[Brigham Young] --8-- Returned to Boston.
--9, 10 and 11-- Attended conference at Boylston Hall, Boston; there were eight of our quorum present. Elders and members were present from most of the branches in New England. Many of the citizens also attended, some of whom were very rude and unmannerly in their behavior; it was evident that either their parents had not taught them good manners, or they had made bad use of their early education. I gave them several sharp reproofs for their meanness and unbecoming conduct, which I accompanied by lessons of instruction which, if heeded, would have a tendency to improve their manners materially; but I must say that I never saw more of a spirit of rowdyism manifest in any congregation where I ever preached, than was manifested in the good, Christian city of Boston. I visited Lowell and instructed the Saints.
I counselled Elder Addison Pratt to engage passages for himself, Elders Noah Rogers, Knowlton F. Hanks and B. F. Grouard, to the Pacific Islands, although they had not means wherewith to pay for them. (1)
Mormon Nauvoo resident Charlotte Haven writes to relatives: "We hear that [Hyrum Smith] has already had some wonderful revelations not yet made public, but that a few of the elders put their heads together and whisper what they dare not speak aloud." She says of Elder George J. Adams had returned from a two-year mission in England with a new wife and child, though he already had a wife and family in Nauvoo. "I am told that his first wife is reconciled to this at first unwelcome guest in her home, for her husband and some others have reasoned with her that plurality of wives is taught in the Bible, that Abraham, Jacob, Solomon, David and indeed all the old prophets and good men, had several wives, and if right for them, it is right for the Latter Day Saints. Furthermore, the first wife will always be first in her husband's affection and the head of the household, where she will have a larger influence. Poor, weak woman! . . . I cannot believe that Joseph will ever sanction suc
h a doctrine-" (2)
[Joseph Smith Diary] Friday, September 8th 1843 Emma sick. Joseph at home. Stephen Markham started for Lee County with court papers of Habeus Corpus as witness. Training of first cohort [of Nauvoo Legion]. (3)
-- Sep 9, 1843
[Joseph Smith Diary] Saturday, 9th September Emma a little more comfortable. Training. Clayton gone to A[u]gusta. Richards went to temple to pay 14 head of cattle. Cold, cloudy. City council did not form a quorum but adjourned. (3)
-- Sep 10, 1843
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] Sept 10th 1843 Sunday Morning Conference met according to adjournment. Meeting was opened by singing & Prayer By Elder Magin After which Elder W. Woodruff arose & addressed the assembly from Amos 3 ch. 7 ve[rse] 'Surley the Lord God will do nothing dut he revealeth his secrets unto his servents the Prophets." The Speaker Remarked that according to the Testimony of the Scriptures in all ages of the world whenever God was about to Bring a Judgment upon the world or accomplish any great work, the first thing the Lord has done has been to raise up a Prophet & reveal unto him his secrets & send him to warn the people, that they may be left without excuse.
This was the case in the days of Noah & Lot. God was about to Bring Judgment upon the People & he raised up [a] Prophet & warned them of it. But they did not give heed to them But rejected their Testimony & the Judgments came upon them & they were destroyed, while the Prophets were saved by persuing the course marked out by the Lord.
Jesus Christ Testifyed to the Jews of the things that awaited them as a nation the fall of Jerrusalem & their dispersion among the gentile world but they did not believe it. Yet the secret of all these things was revealed to the Prophet & Apostles & they Believed it & looked for its fulfillment & it Came to Pass as it was predicted, though Conterary to the expectations of the Jewish Nation[s?].
In like manner do we look for the certain fulfillment of those tremendous events upon the heads of the gentile world, which have been spoken of & pointed out by all the Holy Prophets & Apostles since the world began who have spoken as they were moved upon by the power of God & the gift of the Holy Ghost, events which more deeply Consern the gentile world than the overthrow of Jerrusalem & the dispersion of the Jews did the Jewish Nation. For while they stumbled at the stone they were broken but while it falls upon the heads of the gentile world it will grind them to pow[d]er. And the full set time is Come for the Lord to set his hand to accomplish thies mighty events.
And as the Lord has done in other ages, so he has done now. He has raised up a Prophet & is revealing unto him his secrets & through that Prophet He has brought to light the fullness of the everlasting Gospel to the present generation, & is again once more for the last time esstablishing his Church upon the foundation of the Ancient Apostles & Prophets Christ Jesus Being the Chief cornor stone.
In the Church is now found Judeges as at the first & Councillors as at the beginning. The Church is composed of Apostles & Prophets, Pasters & Teachers, gifts & graces for the perfecting of the Saints the work of the ministry & the edifying of the body of Christ.
The Lord has raised up servents & sent [them] into the vineyard to prune the vineyard once more for the last time, to Preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to warn the Nations that they may be left without excuse in the day of their visitation & to gather the honest in heart & the meek of the earth that Zion may be built up & the Prophets fulfilled.
One of the secrets that God has revealed unto his Prophet in these days is the Book of Mormon; & it was a secret to the whole world untill it was revealed unto Joseph Smith, whome God has raised up as a Prophet Seer & Revelator unto his people. This record contains an account of the ancient inhabitants of this continant who over spread this land with cities from sea to sea, the ruins of which still remain as a standing monument of their arts, science power & greatness. It also points out the esstablishing of this our own Nation & also its progress decline, & fall, & those predictions contained in the Book of Mormon, the stick of Joseph in the hands of Ephraim will as truly be fulfilled as those Contained in the Bible the stick & record of Judah, & Both of these records contain Prophesys of Great import, concerning the gentile nations & esspecially this land & nation which are not yet fulfilled, but must shortly come to pass. Yea its fulfillments is nigh even at the door.
Though the secretts which God is revealing through his servant the prophet in the last days may be unpopular & unbelieved by the world yet their unbelief will not make the truth of God without effect any more than it did in the days of Lot & Noah or in the fall of Jerrusalem.
When Jesus Christ said their should not be left one stone upon another in the Temple that should not be thrown down The Jewish nation did not believe it. Neither would they receive such testimony. But they were ready to look at outward circumstances, & ready to say who can prevail against us? What nation [is] like onto our nation? We have held the giving of the Law the articles, the Urim & Thumim. The Lawgiver has never departed from between our feet. We have held the power of government from generation to generation & what nation now hath power to prevail against us? & through this ordor of reasoning they were Blinded & knew not the day of their visitation. They understood not the things that belonged to their peace. They rejected their Lord & king, contended against his word & Testimony & finally put him to death on the cross with many who followed him.
But this did not hender the fulfillment of the words of Jesus Christ concerning that nation. The words of the Lord had gone out of his mouth & could not return unto him void. The things that belonged to their Peace were hid from their eyes. They were counted unworthy as a nation. The kingdom was to be rent out of their hands & given to annother. The die was Cast & Judgment must come.
The city was soon surrounded by the roman army led on by the inspired Titus, & a scene of calamity judgment & woe immediately overspread the inhabitants of that city which was devoted to destruction, such a calamity as never before had rested upon the nation of Israel. Blood flowed through their streets. Tens of thousands fell by the edge of the sword, & thousands by famine. Women were evil towards the Children of their own bosem in the straitness of the seige the seenery of which shocked the roman soldiers as they entered the city. The Jews were crucified in such numbers by their enemies, that they Could find no more wood for crosses or room for their bodies in their midst, & while dispair was in evry face & evry heart sinking, while suffering under the Chastning hand of God their enemies rushed upon them in the city to strike the last fatal blow & as their last resort they rushed in to the Temple for safety which was soon on fire & they sunk in the midst of the flames with
the cry of their suffering assending on high accompanied by the smoke of her crackling spires & the remaining miserable few were sold as slaves & driven like the dumb ass before his burthen & scattered as corn is sifted in a sive throughout the gentile nations world.
Jerrusalem was raised from its foundations & the Temple thrown down & the foundation thereof plowed up that not one stone was left upon another & Christ Said that Jerrusalem should be trodden down of the gentiles unt the times of the gentiles be fulfilled which has been the case to the vary letter untill the present generation.
Will not God in like manner as truly & faithfully bring to pass those great, important and tremendious events upon the heads of the gentile world which have been proclaimed by the Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel, Daniel, & many of the Holy Prophets & Christ & the Apostles, on the continant of Asia as well as Lehi, Nephi, Alma & Moroni & others who wrote on the continant of America all of which have proclaimed these things as they were moved upon by the spirit of Inspiration the power of God & the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Apostle says that no prophecy of the scriptures is of any privat interpetation, but commandments came not of old time by the will of man but Holy men of God spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost.
Isaiah soul seemed to be on fire & his mind wraped in the visions of the Almighty while he declaired in the name of the Lord, that it should come to pass in the last days that God should set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, assemble the outcast of Israel gather together the dispersed of Judah, make men go over dry shod, gather them to Jerrusalem on Horses mules swift beasts & in charriots &c rebuild Jerru-salem upon her own heaps, while at the same time the destroyer of the gentiles was on his way & while God was turning the captivity of Israel he would put all their curses & aflictions upon the heads of the gentiles their enemies, who had not saught to recover them but to destroy them & had troden them under foot from generation to generation.
At the Same time the standard shoud be lifted up that the honest in heart & the meek among the gentiles should seek unto it & that Zion should be redeemed & be built up a Holy City. That the glory & power of God should rest upon her, & be seen upon her. That the watchman upon mount Ephraim might Cry arise ye & let us go up unto Zion the City of the Lord our God, that the gentiles might come to her light & kings to the brightness of her rising. That the Saints of God may have a place to flee to & stand in Holy places while judgment works in the earth. That when the Sword of God that is bathed in heaven falls upon Idumie or the world when the Lord pleads with all flesh by sword & by fire & the slain of the Lord is many that the Saints may escape these calamities by fleeing to the places of refuge like Lot & Noah.
Isaiah in his 24 ch gives sumthing of an account of the calamity & Judgments that shall come upon the heads of the gentile nations, & this because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances & broken the everlasting covenant. St Paul says to his Roman Brethren that if the gentiles do not continue in the goodness of God they like the house of Israel should be cut off. Though Babylon says I sit as a queen am no widow & shall see no sorrow The Revelator says, Therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine & she shall be utterly burned with fire for strong is the Lord God who Judgeth her.
Jesus Presents a parable of the Fig tree that when we see the signs in the sun, moon, stars, heaven & earth of which he spoke we might know that his coming is near. That the generation in which those signs appeared should not pass away untill all should be fulfilled. Though Heaven & earth should pass away his words should not pass away but should all be fulfilled.
Those things are about to come to pass upon the heads of the present generation not withstanding they are not looking for it neither do they believe it. Yet their unbelief will not make the truth of God without effect. The signs are appearing in the heavens & on the earth and all things indicate the fulfillment of the Prophets. The figtree is leaving summer is nigh, And the Lord has sent his angels to lay the foundation of this great and important work. Then why should not God reveal his secrets unto his servents the Prophets that the Saints might be led in paths of safety that they may escape those evils that are about to engulf a whole generation in ruin?
[ ] (4)
Footnotes:
1 - Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1801-1844, ed. Elden Jay Watson (Salt Lake City: Smith Secretarial Service, 1968).
2 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
3 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1843-44, http://amzn.to/jsdiaries
4 - Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://bit.ly/wwjournal
LDS History Timeline
About this site: http://bit.ly/mhist
No comments:
Post a Comment