| 673 simile, bleed an old sore, by probing it for proud flesh, when it only wanted a little oil from the hand of the good Samaritan, in person, to heal it. No matter how pure your intentions may be; no matter how high your standing is, you cannot touch man's heart when absent as when present. Truly, you do not cast your pearls before swine, but you throw your gold before man, and he robs you for your folly. Instead of reproof give good advice; and when face to face, rebuke a wise man and he will love you; or do so to your friend, that, should he become your enemy, he cannot reproach you: thus you may live, not only unspotted, but unsuspected.
5 Never write what you would be ashamed to have printed; or what might offend the chastest ear, or hurt the softest heart. If you write what you are ashamed to have printed, you are partial: If you write what would offend virtue, you have not the Spirit of the Lord; and if you write what would wound the weak hearted, you are not feeding the Lord's lambs, and thus you may know that you are not doing to others what you would expect others to do to you. The only rule we would give to regulate writing letters is this: Write what you are willing should be published in this world, and in the world to come: And would to God, that not only the disciples of Christ, but the whole world, were willing to follow this rule: Then the commandments would be kept and no one would write a word against the Lord his God. No one would write a word against his neighbor. No one would write a word against the creatures of God. No one would need write a word against any thing but sin; and then the world would be worth living in, for there would be none to offend.
I continued the translation and ministering to the church through the fall, excepting a rapid journey to Albany, New York and Boston, in company with Bishop Whitney, from which I returned on the 6th of November, immediately after the birth of my son Joseph Smith, 3d. In answer to letters received from the brethren in Missouri, I wrote as follows:
KIRTLAND, Nov. 27th, 1832.
Brother William W. Phelps:-I say brother because I feel so from the heart, and although it is not long since I wrote a letter unto you, yet I feel as though you would excuse me for writing this as I have many things which I wish to communicate. Some things which I will mention in this letter, which are laying with great weight on my mind; I am well and my family also; God grant that you may enjoy the same, and yours, and all the brethren and sisters who remember to enquire [inquire] after the commandments of the Lord, and the welfare of Zion and such a being as me; and while I dictate this letter I fancy to myself that you are saying or thinking something similar to these words: 'My God, great and mighty art thou, therefore show unto thy servant what shall become of all those who are essaying to come up unto Zion, in order to keep the commandments of God, and yet receive not their inheritance by consecrations, by order or deed from the bishop, the man that God has appointed in a legal way, agreeably to the law given to organize and regulate the church, and all the affairs of the same.'
Brother William, in the love of God, having the most implicit confidence in you as a man of God, having obtained this confidence by a vision of heaven, therefore I will proceed to unfold to you some of the feelings of my heart, and to answer the question. Firstly, it is the duty of the Lord's clerk whom he has appointed to keep a history and a general church record of all things that transpire in Zion, and of all those who consecrate properties and receive inheritances legally from the bishop, and also their manner of life, their faith and works; and also of all the apostates who apostatize after receiving their inheritances.
Secondly, it is contrary to the will and commandment of God, that those who receive not their inheritance by consecration, agreeably to his law, which he has given, that he may tithe his people, to prepare them against the day of vengeance and burning, should have their names enrolled with the people of God; neither is their genealogy to be kept, or to be had where it may be found on any of the records or history of the church; their names shall not be found, neither the names of the fathers, the names of the children written in the book of the law of God, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, thus saith the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest, saying: 'and it shall come to pass that I the Lord God will send one mighty and strong, holding the sceptre [scepter] of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheaitances [inheritances] of the saints, whose names are found, and the names of their fathers, and of their children, enrolled in the book of the law of God: while that man, who was called of God and appointed, that putteth forth his hand to steady the ark of God, shall fall by the shaft of death,
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