April 7, 1844
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Sermon delivered at the funeral of King Follett0 held at the General Conference of the Church at Nauvoo, Ill. on Sunday Afternoon April 7, 1844 1
Sources: Joseph Smith diary (Willard Richards), Samuel W. Richards record, Thomas Bullock report, Wilford Woodruff journal, William Clayton report, George Laub record and Thomas Bullock's official conference minutes compiled from his and Clayton's minutes and published in Times and Seasons, 5 (August 15, 1844):612ff) 1a
Smith Diary Richards Record Bullock Report Woodruff Journal Clayton Report Laub Summary Times and Seasons Minutes
3 1/4 P.M.-- The President having arrived--the Choir sung an hymn Elder Amasa Lyman prayed.

The Prophet while I address you on the subject which was contempd in the fore pt. of the Con.--as the Wind blows very hard it will be hardly possible for me to make you all hear

3 o clock P M April Sunday 7th 1844

The following important edefying & interesting discourse was deliverd by President. Joseph Smith to about twenty thousand souls upon the subject of the death of Elder King Follet

I now call the attention of this congregation while I addres you upon the subject of the dead

Choir sung an Hymn Prayer by Er A. Lyman.

Prest. J. Smith called the intention of the con. upon the subject contemplate in the fore part of the con--as the wind blows hard it will be impossib to make hear unless profound attention--

The president having arrived _ the choir sung a hymn Elder A. Lyman offered prayer

The president then arose and called the attention of the congregation upon the subjects which were contemplated in the fore part of the conference. As the wind blows very hard, it will be hardly possible for me to make you all hear unless there is profound attention.

Joseph commenced speaking on the subject of the Dead--relative to the death of elder King Follet to who was crushed in a well. by the falling of a tub of rock on him.--
Most Important Subject - The Dead

it is of the greatest importance & the mo solemn of any that cod. occupy our attentn. & that is the subj of the dead on the dece of our bror. Follit who was crushed to death in a well--& inasmuch as there are a great many in this congre who live in this city & who have lost friend I shall speak in genl. & offe you my ideas so far as I have ability & so far as I shall be inspd. by the H S. to dwell on this subjt. I want your prayer, faith the instrn. of Alm God to say things that are true & shall carry the testimony to your hearts & pray that he may streng my lungs--stay the winds--& let the pray of the Saints to heaven appear--for the prayers of the righteous avail much & I verily believe that your prayers shall be heard before I enter in this investign. fully of the subjt. that is lying before us
The case of our Beloved Brother King Follet who was crushed to death in a well as well as many others who have lost friends will be had in mind this afternoon, & I shall speak upon the subject in general as far as I shall be inspired by the Holy spirit to treat upon the subject, I want the Prayers & faith of the saints that I may have the Holy Ghost, that the testimony may carry conviction to your minds of the truth of what I shall say, & pray that the Lord may strengthen my lungs, there is strength here your prayers will be herd. Before I enter upon an investigation of this subject, Subject of the greatest importance, and most solemn that could occupy our attention the subject of the dead ben requested to speak on the subject on the decease of bro Follet who was crushed to death &c--I have been requested to speak by his friends & relatives & inasmuch as great many here in con-- who live in this City as well as elsewhere who have deceased friends feel disposed to speak on the subject in general and offer my ideas as far as ability-- & as far as inspired by H. G. Want your prayers faith the inspiration of Almighty God, the Gift of H. G. that I may set forth truth things that can easily be comprehended & will carry the testimony to your heart, Pray that the L may strengthe my lungs caml the wind that it may enter into the ear of the Ld of Sabaoth the fervent effectual prayer of righteos man availet mach--. will speak in order to hold out. Before ente fully into the investigatin It is of the greatest importance, and the most solemn of any that can occupy our attention, and that is, the subject of the dead; on the decease of our brother Follett, who was crushed to death in a well, I have been requested to speak by his friends and relatives, and inasmuch as there are a great many in this congregation who live in this city, as well as elsewhere, and who have lost friends, I feel disposed to speak on the subject in general, and offer you my ideas so far as I have ability, and so far as I shall be inspired by the Holy Spirit to dwell on this subject. I want your prayers and faith, the instruction of Almighty God and the gift of the Holy Ghost, that I may set forth things that are true, that can easily be comprehended, and shall carry the testimony to your hearts; pray that the Lord may strengthen my lungs, stay the winds and let the prayers of the saints to heaven appear, that it may enter into the ear of the Lord of Sabaoth; for the effectual prayers of righteous men availeth much, and I verily believe that your prayers shall be heard before I enter into the investigation fully of the subject that is laying before me. Before entering fully into the investigation,
Preliminaries

I wish to make a few preliminaries in order that you may understand when I come to it I do not calculate to please your ears with oratory with much leang. but I calculate to edify you with simple truths from Heaven.
I wish to pave the way, and bring up the subject from the beginning that you may understand, I do not intend to please you with oritory but with the simple truths of heaven to Edify you. wish to pave the way--make a few prelimaries--bring the subject from th beginning in order that you may understand the subject when I come to it. Do not calculate to please your ears with superfluity of words oratory much learning, but edify you by the simple truths of heaven. I wish to pave the way: I will make a few preliminaries, in order that you may understand the subject when I come to it. I do not calculate to please your ears with superfluity of words or oratory, or with much learning; but I calculate to edify you with the simple truths from heaven.
The Beginning of Creation

I wish to go back to the begin: of creation--it is necessary to know the mind decree & ordinatn. of the great Eloe beging at the creatn. & it is necy. for us to have an understandg. of God in the beging. if we start right it is very easy for us to go right all the time but if we start wrong it is hard to get right
Go to the morn of creation to understand of the decrees of the Eloheem at the creation. It is necessary for us to have an understanding of God at the beginning, if we get a good start first we can go right, but if you start wrong you may go wrong. first place wish to go back to the beginning of creation, then the starting point in order to fully aquianted with purposes decrees &c of the Great Elohem that sits in the h. for us to take up beginng at the creatin necessary to understand something of God himself in the beginning. If we start right easy to go right all the time--start wrong hard matter to get right. First of all, or in the beginning, In the first place, I wish to go back to the beginning of creation; there is the starting point, in order to be fully acquainted with the mind, purposes, decrees, &c. of the great Eloheim, that sits in yonder heavens, it is necessary for us to have an understanding of God himself in the beginning. If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong, it is a hard matter to get right.
If men do not comprehnd the character of God they do not comprehed themselves.
Character (Nature) of God

There are very few who understand rightly the char of God--They do not comprehend any thing that is past or that which is to come & com: but little more than the brute beast if a man learns know nothing more than to eat, drink, sleep, & does not comprehend any of the desns. of God the Beast can the same thing eats drin sleeps--noes nothing more & how are we to do it by no or. way than the Inspn of A. God

I want to go back to the begin & so get you into a more lofty sphere than what the human being generally understands I want to ask this cong: every man wom: & child to ansr. the questn. in their own heart what kind of a being is God

But few understand the character of God. they do not know they do not understand their relationship to God. the world know no more than the brute beast, & they know no more than to eat drink and sleep, & this is all man knows about God or his exhistence, except what is given by the inspiration of the Almighty. go then to the beginning that you may understand. few beings in the world who understand the character of God and do not comprehend their own character-- They cannot comp the beginning no the end not ther own relation and is but little above the beast. If a man comprehends nothing more than to eat sleep and and not any more and what the designs of Jehova what better than the beast it does the same thing--eats drink sleep & comprehends present and knows as much as we unless we are able to com by the inspiratin of A God. Go back to beging to lift you minds into a more exalted standing than the human mind is wont-- want to ask this this congregatin every man, wom, &c what kind of a being is God-- ask yourselves There are a very few beings in the world who understand rightly the character of God. They do not comprehend any thing, that which is past, or that which is to come; and consequently, but little above the brute beast. If a man learns nothing more than to eat, drink, sleep, and does not comprehend any of the designs of God, the beast comprehends the same thing; it eats, drinks, sleeps, knows nothing more; yet knows as much as we unless WE are able to comprehend by the inspiration of Almighty God. I want to go back to the beginning, and so lift your minds into a more lofty sphere, a more exalted understanding; than what the human mind generally understands. I want to ask this congregation, every man, woman and child, to answer the question in their own heart, what kind of a being is God? ask yourselves.
what kind of being is God?--
What Kind of Being is God?

I agn. rept. the questn. what kind of a being is God does any man or woman know have any of you seen, him heard him, communed with him, here is the questn. that will peradventure from this time henceforth occupy your attentn.--
I ask this congregation what kind of a being is God? turn your thoughts in your hearts, & say have any of you seen or herd him or communed with him this is a question that may occupy your attention I repeat the question what kind of a being is God. Any man or woman that kno any of you seen him? heard him? communed with him? Here a subject that will peradventure occupy you attentin while you live-- I again repeat the question, what kind of a being is God? Does any man or woman know? have any of you seen him, heard him, communed with him? Here is the question that will peradventure from this time henceforth, occupy your attention.
Eternal life is to know God.--if man does not know God. has not Eternal life.--if I am so fortunate as to comprehed and explain the [incomplete thought] let evey one sit in silenc and never lift your voice againt the servants of God again. Must know the only living and true God and Jesus Christ. to have eternal life,
Essential to Know God

The Apos: says this is Eternal life to know God & J. C who he has sent--that is eternl. life if any man enquire what kind of a being is God if he will search diligently his own heart that unless he knows God he has no eternal life--my first object is to find out the character of the true God & if I shod. be the man to com: the God & I com: them to your heart let every man & woman henceforth shut their mouths & never say anything agst. the man of God & If I do not do it I have no right to revn. inspn. if all are pretention to the God, they will all be as bad off as I am they will all say I ought to be d d. there is not a man or wom who wod not breath out an anathema on my head & some wod feel authd. to take away my life--
The scriptures inform us that this is eternal life to know the ownly wise God & Jesus Christ whome He has sent. If any inquire what kind of a being God is-- I would say If you dont know God you have not eternal life, go back & find out what kind of a being God is. If I am the man that shows you what kind of a being God is, then let evry man & woman sit in silence and never lift up his hand against me again if I do not do it, I will not make any further pretensions to inspiration or to be a prophet, I would be like the rest of the world, fals teachers & you would want to take my life. The apostle says this is eternal life "to know &c" that is eternal life if any man enquire what kind of being is God. cast his mind to know--if the declaratin of the ap be true he will realize that he has not eternal life. There can be eternal life on no other principle-- 1st of object to find the character of the only wise & true God.

If I comprehend so that the spirit seal it upon you hearts let every man and woman put his hand on his mouth & never say any thing against the man of God again but if I fail it becomes my duty to renounce all my pretensions to inspiratins &c and if I should do so should I not be as bad as all the rest of the world. not a man would not breath anathema if they knew I was a false prophe som would take away my life.

The apostle says this is eternal life, to know God and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent. If any man enquire what kind of a being is God, if he will search diligently his own heart, if the declaration of the apostle by true, he will realize that he has not eternal life, there can be eternal life on no other principle. My first object is, to find out the character of the only wise and true God, and if I should be the man to comprehend God, and explain or convey the principles to your hearts so that the spirit seals it upon you, let every man and woman henceforth put their hand on their mouth and never say any thing against the man of God again; but if I fail, it becomes my duty to renounce all my pretensions to revelations, inspirations, &c., and if all are pretensions to God, they will all be as bad off as I am at any rate. There is not a man but would breathe out an anathema, if they knew I was a false prophet; and some would feel authorized to take away my life.
Every man has a right to be a false prophet. as well as a true prophet.--
False Prophet? Not a Capital Crime

if any man is authd to take away my life who say I am a false teacher so I shod. have the same right to all false teacher & where wod. be the end of the blood & there is no law in the heart of God that wod. allow anyone to interfere with the rights of man every man has the right to be a false as well as a true prophet--If I shew verily that I have the truth of God & shew that ninety nine of 100 are false prop. it wod. deluge the whole world with blood.
But you might just as well take the lives of other fals teacher as mine if I was fals, But meddle not with any man for his religion, evry government ought to permit evry man to enjoy his religion, I will show the world is wrong by showing what God is. If any man is authorized to take my life because I am a false teacher then upon th sam principle am I authorised to take the life of every false teache and who would not be the sufferer--but no man is authorised to take away life in consequence of their religion all laws and governments ought to tolerate whethe right or wron If I show that I have the truth of God & 99/100 are false teacher while they pretend to hold the keys of God & go to killing them because &c would it not deluge the wold in blood. If any man is authorised to take away my life, because I am a false teacher: then upon the same principle am I authorized to take away the life of every false teacher, and where would be the end of blood, and who would not be the sufferer. But no man is authorized to take away life in consequence of their religion; which all laws and governments ought to tolerate, right or wrong. If I show verily, that I have the truth of God, and show that ninety-nine out of a hundred are false teachers, while they pretend to hold the keys of God, and to kill them because they are false teachers, it would deluge the whole world with blood.
in the beginning. befor the world was.--
Prophet to Help Us Know God

I want you all to know God to be familiar with him & if I can bring you to him all persecutn. agst. me will cease & let you know that I am his servt. for I speak as one havg. authy. and not as a senr. open your ears & eyes all ye Ends of the Earth & hear & I am going to prove it to you with the Bible & I am going to tell you the desns. of God to the human race & why he interferes with the affairs of man
I am going to inquire after God so that you may know God, that persecution may cease concerning me, I go back to the beginning to show what kind of a being God was, I will tell you & hear it O Earth! Want you should all now God--be familiar--If I can get you to know I can bring to him, & if as you will cease to persecute me I speak in authority--. What kind of a being was God in the beginning. hear all ye ends of th earth, I am going to prove it by the bible & the relatin the human family sustains with God. I want you all to know God, to be familiar with him, and if I can bring you to him, all persecutions against me will cease; you will know that I am his servant, for I speak as one having authority-- What sort of a being was God in the beginning? Open your ears and hear all ye ends of the earth; for I am going to tell you the designs of God to the human race, and why he interferes with the affairs of man.
Is a man like one of yourselves.--shuld you see him to day, you would see a man in fashion and in form. Adam was formd in his likeness.- - - - - - - God: a man like one of us, even like Adam.
God Was A Mortal Once On Another Earth

God himself who sits enthroned in yonder Heavens is a man like unto one of yourselves who holds this world in its orbit & upholds all things by his power if you were to see him to day you wod. see him a man for Adam was an man like in fashion & image like unto him Adam wakd talked & comd. with him as one man talks & com: with anor. in order to speak for the consoln. of those who mourn for the loss of their friend it is necy. to understand the char. & being of God for I am going to tell you what sort of a being of God
God who sits in yonder heavens is a man like yourselves That GOD if you were to see him to day that holds the worlds you would see him like a man in form, like yourselves. Adam was made in his image and talked with him, & walk with him. In order to understand the dead for the consolation of those that mourn, I want you to understand God and how he comes to be God. 1st God that sits enthroned is a man like one of yourselves-- that is the great secret. If the vail was rent to day & the great god who holds this world in its sphere in its orbit--the planets--if you were to see him to day you would see him in all the person image very form of man. for Adam was created in the very fashion of God. Adam received instruction walked talked as one man with anothe. In order to understand the subject of the ded for the consolation of thos wh mourn for the loss of their friends necessary they should understan Going to tell you how God came to be God. First, God himself, who sits enthroned in yonder heavens, is a man like unto one of yourselves, that is the great secret. If the vail was rent to-day, and the great God, who holds this world in its orbit, and upholds all things by his power; if you were to see him to-day, you would see him in all the person, image and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion and image of God; Adam received instruction, walked talked and conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with another.

In order to understand the subject of the dead, for the consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary they should understand the character and being of God, for I am going to tell you how God came to be God.

refute the Idea that God was God from all eternity - Not God from all Eternity.
God Not Always God

for he was God from the begin of all Eternity & if I do not refute it-- truth is the touchstone they are the simple and first princ: of truth to know for a certainty the char. of God that
We suppose that God was God from eternity, I will refute that Idea, or I will do away or take away the veil so you may see. It is the first principle to know that We have imagined that God was God from all eternity.- These are incomprhensible to some but are the first principle of the gospel--to know that We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. These are incomprehensible ideas to some, but they are simple and first principles of the gospel, to know for a certainty the character of God, that
Jesus said as the father Had power in himself even so hath the son power Once on a planet with flesh and blood, like Christ. As the father hath life in himself &c.
We May Converse With God As With Another Man

we may conv with him same as a man & God himself the father of us all dwelt on a Earth same as J C himself did & I will shew it from the Bible--I wish I had the trump of an Arch An. I cod. tell the story in such a manner that pers: shod. cease forever-- J. sd. as the Far. hath power in himself to do even so hath the Son power to do what
we may converse with him and that he once was man like us, and the Father was once on an earth like us And I wish I was in a suitable place to tell it The scriptures inform us mark it that Jesus Christ said As the Father hath power in himself, so hath the son power in himself to do what we may converse with him as one man with another & that he was once as one of us and was on a planet as Jesus was in the flesh If I have the privilege could tell the story in such a manner as persecution would cease forever-- Said Jesus (mark it Br. Rigdn) What did Jesus say--as the father hath had power in himself even so hath the son power. to do what we may converse with him as one man with another, and that God himself; the Father of us all dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ himself did, and I will show it from the Bible. I wish I had the trump of a arch angel, I could tell the story in such a manner that persecution would cease forever; what did Jesus say? (mark it elder Rigdon;) Jesus said, as the Father hat power in himself, even so hath the Son power; to do what?
to do what the fathr did. Lay down his body. &c take it up again-
God the Father Once Mortal-Died And Was Resurrected

the Far. did that ansr. is obvious in a manne to lay down his body & take it up--J--did as my Far. laid down his body & take it up agn. if you don't believe it you don't believe the Bib the Scrip says & I defy all hell all learng. wisdom & records of hell togr to refute it here then is Etl. life to know the only wise and true God
the father did even to lay down my body & take it up again do you believe it if not dont believe the bible. I defy all Hell and earth to refute it. why what the father did To lay down his body and took it up again. Jesus what are you going to do--to lay down my life as my father did that I might take it up again. If you deny it you deny the bible I defy the records and wisdom & all the combined powers of earth and hell to refute it. we choose tabernacles for ourselves that we might be exalted equal with God himself and therefore, Jesus Christ spoke in this manner; I do as my Father before me did. Well what did the Father do? Why he went and took a body and went to redeem a world in the flesh and had power to lay down his life and to take it up again and this is the way we become heirs with God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. why what the Father did, that answer is obvious; in a manner to lay down his body and take it up again. Jesus what are you going to do? To lay down my life, as my Father did, and take it up again.---- If you do not believe it, you do not believe the Bible; the scriptures say it, and I defy all the learning and wisdom, all the combined powers of earth and hell together, to refute it. Here then is eternal life, to know the only wise and true God.
--you have got to learn how to make youselves Gods Kings. Priets. & -- by going from a small to geat capacity... Till they are able to dwell in everlastig burnig &c everlastig power. - To know God learn to become God's. Exalted by the addition of subjects to his family, or kingdom.
Must Become as God

you have got to learn how to be a God yourself & be a K. & God Priest to God same as all have done by going from a small capy to anr. from grace to grace until the resn. of & sit in everlasting power as they who have gone before & God in the L D. while certn. individls are proclaimg. his name is not trifling with us--
And you have got to learn how to make yourselves God, king and priest, by going from a small capacity to a great capacity to the resurrection of the dead, to dwelling in everlasting burnings, I want you to know the first principle of this law, You have got to learn how to be a god yourself in order to save youself-- to be priests & Kings as all Gods has done--by going from a small degree to another--from exaltation to ex--till they are able to sit in glory as doth those who sit enthroned. I want you to know while God is being proclaimed that he is not trifling with you nor me. You have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves; to be kings and priests to God the same as all Gods have done; by going from a small degree to another, from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you are able to sit in glory as doth those who sit enthroned in everlasting power; and I want you to know that God in the last days, while certain individuals are proclaiming his name, is not trifling with you or me.
how consoling when calld to part with a dear frieds. to know their vey being will rise to dwell in everlastig burning.--heirs of God. and ascend a throne as those who have gone before. =
Consoling-To Know They are Heirs of God

how consoling to the mourner when they are cald. to part with a wife mother father dr. relative to know that all Earthly taber shall be dissolved that they shall be heirs of God & jt. hrs of J. C. to inherit the same power exaltn. until you ascd. the throne of Etl. power same as those who are gone bef. what J. did I do the things I saw my Far. do
how consoling to the mourner when they part with a friend to know that though they lay down this dody it will rise & dwell with everlasting burnings to be an heir of God & joint heir with Jesus Christ enjoying the same rise exhaltation & glory until you arive at the station of a God. What did Jesus Christ do the same thing as I se the Father do 1st principles of consolation-- how consoling to the mourner when calld to part with husband father wife child to know that those being shall rise in immortal glory to sorrow die nor suffer any more. & not only that to contemplate the saying they shall be heirs of God &c.-- What is it--to inherit the same glory power & exaltion with those who are gone--before-- What did Jesus do-- Why I do the things that I saw the father do when worlds came into existence-- For we are to go from glory to glory and as one is raised to a higher, so the next under him may take his degree and so to take the exaltation through the regular channel. When we get to where Jesus is, he will be just as far ahead of us again in exaltation. it is the first principles of consolation. How consoling to the mourner, when they are called to part with a husband, wife, father, mother, child or dear relative, to know, that although the earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved, that they shall rise in immortal glory, not to sorrow, suffer or die any more, but they shall be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? to inherit the same glory, the same power and the same exaltation, until you ascend the throne of eternal power the same as those who are gone before. What did Jesus do? why I do the things I saw my Father do when worlds came rolling into existence.
I saw the father work out his kingdom with fear & trembling.--god is grafied in^ salvatin Exaltation--of his creatins &c.--
Jesus Saw The Father's Mortal Life

before worlds came rolld. into existence I saw my Far. work out his K with fear & trembling & I must do the same when I shall give my K to the Far. so that he obtns K rollg. upon K. so that J treads in his tracks as he had gone before.
see the father do what, work out a kingdom, when I do so to I will give to the father which will add to his glory, He will take a Higher exhaltation & I will take his place and am also exhalted. I saw the father work out a kingdom with fear & trembling & I can do the same & when I get my k work I will present to the father & it will exalt his glory and Jesus steps into his tracts to inherit what God did before. I saw my Father work out his kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get my kingdom I shall present it to my Father, so that he obtains kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt his glory, so that Jesus treads in his tracks to inherit what God did before;
not all to be comprehendd in this world. =
First Principle And The Last Principle

It is plain beyond comprehensn. & you thus learn the first prin of th Gospel when you climb a ladder you must begin at the bottom run until you learn the last prin of the Gospel for it is a great thing to learn Saln. beyond the grave & it is not all to be com in this world I sup I am not alld. to go into investign. but what is contd. in the Bible & I think is so many wise men who wod. put me to death for treason I shall turn commentator to day--
These are the first principles of the gospel. It will take a long time after the grave to understand the whole If I should say anything but what was in the bible the cry of treason would be herd This is some of the first principles of the gospel about which so much hath been--You have got to find the beginning of the history & go on till you have learned the last--will be a great while before you learn the last. lt is not all to be comprehd in this world. I suppose that I am not allowed to go into an investigatin of any thing that is not in the Bible--you would cry treason so many learned and wise men here it is plain beyond disputation, and you thus learn some of the first principles of the gospel, about which so much hath been said. When you climb a ladder, you must begin at the bottom and go on until you learn the last principle; it will be a great while before you have learned the last. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it is a great thing to learn salvation beyond the grave. I suppose I am not allowed to go into an investigation of any thing that is not contained in the Bible, and I think there are so many wise men here, who would put me to death for treason; so I shall turn commentator to-day;
the head.-- the head one = The head one of the Gods, brought foth the Gods.--
Dr & Lawyer that have persecuted.--The head one called the Gods together in grand counil--to bring foth the world. = Example of error as Yocab-Jaob--th son of Zebedee--& James. James the son of Zebede 2 4 mat. 21. Greek Hebrew. German. & Latin. - In the beging the head of the gods calld a counil of the Gods--and concoctd a scheme to create this world.-- Soon as we begin to understand the character of the Gods, he begin to unfold th heavns to us.--
Genesis 1:1

I shall go to the first Hebrew word in the Bible the 1st sen: In the beginning--Berosheet--In, by, thro & every thing else Roshed the head when the Inspd. man wrote it he did not put the 1st pt. to it. a man, a Jew witht. any authy. thot. it too bad to begin to talk about the head of any man-- "The Head one of the Gods brought forth the Gods" is the true meang. of the word--if you do not believe it you do not believe the learned man of God--no man can tell you more than I do thus the H God brot. forth the Gods in the Head council--I want to bring it to English. Oh ye lawyers ye doctors I want to let you know that the H G. knows something as well as you do--the Head God called togr. the Gods & set in Grand Council &c when I say a lawyer I mean a lawyer of the Scrip. I have done so hither to let the lawyers flutter & let everybody laugh at them-- some learned Dr. mit. take a notn. to say thus & so--& are not to be altd. & I am going to shew you an error I have an old book in the Latin Greek Hebrew & German &

German Bible Most Correct

I have been readg. the Germ: I find it to be the most correct that I have found & it corresponds the nearest to the revns. that I have given the last 14 yrs it tells about Iachaboa means Jacob--in the English James--& you may talk about James thro all Eternity in the 21 v. of 4th. Mat: where it gives the test. that it is to Jacob-- & how can we escape the dn. of hell witht. God reveal to us.Latin says that Iachobus means Jacob-- Hebrew says means Jacob--Greek says Jachem Jacob German says Jacob thank God I have got this book & I thank him more for the gift of the H G. I have all the 4 Test come here ye learned men & read if you can. I shod. not have brot. up this wod unt only to shew that I am right when we beg to learn this way we beg to learn the only true God & when we find to know how to come to him & he begins to unfold the heavens to us & tell us all abt. it bef our prayers get to his ears at the be now I ask all the learned men who hear me wher. the learned me who are preachg. Saln. say that
I will then go to the Bible,Barasheet in the beginning, Analize the word in and through the head, an old Jew added the word Bath, it red the head one of the gods, broat forth the gods, I will transpose it in the english language. I want you to know & learn that the Holy Ghost knows something. The grand council set at the head and contemplated the creation of the world, some will say, the scriptures say so & so, but I will show you a text out of an old book containing the four languages,


the german is here what does this text say, yoakabeam, the son of Zebedee, the bible says James the son of Zebedee, but this says Jecob son of Zebedee 21 ch 4th ver Matthew The Dr says (I mean Dr of Law not of physic) If you say anything not according to the Bible we will cry treason, But if ye are not led by revelation how can ye escape the damnation of Hell, here we have the testimony of four I have the oldest Book in the world & the Holy Ghost I thank God for the old Book but more for the Holy Ghost. The Gods came together & concocked the plan of making the world & the inhabitants, having an knowledge of God we know how to Approach him & ask & he will answer An other thing the learned Dr says

I will go the old Bible the very Berosheit.2 make a commet on the first sentence of the history of creation-- Berosheit Barau want to annalize the word--Ba--in by through & every thing else--rosh--next--the head. sheit where do it come from-- when they inspired man wrote it he did not put the Ba ther--Bu a jew put it there. It read in the first--The head one of the Gods brought forth the Gods--is the true meaning--rosheit signifies to bring forth the Eloheim, Learned men cannt learn anymore than what I have told you-- hence the head God brought forth the head God in the grand Council-- will simplify it in the English language. Ye learned Docters who have persecuted me I want to let you know that the H. G.

The grand councilers set in yonder heavens and contemplated the creation of the worlds that was created at that tim. When I say Doctr & Lawyer I mean the D & L of the scriptures some learned docter might say the scriptures say thus & so and we must believe the scriptures. He referred to an old book (N. T.) in the Hebrew. Latin German & Greek--

find it to be the most correct--find it to correspond with the revelatins I have recieved.-- It talks about Yachaubon the son of Zebedee--means Jacob. the N.T. says James--now if Jacob had the keys you might talk about James and never get the keys. Mathew 4-21 verse in it gives the word Jacob instead of James-- how can we escape the damnatin of hell unless God be with us--Men bind us with chains--read from the Hebrew Yongacoub-- Jacob.-- Greek Ichobon--Jacob. German He has got the oldest book in the world--but he has got the oldest book in his heart. Latin Yacobin--Jacob too--Should not have introduced this testimony were it not to back up the word rosh--The head father of the Gods. When we begin in this way be we begin to find out God-- what kind a being we have got to worship-- when we begin to know how to come to him he begins to come to us. When we are ready to come to him he is ready to receive us. Learned Docters tell us

I shall comment on the very first Hebrew word in the Bible; I will make a comment on the very first sentence of the history of creation in the Bible, Berosheit [bray-sheeth]. I want to analyze the word; Baith, in, by through, in, and every thing else. Rosh, the head. Sheit, grammatical termination. When the inspired man wrote it, he did not put the baith there. A man a Jew without any authority, thought it too bad to begin to talk about the head. It read first, 'The head one of the Gods brought forth the Gods,' that is the true meaning of the words. Baurau[baw-raw], signifies to bring forth. If you do not believe it, you do not believe the learned man of God. No man can learn you more than what I have told you. Thus the head God brought forth the Gods in the grand council. I will simplify it in the English language. Oh ye lawyers! ye doctors! who have persecuted me; I want to let you know that the Holy Ghost knows something as well as you do. The head God called together the Gods, and set in grand council. The grand counsellors sat in yonder heavens, and contemplated the creation of the worlds that were created at that time. When I say doctors and lawyers, I mean the doctors and lawyers of the scripture. I have done so hitherto, to let the lawyers flutter, and every body laugh at them. some learned doctor might take a notion to say, the scriptures say thus and so, and are not to be altered, and I am going to show you an error. I have an old book of the New Testament in the Hebrew, Latin, German and Greek. I have been reading the German and find it to be the most correct, and it corresponds nearest to the revelations I have given for the last fourteen years. It tells about Jachoboy the son of Zebedee; it means Jacob; in the English New Testament it is James.---- Now if Jacob had the keys, you might talk about James through all eternity, and never get the keys. In the 21st verse of the 4th chapter of Matthew, it gives the word Jacob instead of James. How can we escape the damnation of hell except God reveal to us; men bind us with chains; Latin says Jachobod means Jacob;--- Hebrew says it means Jacob; Greek says Jacob; German says Jacob. I thank God I have got this book, and thank him more for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have got the oldest book in the world, but I have got the oldest book in my heart. I have all the four testaments, come here ye learned men, and read if you can. I should not have introduced this testimony were it not to back up the word Rosh, the head, Father of the Gods. I should not have brought it up, only to show that I am right. When we begin to learn in this way, we begin to learn the only true God, and what kind of a being we have got to worship. When we know how to come to him, he begins to unfold the heavens to us and tell us all about it. When we are ready to come to him, he is ready to come to us. Now I ask all the learned men who hear me, why the learned men who are preaching salvation say, that
Doctors say.--created the earth out of nothing.
Borau. --create.-- it means to organized.--
Create (Burrau, in Hebrew,) which means organize
Ex Nihilo Creation Not Correct - Elements Eternal

God created the Heavens & the Earth out of nothing & the reason is that they are unlearned & I know more than all the world put togr. & If the H. G. in me com: more than all the world I will associate with it--what does Boro mean it means to organize same as you wod. organize a Ship--
the Lord made the world out of nothing, you tell them that God made the world out of something, & they think you are a fool. But I am learned & know more than the whole world, the Holy Ghost does anyhow, & I will associate myself wit it. Beaureau, to organize the world out of chaotic matter, element God created the heavens & earth out of nothing. They account it blasphemy to contradict the idea--they will call you a fool-- you ask they them why they say dont the bible say he created the world & they infer that it must be out of nothing The word create came from the word Barau--dont mean so--it means to organize--same as man would use to build a ship--hence we infer that But says the English translation, in the beginning God created all things out of nothing, but there was never anything yet that was made of nothing. Shame to such logic. The word in the Hebrew is thus; when the Gods counseled together they rolled this earth in existence. God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing, and the reason is they are unlearned; they account it blasphemy to contradict the idea, they will call you a fool.--- I know more than all the world put together and the Holy Ghost within me comprehends more than all the world, and I will associate with it. The word create came from the word baurau; it does not mean so; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize a ship. Hence we infer that
God had matials to organze the world.-- Elements--nothing. can destroy. no beginnig no end.-- from Element Chaos, or Element,
Chaos and Element

God himself had materials to org the world out of chaos which is Element & in which dwells all the glory--that nothing can destroy they never can have an ending they exist eternally--I have anor. to dwell on & it is impossible for me to say much but to touch upon them--for time will not permit me to say all--
they are principles that cannot be disolved they may be reorganized. God had materials to organize from--chaos--chaotic matter-- element had an existence from the time he had. The pure pure principles of element are principles that never can be destroyed--they may be organized and reorganized--but not destroyed. the great Elohim in the Hebrew meaning the God of all Gods, called a Grand Council and counseled to form that planet on which we do now dwell. They spoke and earth from chaos sprang by their workmanship. Chaos being made into element. They saw till time should be no more . . . God had materials to organize the world out of chaos; chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of element, are principles that can never be destroyed. They may be organized and re-organized; but not destroyed.

I have another subject to dwell upon and it is impossible for me to say much, but I shall just touch upon them; for time will not permit me to say all;

The soul. Doctor of Divinty. God created in the beginng--lessens the charater of man. dont believe it.--who told you God was self existnt? correct enough.--in hebrew put into him his spirit.--which was created before. Mind of man co-equal with God himelf. frieds separated. for a small momt from their spirts. coequal with God. and hold conversa when they are one with another--

If man had a beginning he must have an end.--

Human Minds Eternal - No Beginning - No End
so I must come to the resn. of the dead--the soul the imm. Spirit--of God man says created in the beging. the very idea lestens man in my idea--I dont bel the doct: hear it all ye Ends of the World for God has told me so I am going to tell of things more noble--we say that God himself is a self existing God, who told you so, how did it get it into your head who told you that man did not exist in like manner-- how does it read in the Heb. that God made man & put into it Adams Spirit & so became a living Spirit--the mind of man-- the min mind of man is as immortal as God himself--hence while I talk to these mourners--they are only separated from their bodies for a short period--their Spirits coexisted with God & now converse one another same as we do--does not this give your satisfactn. I want to reason more on the Spirit of Man for I am dwelling on the body of man on the subjt. of the dead--the SP of man
Another subject which is calculated to exhalt man I wish to speak of, The resurrection of the dead. The soul the mind of man, whare did it come from. The learned says God made it in the beginning, but it is not so I know better God has told me so, If you dont believe it, it wont make the truth without effect God was a self exhisting being, man exhist upon the same principle. God made a tabernacle & put a spirit in it and it became a Human soul, man exhisted in spirit & mind coequal with God himself, you who mourn the loss of friends are ownly seperated for a moment, the spirit is separated for a little time, they are now conversant with each other as we are on the earth. I am dwelling on the immutability of the spirit of man, is it logic to say the spirit of man had a begining & yet had no end, It does not have a begining or end, It is asciated with the subject in question the resurrection of the dead Another subject--the soul--the mind of man--they say God created it in the beginning-- The idea lessens man in my estimation. Dont believe the doctrine--know better--God told me so. Make a man appear a fool before he gets through if he dont believe it. We say that God was selfexistent-- who told you so? its correct enough but how did it get into your heads--who told you that man did not exist upon the same principle (--refer to the bible) dont say so in the old Hebrew--God made man out of the earth and put into him his spirit and then it became a living body. The mind of man--the intelligent part is coequal with God himself I know that my testimony is true. hence when I talk to these mourners what have they lost--they are only separated from their bodies for a short season. but their spirit existed coequal with God and they now exist in a place where he they converse together as much as we do on the earth. Is it logic to say that a spirit is immortal and yet have a beginning because if a spirit have a beginning it will have an end--good logic-- so I must come to the resurrection of the dead, the soul, the mind of man, the immortal spirit. All men say God created it in the beginning. The very idea lessens man in my estimation; I do not believe the doctrine, I know better. Hear it all ye ends of the world, for God has told me so. I will make a man appear a fool before I get through, if you dont believe it. I am going to tell of things more noble--we say that God himself is a self existing God; who told you so? it is correct enough, but how did it get into your heads? Who told you that man did not exist in like manner upon the same principles? (refers to the old Bible,) how does it read in the Hebrew? It dont say so in the Hebrew, it says God made man out of the earth, and put into him Adam's spirit, and so became a living body. The mind of man is as immortal as God himself. I know that my testimony is true, hence when I talk to these mourners; what have they lost, they are only separated from their bodies for a short season; their spirits existed co-equal with God, and they now exist in a place where they converse together, the same as we do on the earth. Is it logic to say that a spirit is immortal, and yet have a beginning? Because if a spirit have a beginning it will have an end; good logic. I want to reason more on the spirit of man, for I am dwelling on the body of man, on the subject of the dead.
might proclaim.
Ring Illustration
I take ring from my finger and liken it unto the mind of man, the imt. Sp. bec. it has no beging. Suppose you cut it into but as the Ld lives there wod. be an end all the fools & wise men from the beging. of creation who say that man had begin--they must have an end & then the doctrine of annihilitn. wod. be true--but if I am right I mit. with boldness proclaim from the house top
my ring is like the Exhistenc of man it has no beginning or end, if cut into there would be a begining & end, so with man if it had a begining it will have an end, illustrated by his ring. All the fools learned & wise men that comes and tells that man has a beginning proves that he must have an end. and if that doctrine is true then the doctrine of annihilation is true. But if I am right then I might be bold to say that I take my ring from my finger and liken it unto the mind of man, the immortal spirit, because it has no beginning. Suppose you cut it in two; but as the Lord lives there would be an end.--- All the fools learned and wise men, from the beginning of creation, who say that man had beginning, proves that he must have an end and then the doctrine of annihilation would be true. But, if I am right I might with boldness proclaim from the house tops,
God never had power to create the spirt of man at at all.

Inteiigence exist upon a self existet principle no creation about. it. all mids & spirt God ever sent into the wold are susceptible of enlargemet.--

God Cannot Create A Spirit

that God never had power to create the Sp of Man at all--it is no God himself cod. not create himself intelligence is self existent it is a Sp from age to end & there is no creatn abt. it

the first principles of Man are self exist with God--

if I am right I might say God never had power to create the spirit of man, God himself could not create himself. Intelligence is Eternal & it is self exhisting, All mind that is susseptible of improvement, God never did have power to create the spirit of man at all. He could not create himself--Intelligence exists upon a selfexistent principle--is a spirit from age to age & no creation about it--All the spirits that God ever sent into this world are susceptible of enlargement-- How came spirits? Why they are and were self existing as all eternity and our spirits are as eternal as the very God is himself that God never did have power to create the spirit of man at all. God himself could not create himself: intelligence exists upon a self existent principle, it is a spirit from age to age, and there is no creation about it. All the spirits that God ever sent into the world are susceptible of enlargement.
The Beginning of Man's Relationship With God

that God himself finds himself in the midst of Sp & bec he saw proper to institute laws for those who were in less intelligence that they mit. have one glory upon another in all that knowledge power & glory & so took in hand to save the world of Sp:

Holy Ghost The Source

you say honey is Sweet & so do I. I can also taste the Sp of Eternal life I know it is good & when I tell you-- of these things that wee given me by Insp of the H S. you are bound to rece it as sweet & I rej more & more. Man's rel to God & s I will open your eyes in rel to your dead all things which God of his inf reason has seen fit to reveal to us in our mortal state
the relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. God has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences that they may be exhalted with himself

This is good d doctrin, it taste good, I can taste the principles of eternal life, so can you, they are given to me by the revelations of Jesus Christ and I know you believe it.

That God himself--find himself in the midst of spirit and glory because he was greater saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. I know that when I tell you those words of eternal life that are given to me I know you taste it and I know you believe it. Wants to talk more of the relation of man to God--in relation to your dead. All things whatsoever God has seen proper to reveal to us while we are dwelling in mortality The first principles of man are self existent with God; that God himself finds himself in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was greater, and because he saw proper to institute laws, whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself, that they might have one glory upon another, in all that knowledge, power, and glory, &c., in order to save the world of spirits. I know that when I tell you these words of eternal life, that are given to me, I know you taste it and I know you believe it. You say honey is sweet and so do I. I can also taste the spirit of eternal life; I know it is good, and when I tell you of these things, that were given me by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are bound to receive it as sweet, and I rejoice more and more. I want to talk more of the relation of man to God. I will open your eyes in relation to your dead; all things whatsoever God of his infinite wisdom has seen proper to reveal to us, while we are dwelling in mortality,
all things God has seen fit proper to rveal in while dwellig in mortality, are reveald.-- precisely the same-- as though we were destitute of bodies.--

what will save our spiits will save our bodies--our taberacls--for our spiits--All spirits-- who have not obedye th Gospel must be damnd. = Who have not obeyed th decrees of son of man.

We are looked upon by God as though we were in Eternity =

All things revealed to us as though we had no bodies. for the exaltation of our Spirits,
Logic of Proxy Baptisms, etc.

in regard to our mortal bodies are revd. to us as if we had no bodies & those revns. which will save our dead will save our bodies-- & God reveals them to us in the view of no Eternal dissn. of the body--hence the awful responsibility tha rests upon our us for our dead-- for all the Spirits must either obey the Gospel or be d--d solemn thot., dreadful thot. is there nothing to be done for those who have gone before us witht obeyg the decrees of God wod. to God that I had 40 days & nights--to tell you all to let you know I am not a faln prop-- what kind of characters are those who can be saved altho their bodies are decaying in the grave--
All things that God sees fit to reveal to us in relation to us, reveals his commandments to our spirits, and in saving our spirits we save the body, (the same as though we had no Body How comes the awful responsibility if in relation to our dead, if they do not be baptized they must be damned, (I wish I had 40 days to talk) What promises are made, what can be said if in the grave, God dwells in eternity, and he does not view things as we do, are revealed to us in the abstract & independant of affinity of this motal tabernacle--but they are revealed as though we had no bodies at all--tho revealed to our spirits and those revelations must of necessity save our spirits with them. Hence the responsibility-- the awful res. that rests upon us in relations to our dead-- for all spirits who have not obeyed the gospel in the flesh must obey the gospel or be damned. Is there no preparation--no salvation for our father & friends who have died and not obeyed the decrees of the son of man--Would to God I had 40 days & nights I would let you know that I am not a fallen prophet--what kind of beings can be saved although their bodies are mouldering in the dust. Whe his commandments touch us it is in view of eternity. in regard to our mortal bodies, are revealed to us in the abstract and independent of affinity of this mortal tabernacle; but are revealed to us as if we had no bodies at all, and those revelations which will save our dead will save our bodies; and God reveals them to us in view of no eternal dissolution of the body; hence the responsibility, the awful responsibility, that rests upon us in relation to our dead: for all the spirits who have not obeyed the gospel in the flesh, must either obey the gospel or be damned. Solemn thought, dreadful thought. Is there nothing to be done: no salvation for our fathers and friends who have died and not obeyed the decrees of the Son of Man? Would to God that I had forty days and nights to tell you all, I would let you know that I am not a fallen prophet. What kind of characters are those who can be saved although their bodies are decaying in the grave? When his commandments teach us, it is in view of eternity.
the greatet responibity resting upon us is to look after our dead.-- they without us cannt be made perfct without us. meet Paul 1/2 way.--
Our Greatest Responsibility - Seek After Our Dead

the greatest responsibility that God has laid upon us to seek after our dead--the apostle says they without us cant be perfect--now I am speaking of them I say to you Paul, you can't be perfect witht. us.--those that are gone before & those who come after must be made perfect--& God has made it obligatory to man--
the greatest responsibility lade upon us in this life is in relation to our dead Paul said we cannot be made perfect without us. the greatest responsibility in this world is to seek after our dead-- they withou us cannot be made perfect--It is necessary that those who come after us should have salvation in common with us--& thus hath God laid this upon the eves of the world The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us, is to seek after our dead.--- I say to you Paul, you cannot be perfect without us: it is necessary that those who are gone before, and those who come after us should have salvation in common with us, and thus hath God made it obligatory to man.
Hence the saying of Elijah.--God made provisios before th world was-- for every crature in

All sin shall be forgivn in this world or world to com-- except one

Salvatin for all men who have not committed a certain sin
can save evy man who has not committd the unpardonable sin. cannot commit the unpdonbl sin after the decay dissolution of the body. Knowledge save a man.--

No way fr a man to come to undestadig but giv his conset to th comandmet

hence our bodies being connected, cannot commit the unpardonable sin after the dissolution of the body.
Elijah vs. the Unpardonable Sin

God said he shall send Elijah &c I have a declan to make as to the provn. which God made from before the foundn. of the world. what has J. sd. All sins & all blas. every trans: that man may be guilty of there is a Saln. for him or in the world to come--every Sp in the Et: world can be ferreted out & saved unless he has comd. that Sin which cant be remd. to him--that God has wrot. out saln. for all men unless they have comd. a certn. sin. a friend who has got a friend in the world can save him unless he has comd. the unpard sin & so you can see how far you can be Savior there is no thing that a man can commit the unpardonable sin after the dissn of the body & there is a way possible for escape. not Partarly d--d those that are witht. wisdom until they get exalted to wisdom so long as man will not give acct. of his sins
for it is necessary that the seals are in our hands to seal our children & our dead for the folness of the dispensation of times, A dispensation to meet the promises made by Jesus Christ befor the foundation of the world for the salvation of man. All sins and blasphemy, were to be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Ghost. God has made provision for evry spirit in the eternal world, and the spirits of our friends should be searched out & saved, Any man that has a friend in eternity can save him if he has not commit the unpardonable sin, He cannot be damned through all eternity, there is a possibility for his escape in a little time, If a man has knowledge he can be saved. If he has been guilty of great sins, he is punished for it, when he consents to obey the gospel whether Alive or dead, he is saved, hence the saying of Elijah Speak in relation to the provisions God hath made to suit the conditions of man. What hath Jesus said? All sins & all blasphemis every trangression except one there is a provision either in this world or in the world of spirit. Hence God hath made a provision that evry spirit can be ferreted out in that world that has not sin'd the upardnabl sin. wether in this world or in the world of spirits. Every man who has a friend in the eternal world who hath not committed the eternal sin unpardonable sin you can save him. A man cannot commit the unpardonable sin after the dissolutin of the body there is a way for his escape knowledge saves a man and in the wold of spirits a man cant be exalted but by knowledge. So long as a man will not give heed to the commandmets he must abide without salvation. Hence God said he should send Elijah, &c. ; I have a declaration to make as to the provisions which God hath made to suit the conditions of man; made from before the foundation of the world, What has Jesus said? All sins and all blasphemies, every transgression, except one, that man can be guilty of, there is a salvation for him either in this world, or the world to come. Hence God hath made a provision, that every spirit in the eternal world can be ferreted out and saved, unless he has committed that unpardonable sin, which can not be remitted to him. That God has wrought out a salvation for all men, unless they have committed a certain sin. Every man who has got a friend in the eternal world can save him unless he has committed the unpardonable sin, so you can see how far you can be a savior. A man can not commit the unpardonable sin after the dissolution of the body, and there is a way possible for escape. Knowledge saves a man, and in the world of spirits a man cannot be exalted but by knowledge; so long as a man will not give heed to the commandments, he must abide without salvation.
Damnd by motification--a lake as of fire of brimston--as exquisite th disappointmet of the mind of man - - - - - -

Why? Must commit the unpardonable sin in this world. will suffer in the eternal world until he will be exalted.--

works of th devil. the plns th devil laid to save th wold.--

Devil said he could save them all--Lot fell on Jesus.--All sin &c fogen except the sin agaist th Holy Ghst.--Got to dey th plan of Salvatin. &c. with his eyes open.-- Like may of the apostates of chuch of the chuch of Jesus Christ of Last Days.

Men Will Condemn Themselves - Sin Against The Holy Ghost
a sinner has his own mind & is in his own condemner for the G will the torment of the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burng. with fire & brimstone--I know the Scriptures I understand them-- no man can commit the unpardonable sin after the dissn. of the body but they must do it in this world--hence the Saln. of J. C was wrought out for all men to triumph over the devil--for he stood up for a Savior--J. contd. that there wod. be certn. souls that wod. be condemned & the dl sd. he cod. save them all--as the grand council gave in for J. C. so the d l fell & all who put up their heads for him all sin shall be forgiven except the sin agt. the H. G. he has got to say that the Sun does not shine while he sees it he has got to deny J. C. when the heavens are open to him-- & from that time they begin to be enemies like many of the apostates of The Church of J. C of L.D.S.--when a man begins to be an enemy he hunts him--for he has the same Sp. that they had who crucd. the Lord of life--the same Sp. that Sin agt. the H. G.
his own mind damns him I have no fear of hell fire that dont exhist, No man can commit the unpardonable sin, untill he receives the Holy Ghost, All will suffer untill they obey Christ himself, even the devil said I am a savior and can save all rose up in rebelion against God and was cast down. Jesus Christ will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin they must receive the Holy Ghost have the heavens opened unto them, & know God, & then sin against him, this is the case with many apostates in this Church they never seease to try to hurt me, they have got the same spirit the devil had, you cannot save them, they make open war like the devil, A man is his own torment hence the saying they shall go into the lake that burns with fire &c or as exquisite as a lake &c so is the torment of a man--I said no man could commit the unpardonable sin after the dissolution of the body--hence the salvation that the saviour wrough out for the salvation of a man if it did not catch him in one place it would another--The contentin in heaven was Jesus said there were certain man would not be saved the devil said he could save them. he rebelled against God and was thrust down. After a man has sinned the sin against the H.G. there is no repentance for him. Hence like many of the apostates of the C of J. C. L. D. S. They go to far the spirit leaves them hence they seek to kill me they thirst for my blood--they neve cease--he has got the same spirit that crucified Jesus You can't renew them to repentance-- awful is the consequence. But those who die without the obedience of the gospel here will have to obey it in the world of spirits for so long as they do not obey they will be miserable and as if they were in torment of fire and brimstone. Thus is the signification of torment . . . But Satan, or Lucifer, being the next heir and had allotted to him great power and authority even prince of power of the air. He spake immediately and boasted of himself saying send me I can save all and [he] sinned against the Holy Ghost because he accused his brethren and was hurled from the counsel for striving to break the law immediately. There was a warfare with Satan and the gods and they hurled Satan out of his place and all them that would not keep the sayings of the council. But he himself being one of the councilors would not keep the first estate for he was one of the sons of perdition and consequently all the sons of perdition become devils. A man is his own tormenter, and is his own condemner: hence the saying they shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. The torment of the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone-- so is the torment of man. I know the scriptures; I understand them. I said no man can commit the unpardonable sin after the dissolution of the body, but they must do it in this world: hence the salvation of Jesus Christ was wrought out for all men in order to triumph over the devil: for if it did not catch him in one place, it would in another, for he stood up as a Savior. The contention in heaven was, Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved, and the devil said he could save them all; the grand council gave in for Jesus Christ: so the devil rebelled against God and fell, and all who put up their heads for him. All sins shall be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Ghost: after a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost there is no repentance for him, he has got to say that the sun does not shine, while he sees it, he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the Heavens were open to him, and from that time they begin to be enemies, like many of the apostates of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. When a man begins to be an enemy, the hunts me. They seek to kill me; they thirst for my blood; they never cease. He has the same spirit that they had who crucified the Lord of Life: the same spirit that sins against the Holy Ghost. You cannot bring them to repentance. Awful is the consequence.
Let All be careful.--lest you be decived. best men brings forth best works.

to the mournes, your fiend has gone to wait-- the perfection.-- of the reunion.-- the resurrectin of your fried in felicity while worlds mut wait myrads of years before they can receive the like blessigs.--leave th subject--

Advises All To Beware

I advise all to be careful what you do--stay--do not give way-- you may find that some one has laid a snare for you be cautious-- await--when you find a Sp. wants bloodshed murder same is not of God but is of the devil out of the abundance of the heart man speaks-- the man that tells you words of life is the man that can save you--I warn you agt all evil characters^ who sin agt. the H. G. for there is no redempn. for them in this world nor in the world to come
stay all that hear, dont make any hasty mooves you may be saved, if a spirit of Bitterness is in you, don't be in haste, Say you that man is a sinner, well if he repents he shall be forgiven. I could go back and trace evry subject of interest concerning the relationship of man to God if i had time, Advise all to be careful what they do-- you may by and by find out that you have been deceived. I advise all of you to be careful what you do, you may be and bye find out that you have been deceived. Stay yourselves, do not give way. You may find out that some one has laid a snare for you. Be cautious; await! when you find a spirit that wants bloodshed, murder, the same is not of God, but is of the devil. Out of the abundance of the heart man speaketh. The man that tells you words of life, is the man that can save you. I warn you against all evil characters, who sin against the Holy Ghost, for there is no redemption for them in this world, or in the world to come.
bless thoes who have lost frieds. only gon for a few momets.--
Many Mansions

I can enter into the mysteries--I can enter largely into the eternal worlds--for J. sd. where my In my Fars. mansion there are many mansions &c There is one glory of the moon Sun & Stars &c we have the reason to have the greatest hope & consoln. for our dead-- for we have aided them in the 1st princ for we have seen them walk in the midst-- & sink asleep in the arms of J. & hence is the glory of the Sun--you mourners have occn. to rejoice for your husband has gone to wait until the resn. & your expn. & hope are far above what man can conceive--for why God has revd. to us--&
their is many mansions in my fathers Kingdom, what have we to console us in relation to our dead, we have the greatest hope in relation to our dead of any people on earth we have seen them walk worthy on earth and those who have died in the faith are now in the selestial kingdom of God, they have gone to await the resurrection of the dead to go to the celestial glory, while there is many who die who will have to wait many years, and as there are many mansions in my Father's house or in other words many worlds in my Father's world, I will go and prepare a place for you that where I am ye may also come. I can enter into the mysteries; I can enter largely into the eternal worlds: for Jesus said, in my father's house there are many mansions, &c. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, &c. We have reason to have the greatest hope and consolations for our dead, for we have aided them in the first principles; for we have seen them walk in our midst, and seen them sink asleep in the arms of Jesus. And hence is the glory of the sun. You mourners have occasion to rejoice; (speaking of the death of Elder King Follett,) for your husband is gone to wait until the resurrection: and your expectations and hope are far above what man can conceive: for why has God revealed it to us?

I am authd. to say by the authy. of the H. G. that you have no occasn. to fear for he is gone to the home of the just--dont mourn dont weep--I know it by the test of the H. G. that is within me--rejoice O Israel--your friends shall triumph gloriously--while their murderers shall welter for years---I say for the benefit of strangers I have a Far. Bror. Friends who are gone to a world of Sp--they are absent for a momt.--they are in the Sp. then shall we hail our Mor. Fars. Friends & all no fear of mobs--&c but all an Eternity of felicity--
But I am authorized to say to you my friends in the name of the Lord that you may wait for your friends to come forth to meet you in Eternity in the morn of the celestial world, those Saints who have been murdered in the persecution shall triumph in the celestial world, while their murderers shall dwell in torment untill they pay the utmost farthing.

I have Fathers, Brothers, Children, that are gone to eternity soon to meet me, the time will soon be gone, the trump will soon be blown.

I am authorized to say by the authority of the Holy Ghost, that you have no occasion to fear, for he is gone to the home of the just. Don't mourn: don't weep. I know it by the testimony of the Holy Ghost that is within me. Rejoice O Israel! your friends shall triumph gloriously, while their murderers shall welter for ages. I say this for the benefit of strangers. I have a father, brothers, and friends who are gone to a world of spirits. They are only absent for a moment; they are in the spirit, and when we depart we shall hail our mothers fathers, friends, and all whom we love.--- There will be no fear of mobs, &c., but all will be an eternity of felicity.
Shall mothrs have their Childn? Yes. thy shall have it withut price. redemptn is paid possessing all the intelgen of a god. the child as it was before it died out of your arm thrones upn thrones. Domin upn domnins just as you--
Children Restored to Mothers Will Never Grow

Mothers you shall have your Children for they shall have it--for their debt is paid there is no damn awaits them for they are in the Spirits-- as the Child dies so shall it rise from the ded & be living in the burng. of God--it shall be the child as it was bef it died out of your arms children dwell & exercise power in the same form as they laid them down
A question, will Mothers have their Children in Eternity yes, yes, you will have the Children But as is it falls so it will rise, It will never grow, It will be in its precise form as it fell in its mothers arms. 3 Eternity is full of thrones upon which dwell thousands of Children reigning on thrones of glory not one cubit added to their stature He continued his discourse--& told of parents receiving their children. Mothers you shall have your children, for they shall have eternal life; for their debt is paid, there is no damnation awaits them, for they are in the spirit.--- As the child dies, so shall it rise from the dead and be forever living in the learning of God, it shall be the child, the same as it was before it died out of your arms. Children dwell and exercise power in the same form as they laid them down.
Baptism of water fire & Holy Ghost. are insepaably-- connected.--found in th Germn Bible to prove what I have taught for 14 years abut baptism.--I baptize you with-- water. but when Jesus comes having the keys--he shall baptize you with th baptisms of fire & Holy Ghost.--

Leaving th pincipls of doctrin of baptism &c--one god. one baptim, & one baptim--I.E. all three--

called upon all men, Prists, and all to repet and oby the gospel.--if thy do not, thy will be damnd.--

Baptism No Effect Without Baptism of Fire and of The Holy Ghost

The Bap of Water witht. the B of Fire & the H G. attg it are necy he must be born of W & Sp in order to get into the K of God & in the German text bears me out same as the revn. which I have given for the 14 years--I have the test to put in their teeth that my test has been true all the time You will find it in the declan of John the Bap (reads from the German) John says I bap you with Water but when J comes who has the power he shall adm the baptism of F & the H. G. Gt. God now where is all the Sect. world. & if this est is true they are all d--d as clearly as any Anathema ever was--I know the text is true-- I call upon all to say I--(shouts of I) Alex Campbell--how are you going to save them with water--for John sd. his bapm. was nothing witht test the baptism of J. C. One God, Far., Jesus, hope of, our Calling, one baptism--all three bap make one. I have the truth & I am at the defiance of the world to contradict.

I have preached Latin Hebrew Greek German & I have fulfilled all I am not so big a fool as many have taken me for--the Germans know that I read the German correct--Hear it all ye Ends of the Earth--all ye Sinners Repent Repent--turn to God for your reln. wont save you & ye will be dd but I do not say how along--

I will leave this subject here and make a few remarks upon Baptism, I will read a tex in Jerman upon Baptism, John says I baptise you with water But when Jesus Christ comes He shall administer the baptism of fire & the Holy Ghost, John said his baptism was good for nothing without the Baptism of Jesus Christ, Many talk of any baptism not being essential to salvation, but this would lay the foundation of their damnation, Concluded his remarks by Baptism Choir sung-- The baptism of water without the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost attending it is of no use: they are necessary. He must be born of water and the spirit in order to get into the kingdom of God.

In the German, the text bears me out the same as the revelations which I have given for the last fourteen years. I have the testimony to put in their teeth; my testimony has been true all the time. You will find it in the declaration of John the Baptist, (reads from the German), John says I baptize you with water, but when Jesus comes, who has the power, he shall administer the baptism of fire, and the Holy Ghost. Great God! where is now all the sectarian world! and if this testimony is true, they are all damned as clearly as anathema can do it. I know the text is true. I call upon all you Germans, who know that it is true. to say aye, (loud shouts of aye.) Alexander Campbell, how are you going to save them with water alone? for John said his baptism was nothing without the baptism of Jesus Christ. There is one God, one Father, one Jesus, one hope of our calling, one baptism--- all these three baptisms only make one. I have the truth and am at the defiance of the world to contradict me, if they can. I have now preached a little Latin, and little Hebrew, Greek and German, and I have fulfilled all.--- I am not so big a fool as many have taken me to be. The Germans know that I read the German correct.

Hear it all ye ends of the earth-- all ye sinners, repent! turn to God, for your religion wont save you, and you will be damned; I do not say how long;

those who commit the unpdoabl sin are doomed to Gnolom. without end.-- God dwells in everlastig burnings.--Love all men but hate your deeds.--
Fate of Sons of Perdition

but those who Sin agt. the H. G. cannot be forgiven in this world or in the world to come but they shall die the 2nd. death--but as they concoct scenes of bloodshed in this world so they shall rise to that resurn. which is as the lake of fire & brimstone--some shall rise to the everlasting burning of God & some shall rise to the dn. of their own filthiness--same as the lake of fire & brimstone--I have intd. my remarks to all--to all rich & poor bond & free great & small I have no enmity agst any man. I love you all--I am their best friend & if persons miss their mark it is their own fault--if I reprove a man & he hate me he is a fool--for I love all men especially these my brethren & sisters--I rejoice in hearing the test of my aged friend--you never knew my heart.
There has also been remarks made concerning all men being redeemed from Hell, But I say that any man who commits the unpardonable sin must dwell in hell worlds without end Jesus Christ being the greater light or of more intelligence, for he loved righteousness and hated iniquity, he being the Elder Brother presented himself for to come and redeem this world as it was his right by inheritance. He stated he could save all those who did not sin against the Holy Ghost and they would obey the code of laws that were given. But their circumstances were that all who would sin against the Holy Ghost should have no forgiveness neither in this world or in the world to come, for they strove against light and knowledge after they tasted of the good things of the world to come. They should not have any forgiveness in the world to come because they had a knowledge of the things of the world to come and were not willing to abide of the laws of the world to come. Therefore they can have no forgiveness there, but must be most miserable of all and never can be renewed again (referred to Hebrews Ch. 6). but those who sin against the Holy Ghost cannot be forgiven in this world, or in the world to come; they shall die the second death; as they concoct scenes of bloodshed in this world so they shall rise to that resurrection, which is as the lake of fire and brimstone: some shall rise to the everlasting burning of God, and some shall rise to the damnation of their own filthiness---as exquisite as the lake of fire and brimstone.

I have intended my remarks to all; both rich and poor, bond and free, great and small. I have not enmity against any man. I love you all. I am your best friend, and if persons miss their mark, it is their own fault. If I reprove a man and he hates me, he is a fool, for I love all men, especially these my brethren and sisters. I rejoice in bearing the testimony of my aged friends. You never know my heart;

You dont know me--you never will I dont blame you for not believig my histoy. had I not expeind by it I could not believe it myself

5 1/2 closed.--sung.---

No Man Knows JS History

no man knows my hist--I can not do it. I shall never undertake--if I had not experienced what I have I should not have known it myself--I never did harm any man since I have been born in the world--my voice is always for peace--I cannot lie down until my work is finished--I never think evil nor think any thing to the harm of my fellow man--& when I am called at the trump & weighed in the balance you will know me then-- I add no more God bless you. Amen--The choir sung an hymn at 1/2 p 5.
no man knows my history; I cannot tell it. I shall never undertake it; if I had not experienced what I have, I should not have known it myself. I never did harm any man since I have been born in the world. My voice is always for peace, I cannot lie down until all my work is finished. I never think any evil, nor any thing to the harm of my fellow man.--- When I am called at the trump of the ark-angel, and weighed in the balance, you will know me then-- I add no more. God bless you all men.

The choir sung a hymn at half past 5 o'clock and dismissed with a benediction.


Notes

0. King Follett. b. July 26, 1788, Winchester, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire to Revolutionary War Captain John Follett and Hannah Alexander. Had roughly 20 siblings and half siblings. Follett received the name "King" as a tribute to parents neighbors, King family who were related by marriage to the Folletts. Purchased land in DeKalb, St. Lawrence Co., New York, 1811. M. Louisa Tanner (b. 1798) in 1816. Nine children. Living in Shalersville, Portage Co., Ohio by 1819 where they stayed more than a decade. Ran a distillery. Baptized either in Shalersville or New York spring 1831. Served as bodyguard to Joseph Smith in Kirtland. Was involved with battle of the Big Blue River in November 1833. Living at Libert, Clay Co., Missouri 1834. Moved to Caldwell Co. 1836. Went to Kirtland Nov. 1835. Probably at Kirtland Temple dedication. Received patriarchal blessing from Joseph Smith Sr., December 16, 1835. Ordained seventy by April 1836. High Councilor at Far West, Missiouri April 1837. Part of Danite group. Help Edward Partridge and family escape Missouri. Arrested by mob in Missouri. Broke jail July 4, 1839, captured and jailed until September 29, 1839 where he was aquitted of any crime. In Wilton Township, Illinois after March 1840. Lived in Adams Co., Ill. by Nov. 1840. Commissioned captain Nauvoo Legion October 16, 1841. Living in Nauvoo First Ward in 1842. Bodyguard for Joseph Smith again in 1843. Killed while walling a well on his property in Nauvoo. Two funeral sermons, March 10 and April 7, 1844, both ground-breaking discourses by Joseph Smith. [See Joann Follett Mortensen, "King Follett: The man behind the discourse," Journal of Mormon History, 31 no. 2 (2005) 112-33.]

1. Usually regarded as the most important of Joseph Smith's sermons, "the King Follett Discourse" is given in six versions and a summary. Joseph brings together nearly all his major doctrinal themes from the past five years, several of which are related to, and perhaps originated with the translation of the Book of Abraham. While none of the themes are new, they are placed together for the first time:

  1. The eternal nature of man.
    This is expanded upon from prior sermons (some examples are 8Aug39(1), 5Feb40, 5Jan41, 28Mar41 and 1Apr42) in a number of ways, showing that Joseph intended his audience to assume that persons are without beginning or end. Indeed, he may have suggested the unique position that Jesus saw his Father perform in mortality at the time it happened, hence he was able to observe what took place long before being the "first born" in the spirit. [To be sure, the more standard interpretation of these remarks suggests that Jesus saw the acts of God in vision.] In any case, Joseph reiterates (see the references above) his "no beginning, no end" axiom to the bereaved of Elder Follett. He employs this to say that they have nothing to fear in regard to Elder Follett's death. Since he did not begin, he has not ended. He is still a conscious being. Joseph Smith also discusses the resurrection of the dead, another continuing doctrinal theme from past years, offering assurances to those present of the resurrection of their loved ones.

  2. The doctrine of heavenly councils. Another Book of Abraham doctrine. For antecedents see the following examples among many: 19Jan41, 31Aug42 and 27Aug43.

  3. The plurality of Gods. Joseph also reiterates his doctrine that the Godhead consists of three separate beings, but also that other "Gods" exist. Unlike the first doctrine in this list, the plurality of Gods was widely taught following his death. In part this is a book of Abraham doctrine which even refers to members of the council as "Gods." The doctrine was closely tied to the cluster of ideas connected to plural marriage. For antecedants of this theme see the next item. The theme was continued on 16June44.

  4. The doctrine that God has gone through a similar chain of progression as man: God is the ultimate pattern for man. Jesus is the explicit example showing what events God once passed through eons ago on some other world and what man can hope for (deification -see below). For some antecedents see 5Jan41, 30Jan41 9Mar41 and 11Jun43. [See also Van Hale, "The doctrinal impact of the King Follett discourse," BYUS 18, No. 2, (1978), 1-16.]

    Parley P. Pratt anticipated some of Joseph's remarks in the KFD in his "Fountain of Knowledge," "Immortality of the Body," and "Intelligence and Affection" in early 1844 (See his Autobiography, p. 367 of the 1876 edition, and his "An Appeal to the Inhabitants of the State of New York," printed on the Times and Seasons press (several copies exist - see for example Crawley's Descriptive Bibliography, vol. 1 item 202.) Interestingly, this shows Pratt had already developed many of his ideas regarding the nature of life and preexistence. They appear to have been unaffected by KFD.

  5. The doctrine of Eternal Judgement. Once again Joseph teaches of the key position of the "Sons of Perdition" in Mormon belief. They formed the crux of the argument in the "war in heaven" (a Book of Abraham topic). They would be the (one and only) group who would refuse salvation. The related doctrine of the fate of murderers is also once again taught. Compare previous discources given on 16Aug40, 12Jan41, 16May41, 16May43 and 10Mar44 among others.

    The doctrine went through some development in later years. James E. Talmage wrote that the Satanic plan was that "all would be safely conducted through the career of mortality, bereft of freedom to act and agency to choose, so circuscribed that they would be compelled to do right - that not one soul would be lost." [Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 35th ed. Deseret, 1963, 8-9.] One sees the distinction between the two ideas: In Joseph's scenerio, only the "sons of perdition" would be eliminated from possibility. For Joseph, in this context, salvation simply meant avoiding the outcome of that group. The later incarnation suggests that somehow every person would perforce achieve the highest reward. The two ideas are certainly not incompatible, but Joseph's teaching gives a focused context for his revelations, especially D&C 76:30-39; also D&C 88:14-35 and D&C 132:19.

  6. Temple ordinances including the vicarious ordinance work for the dead. The doctrine of deification of the Saints is reiterated and is clearly tied to receiving certain ordinances in the temple. Also related to the Book of Abraham, esp. facs. 2. Compare earlier discources: 8Aug39(1), 5Oct40, 4Oct40, 2Feb41, 11Apr41, 27Mar42, 7Apr42, 14May43, 21May43, 11Jun43, 21Jan44 and 10Mar44 (see also his discourse the following day of 8Apr44).

  7. The doctrine of the Kingdom of God (the place of John the Baptist) and the nature of baptism. This was a hot topic among religionists of the day and among many Church members. (Compare for example his remarks at 22Jan43, 29Jan43, 27Jun39, 9Jul43, 10Mar44, 21Jan36 and 20Mar42.)

The lack of availability of Joseph Smith's sermons and teachings, mostly because of rather obscure sources together with limited circulation of published material, helped lead to a certain distrust of this sermon in the decades following Joseph Smith's death (for one such problem many years later see note 3 below). The antecedents of the doctrinal themes were partly at least, unknown. Indeed, in the Church population, residents of Nauvoo who frequented Joseph's speeches were an ever smaller fraction. Even Church leaders who had been prominent at Nauvoo were often not present at his remarks, nor did they have published stenographic reports of his remarks delivered at places such as the Nauvoo "Lyceum."

Shorthand was an invention that came too late for Joseph Smith - his successors benefitted from stenographic reports of sermons. Church publications where Joseph Smith's remarks were (often all too briefly) published were rare. For instance, the book of Abraham, published in the Times and Seasons in March 1842 had the miniscule circulation of 500 copies. Evidence for a lack of familiarity with some of Joseph's ideas is found in many Church publications where contrary ideas are expressed or questions are posed which Joseph answered. However, the lack of microscopic attention to Joseph Smith's doctrinal statements is easily explained.

Joseph Smith's sucessors had life and death concerns elsewhere with the exodus to the Salt Lake Valley and the survival issues there. Those concerns would not really lessen until the arrival of the transcontinental railroad in 1869. By then, the Federal Government was beginning to wage a war of legal stricture with the Church. Further, the influx of "gentiles" to Utah had created yet more pressing concerns for Church leaders. It was not until the opening of the twentieth century that the Church could turn to the examination and publication of information at the roots of its doctrine and history.

In the early part of the twentieth century, considerable discussion was had among Church leaders over the reliability of the popular account of the "King Follett Discourse" found in the manuscript history of the Church finished by Church Historians in the 1850s. This account was compiled by Jonathan Grimshaw, one of the Church Historian's staff working to complete the Manuscript History of the Church (later published as History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, see below) from the sources available to the Historian in 1856. Grimshaw used several of the accounts here, interleaving and in a few cases changing the words without apparent justification. This created what is, in our opinion, a somewhat confusing reconstruction. Originally the compilers of the history first included the Times and Seasons account but this was crossed out in the manuscript and the Grimshaw account was substituted. The Grimshaw version was published in the Journal of Discourses (1859) 6:1-11).

Part of the trouble with Grimshaw's method should be transparent to the reader: a number of the accounts often contain the same portion of the sermon but in rather different words. This is especially true of the Joseph Smith diary record made by Willard Richards. Richards used particularly interesting phrases like "if men do not comprehend the character of God they do not comprehend themselves." Based on the other accounts it seems likely that Joseph did not actually say this, but it represents a clever summary of his thought.

The Woodruff record tends to use somewhat different phrasing and for some reason Grimshaw included this as extra text in his version, delivering a rather redundant effect. Since Woodruff's journal entries were usually not done "on the spot," but reconstructed from his brief notes of the meeting, his wording probably reflects his own digestion of the actual remarks. This does not invalidate the record (in fact it has a remarkable coherence with the remaining accounts), but it does point to a problem for Grimshaw's technique. Finally, as noted, Grimshaw seems to invent some phrasing which weakens some of the points in the available contemporary records. A new book on Joseph Smith's funeral sermons, which will include critical text apparatus gives more detail on several of these matters.

We have included the Times and Seasons minutes of the meeting, which is a fleshed out version of the Bullock and Clayton records who had been assigned as conference clerks. The Bullock and Clayton accounts come from their conference minutes filed under General Church Minutes (LDS Archives call number CR 100 318, Box 1, Folders 19-20.) It is perhaps the closest available version to the original remarks, since it was penned by an eyewitness. A note on the back of of Bullock's minutes says the compilation was made on the 24th of April for "the press." Bullock's diary for this period indicates that he was working on the conference minutes for publication in the Times and Seasons. Hence, Bullock's ms is the only publication manuscript attempted prior to Joseph Smith's death. Whether Joseph Smith reviewed Bullock's ms is unknown.

Howard Searle has estimated that available records contain about 30% of the actual sermon. Considering the fact that Joseph Smith was known to be a rather slow speaker and that he had been experiencing some lung problems (speakers at these open-air meetings had nearly to yell to make themselves heard to a significant extent), this probably underestimates the recorded portion. Moreover, reviewing the manuscripts suggests that all the major points are included in a reliable fashion. See Howard C. Searle, "Early Mormon Historiography: Writing the History of the Mormons," Ph.D. dissertation, UCLA, 1979, p. 277.

At least one other amalgamation of the existing records has been attempted, [See Brigham Young University Studies 18/winter (1978)], the results of this attempt have fewer difficulties than the Grimshaw version. Of course any such attempt will be forced to make thinly supported decisions at some points.

The sermon was controversial enough among some General Authorities that it was left out of the seven volume History of the Church when it was published in the first decades of the 20th century (volumes 1-6 appeared in the 1902-1912 time period and volume 7 appeared in 1932). B. H. Roberts, the editor of the History, was upset by this and published the Grimshaw version himself as a pamphlet in 1913 and sent it around the Church. President Joseph F. Smith was, with counselors Anthon H. Lund and Charles W. Penrose suspicious of the sermon and in particular regarded the doctrine of the eternal nature of man as a threat to the complete sovereignty of God. President Smith prevented the publication of certain other manuscripts containing the idea and felt the sermon, as written, put forward other incorrect notions (see note 3 below). As some of the principals in this argument passed on, the sermon (Grimshaw version) was finally printed in Church publications again and was placed in its proper place in vol. 6 of the second (1948) edition of the History and was included in Joseph Fielding Smith's 1938 book Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

1a. Bullock's Times and Seasons amalgamated version was done the next month after the sermon. It is possible that Joseph reviewed this; his clerks' diaries do not indicate this one way or the other.

2. Joseph Smith learned Sephardic Hebrew in Kirtland, Ohio (early 1836) and his pronounciation, reflected in his scribes' attempted renderings is somewhat different from the now more commonly learned Ashkenazi. Joseph may have discussed some of these words with the scribes prior to the conference, and he apparently planned to give this extensive discussion of doctrine well before the meetings (the opening minutes for April 4 reflect this). For example see Willard Richards' inclusion of the word "Gnolom" [eternity]. The other scribes do not include Gnolom and possibly Richards was abbreviating the thought based on his first hand knowledge of the Book of Abraham text, or the others just left the word out. For an explanation of Joseph's interesting Hebrew-based argument, see Kevin L. Barney, "Joseph Smith's Emendation of Hebrew Genesis 1:1," Dialogue, A Journal of Mormon Thought, 30/4 (1997) 103-35.

3. The text could suggest either that the child would never grow after its resurrection or that the body would be unchanged (in age) from when it was laid in the grave (see 20Mar42 and 12May44).

A related question is founded on the answer to this one: if children are either resurrected as adults or grow to adult size after the resurrection, what is their fate in the salvic system? Joseph Smith may have held different opinions at different times on these matters. The important thing to note here is that the language in the Woodruff account seems inconclusive. Varying opinions may be and perhaps were (see below) drawn from it. On May 18, 1843, William Clayton recorded

Thursday 18th. We left Macedonia about 8 and arrived Carthage at 10. I asked the Prest. [i.e., Joseph Smith] wether children who die in infancy will grow. He answered "no, we shall receive them precisely in the same state as they died in no larger. They will have as much intelligence as we shall but shall always remain separate and single. They will have no increase. Children who are born dead will have full grown bodies being made up by the resurrection."
While this statement does not address the question of growth after the resurrection, it suggests that the fates of infants who die are uniform: they do not "grow up and get married" so to speak even if they do "grow up." The words "no increase" as they typically appear in Clayton's journal, refer to the idea that these children will not receive "exaltation" in the parlance of Mormonism. Of course, Joseph Smith had stated much earlier than this that resurrected infants inherit the Celestial glory but this would not conflict with a "no exaltation" doctrine. Joseph gave a funeral sermon (no contemporary accounts are known) around the 3rd of October 1843, in which he reportedly said that mothers would raise their dead infants to adulthood in the resurrection. President Brigham Young said on several occasions that Joseph preached both ways on the doctrine: resurrected children would not grow, or they would grow to adult stature. The question of exaltation for resurrected infants has not been addressed by Joseph Smith's successors. The remarks in the 7Apr44 sermon suggest a kind of deification, but its nature is not clear. The 12May44 sermon (Bullock account- see the link above) hints that exaltation is possible. Various other remarks by Joseph suggest that resurrected infants will indeed be joint heirs with Christ, inheriting "thrones, principalities," etc.

Additionally, the Clayton diary states that stillborn children will be resurrected with adult-sized bodies, i.e., no growth in stature would be necessary for them following the resurrection. This idea goes unmentioned in later official accounts of LDS doctrine. Stillborn children seem to have no official place in LDS doctrine at present.

The idea that dead children would be resurrected (whether they grow or not) is not to be confused with the now obscure "baby resurrection doctrine" which some Latter-day Saints (including Orson Hyde) briefly subscribed to in the late 1840s. That doctrine was that all the dead would be resurrected by being born over again as babies. (See Brigham Young's criticism of the idea in JD 12:66.

Later, several individuals including Wilford Woodruff would state that Joseph Smith taught them in a more specific way in some of these matters. See Woodruff Journal for August 31, 1861 and Improvement Era 21 (June 1918) pp. 571-573; Messages of the First Presidency, 5:91-98. A nephew of Joseph Smith, Joseph F. Smith, who would later become President of the Church in 1901, held some special concern regarding these doctrines. In particular he was unsatisfied with the interpretation of his uncle's remarks that led people to conclude that resurrected infants would not grow after the resurrection. Joseph F. Smith's discomfort with the idea that children who die in infancy would not grow in the resurrection led him to seek out and record more specific accounts of Joseph Smith's teachings on this subject. While he finds evidence against a "no growth" doctrine, he does not specifically address any "no exaltation" doctrine. During a meeting held in the Salt Lake Temple in February 1918, President Smith outlined his concern and his search for a satisfactory resolution:

In 1854, I met with my aunt, the wife of my uncle, Don Carlos Smith, who was the mother of that little girl that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was speaking about, when he told the mother that she should have the joy, the pleasure, and the satisfaction of rearing that child, after the resurrection, until it reached the full stature of its spirit; and that it would be a far greater joy than she could possibly have in mortality, because she would be free from the sorrow and fear and disabilities of mortal life, and she would know more than she could know in this life. I met that widow, the mother of that child, and she told me this circumstance and bore testimony to me that this was what the Prophet Joseph Smith said when he was speaking at the funeral of her little daughter. Well, I thought it was almost too good. I have read Joseph's discourse at the death of King Follett, as at first published, and I did not believe, never did believe that he was correctly reported or that those who died in infancy would remain as little children after the resurrection. Never had it entered my soul as a possibility that such could be the case; yet, I did not have the courage to say so, although I had been told this circumstance. I really did not care to mention it, because I knew the strong opinions that some people had in regard to little children being resurrected and, everlastingly and forever after to remain as little children. I did not believe it, and this testimony of my aunt was a consolation to me that was unspeakable, because I could believe that was true.

Confirmations of the Testimony

One day I was conversing with a brother-in-law of mine, Lorin Walker, who married my oldest sister. In the course of the conversation he happened to mention that he was present at the funeral of my cousin Sophronia, and that he heard the Prophet Joseph Smith declare the very words that Aunt Agnes had told me.

I said to him, "Lorin, what did the Prophet say?" and he repeated, as nearly as he could remember, what the Prophet Joseph said in relation to little children. The body remains undeveloped in the grave, but the spirit returns to God who gave it. Afterwards, in the resurrection, the spirit and body will be reunited; the body will develop and grow to the full stature of the spirit, and the resurrected soul will go on to perfection. So I had the statement of two witnesses who heard this doctrine announced by the Prophet Joseph Smith, the source of intelligence; and I felt strengthened, but even then I did not feel that it would be well for me, only a boy, to say much about this principle. I ventured to say some few things, but I was very cautious for a number of years.

Eventually I was in conversation with Sister M. Isabella Home. She began to relate to me the circumstance of her being present at the funeral that I refer to, when Joseph spoke of the death of little children, their resurrection as little children, and of the glory, and honor, and joy, and happiness the mother would have in rearing her little children in the resurrection to the full stature of their spirits. "Well," she said, "I heard Joseph say that. I was at that funeral." Sister Isabella Horne told me this.

Then I said to her: "Why haven't you spoken about it before? How is it you have kept it to yourself all these long years? Why haven't you let the Church know something about this declaration of the Prophet?"

She replied: "I did not know whether it was my duty to do so, or whether it would be proper or not."

I said: "Who else was there?"

"My husband was there."

"Does he remember it?"

"Yes, he remembers it."

"Well, will you and Brother Horne give me an affidavit in writing stating the fact, and let it be sworn to?"

She said, "With the greatest of pleasure."

So I have the testimony in affidavit form of Brother and Sister Horne, in addition to the testimony of my aunt, and the testimony of my brother-in-law, in relation to the Prophet Joseph's remarks at that funeral.

Just a little while later, to my joy and satisfaction, the first man I ever heard mention it in public was Franklin D. Richards; and when he spoke of it, I felt in my soul: the truth has come out. The truth will prevail. It is mighty, and it will live; for there is no power that can destroy it. Presidents Woodruff and Cannon approved of the doctrine and after that I preached it.

My brethren and sisters, the Lord bless you. If any of you have any fault to find with me, come to me and tell me about it. If you do not find me just humble enough, and willing to be corrected and bow to that which is good and right, you may set me down as not living up to my doctrine; for I believe in that doctrine. If I had anything against any of you that I felt was worth while saying something to you about, and that would probably help you to rectify a mistake, I would go to you and help you to correct it.

Doctrine to be Weighed Carefully

It is a good thing for us not to attempt to advance new doctrine, or new and advanced thought in relation to principles and doctrines pertaining to, or presumed to pertain to the gospel of Jesus Christ, without weighing it carefully, with the experience of years, before you attempt to make a doctrinal test and to advance it to the people of the Lord. There is so much simple truth, necessary to be understood, that has been revealed to us in the gospel that it is extreme folly in us to attempt to go beyond the truth that has been revealed, until we have mastered and can comprehend the truth that we have. There is a great deal within our reach that we have not yet mastered.


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