Show I 1 C copyright se secured cured HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH NOVEMBER 1841 mond iv 15 11 AN EPISTLE OF THE TWELVE APOST APOSTLES LESTO TO THE SAINTS SCATTERED ABROAD IN ENGLAND SCOTLAND ISLE OF MAN AND THE EASTERN CONTINENT GREETING BELOVED BRETHREN we rejoice and thank our heavenly father daily in bur behalf that we hear of your faithfulness and dili diligence benee genev lin lip the great work unto which you have been callad by the holy spirit through the voice of the servants of the most high who have beell been and are now ti amongst you for the pir pose of instructing you in those thos principles which are am calculated to prepare tiie tho children children of men for the renovation of the earth and the restitution of al things spoken by the prophets several months have passed away since we bid adien adieu to our brethren and sisters on the islands of the sea and passed over ibe the he great deep to our homes bomes our out kindred tile the bosom of the file church and the stakes of zion but neither time lime nor distance can efface from our ment memories ories orles the many expressions of kindness mildness which we have heard from yo youn your ur lips and experienced from your hands which have so often ministered to our nece necessities cities while white we were wandering in in your midst like our master having no place to lay our heads on only y as a furnished by gour four your liberality and benevolence and it is a subject ot of no small consolation to us that we have this testimony of so many of you that you are the disciples of A the lord jesus and we give you onn warmest thanks and our blessing that you have not only ministered unto us but that you continue to minister to our brethren who are still laboring amongst you for winch all an li undred hundred fold shall be returned into your bosoms after parting with the saints in liverpool and sailing thirty days much of or the theotime time against head winds with rough sea which produced much sea sickness among the br brethren ethren ethien and sisters who ac companies companied compa nied f us we arrived in the city of new comia comra Y york or where we were received by the brethren ethren or with open heart hearts and by whom we ave were entertained most cordially some bome days tell till we were rested from the fatigues of the llie ship we were then assisted on our journey and taking diw diX different erent routes and visiting many of the churches in different St states slates ittes kites we have all safely safety arrived in this city in 16 our travels in this land we have discovered a growing wing interest among the tho people generally in a the tiie a great work of the ilia lord prejudice is giving way to intelligence darkness to light and multi mulli tades fades are making the important discovery that abroad in the earth and that the signs of the ilia times limes proclaim some mighty revolution ilia the nations the tile cry is from all quarters send us elders to instruct us in irk the principles of your religion that we may know why it is 13 that thai tha you are be baa haa 6 in derison by the tile multitude morg more than other professors are teach u n t of your pi principles 1 inci ples and your yu r do doctrines strInes and if we find them true we will eill elit embrace lace them 1 the saints are arc growing in faith filth and the tho intel ii ence of heaven heavens is flowing into their understanding for tile ilia spirit of or tiie file he lord is with them and ano anc the ilia holy noly ghost is s instructing them in things illings to coar come the spirit of union ia 13 increasing and they are exerting themselves to come up lily to the gathering of the faithful to build tip up the waste places and establish the stakes of zion since our arrival in this plate place plat piat e thera there lias ilas lias been beer one special Bp ecial aud and and aud orle one general conference of the ilia church and the tile twelve have havn been called calleo to tarry ot at home for a season reason and stand in their lot lext text next to the first presidency and assist in counseling the brethren and in the tile milling of emigrants ac and the first reat great object before xv us and the tiie saints generally is to 0 help forward tila the completion com petion of the tho temple tempie and lle ile lie file honse buildings bol boi wings which ere now iu in progress according to the tiia revelations and nd which must be completed to 10 secure the 1 he salva balva tim f the church in fie last day aay q for god cod requires of his ilia saints to him a house wherein his hia servants may be instructed anden and endowed dowed with power from on high hilk to prepare th hm m aioo too togo forth among amone the nations and proclaim proc proe laroi the falness of the gospel for the ast time rime and bind nintha mintha anthe law and seal up the tile testimony leaving tah generation without excuse and the tha marth earth parth prea prepared for tor the tho judgments which will ah freow in e this house all the tile ordinances will be made roam fest and many things will be shean forth which have been iid ild lid bid from generation to gene genc generation ration the set time to favor the stakes of zion is is at hand land and soon the kings and the queens tile the princes and the tile nobles the rich and the honorable of or the tile earth will come up hither bither to visit the temple of our god and to enquire concerning ins his strange world work and as kings lings are to become nursing nutting fathers and queens nursing mothers in the habitations of the righteous it Ss Is right to render honor to whom honor lionor id is due and therefore expedient that tint such as well as the saints should have a comfortable house for boarding and lodging when they come hither and it is is according to the revelations that such a house should be built tile the foundations of this house and also of the temple are lid and the walls walts of the basement stories of each eacil nearly completed and the finishing in 0 of f the whole is is depending ou on the exertions of t the N S saint ailts every saint on earth is is equally interested it te in these things and each is under equal obligations to do all in their power to complete tile the buildings by their faith and by their prayers with their thousands and their mites their gold and und their silver sliver their copper and their zinc zine their goods and their labors until the top tp stone is laid with shout about sh outings and the place is prepa ed tobe lobe to be filled with t the tho h a t lory of the highest and if it there are those it in ong org you von who have hare more than they I 1 need ed for the ga gathering and for assisting tile the destitute titu to who desire to gather with hem them I 1 they cannot make a more accept acceptable ab le ofT offering ering unto the tile lord than by appropriating towards tile the building of his temple he that believeth beli beh eveth shall not make mala haste baste but let all the saints who desire to keep the command ments of heaven and wok wo k righteous righteousness nes come to the place of gathering as soon a circumstances circum will permit it is a by united efforts that great things are accomplished and white while the saints are scattered to the four winds they canior be united in in action if they are in spirit they canno cannot tall tali all ail build at one city or lift at one stone of the great temple their hearts may all desire the same thing we would not press fress the subject of the gathering upon you 5 ou for we know linow li now your jour hearts and your our means and so far as means fail let patience have its s perfect work in your our souls for in fit due time you shall ba be delivered if OH faint not we are not altogether ignorant of tile tho increase of difficulty among the laboring classes in england since our departure through the stoppage of factories and similar occurrences and we would counsel those aho who vho have lave to impart unto those who have noty not and cannot obtain remembering that he who unto the poor lendely unto a the lord and lie he shall shail receive in return four fold the idler shall not eat t the 11 a bread of the laborer neither must he lie starve who would but cannot find employment inasmuch as ns ye desire the falness of the earth let not the cries ciles of the widow the fatherless and the beggar ascend to heaven or salute your ears cars in vain but follow the example we have set before you aid ald and nid give liberally of your abundance even if it be but a penny and it shall be returned unto you good measure pressed down and running over shall the lord return into your store houe i cultivate the spirit of patience long lops suffering forbearance and charity among yourselves and ever be as illing to believe an ai a i evil report about a brother or a sister as though it were about yourself and as you dislike to be accused be slow to acca accuse tho ilia brethren for the tha measure measurer you mete shall he bue measured to you again and the judge rudge condemn eth up no man who wiio is not accused cu ed leep keep all tile the commandment commandments nothing fearing nothing doubting for this is virtue this is wisdom and the wise ile lie the virtuous virti virtu ions lons ou and meek shall inherit me hie earth and the falness thereof dinall things follow the counsel which you shall receive from the president and council who are among 0 you and inasmuch as yo you u uphold elders RiTt pratt frait m tt richards ird and snow by the file pra prayer er of faith falth you boti shall receive liht counsel remember that thos those e whom john jolln saw on mount zion were such as had come up through great tribulation and do not imagine that you can ever constitute a part of that thit number without sharing sharin a part of their trials you must necessarily pass through perils and trials and temptations and afflictions by sea nud land ia in itule your 0 hither and if you cannot settie settle it in your hearts to endure unto the end aa as good soldiers solders you may roay as well lemalu remain where you are to he destroyed as to suffer all the privations and hardships you n will wili ili iii ill be obliged to suffer before the walls of zion shall be built no more to be thrown down and after all to turn away and be destroyed the ancient prophet ilas lias said they shall wear out tile the saints of the most alost high this has hag already been ben fulfilled to some nome extent for many through gli gil the abundance of their persecute persecutions ons onn have become exhausted and laid their bodies bodie down to rest to rise no more till th morn of the first resurrection and although ae people leople of these staled states are at peace with us yet t there are those who would gladly wear out one and btroy i troy the he weak in faith through the influence of their foolish tiem tier when you arri arrive veon on our chores and while eai eal siulin smi linz up our you need not net be surprised jour youn ws cuts are b by y the faise false v and filthy laii language guage of wicked and designing men who are ever ready to speak evil of the things they understand not and who would gladly blast the character of the prophet of the most high god and all connected with him with their toul loul abathe mas mus beyond anything which you ever thought of or we would not dishearten you neither would ve we have you ignorant of the worst that awaits the tile righteous if the saints are nov not no prepared to rejoice wad wid be glad when they hear bear the name of the prophet and their own name cast out aa as evil as glutton ous wine bibber friend of publicans public aris ans and sinners beelzebub thief robber and murderer they tiley are not prepared for tile the gathering the wheat and tares fares must grow toge loge together ther lher till the harvest at the he hilr harvest vest the wheat is gathered together into the threshing floor so with the saints the stakes are tiie tile threshing floor He here rethey they will be threshed with all sorts of difficulties trials afflictions and every thing tiling to mar their peace which they can imagine and thousands which they cannot ina gine but lie ha that eil eri endures dures the threshing 17 till all the he charf chaff superstition folly and unbelief is is pounded out of or him and does not suffer himself to tobe lobe be blown away as chaff by the tho foul tongue of slander but endures faithful to the ther end shall be saved if you are prepared for all these things if you choose rather to suffer afflictions with uie hie people of god than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a little moment come up hither come direct to aim aie nem new orleans and anti vp up tle the mississippi river for the expense is so much less and the convenience of water navigation is so much greater than it is by montreal new york or philadelphia ix that it is wisdom for the saints to make nee new orleans their general established port vori and be sure to mart at seich such times that they may arrive here during the cold months for the change from frodi the cold climate of england to this place in the hot season is too great for the health of emler emigrants ants till there is more faith in the church in this region of country there eire are thousands and millions of acres of beautiful prairie unoccupied which can be procured on reasonable terms and we will hali hait the time with joy when these unoccupied lands shall be turned into fruitful i fields and tile the hands of or those who are now idle for want of employ shall be engaged b in in tile tho when the brethren arrive they wilt will do well to call on some of the tile tt twelve elve eive inasmuch as they desire counsel for by so doing they may escape I 1 the influence of designing men who have llave crept in unawares and would willingly subvert the truth by conniving to their own advantage if they have I 1 the opportunity the church has commenced a new city twenty malea below this and one mile below warsaw called warren where many city lot lots and farms in the vicinity can be had on reasonable terms and it will be wisdom for many miny of ho the brethren to stop at that place for the opportunity for erecting temporary will be than at ELL tills this I 1 place placa also the chance for providing ro viding food will be superior to those who wise wish wilh to labor for if it warsaw is at he ilia foot cf the tile des malile rapids and one of lle tile tle beet best locations for tue lUc pur pui poses there is in this western countie coun tty so far as the tile brethren lauve have the means they w will ill lii do well to come prepared with a variety of mechanic tools according to their professions such as bs carpenters joiners cabinetmakers cabinet makers hatters batters coopers masons printers printer binders tanners cur biers ac and all sorts of manu rectory and foun roun oun dry implements convenient fur fir transportation so that when they chev arrive arrise they may be prepared lo 10 establish the themselves melve s in busi busl business nees ness and give giro employment to spinners weavers moul moui deTi deta amel and journeymen of every description for all sorts of woollens cot cottons tons tous hardware ac will find a ready marketell mar market ketill in some new countries and a great field is now open to the capitalists in this vicinity even though the capital be small and we would urge the iff imf importance ortance of the file immediate e establishment of 1 31 ai 31 a indi of arno among us as well for the best interests of the individuals conce pled pied as for the church generally cities cannot be buitt built without houses houses cannot be he built without materials or occupied without inhabitants tile the inhabitants cannot exis ax csc t without food and clothing food and clothing can not fiot be had without pi planting sowing and manufacturing rac fac ac EO go that zion nud her stares |