1832-1833.
THE VISIT TO MISSOURI--JOSEPH POISONED--BRIGHAM YOUNG AND HEBER C.
KIMBALL COME TO KIRTLAND--PROPHECY OF CIVIL WAR--FIRST PRESIDENCY
ORGANIZED.
Joseph's visit to Missouri in the spring of 1832 was not alone to
escape the mob, although his life was in danger in Ohio. It seemed
necessary for him to see and encourage the Saints in Zion and to attend
to other matters.
The little party hurried away from Kirtland and the bad men who wished
to kill them followed. Thus they went until they reached Cincinnati,
when their enemies gave up the chase. On the journey the boat on which
the brethren rode caught fire twice, but no one was hurt. Joseph during
his life had many adventures.
Two days after reaching Independence, on the twenty-sixth of April a
general council of the Church was held, and Joseph Smith, Jr., was
sustained as President of the High Priesthood. The Prophet had been
ordained to this position at a conference in Amherst, Ohio, January 25,
1832, and when the Saints in Zion accepted him he stood at the head of
the Church as President. You remember that Joseph was accepted as first
Elder when the Church was organized and he had continued to preside
over and to lead it. But now the Lord desired to make the organization
more complete, and he was called to be President and Frederick G.
Williams to be counselor to him, though Elder Williams was not ordained
to this position until a year later.
While the Prophet was at Independence much other business was carried
on, and the most important of this was the order to print three
thousand copies of the Book of Commandments. This was the first book
containing the revelations from the Lord to the Prophet. At a later
time these were printed in the Doctrine and Covenants. At the same
conference Elders W. W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer were
appointed to review and prepare for the press such revelations as
should be deemed proper for publication.
After a very pleasant two week's visit among the Saints Joseph departed
for home. His journey was made most of the way in a stage. The great
railroads now running through the states of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana
and Ohio were unheard of then. Only the year before, 1831, the first
engine and train of cars in America were run over a fifteen mile track
westward from the city of Baltimore in Maryland. So you see that it
took many days to go the distance that can be traveled in one day now,
and there was certainly far less comfort and perhaps even less safety
in traveling by stage than by railroad.
On this particular journey, while passing through the southern par
of Indiana, Joseph and his companions had a thrilling adventure and
serious accident. The stage horses became frightened and ran away. It
was very dangerous to remain inside, for the high coach was likely to
be tipped over and wrecked, and they also found it dangerous to get
out. Joseph and Bishop Whitney tried it, and Joseph reached the ground
safely. Bishop Whitney, however, was not so fortunate. His foot slipped
into the swiftly whirling wheel and the bones of his foot and leg were
twisted and broken, and then he dropped, limp and bleeding, into the
road.
Joseph took his friend to an inn at Greenville and for nearly a month
cared for him tenderly. At the end of this time the Prophet rose one
day from the table, walked to the door and began vomiting frightfully.
Blood and poison came up, and so violent was the retching that his jaw
was thrown out of place, and the poison acted so powerfully on him that
it loosened his hair. With his own hands he replaced his jaw and then
hurried to Bishop Whitney's bed. Bishop Whitney laid his hands upon his
head and rebuked the evil power that was afflicting him, and instantly
he was completely healed.
But what was to be done now? Bishop Whitney had not yet been able to
move his broken leg from the bed and of course the Prophet would not
leave him. He walked into a grove near by to think. About him were
fresh graves. He had seen them before but now he knew what they meant.
Suddenly the inspiration of the Lord came upon him and he hurried back
to the inn.
He told Brother Whitney that if he would agree to set out in the
morning a wagon would take them to the river where a ferry would be
waiting to cross. Here a hack would carry them to the landing, where
a boat would be just ready to sail. By eleven o'clock they should be
going up the river and would at length reach home in safety. Bishop
Whitney's faith was strong and he agreed.
They left the inn next morning and all happened just as the Prophet
had said, though he had made no arrangements and knew nothing of
the times of sailing. Bishop Whitney was very glad that he had been
willing to accept the promises of the Lord punctually. If he had waited
until evening or the next morning or until his foot was well, there
might have been two more new graves in the wood near Porter's inn at
Greenville, Indiana.
After Joseph reached Kirtland he busied himself with the translation of
the scriptures and the many, many duties that filled his life and made
it such a busy one. He was receiving important revelations, writing
letters, organizing and teaching a school for the faithful Elders at
Kirtland, called the School of the Prophets, preaching the Gospel, and
providing for his family. You may well believe he was busy.
In the fall he took a short trip east with Bishop Whitney and visited
Albany, New York and Boston. When he returned, Nov. 6, 1832, he found
that a baby boy had just come to his home a few hours before. This was
the first of his own children that lived and he named it after himself,
Joseph Smith. The Prophet builded great hopes upon this boy, but they
have not been realized.
Two days after he reached home, he was working in the woods chopping
down trees when two strangers came to him. They were large, noble
looking men, and a little older than he. Their names were Brigham Young
and Heber C. Kimball. There in the forest these three men of God met,
with the beautiful leaves of autumn above them, and no kings ever came
together under a canopy of cloth of gold that were so great or so good
or so important as they.
Brigham and Heber had traveled three hundred miles by team to see
Joseph and they were not disappointed. Joseph with his prophetic eye
saw that they were mighty spirits, and he knew and said that Brigham
would sometime preside over the Church. While they were still together
the gift of tongues came upon Brigham and he spoke. It was the first
time Joseph had ever heard the gift, and he was filled with joy. He
understood the meaning of what Brigham had spoken, and said it was
the language used by Adam and those who lived before God confused the
tongues of the builders at the tower of Babel.
Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball were both born in Vermont, Joseph's
native state, in June, 1801, Brigham's birthday being the first of
the month and Heber's the fourteenth. Both moved to New York, as did
Joseph, and there heard the Gospel. April 14, 1832, Brother Young
was baptized, and on the following day Brother Kimball came into the
Church. After their visit to Joseph they returned home to arrange their
affairs in order to gather with the Saints.
During the winter the Prophet received a number of important
revelations. One was given Christmas day, 1832, concerning war.
Joseph prophesied that there should be a rebellion beginning in South
Carolina, which should lead to a war between the Northern and the
Southern States. He said that the Southern States should call on Great
Britain, that slaves should rise against their masters and be trained
for war, and death and misery should come to many souls.
Just twenty-eight years after this, in December, 1860, South Carolina
withdrew from the Union and other states followed. On the twelfth of
April, 1861, in South Carolina began the rebellion in awful earnest by
the Southern soldiers firing on Fort Sumter. The Southern States did
call on Great Britain, and began the war relying on that nation's aid,
although they did not receive the help expected. President Lincoln in a
proclamation September 22, 1862, said that all slaves should be free,
and many were then trained as soldiers to fight their Southern masters.
The war did cause the utmost death and misery--about one million men
were slain, and how many millions were left in misery and sorrow! And
thus was fulfilled to the letter what God had shown to His servant
Joseph, and Joseph had spoken to the world.
Another revelation that you have heard much about was given in
February. It is what we call the Word of Wisdom. If the children of men
would only obey this Word, how much knowledge and health and happiness
and beauty we should have, and how little sorrow and ugliness and crime!
When Joseph was accepted as President of the Church, you remember that
Frederick G. Williams was called to be a counselor, and later Sidney
Rigdon was also named by the Lord. At a meeting of the School of the
Prophets, March 18, 1833, Joseph set these two men apart; Sidney as
first counselor and Frederick as second. The presiding quorum of the
Church was now complete and Jesus and a host of angels appeared before
the faithful Elders present to show that God was pleased.