Chapter X
Further Molestation at Colesville by Mobs--The Revelation Embodying the Vision of Moses.
[Sidenote: Second Flight from Colesville.]
After a few days I returned to Colesville, in company with Oliver Cowdery, for the purpose of confirming those whom we had been forced to leave for a time. We had scarcely arrived at Mr. Knight's, when the mob was seen collecting together to oppose us, and we considered it wisdom to leave for home, which we did, without even waiting for any refreshments. Our enemies pursued us, and it was oftentimes as much as we could do to elude them. However, we managed to get home, after having traveled all night, except a short time, during which we were forced to rest ourselves under a large tree by the wayside, sleeping and watching alternately.
[Sidenote: Reflections on Persecution.]
Thus were we persecuted on account of our religious faith--in a country the Constitution of which guarantees to every man the indefeasible right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience--and by men, too, who were professors of religion, and who were not backward to maintain the right of religious liberty for themselves, though they could thus wantonly deny it to us. For instance, Cyrus McMaster, a Presbyterian of high standing in his church, was one of the chief instigators of these persecutions; and he at one time told me personally that he considered me guilty without judge or jury. The celebrated Dr. Boyington, also a Presbyterian, was another instigator of these deeds of outrage; whilst a young man named Benton, of the same religious faith, swore out the first warrant against {98} me. I could mention many others also, but for brevity's sake, will make these suffice for the present.
[Sidenote: The Strength which God Gave.]
I will say, however, that amid all the trials and tribulations we had to wade through, the Lord, who well knew our infantile and delicate situation, vouchsafed for us a supply of strength, and granted us "line upon line of knowledge--here a little and there a little," of which the following was a precious morsel:
Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., given June, 1830. [1]
1. The words of God which He spake unto Moses at a time when Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain,
2. And he saw God face to face, and he talked with Him, and the glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure His presence:
3. And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless?
4. And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.
5. Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth.
6. And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior, for He is full of grace and truth; but there is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all.
7. And now, behold, this one thing I show unto thee, Moses, my son; for thou art in the world, and now I show it unto thee.
8. And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered.
9. And the presence of God withdrew from Moses, that His glory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell unto the earth.
10. And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.
{99} 11. But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in His presence; but His glory was upon me; and I beheld His face, for I was transfigured before Him.
12. And it came to pass that when Moses had said these words, behold, Satan came tempting him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me.
13. And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of His Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?
14. For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were strengthened before Him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?
15. Blessed be the name of my God, for His Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me: Worship God, for Him only shalt thou serve.
16. Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten.
17. And He also gave me commandments when He called unto me out of the burning bush, saying: Call upon God in the name of mine Only Begotten, and worship me.
18. And again Moses said: I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of Him: for His glory has been upon me, wherefore I can judge between Him and thee. Depart hence, Satan.
19. And now, when Moses had said these words, Satan cried with a loud voice, and rent upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the Only Begotten, worship me.
20. And it came to pass that Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory.
21. And now Satan began to tremble, and the earth shook; and Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.
22. And it came to pass that Satan cried with a loud voice, with weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth; and he departed hence, even from the presence of Moses, that he beheld him not.
23. And now of this thing Moses bore record; but because of wickedness it is not had among the children of men.
24. And it came to pass that when Satan had departed from the presence of Moses, that Moses lifted up his eyes unto heaven, being filled {100} with the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the Son;
25. And calling upon the name of God, he beheld His glory again, for it was upon him; and he heard a voice, saying: Blessed art thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God.
26. And lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days; for thou shalt deliver my people from bondage, even Israel my chosen.
27. And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the Spirit of God.
28. And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore.
29. And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof.
30. And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying: Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?
31. And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with Him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.
32. And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
33. And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.
34. And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many.
35. But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.
36. And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord saying: Be merciful unto Thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then Thy servant will be content.
37. And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man, but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.
38. And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof, even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.
{101} 39. For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
40. And now, Moses, my son, I will speak unto thee concerning this earth upon which thou standest; and thou shalt write the things which I shall speak.
41. And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they shall be had again among the children of men--among as many as shall believe.
42. These words were spoken unto Moses in the mount, the name of which shall not be known among the children of men. And now they are spoken unto you. Show them not unto any except them that believe. Even so. Amen.
Meantime, and notwithstanding all the rage of our enemies, we had much consolation, and many things occurred to strengthen our faith and cheer our hearts.
[Sidenote: Encouragement From Inspired Dreams.]
After our departure from Colesville, after the trial, the Church there were very anxious, as might be expected, concerning our again visiting them, during which time Sister Knight, wife of Newel Knight, had a dream, which enabled her to say that we would visit them that day, which really came to pass, for a few hours afterwards we arrived; and thus was our faith much strengthened concerning dreams and visions in the last days, foretold by the ancient Prophet Joel; and although we this time were forced to seek safety from our enemies by flight, yet did we feel confident that eventually we should come off victorious, if we only continued faithful to Him who had called us forth from darkness into the marvelous light of the everlasting Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Shortly after our return home, we received the following commandments:
Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., and Oliver Cowdery, given at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July, 1830. [2]
1. Behold thou wast called and chosen to write the Book of Mormon, and to my ministry; and I have lifted thee up out of thy afflictions, and have {102} counseled thee, that thou hast been delivered from all thine enemies, and thou hast been delivered from the powers of Satan and from darkness!
2. Nevertheless, thou art not excusable in thy transgressions; nevertheless, go thy way and sin no more.
3. Magnify thine office; and after thou hast sowed thy fields and secured them, go speedily unto the church which is in Colesville, Fayette, and Manchester, and they shall support thee; and I will bless them both spiritually and temporally;
4. But if they receive thee not, I will send upon them a cursing instead of a blessing.
5. And thou shalt continue in calling upon God in my name, and writing the things which shall be given thee by the Comforter, and expounding all Scriptures unto the Church;
6. And it shall be given thee in the very moment what thou shalt speak and write, and they shall hear it, or I will send unto them a cursing instead of a blessing.
7. For thou shalt devote all thy service in Zion; and in this thou shalt have strength.
8. Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days.
9. And in temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling. Attend to thy calling and thou shalt have wherewith to magnify thine office, and to expound all Scriptures, and continue in laying on of the hands and confirming the Churches.
10. And thy brother Oliver shall continue in bearing my name before the world, and also to the Church. And he shall not suppose that he can say enough in my cause; and lo, I am with him to the end.
11. In me he shall have glory, and not of himself; whether in weakness or in strength, whether in bonds or free,
12. And at all times, and in all places, he shall open his mouth and declare my Gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give unto him strength such as is not known among men.
13. Require not miracles, except I shall command you, except casting out devils, healing the sick, and against poisonous serpents, and against deadly poisons;
14. And these things ye shall not do, except it be required of you by them who desire it, that the scriptures might be fulfilled; for ye shall do according to that which is written.
15. And in whatsoever place ye shall enter, and they receive you not in my name, ye shall leave a cursing instead of a blessing, by casting off the dust of your feet against them as a testimony, and cleansing your feet by the wayside.
{103} 16. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall lay their hands upon you by violence, ye shall command to be smitten in my name; and, behold, I will smite them according to your words, in mine own due time.
17. And whosoever shall go to law with thee shall be cursed by the law.
18. And thou shalt take no purse nor scrip, neither staves, neither two coats, for the Church shall give unto thee in the very hour what thou needest for food and for raiment, and for shoes and for money, and for scrip;
19. For thou art called to prune my vineyard with a mighty pruning, yea, even for the last time. Yea, and also all those whom thou hast ordained, and they shall do even according to this pattern. Amen.
Revelation given at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July, 1830. [3]
1. Hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, while I speak unto you, Emma Smith, my daughter, for verily I say unto you, all those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom.
2. A revelation I give unto you concerning my will, and if thou art faithful and walk in the paths of virtue before me, I will preserve thy life, and thou shalt receive an inheritance in Zion.
3. Behold, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an elect lady, whom I have called.
4. Murmur not because of the things which thou hast not seen, for they are withheld from thee and from the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come.
5. And the office of thy calling shall be for a comfort unto my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., thy husband, in his afflictions with consoling words, in the spirit of meekness.
6. And thou shalt go with him at the time of his going, and be unto him for a scribe, while there is no one to be a scribe for him, that I may send my servant, Oliver Cowdery, whithersoever I will.
7. And thou shalt be ordained under his hand to expound scripture, and to exhort the Church, according as it shall be given thee by my Spirit;
8. For he shall lay his hands upon thee, and thou shalt receive the Holy Ghost, and thy time shall be given to writing, and to learning much.
9. And thou needest not fear, for thy husband shall support thee in the Church; for unto them is his calling, that all things might be revealed unto them, whatsoever I will, according to their faith.
10. And verily I say unto thee, that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.
{104} 11. And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my Church:
12. For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart, yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.
13. Wherefore lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made.
14. Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride. Let thy soul delight in thy husband, and the glory which shall come upon him.
15. Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come.
16. And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my voice unto all. Amen.
Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., Oliver Cowdery, and John Whitmer, given at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July, 1830. [4]
1. Behold, I say unto you, that you shall let your time be devoted to the studying of the Scriptures, and to preaching, and to confirming the Church at Colesville, and to performing your labors on the land, such as is required, until after you shall go to the west to hold the next conference; and then it shall be made known what you shall do.
2. And all things shall be done by common consent in the Church, by much prayer and faith, for all things you shall receive by faith. Amen.
[Sidenote: Compilation of Revelations.]
Shortly after we had received the above revelations, Oliver Cowdery returned to Mr. Peter Whitmer's, Sen., and I began to arrange and copy the revelations, which we had received from time to time; in which I was assisted by John Whitmer, who now resided with me.
[Sidenote: Cowdery's Error.]
Whilst thus employed in the work appointed me by my Heavenly Father, I received a letter from Oliver Cowdery, the contents of which gave me both sorrow and uneasiness. Not having that letter now in my possession, I cannot of course give it here in full, but merely an extract of the most prominent parts, which I can yet, and expect long to, remember. {105} He wrote to inform me that he had discovered an error in one of the commandments--Book of Doctrine and Covenants: "And truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto a remission of their sins." [5]
The above quotation, he said, was erroneous, and added: "I command you in the name of God to erase those words, that no priestcraft be amongst us!"
I immediately wrote to him in reply, in which I asked him by what authority he took upon him to command me to alter or erase, to add to or diminish from, a revelation or commandment from Almighty God.
[Sidenote: The Prophet's Correction of the Error.]
A few days afterwards I visited him and Mr. Whitmer's family, when I found the family in general of his opinion concerning the words above quoted, and it was not without both labor and perseverance that I could prevail with any of them to reason calmly on the subject. However, Christian Whitmer at length became convinced that the sentence was reasonable, and according to Scripture; and finally, with his assistance, I succeeded in bringing, not only the Whitmer family, but also Oliver Cowdery to acknowledge that they had been in error, and that the sentence in dispute was in accordance with the rest of the commandment. And thus was this error rooted out, which having its rise in presumption and rash judgment, was the more particularly calculated (when once fairly understood) to teach each and all of us the necessity of humility and meekness before the Lord, that He might teach us of His ways, that we might walk in His paths, and live by every word that proceedeth forth from His mouth.
Footnotes
1. Pearl of Great Price.
2. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 24.
3. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 25.
4. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 26.
5. Part of paragraph 37, sec. 20, Doctrine and Covenants.
{106}
Chapter XI
Further Light Respecting the Sacrament--The Prophet's Removal to Fayette.
[Sidenote: Instructions on the Sacrament.]
Early in the month of August Newel Knight and his wife paid us a visit at my place in Harmony, Pennsylvania; and as neither his wife nor mine had been as yet confirmed, it was proposed that we should confirm them, and partake together of the Sacrament, before he and his wife should leave us. In order to prepare for this I set out to procure some wine for the occasion, but had gone only a short distance when I was met by a heavenly messenger, and received the following revelation, the first four paragraphs of which were written at this time, and the remainder in the September following:
Revelation given at Harmony, Pennsylvania, August, 1830. [1]
1. Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful.
2. For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, when ye partake of the Sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory; remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins:
3. Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine, neither strong drink of your enemies:
4. Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.
{107} 5. Behold, this is wisdom in me: wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting Gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim:
6. And also with Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things, spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, concerning the last days:
7. And also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias;
8. Which John I have sent unto you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto the first Priesthood which you have received, that you might be called and ordained even as Aaron:
9. And also Elijah, unto whom I have committed the keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, that the whole earth may not be smitten with a curse:
10. And also with Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, your fathers, by whom the promises remain;
11. And also with Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days.
12. And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I revealed unto them:
13. Unto whom I have committed the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the Gospel for the last times; and for the fulness of times, in the which I will gather together in one all things, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth:
14. And also with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world:
15. Wherefore, lift up your heart and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.
16. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you.
17. Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked:
18. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you {108} and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen.
[Sidenote: A Confirmation Meeting.]
In obedience to the above commandment, we prepared some wine of our own making, and held our meeting, consisting only of five, viz., Newel Knight and his wife, myself and my wife, and John Whitmer. We partook together of the Sacrament, after which we confirmed these two sisters into the Church, and spent the evening in a glorious manner. The Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us, we praised the Lord God, and rejoiced exceedingly.
[Sidenote: The Prophet's Father-in-law Embittered.]
About this time a spirit of persecution began again to manifest itself against us in the neighborhood where I now resided, which was commenced by a man of the Methodist persuasion, who professed to be a minister of God. This man had learned that my father-in-law and his family had promised us protection, and were friendly, and inquiring into the work; and knowing that if he could get him turned against me, my friends in that place would be but few, he visited my father-in-law, and told him falsehoods concerning me of the most shameful nature, which turned the old gentleman and his family so much against us, that they would no longer promise us protection nor believe our doctrines. [2]
[Sidenote: The Eyes of Enemies Blinded Through Faith.]
Towards the latter end of August, in company with John and David Whitmer, and my brother Hyrum Smith, I visited the Church at Colesville, New York. Well knowing the determined hostility of our enemies in that quarter, and also knowing that it was our duty to visit the Church, we had called upon our Heavenly Father, in mighty {109} prayer, that He would grant us an opportunity of meeting with them, that he would blind the eyes of our enemies, so that they would not know us, and that we might on this occasion return unmolested. Our prayers were not in vain, for when within a little distance of Mr. Knight's place, we encountered a large company at work upon the public road, amongst whom were several of our most bitter enemies. They looked earnestly at us, but not knowing us, we passed on without interruption. That evening we assembled the Church, and confirmed them, partook of the Sacrament, and held a happy meeting, having much reason to rejoice in the God of our salvation, and sing hosannas to His holy name. Next morning we set out on our return home, and although our enemies had offered a reward of five dollars to any one who would give them information of our arrival, yet did we get out of the neighborhood, without the least annoyance, and arrived home in safety. Some few days afterwards, however, Newel Knight came to my place, and from him we learned that, very shortly after our departure, the mob came to know of our having been there, when they immediately collected together, and threatened the brethren, and very much annoyed them during all that day.
[Sidenote: The Prophet Finds an Asylum in Fayette.]
Meantime, Brother Knight had come with his wagon, prepared to move my family to Fayette, New York. Mr. Whitmer, having heard of the persecutions against us at Harmony, Pennsylvania, had invited us to go and live with him; and during the last week in August we arrived at Fayette, amidst the congratulations of our brethren and friends.
[Sidenote: Spurious Revelations Through Hiram Page.]
To our great grief, however, we soon found that Satan had been lying in wait to deceive, and seeking whom he might devour. Brother Hiram Page had in his possession a certain stone, by which he had obtained certain "revelations" concerning the upbuilding of Zion, the order of the {110} Church, etc., all of which were entirely at variance with the order of God's house, as laid down in the New Testament, as well as in our late revelations. As a conference meeting had been appointed for the 26th [3] day of September, I thought it wisdom not to do much more than to converse with the brethren on the subject, until the conference should meet. Finding, however, that many, especially the Whitmer family and Oliver Cowdery, were believing much in the things set forth by this stone, we thought best to inquire of the Lord concerning so important a matter; and before conference convened, we received the following:
Revelation to Oliver Cowdery, given at Fayette, New York, September, 1830. [4]
1. Behold, I say unto thee, Oliver, that it shall be given unto thee, that thou shalt be heard by the Church in all things whatsoever thou shalt teach them by the Comforter, concerning the revelations and commandments which I have given.
2. But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this Church, excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses.
3. And thou shalt be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto {111} him, even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the Church.
4. And if thou art led at any time by the comforter to speak or teach or at all times by the way of commandment unto the Church, thou mayest do it.
5. But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom:
6. And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church,
7. For I have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead.
8. And now, behold, I my unto you, that you shall go unto the Lamanites and preach my gospel unto them; and inasmuch as they receive thy teachings, thou shalt cause my Church to be established among them; and thou shalt have revelations, but write them not by way of commandment.
9. And now, behold, I say unto you, that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth, where the city of Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you, that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites.
10. Thou shalt not leave this place until after the conference, and my servant Joseph shall be appointed to preside over the conference by the voice of it, and what he saith to thee thou shalt tell.
11. And again, thou shalt take thy brother, Hiram Page, between him and thee alone, and tell him that those things which he hath written from that stone, are not of me, and that Satan deceiveth him;
12. For, behold, these things have not been appointed unto him, neither shall anything be appointed unto any of this Church contrary to the church covenants.
13. For all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the Church, by the prayer of faith.
14. And thou shalt assist to settle all these things according to the covenants of the Church before thou shalt take thy journey among the Lamanites.
15. And it shall be given thee from the time thou shalt go, until the time thou shalt return, what thou shalt do.
16. And thou must open thy mouth at all times declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing. Amen.
Revelation, given in the presence of Six Elders, in Fayette, New York, September, 1830. [5]
1. Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins;
{112} 2. Who will gather His people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer.
3. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that at this time your sins are forgiven you, therefore ye receive these things; but remember to sin no more, lest perils shall come upon you.
4. Verily, I say unto you, that ye are chosen out of the world to declare my Gospel with the sound of rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump.
5. Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is His good will to give you the kingdom;
6. And as it is written, Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive;
7. And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts;
8. Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father, that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked;
9. For the hour is nigh, and the day soon at hand, when the earth is ripe; and all the proud, and they that do wickedly, shall be as stubble, and I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not be upon the earth;
10. For the hour is nigh, and that which was spoken by mine apostles must be fulfilled; for as they spoke, so shall it come to pass;
11. For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand.
12. And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, and it hath gone forth in a firm decree, by the will of the Father, that mine apostles, the Twelve which were with me in my ministry at Jerusalem, shall stand at my right hand at the day of my coming in a pillar of fire, being clothed with robes of righteousness, with crowns upon their heads, in glory even as I am, to judge the whole house of Israel, even as many as have loved me and kept my commandments, and none else;
13. For a trump shall sound both long and loud, even as upon Mount Sinai, and all the earth shall quake, and they shall come forth--yea, even the dead which died in me, to receive a crown of righteousness, and to be clothed upon, even as I am, to be with me, that we may be one.
14. But, behold, I say unto you, that before this great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall be turned into blood, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and there shall be greater signs in heaven above, and in the earth beneath;
{113} 15. And there shall be weeping and wailing among the hosts of men;
16. And there shall be a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth;
17. And it shall come to pass because of the wickedness of the world, that I will take vengeance upon the wicked, for they will not repent: for the cup of mine indignation is full; for behold, my blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not.
18. Wherefore, I the Lord God will send forth flies upon the face of the earth, which will take hold of the inhabitants thereof, and shall eat their flesh, and shall cause maggots to come in upon them;
19. And their tongues shall be staid that they shall not utter against me; and their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes from their sockets:
20. And it shall come to pass that the beasts of the forest, and the fowls of the air shall devour them up.
21. And the great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall be cast down by devouring fire, according as it is spoken by the mouth of Ezekiel the prophet, who spoke of these things, which have not come to pass, but surely must, as I live, for abominations shall not reign.
22. And again, verily, verily, I say unto you that when the thousand years are ended, and men again begin to deny their God, then will I spare the earth but for a little season;
23. And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth,
24. For all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new, even the heaven and the earth, and all the fullness thereof, both men and beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea;
25. And not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand.
26. But, behold, verily I say unto you, before the earth shall pass away, Michael, mine archangel, shall sound his trump, and then shall all the dead awake, for their graves shall be opened, and they shall come forth; yea, even all.
27. And the righteous shall be gathered on my right hand unto eternal life; and the wicked on my left hand will I be ashamed to own before the Father;
28. Wherefore I will say unto them--Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
29. And now behold, I say unto you, never at any time have I declared from mine own mouth that they should return, for where I am they cannot come, for they have no power.
{114} 30. But remember that all my judgments are not given unto men: and as the words have gone forth out of my mouth, even so shall they be fulfilled, that the first shall be last, and that the last shall be first in all things whatsoever I have created by the word of my power, which is the power of my spirit.
31. For by the power of my spirit created I them; yea, all things both spiritual and temporal--
32. Firstly spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work; and again, first temporal, and secondly spiritual, which is the last of my work--
33. Speaking unto you that you may naturally understand; but unto myself my works have no end, neither beginning; but it is given unto you that ye may understand, because ye have asked it of me and are agreed.
34. Wherefore, verily I say unto you, that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.
35. Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual.
36. And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil (for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;
37. And they were thrust down, and then came the devil and his angels;
38. And, behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which place is hell:
39. And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter, they could not know the sweet.)
40. Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he partook of the forbidden fruit, and transgressed the commandment, wherein he became subject to the will of the devil, because he yielded unto temptation.
41. Wherefore I the Lord God caused that he should be cast out from the Garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same death, which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say--Depart, ye cursed.
42. But, behold, I say unto you, that I the Lord God gave unto Adam {115} and unto his seed that they should not die as to the temporal death, until I the Lord God should send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on the name of mine Only Begotten Son.
43. And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation; that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would believe;
44. And they that believe not unto eternal damnation, for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not;
45. For they love darkness rather than light, and their deeds are evil, and they receive their wages of whom they list to obey.
46. But, behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten:
47. Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me;
48. For it is given unto them even as I will, according to mine own pleasure, that great things may be required at the hand of their fathers.
49. And, again, I say unto you, that whoso having knowledge, have I not commanded to repent?
50. And he that hath no understanding, it remaineth in me to do according as it is written. And now I declare no more unto you at this time. Amen.
[Sidenote: The Conference of September 26th.]
At length our conference assembled. The subject of the stone previously mentioned was discussed, and after considerable investigation, Brother Page, as well as the whole Church who were present, renounced the said stone, and all things connected therewith, much to our mutual satisfaction and happiness. We now partook of the Sacrament, confirmed and ordained many, and attended to a great variety of Church business on the first and the two following days of the conference, during which time we had much of the power of God manifested amongst us; the Holy Ghost came upon us, and filled us with joy unspeakable; and peace, and faith, and hope, and charity abounded in our midst.
Before we separated we received the following:
{116} Revelation to David Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jun., and John Whitmer, given September, 1830. [6]
1. Behold, I say unto you, David, that you have feared man and have not relied on me for strength as you ought.
2. But your mind has been on the things of the earth more than on the things of me, your Maker, and the ministry whereunto you have been called; and you have not given heed unto my Spirit, and to those who were set over you, but have been persuaded by those whom I have not commanded:
3. Wherefore, you are left to inquire for yourself, at my hand, and ponder upon the things which you have received.
4. And your home shall be at your father's house until I give unto you further commandments. And you shall attend to the ministry in the Church, and before the world, and in the regions round about. Amen.
5. Behold, I say unto you Peter, that you shall take your journey with your brother Oliver, for the time has come that it is expedient in me that you shall open your mouth to declare my Gospel; therefore, fear not, but give heed unto the words and advice of your brother, which he shall give you.
6. And be you afflicted in all his afflictions, ever lifting up your heart unto me in prayer, and faith, for his and your deliverance: for I have given unto him power to build up my Church among the Lamanites:
7. And none have I appointed to be his counselor over him in the Church concerning Church matters, except it is his brother, Joseph Smith, Jun.
8. Wherefore, give heed unto these things and be diligent in keeping my commandments, and you shall be blessed unto eternal life. Amen.
9. Behold, I say unto you, my servant John, that thou shalt commence from this time forth to proclaim my Gospel, as with the voice of a trump.
10. And your labor shall be at your brother Philip Burroughs', and in that region round about; yea, wherever you can be heard, until I command you to go from hence.
11. And your whole labor shall be in Zion, with all your soul, from henceforth; yea, you shall ever open your mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I am with you. Amen.
Revelation to Thomas B. Marsh, Given September, 1830. [7]
1. Thomas, my son, blessed are you because of your faith in my work.
2. Behold, you have had many afflictions because of your family: {117} nevertheless, I will bless you and your family; yea, your little ones; and the day cometh that they will believe and know the truth and be one with you in my Church.
3. Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come: and your tongue shall be loosed; and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation.
4. You shall declare the things which have been revealed to my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., You shall begin to preach from this time forth; yea, to reap in the field which is white already to be burned:
5. Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Wherefore, your family shall live.
6. Behold, verily I say unto you, go from them only for a little time, and declare my word, and I will prepare a place for them;
7. Yea, I will open the hearts of the people, and they will receive you. And I will establish a church by your hand;
8. And you shall strengthen them and prepare them against the time when they shall be gathered.
9. Be patient in afflictions, revile not against those that revile. Govern your house in meekness, and be steadfast.
10. Behold, I say unto you that you shall be a physician unto the Church, but not unto the world, for they will not receive you.
11. Go your way withersoever I will, and it shall be given you by the Comforter what you shall do, and whither you shall go.
12. Pray always lest you enter into temptation, and lose your reward.
13. Be faithful unto the end, and lo, I am with you. These words are not of man, nor of men, but of me, even Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, by the will of the Father. Amen. [8]
{118} [Sidenote: Satisfactory Results of the Conference.]
During this conference, which continued three days, the utmost harmony prevailed, and all things were settled satisfactorily to all present, and a desire was manifested by all the Saints to go forward and labor with all their powers to spread the great and glorious principles of truth, which had been revealed by our Heavenly Father. A number were baptized during the conference, and the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.
[Sidenote: Mission to the Lamanites.]
At this time a great desire was manifested by several of the Elders respecting the remnants of the house of Joseph, the Lamanites, residing in the west--knowing [9] that the purposes of God were great respecting that people, and hoping that the time had come when the promises of the Almighty in regard to them were about to be accomplished, and that they would receive the Gospel, and enjoy its blessings. The desire being so great, it was agreed that we should inquire of the Lord respecting the propriety of sending some of the Elders [10] among them, which we accordingly did, and received the following:
Revelation to Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson, given October, 1830. [11]
1. And now concerning my servant Parley P. Pratt, [12] behold I say {119} unto him that as I live, I will that he shall declare my Gospel and learn of me and be meek and lowly of heart;
2. And that which I have appointed unto him is, that he shall go with my servants Older Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, Jun., into the wilderness among the Lamanites.
3. And Ziba Peterson, also, shall go with them, and I myself will go with them and be in their midst; and I am their advocate with the Father, and nothing shall prevail against them.
{120} 4. And they shall give heed to that which is written and pretend to no other revelation, and they shall pray always that I may unfold the same to their understanding;
5. And they shall give heed unto these words and trifle not, and I will bless them. Amen.
[Sidenote: Departure of the Lamanite Mission. Arrival at Kirtland.]
Immediately on receiving this revelation, preparations were made for the journey of the brethren therein designated, to the borders of the Lamanites, and a copy of the revelation was given them. They bade adieu to their brethren and friends, and commenced their journey, preaching by the way, and leaving a sealing testimony behind them, lifting up their voice like a trump in the different villages through which they passed. [13] They continued their journey until they came to Kirtland, Ohio, where they tarried some time, there being quite a number in that place and vicinity who believed their testimony, and came forward and obeyed the Gospel. Among the number was Mr. Sidney Rigdon, [14] and a large portion of the church over which he presided.
{121} [Sidenote: Previous Relations of Pratt and Rigdon.]
Previous to this, Elder Parley P. Pratt had been a preacher in the same church with Mr. Rigdon, and resided in the town of Amherst, Loraine county, in Ohio, and had been sent into the state of New York on a mission, where he became {122} acquainted with the circumstances of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and was introduced to Joseph Smith, Jun., and other members of the Church. The belief that there were many in the church with which he had formerly been united, who were honest seekers after truth, induced Elder Pratt; while on his journey to the west, to call upon his friends, and make known the great things which the Lord had brought to pass.
[Sidenote: Presentation of the Book of Mormon to Sidney Rigdon.]
The first house at which they called in the vicinity of Kirtland, was Mr. Rigdon's, and after the usual salutations, they presented him with the Book of Mormon, stating that it was a revelation from God. This being the first time he had ever heard of, or seen, the Book of Mormon, [15] he felt very much {123} surprised at the assertion, and replied that he had the Bible which he believed was a revelation from God, and with which he pretended to have some acquaintance; but with respect of the book they had presented him, he must say {124} that he had considerable doubt. Upon this, they expressed a desire to investigate the subject, and argue the matter. But he replied, "No, young gentleman, you must not argue with me on the subject; but I will read your book, and see what claims it has upon my faith, and will endeavor to ascertain whether it be a revelation from God or not."
[Sidenote: Public Ministry at Mentor.]
After some further conversation they expressed a desire to lay the subject before the people, and requested the privilege of preaching in Mr. Rigdon's chapel, to which he readily consented. The appointment was accordingly published, and a large and respectable congregation assembled. Oliver Cowdery and Parley P. Pratt severally addressed the meeting. At the conclusion, Mr. Rigdon arose, and stated to the congregation that the information they had that evening received was of an extraordinary character, and certainly demanded their most serious consideration; and as the Apostle advised his brethren to "prove all things, and hold fast that which is good," so he would exhort his brethren to do likewise, and give the matter a careful investigation, and not turn against it without being fully convinced of its being an imposition, lest they should, possibly, resist the truth.
[Sidenote: The Work Opened at Kirtland.]
A few miles from Mr. Rigdon's home in Mentor, at the town of Kirtland, where a number of the members of his church, who lived together and had all things common--from which circumstance has risen the idea that this was the case with the Church of Jesus Christ. To that place the Elders immediately repaired, and proclaimed the Gospel unto them, with considerable success; for their testimony was received by many of the people, and seventeen came forward in obedience to the Gospel.
[Sidenote: The Conversion of Sidney Rigdon.]
While thus engaged, they visited Mr. Rigdon occasionally, and found him very earnestly reading the Book of Mormon,--praying to the Lord for direction, and meditating on the things he heard and read; and after a {125} fortnight from the time the book was put into his hands, he was fully convinced of the truth of the work, by a revelation from Jesus Christ, which was made known to him in a remarkable manner, so that he could exclaim, "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto me, but my Father which is in heaven." Accordingly he and his wife were both baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ; and, together with those who had been previously admitted to baptism, made a little branch of the Church, in this section of Ohio, of about twenty members.
This much accomplished, the brethren bound for the borders of the Lamanites, bade an affectionate farewell to the Saints in Kirtland and vicinity; and, after adding one of their new converts to their number--Dr. Frederick G. Williams [16]--they went on their way rejoicing.
Footnotes
1. Doctrine and Covenants, section 27.
2. Mr. Hale, the Prophet's father-in-law, retained the bitterness then engendered in his mind; and some years later--namely, in 1834--made an affidavit concerning the character of Joseph the Prophet, which has been very generally quoted in anti-"Mormon" works.
3. In the manuscript of the Prophet Joseph's History this conference is said to have been appointed for the "first day of September;" but in the Far West Record, a manuscript record kept by the clerks of the High Council in Missouri--and to which reference has before been made--are the minutes of the 9th of June conference (1830), which state that that conference adjourned to meet again on the 26th of September. The record also contains the minutes of the above conference bearing the date of September 26th. In addition to these reasons for changing the date in the text is the fact that immediately, or at least very soon after the close of the conference, a revelation was sought and obtained concerning the mission to the Lamanites, to which, even previous to the conference, Oliver Cowdery had been appointed (Doctrine and Covenants, 28:8-10). The said revelation bears the date of "October, 1830." (Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 32), which would scarcely be the case if the conference had been held on the first, rather than near the close of September, as there is every reason to believe from the record that this revelation was received immediately after the conference closed. Moreover, the 26th of September, 1830, came on Sunday; whereas the first of September came on Wednesday, and as the conference lasted but three days, the brethren would scarcely arrange such a gathering without appointing it for such days as would include a Sunday.
4. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 28.
5. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 29.
6. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 30.
7. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 31.
8. Thomas Baldwin Marsh, to whom the foregoing revelation was given through the Prophet Joseph, was born in Massachusetts, November 1, 1799, and after his marriage to Elizabeth Godkin in 1820, he went into the grocery business in New York, afterwards engaging in a type foundry in Boston. Here he joined the Methodist church, but on comparing its principles with the Scripture, and failing to make them correspond, he withdrew from all sects, but expected and indeed predicted the rise of a new church which should have the truth in its purity. He was moved by the Spirit to make a journey west, during which he heard of the Book of Mormon. He met Martin Harris at the office where it was being printed, and secured proof sheets of the first sixteen pages. He later met Oliver Cowdery, and remained with him two days, receiving from him full information as to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Returning to his home near Boston, he kept up a correspondence with the Prophet and Oliver for about a year; and upon learning of the organization of the Church, he moved to Palmyra in September, 1830, and was baptized by David Whitmer, and a few days later was ordained an Elder by Oliver Cowdery.
9. Of course this knowledge arose from what the brethren had learned from the Book of Mormon of the promises of God to the Lamanites.
10. The consideration of the "propriety" of sending Elders among the Lamanites here referred to was doubtless restricted to the propriety of increasing the number of Elders to go among them; for before the conference convened the propriety of sending EIders to the Lamanites had been settled by the word of the Lord. In a revelation receive before the conference of September 26th, Oliver Cowdery was appointed to go on a mission to the Lamanites, though instructed not to leave Fayette until after the conference. (See p. 111; also Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 28:8-10.) And before the conference adjourned another revelation was received in which Peter Whitmer, Jun., was appointed to accompany Oliver Cowdery on his mission. (See p. 116; and Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 30:5-6.) Hence these inquiries after the conference concerning the "propriety" of sending Elders among the Lamanites, I repeat, must have had reference merely to the propriety of increasing the number that should go. It will be observed also that the revelation which follows in the text merely appoints Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson to accompany Elders Cowdery and Whitmer.
11. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 32.
12. Parley Parker Pratt was born on the 12th day of April, 1807, in Burlington, Otsego county, state of New York. He was the third son of Jared and Charity Pratt. Jared was the son of Obediah and Jemima Pratt; Obediah was the son of Christopher and Sarah Pratt; Christopher was the son of William and Hannah Pratt; William was the son of Joseph Pratt, Joseph was the son of Lieutenant William and Elizabeth Pratt, who were found among the first settlers of Hartford, Connecticut, in the year 1639.
This William Pratt was a member of the legislature for some twenty-five or thirty sessions; and the general court gave him one hundred acres of land in Saybrook, Connecticut, for services performed as lieutenant in the Pequot war; he was one of the judges of the first court in New London county. Parley P. Pratt is a lineal descendant, of the seventh generation, from that distinguished pilgrim and humble pioneer to the new world. Parley P. Pratt was reared to hard work on a farm and though his opportunities for acquiring an education were extremely limited, he was brought up in the strictest school of morals. Even in early youth he gave evidence of a profoundly religious nature, and while yet in his teens became identified with the Baptist church. In 1826 he left New York state and settled some thirty miles west of the town of Cleveland, in the state of Ohio, and laid the foundation of a wilderness home. The next year, 1827, he returned to Canaan, Columbia county, New York,--the county where much of his boyhood was spent, the home, too, of his parents--and there married Thankful Halsey, on the 9th of September, 1827. The same month the newly married couple returned to the wilderness home west of Cleveland. About eighteen months later Sidney Rigdon, who was connected with Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott and others in that aggressive reform movement among the Christian sects, which resulted in the founding of the sect of the "Disciples" or "Campbellites," came into Mr. Pratt's neighborhood preaching the doctrines of faith, repentance and baptism. As his doctrine more nearly conformed to the scriptures than any other Mr. Pratt had heard, he accepted Sydney Rigdon's teachings, joined the "Disciples," and became a minister in that church. He determined to take up the ministry as his life's labor, sold his possessions and started first of all to call upon his relatives in New York. En route, however, he was moved upon by the spirit to stop off at Newark, in New York, while his wife continued her journey to her father's home. At Newark, Mr. Pratt first heard of and saw the Book of Mormon, and, without delay, hastened to Palmyra to investigate the story of its coming forth. At the home of the Smiths, near Manchester, he met with Hyrum, brother of the Prophet, and from him learned the particulars of the work. In company with Hyrum Smith he went to Fayette, where he met with Oliver Cowdery; and about the first of September he was baptized by him in Seneca Lake, and straightway was ordained an Elder of the Church. After these events he continued his journey to the home of his kindred in Columbia county, New York, where he baptized his brother Orson, then a youth of nineteen years. He returned to Fayette in time to attend the conference, where he met the Prophet Joseph, and received the appointment to the Lamanite mission as related in the text.
13. After traveling for some days the Lamanite mission called at some Indian encampments near the city of Buffalo, where they spent part of a day instructing them in the knowledge of their forefathers. These Indians were of the Cattaraugus tribe, and kindly received the brethren, who left with certain of their number who could read English, two copies of the Book of Mormon. And then continued their journey westward. (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 49, 61.)
14. Sidney Rigdon was born in Saint Clair township, Allegheny county, state of Pennsylvania, on the 19th of February, A. D. 1793, and was the youngest son of William and Nancy Rigdon, William Rigdon, his father, a native of Hartford county, state of Maryland, was born A. D. 1743, and died May 26th, A. D. 1810. William Rigdon was the son of Thomas Baker and Ann Lucy Rigdon. Thomas Baker Rigdon was a native of the state of Maryland, and was the son of Thomas Baker Rigdon, who came from Great Britain. Ann Lucy Rigdon, grandmother of Sidney Rigdon, was a native of Ireland, and emigrated to the city of Boston, Massachusetts and was there married to Thomas Baker Rigdon. Nancy Rigdon's mother was a native of Freehold, Monmouth county, New Jersey; she was born March 16th, 1759, and died October 3rd, 1839, and was the eldest daughter of Byrant Gallaher, who was a native of Ireland. Elizabeth Gallaher, mother to the aforesaid Nancy Rigdon, was the second wife of the said Byrant Gallaher, and her maiden name was Reed. She was a native of Monmouth county, New Jersey. Her parents were natives of Scotland. The early days of Sidney Rigdon's life were uneventful. His youth and the early years of his manhood were spent at his father's farm in St. Clair township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. When Sidney was seventeen years old his father died, but he continued on the same farm with his mother until he was twenty-six. In his twenty-fifth year he joined the "Regular Baptist" society or church. The pastor in charge was the Rev. David Phillips, a clergyman from Wales. In March, 1819, Mr. Rigdon left the farm and made his home with the Rev. Andrew Clark, of Pittsburgh, also a Baptist minister. While residing with Mr. Clark he took out a license and began from that time his career as a minister. In May, 1819, he removed from Pennsylvania to Trumbull county, Ohio. In July of the same year he made his home with Adamson Bentley, a minister of the same faith. While residing at Bentley's he met Phebe Brook, to whom he was married on the 12th day of June, 1820. She was a native of the state of New Jersey, Bridgetown, Cumberland county, but had previously removed to Trumbull county, Ohio. Sidney Rigdon continued to preach throughout Trumbull county until November, 1821. Passing through Pittsburgh about that time, for the purpose of visiting his relatives at the old homestead in St. Clair township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, he was invited to preach to the Baptist society of Pittsburg, which he did the following and several succeeding Sundays. As the congregation had no regular pastor they invited him to take charge and become their regular minister; a "call" which he accepted and removed from Warren in Trumbull county, Ohio, to Pittsburg in February, 1822. Meantime misgivings arose in his mind with reference to some of the doctrines of the church with which he was connected, especially with reference to the fate of unbaptized infants. Finally, after serving his congregation about two years and six months, he gave up his charge in August, 1824, and retired from the ministry. After taking this step he joined his wife's brother, Richard Brook, in the tanning business. Together they started a small tannery in which Mr. Rigdon worked as a journeyman for some two years. Meantime he had formed the acquaintance of Mr. Alexander Campbell, generally regarded as the founder of the sect of the "Disciples," or "Campbellites," and Mr. Walter Scott, a Scotchman by birth, but at this time a resident of Pittsburg and a dissenter from a Scandinavian church with which he had formerly been associated. These three gentlemen often met and discussed the subject of religion, the necessity for a universal reformation among the churches, the abandonment of their creeds, etc. The consultations they held led ultimately to the establishment of the church or sect of the "Disciples." Mr. Rigdon left Pittsburg in 1826, and went to Bainbridge, Geaugo county, Ohio, where the people urged him to speak to them. He did so, following in his teachings that line of doctrine which in his consultation with Messrs. Campbell and Scott they had considered were essential to Christian spiritual life, viz., faith in God, repentance of sins, baptism by immersion in water for the remission of sins, and holiness of life--a godly walk and conversation. Mr. Rigdon continued to labor in Bainbridge for about one year, when the people of Mentor, in the same county, but some thirty miles distant from Bainbridge, invited him to reside among them and preach. This he consented to do, and notwithstanding he at first met with some opposition, he prevailed against it and extended his labors into surrounding townships and counties until he had in a number of places a large following. Such were his circumstances and such his labor when the message of "Mormonism" found him--when Parley P. Pratt presented him with the Book of Mormon and its attendant message.
15. The circumstance of Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt and their associates presenting Sidney Rigdon with the Book of Mormon is thus related in the Life of Sidney Rigdon, by his son, John W. Rigdon (Ms. p. 18): "In the fall of 1830, Parley P. Pratt, Ziba Peterson, Oliver Cowdery, and Peter Whitmer called at the home of Sidney Rigdon, in the town of Mentor, Ohio, and Parley P. Pratt presented to him a bound volume of the Book of Mormon in the presence of his wife and his oldest child, Athalia Rigdon, now Athalia Robinson, who was then a girl ten years old, and now (1900) living in the town of Friendship, Allegheny county, state of New York; and who remembers the transaction as well as any incident of her life. Parley P. Pratt, at the time he handed the book to Sidney Rigdon, said it was a revelation from God."
Again referring to this circumstance near the close of the sketch of his father's life, John W. Rigdon relates how, in the fall of 1863, he visited the territory of Utah, where he spent the winter among the "Mormon" people. He was not favorably impressed with their religious life, and came to the conclusion that the Book of Mormon itself was a fraud. He determined in his own heart that if ever he returned home and found his father, Sidney Rigdon, alive, he would try and find out what he knew of the origin of the Book of Mormon. "Although," he adds, "he had never told but one story about it, and that was that Parley P. Pratt and Oliver Cowdery presented him with a bound volume of that book in the year 1830, while he (Sidney Rigdon) was preaching Campbellism at Mentor, Ohio." What John W. Rigdon claims to have seen in Utah, however, together with the fact that Sidney Rigdon had been charged with writing the Book of Mormon, made him suspicious; "and," he remarks, "I concluded I would make an investigation for my own satisfaction and find out if I could if he had all these years been deceiving his family and the world, by telling that which was not true, and I was in earnest about it. If Sidney Rigdon, my father, had thrown his life away by telling a falsehood and bringing sorrow and disgrace upon his family, I wanted to know it and was determined to find out the facts, no matter what the consequences might be. I reached home in the fall of 1865, found my father in good health and [he] was very much pleased to see me. As he had not heard anything from me for some time, he was afraid that I had been killed by the Indians. Shortly after I had arrived home, I went to my father's room; he was there and alone, now was the time for me to commence my inquiries in regard to the origin of the Book of Mormon, and as to the truth of the 'Mormon' religion. I told him what I had seen at Salt Lake City, and I said to him that what I had seen at Salt Lake had not impressed me very favorably toward the 'Mormon' Church, and as to the origin of the Book of Mormon I had some doubts. You have been charged with writing that book and giving it to Joseph Smith to introduce to the world. You have always told me one story; that you never saw the book until it was presented to you by Parley P. Pratt and Oliver Cowdery; and all you ever knew of the origin of that book was what they told you and what Joseph Smith and the witnesses who claimed to have seen the plates had told you. Is this true? If so all right; if it is not, you owe it to me and your family to tell it. You are an old man and you will soon pass away, and I wish to know if Joseph Smith, in your intimacy with him for fourteen years, has not said something to you that led you to believe he obtained that book in some other way than what he had told you. Give me all you know about it, that I may know the truth. My father, after I had finished saying what I have repeated above, looked at me a moment, raised his hand above his head and slowly said with tears glistening in his eyes: 'My son, I can swear before high heaven that what I have told you about the origin of that book is true. Your mother and sister, Mrs. Athalia Robinson, were present when that book was handed to me in Mentor, Ohio, and all I ever knew about the origin of that book was what Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith and the witnesses who claimed they saw the plates have told me, and in all my intimacy with Joseph Smith he never told me but the one story, and that was that he found it engraved upon gold plates in a hill near Palmyra, New York, and that an angel had appeared to him and directed him where to find it; and I have never, to you or to anyone else, told but the one story, and that I now repeat to you.' I believed him, and now believe he told me the truth. He also said to me after that that Mormonism was true; that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, and this world would find it out some day. After my father's death, my mother, who survived him several years, was in the enjoyment of good health up to the time of her last sickness, she being eighty-six years old. A short time before her death I had a conversation with her about the origin of the Book of Mormon, and wanted to know what she remembered about its being presented to my father. She said to me in that conversation that what my father had told me about the book being presented to him was true, for she was present at the time and knew that was the first time he ever saw it, and that the stories told about my father writing the Book of Mormon were not true. This she said to me in her old age and when the shadows of the grave were gathering around her and I believe her." (Life of Sidney Rigdon, by his son John W. Rigdon, Ms, pp. 188-195)
Our author also mentions in his sketch of his father's life, an affidavit given to him by his sister, Athalia Robinson, to the same effect as the statement of Sidney Rigdon and his wife, relative to the coming of Pratt and Cowdery to their home in Mentor, and presenting to her father a bound copy of the Book of Mormon. Athalia was ten years old at the time, and distinctly remembered throughout her life the circumstance. (Ibid, Ms. pp. 195-6).
16. Frederick Granger Williams was born in Suffield, Hartford county, Connecticut, October 28th, 1787. He was therefore a man of forty-three years of age when the Gospel was brought to him at Kirtland by Oliver Cowdery and associates. He was a man of considerable influence in the community where he resided. He owned a farm near Kirtland, but at the time the Gospel found him he was practicing medicine, and was widely known as Dr. Williams. He abandoned the practice of his profession, however, for the work of the ministry, and accompanied the Lamanite mission to Missouri.
{126}
Chapter XII
Lost Books of Ancient Scripture--Commandment to the Church in New York to Move to Ohio.
[Sidenote: Readiness of the Lord to Impart Knowledge.]
The Lord who is ever ready to instruct such as diligently seek in faith gave the following revelation at Fayette, New York:
Revelation to Ezra Thayre and Northrop Sweet, given October, 1830. [1]
1. Behold I say unto you, my servants Ezra and Northrop, open ye your ears and hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, whose word is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of the joints and marrow, soul and spirit: and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
2. For verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye are called to lift up your voices as with the sound of a trump, to declare my Gospel unto a crooked and perverse generation:
3. For behold, the field is white already to harvest: and it is the eleventh hour, and the last time that I shall call laborers into my vineyard.
4. And my vineyard has become corrupted every whit; and there is none which doeth good save it be a few; and they err in many instances, because of priestcrafts, all having corrupt minds.
5. And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this Church have I established and called forth out of the wilderness:
6. And even so will I gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, even as many as will believe in me, and hearken unto my voice:
7. Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that the field is white already to harvest; wherefore, thrust in your sickles, and reap with all your might, mind, and strength.
8. Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness;
{127} 9. Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you:
10. Yea, open your mouths and they shall be filled, saying--Repent, repent, and prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make His paths straight, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;
11. Yea, repent and be baptized, every one of you for a remission of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.
12. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my Gospel, and remember that they shall have faith in me, or they can in no wise be saved;
13. And upon this rock I will build my Church; yea, upon this rock ye are built, and if ye continue, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you;
14. And ye shall remember the Church articles and covenants to keep them.
15. And whoso having faith you shall confirm in my Church, by the laying on of the hands, and I will bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost upon them.
16. And the Book of Mormon and the Holy Scriptures, are given of me for your instruction; and the power of my Spirit quickeneth all things:
17. Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom:
18. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that I come quickly. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: Orson Pratt Seeks to Know the Will of the Lord.]
In the fore part of November, Orson Pratt, [2] a young man nineteen years of age, who had been baptized at the first preaching of his brother Parley P. Pratt, September 19th (his birthday), about six weeks previous, in Canaan, New York, {128} came to inquire of the Lord what his duty was, and received the following answer:
A Revelation to Orson Pratt, given November, 1830. [3]
1. My son Orson, hearken and hear, and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer;
2. The light and the life of the world; a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not;
3. Who so loved the world that He gave His own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God; wherefore you are my son,
4. And blessed are you because you have believed;
5. And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my Gospel--
6. To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for His second coming;
7. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory,
8. And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble.
9. But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked:
10. Wherefore lift up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God hath spoken; therefore prophesy, and it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost;
11. And if you are faithful, behold, I am with you until I come:
12. And verily, verily, I say unto you, I come quickly. I am your Lord and your Redeemer. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge Visit the Prophet.]
In December Sidney Rigdon came to inquire of the Lord, and with him came Edward Partridge; [4] the latter was a pattern of piety, and one of the Lord's great men. Shortly after the arrival of these two brethren, thus spake the Lord:
{129} Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, given at Fayette, New York, December, 1830. [5]
1. Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same today as yesterday, and forever.
2. I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one.
3. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto my servant Sidney, I have looked upon thee and thy works. I have heard thy prayers, and prepared thee for a greater work.
4. Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great things. Behold thou wast sent forth, even as John, to prepare the way before me, and before Elijah which should come and thou knewest it not.
5. Thou didst baptize by water unto repentance, but they received not the Holy Ghost;
6. But now I give unto thee a commandment, that thou shalt baptize by water, and they shall receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, even as the apostles of old.
7. And it shall come to pass that there shall be a great work in the land, even among the Gentiles, for their folly and their abominations shall be made manifest in the eyes of all people;
8. For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name.
{130} 9. And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall cast out devils; they shall heal the sick, they shall cause the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the lame to walk;
10. And the time speedily cometh that great things are to be shown forth unto the children of men;
11. But without faith shall not anything be shown forth, except desolations upon Babylon, the same which has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
12. And there are none that doeth good except those who are ready to receive the fulness of my Gospel which I have sent forth unto this generation.
13. Wherefore I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thrash the nations by the power of my Spirit:
14. And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and their buckler; and I will gird up their loins, and they shall fight manfully for me; and their enemies shall be under their feet; and I will let fall the sword in their behalf, and by the fire of mine indignation will I preserve them.
15. And the poor and the meek shall have the Gospel preached unto them, and they shall be looking forth for the time of my coming, for it is nigh at hand:
16. And they shall learn the parable of the fig tree, for even now already summer is nigh,
17. And I have sent forth the fulness of my Gospel by the hand of my servant Joseph; and in weakness have I blessed him,
18. And I have given unto him the keys of the mystery of those things which have been sealed, even things which were from the foundation of the world, and the things which shall come from this time until the time of my coming if he abide in me, and if not, another will I plant in his stead.
19. Wherefore, watch over him, that his faith fail not, and it shall be given by the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, that knoweth all things:
20. And a commandment I give unto thee, that thou shalt write for him; and the Scriptures shall be given, even as they are in mine own bosom, to the salvation of mine own elect;
21. For they will hear my voice, and shall see me, and shall not be asleep, and shall abide the day of my coming, for they shall be purified, even as I am pure.
22. And now I say unto you, tarry with him, and he shall journey with you; forsake him not, and surely these things shall be fulfilled.
23. And inasmuch as ye do not write, behold, it shall be given unto {131} him to prophesy: and thou shalt preach my Gospel, and call on the holy prophets to prove his words, as they shall be given him.
24. Keep all the commandments and covenants by which ye are bound; and I will cause the heavens to shake for your good, and Satan shall tremble and Zion shall rejoice upon the hills and flourish,
25. And Israel shall be saved in mine own due time; and by the keys which I have given shall they be led, and no more be confounded at all.
26. Lift up your hearts and be glad, your redemption draweth nigh.
27. Fear not, little flock, the kingdom is yours until I come. Behold I come quickly. Even so. Amen.
And the voice of the Lord to Edward Partridge was:
A Revelation to Edward Partridge, given December, 1830. [6]
1. Thus saith the Lord God, the Mighty One of Israel, Behold, I say unto you, my servant Edward, that you are blessed and your sins are forgiven you, and you are called to preach my Gospel as with the voice of a trump;
2. And I will lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant Sidney Rigdon, and you shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom;
3. And you shall declare it with a loud voice, saying, Hosanna, blessed be the name of the most high God.
4. And now this calling and commandment give I unto you concerning all men,
5. That as many as shall come before my servants Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith, Jun., embracing this calling and commandment, shall be ordained and sent forth to preach the everlasting Gospel among the nations.
6. Crying repentance, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation, and come forth out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted with the flesh.
7. And this commandment shall be given unto the Elders of my Church, that every man which will embrace it with singleness of heart, may be ordained and sent forth, even as I have spoken.
8. I am Jesus Christ the Son of God: wherefore, gird up your loins and I will suddenly come to my temple. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: Of the Lost Books of Scripture.]
It may be well to observe here, that the Lord greatly encouraged and strengthened the faith of His little flock, which had embraced the fullness of the everlasting {132} Gospel, as revealed to them in the Book of Mormon, by giving some more extended information upon the Scriptures, a translation of which had already commenced. Much conjecture and conversation frequently occurred among the Saints, concerning the books mentioned, and referred to, in various places in the Old and New Testaments, which were now nowhere to be found. [7] The common remark was, "They are lost books;" but it seems the Apostolic Church had some of these writings, as Jude mentions or quotes the Prophecy of Enoch, the seventh from Adam. To the joy of the {133} little flock, which in all, from Colesville to Canandaigua, New York, numbered about seventy members, did the Lord reveal the following doings of olden times, from the prophecy of Enoch: [8]
Extracts from the Prophecy of Enoch.
1. And it came to pass that Enoch continued his speech, saying, Behold, our father Adam taught these things, and many have believed and become the sons of God, and many have believed not, and have perished in their sins, and are looking forth with fear, in torment, for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God to be poured out upon them.
2. And from that time forth Enoch began to prophesy, saying unto the people, That, as I was journeying, and stood upon the place Mahujah and cried unto the Lord, there came a voice out of heaven, saying, Turn ye, and get ye upon the Mount Simeon.
3. And it came to pass that I turned and went up on the mount; and as I stood upon the mount, I beheld the heavens open, and I was clothed upon with glory,
4. And I saw the Lord; and He stood before my face, and He talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and He said unto me, Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the space of many generations.
5. And it came to pass that I beheld in the valley of Shum, and lo, a great people which dwelt in tents, which were the people of Shum.
6. And again the Lord said unto me, Look; and I looked towards the north, and I beheld the people of Canaan, which dwelt in tents.
7. And the Lord said unto me, Prophesy; and I prophesied, saying, Behold the people of Canaan, which are numerous, shall go forth in battle array against the people of Shum, and shall slay them that they shall utterly be destroyed; and the people of Canaan shall divide themselves in the land, and the land shall be barren and unfruitful, and none other people shall dwell there but the people of Canaan;
8. For behold the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, and they were despised among all people.
9. And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me, Look; and I {134} looked, and I beheld the land of Sharon, and the land of Enoch, and the land of Omner, and the land of Heni, and the land of Shem, and the land of Haner, and the land of Hanannihah, and all the inhabitants thereof;
10. And the Lord said unto me, Go to this people, and say unto them, that they must repent, lest I come out and smite them with a curse, and they die.
11. And he gave unto me a commandment that I should baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, which is full of grace and truth, and of the Holy Ghost which beareth record of the Father and the Son.
12. And it came to pass that Enoch continued to call upon all the people, save it were the people of Canaan, to repent;
13. And so great was the faith of Enoch, that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch; and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.
14. There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off, and went upon the land which came up out of the depths of the sea.
15. And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all the people that fought against God;
16. And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with His people, and they dwelt in righteousness.
17. The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon His people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.
18. And the Lord called His people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them;
19. And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the city of Holiness: even Zion.
20. And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord; and he said unto the Lord, Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever. But the Lord said unto Enoch, Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed.
21. And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of {135} time, was taken up into heaven! And the Lord said unto Enoch, Behold mine abode forever.
22. And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam, save it were the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them.
23. And after that Zion was taken up into heaven, Enoch beheld, and lo, all the nations of the earth were before him; and there came generation upon generation;
24. And Enoch was high and lifted up, even in the bosom of the Father, and of the Son of Man; and behold, the power of Satan was upon all the face of the earth.
25. And he saw angels descending out of heaven; and he heard a loud voice saying, Wo, wo be unto the inhabitants of the earth!
26. And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed and his angels rejoiced.
27. And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and the Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.
28. And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and He wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying, How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears is the rain upon the mountains?
29. And Enoch said unto the Lord, How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
30. And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of Thy creations; and Thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet Thou art there, and Thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; Thou art merciful and kind forever;
31. And Thou hast taken Zion to Thine own bosom, from all Thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and nought but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of Thy Throne; and mercy shall go before Thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep?
32. The Lord said unto Enoch, behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
33. And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father, but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood.
{136} 34. And the fire of mine indignation is kindled against them; and in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them; for my fierce anger is kindled against them.
35. Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also.
36. Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also; and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren;
37. But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?
38. But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them.
39. And Him which I have chosen hath plead before my face. Wherefore, He suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment;
40. Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep, yea, and all the workmanship of mine hands.
41. And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Enoch, and told Enoch all the doings of the children of men; wherefore Enoch knew, and looked upon their wickedness and their misery, and wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook.
42. And Enoch also saw Noah, and his family; that the posterity of all the sons of Noah should be saved with a temporal salvation;
43. Wherefore Enoch saw that Noah built an ark, and that the Lord smiled upon it, and held it in His own hand; but upon the residue of the wicked the floods came and swallowed them up.
44. And as Enoch saw this, he had bitterness of soul, and wept over his brethren, and said unto the heavens, I will refuse to be comforted; but the Lord said unto Enoch, Lift up your heart, and be glad; and look;
45. And it came to pass that Enoch looked; and from Noah, he beheld all the families of the earth; and he cried unto the Lord, saying, When shall the day of the Lord come? When shall the blood of the Righteous be shed, that all they that mourn may be sanctified, and have eternal life?
46. And the Lord said, It shall be in the meridian of time, in the days of wickedness and vengeance.
{137} 47. And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying, The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me.
48. And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying, Wo, wo is me, the mother of men! I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children! When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which has gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?
49. And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah?
50. And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying, I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah, and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods.
51. And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah;
52. And he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand;
53. And the Lord said, Blessed is he through whose seed Messiah shall come; for he saith, I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven, which is broad as eternity; whoso cometh in at the gate and climbeth up by me shall never fall; wherefore, blessed are they of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with songs of everlasting joy.
54. And it came to pass that Enoch cried unto the Lord, saying, When the Son of Man cometh in the flesh, shall the earth rest? I pray Thee, show me these things.
55. And the Lord said unto Enoch, Look; and he looked and beheld the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, after the manner of men;
56. And he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all the creations of God mourned; and the earth groaned; and the rocks were rent; and the Saints arose, and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of Man, with crowns of glory;
57. And as many of the spirits as were in prison came forth, and stood on the right hand of God; and the remainder were reserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day.
{138} 58. And again Enoch wept and cried unto the Lord, saying, When shall the earth rest?
59. And Enoch beheld the Son of Man ascend up unto the Father; and he called unto the Lord, saying, Wilt thou not come again upon the earth? For as much as Thou art God, and I know Thee, and Thou hast sworn unto me, and commanded me that I should ask in the name of Thine Only Begotten, Thou hast made me, and given unto me a right to Thy throne, and not of myself, but through Thine own grace; wherefore, I ask Thee if Thou wilt not come again on the earth.
60. And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah;
61. And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve;
62. And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; His resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare; an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.
63. And the Lord said unto Enoch, Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;
64. And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made, and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest.
65. And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years;
66. But before that day he saw great tribulations among the wicked; and he also saw the sea, that it was troubled, and men's hearts failing them, looking forth with fear for the judgments of the Almighty God, which should come upon the wicked.
67. And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption; and received a fulness of joy;
{139} 68. And all the days of Zion, in the days of Enoch, were three hundred and sixty-five years;
69. And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into His own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is fled.
[Sidenote: Commanded to Go to Ohio.]
Soon after the words of Enoch were given, the Lord gave the following commandment:
A Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, given December, 1830. [9]
1. Behold, I say unto you, that it is not expedient in me that ye should translate any more until ye shall go to the Ohio, and this because of the enemy and for your sakes.
2. And again, I say unto you, that ye shall not go until ye have preached my Gospel in those parts, and have strengthened up the Church whithersoever it is found, and more especially in Colesville; for, behold, they pray unto me in much faith.
3. And again, a commandment I give unto the Church, that it is expedient in me that they should assemble together at the Ohio, against the time that my servant Oliver Cowdery shall return unto them.
4. Behold, here is wisdom, and let every man choose for himself until I come. Even so. Amen.
Footnotes
1. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 33.
2. Orson Pratt was born September 19, 1811, in Hartford, Washington county, New York. His ancestors are enumerated in the biographical note of his brother, Parley P. Pratt, pp. 118, 119. The humble circumstances of his parents compelled him to seek employment where he could obtain it in various places, mainly at farming, during which time, however, he managed to get some schooling, paying especial attention to arithmetic, and gaining an acquaintance also with bookkeeping, grammar, geography and surveying. The early lessons of morality and religion taught at his father's home made deep impressions on his youthful mind, and led him in the autumn of 1829, particularly to seek the Lord. For this purpose he retired frequently to the lonely fields or the woods for prayer. This continued till September, 1830, when his brother Parley P. Pratt, an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came into the neighborhood where he resided, and as related in the text was converted at the first preaching of his brother Parley P. Pratt.
3. Doctrine and Covenants, section 34.
4. Edward Partridge was born in Pittsfield, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, on the 27th of August, 1793, of William and Jemima Partridge. His father's ancestor emigrated from Berwick, Scotland, during the seventeenth century, and settled at Hadley, Massachusetts, on Connecticut river. Nothing worthy of note transpired in his youth, with the exception, that he remembered, (though the precise time he could not recollect) that the Spirit of the Lord strove with him a number of times, insomuch that his heart was made tender, and he went and wept; and sometimes he went silently and poured the effusions of his soul to God in prayer.
At the age of sixteen he went to learn the hatter's trade, and continued as an apprentice for about four years. At the age of twenty he had become disgusted with the religious world. He saw no beauty, comeliness, or loveliness in the character of God as represented by the teaching of the various religious sects. He however heard a Universal Restorationer preach upon the love of God: this sermon gave him exalted opinions of God, and he concluded that Universal Restoration was right according to the Bible. He continued in this belief till 1828, when he and his wife were baptized into the "Campbellite" church by Sidney Rigdon, in Mentor, though they resided in Painesville, Ohio. He continued a member of this church, though doubting at times its being the true one, until Elders Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, Jun., and Ziba Peterson came with the Book of Mormon, when he began to investigate the subject of religion anew. As stated in the text he accompanied Sidney Rigdon to Fayette, New York, where, on the 11th of December, he was baptized by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Seneca river.
5. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 35.
6. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 36.
7. The most prominent of the "lost books" of the Old Testament are mentioned in the following passages: I Chronicles, 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29;2 Chronicles 12:15; I Samuel, 10:25; I Kings, 4:32, 33. The following is the list of "lost books" mentioned in the New Testament:
Scripture of Abraham's Time: "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham." (Galatians 3:8.) The Christian world says, "Moses was God's first pen," but it appears from the above quotation that some one wrote scriptures even before Abraham's day, and he read them, learned the Gospel from them and also learned that God would justify the heathen through faith.
Prophecy of Enoch: Speaking of characters who are like "raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame," Jude says: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all," etc. (Jude, 14, 15.) From this it appears that Enoch had a revelation concerning the glorious coming of the Son of God to judgment. May not the prophecy of Enoch have been among the scriptures with which Abraham was acquainted?
Another Epistle of Jude: "When I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints." (Jude 3.) We have but one epistle of Jude. Would not the epistle on the "common salvation" be as important as the one the only one we now have from Jude's pen?
Another Epistle to the Ephesians: In Ephesians, 3 and 3rd, Paul alludes to another epistle which he had written to that people, but of which the world has no knowledge except from this reference which is made by its author. This epistle contained a revelation from God.
An Epistle to the Laodiceans: "When the epistle [Colossians] is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea." (Colossians, 4:16.) The epistles to the Laodiceans is among the lost scripture.
Another Epistle to the Corinthians: In the "first letter to the Corinthians" is this statement: "I wrote you in an epistle not to company with fornicators" (1 Corinthians, 5:9). From this it would appear that our so-called first epistle to the Corinthians is really not the first, since Paul in it speaks of a former letter he had written to the Corinthians, and which was doubtless as good scripture as the two which have been preserved.
8. This prophecy of Enoch is contained in the "Writings of Moses," which about this time were revealed to the Prophet, and are now published in the "Pearl of Great Price." It will be understood, then, by the reader, that the "Prophecy of Enoch" itself is found in the "Writings of Moses," and that in the text above we have but a few extracts of the most prominent parts of "Enoch's Prophecy." For the complete prophecy the reader is referred to the "Pearl of Great Price." (Chapter 7.)
9. Doctrine and Covenants, section 37.
{140}
Chapter XIII
Prospects of the Church at the Opening of the Year 1831--Removal of the Prophet Joseph from New York to Ohio--Doctrinal Development.
[Sidenote: Prospects of the Church--1831.]
The year 1831 opened with a prospect great and glorious for the welfare of the kingdom; for on the 2nd of January, 1831, a conference was held in the town of Fayette, New York, at which the ordinary business of the Church was transacted; and in addition, the following revelation was received:
Revelation, given January 2nd, 1831. [1]
1. Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great I AM, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven before the world was made:
2. The same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes:
3. I am the same which spake, and the world was made, and all things came by me:
4. I am the same which have taken the Zion of Enoch into mine own bosom; and verily, I say, even as many as have believed in my name, for I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father for them;
5. But behold, the residue of the wicked have I kept in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day, which shall come at the end of the earth;
6. And even so will I cause the wicked to be kept, that will not hear my voice but harden their hearts, and wo, wo, wo, is their doom.
{141} 7. But behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst, and ye cannot see me;
8. But the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that I am; for the vail of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day:
9. Wherefore gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and the enemy shall not overcome.
10. verily, I say unto you, ye are clean, but not all; and there is none else with whom I am well pleased.
11. For all flesh is corrupted before me; and the powers of darkness prevail upon the earth, among the children of men, in the presence of all the hosts of heaven.
12. Which causeth silence to reign, and all eternity is pained, and the angels are waiting the great command to reap down the earth, to gather the tares that they may be burned; and, behold, the enemy is combined.
13. And now I show unto you a mystery, a thing which is had in secret chambers, to bring to pass even your destruction in process of time, and ye knew it not.
14. But now I tell it unto you, and ye are blessed, not because of your iniquity, neither your hearts of unbelief; for verily some of you are guilty before me, but I will be merciful unto your weakness.
15. Therefore, be ye strong from henceforth; fear not, for the kingdom is yours:
16. And for your salvation I give unto you a commandment, for I have heard your prayers, and the poor have complained before me, and the rich have I made, and all flesh is mine, and I am no respecter of persons.
17. And I have made the earth rich, and behold it is my footstool, wherefore, again I will stand upon it;
18. And I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh;
19. And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts:
20. And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.
21. But verily I say unto you, that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your King and watch over you.
22. Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free {142} people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your Law-giver, and what can stay my hand?
23. But verily, I say unto you, teach one another according to the office wherewith I have appointed you,
24. And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue and holiness before me.
25. And again I say unto you, let every man esteem his brother as himself;
26. For what man among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one, Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the other, Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou there, and looketh upon his sons and saith I am just.
27. Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am: I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one, ye are not mine.
28. And again I say unto you, that the enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives.
29. Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.
30. I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.
31. And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless:
32. Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high;
33. And from thence, whomsoever I will, shall go forth among all nations, and it shall be told them what they shall do; for I have a great work laid up in store, for Israel shall be saved, and I will lead them whithersoever I will, and no power shall stay my hand.
34. And now I give unto the Church in these parts, a commandment that certain men among them shall be appointed, and they shall be appointed by the voice of the Church;
35. And they shall look to the poor and the needy, and administer to their relief, that they shall not suffer; and send them forth to the place which I have commanded them;
36. And this shall be their work, to govern the affairs of the property of this Church.
{143} 37. And they have farms that cannot be sold, let them be left or rented as seemeth them good.
38. See that all things are preserved; and when men are endowed with power from on high and sent forth, all these things shall be gathered unto the bosom of the Church.
39. And if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old.
40. And again I say unto you, I give unto you a commandment, that every man, both Elder, Priest, Teacher, and also member, go to with his might, with the labor of his hands, to prepare and accomplish the things which I have commanded.
41. And let your preaching be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness.
42. And go ye out from among the wicked. Save yourselves. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: James Covill.]
Not long after this conference of the 2nd of January closed, there was a man came to me by the name of James Covill, who had been a Baptist minister for about forty years, and covenanted with the Lord that he would obey any command that the Lord would give to him through me, as His servant, and I received the following:
Revelation to James Covill, given at Fayette, New York, January 5th, 1831. [2]
1. Hearken and listen to the voice of Him who is from all eternity to all eternity, the Great I AM, even Jesus Christ,
2. The light and life of the world; a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not:
3. The same which came in the meridian of time unto my own, and my own received me not;
4. But to as many as received me, gave I power to become my sons, and even so will I give unto as many as will receive me, power to become my sons.
5. And verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth my Gospel receiveth me; and he that receiveth not my Gospel receiveth not me.
{144} 6. And this is my Gospel: repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the Kingdom.
7. And now, behold, I say unto you, my servant James, I have looked upon thy works and I know thee;
8. And verily I say unto thee, thine heart is now right before me at this time, and behold, I have bestowed great blessings upon thy head.
9. Nevertheless thou hast seen great sorrow, for thou hast rejected me many times because of pride and the cares of the world;
10. But, behold, the days of thy deliverance are come, if thou wilt hearken to my voice, which saith unto thee, arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on my name, and you shall receive my Spirit, and a blessing so great as you never have known.
11. And if thou do this, I have prepared thee for a greater work. Thou shalt preach the fullness of my Gospel, which I have sent forth in these last days; the covenant which I have sent forth to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel.
12. And it shall come to pass that power shall rest upon thee; thou shalt have great faith, and I will be with thee and go before thy face.
13. Thou art called to labor in my vineyard, and to build up my Church, and to bring forth Zion, that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish.
14. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, thou art not called to go into the eastern countries, but thou art called to go to the Ohio.
15. And inasmuch as my people shall assemble themselves to the Ohio, I have kept in store a blessing such as is not known among the children of men, and it shall be poured forth upon their heads. And from thence men shall go forth into all nations.
16. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that the people in Ohio call upon me in much faith, thinking I will stay my hand in judgment upon the nations, but I cannot deny my word;
17. Wherefore lay to with your might and call faithful laborers into my vineyard, that it may be pruned for the last time.
18. And inasmuch as they do repent and receive the fullness of my Gospel, and become sanctified, I will stay my hand in judgment:
19. Wherefore, go forth, crying with a loud voice, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand; crying Hosanna! blessed be the name of the most High God.
20. Go forth baptizing with water, preparing the way before my face, for the time of my coming;
21. For the time is at hand; the day nor the hour no man knoweth; but it surely shall come.
{145} 22. And he that receiveth these things receiveth me; and they shall be gathered unto me in time and in eternity.
23. And again, it shall come to pass, that on as many as ye shall baptize with water, ye shall lay your hands, and they shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and shall be looking forth for the signs of my coming, and shall know me.
24. Behold, I come quickly. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: Why Covill Rejected the Commandment.]
As James Covill rejected the word of the Lord, and returned to his former principles and people, the Lord gave unto me and Sidney Rigdon the following revelation, explaining why he obeyed not the word:
Revelation given at Fayette, New York, January 6, 1831. [3]
1. Behold, verily, I say unto you, that the heart of my servant James Covill was right before me, for he covenanted with me that he would obey my word,
2. And he received the word with gladness, but straightway Satan tempted him; and the fear of persecution, and the cares of the world, caused him to reject the word;
3. Wherefore he broke my covenant, and it remaineth with me to do with him as seemeth me good. Amen.
[Sidenote: The Prophet Removes to Ohio.]
The latter part of January, in company with Brothers Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge, I started with my wife for Kirtland, Ohio, where we arrived about the first of February, and were kindly received and welcomed into the house of Brother Newel K. Whitney. [4] My wife and I lived in {146} the family of Brother Whitney several weeks, and received every kindness and attention which could be expected, and especially from Sister Whitney.
[Sidenote: The Branch of the Church at Kirtland.]
The branch of the Church in this part of the Lord's vineyard, which had increased to nearly one hundred members, were striving to do the will of God, so far as they knew it, though some strange notions and false spirits had crept in among them. With a little caution and some wisdom, I soon assisted the brethren and sisters to overcome them. The plan of "common stock," which had existed in what was called "the family," [5] whose members generally had embraced the everlasting Gospel, was readily abandoned for {147} the more perfect law of the Lord; and the false spirits were easily discerned and rejected by the light of revelation.
The Lord gave unto the Church the following:
Revelation, given at Kirtland, Ohio, February 4th, 1831. [6]
1. Hearken and hear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless with the greatest of all blessings, ye that hear me; and ye that hear me not will I curse, that have professed my name, with the heaviest of all cursings.
2. Hearken, O ye Elders of my Church whom I have called, behold I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall assemble yourselves together to agree upon my word,
3. And by the prayer of your faith ye shall receive my law, that ye may know how to govern my Church and have all things right before me.
4. And I will be your Ruler when I come; and behold, I come quickly, and ye shall see that my law is kept.
5. He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple; and he that saith he receiveth it and doeth it not, the same is not my disciple, and shall be cast out from among you:
6. For it is not meet that the things which belong to the children of the kingdom, shall be given to them that are not worthy, or to dogs, or the pearls to be cast before swine.
7. And again, it is meet that my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., should have a house built, in which to live and translate.
8. And again, it is meet that my servant, Sidney Rigdon should live as seemeth him good, inasmuch as he keepeth my commandments.
9. And again, I have called my servant, Edward Partridge, and I give a commandment, that he should be appointed by the voice of the Church, and ordained a Bishop unto the Church, to leave his merchandise and to spend all his time in the labors of the Church:
10. To see to all things as it shall be appointed unto him, in my laws in the day that I shall give them.
11. And this because his heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathaniel of old, in whom there is no guile.
12. These words are given unto you, and they are pure before me; wherefore beware how you hold them, for they are to be answered upon your souls in the day of judgment. Even so. Amen.
{148} [Sidenote: Revelation Giving the Law of the Church.]
On the 9th of February, 1831, at Kirtland, in the presence of twelve Elders, and according to the promise heretofore made, [7] the Lord gave the following revelation, embracing the law of the Church:
Revelation, given February, 1831. [8]
1. Hearken, O ye Elders of my Church, who have assembled yourselves together in my name, even Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, the Savior of the world, inasmuch as they believe on my name and keep my commandments.
2. Again, I say unto you, hearken and hear and obey the law which I shall give unto you;
3. For verily I say, as ye have assembled yourselves together according to the commandment wherewith I commanded you, and are agreed as touching this one thing, and have asked the Father in my name, even so ye shall receive.
4. Behold, verily I say unto you, I give unto you this first commandment, that ye shall go forth in my name, every one of you, excepting my servants Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon.
5. And I give unto them a commandment that they shall go forth for a little season, and it shall be given by the power of the Spirit when they shall return;
6. And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my Gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God;
7. And ye shall go forth baptizing with water, saying--Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8. And from this place ye shall go forth into the regions westward; and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will receive you, ye shall build up my Church in every region,
9. Until the time shall come when it shall be revealed unto you from on high, when the city of the New Jerusalem shall be prepared, that ye may be gathered in one, that ye may be my people and I will be your God.
10. And again, I say unto you, that my servant, Edward Partridge, shall stand in the office wherewith I have appointed him. And it shall come to pass, that if he transgress, another shall be appointed in his stead. Even so. Amen.
{149} 11. Again, I say unto you, that it shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my Gospel, or to build up my Church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the Church that he has authority, and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the Church.
12. And again, the Elders, Priests and Teachers of this Church shall teach the principles of my Gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in the which is the fullness of the Gospel;
13. And they shall observe the covenants and Church articles to do them, and these shall be their teachings, as they shall be directed by the Spirit;
14. And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith, and if ye receive not the Spirit, ye shall not teach,
15. And all this ye shall observe to do as I have commanded concerning your teaching, until the fulness of my scripture is given.
16. And as ye shall lift up your voices by the Comforter, ye shall speak and prophesy as seemeth me good;
17. For, behold, the Comforter knoweth all things, and beareth record of the Father and of the Son.
18. And now, behold, I speak unto the Church. Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come.
19. And again, I say, thou shalt not kill; but he that killeth shall die.
20. Thou shalt not steal; and he that stealeth and will not repent, shall be cast out.
21. Thou shalt not lie; he that lieth and will not repent, shall be cast out.
22. Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else;
23. And he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her, shall deny the faith, and shall not have the Spirit, and if he repents not he shall be cast out.
24. Thou shalt not commit adultery; and he that committeth adultery, and repenteth not, shall be cast out;
25. But he that has committed adultery and repents with all his heart and forsaketh it, and doeth it no more, thou shalt forgive;
26. But if he doeth it again, he shall not be forgiven, but shall be cast out.
27. Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor, nor do him any harm.
28. Thou knowest my laws concerning these things are given in my Scriptures: he that sinneth and repenteth not shall be cast out.
{150} 29. If thou lovest me, thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments.
30. And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken--
31. And inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me--and they shall be laid before the Bishop of my Church and his counselors, two of the Elders, or High Priests [9] such as he shall appoint or has appointed and set apart for that purpose.
32. And it shall come to pass, that after they are laid before the Bishop of my Church, and after that he has received these testimonies concerning the consecration of the properties of my Church, that they cannot be taken from the Church agreeable to my commandments; every man shall be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration, as much as is sufficient for himself and family.
33. And again, if there shall be properties in the hands of the Church, or any individuals of it, more than is necessary for their support, after this first consecration, which is a residue to be consecrated unto the Bishop, it shall be kept to administer to those who have not, from time to time, that every man who has need may be amply supplied, and receive according to his wants.
34. Therefore, the residue shall be kept in my storehouse, to administer to the poor and the needy, as shall be appointed by the High Council of the Church, and the Bishop and his council,
35. And for the purpose of purchasing lands for the public benefit of the Church, and building houses of worship, and building up of the New Jerusalem which is hereafter to be revealed,
36. That my covenant people may be gathered in one in that day when I shall come to my temple. And this I do for the salvation of my people.
37. And it shall come to pass, that he that sinneth and repenteth not, shall be cast out of the Church, and shall not receive again that which he has consecrated unto the poor and the needy of my Church; or in other words, unto me;
38. For inasmuch as ye do it unto the least of these, ye do it unto me;
39. For it shall come to pass, that which I spake by the mouths of my prophets, shall be fulfilled; for I will consecrate of the riches of those who embrace my Gospel among the Gentiles, unto the poor of my people who are of the house of Israel.
{151} 40. And again, thou shalt not be proud in thy heart; let all thy garments be plain, and their beauty the beauty of the work of thine own hands;
41. And let all things be done in cleanliness before me.
42. Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.
43. And whosoever among you are sick, and have not faith to be healed, but believe, shall be nourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild food, and that not by the hand of an enemy.
44. And the Elders of the Church, two or more, shall be called, and shall pray for and lay their hands upon them in my name; and if they die they shall die unto me, and if they live they shall live unto me.
45. Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection.
46. And it shall come to pass that those that die in me, shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;
47. And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter.
48. And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed;
49. He who hath faith to see shall see;
50. He who hath faith to hear shall hear;
51. The lame who hath faith to leap shall leap;
52. And they who have not faith to do these things, but believe in me, have power to become my sons; and inasmuch as they break not my laws, thou shalt bear their infirmities.
53. Thou shalt stand in the place of thy stewardship;
54. Thou shalt not take thy brother's garment; thou shalt pay for that which thou shalt receive of thy brother;
55. And if thou obtainest more than that which would be for thy support, thou shalt give it into my store-house, that all things may be done according to that which I have said.
56. Thou shalt ask and my Scriptures shall be given as I have appointed, and they shall be preserved in safety;
57. And it is expedient that thou shouldst hold thy peace concerning them, and not teach them until ye have received them in full.
58. And I give unto you a commandment that then ye shall teach them unto all men; for they shall be taught unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.
59. Thou shalt take the things which thou hast received, which have been given unto thee in my Scriptures for a law, to be my law to govern my Church;
{152} 60. And he that doeth according to these things shall be saved, and he that doeth them not shall be damned, if he so continue.
61. If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things--that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.
62. Thou shalt ask, and it shall be revealed unto you in mine own due time where the New Jerusalem shall be built.
63. And behold, it shall come to pass that my servants shall be sent forth to the east and to the west, to the north and to the south;
64. And even now, let him that goeth to the east, teach them that shall be converted to flee to the west, and this in consequence of that which is coming on the earth, and of secret combinations.
65. Behold, thou shalt observe all these things, and great shall be thy reward; for unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but unto the world it is not given to know them.
66. Ye shall observe the laws which ye have received and be faithful.
67. And ye shall hereafter receive Church covenants, such as shall be sufficient to establish you, both here and in the New Jerusalem.
68. Therefore, he that lacketh wisdom, let him ask of me, and I will give him liberally and upbraid him not.
69. Lift up your hearts and rejoice, for unto you the kingdom, or in other words, the keys of the Church have been given. Even so. Amen.
70. The Priests and Teachers shall have their stewardships, even as the members;
71. And the Elders, or High Priests, [10] who are appointed to assist the Bishop as counselors in all things, are to have their families supported out of the property which is consecrated to the Bishop, for the good of the poor, and for other purposes, as before mentioned;
72. Or they are to receive a just remuneration for all their services, either a stewardship or otherwise, as may be thought best or decided by the counselors and Bishop.
73. And the Bishop, also, shall receive his support, or a just renumeration for all his services in the Church.
74. [11] Behold, verily I say unto you, that whatever persons among you, having put away their companions for the cause of fornication, or in other words, if they shall testify before you in all lowliness of heart that this is the case, ye shall not cast them out from among you;
{153} 75. But if ye shall find that any persons have left their companions for the sake of adultery, and they themselves are the offenders, and their companions are living, they shall be cast out from among you.
76. And again, I say unto you, that ye shall be watchful and careful, with all inquiry, that ye receive none such among you if they are married;
77. And if they are not married, they shall repent of all their sins, or ye shall not receive them.
78. And again, every person who belongeth to this Church of Christ, shall observe to keep all the commandments and covenants of the Church.
79. And it shall come to pass, that if any persons among you shall kill, they shall be delivered up and dealt with according to the laws of the land; for remember that he hath no forgiveness, and it shall be proved according to the laws of the land.
80. And if any man or woman shall commit adultery, he or she shall be tried before two Elders of the Church, or more, and every word shall be established against him or her by two witnesses of the Church, and not of the enemy; but if there are more than two witnesses it is better.
81. But he or she shall be condemned by the mouth of two witnesses, and the Elders shall lay the case before the Church, and the Church shall lift up their hands against him or her, that they may be dealt with according to the law of God.
82. And if it can be, it is necessary that the Bishop be present also.
83. And thus ye shall do in all cases which shall come before you.
84. And if a man or woman shall rob, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land.
85. And if he or she shall steal, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land.
86. And if he or she shall lie, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land.
87. And if he or she do any manner of iniquity, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law, even that of God.
88. And if thy brother or sister offend thee, thou shalt take him or her between him or her and thee alone; and if he or she confess, thou shalt be reconciled.
89. And if he or she confess not, thou shalt deliver him or her up unto the Church, not to the members, but to the Elders. And it shall be done in a meeting, and that not before the world.
90. And if thy brother or sister offend many, he or she shall be chastened before many.
91. And if any one offend openly, he or she shall be rebuked openly, {154} that he or she may be ashamed. And if he or she confess not, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of God.
92. If any shall offend in secret, he or she shall be rebuked in secret, that he or she may have opportunity to confess in secret to him or her whom he or she has offended, and to God, that the Church may not speak reproachfully of him or her.
93. And thus shall ye conduct in all things.
[Sidenote: Pretentions of a Woman to Revelations, etc.]
Soon after the foregoing revelation was received, a woman [12] came making great pretensions of revealing commandments, laws and other curious matters; and as almost every person has advocates for both theory and practice, in the various notions and projects of the age, it became necessary to inquire of the Lord, when I received the following:
Revelation given at Kirtland, February, 1831. [13]
1. O hearken, ye Elders of my Church, and give ear to the words which I shall speak unto you;
2. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a law unto my Church, through him whom I have appointed unto you, to receive commandments and revelations from my hand.
3. And this ye shall know assuredly that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in me.
4. But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him, for if it be taken from him, he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead;
5. And this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments;
6. And this I give unto you that you may not be deceived, that you may know they are not of me.
7. For verily I say unto you, that he that is ordained of me shall {155} come in at the gate and be ordained as I have told you before, to teach those revelations which you have received, and shall receive through him whom I have appointed.
8. And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together, ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my Church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given;
9. And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my Church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me,
10. That inasmuch as ye do this, glory shall be added to the kingdom which ye have received. Inasmuch as ye do it not, it shall be taken, even that which ye have received.
11. Purge ye out the iniquity which is among you; sanctify yourselves before me,
12. And if ye desire the glories of the kingdom, appoint ye my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and uphold him before me by the prayer of faith.
13. And again, I say unto you, that if ye desire the mysteries of the kingdom, provide for him food and raiment, and whatsoever thing he needeth to accomplish the work, wherewith I have commanded him;
14. And if ye do it not, he shall remain unto them that have received him, that I may reserve unto myself a pure people before me.
15. Again I say, hearken ye Elders of my Church, whom I have appointed: Ye are not sent forth to be taught, but to teach the children of men the things which I have put into your hands by the power of my Spirit;
16. And ye are to be taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken.
17. Hearken ye, for, behold, the great day of the Lord is nigh at hand.
18. For the day cometh that the Lord shall utter His voice out of heaven; the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and the trump of God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations, Ye Saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again;
19. Wherefore gird up your loins lest ye be found among the wicked.
20. Lift up your voices and spare not. Call upon the nations to repent, both old and young, both bond and free, saying, prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord;
21. For if I, who am a man, do lift up my voice and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me, what will ye say when the day cometh when {156} the thunders shall utter their voices from the ends of the earth, speaking to the ears of all that live, saying, repent, and prepare for the great day of the Lord;
22. Yea, and again, when the lightnings shall streak forth from the east unto the west, and shall utter forth their voices unto all that live, and make the ears of all tingle that hear, saying these words, Repent ye, for the great day of the Lord is come.
23. And again, the Lord shall utter His voice out of heaven, saying, Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who made you.
24. O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wing, but ye would not!
25. How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long and by the voice of glory, and honor, and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not?
26. Behold the day has come, when the cup of the wrath of my indignation is full.
27. Behold, verily I say unto you, that these are the words of the Lord your God;
28. Wherefore labor ye, labor ye in my vineyard for the last time--for the last time call upon the inhabitants of the earth,
29. For in mine own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth,
30. For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come;
31. For Satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again, he shall only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth;
32. And he that liveth in righteousness shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and the earth shall pass away so as by fire;
33. And the wicked shall go away into unquenchable fire, and their end no man knoweth on earth, nor ever shall know, until they come before me in judgment.
34. Hearken ye to these words; Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.
35. Be sober. Keep all my commandments. Even so. Amen.
{157} [Sidenote: A Special Conference, 3rd-6th of June.]
The latter part of February I received the following revelation, which caused the Church to appoint a conference to be held early in the month of June ensuing:
Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, given at Kirtland, February, 1831. [14]
1. Behold, thus saith the Lord unto you my servants, it is expedient in me that the Elders of my Church should be called together, from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, by letter or some other way.
2. And it shall come to pass, that inasmuch as they are faithful, and exercise faith in me, I will pour out my Spirit upon them in the day that they assemble themselves together.
3. And it shall come to pass that they shall go forth into the regions round about, and preach repentance unto the people;
4. And many shall be converted, insomuch that ye shall obtain power to organize yourselves according to the laws of man;
5. That your enemies may not have power over you, that you may be preserved in all things; that you may be enabled to keep my laws, that every bond may be broken wherewith the enemy seeketh to destroy my people.
6. Behold, I say unto you, that ye must visit the poor and the needy, and administer to their relief, that they may be kept until all things may be done according to my law which ye have received. Amen.
Footnotes
1. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 38.
2. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 39.
3. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 11.
4. Newel Kimball Whitney was descended from the Whitneys of Watertown, Mass., who emigrated from England in 1635. His mother was a native of the "Bay state," and his father of the state of Vermont. There, also, Newel was born, in Marlborough, Windham county, February 5, 1795. A natural business man, he made his own way in the world, and after figuring as a sutler during the war of 1812, and taking part in the battle of Plattsburg, near Lake Champlain, he established himself as an Indian trader at Green Bay, Lake Michigan. He next settled in Ohio, where he made the acquaintance of Algernon Sidney Gilbert, a merchant of Painesville, whose partner he became in the successful firm of Gilbert and Whitney at Kirtland. In October, 1822, he married Elizabeth Ann Smith, a young lady from Connecticut, who is known in Church history as "Mother Whitney." When Oliver Cowdery and his fellow missionaries came to Kirtland, en route to Missouri, the Whitneys were Campbellites, members of Sidney Rigdon's flock, but upon hearing the fulness of the Gospel as preached by those Elders, they embraced it. In the Whitney family folk lore the incident of the Prophet's arrival at Kirtland is thus related: "About the first of February, 1831, a sleigh containing four persons drove through the streets of Kirtland and drew up in front of the store of Gilbert and Whitney. One of the men, a young and stalwart personage alighted, and springing up the steps walked into the store and to where the junior partner was standing. 'Newel K. Whitney! Thou art the man!' he exclaimed, extending his hand cordially, as if to an old and familiar acquaintance. 'You have the advantage of me,' replied the merchant, as he mechanically took the proffered hand, 'I could not call you by name as you have me.' 'I am Joseph the Prophet,' said the stranger smiling. 'You've prayed me here, now what do you want of me?'" The Prophet, it is said, while in the East had seen the Whitneys, in vision, praying for his coming to Kirtland. "Mother Whitney" also tells how on a certain night prior to the advent of Elder Cowdery and his companions, while she and her husband were praying to the Lord to know how they might obtain the gift of the Holy Ghost, which of all things they desired, they saw a vision as of a cloud of glory resting upon their house, and heard a voice from heaven saying, "Prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming." Shortly afterwards Oliver Cowdery and his associates came with the Book of Mormon, and with the message of the restored Gospel. Moreover, in further fulfilment of this vision, under the rooftree of the Whitneys the Prophet received a number of the revelations contained in this volume.
5. This organization, called "the family," came into existence before the Gospel was preached in Kirtland, through an effort of the people of this neighborhood to live as the early Christians are said to have lived, viz., "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common."--(Acts 4:32.)
6. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 41.
7. This refers to the promise which the Lord gave in the revelation of January 1831, see p. 142, verse 32.
8. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 42.
9. The words, "or High Priests," were added by the Prophet some years after: and also the words, "High Council," in the 34th verse.--Orson Pratt.
10. The words, "or High Priests," were added by the Prophet some years after.--Orson Pratt.
11. Verses 74 to 93 inclusive, were given some days after the first 73 verses.--Orson Pratt.
12. This woman's name, according to the history of the church kept by John Whitmer, was Hubble. "She professed to be a prophetess of the Lord, and professed to have many revelations, and knew the Book of Mormon was true, and that she should become a teacher in the church of Christ. She appeared to be very sanctimonious and deceived some who were not able to detect her in her hypocrisy; others, however, had the spirit of discernment and her follies and abominations were manifest." John Whitmer's History of the Church, ch. 3.
13. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 43.
14. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 44.
{158}
Chapter XIV
Effort to Overwhelm the Church by Falsehood--Sundry Revelations Leading to Doctrinal Development.
[Sidenote: Efforts through the Press to Retard the Work.]
At this age of the Church [i. e., early in the spring of 1831] many false reports, lies, and foolish stories, were published in the newspapers, and circulated in every direction, to prevent people from investigating the work, or embracing the faith. A great earthquake in China, which destroyed from one to two thousand inhabitants, was burlesqued in some papers, as "Mormonism in China." [1] But to the joy of the Saints who had to struggle against every thing that prejudice and wickedness could invent, I received the following:
{159} Revelation at Kirtland, given March 7th, 1831. [2]
1. Hearken, O ye people of my Church, to whom the kingdom has been given--hearken ye and give ear to Him who laid the foundation of the earth, who made the heavens and all the hosts thereof, and by whom all things were made which live, and move, and have a being.
2. And again, I say, hearken unto my voice, lest death shall overtake you; in an hour when ye think not the summer shall be past, and the harvest ended, and your souls not saved.
3. Listen to Him who is the Advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before Him,
4. Saying, Father, behold the sufferings and death of Him who did no sin, in whom Thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of Thy Son which was shed--the blood of Him whom Thou gavest that Thyself might be glorified;
5. Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.
6. Hearken, O ye people of my Church, and ye Elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts,
7. For verily I say unto you that I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the light and the life of the world--a light that shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not.
8. I came unto my own, and my own received me not; but unto as many as received me, gave I power to do many miracles, and to become the sons of God, and even unto them that believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life.
9. And even so, I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me;
10. Wherefore, come ye unto it, and with him that cometh, I will reason as with men in days of old, and I will show unto you my strong reasoning,
11. Wherefore hearken ye together and let me show unto you, even my wisdom--the wisdom of Him whom ye say is the God of Enoch, and his brethren,
12. Who were separated from the earth, and were received unto myself--a city reserved until a day of righteousness shall come--a day which was sought for by all holy men, and they found it not because of wickedness and abominations;
13. And confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth;
{160} 14. But obtained a promise that they should find it and see it in their flesh.
15. Wherefore, hearken and I will reason with you, and I will speak unto you and prophesy, as unto men in days of old;
16. And I will show it plainly, as I showed it unto my disciples as I stood before them in the flesh, and spake unto them, saying, as ye have asked of me concerning the signs of my coming in the day when I shall come in my glory in the clouds of heaven, to fulfil the promises that I have made unto your fathers,
17. For as ye have looked upon the long absence of your spirits from your bodies to be a bondage, I will show unto you how the day of redemption shall come, and also the restoration of the scattered Israel.
18. And now ye behold this temple which is in Jerusalem, which ye call the house of God, and your enemies say that this house shall never fall.
19. But, verily, I say unto you, that desolation shall come upon this generation as a thief in the night, and this people shall be destroyed and scattered among all nations.
20. And this temple which ye now see shall be thrown down that there shall not be left one stone upon another.
21. And it shall come to pass, that this generation of Jews shall not pass away, until every desolation which I have told you concerning them shall come to pass.
22. Ye say that ye know that the end of the world cometh; ye say also that ye know that the heavens and the earth shall pass away;
23. And in this ye say truly, for so it is; but these things which I have told you shall not pass away until all shall be fulfilled,
24. And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem, and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations;
25. But they shall be gathered again, but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
26. And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men's hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth His coming until the end of the earth.
27. And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound;
28. And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my Gospel;
29. But they receive it not, for they perceive not the light and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men;
30. And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled;
{161} 31. And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass, until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land;
32. But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices, and curse God and die.
33. And there shall be earthquakes also in divers places and many desolations; yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another.
34. And, now, when I the Lord had spoken these words unto my disciples, they were troubled:
35. And I said unto them, be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled;
36. And when the light shall begin to break forth, it shall be with them like unto a parable which I will show you:
37. Ye look and behold the fig trees, and ye see them with your eyes, and ye say when they begin to shoot forth, and their leaves are yet tender, that summer is now nigh at hand;
38. Even so it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh.
39. And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of man:
40. And they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath;
41. And they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke;
42. And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven;
43. And the remnant shall be gathered unto this place,
44. And then they shall look for me, and, behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory, with all the holy angels; and he that watches not for me shall be cut off.
45. But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud.
46. Wherefore, if ye have slept in peace, blessed are you, for as you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected, and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth.
{162} 47. Then shall the arm of the Lord fall upon the nations.
48. And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake,
49. And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it, and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly,
50. And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be consumed, and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
51. And then shall the Jews look upon me and say, What are these wounds in Thine hands and in Thy feet?
52. Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them, These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
53. And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their King.
54. And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for them;
55. And Satan shall be bound that he shall have no place in the hearts of the children of men.
56. And at that day when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins;
57. For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived; verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.
58. And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation,
59. For the Lord shall be in their midst, and His glory shall be upon them, and He will be their King and their Lawgiver.
60. And now, behold, I say unto you, it shall not be given unto you to know any further concerning this chapter, until the New Testament be translated, and in it all these things shall be made known;
61. Wherefore I give unto you that ye may now translate it, that ye may be prepared for the things to come;
62. For verily I say unto you, that great things await you;
63. Ye hear of wars in foreign lands, but, behold, I say unto you, they are nigh, even at your doors, and not many years hence ye shall hear of wars in your own lands.
{163} 64. Wherefore, I, the Lord, have said, Gather ye out from the eastern lands, assemble ye yourselves together ye Elders of my Church; go ye forth into the western countries, call upon the inhabitants to repent, and inasmuch as they do repent, build up churches unto me;
65. And with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye may purchase an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed unto you,
66. And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the Saints of the Most High God;
67. And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion.
68. And it shall come to pass, among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.
69. And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.
70. And it shall be said among the wicked, Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.
71. And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.
72. And now I say unto you, keep these things from going abroad unto the world, until it is expedient in me, that ye may accomplish this work in the eyes of the people, and in the eyes of your enemies, that they may not know your works until ye have accomplished the thing which I have commanded you;
73. That when they shall know it, that they may consider these things;
74. For when the Lord shall appear he shall be terrible unto them, that fear may seize upon them, and they shall stand afar off and tremble;
75. And all nations shall be afraid because of the terror of the Lord, and the power of his might. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: The Gifts of the Holy Ghost.]
The next day after the above was received, I also received the following revelation, relative to the gifts of the Holy Ghost:
Revelation, given at Kirtland, March 8th, 1831. [3]
1. Hearken, O ye people of my Church; for verily I say unto you, {164} that these things were spoken unto you for your profit and learning;
2. But notwithstanding those things which are written, it always has been given to the Elders of my Church from the beginning, and ever shall be, to conduct all meetings as they are directed and guided by the Holy Spirit;
3. Nevertheless ye are commanded never to cast any one out from your public meetings, which are held before the world;
4. Ye are also commanded not to cast any one who belongeth to the church out of your sacrament meetings; nevertheless, if any have trespassed, let him not partake until he makes reconciliation.
5. And again I say unto you, ye shall not cast any out of your sacrament meetings, who are earnestly seeking the kingdom: I speak this concerning those who are not of the Church.
6. And again I say unto you, concerning your confirmation meetings, that if there be any that are not of the Church, that are earnestly seeking after the kingdom, ye shall not cast them out;
7. But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you, even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men, for some are of men, and others of devils.
8. Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived, seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;
9. For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lust.
10. And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the Church,
11. For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God:
{165} 12. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby;
13. To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He was crucified for the sins of the world;
14. To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.
15. And again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of administration, as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will, suiting his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men.
16. And again, it is given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of operations, whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the Spirit may be given to every man to profit withal.
17. And again, verily I say unto you, to some is given, by the Spirit of God, the word of wisdom;
18. To another is given the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge.
19. And again, to some it is given to have faith to be healed,
20. And to others it is given to have faith to heal.
21. And again, to some is given the working of miracles,
22. And to others it is given to prophesy,
23. And to others the discerning of spirits.
24. And again, it is given to some to speak with tongues,
25. And to another is given the interpretation of tongues:
26. And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God.
27. And unto the Bishop of the Church, and unto such as God shall appoint and ordain to watch over the Church, and to be Elders unto the Church, are to have it given unto them to discern all those gifts lest there shall be any among you professing and yet be not of God.
28. And it shall come to pass that he that asketh in Spirit shall receive in Spirit;
29. That unto some it may be given to have all those gifts, that there may be a head, in order that every member may be profited thereby:
30. He that asketh in the Spirit, asketh according to the will of God, wherefore it is done even as he asketh.
31. And again I say unto you, all things must be done in the name of Christ, whatsoever you do in the Spirit;
32. And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessings ye are blessed with;
33. And ye must practice virtue and holiness before me continually. Even so. Amen.
{166} [Sidenote: John Whitmer Appointed Historian.]
The same day that I received the foregoing revelation, I also received the following, setting apart John Whitmer as a historian, [4] inasmuch as he is faithful:
Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., and John Whitmer, given at Kirtland, March 8th, 1831. [5]
1. Behold, it is expedient in me that my servant John should write and keep a regular history, and assist you, my servant Joseph, in transcribing all things which shall be given you, until he is called to further duties.
2. Again, verily I say unto you, that he can also lift up his voice in meetings, whenever it shall be expedient.
3. And again, I say unto you, that it shall be appointed unto him to keep the Church record and history continually, for Oliver Cowdery I have appointed to another office.
4. Wherefore it shall be given him, inasmuch as he is faithful by the Comforter, to write these things. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: On the Purchase of Lands in Ohio.]
Upon inquiry how the brethren should act in regard to purchasing lands to settle upon, [6] and where they should finally make a permanent location, I received the following:
Revelation, given at Kirtland, March, 1831. [7]
1. It is necessary that ye should remain for the present time in your places of abode, as it shall be suitable to your circumstances;
2. And inasmuch as ye have lands, ye shall impart to the eastern brethren;
3. And inasmuch as ye have not lands, let them buy for the present {167} time in those regions round about as seemeth them good, for it must needs be necessary that they have places to live upon for the present time.
4. It must needs be necessary, that ye save all the money that ye can, and that ye obtain all that ye can in righteousness, that in time ye may be enabled to purchase land for an inheritance, even the city.
5. The place is not yet to be revealed, but after your brethren come from the east, there are to be certain men appointed, and to them it shall be given to know the place, or to them it shall be revealed.
6. And they shall be appointed to purchase the lands, and to make a commencement to lay the foundation of the city; and then shall ye begin to be gathered with your families, every man according to his family, according to his circumstances, and as is appointed to him by the Presidency and the Bishop of the Church, according to the laws and commandments which ye have received, and which ye shall hereafter receive. Even so. Amen.
[Sidenote: The Shaking Quakers.]
At about this time came Leman Copley, one of the sect called Shaking Quakers, [8] and embraced the fullness of the everlasting Gospel, apparently honest-hearted, but still retaining the idea that the Shakers were right in some particulars of their faith. In order to have more perfect understanding on the subject, I inquired of the Lord, and received the following:
Revelation to Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, and Leman Copley, given March, 1831. [9]
1. Hearken unto my word, my servants Sidney, and Parley, and {168} Leman, for behold, verily I say unto you, that I give unto you a commandment that you shall go and preach my Gospel which ye have received, even as ye have received it, unto the Shakers.
2. Behold, I say unto you, that they desire to know the truth in part, but not all, for they are not right before me and must needs repent;
3. Wherefore I send you, my servants Sidney and Parley to preach the Gospel unto them;
4. And my servant Leman shall be ordained unto this work, that he may reason with them, not according to that which he has received of them, but according to that which shall be taught him by you my servants, and by so doing I will bless him, otherwise he shall not prosper.
5. Thus saith the Lord, for I am God, and have sent mine Only Begotten Son into the world for the redemption of the world, and have decreed that he that receiveth Him shall be saved, and he that receiveth Him not shall be damned.
6. And they have done unto the Son of man even as they listed; and He has taken His power on the right hand of His glory, and now reigneth in the heavens, and will reign till He descends on the earth to put all enemies under His feet, which time is nigh at hand:
7. I, the Lord God, have spoken it, but the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven nor shall they know until He comes.
8. Wherefore I will that all men shall repent, for all are under sin, except those which I have reserved unto myself, holy men that ye know not of.
9. Wherefore I say unto you, that I have sent unto you mine everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning--
10. And that which I have promised I have so fulfilled--and the nations of the earth shall bow to it; and, if not of themselves, they shall come down, for that which is now exalted of itself shall be laid low of power;
11. Wherefore I give unto you a commandment that ye go among this people, and say unto them, like unto mine Apostle of old, whose name was Peter;
12. Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus, who was on the earth, and is to come, the beginning and the end,
13. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, according to the holy commandment, for the remission of sins;
14. And whoso doeth this shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of the hands of the Elders of the Church.
15. And again, verily I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man;
{169} 16. Wherefore, it is lawful that he should have one wife, and they twain shall be one flesh, and all this that the earth might answer the end of its creation.
17. And that it might be filled with the measure of man, according to his creation before the world was made.
18. And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God;
19. For, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance:
20. But it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin;
21. And wo be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need.
22. And again, verily, I say unto you, that the Son of Man cometh not in the form of a woman, neither of a man traveling on the earth.
23. Wherefore be not deceived, but continue in steadfastness, looking forth for the heavens to be shaken, and the earth to tremble and to reel to and fro as a drunken man, and for the valleys to be exalted, and for the mountains to be made low, and for the rough places to become smooth; and all this when the angel shall sound his trumpet.
24. But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose.
25. Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed.
26. Behold, I say unto you, go forth as I have commanded you--repent of all your sins, ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you:
27. Behold, I will go before you and be your rearward; and I will be in your midst, and you shall not be confounded;
28. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, and I come quickly. Even so. Amen. [10]
{170} [Sidenote: Inquiry on Spiritual Manifestations.]
During the month of April, I continued to translate the Scriptures as time would allow. In May, a number of Elders being present, and not understanding the different spirits [11] abroad in the earth, I inquired and received from the Lord the following:
Revelation, given May, 1831. [12]
1. Hearken, O ye Elders of my Church, and give ear to the voice of the living God, and attend to the words of wisdom which shall be given unto you, according as ye have asked and are agreed as touching the Church, and the spirits which have gone abroad in the earth.
2. Behold, verily, I say unto you, that there are many spirits which are false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world;
3. And also Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you.
4. Behold, I the Lord have looked upon you, and have seen abominations in the Church that profess my name;
5. But blessed are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for they shall inherit eternal life.
6. But wo unto them that are deceivers and hypocrites, for thus saith the Lord, I will bring them to judgment.
7. Behold, verily I say unto you, there are hypocrites among you, who have deceived some, which has given the adversary power, but behold such shall be reclaimed;
{171} 8. But the hypocrites shall be detected and shall be cut off, either in life or in death, even as I will; and wo unto them who are cut off from my Church, for the same are overcome of the world;
9. Wherefore, let every man beware lest he do that which is not in truth and righteousness before me.
10. And now come, saith the Lord, by the Spirit, unto the Elders of His Church, and let us reason together, that ye may understand:
11. Let us reason even as a man reasoneth one with another, face to face:
12. Now when a man reasoneth he is understood of man, because he reasoneth as a man, even so will I the Lord, reason with you, that you may understand;
13. Wherefore, I, the Lord, ask you this question, Unto what were ye ordained?
14. To preach my Gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth;
15. And then received ye spirits which ye could not understand, and received them to be of God, and in this are ye justified?
16. Behold ye shall answer this question yourselves; nevertheless I will be merciful unto you; he that is weak among you hereafter shall be made strong.
17. Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
18. And if it be by some other way, it is not of God.
19. And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
20. If it be some other way it is not of God:
21. Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth, receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?
22. Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.
23. And that which doth not edify is not of God and is darkness;
24. That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light, and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
25. And again, verily I say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you;
26. He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.
27. Wherefore, he is possessor of all things; for all things are subject unto him, both in heaven and on the earth, the life and the light, {172} the Spirit and the power, sent forth by the will of the Father, through Jesus Christ, His Son.
28. But no man is possessor of all things except he be purified and cleansed from all sin;
29. And if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus, and it shall be done:
30. But know this, it shall be given you what you shall ask, and as ye are appointed to the head, the spirits shall be subject unto you.
31. Wherefore, it shall come to pass, that if you behold a spirit manifested that you cannot understand, and you receive not that spirit, ye shall ask of the Father in the name of Jesus, and if he give not unto you that spirit, then you may know that it is not of God:
32. And it shall be given unto you power over that spirit, and you shall proclaim against that spirit with a loud voice that it is not of God;
33. Not with railing accusation, that ye be not overcome, neither with boasting, nor rejoicing, lest you be seized therewith.
34. He that receiveth of God, let him account it of God, and let him rejoice that he is accounted of God worthy to receive.
35. And by giving heed and doing these things which ye have received, and which ye shall hereafter receive: and the kingdom is given you of the Father, and power to overcome all things which are not ordained of Him.
36. And behold, verily I say unto you, blessed are you who are now hearing these words of mine from the mouth of my servant, for your sins are forgiven you.
37. Let my servant, Joseph Wakefield, in whom I am well pleased, and my servant, Parley P. Pratt go forth among the churches and strengthen them by the word of exhortation;
38. And also my servant John Corrill, or as many of my servants as are ordained unto this office, and let them labor in the vineyard; and let no man hinder them doing that which I have appointed unto them:
39. Wherefore in this thing my servant Edward Partridge is not justified; nevertheless let him repent and he shall be forgiven.
40. Behold, ye are little children, and ye cannot bear all things now; we must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.
41. Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;
42. And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost:
43. And the Father and I are one: I am in the Father and the Father in me: and inasmuch as ye have received me, ye are in me and I in you;
44. Wherefore I am in your midst, and I am the Good Shepherd, and the Stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall.
45. And the day cometh that you shall hear my voice and see me, and know that I am.
{173} 46. Watch, therefore, that ye may be ready. Even so. Amen. [13]
[Sidenote: Arrival in Ohio of the New York Saints.]
Not long after the foregoing was received, the Saints from the State of New York began to come on, and it seemed necessary to settle them; therefore at the solicitation of Bishop Partridge, I inquired, and received the following:
Revelation, given May, 1831. [14]
1. Hearken unto me, saith the Lord your God, and I will speak unto my servant Edward Partridge, and give unto him directions, for it must needs be that he receive directions how to organize this people;
2. For it must needs be that they be organized according to my laws--otherwise, they will be cut off.
3. Wherefore, let my servant Edward Partridge, and those whom he has chosen, in whom I am well pleased, appoint unto this people their portions, every man equal according to his family, according to his circumstances, and his wants and needs.
4. And let my servant Edward Partridge, when he shall appoint a man his portion, give unto him a writing that shall secure unto him his portion, that he shall hold it, even this right and this inheritance in the Church, until he transgresses and is not accounted worthy by the voice {174} of the Church, according to the laws and covenants of the Church, to belong to the Church:
5. And if he shall transgress and is not accounted worthy to belong to the Church, he shall not have power to claim that portion which he has consecrated unto the Bishop for the poor and needy of my Church; therefore, he shall not retain the gift, but shall only have claim on that portion that is deeded unto him.
6. And thus all things shall be made sure, according to the laws of the land.
7. And let that which belongs to this people be appointed unto this people;
8. And the money which is left unto this people, let there be an agent appointed unto this people, to take the money to provide food and raiment, according to the wants of this people.
9. And let every man deal honestly, and be alike among this people, and receive alike, that ye may be one, even as I have commanded you.
10. And let that which belongeth to this people not be taken and given unto that of another church;
11. Wherefore, if another church would receive money of this church, let them pay unto this church again according as they shall agree;
12. And this shall be done through the Bishop or the agent, which shall be appointed by the voice of the Church.
13. And again, let the Bishop appoint a storehouse unto this Church; and let all things both in money and in meat, which are more than is needful for the wants of this people, be kept in the hands of the Bishop.
14. And let him also reserve unto himself for his own wants, and for the wants of his family, as he shall be employed in doing this business.
15. And thus I grant unto this people a privilege of organizing themselves according to my laws.
16. And I consecrate unto them this land for a little season, until I, the Lord, shall provide for them otherwise, and command them to go hence;
17. And the hour and the day is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good.
18. Behold, this shall be an example unto my servant Edward Partridge, in other places, in all churches.
19. And whoso is found a faithful, a just and a wise steward, shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life.
20. Verily, I say unto you, I am Jesus Christ, who cometh quickly, in an hour you think not. Even so. Amen.
Footnotes
1. This earthquake in China is a matter of some interest in connection with the history of the church, since it was the means of bringing Simonds Ryder, a somewhat noted preacher of the Campbellite faith, into the Church. According to Hayden's History of the Disciples on the Western Reserve (a Campbellite book), Mr. Ryder was much perplexed over "Mormonism," and for a time was undecided whether to join the Church or not. "In the month of June," (1831) writes Mr. Hayden, "he read in a newspaper an account of the destruction of Pekin in China, and he remembered that six weeks before, a young 'Mormon' girl had predicted the destruction of that city." J. H. Kennedy, in his Early Days of Mormonism (Scribner's & Sons, 1888), refers to the same thing, and adds: "This appeal to the superstitious part of his nature was the final weight in the balance and he threw the whole power of his influence upon the side of 'Mormonism.' His surrender caused an excitement almost equal to that which followed the fall of Rigdon," (pp. 103-4). It was doubtless this prophecy and the conversion connected with it that led the papers mentioned in the text to refer to it as "Mormonism" in China. The discrepancy in dates, Hayden and Kennedy referring to the published accounts of the events as appearing in June, and the Prophet making reference to it previous to the 7th of March, need cause no confusion. It will be seen that the Prophet alludes to it in connection with a number of other things as taking place "at this age of the Church"--a very indefinite reference as to the time in which a thing may have occurred.
2. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 45.
3. Doctrine and Covenants, sec 46. With reference to the matters mentioned in verses 17 in this revelation, John Whitmer writes: "In the beginning of the Church, while yet in her infancy, the disciples used to exclude unbelievers, which caused some to marvel and converse of this matter because of the things written in the Book of Mormon [3 Nephi 18:22-34.] Therefore the Lord deigned to speak on this subject, that His people might come to understanding, and said that He had always given to His Elders to conduct all meetings as they were led by the Spirit."--John Whitmer's History of the Church, ch. 4.
4. Previous to this Oliver Cowdery, had acted as historian and recorder. John Whitmer, according to his own representations, said he would rather not keep the Church history, but observed--"The will of the Lord be done, and if He desires it, I wish that He would manifest it through Joseph the seer."--John Whitmer's History of the Church, ch. 6.--Accordingly the revelation was given.
5. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 47.
6. This question was agitating the minds of the brethren in consequence of the expected arrival in the near future, of the Saints from New York, who had been commanded to gather to Ohio, and for whose reception it was necessary to make preparations.
7. Doctrine and Covenants, section 48.
8. "This sect of Christians arose in England, and Ann Lee has the credit of being its founder. They derive their name from their manner of worship, which is performed by singing and dancing and clapping their hands in regular time, to a novel but rather pleasant kind of music. This sect was persecuted in England, and came to America in 1774. They first settled in Watervliet, near Albany, New York. They have, or think they have, revelations from heaven, or gifts from the Holy Spirit, which direct them in the choice of their leaders, and in other important concerns. Their dress and manners are similar to those of the society of Friends (Quakers); hence they are often called Shaking Quakers."--Hayward's Book of All Religions, pp. 84-85. "They assert, with the Quakers, that all external ordinances, especially baptism and the Lord's supper, ceased in the apostolic age; and that God had sent no one to preach since that time till they were raised up, to call in the elect in a new dispensation. They deny the doctrine of the Trinity and a vicarious atonement, as also the resurrection of the body."--Burder's History of All Religions, p. 502.
9. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 49.
10. Elders Rigdon and Pratt fulfilled the mission appointed to them by this revelation. In company with Leman Copley, who at his own earnest request had been ordained to the Priesthood, (John Whitmer's History of the Church, p. 20) they visited the settlement of the Shakers, near Cleveland, Ohio, and preached the Gospel to them; "but," writes Elder Pratt, "they utterly refused to hear or obey the Gospel."--Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p. 65 (first ed.) John Whitmer also remarks upon this incident: "The above-named brethren went and proclaimed [the Gospel] according to the revelation given them, but the Shakers hearkened not to their words and received not the Gospel at that time, for they are bound in tradition and priestcraft; and thus they are led away with foolish and vain imaginations."--John Whitmer's History of the Church. Ms. p. 20.
11. This is a very brief allusion to very important and strange phenomena. Elder Parley P. Pratt, in his Autobiography, has a much more extended account of the spirit manifestations which called forth the revelation upon the subject. "As I went forth among the different branches," he says, alluding to the branches in the vicinity of Kirtland, "some very strange spiritual operations were manifested, which were disgusting rather than edifying. Some persons would seem to swoon away and make unseemly gestures, and be drawn or disfigured in their countenances. Others would fall into ecstasies and be drawn into contortions, cramp, fits etc. Others would seem to have visions, and revelations, which were not edifying and which were not congenial to the doctrine and spirit of the Gospel. In short, a false and lying spirit seemed to be creeping into the Church. All these things were new and strange to me and had originated in the Church during our absence, and previous to the arrival of President Joseph Smith from New York. Feeling our weakness and inexperience, and lest we should err in judgment concerning these spiritual phenomena, myself, John Murdock, and several other Elders, went to Joseph smith and asked him to inquire of the Lord concerning these spirits or manifestations. After we had joined in prayer in his translating room, he dictated in our presence the following revelation." This is the revelation given in the text above on spiritual manifestations.
12. Doctrine and Covenants, sec 50.
13. Elder Parley P. Pratt; in his Autobiography, referring to this revelation, for he was present when it was given--indeed it was obtained chiefly at his own and Elder John Murdock's solicitation--takes occasion to relate how this and other revelations were given through the Prophet. "Each sentence," says he, "was uttered slowly and very distinctly, and with a pause between each, sufficiently long for it to be recorded by an ordinary writer in long hand. This was the manner in which all his written revelations were dictated and written. There was never any hesitation, reviewing, or reading back, in order to keep the run of the subject; neither did any of these communications undergo revisions, interlinings or corrections. As he dictated them so they stood, so far as I have witnessed; and I was present to witness the dictation of several communications of several pages each."--Aut. Parley P. Pratt, pp. 65-66. This statement of Elder Pratt's is true in a general way, and valuable as a description of the manner in which revelations were dictated by the Prophet; and needs modifying only to the extent of saying that some of the early revelations first published in the "Book of Commandments," in 1833, were revised by the Prophet himself in the way of correcting errors made by the scribes and publishers; and some additional clauses were inserted to throw increased light upon the subjects treated in the revelations and paragraphs added, to make the principles or instructions apply to officers not in the Church at the time some of the earlier revelations were given. The addition of verses, 65, 66 and 67 in sec. 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants, is an example.
14. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 51.
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