| God remembers the hardships of those who went
to Zion. They are to be ordained to go forth to prune the vineyard for
the last time before the Lord comes. Fifty-six years more (1896) and it
will all be over §. From this hour "the works of
God shall begin to break forth" and those present will be endowed with
power. The Three Witnesses select Twelve Apostles. Lyman E. Johnson, Brigham
Young, and Heber C. Kimball are blessed. |
| Date |
|
February 14, 1835 |
|
Kirtland council |
| Location |
|
Kirtland, Ohio. |
|
|
| Description |
|
Ordination Blessings |
|
|
|
|
This day a meeting was called of those who journeyed to Zion
for the purpose of [assisting?] the foundation of its redemption last season
with as many more of the Brethren & Sisters as felt disposed to attend. |
|
|
| Presiding |
|
Joseph Smith |
|
|
| Clerk |
|
Not named. |
|
|
| Open |
|
Joseph rises, calls the meeting to order, reads John
15, and
says, "let us endeavor to solemnize our mind that we may receive a
blessing by calling on the Lord … let us pray." |
|
The vine-branch-husbandman
metaphor in John 15 expresses the relationship of Jesus to his followers and the
Father. Commandment to love one another. Those who persecute him will
persecute his followers. |
| Zion's Camp
veterans |
|
After a "appropriate" and "affecting"
prayer, the brethren who went to Zion are asked to sit together. |
|
| God
called the meeting |
|
Joseph rises and says this meeting is being held because commanded
it "by vision and by the Holy Spirit." |
|
|
| Zion's
Camp trials |
|
He then relates some of the problems the camp had experienced
and says, |
|
|
God's purpose
Ordain veterans
To go on mission |
¶ |
… God had not designed all this for nothing,
but he had it in remembrance yet, and those who went to Zion, with a determination
to lay down their lives, if necessary, it was the Will of God, that they
should be ordained to the ministry and go forth to prune the vineyard for
the last times, or the coming of the Lord which was nigh, |
|
|
| 56
years to the end (1896) |
|
even fifty six years, should wind up the
scene. |
|
|
From this hour
Whisperings of Spirit
Endowed with power |
|
He said many things, such as the weak things,
even the smallest and weakest among us shall be powerful and mighty and
great things, should be accomplished by you even from this hour. He said,
you should begin to feel the whisperings of the Spirit of God, and the works
of God shall begin to break forth from this time. You shall be endowed with
power from on high. |
|
|
| Vote of support |
|
Then he calls on all of those who went to Zion who agree with
these statements to rise on their feet. (All do.) Then all others who "would
sanction the movement." (All raise their right hand.) |
|
|
| Zion's Camp veterans |
|
Those who went to Zion: |
|
|
|
|
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28 |
Joseph Smith Jr.
F. G. Williams
Hyrum Smith
Martin Harris
Roger Orton
J. B. Smith
William Smith
Harvey Stanley
Jedediah Grant
Lyman Johnson (h)
Lyman Sherman
Joseph Hancock
Brigham Young
Lyman Smith
H. C. Kimball
Lorenzo Booth
Zera S. Cole
Leonard Rich
Harrison Burgess
Alden Burdick
Hiram Winters
William F. Cahoon
Harpin Riggs
Libeus T. Coon
Nathan B. Baldwin
Benjamin Winchester
James L. Thompson
Henry Shibley |
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55 |
Burr Riggs
Lewis Robbins
Darwin Richardson
Joseph Young
Alexander Badlam
Solomon Angell
John Parker
Levi Hancock
Daniel Stevens
Bradford Elliott
Hiram Stratton
David Elliotte
Luke Johnson (h)
Almon Babbitt
Orson Hyde (h)
Sylvester Smith
David W. Patten (h)
Wm. Pratt
S. W. Denton
[Joseph] Bates Nobles
Elias Hutchings
Charles Kelly
Ezra Thayer
John Murdock
H[azen] Aldrich
J. Salisbury
P. Buchanan
P. P. Pratt (h) |
|
|
| Close |
|
Sing "Hark listen to the trumpeters they
call for volunteers," closing prayer by President Hyrum Smith. |
|
|
| Second
session opens |
|
Hyrum opens with prayer. |
|
|
| Three
witnesses pray |
|
Joseph announces the three witnesses of the Book
of Mormon will pray, then choose "twelve men from the Church as Apostles
to go to all nations, Kindred tongue and people." |
|
|
| Are
blessed, choose twelve |
|
Oliver Cowdery, David
Whitmer,
and Martin Harris pray, the presidency blesses them by the laying on of
the hands. Then the three witnesses name
the Twelve: |
|
|
| The
Twelve Apostles |
|
Lyman E. Johnson (h)
Brigham Young
Heber C. Kimball
Orson Hyde (h)
David W. Patten (h)
Luke S. Johnson (h)
William E. McLellin (h)
John F. Boynton (h)
Orson Pratt (h1)
William Smith
Thomas B. Marsh (h)
Parley P. Pratt (h)
|
|
|
| Lyman,
Brigham, Heber blessed |
|
Lyman Johnson, Brigham Young, and Heber C. Kimball come forward
and "the three witnesses laid their hands upon each ones head and prayed
separately." |
|
All
are referred to as blessings, not ordinations. Apostle does
not appear in any blessing, nor does office, calling, or any
derivative. |
| Lyman Johnson's
blessing |
|
Lyman Johnson is blessed in the name of Jesus
Christ that he |
|
|
|
|
should bear the tidings of salvation to nations,
tongues and people, … that Holy Angels shall administer to him occasionally,
and that no power of the enemy shall prevent him from going forth and doing
the work of the Lord … that he shall live until the gathering was accomplished
…that he should be like unto Enoch … be called great among all
the living … Satan shall tremble before [him] … he shall see the
Saviour come and stand on the Earth with power and great glory. |
|
|
| Brigham's
blessing |
|
Brigham is blessed |
|
|
|
|
That he should be strong in Body … go forth and gather
the Elect preparatory to the great day of the coming of the Lord …
be strong and mighty declaring the tidings to nations that know not God
… add ten talents … come to Zion with many sheaves … go forth
from land to land from sea to sea … behold Heavenly Messengers going
forth … do wonders in the name of Jesus … cast out Devils, heal
the sick raise the dead, open the eyes of the blind, go forth from land
to land and from sea to sea, and … heathen nations shall even call
him God himself, if he did not rebuke them. |
|
|
| Heber's
blessing |
|
"In substance," Heber's blessing is
that shall be blessed with the same blessings as Lyman and Brigham, |
|
|
|
|
… that he might receive visions, the ministration
of angels and hear their voices & even come into the presence of God
… many millions may be converted by his instrumentality … Angels
may waft him from place to place … he may stand unto the coming of
our Lord and receive a crown over in the kingdom of our Lord … be made
perfect in faith and that the deaf shall hear, the lame shall walk, the
blind shall see, and greater things than these may he do, that he shall
have boldness of speech before the nations and great power &c. |
|
|
| Close |
|
Sing "Glorious things of thee are spoken," closing
prayer by Joseph Smith. |
|
|
|
|
Minutes
of February 15, 1835
Minutes of January 18, 1835
Ohio Minutes
|