obligation."

It may be interesting to know that this man and his wife were endowed in the Temple January 6, 1846. Here is the testimony of Zenas H. Gurley in relation to the Temple ceremonies when he was in full fellowship in the Church and was in possession of the spirit of his calling. At that time he declared most emphatically that on that occasion the Spirit of the Lord was unusual in its outpouring. If that is true and he could testify to it then, there cannot be anything so very bad in these glorious privileges of which he testified. In later years when he had lost the spirit of the Gospel and was fighting the work he had formerly upheld, he denounced in bitterness these sacred ordinances that he on this occasion sanctioned. His former testimony is the one that is consistent.

On the 17th of January, 1846, the minutes say:

"President Zenas H. Gurley arose and said * * The business before the meeting was the arranging for a donation for the benefit of those of the Priesthood engaged in the Temple. (Not on the Temple but in it). He beautifully observed that it was his design, and also his council's to exalt the Twenty-first quorum, and the quorum should reciprocally return the favor; give support and influence towards its welfare."

Then on the 25th of the same month:

"President Zenas H. Gurley arose and said that the business before the meeting was to select persons to receive their endowment. He had received direction to select 10 or 12 to go in the Temple. He desired the brethren not to think it was partiality to make this selection. The most important point to be considered was to learn obedience. This was the principle taught by Jesus Christ."

He then proceeded to name the brethren for this purpose, and continuing his remarks he said:

"The Saints who have passed through the trials of the Church were generally rooted and grounded in love and have a witness in their hearts or they would not have remained."

And I say amen to that. I wish with all my soul that Zenas H. Gurley had been one of them for his own sake, for it was but 10 days after he made this utterance, that the exodus from Nauvoo began, and this is the last reference we have of Zenas H. Gurley while connected with the Church! What became of him? "Because he had no root he withered away." The terrible trials the Saints were forced to undergo in the wilderness were too great for him; he could not stand the test. And while he had declared that he would go with the Saints even if it required that he should sacrifice the wealth of the whole nation, when put to the actual test, his heart failed him and he sought safety in flight, he sought his life, but lost the life eternal!

The next reference we have of him in the minutes of the Twenty-first quorum is in 1855, where the statement is made that he had fled from the Church and was associated with James J. Strang. Of his connection with Mr. Strang, I prefer to read to you the account from the history of the "Reorganized" Church, for you know then we will have it correct. On page 744 of volume three we have the following:

"After the death of Joseph Smith, Elder Gurley investigated the claims of the various leaders, and finally accepted those of James J. Strang as being the most reasonable. A letter written by him from Gananoque, Canada West, November 6, 1849, and published in Gospel Herald, volume 4, page 187, indicates that he was then on a mission to Canada in the interest of the organization under Strang. On January 1, 1850, he again wrote from Landsdown, Upper Canada, still engaged in the same work.

"A letter written January 10, 1850, from Pittsburg, Canada West, manifested zeal in his work."

We have already shown how he manifested great zeal in his work in the Twenty-first quorum before he left the Church. But to continue:

"March 15, 1850 he wrote from St. Lawrence, New York, that he was assisting Brother Silsby in organizing the brethren and helping them in getting ready for Beaver. He was present at a conference held at Voree, Wisconsin, June 1 and 2, 1850, and in these minutes we find this entry: 'Brother Z. H. Gurley was'—

Then there is an ellipsis, no doubt it would be interesting to know what follows, and the account continues—

'sent to the northeastern parts of Wisconsin, on the presentation of President Strang.'"

Now, please note carefully what follows:

"It was probably while on the mission thus appointed that Elder Gurley raised up the Yellowstone branch, the members of which helped to form the nucleus of the Reorganization."—Page 744-5.

We have already seen that Jason W. Briggs raised up the Waukesha branch of the Strangite church in 1849, also that he raised up the Beloit branch for the same organization, and now we have the admission fatal to their organization, that the Yellowstone branch was also raised up to Mr. James J. Strang. These branches you see became the nucleus of the "Reorganization." They were not connected with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to their own admission, but were organized for the Church of James J. Strang. Yet, mark you, these Strangite branches were admitted into what was called the "New organization," or the "Reorganization," on their original baptisms.^[6] It is quite evident that the "Reorganization" is the offspring of the church of this man James J. Strang.

Now let us return to Jason W. Briggs. In Mr. Heman C. Smith's "True Succession," pages 134-135, we have an alleged revelation that this man received that was the cause of the coming together of the so-called "Reorganized" Church. I have already told you that he was the most important man in this movement, if not the father of it. The "revelation" is as follows:

"Therefore, let the elders whom I have ordained by the hand of my servant Joseph, or by the hand of those ordained by him, resist not this authority, nor faint in the discharge of duty, which is to preach my gospel as revealed in the records of the Jews, and the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants; and cry repentance and remission of sins through obedience to the gospel, and I will sustain them, and give them my Spirit; and in mine own due time will I call upon the seed of Joseph Smith, and will bring one forth, and he shall be mighty and strong, and he shall preside over the High Priesthood of my Church; and then shall the quorums assemble, and the pure in heart shall gather, and Zion shall be reinhabited, as I said unto my servant Joseph Smith."

WHY BRIGGS SECEDED.

In this alleged revelation we have this man teaching lineal Priesthood or the right of succession from father to son. We also have him teaching the literal gathering to Zion of the honest in heart. We will now see what his reasons were for withdrawing from the "Reorganized" Church. We find on pages 248-249 of volume 33 of the Saints' Herald that the reasons why this man withdrew from the "Reorganization" with the family of Zenas H. Gurley, were as follows:

That he could not believe in:

(1) "The literal gathering of the Church into Jackson and the adjoining counties in the state of Missouri (or any one or more places) known as a local Zion."

(2) "Temple building and ceremonial endowments therein."

(3) "Baptism for the dead."

(4) "Tithing as a law applicable to the Church."

(5) "The law of consecration by which individuals are made legal heirs to the Kingdom of Zion."

(6) "A sole mouthpiece of God to the Church."

(7) "The plenary