| 512 Within the ranks of the church all was not of the most promising character. True, open controversy touching the questions raised by Elders Jason W. Briggs, Zenas H. Gurley, and others, had been cut off by action of the Board of Publication; but it proceeded in private circles, and manifested a phase dangerous to the church. However, but few were seriously and permanently affected, and the outcome of the investigations started by the public discussion accruing before the repressive action of the Board, was a firmer hold upon the truth, and a higher and broader conception of some phases of the work, by many.
The questions pending in regard to the authority and powers of the members of the Quorum of Twelve were agitating many, and to some extent all; and there was an earnest expectancy characterizing the thought of the coming of the next General Conference which it was expected would decide some of these mooted questions.
Elder J. J. Cornish held a debate with Reverend Staples, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Deckerville, Michigan, the latter part of December, 1885, and the fore part of January, 1886, nine nights in all. Three were baptized by Elder Cornish while the debate was in progress.
C. E. Aldrich, in a letter from Crawfordsville, Oregon, bearing date of January 3, relates the following concerning the goodness of God and the manifestations of his power.
I will now tell you something about the goodness of God towards us, and then you can judge about whether we are serving him or not. About four years ago the Spirit told us to repent of our sins and return to the Lord, saying, Know ye not that pestilence is raging through the earth, baffling the most skillful physicians of the land? Ere long you will have need of that great physician, Jesus Christ. Shortly after there came some disease that the doctors had no name for. Several died, mostly children. Soon after its appearance a doctor was waiting on a little child, a little over a year old, and he said there was no hope for it, at least there were fourteen chances against it to one for it; and the father of the child bought its shroud. That evening a brother came after the writer, then president of the Prairie City Branch, and I went in haste, for the Spirit bade us be quick. When we reached the place we found several old people there, the mother weeping over the child, with all in
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