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Church History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
| Collection Name | Wilford Woodruff journals and papers, 1828-1898 |
| Collection Description | Wilford Woodruff journal, 1873 January-1880 February |
| Collection Number | MS 1352 |
| Collection Page | 1-496 |
| Source Link | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
| Rights and Use | Copyright and Use Information |
| Transcript | View Full Transcript |
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I Added to the Church 1800 souls in seven months labor in A.D. 1840 In Herrifordshire Conference England a[mo]ng whom were 200 Preachers of the various Sects of the day
I attended A Missionary meeting at the Tabernacle President Young gave inst- ruction to the company about 100 answered to their names President Young said he wanted them to settle upon a cooperative principle and not ask what they are going to have for their labor but labor to build Up Zion & convert the Lamanites to the gospel & baptize them
O Pratt Preached one hour & 15 Minuts from this Text the Deciples said unto Jesus "will thoue at this time restore the Kingdom unto Israel, and Jesus said it is not for you to know the times & seasons which the Father hath hid up unto himself." He showed that this was the Dispensation in which the Father would restore the kingdom to Israel
April 6, 1875 In the midst of a hard snow storm I went to the New Tabernacle & met in the Semi Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints it is forty- five years ago this day sincte the Church was organized with 6 members the little seed of the Kingdom of God that Daniel saw planted by Gods own hand in the Earth which is now becoming a mountain & will fill the whole Earth
it is the duty of the Twelve to know the mind and will of God concerning them and their duties as much as for me to know it
No man has Ever lived in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Died who has left a cleaner or brighter record for both time and Eternity then the Apostle G. A. Smith. No man has been more diligent, virtuous, honest, or valiant in the Testimony of Jesus Christ than He in the last dispensation and fulness of times. He was an Apostle fore ordained from before the foundation of the world to come forth in the last dispensation & fulness of times and assist in laying the foundation of the Church and kingdom of God in the last days and assist in building it up, and He has well & faithfully fulfilled his mission
No two men have been more closely allied together in the Church and Kingdom of God on the Earth in the last days than George A. Smith & Wilford Woodruff, for Forty One years past we went together in Zions Camp. we travelled together on mission through the United States, we were Ordained at the same time into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
No two men have been more closely allied together in the Church and Kingdom of God on the Earth in the last days than George A. Smith & Wilford Woodruff, for Forty One years past we went together in Zions Camp. we travelled together on mission through the United States, we were Ordained at the same time into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. On the Cornor stone of the Temple of Far West Caldwell Co Mo, in 1838. we travelled together through England, built up the Church in London together in connexion with Heber C Kimball. we returned home together on the same ship sleeping in the same birth we have labored together for Fifteen years as Historians in the same office, we had labored together as Legislative Councellors for Many years in Salt Lake City, And I can bear testimony of a truth that in all our labors and associations together under all these circumstances there never was an unplesant word passed between us in our lives, and we have administered in many of the Holy Ordinances together in the flesh and to day He is ming- ling with the most Noble Spirits in his ministry & Priesthood in the Eternal world, and He is pure and Holy. He has fought a good fight & gained the victory, and He is prepared to come forth in the morning of the first Resurrection, clothed with glory, immortality and pass by the Angels & the Gods to his crown Throne & Kingdom and mingle with the Gods Forever
President Brigham Young was introduced to President U S. Grant, One the President of the Kingdom of God on the Earth & a law giver unto Israel in this last dispensation and fullness ^of times^ & the other the President of the United States and of this Great Nation
I have had vary peculiar feelings for the last 3 months of my life. I view in the vision of my mind Forty thousand men in these mountains bearing the Holy and Everlasting Priesthood of the Son of God and these men were fore- ordained before the world was created to come here on the Earth in this dispensation on purpose to labor with the Lord to build up his kingdom on the Earth, and then I view in the vision of my mind forty Million Devels, fallen spirits gathered to gether to make war against
This warefare is between God & the Devil, Christ & Balial, Saint & Sinner light & Darkness good & Evil. Do Right and let the consequences follow, Jesus Christ & his Saints will overcome & gain the victory.
Thus Ends 1875 the End of the Centaury of the American Independance it has been one of the most important centauries in the History of the world in many respects it has not ownly esstablished an independant Government and a great Nation in this western world but it has also Esstablished the Church and kingdom of God in the midst of it which has stood for forty five years since its Esstablishment but is now growing strong in the vallies of the Rocky Mountains the backbone of the American Continant, the Church has had much persecution from the hand of the Gentiles, but the Lord has preserved his people & given them Deliverance so far, & has broaken Evry weapon formed against Zion, and will continue to do it untill Evry Nation will be destroyed & wasted away who will not serve Zion in fullfillment of the prophesies of Isaiah & other prophets Darkness now covers the Earth & Gross thedarkness the people Sin of Evry kind Now deluges the Earth as the waters cover the great Deep whoredom, theft, drunkenness Murder and sin of Evry kind rules predominant throughout the Christian world untill infidelity is overwhelming all Nations and the whole Earth is ripening for the sickle and the hour of Gods Judgment is at the door of all Nations The past is gone, and the future is before us and great Events await us in this generation The Redemption, & Esstablishment of Zion, the fall of Babylon, the gathering of Israel including the Jews, & 10 Tribes, & the second coming of Christ all are near at HAND
. This is the commencement of the Centennial year of the American independence at the commencement of the centaury 1776, and through the Revolutionary war the United States Government was composed of an honest, industrious Christian People, and the Leaders were pure true, virtueous honest industrious statesmen who labored hard to promote the interest, & welfare of the whole people, and to Esstablish a free Republican Government, this they did accomplish, and Esstablished laws and a Constitution which was a glorious Legacy to their posterity. But Jan 1, 1876 finds a great change has come over the American Government virtue has departed from the Land, and corruption occupies its place. Honesty has been driven from Evry department of Government from the presidential chair, the Halls of Congress, from Evry Department of State, which has Rea^c^hed through through Evry State and Territory Except Utah, and Theft and chicanery are bearing sway throughout the whole Nation, untill the seeds of Death and destruction are sown broad cast throughout the american government, and are ripening for the Harvest.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was organiz- ed in 1830, and has Exhisted in this Government almost half of the last centaury, and has continued to Grow and increas for the last 45 years in the midst of all the perscuton heaped upon it. It is this Church and kingdom of God who will preservede the Constitution of the United States if it is preserved at all.
March 23, 1876 we Administered to Bulah by the laying on of Hands prayer and labor with her and with the blessing of God her life was spared
A few days ago I went into the Cealing room whare I often go to pray for I consider there is no spot on this Ear[t]h more acceptable tha[n] this Temple and while there I went befor the Lord with this subject resting upon my mind And I prayed the Lord to open My way to see my Dead Redeemed, And while I prayed the spirit of the Lord rested upon me and conveyed the following Testimony to [FIGURES] me. Let my servant Wilford call upon the virgins Maidens, Daughters, & Mothers in Zion and let them Enter into my ^Holy^ Temple on the 1 day of March the day that my servant Wilford has seen the time alloted to man, Three score years and Ten, and there let them received their washing and Anont- ings and Endowments for and in behalf of the wives who are dead and halve been sealed to my servant Wilford, or those who are to be sealed to him, and this shall be acceptable unto me Saith the Lord, and the dead of my servant shall be redeemed in the spirit
what is gold or silver in comparison to the redemption of our dead, Nothing. if I can redeem my dead, and save myself and family I will be satisfyed. I feel that when we get into the spirit world we shall see the importance of this days work
I hereby testify in the name of Jesus Christ that the Bible is true the stick of Judah, and that the Book of Mormon the stick of Joseph is true, And that the Doctrin and Covenants are true which are given through the mouth of Joseph Smith the Prophet of God raised up in these last days through the loins of Ancient Joseph who was sold into Egypt all the words of the Lord will be fulfilled upon the Nations which are written in that Book. The American Gover- nment will be broaken in peaces like a potters vessel and swept from off the face of the Earth, and cast down to Hell, Because of their wickedness Murders whoredoms and abominations For the Lord God hath spoken it and it will be fullfilled. Therefore awake and arise O Zion, slet the People of Zion sanctify themselves before the Lord and purify themselves and be prepared for the Redemption of Zion and the coming of the Son of Man for his coming is at the door and will overtake the world as a thief in the night
I had a conversation [FIGURES] with Henry W Miller who says he was present when Joseph Smith the prophet deposited the Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon it was deposited in the South East Cornor of the Lot when He deposited it He said sumthing like this. I deposit this Manuscript in the name of the Lord for I have had much trouble about about it since it has been in my hands But I now commit it into thy hands O God for safe keeping untill the coming of the Son of Man then this with all other Records will be brought forth by the Lord At the End of the Thousand years rest Satan will be let loose for a little season which I expect will be One thousand years. Then he will use his last power on the Earth and He will seek to destroy all the word of God out of the Earth and the Lord would have to protect it
For the first time in my life I have had to flee away from my Enemies for the gospels sake or from any other cause they are now trying to arest me on Poligamy And as I had to Leave St George at 7 oclok I got into a waggon from the Temple with David H Cannon and drove all night
if you are living your religion and Enjoying the spirit of inspiration which is your Duty you know as God Lives, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that He received the Administration of Angels, that He brought forth the Book of Mormon and translated it By the power of God. you know He received the fulness of the Everlasting Gospel, and the Holy Priesthood, and Apostleship, and the Keys there off, and He organized the Church of Christ the ownly true and living Church upon the face of the whole Earth with its gifts and graces thereoff with which the Lord is well pleased; you also know Joseph Smith the Prophet left his testiment upon the Earth, and sealed that testiment with his own life and Blood, and that testiment is in force upon all the world. And that Testiment is filled with the Revelations of God that stands upon its pages like flames of Living fire, ready to be fulfilled upon all the inhabitants of the Earth.
what is our duty as saints of the Living God. It is our duty to humble ourselves befor the Lord and call upon his name untill we are filled with the Holy Ghost and the spirit of Inspiration, walk in the Light of Christ, Pay our Tigesthes and offerings, keep the commandments of God, and have faith in his word, remem- ber and honor our covenants, obligations, and ordinan- ces we hav Entered into in the Holy Places and Temples of our God. We should unite ourselves together in a temporal as well as spiritual point of view, as directed by the wise men of Israel. We should seek to build up the kingdom of God and Zion and not alone ourselves. When we do thiese theings then we are prepared as a people to let our Prayers ascend into the Ears of the Lord of Sabaoth from one End of Heaven to the other, and they will be heard and answered upon our heads.
Now Ye Latter Day Saints what are you going to do under these circumstances God says we shall be damned of we do not obey the Law, Congress says we shall be damned if we do. It places us precisely in the same position that it did the Hebrews in the firey furnice, or Daniel in the Den of Lions. The Enemies of Daniel counciled together and said we cannot find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him concerning the Law of his God. Our Enemies have persued the same cource and the Law makers and Judges have Joined with them, and made it a Law of Offence to obey one of the
By what power was Columbus inspired to plead before the courts of Europe to assist him to fit out a fleet to cross the ocean, to find a western continent By what power was He protected untill He accomplished this. By what Power was our forefathers inspired to cross the ocean to inherit this land, and when they had inher- ited the land, and the yoak of bondage laid upon their necks by their Mother Country to grieveious to be bourrn they rose up as a Nation and Declaired there independance and passed through an Eight years war at the Expens of much Blood and treasure, and finally maintained their Independance and Esstablished a free and Independant Government which was acknowledged by the Nations of the Earth. By what power was the Constitution of the United States inspired formed framed, and Adopted as the Supreme Law of the Land to be handed down as a rich Legacy to their posterity from Generation to Generation All these Blessings have been obtained by the Inspiration of Almighty God, and the will of heaven.
Christ says when men speak all manners of Evil against you and persecute you for Righteousness sake rejoice and be Exceding Glad for so persecuted they the Prophets and Apostles who were before you I would say to all Israel treat your wives and children Kindly and keep the Commandments of God and trust in him and He will fight your battles And I will say in the Name of Jesus Christ the son of the living God That Mormonism will Live and prosper, Zion will flourish, And the Kingdom of God will stand in Power, Glory, and Dominion as David saw it when this Nation is broaken in peaces as a potters vessel and laid in the dust and brought to Judgment or God never spake by my mouth. Therefore I say to all the Saints throughout the world be faithful and tru to your God To your religion to your families and to yourselves Jesus of Nazereth has suffered death on the cross for
May 4, 1879 ^[FIGURES]^ was taken with great Pain in my stomach & Bowels which soon terminated in a Deadly attack of the Billious Cramp Cholic Brother John W Young Lewis and Wakeland worked over me all night I had 10 attacks of the cramp in the stomach during the night with such severity that it took away my Breath & was ownly restored to me by the laying on of hands and prayers the last attack was about daylight & came ner killing me Nature could not have stood another attack of the same violence without taking my life But through the mercy of God and the administration of the Elder my life was saved
I went into the Mountain alone & built an Altar of stone and Dedicated the land to God for the Benefit of the Saints.
W Woodruff spoke one hour on fulfillment of Revelation and Prophesy, spoke of Jeremiah, being ordained a Prophet to the Nations before He was born Jer Ch 1, And all his prophesies concerning Jerrusalem & Babylon were all fulfilled so with all the world [word] of the Lord concerning the last days be fulfilled.
the spirit of the Lord was with the People And when we dismissed an Indian arose in the congre- gation and said why do you let this meeting stop in this way why cannot this good talk continue this is the first time in our lives that we have seen any man who could teach us the gospel of Christ and give us a history of our forefathers and show us their Record. We want you to continue to talk to us we want you to talk all night Br Tenney said we thought your wives & children would get weary. He said if our women & children are weary let them go home we want to hear more. This speech brought me to my feet and they all sat Down the spirit of God rested upon me and I taught them in great Plainnes the
while I was a speaking the oldest woman of the tribe over 80 years old arose and commenced talking I sat down untill she got through I asked the Govornor what she said He told me that she said that when she was a girl her Grand Father told her that when she became old, she would see men come from the west who would teach them the gospel and work out salvation Redemption, & Deliverance to the Indian race and she says the men are here before us to night.
we watered our animals then drove over a rough sand ridge and camped in about a mile of the Oribe village and took our team to the Oribe well to water the well stands under the Mountain South west of the village the well was 670 feet Deep and 100 feet across the top it was walled up with 4 square tarries of stones and the water 10 feet across the Bottom a steep trail leading down from top to Bottom from the last terrace there is 15 stone stepts to the Bottom when I arived at the well I found an [FIGURE] Ass or Donkey had walked down to the stone steps looking down into the water and Braying for some one to come & watering him his call was louder than any animal but an ass could make. I took my bucket and carryed him several Buckets of water which he drank greedily and when He was satisfied, He bowed his head as much as to say thank you sir and went off happy we watered our team returned to the waggon & camped 25 M[iles]
(I read the following in the Arizona Miner) "Apostle Wilford Woodruff of the Latter Day Saints. recently unbosomed himself to the Mormon Church as follows." "I will never abandon my wives & children at the Demand of a Nation steeped in sin and ripe for the Damnation of Hell. I read this paragraph and went on reading the life of Christ as composed and Tranquil as before I am in the hands of God & so is the United States Government" I glory in the Epistle & Testimony which I have bourn to our Nation and all the wor[l]ds from which that Extract was made and God will back up my testimony and the testimony of all the righteous though the heaven and Earth Pass away The Testimony of inspiration will not Pass away but will all be fulfilled as the Lord liveth
It may be thought strange why a man of as busy a life as I have lead, should spend as much time as I have in Journalizing I have been inspired and required of the Lord to do it. There is no portion of my time do I consider any better spent time than in Journalizing, and writing History and keeping an Account of the dealings of God with the Latter Day Saints
