| Show I 1 copyright secured HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH 1839 lytfie by hie biame naine 0 VID h ar 4 the neighbors came in and 1 gave them a short discourse thursday visited at elder zebedee col trins arins from thence we were invited to visit at brother vances which we did and there gave to the brethren and friends of the neighborhood a brief history of the coming forth of the book of mormon saturday we returned to brother don carlos place sunday went to brother brot lier wilcox and preached to a very crowded congregation and so eager were they to hear that a part of them s stood on out t in the rain during the sermon in general they expressed good satisfaction as to what they I 1 had heard monday we started tor for home biome ana went beni to brother perkins near fountain greenl green in hancock county where I 1 hey insisted we should tarry and we complied this day the church purchased the town of nashville in lee county iowa territory ry together with twenty thousand acres of I 1 land adjoining adjo lill it I 1 tuesday ll 11 th we held a meeting at which I 1 spoke with considerable liberty to a large congregation gre gation wednesday 1 with my family fain ily returned t to 00 our ur house at commerce thursday commerce commer ce illinois june 1839 sir in answer to yours concerning those books I 1 have to say that I 1 have made enquiry concerning them as far as I 1 consider there is any prospect of obtaining them for you and not havin having been able to trace them in tile the least degree degre e I 1 halfe ii vol determined to give up the pursuit I 1 would recommend you to ein enquire quire after them of dr avard as the only chance I 1 know of at present yours ac J SMITH j jr r P S since writing the above I 1 have ascertained of one man who told me that he saw dr avard have the books but what he did with them he knows not J S to mr jacob stollings 9 I 1 attended a conference of the twelve at which time brother orson hyde made his confession and was restored to the priesthood again at this time I 1 taught uie the at ai considerable length on the following subjects FAITH comes bithe word of god the testimony 0 e IN krivoa oa 1111 1 ichii mony is always attended by I 1 th the e spirit of prodie and revelation ey cy R TANCE is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day daily transgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing eleasin g in in the sight light of god BAPTISM is a holy ordinance preparatory to the reception of the holy ghost it is is the channel and key by which the holy ghost will be administered the gift of the holy ghost by the laying on 01 hands ands cannot be received the medium of any other principle than the principle of righteousness for if the proposals are not n ot complied with pith it is of no use but withdraws withdraw TONGUES were given for the purpose of preaching among those whose language is not understood as on the day of pentecost etc and it is not necessary for tongues to to be taught to the hurch church particularly for an any man that has the idoly holy ghost can speak of the L things bings I 1 of god in his bis own tongue as well as to speak in another for faith comes not by signs but by hearing the word of god the doctrine of the oj ine geoa abiu eternal judg judgment mient are necessary to preach among the first principles of the gospel of jesus christ the doctrine of election st paul exhorts us to make our calling and election sure this is that sealing power spoken of by paul in other places see ephesians chapter 13 14 verses in whom ye also trusted that after ye heard the word of tr truth mth the gospel of your salvation in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of hi his 13 glory fory that we may be sealed up unto the day of mpr 1 tiou tion this principle ought in its proper prope r place io 0 o be taught for god hath not revealed any anything thin to joseph but what he will make known unto the twelve and even the least saint may know all things as fast as he is able to ber bear them for the day must come when no man mail need say to his neighbor know ye the lord for all shall know h him i who remail from the least to the greatest how is this to be done it is to be ba done by this sealing power and the other comforter spoken of j which will be manifest by revelation there a akeji two comforters spoken of one is tile holy ghost the same as given on oil the day of pentecost and that all saints receive after faith repentance and baptism this first firs con comforter forter or holy ghost ghose has no other effect than pure intelligence it is SJ I 1 more powerful in expanding the mind enlightening the understanding and storing the intellect I 1 with present knowledge of a man who is of the literal seed of abraham than one that is a gen tile choit tho it may not have half as much visible effect I 1 upon the body for as the holy ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of abraham it is 1 caun ana serene and uis his whole soul and body ar only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence while the effect of the holy ghost upon a gen tile I 1 is to purge out the old blood and make hin actually of the seed of abraham that eliat man that tha has none of the blood of abraham naturally must have a new creation by tile the holy ghost I 1 in I 1 such a case there may be wore mure or of a effet upon tile the body and visible to ole ae ew eya tian than upon an israelite while the at first firs might be far before the gentile in 1 pa re antell intelligence 1 ce the other comforter sn of is P 2 subject ibbe et of great interest and understood by few of this generation tet a person hatli bath faill in christ repents sins and d is baptized for the remission of 11 jallis and receives the holy ghost by the laylus oil OD of hands which is the first comforter tile thy let him continue to humble himself before fd hungering and thirsting after right ads and d living by bv every word of god and the bord ord will soon say unto him son thou shall ly lif exalted etc when the lord has thoroughly roved him and finds that the man is determined to serve him at all hazards then the man will find his calling and election made sure then it will be his privilege to receive the other comforter which the lord bath promised the saints as is recorded record e d in tile the testimony of st john in the XIV chap chapter t er from fram the to the verses note the 16 17 18 21 23 verses v and I 1 will pray the father and he be shall give you another comforter that lie he may abide with wilh you forever 17 even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth liim him not neither him but ye know him for he dwell eth with you and shall be in you 18 I 1 will not leave you comfortless I 1 will come to you 21 he that hath my commandments and keep eth them he it is that loveth me and lie he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I 1 will love him and will manifest myself to him 23 if a man love me he will keep my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him 11 now what is this other comforter it is no more or less than the LORD JESUS jesu s CHRIST himself and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter that when any man obtains this last comforter fo r ter he be will have the personage of jesus christ to attend him or appear unto him from time lime to time and even he will manifest tile the father unto him and they will wil I 1 take up their abode with him and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him and the lord will teach him face to face and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of god and this is the state and place the ancient saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions isaiah ezekiel john upon the isle of patmos st paul in the three heavens and 11 fl q t ala 1 1 laauli la 1 tb th ac the spirit of Romp revelation lation is in connection with these blessings A person may profit by nofi noticing cing the first intimations of the spirit of revelation for hi instance stance when you feel pure intelligence flowing unto you it may give you sudden strokes of ideas that by noticing it you may find it fulfilled the same day gr or soon i C those things that were presented unto your minds by the spirit of god will come to pass and thus by learning the spirit of god and u understanding it you may grow into the principle of revelation Reve lalion until you become perfect in fit christ jesus du Evail evangelist gelist is a patriarch even the oldest man of t the he blood of josph joseph or of the sed se d of abra ham wherever the 01 is faiuu dished in in the earth there should be a patriarch for the benefit of the posterity of the saints is it was with jacob in giving his patri patriarchal blessing unto his sons ac friday fridun I 1 was transacting business of various 1 hinds ads counseling consulting the brethren re I 1 ac c ac c saturday I 1 was mostly at home sunday 30 th I 1 attended meeting at brother Bosier Bo ls there was a crowded audience and I 1 bore testimony concerning the truth of the work and also of the truth of the book of mormon ac this day sister morris phelps who had traveled one hundred and fifty miles in company w with ith her brother john W dark clark to see her husband arrived at columbia jail monday july let 1839 I 1 spent principally in counseling the brethren this day also the court was cal called ledfor for the trial of parley P pratt and the I 1 brethren in prison in boone county but as they were not ready for trial all their witnesses had been banished the state the court was adjourned to the twenty third of september tuesday ad spent espeut the forenoon of this day on the iowa side of the river went in company with elders rigdon H smith and bishops abit whitney a lud and knight and others to visit a purchase seo lately made by bishop knight as a location for a town and advised that a town be built there and be called Zarah emla afternoon went with the twelve and some of the seventies who are about to proceed on their miss mission ion to europe and the nations of the earth banh the meeting was opened by singing and prayer after which the presidency proceeded to bless two of the twelve who had lately been ordained into that quorum namely wilford Woo drutt and geci george ge A smith and one of the seventies name ly theodore turley after which blessings were wen also pronounced by them on the beads of tire tile wives of some of those about to go abroad the meeting was then addressed by president hyrum smith by way of advice to the twelve ac chiefly concerning tile the nature of their mission their practising practicing prudence and humility in their plans or subjects for preaching the necessity of their cottri not trifling ing with their office and of holding ng on strictly to the importance of their mission an and the au authority 0 of the priesthood I 1 then addressed them and gave much instruction caleda 1 ted to g guard U ard them against self sufficiency self and self importance to touching c I 1 upon righteousness 0 u alpon many subjects of biml importance and value e to au wio ano wish to walk humbly before the lord but esp especially teaching them to observe charity wisdom and fellow feeling with love one towards knotter in all things and under all circumstances in sub j stance as follows ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy and be leady to forgive our brother on the first fa of repentance and asking forgive forgiveness new and should we even forgive our brother or ev ean our enemy before they repent or ask forgiveness forgive nes our heavenly father would be equally as merciful unto us again let the twelve and all saints be wiling to confess all their sins and not keep back a part and let the twelve be humble and not Is ie exalted and beware of pride and not seek to ell ecel one above another but act for each others good and pray fox for one and another and lionor honor ur brother or make honorable mention of his fla name ille and not backbite and devour our brother why will not man learn wisdom by precept at this late kte s z of the world when we have such a cloud of tresses and examples before us lind not be ob fed bd to learn by sad ex experience peri i ence ever everything athing we low must the new ones that are chosen to I 1 the places of those that th at are fallen of the quorn of the twelve begin to exalt themselves un athey exalt themselves so high that they will sn an tumble over and have a great fati fall and go flowing blowing the mud and mire and darkness alas like to the of satan as several othe quorum haxe have done or will they learn wis cn and be wise 0 0 god give them wisdom id keep them humble I 1 pray when the twelve or any other witnesses stand tore the congregations of the eat eaith tb and they pach in the power and demonstration of the kirit of god and the people are astonished antoni and at the doctrine and say that man has cached a powerful discourse a gibat sermon fen let that man or those men take care that bit fey by do not ascribe the glory unto themselves but bea reful that they are humble and ascribe the arse pise and glory to god and the lamb for it is by A P power awer of the holy priesthood and doiy ghost vy fy have power this to speak what art thou I 1 man hian but dust A and nd from whom dost thou dve th thy L low 11 11 ings but from god w r i u iwanij ye notice tills irk 1 ap ifor for chr ats sake and your own souls sake ye lire ire not sent out to b be e taught laugh t but to teach let ev every e ry word be se seasoned with grace be vigilant be s sober ober it is a day of warning and n not ot of many words act honest before god and man beware of gentiee sophistry such as bowing and abid scraping unto men in whom you have no confidence be honest open and frank in all your intercourse ter course courso with mankind 0 ye twelve and all saints profit by this important KEY that in all your trials troubles temptations afflictions afflic ions bonds imprisonments and death see ee to it that you do not betray heaven that you do not betray jesus chaw that you do not betray your brethren that you yon do not betray the revelations of god whether in the bible book of mormon or doctrine and covenants or any other that ever was or ever will be given and revealed vea I 1 e d unto man I 1 in ii this world or that which is to come yea in all your kicking and flounder ings see to it that you do not this thing lest innocent blood be found in your skirts and you go I 1 down to hell all AH other sins are not to be compared to sinning against the holy ghost and brov ling a traitor to thy brethren i I 1 will give you one of the keys of the mysteries i ie a of the kingdom it is an eternal principle that has existed with god from all eternity that man who rises up to condemn others finding fault with the church saying that they are out of the way while he himself is righteous then know assuredly that that man is in the high road to ap apostasy apo 0 stacy and if he does not repent will apostatize as god lives the principle is as correct as the one that jesus put forth in saying that he who a sign is an all adulterous person and that principle is eternal undeviating and firm as the pillars of heaven for whenever you see a man seeking after a sign you may set it down that he is an adulterous man about this time in reply to many enquiries I 1 gave an explanation of the priesthood and many principles connected therewith of which the following is a bouief synopsis tile the priesthood was first given to adam he obtained the first presidency and held the keys of it from generation to generation he obtained it in the creation before the world was formed as in gen I 1 26 28 he had dominion given him over every living creature he is michael the archangel arch angel spoken of in the scriptures then te ajl S |
