Brothers and children, I was much troubled and felt as if I had
the sins of the whole world to bear, and the burden of the Church;
and I felt that there was something wrong. I called on the Lord to
show me what was wrong, and if it was I. I called upon him until I
slept. I then heard a voice calling on me saying, awake, awake,
awake, for the only son that thou hast living, they for his life
have laid a snare. My aged servant Joseph who was the first
Patriarch of this Church, and my servant Hyrum who was the second
Patriarch, my servant Joseph who was Prophet and Seer, and my
servants Samuel, William and Don Carlos--they were the first
founders, fathers and heads of this Church, raised up in these
last days, and thou art the mother, and thy daughters have helped,
and they are the daughters in Israel, and have helped raise up
this Church. Arise, arise, arise, and take thy place, you know not
what has been in the hearts of some; but he said thou shalt know.
He told me what it was; but I shall not tell. (I saw William in a
room full of armed men and he having no weapons. They would have
crushed him down, if it had not been for the power of God; and
many of the family would have been cut off--[the] Lord having
softened their hearts. Two of them had blacker hearts than the
rest, and I know who they are, and I will tell them if they will
come to me. Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball know it is so, and
dare not deny it.) Call upon the Twelve, let all things be set in
order, and keep their hearts pure from this time hence forth; the
voice saith be merciful, and then Zion shall arise and flourish as
a rose. What I was told I cannot tell.
Thou art the mother in Israel, and tell thy children all to walk
uprightly. Thy son William, he shall have power over the churches,
he is father in Israel over the patriarchs and the whole of the
Church; he is the last of the lineage that is raised up in these
last days. He is Patriarch to regulate the affairs of the Church.
He is President over all the Church, they cannot take his
apostleship away from him. The Presidency of the Church belongs to
William, he being the last of the heads of the Church, according
to the lineage, he having inherited it from the family from before
the foundation of the world. Thou art a mother in Israel. Thy
spirit arose and said in eternity that it would take a body to be
a mother to prophet[s] who should be raised up to save the last
dispensation. And the spirit said unto me to be faithful, (and
that I was faithful,) and tell the Church to be faithful. And the
spirit said I should live until I was satisfied with life.
Brothers and children, I want you to take notice that the burden
of the Church rests [on William].