"No, he does not," said Mr. Radcliff, "he only says they have been wrong ignorantly, and that they have doubtless lived up to the best light they had."
Miss Brannan did not relish this remark, and relapsed into silence.
Before leaving them, Elder Taylor remarked to her that he was thinking of going to the Isle of Man, and he would be pleased to call upon her. She would be glad to see him, but not as a religious teacher. Or if he was like other preachers, she would be pleased to receive him. To this the Elder replied that he should visit the Isle of Man whether she desired him to or not; that there were others there who would receive the gospel if she rejected it, and as to the matter of being like other ministers, it reminded him of the story of the Prophet Micah, who was told to speak as the other prophets of king Ahab had spoken, and it would be well with him; but Micah replied: "As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak." So, likewise, he could only declare that which God had revealed; if that came in conflict with the doctrines and practices of men, so much the worse for their doctrines and practices.
In this manner Elder Taylor continued to labor day after day, neither avoiding the poor and lowly nor shunning the high and the learned. Conscious that he possessed the truth, he fearlessly came in contact with all sorts and conditions of men; and so gentlemanly and pleasing was his bearing that it compelled men to listen to the message he delivered with respectful attention.
On the 6th of April, 1840, Apostles Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith and Elder Reuben Hedlock arrived in Liverpool, from America. The next day they found Elder Taylor, who was overjoyed to see them. In a few days they repaired to Preston and held a council—seven of the quorum of Apostles being present.
The first business of the council was to ordain Willard Richards an Apostle, and receive him into the quorum. This addition made eight Apostles in the council. Brigham Young presided; Elder Taylor was made clerk. The former was also sustained as the President of the Twelve Apostles, he being next in seniority of ordination to Thomas B. Marsh, the former President, who apostatized in Missouri.
It was resolved that a periodical should be published and called the Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, of which Parley P. Pratt was appointed editor. A hymn book was also to be published, John Taylor being one of a committee of three to select the hymns. It was also decided to print an edition of the Book of Mormon.
In appointing the several Apostles to fields of labor, it was decided that Elder Taylor continue to preach in Liverpool and vicinity.
On his return to that city, the work spread more rapidly than before the council at Preston. Opportunities for preaching were plentiful, and baptisms frequent. In May he called those who had been baptized together, and ordained a number of the brethren Priests and Elders, which gave them the right to preach the gospel and to administer the ordinances thereof. These brethren, filled with zeal, went out into the public parks, to the commons, the fields and even the streets, proclaiming everywhere the gospel and bearing testimony of its truth.
When the opposition of the priests increased in bitterness, and they sought by every conceivable device to hinder the work and disturb the meetings, Elder Taylor instructed several of the most zealous of the brethren to hold auxiliary meetings simultaneously on the public thoroughfares—just prior to the time appointed for the main central meeting—and announce to their hearers that a discourse would be delivered in the public hall, engaged for that purpose. In this way an interest was awakened in the work, and the meetings crowded with people, notwithstanding all the efforts of the hostile ministers to prevent it.