From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 29 Date: 07 Sep 1997 21:53:18 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 97-100; 134 Lesson 29 Scriptural Highlights 1. Build a temple in Zion. 2. Obey the laws of the land. 3. "Renounce war and proclaim peace." Invite one or two class members to tell of important principles they have learned from D&C 97-100 and 134. Discussion and Application Questions What was the purpose of the school of Zion? (See D&C 97:3-5 and the quotation from Elder Pratt.) How can Sunday School fulfill a similar purpose in your life? * According to D&C 97:8-9, what must we do to be accepted by the Lord? How does this compare with what we are doing now to be accepted by him? * Why did the Lord want the Saints to build a temple in Zion? (D&C 97:10-17.) Why are temples necessary "for the salvation of Zion"? (D&C 97:12). How are temples places of "thanksgiving" and "instruction"? (D&C 97:13; see the quotation from President Benson). What blessings have come to you through temple ordinances and service? * What responsibility do we have for the Lord's temples? (D&C 97:15-17.) How can we help keep the temples from being defiled? * How does D&C 97:21 help us understand what Zion is? (See also D&C 100:15-17.) How can we become pure in heart? (Moron) 7:47-48.) * What counsel did the Lord give the Saints for dealing with adversity? (D&C 97:25; 98:1-3, 11-16.) When we experience adversity, what can we do to feel the Savior's strength and support more fully? Why does the Lord want to teach us patience? How has he taught you patience? * What are our responsibilities with regard to freedom and the laws of the land where we live? (D&C 98:4-8; 134:5; Articles of Faith 1:12.) What are the purposes of civil governments? (D&C 134:2, 6-8, 11.) What relationship should exist between the Church and a civil government? (D&C 134:9-10.) * In D&C 98:16 the Lord counseled the Saints to "renounce war and proclaim peace." How can we do this? (See the first quotation from President McKay.) Under what conditions might war be justified? (See D&C 98:33-38; Alma 43:45-47; 48:14; and the second quotation from President McKay.) * How can the command and promise in D&C 100:5-8 help us as we teach the gospel? (See also D&C 84:85.) How has the Lord fulfilled this promise for you? Quotations. Elder Parley P. Pratt: In 1833 "a school of Elders was also organized, over which I was called to preside. This class, to the number of about sixty, met for instruction once a week.... We prayed, preached and prophesied, and exercised ourselves in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here great blessings were poured out, and many great and marvelous things were manifested and taught" (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 93-94). President Ezra Taft Benson: "Do we return to the temple often to receive the personal blessings that come from regular temple worship? Prayers are answered, revelation occurs, and instruction by the Spirit takes place in the holy temples of the Lord" (Ensign, May 1988, p. 85). President David O. McKay: "War impels you to hate your enemies. The Prince of Peace says, Love your enemies. War says, Curse them that curse you. The Prince of Peace says, Pray for them that curse you. War says, Injure and kill them that hate you. The Risen Lord says, Do good to them that hate you. "Thus we see that war is incompatible with Christ's teachings. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of peace. War is its antithesis, and produces hate. It is vain to attempt to reconcile war with true Christianity" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1942, p. 71). President David O. McKay: "There are conditions when entrance into war is justifiable.... Such a condition, however, is not a real or fancied insult given by one nation to another. When this occurs proper reparation may be made by mutual understanding, apology, or by arbitration. "Neither is there justifiable cause found in a desire or even a need for territorial expansion.... Nor is war justified in an attempt to enforce a new order of government, or even to impel others to a particular form of worship, however better the government or eternally true the principles of the enforced religion may be. "There are, however, two conditions which may justify a truly Christian man to enter - mind you, I say enter, not begin - a war: (1) An attempt to dominate and to deprive another of his free agency, and (2) Loyalty to his country. Possibly there is a third: . . . Defense of a weak nation that is being unjustly crushed by a strong, ruthless one" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1942, p. 72). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 101-2 Page 57 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 29 In the mid-1830s the Church had two centers of population. Joseph Smith, other members of the First Presidency, and a large number of Saints lived in Ohio, while Bishop Edward Partridge presided over the Church members in Missouri. Even though none of the revelations being studied in this lesson were given in Missouri, most of them deal with the Saints' difficulties there. The Missouri Saints were being severely persecuted. There were many cultural as well as religious differences between the Latter-day Saints and the Missourians. The Missourians did not accept a living prophet or modern revelation. Many of them feared that they would soon be overwhelmed by the growing number of Latter-day Saint settlers, and they reacted with violence. In July 1833 a mob destroyed W. W. Phelps's printing office, tarred and feathered Bishop Partridge, and forced many Saints out of their homes. Most of the copies of the nearly completed Book of Commandments were destroyed (see lesson 20 for a story related to this incident). Doctrine and Covenants 97 and 98, given in Ohio about two weeks after the mob action in Missouri, told the Saints how to respond to such difficulties. Doctrine and Covenants 134, prepared by Oliver Cowdery in August 1835, is a response to the persecutors of the Church who accused the Saints of being opposed to the laws of the land. As you study D&C 97-100 and 134, consider the following: * What counsel did the Lord give for dealing with adversity? (D&C 97:25; 98:1 -3, 11 -16.) How can you apply this counsel in your life? * What are our responsibilities with regard to freedom and the laws of the land where we live? (D&C 98:4-8; 134:5; Articles of Faith 1:12.) * How can the command and promise in D&C 100:5-8 help us as we teach the gospel? How has the Lord fulfilled this promise for you? Saints Driven from Jackson Count,v, Missouri, by C. C. A. Christensen. Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts at Brigham Young University. Page 58 ------------------ Section 97 The Prophet instructed that three edifices were to be erected in Zion, namely, a temple, a house for printing, and a house for the Presidency. Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 200. verses 3-5: (20) ... Church leaders in Jackson County, Missouri, organized a school for the Elders in 1833. Although it is not clear when the school commenced, evidence shows that it was operating during the summer of 1833. Parley P Pratt ... was designated to preside over and instruct the school.... The School of the Elders (Missouri) was intended to serve as a counterpart to the School of the Prophets (Kirtland) in preparing and instructing those called to the ministry. Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 188. Section 98 Conflicts between Mormons and non-Mormons in Missouri undoubtedly provided the background for this revelation. Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 201. Section 99 29 August 1832 Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 201. This revelation to John Murdock was placed in its present sequence in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. At that time, and in subsequent editions, the heading has listed the date as August 1833. However, there is considerable evidence that this date is incorrect. Brother Murdock's own journal, the "Kirtland Revelation Book," and the editions of the Doctrine and Covenants previous to 1876 all give the date as August 1832. The earlier date is certainly correct, especially as determined from the journal and its sequence of events: therefore, the new edition gives the proper date and adds this explanation:"Although editions of the Doctrine and Covenants beginning with 1876 have listed this revelation as Kirtland, August 1833, earlier edition and other historical records certify to the proper information." The error of dating in the 1876 edition has caused this section to be placed out of proper chronological order; it should properly be between sections 83 and 84. Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works 1979, 1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4. Section 100 On 5 October, 1833, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, accompanied by Freeman Nickerson, started east from Kirtland on a preaching mission. TheProphet's party traveled down Lake Erie to Niagra, then westward through Ontario to Mt. Pleasant.... Section 100 was received in answer to a great concern the Prophet had for his family's welfare. ... This revelation informed the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon that their families were well and that Sidney should be a spokesman for Joseph Smith. Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 203-204. ------------------- ... He did not achieve his political goals during his lifetime, but subsequently the essence of his political objectives has been largely realized. The attempt of the Prophet in 1839, after his "release" on a change of venue from the Liberty jail, to obtain redress for the Saints' grievances against Missouri by turning to the national government was rebuffed. President Martin Van Buren responded to the Saints' plea with the remark, "What can I do? I can do nothing for you" Constitutionally the position of President Van Buren had some judicial support at that time. The Supreme Court had ruled in Barron vs. Baltimore (1833) that the protections in the Bill of Rights against government actions pertained to the national government, not to the states. It appears, however, that Van Buren's remark was motivated in part by political expediency. ... The Mormons had been expelled from Missouri by the state militia under the "Extermination Order" of Governor Lilburn W. Boggs. A "treaty," forced on the Saints by Generals Samuel D. Lucas and John B. Clark, confiscated Mormon properties to pay for the "Mormon War," exiled the Mormons under the threat of death, and precluded any hope of legal redress of their losses. The state legislature sanctioned these actions by appropriating 242000,000 to pay the men called into the state militia. Redress of their grievances from the state of Missouri appeared hopeless to the Saints. Indeed, separation of power ... failed the Saints in Missouri as all three branches of government were united in opposition to the Saints. ... "... The only fault I find in the Constitution is, it is not broad enough to cover the whole ground. "Although it provides that all men shall enjoy religious freedom, yet it does not provide the manner by which that freedom can be preserved, nor for the punishment of Government Officers who refuse to protect the people in their religious rights, or punish those mobs, states, or communities who interfere with the rights of the people on account of their religion...." Joseph concluded by proposing that officers of the government should be required to support affirmatively constitutional guarantees or by severely punished. ... ... Calhoun's reply was reminiscent of Van Buren's attitude, asserting a lack of federal jurisdiction. Joseph Smith, incensed with this position, responded in a letter written to Calhoun on 2 January 1844, chastising Clhoun for his limited interpretation of the constitutional powers of the national government. The Prophet's letter then continued with a nationalistic interpretation of the Constitution protective of Mormon rights. He ridiculed the positon that the national government was helpless to intervene when when a "sovereign" state banished fifteen thousand of its citizens with a state militia supported by legislative appropriations. He pointed out that the properties of the Mormons, many of which were purchased from the national government, were taken over by the Missouri mob and that the federal government had constitutional obligation to protect these property rights. The Prophet believed that Missouri had violated the privileges and immunities clause of the Constitution and that the state was iolating the principles of a republican government. Hence the United States had aconstitutional responsibility under article 4 to correc these problems in Missouri. He wrote: "Congress has power to protect the nation against foreign invasion and internal broil, and whenever that body passes an act to maintain right with any power; or to restore right to any portion of her citizens, IT IS THE SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND, and should a state refuse submission, that state is guilty of insurrection or rebellion, and the president has as much power to repel it as Washington had to march against the "whiskey boys of Pittsburg" or General Jackson had to send an armed force to suppress the rebellion of South Carolina21" Mounting depredations on the Mormon populace in and around Nauvoo prompted another national stratagem. On 21 December 1843, the city council of Nauvoo memorialized Congress for redress of grievances and protection from further persecution by praying that the Nauvoo charter be the basis of an enabling act creating a self-governing territory for the city of Nauvoo. The council also asked that the mayor of Nauvoo be empowered to call United States troops into service to maintain the public safety.... This proposal was never considered by Congress. ... On 29 January 1844, the Prophet met with the Twelve Apostles and others at the mayor's office to consider the course for the Mormons to take in the presidential election. They agreed they could not support Martin Van Buren or henry Clay, the likely Democratic and Whig candidates, so it was moved by Willard Richards that they have an independent ticket with Joseph Smith as the candidate for President. ... That same day the Prophet dictated an outline for his "Views on the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States...." ... He argued that equality and protection of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are denied when "some two or three millions of people are held as slaves for life, because the spirit in them is covered with a darker skin than ours." He proposed the compensated abolition of slavery.... He expressed compassion for the poor and contempt for the inequities in the system when the poor are put in prison while the embezzler, the defrauder, or the defaulter of millions takes the "uppermo st rooms at feasts." ... He proposed the establishment of a national bank, with branches in each state or territory.... He championed the cause of popular sovereignty .... ... the "Views" called for congressional reform by reducing the size of the House of Representatives by at least one half and limiting the pay of senators, representatives, and administrators. ... He urged prison reforms, with emphasis on rehabilitation instead of punishment.... "... Murder only can claim confinement of death. Let the penitentiaries be burned into seminaries of learning." ... '... a list was published of 340 elders of the Church designated to go to every state in the Union to "preach the truth in righteousness, and present before the people 'General Smith's views of the power and policy of the General Government,' .... A "state convention" was held in Nauvoo on 17 May, in which "General Joseph Smith" was supported for President, Sidney Rigdon "of Pennsylvania" for Vice President, and five prominent Mormons were designated as delegates to a national nominating convention to be held in Baltimore on 13 July. It is interesting to note that many of the policies Joseph Smith advocated in teh 1840s ahve been essentially realized in our time. His presidential platform was clearly ahead of its time. Much of what he proposed has been achieved with the abolition of slavery; the creation of the Federal Reserve system in banking; prison reform, probation, and parole emphasizing the rehabilitation of convicts; suffrage extension to all adult citizens and reappointment of electoral districts on the "one man, one vote" principle; and the current emphasis on the protection of individual liberties. ... the core of Joseph's objectiveAFprotection of individual liberties of the poor and unpopular by the national government with the President as executorAFhas also been realized, but it has been accomplishe d through the federal courts' interpretation and application of the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment 1868 . J. Keith Melville, "Joseph Smith, the Constitution, and Individual Liberties," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 28, Number*2 (Spring 1988) ------------------- James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.3, p.30 We are expressly commanded, and it becomes our duty, to uphold and sustain every law of the land which is constitutional; we have always had a strong desire to obey such laws, and to place ourselves in harmony with all the institutions of the country. --------------------- 10. Church Discipline THE PURPOSES of Church DISCIPLINE The purposes of Church discipline are to (1) save the souls of transgressors; (2) protect the innocent; and (3) safeguard the purity, integrity, and good name of the Church. Church discipline includes giving cautions in private interviews, imposing restrictions in probations, and withdrawing fellowship or membership. The first purpose of Church discipline is to save the soul of the transgressor (see D&C 1:31-32, 19:13-20, 42:37, 58:42, and 64:12-13). God does not overlook sin, and his servants cannot ignore serious transgressions if they have knowledge or evidence of them (see Mosiah 26:29). But God does forgive repentant sinners; his servants should follow that example. Church discipline helps save the souls of transgressors by assisting members to repent. It helps them recognize and forsake sin, make restitution, and demonstrate their renewed commitment to keep the commandments of God. The demands of justice require punishment or repentance for transgression. Sin causes suffering; repentance relieves suffering. God commands us to repent so we will not receive eternal punishment and have to suffer even as the Savior suffered for the sins of mankind (see D&C 19:11-21, Alma 42). For the repentant, "mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement" (Alma 42:23). Often, the change that results from repentance can be brought about by informal Church discipline, including private counseling or informal probation. However, in some instances, the only way to encourage true repentance may be to convene a disciplinary council (formerly called a Church "court") and consider formal Church discipline. Without formal Church discipline, some transgressors may never experience the change of behavior and the change of heart necessary to qualify them for redemption through the Atonement, for "none but the truly penitent are saved" (Alma 42:24). The second purpose of Church discipline is to protect the innocent. Whether the offense is physical harm, sexual abuse, drug misuse, fraudulent practices, or apostasy, leaders are responsible to take disciplinary action. With inspiration, a priesthood leader should be alert to spiritual and physical threats to Church members and, when necessary, should act to protect them (see Alma 5:59). The third purpose of Church discipline is to safeguard the purity, integrity, and good name of the Church. Consequently, serious transgressions that harm or denigrate the Church may require the action of a disciplinary council. -------------------- [Commentary, Though obeying the law of the land is stress much today, the Mormon history for up until 1904 has many examples where laws were ignored by Mormons or Mormons moved to places where there breaking of certain laws were ignored by that government. Unfortunately I have not got the time a present to document this at this time. Anyone else wishing to do that work, feel free to post me your research.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 31 Date: 10 Sep 1997 21:24:35 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 1 03; 1 05 Lesson 31 Scriptural Highlights 1. Journey of Zion's Camp 2. Requirements for establishing Zion You might want to ask a class member to summarize the information about Zion's Camp in the Class Member Study Guide for this lesson. If it would help class members to review the reasons the Saints were driven from Zion, refer to the second group of questions in lesson 30. Discussion and Application Questions * What did the Lord promise the Saints in D&C 103:5-10? How can these promises apply to us today? How can Church members be "the saviors of men"? (D&C 103:9). * What was Zion's Camp? (See D&C 103:22-23, 30-35; and the C/ass Member Study Guide for this lesson.) How did Zion's Camp help prepare many participants to be future Church leaders? (See the quotation from President Woodruff and the first quotation from the Prophet Joseph Smith.) What can the experiences of Zion's Camp teach you about the purposes of your trials? How can these experiences help you endure trials faithfully? * Why were the men of Zion's Camp told not to fight for the redemption of Zion? (D&C 105:9-14, 18-19.) How were they to be "endowed with power from on high"? (D&C 105:33). What do these verses teach us about how we should prepare to do our part in redeeming Zion? In D&C 103:15-20, what does the Lord teach about how Zion will be redeemed? Who will lead the Lord's people "like as Moses led the children of Israel"? (D&C 103:16; 107:91 -92). * Why does the Lord require us to be willing to sacrifice all things, even our lives if necessary? (See D&C 103:27-28 and the second quotation from the Prophet Joseph Smith.) How can we develop such a willingness? How can we show this willingness now? * When the Saints were cast out of Jackson County, the Lord said that some of them - but not all of them - had transgressed and needed to be chastened. (D&C 101:41 -42.) But those who had not transgressed were cast out also. What can we learn about obedience from this? (See also the quotation from Elder Faust.) What blessings from the Lord are available only through the righteous efforts of an entire group? (D&C 105:1-5; see also D&C 97:12-14, 25; Mosiah 18:21-22.) *What does D&C 105:1-5 teach about building Zion? One reason for the persecutions in Missouri was that some Church members boasted they would soon control all of Missouri and build Zion there. What counsel did the Lord give about this? (D&C 105:23-24.) How can we share the positive aspects of the Church without seeming to boast? * In D&C 105:38-40 the Lord counseled the Saints to seek peace, even with those who had persecuted them. How can we apply this counsel in our lives? Quotations President Wilford Woodruff said that he and other camp participants "gained an experience that we never could have gained in any other way. We had the privilege of beholding the face of the prophet, and we had the privilege of travelling a thousand miles with him, and seeing the workings of the Spirit of God with him, and the revelations of Jesus Christ unto him and the fulfillment of those revelations.... Had I not gone up with Zion's Camp I should not have been here to-day" (in Journal/ of Discourses, 13:158). The Prophet Joseph Smith, speaking to the elders in Kirtland soon after the Quorum of the Seventy was organized, said: "Brethren, some of you are angry with me, because you did not fight in Missouri; but let me tell you, God did not want you to fight. He could not organize His kingdom with twelve men to open the Gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under their direction to follow in their tracks, unless He took them from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham. Now the Lord has got His Twelve and His Seventy" (History of the Church, 2:182 note). The Prophet Joseph Smith: "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things.... When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth's sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not, nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life" (Lectures on Faith 6:7). Elder James E. Faust: "Private choices are not private; they all have public consequences.... Our society is the sum total of what millions of individuals do in their private lives. That sum total of private behavior has worldwide public consequences of enormous magnitude. There are no completely private choices" (Ensign, May 1987, p. 80). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 106-8 Page 61 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 31 By late November 1833, persecutions had driven most of the Saints from their homes and farms in Jackson County, Missouri. When the Saints petitioned Governor Daniel Dunklin of Missouri for protection and help, he promised to restore their lands if they would provide a body of men for their own protection. When Joseph Smith received word of this offer, he responded by promising to lead a group of men from Kirtland to Missouri. Later that same day, Joseph received a revelation giving directions for the expedition that came to be known as Zion's Camp (see D&C 103). The goal was to recruit 500 men, but only about 200 volunteered. George A. Smith, a cousin of the Prophet, was the youngest at age sixteen, and Samuel Baker was the oldest at age seventy-nine. The 1,000-mile march to Missouri was beset with difficulties, including the hot, humid weather and the lack of good roads. A major challenge was obtaining decent food. At times the company had to subsist on such things as coarse bread, rancid butter, cornmeal mush, raw pork, and even spoiled ham, bacon, and cheese. Occasionally they had to strain stagnant swamp water for drinking. These hardships caused quarreling and contention among many of the men, and a few blamed the Prophet for their discomfort. Joseph declared that the Lord had revealed to him that "a scourge would come upon the camp in consequence of the fractious and unruly spirits that appeared among them" (History of the Church, 2:80). Within a few weeks fourteen people died of cholera. While the men were traveling, a black slave woman warned them of an intended ambush by a mob of men who wanted to destroy the Mormons. The Prophet promised that the Lord would protect the company. That night, while the company was camped at Fishing River in Missouri, a sudden and violent storm arose. It soaked the mobbers' ammunition, frightened and scattered their horses, and raised the level of Fishing River, preventing the mobbers from crossing it to attack Zion's Camp. Three days later on 22 June 1834, the Prophet received D&C 105, in which the Lord ordered the men of Zion's Camp not to fight against the Missourians (see D&C 105:9-19). Though the camp had not redeemed Zion, it served valuable purposes. The difficulties tested the faith of the men in the company, and during the weeks they spent with the Prophet they learned about leadership and gained spiritual insight. The Prophet and some of the other brethren began their trip back to Kirtland early in July. A few months later, nine of the first Apostles and all of the first members of the Quorum of Seventy were chosen from the faithful men of Zion's Camp. Furthermore, Brigham Young received practical experience that helped him lead the pioneers across the American plains just thirteen years later. * What can the experiences of Zion's Camp teach you about the purposes of your trials? * In D&C 103 and 105, what does the Lord teach about how we can prepare to build Zion? * Why does the Lord require us to be willing to sacrifice all things, even our lives if necessary? (D&C 103:27-28 How can we show this willingness now? Zion's Camp, by C. C. A. Christensen. Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts at Brigham Young University. Page 62 ---------------------------- To the original settlers, one cause of conflict may have been economic. ... They also viewed the body of Saints as a political threat. ... The gathering Saints also collided with their Neighbors in matters of religion. ... Cutting across economic, political and religious line were two other issues important to the Missouri frontiersmen: Mormon attitudes toward the Indians and toward slavery. ... The Saints themselves may not have been totally without blame in the matter. The feelings of the Missourians, even though misplaced, were undoubtedly intensified by the rhetoric of the gathering itself. They were quick to listen to the boasting of a few overzealous Saints who too-loudly declared a divine right to the land. ... Even though the Saints were specifically and repeatedly commanded to be peaceful and never to shed blood, some seemed to unwisely threaten warfare if they could not fulfill the commandment peacefully. ... ... eighty prominent citizens signed a manifesto. Known as the "secret constitution," it denounced the Mormons and called for a meeting on July 20. The manifesto claimed that Mormons were tampering with slaves, encouraging sedition, and inviting free Negroes and mulattoes to join the Church and immigrate to Missouri. It openly declared the intent of the signers to remove the Mormons "peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must." ... About a hundred men proceeded to the Church printing office, kicked in the door, and evicted Mrs. Phelps and her children. They tossed the press from a second-story window, pulled off the roof, and tore down the walls of the building. ... the attacked halted the printing of the Book of Commandments.... The mob next attacked the store, the blacksmith shop, and two men, Edward Partridge and Charles Allen. They were hauled to the public square, partially striped of their clothing, and, after failing to admit guilt ro promising to leave, were covered with tar and feathers. ... The leaders in Zion, meanwhile, petitioned Missouri Governor Daniel Dunklin for help and protection. The state attorney general considered the request, criticized the citizens for lawlessness, and urged the Saints to seek both redress and protection under the laws by petitioning the circuit judge and justices of the peace. ...Church leaders ended their policy of passive resistance and counseled the Saints to arm themselves for the defense of their families and homes. ... The Missourians quickly interpreted this as a violation of the Mormon promise to evacuate. ... Lilburn W. Boggs, then lieutenant governor of the state, acted as intermediary between the two opposing groups and persuaded the Saints to surrender their arms and leave within ten days in order to avoid more bloodshed. The Saints understood that Boggs would also collect the arms of their enemies and that all would be returned to their rightful owners after they had evacuated. In this they were sadly misled. ... the Missourians continued harassing Mormon settlements. ... A few of the Saints found refuge in Ray, Lafayette, and Van Buren counties, but the largest congregation assembled in Clay County .... Because of their friendliness toward the beleaguered Saints, the helpful citizens of Clay and other counties were criticized by hostile elements in Jackson County and dubbed "Jack Mormons," a term applied widely in the nineteenth century to friendly non-Mormons. ... Governor Dunklin agreed to furnish arms if the Saints would organize themselves into a local militia, but, he explained to the dismay of the Saints, he would have to work through proper channels, meaning the Jackson Guard. ... By February, when the Prophet announced the intention to go to Missouri, he had enlisted more than thirty volunteers. The high council sent eight enlistment officers to the eastern congregations to seek out additional volunteers and contributions. ... The plan envisioned a return of the Saints to their homes in Jackson County in cooperation with state authorities and under state protection. ... the camp marched across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, adding volunteers from other branches until it grew to an estimated 205 members, including ten women (wives of recruits) who went along as cooks and washerwomen. Zion's Camp left its Salt River encampment June 12, having asked the Missouri governor for a military escort. Governor Dunklin, fearing that any attempts to cooperate with the Mormons would spark a civil war, withdrew his earlier offer to escort the refugees back to their homes and advised the Saints to sell contested land and move elsewhere. ... The two sides met a Liberty on June 16 in a crowded meeting at the courthouse. ... After a tirade inflammatory speeches by local citizens, a committee of ten proposed to buy out the Mormons if they agreed never to return. Prices would be established by disinterested arbitrators. Alternatively, the old residents said they would sell on the same terms if the Mormons wanted to purchase their holdings. Both offers were impractical, since neither side was actually inclined to sell to the other. Church leaders soon rejected the Jackson County offer and proposed their alternative. They suggested that a committee of twelve, six from each side, be appointed to determine the value of the property of the citizens wishing to leave and the cost of damages. The Saints would use the credits for damages to buy out the old citizens and pay any differences within a year. The plan was rejected, however, and the stalemate continued. On June 22 the Prophet received a revelation at Fishing River declaring that Zion would not be redeemed at that time. ... Those who had met a trial of faith by responding to the call were promised a special endowment, and the Saints were urged to continue their efforts to obtain legal redress and to purchase Jackson County land. ... On June 30 the Prophet announced that the members of Zion's Camp were discharged. ... James B. Allen and Glen M Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints, (Deseret Book Company, 1976) p. 84-93 Zion's Camp had its beginnings in the violent expulsion of the Mormons from Jackson County, Missouri, in early November 1833. News of the expulsion reached Joseph Smith and the members of the Church in Kirtland, Ohio, on 25 November.... ...Joseph Smith wrote to Edward Partridge, the bishop in Missouri, instructing Partridge to use the law to obtain redress, but not to sell any of the Mormon land. ... on 16 December 1833, Joseph Smith received a long revelation (now Doctrine and Covenants 101) concerning the Jackson County difficulties that was immediately printed in broadside form and circulated among the Saints in Ohio and Missouri. ... Explaining why the Latter-day Saints had been driven from Jackson, this revelation enjoined the elders to continue to use constitutional means to obtain redress. In addition, it suggested that the elders attempt to buy out their persecutors in Jackson County, and in this regard, the revelation asserted that at that moment there was enough money in the hands of the eastern branches of the Church to buy out the local Missourians and settle the Jackson County dispute. Most significant for the eventual organization of Zion's Camp, this revelation included a long parable of a nobleman and his vineyard that carried an implicit promise of armed assistance to the exiled Jackson County Mormons from the Church in Kirtland. In the course of this parable it is asked when this help would be forthcoming. The answer: "When I will." The Mormon leaders in Missouri lost little time in apprising Daniel Dunklin of the Jackson situation. ... A response from the governor came through his legal assistant two weeks later. ... From conversation I have had with the Governor, I believe I am warranted in saying to you, and through you to the Mormons, that if they desire to be replaced in possession of their property, that is, their houses in Jackson county, an adequate force will be sent forthwith to effect that object. ... If the Mormons will organize themselves into regular companies, or a regular company of militia, either volunteers or otherwise, they will, I have no doubt, be supplied with public arms. On 6 December 1833 a petition was sent to Governor Dunklin by the elders in Missouri. This petition specifically requested (1) assistance from the governor so that the Mormons could "be restored" to their homes in Jackson and (2) continuing military protection by either the state militia or a detachment of the United States Rangers until peace could be restored. The concluding paragraph requested a court of inquiry after arrangements had been made to protect the Mormons with an armed force, and here it was mentioned that such a force would be needed until the Missouri Mormons could "receive strength from our friends to protect ourselves"--an idea that ultimately would become the underlying concept in the formation of Zion's Camp. ... "The Governor has manifested a willingness to restore us back, and will if we request it; but this will be of little use unless he could leave a force there to help protect us; for the mob say, that three months shall not pass before they will drive us again. And he cannot leave a force without calling a special Legislature for that purpose ... If we could be placed back, and become organized into independent companies, and armed with power and liberty to stand in our own defense, it would be much better for us. ..." ... serious doubts that a fair court of inquiry could be held in Jackson County because a large part of the Mormons who would need to testify, particularly women and children, greatly feared violent reprisals from the local Missourians. Gilbert then offered a new suggestion: that the Mormons buy out the leaders of the anti-Mormon faction, thereby reducing agitation against the Saints. ... (1) After three months no progress had been made toward the recovery of the Mormons' possessions in Jackson County. (2) Governor Dunklin had promised to provide an armed force to guard the Mormons while they returned to their homes in Jackson. (3) The governor was unwilling to retain that force in the county after the Mormons had returned. (4) Unless an appropriate additional armed force--perhaps one made up of members of the Church from Kirtland and the eastern branches--remained in the county after their return, the Saints would certainly be driven from their homes again. (5) A fair court of inquiry probably could not be held in Jackson. ... Joseph Smith had little choice but to respond with a pledge of help from the Church in Kirtland. His failure to do so at this critical juncture would certainly have been interpreted as an abandonment of the Missouri Saints. ... Joseph Smith received a revelation (now Doctrine and Covenants 103) confirming the decision of the council and outlining the procedure for the expedition. This revelation also designated four pairs of elders to travel about the eastern branches of the Church to collect money and supplies and to recruit additional men. ... ... the court assembled in Independence. Twelve Mormon witnesses, including W. W. Phelps, Edward Partridge, and John Corrill, along with fifty of the Liberty Blues, were in town for the proceedings. After a three-hour wait, they were informed by Amos Rees and R. W. Wells that there was no hope of a criminal prosecution. The implacable hatred of the Jackson Countians was such that no Missourian could be convicted of a crime against the Mormons. ... Dunklin's terse reply ... discussed the Mormon arms that had been confiscated the preceding November. But it was strangely silent about the requested force to guard the Mormons back to their homes, failing even to acknowledge the news of the approaching reinforcements. ... The Mormons in this region are organizing an army (as they are pleased to express themselves) "to restore Zion,"--that is, to take by force of arms their former possessions in Jackson County, Mo. ... The response of the local Missourians was swift and violent. During the last week in April the county turned out en masse and burned nearly all of the 170 buildings belonging to the Mormons. ... Two objectives, then, were held by the camp as it marched out of Kirtland: to provide sufficient additional men so that the Mormons could protect themselves after they had been escorted back to their lands by the governor's force, and to supply means to sustain the Saints in Missouri until they again became self-supporting. It is apparent that the Mormons viewed Zion's Camp as operating in concert with the executive of Missouri to restore the civil rights of the Latter-day Saints in Jackson County. ... ... Hyde and Pratt returned to the camp with the news that the governor "refused to fulfill his promise of reinstating the brethren on their lands in Jackson County." Certainly Dunklin's response was unanticipated by the Mormons. ... ... sheriff of Clay County, rode up to the camp to confer with Joseph Smith. Gilliam received a statement of intention from the Mormons, which he published in the Clay County Upper Missouri Advertiser, that includes what might be considered the official version of the purpose of Zion's Camp at its termination: It is not our intention to commit hostilities against any man or body of men. It is not our intention to injure any man's person or property, except in defending ourselves. . . . It is our intention to go back upon our lands in Jackson county, by order of the Executive of the State, if possible. We have brought our arms with us for the purpose of self-defense, as it is well known to almost every man of the State that we have every reason to put ourselves in an attitude of defense, considering the abuse we have suffered in Jackson county. We are anxious for a settlement of the difficulties existing between us, upon honorable and constitutional principles. Several sources assert that one purpose of the camp was to carry supplies to the exiled Saints. But no evidence has materialized that any supplies were actually delivered to the Saints in Clay County. ... the Governor, who readily acknowledged the justice of the demand, but frankly told us he dare not attempt the execution of the laws in that respect, for fear of deluging the whole country in civil war and bloodshed. He advised us to relinquish our rights, for the sake of peace, and to sell our lands from which we had been driven. ... Dunklin had written to John Thornton, an influential Clay Countian, urging Thornton to effect a compromise between the Mormons and the Jackson citizens and suggesting that the best course would be for the local Missourians to buy out the Mormons. ... It is inconceivable, however, that the governor sincerely believed that a compromise could be reached. Whether the camp would have been able to protect the Saints had they been restored to their lands in Jackson is questionable. The combined Mormon force would have totaled between 400 and 500 men. On the other hand, 400 to 500 Missourians were involved in the destruction of Phelps' house and printing office on 20 July 1833. ... that 900 men from Jackson and 700 others from adjoining counties--undoubtedly inflated estimates--had been raised to attack the Mormons if they attempted a return. The destiny of Zion's Camp, in a real sense, was in Dunklin's hands. His promise of a guard was a precipitating factor in the camp's creation. And his decision not to provide armed assistance removed any opportunity for the camp to play a lawful role in recovering Mormon lands. Nevertheless, in retrospect it would seem that Joseph Smith had no other reasonable alternative at the 24 February council meeting but to respond as he did with the formation of Zion's Camp. Given the Mormons' belief in the eschatological significance of Jackson County, it was impossible for them simply to walk away from their holdings in Jackson without making some substantial effort toward their recovery, particularly with the governor's promise of help lingering in their minds. The camp was the embodiment of such an effort. It further brought into sharp focus just what the Mormons could expect from the Missouri government. Having made that effort and having tested the limits of governmental support, the leaders of the Church could move from a single minded concentration on Jackson County to examine other alternatives for the Latter-day Saints in Missouri. Peter Crawley and Richard L Anderson, "The Political and Social Realities of Zion's Camp", Brigham Young University Studies, Vol. 14, No. 4 ------------------- Zion's Camp had its beginnings in the violent expulsion of the Mormons from Jackson County, Missouri, in early November 1833. News of the expulsion reached Joseph Smith and the members of the Church in Kirtland, Ohio, on 25 November.... ...Joseph Smith wrote to Edward Partridge, the bishop in Missouri, instructing Partridge to use the law to obtain redress, but not to sell any of the Mormon land. ... on 16 December 1833, Joseph Smith received a long revelation (now Doctrine and Covenants 101) concerning the Jackson County difficulties that was immediately printed in broadside form and circulated among the Saints in Ohio and Missouri. ... Explaining why the Latter-day Saints had been driven from Jackson, this revelation enjoined the elders to continue to use constitutional means to obtain redress. In addition, it suggested that the elders attempt to buy out their persecutors in Jackson County, and in this regard, the revelation asserted that at that moment there was enough money in the hands of the eastern branches of the Church to buy out the local Missourians and settle the Jackson County dispute. Most significant for the eventual organization of Zion's Camp, this revelation included a long parable of a nobleman and his vineyard that carried an implicit promise of armed assistance to the exiled Jackson County Mormons from the Church in Kirtland. In the course of this parable it is asked when this help would be forthcoming. The answer: "When I will." The Mormon leaders in Missouri lost little time in apprising Daniel Dunklin of the Jackson situation. ... A response from the governor came through his legal assistant two weeks later. ... From conversation I have had with the Governor, I believe I am warranted in saying to you, and through you to the Mormons, that if they desire to be replaced in possession of their property, that is, their houses in Jackson county, an adequate force will be sent forthwith to effect that object. ... If the Mormons will organize themselves into regular companies, or a regular company of militia, either volunteers or otherwise, they will, I have no doubt, be supplied with public arms. On 6 December 1833 a petition was sent to Governor Dunklin by the elders in Missouri. This petition specifically requested (1) assistance from the governor so that the Mormons could "be restored" to their homes in Jackson and (2) continuing military protection by either the state militia or a detachment of the United States Rangers until peace could be restored. The concluding paragraph requested a court of inquiry after arrangements had been made to protect the Mormons with an armed force, and here it was mentioned that such a force would be needed until the Missouri Mormons could "receive strength from our friends to protect ourselves"--an idea that ultimately would become the underlying concept in the formation of Zion's Camp. ... "The Governor has manifested a willingness to restore us back, and will if we request it; but this will be of little use unless he could leave a force there to help protect us; for the mob say, that three months shall not pass before they will drive us again. And he cannot leave a force without calling a special Legislature for that purpose ... If we could be placed back, and become organized into independent companies, and armed with power and liberty to stand in our own defense, it would be much better for us. ..." ... serious doubts that a fair court of inquiry could be held in Jackson County because a large part of the Mormons who would need to testify, particularly women and children, greatly feared violent reprisals from the local Missourians. Gilbert then offered a new suggestion: that the Mormons buy out the leaders of the anti-Mormon faction, thereby reducing agitation against the Saints. ... (1) After three months no progress had been made toward the recovery of the Mormons' possessions in Jackson County. (2) Governor Dunklin had promised to provide an armed force to guard the Mormons while they returned to their homes in Jackson. (3) The governor was unwilling to retain that force in the county after the Mormons had returned. (4) Unless an appropriate additional armed force--perhaps one made up of members of the Church from Kirtland and the eastern branches--remained in the county after their return, the Saints would certainly be driven from their homes again. (5) A fair court of inquiry probably could not be held in Jackson. ... Joseph Smith had little choice but to respond with a pledge of help from the Church in Kirtland. His failure to do so at this critical juncture would certainly have been interpreted as an abandonment of the Missouri Saints. ... Joseph Smith received a revelation (now Doctrine and Covenants 103) confirming the decision of the council and outlining the procedure for the expedition. This revelation also designated four pairs of elders to travel about the eastern branches of the Church to collect money and supplies and to recruit additional men. ... ... the court assembled in Independence. Twelve Mormon witnesses, including W. W. Phelps, Edward Partridge, and John Corrill, along with fifty of the Liberty Blues, were in town for the proceedings. After a three-hour wait, they were informed by Amos Rees and R. W. Wells that there was no hope of a criminal prosecution. The implacable hatred of the Jackson Countians was such that no Missourian could be convicted of a crime against the Mormons. ... Dunklin's terse reply ... discussed the Mormon arms that had been confiscated the preceding November. But it was strangely silent about the requested force to guard the Mormons back to their homes, failing even to acknowledge the news of the approaching reinforcements. ... The Mormons in this region are organizing an army (as they are pleased to express themselves) "to restore Zion,"--that is, to take by force of arms their former possessions in Jackson County, Mo. ... The response of the local Missourians was swift and violent. During the last week in April the county turned out en masse and burned nearly all of the 170 buildings belonging to the Mormons. ... Two objectives, then, were held by the camp as it marched out of Kirtland: to provide sufficient additional men so that the Mormons could protect themselves after they had been escorted back to their lands by the governor's force, and to supply means to sustain the Saints in Missouri until they again became self-supporting. It is apparent that the Mormons viewed Zion's Camp as operating in concert with the executive of Missouri to restore the civil rights of the Latter-day Saints in Jackson County. ... ... Hyde and Pratt returned to the camp with the news that the governor "refused to fulfill his promise of reinstating the brethren on their lands in Jackson County." Certainly Dunklin's response was unanticipated by the Mormons. ... ... sheriff of Clay County, rode up to the camp to confer with Joseph Smith. Gilliam received a statement of intention from the Mormons, which he published in the Clay County Upper Missouri Advertiser, that includes what might be considered the official version of the purpose of Zion's Camp at its termination: It is not our intention to commit hostilities against any man or body of men. It is not our intention to injure any man's person or property, except in defending ourselves. . . . It is our intention to go back upon our lands in Jackson county, by order of the Executive of the State, if possible. We have brought our arms with us for the purpose of self-defense, as it is well known to almost every man of the State that we have every reason to put ourselves in an attitude of defense, considering the abuse we have suffered in Jackson county. We are anxious for a settlement of the difficulties existing between us, upon honorable and constitutional principles. Several sources assert that one purpose of the camp was to carry supplies to the exiled Saints. But no evidence has materialized that any supplies were actually delivered to the Saints in Clay County. ... the Governor, who readily acknowledged the justice of the demand, but frankly told us he dare not attempt the execution of the laws in that respect, for fear of deluging the whole country in civil war and bloodshed. He advised us to relinquish our rights, for the sake of peace, and to sell our lands from which we had been driven. ... Dunklin had written to John Thornton, an influential Clay Countian, urging Thornton to effect a compromise between the Mormons and the Jackson citizens and suggesting that the best course would be for the local Missourians to buy out the Mormons. ... It is inconceivable, however, that the governor sincerely believed that a compromise could be reached. Whether the camp would have been able to protect the Saints had they been restored to their lands in Jackson is questionable. The combined Mormon force would have totaled between 400 and 500 men. On the other hand, 400 to 500 Missourians were involved in the destruction of Phelps' house and printing office on 20 July 1833. ... that 900 men from Jackson and 700 others from adjoining counties--undoubtedly inflated estimates--had been raised to attack the Mormons if they attempted a return. The destiny of Zion's Camp, in a real sense, was in Dunklin's hands. His promise of a guard was a precipitating factor in the camp's creation. And his decision not to provide armed assistance removed any opportunity for the camp to play a lawful role in recovering Mormon lands. Nevertheless, in retrospect it would seem that Joseph Smith had no other reasonable alternative at the 24 February council meeting but to respond as he did with the formation of Zion's Camp. Given the Mormons' belief in the eschatological significance of Jackson County, it was impossible for them simply to walk away from their holdings in Jackson without making some substantial effort toward their recovery, particularly with the governor's promise of help lingering in their minds. The camp was the embodiment of such an effort. It further brought into sharp focus just what the Mormons could expect from the Missouri government. Having made that effort and having tested the limits of governmental support, the leaders of the Church could move from a single minded concentration on Jackson County to examine other alternatives for the Latter-day Saints in Missouri. Peter Crawley and Richard L Anderson, "The Political and Social Realities of Zion's Camp", Brigham Young University Studies, Vol. 14, No. 4 ------------------- Zion's Camp had its beginnings in the violent expulsion of the Mormons from Jackson County, Missouri, in early November 1833. News of the expulsion reached Joseph Smith and the members of the Church in Kirtland, Ohio, on 25 November.... ...Joseph Smith wrote to Edward Partridge, the bishop in Missouri, instructing Partridge to use the law to obtain redress, but not to sell any of the Mormon land. ... on 16 December 1833, Joseph Smith received a long revelation (now Doctrine and Covenants 101) concerning the Jackson County difficulties that was immediately printed in broadside form and circulated among the Saints in Ohio and Missouri. ... Explaining why the Latter-day Saints had been driven from Jackson, this revelation enjoined the elders to continue to use constitutional means to obtain redress. In addition, it suggested that the elders attempt to buy out their persecutors in Jackson County, and in this regard, the revelation asserted that at that moment there was enough money in the hands of the eastern branches of the Church to buy out the local Missourians and settle the Jackson County dispute. Most significant for the eventual organization of Zion's Camp, this revelation included a long parable of a nobleman and his vineyard that carried an implicit promise of armed assistance to the exiled Jackson County Mormons from the Church in Kirtland. In the course of this parable it is asked when this help would be forthcoming. The answer: "When I will." The Mormon leaders in Missouri lost little time in apprising Daniel Dunklin of the Jackson situation. ... A response from the governor came through his legal assistant two weeks later. ... From conversation I have had with the Governor, I believe I am warranted in saying to you, and through you to the Mormons, that if they desire to be replaced in possession of their property, that is, their houses in Jackson county, an adequate force will be sent forthwith to effect that object. ... If the Mormons will organize themselves into regular companies, or a regular company of militia, either volunteers or otherwise, they will, I have no doubt, be supplied with public arms. On 6 December 1833 a petition was sent to Governor Dunklin by the elders in Missouri. This petition specifically requested (1) assistance from the governor so that the Mormons could "be restored" to their homes in Jackson and (2) continuing military protection by either the state militia or a detachment of the United States Rangers until peace could be restored. The concluding paragraph requested a court of inquiry after arrangements had been made to protect the Mormons with an armed force, and here it was mentioned that such a force would be needed until the Missouri Mormons could "receive strength from our friends to protect ourselves"--an idea that ultimately would become the underlying concept in the formation of Zion's Camp. ... "The Governor has manifested a willingness to restore us back, and will if we request it; but this will be of little use unless he could leave a force there to help protect us; for the mob say, that three months shall not pass before they will drive us again. And he cannot leave a force without calling a special Legislature for that purpose ... If we could be placed back, and become organized into independent companies, and armed with power and liberty to stand in our own defense, it would be much better for us. ..." ... serious doubts that a fair court of inquiry could be held in Jackson County because a large part of the Mormons who would need to testify, particularly women and children, greatly feared violent reprisals from the local Missourians. Gilbert then offered a new suggestion: that the Mormons buy out the leaders of the anti-Mormon faction, thereby reducing agitation against the Saints. ... (1) After three months no progress had been made toward the recovery of the Mormons' possessions in Jackson County. (2) Governor Dunklin had promised to provide an armed force to guard the Mormons while they returned to their homes in Jackson. (3) The governor was unwilling to retain that force in the county after the Mormons had returned. (4) Unless an appropriate additional armed force--perhaps one made up of members of the Church from Kirtland and the eastern branches--remained in the county after their return, the Saints would certainly be driven from their homes again. (5) A fair court of inquiry probably could not be held in Jackson. ... Joseph Smith had little choice but to respond with a pledge of help from the Church in Kirtland. His failure to do so at this critical juncture would certainly have been interpreted as an abandonment of the Missouri Saints. ... Joseph Smith received a revelation (now Doctrine and Covenants 103) confirming the decision of the council and outlining the procedure for the expedition. This revelation also designated four pairs of elders to travel about the eastern branches of the Church to collect money and supplies and to recruit additional men. ... ... the court assembled in Independence. Twelve Mormon witnesses, including W. W. Phelps, Edward Partridge, and John Corrill, along with fifty of the Liberty Blues, were in town for the proceedings. After a three-hour wait, they were informed by Amos Rees and R. W. Wells that there was no hope of a criminal prosecution. The implacable hatred of the Jackson Countians was such that no Missourian could be convicted of a crime against the Mormons. ... Dunklin's terse reply ... discussed the Mormon arms that had been confiscated the preceding November. But it was strangely silent about the requested force to guard the Mormons back to their homes, failing even to acknowledge the news of the approaching reinforcements. ... The Mormons in this region are organizing an army (as they are pleased to express themselves) "to restore Zion,"--that is, to take by force of arms their former possessions in Jackson County, Mo. ... The response of the local Missourians was swift and violent. During the last week in April the county turned out en masse and burned nearly all of the 170 buildings belonging to the Mormons. ... Two objectives, then, were held by the camp as it marched out of Kirtland: to provide sufficient additional men so that the Mormons could protect themselves after they had been escorted back to their lands by the governor's force, and to supply means to sustain the Saints in Missouri until they again became self-supporting. It is apparent that the Mormons viewed Zion's Camp as operating in concert with the executive of Missouri to restore the civil rights of the Latter-day Saints in Jackson County. ... ... Hyde and Pratt returned to the camp with the news that the governor "refused to fulfill his promise of reinstating the brethren on their lands in Jackson County." Certainly Dunklin's response was unanticipated by the Mormons. ... ... sheriff of Clay County, rode up to the camp to confer with Joseph Smith. Gilliam received a statement of intention from the Mormons, which he published in the Clay County Upper Missouri Advertiser, that includes what might be considered the official version of the purpose of Zion's Camp at its termination: It is not our intention to commit hostilities against any man or body of men. It is not our intention to injure any man's person or property, except in defending ourselves. . . . It is our intention to go back upon our lands in Jackson county, by order of the Executive of the State, if possible. We have brought our arms with us for the purpose of self-defense, as it is well known to almost every man of the State that we have every reason to put ourselves in an attitude of defense, considering the abuse we have suffered in Jackson county. We are anxious for a settlement of the difficulties existing between us, upon honorable and constitutional principles. Several sources assert that one purpose of the camp was to carry supplies to the exiled Saints. But no evidence has materialized that any supplies were actually delivered to the Saints in Clay County. ... the Governor, who readily acknowledged the justice of the demand, but frankly told us he dare not attempt the execution of the laws in that respect, for fear of deluging the whole country in civil war and bloodshed. He advised us to relinquish our rights, for the sake of peace, and to sell our lands from which we had been driven. ... Dunklin had written to John Thornton, an influential Clay Countian, urging Thornton to effect a compromise between the Mormons and the Jackson citizens and suggesting that the best course would be for the local Missourians to buy out the Mormons. ... It is inconceivable, however, that the governor sincerely believed that a compromise could be reached. Whether the camp would have been able to protect the Saints had they been restored to their lands in Jackson is questionable. The combined Mormon force would have totaled between 400 and 500 men. On the other hand, 400 to 500 Missourians were involved in the destruction of Phelps' house and printing office on 20 July 1833. ... that 900 men from Jackson and 700 others from adjoining counties--undoubtedly inflated estimates--had been raised to attack the Mormons if they attempted a return. The destiny of Zion's Camp, in a real sense, was in Dunklin's hands. His promise of a guard was a precipitating factor in the camp's creation. And his decision not to provide armed assistance removed any opportunity for the camp to play a lawful role in recovering Mormon lands. Nevertheless, in retrospect it would seem that Joseph Smith had no other reasonable alternative at the 24 February council meeting but to respond as he did with the formation of Zion's Camp. Given the Mormons' belief in the eschatological significance of Jackson County, it was impossible for them simply to walk away from their holdings in Jackson without making some substantial effort toward their recovery, particularly with the governor's promise of help lingering in their minds. The camp was the embodiment of such an effort. It further brought into sharp focus just what the Mormons could expect from the Missouri government. Having made that effort and having tested the limits of governmental support, the leaders of the Church could move from a single minded concentration on Jackson County to examine other alternatives for the Latter-day Saints in Missouri. Peter Crawley and Richard L Anderson, "The Political and Social Realities of Zion's Camp", Brigham Young University Studies, Vol. 14, No. 4 ------------------- ... the Missouri settlers in the early 1800s came mainly fro the southern states of Tennessee and Kentucky, and their culture differed widely from that of the first Mormons to arrive. ... [Stephen C. LeSueur]: ... Since colonial times, when impassioned citizens tarred and feathered tax collectors, dumped English tea into Boston harbor, and declared their independence from Great Britain, Americans have claimed the right to take the law into their own hands to enforce justice. Such violence has generally been conservative in purpose, and thus supported or tolerated by a large portion of the population. Vigilante organizations, often led by members of the local elite, acted to preserve established customs and practices against persons and groups that were perceived as a threat to society. ... the Mormon story as a flight from American religious pluralism or institutional religious diversity, which was actually a sub-theme of Jacksonian America. ... the Book of Mormon itself was anti-pluralistic as the Nephites tried to sustain and support a theocratic government which eventually succumbed to pluralism, materialism, and lack of belief in God by the greater Nephite-Lamanite society. ... These settlers had a firm belief in the importance of individualism and their ability to seek their own way. ... The Missouri settlers saw the Saints as a cohesive, anti-individualistic society with a closed economic system. ...most of the Mormons came from the North or Canada, bring radically different cultural mores. ... By 1830, some 1,200 Mormons had come to Jackson County, comprising about 30% of the population. ... The Latter-day Saints themselves believed Mormon and gentile societies were incompatible. The revelations to Joseph Smith identified Jackson as Zion, and Zion was to be the abode of the righteous only. If the gentiles did not leave, the Saints believed, the Lord would destroy them. ..."We could not associate with our neighbors who were many of them of the basest of men and hadfled from the face of civilized society, to the frontier country to escape the hand of justice, in their midnight revels, their Sabbath breaking, horse racing, and gambling, they commenced at first to ridicule, then to persecute." ... Another problem arose over the Mormons' friendship to the Indians. ... ... Missouri was a slave state, while the Mormons were anti-slavery and sympathized with the abolitionist movement. ... John L. Fowles, "Missouri and the Redemption of Zion: A Setting for Conflict," Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: Missouri, Editors Arnold K. Garr and Clark V. Johnson (Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University, 1994). ------------------- [Commentary, the tendency with our church history is to put a pretty face or faithful face on EVERY situation. Zion's camp was a botched vigilante attempt. They were armed and dangerous, they were not using due process. Zion's vengeance was a mob just like so many lawless mobs that the Mormons detested. The redeeming quality of the Mormon semi-militia was that it failed to engage in battle, which would not have promoted the cause of Zion. A mob is a mob is a mob, just because they are Mormons does not mean that mob becomes a camping trip. Mislabeling the intent of the group does not prepare us to face reality beyond the vail.] --------------------- To help the Missouri Saints, Joseph Smith arrived in June 1834 at the head of Zion's Camp, a paramilitary body of Latter-day Saints from the East. All efforts to achieve either reentry into Jackson County or redress of grievances came to naught. Outright war between Missourians and Mormons seemed imminent. By revelation (D&C 105) Joseph Smith was told to disband the camp because Zion could not yet be redeemed; bloodshed was thereby averted. ------------------------- The published history of Zion's Camp gives an account of the bones of a man which we dug out of a mound. His name was Zelph. The Lord showed the Prophet the hsitroy of the man in a vision. The arrow, by which he was killed, was found among his bones. One of his thigh bones was broken by a stone slung in battle. The bone was put into my wagon, and I carried it to clay county, Missouri, and buried it in the earth. -- Wilford Woodruff, Leaves From My Journal, Third Book of the Faith-Promoting Series (Juvenile Instructor Office: Salt Lake City, 1881) -------------------------- Avilda Diena Hickman was the daughter of the "notorious" William Adams Hickman, is mentioned in the multi-volume History of the Church (attributed to Joseph Smith), and in Essentials in Church History by Joseph Fielding Smith. These mentions are brief, and not very complimentary. He is also the subject of a well-researched biography by Hope Hilton, entitled "'Wild Bill' Hickman and the Mormon Frontier." When Joseph Smith took Zion's Camp from Kirtland to Missouri? As they passed through Missouri, the passed by Hickman's farm. He heard their story and joined the church. He later moved to Nauvoo. He acted as bodyguard to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and in Utah was plurally married to ten women at once. However, to make a long story short, he had a falling out with Brigham Young which led to Hickman testifying against Young in federal court in exchange for charges against him being dropped. While in prison, Hickman was contacted by John Beadle, a venomous anti-Mormon writer, who asked Hickman for the right to publish his life story. Hickman dictated his story to Beadle, who published it under the title of "Brigham's Destroying Angel, Being the Life, Confession, and Startling Disclosures of the Notorious Bill Hickman, the Danite Chief of Utah". Hickman is said to have tried to disassociate himself from the book, saying that "it was all a lie", embellished beyond recognition by Beadle for the purpose of slandering the church, and especially Brigham Young. At any rate, Hickman was ostracized from the church, and from Utah society, and all but his first wife left him, and some of them even changed the surnames of Hickman's children. Hickman and his wife died (in 1883 and 1886) in the hills of Wyoming in obscurity. ------------------------- LeRoy S. Wirthlin, "Joseph Smith's Surgeon," Ensign 8 (March 1978): 59. Happily, for young Joseph, Dr. Smith's plans to leave the area had been delayed by a typhoid epidemic. Joseph Smith could scarcely have led the long march of Zion's Camp years later without this dramatic medical help. --------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 30 Date: 10 Sep 1997 21:24:14 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 1 01 -2 Lesson 30 Scriptural Highlights 1. Expulsion from Jackson County 2. Conditions during the Millennium 3. Organization of the first high council 4. Disciplinary councils Invite one or two class members to share an experience that tested their faith. Discussion and Application Questions * The Saints who came to Missouri had hoped to build Zion there. But when they were driven out of Jackson County in November 1833, this hope seemed shattered. What do you think it would have been like to be among them? What do you think you would have done when you were cast out? What self-searching questions might you have asked? Why did God permit the Saints to be driven from Jackson County? (D&C 101:1-2, 39-42; 103:1-4; 105:2-6.) What transgressions had the Saints committed? (D&C 101 :6-8.) Why does God want his people to be "chastened and tried, even as Abraham"? (D&C 101 :4-5; see the quotation from President Cannon). * What does D&C 101 reveal about how the Lord deals with human weakness? (D&C 101 :9, 12-16.) * Although the establishment of Zion in Jackson County, Missouri, was postponed, what promises did the Lord make about Zion's future? (D&C 101:17-23.) What can we do to help establish Zion? (See the quotation from President Kimball.) What will it be like to live during the Millennium? (D&C 101 :24-34.) * How did the par,able in D&C 101 :43-64 apply to the problems of the Missouri Saints? (D&C 101:65-66, 75; see also D&C 86:1-7; Matthew 13:6-43.) How might this parable apply to us? * In D&C 102 the Lord describes the high council's judicial role. What are some purposes of Church disciplinary councils? (See the quotation from Elder Ballard.) How can disciplinary councils bless the lives of Church members who commit serious sin? Quotations President George Q. Cannon: "Why did the Lord ask such things of Abraham? Because, knowing what his future would be and that he would be the father of an innumerable posterity, he was determined to test him. God did not do this for His own sake; for He knew by His foreknowledge what Abraham would do; but the purpose was to impress upon Abraham a lesson, and to enable him to attain unto knowledge that he could not obtain in any other way. That is why God tries all of us" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1899, p. 66). President Spencer W. Kimball: "May I suggest three fundamental things . . . for which we who labor for Zion must commit ourselves. "First, we must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul, shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind.... "Second, we must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other. There must be unanimity in our decisions and unity in our action.... "Third, we must lay on the altar and sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We begin by offering a 'broken heart and a contrite spirit.''We follow this by giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and callings. We learn our duty and execute it fully. Finally, we consecrate our time, talents, and means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of the Spirit" (Ensign, May 1978, p. 81). Elder M. Russell Ballard: "In the scriptures, the Lord has given direction concerning Church disciplinary councils. (See D&C 102.) The word council brings to mind a helpful proceeding - one of love and concern, with the salvation and blessing of the transgressor being the foremost consideration. "Members sometimes ask why Church disciplinary councils are held. The purpose is threefold: to save the soul of the transgressor, to protect the innocent, and to safeguard the Church's purity, integrity, and good name.... "The miracle of the gospel is that we all can repent. Church government calls for Church disciplinary councils. But the Lord's system also calls for restoration following repentance. Disfellowshipment or excommunication is not the end of the story, unless the member so chooses. Rather, after excommunication, followed by full repentance, come additional steps, each one bringing great blessings: baptism, restoration of priesthood and temple blessings, further growth and participation in the kingdom, enduring in righteousness to the end" (Ensign, Sept. 1990, pp. 15, 18). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 103; 105 page 59 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 30 During the months following the July 1833 destruction of W. W. Phelps's press in Independence, Missouri, persecutions against the Saints in Jackson County increased. Mobs burned the Saints' crops, destroyed their homes, whipped and beat the men, and terrorized the women and children. On 5 November the Saints were forced to give up their weapons and were driven by mobs out of Jackson County. The fortunate ones were able to save some household goods, while others escaped with nothing. Blood from the Saints' lacerated feet left a trail across the frozen prairie. Many had no shelter to protect them from the icy rain and snow as they camped along the Missouri River, and some died as a result of the hardships. The Saints later sought whatever refuge they could find in the neighboring counties and continued to suffer from persecution. On 16 December the Lord revealed his word to the suffering Saints (see D&C 101). * What do you think it would have been like to be among the exiled Saints? What self-searching questions might you have asked? * Why did God permit the Saints to be driven from Jackson County? (D&C 101:1-2, 39-42; 103:1-4; 105:2-6.) * Although the establishment of Zion in Jackson County, Missouri, was postponed, what promises did the Lord make about Zion's future? (D&C 101:17-23.) * What will it be like to live during the Millennium? (D&C 101 :24-34.) Doctrine and Covenants 102 is taken from the minutes of a meeting held on 17 February 1834 to organize the first high council of the Church. This section records procedures for high council disciplinary councils. Mobbers on the Missouri River, by C. C. A. Christensen. Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts at Brigham Young University. ... the Prophet received a revelation wherein the Lord counseled the Saints to prepare statements describing their recent persecutions.... Beginning in May 1839, Church members started writing their Missouri experiences. These affidavits were sworn before civil authorities in Illinois and Iowa. ... During the ensuing years (1839-43), the Latter-day Saints presented these documents to the federal government on at least three different occasions in a concerted attempt to obtain reparation from the federal government for their sufferings in Missouri. ... The earliest petitions portray the mobbings in Jackson County and the latest end with the persecution resulting from Governor Boggs' Extermination Order. ... One hundred six men and three women claimed that they were taken prisoner by the Missouri militia or mobs, and at least 21 Mormons were killed. One hundred twenty-one people wrote more than one petition. Generally their first petition claimed monies, properties, abuses, etc., suffered in Missouri, while their second petition usually give a detailed account of what happened at an event or place. ... ... Some of the land purchased by the Saints was called "congress land," which could be bought from the federal government for $1.25 per acre; however, some of the Mormons paid between five dollars and $415 per acre for congress land and received preemption certificates which gave them the right to the land if and when the federal government decided to sell it. In the meantime they settled the land, tilled the ground, and built houses and barns, thereby increasing the property value. The petitions reflect the fact that most of them owned at least one town lot and 40 acres, whereas a few owned 80 acres, and still fewer owned 160 acres. ... Many of the petitions indicate that they lived in more than one county during their sojourn in Missouri. ... Probably the reason the Saints owned so little property was their recent arrival in Missouri. [Conclusions] ... these affidavits represent sworn legal documents, which tell a horrifying story of murder, beating, thievery, and general lawlessness perpetrated upon the Saints during their residency in Missouri. The documents explain that the abuses suffered by the Mormons were not the result of spontaneous uprisings led by drunken town rabble ..., but that these uprising carried the sanction of the local and state governments. ... In the past, Mormon and non-Mormon writers have argued objectively that the Mormons were driven from Missouri because of political, cultural, economic, social, and religious differences existing between themselves and the Missourians. They base their statements on documents written by some of the citizens of Jackson, and later, Clay Count, when they demanded that the Mormons leave their counties. Such reasoning may be true in part, but the petitioners indicate that religious differences were the primary cause of their troubles. The affidavits demonstrate that the Saints could have spared themselves great abuse and suffering if they ahd succumbed to the mobbers' demands that they deny their faith, slander Joseph Smith and give up their membership in the Church or denounce the Book of Mormon. Clark V. Johnson, "A Profile of Mormon Missouri, 1834-1839," Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: Missouri," Edited by Arnold K. Garr and Clark V. Johnson (Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University, 1994) This was included in lesson 29 instead of 30, by me. (Sorry) 10. Church Discipline THE PURPOSES of Church DISCIPLINE The purposes of Church discipline are to (1) save the souls of transgressors; (2) protect the innocent; and (3) safeguard the purity, integrity, and good name of the Church. Church discipline includes giving cautions in private interviews, imposing restrictions in probations, and withdrawing fellowship or membership. The first purpose of Church discipline is to save the soul of the transgressor (see D&C 1:31-32, 19:13-20, 42:37, 58:42, and 64:12-13). God does not overlook sin, and his servants cannot ignore serious transgressions if they have knowledge or evidence of them (see Mosiah 26:29). But God does forgive repentant sinners; his servants should follow that example. Church discipline helps save the souls of transgressors by assisting members to repent. It helps them recognize and forsake sin, make restitution, and demonstrate their renewed commitment to keep the commandments of God. The demands of justice require punishment or repentance for transgression. Sin causes suffering; repentance relieves suffering. God commands us to repent so we will not receive eternal punishment and have to suffer even as the Savior suffered for the sins of mankind (see D&C 19:11-21, Alma 42). For the repentant, "mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement" (Alma 42:23). Often, the change that results from repentance can be brought about by informal Church discipline, including private counseling or informal probation. However, in some instances, the only way to encourage true repentance may be to convene a disciplinary council (formerly called a Church "court") and consider formal Church discipline. Without formal Church discipline, some transgressors may never experience the change of behavior and the change of heart necessary to qualify them for redemption through the Atonement, for "none but the truly penitent are saved" (Alma 42:24). The second purpose of Church discipline is to protect the innocent. Whether the offense is physical harm, sexual abuse, drug misuse, fraudulent practices, or apostasy, leaders are responsible to take disciplinary action. With inspiration, a priesthood leader should be alert to spiritual and physical threats to Church members and, when necessary, should act to protect them (see Alma 5:59). The third purpose of Church discipline is to safeguard the purity, integrity, and good name of the Church. Consequently, serious transgressions that harm or denigrate the Church may require the action of a disciplinary council. ------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 32 Date: 10 Sep 1997 21:25:44 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 106-8 Lesson 32 Scriptural Highlights 1. Power and authority of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods 2. Three quorums that preside over the Church 3. Functions of priesthood quorums and their presidencies Express your feelings about the priesthood and the blessings you have received through it. Invite class members to express their feelings about the priesthood and to share insights and experiences relating to D&C 107. Discussion and Application Questions * What is the historical setting for D&C 107? (See the Class Member Study Guide for this lesson and the heading to D&C 107.) How does this revelation fit into the Lord's line-upon-line restoration of priesthood authority? (See the first additional idea for this lesson.) * What is the significance of the original name of the Melchizedek Priesthood? (D&C 107:1-4.) How can we show greater reverence and respect for the Lord's name? (D&C 63:60-64.) * What power and authority are given through the Melchizedek Priesthood? What power and authority are given through the Aaronic Priesthood? (D&C 107:6-20.) * In D&C 107 the Lord describes the three quorums that preside over the Church. What are the functions of the First Presidency? (D&C 107:9, 22, 65-66, 78-81, 91-92.) What are the functions of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles? (D&C 107:23-24, 33, 35, 39, 58.) What are the functions of the Quorums of the Seventy? (D&C 107:25-26, 34, 97.) * What did the Lord reveal about how the presiding quorums of the Church are to make decisions? (See D&C 107:27-31 and the quotation from Elder Craven.) How can we apply these principles as we make decisions at home and at church? * What are the responsibilities of special witnesses of Jesus Christ? (D&C 107:23.) Why is it important to know that there are such witnesses among our Church leaders? * What occurred at Adam-ondi-Ahman three years before Adam's death? (D&C 107:53-56.) What will occur at Adam-ondi-Ahman before the Savior's second coming? (D&C 116.) * In D&C 107:72 and 74 the Lord emphasizes the duty of bishops to be judges in Zion. In what ways are bishops judges? Why are such judges necessary in the Church? * What did the Lord reveal about the duties of quorum presidents? (D&C 107:85-89; 112:11-12.) In D&C 107:85, what did the Lord suggest about the duties of quorum members? How can quorum members better edify one another? The Lord commanded, "Let every man learn his duty" (D&C 107:99). How do we learn our duties? How can we encourage and support each other in performing our duties? What blessings come as we learn and perform our duties? (D&C 84:33-39.) * The Lord has counseled, "Strengthen your brethren" (D&C 108:7; see also Luke 22:31-32). How has someone strengthened you? How can we better strengthen others? Quotation Elder Rulon G. Craven: "The members of the Twelve strive to live according to the promptings of the Spirit. They speak their mind. However, they are also good listeners and speak when moved upon by the Holy Spirit. Their posture in quorum meetings is to listen and sense the directing power of the Spirit, which always leads to a unity of decision. l marveled as I watched the directing power of the Spirit touch the minds and hearts of the members of the Twelve, influencing the decision-making process.... My witness from personal observation is that you can have unwavering faith in the united counsel of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. They will lead you in the path of righteousness, happiness, and inner peace" (Ensign, May 1991, p. 28). Additional Ideas 1. The Lord restored priesthood authority and organization line upon line as follows: a. Aaronic Priesthood: 15 May 1829 (D&C 13) b. Melchizedek Priesthood: May or June 1829 (D&C 128:20) c. Elders, priests, teachers' and deacons: April 1830 (D&C 20) d. Bishop: 4 February 1831 (D&C 41) e. High priests: June 1831 (heading to D&C 52) f. First Presidency: 1832 (D&C 81) g. Oath and covenant of the priesthood: 22 September 1832 (D&C 84) h. Patriarch: 1833 i. High council: 17 February 1834 (D&C 102) j. Quorum of the Twelve and Quorum of the Seventy: February 1835 (D&C 107) k. Keys of gathering and sealing: 3 April 1836 (D&C 110) 2. Suggested topic for family home evening: "The Priesthood in Our Home," lesson 19 in the Family Home Evening Resource Book. Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 109-10 Page 63 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 32 Counselors had been called to assist the Prophet Joseph as early as March 1832 (see D&C 81 :1), and the First Presidency was formally organized one year later (see the heading to D&C 90). The year 1835 brought further developments in Church organization. On 14 February the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was formed, and two weeks later the Quorum of Seventy was created. Most of the members of these quorums had been part of Zion's Camp and had demonstrated their faithfulness during the hardships encountered on the march to Missouri. On 28 March the Lord revealed D&C 107, in which he defined the priesthood and revealed more information about the responsibilities of priesthood holders. * What power and authority are given through the Melchizedek Priesthood? What power and authority are given through the Aaronic Priesthood? (D&C 107:6-20.) * What does D&C 107 teach about the functions of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Quorums of the Seventy? * How can you more effectively strengthen others as instructed in D&C 108:7? The First Presidency of the Church in 1835 (left to right): Sidney Rigdon, Joseph Smith, and Frederick G. Williams. Painting of Joseph Smith used courtesy of Library-Archives' Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Auditorium, Independence, Missouri. Page 64 August 13, 1997 Section 106 Section 107 Verses 1-58 were received 28 March 1835. Verses 59-10, except 61, 70, 73, 76-78, part of 92, and 93-98, were received in November 1831. Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio. (The verses received in November 1831 were received in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.) ... Knowing that they would soon depart for the East, members of the quorum requested that the Prophet "enquire of God for us and obtain a written revelation ... that we may look upon it when we are separate that our hearts may be comforted." ... Some evidence suggests that Oliver Cowdery served as scribe. Organizationally, verses 21-37 2343 significant because they tempered the earlier supremacy of the presidency of the high priesthood by equally dispersing presiding priesthood authority among fie quorums of church government. ... "common council" (i.e., a bishop, his counselors, and twelve high priests.). Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 215-216. Compare the textual similarities of sections 107:59-100 and 63:13-35. Both revelations were received in November 1831 in Ohio. Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 326. ... The organization of the Twelve Apostles was an early topic of discussion by the Prophet and the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon. In October 1831 it was decided that "they would be ordained & sent forth from the land of Zion." However, the loss of Zion (Jackson County, Missouri) in 1833 precluded that arrangement, and they were "ordained and sent forth" from Kirtland.... Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 327. ... making it much more difficult to remove a member of the First Presidency: ... inquiry was made of the Lord relative to the trial of the first Presidency of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, For transgressions according to the item of law.... Let the first Presidency of my Church, be held in full fellowship in Zion and all her Stakes, untill they Shall be found transgressors, by Such an high Council as is named in the above alluded Section, in Zion, by three Witnesses Standing against Each member of Said Presidency, and these witnesses Shall be of long and faithfull Standing.... ... when a descision is had by Such an Council in Zion, it Shall only be for Zion, it Shall not answer for her Stakes, but if Such descision be acknowledged by the Council of her Stakes, then it Shall answer for her Stakes. ...if Such descision Shall be acknowledged by a majority of the Stakes, then it Shall answer for all her Stakes and again, The Presidency of my Church may be tried by the voice of the whole body of the Church of Zion, and the voice of a majority of all her Stakes.... Except a jamority is had by the voice of the Chrurch of Zion and a majority of all her Stakes, The charges will be considered not Sustained. Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 328-329. The Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph to call together all of the men who had participated in the Zion's Camp march. These men were to be called to the ministry and from among them twelve were to be called as apostles to carry the word of the Lord and the blessings of his gospel to all nations. This meeting was convened at Kirtland, Ohio, on 14 February 1835. Under the hands of Joseph Smith the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon had been blessed and authorized to select the Twelve from among the members of the Camp of Zion. The first Twelve in this dispensation scarcely knew what to do. They determined in a short while that they would go out to preach the gospel. As they were about to leave, on 28 March 1835, just six weeks after their initial call, they wrote a letter to Joseph containing an interesting request and expressing a choice evidence of their complete faith in their prophet. Signed by the Council of the Twelve by their clerks, Orson Hyde and William E. McLellin, it read in part as follows: We therefore feel to aks of him whom we have acknowledged to be our Prophet and Seer, that he inquire of God for us, and obtain a revelation, (if consistent) that we may look upon it when we are separated, that our hearts may be comforted. Our worthiness has not inspired us to make this request, but our unworthiness. We have unitedly asked God our Heavenly Father to grant unto us, through His Seer, a revelation of His mind and will concerning our duty that coming season, even a great revelation, that will enlarge our hearts, comfort us in adversity, and brighten our hopes amidst the powers of darkness. ... In those early years of the Church in which this revelation was given there was no distinction made between a quorum and a council Today we would say that most quorums are not councils. In these verses the quorums being referred to (the First Presidency and the Twelve) are also priesthood councils. A priesthood council is an administrative decision-making body of priesthood bearers called together under the direction of a priesthood president or a key holder. All quorum presidencies are priesthood councils. Wilson K. Andersen, "Revelations on Priesthood, Keys, and Quorums," Studies in Scripture, Volume One: The Doctrine and Covenants, Edited by Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson (Sandy, Utah: Randall Book Co., 1984), p. 403-412. quorum vosunum: of needing to be one - quorum was abbreviation used in English common law This extensive revelation on priesthood is dated in the 1921 edition as 28 March 1835. However, it is clear that not all of the section was received on that day. The 1981 edition adds this explanation: "Although portions of this section were received on the date named, the historical records affirm that various parts were received at sundry times, some as early as November 1831." The records referred to tell us that when first published in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, this revelation was section III and captioned "On Priesthood" with no date given. Later, the 1876 edition was prepared by Elder Orson Pratt, and he place this revelation as section CVII with the explanation "the fore part, or first fifty-eight verses, being given March 28th, 1835; the other items were revealed at sundry times." Since the entire document appeared in the 1835 edition, the "sundry times" spooken of by Elder Pratt had to have been earlier than 28 March 1835. The material now in verses 59-100 is in the "Kirtland Revelation Book," which states that this material was revealed in November 1831. This information clarifies D&C 107:58, which refers to an earlier but unspecified revelation on Church government. Likewise, verse 93, which speaks of a "vision showing the order of the seenty," also seems to refer to an earlier revelation. There are other evidences that parts of section 107 were received earlier than the traditional date. For example, verses 53-55 occur verbatim in a blessing given by the Prophet to his father on 18 December 1833, sixteen months before the popular date given for section 107. The realization that section 107 is a compilation of revelations rather than a single one received on 28 march 1835 is historically quite helpful to understanding the Doctrine and Covenants. It says something about how revelation comes and how it is used and indicates that the Prophet received some revelations earlier than the date under which they appear formally in the Doctrine and Covenants. Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works--1979, 1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4, p. 412-413. The First Presidency had jurisdiction over the entire church. (Verse 22) Members did not necessarily come from the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. When Joseph Smith was killed, the First Presidency did not automatically dissolve, as is done today. First Counselor Sidney Rigdon was sustained in his position as a member of the First Presidency; Second Counselor Amasa Lyman returned to his position in the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. It was also sustained that Sidney Rigdon should continue the mission to Pennsylvania (that he wasn't doing when the Prophet died). Also, even though Rigdon was sustained as a member of the First Presidency, the saints clearly sustained to follow the Quorum of the 12 Apostles as they completed the Prophet's goals to build a temple, complete the exodus to the west, etc. (Rigdon didn't even have all the temple ordinances, making it impossible for him to supervise the administration of those ordinances to other church members. He was excommunicated a few months later for attempting to administer those ordinances which he had not yet received.) The Quorum of the 12 Apostles originally had jurisdiction only in areas where no High Council was organized. (Verses 23-24, 33) "Mission-field jurisdiction" is what is meant by the phrase "thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling." Joseph Smith administered the temple ordinances to most of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, and also specifically gave the assignment and authority to perform those ordinances to the 12 Apostles. This temple authority (usually called "Keys of the Priesthood" in that time period) was the basis for the succession of the 12 Apostles after the Prophet was killed. The seventy (verses 25-26) also had jurisdiction only in the "mission field," "thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling." The phrase "equal in authority to that of the Twelve special witnesses or Apostles just named" has always been ambiguous. It is clear from several talks by President Hinckley--especially during the time period that President Benson was ill--that the seventy do NOT have the same authority. President Hinckley continually stated that the First Presidency and the 12 Apostles hold the keys of the priesthood. (It is also obvious because the First Presidency and 12 Apostles call and delegate to the seventy.) The high council in Zion (Jackson County, or later in Nauvoo), had jurisdiction over the majority of the saints (verse 37). High councils in the "Stakes of Zion" (using the analogy of the stakes around the center pole of a tent that support it) had jurisdiction over smaller numbers of saints in their respective stake boundries. (verse 37) It should be obvious that the Quorum of the 12 Apostles are now essentially the high council described in these verses; this high council has not been eliminated, just combined with the 12 apostles. McLellin's journal presents students of early Latter-day Saint history with a different chronology of--or at least a different location for--events surrounding the meeting in which the Twelve met with the Prophet ... and Joseph's asking for and receiving the first fifty-eight verses of the revelation known as the "Revelation on Priesthood" (D&C 107). ... indicate that the meeting was held in Kirtland on March 18, 1835. ... ... March 30, it is also possible that this extremely significant meeting and Joseph's receipt of the "Revelation on Priesthood" occurred in Huntsburg rather than in Kirtland. The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831-1836, Edited by Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, (Brigham Young University and BYU Studies, 1994), p. 167. Section 108 ... The revelation informed Sherman that he would receive an ordination in conjunction with the "first of mine elders," a term which referred to a chosen few who were to receive an "endowment." The Kirtland endowment was to consist of rich outpouring of God's spirit upon the faithful elders. Preparation for the "endowment" occupied much of the Church leaders' time during the early month of 1836. Brethren who had been selected to participate in this important event met regularly in the Kirtland Temple during January and February 1836. This preparation, intended to sanctify the brethren, involved the following: 1. Confessing of sins and asking forgiveness, 2. Covenanting to be faithful to God, 3. Having one's body washed and bathed with cinnamon-perfumed whiskey, 4. Washing one's own body with pure water and perfume, 5. Having one's head anointed with holy oitl, 6. Having the anointing blessing sealed with uplifted hands (the sealing blessing consisting of three parts: solemn prayer, a sealing prayer, and the hosanna shout), and 7. Washing of faces and feet and partaking of the Lord's Supper. Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 216-217. On that same day that the apostles were first called, Elder Lyman Sherman was called to be one of the presidents of the Seventies. Some months later, in December, President Sherman came to the Prophet Joseph with a request for the word of the Lord through him, "for," he said, "I have been wrought upon to make known to you my feelings and desires, and was promised that I should have a revelation which would make known my duty." Section 108 was then revealed. Wilson K. Andersen, "Revelations on Priesthood, Keys, and Quorums," Studies in Scripture, Volume One: The Doctrine and Covenants, Edited by Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson (Sandy, Utah: Randall Book Co., 1984), p. 412. This revelation is directed through the Prophet Joseph Smith to Lyman Sherman. The former editions of the Doctrine and Covenants have not presented enough background material in the heading to enable the reader to understand the content of the revelation correctly; consequently, there has been some misunderstanding concerning it Former editions have interpreted the revelation as a promise to Brother Sherman that he would be ordained to the office of elder (see the heading to the 1921 and subsequent printings). However, since Brother Sherman was already a seventy and a high priest at the time of the revelation, some additional background is needed. On 26 December 1835, Lyman Sherman came to the Prophet and said he was "wrought upon" and troubled and desired a revelation through the Prophet as to his (Sherman's) duties. Just what was bothering him is not specified. The direction in D&C 108:2-4 (26 December 1835) is that Brother Sherman should let his "soul be at rest concerning your spiritual standing" and that he would be "remembered with the first of mine elders, whom I have chosen." This is not intended to mean an ordination to the office of elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood (as the 1921 edition states), since he was already a high priest, but seems to mean something like, "You shall be one of the first (leading) elders in the Church, etc." In 1837 he was released from the office of seventy (since at that time high priests could not be seventies) and was subsequently called as a member of the Twelve (16 January 1839) but died (February 1839) before he was ordained. The headnote and content summary to this section in the new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants are worded in a manner to guide the reader toward a proper context and interpretation. This section is a clear example of the need for adequate background information if we are to understand correctly. Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works--1979, 1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4, p. 413. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 33 Date: 10 Sep 1997 21:26:15 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 109-10 Lesson 33 Scriptural Highlights 1. Obedience and sacrifice bring spiritual blessings. 2. An inspired dedicatory prayer helps the Saints understand the purposes of temples. 3. The Lord accepts the Kirtland Temple, and messengers restore vital keys. Invite any class members who have attended a temple dedication to share their experiences. Prayerfully consider how you can most effectively teach the significance of temples and the importance of the events recorded in D&C 110. Discussion and Appilcation Questions * Why did the Lord want the Saints in Kirtland to build a temple? (D&C 95:8; 109:5-9; compare D&C 88:117-20.) * How were the Saints blessed for the sacrifices they made in building the Kirtland Temple? (D&C 109:4-5; 110.) How might we make greater sacrifices to further the work of the Lord done in the temples? * Why must we be worthy when we enter the temple? (D&C 109:20-21; 97:15-17.) What blessings may we receive as we attend the temple worthily? (See D&C 109:13-19 and the quotation from President Benson.) How have these blessings been evident in your life? What responsibilities and blessings do we have as we leave the temple? (D&C 109:22-28, 34-46.) What does it mean to you to leave the temple armed with the power, name, and glory of God? (D&C 109:22.) How has temple attendance strengthened you against temptation? (D&C 109:24-28.) How has temple attendance prepared you to proclaim the gospel? (D&C 109:23, 38-42.) * During the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, the Prophet prayed for the Church's enemies. (D&C 109:50.) How do you think the Saints felt about praying for those who drove them from their homes? What good can come from praying for our enemies? * What did Joseph Smith pray for in D&C 109:54-80? How intently do we pray for these blessings today? How has the Lord answered prayers that the entire Church has offered? * Why do you think Joseph Smith described the Lord's appearance by comparing it to fire, snow, the sun, and the rushing of greet waters? (D&C 110:1-4; Joseph Smith - History 1:17.) * Which ancient prophets appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple? (D&C 110:11-16.) What keys did Moses restore? (Articles of Faith 1:10.) What did Elias restore? (Abraham 2:9-11.) What power did Elijah restore? (See Malachi 4:5-6 and the quotation from the Prophet Joseph Smith.) How are we blessed today because the Lord has restored these keys and powers? Quotations President Ezra Taft Benson: "When you attend the temple and perform the ordinances that pertain to the House of the Lord, certain blessings will come to you: " * You will receive the spirit of Elijah, which will turn your hearts to your spouse, to your children, and to your forebears. " * You will love your family with a deeper love than you have loved before.... " * You will be endowed with power from on high as the Lord has promised. " * You will receive the key of the knowledge of God. (See D&C 84:19.) You will learn how you can be like Him. Even the power of godliness will be manifest to you. (See D&C 84:20.) " * You will be doing a great service to those who have passed to the other side of the veil in order that they might be 'judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.' (D&C 138:34.) "Such are the blessings of the temple and the blessings of frequently attending the temple" (Ensign, Aug. 1985, p 10). The Prophet Joseph Smith: "The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelations, ordinances, oracles' powers and endowments of the fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood and of the kingdom of God on the earth; and to receive, obtain, and perform all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God, even unto the turning of the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the hearts of the children unto the fathers" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 337). Additional Ideas 1. Encourage class members to attend the temple regularly. 2. Have class members sing a hymn about the temple. Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 111-20 Page 65 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 33 The first latter-day temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, in 1836 through great personal sacrifice. When work on the temple began, most of the Saints had been in Kirtland less than two years and were very poor. Nevertheless, they gladly responded to calls to work on the Lord's house. Work on the temple was interrupted in 1834 when most of the able-bodied men marched to Missouri with Zion's Camp. Work was also slowed by persecution. The men who worked on the temple often had to stand guard at night to protect their work from vandalism. The women fed and clothed the workmen and wove carpets and draperies for the temple's interior. Some of the sisters contributed glassware to be crushed and mixed into the plaster to give the temple's exterior a sparkling appearance. The Saints' sacrifices in building the temple brought many blessings. In the months before the temple was dedicated, remarkable spiritual manifestations occurred. On 21 January 1836 the Prophet Joseph Smith and others saw a glorious vision of the celestial kingdom (see D&C 137). In at least ten subsequent meetings in the temple, people reported seeing angels. Some even saw the face of the Savior. (See History of the Church, 2:379-82.) The temple was dedicated on 27 March 1836. Joseph Smith read a dedicatory prayer that had been given to him by revelation (see D&C 109). The Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon the people. Prophecies were given in tongues, angels appeared, and a pillar of light rested on the temple. One week later on 3 April 1836, the resurrected Lord and the ancient prophets Moses, Elias, and Elijah appeared in the temple (see D&C 110). All these events were in fulfillment of the Lord's promise that in Ohio his Saints would be "endowed with power from on high" (D&C 38:32). * What blessings may we receive as we attend the temple worthily? (D&C 109:13-21; 97:15-17.) * What responsibilities do we have as we leave the temple? (D&C 109:22-28' 34-46.) * What keys and powers were restored to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple? (D&C 110:11-16.) The Kirtland Temple was built by the Saints of Kirtland, Ohio, through great sacrifice. It was dedicated by the Prophet Joseph Smith on 27 March 1836 (see D&C 109). Page 66 ----------------- When the revelation was given to build this temple there were only about one hundred members (approximately twenty families) living in the Kirtland township. These people were not only few in number, but they lacked land, money, and architectural knowledge. ... Within three years, membership in Kirtland increased from one hundred to thirteen hundred. During a fifteen-week period, extending from 21 January to 1 may 1836, probably more Latter-day Saints beheld visions and received gifts of tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecy than during any other period in the history of the Church. contemporaries reported that members beheld heavenly being during ten meeting, that many saw visions during eight of these meetings, and that Latter-day Saints beheld the Savior on five occasions. ... On the evening of 21 January 1836, about forty men entered the nearly completed Kirtland Temple. Although the outside plastering had been completed, workers were busy at that time plastering and painting the interior. While climbing the circular staircase, these bearers of the priesthood passed the second floor, which resembled the first with four tiers of pulpits on either end of the room. They continued to the third floor, an attic which had been divided into five classrooms. About sixteen of these men gathered in the west room, which was then being used as a classroom by students studying Hebrew. Accompanying Joseph Smit were his two counselors and his father (who was serving as patriarch), Hyrum Smith, the two bishoprics (one from Missouri and the other residing in Kirtland), and Joseph Smith's scribe, Warren Parrish. After the Prophet had introduced one of the ordinances connected with the Kirtland endowment--the ordinance of anointing--Jospeh Smith testified that "the heavens were opened upon us," and he "beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof." ... Before this remarkable series of vision ended, the high councils from Kirtand and Missouri entered the room, received their anointings, and were blessed with the ministering of angels. The Prophet added that while some of these leaders communed with holy angles, others "saw the face of the Savior" and the spirit of prophecy and revelation was poured out in might power. When Oliver Cowdery attempted to describe this unusual meeting, he wrote, the "glorious scene" was "too great to be described." "I only say," he added, "the heavens were opened to many, and great and marvelous things were shown." ... On Saturday, 26 March, the day preceding this solemn assembly, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, Warren Cowdery ..., and Warren Parrish (Joseph's scribe) met in the president's room on the third floor of the temple to make final preparations for the service. According to Oliver Cowdery, during this meeting he assisted Joseph Smith "in writing a prayer for the dedicaiton" of the Lord's house. On Sunday, 27 March, approximately eight hundred members (only a portion of those who desired to attend) crowded into the temple to participate in its dedication. During this meeting, which began at nine o'clock and continued until four in the afternoon with only a fifteen or twenty minute intermission, Sidney Rigdon conducted and spoke for two and one-half hours. In the afternoon, Joseph Smith delivered the dedicatory prayer which had been received by revelation... Following this prayer the choir sang a hymn written earlier by William W. Phelps in anticipation of a glorious occasion, "The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning." The Prophet then received approval of this prayer from the respective priesthood quorums and the congregation." Following the closing remarks by Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon and Rigdon's closing prayer, the congregation sealed the proceedings with the Hosanna Shout, shouting "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna to God and the Lamb!" three time, and "sealing it each time with amen, amen and amen." Some who attended this solemn assembly testified that an angel was present and accepted the proceedings. Others were more specific and declared that the Savior was present and that the apostle Peter had come to accept the dedication. By early April bearers of the priesthood had received their washings and anointings, including participating in the ordinance of the washing of feet; they had therefore received a partial endowment. Shortly thereafter, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery knelt in prayer behind drawn curtains adjacent to the large pulpits on the werst side of the main floor of the temple. The date was Sunday, 3 April 1836, exactly one week following the dedication of the Lord's House. During the morning hours Elder Thomas B. Marsh (then president of the Twelve) and Elder David W. Patten (also an apostle) spoke to the Saints. In the afternoon the Presidency and the apostles participated in administering and passing the sacrament, after which Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery commenced praying privately. At that moment these two men participated in one of the most important visions of the ages. Alghough temple work as we know it today was not performed in our first temple ..., the keys to engage in temple work were unfolded in that House of the Lord.... ... The identity of Elias--whether he be Noah, Abraham himself, or a prophet named Elias from the days of ABraham--is not clearly known. Milton V. Backman, Jr. and Robert L. Millet, "Heavenly Manifestations in the Kirtland Temple," Studies in Scripture, Volume One: The Doctrine and Covenants, Edited by Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson (Sandy, Utah: Randall Book Co., 1984). ... In December the important "Olive Leaf" revelation not only spelled out significant doctrine, but also commanded the elders to establish a house, "even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of God." ... ... It was a striking building that utilized traditional motifs arranged in an unorthodox pattern, with two main doors instead of three, a vertically unaligned center window used to light both floors, and a second story replacing the more typical gallery. Inside, two sets of pulpits gave the assembly room an unusual double front. Four tiers of lavishly carved pulpits for the Melchizedek Priesthood were placed on the west (where other denominations placed a single pulpit), and pulpits for the Aaronic Priesthood were placed on the east. Veils or curtains lowered by hidden ropes and pulleys divided the room into quarters and covered the pulpits when the presiding officers wished privacy. The temple was built of sandstone covered with plaster. ... ... Two months before the dedication ceremonies that Prophet introduced among the leaders an ordinance of washing and anointing with oil, wich symbolized the spirituality and cleanliness they desired. At an impressive meeting in the attic rooms of the temple, the Prophet and others reported visions of the celestial kingdom.... On the day of the dedication, March 27, nearly half the crowd had to be turned away, but the ceremonies were later repeated for them. Morning and afternoon meetings were held, the sacrament of the Lord's supper was served, a new hymn was sung, several testimonies were heard, and the event concluded with the whole congregation shouting together three times: "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God and the Lamb, Amen, Amen, Amen." ... That night members of the priesthood met in the temple to be instructed in the ordinances of washing of feet and anointing with oil. Suddenly, they reported, they heard the room filled with sounds of wond. People outside the temple heard the sound and said they saw a shaft of light on the temple steeple, and inside the priesthood members spoke in tonges. In an atmosphere like the day of Pentecost, the Prophet admonished the Twelve to carry the gospel to the nations. Two days later priesthood members spent an all-night session receiving washings and anointings, and on March 30 another day of pentecost was recorded. Several testified to visions of the Savior and of angels. A final outpouring of such experience came on April 3 following two meetings attended by a thousand Saints. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery dropped the curtains that surrounded the west pulppits and, after solemn prayer, received visions of the Savior and the ancient prophets Moses, Elias, and Elijah, each of whom restored certain keys pertaining to the last days. ... regular Sunday meetings at 10 A.M. and 4 P.M., fast meetings on the first Thursday of each month with Patriarch Joseph Smith, Sr., presiding, school classes durng the week, and separate meetings for the Melchizedek Priesthood quorums on weekday evenings. Soona new corps of missionaries left, having received the "endowment from on high" promised when the Saints left their New York homelands to gather in Ohio. ... James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976) p. 97-101. Section 109 Approximately one thousand Saints crowded into the Kirtland Temple on the morning of 27 March 1836 to participate in the dedication of that sacred edifice. Prayer were offered, hymns sung, and sermons preached. The dedicatory prayer was pronounced by Joseph Smith in the afternoon, when he announced that Peter the apostle had been in their midst to accept the dedication. After the prayer had been read, the several quorums, as well as the entire congregation, voted unanimously to accept it. ... I met in the presidents room pres. J. Smith, jr. S. Rigdon, my brother W.A. Cowdery & Elder W. Parrish, and assisted in writing a prayer for the dedication of the house. Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 218. ... When the dedication prayer was read by Joseph, it was read from a printed copy. This was a great trial of faith to many. "How can it be that the prophet should read a prayer?" ... Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 330. Section 110 ... Although this revelation was not published until 1852, it was recorded contemporaneously in the Prophet's diary in the hand of Warren A. Cowdery.... Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 220. Elijah means "My God is Jehovah". El = God, -i- = of me (Eli- = my God), Jah is a shortened form of Jahweh (Jehovah in English). Elias means the same thing. The -as ending in Greek is equivalent to the -jah ending in Hebrew. So Elias and Elijah are the Greek and Hebrew forms of the same name. Elias and Elijah do not, however, appear to be the same person in this revelation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 35 Date: 20 Sep 1997 18:19:58 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 121-23 Lesson 35 Scriptural Highlights 1. Joseph Smith's prayer in Liberty Jail 2. The Lord's response 3. Exercising the priesthood in righteousness Review the circumstances in which D&C 121-23 were revealed (see the heading to D&C 121 and the Class Member Study Guide for this lesson). Discussion and Application Questions * What are your thoughts and feelings as you read Joseph Smith's prayer in D&C 121 :1-6? What are your impressions of the Lord's answer to Joseph's prayer? (D&C 121:7-10; 122.) What did the Lord teach the Prophet? * Despite the torment Joseph endured in Liberty Jail, how was this experience a blessing for him? How are the revelations the Prophet received in this jail a blessing to us? * In what sense did Joseph Smith's afflictions last for only "a small moment"? (D&C 121 :7). How can we come to see adversity from the Lord's perspective? * Why does the Lord send or allow adversity in our lives? (D&C 95:1; 121:7-8; 122:5-9; 2 Nephi 2:11.) How can adversity be for our good? (D&C 101:4-5; 122:7.) What have you learned from your trials and problems? * What can we do to feel more fully the peace the Lord promises in D&C 121:7? (D&C 19:23; Romans 8:6; Philippians 4:6-7.) What experiences have shown you that the Lord is with you during times of trial? * What can we do if we feel ourselves become despairing and hopeless because of adversity? How can we prepare now to be strong in future times when we may experience greater adversity? * What will happen to people who fight against the truth? (D&C 121:11-25.) * As you read D&C 121 :26-33, consider the blessings of being born in the dispensation of the fulness of times. What are some of these blessings? * What did the Lord mean by saying, "Many are called, but few are chosen"? (D&C 121 :34-40). What prevents people from being chosen? How can a person overcome the problem of exercising unrighteous dominion? How can a person overcome the problem of caring too much for the things of the world? * What can priesthood holders learn from D&C 121 :41-43 about exercising the priesthood? * What does the Lord promise us as we are "full of charity" and "let virtue garnish [our] thoughts"? (D&C 121 :45-46). What does it mean to be confident in the presence of God? What blessings do we receive when the Holy Ghost is our companion? (John 14:26; 1 Nephi 10:19; 2 Nephi 32:5.) What does it mean to receive an "everlasting dominion"? (D&C 121 :46; see also D&C 76:92-95) * Why do you think the Lord wanted the Saints to document the sufferings and abuses they endured? (D&C 123:1 -7, 9, 11 -12.) Additional Ideas 1. Assign a class member to summarize the circumstances of the Saints in Missouri and of the Prophet and his companions in Liberty Jail. (See the Class Member Study Guide for this lesson.) The summary should not be longer than five minutes. 2. Suggested topic for family home evening: adversity (see "adversity" in the index of the Family Home Evening Resource Book). Suggest that families show "Gaining Strength through Adversity," segment 13 of the Family Home Evening Video Supplement (53276 or VNW2764). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 124 Page 69 Class Member Study Guide lesson 35 Most of the Church leaders who were taken prisoner at Far West were released within a few weeks. However, in December 1838, six of them, including the Prophet Joseph Smith, were sent to Liberty Jail to await their trials. All of the brethren were innocent of wrongdoing. During the winter of 1838 and 1839, Joseph and his associates were held in the jail's basement. There was little heat in this dungeon, and they were given inadequate and filthy food. They had only a little straw on the rough stone floor for their beds. D&C 122:6 accurately reflects a part of what had happened to the Prophet. Isolated from his family and friends and under constant threat of death, the Prophet heard reports of the suffering of his people. He pleaded with the Lord to relieve their suffering. In answer, the Lord revealed D&C 121, 122,and 123. The Prophet included many passages from these revelations in a letter to Church leaders in Quincy, Illinois, who were directing the Saints' exodus from Missouri. * What principles did the Lord teach in answer to Joseph Smith's prayer? (D&C 121 :1-10; 122.) How can these principles help you in times of adversity? * What can you do to feel more fully the peace the Lord promises in D&C 121 :7? What experiences have shown you that the Lord is with you during times of trial? * Although many people are called, what prevents them from being chosen? (D&C 121:34-40.) * What does the Lord promise us as we are "full of charity" and "let virtue garnish [our] thoughts"? (D&C 121 :45-46). Liberty Jail in Liberty' Missouri. Here Joseph Smith' Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, and Caleb Baldwin were imprisoned from 1 December 1838 to 6 April 1839. The Prophet received Doctrine and Covenants 121, 122, and 123 during this time. Photograph by James T. Hicks, 1878. Page 70 The Notepad contains two new articles pertinant to lesson 35 in the gospel doctrine class. http://www.srv.net/~sro/Notepad/Notepad.html The Prophet's Epistle to the Church, Written in Liberty Prison. "Walls, Grates and Screeking Iron Doors: The Prison Experience of Mormon Leaders in Missouri, 1838-1839" For those that do not have internet access, and to place the document in the Digests incase this site goes Away, I include the following, even though they are long. To the Church of Latter-day Saints at Quincy, Illinois, and Scattered Abroad, and to Bishop Partridge in Particular: 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 Missouri. But oh! the unrelenting hand! The inhumanity and murderous disposition of this people! It shocks all nature; it beggars and defies all description; it is a tale of woe; a lamentable tale; yea a sorrowful tale; too much to tell; too much for contemplation; too much for human beings; it cannot be found among the heathens; it cannot be found among the nations where kings and tyrants are enthroned; it cannot be found among the savages of the wilderness; yea, and I think it cannot be found among the wild and ferocious beasts of the forest-- that a man should be mangled for sport! Women be robbed of all that they have--their last morsel for subsistence, and then be violated to gratify the hellish desires of the mob, and finally left to perish with their helpless offspring clinging around their necks. 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. 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 ,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 conte"d 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, 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; aIl 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. 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 Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven, upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints. 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 Iowa Territory may be of great benefit to the Church, if it be the will of God to this end; and righteousness should be manifested as the girdle of our loins. 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. 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 exorcise 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 men. 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. 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 blessing~ 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 Far West. Those from the east and from the west, and from far countries, let them fall in somewhere between those two boundaries, in the most safe and quiet places they can find; and let this be the present understanding, until God shall open a more effectual door for us for further considerations. 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. 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 encyclopedias, 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. JOSEPH SMITH, JUN., HYRUM SMITH, LYMAN WIGHT, CALEB BALDWIN, ALEXANDER McRAE. The last day of October 1838.... ...five Mormon leaders approached the camp of Missouri militia commander, Samuel D. Lucas, under a flag of truce. ...General Lucas had the five Mormons taken into custody and placed under heavy guard. ... Arriving on the outskirts of Richmond on 9 November, the company was met by a contingent of Clark's soldiers who escorted them military fashion with great pomp.... With the arrival of Clark's troops, the laxness that had characterized the jaunt into Jackson County ceased. The prisoners were thrust into an "old log house" in Richmond where, with three trace chains and seven padlocks, they were chained together by their legs at two-foot intervals. ... On qw November a court of inquiry was held at Richmond before Judge Austin A. King in which Joseph Smith, his fellow prisoners, and some fifty other Mormons were charged with alleged crimes connected with the conflict of the previous summer. The prisoners whose cases were not bailable (including Joseph Smith and Parley Pratt) were ordered confined until the sitting of the local circuit court the next spring. ... While confined at Richmond, Sidney Rigdon became so ill from exposure that he fell into a state of delirium. ... During the confinement at Richmond, the circumstance of Joseph Smith's rebuke of the guard took place. ... At the conclusion of the Richmond hearing, Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, and Caleb Baldwin were charged with "overt acts of treason in Daviess county," and Sidney Rigdon, with the same offense, in Caldwell County. ... The Mormon prisoners committee to the Clay County jail arrived in Liberty, the county seat, on 1 December 1838, in a heavy wagon accompanied by an armed escort. ... It is impossible to reproduce the human drama that unfolded in the Liberty jail between 1 December 1838 and 6 April 1839--a drama that lies hidden behind the phrases of those who languished there: "grates and screeking iron doors," "dirty straw couches," the "nauseous" smell, the "grimace of the guard night and day," "weary joints and bones," and "this hell surrounded with demons." To those who had not had the experience, it was said "pen, or tongue, or angels" could never describe what took place there. ...poison was administered to them on three or four occasions. "The effect it had upon our system was, that it vomited us almost to death, and then we would lay some two or three days in a torpid, stupid state, not even caring or wishing for life." ... ... Joseph wrote a friend that it wa s "hell surrounded with demons if not those who are damned ... 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." ... ...the place was so dark the prisoners all go sore eyes. ... ...25 January 1839 ... the prisoners were brought before Clay County Judge Joel Turnham at the Liberty courthouse. Rigdon said that there, for the first time since his arrest, he heard the evidence upon which he had been charged with treason. ... ... The entire town and many from the surrounding country gathered at the jail. "Every mode of torture and death that their imaginations could fancy, was proposed for us, such as blowing up the jail, taking us out and whipping us to death, shooting us, burning us to death, tearing us to pieces with horses, &c. But they were so divided among themselves that they could not carry out any of their plans, and we escaped unhurt." Following these attempts to escape, security at the jail was increased. According to one account, Sam Tillery, the jailer, was about to have the prisoners placed in irons and chained to the floor, but the threat did not materialize. ...occasional inspections were made of the jail and a close watch placed over the prisoners. ... ... It is evident that much of the stirctness at the prison was motivated by public opinion and threats that if the prisoners escaped, the jailer would be held accountable. ... "He is under the eye of the mob continually, and his life is at stake if he grants us any privilege." ... On 6 April 1839 the prisoners were taken from the Liberty jail and hurried to Daviess County guarded by about fifteen men. ... ... At Diahman the prisoners bought two horses from the guard, paying for one with clothing and giving their note for the other. A short time later, while traveling near Yellow Creek in Chariton County, the Mormon prisoners escaped. They later testified that Judge Butch and ex-Sheriff William Bowman, who had provided transportation for the prisoners, had connived in the escape. ...they bought a jug of whiskey, that three of the guard "drank pretty freely" and went to bed. Sheriff Morgan showed the prisoners the mittimus committing them to prison, that it was illegal because it was "without date or signature," and said, "I shall take a good drink of grog and go to bed, and you may do as you have a mind to." ... ...little is known of the journey to Illinois after their escape.... If there were redeeming qualities in the experience of those Mormons confined in Missouri prisons in 1839-39, they are found in the inspired instructions given there.... Dean C. Jessee, "'Walls, Grates and Screeking Iron Doors': The Prison Experience of Mormon Leaders in Missouri, 1838-1839," New View of Mormon History: Essays in Honor of Leonard J. Arrington, edited by Davis Bitton and Maureen Ursenbach Beecher (Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, 1987). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Additional food for thought on Section 121, "Amen to the Date: 20 Sep 1997 19:02:18 -0700 [Commentary I saved this exchange that I saw on the internet. It made me pause and think. If anyone has a solid answer to this that also deals with all the quotes used, I would be interested learning what that is. The person that responded to the first question, seems to be venting frustrations that the person that he is responding to has a history of simplistic answers, and that he is not going to accept simplistic answers on this issue.] ------------- >I often hear people say that the scriptures tell us the Lord will never >allow a prophet to lead us astray, that he would take the prophet's life >rather than allow this to happen. > >I always ask for the scriptural reference to this concept, but no one has >ever been able to provide it. Do any of you know where, in the scriptures >or in modern prophetic utterances, such an assertion is made? Well that is an easy one. D&C Official Declaration--1 The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty. (Sixty-first Semi-annual General Conference of the Church, Monday, October 6, 1890, Salt Lake City, Utah. Reported in Deseret Evening News, October 11, 1890, p. 2.) >Thanks in advance for any help you can give me with this. But what does that mean? Is it literal? How far astray is too far? What does remove me out of my place" mean? Struck by lightning? Stuck dead? Die early? How do we know what early is? Could it mean, to be made ill or ineffective? Does it happen in heaven but not visible on earth? But I see this as relating to section 121: D&C 121:37 37 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. Has this ever happened? What does it mean? Is it literal? Are the ordinances still in effect if anyone has had "Amen to the priesthood" happened to them? If it has no definition, if it is not measurable, is it real? Does it really happen? Do we hear about it locally? Or is it just a vain threat? Even the example that Heber J. Grant gives is a negative example : THE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF SECTION 121. In talking to the Latter-day Saints, there is no revelation in all the Doctrine and Covenants that I have quoted from so often as that contained in Section 121 . that "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." There is no danger of a Priesthood of this kind--gentleness, and meekness, and love unfeigned. But when we exercise control, or domination, 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." These are the words of God. I am reminded of a man that lost the apostleship. Time and time again he quoted the above to himself. But he failed to sustain the Priesthood and exercised unrighteous dominion over those under him.-- CR, April, 1902:80 Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards, p.68 Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, April 1902, p.81 He is referring to Mathius Cowley, that was wrongfully removed from the quorum, (he was a scapegoat for post manifesto polygamy). Heber J. Grant used Power and authority rather than persuasion to see that Cowley was not re-instated. From what many Mormons consider an authority: Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.32 AMEN As a result of unrighteousness, it is "Amen to the priesthood" of a man, meaning that his priesthood comes to an end, as far as being a power which would assure the bearer of eternal life is concerned. (D. & C. 121:33-46.) Does this explain it all? Is being "Amen-ed" a sin that does not allow for repentance? Bruce R. McConkie is employing such, but it is not listed as being an un-pardonable sin. No examples, or definitions of how much unrighteousness is too much, and what happens here on earth with all the instances of when a person uses their priesthood, when in reality they don't have it anymore? Can the President of the church abuse his priesthood? If not, that would make him like the Pope, infallible. LeGrand Richards, after quoting most of section 121 : LeGrand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Ch.12, p.159 - p.160 You may search the world over and you will find no people today who answer this description as do the Latter-day Saints, for they truly have a "royal priesthood," of which every worthy male member of the Church over twelve years of age may be a bearer, laboring for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God in the earth, showing forth "the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." This does not at all explain how one loses our royal priesthood. Talmage quotes it but does not explain it. James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p.493, Footnotes One of the greatest minds of Mormonism quotes it but does not explain it. Orson F. Whitney, Saturday Night Thoughts, p.205 The greatest apologist of the church, save Nibley, quotes it but does not detail how it is done. John A. Widtsoe, A Rational Theology, p.114 Unbelievably he utters : John A. Widtsoe, A Rational Theology, p.115 "Authority of the Priesthood otherwise exercised than as above stated is not in harmony with the law. There is therefore no need to fear authority." Widstoe goes on to say : " Those who misuse it will ultimately be removed from their offices and will be punished not only by the laws of the Church, but by the Lord, the Giver of law. " Just blindly follow the leader, because "ultimately" they will be removed, when is that? Joseph Smith didn't say "ultimately", he said "Amen"! The fact that Widtsoe realized that GOD was not removing people, he had to qualify it as "ultimately". Widtsoe then says : "Severance from the Church means loss of Priesthood." So he is defining anyone that does not exercise their priesthood with long suffering, as being of need of excommunication? Or is excommunication the only real evidence that this important scripture is ever put to use? People use pressure in their priesthood callings to pressure people to accept callings that are hard to fill and to do monthly Home Teaching, to families that could care less if they didn't show up. Yet it would be very un-Mormon to excommunicate the Bishop or Elders quorum President for being pushy. The following I find very amusing: (section 121 is quoted then) "Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.1, AUTHORITY Members of the Church understand that the exercise of divine authority includes the responsibility to bless people and minister to their well-being. Proper use of this authority is inconsistent with authoritarianism and the abuses of authority, so the negative connotations sometimes associated with authority are not generally present in the Church." And thought it shouldn't happen, when it does ....... What an Encyclopedia! Now from Nibley : "Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.1, Ch.5, p.95 - p.96 Why do we lay more emphasis on the patriarchal order than the matriarchy in our world today? That is unavoidable if we would maintain a balance between the two, for the matriarchal succession enjoys a great natural advantage that, where it prevails, renders the other all but helpless. There is rarely any doubt as to who a baby's mother is, but paternity may always be challenged. In the end the only assurance we have of a true patriarchal succession is the word not of the father but of the mother, as the Egyptians well knew--Maat is the official approval of the mother, without which no dynasty could be secure. To assure a true patriarchal succession therefore requires something in the way of checks and controls on the women, a stricter moral code than that required by the matriarchy, which, as we have noted, tends to become lax and promiscuous with the passing of time. With close rules, safeguards, and vigilant surveillance it was only too easy for the patriarchs to become arrogant, dictatorial, self-righteous, and oppressive. The gospel sets absolute limitations beyond which patriarchal authority may not be exercised--the least hint of unkindness acts as a circuit-breaker. "Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man." (D&C 121:37.) Without that sacred restraint, patriarchal supremacy has ever tended to become abusive." Now wait a just a darn volt here. A circuit-breaker, can be scientifically tested. It boundaries that determine it's actions and it is consistent. We can very accurately determine when a circuit-breaker will flip, but what is the limit at which "Amen" is actuated? Does Nibley set it forth for us? NO! This analogy is totally bogus, and gives an air of correctness to a subject that is totally vague! Now from the FARMerS : "FARMS, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 7, Number 1, p.314 Toscano denounces the Church leaders as heretics; but when they respond that it is Toscano who is, in fact, the heretic, he cries "spiritual abuse," insisting that the Church is attempting to suppress his freedom of thought and speech. After numerous attempts by leaders to counsel Toscano, the Church was finally forced to excommunicate him for heresy. Toscano's response was to issue a de facto excommunication of the leadership of the Church. Any action to excommunicate a believing member for the purpose of coercing obedience to church leaders, [p.315] church policy, or in the interest of church image is an abomination in the eyes of God, is utterly invalid, and will result in the de facto excommunication of the perpetrators who will suffer a withdrawal of the spirit and then amen to the priesthood of those leaders. (p. 172) Although he never makes an explicit claim, I rather suspect that Toscano believes that his ideas are based on a revelation to him from God. Be that as it may, he clearly claims that the Holy Ghost is inspiring his attacks on the Church (p. 152)." When it is insinuated that leaders may be abusing authority, FARMerS imply that the only way that "Amen" can be actuated is by "revelation" else things should carry on as normal. How is that inferred from section 121? After quoting section 121 : "5. Considering the fact that at the time this epistle was written the Prophet and his fellow prisoners were suffering intensely and unjustly at the hands of their enemies the nobleness and greatness of his character stands out most clearly. When we consider that he could write in the spirit of forgiveness, charity and humility, such as we find in this great document, we know surely the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. I repeat, that this is one of the greatest letters ever written. This, we discover when we take the time to analyze it. Not all of this communication has been placed in the Doctrine and Covenants as revelation. It does appear in full in the Documentary History, Vol. 3, pages 289-305. The closing paragraphs of Sections 121, are wonderfully inspiring, [page 200]" Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Vol 3, p.199 As great as the writings that made up Section 121 were, it was not all scripture ready. Joseph Fielding Smith did not take this opportunity to explain how and when it works. Like speaking in tongues without a translation, it sounds neat, but is still worthless in the final analysis. Possibly the most influential apologist, since he influences the young an innocent states : Validity of Ordinances Performed By Unrighteous Men William E. Berrett, Teachings of the Doctrine and Covenants, p.79 ... Those who are grievous sinners are not called to baptize, to administer the Sacrament, or to officiate in temple ordinances. Ended is the priesthood - authority - of that man who is adjudged by his bishop to be unworthy to administer in the ordinances of the Church. He has been [p.80] called into the priesthood, but he is not chosen to function therein. William E. Berrett, Teachings of the Doctrine and Covenants, p.80 So unless your Bishop is able to discern that you are un-worthy, and takes actions on such, than you are assumed to be worthy. Hummmm where does that put Hoffmen, Ponds and Poelman? What about all those Priesthood abusers that have NOT been exposed? Berrett's comments does not limit the abuse to actions by one's Bishop. From Wilford Woodruff : Collected Discourses, Vol.2, Wilford Woodruff, August 10, 1891 Who can comprehend this grand language? Scarcely any person. The Lord says in this revelation that whether there be one God or many Gods, they shall be revealed; and all kingdoms, thrones, principalities and powers shall be revealed unto those who keep His commandments. Can we comprehend this? Why, there is not an astronomer that can tell us scarcely one thing that is done in Mars, or Venus, or Jupiter, or in any of the planets, aside from the earth. Here are worlds upon worlds--millions of them--and what do we know about them? Our own little planet, upon which we live, is about as much as we can comprehend. Look at the extent of the blessings that are promised us! These blessings and these revelations are worthy the attention of the Latter-day Saints. In this revelation it is shown that the Priesthood of which we have been speaking, has power. It has power with the heavens; it has power on earth. And as was said this morning, it does not make any difference what portion of that Priesthood a man holds--whether it is a President, an Apostle, an High Priest, a Seventy, an Elder, a Priest, a Teacher or a Deacon--when he goes before God in prayer, with a pure heart, that Priesthood has power with the heavens. If a man magnifies that Priesthood, the blessings of God are with him. Well that is nice, but do we know anything more than what we knew before, does he confirm anyone else's explanations? I assume that it is B. H. Roberts that is stating the following : Collected Discourses, Vol.2, B. H. Roberts, February 23, 1892 Here I pause, and ask you to measure Sidney Rigdon by this principle. He was great in the Church of Christ. The Saints loved to listen to him. He had the ability to move the powers of heaven in teaching the truth. But what became of him when he sought to gratify his own vain ambition and to exercise control and dominion over the minds of men in unrighteousness? Did you ever hear of his having success after he made that vain attempt? No, you have not. Why? Because aforetime the "amen" had been pronounced upon his power and authority, as it is pronounced upon the authority and power of any man who undertakes to exercise unrighteous dominion over the minds of his fellow men to gratify his own ambition. ... So apparently Roberts subscribes to the precept that the winners write the history, and since Rigdon, was ill an unable to win over a majority, that it is just and correct that Rigdon's role in the church should have been written out and diminished as it was. A poor example of how someone's God says "Amen" to one's priesthood. More examples can be found of Brigham Young abusing his priesthood than Rigdon. Rigdon never used his priesthood position to "take care" of Indians. Speaking of Brigham Young he says : "Where, brethren and sisters, will you get the channel of communication opened up between you and the powers that reign over the earth? The God that sits in the heavens, and the angels and saints that visit us--through what line of communication do they come? God has placed these authorities here to guide His people, and when a man cuts that thread for himself, then the channel of revelation is destroyed, so far as that man is concerned. If you and I ever consider that we can reach God and get His mind and will in relation to this great work without receiving it through the channel of those men who stand at the head, then all I have to say to you or myself is, we have cut the thread between us and the Spirit of God, and we are left to wander in bye and forbidden paths. One channel, one organization! And no man may rise against that and expect that he will be favored of the Lord or permitted to enjoy His Spirit." Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Brigham Young, October 5, 1896 He has turned it around, that if you don't follow priesthood advice, then you have said "Amen" to your own connection to God. Well he don't have a controlling bone in his body, now does he. Now John Taylor quotes section 121 and then adds this bizarre and superstitious comment : "We read, in the papers, almost weekly, of people being accused of casting spells over our sons and daughters and leading them astray. Is it not time that someone was standing up and speaking in plainness regarding these evils? I will read a little further." John W. Taylor, Conference Report, April 1902, p.78 He goes on to quote more and then finishes : "God bless you, my brethren and sisters, that you may walk in the straight and narrow path, and not yield to the influences of evil spirits, but that you shall be guided by the influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which will lead you unto eternal life. May God grant that this may be our lot, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen." John W. Taylor, Conference Report, April 1902, p.78 This was not a one time theme for John Taylor : "This hypnotic power is not of God. It is an evil gift. A short time ago I was in the Malad stake of Zion, where a man had been studying this art of hypnotism, and he proposed to the Bishop of the ward that he take lessons so that he could hypnotize the people to make them do as he pleased. My brethren and sisters, that is the doctrine the devil proposed in heaven, when the Lord our God was preparing to people this earth. He proposed to take away the agency of men, and to exercise unrighteous dominion over them. But the Lord rejected his plan, and chose His Son Jesus Christ to come into the world with the plan of life and salvation that we now teach." John W. Taylor, Conference Report, October 1903, p.40 The person most likely to tell the story straight, is J. Golden Kimball, what he says is interesting but does not delineate the boundaries. "My brethren and sisters, I want you to be good to me, and help save me. If I can be saved it is an encouragement to every man, woman and child in Israel to make the effort. If you have weaknesses, try and overcome them, and if you fail, try again, and if you then fail, keep trying, for God is merciful to His children. He is a good deal kinder to us than we are to ourselves, more kind to us, perhaps than some who hold the priesthood are to each other. I have learned the lesson that nothing on earth would be a greater failure to me than to fail to keep my family in the Church. They were God's children before they were mine, and I think the Lord will look after their interests and save them in His own due time. If Golden Kimball, can't be saved in the flesh, after all the struggles and efforts he has made--and I have made a few sacrifices--then I believe God will save him on the other side, and it may be that his earthly father will come to his rescue, and lift up his voice to God in behalf of his child and plead for his salvation. It may take a hundred years to save me, but if I get through in a thousand years it will be a most profitable investment. I have no fancied notions; I have gotten rid of tradition, and of a few false ideas that rested on me. I do not expect to become a god, right away. No, it will take a long time; I am too ignorant. When I stand before my Maker, in the other world, I will be like some of those Door Elders who have been laboring in missions, I will speak with a stammering tongue, and God will look upon me, no doubt, as a child, mediocre in intelligence compared with those who have preceded me." J. Golden Kimball, Conference Report, April 1907, p.83 The great Apostasy is used as an example that section 121 has been a modus operandi of God for centuries : "If that is true with respect to one man, it is true with respect to one million of men or any number of men. That shows when the Priesthood was lost. That is why it needed restoring again." Charles W. Nibley, Conference Report, October 1909, p.119 Ivans does not explain HOW it should be applied to the church, but states that it should be applied to the Government as well " "The state needs the very same thing. I am going to assume to say that the one thing in the world that is needed today, the one great preparedness that the world needs is the men--men of integrity, men of faith, men of economy, men of industry, men who will control and manage your public affairs as you manage and control your private affairs, men selected by the voice of the people." Anthony W. Ivins, Conference Report, April 1916, p.59 "I believe, my brethren and sisters, that this doctrine applies to men who are engaged in the administration of civil affairs, as it does to those who are engaged in work for the Church..." Anthony W. Ivins, Conference Report, p.85 [Sorry that was as good of reference as Folio gave me.] Would the following from Heber J. Grant be considered persuasions or long suffering, when it comes to members spending their own money and voting on political issues ? "POSITION ON THE QUESTION OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. I did think of making some remarks similar to those I made here two weeks ago today, but I believe that I will do as the congressmen do. Instead of referring to my position upon the League of Nations and other matters, as I did two weeks ago, I will simply have printed in the conference proceedings the sermon that I then delivered, and you can read it at your leisure. It was printed in the Deseret News, I believe, a week ago last Tuesday. I will not take the time to repeat what I said. I read there a manifesto sent to the Senate of the United States begging them to pass the Peace Treaty, and I will simply have my sermon incorporated in our conference proceedings so that any of the Saints who want to read it can do so, and I will ask Brother Edward H. Anderson, the editor of the Era also to print my sermon in the Era, so that those of you who take that magazine will have the privilege of reading it. If there is any home in all the Church that does not have the Era, it simply shows that the people there are lacking in faith, that they think more of two dollars than they do of getting communications from the authorities of the Church, and important sermons, things which are of more value than the things of this world. You know there are a great many people who hold up copper cents in front of their eyes and hide dollars, and there are a great many who keep two dollars in their pockets and hide hundreds of dollars of inspiration and knowledge of great value to them through all time, and which will be of value to them in the great eternity to come." Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, October 1919, p.12 Here Talmage subscribes to the adage, so let it be written, so let it be done, after quoting section 121 he had under the heading : "TOLERATION ENJOINED You see the safeguards that the Lord has set." James E. Talmage, Conference Report, October 1920, p.65 Here Ivans uses section 121 to exact obedience TO the priesthood, rather than limiting miss-use of the priesthood : "I have read from the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church, section 121. Again I ask you, my brethren and sisters, can any just criticism offered to this plain declaration regarding the prerogatives and rights of the priesthood? Can anything be wrong which is accomplished by persuasion, by long suffering, gentleness, by kindness and love unfeigned, Where are we to find a definition of the authority and functions of the priesthood superior to, or even the equal of that which I have just read. If it exists my attention has never been called to it. THE SYSTEM OF CHURCH COURTS It is true that a system of Church courts has been given, and judges provided whose duty it is to watch over the Church, to hear cases where differences may exist between Church members, and to take cognizance of cases where the rules governing the conduct of members, whose acts may be un-Christian, immoral, or opposed to justice and righteousness, are concerned. This system begins with the teachers, who are expected to be familiar with the lives and conduct of the members of their wards, and who seek to induce, by persuasion and love, those who may have departed from the way of the Lord, to return to it. Where members refuse, or neglect to be governed by the council of the teachers, their case may be taken to the bishopric, and if they fail to reach a satisfactory adjustment may be carried to the high council, and from there appealed to the First Presidency." Anthony W. Ivins, Conference Report, April 1923, p.91 There are sometimes when section 121 is quoted and what follows, just doesn't follow : "We are an ignorant people, are we? Why, Dr. Winship announces that we have the best laws on education of any state in the United States, and yet the majority of the legislature come from the ignorant "Mormons." We are a vile people, are we? Consider this: the governor of Arizona announced that if we had our just dues we would not have been robbed of between twenty-five hundred and three thousand per cent of some of the taxes in Arizona, namely: that we were entitled to twenty-five or thirty inmates in the state penitentiary and only had one. He also announced that we were being robbed because we did not have six or seven, in proportion to our population in the insane asylum." Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, October 1923, p.159 Leaders try to influence member as how to vote, even on issues not related to morals, see Grant and the League of Nations above and disclaimer below : "It has been whispered around frequently, and I hear the murmur now, that the Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ, standing at the head and holding the priesthood, desire this man or that man or the other man elected to office. The Presidency of the Church so far as they are concerned, allow every man, woman and child, that is old enough to vote, to vote according to his or her own conviction. But we do appeal to all men and women, realizing the responsibility resting upon them, to seek God our Heavenly Father to guide them politically as well as religiously, and to stand for right and for those things that are for the good of this nation. The Latter-day Saints believe absolutely that the Constitution of our country was written by inspired men. We believe in upholding the laws of our country. We believe in being obedient to the laws. One of the Articles of our Faith says that it is our duty to do so." Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, October 1928, p.9 More denials : "I bear witness to you here today, and to all the world, that there has never been any exercise of authority in this Church except by persuasion and by long-suffering." Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, April 1936, p.8 If that were the case, and it was destined to be such, then why the revelation in the fist place? Apparently he does not believe his own words : "What a marvelous revelation! What a wonderful word from God to us through His prophet! How I wish that the Priesthood were always exercised with love. How I wish that virtue garnished our thoughts unceasingly. How I wish that no man holding the Priesthood of the living God was ever guilty of allowing any words to fall from his lips that he could not repeat in the presence of his mother. Then he would be, to a very great extent, in that straight and narrow path that leads to life eternal. There are very few things in all the world that are more demoralizing than what are known as "shady" stories. There is nothing in all the world of the same value as a love of God and a desire to do those things that we know would please God. "USE OF LIQUOR VIOLATION OF GOSPEL" Let me say to you Latter-day Saints that any man or any woman professing to be a Latter-day Saint who keeps liquor in his or her home is not living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know that there are girls good, fine, true, virtuous girls, who have lost their virtue because of liquor in the homes of Latter-day Saints. They lose their senses, become drunk, stupid, and then they lose their virtue; and I know what I am talking about." Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, April 1937, p.12 Grant seems to have quoted long sections of 121 the most, followed by almost any remark : "This is one of the most marvelous revelations that God has given to man, and it was given to the Prophet while he was imprisoned in Liberty Jail. THANKFUL FOR KNOWLEDGE How I do thank the Lord that I have an abiding and absolute knowledge that He lives, that He is my Father, that He hears and answers my prayers!" Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, October 1938, p.15 Others would simply quote it and not comment on it at all. Sylvester Q. Cannon, Conference Report, October 1941, p.40 Another one that sees it as an indicator of not following the brethren as a sign of apostasy and sections 121 as a proof text : "That it seems to me, as we have experienced it, is about the progressive way that men begin to fall away. They first begin to "kick against the pricks." I have wondered what that means. These no doubt are the pricks of the gospel. I wonder, perhaps, if they are not those things referred to in President Clark's remarkable article some years ago in The Improvement Era, that he called "restraints," the restraints of the Word of Wisdom, the restraints imposed in keeping the Sabbath day holy, injunctions against card playing, the restraints imposed by following out the welfare program. And so we might go on. These are the restraints against which some people seem to rebel and are kicking constantly against--the "pricks" of the gospel." Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, October 1947, p.65 I don't see David O. McKay telling us how section 121 works. "If you can find more sublime thoughts anywhere in literature than expressed in that great revelation, please let me know where they are." David O. McKay, Conference Report, April 1950, p.37 This is how a lawyer clarifies this : "... Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. --Very strong language -- not mine, but the Prophet's through revelation!" J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, October 1958, p.82 He goes on to quote the rest of section 121 and then : "I conceive these to be the rules by which we bearers of the Priesthood shall conduct ourselves. Recently a letter came before me written to be signed by the Presidency, and it gave direction such as would be given in a letter written with reference to the ordering of goods, or something of that sort. Brethren, be careful, be prayerful, be wise, when you undertake to make your reproof, when you undertake to direct men who have nothing but their love of the Gospel and their respect of you to impel them to obey you. Be careful of their feelings. Speak kindly and in such a way that there never will be any question as to your love for them and your desire merely to be helpful." He is here invoking section 121 to show that you should not be telling the brethren what to do, yea that sounds like a lawyer. But how does this explain when the "Amen" is actuated? J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, October 1958, p.82 Harold B. Lee give a anecdotal story, but does not clarify whether "Amen" was pronounced or not. "I remember at a stake conference some years ago a young man was called to a high position. When we had asked him to express himself, expecting a humble testimony in his acceptance, he stood up and in a rather flamboyant, boastful way gave a dramatic performance. At the close of the service as we walked home, one of the high council whispered to me and said, calling him by name: "When he stood up there in the pulpit this morning, he was all alone."" Harold B. Lee, Conference Report October 1960, p.17 After 130 years finally someone takes a stab at defining what this scripture means " "I interpret that as referring to those who fail to magnify their priesthood, or who use it as it should not be used. I know of many cases where a man has gradually failed to magnify his priesthood and moved away from activity in the Church. As a result, a man who has been very active loses his testimony and the Spirit of the Lord withdraws from him, and he begins to criticize those in authority, and to persecute the saints, apostatize, and fight against God." N. Eldon Tanner, Improvement Era, June 1970, p.62 But failing to magnify one's priesthood and losing one's priesthood is not the same thing, and this does not explain at what point in time does "Amen" happen. "Righteous Use of Priesthood Here is an "expression of concern" but no limits or call for action to be taken : "Even though ample cases exist to indicate that women are sometimes the abusers as well as the abused, and that children have also, many times, been the abusers of other children, may we consider primarily those situations in which men who are husbands [p.150] and fathers have failed to provide the kind of example in the home that their families could expect from one holding the priesthood. In so doing, I echo the expression of concern pronounced by a loving Father in Heaven in Doctrine and Covenants 121: 41 " AMCAP, Volume 16, Elder J. Thomas Fyans, p.149 This reminds me of a law being passed without any definition of how or when to execute the punishment, so it is praised and at the same time ignored : "Here is the genius of the government of Christ. No compulsion just persuasion; no unrighteousness or autocracy only goodness and love. Here is the answer to the religious intolerance and crimes of the centuries; the complete refutation of the alleged injustice of God." Stephen L. Richards, Contributions of Joseph Smith, Handbook of the Restoration, p.45 This reminds me of the paranoia quoted above by John Taylor : "There is much in the scriptures and in our Church literature to convince us that we are at war with the adversary. We are not obliged as a church, nor are we as members obliged, to accommodate the enemy in this battle." Elder Boyd K. Packer; BYU Studies Vol. 21, No. 3, pg.268 This is not what I get from section 121. If you have made it this far, let me restate the beginning questions and ask if you now have the answers after reading through 119 references to "Amen to the priesthood" Has this ever happened? What does it mean? Is it literal? Are the ordinances still in effect if anyone has had "Amen to the Priesthood" happened to them? If this part of section 121 has no definition, if it is not measurable, is it real, is it doctrinal? Again does it really happen? Do we hear about it locally, or is it just a vain threat? --------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 34 Date: 23 Sep 1997 22:51:55 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 111-20 Lesson 34 Scriptural Highlights 1. Revelation in Salem, Massachusetts 2. Commission to the Twelve to preach the gospel 3. The name of the Lord's Church 4. Adam-ondi-Ahman 5. The law of tithing As you ponder these revelations, seek the Lord's guidance about what to emphasize in class. Testify of the doctrines and principles you discuss. Discussion and Application Questions * Why did Joseph Smith and other Church leaders go to Salem? (See the Class Member Study Guide for this lesson and the heading to D&C 111.) Although this trip may not have been a good way to resolve the Church's financial problems, how did the Lord help the brethren make it a worthwhile experience? (See D&C 111 :1-2 and the Class Member Study Guide for this lesson.) In your own life, how has the Lord helped you turn honest mistakes into useful experiences? * The Lord counseled Church leaders, "Concern not yourselves about your debts, for I will give you power to pay them" (D&C 111 :5). How can this counsel help us when we face severe financial problems or other temporal concerns? How has the Lord given you power to resolve such concerns? * What does the Lord promise us when we are humble? (D&C 112:3, 10.) How have you seen these promises fulfilled? * The Lord promised that through the Twelve he would open the doors of nations for the preaching of the gospel. (D&C 112:21.) How is this being fulfilled? * What is the significance of the name of the Church? (See D&C 115:4; 3 Nephi 27:8; and the quotation from Elder Roberts.) * Why is the Church organized into stakes? (See D&C 115:6; 101 :21; Isaiah 54:2; and the first quotation from President Benson.) How are stakes and wards a "defense" and a "refuge" for Church members? What are our responsibilities as members of a stake? (See the second quotation from President Benson.) * What important events have occurred and will occur at Adam-ondi-Ahman? (D&C 107:53-57; 116.) * The Lord repeatedly counseled the Saints that their primary concerns must be for "the more weighty matters" (D&C 117:8). According to D&C 111 -18, what weighty matters did the Saints need to attend to? What weighty matters might we be neglecting? * What are your impressions as you read the Lord's call for the Twelve to "go over the great waters" to preach the gospel? (D&C 118). What obstacles did the Twelve have to overcome to obey this command? (See the Class Member Study Guide for this lesson.) How can we overcome obstacles to sharing the gospel with others? (D&C 112:10.) * What did the Lord reveal about tithing in D&C 119:3-4? Why is it important that we obey the law of tithing? (D&C 85:3; 119:2, 6; Malachi 3:10-12.) How has the Lord blessed you as you have paid an honest tithe? Quotations Elder B. H. Roberts: In the name of the Church "there is a beautiful recognition of the relationship of the Lord Jesus Christ and the saints to the organization. It is 'The Church of Jesus Christ.' He owns it, for he organized it. It is his, for he gave himself for it. It is the sacred depository of his truth. It is his instrumentality . . . for the perfecting of the saints, as well as for the work of the ministry. It is the Christ's church in all these respects; but it is an institution which also belongs to the saints. It is their refuge from the confusion and religious doubt of the world. It is their instructor in principle, doctrine, and righteousness. It is their guide in matters of faith and morals. They have a conjoint ownership in it with Jesus Christ, which ownership is recognized in the latter part of the title" (A Comprehensive History of the Church, 1 :393). President Ezra Taft Benson: Isaiah "likened latter-day Zion to a great tent encompassing the earth. That tent was supported by cords fastened to stakes. Those stakes . . . are various geographical organizations spread out over the earth. Presently, Israel is being gathered to the various stakes of Zion.... " . . . A stake has at least four purposes: [One purpose] is to unify and perfect the members who live in those boundaries by extending to them the Church programs, the ordinances, and gospel instruction.... 2. Members of stakes are to be models, or standards, of righteousness. 3. Stakes are to be a defense. They do this as stake members unify under their local priesthood officers and consecrate themselves to do their duty and keep their covenants.... 4. Stakes are a refuge from the storm to be poured out over the earth" (Ensign, Jan. 1991, pp. 2-5). President Ezra Taft Benson: "I want to discuss the responsibility stakehood places on members.... We must be a 'light' of the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. . . . We must seek for opportunities to share the gospel message with others.... Our homes should be places of refuge, love, and harmony.... We should seek for the blessings and ordinances of the temple.... As families we should strive to be self-reliant.... Priesthood holders need to provide watchcare over quorum members and their families through organized home teaching.... We should participate in the programs and activities of the Church.... Every adult member should be a full-tithe payer and contribute a generous fast offering" (Ensign, Jan. 1991, p. 5). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 121-23 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 34 After the completion of the Kirtland Temple, the Church was in great financial distress. Joseph and other Church leaders went to Salem, Massachusetts, to search for a treasure they were told was hidden in the cellar of a house. Although the motives of the brethren were pure, the Lord had already given them counsel about how to relieve the debt of the Church (see D&C 104:78-80). They did not find the treasure they sought, but they found a greater treasure, for some people joined the Church in Salem (see D&C 111:1-3). In the months before D&C 112 was revealed, the Church in Kirtland was troubled with "evil surmisings,, faultfinding, disunion, dissension, and apostasy." The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded: "Many became disaffected toward me as though I were the sole cause of those very evils I was most strenuously striving against, and which were actually brought upon us by the brethren not giving heed to my counsel.... "In this state of things, and but a few weeks before the Twelve were expecting to meet in full quorum, (some of them having been absent for some time), God revealed to me that something new must be done for the salvation of His Church. And on or about the first of June, 1837, Heber C. Kimball, one of the Twelve, was set apart by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, prayer and laying on of hands, of the First Presidency, to preside over a mission to England, to be the first foreign mission of the Church of Christ in the last days" (History of the Church, 2:487-89). Joseph Smith received D&C 112 on 23 July 1837, the day on which the gospel was first preached in England. Early in 1838 the Prophet fled from Kirtland, Ohio, in order to escape enemies who sought his life. He traveled to Far West, Missouri, and received D&C 113-20 while he was in that area. In May 1838 the Prophet traveled to an area of Missouri called Spring Hill. There he received D&C 116, in which the Lord told him to name the place Adam-ondi-Ahman. Adam and his righteous posterity saw the Lord at Adam-ondi-Ahman (see D&C 107:53-57). In D&C 118 the Lord told the Twelve Apostles to cross the "great waters" and preach the gospel (see D&C 118:4). They were to leave from the temple site at Far West on 26 April 1839 (see D&C 118:5). However, during the fall of 1838, attacks against the Saints in northern Missouri increased. Apostle David W. Patten was killed in October during the battle at Crooked River, becoming the first latter-day Apostle to be killed. On 27 October 1838, Lilburn W. Boggs, the governor of Missouri, issued an order declaring that "the Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state." A few days later, Missouri mobs massacred at least eighteen Saints at Haun's Mill and took the Prophet Joseph and other Church leaders prisoners at Far West. By the end of March 1839, most of the Saints had fled from Missouri to Illinois. Despite the threats of enemies, Brigham Young, four other Apostles, and several other Saints returned to the Far West temple site shortly after midnight on the morning of 26 April 1839. There they ordained two additional Apostles Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith. They sang, prayed, and, in fulfillment of the prophetic statement in D&C 118:5, took leave for their missions. As you study D&C 111 -20, consider the following: * What does the Lord promise us as we are humble? (D&C 112:3, 10.) How have you seen these promises fulfilled? * How have you seen the promise in D&C 112:21 fulfilled? * What is the significance of each part of the Church's name? (D&C 115:4; 3 Nephi 27:8.) * What did the Lord reveal about tithing in D&C 119? How has the Lord blessed you as you have paid an honest tithe? Adam-ondi-Ahman, in northwestern Missouri. Some Church members settled here from 1836 to 1838. The building in the picture is Lyman Wight's cabin. Photograph by George E. Anderson, 1907. Page 68 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Section 111 Suggested Title Mission to Salem, Massachusetts -- Follies Overview of Section Content 1. Directions given to Joseph Smith and others pertaining to the missionary efforts in Salem, Massachusetts (vs. 1-4, 7-11) 2. Debt -- The Lord's promise (vs. 5) 3. Zion -- The Lord's promise of mercy (vs. 6) Historical Setting Joseph Smith, Jun. On Monday afternoon, July 25th, in company with Sidney Rigdon, Brother Hyrum Smith, and Oliver Cowdery, I left Kirtland,... and the next evening, about ten o'clock we arrived at Buffalo, New York, ... ... we took passages on a line boat for Utica, where we arrived about eight o'clock a. m. of the 29th, just in time to take the railroad car for Schenectady, the first passenger car on the new road.... On the 30th, at seven o'clock a. m. we went on board the steamer John Mason, which took us to the Erie, lying over the bar... From New York we continued our journey to Providence, on board a steamer; from thence to Boston, by steam cars, and arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, early in August, where we hired a house, and occupied the same during the month, teaching the people from house to house, and preaching publicly, as opportunity presented; visiting occasionally, sections of the surrounding country, which are rich in the history of the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, in Indian warfare, religious superstition, bigotry, persecution, and learned ignorance. (HC, Vol. 2, pp. 463-464) B. H. Roberts ... While the Prophet gives a somewhat circumstantial account of this journey to Salem and his return to Kirtland in September, he nowhere assigns an adequate cause for himself and company making it -- the object of it is not stated. Ebenezer Robinson, for many years a faithful and prominent elder in the Church, and at Nauvoo associated with Don Carlos Smith -- brother of the Prophet -- in editing and publishing the Times and Seasons, states that the journey to Salem arose from these circumstances. There came to Kirtland a brother by the name of Burgess who stated that he had knowledge of a large amount of money secreted in the cellar of a certain house in Salem, Massachusetts, which had belonged to a widow (then deceased), and thought he was the only person who had knowledge of it, or of the location of the house. The brethren accepting the representations of Burgess as true made the journey to Salem to secure, if possible, the treasure. Burgess, according to Robinson, met the brethren in Salem, but claimed that time had wrought such changes in the town that he could not for a certainty point out the house "and soon left." They hired a house and occupied it and spent their time as per the narrative of the Prophet already quoted. While in Salem the Prophet received a revelation in which the folly of this journey is sharply reproved: ... (CHC, Vol. 1, p. 411) Sacred Truths Introduction As one examines the purpose of the prophet's mission to Salem, Massachusetts, it would appear to be strange and unusual. However, it is not so strange or unusual when we note the economic conditions of the church and the nation at that time. The Kirtland Temple had just been completed and indebtedness surrounded that endeavor. Speculation in lands and property was rife in the United States. Reeling under the pressure of indebtedness, the prophet sought relief for the church. Apparently, this endeavor considered all legal options. Unclaimed money was certainly a legal venture. Sincerity, however, may not always be indicative of wisdom. While in Salem, Massachusetts, the prophet received a revelation from the Lord in which He described Joseph's journey as a folly. (See D&C 111:1) In this chapter we will discuss the nature of and the handling of follies. The Nature of Follies What is a folly? It could be described as an honest mistake, an unwise decision, or a sincere error in judgment. Otten & Caldwell, Sacred Truths of the Doctrine & Covenants, Vol.2, p.253 So many misunderstandings that occur among families, friends, associates, etc. are the result of follies. Normally, there is no intention to hurt or offend. However, honest mistakes are made. The major problem isn't the folly, or unwise behavior, itself, but the lack of spiritual maturity to recognize a folly and deal with it properly. When a folly is committed and not recognized as such, the general result is the ego or self-esteem of the individual, as well as his personal dignity, suffers abuse. From the first verse of this revelation, we may begin to see the wisdom and perfection of the Savior: I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies. (D&C 111:1) The recognition of follies by weak mortals is a giant step forward along the path of spirituality. The following is an illustration of such growth and advancement. A father had a new windshield installed in his automobile. As he arrived home and drove into the driveway, he noticed his daughter playing on the lawn with the family dog. She was throwing rocks for the dog to retrieve. She threw a rock in the direction of the driveway and mistakenly hit the windshield of the car. The new windshield was shattered. What might be the usual reaction of the parent? Verbal or physical abuse would be the norm. However, this father was sensitive as to how the Lord would have him respond to this unintentional mistake and proceeded to assess the situation spiritually. "Folly," said he. "This behavior was not intended to do harm." The spiritual maturity here portrayed demonstrates that this father had the ability to recognize a folly. It seems such a simple thing, yet many people fail to separate the intent of the deed from the result of the act and the accompanying emotional climate. Hence, they launch forth on a course that is detrimental to the individual as well as to themselves. The Handling of Follies What is the mental or emotional condition of the child of God at the time he or she commits a folly? In most cases, their self-esteem plummets to a low level and their embarrassment is obvious. It is important to observe, in the case of Joseph Smith, how the Lord, after assessing the behavior to be a folly, moved to protect the ego of His youthful prophet; to salvage as much as possible from a difficult situation. We note His positive course of action: I have much treasure in this city for you, for the benefit of Zion, and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion, through your instrumentality. Therefore, it is expedient that you should form acquaintance with men in this city, as you shall be led, and as it shall be given you.... Concern not yourselves about your debts, for I will give you power to pay them.... ... And inquire diligently concerning the more ancient inhabitants and founders of this city; For there are more treasures than one for you in this city. (D&C 111:2-3, 5, 9-10) We would call attention to three important principles: 1. The most valuable treasure on this earth is the soul of a man. Apparently, Joseph Smith had allowed his concern for the church's financial needs to, momentarily, take precedence. Priorities were reestablished by the Savior. 2. The sincerity of the prophet's intent was recognized and help was assured. 3. The Lord helped Joseph to make the best of the situation. With reference to the Lord's direction for Joseph to "inquire.. concerning the.. ancient inhabitants (D&C 111:9) we quote the following: ... "ancient inhabitants" refers more particularly to the ancestors of the Prophet. The Revelation was given at Salem, the county seat of Essex County, Massachusetts. It was in that county that Robert Smith, the first of the Smith family in America, settled. It was the residence of many more of the pioneer immigrants to America, whose descendants joined the Church. At Salem, the county seat, the records for all the towns in the county were kept, and the Smiths' record, among others, were there. The matter of genealogy evidently entered into the inquiry concerning the "ancient inhabitants".... (DCC, p. 729) Summary and Conclusion So many mistakes fall into the category of follies. The ability to recognize a folly is Christlike. A positive approach to protect the ego of the individual might include a review of priorities, the acknowledgement of a sincere intent, and the implementation of the kind of action that becomes helpful and useful. Otten & Caldwell, Sacred Truths of the Doctrine & Covenants, Vol.2, p.251-255 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Inquire diligently concerning the more ancient inhabitants and founders of this city] History is, perhaps, the most useful knowledge a missionary can have, next to a thorough understanding of the principles of the gospel, but "ancient inhabitants" refers more particularly to the ancestors of the Prophet. The Revelation was given at Salem, the county seat of Essex County, Massachusetts. It was in that county that Robert Smith, the first of the Smith family in America, settled. It was the residence of many more of the pioneer immigrants to America, whose descendants joined the Church. At Salem, the county seat, the records for all the towns in the county were kept, and the Smiths' record, among others, were there. The matter of genealogy evidently entered into the inquiry concerning the "ancient inhabitants," for a purpose which was manifest later, of the salvation of the dead. Smith and Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Sec. 111, p.729 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | I asked one man in the city of Salem, Massachusetts, in the year 1902 why he was gathering the records of the dead. He was undertaking a marvelous work. He said to me: "I do not know, but I got started and I cannot quit." I know why. Joseph Fielding Smith, Conference Report, April 1936, p.74 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | From New York we continued our journey to Providence, on board a steamer; from thence to Boston, by steam cars, and arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, early in August, where we hired a house, and occupied the same during the month, teaching the people from house to house, and preaching publicly, as opportunity presented; visiting occasionally, sections of the surrounding country, which are rich in the history of the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, in Indian warfare, religious superstition, bigotry, persecution, and learned ignorance. History of the Church, Vol.2, Ch.32, p.464 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Tuesday, 10--I spent the day in council with Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, Orson Pratt, and George A. Smith, and appointed a special conference for the 16th instant. I directed them to send missionaries to New Orleans; Charleston, South Carolina; Salem, Massachusetts; Baltimore, Maryland; and Washington, District of Columbia. I also requested the Twelve to take the burthen of the business of the Church in Nauvoo, and especially as pertaining to the selling of Church lands. History of the Church, Vol.4, Ch.23, p.400 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | A lengthy "Address to the Citizens of Salem, Massachusetts, and Vicinity," by Erastus Snow, and Benjamin Winchester, October. History of the Church, Vol.4, Ch.28, p.488 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | The only description I have seen of Dr. Bennett is given in the Essex County Washingtonian, published in Salem, Massachusetts, and that is contained in the issue of the fifteenth of September, 1842. According to that description he was a man of about five feet nine inches high, well formed, black hair sprinkled with gray, dark complexion, a rather thin face, and black restless eyes. He finally died in obscurity, and also, it is said, in poverty, (Cannon's Life of Joseph Smith, p. 377). History of the Church, Vol.5, Introduction, p.21 More information is know about Dr. John C. Bennett, in a book just out, called "The Saintly Scoundrel, The life and times of Dr. John C. Bennett, by Andrew F. Smith. This book does not sum up his life based on how famous he died or how much many he had not spent, but illistates the life of an amazing man that effected Mormonism greatly. | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Elder George J. Adams having been called to Nauvoo, twelve hundred inhabitants of Boston petitioned for Elders Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde to come and labor in that place. A similar petition was also sent from Salem, Massachusetts, by Elder Erastus Snow. History of the Church, Vol.5, Ch.16, p.302 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | The Stricken Family-Heroism Of Joseph Hyrum Smith, the second son, was sent to an academy in Hanover, a few miles north from Lebanon; and the other children of sufficient age, to the nearer common school in Lebanon. The affairs of the family were in this happy condition when an epidemic of typhus fever passed over the neighborhood. The Smiths were sorely afflicted by the fever. Hyrum was stricken while in school in Hanover, and brought home; and all the children one after the other fell victims to the scourge. Sophronia, a daughter, narrowly escaped dying; the mother attributes her recovery to the blessing of God obtained through prayer. Joseph recovered from the fever, but some two weeks after his recovery was suddenly seized with a severe pain in his shoulder. A wrong diagnosis by the physician attributed the trouble to a sprain, when in reality there had been none; but after two weeks of suffering there developed between the breast and shoulder a fever sore which, on being lanced, discharged large quantities of pus. The pain then shifted into the leg, causing great suffering; and so continued from bad to worse despite the efforts of physicians, until finally amputation was decided upon by the surgeons, and was only avoided by the protests and determination of the lad himself and the mother. An operation was performed, however, by a large piece of one of the bones between the knee and ankle being removed. Of course the operation was performed with the crude instruments of the times, without the use of anesthetics; and as the boy refused to take stimulants or to be tied down to the bed, the manner in which he passed through the trying ordeal was a rare exhibition of pluck and power of endurance. After the operation the lad quickly recovered, and was sent to Salem, Massachusetts, to the home of his uncle, Jesse Smith, in the hope that the sea air would help in his restoration to perfect health, a hope that was not disappointed. B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.1, Ch.3, p.29 - p.30 Footnote : 3. Ibid, ch. xvi. The fever sore in shoulder and leg, requiring the painful surgical operation alluded to in the text, is called the "ancestral ulceration," by Riley in his Founder of Mormonism, p. 65, for which remark, neither in his own collection of "ancestral ailments," attributed to the Smiths and Macks, or elsewhere, is there any justification. The immediate cause for the gathering in shoulder and leg is found in the effect of the typhus fever upon the lad's system; and this, I am assured by medical authority, is not unusual. B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.1, Ch.3, p.30 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Massachusetts, one of the original thirteen colonies, was so named from an Indian word meaning the great hills (the Blue Hills), near Boston. The famous sailing vessel the Mayflower landed its gallant band of Pilgrims at what later became known as Plymouth, Massachusetts. The attitude of Salem in regard to witchcraft is historical, but the people of Massachusetts, although fanatical, were, for the most part, honest and industrious. From 1765 to 1776 the history of Massachusetts is largely the history of the American Revolution. The area of Massachusetts is 8,039 square miles. The population of the state was 610,408 in 1830; 737,699 in 1840; 994,514 in 1850; 1,231,066 in 1860; 1,457,351 in 1870; 1,783,085 in 1880; 2,238,943 in 1890; 2,805,346 in 1900; 3,366,416 in 1910; 3,852,356 in 1920, and 4,249,614 in 1930. Andrew Jenson, Encyclopedic History of the Church , p.482 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | The biography is organized as a chronological narrative. It consists of short chapters some only two pages in length. Elder Cannon employs occasional footnotes, but scholarly documentation is subordinate to the flow of the narrative. Generally, the story of Joseph Smith follows the sequence of the larger events in the history of the Church. Most often, Joseph Smith is the dominant figure, but occasionally he is subordinate to events of the day. This is true, for example, in the chapter on the "Haun's Mill Massacre." Joseph retires to the background while the events at Haun's Mill move to the foreground. The author stresses the positive. He always presents Joseph Smith and the Church in the most favorable light. Even events that may be somewhat controversial are presented in a manner that is advantageous to the Church. The Prophet's visit to Salem, Massachusetts, in 1836, for example, is described as exclusively related to preaching the gospel. There is no hint of financial or other motives for the New England trip. (For more information on this matter, see Donald Q. Cannon, "Joseph Smith in Salem," Studies in Scripture: the Doctrine and Covenants 1 [Sandy, Utah: Randall Book Co., 1984]: 432-37.) George Q. Cannon, Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet, p.6 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | On the 25th day of July, 1836, the Prophet departed with his brother Hyrum, Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery, on a mission to the eastern states. He labored diligently in the vicinity of Salem in Massachusetts, and while there received a revelation in which the Lord declared that many people form that part would in His due time be gathered out to journey to Zion. George Q. Cannon, Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet, p.209 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | A VISION "While my brother was thus at prayer I had an open vision. I saw a beautiful female, perfect in form and features, who seemed a little taller than the average female, standing erect, upon a platform elevated some eight or ten inches above the floor, but notwithstanding her beauty and perfect symmetry in form, she was full of sores from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet. I marvelled and wondered within myself, is it possible the Church is so corrupted." We remained on this mission some ten weeks, during which time we baptized our brother, Joseph L. Robinson, and our sister Asenath Brown, and three others and returned to our home in Kirtland, Ohio, in October. On our return home we went to work in the printing office as heretofore. We soon learned that four of the leading men of the Church had been to Salem, Massachusetts, in search of the hidden treasure spoken of by Brother Burgess, viz: Joseph Smith, Jr., Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery. They left home on the 25th of July, and returned in September. They were at Salem, when we had that vision of the woman full of sores, on the evening of the 12th of August, at my brother Joseph's. Joseph Smith, Jr., in his history, as published in the 15th volume of the Millennial Star, pages 821, and 822, says: "On Monday afternoon, July 25th, in company with Sidney Rigdon, Brother Hyrum Smith, and Oliver Cowdery, I left Kirtland and at seven o'clock the same evening, we took passage on board the steamer Charles Townsend, S. Fox, master, at Fairport, and the next evening, about ten o'clock, we arrived at Buffalo, New York, and took lodgings at the `Farmer's Hotel.' From New York we continued our journey to Providence, on board a steamer; from thence to Boston, by steam cars, and arrived at Salem, Massachusetts, early in August, where we hired a house, and occupied the same during the month, teaching the people from house to house, and preaching publicly, as opportunity presented: visiting, occasionally, sections of the surrounding country, which are rich in the history of the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, in Indian warfare, religious superstition, bigotry, persecution, and learned ignorance. I received the following-- Revelation, given at Salem, Massachusetts, August 6th, 1836. Thus I continued in Salem and vicinity until I returned to Kirtland, sometime in the month of September." We were informed that Brother Burgess met them in Salem [Massachusetts], evidently according to appointment, but time had wrought such a change that he could not for a certainty point out the house, and soon left. They however, found a house which they felt was the right one, and hired it. It is needless to say they failed to find that treasure, or the other gold and silver spoken of in the revelation. We speak of these things with regret, but inasmuch as they occurred we feel it our duty to relate them, as also some of those things which transpired under our personal observation, soon after. Failing to secure the Salem [Massachusetts] treasure, and no demand for city lots, with their debts pressing heavily upon them, it evidently seemed necessary that some ways and means should be devised to extricate themselves from their present embarrassments. To this end a banking institution was organized, called the "Kirtland Safety Society," as we see by the following quotation from the history of Joseph Smith, Jr., as published on the 823rd page of the Millennial Star. "On the 2nd of November the brethren at Kirtland drew up certain articles of agreement, preparatory to the organization of a banking institution, to be called the `Kirtland Safety Society.' President O. [Oliver Cowdery] was delegated to Philadelphia to procure plates for the institution; and Elder O. [Orson] Hyde, to repair to Columbus, with a petition to the legislature of Ohio, for an act of incorporation, which was presented at an early period of their session, but because we were `Mormons,' the legislature raised some frivolous excuse on which they refused to grant us those banking privileges they so freely granted to others. Thus Elder Hyde was compelled to return without accomplishing the object of his mission, while Elder Cowdery succeeded at a great expense in procuring the plates, and bringing them to Kirtland." As stated above, Orson Hyde failed in securing a Bank Charter, but Oliver Cowdery returned with Kirtland bank bills printed to amount, it was said, of two hundred thousand dollars, which would be worthless unless some way could be devised by which they could be used. To meet this emergency, the following action was had, which we quote from Joseph Smith's history, as found on page 843, Millennial Star. "Minutes of a meeting of the members of the `Kirtland Safety Society,' held on the 2nd day of January, 1837. At a special meeting of the Kirtland Safety Society, two-thirds of the members being present, S. [Sidney] Rigdon was called to the Chair, and W. [Warren] Parrish chosen Secretary. Ebenezer Robinson The Return 1 (July 1889), p.105-107 ... Notwithstanding this positive declaration, how persistently they pursued temporal things, having tried merchandising, city lot speculation, searching after the hidden treasure in Salem, Massachusetts, where Joseph Smith received a revelation, that all Salem should be given to them, "with its gold and silver," and then banking, all of which had so signally failed them, that they thought it best to get out of Kirtland, Ohio, in haste, as he informs in his history, that they left that place in the nighttime, on the 12th of January 1838, riding on horseback 60 miles the first night. See page 114, 16th volume Millennial Star. Ebenezer Robinson The Return 1 (November 1889), p.173 Group Biographies, Autobiographies, and Diraies Writtings of Early Latter-Day Saints and Their Contemporaries, Backman and Perkins. | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | And what of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young: did they ever visit Topsfield? Although no direct evidence exists to substantiate such a visit by either man, it is a well-documented fact that they visited nearby Salem, Massachusetts. Following his leg operation in Lebanon, New Hampshire, Joseph Smith, then only eight years of age went to the home of his uncle Jesse Smith, in Salem, Massachusetts, to recuperate.45 Many years later, in 1836, after he and the Church had moved from New York to Ohio, Joseph Smith again visited Salem. One scholar believes that the purpose of this second visit was to find buried treasure supposedly hidden in Salem.46 Certainly the Church was in dire need of financial assistance and thus one motive for the journey to Salem might have been to find the treasure reputedly located there. Section 3 of the Doctrine and Covenants, a revelation received by Joseph Smith on 6 August 1836, at Salem, does make reference of treasure located there, but the wording makes the meaning difficult and obscure. Joseph Smith's own account in his Journal History and in the History of the Church fails to mention anything about treasure or treasure hunting and dwells on the missionary activity in which they engaged. His account reads in part: "We . . . arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, early in August, where we hired a house, and occupied the same during the month, teaching people from house to house, and preaching publicly, as opportunity presented; visiting occasionally, sections of the surrounding country, rich in the history of the Pilgrim Fathers of New England. . . ."47 From the evidence available, one might conclude that the purpose of Joseph Smith's second journey to Salem was both to enrich the Church and to do missionary work. Apparently, however, any alleged attempt to locate buried or hidden treasure was unsuccessful. From his statement concerning visits to "sections of the surrounding country" one might conclude that the Prophet also visited Topsfield, his ancestral home. At any rate, his second trip to Salem was a most interesting and unusual event. Donald Q. Cannon, BYU Studies, Vol. 14, No. 1, p.74 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | New England also was a center for digging. The treasure catalogue of Silas Hamilton, a longtime Massachusetts citizen before his move to Vermont, listed the rumors of his old neighborhood. Of the forty-one locations that can now be identified, Massachusetts had twenty-eight sites, Connecticut eight, and New York three. Probably reflecting the prevailing pirate craze, about half lay close to the sea or a navigable river, the Boston-Salem area alone having nine. But central Massachusetts was also reputed to be rich in treasure. There, in a vertical belt running parallel to the Connecticut River, Hamilton noted over fifteen locations, though interior regions sometimes contained mines rather than more easily accessible chests, tankards, and hogsheads of coin that characterized a coastal areas.106 Ronald W. Walker; BYU Studies Vol. 24, No. 4, pg.447 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | The Salem Visit in Context Why did Joseph Smith go to Salem in 1836? The answer is more complex than is generally known. The negative version was given by James C. Brewster seven years later. Stung by John Taylor's criticism of money digging, Brewster accused Joseph Smith of being the real source and struck back: "If he has a good memory, he will remember the house that was rented in the city of Boston, with the expectation of finding a large sum of money buried in or near the cellar." The Boston inaccuracy hints that Brewster's information was not as direct as that of Ebeneezer Robinson, who gives his source as the Prophet's brother, with whom he worked in the Kirtland printing office. Brewster's summary and Robinson's negative recollection are the points of beginning, to be corrected by details now available in other historical sources. Since an overview is helpful at the outset, Robinson's entire narrative of the incident is spliced together here from his memoirs a half-century later: A brother in the Church, by the name of Burgess, had come to Kirtland and stated that a large amount of money had been secreted in the cellar of a certain house in Salem, Massachusetts, which had belonged to a widow, and he thought he was the only person living who had knowledge of it, or to the location of the house. We saw the brother Burgess, but Don Carlos Smith told us with regard to the hidden treasure. His statement was credited by the brethren, and steps were taken to try and secure the treasure, of which we will speak more fully in another place . . . We soon learned that four of the leading men of the Church had been to Salem, Massachusetts in search of the hidden treasure spoken of by Brother Burgess, viz.: Joseph Smith, Jr., Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery . . . We were informed that Brother Burgess met them in Salem, evidently according to appointment, but time had wrought such a change that he could not for a certainly point out the house and soon left. They, however, found a house which they felt was the right one, and hired it. It is needless to say they failed to find that treasure or the other gold and silver spoken of in the revelation.38 The Prophet visited a city of past glory and lingering prosperity. That year a patriotic editor observed that "from 1790 to 1800 . . . has always been considered the golden age of Salem."39 By 1836, docks that had once received the goods of the world were being redeveloped.40 Fortunes had been made, and rumors of secret wealth had some basis. In 1836, Hawthorne published "Peter Goldthwaite's Treasure," a story of searching for a trunk of money in a Salem house. The author sketched an exciting find with the twist that it turned out to be devalued Continental paper. Hawthorne's plot began with looking for "an immense hoard of the precious metals which was said to exist somewhere in the cellar or walls, or under the floors, in some concealed closet, or other out-of-the-way nook of the house."41 Joseph Smith went to Salem on a similar rumor, perhaps no more specific than this. Brewster was indefinite--"buried in or near the cellar." But Robinson says only that it was "secreted in the cellar of a certain house in Salem."42 So Joseph Smith went east in search of treasure, not necessarily to dig for it. Since neither source is firsthand, the details are not necessarily trustworthy. We shall later see variance with the 1836 evidence on one event. Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Oliver Cowdery left for New York and the Boston area on 25 July 1836. Ebeneezer Robinson was sarcastic in hindsight, but any journey must be judged by its prospects at the outset. What is the difference between disreputable money digging and a reasonable mining venture? Only the projected probability of success. On this scale, the justification for going to Salem was proportional to the reliability of information. Were the leaders too eager to believe that a providential find would relieve their heavy personal debts and the related debts of the Church? They talked to a man who claimed to have definite information on a likely city. Any guidebook at that time would have said something about "the commercial prosperity of the place during the . . . active trade with the East Indies and China, some years ago."43 Indeed, Joseph Smith had family knowledge of such a hoard, for right after the Salem "golden age" his father's agent had embezzled the profits of his ginseng shipment to China. Before the swindler left for Canada, Lucy's brother had been shown the proceeds that really belonged to Joseph's parents--a "trunk of silver and gold".44 In the year the Prophet visited Salem, a local newspaper still listed "wealth" as one of the city's characteristics.45 On arrival, Oliver Cowdery verified his expectations: "The inhabitants as I learned are generally wealthy, and the almost entire business of the place is commercial."46 The month was now August. The Mormon leaders had quickly traveled to New York on Lake Erie, the Erie Canal, and the Hudson. After a short stay in commercial Manhattan, they took the Providence ferry and Boston railroad, arriving in the area the afternoon of 5 August.47 Robinson suggests that their Kirtland informant preceded them: "We were informed that Brother Burgess met them in Salem, evidently according to appointment, but time had wrought such a change that he could not for certainty point out the house, and soon left."48 Did Burgess meet them on arrival? D&C 111 was given the day after the visitors came to the area. Its mood either is prophetic of Burgess's ineptitude or reflects the frustration of the letdown. This revelation repeatedly emphasizes that the treasure they came to seek is not the treasure they would get. Thus they were not necessarily promised the riches they expected. This Salem message has been called a false prophecy because its promised wealth was never received. But the definition of riches came in doublets, a scriptural pattern of restating one idea in two aspects. The Salem instruction has this striking parallel: Concern not yourselves about your debts, for I will give you power to pay them (D&C 111:5). Concern not yourselves about Zion, for I will deal mercifully with her (D&C 111:6) Such similar phrasing suggests that paying debts and the welfare of Zion were but different forms of the same hope. In fact, the Prophet typically linked them in public statements and in private prayers. Another set of paired phrases relates to this debt--Zion promise: I have much treasure in this city for you for the benefit of Zion (D&C 111:2a). ... and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion through your instrumentality. (D&C 111:2b). In this literary parallel,"gather" correlates with "treasure," which in the first half of the relation is equated with "gold and silver" (D&C 111:4). This verse says that Salem's "much treasure" and "many people" will each contribute to the same cause--"the benefit of Zion." These similarities of wording and style strongly point to an equivalence of idea--the gathering of the converts is at the same time a gathering of their resources. This conclusion is reinforced by placement of "in due time" alongside promises of conversions and wealth: (1) there are "many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time"(D&C 111:2); (2) "this city" and "its wealth" will be given over to Church leaders "in due time"(D&C 111:4). This chronological match also associates the wealth of Salem with conversions from Salem. These stylistic pointers are verified by other revelations and by the realities of Church finance at that time. Needing strategic non-Mormon land, Presidents Smith, Cowdery, and Williams had prayed in 1834 "that the Lord would send faithful Saints to purchase their farms that this stake may be strengthened and its borders enlarged."49 Church programs at Kirtland heavily depended on special donations from early 1830s converts such as John Tanner and Vienna Jacques. Although its unique circumstances tend to isolate the Salem revelation as a special case, it continues a distinct theme in the early Doctrine and Covenants. In the 1831 apocalyptic language of gathering, enlightened Israel would "bring forth their rich treasures" to Zion (D&C 133:30). And in 1835 came the phrasing that the Lord would "consecrate of the riches of those who embrace my gospel" to the poor, and by implication to the full needs of the Church (D&C 42:39). So Salem's gathering "for the benefit of Zion" had clear economic overtones. In the light of Joseph's earlier revelations on gathering. Salem exemplifies the spiritual and material developments that the Prophet saw synoptically and ultimately: "as fast as ye are to receive them" (D&C 111:11). Joseph was a developer of programs, for right after the Salem trip the Kirtland Bank was organized. But a year after the bank's 1837 failure came the successful system of tithing, based on contribution of convert surplus and regular proportionate giving (D&C 119:1-5). Thus, the Salem revelation is attuned to the reality of increasing numbers and expanding Church economy. Six years after the Prophet's visit, Erastus Snow raised up a Salem branch of 100 before a number migrated to build Nauvoo and its temple. These included resourceful pioneers Howard Eagan and Nathaniel Ashby, whose Illinois brick home stands as evidence of savings transferred from Salem to Nauvoo.50 If the 1836 revelation rebuked the leaders for their "follies" in coming for treasure, the actual wording is more positive: "I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies"(D&C 111:1). There was a New York business phase, to be discussed shortly, so the trip as a whole may have been prudent, with the "follies" being too-eager hopes for an easy find. Or Joseph Smith may have used follies in his normal sense of personal transgressions without negative judgment on the Salem visit. According to Robinson, the lead was represented as a solid one, only to vanish on their arrival at Salem. If so, fault lay more on Burgess than the Mormon Presidency. Like David Whitmer, ex-Mormon Robinson wanted an infallible prophet, not merely a responsible leader receiving revelation in the midst of real struggle. So Robinson's facts are broader than his personal explanation of them.51 Did the Mormon leaders gain control of the treasure house? Brewster claimed that it was "rented" and hinted at digging.52 Similarly, Robinson wrote, "They, however, found a house which they felt was the right one, and hired it."53 But two weeks after their arrival, Joseph wrote Emma from Salem that they had no immediate hope of getting possession: Bro. Hyrum is about to start for home before the rest of us, which seems wisdom in God, as our business here can not be determined as soon as we would wish to have it . . . With regard to the great object of our mission, you will be anxious to know. We have found the house since Bro. Burgess left us, very luckily and providentially, as we had one spell been most discouraged. The house is occupied, and it will require much care and patience to rent or buy it.54 Hyrum left with this letter, apparently feeling that he could not wait longer, and the rest soon came to the same conclusion. Six days after Joseph wrote Emma, a Salem newspaper updated the stories of Latter-day Saint preaching: Mr. Rigdon, the Mormon preacher, who introduced himself at our Lyceum last week, has since left the city, with his three or four associates. It is said they retain possession of the tenement leased by them in Union Street, and intend to return to this city next spring.55 This report that the Mormon had "since left the city" was printed on 25 August. Oliver Cowdery wrote a letter with a Boston dateline the day before--24 August.56 On that date, the Boston Daily Times reported that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were present in Boston, meeting "the day before yesterday," which would be 22 August.57 So the move of the Prophet, Sidney, and Oliver came within a few days after Joseph's letter to Emma on 19 August. As quoted, Joseph said that access to the building was not likely then: "The house is occupied, and it will require much care and patience to rent or buy it." So present evidence contradicts Robinson and Brewster on hiring the house and searching for treasure in it. The editor reporting the move knew of only one residence in the two-and-a- half weeks they were in Salem: "They retain possession of the tenement leased by them in Union Street." Indeed, "tenement" is normally an apartment, not a whole building--a further indication that they probably failed to gain possession of the "house" mentioned in Joseph's letter.58 But the leaders' activities in the East had broader scope. There were public speeches in Salem and Boston by eloquent Sidney Rigdon, leadership conferences with Apostles Brigham Young and Lyman E. Johnson, needed recreation, and much instructive sightseeing in Boston and New York.59 This is a reminder that busy people often make trips for more than one reason. The overriding problem of Kirtland in late 1836 was paying for the temple and maintaining credit and cash flow in stores and land operations. Early in the following year, Sidney Rigdon explained publicly that approximately $13,000 was outstanding on the temple--evidently for purchase of supplies and wages paid by goods charged on accounts.60 Large creditors included New York wholesalers, so personal negotiations of the First Presidency there are highly probable.61 They must have given some time either to maintaining good relations in existing accounts or establishing new ones.62 The Salem journey should be called an eastern journey, for there was first a week in New York City, then two weeks in Salem, and about a week in Boston afterward.63 Did these Church leaders stake all on a Salem find? They returned in early September, and in just two months had a finished "constitution" for a Mormon bank; the "constitution" was adopted in a formal organization meeting on 2 November.64 Advance planning for this step was necessary, and such is hinted in Cowdery's shipboard letter written right after an intense week in New York's business district: "There is money yet in Wall Street, and 'Draper, Underwood,' and others ready to help incorporated bodies to plates and dies, to make more."65 Therefore, on their way to Salem the First Presidency seriously investigated the banking business as a means of capitalizing Church debts. Two engraving firms are mentioned here, and on his return Oliver Cowdery "was delegated to Philadelphia to produce plates for the institution."66 His mention of the "Underwood" firm in New York suggests that some tentative arrangement was then made for the bank notes, for its Philadelphia branch later supplied them.67 Cowdery's reference to "money yet in Wall Street" may also mean that lending agents were contacted. But at a minimum, his mention of printing plates for "incorporated bodies" shows that the First Presidency was issuing the first publicity on the bank on the way to Salem--in Cowdery's letter of 4 August. They returned to Kirtland in early September and some six weeks later opened their books, with the first purchase of stock recorded on 18 October.68 Thus Salem was really incidental to more substantial attempts to restructure Church debts by (1) creating immediate capital through Mormon banking; (2) establishing credit or extending due dates of wholesalers' accounts; (3) meeting short-term needs through new loans; (4) insuring long-term resources through regularized contributions of converts and members. This journey investigated and announced the first program, and the Salem revelation shows continued thought given to the last one. It is probable some of the time in New York was devoted to the second program, with a suggestion of the third in Cowdery's reference to Wall Street money. Responsible managers have contingency plans, and good investors spread the risk. Since Joseph's Salem visit is one of multiple eastern goals, his phrase to Emma on the "great object of our mission" perhaps refers only to its Salem phase. This 1836 trip remains the only known treasure quest of the Prophet after beginning the Book of Mormon translation. But pre-1827 efforts are strikingly different. Salem represents searching for wealth, but the important question is what kind of searching? In the Salem incident, inside information came from an informant claiming knowledge of a location, not from a paranormal process through a stone or a rod. The patterns described in the 1826 trial are not repeated in Joseph Smith's later pursuit of a New England hoard. Some assume similarities in these two episodes, but difference loom large. Not every speculative venture is money digging. It is superficial to verbally equate treasure in 1826 with treasure in 1836 without distinguishing the mystical context of the former from the practical context of the latter. Richard Lloyd Anderson; BYU Studies Vol. 24, No. 4, p.499-506 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | There is evidence in these letters of Joseph's continued involvement in treasure hunting. According to Ebenezer Robinson, Joseph was informed by William Burges that there was money hidden in a cellar of a house in Salem, Massachusetts (349). Worried with debt, Joseph inquired of the Lord and was told, "I will give this city into your hands, that you shall power over it, insomuch that . . . its wealth pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours" (D&C 111:4). A letter to Emma from Salem, dated 19 August 1836, confirms the accuracy of Ebenezer Robinson's report. Joseph said, "We have found the house since Bro. Burgess left us . . . it will require much care and patience to rent or buy it. We think we shall be able to effect it" (350). Later, in Far West, Joseph encouraged Hyrum Smith to join him in a search for money. Locating and old Indian mound nearby which held promise of treasure, Joseph wrote to Hyrum in May 1838, "Verily thus Saith the Lord unto Hyram Smith if he will come strateaway to Far West and inquire of his brother it shall be shown him how that he may be freed from de[b]t and obtain a grate treasure in the earth even so Amen" (358). Book Reviews; BYU Studies Vol. 25, No. 3, pg.122 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Leviticus 27:30 30 And all the tithe of the land, [whether] of the seed of the land, [or] of the fruit of the tree, [is] the LORD'S: [it is] holy unto the LORD. Leviticus 27:32 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, [even] of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. Numbers 18:26 26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, [even] a tenth [part] of the tithe. Deuteronomy 12:17 17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: Deuteronomy 14:22 22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. Deuteronomy 14:23 23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. Deuteronomy 14:28 28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay [it] up within thy gates: 2 Chronicles 31:5 5 And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all [things] brought they in abundantly. 2 Chronicles 31:6 6 And [concerning] the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the LORD their God, and laid [them] by heaps. Nehemiah 10:38 38 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. Nehemiah 13:12 12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries. Matthew 23:23 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Luke 11:42 42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. D&C 85:3 3 It is contrary to the will and commandment of God that those who receive not their inheritance by consecration, agreeable to his law, which he has given, that he may tithe his people, to prepare them against the day of vengeance and burning, should have their names enrolled with the people of God. JST Matthew 23:20 20 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin; and have omitted the weightier things of the law; judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. JST Luke 11:43 43 But I say unto you, Woe be unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint, and rue, and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment, and the love of God; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 36 Date: 27 Sep 1997 20:04:02 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 124 Lesson 36 Scriptural Highlights 1. The temple is a place of revelation and sacred ordinances. 2. The Nauvoo House is to be built. 3. Church officers hold keys and bless the Saints. Invite a class member to review the circumstances of the Saints at the time D&C 124 was revealed. (See the Class Member Study Guide for this lesson.) Discussion and Application Questions * What did the Lord command Joseph Smith to do in D&C 124:1-11? (See also D&C 1:23.) What instructions and promises was Joseph Smith to give to the leaders of nations? * What character traits did the Lord praise in Hyrum Smith and George Miller? (D&C 124:15, 20.) How can we develop greater love for the things that are right so that we serve the Lord willingly? * John C. Bennett and William Law received great promises from the Lord (D&C 124:16-17, 87-90, 97-102), but they later fell into apostasy. What things in our lives might cause us to lose the blessings we have been promised? What attitudes or practices have most helped you in enduring to the end in righteousness? * Why did the Lord command the early Church leaders to build a boarding house, later called the Nauvoo House? (D&C 124:22-24, 60-61.) What do these verses teach about how the Lord wants us to treat nonmembers? What can we do to help nonmembers feel welcome among us? * Why did the Lord want the Saints to build a temple in Nauvoo? (D&C 124:26-41, 55.) Where do we receive the fulness of the priesthood? (See the quotation from President Smith.) How do these passages help you understand the importance of building temples today? * The Saints did not build a temple in Missouri even though the Lord had commanded them to build one in Independence and one in Far West. (D&C 57:1-3; 115:7-12.) What principle did the Lord teach the Saints in D&C 124:49-53? How can this principle be a comfort to us today? * Hyrum Smith was released as a counselor in the First Presidency so he could serve as the Church Patriarch and as the Assistant President of the Church, the office Oliver Cowdery had held. (D&C 124:91-96.) Why does the office of Assistant President no longer exist in the Church? (See the quotation from Elder McConkie.) * In D&C 124:123-45 the Lord listed the names of the officers of the Church. What purposes were these officers to serve? (D&C 124:143; Ephesians 4:11 -15.) How can keeping these purposes in mind help us as we serve in the Church? Quotations President Joseph Fielding Smith: "You cannot receive the fullness of the priesthood and the fullness of eternal reward unless you receive the ordinances of the house of the Lord; and when you receive these ordinances, the door is then open so you can obtain all the blessings which any man can gain" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, p. 58). Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "When these two joint Presidents of the Church [Joseph and Hyrum Smith] sealed their testimonies with their blood, the full operation of the keys of the kingdom rested with the Twelve, and Brigham Young, the senior apostle, became the ranking officer of the Church. Since the kingdom was then fully established and the two witnesses had left a binding testimony, it was no longer necessary to continue the office of Assistant President" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 56). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 125-28 Page 71 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 36 Joseph Smith and other Church leaders were in jail at Liberty, Missouri, the main responsibility for directing the Saints' flight from Missouri fell upon Brigham Young, President of the Twelve Apostles. To escape their persecutors, the Saints began crossing the ice-choked Mississippi River into Illinois in November and December of 1838. Missouri Officials became embarrassed for having illegally imprisoned Joseph Smith and his companions, so in April 1839 they allowed the men to escape. These leaders were then able to help the Saints get established in their new location at Commerce, Illinois. There were only a few scattered houses at Commerce, and much of the land was swampy. During the summer of 1839, the Prophet renamed the place Nauvoo, a Hebrew word meaning "beautiful." The Saints set to work draining the swamps, planting crops, and building homes. Along the swampy riverbanks, many of the Saints contracted malaria, and Joseph Smith himself became ill. On 22 July, though the Prophet was weak, he rose from his bed and healed many, even raising some from their deathbeds. In December 1840 the state of Illinois granted Nauvoo a charter that allowed the city to establish a militia, municipal court, and university. In the following month, the Lord commanded the Saints to build a temple and described how the Church was to be organized in Nauvoo (see D&C 124). Although the Saints had completed the Kirtland Temple, they had not yet received the full ordinances of the temple. The Lord restored these ordinances while the Saints were settling in Nauvoo, several years before the Nauvoo Temple was completed in 1845. Church members performed baptisms for their deceased relatives in the nearby Mississippi River until a font was built in the temple. On 4 May 1842, Joseph Smith gave temple endowments and scalings for the first time to a selected group in the small room above his store. As you study D&C 124, consider the following: John C. Bennett and William Law received great promises from the Lord (D&C 124:16-17, 87-90, 97-102), but they later fell into apostasy. What things in our lives might cause us to lose the blessings we have been promised? * Why did the Lord want the Saints to build a temple in Nauvoo? (D&C 124:26-41, 55.) * What principle did the Lord teach the Saints in D&C 124:49-53? How can this principle be a comfort to us today? The city of Nauvoo as seen from across the Mississippi River. Page 72 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ... At first designed for surplus stock, it soon became a special meeting hall. Various ecclesiastical functions, such as the organization of the Nauvoo Relief Society and numerous priesthood councils, were held in the room. It was also used for secular activities, including municipal meetings, school classes, theatrical presentations, debates, lectures, staff meetings of the Nauvoo Legion, and Masonic degree work. The room went by a variety of names, including the following: the Prophet's general business office, the Lodge Room of the Nauvoo Masons, the Council Chamber for priesthood and municipal bodies, and generally as the Assembly Room. Because of the variety of gatherings held in the room, it is perhaps most appropriate to refer to it as the Assembly Room. On 3 May 1842 Joseph Smith began to prepare the Assembly Room for the introduction of temple ceremonies. ... The completed arrangements provided for washings and anointings to be given in the Prophet's private office and the endowment in the Assembly Room. ... ... During the months after the Martyrdom, those who had been endowed ceased using the Assembly Room, probably at the request of Emma Smith, whose estrangement from the Twelve most likely resulted in her disassociation from the group. ...post-Martyrdom temple ordinances were given in the homes of business establishments of endowed members such as Brigham Young, John Taylor, Parley P. Pratt, Willard Richard, John Smith, and Joseph B. Noble. ... the Saints received their endowments in the "upper story" of the Tempe, in the attic instead of the mezzanine rooms.... ... ... In the center of this room was an altar with a Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants on it. On the east canvas wall was the veil of the Temple, "drawn on a wire across the vacancy in the partition," and a cotton curtain hung in front of it, shielding it from view. Four feet to the left of the veil was a doorway into the Celestial Room. ... ...the clerks' office was room one. This room also served as sealing room, in which couples were sealed in the Holy Order of Matrimony. It was also called the Holy of Holies. An altar was installed in the room on 7 January 1846 and was dedicated by the Brigham Young the same day. ... After the installation of the altar in room one, Brigham Young began sealing couples in the Holy Order of Matrimony. The highest ordinances of the temple were also performed in the same room. Apparently because it proved difficult to continue administering both marriages and these ordinances in the same room, Brigham Young later assigned rooms two and four for giving the most sacred ordinance, as he noted in his diary on 27 January. ... ... ... After the Temple's private dedication on 30 April 1846 and public dedication between 1-3 May 1846, the workman stripped the attic of any remaining vestige of the sacred work conducted within its precincts. ... Lisle G Brown, "The Sacred Departments for Temple Work in Nauvoo: The Assembly Room and the Council Chamber," BYU Studies, Vol. 19, Number 3 (Spring 1979). | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Section 124 After the Prophet was freed from his Missouri imprisonment (16 April 1839), immediate plans were made to locate the Saints at another gathering place. Upon viewing properties in Lee County, Iowa, and Hancock County, Illinois, Church land agents purchased thousands of acres of unimproved land in these two counties, and soon Nauvoo (Commerce became the headquarters of the Church. ...balancing accounts for wrongs suffered in Missouri. With others, the Prophet traveled to Washington, D.C., November 1839-March 1840, where he held audience with President Martin Van Buren, presented Congress with claims against the State of Missouri, and lobbied for redress of Missouri grievances. After achieving little or no success in the East, Joseph Smith returned to Nauvoo.... Section 124, the first known revelation since July 838, was received about four weeks after the governor of Illinois had signed charters for the city of Nauvoo, the University of Nauvoo, the Nauvoo House Association, the Nauvoo Agricultural and Nechanical Association, and the Nauvoo Legion. The revelation had monumental importance to the Prophet and his associates because its fulfillment engaged nearly every waking moment of the Prophet's time until his death. ... The proclamation to the kings of the earth. (See verses 2-14, 16, and 107.) The revelation specified that Robert B. Thompson, the Prophet's scribe, was to help write the document, and that John C. Bennett should assist in its dissemination. However, Thompson's premature death and Bennett's apostasy precluded either contributing to the project. ... William W. Phelps reported in 1863 that he was specially commissioned in May 1844 to write the "great proclamation" under the direction of the Prophet and that he had in his possession twenty-two manuscript pages that Joseph Smith had approved. He lamented, however, that the project was dropped after the martyrdom. In 1845 the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles essentially fulfilled the instructions of section 124 by publishing their proclamation to the kings of the world. The construction of the Nauvoo House. (See verses 22-24, 56-82, 111-12, 117, and 119-22.) ... a hotel in the city of Nauvoo. ... Since the edifice was to be constructed on land donated by Joseph Smith, the Prophet and his heirs were to retain a set of rooms in the building for their use. Sale of spirituous liquors in the house was to be prohibited. The Prophet considered the construction of the Nauvoo House just as urgent and sacred as the completion of the Nauvoo Temple. ... Encouragement for the completion of the Nauvoo House came from the pulpit constantly. The cornerstone of the building was laid by Joseph Smith on 2 October 1841, and several records were deposited therein. ... Joseph Smith envisioned the Nauvoo House as a means whereby the Saints could entertain "men of wealth, character and influence" and "teach them the truth." ... Despite the efforts of the four trustees and their hired help, however, work progressed very slowly on the hotel because means were meager. ... Ultimately the desire to finish the temple led to a decision ... to postpone completion of the Nauvoo House. ...the Saints met at the Nauvoo House and dedicated the finished portion to the Lord; afterward the first brick was laid. During the next four weeks, work on the building progressed rapidly: the walls were laid up to the second story. However, on 16 September 1845, work on the house was once more discontinued, because Church leaders sensed a renewed urgency to complete the temple. ... With the settlement of the Prophet's estate and the liquidation of Mormon properties in nauvoo, title to the Nauvoo House was retained by Emma Smith. Lewis C. Bidamon, Emma's second husband, later dismantled a large portion of the walls of the Nauvoo House down to the stonework of the basement and erected a two-story structure on the southwest corner of the original foundation. This building, known as the Riverside Mansion, was used as a residence by the family beginning in 1871. The lot and building are now owned by the Reorganized LDS Church. The construction of the Nauvoo Temple. Prior to the reception of section 124, plans for the erection of a temple in Nauvoo had been disclosed by the Prophet. The official public announcement came at a general conference of the Church on 3 October 1840 in Nauvoo. ... Land for the temple, acquired from Daniel H. Wells, was located on the east bench of the new city, overlooking the Mississippi River. Grandest of all Nauvoo construction projects, the building of the temple would dominate the activities of the Mormon city for nearly five years. ...the Prophet asked that work on the temple begin within ten days and that every tenth day be given to labor on the building. ... ... The foundation of the temple was laid out by the temple committee in early February 1840, and digging of the basement began on 18 February. To better organize the donated labor, the city was divided into wards on 22 February 1841, and each ward was assigned a particular day for working on the building. ... The Priesthood ordinances of the temple. (See verses 28, 40-42, 55, 95, and 97). Whereas the term endowment has come to be kown as the embodiment of certain priesthood ordinances performed in the temple, Kirtland usage of the term connoted, not the ordinances themselves, but rather the outpouring of the spirit upon those who had participated in the ordinances. ... In Nauvoo the temple ordinances ... were known as the "ancient order of the Priesthood" or simply as the "endowment," there being no particular attempt to distinguish between the ceremony and the spiritual outpouring. On 4 may 1842, before the completion of the temple, the Prophet initiated nine men into the ancient order. ... By June 1844, just before his death, the Prophet had selected twenty-five males and thirty-two females to receive the ordinances of the endowment. On 10 December 1845 endowment work commenced in the attic story of the temple. There, during the next eight weeks, nearly 5,600 members ... participated in these ceremonies. Related ordinances administered by the Prophet before the completion of the temple included eternal marriages, baptisms for the dead, and conferring the fulness of the priesthood. ... The reorganization of priesthood quorums. ... The death of Patriarch Joseph Smith, Sr., in 1840 left a vacancy which was filled by his son, Hyrum (see verse 124). The latter also assumed the "same blessing, and glory, and honor, and priesthood" that Oliver cowdery had held before his escommunication in 1838.... The vacancy left in the First Presidency by Hyrum Smith's new appointment was filled by William Law.... Brigham Young was named president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.... The Nauvoo High Council had been organized on 6 October 1839 with William Marks as president. ... Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 242-281. | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Specifically related to the University of Nauvoo, the Prophet said that it is "necessary for the great work of the last days".... Considering the relative lack of formal education among the early Latter-day Saints, the faculty appointed to teach at the university is astonishing. The following are listed among the faculty: Orson Pratt, Orson Spencer, Sidney Rigdon, Gustavus Hills and John Pack .... Of those on this list, Orson Orson Pratt played the most prominent role at the university. ... Appointed as a member of the original Quorum of the Twelve in 1835, he published several tracts and pamphlets, including An Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions. Throughout his life Orson Pratt pursued a strong interest in mathematics and astronomy, fields in which he was essentially. Elder Pratt's greatest impact on the Church came as a result of his carefully written theological studies. He was selected by Brigham Young to make the Church's first public announcement of plural marriage in 1852. David Whittaker in his Encyclopedia of Mormonism article on Orson Pratt noted, "he was an elaborator, a systematizer, and popularizer of LDS thought, rather than an innovator or an originator"... In relation to the University of Nauvoo, Orson Pratt played a very important part. It is perhaps helpful to view Joseph Smith as the architect and Orson Pratt as the builder of the university. He took the ideas of the Prophet and translated them into reality. Orson Pratt's name appears more frequently in the historical records pertaining to the university than any other name. There is good evidence to show that he taught classes at the university during 1841, 1842, and 1843, serving as Professor of English literature and mathematics. [John Henry Evans]: "In the first century 'Mormonism' there is no leader of the intellectual stature of Orson Pratt." The courses offered by the University of Nauvoo varied widely. Orson Pratt offered several mathematics courses including arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, conic sections, measuration, surveying, navigation, analytical, plane and spherical trigonometry, analytical geometry, and differential calculus. Professor Pratt also taught astronomy, chemistry [can't get any better than that!!], and philosophy.... Sidney Rigdon offered courses in English literature, language, rhetoric, and Church history. Professor Gustavus Hills offered various courses in music, including science of music, and the art of sacred singing. ... some foreign language courses were offered, including German, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, but it is not certain who taught these course.... Orson Pratt received an honorary degree of Master of Arts to help "compensate for his lack of formal education" and to provide stature for the university.... At least three honorary degrees were conferred upon men who had given the Latter-day Saints favorable treatment. Two editors received such degrees, John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat and James Gordon Bennett of the New York Weekly Herald. In both origin and its operation the Prophet Joseph Smith was intimately involved in the University of the City of Nauvoo. To properly evaluate his overall contribution as a Church leader, one must assess his work related to the university. The University of Nauvoo had a short-term impact of Nauvoo, but it has also had a long-term impact on the Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the twentieth century is fully committed to education and sponsors worldwide educational programs. Much of the current program had its basic beginnings in the University of Nauvoo. Donald Q. Cannon, "Joseph Smith and the University of Nauvoo," Joseph Smith: The Prophet, The Man, (Religious Studies Center Brigham Young University, 1993). | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ... One tract of 20,000 acres was offered at two dollars an acre on a tweny-year contract by land agent Isaac Galland, a resident of Commerce, Illinois. ... ... Commerce was soon being promoted as the central gathering place. By summer it was unofficially renamed Nauvoo, a word that the Prophet said was derived from the Hebrew and suggested a beautiful place of rest. ... ... The area was swampy and unhealthy, and malaria was endemic in the region. As soon as the Saints began to settle, an epidemic struck. ... The Prophet called upon the power of God and, according to Woodruff, went among the sick on both sides of the river. Many miraculous healings were reported. ... ... ... These reasons prompted 4,733 British Mormons to sail to America before the end of the Nauvoo period, and boosted the population of Nauvoo by nearly one-third. This great movement of new members from Britain resulted primarily from a special mission of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, whose members had been called by revelation in July 1838 "to go over the great waters" to preach the gospel. ... ... Williard Richards, already in England, was added to the council in April 1840, making a total of eight apostles in the British Isles. ... ... In early March Elder Woodruff noted in his diary the "the Lord warned me to go to the South." ... In the Benbow home and some United Brethren chapels, Elder Woodruff preached the gospel to hundreds of willing listeners. The converted United Brethren soon formed the nucleus for many Latter-day Saint branches. ... Before he finished his mission he had baptized more than 600 persons in a pool at the Benbow farm, and a total of more than 1,800 converts in southern England. ... In January 1840, about 1500 Saints lived in Great Britain, but when the apostles left fifteen months later, there were 5,814 members--and another 800 had emigrated to America. The mission had indeed been prosperous. ... ...members were instructed to contribute one-tenth of all their possessions at first, then one-tenth of their annual increase. ... ... The settlers established farms, homes, and businesses. Major farming was relegated to land outside the city, but garden plots flourished inside city limits. Lots in Nauvoo included flower and vegetable gardens, orchards, fences, and outbuildings--summer kitchens, smokehouses, privies, barns, and stables. Construction quickly became Nauvoo's principal industry and employed hundred of craftsmen. ... ... Major industry, however, did not develop in Nauvoo. English emigrants seemed particularly interested in establishing corn mills, weaving enterprises, textile mills, potteries, and carriage manufactories, but such dreams did not materialize. ... ... Considering contemporary economic conditions, the Saints at nauvoo accomplished an amazing feat. ... Despite the general appearance of prosperity in Nauvoo, the First Presidency carried heavy debts, including several thousand dollars in obligations from the years at Kirtland. ...suggested that members voluntarily cancel debts to eliminate internal discord and animosity in preparation for temple blessings. ... ... A national Bankruptcy Act ... allowed individuals to legally petition for relief. In April, Joseph Smith and several other leading Latter-day Saints engaged lawyers and filed bankruptcies under the untried law, hoping to eliminate debts and losses suffered in the removal from Missouri. The courts did not accept Joseph Smith's appeal, however, and his debts were ultimately left for settlement by his estate after his death. ... Entertainments for larger groups were held in the Concert hall, north of the temple, or in the Masonic hall. The Mansion House, an official residence built for the Church president in 1843, rapidly became a social center. Self-improvement was fostered by the Nauvoo Lyceum, organized in 1842 to conduct weekly debates on current issues, and by the Nauvoo Library ad Literary Institute, founded two years later to encourage the reading of good books. University music professor Gustavus Hills helped create the Teacher's Lyceum of Music in December 1841 to foster improvements. The church choir offered occasional concerts, as did two brass bands, one led by William Pitt. The bands played for private among the Latter-day Saints. Useful pastimes included corn husking and rag and quilting bees. Young men enjoyed swimming and exploring small islands in the river. Horsemanship and sports, including running, jumping, wrestling, and weight throwing, filled rare idle afternoons. For the Nauvoo resident seeking diversion from the routine of daily life, a great variety of homemade recreation was available. Another important voluntary activity opened with installation of a lodge of York Rite Freemasons in nauvoo. ... ...the Grand Lodge of Illinois launched an investigation of "irregularities" in Nauvoo. A major concern was the rapid advancement of applicants, particularly Joseph Smith and sidney rigdon, who moved immediately to the highest degree of Freemasonry within a day of the lodge's formal installation. ... The Nauvoo lodge was temporarily suspended until October 1844, when recognition was formally withdrawn. ... Ultimately most adult males in Nauvoo affiliated with one of the lodges, and despite the suspension, Freemasons in the city completed their Masonic temple and dedicated it on April 5, 1844. ... ...the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo was organized on March 17, with Emma Smith as its founding president. The Prophet counseled the women to "provoke the brethren to good works in looking to the wants of the poor, searching after objects of charity, and in administering to their wants--[and] to assist, by correcting the morals and strengthening the virtues of the community." ... The last meetings of the Nauvoo Relief Society were held in March 1844. The organization was later revived in the Salt Lake Valley. ... When Joseph Smith addressed the informal Young People's meeting, he encouraged them to organize not for self-improvement but for service to the poor. ... ... The general conference of October 1839 appointed a stake presidency and high council for Nauvoo and a similar organization for the Saints in Lee County, Iowa, later known as Zarahemla Stake. A bishop served Lee County as a stake officer, continuing an earlier pattern. But in Nauvoo the conference appointed three bishops for the cit and gave them geographical jurisdictions: the upper, middle, and lower wards. This introduced the bishop's ward as a geographical subdivision of the Church. Not yet a fully developed administrative unit, the ward was simply a convenient division for administering financial and welfare concerns. In many American cities the term "ward" had been used to designate political precints, and the first Latter-day Saint ecclesiastical wards were apparently created with this precedent in mind. ... To guide Nauvoo's development, the Prophet called on the experienced Council of the Twelve and, in the process, significantly expanded the council's ecclesiastical authority. For nearly two years, until the municipal government became effective, the Nauvoo high council had managed city affairs. In addition, this and other high councils were authorized to handle all affairs within their own stakes, and at first not even the Twelve could intervene in their decisions. At a special conference on August 16, 1841, the prophet announced it was time for the Twelve, who had so ably proved themselves in their European missions, to remain at home where they could support their families, relieve the First Presidency of some financial duties, and attend to the needs of immigrants. They would also continue to direct missionary work, but "the time had come," said the Prophet, "when the Twelve should be called upon to stand in their place next to the First Presidency." Originally a "travelling high council," the apostles, under the direction of the First Presidency, were now given responsibility for the business of the Church within the stakes. The relationship between the stakes and the council was now changed, and the Twelve became general Church authorities in the stakes as well as in the missions. ... ...every Sunday at 10:00 A.M. the Saints in Nauvoo, across the river in Iowa, and in other nearby settlements knew that, wheather permitting, an outdoor preaching meeting would convene. Joseph Smith was often the principal speaker. ... James B. Allen and Glen B. Leonard , The Story of the Latter-day Saits, chapter 5, "Building the City Beautiful, 1839-1842," (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 1976). | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | http://www.srv.net/~sro/Notepad/Notepad.html | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 37 Date: 30 Sep 1997 20:20:00 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 1 25-28 Lesson 37 Scriptural Highlights 1. The Lord has prepared a way for the dead to be redeemed. 2. Careful records should be kept. 3. Saints should press forward in building the kingdom. As you prepare this lesson, think about the blessings you have received from the sealing power that Elijah restored to the earth. Encourage class members to consider how this power has blessed their lives. Discussion and Application Questions What do you think the Prophet Joseph Smith meant when he said that he gloried in tribulation? (D&C 127:2-4; see also 3 Nephi 12:11-12.) How could we develop a similar attitude toward tribulation? * Regarding temple work, the Lord said, "Let your diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward" (D&C 127:4). How can we perform family history and temple work with more diligence and patience? What blessings have come into your life as a result of this work? * Why is keeping accurate and complete records of ordinances important in the Lord's Church? (D&C 127:5-9; 128:2-9, 24.) * What is required for an ordinance that is performed on earth to be bound in heaven? (See D&C 128:8, 10-11, and the first quotation from President Smith.) When has the sealing power been on the earth? (D&C 128:9.) * What does the ordinance of baptism symbolize? (D&C 128:12-13; Romans 6:4-5.) * Joseph Smith explained that the salvation of the dead is essential to our salvation. (D&C 128:15-18.) Why is this so? What responsibilities do these statements place on us today? Why would the earth be smitten with a curse if Elijah had not restored the sealing power? (See the second quotation from President Smith.) * Why is the work of the redemption of the dead among the "most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel"? (D&C 128:17). * In D&C 128:19-21, Joseph Smith reviewed some of the events in the restoration of the gospel. Why did the Lord reveal keys and knowledge "line upon line, precept upon precept"? (D&C 128:21). How has the Lord followed this pattern in your life? * How can the Prophet's message in D&C 128:22 help you? * When Joseph Smith wrote D&C 128, he was hiding from his enemies and the Saints were facing great difficulties. Why was Joseph Smith able to rejoice at this time? (D&C 128:19-23.) How could his example help us in times of adversity? Quotations President Joseph Fielding Smith: "Elijah came to restore to the earth . . . the fulness of the power of priesthood. This priesthood holds the keys of binding and sealing on earth and in heaven of all the ordinances and principles pertaining to the salvation of man, that they may thus become valid in the celestial kingdom of God" (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:117). President Joseph Fielding Smith: "Why would [the earth] be smitten? Because there could be no sealing up against the day of destruction, no sealing of parents to each other, no sealing of children to parents, no contracts, bonds, obligations entered into here that would be valid on the other side; . . . and it was necessary that Elijah should come and bestow those thing's spoken of as all things in the scriptures" (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:122). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 129-31 Page 73 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 37 The letters that became D&C 127 and 128 were written in Nauvoo by the Prophet Joseph Smith while he was hiding to avoid being arrested by his persecutors from Missouri. During the latter part of 1842, he was able to associate with his family and the Saints only occasionally. Despite these difficult circumstances, his thoughts centered on what he regarded as one of the "most glorious of all subjects pertaining to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead" (D&C 128:17). Even though only baptisms for the dead are mentioned specifically in these sections, most of the information also applies to endowments and scalings for the dead. As you study D&C 125-28, consider the following: * How can you perform family history and temple work with more diligence and patience? (D&C 127:4.) Why is the salvation of the dead necessary to our salvation? (D&C 128:15-18.) Why was Joseph Smith able to rejoice at a difficult time? (D&C 128:19-23.) How can you use his example in your times of adversity? The Nauvoo Temple and surrounding buildings. Photograph by Lucian Foster, 1846. Page 74 | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | [Commentary, the lesson suggest that good record keeping is a must, but was not allows done, as explained below.] ... Because many of those who have had a hand in preserving his biography seem to have enhanced their sources by making him either more or less respectable, according to their personal bias, Isaac Galland still remains an enigma today. ... ... At the age of thirteen, he entered William and Mary College, where he studied theology. ... Shortly after 1820, Isaac Galland moved to Edgar County, Illinois, where he is said to have associated with the "Messac gang" of outlaws, with whom he engaged in horse-stealing and counterfeiting. ... In 1829 Isaac and his family crossed the Mississippi River into what would later become Lee County, Iowa, and established the town of Nashvill, located three miles below Montrose. At Nashville, he established another trading post, began practicing medicine, and started the first school in the Territory of Iowa, in 1830. ... ... ... Isaac Galland began his notorious career of land speculation in Iowas. Much of Gallands' land dealings involved the Half-Breed Tract, a 119,000-acre parcel of land lying between the DesMoins and Mississippi rivers in the southeast corner of Iowa, which had been set aside as a reservation for half-breed Sac and Fox Indians. ... In 1836, the New York Land Company ... made extensive land purchases in teh reservation. Isaac Galland was one of five trusteess for the New York Land Company. He also purchased large tracts of land in his own name.... This same year, the ubiquitous Dr. Galland began a literary career which was of some note. By the winter of 1838-1839, Isaac Galland had settled in Commerce.... Isaac Galland's association with the Mormons began in October or November of 1838 when he met Israel Barlow, who with other Mormons had fled northeastward towards Quincy, Illinois, from Far West, Missouri, but, by missing their way, had arrived at the Des Moines River in Iowa. ... Israel Barlow and his associates talked with Dr. Galland, who, after hearing of the Mormons' difficulties in Missouri, began negotiations with these destitue Mormons to sell them his lands and buildins in Commerce as well as in the Half-Breed Tract. ... Whereas one source suggests an earlier date, Lee County, Iowa, land records indicate that on 29 May and 26 June 1839 isaac and Elizabeth Galland sold large tracts of land in the Half-Breed Tract to Church agents Oliver Granger and Vinson Knight. The History of the Church records that on 24 Juhe 1839 "the Church purchased the town of Nashville, in Lee County, Iowa Territory, together with twenty thousand acres of land adjoining it." Lnad records fail to confirm this date (24 June 1939). The reference to the above purchase is obviously the 26 June 1839 purchase, but the properties do not total 20,000 acres. The composite of the two purchases on 29 May and 26 June 1839, however, do approximate the 20,000 acres mentioned in History of the Church. ... The following day, 3 July 1839, in Commerce, Joseph Smith baptized Isaac Galland and ordained him and elder in the Church two hours later. ... ... While en route to Ohio he did some proselyting by selling a copy of the Book of Mormon to a Delaware senator. ... It is doubtful that Isaac Galland received much cash for these land transactions. In January 1841, the First Presidency declared that Dr. Galland had sold the Church "large estates on very reasonable terms, and on long credit, so that we might have an opportunity of paying for them without being distressed, and has since taken our lands in Missouri in payment for the whole amount." ...destroyed by fire in 1860, and therefore, the preceding statement cannot be verified. ... ... In a proclamation of the First Presidency, dated 15 January 1841, Isaac Galland as showered with praise and named a benefactor of the Mormon cause for his unselfishness in helping to locate the Saints. ... ... Dr. Gallands' interview with the Prophet in February 1842 may not have been his last, but evidence (or the lack of it) suggests that it marked the beginning of Isaac Galland's estrangement from Church fellowship. The unusual thing concerning Dr. Galland's agency for the Church is that no formal action was taken against him for any wrongdoing. ... ... Another possibility is that Dr. Galland used monies in his possession to assist Oliver Granger in settling Kirtland debts. Whatever the reason, research to date does not reveal that any Church leader ever reprimanded Dr. Galland for any impropriety either as a land agent or as a private member of the Church. ... Isaac Galland, who remained in Lee County the remainder of his life, had constant association with Mormons but discontinued his life as an active Saint. ... Lyndon W. Cook, "Isaac Galland--Mormon Benefactor," BYU Studies, Volume 19, Number 3 (Spring 1979) | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ...the terms ward, stake, and district had meanings looser than do today's definitions. ... ...the term ward had a different meaning that it does today. ... Wards in Nauvoo were civil divisions for police, tax election, school, and other municipal purposes. When Church leaders needed to collect funds or to aid the poor, for convenience they let the city's political ward boundaries serve as assignment districts. They placed a bishop in charge of each. Those ward units, however, were not Latter-day Saint entities conducting their own sacrament meetings or having their own quorums. Nauvoo quorums for deacons, teachers, priests, and elders were stake entities, not ward ones, as was the case in stakes before and after Nauvoo. ...because Nauvoo was the Church's headquarters, Church general conferences were held in Nauvoo. These conferences served as Nauvoo Stake's stake conferences as well; the stake had no stake conferences of its own. Nauvoo Stakes' presidency, high council, and quorum presidents were sustained during general conference sustainings. ... ...Aaronic Priesthood offices were held by men, although some older boys were ordained. ... ...men generally were ordained to fill specific needs, not just to receive an ordination. ... ... The Church's first two stakes, created at Kirtland and in Missouri in 1834, were each headed by a stake presidency (which was the First Presidency in Kirtland), a high council that handled administrative and judicial matters, and a quorum presidency (irregularly organized ) for deacons, teachers, priests, and elders. Each stake had one bishop: Newel K. Whitney for Kirtland and Edward Partridge for Missouri. The bishops' tasks were mainly judicial and financial--collecting and expending Church funds and assisting the worthy poor. Both stakes had high priests quorums. Above the stake level but below the Apostles, the Church by 1840 had three quorums of seventies, sometimes termed "Seventy Apostles." ... By 1839 the Church's main local officers were the ordained teachers, who under the direction of the stake (usually stake bishop), visited house to house. They also served as local arbitrators and peacemakers among the Saints. Teachers and priests sometimes were the local presiding officers because high priests and elders were expected to forsake the "standing ministry" in order to proselyte and travel. ... ... The Nauvoo Stake High Council exercised authority over the ward bishops. ...integration within the Nauvoo Stake's structure was ambiguous. ... ... The Nauvoo High Council minutes for August 20, 1842, record that the council divided Nauvoo into ten wards, matching the new divisions made by the Temple Committee for raising donations and labor, and appointed a bishop for each ward. ... ... the council instructed Hosea Stout to ascertain the exact boundaries of the ten city wards "that the Bishopric may be more perfectly set in order." ... Sacrament meetings were generally Nauvoo-wide meetings held in the open, in groves, or at the temple site. General Authorities conducted these meetings. ... ... Lesser priesthood quorums in Nauvoo were stake, not ward, units. ... During the Joseph Smith period, in between the uprootings and movings of the members, bishops presided over all of the Aaronic Priesthood, including the quorum presidents, but a priest presided over the priests quorum, no a bishop. ... ... During the Nauvoo years, some priesthood teaching in homes was done, but how much is not known. ... ... In 1845 leaders proposed that deacons should take care of the poor. ... Leaders periodically wanted "to fill up" the quorums. By that they meant they wanted enough men in the quorums so quorum meetings and assignments happened, not that quorums must have the twelve, twenty-four, and forty-eight members set for the deacns, teachers, and priests quorums. ... Aaronic Priesthood offices at Nauvoo were filled almost entirely by adults. Because of the duties assigned deacons, teachers, and priests in the revelations, leaders felt that maturity, not age, was the prerequisite for ordination. Nevertheless, in the pre-1846 period, many young men served the Church well in official callings. ... An elders quorum formally existed during most of the Nauvoo years. ... ... During the October 1844 conference, President Brigham Young gave the high priests a major task. ...he wanted to select a number of high priests to preside in each congressional district in the United States. ...take their families along and to settle down in those districts. ...turn them into stakes as large as the Nauvoo Stake. ...but for some reason the plan to send high priests eastward was not carried out. ... ... Nauvoo had a greater influence on the priesthood office of seventy than on any other office, because both the number of men ordained to be seventies and the number of quorums mushroomed. ... Seventies were not local ministers but were considered General Authorities, traveling ministers, witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world, and "seventy apostles." Seventies were called from among the experienced elders. Records indicate that from one-third to one-half of all missionaries set apart between 1837 and 1843 were seventies. By 1839 a second and third quorum of seventies had been organized. Their work was directed by the seven presidents of the first quorum, who together formed what is termed the First Council of the Seventy. ... In Nauvoo the seventies quorums met for edification, instruction, and worship. ... At the October 1844 conference, President Brigham Young, in addition to calling high priests "to go abroad and preside" in the eastern states, called for a major expansion of seventies quorums. He wanted at least ten quorums of seventy, so one purpose of the conference was "to ordain the presidents of the seventies and then fill the quorums of seventies from the elders quorum." ... This expansion of seventies quorums was a major priesthood development during the Nauvoo years. Before the conference concluded, the seventies presidents had ordained approximately four hundred men into seventies quorums. They filled eleven quorums and put forty men into a twelfth quorum. After the conference and for the next several months, more quorums were created and more seventies ordained. ... By early 1846, seventies units numbered thirty-four. Why the Twelve called for this build-up of seventies is not explained. Apparently the Twelve had in mind a massive missionary labor in the near future.... This seventies recruitment apparently was part of a two-pronged expansion the Twelve wanted for the kingdom: sending out a large missionary force to convert and baptize new members and sending out high priests to preside over areas where these converts lived. ..."the Seventies are ordained Apostles and when they go forth into the ministry, they are sent with power to build up the kingdom in th all the world and consequently they have power to ordain High Priests, and also to ordain and organize a High Council." ...Nauvoo quickly had more seventies than any other Melchizedek Priesthood office. ... ...the seventies constructed their own Seventies Hall.... ... Nauvoo continued a barely established precedent that stakes were the basic local Church unit. ...new clustering or settlement of Saints would begin with a presiding officer, who might be called a branch, district, stake, or settlement president or presiding elder. Then the clustering needed a bishop to handle court case, moneys, and the poor. Finally, a high council was needed to handle discipline cases and disputes and to make decisions for the settlement. If population grew, more bishops would be added, the settlement subdivided into wards.... This pattern continued to be followed in Utah for decades. Local priesthood quorums continued to be stake entities as they had been in Missouri and Kirtland. These included deacons, teachers, priests, and elders quorums. This pattern continued in Utah. ... Visiting priesthood teachers continued to be the most important local priesthood officers in contact with the members. ... Quorum meetings before, during, and after Nauvoo were the most important self-learning sessions that male Latter-day Saint members attended. When ward Sunday Schools first started in the 1860s, they were for children and youths. Not until the late 1800s was Sunday School generally attended by adults. ... The assumption was that a stake should have one quorum each of elders, priests, teachers, and deacons. ... ... Like a very fertile seed, wards headed by bishops became within the decade following the exodus from Nauvoo the essential church unit that cared for, trained, provided ordinances and worship services for, and otherwise served Saints at the local level. ... ...the endowment became required of all men going on missions or receiving temple marriages. ... This policy increased the numbers of elders and seventies by siphoning off practically all men who had staffed the deacons, teachers, and priests quorums. By the earliest days in Utah, Church leaders, lacking non-Melchizedek Priesthood men, had to call elders, seventies, and high priests to be acting deacons, acting teachers, and acting priests in order to keep Aaronic Priesthood word going. ...the unusual and massive expansion of seventies quorums. ... one-fifth of Nauvoo's 12,000 residents, about 2,400, were men. Of those 2,400, there were 1,823 men by late 1845 who were seventies (making up thirty-four quorums). ...about 300 high priests, including bishops and Apostles, and a score or more of Aaronic Priesthood bearers, and the number of priesthood holders exceeds 2,000. ...three-fourths or more of Nauvoo's males held some priesthood office. About 80 percent were seventies.... William G. Hartley, "Nauvoo Stake, Priesthood Quorums, and the Church's first Wards," BYU Studies, Volume 32, Numbers 1 and 2 (Winter and Spring 1991).