Читать книгу History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Vol. 1-7) - Joseph F. Smith - Страница 49

1. George Albert Smith was born at Potsdam, St. Lawrence county, New York, on the 26th of June, 1817. He was the son of John Smith, the sixth son of Asael and Mary Smith. John Smith was therefore a brother of the Prophet's father, and George Albert and the Prophet were cousins. In the fall of 1828, Asael Smith, grandfather of the subject of this note, received a letter from Joseph Smith, Sen., informing him of some of the visions the youthful Prophet had received. Soon after this a letter from the young Prophet himself was received by John Smith, and read in the hearing of George Albert. The letter declared that the judgments of God would overtake the wicked of this generation unless they repented. The letter made a deep impression upon George Albert; while his father remarked that "Joseph wrote like a prophet." In August, 1830, Joseph Smith, Sen., visited his brother John, bringing with him the Book of Mormon, a copy of which he left at the former's residence. During the temporary absence of his uncle, who was visiting other branches of the family, George Albert championed the Book of Mormon, and answered objections urged against it by the neighbors who came in to examine it. Meantime he formulated some objections of his own, which his Uncle Joseph on his return answered to his complete satisfaction; and he never afterwards ceased to advocate the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Notwithstanding this conviction, however, he was not baptized until some two years had elapsed as will be seen by reference to the date of his baptism in the text of the Prophet's narrative.

At this point I think it proper that a letter written by Asael Smith, grandfather of the Prophet Joseph Smith Jun., should be introduced. A copy of the letter was obtained by George A. Smith, the subject of the foregoing biographical note, while on a visit to Topsfield, in 1872. The original was in the hands of a son of Mr. Jacob Town, then the town clerk of Topsfield, and who, while unwilling to part with the original, because written to and received by his father, permitted President George A. Smith to copy it.

On the outside of the letter, besides the superscription, "Mr. Jacob Town, Topsfield Commonwealth of Massachusetts," is this: "Rec'd Feb. 14, 1796, from Asael Smith." From which it appears, when compared with the date under which it was written, the letter was one month on the journey from Tunbridge, Vt., to Topsfield, a distance of 150 miles, and was probably carried by private conveyance.

The letter is produced here for two reasons: first for its own intrinsic interest as a literary relic of one of the Prophet's ancestors, and of the American Revolutionary period; second, as showing the character of the stock from which the Prophet Joseph descended. This letter exhibits in Asael Smith a noble independence of character, united with a childlike humility before God, together with unbounded faith and trust in the wisdom of Providence and of His over-ruling hand in the affairs of nations. Loyalty to his country and faith in the stability of the government under the over-ruling providences of God are equally conspicuous. The letter will go far towards refuting the slanders which untruthful writers have been pleased to circulate concerning the character of that race from which the Prophet descended.

Asael Smith's Letter to Mr. Jacob Town.

"Tunbridge. Jan. 14th, 1796.

"Respected Sir:—Having a favorable opportunity, altho' on very short notice, I with joy and gratitude, embrace it, returning herewith my most hearty thanks for your respect shown in your favor of the 30th of November, by Mr. Willis, which I view as a singular specimen of friendship, which has very little been practiced by any of my friends in Topsfield, altho' often requested.

"My family are all, through the goodness of the Divine Benediction, in a tolerable good state of health, and desire to be remembered to you and to all inquiring friends.

"I have set me up a new house since Mr. Willis was here and expect to remove into it next spring, and begin again on an entire new farm, and my son Joseph will live on the old farm (if this that has been but four years occupied can be called old), and carry it on at the halves, which half I hope will nearly furnish my family with food, whilst I with my four youngest sons shall endeavor to bring to another farm, etc.

"As to news, I have nothing as I know of, worth noticing, except that grain has taken a sudden rise amongst us about one-third.

"As to the Jacobin party, they are not very numerous here, or if they are they are pretty still; there are some in this state, viz., in Bennington, who like other children crying for a rattle, have blared out against their rulers, in hopes to wrest from them, if possible, what they esteem the plaything of power and trust. But they have been pretty well whipped and have become tolerably quiet again, and I am in hopes if they live to to arrive to the years of discretion, when the empire of reason shall take place, that they will then become good members of society, notwithstanding their noisy, nucious behavior in their childhood, for which they were either capable of hearing or giving any reason.

"For my part, I am so willing to trust the government of the world in the hands of the Supreme Ruler of universal nature, that I do not at present wish to try to wrest it out of His hands, and I have so much confidence in His abilities to teach our senators wisdom, that I do not think it worth while for me to interpose, from the little stock of knowledge that He has favored me with, in the affair, either one way or the other. He has conducted us through a glorious Revolution and has brought us into the promised land of peace and liberty, and I believe that He is about to bring all the world into the same beatitude in His own time and way; which, altho' His ways may appear never so inconsistent to our blind reason, yet may be perfectly consistent with His designs. And I believe that the stone is now cut out of the mountain without hands, spoken of by Daniel, and has smitten the image upon his feet, by which the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and the gold, (viz.) all the monarchial and ecclesiastical tyranny will be broken to pieces and become as the chaff of the summer threshing floor, the wind shall carry them all away, that there shall be no place found for them.

"Give my best regards to your parents and tell them that I have taken up with the eleventh commandment, that the negro taught to the minister, which was thus—

"The minister asked the negro how many commandments there were, his answer was 'Eleben, sir.' 'Aye,' replied the other, 'what is the eleventh? That is one I never heard of.' 'The eleventh commandment, sir, is mind your own business.'

"So I choose to do and give myself but little concern about what passes in the political world.

"Give my best regards to Dr. Meriam, Mr. Willis, Joseph Dorman and Mr. Cree, and tell Mr. Cree I thank him for his respects and hope he will accept of mine. Write to me as often and as large as you can and oblige your sincere friend and well-wisher.

(Signed) Asael Smith

"Mr. Jacob Town, Jun."

The following appears on the back of the first page of the letter, being evidently of the nature of a postscript—

"Give my hearty thanks to Mr. Charles Rogers for his respects shown in writing me a few lines, and tell him that I should a wrote to him now, had I had time, but now waive it for the present, as I have considerable part of what I intended to a writ to you.

"If I should live and do well, I expect to come to Topsfield myself next winter, which, if I do, I shall come and pay you a visit. Farewell.

"Tell Mr. Joseph Cree that if he will come here and set up his trade, I will warrant him as much work as he can do, and good pay."

On the margin of the second page of the letter appears the following—

"I expect my son Joseph will be married in a few days."

2. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 84.

3. Three children had previously been born to Joseph and Emma: a son, on June 15, 1828, who died the same hour; and a son and daughter, on April 30, 1831, who lived three hours. These latter children were born the same day as the Murdock twins, whose adoption into Joseph's family at the age of nine days, is mentioned on page 260.

4. Joseph Young, mentioned above, was named for his grandfather Joseph Young, a physician and surgeon in the British-American army during the French and Indian war. John Young, the father of Joseph Young, subject of this note, was a native of Hopkinton, Middlesex county, Massachusetts. He married Nabby Howe, who bore to him eleven children, of whom Joseph was the seventh child and second son. Joseph was born on the 7th of April, 1797, in Hopkinton, Middlesex county, Massachusetts. In early life he became attached to religion, and was very moral and devout. In his youth he assisted his father in agricultural pursuits. He was a Methodist preacher for a number of years, and labored in the United States and Canada. On April 6th, 1832, he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Elder Daniel Bowen, in Columbia, Pennsylvania; and was ordained an Elder a few days afterwards under the hands of Ezra Landon. After preaching in the state of New York for several months, he took a mission to Canada, in the summer of 1832, in company with his brother Phinehas, Eleazer Miller and others. They organized two small branches, and returned to Mendon in about four months. He then went to Kirtland with Heber C. Kimball and his brother Brigham, as related in the text.

5. Heber Chase Kimball was born June 14, 1801, in Sheldon, Franklin county, Vermont. His parents were American born, though of Scotch extraction, the ancient name of the family being, it is believed, Campbell. His opportunities for acquiring an education even of the common school order were extremely limited. At the age of nineteen he was apprenticed to his elder brother, Charles, to learn the potter's trade. He served some two years as an apprentice and then worked for his brother as a journeyman potter. While yet in the employ of his brother they together moved to Mendon, Monroe county, where the latter established a pottery. While living here Heber married Vilate Murray, of Victor, a town near Mendon, but in the adjoining county of Ontario. Soon after his marriage he joined the Baptist church. Three weeks later, and some time in the winter of 1831, a number of the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began preaching in the town of Victor, and Heber C. Kimball and a number of the Youngs attended their meetings. Then followed the visit to the branch of the Church in Columbia, Pennsylvania, mentioned in the biographical note of Brigham Young. After his return from Columbia he was baptized by Alpheus Gifford, on the 15th of April, 1832. During the summer of 1832 Heber C. Kimball was ordained an Elder and with the Youngs labored part of his time in the ministry, and succeeded in raising up several small branches of the Church. In September he made the journey to Kirtland, spoken of by the Prophet in his narrative.

6. Brigham Young was born in Whitingham, Windham county, Vermont, June 1, 1801. He was the ninth child and fourth son of John and Nabby Howe Young. He was early taught by his parents to live a strictly moral life, it was not until he was in his twenty-second year that he gave serious thought to religion. He soon afterwards joined the Methodist church. On the 8th of October he married Miriam Works, daughter of Asa and Jerusha Works, and for a number of years followed the trade of carpenter and joiner, painter and glazier. In the spring of 1829 he made his home at Mendon, a small town some fifteen miles south and east of Rochester, in Monroe county, where his father also resided. A year later he saw for the first time the Book of Mormon, a copy that was left at the house of his brother, Phinehas H. Young, by Samuel H. Smith, brother of the Prophet. In the fall of 1831 Elders Alpheus Gifford, Elial Strong and others appeared in the vicinity of Mendon, preaching the restored Gospel, as revealed through Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Brigham believed their testimony. In company with his brother, Phinehas, and Heber C. Kimball he visited a branch of the Church in Columbia, Bradford county, Pennsylvania. The three brethren remained with the branch of the Church about a week, during which time their faith was much strengthened in the mission of the modern Prophet. On returning to Mendon, Brigham Young in company with John P. Greene started for Canada to find Joseph Young, an elder brother of Brigham's, then a preacher in the Methodist church. On meeting his brother Brigham related what he had learned of the new dispensation and Joseph rejoiced at hearing the glad tidings. Together they returned to Mendon, where they arrived in March, 1832; and on the 14th of April following, Brigham was baptized by Eleazer Miller, and confirmed a member of the Church at the water's edge. Almost immediately afterwards Miller ordained him an Elder in the Church. During the summer of 1832 he preached in Mendon and vicinity and assisted in raising up several branches of the Church. On the 8th of September his wife died of consumption, leaving him with two small children, both girls. After the death of his wife he made his home with Heber C. Kimball, the latter's wife taking in charge his motherless babes. In the same month of September, in company with Heber C. Kimball and his brother Joseph, he went to Kirtland on his visit to the Prophet, as related in the text.

7. The above incident is thus related by President Brigham Young in his own history:—In September, 1832, Brother Heber C. Kimball took his horse and wagon, Brother Joseph Young and myself accompanying him, and started for Kirtland to see the Prophet Joseph. We visited many friends on the way, and some branches of the Church. We exhorted them and prayed with them, and I spoke in tongues. Some pronounced it genuine and from the Lord, and others pronounced it of the devil. We proceeded to Kirtland and stopped at John P. Greene's, who had just arrived there with his family. We rested a few minutes, took some refreshments and started to see the Prophet. We went to his father's house and learned that he was in the woods chopping. We immediately repaired to the woods, where we found the Prophet, and two or three of his brothers, chopping and hauling wood. Here my joy was full at the privilege of shaking the hand of the Prophet of God, and receiving the sure testimony, by the spirit of prophecy, that he was all that any man could believe him to be as a true prophet. He was happy to see us and bid us welcome. We soon returned to his house, he accompanying us.

In the evening, a few of the brethren came in, and we conversed upon the things of the kingdom. He called upon me to pray; in my prayer I spoke in tongues. As soon as we arose from our knees, the brethren flocked around him, and asked his opinion concerning the gift of tongues that was upon me. He told them it was the pure Adamic language. Some said to him they expected he would condemn the gift Brother Brigham had, but he said, "No, it is of God."—Millennial Star, vol. 25, p. 439.

The gift of tongues here spoken of was first exercised in one of the Pennsylvania branches; next at Mendon, where the Youngs and Kimballs resided; then in the branches between Mendon and Kirtland; then in Kirtland under the circumstances above related, and shortly afterwards it was a gift quite generally exercised by the Saints in Ohio. "And it came to pass," writes John Whitmer in his history of the Church (chap. 10), "that in the fall of 1832, the disciples in Ohio received the gift of tongues, and in June, 1833, we received the gift of tongues in Zion."

8. The part of the above letter, beginning with the words, "It is the duty of the Lord's clerk," etc., and ending with the words, "As will be found recorded in the second chapter and sixty-first and sixty-second verses of Ezra," was accepted afterwards as the word of the Lord, that is, as a revelation upon the matters treated therein, and appears in the Doctrine and Covenants as section 85.

9. "And the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name: these sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found, therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood."—Ezra 2:61, 62.

10. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 86.