Joseph Smith, John M. Bernhisel, Sidney Rigdon, and others write letters to Governor Ford explaining their reasons for destroying the Nauvoo Expositor press. Joseph explains that the city council had declared the press a nuisance and had carried out the order to destroy it "without riot, noise, tumult, or confusion." He asks the governor to be aware of the many slanderous stories going around about "'mob at Nauvoo,' . . . 'blood and thunder,' . . . 'two men were killed. '" Joseph reaffirms his willingness to report before Judge Pope or any other legal tribunal at Springfield. (History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (7 volumes) 6:466-71). (1)
Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith wrote to Thomas Ford, governor of Illinois, explaining the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor printing press. (2)
[Joseph Smith Diary] Friday, June 14th 1844 Wrote to Gov[ernor] Ford explaining about the removal of the Nauvoo Expositor. Dr. Bernhisel also wrote the Gov[ernor] and Dr. J[oseph] R. Wakefield wrote [also]. All of which are on file. Read doings of /said/ City Council /till after dinner/ to Dr. Wakefield and gave him Vol[ume] of Times and Seasons.
About 4 P.M. rode out with Dr. Bernhisel. Pleasant and warm toward night. Some clouds.
Norton was tried for firing Foster's Printing office but [was] acquitted before Aaron Johnson, J[ustice] [of the] Pieace]. (3)
-- Jun 14, 1844 (Friday)
Joseph Smith communicated the facts connected with the removal of the Expositor's printing materials, by letter, to Gov. Thos. Ford. (4)
-- Jun 15, 1844
The Presiding Patriarch publishes an announcement signed as "HYRUM SMITH, President of the Church." William Clayton writes in his journal: "A.M. [Joseph Smith was] conversing with Dr. [Joseph] Wakefield and others in the Bar Room, telling a dream concerning his father killing a man who attempted to stab him. He also spoke concerning key words. The g[reat] key word was the first word Adam spoke and is a word of supplication. He found the word by the Urim and Thummim. It is that key word to which the heavens is opened." (5)
[Joseph Smith] Rumors reach Joseph that men and arms are being gathered at Carthage and Warsaw. He tells the brethren that "when they gave up their arms, to give up their lives with them as dearly as possible." (History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (7 volumes) 6:471-72.) (1)
Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith was at home examining Benjamin West's painting Death on the Pale Horse, which had been in his reading room for three days previous. (2)
[Joseph Smith Diary] Saturday, June 15th 1844 At home. Two brethren come from Lima, said Col[onel] Levi Williams had demanded the Mormons' arms. Father Morley wanted to know what to do. I gave them answer where the brethren give up their arms, to give up their lives as dear as possible.
Report said there were 40 men training at Carthage. Mr Johnson come from Warsaw, said several boxes of arms had arrived at Warsaw from Quincy that there was some excitment but expected they were going to wait [for] the Meeting at Carthage middle of next week.
Maid of Iowa come down the river about 2 or 3 o'clock. While I was examining Benj[amin] Wests painting of Death on the Pale Horse which has been exhibiting in my reading room for 3 days. Lost their flat loaded with corn /sunk/ and a small robbery had been committed on board. Search was made at the landing by the police.
/This morning/ Samuel James started for Springfield to carry letters and papers to Gov[ernor] Ford concerning the destruction of the Expositor &c. About 7 rode out on horseback with O[rrin] P[orter] Rockwell. (3)
-- Jun 15, 1844. Saturday.
[William Clayton Journal] It is that key word to which the heavens is opened. A.M. at President Joseph's. 2 brethren came up from the Morley settlement saying that old Col. Williams' Company had been to demand their arms and they wanted to know if they must yield them. Joseph told them not to do it while they lived. Various reports have come stating that the Warsawites have ordered the Saints to leave forthwith and threatening pretty bad. P.M. at the Temple office. (6)
-- 16Jun44
[Joseph Smith Sermon] Plurality of Gods The Prophet read the 3rd Rev. text 6th. v. & made us K & P. unto God & his Far. to him be glory & dom. for evermore--.
; It is altogr. correct in the translatn. --now you know that of late some have sprung up & apostat. & they declare that Pro bel[ieves] in a plurality of Gods--&c. & behold a very great secret they cry Always Preached More Than One God it has been my intentn. to take up this subjt. & show what my Faith is in the matter---I have contemplated the saying of Je[sus] as it was in the days of Noah so shall it be at his 2nd. coming & if it rains I'll preach---the plurality of Gods--I have selected this text I wish to declare I have allways--& in all congregats. when I have preached it has been the plurality of Gods it has been preached 15 years--I have always decld. God to be a distinct personage---J. C. a sep. & distinct pers from God the Far.
the H. G. was a distinct personage & or Sp & these 3 constit. 3 distinct personages & 3 Gods---if this is in accordance with the New Testament--lo & behold we have 3 Gods anyhow & they are plural anyhow--our text says God Above the Father of Jesus ; the apost[les] have disc[overe]d. that there were Gods above-- God was the Far. of our Ld. J. C.--my object was to preach the Scrip--& preach the doctrine there being a God above the Far. of our Ld. J. C.--I am bold to declare I have taut. all the strong doctrines publicly---& always stronger that what I preach in private--John was one of the men & the apos. declare they were made K[ings]. & P[riests]. unto God the Fatr. of our Ld. J. C. it reads just so hence the doctrine of a plurality of Gods is as prominent in the Bible as any doctrine-- Taught in the Bible it is all over the face of the Bible, it stands beyond the power of controversy---a wayfaring man tho a fool need not fail--Paul says there are gods many & Lo
rds many--I want to set it in a plain simple manner--- To Us There is Only One God but to us there is but one God pertaining to us, in all thro all,--but if J. Smith says there is Gods many & Lds. many they cry away with him crucify him mankind verily say that the Scrip s with them---Search the Script & & they testify of things that apostates wod blaspheme--Paul if Jo Smith is a blasphemer you are---I say there are Gods many & Lds many but to us only one & we are to be in subject to that one & Can't Limit Time no man can limit the bounds, or the eternal existence of eternal time--hath he beheld the etl. world. & is he authd. to say that there is only God he makes himself a fool--& there is an end of his career in knowledge he cannot obtn. all knowledge for he has sealed up the gate to Taught to Him by God ; some say I do not interpret same as you--they say it means the heathen God. Paul says there are Gods many &c it makes a plurality of Gods any how-- witht. a
revn. I am not going to give the God of Heaven to them any how--you know & I testify that Paul had no allusions to it--I have it from God & get over it if you can--I have a witness of the H. G.--& a test.that Paul had no allusion to the Heathen G. in the text--- General Joseph Smiths Last public Discourse on Doctrine he commenced By Reading Revelation 1st Chapter 6th verse-- "And hath made us Kings & priests unto God & his father &c He then preceded to show the plurality of Gods Hebrew Text Twice I will shew from the Heb. Bible & the 1st. word shows a plurality of Gods---& I want the apostate & learned men to come here-- & prove to the contrary an unlearned boy must give you a little Hebrew--- Berosheit &c In the begin. rosheit--the head--it shod. read the heads of--to organize the Gods--Eloiheam Eloi. God in sing. heam, reanders Gods I want a little learning as well as other fools ; Popes quote: Drink deep ; all the confusion is for want of drinking and draug
ht the head God---organized the heavens & the Earth--I defy all the learning in the world to refute me-- ; In the begin the heads of the Gods organized the heaven & the Earth- now the learned Priest--the people rage--& the heathen imagine a vain thing--if we pursue the Heb further--it reads ; The Head one of the Gods said let us make man in our image I once asked a learned Jew once-- if the Heb. language compels us to render all words ending in heam in the plural--why not render the first plural---he replied it would ruin the Bible--he acknowledged I was right. I came here to investigate these things precisely as I believe it--hear & judge for yourself--& if you go away satisfied-- well & good--in the very beginning there is a plurality of Gods-- beyond the power of refutation--- By Referring to the 1st Gen. as in the original Hebrew---that it Read that in the Beginning the Head Gods organized the Earth & the heavens &-- Important Subject it is a great subjec
t I am dwelling on---the word Eloiheam ought to be in the plural all the way through-- Gods---the heads of the Gods appointed one God for us--& when you take a view of the subject it sets one free to see all the beauty holiness & perfection of the God--all I want is to get the simple truth--naked & the whole truth--Men say there is one God--the Far. Son & the H. G. are only 1 God--it is a strange God any how 3 in 1 & 1 in 3. it is a curious thing any how--Far. I pray not for the world but I pray for those that thou givest me &c &c all are to be crammed into 1 God--it wod. make the biggest God in all the world--he is a wonderful big God--he would be a Giant Corrected Translation I want to read the text to you myself--I am agreed with the Far. & the Far. is a greed with me & we are agreed as one--the Greek shews that is shod. be agreed--Far. I pray for them that thou hast given me out of the world &c &c that they may be agreed & all come to dwell in unity & in al
l the Glory & Everlasting burngs of God & then we shall see as we are seen & be as God--& he as the God of his Far.--I want to reason--- and that God was a distinct in of himself & the Son also was a distinct Personage But in the image of the Father--and that the Holly Ghost was a personge of spirit without a Tabernicle--he quoted the 17th of St. John 20, 21, 22, 23 that the apostles & the Disciples may all agree in one--or be agreed in the one principal as thou father & me are agreed-- The Scripture Say I and my father are one & again that the father son & holy ghost are one I John 5 ch. 7 vers But these three agree in the Same thing & did the Saviour pray to the father. I pray not for the world but those home [whom] he gave me out of the world that we might be one, or to Say be of one mind in the unity of the faith.
; but Every one being a different or Separate person & So is god & is god & Jesus Christ & the holy ghost.
Separate persons but the all agree in one or the Self Same thing Holy Ghost Yet a Spiritual Body But the holy ghost is yet a Spiritual body and waiting to take to himself a body. as the Savior did or as god did or the gods before them took bodies for the Saviour Says the work that my father did do i also & those are the works he took himself a body & then laid down his life that he might take it up again & 4 Learned by Translating the Book of Abraham I learned it by translating the papyrus now in my house---I learned a test. concerning Abraham & he reasoned concerng. the God of Heaven-- in order to do that sd. he--suppose we have two facts that supposes that anotr. fact may exist two men on the earth--one wiser than the other-- wod. show that another who is wiser than the wisest may exist-- intelligences exist one above anotr. that there is no end to it-- if Abra. reasoned thus-- No End to Gods if J. C. was the Son of God & John discd. that God the Far. of J. C. had a f
ar. you may suppose that he had a Far. also---where was ther ever a Son witht. a Far.---where ever did tree or any thing spring into existence witht. a progenitor-- & every thing comes in this way--Paul says that which is Earthyly is in likeness of that which is Heavenly-- hence if J. had a Far. can we not believe that he had a Fa.r also--I despise the idea of being scared to death--I want you all to pay particr. attent. J. sd. as the Far. wrought precisely in the same way as his Far. had done bef-- as the Far. had done bef--he laid down his life & took it up same as his Far. had done before--he did as he was sent to lay down his life & take it up again & was then committed unto him the keys &c I know it is good reasoning-- Jesus said that all things that He saw the father do he did---and also the 82 psalm 1st verse God standeth in the Congregations of the Mighty; he Judgeth among the Gods-- Church Being Purged? I have reason to think that the Church is being pur
ged--I saw Satan fall from heaven--& the way they ran was a caution. all these are wonders & marvellous in our eyes in these last days--so long as men are under the law of God they have no fears, they do not scarce themselves--I want to stick to my text--to shew that when men open their lips-- they do not injure me---but injure themselves--To the law & to the testimony---they are poured all over the Scrip ; When things that are great are passed over witht. even a thot I want to see all in all its bearings & hug it to my bosom--I bel. all that God ever revd. & I never hear of a man being d[amne]d for belg. too much but they are d--d for unbel.
; they found fault with J. C. bec. he sd. he was the Son of God & made himself equal with God---they say like the apost. of old I must be put down--what Je. say--it is written in your law I said Ye are Gods--it was thro' him that they drink of the rock--of course he wod. take the honor to himself-- J. if they were called Gods unto whom the word of God why shld. it be thought incredible that I should say I am the Son of God. Oh Apostates did ye never think of this bef. these are the quotations that the apostates take to the Scrips--- they swear that they bel the Bible & the Book of Mormon &c & then you will get filth & slander & bogus makers plenty--& one of the Church members prophesied that Jo Smith shld.
never preach any more---& yet I am now prachg--- D&C 76 go & read the vision--there is glory & glory--Sun, moon & Stars---& so do they differ in glory & every man who reigns is a God--& the text of the Do & Covt damns themselves--Paul what do you say--they impeached Paul & all Went & left him--Paul had 7 churches & they drove him off from among them---& yet they cannot do it by me--I rej. in that--my test. is good--Paul--says there is one Glory of the Sun the moon & the Stars--& as the Star differs &c--They are exalted far above princ. thrones dom. & angels---& are expressly decld. to be heirs of God & jt. heirs with J. C. all havg etl. power--the Scrip are a very strange doct.--I have anr. Scrip--now says God when visited Moses in the Bush--moses was a stuttering sort of a boy like me--God said thou shalt be a God unto the children of Israel--God said thou shalt be a God unto Aaron & he shall be thy spokes.
& the Scripture Say those who will obey the commandments shall be heirs of god & Joint heirs with of Jesus Christ we then also took bodies to lay them down, to take them up again & the Spirit itself bears witness with our Spirits that we are the children of god & if children then heirs and Joint heirs with Jesus Christ if So be that we Suffer with him in the flesh that we may be also glorified together. See Romans 8 chapter 7 Verses.
Gods are Sons of God I bel. in these Gods that God reveals as Gods---to be Sons of God & all can cry Abba Father--Sons of God who exalt themselves to be Gods even from bef. the foundatn. of the world & are all the only Gods I have a reverence for-- ; John sd. he was a K[ing]. J.
C. who hath by his own blood made us K & P to God. Oh thou God who are K. of K & Ld. of Lds.--- Catholics and Protestants we cannot bel. thee--old Catholic Church is worth more than all---here is a princ. of logic--that men have no more sense--I will illustrate an old apple tree---here jumps off a branch & says I am the true tree. & you are corrupt--if the whole tree is corrupt how can any true thing come out of it---the charr of the old ones have always been slandd. by all apos since the world began--- God Will Never Acknowledge Any Apostate I testify again as God never will acknowledge any apost: any man who will betray the Catholics will betray you--& if he will betray one anothr. he will betray you---all men are liars who say that they are of the true-- New Dispensation - Not Reformation God always sent a new dispensatn. into the world--when men come out & build upon or men's foundatn.--did I build on anotr. mans foundatn. but my own---I have got all the
truth & an indepent.
revn. in the bargain-- & God will bear me off triumphant--I will drop this subjt. I wish I cod. speak for 3 or 4 hours it is not expedt. on acct. of the rain--I will still go on & show you proof on proof. all the Bible is as equal one part as another (7)
Footnotes:
1 - Conklin, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology
2 - Joseph Smith Resource Center: Daily Events in the Life of Joseph Smith, http://josephsmith.net/josephsmith/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e581001cfb340010VgnVCM1000001f5e340aRCRDlocale=0
3 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1844, http://amzn.to/jsdiaries
4 - Jenson, Andrew, Church Chronology
5 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
6 - George D. Smith, An Intimate Chronicle; The Journals of William Clayton, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1995, http://amzn.to/william-clayton
7 - The Parallel Joseph, http://www.boap.org/LDS/Parallel/
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