[Hosea Stout Diary] Thursday Jan. 14th 1847. Went with my wife to Rockwoods & traded some this morning & came home & went up in town again[.] While there President Young informed me that the Twelve were going to have a council at one at Br Hebers and invited me to attend, so I came home & prepared and went accordingly.
Here the subject of our removal in the Spring was taken up & the order adopted how we should go and sustain the poor in the mein time.
There were three companies to be raised & put under three Presidents who was to have the controll of the company. It was then to be organized under captains of tens &c as usual.
The word of the Lord was obtained at this council in relation to our removal & I will give it, which will show the order of things better than I can give it.
Winter Quarters Camp of Israel
January the 14th 1847
The word & will of the Lord concerning the camp of Israel in their journeyings to the West.
Let all the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and those who journey with them, be organized into companies, with a covenant and promise to keep all the Commandments & Statutes of the Lord our God:Let the companies be organized with Captains of Hundreds, Captains of Fifties, and Captains of Tens, with a President & his two Councillors at their head, under the directions of the Twelve Apostles:and this shall be our covenant, that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord.
Let each Company provide themselves with all the Teams, waggons provisions, Clothing, and other necessaries for the journey, that they can.
When the Companies are organized, let them go to with their might, to prepare for those who are to tarry.
Let each company with their Captain and Presidents, decide how many can go next spring;then chose out a sufficient number of able bodied and expert men, to take teams, seeds, and Farming utensils, to go as pioneers, to prepare for putting in Spring crops.
Let each company bear an equal proportion, according to the dividend of their property, in taking the poor, the widow, the Fatherless, and the families of those who have gone into the army, that the cries of the widow & the Fatherless come not up into the ears of the Lord against this people.
Let each Company prepare houses, and fields for raising grain for those who are to remain behind this season. And this is the Will of the Lord concerning his people;Let every man use all his influence and property, to remove this people to the place where the Lord shall locate a Stake of Zion;and if ye do this with a pure heart in all faithfulness, ye shall be blest, you shall be blest in your Flocks, and in your herds, and in your fields, and in your houses, & in your families.
Let my servents Ezra T. Benson and Erastus Snow organize a Company;and let my servants Orson Pratt and Wilford Woodruff organize a company;Also let my servants Amasa Lyman and George A. Smith organize a company; and appoint Presidents;and captains of hundreds, and of fifties, and of tens; and let my servants that have been appointed, go and teach this my will to the saints, that they may be ready to go to a land of Peace.
Go thy way and do as I have told you; and fear not thine enemies; for they shall not have power to stop my work. Thou shall be redeemed in mine own due time, and if any man shall seek to build up himself, and seeketh not my council, he shall have no power, and his folly shall be made manifest
Seek ye and keep all your pledges one with another; and covet not that which is thy neighbours.
Keep yourselves from evil to take the name of thy God in vain; for I am the Lord your God, even the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, & of Isaac, and of Jacob. I am he who led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and my arm is streched out in the last days to save my people Israel
Ceace to contend one with another, Ceace to Speak evil one of another[.] Ceace drunkenness and let your words tend to edifying one another. If thou borrowest of thy neighbour, thou shalt restore that which thou hast borrowed; and if thou canst not repay then go straitway & tell thy neighbour, least he condemn thee.
If thou shalt find that which thy neighbour has lost, thou shalt make diligent search, till thou shalt deliver it to him again,Thou shalt be diligent in preserving what thou hast, that thou mayest be a wise steward; for it is the free gift of the Lord thy God, and thou art his steward.
If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, & with a prayer of praise & thanksgiving. If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful.
Fear not thine enemies, for they are in mine hands & I will do my pleasure with them.
My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to recieve the glory that I have for them, even the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion, and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.
Let him that is ignorant, learn wisdom by humbling himself, & calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see & his ears opened that he may hear; for my spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble & contrite, & to the condemnation of the ungodly.
Thy brethren have rejected you and your testimony, even the nation that has driven you out;and now cometh the day of their calamity, even the days of sorrow like a woman that is taken in travail; & their sorrow shall be great, unless they speedily repent, yea very speedily!for they killed the Prophet, & they that were sent unto them, and they have shed innocent blood, which crieth from the ground against them:Therefore marvel not at these things, for ye are not yet pure; thou canst not yet bear my glory, but thou shalt behold it if ye are faithful in keeping all my words that I have given you from the days of Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses;from Moses to Jesus and the Apostles;and from Jesus and his apostles to Joseph Smith, whom I did call upon mine Angels, my ministering servants;and by mine own voice out of the heavens to bring forth my work; which foundation he did lay, and was faithful, and I took him to myself. Many have marveled because of his death, but it was needful that he should seal his testimony with his blood, that he might be honored, and the wicked might be condemned.
Have I not delivered you from your enemies, only in that I have left a witness of my name?now, therefore, hearken, & ye my people of my church; and ye Elders listen together; you have recieved my kingdom, be diligent in keeping all my commandments, least jaudgements come upon you, & your faith fail you, & your enemies triumph over you.
So no more at present.
Amen and amen.
Such was the "Word & Will" of the Lord at this time, which was to me a scource of much joy and gratification to be present on such an occasion and my feeling can be better felt than described for this will put to silence the wild bickering & and suggestions of those who are ever in the way & opposing the proper council. They will now have to come to this standard or come out in open rebelion to the Will of the Lord which will plainly manifest them to the people and then they can have no influence.
The council was interupted before sun down & I came home & on my way home arrainged the guard.
Langley came back from the Point & found all well there.
[source: Diaries of Hosea Stout]
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