| Minutes of February 14, 1835 |
| The Lord commanded Joseph by vision and by the Spirit, to hold this meeting. 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 | ||||
| Location | Kirtland | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| Clerk | Not indicated. | ||||
| 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." | ||||
| Zion veterans seated together | After a "appropriate" and "affecting" prayer, the brethren who went to Zion are asked to be seated 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.) | ||||
| Members of Zion's Camp | Those who went to Zion: | ||||
|
1 |
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 (h1) 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 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 |
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| 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, David, and Martin pray, the presidency blesses them by the laying on of the hands, then they choose the twelve: | ||||
| The Twelve Apostles | Lyman E. Johnson (h) Brigham Young Heber C. Kimball (h1) 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) |
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| 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," none as "ordinations." "Apostle" does not appear in any blessing, nor does "office," or "calling"or any derivative. | |||
| Lyman's blessing | Lyman 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. | ||||
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