the second conference of the church—harmony and love among the elders—accessions to the congregation—the mission to the lamanites—individual revelations—god's chosen servants in missouri.
the second general conference of the church opened at fayette, on the 1st day of september, 1830. joseph smith presided, and he was supported by the presence, the faith and prayers of nearly all the members of the church. the conference lasted three days and was remarkable for the power of the spirit which was exhibited.
at the conference joseph smith showed one of his greatest characteristics, which was an especial willingness to meet any issue which might be involved within his labor as a prophet, or his life as an individual. he had already won oliver cowdery and the whitmers to a rejection of the destroying revelations enunciated by hiram page; and hiram, himself, had abandoned these false manifestations. but the prophet knew that the people must learn within their own individual experience to be guided by holy influence, and to know the voice of christ and for their individual rejection, the tempting whisper of the evil one. his confidence in the inspiration which flowed from heaven, and then from heart to heart within the congregation, was not mistaken. every soul present at this conference, realized for himself that satan had been lying in wait to ensnare the feet of god's children, and to bring upon their heads a greater condemnation than the unbelieving world could know. therefore the conference officially and unanimously renounced the false and pernicious doctrines sought to be foisted upon the church, and heard with joyful acceptance the revelation from god declaring that his commands should come only through his prophet.
the men who held the holy priesthood in the new and everlasting covenant were learning to love each other with a love greater than that of brothers. separated from the world no less by its hatred and murderous persecution than by their own determination to keep the commandments of god, they realized that they must seek within each other's society on earth the comfort and peace necessary to sustain them through the waters of tribulation. and at this conference was felt an unspeakable influence of union and mutual regard. people attracted by the wondrous tidings, had come from afar to fayette, and many of them listened and believed. baptisms for the remission of sins, confirmations, for the gift of the holy ghost, and ordinations to power and priesthood, were numerous, and the sacrament was administered to every person who was present claiming membership in the body of christ. faith and hope and charity abounded in the midst of the congregation of israel.
revelations to david whitmer, peter whitmer, jun., and john whitmer, and to thomas b. marsh, were received through the prophet, announcing the will of the lord concerning these brethren. of peter whitmer it was decreed of god that he should soon journey with oliver cowdery towards the land of the lamanites. david was rebuked for being worldly-minded; and he was ordered to attend to the ministry in the church and before the people dwelling in the regions around about fayette, until the lord should give unto him further commandments.
the revelation formerly given through the prophet to oliver cowdery, enunciating the divine decree concerning the lamanites and the work to be accomplished among them, created great interest in the minds of the elders of the church. the desire to learn more of this important matter was intensified by the harmony which prevailed during the conference, and the flow of the spirit resulting therefrom. joseph and his brethren realized that the purposes of god toward the indians of this land were great and far-reaching; and that the time would come when they must receive the gospel and enjoy its blessings. many of the elders expressed a desire to take up the work of the ministry among their brethren bound in darkness and ignorance through the curse laid upon their fathers; but before appointing any one to aid oliver and peter whitmer in this mission, joseph inquired of the lord. his answer was a revelation appointing unto parley p. pratt and ziba peterson that they should go with oliver and peter into the wilderness, among the lamanites. our lord and savior promised them that he would go with them and be in their midst, and that nothing should prevail against them; but they were commanded to pretend to no power or revelation except that which was given to them by god, and unfolded by the holy spirit to their understanding.
in the month of october, 1830, the elders appointed to this work departed from fayette, carrying with them a copy of the revelations concerning their mission. their mission was more than to journey westward to the land of the lamanites; for each one of them was also under the special command and ordination to proclaim the gospel of jesus christ to every listening ear. and from the hour that they departed from fayette, they lifted up their voices by the wayside and left their testimony in every village through which they passed.
in this same month of october a revelation was given through the prophet to ezra thayer and northrop sweet, calling them to labor in the vineyard, for the eleventh hour had come. they were promised that speech sacred and powerful, should be given unto them, if they would have faith to open their mouths before congregations. and in november, 1830, orson pratt, a youth of 19 years, a brother of parley p. pratt—came from his home in canaan, new york, to fayette, to ask of the lord for light and help concerning his individual duty. the prophet complied with the youth's desire and inquired of the lord for him; and in response a revelation was given in orson's behalf, which has since had a wondrous fulfilment in his life:
blessed are you, because you are called of me to preach my gospel. * * * * for behold, verily, verily, i say unto you, the time is soon at hand that i shall come in a cloud with power and great glory, and it shall be a day at the time of my coming for all nations to tremble. but before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked. wherefore, lift up your voice and spare not, for the lord god hath spoken. therefore prophesy and it shall be given by the power of the holy ghost.
these revelations to individuals concerning their duty were necessary in that hour. men, however faithful and devoted to the church, had not yet learned the order of the gospel and its requirements upon them. and, that they might not be suffered to rest in their own ignorance and led astray by the whiles of satan, the lord, through his prophet, marked out the plain path which they were to follow. the rich heritage of knowledge, which belongs now to every faithful member of the church, had to be gained little by little through long and continuous prayer to god, by the early acceptors of the gospel.
the lord suffered none to go astray for lack of commandment. and, in the subsequent history of the men whose names appear as early recipients of divine revelation, can be traced their faithfulness to heavenly requirement, or their yielding to the whispers of the evil one. the lord in his revelation through joseph smith gave a mission to orson pratt which was nobly fulfilled. no less particular and comprehensive was his commandment to other elders, but in many instances far different was the result.
the work which the prophet directed under these revelations shows that the plan decreed by god for the building up of his church was understood by joseph. viewed from a human standpoint, the intention of the prophet to send missionaries throughout all the land, bearing proclamation concerning the new church, would have been a surprising ambition. what was he that he should declare a gathering-place in the west; that he should command men to lay down their daily toil, and go forth as ministers proclaiming religious truth to a skeptical world; that he should decree the building up of a city upon the lamanite borders? had joseph smith, at the hour when he sent forth oliver cowdery and parley p. pratt, with their companions into the western wilderness, made avowal of such intentions, prompted by vanity and a self-conceived desire to give himself and his cause prominence, complete and humiliating would have been his failure. but if the declaration which he made had originated from such a source, he could not have been subjected to greater ridicule than fell upon him when he avowed that he and his coadjutors were but fulfilling the will of god—who would not suffer his purposes to fail one jot or tittle. to call men untrained by education and special preparation to go forth without purse or scrip, to preach the gospel, was a departure from accustomed methods that in many minds excited derision and contempt. true, this was the practice in apostolic days, and was the course taken by the savior in the calling and sending out of his disciples, but the fashion had become obsolete. education had become more essential for ministers than the holy ghost; a salary than a faith that would trust the lord to supply food and clothing.
teaching of the doctrine of the gathering, also was a new announcement to the world. the belief common in christendom was that man was as near to god in one place as another, and he could be worshiped everywhere alike. the idea, therefore of converts abandoning home, with all its delightful associations and ancestral memories, and going to a new land, remote from kindred and friends, as a religious duty was a startling one and came in contact with all pre-conceived views. under the inspiration, however, of the lord, joseph made it known as a movement required of true believers by the almighty to prepare them for coming events. it was a bold proclamation, and viewed from a human standpoint, was likely to interfere with successful conversions. but it was from the lord, and honest seekers after truth were led to look to him for the evidence of its heavenly origin. the result came in due time, and should have been convincing to every human soul. of all the commandments enunciated through joseph smith, nothing failed.
the prophet, during the months of october and november, himself labored in the ministry, encouraging all by his upright and zealous life, making many converts, and spreading heavenly wisdom among all the honest-in-heart who would give ear to his words.
in the meantime, the missionaries to the west were progressing with their labor. they reached kirtland, ohio, and there made a brief stand, because the field seemed promising. many persons were converted to the truth, and accepted the gospel. the elders wrote at once to the prophet, informing him of these facts, and he directed john whitmer to proceed at once to kirtland and preside over the branch of the church there.
when the elders left kirtland to proceed farther into the wilderness, one of the new converts, frederick g. williams, accompanied them. they went as far as independence, jackson county, missouri; and were the first of god's chosen servants in this dispensation to set foot upon that consecrated soil.
