20, , , , 24 I spent the time in the Legislature

Dec 22nd Wednesday evening The quorum of the Twelve met
In the upper room of the Council House at 6 oclok
Here was assembled together eleven of the Twelve Apostles
all of the quorum were present except Elder Orson
Pratt (who had gone to Washington the seat of Government
to preach salvation & eternal truth to Presidents Senators
& Legislators that they might be left without excuse) The
meeting with eleven of that quorum was A Blessing I never
before enjoyed during my life, I never saw so manny of
the Twelve together at any one time. The Meeting opened By
prayer By President Orson Hyde who is president of the
Twelve Apostles. The names of the Twelve who were present
were O Hyde P. P. Pratt W. Woodruff J. Taylor G. A Smith A Lyman
C. C. Rich E. T Benson L Snow E. Snow & F D Richards

President Orson Hyde made some appropriate remarks upon
the rare & eventful occasion upon which we are now met
He offered up a fervent prayer & Thanksgiving to God for
his blessings that Had been over us in our separation & in bring-
ing us together & asked for all needful Blessings to qualify us
for our futur labours untill we arive in the celestial kingdom
of God He then said He did not feel like making a long speech
but merely interchanging our harty congratulations in ackno-
wledgeing the mercy & blessings of God

P. P. Pratt expressed his feelings And after happily refering
to our vast separetion & merciful reunion said this is the first
opportunity we have had of being together as a quorum
& feeling that each member has the most implicit
confidence in evry member of the quorum of the Twelve
& also in each member of the Presidency who presides over
us. I feel as though the day is not far distant when men
will stand among us in their Immortal Bodies holding the keys
of death & Hell & that Brother Joseph would say if He was a[mo]ng
us that we had suffered enough & that we should be numbered
among his Jewels He alluded to the great work we had to per-
form, the building of a Temple &c

W. Woodruff next spoke & expressed his feelings upon the subj-
ect of this meeting of the Twelve Apostles A Blessing which He
never before enjoyed in his life. As He never had met

with eleven of the Twelve Apostles He considered there had
never been but two Bodies of men since the days of Adam
who had met under such peculier & interesting circumstances
& those were the Twelve Apostle with Jesus in Jerrusalem & the
Twelve Apostle with Jesus in Ameri[c]a we know their History & works
& we know our own & they are three events of great importance
to the salvation of the world. He refered to the peculiar & strik-
ing fact that there had never been a death in the quorum of the
Twelve Apostles except in the case of David W. Patten who fel
a martyr to his religion by a special request which he made of
the Lord that He might die that death. But the rest of the quorum
of the Twelve have stood in the front of the battle & the danger
for the last twenty years in the midst of mobs sickness & plagues
& dangers by sea & land but still they were preserved untill the
present day in bloom & health He refered to the great prosperity &
work of the Twelve Abroad among the nations & rejoiced that the
Lord had preserved them to returned from the fore cornors of the
earth to again sit in counsel together in Zion. He had the most im-
plicit confidence in each member of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Also of the Presidency who presided over us said President Young was a Father
to the whole church

Erastus Snow next spoke & said though He was one of the youngest of the
quorum of the Twelve yet He had known the quorum from the begining
when they were first together in his Fathers House He expressed his
Joy in being with the quorum & his entire confidence in each member
of the quorum & in the Saints generally. Since his absence to Denmark
He had felt & learned how to appreciate the society of home & the brethren
& Anticipated much pleasure in the association of this present winter
hoped our meetings might be freequent & that we might become
much improved.

President O Hyde remarked that if we were at liberty to prophesy
it is while we are together as we are moved upon by the Holy Ghost
And if we dont fell to prophesy speak by faith & by faith it
should be fulfilled expressed his unlimited confidence in evry member
of the Quorum & of the Presidency And Prophesied in the name
of God that we should all meet & come forth in the morning
of the first resurrection & receive our crowns in the celestial
kingdom it was confirmed by a good Amen by all the quorum

John Taylor next spoke said He glad to meet with the quorum
He refered to the changes taking place among the Nations of the earth & he
believed we were destined to soon hold a great influence among them
He had felt moved upon at times to offer at times some counsl
to sir Robert Peel & Louis Napolian & such men & tell them that
He could give them advice that would do them good He believed the
day near when the kings near would seek counsel at our hands
in the begining the elders went out & were weak & ignorant men now
they are full of intelligence & the Nations of the earth will feel their
influence when I am with this quorum I feel as though I was
with the Gods.

G A Smith said He was delighted on the present occasion He
rejoiced to see the union of the quorum & their disposition to do right
we dont have to feel that one of the quorum like Lyman Wight is
drawing off one way & John E. Page another & A W^m Smith commit-
ing iniquity & we have to sustain him against our feelings. I have

the satisfaction of believeing that each member of the quo[ru]m
is doing right & I rejoice that the quorum is able to publish the
gospel in six different Languages & to gather the people
together Hoped we should meet once a week & with the Presid[enc]y
offer our prayers. He felt a proud satisfaction of being associ-
ated with 10 men which He believed to be the highest learned
best educated & possessed the most intelligence of any man on
earth That our circumstances were such that we were oblieged
to have the most knowledge whether we would or not. He believed
the prophesies uttered this evening would be fulfilled to the utter most
He closed with his blessings upon us.

A Lyman said He had so many things upon his mind that He knew
not what point to speak from He felt in his nature that He was
made up in the work of the Lord & he could not embrace any interest
any whare els ownly in this work. He has found out to his satisfa-
ction what that love & affection for his brethren is that surpases the
love of women for he had a confidence in his quorum that was
far greater than in his wives or children for they have been
brought up in the hard school of experience & have been tried in
all things & proven to be true & I have been proven with them
& I am wedded to my quorum with all my interest I go when
I am sent & come when I am called, & so expect to continue to do
my interest is inseparably conneted with this kingdom & I trust
ever will be through time & eternity.

C. C. Rich said those who had spoken ^met^ his feeling He concured
in them all I am happy in the present meeting. I had a dream while
on my way home I thought the Ancients in their resurrected bodies
were associating with us in this place. I have the most unbounded confi-
dence not ownly in the quorum of the Twelve but also in the first
Presidency. I hope the winter seasons may be profitable to us in our
associations And that we may improve our time

E T Benson said He felt to concur in what had been said I feel it
to be a great Blessing to come together we have been blessed according to
the desire of our hearts before I Joined the Saints I felt as though I
I would give all I possessed if I could find a people who wold do
right & be led by the spirit & power of God & I could be associated
with them I now feel that I have found that people. I now feel associ-
ated with men with whom I could trust my eternal interes
I could leave my family with them any length of time & find
them all right on my return. I have the utmost confid[en]ce
in evry member of that quorum. there is nothing to be done
but what we can do. Evry gift & qualifycation exhists in
this quorum that there is in the church els we cannot be
equal with the first Presidency & they must have all we have
got or they could not preside over us If the first Presidency
were to be removed the quorum of the Twelve would have to preside
& if they had not the fulness of the gifts they wold not be
fit to preside. I feel excedingly thankful to be associated
with such men I have not language to express my feelings when
I was first called to be an Apostle in this quorum I could not
sleep for three days & nights I feel now as though I could
break a Nation to pieces I felt renovated with the Holy
Spirit while P P Pratt was speaking No blessing is to great or to
good for us & we shall possess them all.

Turn over 3 leaves

A Speech of P. P. Pratt in the Council Chamber of the Legislative Assembly

[page covered] [t]he lawful king Patriarch or ruler and after him the election
of God continued through the loins of Shem down to Abraham
but in Abrahams day according to his own writings lately
taken from the tombs of ancient Thebees & translated and
published by our great Prophet we find a man made government
existing in Egypt under a race of Phariohs. This Egypt according
to Phario Abrahams account was first discovered by Egyptus or
Daughter of Ham who afterwords settled her sons in it & from whol
whom sprang the race of Pharaioh's & the Ancient Egyptians [Abraham 1:23-25] the same
authority also informs us that Ham & his race were cursed as it
regards priesthood but blessed in matters pertaining to the
fruits of the earth & of wisdom. And that the Pharioh's & their
priests had not the priesthood although they pretended to have
received it from Ham their progenitor. Hence we find a
Government in Egypt of mere human origen and a pri-
esthood and religion by law esstablished which worshiped
several Gods among which was the crockadile & which sacrafized
Human sacrafices upon the Alter of State Hence the calling out of
Abraham & the reesstablishing of a government of God to be per-
petuated in his linage for ever, which linage is elected to reign
& rule & hold the keys of religion Priesthood Power & Government
while the earth endures & in worlds without end. This govern-
ment was perpetuated in the family of Isaac & Jacob & was exem
plified in the person of Joseph who by the gift of revelation became
prime minister of Egypt & saved his Fathers house & the Nations
from Death by famine. Here is an instance of A mere Human
government yielding to be instructed & benefited by a revelation
& a prophet Behold the result Descending the stream of time & traceing
the fortunes of the chosen or royal linage we next find a Moses
a man in whom was the spirit of true religion. By this religion
He overthrew the Egyptians delivered the nation from Bondage led
them forth to freedom & gave them laws. By this religion his
successor Joshua was also elected & qualified through him
by the laying on of hands And by this religion were all the Judges
chosen & qualifyed to fill the Judiciary with equity & Justi[c]e
Now Mr President it is clear that none of these glorious
events were the result of popular elections or of human
institutions.

God gave a system of religion embracing
Inspiration visions Prophets & Priesthood & that religion
& those prophets & revelations created Nations Governments
& Laws. Hence true government in all its Branches and
ramification is the legitimate result or production of
true religion. For instant the Prophet Samuel by virtue
of his religious gift had power to elect by the word of God
& to Anoint Saul to be king of Israel [1 Samuel 10] and by the same
religious authority he had the right to reprove & even to
reject that same king & to anoint & place upon the head
Throne a shepherd Boy called david in his stead [1 Samuel 16] And
when Samuel was dead & David was king of Israel Nathan
another Prophet had power to reprove him for iniquity &
to pass Judgment upon him for his sins [2 Samuel 12]. Again when Elijah
had rebuked King Ahah & all his wicked rulers & adulterous priests
& had fled to the mountains because they rebelled & saught his
life [1 Kings 18-19] He was commanded to return and Anoint Jehu for King
of Israel [2 Kings 9], Haziel for king o[f] Syria & Elisha for Prophet in
his stead which He performed & was taken up.

In all these things I see not a vestage of the trumpary
of modern human institutions either of democracy whigery
monarchy or Arisstocricy I see nothing in fact but religion
standing forth in its own native simplicity & clad in the
panoply of its own legiteimate heavenly powers giving government
& Laws to Nations and appointing and Anointing majestrates
Kings & Judges to administer the same. But leaving for a mom[en]t
the events of palestine I glance for a moment at Bablylon
whare sat Nebuchadnezzar in all the pride of self confidence
& self government. This Monarch had denyied the hand of God
& imputed to himself the power & glory of Babylon and the
magnitude & glory of his vast dominion He had also
esstablished a religion & created it by law at a given signal
all person ^on pain of death^ were to bow down to his images & idols. But Daniel & his
fellows were their with the true religion
Dreams, interpetations, visions, prophesyings, and Miracles
& the word of God rebuking & punishing him soon convierted
him to the truth He then published an epistle to all Nations
& Tongues under his dominions & in all languages the perpose
of which was that God was a revealer of secrets a worker
of signs & wonders & an originator & controler of political
power & government [Daniel 1-4]. In Bablylon it was soon conseded
that the wisdom of one revelator or Prophet was ten
times more valuable than all the combined wisdom of its
sages without this gift. Hence Daniel was wisely placed
in power as president of the Presidents of more than a
hundred provinces [Daniel 6:1-3]. This same Daniel by the word of the
Lord afterwords reproved & Dethroned Belshazer and placed
Cyrus the Mede upon the Throne of Babylon [Daniel 5:29-31]. This Monarch
obeyed the word of the Lord so far as to restore the Jews &
rebuild their city & Temple [Ezra 1]. So long as the Jews obeyed
the voice of their Prophets they prospered & were free
but loosing the spirit of prophesy & of true religion they
forfeited their institutions laws & doctrin. Hence John
the Baptist & Jesus Christ found them in Bondage to a
Government called Rome.

These Romans like the
Greeks before them had manufactured their own Govern
ment & religion & then enforced it upon others insom-
uch that the Jews themselves having lost the power of
their own religion were oblieged to submit. John the
Baptist & Jesus Christ reproved all the needless trash
& powerless forms of Jewish sects & of Gentiles supers-
titions & restored to the world the gifts of prophesy visions
revelation ^&^ Miracles, which would have broaken the human
yoke reesstablished the independance of Israel & made
Jerrusalem the perpetual seat of government for all
nations. But they would not. Jesus Christ would have
made their Temple a house of prayer for all Nations in all
coming time He would have placed there the eternal keys
of priesthood power & Government & wisdom. ^*A page missed turn to the star^

The Blackness of Darkness veiled the earth in morning
Ages—Centuries—now fled. Politics—Laws—Religions have
multiplied. Empires—Kingdoms—States—Repub[l]ics have
filled the world. But whare—O whare!—The keys powers

Religion knowledge or government of God—Our puriton Fathers
fled to the American wilderness to rid themselves from the corr-
uption of ages. Their children made a government wise &
Free. But Alas—The Priesthood—The Power—The religion
of Heaven had long since been lost to man—Prophets &
Apostles were no more—Our Fathers knew this—And tharefore
as wise honest & consistant men they refrained from man
ufacturing a state religion.

Again were the heavens opened. The silence of Ages was broake[n] [page covered]
The gloom of overhanging night was pierced with a ray from
the worlds of endless day. A celestial spark from the heavenly
Altar was rekindled upon the earth. The mystic veil was rent
in twain. And the fogs & mysts of long Ages began to roll away
as the gloom of a long night before the rising dawn. In the midst
of the ownly great & free nation upon the earth the God of Abraham
raised up a mighty Prophet gave him the ancient keys
of religion, government & power & restored the Apostleship
with its keys of revelation vision & Prophecy. Through the
administration of which the laws & government were restored
to man & his kingdom organized upon the earth no more
to be thronewn down. People, Magestrates, senators, govornors,
& states have opposed its progress with fire & sword & death
but all in vain. It has waded through calumny hate & oppression
& blood & fire & martyrdom Till it organized itself amid
the strong holds of these eternal Mountains & stood forth
a Noble spectacle for the wonder & admiration of all Nations
A government created by Heaven preserved by the matchless
power of the Almighty & led amidnd instructed by Prophets &
Apostles with the keys of revelation. The United States
were constrained to recognize & sustain that which no
human power could subdue. Hence the Territorial govern-
ment of Utah. And Hence the local capacity in which
we are now siting as senators & representitives to give
Laws to a Territory. In our Local, political capacity
Executive, Legislative & Judicial we are limited to the geogra-
phical boundaries prescribed by the act of Congress in this
sens our Jurisdiction is bounded by Oregon On the North
by Calafornia on the west By 37 of North Lat on the south
And by the snow clad sumits of the Backbone of our continent
On the east & thus confined in its immediate bearing to a
country not much larger than the British Isles

But the eyes of the Nations are upon us, we are a city on
a hill a candle on a candlestick that cannot be hid [Matthew 5:14]
The great the noble of heart, the enterprising, the oppressed
of all Nations will flow to us as a continues stream
senators govornors kings & rulers will cast their
eyes to Utah & to her Prophets, Apostles, revelations
laws & institutions as a model a pattern in miniature
for the renovation of the world. In our capacity as
Prophets Apostles & Elders we have the keys of Authority
to organize & give laws form & constitution to a thousand
local governments like this. Yes Mr President it is ourse
to teach Judges How to rule, To give senators wisdom & to
repprove instruct & impart wisdom to Presidents and kings

It is ours to impart wisdom & knowledge & strength &
salvation to the rulers & people of the great Nation which
gave us birth. Untill they know this & seek it at our
hands they will never arise to any considerable degree
of permanent prosperity & peace. But On the contrary
vexation Disunion perplexity division is their doom and
Bloody wars & pestilence & storms & fires & whirlwinds
& tempest earthquakes & famines will continue to waste
them till they shall be constrained to acknowledge the
hand of God & to humble themselves as in the dust &
seek wisdom & instruction at the hand of prophets &
Apostles as did Kings & rulers in days of Old. Untill
like Nebuchadnezzar they shall acknowledge that God
is a revelator a worker of signs & wonders and an
originator & controllor of political governments.
Yes Mr President Our Nation & the world shall be
btaught by the prophets & all Nations feel the influence
of the Institutions now being developted in thes Halls of liberty
the chambers of the Eternal Mountains of Deserett
Let the United States go on in their course own strength
without the inspiration & institutions of the Almighty now
offered them by our Prophets let them spread abroad
their dominions on evry side. Let the principles of conquest
or of annexation add the Canadies British Amarica and
even Greenland on the North, Spanish & Portugue Amaricn
to cape horn on the south. The west Indies on the east & the
Isles of the Pacific including Japan on the west Let these
countries be gathered under the wings of the wide spread eagle
& let them be peopled by the enterprising of all Nations by
Hundreds of Millions. Let their rich & almost boundless resources
be developed by all these & still remain Ignorant &
destitute of the keys of knowledge & power which lead &
govern the destinies of Deseret or of Utah yet shall
the Institutions of that same Utah or of her people outweigh
all this have more present influence in the Destinies of
the world and abide & give Laws & religion to man when
the best of mere human, civil, Political, Moral, social and
religious Institutions has sceased to be And its memory
ownly shadowed forth in the dim History of the past.

* as was^is^ predicted by the Ancient Prophets Though
Heaven & earth should be moved from their foundations
Though the bright lumainary of Day should refuse
its light. The moon cease to fullfill its monthly ordinan[ce] [page covered]
and yonder stars be hurled from their places spheres
yet the government the Nationality the priesthood
the oracles, the religion, the Throne of Israel should
nevernot be removed, a man be wanting to fill that Throne
or a priest to minister at the alter of her Holy Temple.
All nations would have to come to worship before the
Lord and from this center they would have drawn their
light & power. Their kings chosen & anointed and
instructed by her Prophets & Apostles would have esstablis[hed] [page torn]
peace & equity & Justice & truth in the earth. In short ther[e] [page torn]

would have been One Lord & his name one in all the earth
but the Jews rebelled against their King & prefered their
own powerless forms of religion. Jesus & his Apostles on
this account removed from their midst the Keys of gove
rnment & power & left them a prey to civil war
pestilance & famine & to the raviges of the Romans After the
over throw of the Jews the Romans were suffered to imbrue
their hands in the blood of Apostles Prophets & Saints till
none to remain who possedssed the keys of religion and
government. It was then the powers of darkness triump-
hed upon our earth. Self constituted government and
human religions overran our earth. Truth was banished
& fled far away. Equity could not enter. Justice was
paralized & stood Aghast. Mercy retireing droped a tear
of blood.)

E T Benson continued
from 6 pages Back

Ask whatsoever you will and it shall
be ours my love for the quorum of the
Twelve Apostles & the First Presidency is far above the love of woman
{You may take the most virtuous woman on earth into your bosom and there is something [illegible shorthand] in it.} There is not
exhisting with the most virtuous man on earth (while destitute of the
priesthood & Holy Ghost) that spirit of life that there is with the
servant of God. My ownly hope is with you it is life when we met
& life when we part He closed with Thanksgiving & Blessings

Lorenzo Snow next followed & said He felt some as Amasa
did know not whare to begin He felt that his sentiments & feelings
were shadowed forth in his labours. I have great Joy in meeting
with you & beholding your faces & contemplating the influence & power
of this quorum & the greatness of their work I anticipate much
this winter in our meetings & in enjoying the blessings of God. I have
rejoiced this night to hear the exhalted expressions of the quorum
in rendering thanksgiving to God & not one word of complaint or hardships
imprisionments or affliction of any king but are filled with
hidden Joy & pleasure. I feel determin to do all the work that is
assigned me that I may be worthy of a place in this quorum
I felt thankful to hear the blessings pronounced upon us bo [by] our
president He closed with Joy & Thanksgiving

W. Woodruff Addressed the quorum upon the importance of ther
writing. the importance of their keeping a private History of ther
lives labour & ministry, & als[o] a Joint History of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles He said he had ever been inspired since
He had ben a member of the Church not ownly to write
all of his own acts & life, but to write all the sermons teachings
& prophesies of the prophet Joseph, president Brigham Young &
counsel & of the Twelve Apostles as far as he was acquainted
with their labour He said each member of the quorum should
keep an account of their missions, works miracles & the bless-
ings of God unto them. And that the history of the quorum of the
Twelve could now be easily obtained but if we omitted it untill
we were dead our friends could not get it correctly before the
world

P. P Pratt spoke of the filling up of the quorum of the 12 in 1848
& of their commencement of a record of the quorum & wishes it

continued. He said He did not know how far & minute we ought
to be in writing a Journal but thinks we ought to record our
official acts & considers it for our interest as well as duty thus to
do

E. T. Benson said that President Richards wished him
to requst the young members of this quorum to hand to him
a short statement of their lives & ministry the time they recvd
the gospel &c to go into the Church History

G. A. Smith W. Woodruff & P P Pratt interchanged a few words
upon the subject of Journal keeping &c

F. D. Richards next spoke & said He felt Highly to participate
in the common Joy of the evening & felt it was an omin of the
times, an eventful epok in the last dispensation to us & the world.
I feel behind most of the quorum in not having the privilege of so
much counsel & teaching from Brother Joseph as they. when I
contemplate the future I feel that the field of our labour was equal
to the Noblest amibition which man could entertain both in this world
& in the next felt his Joy tempered in the recollection

O. Hyde said while I have been listening I have had an unusual
train of reflection of necessity we shall soon be called again to
separate & the Kingdoms of this world must become the Kingdoms of
our Lord & his Christ. We are trained in the school of experience
I may live to see you all in different parts of the earth & while the kingdoms
of the earth are falling you will in many instances be enabled to stick
out your hands & give counsel & save many people & be enabled to
rule governments & thus fulfilll the prophesies, & many of thes
things are not afar off. All is eternity to us whether this or
the other side of the veil. we are born in eternity, & let us be
whare we will, it will be our calling to win souls to Christ
The Presidency are unwell or they would be here. I wish the
Journals of the Twelve to be written up so they can be on hand
when Needed to be published I wish each one of the quorum wold
write as good an epistle as they are capable of & have then put
in book form & send them forth unto the world

P P. Pratt Thingks the subject is abounding in us & we owe
the world a testimony not as individuals but as a quorum
of the Twelve Apostles & suggest that each contributes & write
an epistle & form the whole & compile & embody a Book to
go forth with the signatures of all the quorum as the combined
History of all the ^12^ Apostles

G. A. Smith thinks it vary important that an Authentic
History of each member should be preserved

W. Woodruff made mention of certain items which He consid[ered]
necessary in the preservation of our History He lamented that
David W. Patten had not left any record of his life for He
was a prophet & an Apostle & a mighty man. many miracles
were wrought by him in his ministry. He told a rich man
in Tennessee who fought the work of God that He & his family
should beg their bread Robert C. Petty saw that same man
cry at a blacksmith shop because he could not get trusted

to have his plough sharp[en]ed

President Orson Hoyde moved that Wilford Woodruff
be the clerk & historian of the Twelve Apostles carried unan-
imously

P P Pratt proposed a new record & wished that the Nar
ative of each of the quorum of the Twelve be first recorded
in it begining with the president of the quorum & going through
in rotation with each member as He stands in the quorum

W Woodruff says he is willing to serve the quorum as Historian
as faithfully as He can, although it will be a heavy tax upon
his time

E Snow enquires if this history contemplated is confined to the
present quorum or of the members from the begin[in]g P. P. Prat
thinks it should include the present quorum merely E Snow
would like to see included all that could be found of D W.
Patten. C. C. Rich said He herd Brother Patten say the
morning that He was martered that the Kingdom of God shall
be delive[re]d or he should lay down his life. P P Pratt wished
Brother Woodruff to leave all temporal business as much as
possible & bring this history up. A Lyman says their is no
date of his ordination. O Hyde proposed for the Twelve to me[e]t
with the Presidency & also to meet each week for mutual
exchange of thought

Adjourned to meet one week from to night at this place