| 752 TIMES AND SEASONS.
"TRUTH WILL PREVAIL.'
Vol. V. No. 24] CITY OF NAUVOO, ILL. JAN. 1, 1844. [Whole No. 108.
HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH.
(Continued.)
April 2d. F. G. Williams was appointed, by a council of High Priests, an agent, to superintend and employ men to labor in the brick yard, on the French farm, also to rent the farm. The French farm was purchased on account of the stone quarry thereon, and the facilities for making brick, each essential to the building up of the city. The council also instructed Bro E. Thayre [Thayer] to purchase the Tannery of Arnold Mason, in Kirtland.
On the 6th of April, in the land of Zion, which was within the western bounderies [boundaries] of the State of Missouri, about eighty official, together with some unofficial members of the church, met for instruction, and the service of God at the Ferry on Big Blue River, near the western limits of Jackson County, which is the confines of the State and the United States.-It was an early Spring, and the leaves and blossoms, like a glimpse at Paradise, enlivened and gratified the soul of man.
The day was spent in a very agreeable manner, in giving and receiving knowledge which appertained to this last kingdom. It being just 1800 years since the Savior laid down his life that men might have everlasting life, and only three years since the church had come out of the wilderness, preparatory for the last dispensation; they had great reason to rejoice: they thought upon the time when this world came into existence, and the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy: when Israel eat [ate] the "passover" as wailing came up for the loss of the first-born of Egypt, and they felt like the shepherds who watched their flocks by night, when the angelic choir sweetly sung that electrifying strain, "Peace on earth and good will to man," and the solemnities of eternity rested upon them. This was the first attempt made by the church, to celebrate her birth day, and those who professed not our faith talked about it as a strange thing.
While the church was thus rejoicing, the news from abroad was, that 30,000 out of the population of 100,000, had died of starvation, in consequence of the famine produced by three years drouth [drought], followed by a flood, in the Cape de Verd islands: that sixteen shocks of an earthquake had been felt the previous February, at St. Kitts and Nevis, in the West India islands: that the Polish Jews were about to visit Jerusalem: that war was raging between Turkey and Egypt: that a great fire had occurred in Liverpool: that volcanic eruptions, war and rumors of wars, were prevailing in different sections of the earth and fire balls and fearful signs were seen in the heavens, with many other alarming appearances, which caused the hearts of the wicked to tremble, none of which was more awful than the continued spread of the Asiatic cholera in Europe, which had already swept from the earth, in the short space of 15 years about sixty millions of inhabitants. (See "Evening and Morning Star, April 1833."
Brother Jared Carter presented me a letter which he had received from his brother, to me, and requested me to answer it, which I did as follows:
Kirtland, April 17, 1833.
Dear Brother Carter;-Your letter to Bro. Jared is just put into my hand and I have carefully perused its contents, and embrace this opportunity to answer it. We proceed to answer your questions: first concerning your labor in the region where you live; we acquiesce in your feelings on this subject until the mouth of the Lord shall name; and, as it respects the vision you speak of, we do not consider ourselves bound to receive any revelation from any one man or woman without their being legally constituted and ordained to that authority, and given sufficient proof of it.
I will inform you that it is contrary to the economy of God for any member of the church, or any one, to receive instruction for those in authority, higher than themselves, therefore you will see the impropriety of giving heed to them: but if any have a vision or a visitation from a heavenly messenger, it must be for their own benefit and instruction, for the fundamental principles, government, and doctrine of the church is vested in the keys of the kingdom.-As it respects an apostate, or one who has been cut off from the church, and wishes to come in again, the law of our church expressly says that such shall repent, and be baptized, and be admitted as at the first.
The duty of a High Priest is to administer in spiritual and holy things, and to hold communion with God; but not to exercise monarchial [monarchical] government, or to appoint meetings for the elders, without their consent. And again it is the High Priests' duty to be better qualified to teach principles, and doctrines, than the elders for the office of elder is an appendage to the
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