[first  pass]                  12
[Pottawattamie HP Q min LR 1764 22 / LR 1764 22_f0001_Page_022]

 to injure me, and I am an injured man. I wished death any                                                                                           other way. I have been tried.I do not want to build myself
up,                                                                                            I never sought it. I will not force myself upon you, but if I am                                                                                             tramelled I Say good bye Brethren, altho I love &respect you. I have                                                                                never Strove To Steal away any Man, no; I never sought influence
by adoption. I knew I could better  myself by leaving them alone.
If a man judges me before I speak, he does not speak by the Spirit                                                                                 of God, he has fear in his hearts. I leave it with you. I do not want                                                                                    to injure you. I will go away & leave you. I respect you   & love you.                                                                              I am an injured man & I know I have rights, & am entitled to them.                                                                                    I will use them and seek to establish them. Ezra T. Benson Said                                                                            he dreaded The word investigation, but had no fear, he was willing
to hear Bro Hawes, but wants to hear a man preach the Gospel,
& not keep up such a continual investigation. That's what we want
to hear, not to speak of fear, if he thinks I have fear  he is mistaken,
I have no fear, I am as free as he. I speak free at proper times &
seasons. A man should not come before the Congregation & tell all he
knows. He speaks of being injured, but if he had the Holy Ghost in
his Heart he would not have thought of it, or said it I am free, and
no power can trammel a man who has the Holy Ghost. Speak of
injuring a man of God, you cant do it, his influence cannot be des=
=troyed. I am not so tendious at our influence & rights, God will bear,
off the thing. O. Hyde related the anecdote of the two generals whose
Chaplain prayed, then went to war, one called prayer, the General

said they had prayed, now was the time to fight. Said we had al=

=ready investigated & dug out the truth, & he felt as much as Bro Benson
& now was the time to act. If a man once swallowed the truth, there
is a place where it leaks out & leaves him barren. There is a quorum
to which Bro Hawes & myself & others ^here belong, & if we have neglects,
there are rights there. This congregation can circumscribe him, & I
believe you know its complexion. I can tell bro Hawes that the people

here great & small can circumscribe him, go above & below him, &
his Spirit &^c. We commenced it yesterday & at the adjourned meeting
it is expected he will speak. P. Hawes said he had rights before
the people, he got them before O. Hyde did, & by the same person he did .
                         He

t