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Source: Church History Vol. 2 Chapter 35 Page: 790

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790 or a zeal without knowledge. . . . While in jail there were many things spoken by the mouth of our martyred Prophet and Patriarch, and when I see these things taking place just as they were spoken, it cheers my heart and that of the brethren and sisters in this branch also."

Lest anyone should doubt who the youth referred to was, we here insert an extract from an address of Lyman Wight, written in December, 1851. We quote from the manuscript:-

"The church mostly went from there [Kirtland, Ohio] to Missouri, where they commenced another house from which they were driven to the State of Illinois, where we were commanded to build a house or temple to the Most High God. We were to have a sufficient time to build that house, during which time our baptisms for our dead should be acceptable in the river. If we did not build within this time we were to be rejected as a church, we and our dead together. Both the temple and baptizing went very leisurely, till the temple was somewhere in building the second story, when Bro. Joseph from the stand announced the alarming declaration that baptism for our dead was no longer acceptable in the river. As much to say the time for building the temple had passed by, and both we and our dead were rejected together. Bro. Joseph then called all the councils together, and chose what he called a grand council of fifty persons, himself and counselors among the rest, as also the Twelve. More than once did he exclaim after this organization that if he should be taken out of the way the church would remain organized.

"We remained in a gloomy fearful situation for a short time when the death of Bro. Joseph took place by the hands of the mob, . . showing to us much plainer than language could tell that the church was rejected if the head was taken from it.

"The church now stands rejected together with their dead. The church being rejected now stands alienated from her God in every sense of the word.

"This being the case, what should now be done? I will here state the first thing to have been done would have been to have called the fifties together from the four quarters of

(page 790)

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