the power of human harmony—changing hell to heaven—joseph as a servant—his sketch of the church—a ringing editorial—organization of the relief society—bennett begins his plots.
upon one occasion, when the power of persecution was descending upon the people, a threat of the mobocrats was carried to the prophet. it was this: "we are going to drive the mormons to hell, this time, sure."
with an entrancing mildness of look and sweetness of voice, joseph replied:
never mind, my brethren, if they drive us to hell, we'll turn the devil out and make a heaven of it.
this sentiment is at once a sermon upon unity and an epitome of the history of the latter-day saints. by their union and system of mutual help they have again and again redeemed wildernesses; every time demonstrating that the prophet's view of the power of human harmony was correct—for where the love of truth and the concord of the saints exist there is no room for satan, and hell itself must be transformed into a region of bliss.
joseph was putting these principles into practice at nauvoo, and a beautiful city was growing out of a marsh; and institutions for human liberty and human advancement were growing out of the most adverse conditions.
near the opening of 1842 the prophet, with president brigham young and bishop newel k. whitney, began to devise a plan, by which a cheap and expeditious conveyance of the saints from the old world to nauvoo might be secured through a united effort; and the mercantile interests of the people might be made to serve the general welfare and protect and help the poor. the prophet himself did not hesitate to engage in mercantile and industrial pursuits; the gospel which he preached was one of temporal salvation as well as spiritual exaltation; and he was willing to perform his share of the practical labor. this he did with no thought of personal gain, for in opening the store at nauvoo he said:
i rejoice that we have been enabled to do as well as we have, for the hearts of many of the poor brethren and sisters will be made glad with these comforts which are now within their reach.
in a letter to brother edward hunter, under date of january 5th, 1842, the prophet shows his humility and the love of his heart in these words:
the store has been filled to overflowing and i have stood behind the counter all day, distributing goods as steadily as any clerk you ever saw, to oblige those who were compelled to go without their christmas and new year's dinners for the want of a little sugar, molasses, raisins, etc.; and to please myself also, for i love to wait upon the saints and to be a servant to all, hoping that i may be exalted in the due time of the lord.
what a picture is here presented! a man chosen by the lord to lay the foundation of his church and to be its prophet and president, takes joy and pride in waiting upon his brethren and sisters like a servant. the self-elected ministers of christ in the world are forever jealous of their dignity and fearful of showing disrespect to their cloth; but joseph never saw the day when he did not feel that he was serving god and obtaining favor in the sight of jesus christ by showing kindness and attention "even unto the least of these."
one tom sharp, editor of the warsaw signal, was devoting the greater part of his time and the greater part of his paper's space to slanders and misrepresentations of the saints. the prophet's comment upon this man, who afterward became a prominent factor in the persecutions against the people, was: "let sharp publish what he pleases: the faster he prints his lies the sooner he will get through."
there were signs of prosperity for the saints and although they were not yet surrounded by comforts, they began to give freely of their substance to rear the temple, anxiously looking forward to its completion as a thing of mighty importance to the living and to the dead. with the rapid increase of their numbers, the politicians of the state sought their favor. the prophet took occasion, during the gubernatorial contest of 1842, to announce that he would support without regard to their political predilections, the men who were devoted to humanity and equal rights—the cause of liberty and the law. and this was his text in every political campaign in which the people took part.
john wentworth, proprietor of the chicago democrat, wrote to the prophet early in 1842, asking for a sketch of the church and its founder, stating that he desired the data for a mr. barstow who was writing the history of new hampshire. joseph very willingly complied with this request and gave a succinct history of the founding of the church, its progress and persecutions; with a statement of the faith of the latter-day saints. the prophet's own words cannot fail to be of intense interest to students of his life; and as his account shows masterly condensation and completeness, it is here presented in full:
i was born in the town of sharon, windsor county, vermont, on the 23rd of december, a. d. 1805. when ten years old my parents removed to palmyra, new york, where we resided about four years, and from thence we removed to the town of manchester. my father was a farmer and taught me the art of husbandry. when about fourteen years of age i began to reflect upon the importance of being prepared for a future state, and upon inquiring upon the plan of salvation, i found that there was a great clash in religious sentiment; if i went to one society they referred me to one plan, and another to another; each one pointing to his own particular creed as the summum bonum of perfection; considering that all could not be right, and that god could not be the author of so much confusion, i determined to investigate the subject more fully, believing that if god had a church it would not be split up into factions, and that if he taught one society to worship one way, and administer in one set of ordinances, he would not teach another principles that were diametrically opposed.
believing the word of god, i had confidence in the declaration of james—"if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of god, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." i retired to a secret place in a grove, and began to call upon the lord; while fervently engaged in supplication, my mind was taken away from the objects with which i was surrounded, and i was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glorious personages, who exactly resembled each other in features and likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at noonday. they told me that all the religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged of god as his church and kingdom; and i was expressly commanded to "go not after them;" at the same time receiving a promise that the fullness of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto me.
on the evening of the 21st of september, a. d. 1823, while i was praying unto god, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious promises of scripture, on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a far purer and more glorious appearance and brightness, burst into the room: indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled with consuming fire. the appearance produced a shock that affected the whole body. in a moment a personage stood before me surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which i was already surrounded. this messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of god, sent to bring the joyful tidings, that the covenant which god made with ancient israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel, in all its fullness, to be preached in power unto all nations, that a people might be prepared for the millennial reign.
i was informed that i was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of god to bring about some of his purposes in this glorious dispensation.
i was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country, and shown who they were and from whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and their iniquity, and the blessings of god being finally withdrawn from them as a people, was made known unto me. i was also told where there were deposited some plates on which were engraven an abridgment of the records of the ancient prophets that had existed on this continent. the angel appeared to me three times the same night, and unfolded the same things. after having received many visits from the angels of god, unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22nd of september, a.d. 1827, the angel of the lord delivered the records into my hands.
these records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold. each plate was six inches wide and eight long, and not quite so thick as common tin. they were filled with engravings in egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole. the volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. the characters on the unsealed part were small and beautifully engraved. the whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in the art of engraving. with the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called "urim and thummim," which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate.
through the medium of the urim and thummim i translated the record, by the gift and power of god.
in this important and interesting book the history of ancient america is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the tower of babel at the confusion of languages, to the beginning of the fifth century of the christian era. we are informed by these records that america in ancient times had been inhabited by two distinct races of people. the first were called jaredites, and came directly from the tower of babel. the second race came directly from the city of jerusalem about six hundred years before christ. they were principally israelites of the descendants of joseph. the jaredites were destroyed about the time the israelites came from jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. the principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. the remnant are the indians that now inhabit this country. this book also tells us that our savior made his appearance upon this continent after his resurrection, that he planted the gospel here in all its fullness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists; the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers and blessings as were enjoyed on the eastern continent; that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions; that the last of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies, history, etc., and to hide it up in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of god in the last days. for a more particular account i would refer to the book of mormon.
as soon as the news of this discovery was made known, false reports, misrepresentations and slander flew as on the wings of the wind in every direction; the house was frequently beset by mobs and evil-designing persons. several times i was shot at and very narrowly escaped, and every device was made use of to get the plates away from me, but the power and blessing of god attended me, and several began to believe my testimony.
on the 6th of april, 1830, the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints was organized in the town of fayette, seneca county, state of new york. some few were called and ordained by the spirit of revelation and prophecy, and began to preach as the spirit gave them utterance, and, though weak, they were strengthened by the power of god, and many were brought to repentance, were immersed in the water, and were filled with the holy ghost by the laying on of hands. they saw visions and prophesied, devils were cast out, and the sick healed by the laying on of hands. from that time the work rolled forth with astonishing rapidity, and churches were soon formed in the states of new york, pennsylvania, ohio, indiana, illinois and missouri; in the last named state a considerable settlement was formed in jackson county; numbers joined the church, and we were increasing rapidly; we made large purchases of land, our farms teemed with plenty, and peace and happiness were enjoyed in our domestic circles and throughout our neighborhoods; but as we could not associate with our neighbors—who were, many of them the basest of men, and had fled from the face of civilized society to the frontier country to escape the hand of justice—in their midnight revels, in their sabbath breaking, horse racing and gambling, they commenced at first to ridicule, then to persecute, and, finally, an organized mob assembled and burned our houses, tarred and feathered, and whipped many of our brethren, and finally drove them from their habitations, who, houseless and homeless, contrary to law, justice and humanity, had to wander on the bleak prairies till the children left the tracks of their blood on the prairie. this took place in the month of november, and they had no other covering but the canopy of heaven, in this inclement season of the year. this proceeding was winked at by the government, and although we had warrantee deeds for our land, and had violated no law, we could obtain no redress.
there were many sick, who were thus inhumanly driven from their houses, and had to endure all this abuse, and to seek homes where they could be found. the result was, that a great many of them, being deprived of the comforts of life and the necessary attendance, died; many children were left orphans, wives widows, and husbands widowers. our farms were taken possession of by the mob, many thousands of cattle, sheep, horses and hogs were taken, and our household goods, store goods, and printing press and type were broken, taken or otherwise destroyed.
many of our brethren removed to clay, where they continued until 1836, three years; there was no violence offered, but there were threatenings of violence. but in the summer of 1836 these threatenings began to assume a more serious form; from threats, public meetings were called, resolutions were passed, vengeance and destruction were threatened, and affairs again assumed a fearful attitude. jackson county was a sufficient precedent, and as the authorities in that county did not interfere, they boasted that they would not in this, which, upon application to the authorities, we found to be too true, and after much violence, privation and loss of property, we were again driven from our homes.
we next settled in caldwell and daviess counties, where we made large and extensive settlements, thinking to free ourselves from the power of oppression by settling in new counties with very few inhabitants in them; but here we were not allowed to live in peace, for in 1838 we were again attacked by mobs; an exterminating order was issued by governor boggs, and under the sanction of law organized banditti ranged through the country, robbed us of our cattle, sheep, horses, hogs, etc. many of our people were murdered in cold blood, the chastity of our women was violated, and we were forced to sign away our property at the point of the sword; and after enduring every indignity that could be heaped upon us by an inhuman, ungodly band of marauders, from twelve to fifteen thousand souls—men, women and children—were driven from their own firesides, and from lands that they had warrantee deeds of, houseless, friendless and homeless, in the depth of winter, to wander as exiles on the earth, or to seek an asylum in a more genial clime and among a less barbarous people.
many sickened and died in consequence of the cold and hardships they had to endure; many wives were left widows, and children orphans and destitute. it would take more time than is allotted me here to describe the injustice, the wrongs, the murders, the bloodshed, the theft, misery and woe that have been caused by the barbarous, inhuman and lawless proceedings of the state of missouri.
in the situation before alluded to, we arrived in the state of illinois in 1839, when we found a hospitable people and a friendly home; a people who were willing to be governed by the principles of law and humanity. we have commenced to build a city called "nauvoo," in hancock county. we number from six to eight thousand here, besides vast numbers in the county around, and in almost every county of the state. we have a city charter granted us, and a charter for a legion, the troops of which now number 1,500. we have also a charter for a university, for an agricultural and manufacturing society, have our own laws and administrators, and possess all the privileges that other free and enlightened citizens enjoy.
persecution has not stopped the progress of truth, but has only added fuel to the flame, it has spread with increasing rapidity: proud of the cause which they have espoused, and conscious of their innocence, and of the truth of their system, amidst calumny and reproach, have the elders of this church gone forth, and planted the gospel in almost every state in the union; it has penetrated our cities, it has spread over our villages, and has caused thousands of our intelligent, noble and patriotic citizens to obey its divine mandates, and be governed by its sacred truths. it has also spread into england, ireland, scotland and wales; in the year 1840, where a few of our missionaries were sent, over five thousand joined the standard of truth; there are numbers now joining in every land.
our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in germany, palestine, new holland, the east indies and other places, the standard of truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing, persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of god will go forth boldly, nobly and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of god shall be accomplished, and the great jehovah shall say the work is done.
we believe in god the eternal father, and in his son jesus christ, and in the holy ghost.
we believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for adam's transgression.
we believe that through the atonement of christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
we believe that these ordinances are 1st: faith in the lord jesus christ; 2nd, repentance; 3rd, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; 4th, laying on of hands for the gift of the holy ghost.
we believe that a man must be called of god by "prophecy and by laying on of hands" by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
we believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc.
we believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelations, visions, healing, interpretations of tongues, etc.
we believe the bible to be the word of god as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the book of mormon to be the word of god.
we believe all that god has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of god.
we believe in the literal gathering of israel and in the restoration of the ten tribes; that zion will be built upon this continent; that christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
we claim the privilege of worshiping almighty god according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where or what they may.
we believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.
we believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of paul "we believe all things, we hope all things," we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. if there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
respectfully, etc.,
joseph smith.
in february of 1842, joseph became the editor of the times and seasons, assisted by apostle john taylor. the prophet continued to carry this responsibility for nearly a year when a press of other business, combined with the persecution of his enemies, compelled him to relinquish the task into the hands of his assistant, elder taylor, who was then formally announced as the editor. during 1842, joseph gave many instructions of precious truth through that periodical to the saints, and published, with engravings made by elder reuben hedlock, his translation of the book of abraham.
in the issue of the times and seasons for march 1st, 1842, appears the prophet's first editorial article. it is significant and strong:
"honor among thieves."
we extract the following from the new york tribune:
"the paymaster of the missouri militia, called out to put down the mormons some two years since, was supplied with money some time since and started for western missouri, but has not yet arrived there. it is feared that he has taken the saline slope."
we are not surprised that persons who could wantonly, barbarously and without the shadow of law, drive fifteen thousand men, women and children from their homes, should have among them a man who was so lost to every sense of justice, as to run away with the wages for this infamous deed; it is not very difficult for men who can blow out the brains of children; who can shoot down and hew to pieces our ancient veterans that fought in the defense of our country and delivered it from the oppressor's grasp; who could deliberately, and in cold blood, murder men, and rob them of their boots, watches, etc., and whilst they were yet weltering in their blood and grappling with death, and then proceed to rob their widowed houses. men who can deliberately do this, and steal nearly all the horses, cattle, sheep, hogs and property of a whole community, and drive them from their homes en masse, in an inclement season of the year, will not find many qualms of conscience in stealing the pay of his brother thieves, and taking the "saline slope."
the very idea of government paying these men for their bloody deeds, must cause the sons of liberty to blush, and to hang their harps upon the willow; and make the blood of every patriot run chill. the proceedings of that state have been so barbarous and inhuman that our indignation is aroused when we reflect upon the scene.
we are here reminded of one of the patriotic deeds of the government of that state, which, after it had robbed us of everything we had in the world, and taken from us many hundred thousand dollars worth of property, had its sympathies so far touched (alias, its good name,) that it voted two thousand dollars for the relief of the "suffering mormons," and choosing two or three of the state's noblest sons to carry the heavenly boon, these angels of salvation came in the plenitude of their mercy, and in the dignity of their office, to far west. to do what? to feed their hungry, and clothe their naked with the $2,000? verily nay! but to go into daviess county and steal the mormons' hogs (which they, [the mormons] themselves, were prohibited from obtaining, under penalty of death) to distribute among the destitute, and to sell where they could obtain the money. these hogs, thus obtained, were shot down in their blood, and not otherwise bled; they were filthy to a degree. these, the mormons' own hogs, and a very few goods, the sweepings of an old store in liberty, were what these patriotic and noble-minded men gave to the "poor mormons," and then circulated to the world how sympathetic, benevolent, kind and merciful the legislature of the state of missouri was in giving two thousand dollars to the "suffering mormons." surely, "the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."
the organization of the female relief society at nauvoo began under the prophet's direction on the 17th of march, 1842, and was completed on the 24th day of that month. the purpose of the society was to comfort the poor and relieve the destitute and sustain the widow and the orphan. the sisters among the saints had always been signalized for their acts of kindness; but the cruel usage they had received in missouri had prevented their extending the hand of charity as they desired. yet even in the midst of their persecution, when the bread was torn from the mouths of their offspring by the oppressors, they had always been willing to open their doors to the weary travelers and to divide their pittance with the stranger. with the growing prosperity of the church, the prophet felt sure that the sisters would concentrate their efforts to ameliorate the condition of the suffering stranger, to pour oil and wine into the wounded heart of the distressed, to dry up the tears of the orphan, and make the widow's heart to rejoice.
on the 20th day of march, 1842, after a sermon in the grove near the temple, the prophet went down to the river and baptized eighty persons for the remission of their sins. fifty of this number received their confirmation under his hands later in the day. one week afterward he baptized one hundred and seven people in the mississippi.
at the conference of the church held at the city of nauvoo on the 6th day of april, 1842, the twelfth anniversary of its organization, apostle page made explanation of the delays through which he failed to accompany elder orson hyde to jerusalem.
the prophet decided that elder page should be restored to his fellowship; he took the occasion to instruct the elders that when they went forth as companions they were to adhere to each other as elisha and elijah of old.
during this conference two hundred and seventy-five elders were ordained under the hands of the apostles.
on saturday, the 9th day of april, 1842, the prophet attended the funeral of ephraim marks, a son of william marks, president of the nauvoo stake. president wilford woodruff's journal of that date records that joseph addressed the funeral assemblage, and in the course of his remarks said:
some of the saints have supposed that "brother joseph" could not die; but this is a mistake. it is true that there have been times when i have had the promise of my life to accomplish certain things; but, having now done these things, i have no longer any lease of my life. i am as liable to die as other men.
this sermon is like a premonition of his own fate. at the time it was uttered his surroundings had never been so propitious since the day when he first received the plates from the hill cumorah. but soon after he made this declaration, his enemies began again to pursue him vindictively, and they continued until his death a little more than two years after he delivered that sermon.
in the spring of 1842, the nauvoo legion of the illinois state militia consisted of twenty-six companies, comprising about two thousand troops. on the 7th day of may the staff of the legion dined at the house of the commander-in-chief. other guests were there, including judge stephen a. douglas, who had adjourned the circuit court, then in session at carthage, that he and the lawyers might visit nauvoo and witness the parade of the legion. a sham battle between the two cohorts under brigadier-generals wilson law and charles c. rich was a feature of the day. the battle and the parade were brilliant; and the visitors expressed their admiration of the energy and the patriotism of the prophet and his brethren who had organized and trained this large body of loyal troops to be in readiness for their country's call.
it was during the sham battle of this day that the prophet became assured that john c. bennett was a wicked man—impure and traitorous. the proper place for the lieutenant-general commanding, was upon an eminence where, surrounded by his staff and the ladies and distinguished visitors, he could review the contest between his cohorts. but bennett made several endeavors to draw joseph down into the battle; failing in that, to get him separated from his staff and party and in the rear of one of his forces. joseph might have yielded to some of these requests but the spirit whispered him that treachery was meditated. a little later the purpose of bennett was made manifest. he had intended to get joseph into such a position that he could be killed by a shot and no one be able to identify the assassin. bennett no doubt had accomplices in this plot, and his plans were shrewdly laid; but this was not the hour nor this the method for the prophet's death.
in recording the events of this day in his journal, joseph develops bennett's treachery and predicts that the wicked doing of the traitor will soon be made manifest before the world. the prophecy was fulfilled.
