6. Here are a few items in the history of William Marks after he left
the Church and was excommunicated.
At a conference held at Voree, April 6, 1846, "On motion of William
Marks * * * James J. Strang unanimously called to the chair as
President of the Conference." "On motion of Elder William Marks, it was
unanimously resolved that this church receive, acknowledge, and uphold
James J. Strang as President of this church, Prophet, Seer, Revelator,
and Translator, with our faith and prayers."--_Voree Record_.
April 8, 1846: "The First Presidency presented William Marks for the
office of Bishop of the Church and on motion of Apostle John E. Page,
resolved unanimously (that he) be sustained."--_Voree Record_.
Aug. 26, 1849: "Brother William Marks was then ordained, consecrated
and set apart as Apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ, a Counselor to the
Prophet, one of the First Presidency, and a Prophet of the Most High
God, under the hands of Presidents Strang and Adams."
"Brother William Marks was anointed, _ordained_ and set apart to
administer baptism for the dead, under the hands of Presidents Strang
and Adams."--_Voree Record_.
Previously, William Marks had forsaken James J. Strang, and January,
1849, James J. Strang had a "revelation" in which he said: "Behold my
servant, William Marks, has gone far astray in departing from me, yet
I will give unto him a little space, that he may return and receive
my word, and stand in his place; for I remember his works that he has
done in the time that is past. If he will return and abide faithful, I
will make him great, and his possessions shall be great, and he shall
possess a city, and his children shall dwell therein; a nation shall
call him Blessed."
Well, he returned, and at the conference August 25, 1849, arose and
said: "He ought to make a confession to the Saints for _not_ acting in
his calling and also to ask their forgiveness. Gave a brief history of
the course he had pursued after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph,
testified that he had ever had the fullest confidence in the work of
the last days, and knew it was of God, and was now determined by the
help of God to go forth in the discharge of his duty and act in the
place in which he was called by revelation of God through His servant
James" [J. Strang].--_Voree Record_.
He was received back and sustained.
In the year 1852 he joined Charles B. Thompson's organization and
was "_ordained_" "Chief evangelitical teacher of the School of Faith
in Jehovah's Presbytery of Zion." Acting in this calling he wrote an
epistle to "the School of Faith to all the traveling teacher's quorums
and classes of said school, and Jehovah's presbytery of Zion." In that
epistle he said:
"Well Brethren: I have lived to see the foundation and the platform
laid, the principles revealed and the order given, whereby the great
work of the Father can, and will be accomplished. _There is no doubt
resting on my mind in reference to this work of Baneemy being the work
of God, for I am fully convinced that it is the work it purports to
be_, the work of the Father spoken of in the Book of Mormon, to prepare
the way for the restoration of His covenants to the house of Israel.
Now, all who are convinced of this fact ought to move forward and take
a decided stand to labor for Jehovah and the benefit of Mankind. I
intend from this time, henceforth, to labor in the cause and give my
influence and substance to speed the work." (Harbinger and Organ, Vol.
3:52-3-4).
This is his testimony when with Thompson. He later organized a quorum
at Batavia, and appointed James Blakeslee--a man who was excommunicated
from the Church May 18, 1844, with Francis M. Higbee, Charles Ivans and
Austin Cowles, for apostasy--chief, and Jehial Savage teacher. "After
this he joined John E. Page's organization, forgetting how faithful
he had promised to be in Thompson's organization, and later (1859)
connected himself with the "New Organization." He was not one of the
true fold, for:
"When he [the true Shepherd] putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth
before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice. And a
stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know
not the voice of strangers."--(John 10:4-5).
The Doctrines of Joseph Smith.
One of the charges made by the "Reorganized" Church against the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is that when the Apostles assumed
their place as the presiding quorum following the martyrdom of Joseph
and Hyrum Smith, they departed from the pure Gospel as it was revealed
in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and the revelations and teachings of
the Prophet Joseph Smith, and in the stead thereof introduced false
doctrines that were never entertained by the Prophet and were foreign
to the revelations given to the Church. This proves, they declare, the
"apostasy" of the Church and its "rejection" and the few scattered
members who refused to follow the leadership of the Apostles into
forbidden paths, and to accept these "false doctrines" retained the
Spirit of the Lord and were directed by Him to "re-organize" the
"faithful" members into what was then called a "New Organization
of the Church," the name subsequently having been changed to the
"Re-organized" Church. They inform us--though it is most likely with
some misgivings and doubts--that these "faithful" few who refused to
follow after "false gods," or "bow the knee to Baal," still retained
the Priesthood they had received from the "Original" Church and were
"not rejected as individuals" although the "Church was rejected with
its dead." Therefore, when these "faithful" souls tired of wandering
around in the apostate organizations of James J. Strang, Sidney Rigdon,
William Smith, Charles B. Thompson, and others, as sheep that knew
not the Master's voice, and therefore followed strangers, receiving
from these self-appointed leaders "ordinations" and honors, and after
having testified that these false teachers were inspired of God and
their organizations the work of the Lord--after all this, when they
came together and formed the "New Organization" they were still the
"faithful" who had not followed after "false gods" or "bowed the knee
to Baal," and had retained power to "re-organize" the Church according
to the original pattern, although the Prophet had not commissioned them.
In an address to these scattered "faithful" written shortly after the
"New Organization of the Church" was formed, the declaration was made
"that we believe that the Church of Christ organized on the 6th day of
April, A. D. 1830, exists as on that day, wherever six or more Saints
are organized to the pattern in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants."
And, of course, _they_ are the Saints "organized according to the
pattern"--if their word can be taken for the fact.
The president of their church states it this way: "The individuals who
kept this covenant (the new and everlasting covenant of the Gospel)
were accepted of Him and were not rejected, nor their standing before
God put in jeopardy by the departure of others from the faith. Whatever
office in the priesthood each held, under the ordinations ordered by
the call of God and vote of the Church, would remain valid. They could
as elders, priests, teachers, etc., pursue the duties of warning,
expounding, and inviting all to come to Christ, and by command of
God, could build up the Church from any single branch, which, like
themselves, had not bowed the knee to Baal, or departed from the faith
of the Church as founded in the standard works of the body at the death
of Joseph and Hyrum Smith."--(Saints' Herald, Feb. 17, 1904).
In their attempt to prove that the Apostles led the Church astray
and introduced false doctrines, they have one standard by which the
Church and the Apostles are measured; but in proving that _they_ are
the "faithful who have kept the new and everlasting covenant" and have
remained in harmony with "the pattern" their standard of measurement is
quite another thing. The Church is to be judged by all the unauthorized
sayings and doings of any or all of its members or ministers. Their
church is to be judged "by its authorized doctrines and deeds, and not
by the unauthorized sayings or doings of some or many of its members or
ministers." (_See Blood Atonement and Origin of Plural Marriage, page
44_).
They even go so far in their own defense as to reject the teachings and
revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, wherein they are in conflict
with their expressed views and have not been received by them by vote
of their church as doctrine; but they deny to us the privilege of being
tried by our "authorized doctrines and deeds," and would force upon us,
as a body, teachings of any member of the Church wherein they think
they could make a point to their advantage; and this they have done in
the courts of the land. We grant unto them the right to be tried by
that rule laid down by the president of their organization, and claim
the right to be tried by the same kind of standard. The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints is not responsible for the sayings or
doings of any individual in conflict with that which has been received
as a standard by which the Church is to be governed. We are to be
judged by _our_ authorized doctrines and deeds not by the whims or
notions of men. But the ministers of the "Reorganization" have not been
willing from the beginning to permit us to stand on this platform, but
insist that we stand on the platform they have prepared for us.
The Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of
Great Price, including the Articles of Faith, have been received by
the vote of the Church in general conference assembled as the standard
works of the Church. On this platform we stand. The Church is not
responsible for the remarks made by any Elder or for the numerous
books that have been written. The authors of the words or books must
be responsible for their own utterances. It is not to be supposed from
this that all that has been written outside of the standard works of
the Church is discarded and rejected, for these things are profitable
as helps in the government of the Church, and to promote faith in the
members. The point is this, if in these books mistakes are found, "they
are the mistakes of men," and the Church as an organization is not to
be held accountable for them, but for that which is received from time
to time by vote of the Church, as it comes through the President of the
High Priesthood. When the Lord reveals his mind and will it is to be
received, "whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it
is the same," but we are not to be judged by "unauthorized sayings or
deeds."
The ministers of the "Reorganization" tell us that the Church has
departed from the teachings received from 1830-1844 in many principles
of vital importance, viz., the Godhead, marriage, the atonement, the
location of Zion, Temple building and the ceremonies therein, and other
things, in which they have strictly adhered to the original faith. We
will take these subjects up one by one and see which organization it
is that is following the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the
doctrines of "the Original Church." First as to the Godhead.