| 68 "The sentence so often found in the Writings of Esdras, same foundation, may be construed two ways (our organization embraces them both); the first is the articles adopted by the church, composed of six members, April 6, 1830. The second is revelation.
"The church in 1830 was organized by revelation. The church was established anew on the twenty sixth day of June, 1848, by revelation (composed of nine members), embracing the same principles as did the first organization. The correctness of the position that we have taken has been confirmed unto us through the Writings of Esdras."-Olive Branch, vol. 1, pp. 82, 83.
Hazen Aldrich was prominently connected with the church prior to the death of its first President. (See History, vol. 2, p. 99)
On September 29, 1849, at a conference held at Springfield, Illinois, President Aldrich nominated James C. Brewster and Jackson Goodale as his counselors, and they were unanimously elected. (Olive Branch, vol. 2, p. 50.)
Provision was made in their organization for not only a First Presidency, but a quorum of Twelve Apostles, elders divided into quorums or schools of seventy each, priests, teachers, and deacons; but we have not learned who if any were appointed to occupy in leading positions other than the Presidency. (Ibid., pp. 78, 79.)
It was claimed that the church had gradually departed from the faith, the apostasy culminating in 1842 with the introduction "of a secret order." This appears from the following editorial comment in Olive Branch, December, 1849, when J. C. Brewster was editor:-
"The inquiry is sometimes made, When did the apostacy [apostasy] of the church take place? And in answer to this question we will here say that the apostacy [apostasy] did not occur suddenly. It was by almost imperceptible degrees that the church departed from the truth; one erroneous principle after another was introduced, until in 1842 the fatal step was taken by the introduction of a secret order in direct violation of almost every command contained in the gospel of Christ. The church was not entirely rejected until that time. Since that
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