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Benjamin M. Roberts a mission
W^m Nixon [Bp]
John Loren
Baldwin Watts ^[Samll]^ Miller [read]

Saturday Even[in]g April 17^th

I met with the Bishops
at the 14^th ward school House
Presidents B. Young & Grant was
present. President Young spoke
to the Bishops after some remarks
from Bishop Hunter. President Young
there was No reporter to give a full report Dr Vail wrote But how much
I do not ^know^ his sermon was of great consequenc the following is a key to it which I write
from memory. He arose & said I wish to give the Bishops some council I have
been acquainted with all the first Bishops in the Church Brother partridge & whitney
were the ownly Bishops in the Church for a long time & they never seemed
to understand the duty & office of a Bishop. But Brothe Whitney for a short
time before his death seemed to wake up as out of a Deep sleep & began
to understand sumthing of his office Brothe Hunter speeks of being Chastized
I live [have] never begun to chastize him as I did Brother Whitney for He was very
constant companion & I did often chastize him seriously to try to get him to
understand his office, and I now say to you Bishops you do not seem to understand
your office there has never been a Bishop yet that has made a report that
would give us a knowledge of the condition of his ward the Best report made this
year by a Bishop was made out by his wife & you can't not tell head or tail
to what it is the Bishops duty to prepare an account Book & in the spring of the year
Begin & know every man woman & child in his ward & know what they are all doing
& know how many oxen, Horses, cows, calves, sheep, Lambs, pigs, fowles of all kinds eggs
Butter, cheese, & all increase of every kind & money received for goods or profit or
in trade and Every person in the kingdom of God should pay tithing of all th[e]y possess
one tenth of all they have when they come into the Church & one tenth of all they
have afterwards, if a poor widow makes 10 lbs butter & has 12 bushels potatoes one tenth
of it belongs to the Lord for tithing than if she is poor & it is Necessary to give
her wood & Bread & other things to live upon then let her have it but
Let her tithing be charged to her & let an account be kept of all that
is given her Well says one I cannot do this for it would take all my time
I must go to the canyon to get wood on poles I must cultivate my farm &
work for myself. Well Let it take all your time & trust in God for a living
if you do your Duty the Lord will open your way so you will have an abunde[nc]e if
He does not then I would go without it, & any man who is not willing to
do his duty in this thing I want He should resign & Let somebody else take his place

[upside-down text]
Elizabeth Taylor, Mrs Coward, Mrs Wheelock, Mrs [Broonhead] &
Daughter Mrs patton, & Miss Frank were all cut of[f]
Miss [Starner] for the Chu[rc]h, L. D. S.
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