Letter to Asahel Hart, Clara Martisha, Abraham Owen, Winnifred Blanche, and Mary Alice Woodruff, 1 February 1877
To Asahel, Clara, Owen, Blanche, and Alice, My beloved children:
You have again the privilege of enjoying the society of your mother, and
I am thankful for this. I want to give you all a word of council considering
the signs of the times, the persecutive of our nation against us and at my
own age you cannot reasonably expect to enjoy much more of my society as your
father in this life, but you have with you your mother.
Now if it was the last testimony I was to give you on earth I want to
say be kind to your mother. You cannot always expect to have her with you,
altho she may live a score of years or more, time will be short. Do not give
way to anger, or say or do anything that you will be sorry for but I pray you
be united with your mother and with each other and look after each others
interest.
Again I wish to say to you by children, thatIknow that God lives, that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world, and he shed his
blood to redeem us from death, and God raised up Joseph Smith as a true pro-
phet of God, who brought forth the Book of Mormon, and laid the foundation
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only true and living
church upon the face of the whole earth with which the Lord is well pleased. [Doctrine and Covenants 1:30]
And the Church of Christ, and the Zion and Kingdom of God has been organized.
It is on the earth for the last time, and this church and Kingdom of God
will stand and fill the whole earth and be thrown down no more forever.
Now you all hold this Church and Kingdom of God on earth, and I want you all
to pursue a course, so as to never be separated from the Church in time or
Eternity, and as your father has been called to the apostleship which office
I have held near 49 years and have also been called to stand as the President
