Life of Heber C. Kimball, an apostle

by Orson F. Whitney

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 God 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 God.

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 assembled "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 constitute 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 assistant 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 Apostleship. 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 Gaylord, James Forster,
Salmon Gee, Daniel S. Miles, Joseph Young, Josiah Butterfield and Levi
Hancock 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 Titus Billings were retained in office; while Presidents William W. Phelps and John Whitmer were severed from the Church; the former afterwards returned.

Against these brethren "Elder Lyman Wight stated that he considered all other accusations of minor importance, compared to their selling their lands in Jackson County; that they had set an example which all the Saints were liable to follow. He said that it was a hellish principle, and that they had flatly denied the faith in so doing."

Thus was the line of demarcation being drawn. Thus were "the inhabitants of Zion" commencing to "judge all things pertaining to Zion." There had been a day of calling; a day of choosing now had come, and they who were "not Apostles and Prophets" were beginning to be known.

During the absence of the Prophet and Elder Rigdon in Missouri, whither they had gone to superintend the work of purification, Warren Parrish, John F. Boynton, Luke Johnson, Joseph Coe, and others, in Kirtland, dissented from the Church and combined together for its overthrow. They were encouraged and assisted by apostates and prominent Elders of the Church in Missouri. These dissenters called themselves "the Church of Christ," the "old standard," openly renouncing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and denouncing the Prophet Joseph and all who adhered to him, as heretics.

So bitter became the apostate and mobocratic spirit in Kirtland, that they who raised their voices in defense of the Prophet of God, at once endangered their lives. Apostle Brigham Young, who stood firm and immovable at Joseph's side, was forced to flee to save himself from the fury of the enemy, who were enraged at his bold, outspoken stand in favor of the Prophet, and against his foes and traducers. Three weeks later, on January 12th, 1838, the Prophet and President Rigdon also fled from Kirtland, for Missouri, followed by human blood-hounds, armed and thirsting for their lives, a distance of two hundred miles.

Kirtland was now no longer a fit abiding place for the Saints. The faithful of the body of the Church commenced migrating to Missouri, where the work of purification went on.

At Far West, in April, 1838, Presidents Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer were excommunicated from the Church. The charges sustained against the former were for urging vexatious law-suits against the brethren, slandering President Joseph Smith, contempt of the Church in not attending meetings, leaving his calling in which God had appointed him by revelation, for the sake of filthy lucre, and turning to the practice of law; disgracing the Church by being connected in the bogus business, dishonesty, and, finally, for "leaving or forsaking the cause of God, and returning to the beggarly elements of the world, and neglecting his high and holy calling, according to his profession."

President Whitmer was charged with not observing the Word of Wisdom; neglecting meetings and possessing the same spirit as the dissenters, writing letters to the dissenters in Kirtland, unfavorable to the cause of God and the character of His Prophet, neglecting the duties of his calling and separating himself from the Church, and signing himself President of the Church of Christ, after being cut off from the Presidency, in an insulting letter to the High Council.

On the same day Apostle Lyman E. Johnson was excommunicated, and soon after Apostle William E. McLellin fell away.

On the 8th of July, 1838, at Far West, the Prophet Joseph and the remainder of the Twelve met in solemn council and unitedly besought the Throne of Grace for guidance, light and help.

"Show unto us Thy will, O Lord, concerning the Twelve!"

Such was the burden of their prayer, to which the Lord made answer as follows:

"Verily, thus saith the Lord, let a conference be held immediately, let the Twelve be organized, and let men be appointed to supply the place of those who are fallen. Let my servant Thomas remain for a season in the Land of Zion, to publish my word. Let the residue continue to preach from that hour, and if they will do this in all lowliness of heart, in meekness and humility, and long suffering, I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that I will provide for their families, and an effectual door shall be opened for them, from henceforth; and next spring let them depart to go over the great waters, and there promulgate my Gospel, the fullness thereof, and bear record of my name. Let them take leave of my Saints in the city Far West, on the 26th day of April next, on the building spot of my house, saith the Lord. Let my servant, John Taylor, and also my servant John E. Page, and also my servant Wilford Woodruff, and also my servant Willard Richards, be appointed to fill the places of those who have fallen, and be officially notified of their appointment."

John Taylor and John E. Page were ordained Apostles December 19th, 1838, and Wilford Woodruff on the 26th of the following April. Willard Richards received his ordination in Preston, England, after the arrival there of the Apostles in April, 1840. George A. Smith was added to the quorum the same day that Wilford Woodruff was ordained, to fill a vacancy caused by the fall of another of the Twelve. All, save John E. Page, who fell from grace a few years later, have won immortal fame in Israel, and left to posterity the legacy of a spotless name.

Let us now return to the Apostles and their work in England.