Read Ebook: Origin of the 'Reorganized' Church and the Question of Succession by Smith Joseph Fielding

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In September of 1849, with B. G. Wright, he organized the Waukesha branch of Mr. Strang's church . Now, remember this was in September, 1849, and the organization of this branch was in the Strangite church. About this same time he also organized the Beloit branch for the same organization.

In 1850 he left Mr. Strang's organization and joined with William Smith, who had himself been a follower of Mr. Strang until excommunicated from that organization. In William Smith's church Mr. Briggs accepted the position of "apostle;" but at the time of the disintegration of William Smith's church in 1851, he withdrew, and in 1852 joined with Zenas H. Gurley. These two men then organized what was called at the time the "New Organization of the Church," but today known as the "Reorganized" Church.

In 1886, together with the family of Zenas H. Gurley, Mr. Briggs withdrew from the "Reorganization," which he had begotten. . His reasons for withdrawing we will consider later.

Zenas H. Gurley was more active in the Church previous to the martyrdom. He was ordained a Seventy in Nauvoo in 1844, and when the Twenty-first quorum of Seventy was organized, April 6, 1845, he was chosen as the senior president, he being the oldest of the presidents chosen. He was a native of New York state, born May 29, 1801, and was therefore 43 years of age in 1844.

We know something about this man's career between the martyrdom and the exodus from the minutes of this quorum of Seventy. And as this record contains some very interesting items I will read a few of them here. In the minutes of November 2, 1845, we read:

"President Zenas H. Gurley apologized for his absence the two last meetings. He then enlarged upon the subject . He said he had received the assurance of an addition of power of the Priesthood upon every accession of authority he had received. We ought to be the best men living in consideration of our privileges as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, enlightened as it was with divine revelation, He exhorted the brethren not to aspire but to rise upon their own merits and to visit the poor in their afflictions."

In the minutes of November 9, we are informed that President Erastus H. Derby, one of the presidents of that quorum, said:

"Brother Brigham advised and counseled the Saints to get ready for emigration in May, 1846. If he possessed the wealth of the whole nation he would not stay behind the Church going into the wilderness."

Immediately following these remarks, Zenas H. Gurley arose and said, as the minutes read, that "He confirmed the same." That is, he too would rather forsake the wealth of the whole nation than fail to go with the Church into the wilderness. Then continuing his remarks, he said:

This was in relation to temple work. On the 21st of December, 1845, he said:

This does not sound much like a falling away or a dissolution of the Church, does it? And this is the testimony of Zenas H. Gurley given before he left the Church. Again, on the 3rd of January, 1846, the minutes say:

There is his endorsement of the course of the Church. And on January 10, 1846:

"Zenas H. Gurley arose and said that the presidents of the quorum had received their endowment."

Continuing he said--mark you, he was one of those presidents:

"He observed that it was remarkable for an unusual outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He felt for the quorum that they should receive their endowment. The Church authorities, the quorum of Seventy in succession, to furnish the people engaged in the endowment, one day each, and he wanted the quorum to acquit themselves from every obligation."

It may be interesting to know that this man and his wife were endowed in the Temple January 6, 1846. Here is the testimony of Zenas H. Gurley in relation to the Temple ceremonies when he was in full fellowship in the Church and was in possession of the spirit of his calling. At that time he declared most emphatically that on that occasion the Spirit of the Lord was unusual in its outpouring. If that is true and he could testify to it then, there cannot be anything so very bad in these glorious privileges of which he testified. In later years when he had lost the spirit of the Gospel and was fighting the work he had formerly upheld, he denounced in bitterness these sacred ordinances that he on this occasion sanctioned. His former testimony is the one that is consistent.

On the 17th of January, 1846, the minutes say:

Then on the 25th of the same month:

"President Zenas H. Gurley arose and said that the business before the meeting was to select persons to receive their endowment. He had received direction to select 10 or 12 to go in the Temple. He desired the brethren not to think it was partiality to make this selection. The most important point to be considered was to learn obedience. This was the principle taught by Jesus Christ."

He then proceeded to name the brethren for this purpose, and continuing his remarks he said:

"The Saints who have passed through the trials of the Church were generally rooted and grounded in love and have a witness in their hearts or they would not have remained."

And I say amen to that. I wish with all my soul that Zenas H. Gurley had been one of them for his own sake, for it was but 10 days after he made this utterance, that the exodus from Nauvoo began, and this is the last reference we have of Zenas H. Gurley while connected with the Church! What became of him? "Because he had no root he withered away." The terrible trials the Saints were forced to undergo in the wilderness were too great for him; he could not stand the test. And while he had declared that he would go with the Saints even if it required that he should sacrifice the wealth of the whole nation, when put to the actual test, his heart failed him and he sought safety in flight, he sought his life, but lost the life eternal!

The next reference we have of him in the minutes of the Twenty-first quorum is in 1855, where the statement is made that he had fled from the Church and was associated with James J. Strang. Of his connection with Mr. Strang, I prefer to read to you the account from the history of the "Reorganized" Church, for you know then we will have it correct. On page 744 of volume three we have the following:

"After the death of Joseph Smith, Elder Gurley investigated the claims of the various leaders, and finally accepted those of James J. Strang as being the most reasonable. A letter written by him from Gananoque, Canada West, November 6, 1849, and published in Gospel Herald, volume 4, page 187, indicates that he was then on a mission to Canada in the interest of the organization under Strang. On January 1, 1850, he again wrote from Landsdown, Upper Canada, still engaged in the same work.

"A letter written January 10, 1850, from Pittsburg, Canada West, manifested zeal in his work."

We have already shown how he manifested great zeal in his work in the Twenty-first quorum before he left the Church. But to continue:

"March 15, 1850 he wrote from St. Lawrence, New York, that he was assisting Brother Silsby in organizing the brethren and helping them in getting ready for Beaver. He was present at a conference held at Voree, Wisconsin, June 1 and 2, 1850, and in these minutes we find this entry: 'Brother Z. H. Gurley was'--

Then there is an ellipsis, no doubt it would be interesting to know what follows, and the account continues--

'sent to the northeastern parts of Wisconsin, on the presentation of President Strang.'"

Now, please note carefully what follows:

"It was probably while on the mission thus appointed that Elder Gurley raised up the Yellowstone branch, the members of which helped to form the nucleus of the Reorganization."--Page 744-5.

We have already seen that Jason W. Briggs raised up the Waukesha branch of the Strangite church in 1849, also that he raised up the Beloit branch for the same organization, and now we have the admission fatal to their organization, that the Yellowstone branch was also raised up to Mr. James J. Strang. These branches you see became the nucleus of the "Reorganization." They were not connected with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to their own admission, but were organized for the Church of James J. Strang. Yet, mark you, these Strangite branches were admitted into what was called the "New organization," or the "Reorganization," on their original baptisms. It is quite evident that the "Reorganization" is the offspring of the church of this man James J. Strang.

Now let us return to Jason W. Briggs. In Mr. Heman C. Smith's "True Succession," pages 134-135, we have an alleged revelation that this man received that was the cause of the coming together of the so-called "Reorganized" Church. I have already told you that he was the most important man in this movement, if not the father of it. The "revelation" is as follows:

"Therefore, let the elders whom I have ordained by the hand of my servant Joseph, or by the hand of those ordained by him, resist not this authority, nor faint in the discharge of duty, which is to preach my gospel as revealed in the records of the Jews, and the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants; and cry repentance and remission of sins through obedience to the gospel, and I will sustain them, and give them my Spirit; and in mine own due time will I call upon the seed of Joseph Smith, and will bring one forth, and he shall be mighty and strong, and he shall preside over the High Priesthood of my Church; and then shall the quorums assemble, and the pure in heart shall gather, and Zion shall be reinhabited, as I said unto my servant Joseph Smith."

WHY BRIGGS SECEDED.

In this alleged revelation we have this man teaching lineal Priesthood or the right of succession from father to son. We also have him teaching the literal gathering to Zion of the honest in heart. We will now see what his reasons were for withdrawing from the "Reorganized" Church. We find on pages 248-249 of volume 33 of the Saints' Herald that the reasons why this man withdrew from the "Reorganization" with the family of Zenas H. Gurley, were as follows:

That he could not believe in:

"The literal gathering of the Church into Jackson and the adjoining counties in the state of Missouri known as a local Zion."

"Temple building and ceremonial endowments therein."

"Baptism for the dead."

"Tithing as a law applicable to the Church."

"The law of consecration by which individuals are made legal heirs to the Kingdom of Zion."

"A sole mouthpiece of God to the Church."

"The plenary inspiration of and consequent absolute authority of what are called the sacred books."

"The doctrine of 'cursing our enemies,' and of 'avenging God upon them to the third and fourth generations.'"

"To the foregoing may be added the revelation of January 19, 1841, section 107 D. & C., , which enjoins upon the Church the building of a hotel, called the 'Lord's boarding-house,' for Joseph Smith and posterity to dwell in from generation to generation, as also the promise contained therein, viz: 'And as I said unto Abraham concerning the kindreds of the earth, even so I say to my servant Joseph, in thee and thy seed shall the kindreds of the earth be blessed."

"This coupled with the provisions in section 43, that 'none else should or could receive revelation for the Church' and the provision of section 19, that the Church shall receive Joseph's words and commands the same as if from God's own mouth,--establish in our judgment a lineal descent of authority, equivalent to an imperial dynasty, which is foreign to the spirit and genius of the Gospel of Christ."

This communication was dated March 28, 1886, and was signed by Jason W. Briggs, ; Zenas H. Gurley, ; Gracie Gurley, Margaret Gurley, Edwin H. Gurley, Mida Gurley.

We see that this Mr. Briggs repudiated the fundamental portions of his alleged revelation. In the "revelation" he teaches the gathering, but here he says he does not believe in the gathering, either to Jackson county or to any other place to be known as a local Zion. In his "revelation" he teaches lineal Priesthood, but when he withdraws from the church one reason was that he could not believe in "a sole mouth-piece of God to the Church," and in an "imperial dynasty," which he erroneously thought was taught in the revelation. Thus he repudiates his "revelation," denies the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and repudiates the standard works of the Church. Unstable to the last, this man would not rest content in this organization which he was such a potent instrument in bringing into existence.

There is another thing in his so-called "revelation" that is interesting. He declares that the Lord would raise up one of the seed of Joseph Smith who would be mighty and strong. Now, evidently this refers to Joseph Smith, president of that organization. Joseph Smith of the "Reorganized" Church declares that he is not the one mighty and strong and the "Reorganized" Church has backed him up by resolution in that conclusion.

QUESTION OF REJECTION.

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