February 17, 1857 ~ Tuesday

17^th In company with F. ^D.^ Richards I called upon President Young
and asked him what I should do whare council was asked
of me either by the 70^s or Bishops. Joseph Young said to the Quorum
of Seventies that when they were called to be Bishops or councillors
that they might still retain their place as Presidents of the seventies &
not be ordained High Priests. Bishop Hunter thinks that they should Be ordained
Bishops & High Priest. what shall I do about it. President Young said if
they would go their ^way^ & hold there tongue about it they might stand as they
are & act as Councellors to a Bishop, but if they will not, ordain them
I said I thought that men ought to walk in the channel pointed out
for them & not complain about it President Young said yes let them
do as they are told. I spent the day in the office reading History & councelling
Elder L Snow & F. D. Richards was with me a part of the day I attended the
Bishops meetings in the evening. Bishop Hunter spoke & I followed him
I told the Bishops to impress upon the minds of the people the necessity
of living their religion after this date for if the people again commit
sin after being forgiven as they now were they would not
again be forgiven but the Justice of the Law would be brought against
them & they would have to pay the penalty or be cut off from the
Church again I told them they should not boast of their authority
& power or that a Seventy was greater than a High Priest or that a
High Priest was greater than a seventy no man should boast of the
power of the priesthood untill he obtained some of that power &
it was manifested upon him & when that was upon him he certainly
would not boast of it for the Holy spirit would teach him sens enough
to know better. It is vary seldom that I have known the power of
the presiesthood made manifest upon the children of men in our [day] to a
vary great Degree but in some instances it was manifest as in
the case of the prophet Joseph at the time his [house] was full of the sick &
dying & his door Yard & they were strewed along the bank of the river
for 2 miles & Joseph rose up & shook himself like an old Lyion
& commenced at his own tent door & healed all the people who was
not dead on both sides of the river by the power of God his voice was
as the voice of God & the earth almost trembled under his feet as he com-
manded the sick to arise & be made whole. It was also manifest with
Joseph while made fast in chains & in prision in Missouri & his wicked
ungodly persecuters gathered around him & while he was made fast in
chains with his chains Brethren yet they goaded his feelings by boasting
of how many murders they had commited & rapes upon mormon women
& how they had cut the mormons to peices then they would blaspheme the
name of God untill his spirit was reigned up & he rose up in the power of
God in the midst of his chains & spoke as in the voice of thunder "Silence
ye fiends of the pit. I will not live another momen[t] & hear such vile
language from mortals, either you or I shall die right here or els you
shall scease from boasting of shall such damnable deeds as you are guilty
of." They quailed before his words like leather wilting in the flames
& they bowed before him & made acknowledgedments to him this was done
by the power of God. "Again David Patten was taken by an armed mob
under a United States warrant & when he was surroun[d]ed with an armed
mob of about 40 men under the garb of Law & would not let him say one word in
his own defence but he arose in the power of God & held them fast to their seats
untill he addressed them about 1/2 an hour he told them they were cowards
rascals & villans & he proved it to them, & they had not power to harm a hair
of His head & they let him & Warren Parrish go, away. Again this power
was manifest with President Brigham Young on the bank of the Missouri River
at Winter Quarters when the merchants brought up goods to sell to the brethren

February 17, 1857 ~ Tuesday

17th [FIGURE] In company with F. D. Richards I called upon President Young and asked him what I should do whare council was asked of me either by the 70s or Bishops. Joseph Young said to the Quorum of seventies that when they were called to be Bishops or councillors that they might still retain their place as Presidents of the seventies & not be ordained High Priests. Bishop Hunter thinks that they should Be ordained Bishops & High Priest. what shall I do about it. President Young said if they would go their way & hold there tongue about it they might stand as they are & act as Councellors to a Bishop, but if they will not, ordain them I said I thought that men ought to walk in the channel pointed out for them & not complain about it President Young said yes let them do as they are told. I spent the day in the office reading History & councelling Elder L Snow & F. D. Richards was with me a part of the day. I attended the Bishops meetings in the eveing. Bishop Hunter spoke & I followed him I told the Bishops to impress upon the minds of the people the necessity of living their Religion after this date for if the people again commit sin after being forgiven as they now were they would not again be forgiven but the Justice of the Law would be brought against them & they would have to pay the penalty or be cut off from the Church again I told them they should not boast of their authority & power or that a seventy was greater than a High Priest or that a High Priest was greater than a seventy no man should boast of the power of the priesthood untill he obtained some of that power & it was manifested upon him & when that was upon him he certainly would not boast of it for the Holy spirit would teach him sens enough to know better. It is vary seldom that I have known the power of the priesthood made manifest upon the Children of men in our day to a vary great Degree but in some instances it was manifest as in the case of the prophet Joseph at the time his house was full of the sick & dying & his door Yard & they were strewed along the bank of the River for 2 miles & Joseph Rose up & shook himself like an old Lion & commenced at his own tent door & healed all the people who was not dead on both sides of the river by the power of God his voice was as the voice of God & the earth almost trembled under his feet as he commanded the sick to arise & be made whole. It was also manifest with Joseph while made fast in chains & in prision in Missouri & his wicked ungodly persecuters gathered around him & while he was made fast in chains with his Brethren yet they goaded his feelings by boasting of how many murders they had commited & rapes upon mormon women & how they had cut the mormons to peices then they would blaspheme the name of God untill his spirit was reigned up & he rose up in the power of God in the midst of his chains & spoke as in the voice of thunder "Silence ye fiends of the pit. I will not live another moment & hear such vile language from mortals, either you or I shall die right here or els you shall scease from boasting of such damnable deeds as you are guilty of." They quailed before his words like leather wilting in the flames & they bowed before him & made acknowledgements to him this was done by the power of God. "Again David Patten was taken by an armed mob under a United States warrant & when he was surrounded with an armed mob of about 40 men under the garb of Law & would not let him say one word in his own defence but he arose in the power of God & held them fast to their seats untill he addressed them about 1/2 an hour he told them they were cowards rascals & villans & he proved it to them, & they had not power to harm a hair of His head & they let him & Warren Parrish go, away. Again this power was manifest with President Brigham Young on the bank of the Missouri River at Winter Quarters when the merchants brought up goods to sell to the brethren