Letter to Lyman Wight, 30 June 1858
Brother Lyman Wight
Your letter dated Mountain Valley Augt. 4 [18]57 has just arrived,
it has been detained from us by the Army of the United States, and it has very
fortunately survived the almost universal destruction of all our Mail matter, we regret
that we could not have received your history in season for publication; a sketch which
had been prepared you will see in the Deseret News, which is now published at
Fillmore, 100 miles from this City.
The brief sketch of the History of the Twelve, had been
forwarded to the Printers, they are only intended as a synopsis, leaving each of them
the opportunity to publish the same in full, at their leisure.
Your letter has been read to George A. Smith, Amasa Lyman,
Charles C. Rich, and your two nephews Stephen and Ephraim Wight, who are all present
while I am writing this.
We have ever entertained the warmest feelings for you personally,
and regret exceedingly that your course has led you from our midst; instead of
building up ourselves, we have labored as one man to build up the Kingdom of God:
you complain that Prest. Young used the pronoun I too much to suit you. He was
the President of the Twelve, and the quorum backed him up and sustained him, you
claiming more authority than the Eleven, went your own way, we regret the result
exceedingly: it was your duty not only to council with the Twelve, but to take their
counsel.
You refer to the revelation which says "it is my will t[h]at
my servant Lyman Wight shall continue in preaching for Zion, in the spirit of meekness" &c
the spirit of meekness was the condition of the promise. "I will receive him unto myself" [Doctrine and Covenants 124:18-19]
