| 614 contrary to the word of God, by which he and all others, his contemporaries in faith and believers after him, should have been guided and governed.
That it may be seen what it is we refer to as a principle, we state that Elder Alexander H. Smith in conversation with one of the class above referred to upon the military trappings and titles appertaining to the position of general in the Nauvoo Legion held by the martyrs, remarked: "That is one of the things in which I think our fathers made a mistake." To this his hearer replied, rather severely: "I never suffer myself to comment upon what was done by those men of God."
The principle on the one hand was, that whatever was done by those men must be accepted without question-it was right because they did it; on the other hand the principle of examination of the thing done, and determining acceptance or rejection upon the merit and claims for truth and correctness attaching to the thing itself, rather than to the individual doing it, was clearly asserted; and the right to so examine and so determine was assumed as a right conferred upon every man, and which must attach to every one upon whom the responsibility of agency and answering for himself is cast.
Joseph Smith, and his family, with him, assumed the privilege of judging for themselves concerning their own action in reference to the things of eternal importance. This privilege was presented to those who chose to listen to the teachers of the new faith as attaching to all men. It was bequeathed to the sons of Joseph Smith as not only a principle but as a birthright. They deem it as essential that they determine for themselves in all matters attaching, or related to the work of their father and his compeers, as it was, or is, that men should hear, judge, and determine for themselves their course in the gospel, for the reason that such work was done at the outset of a new faith, or the revival of an old one, having its warrant in the word of God, written, as well as spoken in their day. This word of God was renewed in its authority, the Bible and New Covenant, the Book of Mormon, being indorsed [endorsed] authoritatively as the scriptures, the written law; while the revelations to the church agreeing with the Written Word were the present and accompanying authority for preaching the restored gospel.
One of the methods adopted by the Son of God, the great Teacher and grand Exemplar to all his followers, prophets, and prophets' sons included, to thwart the evil designs of the adversary of souls and preserve his own integrity before the Father, was to answer when tempted, "It is written;" and this answer he gave in regard to the enticement to worship another than God, an appeal to personal vanity in the possession of unquestioned power, and the necessities or pleasures of the flesh;-to all of these the unwavering answer of the Son of Man was, "It is written," followed by the rule of scripture applicable in the case.
On December 8 the Saints' chapel at Woodbine, Iowa, was
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