dent. If the President of the Twelve Apostles is not fit to be the
President of the Church, he is not fit to be the President of the
Twelve Apostles. Again, there is another eternal truth stares me
in the face. In case of the death of the President of the Church,
Brother , Wilford Woodruff, the President of the
Twelve (whoever he may be); notr any six Apostles combined have not
power to appoint a president for the Church. And as far as the
appointment of and was concerned, there
never has been a dissenting voice with the Twelve Apostles. And
I certainly do not believe, should President Taylor die today,
that Brother George Q. Cannon nor any other man could use influence
or argument enough to convert a majority of the Twelve Apostles to
depart from the beaten track laid out and followed by the inspira-
tion of Almighty God for the last 57 years by the Apostles as re-
corded in the history of the Church. As far as I am concerned it
would require not only a much stronger argument than I ever heard,
but a revelation from the same God who had organized the church and
guided it by inspiration in the channel in which it has traveled for
57 years, before I could give my vote or influence to depart from
the paths followed by the Apostles since the organization of the
Church. Again, Presidents John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff are the
only two men now living in the flesh who listened to the words and
charge of the Prophet to the Twelve Apostles before
his death when he said, "Brethren, I have had sorrow of heart for
fear I might be taken away with the keys of the Kingdom ogf God upon
me before I sealed them upon the heads of other men. But I thank
God I have lived to see the day when I have had power to give the
Twelve Apostles their endowlments. And I have now sealed upon your
heads all the keys of the kingdom of God and the powers of the Holy
Priesthood, which God has sealed upon me. And now I roll off the
labor and work of the Church and kindgom of God upon the shoulders
of the Twelve Apostles. And I now command you in the name of Jesus
Christ to round up your shoulders and bear off this church and
Kingdom of God on the earth before heaven and earth, and before
God, angels, and men, and if you do not do it you will be damned."
Now brother , with this declaration and charge ringing in my
ears, should I outlive President Taylor (an event I never expect to see)
I should strongly urge my brethren of the Twelve Apostles to follow
the beaten track marked out and followed by the prophets and apos-
tles for the last fifty seven years. And I have full confidence to
believe that the Twelve Apostles hadve had experience and light
enough to shun any path pointed out to gratify the private inter-
est or any man or set or men against the interest of the Church and
Kingdom of God on the earth. I once knew not only twelve men but
twice twelve leading men of the church undertake to appoint a
prophet and president of the Church before the death of the Prophet
Joseph, but they apostatized and went to perdition. And it would
be a very dangerous precedent for us to set to depart from the
order which God has pointed out. And it will be a precedent which
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will never set from this time
unto the coming of the Son of Man. I was informed that president
George Q. Cannon used the argument in the deeding of the
to President Taylor as the president of the Church, that in case of
his death the deed should not go to the president of the Twelve
Apostles, but to the president whom the Twelve Apostles should
appoint (I certainly have no objection to that) saying that in the
dent. If the President of the Twelve Apostles is not fit to be the
President of the Church, he is not fit to be the President of the
Twelve Apostles. Again, there is another eternal truth stares me
in the face. In case of the death of the President of the Church,
Brother , Wilford Woodruff, the President of the
Twelve (whoever he may be); nor any six Apostles combined have not
power to appoint a president for the Church. And as far as the
appointment of and was concerned, there
never has been a dissenting voice with the Twelve Apostles. And
I certainly do not believe, should President Taylor die today,
that Brother George Q. Cannon nor any other man could use influence
or argument enough to convert a majority of the Twelve Apostles to
depart from the beaten track laid out and followed by the inspiration of Almighty God for the last 57 years by the Apostles as recorded in the history of the Church. As far as I am concerned it
would require not only a much stronger argument than I ever heard,
but a revelation from the same God who had organized the church and
guided it by inspiration in the channel in which it has traveled for
57 years, before I could give my vote or influence to depart from
the paths followed by the Apostles since the organization of the
Church. Again, Presidents John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff are the
only two men now living in the flesh who listened to the words and
charge of the Prophet to the Twelve Apostles before
his death when he said, "Brethren, I have had sorrow of heart for
fear I might be taken away with the keys of the Kingdom of God upon
me before I sealed them upon the heads of other men. But I thank
God I have lived to see the day when I have had power to give the
Twelve Apostles their endowments. And I have now sealed upon your
heads all the keys of the kingdom of God and the powers of the Holy
Priesthood, which God has sealed upon me. And now I roll off the
labor and work of the Church and kindgom of God upon the shoulders
of the Twelve Apostles. And I now command you in the name of Jesus
Christ to round up your shoulders and bear off this church and
Kingdom of God on the earth before heaven and earth, and before
God, angels, and men, and if you do not do it you will be damned."
Now brother , with this declaration and charge ringing in my
ears, should I outlive President Taylor (an event I never expect to see)
I should strongly urge my brethren of the Twelve Apostles to follow
the beaten track marked out and followed by the prophets and apostles for the last fifty seven years. And I have full confidence to
believe that the Twelve Apostles have had experience and light
enough to shun any path pointed out to gratify the private interest or any man or set or men against the interest of the Church and
Kingdom of God on the earth. I once knew not only twelve men but
twice twelve leading men of the church undertake to appoint a
prophet and president of the Church before the death of the Prophet
Joseph, but they apostatized and went to perdition. And it would
be a very dangerous precedent for us to set to depart from the
order which God has pointed out. And it will be a precedent which
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will never set from this time
unto the coming of the Son of Man. I was informed that president
George Q. Cannon used the argument in the deeding of the
to President Taylor as the president of the Church, that in case of
his death the deed should not go to the president of the Twelve
Apostles, but to the president whom the Twelve Apostles should
appoint (I certainly have no objection to that) saying that in the