committee of the whole Church” at Kirtland, on Sunday, September 3rd, 1837. At this conference the various quorums of the Priesthood were presented to the people for their action.

President Sidney Rigdon presented the name of Joseph Smith, junior, to the Church, to know if they still looked upon him as the President of the whole Church, and would receive and sustain him in that position.

The vote was unanimous in the affirmative.

President Smith then presented Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G.

Williams as his counselors, and to const.i.tute with himself the three first Presidents of the Church. Elder Rigdon was sustained unanimously, but the motion failed as to F. G. Williams. President Smith then put in nomination Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, senior, Hyrum Smith, and John Smith, as a.s.sistant counselors; these four, together with the first three, to be considered the heads of the Church. Carried unanimously.

It was voted that Newel K. Whitney continue to hold his office as Bishop in Kirtland, and that Reynolds Cahoon and Jared Carter continue to act as the Bishop's counselors.

The Twelve Apostles were then presented, one by one, when Thomas B.

Marsh, David W. Patten, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, William Smith and William E. McLellin, were received and unanimously sustained in their Apostles.h.i.+p. Luke Johnson, Lyman Johnson and John F. Boynton were rejected and cut off, though given the privilege of confessing and making satisfaction. The cause of the difficulty with Elders Boynton and Johnson was their ”leaving their calling to attend to other occupations.”

Five members of the High Council were also objected to by the people, and new ones chosen in their stead. John g.a.y.l.o.r.d, James Forster, Salmon Gee, Daniel S. Miles, Joseph Young, Josiah b.u.t.terfield and Levi Hanc.o.c.k were retained in office as Presidents of the Seventies, while John Gold was rejected.

A similar conference was held at Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri, then the head-quarters of the Church in that region, on the 7th of November 1837, and another on the 5th of February, 1838. The Priesthood was reorganized and the Church set in order, in the same manner as had been done in Kirtland. Hyrum Smith was sustained, in lieu of Frederick G. Williams, as one of the three First Presidents, in which office he had before been acting. Elder Boynton and the two Elders Johnson were reinstated in the Quorum of the Twelve, though later they again fell away. Bishops Edward Partridge, Isaac Morley and t.i.tus Billings were retained in office; while Presidents William W.

Phelps and John Whitmer were severed from the Church; the former afterwards returned.

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