upon you, dear brethren, to unite with us, all with
one accord, to do what? To do the very things
you desire should be done; to convey you to the
place where we are, and then put you in posses-
sion of all the means you may need for your sup-
port; so that you may enjoy the fulness of the
blessings belonging to the sons and daughters of
Zion`s King.
Had we means, we would not ask your aid;
we would gladly send the ships of to
bear you across the great waters; we would bring
you to our homes, to our firesides; we would pro-
vide you habitations, lauds and food, when you
arrive among us. Our hearts are large enough to
do all this, and a great deal more; but we have
not the means; we have to labor for our own
subsistence, as well as attend to those things
which are laid upon us of the Lord, and which
concern the whole church as much as ourselves.
It is not the will of heaven that any one should
be put in possession of all things, without striv-
ing for them. Where much is given, much is re-
quired; and he who has but one talent, must be
as diligent in the use thereof as he that has ten.
or he will lose his talent and his blessing; and it
becometh him who hath but one, five, or ten, to
appropriate it in the most economical manner
possible, or he will not have enough to bring him
hither; and that he who hath but five pounds
may have enough and to spare to him who hath
but one, or in other words, to help the brethren to
accomplish with a little, what otherwise would
require much more than they can command, is the
object of this Epistle.
Had we the means, we would send vessels of
our own, laden with flour, meat, fruits, and all
sea stores necessary for the comfort of the breth-
ren on the water, so that they would have nothing
more to do, than go on shipboard, and land at
; from thence we would take them
on our steamers, and bring them to this place, for
this is the best place for the to stop at, for
the present.
There may be other places where individuals
might have the prospect of adding at once more
rapidly to their pecuniary interest, than they could
here; but we can only say that it is the that the Saints build , and set-
tle therein, or in the vicinity; and we know as-
suredly, that those who give heed ot every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord,
will be richer, eventually, and not far distant,
than those who may seem to prosper more by
following their own inclinations.
Brethren, we wish not to control you or your
means; it is not for our peace or interest; nay,
rather, it is a source of labor, trouble, and anx-
iety to have ought to do with the pecuniary busi-
ness of the Church, which we would gladly avoid,
could we do it, and do our duty; could we do it,
and the things desired be accomplished, and we
stand guiltless where God hath placed us; and
for this reason we desire to make such arrange-
ments as will most tend to leave the business in
your own hands, or in the hands of those whom
you shall select; men of your own acquaintance,
in whom you can repose confidence that they will
execute their trust in righteousness; and that our
plans may be understood by you, and carried into
execution, we have sent unto you our beloved
brother, Elder , the bearer of this
Epistle, and other Epistles also previously written
by us to you; and we beseech you, brethren, to
receive him as a servant of the Most High, au-
thorized according to the order of the , and assist him by all lawful means in
your power to execute the mission entrusted to
him; for great events depend upon his success;
but to none will they be greater than to your-
selves.
Our authority for thus sending brother Snyder
to you, in found in the "," page 36, as follows:
"Nauvoo, December 22, 1841. The came unto the Seer; verily thus
saith the Lord: Let my servant John Snyder
take a mission to the Eastern Continent, unto all
the conferences now siting in that region, and
let him carry a package of Epistles that shall be
written by my servants the Twelve, making
known unto them their duties concerning the
building of my houses, which I have appointed
unto you, saith the Lord, that they may bring
their gold, and their silver, and their precious
stones, and the box tree, and the fir tree, and all
fine wood to beautiful the place of my sanctuary,
saith the Lord, and let him return speedily, with
all means which shall be put into his hands: even
so, Amen."
In this revelation, the brethren will discover
their duty in relation to the building of the of the Lord in Nauvoo, and the ;
and we call upon them with united cry to give
heed unto the things written, and help to build the
houses which God has commanded, so that broth-
er Snyder may speedily return with means to
strengthen the hands of the laborers, and adorn
and beautify the Tabernacle of Jehovah.
Brethren, while you are thus preparing to send
up your offerings to this place, if you will act in
concert with our well beloved brother, Elder , and the regular constituted authori-
ties of teh church in ; and collect as
great an amount of cotton, linen, land [hand] woolen
goods, silks, cutlery, and hardware, &c, even all
the varieties of good which might be useful in
this country, and which can be obtained by the
