peculiarity of Mormonism, which is illustrated, not only by this case
of Phelps, but by a multitude of other cases of the same character; and
that is: whenever the religion of the Latter-day Saints--the Gospel
of Jesus Christ--takes hold of men, and conviction of its truth has
struck deep into the human soul, they may through transgression lose
the fellowship of the Saints and of The Church; they may wander out
upon the hills and through the deserts, away from the fold, but they
can never forget the sweet communion of the Spirit of God, which they
enjoyed before their fall; nor can they forget the fact that they once
knew that Mormonism was true. The recollection of those things operates
upon the mind, and not infrequently leads to a sincere repentance; and
it has often happened, in the experience of The Church, that men who
through transgression turned away from the truth, after thorns have
torn their flesh, and the wild briar stripped them of their covering,
they return and humbly beg to be re-admitted into their Father's house.
Lucifer-like, they cannot forget the heights from which they fell, they
cannot all forget the splendor of that glory and the happiness of that
peace they enjoyed in God's Kingdom, and wicked indeed must that heart
become, that these recollections will not lead to repentance. May not
they have so far transgressed that they cannot repent, and are beyond
even the desire for forgiveness? Are they not the sons of perdition?
Thank God, their numbers are few!
Again, those who fall away from Mormonism carry with them the evidences
of that fall. Unbelievers say to Mormons, "Come out of the darkness
of your superstitions into God's sunlight of freedom"--but when one
looks upon the fate, the condition and experience of those who have
denied the faith, he receives small encouragement to obey the summons.
Seldom indeed are they prospered even in the affairs of this world, and
the canker-worm gnawing within, writes upon their faces the anguish
of heart which their lying lips deny. They smile, but smiling suffer;
the heart still beats, but brokenly lives on; and who so blind that he
would exchange the peace, the joy, the holy aspirations and assurances
which the Gospel brings, for the unrest, the gloom, darkness,
uncertainty and fearfulness, which forever haunt the mind of the
apostate? Only those who would exchange the glorious light of heaven
for the murky blackness of hell.
CHAPTER XII.
JOHN C. BENNETT.
ABOUT this time, there were other characters which had become attracted
to The Church, and who became prominent in the events which occurred
at Nauvoo. Among them was Dr. John C. Bennett, described as "a man
of enterprise, extensive acquirements, and of independent mind, one
calculated to be of great benefit to The Church." His attention had
been attracted to the Mormon people during their persecutions in
Missouri. At that time he was brigadier-general of the "Invincible
Dragoons" of Illinois, and wrote to the leaders of The Church in the
hours of their deepest distress, proffering to go to their assistance
with all the forces he could raise in Illinois, as his bosom swelled
with indignation at the treatment the Saints received at the hands of
the cruel but cowardly Missourians. That proffered service, however,
was not accepted; doubtless because the Saints depended for vindication
of their reputation, and redress of their wrongs, upon the officers of
the State and Nation, rather than upon adventurers who offered their
service to wage war upon their enemies. But after the Saints began
gathering at Commerce, he again expressed a desire to connect his
fortunes with theirs.
As this man may properly be regarded as the "Benedict Arnold" of
The Church at Nauvoo, I shall take the liberty of now noting a few
expressions in his first letters to Joseph the Prophet, which, if they
fail to adorn a tale, they will at least point a moral.
When he contemplated joining his fortunes with The Church at Commerce,
he held the position of quartermaster-general in the militia of the
State of Illinois, a position he did not wish to resign. Indeed he
expressed a desire to hold the position for a number of years. He was
also a physician with an extensive practice, and sent extracts from the
Louisville _Courier-Journal_ which gave evidence of high standing in
his profession. Writing of these things to Joseph, he said:
I do not expect to resign my office of quartermaster-general of
the State of Illinois, in the event of my removal to Commerce,
unless you advise otherwise. I shall likewise expect to practice
my profession, but at the same time your people shall have all the
benefit of my speaking power, and my untiring energies in behalf of
the good and holy faith.
In a communication following the one from which I make the above
quotation he said:
You are aware that at the time of your most bitter persecution, I
was with you in feeling, and proffered you my military knowledge
and powers.
The egotism of the man plainly appears in these expressions, and
manifests a spirit that is altogether at variance with the humility
required by the Gospel, and doubtless that self-importance laid the
foundation of his subsequent fall. While Joseph extended a hearty
welcome to the doctor to come to Nauvoo, he by no means held out very
flattering inducements to him, as may be seen by Joseph's letters to
him in answer to those of Bennett's, expressing his determination to
join the Saints at Commerce. He said:
I have no doubt that you would be of great service to this
community in practicing your profession, as well as those other
abilities of which you are in possession. Though to devote
your time and abilities in the cause of truth and a suffering
people, may not be the means of exalting you in the eyes of this
generation, or securing you the riches of this world, yet by so
doing you may rely on the approval of Jehovah, "that blessing which
maketh rich and addeth no sorrow." * * * Therefore, my general
invitation is, let all who will come, come and partake of the
poverty of Nauvoo, freely.
I should be disposed to give you a special invitation to come as
early as possible, believing you will be of great service to us.
However, you must make your own arrangements according to your
circumstances. Were it possible for you to come here this season
to suffer affliction with the people of God, no one will be more
pleased to give you a cordial welcome than myself.
Surely this was frank enough, and ought to have dispelled from the
doctor's mind, if at that time such ideas lurked there, all thoughts
of winning worldly fame, or gratifying vain ambition, by linking his
fortunes with those of The Church of Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER XIII.
RENEWAL OF HOSTILITIES BY MISSOURI.
IT would appear that Hatred's hunger is never fed; it seems to possess
an appetite which is insatiable, and can never feel at ease so long
as the object of its detestation remains within its reach; and even
when that object is removed beyond the immediate power of Hatred to do
it harm, as the dragon of the apocalypse when he could not follow the
woman he had persecuted into the wilderness, cast out of his mouth a
flood of water after her to destroy her--even so Hatred, when baffled
in his efforts to destroy his victims, sends out floods of falsehood to
overwhelm them by infusing his own venom into the breasts of others;
that that destruction which he could not bring to pass himself, might
be brought about by another.
Such was the course of hate-blinded Missouri towards the Saints of
God, whom she had driven beyond her borders. Seeing that she had not
destroyed them, but that they were now upon the eve of enjoying an era
of prosperity such as they had never enjoyed while within her borders,
she employed all her cunning to incite the hatred of the citizens of
Illinois against them. But this was not easy of accomplishment; and at
first, the misrepresentations of a State that had been guilty of such
outrages as those committed by Missouri against the Latter-day Saints,
had but little weight in Illinois.
Finding that their accusations against the people whom they had so
wronged had little or no effect, an effort was made to give coloring
to their statements; and stolen goods were conveyed from Missouri to
the vicinity of Commerce, so that when they were found, suspicion might
rest upon the people in whose neighborhood the stolen articles were
discovered.
Nor did their outrages stop at this. But doubtless being emboldened
by reason of the general government's refusing to make any effort to
redress the wrongs of the Saints, a company of men led by William
Allensworth, H. M. Woodyard, Wm. Martin, J. H. Owsely, John Bain, Light
T. Lait and Halsay White, crossed over the Mississippi to Illinois, at
a point a few miles above Quincy, and kidnapped Alanson Brown, James
Allred, Benjamin Boyce and Noah Rogers; and without any writ or warrant
of any character whatever, they dragged them over to Missouri, to a
neighborhood called Tully, in Lewis County. These unfortunate men were
imprisoned for a day or two in an old log cabin, during which time
their lives were repeatedly threatened. At one time Brown was taken
out, a rope placed around his neck, and he was hung up to a tree until
he was nearly strangled to death. Boyce at the same time was tied to a
tree, stripped of his clothing and inhumanly beaten. Rogers was also
beaten, and Allred was stripped of every particle of clothing, and
tied up to a tree for the greater part of the night, and threatened
frequently by a man named Monday, exclaiming: "G--d d--n you, I'll cut
you to the hollow." He was finally, however, released without being
whipped.
After they had received this inhuman treatment, their captors performed
an act purely Missourian in its character, that is, they gave them the
following note of acquittal:
TULLY, MISSOURI, July 12, 1840.
The people of Tully, having taken up Mr. Allred, with some others,
and having examined into the offenses committed, find nothing to
justify his detention any longer, and have released him.
By order of the committee.
H. M. WOODYARD.
As soon as the people of Commerce and vicinity were informed of this
outrage, Gentiles as well as Mormons were loud in their condemnation
of it, and at once a mass meeting was called, and resolutions were
adopted, expressing their unqualified indignation, and calling upon
the governor of Illinois to take the necessary steps to punish those
who had committed this outrage, and by vindicating the law, give the
Missourians to understand there was a limit beyond which their deeds of
violence must not pass.
D.H. Wells, not then a member of The Church, and George Miller were
appointed a committee to wait upon Governor Carlin, and lay the case
before him. For this purpose they repaired to Quincy, and at the
recital of the cruelties practiced upon the men who were the victims of
the Missourians, the governor's wife, who was present at the interview,
was moved to tears, and the governor himself was greatly agitated. He
promised to counsel with the State attorney, who by law was made his
adviser, and promised to take such steps as the case seemed to require,
and the law to justify. Just what was done by Governor Carlin, however,
I am unable to learn; but one thing is certain, and that is, the guilty
parties were never brought to justice, nor even to a trial--indeed it
may be that even then the love which Governor Carlin once had for the
Saints, and which at last became dead, had begun to grow cold.
Scarcely had the excitement occasioned by the kidnapping of Allred
and his associates subsided, when Governor Boggs of Missouri made a
requisition on Governor Carlin, of Illinois, for the persons of Joseph
Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, P.P. Pratt, Caleb Baldwin and
Alanson Brown, as fugitives from justice. Governor Carlin granted the
requisition--was it another case of Herod and Pilate being made friends
over the surrender of God's Prophet? But fortunately when the sheriff
went to Commerce with his requisition, Joseph and his brethren were
not at home, and could not be found; so that the officers returned
without them. These men were not fugitives from justice, no process
had ever been found against them, the governor himself had connived at
their escape from the hands of the officers charged with the duty of
conducting them from Liberty, Clay County, to Boone County; [1] and
these men did not feel disposed to try again "the solemn realities of
mob law in Missouri."
These circumstances gave the Saints to understand that their peace
in their beautiful situation on the banks of the placid, grand,
old Mississippi was not to be without alloy; the goal of their
final triumph and rest had not been reached. These incidents were a
premonition of danger; they were indeed the few drops of rain which
sometimes precede the storm, but a kind Providence shut out from their
vision how fierce that storm would be, or how would they have had the
courage to meet it?
Footnotes
1. Missouri Persecutions, Chapter XLVII.
CHAPTER XIV.
FOUNDING A CITY.
MEANTIME Commerce had become Nauvoo. The city of Nauvoo was
incorporated by act of the legislature of Illinois, on the fourteenth
of December, 1840. The charter granted on that date described the
boundaries of the city, but gave to the citizens--whom it erected a
body corporate and politic--the right to extend the area of the city
whenever any tract of land adjoining should have been laid out into
town lots and recorded according to law. The city council was to
consist of a mayor, four aldermen and nine councilors to be elected
by the qualified voters of the city. The first Monday in February was
appointed for the first election of officers.
The charter granted to the citizens of Nauvoo the most plenary powers
in the management of their local affairs. Indeed, about the only limit
placed upon their powers was, that they do nothing inconsistent with
the constitution of the United States, and the State constitution of
Illinois. But inside of those lines they were all powerful to make
and execute such ordinances as in the wisdom of the city council were
necessary for the peace, good order, and general welfare of the city.
It afterwards became a question in the State as to whether or not
powers too great had not been granted the city government--but of that
I shall have occasion to speak further on.
The leading men of the State appeared not only willing but anxious
to grant the privileges of this city government to the Saints. S. H.
Little, of the upper house of the State legislature, especially stood
by the Saints, and pleaded for their rights; together with Messrs.
Snyder, Ralston, Moore, Ross and Stapp; while Mr. John F. Charles, the
representative to the lower house from the district in which Nauvoo
was located, manfully discharged his duties to the Nauvoo portion of
his constituents, by using all his energy to secure them their city
government.
An incident connecting Abraham Lincoln with the passage of this charter
may not be without interest. The State of Illinois was at that time
divided into two political parties, Whigs and Democrats. Both parties
were friendly to the Saints, who considered themselves equally bound
to both parties for acts of kindness. Lincoln was a Whig, and in the
November election his name was on the State electoral ticket as a
Whig candidate for the State legislature. But many of the people of
Nauvoo, wishing to divide their vote, and to show a kindness to the
Democrats, erased the name of Lincoln, and substituted that of Ralston,
a Democrat. It was with no ill feeling, however, towards Mr. Lincoln
that this was done, and when the vote was called on the final passage
of the Nauvoo charter, he had the magnanimity to vote for it; and
congratulated John C. Bennett on his success in securing its enactment.
The Saints rejoiced in the prospects of liberty secured to them by
their city government, and of it Joseph said:
I concocted it for the salvation of The Church, and on principles
so broad, that every honest man might dwell secure under its
protecting influences, without distinction of sect or party.
An inspection of the charter will bear out this opinion of it, for
while it was "concocted for the salvation of The Church," it by
no means secured that salvation by trespassing upon the rights of
others, but by recognizing the rights of the Saints to be equal to
the rights of other citizens. Nor was it intended that Nauvoo should
be an exclusive city for people of the Mormon faith; on the contrary,
all worthy people were invited to come and assist to build it up
and partake of its liberty and anticipated prosperity. An official
proclamation, issued over the signatures of Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon
and Hyrum Smith, who then constituted the First Presidency of The
Church, contains the following passage:
We wish it likewise to be distinctly understood, that we claim
no privileges but what we feel cheerfully disposed to share with
our fellow-citizens of every denomination, and every sentiment of
religion; and therefore say, that so far from being restricted to
our own faith, let all those who desire to locate in this place
(Nauvoo) or the vicinity, come, and we will hail them as citizens
and friends, and shall feel it not only a duty, but a privilege to
reciprocate the kindness we have received from the benevolent and
kind-hearted citizens of the State of Illinois.
And as an earnest of the intention, so far as the Saints were
concerned, of carrying out in practice these liberal sentiments and
extending equal rights to people of all religious persuasions, among
the first acts of the city council was the passage of the following
ordinance, introduced by Joseph Smith:
SECTION I. Be it ordained by the city council of the city of Nauvoo
that the Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Latter-day
Saints, Quakers, Episcopalians, Universalists, Unitarians,
Mohammedans, and all other religious sects and denominations,
whatever, shall have free toleration and equal privileges in this
city; and should any person be guilty of ridiculing and abusing,
or otherwise deprecating another, in consequence of his religion,
or of disturbing or interrupting any religious meeting within the
limits of this city, he shall, on conviction before the mayor or
municipal court, be considered a disturber of the public peace, and
fined in any sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisoned
not exceeding six months, or both, at the discretion of said mayor
and court.
The second section made it the duty of all municipal officers to notice
and report any violation of the law--and in fact, of any other law of
the city--to the mayor; and the municipal officers were authorized
to arrest all violators of this law, either with or without process;
so that the fullest religious liberty was secured to all sects, and
all religions, and to people of no religion at all if any such there
should be. Under such an ordinance, people could worship Almighty
God according to the dictates of their consciences, without fear of
molestation from any one; but they were restrained from interfering
with the religion or mode of worship of their fellows--they were told,
in a manner, that their liberties ended where those of other people
commenced.
On the first of February, 1841, the first election for members of the
city council took place, as provided by the city charter. John C.
Bennett was chosen mayor; William Marks, Samuel H. Smith, D. H. Wells,
and N. K. Whitney, aldermen; Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon,
Chas. C. Rich, John T. Barnett, Wilson Law, Don C. Smith, J. P. Greene
and Vinson Knight, councilors. On the third of the month the city
council was organized, by appointing the following officers: marshal,
H. G. Sherwood; recorder, James Sloan; treasurer, R. B. Thompson;
assessor, James Robinson; supervisor of streets, Austin Cowles.
Mayor Bennett, the same day, delivered his inaugural address.
After making several recommendations to the council relative to
the establishment of an educational institution, a militia, the
enactment of a temperance ordinance, and other measures affecting
the manufacturing and commercial interests of the city; and further
recommending that the protecting aegis of the corporation be thrown
around every moral and religious institution of the day, which was
in any way calculated to ennoble or ameliorate the condition of the
citizens, he concluded his speech in these words:
As the chief magistrate of your city, I am determined to execute
all State laws, and city ordinances passed in pursuance of law, to
the very letter, should it require the strong arm of military power
to enable me to do so. As an officer, I know no man; the peaceful,
unoffending citizen shall be protected in the full exercise of all
his civil, political and religious rights, and the guilty violator
of the law shall be punished without respect to persons.
The first act of the city council, after its organization, was to
express its gratitude for its privileges and powers conferred upon the
city by its charter. For this purpose the following resolution was
introduced by Joseph Smith, and adopted:
_Resolved_, by the city council of the city of Nauvoo, that the
unfeigned thanks of this community be respectfully tendered to the
governor, council of revision, and legislature of the State of
Illinois, as a feeble testimonial of their respect and esteem of
noble, high-minded, and patriotic statesmen; and as an evidence of
gratitude for the signal powers recently conferred--and that the
citizens of Quincy be held in everlasting remembrance for their
unparalleled liberality and marked kindness to our people, when in
their greatest state of suffering and want.
The next move was to pass a temperance ordinance, which practically
made Nauvoo a prohibition city--that is, so far as prohibitory
ordinances prohibit.
CHAPTER XV.
THE NAUVOO LEGION.
THE Nauvoo charter proper really contained two other charters, viz: One
for the establishment of a university within the limits of the city
"for the teaching of the arts and sciences, and learned professions,"
and another for the organization of an independent military body to be
called the "Nauvoo Legion."
An ordinance was passed on the third of February, in relation to the
university, appointing a chancellor and board of regents. A site for a
building was selected, and plans of the structure were drawn, but that
was as far as the matter went, as the city had no funds with which to
proceed with the work of construction.
An ordinance was also passed on the above date authorizing the
organization of the Nauvoo Legion. The original provision in the Nauvoo
charter establishing this military body provided that the city council
might organize the inhabitants of the city, subject to military duty
under the laws of the State, into an independent body of militia; and a
subsequent amendment to the charter extended the privilege of joining
the Legion to any citizen of Hancock County, who might by voluntary
enrollment desire to do so; and in that event he was to have all the
privileges to be enjoyed by members of that organization. The charter
provided that the officers of the Legion should be commissioned by the
governor; and that the members thereof be required to perform the same
amount of military duty as the regular militia of the State; they were
to be at the disposal of the mayor in executing the laws and ordinances
of the city, and the laws of the State; and also at the disposal of
the governor for the public defense, and the execution of the laws
of the State and of the United States; and were entitled to their
proportion of the public arms; but were exempt from all military duty
not specified in these provisions.
The commissioned officers of the Legion were constituted its
court-martial, which was its law-making department; but no law
inconsistent with either the Constitution of the United States or
the State of Illinois was to be enacted by this court. The privilege
of organizing the citizens of Nauvoo, and as many of the citizens of
Hancock County as might desire to unite with them, into an independent
military body, was highly gratifying to the people of Nauvoo, but
more especially so to Joseph Smith, who, in speaking of it, in a
proclamation to the Saints scattered abroad, said:
The Nauvoo Legion embraces all our military power, and will enable
us to perform our military duty by ourselves, and thus afford us
the power and privileges of avoiding one of the most fruitful
sources of strife, oppression and collision with the world. It will
enable us to show our attachment to the State and Nation, as a
people, whenever the public service requires our aid, thus proving
ourselves obedient to the paramount laws of the land, and ready at
all times to sustain and execute them.
The city ordinance provided that the Legion should be divided into
two cohorts, the horse troops to constitute the first cohort, and
the infantry the second. The commander-in-chief of the Legion was to
be known as the lieutenant-general, who was also made the reviewing
officer and president of the court-martial and Legion. His staff was
to consist of two principal aides-de-camp with the rank of colonel of
cavalry; and a guard of twelve aides-de-camp with the rank of captain
of infantry; and a drill officer, with the rank of colonel of dragoons,
to be the chief officer of the guard.
The second officer was a major-general, to act as the secretary of
the court-martial and Legion. His staff consisted of an adjutant;
surgeon-in-chief, a cornet, quartermaster, paymaster, commissary, and
chaplain; all to hold the rank of colonel of cavalry; besides these,
there were to be in his staff, a surgeon for each cohort, quartermaster
sergeant, sergeant-major, and a chief musician--with the rank of
captain of light infantry; and two musicians with the rank of captain
of infantry. Besides these officers there were created by the ordinance
an adjutant and inspector-general; and a brigadier-general to command
each cohort. The staff of each brigadier-general consisted of an
aide-de-camp with the rank of lieutenant-colonel of infantry, and when
not otherwise in service, these brigadiers had access to the staff of
the major-general.
The ordinance organizing this body of militia provided that the
court-martial should adopt for the Legion, so far as practicable,
the discipline, drill, uniform, rules and regulations of the United
States army. And a law passed by the court-martial shortly after
its organization, required all male citizens within the limits of
Nauvoo, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, excepting such
as were exempted from service under the laws of the United States, to
perform military duty under the penalty of being fined for absence
from general parades, as follows: generals, twenty-five dollars;
colonels, twenty dollars; captains, fifteen dollars; lieutenants, ten
dollars; and musicians and privates, five dollars. For absence from
company parades--of course without good reason for the absence--the
fines were fixed at these rates: commissioned officers, five dollars;
non-commissioned officers, three dollars; and musicians and privates,
two dollars.
The first election of officers of the Legion took place on the fourth
of February, 1841; and resulted in Joseph Smith being unanimously
chosen lieutenant-general; John C. Bennett, major-general; Wilson
Law, brigadier-general of the first cohort; and Don Carlos Smith,
brigadier-general of the second cohort. The staffs of the respective
generals were chosen from the leading citizens of Nauvoo, some of whom
were not members of the Mormon Church. There were but six companies at
the time the Legion was organized, in February, 1841, but in September
following, the number of men had increased to one thousand four hundred
and ninety; and at the time of the Prophet Joseph's death, some three
years later, the Legion numbered about five thousand.
With such strict regulations, accompanied by a natural enthusiasm for
military display, and drilled by competent military officers, it is
not to be wondered at if the Legion became the best body of militia in
the State of Illinois. It excited the jealousy and envy of the rest of
the militia in the surrounding counties, and all the laudable efforts
of the Legion to become an efficient body of militia, with a view of
assisting in the execution of the State and National laws, if occasion
should require, were construed by their enemies to mean a preparation
for rebellion, and the establishment and spread of the Mormon religion
by conquests of the sword, as, it is alleged, Mohammed established his
religion. Thus the forming of an independent body of militia, enabling
the Saints to perform their military duty by themselves, which the
Prophet fondly hoped would remove "one of the most fruitful sources of
strife, oppression and collision with the world," and which he further
hoped would give the Saints, as a people, an opportunity of showing
their attachment to the State and Nation, whenever the public service
required their aid--by the misrepresentation of their enemies, was
made one of the principal rocks of offense, and was used to excite the
apprehensions and prejudices of the good people of Illinois.
The people of the United States have always been jealous of military
power, and hence have been careful in forming their political
institutions to subordinate the military to the civil authority, except
in times of actual war; and, therefore, notwithstanding the very good
intentions of the Saints at Nauvoo, it was a very easy matter for
their enemies to excite the prejudice and awaken the fears of the
people of Illinois by pointing to the existence of this elaborate and
efficient military organization with its frequent musters and parades,
and captained by a great religious leader, whom, notwithstanding his
virtues and the uprightness of his intentions--they had come to regard
as a wild, religious fanatic, prepared to go to what lengths they knew
not in the promulgation of his religion. Hence that which was to be a
bulwark to the city, and a protection to the Saints, was transformed by
their enemies into an occasion of offense, and an excuse for assailing
them.
CHAPTER XVI.
RECONSTRUCTION OF QUORUMS--THE NAUVOO HOUSE AND THE TEMPLE.
In the meantime important changes in The Church organization were
pending. An important revelation was received on the nineteenth of
January, 1841, [1] which provided for filling the vacancies in the
several quorums and a reconfirmation of all the authorities of the
Church. Hyrum Smith, who had stood in the position of counselor to his
brother Joseph, since the apostasy of F. G. Williams and his expulsion
from The Church, on the seventh of November, 1837--was appointed to
succeed his father as Patriarch to The Church; to hold the sealing
blessings of The Church, even the Holy Spirit of promise, whereby the
Saints are sealed up unto the day of redemption, that they may not
fall, notwithstanding the day of temptation that might come upon them.
He was also appointed a prophet, seer, and revelator, as well as Joseph
with whom he was to act in concert, and from whom he was to receive
counsel. The Prophet was to show unto him the keys whereby he might ask
and receive, "and be crowned with the same blessing and glory and honor
and priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood that once were put upon him
that was my servant Oliver Cowdery."
Joseph Smith was given, as the presiding Elder of The Church, to be
a translator, a revelator, a seer and prophet. Sidney Rigdon was
admonished of his neglect of duty, and of his lack of faith; he was
told, however, if he would repent of his sins, and stand in his place
and calling, he might continue to act as counselor to Joseph, and the
Lord promised to heal him, and make him powerful in testimony. The
reason for this admonition, as one may judge from the spirit of it, was
that he to whom it was given had become sour in his feelings toward the
work of God. His ardor was cooling, and his zeal, which at times had
been inordinate, seemed now to be oozing out of his disposition.
William Law, whom, it will be remembered, Joseph first met when _en
route_ for Washington--Law then leading a small company of Saints to
Nauvoo from Canada--was appointed to fill the vacancy in the First
Presidency made by the appointment of Hyrum Smith to the office of
Patriarch. And such blessings and spiritual powers were pronounced upon
him by the Lord, as seldom falls to the lot of man. On condition of his
faithfulness he was to have power to have the sick, cast out devils, be
delivered from those who administered unto him poison, and the serpent
that might lay hold upon his heel; "And what if I will," said the Lord,
"that he should raise the dead, let him not hold his voice."
Brigham Young was appointed the president of the Twelve Apostles, and
liberty was given to appoint another man to fill the vacancy made in
the quorum through the death of David W. Patten, who was killed by the
mob, at the battle of Crooked River, in Missouri. The High Council for
Nauvoo was named, and a presidency given to the High Priests; the seven
presidents of the Seventies were appointed; and all the quorums of the
Priesthood both in the Melchisedek and Aaronic divisions were set in
order, so far as the appointment of presidents was concerned.
Besides setting the Priesthood in order, the Lord in this revelation
required that a house should be built to His name; "a house worthy of
all acceptation; that the weary traveler may find health and safety
while he contemplates the word of the Lord;" and the Prophet Joseph
and his family were to have a right of permanent residence in it. It
was to be known as the "Nauvoo House," and built unto the name of
the Lord. The possession of individual stock was to range from fifty
dollars to fifteen thousand dollars; no person being allowed to put in
less than fifty, nor more than fifteen thousand. And it was specially
provided that none but those who believed in the Book of Mormon and the
revelations of God were to be permitted to hold stock in the house.
In addition to this commandment to build the Nauvoo House, the Lord
told the Saints that there was not a place found on the earth to which
He might come and restore that which was lost, or which he had taken
away, even the fullness of the Priesthood; nor was there a baptismal
font upon the earth where the Saints might be baptized for the dead.
The doctrine of baptism for the dead had been made known to the Saints
some time previous to this, and the ordinance had been performed in the
Mississippi and other convenient places; but this is an ordinance of
God's house, and cannot be acceptable to Him when performed elsewhere,
only in the days of the poverty of His people. And as more prosperous
times had dawned upon The Church, the Saints were required to build a
temple to the name of the Most High; and they were further told that
they were granted sufficient time to build a temple, and if they failed
to build it at the expiration of that appointed time, they should be
rejected as a Church together with their dead. To show to The Church
the importance of erecting this temple, the Lord reminded them how He
had commanded Moses to build a tabernacle, that the children of Israel
could bear with them into the wilderness, that those ordinances might
be revealed which had been hidden from before the foundation of the
world. Therefore said the Lord--
Let this house be built unto my name that I may reveal mine
ordinances therein, unto my people. For I design to reveal unto my
Church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation
of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the
fullness of times; and I will show unto my servant Joseph all
things pertaining to this house, and the Priesthood thereof. * *
* And ye shall build it on the place where you have contemplated
building it, for that is the spot which I have chosen for you to
build it.
The location which the Saints had contemplated as the site for the
temple was on a bold eminence overlooking the river, the landscape on
the Iowa side, and all the surrounding country for miles around. It was
not only by far the noblest site in Nauvoo for a temple, but ideal in
its fitness.
Footnotes
1. Doctrine and Covenants, Section 124.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE CONFERENCE OF APRIL 6TH, 1841.
THE sixth of April, 1841, was a memorable day in the history of Nauvoo.
That day the corner stones of the great temple which God by revelation
had commanded His people to build were to be laid. To the Prophet
Joseph the day must have been a veritable gleam of sunshine amid the
constantly renewing storms of his eventful career. It was a beautiful
day, clear and balmy--propitious for the exercises to take place.
Early in the morning there was a hurrying to and fro in the streets
of militiamen, for the presence of sixteen uniformed companies of
the Nauvoo Legion was to add brightness and interest to the imposing
ceremonies. A great procession was formed and marched to the temple
site. Here the Legion was formed in a hollow square surrounding the
excavations made for the foundation of the temple and enclosing the
officers of the Legion, choir, citizens and prominent Elders of The
Church who were to lay the corner stones of that structure. Sidney
Rigdon was the orator of the occasion; and, doubtless owing to the
recent admonition he had received in the revelation from the Lord--to
which reference has been made--he was aroused from his lethargy for the
time. At any rate, on this occasion he spoke with his old fervor and
eloquence. He reviewed the trials of the past, the blessings they then
enjoyed, the brightening prospects of the future, and dwelt at some
length upon the importance of building temples, and the labor to be
performed in them.
At the conclusion of the oration, at the direction of the First
Presidency, the architects lowered the southeast cornerstone to its
place, and Joseph Smith said:
This principal corner-stone in representation of the First
Presidency, is now duly laid in honor of the great God; and may it
there remain until the whole fabric is completed; and may the same
be accomplished speedily; that the Saints may have a place in which
to worship God, and the Son of Man have where to lay His head.
To which Sidney Rigdon added:
May the persons employed in the erection of this house be preserved
from all harm while engaged in its construction, till the whole is
completed, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost. Even so, amen.
Thus were laid the corner-stones of the Nauvoo Temple, amid the
rejoicing of the Saints; and even strangers forgot their prejudices
and joined with hearty good will, as interested spectators of the
proceedings. "Such an almost countless multitude of people," says one
enthusiastic account of the scenes of the day, written at the time,
"moving in harmony, in friendship, in dignity, told with a voice not
easily misunderstood, that they were a people of intelligence, and
virtue, and order; in short, that they were Saints; and that the God of
love, purity and light, was their God, their exemplar and director; and
that they were blessed and happy."
While on this subject, I quote the instructions on temple building from
the history of the Prophet:
If the strict order of the Priesthood were carried out in the
building of temples, the first stone will be laid at the southeast
corner, by the First Presidency of The Church. The southwest corner
should be laid next. The third, or northwest corner next; and the
fourth or northeast corner the last.
The First Presidency should lay the southeast corner-stone, and
dictate who are the proper persons to lay the other corner-stones.
If a temple is built at a distance, and the First Presidency are
not present, then the quorum of the Twelve Apostles are the proper
persons to dictate the order for that temple; and in the absence
of the Twelve Apostles, then the presidency of the stake will lay
the southeast corner-stone. The Melchisedek Priesthood laying
the corner-stones on the east side of the temple, and the Lesser
Priesthood those on the west side.
During the remaining days of the conference, opened with such splendid
ceremonies, the Saints were instructed in principle and doctrine, the
quorums of the Priesthood were arranged in their proper order and
the important questions of business put to each quorum separately
and voted upon; especially the names of those whom God had appointed
and reappointed to fill the respective positions alluded to in the
revelation above quoted.
Besides this, the several charters of Nauvoo, the Legion, University,
Agricultural and Manufacturing Association, Nauvoo House Association,
etc., were read and accepted by the people. Lyman Wight was sustained
to fill the vacancy in the quorum of the Twelve. John C. Bennett
was presented in connection with the First Presidency as assistant
President until Sidney Rigdon's health should be restored. Everything
necessary for the welfare, happiness and prosperity of the Saints was
considered, and preparations made to push the work of God forward in
all its departments. The conference lasted from Wednesday morning until
Sunday night; and is one of the most important ever held by The Church.
Indeed the circumstances surrounding the Saints at the time were of
a character to bid them hope that Nauvoo would be to them "a safe
retreat." The friendship of nearly all of the leading men of the State;
the universal sympathy felt by the people of Illinois for the victims
of Missouri's fury; the action of the State legislature in granting
the several charters noted in chapter fifteen--all supported the hopes
entertained.
CHAPTER XVIII.
PROPHET'S TRIAL AT MONMOUTH.
EARLY in the summer of 1841, an event happened which threatened
the peace of the inhabitants of Nauvoo. When busily intent in the
performance of some labor, or duty, or even when in pursuit of
pleasure, how often it happens that we work on, or enjoy our pleasure
in the bright sunshine, without ever thinking of storms, until a
sudden clap of thunder startles us, and looking up we see that dark
clouds have arisen above the horizon; the bright skies are rapidly
becoming overcast--a storm is impending! So it was with the Saints at
Nauvoo concerning the matter of which we speak. It fell upon them as
unexpectedly as falls a thunderbolt from a cloudless sky.
It occurred in this manner: When Hyrum Smith and William Law started
on the mission to the Eastern States, to which they were appointed by
the revelation of January 19, 1841, Joseph accompanied them as far as
Quincy; and when returning to Nauvoo he stopped at Heberlin's hotel,
on Bear Creek, some twenty-eight miles south of that city. While here
a sheriff's posse under the direction of Thomas King, sheriff of Adams
County, accompanied by an officer from Missouri, arrested him on a
requisition from the governor of the State of Missouri. The warrant
upon which the arrest was made was the one issued by the authorities of
Missouri early in September, 1840; an effort to serve which was made on
the fifteenth of that month, but the officers failed in their errand,
as the brethren wanted, viz: Joseph Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon, Lyman
Wight, P. P. Pratt, Caleb Baldwin and A. Brown were not in Nauvoo, that
is, they evaded arrest, as already related in a former chapter.
The complaint on which the requisition of the governor of Illinois was
based charged that these men were fugitives from justice; and they
were wanted in Missouri to answer to the old charges of "theft, arson
and murder," supposed to have been committed in Caldwell and Daviess
counties in the summer and fall of 1838.
What made Joseph's arrest more a matter of surprise to him was, that
only a few hours previous to its being made, he had been in company
with Governor Carlin at the latter's residence, and was treated with
the greatest respect and kindness; yet not one word was said by the
governor about the requisition made by Missouri for his arrest.
Joseph returned to Quincy in company with the sheriff's posse and
secured a writ of _habeas corpus_ from Charles A. Warren, master in
chancery. The same evening, Saturday, June 5th, Judge Stephen A.
Douglass arrived in Quincy, and appointed the hearing on the writ to
take place the following Tuesday, at Monmouth, Warren County.
In the meantime the news of Joseph's arrest reached Nauvoo and created
no little excitement. A party of seven men, under the leadership of
Hosea Stout, left Nauvoo for Quincy, Sunday morning, in a skiff, to
render the Prophet any assistance in their power, and prevent if
possible his enemies taking him to Missouri. They struggled against
a head-wind all day, but reached Quincy at dusk, only to learn that
Joseph had gone to Nauvoo in charge of Sheriff King and another
officer; there was nothing for them to do but to return.
Sheriff King was taken sick at Nauvoo, but Joseph nursed him with all
the tenderness of a brother, and the day following Monday, started for
Monmouth, accompanied by a large number of the leading men of Nauvoo,
and the sheriff, whom Joseph cared for personally during the journey of
seventy-five miles. The party arrived at Monmouth on Tuesday, but at
the request of the State attorney, who claimed he was not prepared on
the case, the hearing was postponed until the next day.
The appearance of Joseph in Monmouth caused considerable excitement. He
was invited to preach, but thought it best, as he was a prisoner, not
to do so; but he appointed Amasa Lyman to preach in the court room on
Wednesday evening.
The prejudice of the people of Monmouth was as excessive as it was
blind. They employed at their own expense several attorneys to assist
the prosecution, and declared that if there were any lawyers in the
district who would even undertake the defense of the Prophet, they
never need look to the people of that county again for political
favors. But there were strong men in attendance at the court, men not
to be frightened by such threats, and whose souls despised the petty
minds that could frame them; Joseph, therefore, was ably defended by
Messrs. Charles A. Warren, Sidney H. Little, O. H. Browning, James H.
Ralston, Cyrus Walker, and Archibald Williams.
The pleadings of the lawyers for the defense were peculiarly affecting,
since all of them were more or less acquainted with the condition of
the Saints when they fled from the violence of Missourians to Illinois.
O. H. Browning had seen several of these companies of Saints in their
flight and could trace them by the blood left in their footprints on
the snow; his recital of their sufferings moved Judge Douglass, most
of the officers of the court and the spectators to tears. One of the
brethren present who wrote an account of the trial for the Nauvoo
papers says:
He [Mr. Browning] concluded his remarks by saying, To tell the
prisoner to go to Missouri for a trial was adding insult to injury,
and then said: "Great God! Have I not seen it? Yes, my eyes have
beheld the blood-stained traces of innocent women and children, in
the dreary winter, who had traveled hundreds of miles barefoot,
through frost and snow, to seek a refuge from their savage
pursuers. 'Twas a scene of horror, sufficient to have enlisted the
sympathy of an adamantine heart. And shall this unfortunate man,
whom their fury has seen proper to select for sacrifice, be driven
into such a savage land, where none dare to enlist in the cause of
justice? If there was no other voice under heaven ever to be heard
in this cause, gladly would I stand alone, and proudly spend my
latest breath in defense of an American citizen."
The lawyers for the prosecution, according to Joseph's own account,
acted honorably and confined themselves to the merits of the case,
excepting two--Messrs. Knowlton and Jennings. They made an appeal both
to the passions and prejudices of the people, and sought to create an
excitement over the matter. Judge Douglass, however, was impartial
in his rulings, and doubtless one officer of the court--the sheriff
of Warren County--thought him severe in his efforts to protect the
prisoner. The court room was densely packed and the judge ordered the
sheriff to keep the spectators back; but this he neglected and the
judge fined him ten dollars. In a few minutes the order to keep the
spectators from crowding the prisoner and witnesses was repeated, and
the sheriff told the court that he had ordered a constable to do it.
"Clerk," said Judge Douglass, "add ten dollars more to that fine." This
was effectual, the sheriff after that did his duty.
Joseph claimed in this case that he was unlawfully held a prisoner, and
he could prove that the indictment upon which he was arrested had been
obtained by fraud, bribery and duress. This line of defense, however,
raised the question as to whether the court had the right to inquire
into the merits of the case. A long debate between opposing counsel
followed. But it will be remembered that an attempt to arrest Joseph
on the requisition from the governor of Missouri had been made in
September previous; and it appears that after the fruitless effort to
make the arrest, the sheriff of Hancock County returned the writ; and
the defense claimed that after the return of the writ to the executive,
the defendant could not be again legally arrested upon it. It was upon
this point that the court set Joseph at liberty. Following is Judge
Douglass' decision on this point:
The writ being once returned to the executive by the sheriff of
Hancock County was dead, and stood in the same relationship as
any other writ which might issue from the circuit court, and
consequently the defendant cannot be held in custody on that writ.
On the other point in the case--as to whether evidence in the case was
admissible--the judge withheld his opinion for further consideration,
as the question was a grave one, involving the future conduct of the
States in their relationship with each other; but on the ground that
the writ was void, dead by reason of a former return being made on
it by the sheriff of Hancock County, he ordered the discharge of the
prisoner. And Missouri was again foiled in her designs upon the life of
the Prophet.
At the conclusion of the trial Joseph ordered dinner for his company,
which numbered by that time some sixty men. "And when I called for the
tavern bill," says Joseph, "the unconscientious fellow replied, 'only
one hundred and sixty dollars.'" Some time after this, in September
following, Joseph sent the costs of this trial to the sheriff of Adams
County, of which the following is a copy:
NAUVOO, September 30, 1841.
_To the Deputy Sheriff of Adams County_:
The following is a statement of my expenses, costs and liabilities,
consequent upon my arrest and trial while in your custody, to-wit:
To amount of fees to Esquires Ralston, Warren & Co...$250.00
To Esquires Little, Williams, Walker and Browning...$100.00
To seven days for self, horse and carriage, @$5.00 per day...$35.00
To money spent during that time consequent upon arrest...$60.00
To twelve witnesses...$240.00
____________
$685.00
To which was added this note:
DEAR SIR.--You will please take such measures as to put me in
possession of the above amount, which is justly due me as above
stated; to say nothing of false imprisonment and other expenses.
* * *
Receive my respects, etc.
JOSEPH SMITH.
With the exception of the difficulty just considered, the summer of
1841 glided pleasantly by, bringing to the busy inhabitants of Nauvoo
many occasions of social and spiritual enjoyment.
CHAPTER XIX.
EVENTS OF THE SUMMER OF 1841.
NAUVOO was the most promising and thrifty city in Illinois, and the
fame thereof extended throughout the nation, due, in part, of course,
to the peculiar religion of its inhabitants. Strangers from far and
near made it a point to visit Nauvoo, and the peace, sobriety, industry
and public spirit of the citizens challenged their admiration, whatever
views they might entertain respecting their religion. A large bowery
was constructed just west of the temple site where the people assembled
for worship. Here the Prophet Joseph preached some of his most powerful
discourses, and taught his people in the doctrine of the heavenly
kingdom; and not infrequently it happened that
Fools who came to mock, remained to pray.
The Saints never intended to make either their city or the Nauvoo
Legion exclusively Mormon. [1] On the contrary, the people at Nauvoo
expressed a willingness to unite with their fellow-citizens in every
good work and enterprise, and tolerate religious differences. Indeed,
repeated invitations were sent out to the honorable men, not only of
the State of Illinois, but of the United States, to men of capital
and of influence and of integrity, asking them to come to Nauvoo, and
assist in building up a glorious city.
In July, Sidney H. Little, of the State senate, was killed by leaping
from his carriage while his horse was unmanageable; and that the
"Saints might mourn with those who are called to mourn," the eighteenth
day of July was set apart as a day of fasting among the people of
Nauvoo. By thus manifesting a feeling of sympathy and interest, they
sought to cultivate peace and good-will among their fellow-citizens,
and a number of honorable, and some of them influential men, while not
accepting the faith of the Saints, became friendly disposed towards
them, and associated with them in various business transactions.
But the good-will of the Saints was not very generally reciprocated
by the people of Illinois; and there were, even at that early date,
envyings and bitterness manifested by those who were jealous of
the prosperity and increasing power of the Mormons in Nauvoo and
vicinity. The same spirit existed to some extent in Iowa as will be
seen by the following occurrence: General Swazey, in command of the
militia of Iowa, Territory, invited Joseph and Hyrum Smith and General
Bennett to attend the parade of the militia of that Territory at
Montrose. The invitation was accepted, and General Swazey received
his visitors courteously, and so did the militia. But during a recess
in the exercises taken at noon, a Mr. D. W. Kilburn tried to create a
disturbance by circulating the following note among the troops:
Citizens of Iowa--The laws of Iowa do not require you to muster or
be reviewed by Joe Smith or General Bennett; and should they have
the impudence to attempt it, it is hoped that every person having a
proper respect for himself, will at once leave the ranks.
The facts are that these militia companies were not mustered by
Joseph's order, nor did he expect to review them. He had simply
accepted General Swazey's invitation to witness the movements of the
troops as other spectators were doing, and neither Joseph nor Hyrum was
in uniform. General Swazey had been several times invited to attend the
drills and reviews of the Legion at Nauvoo, and he had simply returned
the courtesy to the officers of the Legion. Kilburn's effort, however,
to create a disturbance was not successful, though the papers of the
State commented upon it, and some of them began to whisper that it was
Joseph's ambition to build up a military church and extend his faith,
"Mohammed-like," by the sword.
Early in the summer of 1841, in fact in the month of May, Joseph called
upon the Saints everywhere to come into Hancock County, that there
might be a concentration of effort to build up Nauvoo. The proclamation
closed with these words:
Let it therefore be understood that all the stakes excepting those
in this county (Hancock) and in Lee County, Iowa, are discontinued;
and the Saints instructed to settle in this county as soon as
circumstances will permit.
The Twelve Apostles, whose departure from Nauvoo on their missions
to England under very trying circumstances, was related in a former
chapter, returned during the summer, after accomplishing one of the
most successful and remarkable missions in modern times. They were a
tower of strength to Joseph, and he was not long in availing himself of
their valuable support. At a special conference convened in Nauvoo on
the sixteenth of August, 1841, Joseph said:
The time had come when the Twelve should be called upon to stand
in their place next to the First Presidency; and attend to the
settling of emigrants and the business of The Church at the stakes,
and assist to bear off the kingdom victoriously to the nations. [2]
And he at once turned over to their management many of the temporal
affairs, with which he had been perplexed, and devoted himself more
exclusively to spiritual labors.
One of the most pleasing events that happened, during the summer of
which I write, was the visit of the Indian chief Keokuk to Nauvoo. He
was accompanied by Kiskukosh, Appenoose and about one hundred chiefs
and braves of the Sac and Fox tribes, together with their families.
They were brought over from the Iowa side on the ferry and two large
flat boats. The band and a detachment of the Legion met them at the
landing, but as soon as Keokuk failed to recognize Joseph among those
who had come to bid him welcome, he refused to land or allow any of his
party to go ashore until Joseph made his appearance. The arrangement
had been made for the band and the detachment of the Legion to lead the
dusky visitors to the grove where the Saints held their meetings; and
there Joseph would have joined them. But Keokuk seemed to have his own
ideas in relation to the etiquette to be observed at his reception, and
waited until the Prophet met him at the landing and bade him welcome to
Nauvoo.
At the grove Joseph addressed the Indians at some length, upon what the
Lord had revealed to him concerning their fore-fathers, and recited to
them the glorious promises contained in the Book of Mormon respecting
themselves, the despised remnants of a once splendid race. How their
hearts must have glowed and their eyes brightened as they listened
to the young Prophet relate the story of their forefathers' rise and
fall, and the bright promises held out to them of redemption from their
fallen state! In conclusion Joseph counseled them to cease killing each
other, and warring with other tribes or with the whites. To Joseph's
speech Keokuk replied:
I have a Book of Mormon at my wigwam that you gave me a number of
moons ago. I believe you are a great and good man. Keokuk looks
rough, but I am a son of the Great Spirit. I have heard your
advice. We intend to quit fighting, and follow the good talk you
have given us.
After the "talk," they were feasted by the Saints with good food
and dainties and melons. At the conclusion of the feast, they gave
a specimen of their war dance to entertain the spectators, and then
returned to the Iowa side of the river to their encampment.
Thus passed away the summer of 1841; and by the first of October--the
date fixed for the semi-annual conference--the early autumn frosts had
tinged the forest leaves with purple and gold, giving to the splendid
scenery about Nauvoo an additional charm. President Joseph Smith was
not present at the opening of the conference. He had that morning
gone to assist in laying the corner-stone of the Nauvoo House which
the Saints by revelation had been commanded to build; [3] and the
conference was opened by President Brigham Young.
The principal subject brought before the people at this conference
was the redemption of the dead, and building the temple. This matter
appeared to impress itself upon the mind of Joseph with great force,
and nothing, apparently, gave him more delight than to explain its
importance to his people. Up to this time many baptisms for the dead
had been performed in the river, but it was now announced that no more
baptisms for the dead should be attended to, until it could be done
in the font of the Lord's house, for thus had the Lord commanded. The
Saints, however, were not long denied the privilege of performing this
work of baptism for their dead, as on the eighth of November, following
the conference, a temporary baptismal font had been completed and
dedicated in the basement of the temple. [4]
On the occasion of the angel Moroni's first appearance to Joseph
Smith, in 1823, he repeated to the young Prophet the words of Malachi,
recorded in the fourth chapter of the Book of Malachi, the fifth and
sixth verses, though quoting somewhat differently from the language of
King James' translation, as follows:
Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of
Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord; and he will plant in the hearts of the children the
promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall
turn to their fathers; if it were not so, the whole earth would be
utterly wasted at his coming.
In fulfillment of this promised visitation, in April, 1836, Elijah the
prophet appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and said:
Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken by the mouth of
Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the
great and dreadful day of the Lord come, to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the
whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of this
dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know
that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the
doors.
And now when something like peace had come to The Church, and settled
conditions obtained, the Prophet of God began to unfold the doctrine
of salvation for the dead--the application of those principles of
salvation to past generations who had lived upon the earth when neither
the Gospel nor divine authority to administer its ordinances were among
men.
In addition to the main idea of this doctrine which he taught with such
great power, the following gems are gathered from his teachings at this
conference, chiefly relating to the same subject:
The proclamation of the first principles of the Gospel, was a means
of salvation to men individually, and it was the truth and not men
that saved them; but men by actively engaging in rites of salvation
substantially became instruments in bringing multitudes of their
kindred into the Kingdom of God. [And hence] he presented baptism
for the dead as the only way by which men can appear as saviors on
Mount Zion.
* * *
The difference between an angel and a ministering spirit: the one
[the first] is a resurrected or translated body with its spirit
ministering to embodied spirits; the other a disembodied spirit
visiting and ministering to disembodied spirits.
* * *
Jesus Christ became a ministering spirit (while his body was laying
in the sepulchre) to the spirits in prison, to fulfill an important
part of his mission, without which he could not have perfected his
work or entered into his rest. After his resurrection he appeared
as an angel to his disciples.
* * *
Translated bodies cannot enter into rest until they have undergone
a change equivalent to death.
* * *
Translated bodies are designed for future missions.
* * *
The angel which appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos was a
translated or resurrected body.
* * *
Jesus Christ went in body after his resurrection to minister to
translated and resurrected bodies.
* * *
It is no more incredible that God should _save_ the dead than that
he should raise the dead.
* * *
There is never a time when the spirit is too old to approach God.
* * *
All are within the reach of pardoning mercy, who have not committed
the unpardonable sin, which hath no forgiveness, neither in
this world, nor in the world to come. There is a way to release
the spirit of the dead; that is by the power and authority of
the Priesthood--by binding and loosing on earth. This doctrine
appears glorious, inasmuch as it exhibits the greatness of divine
compassion and benevolence in the extent of the plan of human
salvation.
This glorious truth is well calculated to enlarge the
understanding, and to sustain the soul under troubles,
difficulties, and distresses. For illustration, suppose the case
of two men, brothers, equally intelligent, learned, virtuous and
lovely, walking in uprightness and in all good conscience, so far
as they had been able to discern duty from the muddy stream of
tradition, or from the blotted page of the book of nature. One dies
and is buried, having never heard the Gospel of reconciliation; to
the other the message of salvation is sent, he hears and embraces
it, and is made the heir of eternal life. Shall the one become a
partaker of glory, and the other consigned to hopeless perdition?
Is there no chance for his escape? Sectarianism answers, none!
none! none!!! Such an idea is worse than atheism. The truth shall
break down and dash in pieces all such bigoted Pharisaism; the
sects shall be sifted, the honest in heart brought out, and their
priests left in the midst of their corruption.
* * *
This doctrine presents in a clear light the wisdom and mercy of
God in preparing an ordinance for the salvation of the dead,
being baptized by proxy, their names recorded in heaven, and they
judged according to the deeds done in the body. This doctrine was
the burden of the Scriptures. Those Saints who neglect it, in
behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their
own salvation. The dispensation of the fullness of times will
bring to light the things that have been revealed in all former
dispensations; also other things that have not been before revealed.
* * *
Another interesting feature of the conference was the report made by
the Prophet of The Church property in his charge as trustee-in-trust
for The Church. He also took occasion to report the amount of his own
earthly possessions, of which the following is a copy:
Old Charley, a horse given to him several years before in Kirtland;
two pet deers; two old turkeys and four young ones; an old cow
given to him by a brother in Missouri; old Major, a dog; his wife,
children, and a little household furniture!
Surely his earthly possessions did not far exceed those of Him who had
not where to lay His head!
Footnotes
1. The Legion is not, as has been falsely represented by its enemies,
exclusively a Mormon military association, but a body of citizen
soldiers organized (without regard to political preferences or
religious sentiments) for the public defense, the general good, and
the preservation of law and order--to save the innocent, unoffending
citizens from the iron grasp of the oppressor, and perpetuate and
sustain our free institutions against misrule, anarchy and mob
violence; no other views are entertained or tolerated.--_Joseph Smith_.
From an official letter published May 4, 1841.
2. Minutes of special conference, Aug. 16, 1841. Millennial Star, Vol.
xviii, page 630.
3. Doctrine and Covenants, Section 124.
4. The font was constructed of pine timber, and put together of staves
tongued and grooved, oval shaped, sixteen feet long east and west, and
twelve feet wide, seven feet high from the foundation, the basin four
feet deep; the moulding of the cap or base was formed of beautiful
carved wood in antique style, and the sides were finished with panel
work. There were steps leading up and down into the basin in the north
and south sides, guarded by side railings. The font stood upon twelve
oxen, four on each side and two at each end, their heads, shoulders
and forelegs projecting out from under the font. They were carved out
of pine plank, glued together, and copied after the most beautiful
five-year-old steer that could be found in the country. * * * The
oxen and ornamental mouldings of the font were carved by Elder Elijah
Fordham, from New York. * * * The font was inclosed by a temporary
frame building sided up with split oak clap-boards, with a roof of
the same material, but was so low that the timbers of the first story
of the temple were laid above it. The water was supplied from a well
thirty feet deep in the east end of the basement. This font was built
for the baptism for the dead until the temple could be completed, when
a more durable one was to take its place.--_Millennial Star_, Volume
XVIII, 744.
CHAPTER XX.
INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW MARRIAGE SYSTEM.
ANOTHER matter of very great importance, and one which has exercised
a great influence upon the course of events in the history of The
Church--and especially upon the events of this Nauvoo period--belongs
to the spring and summer of 1841; and many things of our history will
be all the plainer if the matter referred to be considered now. I
refer to the introduction, in practice, of the marriage system which
afterwards obtained in The Church. The chief and greatest feature
of this marriage system--celestial marriage it is called by The
Church, because it is the marriage system that obtains in celestial
worlds--is the eternity of the marriage covenant. "Until death us do
part" is usually the mutual covenant of man and woman in the orthodox
"Christian" marriage ceremony. [1] That is, the marriage covenant
is understood among "Christians" generally as being a matter that
pertains to time only, the contract obligations ending with death. But
this celestial marriage system of The Church regards the incident of
death not at all, but makes the covenant of marriage for time and for
all eternity; a covenant which is sealed and ratified by that power
of the Priesthood in the administrator which binds on earth and it
is bound in heaven. [2] That is, the covenant of marriage holds good
through time and will be in effect and of binding force in and after
the resurrection. In other words this marriage system regards man as
enduring eternally, and formulates his marriage covenants in harmony
with that view of him. Of course this contemplates the continuation of
the marriage state in eternity. Not only the spiritual and intellectual
companionship, but all the relations of the wedded state, with the joys
of parentage--the power of endless lives being among the means of man's
exaltation and glory. That this is a view of marriage quite distinct
from the usual "Christian" view, goes without saying. It throws a new
light upon man's future existence. It destroys the vagueness which
through nearly all ages like a mystic pall has hidden the glory and
exaltation destined for man in the future eternities of God. It should
be said, in this connection, that the revelations of God to Joseph
Smith even before this marriage system was made known, held out to man
the hope of a tangible future existence in a resurrected, immortal
body of flesh and bones quickened by the spirit, and clothed with the
glory of immortal youth. The future life was to be a reality, not a
land of shadows; his heavenly home was to be upon the earth, after
it had become sanctified and made a celestial sphere. His relations
with his kindred and friends were to be of a nature to satisfy the
longings of the human heart for society, for fellowship; and needed
only the revelation of this marriage system to complete the circle of
his promised future felicity. For grant to man in his resurrected state
a real, tangible existence; an immortal youth that knows no pain or
sickness or disease; the power to "hive" knowledge and wisdom as the
centuries, the millenniums and eternities roll by; grant him the power
to build and inhabit; to love and be loved; and add to that the power
of endless lives--the power and privilege to perpetuate his race under
an eternal marriage covenant--grant this, and the future happiness,
exaltation and glory of man stands revealed as being absolutely without
limitations, and far greater and beyond in majesty anything within our
power to conceive in our present state of semi-dullness.
I say that the primary principle of the marriage system of The Church
is the eternity of the marriage covenant; but owing to the fact
that the system also includes the doctrine of a plurality of wives,
the importance and grandeur of the doctrine of the eternity of the
marriage covenant to a very great extent has been lost sight of in the
discussion of and the popular clamor concerning the plurality feature
of this new marriage system. The revelation making known this marriage
doctrine came about in this way: First it should be stated--and it is
evident from the written revelation itself, which bears the date of
July 12th, 1843, [3]--that the doctrine was revealed and the practice
of it began before the partial [4] revelation now in the Doctrine and
Covenants was written. As early as 1831 the rightfulness of a plurality
of wives under certain conditions was made known to Joseph Smith.
In the latter part of that year, especially from November 1831, and
through the early months of 1832, the Prophet with Sidney Rigdon as his
assistant was earnestly engaged at Hiram, a village in Portage County,
near Kirtland, Ohio, in translating the Jewish scripture. [5] It must
have been while engaged in that work that the evident approval of God
to the plural marriage system of the ancient patriarchs attracted the
Prophet's attention and led him to make those inquiries of the Lord to
which the opening paragraphs of the written revelation refer, viz:--
Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Joseph, that
inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand, to know and understand
wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob; as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching
the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and
concubines: behold! and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer
thee as touching this matter.
The doctrine revealed at that time to the Prophet, however, was not
to be made known to the world; but Joseph did make known what had
been revealed to him to a few trusted friends, among whom were Oliver
Cowdery and Lyman E. Johnson, the latter confiding what the Prophet
had taught him to Orson Pratt, his missionary companion. With these
and a few other exceptions, perhaps, the knowledge of the truth and
righteousness of this principle of the future marriage system of The
Church was locked up in the bosom of the Prophet of God.
About 1840, however, the Prophet began to be moved upon to make known
the doctrine to others. He taught the principle to Joseph Bates Noble
for one, as early as the fall of 1840. According to the affidavit of
Noble, given before James Jack, a notary public, in and for the county
of Salt Lake, Utah, in June, 1869, Joseph Smith declared to Noble
that "he had received a revelation from God on the subject, and that
an angel of the Lord had commanded him (Joseph Smith) to move forward
in the said order of marriage; and further, that the said Joseph
Smith requested him (Joseph B. Noble) to step forward and assist him
in carrying out the said principle." This same man Noble gives the
following affidavit with reference to the introduction of the practice
of this principle by Joseph Smith, the Prophet:
Territory of Utah, County of Salt Lake, ss
Be it remembered that on this 26th day of June, A. D. 1869,
personally appeared before me, James Jack, a Notary Public in and
for said county, Joseph Bates Noble, who was by me sworn in due
form of law, and upon his oath saith, that on the fifth day of
April, A. D., 1841, at the City of Nauvoo, County of Hancock, State
of Illinois, he married or sealed Louisa Beaman, to Joseph Smith,
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
according to the order of celestial marriage revealed to the said
Joseph Smith.
(Signed) JOSEPH B. NOBLE.
Subscribed and sworn to by the said Joseph Bates Noble the day and
year first above written.
JAMES JACK, Notary Public.
The introduction of the practice of plural marriage by the Prophet
then began even before the return of the Twelve from England. On their
return Joseph soon began to teach the principle to them, and urged upon
them the importance of putting it into practice. The dread with which
the doctrine was regarded, the prejudices against it in the hearts of
those faithful men who accepted it as a revelation from God through
the Prophet, are all illustrated in the reflections and testimony of
Elder John Taylor, one of the Twelve at that time, and subsequently
the President of the Church. And here let me repeat what I said in his
biography some years ago: "The world never made a greater mistake than
when it supposed that plural marriage was hailed with delight by the
Elders who were commanded of the Lord to introduce its practice in this
generation. They saw clearly that it would bring additional reproach
upon them from the world; that it would run counter to the traditions
and prejudices of society, as, indeed, it was contrary to their own
traditions; that their motives would be misunderstood or misconstrued.
All this they saw, and naturally shrunk from the undertaking required
of them by the revelation of God." And now Elder Taylor:--
Joseph Smith told the Twelve that if this law was not practiced, if
they would not enter into this covenant, then the Kingdom of God
could not go one step further. Now, we did not feel like preventing
the Kingdom of God from going forward. We professed to be the
Apostles of the Lord, and did not feel like putting ourselves
in a position to retard the progress of the Kingdom of God. The
revelation says that "All those who have this law revealed unto
them must obey the same." Now, that is not my word. I did not make
it. It was the Prophet of God who revealed that to us in Nauvoo,
and I bear witness of this solemn fact before God, that he did
reveal this sacred principle to me and others of the Twelve, and
in this revelation it is stated that it is the will and law of God
that "all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the
same."
I had always entertained strict ideas of virtue, and I felt as a
married man that this was to me, outside of this principle, an
appalling thing to do. The idea of going and asking a young lady
to be married to me when I had already a wife! It was a thing
calculated to stir up feelings from the innermost depths of the
human soul. I had always entertained the strictest regard of
chastity. I had never in my life seen the time when I have known of
a man deceiving a woman--and it is often done in the world, where,
notwithstanding the crime, the man is received into society and the
poor woman is looked upon as a pariah and an outcast--I have always
looked upon such a thing as infamous, and upon such a man as a
villain. * * * Hence, with the feelings I had entertained, nothing
but a knowledge of God, and the revelations of God, and the truth
of them, could have induced me to embrace such a principle as this.
We [the Twelve] seemed to put off, as far as we could, what might
be termed the evil day.
Some time after these things were made known unto us, I was riding
out of Nauvoo on horseback, and met Joseph Smith coming in, he,
too, being on horseback. * * * I bowed to Joseph, and having done
the same to me, he said: "Stop;" and he looked at me very intently.
"Look here," said he, "those things that have been spoken of must
be fulfilled, and if they are not entered into right away the keys
will be turned."
Well, what did I do? Did I feel to stand in the way of this great,
eternal principle, and treat lightly the things of God? No. I
replied: "Brother Joseph, I will try and carry these things out."
So indeed he did, for within two years, in Nauvoo, he married Elizabeth
Haigham, Jane Ballantyne and Mary A. Oakley.
After this the testimony is abundant that plural marriage as well as
marriage for eternity was abundantly practiced in Nauvoo, [6] though
the revelation which made its rightfulness known was not written until
July 12th, 1843.
I have remarked in the opening of this chapter that the consideration
of this subject at this period of Nauvoo's history would aid the reader
to understand more clearly many things in the subsequent events we
have to relate. It is to be observed first of all that this principle
of plural marriage had to be introduced secretly; first, because of
the traditions and prejudices of the Saints themselves; and, secondly,
because of the advantage that their enemies surrounding them would have
when once the doctrine was publicly proclaimed. This enforced secrecy,
then, which a reasonable prudence demanded, gave rise to apparent
contradictions between the public utterances of leading brethren in The
Church and their practice. Wicked men took advantage of the situation
and brought sorrow to the hearts of the innocent and reproach upon
The Church. Some, possessed of a zeal without wisdom, knowing of this
doctrine, hastened without authority to make public proclamation of it
and had to be silenced, as, for instance, a number of Elders who were
reproved by Hyrum Smith for preaching this doctrine at a branch of
The Church at China Creek, near Nauvoo; [7] and later one Hiram Brown
who did the same thing in Lapeer County, Michigan; for which he was
disfellowshiped from The Church and notified by Joseph and Hyrum to
attend the conference in April of that year to give a further account
of his proceedings. [8]
Then again there were others who falsely taught that the Prophet
approved of promiscuous intercourse between the sexes, and that there
was no sin in such relations so long as they were kept secret and
brought no scandal upon the community. This afforded villains their
opportunity, and such men as John C. Bennett; the Laws, Wilson and
William; Dr. Foster; the young Higbees, Chancy L., and Francis M.; and
others, to reap their harvest of wickedness. There was necessarily
enough of mystery in the movements of the Prophet and his faithful
brethren connected with the matter of plural marriage to give something
of color to the false statements of these wretches, and hence many
otherwise good people were deceived. The duty of the Prophet and his
associates, however, to denounce this wickedness that had crept into
The Church was not shirked by the leading Elders of The Church. The
Prophet was bold in his denunciation of the evil and snatched the masks
from the faces of corrupt men, and did all in his power to protect the
innocent from the deceptions of the vicious, though it pluck down upon
his own head the vengeful wrath of the ungodly. With this situation in
mind I am sure the reader will better appreciate the many complications
which follow.
In order that the reader who is a stranger to Mormonism may see how far
the principle of the eternity of the marriage covenant and the plural
marriage system of The Church is removed from the sensuality that
is often attributed to it, I quote _in extenso_, in concluding this
chapter, the revelation which justifies and authorized it:
Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Joseph, that
inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand, to know and understand
wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob; as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching
the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and
concubines:
Behold! and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as
touching this matter:
Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions
which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law
revealed unto them must obey the same;
For behold! I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and
if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can
reject this covenant, and be permitted to enter into my glory;
For all who will have a blessing at my hands, shall abide the law
which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof,
as were instituted from before the foundation of the world;
And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was
instituted for the fullness of my glory; and he that receiveth a
fullness thereof, must and shall abide the law, or he shall be
damned, saith the Lord God.
And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are
these:--All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows,
performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that
are not made, and entered into, and sealed, by the Holy Spirit of
promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all
eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment
through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the
earth to hold this power, (and I have appointed unto my servant
Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but
one on the earth at a time, on whom this power and the keys of this
Priesthood are conferred,) are of no efficacy, virtue or force, in
and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that
are not made unto this end, have an end when men are dead.
Behold! mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not
a house of confusion.
Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in
my name!
Or, will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed!
And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law,
even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was!
I am the Lord thy God, and I give unto you this commandment, that
no man shall come unto the Father but by me, or by my word, which
is my law, saith the Lord;
And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of
men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name,
whatsoever they may be, that are not by me, or by my word, saith
the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are
dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your
God;
For whatsoever things remain, are by me; and whatsoever things are
not by me, shall be shaken and destroyed.
Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry
her not by me, nor by my word; and he covenant with her so long as
he is in the world, and she with him, their covenant and marriage
are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the
world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out
of the world;
Therefore, when they are out of the world, they neither marry nor
are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which
angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are
worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of
glory;
For these angels did not abide my law, therefore they cannot be
enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in
their saved condition, to all eternity, and from henceforth are not
Gods, but are angels of God, for ever and ever.
And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a
covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that covenant
is not by me, or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by
the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and
appointed unto this power--then it is not valid, neither of force
when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me,
saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world,
it cannot be received there, because the angels and the Gods are
appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore,
inherit my glory, for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord
God.
And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my
word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant,
and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him
who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power, and the
keys of this Priesthood; and it shall be said unto them, ye shall
come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first
resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones,
kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and
depths--then shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that
he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if
ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed
innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever
my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity,
and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they
shall pass by the angels, and the Gods, which are set there, to
their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon
their heads, which glory shall be a fullness and a continuation of
the seeds for ever and ever.
Then shall they be Gods, because they have no end; therefore shall
they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue;
then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto
them. Then shall they be Gods, because they have all power, and the
angels are subject unto them.
Verily, verily I say unto you, except ye abide my law, ye cannot
attain to this glory;
For straight is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the
exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that
find it, because ye receive me not in the world, neither do ye know
me.
But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall
receive your exaltation, that where I am, ye shall be also.
This is eternal lives, to know the only wise and true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my
law.
Broad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the deaths, and
many there are that go in thereat; because they receive me not,
neither do they abide in my law.
Verily, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according
to my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise,
according to mine appointment, and he or she shall commit any sin
or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and
all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder, wherein
they shed innocent blood--yet they shall come forth in the first
resurrection, and enter into their exaltation; but they shall be
destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered unto the buffetings
of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the Lord God.
The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven
in the world, nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder,
wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after
ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord
God; and he that abideth not this law, can in no wise enter into my
glory, but shall be damned, saith the Lord.
I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my Holy
Priesthood, as was ordained by me, and my Father, before the world
was.
Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation
and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into
his exaltation, and sitteth upon his throne.
Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit
of his loins,--from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant
Joseph,--which were to continue so long as they were in the world;
and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should
continue; both in the world and out of the world should they
continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the
sand upon the sea shore, ye could not number them.
This promise is yours, also, because ye are of Abraham, and the
promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law are the continuation
of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself.
Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my
law, and ye shall be saved.
But if ye enter not into my law ye cannot receive the promise of my
Father, which he made unto Abraham.
God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And
why did she do it? Because this was the law, and from Hagar sprang
many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling among other things,
the promises.
Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily, I say unto you,
Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it.
Abraham was commanded to offer his son Isaac; nevertheless, it was
written, thou shalt not kill. Abraham, however, did not refuse, and
it was accounted unto him for righteousness.
Abraham received concubines, and they bear him children, and it
was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given
unto him, and he abode in my law, as Isaac also, and Jacob did none
other things than that which they were commanded; and because they
did none other things than that which they were commanded, they
have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and
sit upon thrones, and are not angels, but are Gods.
David also received many wives and concubines, as also Solomon and
Moses my servants; as also many others of my servants, from the
beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin,
save in those things which they received not of me.
David's wives and concubines were given unto him, of me, by the
hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the
keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against
me, save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath
fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall
not inherit them out of the world; for I gave them unto another,
saith the Lord.
I am the Lord thy God, and I gave unto thee, my servant Joseph, an
appointment, and restore all things; ask what ye will, and it shall
be given unto you according to my word:
And as ye have asked concerning adultery--verily, verily I say unto
you, if a man receiveth a wife in the new and everlasting covenant,
and if she be with another man, and I have not appointed unto her
by the holy anointing, she hath committed adultery, and shall be
destroyed.
If she be not in the new and everlasting covenant, and she be with
another man, she has committed adultery;
And if her husband be with another woman, and he was under a vow,
he hath broken his vow, and hath committed adultery,
And if she hath not committed adultery, but is innocent, and hath
not broken her vow, and she knoweth it, and I reveal it unto you,
my servant Joseph, then shall you have power, by the power of my
Holy Priesthood, to take her, and give her unto him that hath not
committed adultery, but hath been faithful; for he shall be made
ruler over many;
For I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the Priesthood,
wherein I restore all things, and make known unto you all things in
due time.
And verily, verily I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on
earth, shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth,
in my name, and by my word, saith the Lord, it shall be eternally
bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall
be remitted eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you
retain on earth, shall be retained in heaven.
And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless, I will bless, and
whomsoever you curse, I will curse, saith the Lord; for I, the
Lord, am thy God.
And again, verily I say unto you, my servant Joseph, that
whatsoever you give on earth, and to whomsoever you give anyone on
earth, by my word, and according to my law, it shall be visited
with blessings, and not cursings, and with my power, saith the
Lord, and shall be without condemnation on earth, and in heaven;
For I am the Lord thy God, and will be with thee even unto the end
of the world, and through all eternity; for verily, I seal upon you
your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my
Father, with Abraham your father.
Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and will forgive all your
sins; I have seen your sacrifices, in obedience to that which I
have told you; go, therefore, and I make a way for your escape, as
I accepted the offering of Abraham, of his son Isaac.
Verily, I say unto you, a commandment I give unto mine handmaid,
Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay
herself, and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer
unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did
Abraham; and that I might require an offering at your hand, by
covenant and sacrifice;
And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been
given to my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before
me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall
be destroyed, saith the Lord God;
For I am the Lord thy God, and ye shall obey my voice; and I give
unto you my servant Joseph, that he shall be made ruler over many
things, for he hath been faithful over a few things, and from
henceforth I will strengthen him.
And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto
my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this
commandment, she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the
Lord thy God, and will destroy her, if she abide not in my law;
But if she will not abide this commandment, then shall my servant
Joseph do all things for her, even as he hath said; and I will
bless him and multiply him and give unto him an hundred-fold in
this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses
and lands, wives and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the
eternal worlds.
And again, verily I say, let mine handmaid forgive my servant
Joseph his trespasses; and then shall she be forgiven her
trespasses, wherein she has trespassed against me: and I, the Lord
thy God, will bless her, and multiply her, and make her heart to
rejoice.
And again, I say, let not my servant Joseph put his property out of
his hands, lest an enemy come and destroy him; for Satan seeketh
to destroy; for I am the Lord thy God, and he is my servant; and
behold! and lo, I am with him, as I was with Abraham, thy father,
even unto his exaltation and glory.
Now, as touching the law of the Priesthood, there are many things
pertaining thereunto.
Verily, if a man be called of my Father, as was Aaron, by mine own
voice, and by the voice of him that sent me: and I have endowed him
with the keys of the power of this Priesthood, if he do anything
in my name, and according to my law, and by my word, he will not
commit sin, and I will justify him.
Let no one, therefore, set on my servant Joseph; for I will justify
him; for he shall do the sacrifice which I require at his hands,
for his transgressions, saith the Lord your God.
And again, as pertaining to the law of the Priesthood: If any man
espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give
her consent; and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins,
and have vowed to no other man, then he is justified; he cannot
commit adultery, for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit
adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else;
And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot
commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto
him, therefore is he justified.
But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused,
shall be with another man; she has committed adultery, and shall be
destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish
the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfill the promise
which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world;
and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear
the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued,
that he may be glorified.
And again, verily, verily I say unto you, if any man have a wife,
who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law
of my Priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she
believe, and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith
the Lord your God, for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my
name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.
Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law,
for him to receive all things, whatsoever I, the Lord his God, will
give unto him, because she did not administer unto him according to
my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt
from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to
the law, when I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife.
And now, as pertaining to this law, verily, verily I say unto you,
I will reveal more unto you, hereafter; therefore, let this suffice
for the present. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega. Amen.
Footnotes
1. See The Book of Common Prayer, Church of England, article,
Solemnization of Matrimony.
2. Jesus said unto Peter: I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom
of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.--Matt. xvi: 19.
3. See Doc. and Cov. Sec. 132: 52.
4. _Ibid_, verse 66.
5. See Millennial Star, Vol. XIV. (Supplement) pp 80, 83; also pp. 114
and 116 same volume. Doc. and Cov. Sec. 76: 11-16.
6. See a collection of affidavits on this subject in the Historical
Record, Andrew Jenson, compiler; and also affidavits in Succession in
Presidency, 2nd edition.
7. See Times and Seasons for March, 1844.
8. See Times and Seasons for February 1st, 1844.
CHAPTER XXI.
CAMP FOLLOWERS.--BANKRUPTCY.
AMONG the most despicable occupations that men engage in, that of camp
follower holds a front rank. By plundering the dead, by the practice
of extortion upon the living, by taking advantage of the license
and reign of terror that follows in the wake of an army, the camp
follower plunders the terrified people, not unfrequently claiming
to be authorized by the commanders of the army, in order to be more
successful in his rapine. Thus he seeks to enrich himself upon the
misfortunes and terrors of others and at the expense of the reputation
of armies and their commanders. More loathsome are such characters
than the vultures that hover about the fields made red by human gore,
to glut themselves upon the festering, swollen bodies of the dead.
Yet more to be despised than the camp follower is that man who will
attach himself to a religious association with a view of profiting
in schemes of villainy; and when discovered in his crimes throws the
responsibility of his evil doing upon the leaders of said association,
claiming that his crimes have been taught to him as a part of his
religion! Such men are wholesale character assassins, for by their
deeds virtuous communities are brought into disrepute, and reproach is
cast upon their religion.
Some such characters had attached themselves to the Saints in Nauvoo
and vicinity, and gave a coloring to the charges that were made against
The Church, to the effect that the leaders thereof sanctioned stealing,
so long as it was practiced on the Gentiles--those not belonging to
The Church. Such were the rumors given out by some members of The
Church engaged in this infamous business. On the eighteenth of November
a nest of such vipers was uncovered at Ramus, near Nauvoo; and they
were promptly excommunicated from The Church by the Apostles, who were
holding a conference at the place on the date above mentioned. Both
Joseph and Hyrum took advantage of the occasion to make affidavits
before proper officers of the law to the effect that they had never
given their sanction to such infamous doctrine as that attributed to
them; [1] and the Twelve Apostles in an epistle to the public disavowed
ever sanctioning the crime of theft.
Hyrum in his affidavit says:
I hereby disavow any sanction, or approbation by me of the crime
of theft, or any other evil practice in any person or persons
whatever, whereby either the lives or property of our fellow-men
may be unlawfully taken or molested; neither are such doings
sanctioned or approbated by the First Presidency or any other
persons in authority or good standing in The Church, but such acts
are altogether in violation of the rules, order and regulations of
The Church, contrary to the teachings given in said Church, and the
laws of both God and man.
In a public declaration to which Joseph appended his affidavit, the
Prophet said:
It has been proclaimed upon the housetops and in the secret
chamber, in the public walks and private circles throughout the
length and breadth of this vast continent, that stealing by the
Latter-day Saints has received my approval; nay, that I have
taught them the doctrine, encouraged them in plunder, and led
on the van--than which nothing is more foreign from my heart. I
disfellowship the perpetrators of all such abominations; they are
devils and not Saints, totally unfit for the society of Christians
or men. It is true that some professing to be Latter-day Saints
have taught such vile heresies, but all are not Israel that are of
Israel; and I want it distinctly understood in all coming time,
that The Church over which I have the honor of presiding, will ever
set its brows like brass, and its face like steel, against all such
abominable acts of villainy and crime.
Nor were the Twelve less forcible in denouncing this iniquity. In an
epistle printed at the same time with the above they said: