| Angered by William W.
Phelps' report that disharmony again reigned in Zion, Joseph criticizes
him, Bishop Edward Partridge, and the Saints in Missouri generally. Sidney
blew up when he read John Corrill's letter and was temporarily removed from
office §. Joseph will not let the revelations out
of his hands before autumn §. Frederick G. Williams
is now his scribe. Revision of the New Testament is complete §.
A cholera outbreak in the East and an Indian uprising in the West are the
news of the day. Missionary work is progressing well. John Whitmer is reminded
to work on the history of the church §. |
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Introduction |
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| Attacks
on Edward |
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In September 1831 Sidney
Rigdon began criticizing
Edward Partridge, questioning his fitness
to be a bishop. In January 1832 the high council in Zion decided they
had no jurisdiction over the matter and suggested Sidney resolve his differences
with the bishop directly and amicably. |
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¶
Oliver Cowdery to Joseph, January 28, 1832 |
March
accusations
Edward had apologized, apologizes again |
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In March the high council takes
Sidney to task for not dropping the matter. He and the bishop had met and
Edward had apologized, but then Sidney brought up new matters. One was not
reimbursing Sidney and Joseph for their travel expenses (a misunderstanding),
another was "having insulted the Lord's prophet in particular and assumed
authority over him in open violation of the Laws of God." Edward says
this occurred "previous to said conference. If Br. Joseph has not forgiven
him he hopes he will, as he is and has always been sorry." |
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Minutes
of March 10, 1832 |
| Differences
settled |
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At a conference in Independence
on April 26, 1832, attended by Joseph, Sidney, Jesse
Gause, and Newel K. Whitney from Kirtland,
Joseph is acknowledged as president of the High Priesthood. Edward Partridge
extends the right hand of fellowship on behalf of the church in Zion. "All
differences" are settled and "the hearts of all run together in
love." |
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Minutes
of April 26–27, 1832 |
Stuck
in Greenville
Emma doesn't write,
McLellin abandons mission |
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Then, on the return trip to Kirtland,
the horses of the stage in which Joseph, Sidney, and Newel are riding, bolt
and begin to run away. Joseph and Newel jump. Sidney remains in the coach.
Newel's leg is badly broken. Sidney continues on to Kirtland, but Joseph
remains with Newel in Greenville, Indiana from the middle of May to the
middle of June. The situation was, Joseph wrote Emma, "very unpleasant."
Emma didn't write and Joseph learned that William McLellin (h)
had abandoned his mission to get married. |
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Joseph
in Greenville, May–June 1832
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The Letter |
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| Joseph,
in Kirtland, writes W. W. Phelps in Independence |
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Joseph has received William's letter
of June 30 and dictates a reply to Frederick
G. Williams. |
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Joseph
to W. W. Phelps, July 31, 1832 in JS personal, 2nd edition, 269–276. |
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I … cannot write my feelings,
neither can toungue, or language paint them to you. I only can observe that
I could wish, that my heart, & feelings thereof might for once be laid
open before [you], as plain as your own natural face is to you by looking
in a mirror; |
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| Joseph's
relationship with God |
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verily I say {unto
you} my only hope and confidence is in that God who gave me being in whom
there is all power who now is present before me & my heart is naked
before his eyes continually |
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he is my comfeter & he forsaketh
me [270] not in the seventh trouble |
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Has
learned by sad experience
Don't trust others |
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and in the mean time I have learned
by sad exper<i>ance there is no confidence to be placed in man that the spirit of man is as cold as the northern blast |
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| William
cold and indifferent |
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and had I not considered the great
care and multitude of business which is crowding upon your mind I could
not excused the cold and indifferent manner in which your letter is written |
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| Not
what Joseph needed |
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true you have expressed fellowship,
but the spirit which I possess enjoy, the feeling of my soul enquires
does this letter give me the important information which I stood in need
of at the present critical moment … |
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| Joseph
hot, afflicted |
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… let your own heart and the
integrity of your own soul answer this question & excuse the warmth
of feeling of your unworthy yet affectionate brother in the Lord travling
through affliction and great tribulation … |
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| Saints
arrived safely in Zion |
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Joseph is pleased by "the little
strength & information God has been pleseed to give through your letter,"
specifically that brethren from Kirtland and Nelson have arrived in Zion. |
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| Did
not follow rules |
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However, Joseph is not happy with
them because "they left here under this displeasure of heaven."
Specifically, (1) they didn't get the requisite recommends before leaving,
(2) the church in Zion received William E. McLellin into fellowship even
though he hadn't fulfilled his mission, and (3): |
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[271] … the unorganized
& confused state in leaving here, and the evil surmisings which were
among them & neglect of duty &c. |
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more then this I do not wish
to mention, |
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| Curse
them |
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now therefore the buffitings
of the advesary be upon all those <among you> who are eniquitous
persons and rebelious, I would inform them they do not have my right hand
of fellowship |
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Knew
of accident
Why didn't they write? |
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Williams' letter alluded the Greenville
accident and Newel's injury. Joseph would like to know "did any of
you receive letters written by any of us informing you of the critical situation
we were placed in." If they did, what action did they take? If not,
have they written anything "to releave the mind of its painful anxciety
concerning you." Specifically, "whether that fellowship and brotherly
love continued among you towards us which you professed when we left you"? |
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| John
Corrill's letter |
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True, after Joseph arrived in Kirtland,
Sidney Gilbert delivered John
Corrill's letter which: |
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As
well as merchant, Sidney Gilbert is Kirtland's postmaster. |
Devil
at work
Rewards for journey |
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gave us this
inteligence, that the Devel had been to work with all his inventive immagination
to reward us for our toils in travling from this country to Zion amidst
a crooked & perverse generation leaving our familys in affliction
amidst of death upon the mercy of mobs & of brethren who you know
sometimes are found to be u[n]stable unbeleiving, unmerciful & unkind,
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| Risked
our lives |
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and in this trying situation
to keep in the commandment of God we took our lives in our hands and
traveled through evry combination of wickedness to your country for your
salvation |
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| Devil
stirred up Zion against us |
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& for
our travail & our toils, suffering & privations as I said before
we learned by Broth Johns letter that the devel had set to work to reward
us by stirring up your hearts (I mean those who were engaged in this wickedness)
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Beams
We work tenderly |
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by raking up evry fault, which
those eyes that are filled with beams could see in looking for motes in
the eyes of those who are laboring with tender and <prayerful> hearts
continually for there salvation |
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False
charges raised by the devil
Our reward |
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and not being content with bringing
up those things which had been settled & forgiven & which they dare
not bring to our faces but many with which we were [272] charged with were
absolutely false & could not come from other sours than the father of
all lies & this is the thanks & the reward the advisary saught to
reward us |
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Anxiety
in Greenville
Newel without guile |
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While detained
in Greenville, Joseph often "wandered alone in the lonely places seeking
consolation" from the Lord, while Newel,
"who is without guile … poured out his soul with much weeping
upon his pillow for you or for Zion." |
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| Heaven
displeased |
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Joseph "viewed the conspiricy
with much grief and learned the displeasure of heaven and veewed the frowns
of the heavenly hosts upon Zion & upon all the earth." |
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| Joseph
not guilty |
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He refuses to "fellowship"
John's letter, "neither the spirit thereof." He is not guilty
of the charges contained in it. He has not given offense nor caused jealousy
or "evel surmisings." Instead he has been filled with anxiety
for them and their welfare. |
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| Joseph's
virtues |
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Joseph is "a lover of the cause
of Christ and of virtue chastity and an upright steady course of conduct
& a holy walk." He despises hypocrits and covenant breakers, but
does not judge them. God will judge them. |
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| Love
and pray for enemies |
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I am a lover even of mine enemies
for an enimy seeketh to destroy openly, I can pray for those who dispitefully
use and persicute me, |
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| Appeals
to conscience, heaven |
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Joseph exhorts his accusers
in the love of Christ to remember their covenant. And if appealing to
their consciences "by all the ties which bind man to man which are
st[r]onger than death" isn't enough, he appeals to "heaven where
he and Sidney and Newel will meet them. |
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| Cares
for their welfare |
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Joseph, Sidney, and Newel have only
had "the purest desire for your welfare and do still." |
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| Sidney's
suffering for them |
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Sidney had endured
"much fateague & suffering" on their behalf. So when he learned
the feelings of the brethren there, |
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| Sidney
trusted, loved them |
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in whom he had placed so much
confidence … [273] … & whom he loved with so much love |
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| Grieved
by letter |
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his heart was grieved his spirits
failed & for a moment he became frantick & the advisary taking
the advantage, |
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| Spoke
intemperately, resigned |
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he spake unadvisedly with his
lips after receiving a severe chastisement resigned his commission and
became a private member in the church, |
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| Suffered
buffetings of Satan |
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but has since repented like
Peter of old and after a little suffering by the buffiting of the Satan
has been restored to his high standing in the church of God, |
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| Sidney's
example |
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Sidney's example should be a warning
to all. |
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| Edward
seeks a sign |
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… tell Bro Edward it is
very dangerous for men who have received the light he has received to
be a seeking a <after> sign, for there shall no sign be given for
a sign except as it was in the days of Lot. |
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God sent angels to lead his family
out of Sodom as the wicked were destroyed by fire. |
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| Too
many arrive |
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William complained that more have
been arriving in Zion than can currently be supported. |
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Peter
caught Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, withholding part of the proceeds
of the sale of their land and asked, "why hast thou conceived this
thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." On
hearing that, Ananias fell dead, and when Peter confronted Sapphira, she
likewise fell. Acts 5:1–10. |
| Edward
like Ananias and Sophria |
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Wiliam should remind Edward of
Ananias and Sophria. |
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| Wicked,
unstable sisters, Mormon/Indian alliance |
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remember also that your own
wickedness hedge up your own ways, you suffer your children; your ignorant
& unstable Sisters & weak members who are acquainted with your
evil hearts of unbelief to write wicked and discouraging letters to there
reletives who have a zeal but <not> according to knowledge and prophecy
falsly which excites many to believe that you are putting up the Indians
to slay Gentiles which exposes the lives of the Saints evry where |
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They say God has been merciful.
Then don't forget to revere his name. |
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| Original
revelations |
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They asked Joseph to preserve the
original copies of the commandments. He didn't send the rest or "the
Vision" because |
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the
Vision: D&C 76 |
| Stressed
Revelations snatched |
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I have much care and tribulation
calculated to weigh down and distroy the mind and in times past they have
been snatched from under my hand as soon as given |
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Will
send
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Joseph will send
them as soon as possible, |
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| Don't
change meaning |
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but I will exhort you to be careful
not to alter the sense of any of them for he that adds or diminishes to
the propecies must come under the condemnation written therein. |
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The
Literary Firm had decided Phelps, Cowdery, and John Whitmer would edit the
revelations. Minutes of April 30, 1832 |
| The
translation |
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you mention concerning
the translation I would inform you that they will not go from under my hand
during my natural life for correction, revisal or printing |
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the
translation: Joseph's revisions of the Bible |
| Frederick
scribe |
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[274] Brother Frederick is working
as scribe. |
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Frederick
began July 20. |
| New
Testament done |
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we have finished
the translation of the New testament great and marvilous glorious things
are revealed |
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| Old
Testament going well |
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They are making "rapid strides"
on the Old Testament. |
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| God
sends sickness to heal |
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The enemy is settling down. God
has been merciful and made them "mighty to the pulling down the strong
hold of Satan, having sent down the Angel of God to trouble the waters that
a few more sick folk may be healed." |
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| God's
cholera |
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God is reaching
out to judge the earth. Cholera is striking hundreds a day in New York.
It is raging in Boston, Charleston, Rochester, Albany, and Buffalo, and
all large cities in the East. |
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| Detroit
devestation |
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Sister Elmira Scoba writes from
Detroit that hundreds of families are fleeing to the country even as the
rural folk tear up bridges and even shoot people's horses to keep them out. |
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When two steam boats full of soldiers
on their way to the Indian expedition docked, fifty of them died and the
remaining six hundred can't find housing in the city. They die in sheds
and fields and lie buried. |
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| Indian
rampage |
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Indians rampage unopposed. |
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| Cholera
in Great Lakes region |
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[275] Cholera and dysentary prevails
on the boats navigating the lakes. |
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| Missionary
success |
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Brethren in the East report God
is with them, "pulling down the strong holds of Satan." |
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| Lyman
and Orson |
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Lyman
Johnson (h) and Orson
Pratt (h) are "building up the
cause of God wherever they go and healing the sick." They have baptized
over sixty since they left, and many others are finding success as well—"proof
of their faithfulness." |
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| General
counsel |
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Joseph exhorts Oliver and John to
"be ware of seducing spirits," "stand firm in the liberity
wherein they have been set free and never be weary in well doing,"
which is what he would say to all in Zion who "love the appearing of
our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ." |
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Kirtland
strong
Healings |
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Joseph held a meeting in Kirtland
last Sunday. The brethren there are strong in the faith. Sister Elliott
and Sidney's second daughter had been given up for dead by two doctors,
but they were restored by the prayer of faith. |
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| Sarah
Jackson with Smiths |
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Sister Sarah Jackson came to live
with Joseph's family yesterday. |
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Prayers
for Zion
People seek refuge |
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The Saints pray for you daily, even
hourly, in this "day of calamity" when people are so fearful their
hearts almost fail them and they seek a place of refuge and safety. |
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| John
Whitmer to report statistics |
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Joseph asks
John Whitmer to get an exact count of the
number in Zion, how many have received inheritances, the condition of each
branch, and send it to him in writing [276] as soon as possible. It would
not be wise to publish the report. |
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| Keep
history |
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John should
also remember his responsibility "to keep a history of the Church & the
gathering."
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W.
W. Phelps
Joseph Smith to W. W. Phelps, November 27, 1832
Kirtland 1832
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