| 217 and come together fasting and praying, and the Lord would show us how to organize. We therefore appointed the day, dismissed the meeting, and went home rejoicing. Immediately after our meeting we discovered that the 'Prince of Darkness' was fully bent on preventing us from receiving the communication. We came together on the day appointed, and found that some had not fasted as commanded, and as several were present who did not belong to the church, it was thought best to omit our prayer meeting till evening, and spend the day in preaching. Before evening the way was made clear, and at night all came together in good faith, rejoicing that we had the opportunity of seeking for the information we needed; viz., how to organize the church.
"We then presented the following question:-
"First. Will the Lord please to tell us how to organize, that what we do may be acceptable unto him, and who among us will he acknowledge as the representative of the 'legal heir' to the Presidency of the Church?
"There was not so much of the manifestation of the Spirit at this time as upon former occasions, nevertheless a good feeling and influence prevailed. After the meeting had continued about one hour, a man belonging to the Brighamites, about half drunk, came in, and took a seat among us. Shortly after this a brother came to me and asked if I had received any answer to our question. I said 'no.' He said 'I have.' At my request he sat down and wrote it. It read as follows:-
"'Verily, thus saith the Lord, as I said unto my servant Moses, "See thou do all things according to the pattern," so say I unto you. Behold, the pattern is before you. It is my will that you respect authority in my church; therefore let the greatest among you preside at your conference. Let three men be appointed by the conference to select seven men from among you, who shall compose a majority of the Twelve Apostles; for it is my will that that quorum should not be filled up at present. Let the President of the Conference, assisted by two others, ordain them. (The senior of them shall preside.) Let them select twelve men
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