| 18 but when, if ever, one should be placed there, God must reveal it from the heavens.
Nominally the Twelve adhered to this declared policy for over three years; and though they may have usurped authority not attaching lawfully to their office, they laid no claim only indirectly and incidentally to another office while they were with the body of the church at Nauvoo.
In 1846 an exodus took place from Nauvoo, and a large portion of the church moved westward. A party of them, including several of the Twelve, reached Salt Lake Valley in July, 1847. Immediately after arriving there, for some reason which they have not fully explained, they instituted the practice of rebaptism. The Twelve led the way and others followed. Elder Young, on October 23, 1853, counseled others who had come to the valley to be rebaptized. 8
Here is the record as given by themselves, as recorded in "Life of Brigham Young, or Utah and Her Founders," by Tullidge, who quoted from "the historian Woodruff," late President of their church.
"On the 6th of August, the Twelve were rebaptized. This we considered a privilege and a duty. As we had come into a glorious valley to locate and build up Zion, we felt like renewing our covenants before the Lord and each other. We soon repaired to the water, and President Young went down into the water and baptized all his brethren of the Twelve present. He then confirmed us, and
8 I will refer again to the brethren and sisters who have lately come over the plains. My counsel to them to-day is, as it has been on former occasions to all who have come into these valleys, Go and be baptized for the remission of sins, repenting of all your wanderings from the path of righteousness, believing firmly, in the name of Jesus Christ, that all your sins will be washed away. If any of you inquire what is the necessity of your being baptized, as you have not committed any sins, I answer, it is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.
I have heard of some of you cursing and swearing, even some of the elders of Israel. I would be baptized seven times, were I in your place; I would not stop teasing some good elder to baptize me again and again, until I could think my sins forgiven. I would not live over another night until I was baptized enough to satisfy me that my sins were forgiven. Then go and be confirmed, as you were when you first embraced the religion of Jesus. That is my counsel.-Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, pp. 8, 9.
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