Previously, William Marks had forsaken James J. Strang, and January, 1849, James J. Strang had a "revelation" in which he said: "Behold my servant, William Marks, has gone far astray in departing from me, yet I will give unto him a little space, that he may return and receive my word, and stand in his place; for I remember his works that he has done in the time that is past. If he will return and abide faithful, I will make him great, and his possessions shall be great, and he shall possess a city, and his children shall dwell therein; a nation shall call him Blessed."
Well, he returned, and at the conference August 25, 1849, arose and said: "He ought to make a confession to the Saints for not acting in his calling and also to ask their forgiveness. Gave a brief history of the course he had pursued after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph, testified that he had ever had the fullest confidence in the work of the last days, and knew it was of God, and was now determined by the help of God to go forth in the discharge of his duty and act in the place in which he was called by revelation of God through His servant James" [J. Strang].—Voree Record.
He was received back and sustained.
In the year 1852 he joined Charles B. Thompson's organization and was "ordained" "Chief evangelitical teacher of the School of Faith in Jehovah's Presbytery of Zion." Acting in this calling he wrote an epistle to "the School of Faith to all the traveling teacher's quorums and classes of said school, and Jehovah's presbytery of Zion." In that epistle he said:
"Well Brethren: I have lived to see the foundation and the platform laid, the principles revealed and the order given, whereby the great work of the Father can, and will be accomplished. There is no doubt resting on my mind in reference to this work of Baneemy being the work of God, for I am fully convinced that it is the work it purports to be, the work of the Father spoken of in the Book of Mormon, to prepare the way for the restoration of His covenants to the house of Israel. Now, all who are convinced of this fact ought to move forward and take a decided stand to labor for Jehovah and the benefit of Mankind. I intend from this time, henceforth, to labor in the cause and give my influence and substance to speed the work." (Harbinger and Organ, Vol. 3:52-3-4).
This is his testimony when with Thompson. He later organized a quorum at Batavia, and appointed James Blakeslee—a man who was excommunicated from the Church May 18, 1844, with Francis M. Higbee, Charles Ivans and Austin Cowles, for apostasy—chief, and Jehial Savage teacher. "After this he joined John E. Page's organization, forgetting how faithful he had promised to be in Thompson's organization, and later (1859) connected himself with the "New Organization." He was not one of the true fold, for:
"When he [the true Shepherd] putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers."—(John 10:4-5).
The Doctrines of Joseph Smith.
One of the charges made by the "Reorganized" Church against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is that when the Apostles assumed their place as the presiding quorum following the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, they departed from the pure Gospel as it was revealed in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and the revelations and teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and in the stead thereof introduced false doctrines that were never entertained by the Prophet and were foreign to the revelations given to the Church. This proves, they declare, the "apostasy" of the Church and its "rejection" and the few scattered members who refused to follow the leadership of the Apostles into forbidden paths, and to accept these "false doctrines" retained the Spirit of the Lord and were directed by Him to "re-organize" the "faithful" members into what was then called a "New Organization of the Church," the name subsequently having been changed to the "Re-organized" Church. They inform us—though it is most likely with some misgivings and doubts—that these "faithful" few who refused to follow after "false gods," or "bow the knee to Baal," still retained the Priesthood they had received from the "Original" Church and were "not rejected as individuals" although the "Church was rejected with its dead." Therefore, when these "faithful" souls tired of wandering around in the apostate organizations of James J. Strang, Sidney Rigdon, William Smith, Charles B. Thompson, and others, as sheep that knew not the Master's voice, and therefore followed strangers, receiving from these self-appointed leaders "ordinations" and honors, and after having testified that these false teachers were inspired of God and their organizations the work of the Lord—after all this, when they came together and formed the "New Organization" they were still the "faithful" who had not followed after "false gods" or "bowed the knee to Baal," and had retained power to "re-organize" the Church according to the original pattern, although the Prophet had not commissioned them.
In an address to these scattered "faithful" written shortly after the "New Organization of the Church" was formed, the declaration was made "that we believe that the Church of Christ organized on the 6th day of April, A. D. 1830, exists as on that day, wherever six or more Saints are organized to the pattern in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants." And, of course, they are the Saints "organized according to the pattern"—if their word can be taken for the fact.