SECOND CALL TO GREAT BRITAIN, 1844.
The New Leadership.--Second Call to Great Britain.--Warning Against
Leading Companies from Nauvoo.--Instructions To Finish the Temple and
To Build up the City.--W. W. Visits Emma Smith and Others.--Parting
Address to the Saints.
The mid-summer days of 1844 were full of uncertainties, wonderment,
some misgivings, many jealousies, and considerable resistance to the
newly established authority and leadership in the Church.
Joseph Smith was a wonderful man, a man with a marvelous career. The
full force of his prophetic mission had not fallen upon those who were
his contemporaries. A person's relationship with him in those days
was no doubt a favored opportunity. His magnetism, individual force,
and the personal qualities of his life impressed those with whom he
was most intimately associated, those who had sincerely accepted
his divine calling. It is not true, however, that the highest and
best understanding of his prophetic mission could be had by personal
contact. The highest and best testimony that ever came to men and women
in the world respecting the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith came to
them through the gift of the Holy Ghost. By that spirit men who never
saw him, never felt the magnetism of his personality, were among the
most devoted in their adherence to his teachings.
Those Saints who saw in Joseph Smith the instrumentality of a divine
purpose, and saw above and beyond their young Prophet the glories of a
new dispensation, did not hesitate at the call of a new shepherd, the
accents and tones of whose voice had the ring of the same inspiration
that had moved other hearts in the days gone by. Ambitions had to be
reckoned with, and they are full of seduction and danger when they
obscure the vision by selfish aims. There is always darkness when men
stand in their own light; there is nothing that dims a man's vision
so much as his own shadow. There were aspiring men who cherished the
desire to put to the test their own personal influence. It is so easy
for personal influence to beget pride,--pride which not only shuts off
that influence, but which also makes men helpless {225} to realize
its absence long after it has departed. Even after the vote of the
conference had been general to sustain the new leadership, there were
small factions who wandered away from the body of the Church.
At a meeting of the Twelve Apostles on the 12th of August, the subject
of missionary work came up for consideration. The new movement called
forth a proselyting spirit that was just as strong after Joseph's death
as it was before. The American continent was considered none too large
for a field of operation. It was districted for missionary purposes
and presidents were appointed over the several divisions. At this
meeting Elder Woodruff was chosen to preside over the European mission.
One never reads of his call abroad without some feeling of regret
that so faithful a chronicler of current events should be separated
from the main body of the Church, and future generations deprived of
the detailed narrative which he gave of the counsels, teachings, and
movements of the leaders.
On Sunday, the 18th, President Young addressed a vast congregation of
Saints, a synopsis of whose teachings is found in Elder Woodruff's
journal. "I discover," says President Young, "a disposition in the
sheep to scatter abroad now that their former shepherd has been taken
from them. I do not mean to say that it will never be right for the
people to leave this place, but they should wait until the proper
time comes and until they can go under proper counsel. The report has
gone through the city that the Twelve have secret understandings with
those who are going away, and with those who are taking companies with
them; and that although the Twelve will speak against it publicly, yet
privately they approve such migration. If it were the last words I had
to speak before going into the eternal world, I would solemnly declare
that there is not one word of truth in such a report. No man has any
right through consent of the Twelve to lead one soul out of this city
except Lyman Wight and George Miller who have the privilege of taking
the Pine Company. If they go contrary to our counsel, they will go to
their own self-destruction. If men do not cease striving to be great by
exalting themselves and by leading people astray, they shall fall and
not rise again."
Those were great words, words remarkably fulfilled in the subsequent
career of Lyman Wight who rebelled against the authority {226} of the
Twelve and led a little body of people into Texas. His influence,
however, soon departed. His followers scattered and he died of mountain
fever. The same fate befell others who pursued the same course. It was
too bad that Wight should thus obscure what had been in him in earlier
days, a great loyalty and a great devotion.
Continuing, President Young said: "I wish you distinctly to understand
that the counsel of the Twelve is for every family that does not belong
to the Pine Company to stay in Nauvoo to build the Temple and obtain
the endowments to be given therein. Do not scatter. United we stand,
divided we fall. It has been whispered abroad that all who go into the
wilderness with Wight and Miller will get their endowments. They cannot
give an endowment in the wilderness. If we do not carry out the plan
laid down by Joseph we can get no further endowments. I want this to
sink deep into your hearts that you may appreciate it.
"Do the people leave here because they are afraid? If so, I tell them
before God that they shall have no place to rest, but shall flee from
place to place like the Jews. I would rather have the dead body of the
Prophet than some men who are alive. We want to build the Temple in
this place even if we have to do as the Jews did in their erection of
the Temple at Jerusalem: work with a sword in one hand and a trowel in
the other. Stay here. Plow, sow, and build. Put your plow shares into
the prairie. One plow share will do more to drive off the mob than two
guns.
"Do you suppose the mouth of God is closed to be opened no more? If
this were true, I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for this
Church. If God has ceased to speak by revelation or by the Holy Ghost,
there is no salvation, but such is not so. Woe! Woe! Woe! to all who
have shed the blood of the Saints and the Lord's anointed. If you have
the spirit of God you can discern right from wrong. When a man is not
right, even though his language is as smooth as oil, there will be many
queries about him, he will not edify the body of the Saints and I give
this to you as a key. Store your grain in Nauvoo, for it will be needed
there while you are building the Temple.
"I want to say to the hands upon the Temple, be united; and to the
committee, don't turn away any person because he is English, Irish, or
Scotch. Employ every man you can, and build {227} the Temple and build
your homes. I would rather pay out every cent to build up this place
and receive an endowment, even were I driven the next minute without
anything to take with me.
"I had a dream which I will relate here. I saw a fruit tree and went
to it in search of fruit. I soon discovered that some of the main
branches at the top of the tree growing from the body were dead. It
seemed necessary to cut off the dead branches in order to save the
tree. I asked someone to help me cut them off. He stepped on a large
green limb. He was afraid it would break, so I put my shoulder under it
and held it up while he cut off the dead branches. The green limb was
cracked but it did not break. After we cut off the dead branches the
wounds healed up and the tree grew nicely. Now let us cut off the dead
branches of the Church that good fruit may grow."
The central idea now in the mind of Brigham Young and the paramount
influence actuating him in those days may easily be seen in the
steadfast purpose he manifested to build upon the foundation which the
Prophet had already laid. He had no ambition to excel his predecessor
and was therefore loyal to the Prophet, and throughout all his life he
magnified his calling by sustaining the prophetic mission of Joseph
Smith. A few of the leaders fell by the wayside, but those who were
foremost in supporting the Prophet at the time of his martyrdom were
found faithful after his death.
Elder Woodruff was no less enthusiastic in the great latter day work
than he had formerly been. The men he most respected he regarded simply
as instrumentalities of a divine purpose; for to his mind it was a
great thing to be an instrument in the hands of God in the furtherance
of a new and grand dispensation. His missionary zeal never waned
and those mid-summer days of 1844 found him busily occupied making
preparations for his departure to England where he was to preside over
the British Mission. His wife was to accompany him, and arrangements
were made to leave their son, Wilford, during their absence with his
old time friend, John Benbow.
Before leaving Nauvoo, he paid a visit to Emma Smith to whose life
he sought to bring consolation in the hour of her bereavement. She
gave him a piece of oak for a staff. The oak had been taken from
Joseph's coffin. She also presented him with {228} a pair of white
cotton gloves, and to his wife she gave a handkerchief. He and Mrs.
Woodruff next called upon Mary Smith, widow of Hyrum, and the mother
of President Joseph F. Smith. She gave Elder Woodruff several small
locks of hair taken from the heads of Joseph, Hyrum, Samuel, and Don
Carlos, all brothers who had passed away into the other world. Speaking
of these relics Elder Woodruff says: "I also obtained some hair of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. My purpose in getting it was that I
might put a part of each of these collections in the knob of my staff
as a relic of those noble men, the master spirits of the nineteenth
century." These relics he held as something sacred during his life
time, and they are now in the possession of his family.
"I next visited Mother Lucy Smith, the mother of the Prophet, and of
a large family of sons. This noble mother and prophetess felt sorely
grieved over the loss of her children, and lamented the cruel treatment
she had received at the hands of an unfeeling world. She begged a
blessing at my hands. I laid my hands upon her head and by the spirit
of God pronounced upon her a blessing. This was August 23, 1844. I
quote from that blessing as follows: 'Let thy heart be comforted in
the midst of thy sorrow for thou shalt be held forever in honorable
remembrance in the congregations of the righteous. Thou shalt be
remembered in thy wants during the remainder of thy days; and when thou
shalt be called upon to depart, thou shalt lie down in peace having
seen the salvation of thy God who has laid the everlasting foundation
for the deliverance of Israel through the instrumentality of thy sons.'"
That God had made her sons the instrumentality in the opening of a new
dispensation gave the aged mother an abiding consolation in the midst
of her grief.
On the 24th of August Elder Woodruff was set apart for his mission to
Europe under the hands of the Twelve Apostles, John Taylor pronouncing
the blessing. On Sunday the 25th Elder Woodruff addressed the Saints
in Nauvoo, and from the synopsis he made of his remarks, the following
quotation is here given: "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration
of the Almighty giveth him understanding. It is through this spirit
which giveth understanding that this congregation is assembled at this
place. You have {229} the spirit of God and you therefore understand
His ways and purposes. I have now one important declaration to make to
you and that is that inasmuch as you have been anointed in heart, mind,
and action in supporting your counselors, the priesthood of God, the
present authorities of the Church, as you have supported the Prophet
while he was alive, you will be safe and you will be blessed. You will
also be protected, but if you are divided and reject the counsels of
God, you will fall. Union and faithfulness are necessary for your
salvation. It is true that you have been led by one of the best men
that ever graced humanity or tabernacled in the flesh, but he is gone,
he sealed his testimony with his blood, he loved this people unto death.
"I now call upon the people to be united in building upon the
foundation which the Prophet laid during his lifetime. You have been
called to suffer much for the cause in which you are engaged, but if
judgment begins at the House of God, Babylon will not escape. If there
is fire in the green tree, what shall happen to the dry tree. No people
are better prepared for the shock that is coming to this world than
are the Latter-day Saints. The real object we have is to secure the
blessings which lie beyond the veil and which will be found in the
first resurrection. For these blessings we are preparing ourselves.
"The fact that the Prophet sealed his testimony with his blood does
not destroy the gospel or lessen the power and purposes of God. Truth
has not been annihilated, neither has the priesthood found its burial.
The testimony of Jesus is now in force. My counsel, therefore, is to
follow the example of those who are gone and who have been faithful
unto death. If you would be united, go in all your might and build that
Temple and get your endowments.
"I earnestly exhort you to faithfulness and ask your faith and prayers
in my behalf. I also want your forgiveness for any wrong I may have
done. I bid the congregation farewell."
"The next week I went to the river with Mrs. Woodruff where we were
baptized for some of our dead friends." At midnight of that day Elder
Woodruff and his wife, accompanied by Chas. C. Rich, Elder Goddard,
and several others ascended the walls of the Temple where they knelt
in solemn prayer. Elder Woodruff, being mouth, poured out his soul to
God for the successful {230} completion of the Temple. He also implored
divine aid for a prosperous season for the Church.
In the completion of the Temple was centered the hope of all the
devoted Latter-day Saints of those days. The leaders of the Church
prayed and labored unceasingly for its completion. The spirit of
apostasy in those times manifested itself most strongly in the efforts
of those who sought to get away from Nauvoo, who wanted to establish in
some distant place the Church anew. These dissenters argued that Nauvoo
must be abandoned, and they were right in that conclusion; but Nauvoo
was not to be abandoned at that time nor under their leadership. It
sometimes happens in this life that greater wisdom and virtue are found
in the time an event is accomplished than in the accomplishment of
the event itself. The great truth of the exodus from Nauvoo was to be
sought for rather in the circumstances of that exodus, than in the fact
itself.
That was not the first time nor was it the last time that men,
anticipating the accomplishment of some divine purpose, placed
themselves in front of those appointed for the accomplishment of God's
will. It sometimes requires as much virtue to refrain from doing when
the time has not yet arrived, as it required to do when the command was
given. It is not always easy for men to wait upon the Lord, especially
when they are actuated by an overweening ambition to anticipate His
purposes and be the first to undertake their accomplishment.
The men in those days who were opposing the completion of the Temple,
were full of sophistries. They argued then, as men argue now, largely
in harmony with their own selfish ends and overpowering ambitions. If
their arguments could not be, to their minds, successfully answered,
they must be right. To their minds it was evident that the Saints must
sooner or later leave Nauvoo. Why build the Temple, they asked, and
thus throw away the labor of their hands in the hour of its completion.
They argued the folly of such a course, and some who were loosely
anchored in their faith were led away by the sophistries contained in
such arguments.
With the thoughtful, it was otherwise. The Temple might be destroyed
even before its completion, or they might not be permitted to enjoy,
at any length, its blessings after it was finished. {231} With them
that was not the question. Their highest guidance was found in the
observance of God's will. He had said so; if so, enough. The spirit
bore testimony long before the mind had evidence of the great truth
contained in God's command. The same spirit that actuated Christ in the
garden of Gethsemane, actuated His faithful followers in those trying
days in Nauvoo. "Thy will be done." It is hard for men who have strong
wills to yield to other wills, even though it be God's will which is at
variance with their own. Men were taught then, as they were taught in
ancient Israel, to wait upon the Lord.
The over-anxious, the ambitious, the rebellious, would not wait upon
the Lord. They went their own way; they were scattered abroad. Not
having learned the lesson of self-restraint, the light and truth of the
gospel became obscured in their minds, and their own will they mistook
for God's will. They fell by the wayside.
A letter containing his appointment is given in his journal as follows:
"Nauvoo, August 22, 1844.
"To all Elders and Saints in Great Britain Greeting:
"We send our beloved Brother Wilford Woodruff to England to take charge
of all business transactions pertaining to the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, both spiritual and temporal. We wish you to
give diligent heed to his counsel in all things, and as we have not
the opportunity of informing you of what has transpired this season
by letter, our beloved Brother will make known unto you all things.
We wish the brethren to be faithful and diligent in keeping all the
commandments of God, and in hearkening to the counsels of those who are
sent to counsel them. Let no man or set of men think they have power
of authority or the keys of the Kingdom above Apostle Wilford Woodruff
whom we send unto you to instruct you in the things pertaining to life
and salvation. Though our Prophet be slain for the word of God and the
testimony of Jesus, yet the keys of the Kingdom remain in the Church
and the heavens are not closed, neither is the mouth of the Almighty
sealed up that He cannot speak. The God of Israel will communicate to
His disciples all things necessary for the building up of His Kingdom
on the earth until {232} Israel is gathered, yea even all the blood
of Abraham scattered over all the earth, Zion established, Jerusalem
rebuilt, and the whole earth be filled with the glory and knowledge
of God. We wish all the Saints in England to continue their gathering
as usual to the land of America; and they may have the privilege of
appointing a committee to visit the land of America to prepare a
location for a settlement of the brethren from Europe according to
their desire under the direction and counsel of Elder Wilford Woodruff;
and further we would say unto the Saints in all the world that may be
visited by Elder Wilford Woodruff that inasmuch as they will hearken to
his counsel, they shall be blest, inasmuch as they will render him any
assistance in his mission they will be doing the will of God and shall
not lose their reward; and we desire that all Saints may use their
efforts to sustain him in this important mission which he is called to
fulfill by their faith, prayers, and brotherly love according to the
grace of God; for he is qualified to teach in all things pertaining
to the Church and and Kingdom of God established in these last days.
Therefore, dear brethren, we would say unto you in conclusion be humble
and faithful and hearken diligently unto the counsel of this our
beloved brother in the Lord, Elder Wilford Woodruff, and the blessings
of the Lord will attend you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
"BRIGHAM YOUNG,
"President of the Twelve,
"WILLARD RICHARDS,
"Clerk."
{233}