I received your
kind and welcome letter dated
December 7th 1856 yester day and was
very glad to hear from you altho
we have had most of the same
news that was contained in your
letter some 4 weeks ago.
We were truly much surprised
and greatly shocked to hear of the
death of our beloved brother J. M.
Grant for he surely was one of
Gods Noble men on the Earth
and much beloved by all good
men that knew him and a great
many that did not know him.
He has left an impression on the
minds of the people that never
can be obliterated in this life.
How consoleing it is to know that
this is the work of God and that
He rules and Reigns and will do
that which will result forin the best
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for the building up of His Kingdom
and the salvation of souls, and
all that I can say is, the will of
my Father in Heaven be done in
all things and I pray that
we may be prepared to receive
the things that the Lord has for
us in the future for I know that
great things are required at the
hands of His Servants at the pre-
sant time moreso than ever has
been since the Church was organ-
ized. I have felt the spirit of
reformation on me ever since I
landed on these shores and thought
verily I was preaching reformation
to the people but when we received
Prest Youngs letter dated October 30th
^I found^ that it was but very little that I
had done and that there was a
great many things for me ^to^ repent of
that I might have more of the Holy
Spirit and to be one with my brethren
in Zion. Bro Brigham says the
Saints are dead and do not drink at
the living fountain that the fire of
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the Almighty is not in them and
that we must trim off the dead
branches that the tree may thrive
and expand and he makes the
same observation about the Elders
We have commenced the reformation
at the office according to his direc-
tions, for his instructions are great
and glorious, we have made a clean
sweep in the office of every thing
that is forbidden in the word of God
thus we have cleansed ourselves and
purified the office from top to bottom
and we feel renewed both soul and
body. Bro Pratt is going forth
to preach through the conferences
as soon as the next ship shas
sailed which we expect will be
about the 1st of May according
to present calculations. If this
people have never before had a
testimony that Brigham is a
Prophet they have one now. for
he certainly has pointed out their
exact condition much better than
any one else could do that was
in their midst in these lands and
how thankful we ought to be that
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we ^have^ a good and holy man to lead
us who is continually clothed with
the Spirit of revalation and whose
instructions to us are as the voice
of the Lord and whose admonitions
may we ever regard as true and
faithful and worthy of the confidence
of all who profess the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. We have been with him
in prosperity and adversity in sickness
and in health in public and private
and in various situations in life
where men may reasonably associate
with each other and we do know
and this is the testimony that I bare
to this generation that his teachings
are sacred and true, his character
untarnished and it is beyond the
power and wisdom of this world high
or low rich or poor to prove to the
contrary or bring the first accusa-
tion against him.
I have a very extensive and
exceedingly interesting field of
labour and I can say that it is
one of the greatest schools that I
ever was in and I am anxious
to improve the time and do all the
good I can while I have the chance
for I find that while I am teaching
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the Elders and Saints their
duties I am at the same time
learning myself. I am contin-
ually travelling from conference
to conference attending meetings
most every day and I feel
greatly blessed in standing before
the people preaching reformation
and I can say truly that I have
never had such steady promtings
of the Holy Spirit since I have
been in the Church as I have since
I have been on this mission. We
are determined to make a thorough
work in the reformation in this
land spiritually and temporally
and we know that it will result
in great good and that every
word that bro Brigham has prom-
ised us will be verily fulfilled.
We are calling out and ordaining
good and faithful Elders and
sending them out to the gentiles
to preach the gospel without purse
or Scrip that they may sleep in
the gentiles beds and eat their meat
and wear their raiment for we
feel determined that what little
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means are collected ^of the poor saints^ shall go
for the building up on the Church
and Kingdom of our God and
we are expecting to see the work
roll forth faster than it has
done for the last few years.
I received a letter from you
last September when I was in Copenhagen and answered
the same from that place
giving you a brief sketch
of my travels in these lands
up to that date. I also wrote
one last November to President Young and another last week
giving him such items of news
as I thought would be inter-
esting. I was in Liverpool last
week and assisted to dispatch
a large ship load of Saints
for Boston 819 souls on bard
a very fine American vessel
The "George Washington". We held
a meeting on board previous
to leaving the River and a
better feeling I never saw manifest
Enclosed is a letter to bro Robt.
Skelton you can read it and
then please hand it to him,
he is residing with my family.
I am informed by letters from
my wife that you drop in
occasionally to see them for
it is my earnest prayer that they
may live to be worthy of the
blessings of my brethren in
whom I have the utmost
confidence and may God bless
you for it and I feel to say
in all the sincerity of my soul
that those who feel to bless my
family in my absence God
will bless them. As to political
news I am not posted up as
it does not attract much of my
attention only the last week
has been all bustle and stir
caused by a General Election
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of Members of Parliament. Many
of the old fogies are thrown out
of office and new ones elected
in their place. Brother Heny
Lunt wishes to be remembered to
you who is now pening these
lines for me. Bro Miles Rom-
ney is also with me and feels
well and so do the brethren
generally as far as I know
With kind love to yourself &
family and all enquiring friends
P.S. - Bro Matthias Cowley is now
with me, he is released from his field of
labor, and has been appointed to wait
for the Scandinavian Saints to sail
with them in company with Elders Lunt, Thurston, and Rudd, and
desires a kind rememberance E. T. B.
[upside-down text] E T Benson March 31st 1857
[end of upside-down text]