"A rare scene, indeed, and a suggestive one, for the parallel of which the mind must leap backward nigh two thousand years:
"On the next day, much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
"Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna; Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
"The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him."
So was it with this servant of Christ, this brother of Jesus in the British Isles. The hireling priests, the pharisees of Christendom, prevailed nothing. The "world went after him," whole villages at a sweep, singing praises, and shouting in tones of rapture: "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
There was divine harmony in all this. In Heber, his character, manner and methods--we say it reverently--there was much of the Christ; the might of the lion, with the meekness of the lamb. His, also, was the Savior's lineage; in his heart a kindred spirit, in his veins the self-same blood. Where causes are similar, should there not spring similar results?
And is it not truly a Christ-like sentiment, with which he concludes his description of that wonderful scene:
"In comparison to the joy I then experienced, the grandeur, pomp and glory of the kingdoms of this world shrank into insignificance, and appeared as dross, and all the honor of man aside from the Gospel as vanity. The prayer of my heart was, 'O Lord do thou bless this people, save them from sin, and prepare them for Thy celestial kingdom, and that Thy servant may meet them round Thy throne; and grant, O Lord, that I may continue to preach the Gospel of Christ, which shall cause the hearts of the poor to rejoice, and the meek to increase their joy in the Lord; which shall comfort the hearts of the widows and cheer the soul of the orphan; and that I may be an instrument in Thy hands of bringing them to Zion, that they may behold Thy glory and be prepared to meet the Savior when He shall descend in the clouds of heaven."
On Christmas a special conference was held in Preston by the Apostles.
About three hundred of the Saints assembled, delegates being present from the various branches in and around Preston, extending some thirty miles. Joseph Fielding was ordained an Elder, and ten Priests and seven Teachers were ordained and set apart to take charge of the several branches where they resided.
At this conference, the Word of Wisdom, the temperance revelation of the Church, was first publicly taught in Great Britain. The Elders had taught it more by example than precept heretofore. It became almost universally observed among the brethren. In the "Cock Pit," where this conference was held, had first been lifted the standard of temperance reform. It was the motto on one of the banners of this movement, "Truth will Prevail," which greeted the Elders so opportunely, as an omen of success now verified, on their arrival in Preston from Liverpool, five months before. Says Apostle Kimball:
"The Spirit of the Lord was with us; and truly the hearts of the Elders were rejoiced beyond measure when we contemplated the glorious work which had been done, and we had to exclaim, 'Blessed be the name of the Lord, who has crowned our labors with such success!' During the conference we confirmed fourteen members and, blessed about one hundred children."
One hundred little children blessed in Preston, Christmas, 1837!
A beautiful and fitting celebration of that blessed day of days, when "unto us a Child was born" to take away the sins of the world; when God descended from His throne and took upon Him flesh, exchanging crown for cross, and sceptred rule for martyrdom, in the cause of man's redemption. Shine out, ye blazing stars, and sun and moon give forth your warmth and lustre! Ye cannot dim the glory, nor vie the matchless love, of Him who set you there to light and cheer, on, onward to celestial heights the world He died to save!
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE WORK OF GOD NOT DEPENDENT UPON MAN--HUMILITY A SOURCE OF POWER--EVERY MAN CHOSEN AND FITTED FOR HIS SPHERE--EXAMPLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE--HEBER "HITS THE ROCK" IN LONGTON--THE APOSTLES VISIT THE BRANCHES PRIOR TO RETURNING TO AMERICA.
Preaching the Gospel and converting sinners unto Christ never yet depended for success upon man's learning or the music of oratory. The unlettered fishermen of Galilee, proclaiming in simple words "Christ crucified," were far more powerful in winning souls from error's ways and melting the hearts of the multitude, than would all the orators have been; the Herods, Ciceros, or Demosthenes, of Judea, Greece and Rome.
The reason is not, as some suppose, that learning and oratory are valueless in the cause of Christ, or necessarily a hindrance, as was Saul's armor upon youthful David. The example of the eloquent and erudite Paul suffices to disprove such a fallacy. The secret is simply this: that God had chosen those humble fishermen, and not the learned orators of the age, for that especial work, and endowed them with power from on high. No man, learned or unlearned, can build up God's Kingdom, except He be with him, and the Holy Ghost work through him.
God is the doer of His work, not man, and no flesh can glory in His presence. It was the Holy Ghost in Paul, as it was the Holy Ghost in Peter, not the learning or illiteracy of either, that wrought the wonders of which they were capable.
The Holy Ghost dwells only in hearts that are pure and humble.
Humility, next to virtue, is the one grand requisite of a servant of God. Pride and vanity are synonyms of weakness; humility, another name for strength. Men of learning and language, whom nature and education have made "spokesmen," need not be any less humble--though men of little learning and much language are very apt to be. Pride, in rags or in purple, is the offspring of ignorance; while learning is the parent of humility.
The eloquent and learned man, humble and filled with the Holy Ghost, is manifestly more capable, in his sphere, and more successful, than one without his advantages would be. But turn the tables, reverse the conditions, and, in his sphere, the unlearned man, intelligent, God-fearing and inspired, looms a giant, where his more polished brother might seem a pigmy by comparison. The faculty of adapting self to circumstances is invaluable for the missionary to possess. In saying that he was "all things to all men," the brave and faithful Paul did not brand himself a hypocrite. Rather, did he not mean he could accommodate himself to his surroundings; enter into the feelings and sympathies of "all men:" the high, the low, the rich, the poor, the learned and the illiterate; at home in palace or in hovel; feasting in gratitude at luxury's board, or sharing thankfully the crust of poverty; holding spell-bound by his oratory the charmed sages of Athens, or melting his jailor's heart with the simple pathos of his tale.
Such was Paul, the eloquent and learned Apostle; a vessel formed and fashioned, like all others, for his work. It was his mission to be "brought before Caesar"; the mission of most of his brethren to preach, like their Master, "the Gospel to the poor." It will yet fall to the lot of God's servants to stand before kings and rulers, as did Elijah, Nathan and Daniel of old. But in the days of Heber, of Joseph, and of Brigham, the Gospel was chiefly to the poor and humble, who received it gladly and rejoiced in the God of their salvation.
Returning now to the Apostles in Preston:
"Immediately after the conference," wrote Heber, "Elder Hyde and I went to a village near the sea shore called Longton, where we published to the listening crowds the glad tidings of salvation.
Brothers Hyde and Goodson had preached several discourses there, and numbers were believing, but none had been baptized. The people asked Brother Hyde why he did not 'bring Kimball down, to hit the rock a crack with his big sledge and let the water flow out.' I preached from Hebrews 6th chapter, 1st verse: 'Therefore not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.' I preached a plain and simple discourse, and according to my calling I taught them to repent and be baptized, that they might be saved, and if they did not they would be damned. Elder Hyde bore testimony. After meeting I baptized ten, and in the morning after, several more. It being very cold weather--the streams all frozen over--we had to repair to the sea to administer the ordinance.
"January 24th, I left Preston and went to Longton with Brother Hyde.
We preached once each, and baptized ten; from thence returned to Preston and stayed two or three days. Then I started on a mission to Eccleston and other places, visiting six branches and strengthening them. I was absent about eighteen days and baptized fifteen; the weather being so cold that many dared not go into the water. Returned to Preston and stayed three days. On the Sabbath Elder Hyde and myself administered the sacrament and confirmed twelve. From thence went to Longton and baptized three, ordained one priest, one teacher, and one deacon, and blessed about thirty children. Again returned to Preston. From thence went to Whittle; preached once, and baptized five; and returned to Preston February 23rd.
"From this time to our departure from England we were continually engaged in the work of the ministry, proclaiming the everlasting Gospel in all the regions round, and baptizing all who believed and repented of their sins. The Holy Ghost, the comforter, was given to us and abode with us in a remarkable manner."
"The time when we expected to return to our native land being near at hand, it was considered best for us to spend the short time we had to remain in visiting and organizing the branches; placing such officers over them, and giving such instructions as would be beneficial to them during our absence. Accordingly Brothers Hyde, Fielding and myself visited a branch nearly every day, and imparted such instructions as the Spirit directed. We first visited the branches south of Preston, and after spending some time in that direction we journeyed to the north, accompanied by Brother Willard Richards, who had returned from Bedford March 7th, where he had been proclaiming the Gospel. In consequence of sickness his labors had not been so extensive as they otherwise would have been, and were confined within a short distance of the city of Bedford, where he raised up two small branches of about forty members, which he set in order, and ordained James Lavender an Elder, and other officers to preside. He had labored under considerable difficulty in consequence of the conduct of Elder Goodson, who taught many things which were not in wisdom, and which proved a barrier to the spread of the truth in that region. His health being poor, he was not able to preach much.
"While we were attending to our duties in that section we received a very pressing invitation from a Baptist church, through the medium of their deacon, to pay them a visit, stating that the society were exceedingly anxious to hear from our lips the wonderful things we had proclaimed in the regions round about. We endeavored to excuse ourselves from going, as our engagements were such that it would require the short time we had to stay to attend them. They seemed determined not to take a denial and pleaded with such earnestness that we could not resist their entreaties, and we finally consented to go and preach once. Having arrived at the village, which was between Downham and Burnley, we found a large congregation already assembled in the Baptist chapel, anxiously waiting our arrival. The minister gave out the hymns and Elder Hyde spoke on the resurrection with great effect, after which the minister gave out another hymn, which was sung by the assembly, and then he requested me to address them. I spoke briefly on the first principles of the Gospel. During the services the congregation was overjoyed, tears ran down their cheeks, and the minister could not refrain from frequently clapping his hands for joy, while in the meeting. After the service was over he took us to his house where we were very kindly entertained. After partaking of his hospitality, he with some more friends accompanied us to our lodgings, where we remained in conversation until a very late hour. The next morning while we were preparing to depart we were waited upon by several of the citizens who requested us to preach again that day, stating that great interest was felt by the inhabitants, many of whom were in tears, fearing they should hear us no more, and that a number of influential men had suspended operations in their factories to allow their workmen the privilege of hearing us preach; but we were obliged to deny them, as it was necessary to attend to the appointments we had previously made. We could scarcely go away from them, and when we did so they wept like little children. Such a desire to hear the Gospel I never saw equalled before.
"After commending them to the grace and mercy of God, we went to Downham, where we preached in the afternoon, after which we baptized several and confirmed forty. In the evening we called the churches of Chatburn, Downham, Clithero and Waddington together, and after confirming some, we ordained Priests, Teachers and Deacons to preside over the branches.
"From thence we went to Preston, and after a short stay visited Penwortham and Longton, and organized the churches in those places, which numbered about fifty members each."
CHAPTER XXV.
CONDITION OF THE CHURCH AT HOME--PRUNING OFF THE DEAD BRANCHES--A DAY OF CHOOSING--APOSTATES CONSPIRE TO OVERTHROW THE CHURCH-- FLIGHT OF THE PROPHET FROM KIRTLAND--FALL OF OLIVER COWDERY AND OTHER APOSTLES--"SHOW UNTO US THY WILL, O LORD, CONCERNING THE TWELVE!"
While the Apostles are setting in order the Church in England, preparatory to their departure for America, let us fly before them over the sea and note some of the changes which have taken place since they left Kirtland.
The Church had suffered terribly from the ravages of apostasy. At no time in its history has it seemed so near destruction, as in the early part of 1837, the period of the opening of the British Mission. The causes are noted elsewhere in these pages, and deserve a niche in the temple of memory for all time. The Ohio mobbings, the Missouri persecutions, the martyrdom, the exodus, nor all that Zion's cause has suffered since, have imperilled it half so much as when mammon and the love of God strove for supremacy in the hearts of His people, and the Saints, for a time forgetful of their high calling, laid aside their spiritual mission and went groveling after "the beggarly elements of the world."
Only once in the history of the work, has its almighty Author found it necessary to reveal that "something new must be done for the salvation of the Church."
That "something new," as we have seen, was a great spiritual movement, to counteract the tendency to carnal or temporal things, which was resting like the sleep of death upon the drooping eyelids of the Zion of God.
To root out the deadly Upas-tree, rouse Zion from her slumber beneath its pestilential shade, and prune off the withered branches from the Tree of Life, was the first care of the Prophet after despatching the Elders for England.
A conference assembled "in committee of the whole Church" at Kirtland, on Sunday, September 3rd, 1837. At this conference the various quorums of the Priesthood were presented to the people for their action.
President Sidney Rigdon presented the name of Joseph Smith, junior, to the Church, to know if they still looked upon him as the President of the whole Church, and would receive and sustain him in that position.
The vote was unanimous in the affirmative.
President Smith then presented Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G.
Williams as his counselors, and to constitute with himself the three first Presidents of the Church. Elder Rigdon was sustained unanimously, but the motion failed as to F. G. Williams. President Smith then put in nomination Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, senior, Hyrum Smith, and John Smith, as assistant counselors; these four, together with the first three, to be considered the heads of the Church. Carried unanimously.
It was voted that Newel K. Whitney continue to hold his office as Bishop in Kirtland, and that Reynolds Cahoon and Jared Carter continue to act as the Bishop's counselors.
The Twelve Apostles were then presented, one by one, when Thomas B.
Marsh, David W. Patten, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, William Smith and William E. McLellin, were received and unanimously sustained in their Apostleship. Luke Johnson, Lyman Johnson and John F. Boynton were rejected and cut off, though given the privilege of confessing and making satisfaction. The cause of the difficulty with Elders Boynton and Johnson was their "leaving their calling to attend to other occupations."
Five members of the High Council were also objected to by the people, and new ones chosen in their stead. John Gaylord, James Forster, Salmon Gee, Daniel S. Miles, Joseph Young, Josiah Butterfield and Levi Hancock were retained in office as Presidents of the Seventies, while John Gold was rejected.
A similar conference was held at Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri, then the head-quarters of the Church in that region, on the 7th of November 1837, and another on the 5th of February, 1838. The Priesthood was reorganized and the Church set in order, in the same manner as had been done in Kirtland. Hyrum Smith was sustained, in lieu of Frederick G. Williams, as one of the three First Presidents, in which office he had before been acting. Elder Boynton and the two Elders Johnson were reinstated in the Quorum of the Twelve, though later they again fell away. Bishops Edward Partridge, Isaac Morley and Titus Billings were retained in office; while Presidents William W.
Phelps and John Whitmer were severed from the Church; the former afterwards returned.