The Prophet's Epistle to the Church, Written in
March 25, 1839.
Joseph Smith, Jun., Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin,
Alexander McRae.
To the Church of Latter-day Saints at
Your humble servant,
Joseph Smith, Jun., prisoner for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the
Saints, taken and held by the power of mobocracy,
under the exterminating reign of his excellency, the governor, Lilburn W.
Boggs, in company with his fellow prisoners and beloved brethren, Caleb
Baldwin, Lyman Wight, Hyrum Smith, and Alexander McRae, send unto you all
greeting. May the grace of God the Father, and of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, rest upon you all, and abide with you forever. May knowledge be
multiplied unto you by the mercy of God. And may faith and virtue, and
knowledge and temperance, and patience and godliness, and brotherly kindness
and charity be in you and abound, that you may not be barren in anything, nor
unfruitful.
For inasmuch as we
know that the most of you are well acquainted with the wrongs and the
high-handed injustice and cruelty that are practiced upon us; whereas we have
been taken prisoners charged falsely with every kind of evil, and thrown into
prison, enclosed with strong walls, surrounded with a strong guard, who
continually watch day and night as indefatigable as the devil does in tempting
and laying snares for the people of God:
Therefore, dearly
beloved brethren, we are the more ready and willing to lay claim to your
fellowship and love. For our circumstances are calculated to awaken our spirits
to a sacred remembrance of everything, and we think that yours are also, and
that nothing therefore can separate us from the love of God and fellowship one
with another; and that every species of wickedness and cruelty practiced upon
us will only tend to bind our hearts together and seal them together in love.
We have no need to say to you that we are held in bonds without cause, neither
is it needful that you say unto us, We are driven from our homes and smitten
without cause. We mutually understand that if the inhabitants of the state of
Missouri had let the Saints alone, and had been as desirable of peace as they were,
there would have been nothing but peace and quietude in the state unto this
day; we should not have been in this hell, surrounded with demons (if not those
who are damned, they are those who shall be damned) and where we are compelled
to hear nothing but blasphemous oaths, and witness a scene of blasphemy, and
drunkenness and hypocrisy, and debaucheries of every description.
And again, the cries
of orphans and widows would not have ascended up to God against them. Nor would
innocent blood have stained the soil of
But this is not all. After a man is dead, he
must be dug up from his grave and mangled to pieces, for no other purpose than
to gratify their spleen against the religion of God.
They practice these
things upon the Saints, who have done them no wrong, who are innocent and
virtuous; who loved the Lord their God, and were willing to forsake all things
for Christ's sake. These things are awful to relate, but they are verily true.
It must needs be that offenses come, but woe unto them by whom they come.
D&C 121:1[Oh
God! where art Thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth
Thy hiding place? How long shall Thy hand be stayed, and Thine
eye, yea Thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens, the wrongs of Thy
people, and of Thy servants, and Thy ear be penetrated with their cries? Yea, O
Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before Thine heart shall be softened towards them, and Thy bowels
be moved with compassion towards them?
O Lord God Almighty,
Maker of Heaven, Earth and Seas, and of all things that in them are, and who controllest and subjectest the
devil, and the dark and benighted dominion of Sheol!
Stretch forth Thy hand, let Thine eye pierce; let Thy
pavilion be taken up; let Thy hiding place no longer be covered; let Thine ear be inclined; let Thine
heart be softened, and Thy bowels moved with compassion towards us, Let Thine anger be kindled against our enemies; and in the fury
of Thine heart, with Thy sword avenge us of our
wrongs; remember Thy suffering Saints, O our God! and Thy servants will rejoice
in Thy name forever.]
Dearly and beloved
brethren, we see that perilous times have come, as was testified of. We may
look, then, with most perfect assurance, for the fulfillment of all those
things that have been written, and with more confidence than ever before, lift
up our eyes to the luminary of day, and say in our hearts, Soon thou wilt veil
thy blushing face. He that said "Let there be light," and there was
light, hath spoken this word. And again, Thou moon, thou dimmer light, thou
luminary of night, shalt turn to blood.
We see that
everything is being fulfilled; and that the time shall soon come when the Son
of Man shall descend in the clouds of heaven. Our hearts do not shrink, neither
are our spirits altogether broken by the grievous yoke which is put upon us. We
know that God will have our oppressors in derision; that He will laugh at their
calamity, and mock when their fear cometh.
O that we could be with
you, brethren, and unbosom our feelings to you! We
would tell, that we should have been liberated at the time Elder Rigdon was, on the writ of habeas corpus, had not our own
lawyers interpreted the law, contrary to what it reads, against us; which prevented
us from introducing our evidence before the mock court.
They have done us
much harm from the beginning. They have of late acknowledged that the law was
misconstrued, and tantalized our feelings with it, and have entirely forsaken
us, and have forfeited their oaths and their bonds; and we have a come-back on
them, for they are co-workers with the mob.
As nigh as we can
learn, the public mind has been for a long time turning in our favor, and the
majority is now friendly; and the lawyers can no longer browbeat us by saying
that this or that is a matter of public opinion, for public opinion is not
willing to brook it; for it is beginning to look with feelings of indignation
against our oppressors, and to say that the "Mormons" were not in the
fault in the least. We think that truth, honor, virtue and innocence will
eventually come out triumphant. We should have taken a habeas corpus before the
high judge and escaped the mob in a summary way; but unfortunately for us, the
timber of the wall being very hard, our auger handles gave out, and hindered us
longer than we expected; we applied to a friend, and a very slight incautious
act gave rise to some suspicions, and before we could fully succeed, our plan
was discovered; we had everything in readiness, but the last stone, and we
could have made our escape in one minute, and should have succeeded admirably,
had it not been for a little imprudence or over-anxiety on the part of our
friend.
The sheriff and
jailer did not blame us for our attempt; it was a fine breach, and cost the
county a round sum; but public opinion says that we ought to have been
permitted to have made our escape; that then the disgrace would have been on
us, but now it must come on the state; that there cannot be any charge
sustained against us; and that the conduct of the mob, the murders committed at
Haun's Mills, and the exterminating order of the
governor, and the one-sided, rascally proceedings of the legislature, have
damned the state of Missouri to all eternity. I would just name also that
General Atchison has proved himself as contemptible as any of them.
We have tried for a
long time to get our lawyers to draw us some petitions to the supreme judges of
this state, but they utterly refused. We have examined the law, and drawn the
petitions ourselves, and have obtained abundance of proof to counteract all the
testimony that was against us, so that if the supreme judge does not grant us
our liberty, he has to act without cause, contrary to honor, evidence, law or
justice, sheerly to please the devil, but we hope
better things and trust before many days God will so order our case, that we
shall be set at liberty and take up our habitation with the Saints.
We received some
letters last evening—one from Emma, one from Don C. Smith, and one from Bishop
Partridge—all breathing a kind and consoling spirit. We were much gratified
with their contents. We had been a long time without information; and when we
read those letters they were to our souls as the gentle air is refreshing, but
our joy was mingled with grief, because of the sufferings of the poor and much
injured Saints. And we need not say to you that the floodgates of our hearts
were lifted and our eyes were a fountain of tears, but those who have not been
enclosed in the walls of prison without cause or provocation, can have but
little idea how sweet the voice of a friend is; one token of friendship from
any source whatever awakens and calls into action every sympathetic feeling; it
brings up in an instant everything that is passed; it seizes the present with
the avidity of lightning; it grasps after the future with the fierceness of a
tiger; it moves the mind backward and forward, from one thing to another, until
finally all enmity, malice and hatred, and past differences, misunderstandings
and mismanagements are slain victorious at the feet of hope; and when the heart
is sufficiently contrite, then the voice of inspiration steals along and
whispers, D&C 121:7 [My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine
afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God
shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all
thy foes; thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again, with
warm hearts and friendly hands; thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not
contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job;
and they who do charge thee with transgression, their hope shall be blasted and
their prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth
before the burning rays of the rising sun; and also that God hath set His hand
and seal to change the times and seasons, and to blind their minds, that they
may not understand His marvelous workings, that He may prove them also and take
them in their own craftiness; also because their hearts are corrupted, and the
things which they are willing to bring upon others, and love to have others
suffer, may come upon themselves to the very uttermost; that they may be
disappointed also, and their hopes may be cut off; and not many years hence,
that they and their posterity shall be swept from under heaven, saith God, that not one of them is left to stand by the
wall. Cursed are all those that shall lift up the heel against mine anointed, saith the Lord, and cry they have sinned when they have not
sinned before me, saith the Lord, but have done that
which was meet in mine eyes, and which I commanded them; but those who cry
transgression do it because they are the servants of sin and are the children
of disobedience themselves; and those who swear falsely against my servants,
that they might bring them into bondage and death; wo
unto them; because they have offended my little ones; they shall be severed
from the ordinances of mine house; their basket shall not be full, and their
houses and their barns shall perish, and they themselves shall be despised by
those that flattered them; they shall not have right to the Priesthood, nor
their posterity after them, from generation to generation; it had been better
for them that a millstone had been hanged about their necks, and they drowned
in the depth of the sea.
Wo
unto all those that discomfort my people, and drive and murder, and testify
against them, saith the Lord of Hosts; a generation
of vipers shall not escape the damnation of hell. Behold mine eyes see and know
all their works, and I have in reserve a swift judgment in the season thereof,
for them all; for there is a time appointed for every man according as his work
shall be.]
And now, beloved
brethren, we say unto you, that inasmuch as God hath said that He would have a
tried people, that He would purge them as gold, now we think that this time He
has chosen His own crucible, wherein we have been tried; and we think if we get
through with any degree of safety, and shall have kept the faith, that it will
be a sign to this generation, altogether sufficient to leave them without
excuse; and we think also, it will be a trial of our faith equal to that of
Abraham, and that the ancients will not have whereof to boast over us in the
day of judgment, as being called to pass through heavier afflictions; that we
may hold an even weight in the balance with them; but now, after having
suffered so great sacrifice and having passed through so great a season of
sorrow, we trust that a ram may be caught in the thicket speedily, to relieve
the sons and daughters of Abraham from their great anxiety, and to light up the
lamp of salvation upon their countenances, that they may hold on now, after
having gone so far unto everlasting life.
Now, brethren,
concerning the places for the location of the Saints, we cannot counsel you as
we could if we were present with you; and as to the things that were written
heretofore, we did not consider them anything very binding, therefore we now
say once for all, that we think it most proper that the general affairs of the
Church, which are necessary to be considered, while your humble servant remains
in bondage, should be transacted by a general conference of the most faithful
and the most respectable of the authorities of the Church, and a minute of
those transactions may be kept, and forwarded from time to time, to your humble
servant; and if there should be any corrections by the word of the Lord, they
shall be freely transmitted, and your humble servant will approve all things whatsoever
is acceptable unto God. If anything should have been suggested by us, or any
names mentioned, except by commandment, or thus saith
the Lord, we do not consider it binding; therefore our hearts shall not be
grieved if different arrangements should be entered into. Nevertheless we would
suggest the propriety of being aware of an aspiring spirit, which spirit has
often times urged men forward to make foul speeches, and influence the Church
to reject milder counsels, and has eventually been the means of bringing much
death and sorrow upon the Church.
We would say, beware
of pride also; for well and truly hath the wise man said, that pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a
fall. And again, outward appearance is not always a criterion by which to judge
our fellow man; but the lips betray the haughty and overbearing imaginations of
the heart; by his words and his deeds let him be judged. Flattery also is a
deadly poison. A frank and open rebuke provoketh a
good man to emulation; and in the hour of trouble he will be your best friend;
but on the other hand, it will draw out all the corruptions of corrupt hearts,
and lying and the poison of asps is under their tongues; and they do cause the
pure in heart to be cast into prison, because they want them out of their way.
A fanciful and
flowery and heated imagination beware of; because the things of God are of deep
import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts
can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto
salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and
contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must
commune with God. How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God,
than the vain imaginations of the human heart! None but fools will trifle with
the souls of men.
How vain and
trifling have been our spirits, our conferences, our councils, our meetings,
our private as well as public conversations—too low, too mean, too vulgar, too
condescending for the dignified characters of the called and chosen of God,
according to the purposes of His will, from before the foundation of the world!
We are called to hold the keys of the mysteries of those things that have been
kept hid from the foundation of the world until now. Some have tasted a little
of these things, many of which are to be poured down from heaven upon the heads
of babes; yea, upon the weak, obscure and despised ones of the earth. Therefore
we beseech of you, brethren, that you bear with those who do not feel
themselves more worthy than yourselves, while we exhort one another to a
reformation with one and all, both old and young, teachers and taught, both
high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, male and female; let honesty, and
sobriety, and candor, and solemnity, and virtue, and pureness, and meekness,
and simplicity crown our heads in every place; and in fine, become as little
children, without malice, guile or hypocrisy.
And now, brethren,
after your tribulations, if you do these things, and exercise fervent prayer
and faith in the sight of God always, D&C 121:26 [He shall
give unto you knowledge by His Holy Spirit, yea by the unspeakable gift of the
Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now; which our
forefathers have waited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last
times, which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for
the fullness of their glory; a time to come in the which nothing shall be
withheld, whether there be one God or many Gods, they shall be manifest; all
thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set
forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and
also if there be bounds set to the heavens, or to the seas; or to the dry land,
or to the sun, moon or stars; all the times of their revolutions; all the
appointed days, months and years, and all the days of their days, months and
years, and all their glories, laws, and set times, shall be revealed, in the
days of the dispensation of the fullness of times, according to that which was
ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other Gods,
before this world was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the end
thereof, when every man shall enter into His eternal presence, and into His
immortal rest].
But I beg leave to
say unto you, brethren, that ignorance, superstition and bigotry placing itself
where it ought not, is oftentimes in the way of the prosperity of this Church;
like the torrent of rain from the mountains, that floods the most pure and
crystal stream with mire, and dirt, and filthiness, and obscures everything
that was clear before, and all rushes along in one general deluge; but time
weathers tide; and notwithstanding we are rolled in the mire of the flood for
the time being, the next surge peradventure, as time rolls on, may bring to us
the fountain as clear as crystal, and as pure as snow; while the filthiness, floodwood and rubbish is left and purged out by the way.
D&C 121:33[How
long can rolling water remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As
well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the
What is Boggs or his
murderous party, but wimbling willows upon the shore to catch the flood-wood?
As well might we argue that water is not water, because the mountain torrents
send down mire and roil the crystal stream, although afterwards render it more
pure than before; or that fire is not fire, because it is of a quenchable
nature, by pouring on the flood; as to say that our cause is down because
renegades, liars, priests, thieves and murderers, who are all alike tenacious
of their crafts and creeds, have poured down, from their spiritual wickedness
in high places, and from their strongholds of the devil, a flood of dirt and
mire and filthiness and vomit upon our heads.
No! God forbid. Hell
may pour forth its rage like the burning lava of mount Vesuvius,
or of Etna, or of the most terrible of the burning mountains; and yet shall
"Mormonism" stand. Water, fire, truth and God are all realities.
Truth is "Mormonism." God is the author of it. He is our shield. It
is by Him we received our birth. It was by His voice that we were called to a
dispensation of His Gospel in the beginning of the fullness of times. It was by
Him we received the Book of Mormon; and it is by Him that we remain unto this
day; and by Him we shall remain, if it shall be for our glory; and in His
Almighty name we are determined to endure tribulation as good soldiers unto the
end.
But, brethren, we
shall continue to offer further reflections in our next epistle. You will learn
by the time you have read this, and if you do not learn it, you may learn it,
that walls and irons, doors and creaking hinges, and half-scared-to-death
guards and jailers, grinning like some damned spirits, lest an innocent man
should make his escape to bring to light the damnable deeds of a murderous mob,
are calculated in their very nature to make the soul of an honest man feel
stronger than the powers of hell.
But we must bring
our epistle to a close. We send our respects to fathers, mothers, wives and
children, brothers and sisters; we hold them in the most sacred remembrance.
We feel to inquire
after Elder Rigdon; if he has not forgotten us, it
has not been signified to us by his writing. Brother George W. Robinson also;
and Elder Cahoon, we remember him, but would like to
jog his memory a little on the fable of the bear and the two friends who
mutually agreed to stand by each other. And perhaps it would not be amiss to
mention uncle John [Smith], and various others. A word of consolation and a blessing
would not come amiss from anybody, while we are being so closely whispered by
the bear. But we feel to excuse everybody and everything, yea the more readily
when we contemplate that we are in the hands of persons worse that a bear, for
the bear would not prey upon a dead carcass.
Our respects and
love and fellowship to all the virtuous Saints. We are your brethren and
fellow-sufferers, and prisoners of Jesus Christ for the Gospel's sake, and for
the hope of glory which is in us. Amen.
We continue to offer
further reflections to Bishop Partridge, and to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, whom we love with a fervent love, and do always bear them in
mind in all our prayers to the throne of God.
It still seems to
bear heavily on our minds that the Church would do well to secure to themselves
the contract of the land which is proposed to them by Mr. Isaac Galland, and to cultivate the friendly feelings of that
gentleman, inasmuch as he shall prove himself to be a man of honor and a friend
to humanity; also Isaac Van Allen, Esq., the attorney-general of Iowa
Territory, and Governor Lucas, that peradventure such men may be wrought upon
by the providence of God, to do good unto His people. We really think that Mr. Galland's letter breathes that kind of a spirit, if we may
judge correctly. Governor Lucas also. We suggest the idea of praying fervently
for all men who manifest any degree of sympathy for the suffering children of
God.
We think that the
United States Surveyor of the
It seems to be
deeply impressed upon our minds that the Saints ought to lay hold of every door
that shall seem to be opened unto them, to obtain foothold on the earth, and be
making all the preparation that is within their power for the terrible storms
that are now gathering in the heavens, "a day of clouds, with darkness and
gloominess, and of thick darkness," as spoken of by the Prophets, which
cannot be now of a long time lingering, for there seems to be a whispering that
the angels of heaven who have been entrusted with the counsel of these matters
for the last days, have taken counsel together; and among the rest of the
general affairs that have to be transacted in their honorable council, they
have taken cognizance of the testimony of those who were murdered at Haun's Mills, and also those who were martyred with David
W. Patten, and elsewhere, and have passed some decisions peradventure in favor
of the Saints, and those who were called to suffer without cause.
These decisions will
be made known in their time; and the council will take into consideration all
those things that offend.
We have a fervent
desire that in your general conferences everything should be discussed with a
great deal of care and propriety, lest you grieve the Holy Spirit, which shall
be poured out at all times upon your heads, when you are exercised with those
principles of righteousness that are agreeable to the mind of God, and are
properly affected one toward another, and are careful by all means to remember,
those who are in bondage, and in heaviness, and in deep affliction far your
sakes. And if there are any among you who aspire after their own
aggrandizement, and seek their own opulence, while their brethren are groaning
in poverty, and are under sore trials and temptations, they cannot be benefited
by the intercession of the Holy Spirit, which maketh
intercession for us day and night with groanings that
cannot be uttered.
We ought at all
times to be very careful that such high-mindedness shall never have place in
our hearts; but condescend to men of low estate, and with all long-suffering
bear the infirmities of the weak.
D&C 121:34
[Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not
chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and
aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—that the
rights of the Priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven,
and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handed only upon the
principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us, it is true;
but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain
ambition, or to exercise control, or dominion, or compulsion, upon the souls of
the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens
withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn,
Amen to the Priesthood, or the authority of that man. Behold! ere he is aware,
he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks; to persecute the Saints,
and to fight against God.
We have learned by
sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon
as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to
exercise unrighteous dominion. Hence many are called, but few are chosen.
No power or
influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the Priesthood, only by
persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness, and meekness, and by love
unfeigned; by kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the
soul without hypocrisy, and without guile, reproving betimes with sharpness,
when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an
increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be
his enemy; that he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of
death; let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the
household of faith, and virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall thy
confidence wax strong in the presence of God, and the doctrine of the
Priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost
shall be thy constant companion, and thy sceptre an
unchanging sceptre of righteousness and truth, and
thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it
shall flow unto thee forever and ever].
D&C 121:1
[The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee
in derision, and hell shall rage against thee, while the pure in heart, and the
wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority and
blessings constantly from under thy hand, and thy people shall never be turned
against thee by the testimony of traitors; and although their influence shall
cast thee into trouble, and into bars and walls, thou shalt
be had in honor, and but for a small moment and thy voice shall be more
terrible in the midst of thine enemies, than the
fierce lion, because of thy righteousness; and thy God shall stand by thee
forever and ever.
If thou art called
to pass through tribulations; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if
thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea; if
thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine
enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and
mother and brethren and sisters, and if with a drawn sword thine
enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine
offspring, and thine elder son, although but six
years of age, shall cling to thy garment, and shall say, My father, my father,
why can't you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with
you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged
to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like
wolves for the blood of the lamb; and if thou shouldst
be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death
passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge
conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine
enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge
up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth
wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee
experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them
all; art thou greater than he?
Therefore, hold on
thy way, and the Priesthood shall remain with thee, for their bounds are set,
they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less;
therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and
ever].
Now, brethren, I
would suggest for the consideration of the conference, its being carefully and
wisely understood by the council or conferences that our brethren scattered
abroad, who understand the spirit of the gathering, that they fall into the
places and refuge of safety that God shall open unto them, between Kirtland and
And again, we
further suggest for the considerations of the Council, that there be no
organization of large bodies upon common stock principles, in property, or of
large companies of firms, until the Lord shall signify it in a proper manner,
as it opens such a dreadful field for the avaricious, the indolent, and the
corrupt hearted to prey upon the innocent and virtuous, and honest.
We have reason to believe
that many things were introduced among the Saints before God had signified the
times; and notwithstanding the principles and plans may have been good, yet
aspiring men, or in other words, men who had not the substance of godliness
about them, perhaps undertook to handle edged tools. Children, you know, are
fond of tools, while they are not yet able to use them.
Time and experience,
however, are the only safe remedies against such evils. There are many
teachers, but, perhaps, not many fathers. There are times coming when God will
signify many things which are expedient for the well-being of the Saints; but
the times have not yet come, but will come, as fast as there can be found place
and reception for them.
D&C 123:1[And
again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the Saints
gathering up a knowledge of all the facts and sufferings and abuses put upon
them by the people of this state; and also of all the property and amount of
damages which they have sustained, both of character and personal injuries, as
well as real property; and also the names of all persons that have had a hand
in their oppressions, as far as they can get hold of them and find them out;
and perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things, and to take
statements, and affidavits, and also to gather up the libelous publications
that are afloat, and all that are in the magazines, and in the encyclopaedias, and all the libelous histories that are
published, and are writing, and by whom, and present the whole concatenation of
diabolical rascality, and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been
practiced upon this people, that we may not only publish to all the world, but
present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as
the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father, before we can
fully and completely claim that promise which shall call Him forth from His
hiding place, and also that the whole nation may be left without excuse before
He can send forth the power of His mighty arm.
It is an imperative
duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and
also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been made to bow down
with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hand of murder, tyranny,
and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the influence of that
spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have
inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion,
and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very main-spring of
all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity.
It is an iron yoke,
it is a strong band; they are the very hand-cuffs, and chains, and shackles,
and fetters of hell.
Therefore it is an
imperative duty that we owe, not only to our own wives and children, but to the
widows and fatherless, whose husbands and fathers have been murdered under its
iron hand; which dark and blackening deeds are enough to make hell itself
shudder, and to stand aghast and pale, and the hands of the very devil to
tremble and palsy. And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the
rising generation, and to all the pure in heart, (for there are many yet on the
earth among all sects, parties, denominations, who are blinded by the subtle
craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept
from the truth because they know not where to find it); therefore, that we
should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things
of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven.
These should then be
attended to with great earnestness. Let no man count them as small things; for
there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to
the Saints, which depends upon these things. You know, brethren, that a very
large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm,
by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.
Therefore, dearly
beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, and
then may we stand still with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God,
and for His arm to be revealed].
And again, I would
further suggest the impropriety of the organization of bands or companies, by
covenant or oaths, by penalties or secrecies; but let the time past of our
experience and sufferings by the wickedness of Doctor Avard
suffice and let our covenant be that of the Everlasting Covenant, as is
contained in the Holy Writ and the things that God hath revealed unto us. Pure
friendship always becomes weakened the very moment you undertake to make it
stronger by penal oaths and secrecy.
Your humble servant
or servants, intend from henceforth to disapprobate
everything that is not in accordance with the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and is not of a bold, and frank, and upright nature. They will not hold
their peace—as in times past when they see iniquity beginning to rear its
head—for fear of traitors, or the consequences that shall follow by reproving
those who creep in unawares, that they may get something with which to destroy
the flock. We believe that the experience of the Saints in times past has been
sufficient, that they will from henceforth be always ready to obey the truth
without having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. It is
expedient that we should be aware of such things; and we ought always to be
aware of those prejudices which sometimes so strangely present themselves, and
are so congenial to human nature, against our friends, neighbors, and brethren
of the world, who choose to differ from us in opinion and in matters of faith.
Our religion is between us and our God. Their religion is between them and
their God.
There is a love from
God that should be exercised toward those of our faith, who walk uprightly,
which is peculiar to itself, but it is without prejudice; it also gives scope
to the mind, which enables us to conduct ourselves with greater liberality
towards all that are not of our faith, than what they exercise towards one
another. These principles approximate nearer to the mind of God, because it is
like God, or Godlike.
Here is a principle
also, which we are bound to be exercised with, that is, in common with all men,
such as governments, and laws, and regulations in the civil concerns of life.
This principle guarantees to all parties, sects, and denominations, and classes
of religion, equal, coherent, and indefeasible rights; they are things that
pertain to this life; therefore all are alike interested; they make our
responsibilities one towards another in matters of corruptible things, while
the former principles do not destroy the latter, but bind us stronger, and make
our responsibilities not only one to another, but unto God also. Hence we say,
that the Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is
founded in the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner; it is to all those who
are privileged with the sweets of its liberty, like the cooling shades and
refreshing waters of a great rock in a thirsty and weary land. It is like a
great tree under whose branches men from every clime can be shielded from the
burning rays of the sun.
We, brethren, are
deprived of the protection of its glorious principles, by the cruelty of the
cruel, by those who only look for the time being, for pasturage like the beasts
of the field, only to fill themselves; and forget that the "Mormons,"
as well as the Presbyterians, and those of every other class and description,
have equal rights to partake of the fruits of the great tree of our national
liberty. But notwithstanding we see what we see, and feel what we feel, and
know what we know, yet that fruit is no less precious and delicious to our
taste; we cannot be weaned from the milk, neither can we be driven from the
breast; neither will we deny our religion because of the hand of oppression;
but we will hold on until death.
We say that God is
true; that the Constitution of the United States is true; that the Bible is
true; that the Book of Mormon is true; that the Book of Covenants is true; that
Christ is true; that the ministering angels sent forth from God are true, and
that we know that we have an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens,
whose builder and maker is God; a consolation which our oppressors cannot feel,
when fortune, or fate, shall lay its iron hand on them as it has on us. Now, we
ask, what is man? Remember, brethren, that time and chance happen to all men.
We shall continue
our reflections in our next.
We subscribe
ourselves, your sincere friends and brethren in the bonds of the everlasting
Gospel, prisoners of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the Gospel and the Saints.
We pronounce the
blessings of heaven upon the heads of the Saints who seek to serve God with undivided
hearts, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.