Show copyright secured I 1 LIFE OF JOSEPH the school closed the last week in march to give the elders an opportunity to g go ro forth and proclaim the gospel preparatory to the endowment sunday march I 1 preached about three hows hours at where wm win E Me tellin had bad been holding a public discussion on a challenge from J M tracy a Campb eUite preacher the two days previous on the divinity of the book of mormon at the close of which two were baptized and op on monday four more came forward for baptism A april 1 ad and ath a conference of the saints wastell was held at freedom new newyia york sidney bigdon pres presiding ding fifteen branches of the church were were re represented presen ted five of which had not been previously asly reprise represented anted at any conference numbering fering about fifty members elder chester L reath heath of avon was expelled from the church for breach of covenant and not observing th word of wisdom WARREN A COWDERY clerk the following is the copy of a letter from certain mer members abers of the th church so called in En england giand presented to certain elder of the church charca of latter da day 1 Sf 1 tits on the evening of the IM of at june 79 1885 by a gentleman named in tho same at the time calling himself a communicant and preacher of that church hurch to the arote of tm chest absi high dew dear ren irk in alia lord lierd at a council of the pastors of our church held field march 28 5 upon the propriety of the F rev ev john hewitt V visiting you it va w fie solved and approved at that as aa he had an anxious desire to 0 go to Ame amerie to see the tr inai are re or in one or buur p payers cris brought here by a merchant from fie ift new york he should have as he desired alc tlc sanction 0 of the council ana and if it pleased the lo 10 lorphis Lord bis his approval the lord haahr aaen our joy andrad ness to hew hear that he was wab raising u up a people for hink himself self in tbt part of the ilg sew I 1 world orld as well as here 0 may our faith increase that he may have e evangelists v 4 apostles j ales and gro prophete prop pheth bete filled e power r of tite spirit a and pe performing hi his me witt in patro destroying r ng the works of dArk darkness hess 11 the rev mr hewitt ewitt of oc emathes in rotherham Uthe independent ludeman dent semino seminary y and eam of barns 11 independent preach preaching tho the dax da W 0 years ears buace sin and waa ivas at his als flock lamy hi so 8 0 that U he e e installed dinst ailed in the game bame choich sad I 1 Y I 1 rk prosperd ewd ashe As he it T living pi atle I 1 yah ahtye HH tYe e if AU ab tee be well a full explanation ex should auld he approve of the count country abe I 1 help the hauae because the 0 lord hath byc I 1 them with this worlds goods we e b had a terance during our meeting which I 1 caused sing in for joy the lord was wai pleased 06 b br othera hers her s holy determination to see you and aej we understand under tand that persecution had beebi great among you or would be but we were boak ee I 1 mande d not to fear for he h would be with us qs plaise the lord I 1 1 I 1 the time is at hand when distance shall be no barrier between us but when on the iiii wing r of love Jehova hs hIs messages shall be bated by hi saints the lord bless oar ou brother and may he prove a blessing bless iniz tb t you BW be it not afraid of our enemies they shall unless I 1 repent be cast down by the lord of hoa ho I 1 the workers of iniquity have been used by prince of darkness tor to play the counterfeit I 1 bol discernment his been given to us no that they th were immediately put to shame by being dea so BO that the nock flock never suffered as yet b bt them grace merey mercy and peace be unto you yoa f god our father and from the spirit je jesul christ our lord amen I 1 j 1 I am dear deai sir your brother in the gospel 31 THOMAS SHAW 1 7 barnsby Barn sly april 21 1835 one object and only one has induced asti ns ta lay the foregoing letter from england before our oar readers and mat diat is the good of the caiti dauel of god it might blight have remained in 0 our session perhaps for years in silence had 3 not been for circumstances which we will briette ly mention hereafter r on the of his A april ril the twelve apostles a the seventy who had been chosen assembled iq the temple although unfinished with a num erous concourse of people 1 to receive their chargi ch I 1 6 and instructions from president joseph S M 3 i buix relative to their mission an Xa TOT congregation being assembled elder orson pratt arrived from the south part of the state making makin our number complete elder thomas B marebu marsh baving vi arrived the day previous IT the ile I 1 twelve met this afternoon at the schoolroom school room for the purpose of prayer and consultation sul tation elder david W patten opened the meeting by prayer motioned and carried that when any member of the council wishes to speak he shaR larise arise and stand u upon hia feet elderic elder mc lemn read the comman commandment K ent given co concerning deeming the cho choosing osine of the twelve when it was voted that we aae each forgive one another every wrong 0 that has existed among us ua and that from henceforth each one of the twelve love his brother as himself in temporal as well as in spiritual things always enquiring into each ethers welfare decided that the twelve be ready and start on their missi mission from elder johns Johnsa ens als tavern on Movi monday day at 2 am may uh elder B young then closed by drw prayer oraiun hyde and anaw W E Mc cle LeUin in clerks may ad A grand council was wag Q held d in kirtland composed of the following follo boffl officers bors of the church viz presidents joseph smith ajun jun david vi whitmer oliver cowdery sidney rigdon fr frederick G williams joseph smith ten and hyrum smith with the council of the twelve apostles bishop partridge and council bisho bishop whitney and council and some of the 71 with their presidents viz sylvester smith I 1 leonard rich lyman sherman hazen aldrich aidrich joseph young and levi hancock and many elders from different parts president joseph smith jun presiding after the conference was opened and the he twelve had taken their seats president joseph smith jan said that it would be the duty of the twelve when in council to take their seats together according to age the oldest to be seated at the head and preside in the first council the next oldest in the second and so on until the youngest had presided and then begin at the ithe oldest achain again ac the twelve then took i their seats ae according c dingy to age age am aa follows thomas B marsh dav david W Pir patten ten brigham ighani Br yaun young I 1 I 1 reber heber C kimball orson hyde win Wm E mella malel lin lia capuy P P 1 L inako 16 JU Jol roon aulton smith orson pratt jqhn john F boynton and ty man E johnson president joseph smith then stated that tb t twelve will have no right to go into zion or my any of its stakes and there undertake to regulate the affairs thereof where there is a standing in high council but it is their duty to go abroad and regulate all matters relative to thol abe different branches of the church when thea twelve are together or a quorum of themia any church jihee will have a authority at hority to act inc independently je and make decisions and those decisions visions will be valid but where there is not ft a quorum they will have to do business by the voice voice of the church no standing high has authority to go into the churches abroad and reg regulate the matters thereof for this belongs 1 to the twelve no standing high council I 1 will ever be established only in zion or one of q its stakes when the twelve pass a decision i it t is in the name of the church ther therefore afore it is valid no official member of the church has authority to go gc into any branch thereof and ordain any minister for that church unless it is by the voi voice of that branch braach no elder haa baa authority to go into any branch of the church and appoint a p meetings meeting sy or attempt to regulate the affairs of the church without the advice and consent of the I 1 presiding elder of that branch if the t first seventy are all employed and there is a call for more laborers it will be the daty of the seven presidents of the first seventy to call and ordain other seven seventy t y and sera them forth to labor im inthe the vineyard until if needs ba they set apart seven times seventy and even antil there are one hundred and forty aud and four thousand thus thua set apart for the 14 ministry ini stry the seventy ent are not to attend the conferences of the twe twelve j ve unless they are called u upon pen or re queued auestad so todo todo b by y the twelve the twelve and the seventy be have particularly to depend upon their mini ministry for their sap support port and that of dwir families and they have bays a ri right 9 t t by virtue jbf their offices J to cau upon the churchea C arches to assist them bitter naury ifon 1 an iava on one ot oe thi the seventy seven fy tho the circumstances of the i dents dems of the seventy evera lly congi consider dere ec relative to their traveR trave lingis ng in the vineyard sai aai it was unanimously agreen agea that they bield themselves in to go at the carvi 44 f the twelve when the lord opeus the way twenty seven of the he seventy seventh were also considered and it was decided thi phily ky should hold them readi readiness new to travel sit the ministry A t the atu of the brement of tu tins seventy as tw lord opens the dayi 1 I 1 I 1 aft after an B oi hour bour CW oil cil re assembled ezra T suspend as an elder and member Baem berj fiA in investigation ox euld could be bad becote bafas the aps blino bps ps court coort cot complaint I 1 having been prefer preferred dinst him by bv oliv oliver er gran granger ger tt lorenzo oreno banies was orda fah of able 0 Henry Benner michad gramba royal bama T cook who together tt ether with twenty were callad pon to hold held themselves them selvas in readiness to tracel en a it he elders eldera of kirtland Kir kirtland n and d it its s vicinity B called upon or r their SA CA bd and their heir nama carnit being enrolled pros seph aseph smith saith jun ann the liets litts ii 10 and made some very appropriate i abero relative foatie a to the of ad uch of the of hie tha church ping ant imo moved ved that we vo ve U up p th the e aft pot or dpn even un deabi d ex futh li or until m til zion zuzu I 1 s i demea the vote ms u imori andai and with feeling beelin fe elin voted toted enat lit att the 0 elders of out ane 6 h lax are e abou bogad nd to io travel 16 the world to ch the gospel with ith sh ail their aeh might mind aind md strength when their will ai mit of tt it ad doors door is now aw ap opened pp aued I 1 voted that elders brigham young john P i orem and amos orton be appointed to go and preach the gospel to the remnants of joseph the door to be opened hy by elder brigham young 0 and this will open the door to the whole house bouse of joseph voted that when another seventy is required the presidency of the first seventy shall choose ordain and set them apart from among the most experienced of the elders of the church voted that whenever the labor ot 0 other seventy is ia re required they are to be set apart abart and ordained to that office those who are ri residing ding at kirtland and the regions round atut about who can come to kirtland and be set apart and ordained by the direction of the presidency of the church in kirtland win E Xe LeUin clerk the twelve left kirtland this cornila morning and embarked on board the steamer sandly sandusky at fairport and landed at dunkirk new york 5 pm and after preaching in those regions a few days met in conference at westfield I 1 I 1 may ath according to previous appointment the church being present and thomas B marsh the oldest of the quorum presiding di ng the following items were suggested for the consideration of the council ast 1st resolved that the limits halts of this conference extend south and west to the line of pennsylvania north as far as lake erie and east as far as lodi embracing the branches of westfield silver creek Perrys burgh h and lavona to be called the westfield C Cove coherence rence ce ad inquire into the standing of all the elders within the bounds of this conference 8 ad d inquire into the manner of their teaching doctrines ac ath inquire into the teaching conduct and faithfulness of all traveling elders who have recently labored within the lounds bounds of this conference ath hear a representation of the several branches of the church on investigation the standing and teaching of the elders met the approbation of the ciuci council ll 11 except the teaching of elder joseph rose which was that the jewish church was the sun and the gentile gentil e church was the moon ac when the jewish church was scattered the sun aun was darkened and when the gentile church is ie cut off the moon will be turned to blood also some things relative to the apocalyptic beast with seven heads and ten horns ac he was chewn his error and willingly made a humble confession the faithfulness of all the traveling aveling te elders was found to be good the men members ibers of the westfield West neld branch were represented in good standing with a difficulty on the minds of some relative to the baptism of bro loyd L lewis inasmuch as he was baptized by it a traveling elder without the church being called together to know if they would receive him to fellowship the council decided that if there was a fault it was in the administrator I 1 and riot fiot in the candidate candida te this branch numb numbered erod 75 the lavona branch 20 in good standing bt allt low in spirit in consequence of a neglect to keep the word of wisdom after further instruction st on general principles the Cou conference ference adjourned until 8 am monday evening in M may if bilth sunday y elders eldera marsh and patten p oha to an of I 1 five hundred after sacrament five persons persona desired baptism which was attended to by elder mcclellin Mc Lellin may 11 conference met pursuant to adjournment journ ment resolved unanimously that this conference go 0 o t to 0 I 1 immediately and appoint their wise their riches richea and send fiend m men en and gather up them to zion to purchase land according to previous commandment that all things be prepared before them in order to their gathering much was said to the conference upon these important things and the they covenanted before L the lord that they would be strict to attend to our teaching after preaching by elder young at 3 pm and the farewell exhortation n of the twelve seven individuals were baptized by elder hyde who were confirmed i in n the evening ning and after laying hands on many sick who obtained relief adjourned to the dinst to meet in freedom new york ORSON HYDE clerk about the middle of may W W phelps and john whitmer presidents of the church in in missouri arrived at kirtland and john whitmer was appointed to take the place of president oliver cowdery in conducting conduct conducting inc the messenger and advocate frederick G williams williams was waa a appointed to edit the northern times a weekly newspaper which we had commenced in february fast in favor of democracy and W W phelps with his son W waterman a t e rm ai i made his home with T ay V family and assisted the comm committee attee in compiling the book of doctrine and covenants may the twelve met in conference with the church in freedom new york when after an agreeable beable sa lution and rejoicing bic in i in in e each ac 11 others or I 1 a pr prosperity 0 ty elder W patten being being chairman con conference terence was opened by singing and pra prayer r b by the president yere her tet let it be remarked that it was the universal versa 1 e custom us tom 0 of I 1 the twelve and the presidency of the |