[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] April 13th 12 The Steem Boat Amaram arived at Nauvoo with about 230 Saints from England led by Elder Lorenzo Snow who had been in Englang about two years laboring. He was with me in London. We all felt to welcome him & the Saints to our Shores. (1)
[Joseph Smith Diary] Thursday, April 13th 1843 Trial of Brink vs Dana came up at 10 o'clock A.M. but was adjourned to Wednesday next, 9 A.M. At 10 /A.M./ the Emigrants and a great Multitude of others assembled at the Temple. When after singing by the Choir and prayer by Elder Kimball, Joseph addressed the assembly and said, I most heartily congratulate you on your safe arrival at Nauvoo and your safe deliverance from all dangers and difficulties you have had to encounter but you must not think your tribulations are ended.
I shall not address you on doctrine but concerning your temporal welfare. Inasmuch as you have come up here assaying to keep the Commandments of God I pronounce the blessings of heaven /and earth/ upon you, and inasmuch as [you] will /follow/ counsel and act wisely and do right these blessings shall rest upon you so far as I have power of /with/ God to seal them upon you. I am your servant and it is only through the Holy Ghost that I can do you good. God is able to do his own work.
We do not present ourselves /before you/ as any thing but your humble servants willing to be spend and be spent in your services. We shall dwell on your temporal welfare on this occasion. In the 1st place, where a crowd is flocking from all parts of the world of different minds, religions, &c. there /will be some/ who do not live up to the commandments. /There will be/ designing characters who would turn you aside and lead you astray. Speculators who would get away your property. Therefore it is necessary we should have an order here and when emigrants arrive to instruct them concerning these things.
If the heads of the Church have laid the foundation /of this place, and have had the trouble/ of doing what has been done, are they not better qualified to tell you how to lay out your money than those who have had no interest &c?
Some start on the revelation to come here and get turned away and loose all, and then come and enter their complaints /to us/ when it is too late to do any thing for them.
The object of this meeting is to tell you these things and then if you will pursue the same courses you must bear the consequence. There are several objects in your coming here. One object has been to bring you from Sectarian bondage. Another from National bondage, where you can be planted in a fertile soil. We have brought you into a free government. Not that you are to consider yourselves outlaws. By free governemt, we do not mean that a man has a right to steal, /rob/ &c., /but free/ from bondage, taxation, [and] oppression. Free in everything if he conduct[s] himself honestly and circumspectly with his neighbor. Freein Spiritual capacity.
This is the place that is appointed for the oracles of Godto be revealed. If you have any darkness you have only to ask andthe darkness is removed. Tis not necessary that the miracles shouldbe /wrought/ to remove darkness. Miracles are the fruits of faith."How shall we believe on him of whom /&c./ i.e., inasmuch as I have resumed leading before I God may correct the scripture by me if he choose. Faith comes by hearing the word of God /and not faith by hearing and hearing by the word &c./ If a man has not faith Enough to do one thing he may do another. If he cannot remove a Mountain he may heal the sick. Where faith is, there will be some of the fruits. All the gifts and power /which/ poured out from heaven were poured out on the heads of those who had faith.
You must have a oneness of heart in all things. You shall be satisfied one way or the other with us before you have done with us! There are a great many old huts here /but they/ are all new. Our city is not 6[00] or 700 years /old/ as /those/ you came from. It is only a 4 year old not a 4, but 3 year old. /We/ commenced building 3 years last fall. /There/ [are] few old settlers. I got away from my keepers /in Missouri/ and run and come on these shore[s] and found 4[00] or 500 families. /I/ went to work to get meat and flour. Folks were not afraid to trust me. I went to work and bought all this region of country. /I cried/ Lord what will thou have me to do? /And the answer was/ "build up a city and call my saints to this place!" And our hearts leaped with joy to see you coming here. We have been praying for you all winter, from the bottom of our hearts. We are glad to see you. We are poor and cannot do by you as we would, but will do all we can.
'Tis not to be expected that all can locate in the city. There are some who have money and will /build and/ hire others. Those who cannot purchase lots can go out in the cou[n]try. The farmers wants your labor. No industrious man need suffer in this land.
The claims of the poor /on us/ are such that we have claim on your good feelings for your money to help the poor. The Church debts /also have their demands to/ save the credit of the Church. This credit has been obtained to help the poor and keep them from starvation &c. Those who purchase Church lands and pay for it, this shall be their sacrifice.
[We have] Men of 50 and 100,000 dollars who were robbed /of every thing/ in the state of M[iss]o[uri and] are laboring in this city for a morsel /of bread and there are those/ who must have starved but for the providence of God through me. If any man say here is land or there is land, believe it not. We can beat all our competitors in lands, price, and every thing. /We have the/ highest prices, best lands, and do the most good with the money /we get/. /Our system/ is is a real smut machine, a bolting machine, and all the /shorts/ brann and smut runs away and all the flour remains with us.
Suppose I sell you land for $10 per acre and I gave [$] 3.45 per acre then you are speculating /says one/. Yes, I will tell you how. I buy others lands and give them to the widow and the fatherless. If the specualtors run against me they run against the buckler of Jehovah. God did not send me up as he did Joshua in former days. God sent his servants to fight, but in the last days he has promised to fight the battle himself. God will deal with you himself and will bless or curse you as you do behave yourselves. I speak to you as one having authority that you may know when it comes and that you may have faith and know that God has sent me.
The lower part of the town is the most healthy. In /the/ upper part of the town the Merchants will say /I/ am partial &c., but the lower part of the town is much the most healthy. I tell you in the name of the Lord I have been out in all parts of the city at all times of night to learn these things.
The Doctors in this region don't know much and the lawyers /when I spoke about them/ began to say, "We will renounce you on the stand," but they don't come up and I take the liberty to say what I have a mind to about them.
Doctors won't tell you where to go to be well. They want to kill or cure you to get your money. Calomel Doctor will give you Calomel to cure a sliver in the big toe and does not stop to know whether the stomach is empty or not, and Calomel on an empty stomach will kill the patient and the Lobelia doctors will do the same. Point me out a patient and I will tell you whether Calomel or Lobelia will kill him or not. If you give it [for washing], the [water from the] river Mississippi is healthy unless they drink it, and it is more healthy than the spring water. Dig wells from 15 to 30 feet and it will be healthy.
There are many sloughs on the islands from /where/ Miasma arises in the summer, and is flown over the upper part of the city, but it does not extend over the lower part of the city.
All those persons who are not used to living on a river or lake [or] a large pond of water, I do not want you should stay on the banks of the river. Get away to the lower part of the city, back on the hill where you can get good well water. If you feel any inconvenience take some mild physic 2 or 3 times and then some good bitters.
If you can't get any thing else take a little salts and cyanne pepper. If you can't get salt take pecoria, or gnaw down a butternut tree, /eat some/ boreset /or/ hoarhound.
Those who have money come to me and I will let you have lands. Those who have not money if they look as well as I do I will give you advice that will do you good. 12 1/4 I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hyrum made remarks concerning the prophets. Every report in circulation not congenial to good understanding is false. False as the dark regions of hell. Closed 12 25/60.
Joseph gave notice that Bro[ther] Gardner wanted 2[00] or 300 hands ditching, a good job.
Singing by choir, Bro[ther] Thompson requests prayer. Closed by prayer [given by] O[rson] Pratt.
After meeting many of the saints repaired to the landing of the Nauvoo House, as the "Maid of Iowa" arrived (during the meeting) from Keokuk where it went last night after the freight which it left to get over the rapids. Joseph was among them till about 3 o'clock and then when the boat left walked away with Bro[ther] Kimball. (2)
Footnotes:
1 - Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993
2 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1843
LDS History Timeline
(coming to facebook and twitter on June 27th, 1843)
About this site: http://bit.ly/mohist
No comments:
Post a Comment