George A. Smith

“ Oliver Cowdery said to the people, when he came to Pottawotamie and requested to be restored to the Church, "Follow the Twelve: they are the men with whom the Priesthood rests. If you follow the main channel of the stream, you will go right; but if you run into a bayou, you will find yourselves among snags."
You may trace the course of all those characters, and you will find that hypocrisy and adultery have been the leading-strings to lead them astray. ”

“ The next publication which made a prominent show in the world was a book entitled "Mormonism Unveiled," written by Doctor P. Hurlburt. In consequence of improper conduct among females, he was expelled from the Church. He confessed his wickedness to the Council. I was present, and heard him. He promised before God, angels, and men that he would from that time forth live his religion and preserve his integrity, if they would only forgive him. He wept like a child, and prayed and begged to be forgiven. The Council forgave him; but Joseph told him, "You are not honest in this confession." ”

“ The newspapers announced to the world that an impostor had arisen that an impostor had been palmed upon them, a false religion had been proclaimed, and that an ignorant, stupid, lazy, good-for-nothing set of fellows were pretending to preach a new religion. ”

“ Then let us keep ourselves pure before Him, live the principles that we have espoused, and be prepared for the great day when we shall stand upon Mount Zion, where none will stand only those who have clean hands and pure hearts. ”

“ The Church had increased in numbers, and the Elders had extended their labours accordingly; but the apostacy commenced in high places. One of the First Presidency, several of the Twelve Apostles, High Council, Presidents of Seventies, the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Presidents of Far West, and a number of others standing high in the Church were all carried away in this apostacy; and they thought there was enough of them to establish a pure religion that would become universal. ”

“ They applied a suit of tar and feathers to the Prophet, and other abuses, but with no better success than attended their former efforts to stop the progress of "Mormonism." In fact, the Prophet had not more than got the tar fairly washed off him, before he had to go into the water to baptize.
There is a class of personages who have acted a conspicuous part in opposition to the progress of the work of the Lord in the last days, who are never to be forgotten. The first members of the Church, it will be recollected, came from almost every religious denomination ”

“ In Nauvoo we had another shower of dust around the Prophet. There was a man by the name of William Law, who was a Counsellor to Joseph Smith, and a man of great gravity. He preached a great deal on the stand in Nauvoo, and told the people they must be punctual and pay their debts ”

“ This attempted organization was under the direction of Warren Parrish, who had been a Travelling Elder in the Church, and who sustained a high reputation in the Southern States as an eloquent preacher, and had for a short time been employed by Joseph as a clerk. He undertook to organize those elements into a church, and I was told by them that all the talented men among the Elders were ready to join them. ”