To President Wilford Woodruff, and the Twelve Apostles.
Dear sir when I sent to you last winter for the priviledge and appointment, of teaching
the principles of the gospel contained in the New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Former
Commandments, you did not according to the conduct of your servant Jakes, think it worth
your while to even give a respectable answer to my request, but said that there was nothing
worth answering that he knew of. I would not at this ^time^ think that it would be worth while to write
any more to you, if I had not been reading your Epistle to the Church, for you appear s^o^ indepen-
dent, yea so much above your fellow man, that I should leave you go on to the end of your days,
but my soul is filled with sorrow, when I behold the miserable condition you and the people
are in. In your Epistle you give your testimony about what the prophet Joseph taught you and
the Twelve Apostles before his death, and the keys, endowments, blessings, and powers you received
from him, and that he appointed no one but the Twelve that should have authority to lead the
Church, and you are the last of that Twelve, that heared these things. It is now over forty 40 years
since that time and you are the last of that wasTwelve that was left by Joseph to lead the Church.
Even forty years is a long time to wait for that, that may be compared to a great river of corru-
ption and wickedness that did spring from the unbelief and carnal desires of the people
that are now nearly all passed away. The darkness of that unbelief was terrible to behold,
in it many of the sheep of the fold has been scattered to an fro, here and there, and almost every
where. Are you not satisfied with the past experience and misery of this people? Do you
want to continue this state of things, until those that are scattered will all perish, and
the riseing generation to dwindle away in unbelief, without a knowledge of God, like
an anchor to hold them, while the storms are beatting about them? I write to you this
time as the representative of the Church, because you stand now at the head of the highest
Quorum in the Church. I did think that what I wrote to you before was plain enough
for almost any one to understand, but at this time, I shall try to write still plainer to you,
so that you ^may^ have a better understanding conserning the things that will come to pass.
I am sorry that the Church was in such a lamentable condition of unbelief, at the time you
testify that you and the Twelve got your endowments, keys, blessings, and powers, from
Joseph Smith the prophet. If you had been faithful to God as you should have been, instead of
receiveing your endowments from man, you could have a greater blessing from God, even
the gifts of the Holy Ghost, as they did on the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem; you could
have the promise of the Savior made good to you, so well as them; see the last chapter of
Mark as follows: "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they
cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they
shall recover." xx [Mark 16:17-18] "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working
with them, and confirming the word with signs following." [Mark 16:20] See also the teaching
of Paul the apostle in first Corinthians and 12th chapter on spiritual gifts.
I call your attention to these things because you appear as if you had forgotten
them, in your great zeal to establish an other order of things in the Church. Through
your transgressions you have lost much of the powers of heaven, you have exchanged
the blessings of heaven for the things of the earth, instead of being spiritually minded,
you have become carnally minded, and have addopted a law of carnal com-
mandments, instead of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What has become of the spirit-
ual gifts that was given by the God of heaven, with the Everlasting Gospel in the
beginning, when it was restored in its fullness to man on the earth? Did you and the
Twelve Apostles all agree and join together, to stop the Saints that had these gifts to
use them? If you did have a voice or vote to that effect, you are under condemnation.
If you will read the last chapter in the Book of Mormon, you shall there see the last testi-
mony of Moroni as follows: "And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die,
for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak
it according to the words of Christ, and I lie not." [Moroni 10:26] He also says that he will meet all that has
or will do any such an evil deed at the bar of God, and then He (God) will ask you if
He did not warn you through this man (Moroni) against such a wicked deed. The Saints
had sacrifised all earthly pleasures, leaveing their homes and relations and endureing
insults, dishonor, and persecution, for the sake of secureing the favor and gifts of the Eternal
God, according to the promise of His Son, but to their grief and dissappointment when
they arrived among the mountains of Utah, instead of being encouraged in their
spiritual course of righteousness, their attention was called to a law of carnal com-
mandments doing away with that which was spiritual, even those things that was their
comfort, and consolation, that enabled them to endure all their aflictions, and tribulation,
even the grandest and greatest gifts of God to man, that they relied on in life, or in death,
in time, or in eternity, even the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Where was that love and sym-
pathy that you should have for your brothers and sisters, when you caused them
to stop useing the gifts of the Gospel of Christ? The greatest comfort they had in the
world was taken from them at that time, the gifts that enabled them to commune
with the Great Father and Son, through the Holy Ghost, the saints was hindered
from useing. What right do you suppose you had to change the sacred and eternal
order of the house or Church of God? Even stopping the gifts of the Spirit of God,
the only means of salvation given through our Savior to mankind. How many
hearts do you think you have caused to be broken, by trying to comply with your
order of things? Thousands of innocent, harmless, and good people, has come to
these mountains, for the purpose of doing God's will, and to gain a greater portion
of spiritual power from Him who is Almightly, but to our sorrow instead of geting more
abundantly of the fruit of righteousness, even that portion we had was made inactive
or inoperative through your order of things. The nurishment that is necessary for
a spiritual increase has been stopped, the result is a spiritual weakness causeing
many to be discouraged and fall by the way unheeded and unaided by many that
pass by. The young people among us have not been accustomed to see nor feel the
power of God manifested through the Gifts of the Spirit, the most of them depend on
the words of others, instead of getting a knowledge for themselves from God. Hence the
urgent necessity of granting me and others that desire, the priviledge and right to
preach the fullness of the Gospel, as it was restored in its purity from God, to man in these
last days. I hope that the end of all that is dark corrupt and miserable is at hand, and
that the dawning of a brighter day will soon spread its glory over the world, when
the Gifts of the Holy Ghost which is the power of the Everlasting Gospel, will be
enjoyed by all those that believe in it. There is thousands of honest people in these
mountains that would be willing and thankful to have the priviledge to live
according to the fullness of the Gospel, and would rejoice and give glory to God
in the hightest, if they had the gifts of the Holy Ghost according to the promise of
Jesus Christ. If you deem yourselves unworthy to receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost,
according to the pattern given in the Holy scriptures, then you should step aside
to make room for them that have faith, that God can and will bring about a
restoreation, of all the gifts and powers that has been lost to you by transgressian, but
secured to all that have faith in the unchangeable covenant of the Everlasting Gospel.
What do you suppose that furture generations will think of your conduct towards
me, in refuseing to give me a hearing, when I testify to you conserning the things that
has been revealed to me? If you do not repent, your condemnation will go forth
from generation to generation, so long as your history will be known among men.
But if you do repent and turn to the Lord, with all your heart, then you shall be ab-
undantly blessed, and rejoice in the way of salvation in your old age. I ask can it
be possible that you have willingly cast away the sweet influencies of the gifts of the Spirit of
God, in exchange for those things which are car[n]al, vain, sinful, and degrading in
their nature? How long will you strive to lock out of the Church, the wisdom and power of
God, to make room for the display of your carnal performances? I wonder that you have
been so much like the children of Israel anciently, their prophet Moses desired that they
should sanctify themselves, but they would not come up to that high standard of perfec-
tion, so he gave them a law of carnal commandments. [Exodus 34] Has it not been so with you in
these days? Would you choose to appear before our Savior as the advocate and defen-
der of a law of carnal commandments instead of being an advocate and defender of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ? If so, then I ask you where is that substancial manhood, and
independence of character, that should adorn every one that will have the honor, of being
called valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ? Have you been so high minded as to over-
look the above priceless stamp of human character? I look with admiration upon the
manhood and independence of character manifested in the life of our Savior, and others
I could name; but a perverted manhood and indepenedence, I despise. I ask what can
be the reason that it appears by your conduct, that you can not afford the time, to write or
speak to your fellow man, when you think him below your rank of honor? Where did
you find such an example of perverted aristocratic pride, in the Gospel of Christ?
We have such as the above example, given by them of old, who persecuted and killed
the prophets, and them that God had sent to them. Would you also follow after them?
I have never refused to speak or reason, on the fair and grand platform of equality,
with any of my fellow men, be they high or low, in the esteemation of other men. If we
show by our acts that we think ourselves above other men made in the image of God, then
we are offering an insult to man, and dishonor to God, which is a sin. I have never
received my endowments from no man. God gave me my endowments and the keys of
knowledge and power, when I received the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Have you lived
all these years, trusting in the things that others received? Instead of reaching forth your
hand by the power of faith and partake of the blessings of life freely, this was your priviledg
The power that comes through the gifts of God would enable the saints to stand valiant for
the work of God against all the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, it would en-
able to discern between right and wrong in all things, and to seperate truth from error
wherever found. They would be known because their intelligence would shine forth,
as the stars of heaven, do upon the surrounding darkness, they would be the light of the worl[d],
and the salt of the earth. They would attract the attention of all respectable people by
their undersanding, wisdom, love, mercy, justice, righteousness, truth, power, and
judgement. They would reign with God forever and ever, because they would be one
with Him and His Son Jesus Christ. What can you do with the promise of Joseph
the prophet that God would send one, to set His house in order, this work is sadly needed now.
And again the promise as follows: "Behold I say unto you, the redemption of Zion must
needs come by power; therefore I will raise up unto my people a man, who shall lead them
like as Moses led the Children of Israel," [Doctrine and Covenants 103:15-16] and so forth. I am pleading with you for the
restoreation of the original order of the house of God, and also the restoreation of the
same power and blessings, that was manifested in the administration of Jesus Christ,
and His Apostles in former days. How long do you suppose that you will be suffered by
the Almighty to stop His work to go forward on the earth? The reason for writeing to
you so plain and direct, is in order to penetrate the thick darkness, that has enveloped
the slumbering condition of your souls. The Almighty has according to His mercy
and goodness, promised to raise a man for your deliverance, from the bondage that you
have brought on yourselves through transgression. Will you continue to try to stop the ful-
filment of the above promise? That would raise or lift you up out of the mass of corruption,
that has made itself manifest in the Church in this generation. If you have any portion
of the spirit of God abiding in you, then you will understand, and see the necessity of re-
ceiveing the things I have written unto you, for these things are true and faithful, and will
stand forever. But if you do not receive these things and continue to hinder and stop the
work I have described to you, if this will be your course of action against the Lord,
you shall be mooved out of the way by Him. Yea and all the bitter and stifnecked ones
in the Church will if they do not repent be moved out of the way, even all the high, proud,
and exalted branches that produce nothing but wild grapes, they have drawn to them-
selves the substance and strength of the more humble vines in the vineyard of the Lord.
The Lord's time is at hand and nothing can remain to hinder Him. I ask you as
I would a father, to turn away from all that is evil, while there is a way open for
you. I desire in the name of Jesus Christ that this letter will be consecrated by the Almighty
for the salvation of many souls.
Respectfully David M. Williams
Malad City Idaho Ter.
David Williams
(?)
[sideways text] I have read this as you wished it
seems to me that the mans mind is
confused or that he is very much in
the dark and inclined to lunacy. He
makes charges altogether inconsistent
and untrue
G. R [end of sideways text]