Show copyright secured I 1 T I 1 OF JOSEPH SMITH 7 minutes es of a hi high ah council held in bihland Kih A land j S september ep t aber lathy 1835 sidney bigolin igdon Bi Jt golon oliver cowdery and F G williams presiding preside mg A complaint was preferred by bj president deat jos JOB eph smith jr against brother henry green f fo accusing pres president ident joseph aith jr 11 of ra fiig X b brother other aldridge g re wron wrongfully eully and under the in nence of an ev evil il sp spirit int 11 brothe green beina absent president rigdon bigdon arose and daid aid that it was the decision of the presidency that the council proceed to examine the charge pre ferra because brother green nad been regularly summoned sam monod by himself the council appointed one to speak on each side after w which the following folio wing testimony was heard fader elder sylvester smith testified that brother green on monday morning last said that brother aldridge was wag justified in what he said and that presidents joseph and hyrum smith were wrong in ab abusing the old man and after Alde elder smith had explained the matter to him said that f tf ff f any man should do so by him he should I 1 call him a scoundrel ondrel and that he should ray pay I 1 that siny iny man who should talk as joseph did must have the devil in him elder loril babbit soad sada he was present when the above anver bation took place and heard consider considerable consi deraHe alle part of it and fully concurred in the statement sta of elder smith and he heard brother gren say previous to the above talk that although they ace accused ur ed brother aldridge of having an evil spirit yet if the truth was known the levil was in them couf namely presidents joseph and hyi rura ruia any man should ask nr mr 0 opinion pinion i and andt lihou abuse me in that way I 1 raould call hini him a scoundrel or a knave Pre silent cow I 1 a lery desry stated to the council that brother broth r aldridge was not called upon to give his concerning the lie book but said aid what he did without being in c called upon to speak for thi th book was my only 1 landed handed to him and others other to took look at that they i night might see the quality and go godiness gool nese i pre aident joseph smith arose ani stated that he k n w that brother aldridge wis under the influence ace of an evil spirit spirit and hail been for a longtime couns Coun counselor e or orson jahnson also sai said t hat he knew that this thag was so by what he had seen and learned ard that he had hear d from credible authority blat the old man had boen in the habit for a along ion time of neglecting prayer and family wor worship skip botu iseler smith said that president smith was wag in the line of his duty when he reproved brother aldridge for his evil and consequently bl bro ol her green must have hate been wrong in in ig him and saying he acted like a scoundrel ai td id that the devil deill waa was in him counselor jackma a said that brocher green could not be i justified in opposing tae servant of the lord while in the actual discharge of his duty and that it T ras evident that satan hath sought to make di visions divisions in tha church and hath taken the ady advantage of the occasion of presenting the bool i to do this the book referred to was pur chased for recording the patriarchal blessings blessing s 11 president F G williams said that tw t 11 ie wickedness of brother brotha green in in con ua J dr ity 10 TUC orvai vw 1 testimony and that brother aldridge also ad act fo fa ol 01 ashly and by the influence of a 1 groag wr 0 39 spirit in questioning the integrity of the heo beadi 4 of tho the al 0 lurch in the purchase of the book and that pre aident smith was end and is justifiable in doing as he hat has done in the matter and not by be em ci insured aured as has been done in in two tt matter by by br other green breaid ent 0 cowdery then arose rosend ud showed by a f few ow plain lain remarks how satan had sought from the beginning Te beginning ginning to destroy the book of mormon and in order to do this had been actually leveling his shafts against the servants of god goz who weri were called to bring it forth and bear tos tes 0 of f it to t the world and now hath sought occasion against the servants in tempting brethren to sa y they had equivocated in the he price of the bec rd gook book whick which was presented last sabbath sabbat h and that brother aldridge and per pen haps oth ere era fell under this evil influence and brother f areen justifies them in this thing and nd condemns condemn s president smith and is not and ought not no t to be justified in so doing president co adery went on to show that the book was pure purchased based as cheap as it could be and was actually worth what was given for it namely 12 dollar a 8 elder cahoon requested leave to inter president a moment to in in form the council that a moment before brother green pa ased the house and when the speaker told him the council waa considering his case and sated him to come in he said he should I 1 go about his hia own business so went on his way regardless regard les a of the council preside ant cowdery resumed showing that the besig TO of brother aldridge or at least baat of the spirit that was in in him was to destroy destroy the character of the heads of the church and 8 showed ow that i ire intended to speculate out of the I 1 brethren and extort from them more than the cost coat of tl ie book and now instead of regarding our feell aga he disregards us ua altogether and ana shwa shaws th b at he has no faith in the high council soon aft er brother green came in and said that he h ad been detained lonser longer than he in tended ha h living i n been to chagrin on business iness and had t 0 direr deliver the horse horge and harness to the owner bel belore ore he could attend to the council preside tit nt rigdon then arose and decided that brother green should not have been hindered from bein r here by any other business and if so he shot ild have notified the council and requested que an adjournment president cowdery then observed that he thought thi th v case sufficiently brought before the council Co aneil and would say no more and president proceeded to give his hia decision that brother green geen should dif if he were aggrieved with fresh Pre silent lent smith ave save gone and told him of his biffi difficulty culty and not have said anything about it to his neighbor and a again ain that mr mi aldridge t ks is has been shown has teen been guilty of neglecting his pray prayers era before god and t therefore e has bas not ha d the spirit cirit of god from the of Sat anand has fallen into evil and actually did do wrong in in raising objections to the price of the book pr presented last sabbath and was under the influence of an evil spirit brother green fellowships the evil spirit in i n brother aldridge and says he is justifiable in in what he has done and therefore it is ia evident that an e vil ril spirit is reign reigning iao in the breast of brother gheen gh een and it is also as evident that president joseph smith jr was justifiable in re rebuking baking that evil spirit and it was not only justifiable in president smith to rebuke u that evil spirit it but also his duty an aa president and first agh high i priest in the church of christ appointed of god to lead the same into all righteousness ous ness the decision then of the presiding presidency deng of the hi high h council is ia in short that bro green reen be and is now excluded from this church and shall be a member no more until he comes in bythe by the ordinance of baptism as appointed appoint edby by 4 th the gospel to be done in the church this was 80 agreed teed to by all the counsellors coun except coe I 1 who lo 10 queried whether mr green should not have the privilege of confessing his faults and still be retained in the church he therefore thought that it was the privilege of bro green to have a re reorganization organization of the co council ancil and a hearing rehearing re this was about to be granted and the council to be adjourned till tomorrow to morrow but counsellor coe requested some explanation from the president andwan and was instructed as follows j when a heinous crime is committed and in I 1 f indignity offered to the high council then it is be privilege of the presidency of the high council to stamp it with indignation under andor foot and out cut off the offender as in the case cas just ejust decided counsellor coe then withdrew his abjection to the decision of the presidency rich was acknowledged by the whole house md ind council a adjourned SYLVESTER SMITH clerk minutes of a high council held in kirtland s sept opt 1 fth 1835 presidents joseph josepa S smith ap ith jun J 1 I 1 0 t cowdery D 1 CF williams S rigdon and W W phelps present I 1 counsellors COUN john sm smith k th joseph smith sen 0 arspn ragn johnson joseph coe cee newell knight hyrum smith john whitmer levi jackman samuel H smith noah packard john johnson roger orton The object c of the council was abated p ted by pres dent J joseph ph smith jun as wows bows some weeks since since elder jared carter preached prea ch ed 0 bobe 1 sabbath in the church and some of the defey b dl t e ren found fault with his hia teachings and council is called upon to decide this matter and to see who was in fault six were appointed to speak elder carter proceeded to speak largely and explain his designs in teaching as he did saying sayin he believed that god directed him by his spirit and afterwards being rebuked by presidents cowdery rigdon and phelps he called upon the lord and received again a witness of the spirit that was right and the presidents were wrong elder carter taught in his concluding remarks that god had show him b by laying his hand upon him 1 in i in judgment J in de delivering vering him that he was thus rebuked by heaven for his in iniquity I 1 equity and that he was made an example to the whole church and god would 0 they did not hold up the committee for he was made an example in this thing I 1 president Preside nl rigdon arose and said that he attended the ine meeting eting in which elder carter spoke and was certain and is certain that he did di not have the spirit of wisdom to direct and after he had sat down and elder samuel smith had aed some half an hour filled with the I 1 spirit r crift trift he arose again and said that t if any man a spoke poke against the committee god gad w would curse him and set the committee away up 1 from the common brethren and said that abo god d would take care of the committee co and the brethren had nothing to do with them for their station was wa 8 appointed them of god and not of man 1 therefore god will curse any man or woman in fe e hm au dicler 11 air d ft tb M lik private that I 1 he did wrong and in company any with other of the presidents advised him after he should fill a certain mission to the east that he should make a confession to the church in order to satisfy many of the brethren who were aggrieved g i I 1 eved with him resident Ros president ident phelps then arose and said that president rigdon had truly related the matter as far as he had gone but bat one olae thing more abre elder carter commanded the brethren bre teren to pray for the committee and demanded it in the name of the lord with an authoritative voice and gesticulation which are not according to the meekness of the spirit it i of jesus pres president i enc 4 0 cowdery arose and said I 1 do not intend to occupy much time in speaking for those who have spoken have expressed pretty prett t much my mind and feelings on the but subject bj act zat that in the advice and talk which he be an and the other two presidents had given and had with elder carter they did have the spirit of meekness and only desired to do him good and had no personal feelings and did not express any but to the contrary Pid president nt john whitmer concurred in the state statements rients of the above and said that he did not relieve believe that god had made an example of elder carter for he was not before the church as such and god gd had not revealed it to the saints and again that elder carter should com mano the saints sainta to pray for the committee for in so doing if they did not fellowship him they must pray for his hia removal and so all his hia designs sign would be frustrated aeral others were called upon and all tes ifie that these things which have been expressed trove above were true and as they understood then and one thing further elder carter did say that even the faults of the committee might be arged back upon upon the brethren ii if they neglected to pray pral for them after hearing the testimony the six counsel ion spoke and the sum of their conviction upon th matter was as follows viz viz k louns counsellor ellor john smith said he thought that jeller elter carter did not express the fedeli feelings in 8 0 of f his heart so as to be understood and perhaps perhaps his beart was not so hard as his words father joseph smith sen said that elder parter barter was exalted and did not receive the ad positions atol n a of the presidents and in consequence oat icat the true spirit spink and so has erred since the ime me of his dis discourse couise and needs admonishing counsellor orson johnson agreed with the ta fe bove counsellor joseph coe said that elder elde r carter had a small of the spirit in his dis coarse and a greater de degree 0 tee in his remarks afterwards ter wards but was awkward rd in expressing his views not having much of the spirit and that the ithe feelings of his heart were not as expressed by his hia words an appeal was made to the court whether this counsellor was correct in appealing to the feelings of mens hearts and not to the words and actions as they appeared the court decided that the council must be confined to facts words and actions and not go into feelings and designs which were not ex pressed essed the other counsellor coun a concurred in the above counsellor hyrum smith said that elder carter had been blessed of god and by the prayer of faith the sick had been healed under his adi ministration yet he doth not always have the I 1 gift of god and wisdom to direct so in the case before the court pride had bad engendered in his heart a desire to excel and the spirit of meekness was withdrawn and he left to err as has been shown by the testimony monT because he is not yet perfect but her he erred in understanding and his words were wrong yet the spirit of his heart or the integrity 1 of I the same might be good in the main elder der carter then arose and said that he was wi willing 11 ing t to 0 acknowledge his faults and that he acted wisdom he went on to explain how he be had erred and why being seized with tho the cholera while at the east he called upon god for deliverance and finally received the spirit of god which healed him and he then thought it t f was the same spirit which he had bad when preach in ingin kirtland I 1 i when he was through president 0 cowdery arose and said that president bigdon and phelps had requested him to speak and they would say nothing as it was getting late and the case was already plain before the court I 1 he showed that a man might be hi highly III excited I 1 and yet neither have the spirit oll of U god or of satan but it came by his own spirit or judgment therefore some things may be of god GO others of man and others from the adversary and elder carter had in hia his sermon some of t the e spirit of god but in his last remarks he hadit had it not but his own spirit of self justification and pride commanding in in the us bame me of jesus and not by the spirit 01 jesus or of meekness and 1 1 was very wrong in this thia tangi ahn also in exalting 1 the committee above the brethren as if they i beight not met be towhead by the brethren aad a gain again when elder carter was healed it came |