![](https://wilford-woodruff-papers.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/media-library/687791/conversions/default-web.jpg)
April 7th Sunday the sun plesent air
calm & serene & a vast multitude of about
twenty thousand souls assembled together
After singing and prayers President Rigdon
arose & said, Our borders are enlarged
this morning. I shall preach from the
same tex[t] we preached from yesterday
The Church of Jesus Christ, the kingdom
of God, the leven, the little stone spoken
of by Daniel &c. [Daniel 2:34-35] The testimony given would
let the kingdom of God exhist in any goverment
Monarchiel or Republican. We intend to show
why salvation belongs to this Church ownly.
The kingdom of God is a goverment
that exerciseing its ownly power in evry
respect its ownly it holds a place on the
mind, not by force of Arms, but by
free will because they want to do the will
of God & it is accomplished by truth
itself that is manifest from Heaven
by intelligence that He sees in heaven and
it is power in itself it is on this principle
that power rests the Lord begins to teach a
man what he can do and if he never would
know what he was taught he never would
know what he could do. No people can com-
prehend it but the Church of God. then one
of the main things in the kingdon of God
is to let a man know what to do, what glory
kingdom & power he can gain. man is taught
a principle that when it enters ethe mind it
has a power over death, plagues, sicknes, the
gift of miracles. this is one great eviden[ce]
of the work the power of God. this then is
the kingdom of God. All religions then
that there is in the world that has not these
things has a tendency to do hurt instead of
doing good for it teaches those things are done
away. God has said he would take all the
kingdoms of the world out of the way. he would
Break in peases & subdue & he would teach the
kings and all powers the way that they may
have a chance. We say then their is no
power any whare els unto salvation. Isaiah said
the wilderness should blossom as the rose the
lame leap, the blind see. [Isaiah 35:1-6] we have got this power
here yet the world says it is an imposition.
when He comes, He will save you the lame shall
leap, Deaf hear, Blind see. he will come so you need
not have sickness or lameness, Man ^But^ has proclaimed
salvation in the earth. when we exercise the
keys of the kingdom of God who can oppose it
not war with the sword but with another
power. the world has always been sheding
Blood. I proclaim peace not war, & this is what
he calls the kingdom. Has not the kingdom
of God a right to extend in any part of the world
to do good. Beat swords into plow shares &
spears into pruning hooks, & it shall be a kingdom
of glory, peace, ^&^ salvation. [Isaiah 2:4] Let no man be alarmed
because the Lord said that the kingdom of God
should swallow up all other kingdoms what harm
would it do; for all the world would have the
same spirit. the Lord said He intended to do
by the whole world the same as he has done
by us, & this is the thing the world is afraid
of, reflect then. This is as far as I intended
to go upon this subject. A word then upon
the Materials to carry on this kingdom. Any
man publicans, sinners, scoundrals or any body
els could repent & receive the gospel & become a
member of the kingdom as well as the good for
when Jesus came He came to call sinners & Harlots
came into the kingdom. [Mark 2:17] It dont requir
much of an exhertion of the mind. much
depends however upon the decision of the
mind. it depends upon one action of the mind
A man remarked to me He did not belong
to a church was not worthy, but this ia [is] sa
mistake. Jesus Christ came to save sinners
He saves the unworthy. T[h]e Lord will offer
a man salvation he says he is not worth,
but what would you want your son to do
if he was unworthy. He should return to his
father. So with God. He calls to the world
to return by Baptism. He cannot make him-
self any better, but decid with the mind
today then the Lord begins to teach him the
the things of God & heaven & I will make you
like myself I will give you my spirit &
make you feel like my family, & this is the
pivot to A God then decide & go & be Baptized
then you will be in the way of salvation. if
he decide otherwise he will not be any better.
A word upon the spirit. this noble decision of the
mind causes Angels to rejoice in the Heavens
for their is more joy over one sinner that
repenteth than over ninety and nine just persons [Luke 15:7]
evry person can do this & no man can do a
better work. let no man say they are
unworthy. I wish all the teachers of the day
could hear me. I was a Baptist & preached
their doctrin & was hampered, & hampered
others in my teachings and all the teachers
of the day do the same. they may be honest
but they teach fals doctrins. they call people
to the ansxious bench & keep them down
untill they will say they are willing to be damned
But I never was willing to be damned. the
doctrin peter taught was different from
sectarianisms. His doctrin was repent & be Baptized
& you shall receive the Holy ghost. [Acts 2:38] take a view
of this subject look at the spirit of promise. view
the congregation on that day they were stranger
not having a knowledge of salvation they were
strangers to the power of God & did not know
that Jesus Christ was crusified [crucified] & all they
know about it was what Peter told them on
the day of Pentecost. 14 vrs of 2 ch of Acts
the ownly knowledge they had about the
Holy Spirit was what Peter taught them by
quoting the prophet Joel 37 ver now mark this
Peter had defined the Spirit of God of the fruits
of it be prophecy, dreams, visions, revelations
&c yes this is the spirit of God the spirit of
Prophecy, dreams, visions, heal the sick, & all the
great things, & I will in the last days pour out
my spirit upon all flesh. [Acts 2:17-19] this is the definition
of the Spirit. All were called to be baptized
without any exceptions, villians Harlots scoundrel
and all. A question, how long wiould it take
the sectarian religion before they would proph[es]y
& have the gifts of the spirits of God. it would
take seven eternities to do it for it is on a
different scheme. I will come to an Anxious
bench and get as good a convertion as can be
got at an anxious bench. will I be converted
to God? No, I will be converted to an anxious
bench. If I had been converted to God I
should have been prophesying According to
the words of Joel, for He said the spirit of
God should be poured out upon all flesh [Joel 2:28] &
I believe I am flesh & I believe you are
flesh & I believe we are in the last days.
I will now sum up the testimony. what is
a man to preach when they go out. tell the
people to repent quit their iniquity be Baptized
& you shall recieve the Holy ghost, dream
dreams see visions, & prophecy & if they
dont tell them this they preach another
gospel.
3 oclok PM
[FIGURE 8] The following important edefying & interest-
ing 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
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, & 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 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.
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 rowrong. 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 exhistance, except what is given
by the inspiration of the Almighty. go then to
the beginning that you may understand. 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
The scriptures inform us that this is eternal life
to know the ownly wise God & Jesus Christ whome
He has sent. [John 17:3]
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
pretentions to inspirations or to be a prophet
I would be like the rest of the world, fals teachers
& you would want to take my life. But you
might just as well take the lives of other fals teache[r]s
as mine if I was fals. But meddle not with
any man for his religion. evry goverment ought
to permit evry man to enjoy his religion. I will
show the world is ^w^rong by showing what God is
I am going to inquire after God so that you
may know God, that persecution myay cease
concerning me. I go back to the beginning to
show what kind of a being God was. I will
tell you & hear it oO Earth! 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, walked
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. 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 may convers
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 ss [so] hath
the Son power in himself to do what the father
did even to lay down my body & take it up again [John 5:26]
do you believe it if not dont believe the bible
I defy all Hell and earth to refute it. 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. how cons-
oling to the mourner when they part with a friend
to know that though they lay down this dody [body]
it will rise & dwell with everlasting burnings to
be an heir of God & joint heir of Jesus Christ
enjoying the same rise exhaltation & glory untill
you arive at the station of a God. what did Jesus
Christ do, the same thing as I se[e] the Father do [John 5:19]
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. 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 any thing but what was in the bible
the cry of treason would be herd 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 sumthing. The grand Council set
at the head and contemplated the
creation of the world. some will say the script-
ures say so & so, but I will show you a text
out of an old book containing the four langua
ges. 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 Jacob son of Zebedee 21 ch 24th ver Matthew
The Dr says (I mean Dr of Law not of physic)
If you say any thing 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 knowledg of God we
know how to Approach him & ask & he will answer
An other thing the learned Dr says the Lords
made the world out of nothing. you tell
them that God made the world out of
sumthing, & they think you are a fool. But
I am learned & know more than the whole
world. the Holy Ghost does any how, & I will
associate myself wit[h] it. Beaureau to organize
the world out of chaotic matter, element
they are principles that cannot be disolved
they may be reorganized. 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 prin-
ciple. 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 seper-
ted for a moment. the spirit is seperated for
a little time. they are now conversant with
each other as we are on the earth. I am dwel-
ling on the immutibility 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. my ring is like the bexhistanc of man
it has no begining or end. if cut into their
would be a begining & end, so with man
if it had a begining it will have an end. 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. 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
nknow you believe it. All things ^that^ God sees fit
to reveal to us in relation to us, reveals his comma-
ndments 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. the greatest responsibility
lade upon us in this life is in relation to our dead
Paul cannot be made perfect without us, [Hebrews 11:40] for it is
necessary that the seals are in our hands to seal our
children & our dead for the fulness 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 blasphemys
were to be forgiven except the sin against the
Holy Ghost. [Matthew 12:31] 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. their 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. 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. [Moses 4:1-3] Jesus Christ will save
all except the sons of perdition. [Doctrine and Covenants 76:42-43] 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 scease 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. stay all that hear. dont make
any hasty mooves you may be saved. if a spirit
of Bitterness is in you, dont 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. their is many mansions
in my fathers Kingdom. [John 14:2] 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 their is many who die
who will have to wait many years. 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. A question
will Mothers have their children in Eternity
yes, yes, you will have the children ^But^ as it falls
so it will rise. It will never grow. It will be
in its precise form as it fell in its mothers
arms. Eternity is full of thrones upon which
dwell thousands of children reigning on thrones
of glory not one cubit added to their stature
I will leave this subject here and make a few
remarks upon Baptism. I will read a tex[t] 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. [Matthew 3:11] 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 damn
ation. There has also been remarks made concern-
ing all men being redeemed from Hell. But
I say that any man who commits the unpardon-
able sin must dwell in hell worlds without end
[several lines blank]
Conference adjourned till tomorrow 10 oclock
Browse people Wilford Woodruff mentioned on this day in his journal.
View selected quotes from this page in Wilford Woodruff's journal.
Jesus Christ came to save sinners He saves the unworthy. The Lord will offer a man salvation he says he is not worth, but what would you want your son to do if he was unworthy. He should return to his father, so with God. He calls to the world to return by Baptism. He cannot make him self any better, but decid with the mind
today then the Lord begins to teach him the the things of God & heaven & I will make you like myself. I will give you my spirit & make you feel like my family, & this is the pivot to a God
A word upon the spirit, this noble decision of the mind causes angels to rejoice in the Heavens for their is more joy over one sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine just persons evry person can do this & no man can do a better work, let no man say they are unworthy.
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, how cons- oling to the mourner when they part with a friend to know that though they lay down this dody [body] it will rise & dwell with everlasting burnings to be an heir of God & joint heir of Jesus Christ enjoying the same rise exhaltation & glory untill you arive at the station of a God.
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, their is a possibility for his escape in a little time.
Browse other documents with this same date. These could include pages from Wilford Woodruff's autobiographies, daybooks, letters, histories, and personal papers.
View selected events in the two months surrounding this date in Wilford Woodruff's life.