Show I 1 1 copy copyright riel rial kt sec Fec tired 1 HI HISTORY STORY OF JOSEPH SMITH seiter SEPTEMBER 1842 sept tuesday 6 61 I 1 wrote as follows nancoo Nan september 6 1842 to the church of or jesus chrit of latter day saints senneth greeting As I 1 stated to you in irk my letter before I 1 teft left lestroy my placa place that I 1 would write to you from time to time and give you information in relation to many subjects I 1 now resume the subject of tile the ba baptism t 1 SM f for 0 r tile tiie dead as that subject seems to oc occupy P my y mind and pres press itself upon my feelings the llie strongest since I 1 have been pursued by my ray enemies i I 1 wrote a few words of revelation to you concerning a recorder I 1 have had a few additional views in it relation to this matter which I 1 now certify that is it was declared in my former letter that there should be a recorder who should be eye witness and also to hear bear with his ears that he make a record of a truth before the tile lord now in relation to this matten matter matter it would be very difficult for one recorder to be present at all times and to doall the business to obviate this difficulty there can be a recorder appointed in each ward 0 of f the thi city who is well qualified for taking accurate minutes and let him be very particular and precise in ill taking the whole proceedings certifying in his record that he saw with his eyes and ind i heard leard with his ears giving the date and names ac and the history of the lle ile lie whole transaction naming also some three individuals that are present if there be any present who can al at any time when called upon certify to the same that iu in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established then let there be a general recorder to whom these sheea other records cali can be handed being attended with certificates over their own signatures certifying that the which they have made is ls is 19 true then the general church recorder can enter the record on the general church book with the certificates and all the attending witnesses with his own statement that he verily be alieves the above statement and records to be true frim trim his knowledge of the general c character fracter and I 1 appointment of those men by the church and when this is done on the general church book the record shall be just as holy and shall answer the ordinance the same as if he had seen with his bis eyes eyes and heard with his ears and made a renord record of the same on the general church book j you may think this order of things to be yer ver very y 1 particular but let me tell you xou on that they are oni only to answer the will of god by conforming to the y ordinance and preparation that the lord ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world forthe fortha salvation of tile the dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel and further I 1 want you to remember that john the revelator was contemplating contemplo con tempia this very subject in relation to the dead when ting hn he declared declare veri verl a is you will find recorded in revelations ons 12 and I 1 saw tile the dead small and great stand before I 1 god and the books were opened and another other book was opened which wag was the book of life and the he dead lead were judged out of those things wiach which were written in the books according to their works you will discover in this quotation that the books were opened and another book was opened which was the book of lire life but the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the tho books according to their works consequently I 1 the books spoken of must be the books which contained the record of their works and refer to me the jerolds which are kept on the earth and I 1 j the kook took which was the book of ilfe life is tile the record which Is kept in heaven the principle agreeing 1 with the tho doctrine which is commanded i lyou yeu you in tile the revelation contained in the letter which I 1 JI I 1 wrote to you previous to my leaving my place that in all your recordings it may be recorded in heamen heaven htow stow the nature mature of this ordinance consists in the tho power f the priesthood by the revelation of jesus christ wherein it is grant granted eds edy that I 1 mryon bind land on earth shall be bound in heaven I 1 had lad whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed 6 la heaven or in other words taking a diffie different rent fiew flew lew of the translation whatsoever you record on earth arth shall be recorded in heaven and 1 lver iver you do net record on earth shall not be ra re ral 1 ctr cir corded ded in It heaven steaven eaven for out of the books shall your tead dead be judged according to their works wa whether ether 1 bey hey e y themselves have attended to tae ordinances ta 6 their thir own propria persona or by the means meaner of their own agents according to the ordinance illich god has lias prepared for their salvation from lefore the foundation of the world according to j be ke records chica they have kept concerning freir dead dit lit I 1 it may seem to some to be he a very bold doctrine liht t we yve talk of A power that records or binds j r 6 n earth and binds in heaven nevertheless in eel lel ages of the world whenever the lord has yen a dispensation dispensa uon tian orthe of the priesthood to any man 1 7 actual revelation or any set of men this power is always been given hence whatsoever those I 1 ien ini did in authority in tho thi name of the lord td did it truly and faithfully and kept a pr proper ad md faithful record of the same it became a 1 law I 1 on earth and in heaven and could not be amended according to the decrees of the great jehovah this is a faithful saying who can hear it and again for fr a precedent matthew xvi 18 16 19 and I 1 say also unto onto thee that thou art peter and upon this rock I 1 will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it and I 1 will give unto thee the keys of the tile kingdom of 0 heaven and whatsoever thou shall rhall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven 1 now the great and grand secret of the whole in matter atter and the summum bonum of the whole 8 subject in abject that is lying before vs us consists in obtaining the power of the holy priesthood for him to hom whom these keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of facts in relation i to the salvation of the children of men botkiss both well weil ell eli for the dead as for the living wernal herein is glory and honor and immortality and ind e eternal life the ordinance of baptism by water I 1 to be immersed therein in order to answer to the 1 likeness of or the dead that one principle might accord bord with the other to bo be immersed in the water and come forth out of the tile water is in the th lik ilk likeness eness eners of the resurrection of the dead in fit com ing forth out of or their graves hence this ordinance was instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead being in I 1 likeness of the dead consequently the baptismal font was as s a simile of the grave and was wag commanded to be in a place underneath wil wll where ere the living are wout to assemble to show forth the living and the dea dead d and that all things may have their likeness and that they may accord one with another that is earthy conforming to that which is heavenly as paul hath declared I 1 co corinthians int hians xv 46 47 and 48 howbeit that was not first which is spiritual but that which is and afterwards that w which is spiritual the first man is of the earth eal eai earthy thy the second man is the lord from heaven As is the earthy such are they also that are earthy ea arthy and as ag is tile the heavenly such are they also mat flint are heavenly and as are the records on the earth in relation to your dead which are truly made out so also are the records in heaven this therefore is the sealing and binding power and nd in jr one sense of the word the keys of the kingdom which consists la Is the key of knowledge and now my dearly and beloved brethren and i sisters let ma me assure yon you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over as pert pertaining kiping to our salvation for their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation as paul says concerning the fathers that they without us cannot be made per perfect neither can we without our dead be made perfect and now in relation to the baptism for the dead I 1 will wil I 1 give you another quotation of paul I 1 corinthians xv 29 else what shall they do which are baptised baptized sed for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the deadly dead and again in with this quotation I 1 will give you a quotation from one of the tiie prophets who had his eye fixed on the restoration of the priesthood the glories to be revealed ia la the last days and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects s belonging to the everlasting eyer ever last gospel viz the baptism for the dead for malachi says last chapter verse versea ath and gih behold I 1 will send you elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful da day y of the lord and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and thi tho hearts of the children to their fathers lest I 1 come and smile the tile earth with a curse I 1 might have rendered a plainer translation to this but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose a as s it stands it it i sufficient to know in this case that thai the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other ether between the fathers and the children upon some subject or other and behold what is the subject 7 it is the baptism for the tile dead for we without them cannot be made perfect neither can they without us be made per perfect neither can call they or us le made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also for it is is necessary in the ushering in of tile the dispensation of the fu fullness ie of times which dispensation is now beginning to usher in that a whole and complete and perfect union and welding together of dispensations dispensational dispensa tlona tiona and keys and jokers pokers powers and glories should take place and be revealed from the days of adam even to the present time and not only this but those things which have never been revealed from the hun foundation Oun dation of the world but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent shall be revealed unto babes and suc klings in this the dispensation of the fullness of times now what do we hear in the gospel which we have received A voice of gladness A voice of or mercy from heaven and a voice of truth out of the earth glad tidings for the dead a voice of gladness for the tile living and the dead glad tidings of great joy how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things and that say unto zion behold thy god reig neth As the dews of carmel so shall the knowledge of god descend upon them and again what do we hear glad tidings from Cur our cumorah Cumo norah rah rab moroni an an angel anzel el from heaven hea veli vell declaring the fulfillment of the prophets t he the book bonk to 0 o be revealed A voice of the tilo lord in ill the wilderness of fayette seneca county declaring the three witnesses wll wi nesses to bear record of the book the voice of michael oil on the banks of the susquehanna detecting the he devil when he lie appeared as an I 1 angel of light the voice of peter james and I 1 john in fit the wilderness between harmony susquehanna I 1 que hanna county and Cole broome county on oil the susquehanna river declaring themselves as possessing ahr the keys of the kingdom and of the dispensation of the fullness of times and agin again the voice of god in the chamber of old father whitmer in fayette seneca county and at sit sti sundry adry times and iu in divers places through all the travels and tribulations of th this is chur church eli ell of jesus christ of latter day saints and the voice of Al michael ichael the archangel the yolee volve coif e of gabriel and of raphael and of divers angels angela from Micha michael ely elv or adarno adam down to the present time all declaring each one their dispensation their rights their kryn kp y X their honors their majesty and glory and tile tiie power of their priesthood giving line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to coma come confirming our bet brethren shall we not go oil on in sa so great greal greni a cause go forward and not backward courage brethren and 0 on n on to the victory victorya vict oryl let your hearts rejoice and ie be exceeding glad let the tha earth break forth into singing let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the king Immanuel who hath ord ordained lined before the world was that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prisons for the prisoners shall go free let the mountains shout for joy and all ye valleys cry aloud and all ye seas and dry land lands tell the wonders of your eternal king hing and ye rivers and brooks and rills flow down with gladness let the woods and all the trees of a the field praise the lord and ye ve solid rocks weep for joy and let the sun moon mon and the morning stars sing slug together and let all tha sons of god shout for joy and let the eternal creations declare his name namo for ever and ever and again I 1 say how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven proclaiming in our ear ears glory and salvation I 1 and ani honor and immortality and eternal life kingdoms k ing principalities and powers behold the great day of the lord is at hand and who can abide the day of his coming and who can stand when he appear eth for he is like a re finers fire and like nike ike fullers soap and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he shall purify the sons sous of levi and purge them as a gold and silver s ver that they may coffier offer unto the lord an offering n g in righteousness let us therefore as a church chure h and a people and as its latter day saints offer u unto nto the lord an of offering fiering in righteousness and let us present in his holy temple when it la Is finished a kook hook containing the records of our dead which rhall shall sli ali allbe ailbe be worthy of all accept acceptation ati on brethren I 1 have many things to sav say say sax to y you on the subject but shall now close for the present and continue the subject another time I 1 am ai as a i ever your humble servant and never deviating friend JOSEPH SMITH the important instructions con contained coltaine taine d in the foregoing letter made a deep and solemn impression on the minds of the saints and they manifested their intentions to obey the instructions to the latten latter in the evening william clayton and bishop whitney called to see me concerning a settlement with edwrrd hunter also brigham Brig llam liam young heber G kimball and amasa bvm limani u called to counsel concerning their mission to tie the the branches and people abroad |