'sent to the northeastern parts of Wisconsin, on the presentation of President Strang.'"
Now, please note carefully what follows:
"It was probably while on the mission thus appointed that Elder Gurley raised up the Yellowstone branch, the members of which helped to form the nucleus of the Reorganization."—Page 744-5.
We have already seen that Jason W. Briggs raised up the Waukesha branch of the Strangite church in 1849, also that he raised up the Beloit branch for the same organization, and now we have the admission fatal to their organization, that the Yellowstone branch was also raised up to Mr. James J. Strang. These branches you see became the nucleus of the "Reorganization." They were not connected with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to their own admission, but were organized for the Church of James J. Strang. Yet, mark you, these Strangite branches were admitted into what was called the "New organization," or the "Reorganization," on their original baptisms.[6] It is quite evident that the "Reorganization" is the offspring of the church of this man James J. Strang.
Now let us return to Jason W. Briggs. In Mr. Heman C. Smith's "True Succession," pages 134-135, we have an alleged revelation that this man received that was the cause of the coming together of the so-called "Reorganized" Church. I have already told you that he was the most important man in this movement, if not the father of it. The "revelation" is as follows:
"Therefore, let the elders whom I have ordained by the hand of my servant Joseph, or by the hand of those ordained by him, resist not this authority, nor faint in the discharge of duty, which is to preach my gospel as revealed in the records of the Jews, and the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants; and cry repentance and remission of sins through obedience to the gospel, and I will sustain them, and give them my Spirit; and in mine own due time will I call upon the seed of Joseph Smith, and will bring one forth, and he shall be mighty and strong, and he shall preside over the High Priesthood of my Church; and then shall the quorums assemble, and the pure in heart shall gather, and Zion shall be reinhabited, as I said unto my servant Joseph Smith."
WHY BRIGGS SECEDED.
In this alleged revelation we have this man teaching lineal Priesthood or the right of succession from father to son. We also have him teaching the literal gathering to Zion of the honest in heart. We will now see what his reasons were for withdrawing from the "Reorganized" Church. We find on pages 248-249 of volume 33 of the Saints' Herald that the reasons why this man withdrew from the "Reorganization" with the family of Zenas H. Gurley, were as follows:
That he could not believe in:
(1) "The literal gathering of the Church into Jackson and the adjoining counties in the state of Missouri (or any one or more places) known as a local Zion."