Communications

NAUVOO, DEC. 28, 1841.

Dear Br. Robinson:-I beg leave to express to you and, the church at large the feelings of my heart on my return from England to this place.

Four years last June I left Kirtland in company with our beloved brethren who composed the first mission to that land; the main body of the church at that time were in Kirtland, and we left our beloved President and Prophet, confined to his bed by sickness, and the enemies of the truth were raging with madness, ready to devour; when I look at what has been done since that time, in spite of all that then threatened, and all that has opposed, when I read of the work performed, the persecution endured and surmounted, in Far West, which I need not recapitulate; with a general knowledge of what has been done beyond the many waters, first in England, and from thence spreading to other lands, and even to islands afar off, I behold many thousands exclusive of America, included in the new and everlasting covenant; or near one thousand already gathered out from thence, and after a journey of six thousand miles by water, and then crossing your prairie some twenty miles, I found by the light of the moon, some neat cottages, fenced round with pickets, a sight which I had not beheld in all my journey through this land, of one thousand miles. I saw the hand of industry had been here, I asked are we at our journey's end? the answer was no we have two miles to go yet; I had heard that Nauvoo contained 1200 houses, but I did not expect to find a city spreading itself beyond the reach of the eye from one point, I soon came in sight of the foundation of a large and spacious building, this is the Temple, we passed from street to street till we came near to the bank of the river. In this Temple

built by divine command, I am informed we are to have made known to us the fulness [fullness] of the priesthood; if we be faithful in keeping the commandments of God, and in anticipation of the mighty works to be performed here; a magnificent building is also rising for the entertainment of kings and nobles who shall hereafter visit this place; when I view these things, in faith believing that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, my heart swells with gladness, and astonishment, I look back on my former state in the sectarian world, and I can scarcely remember from whence I am, so different is my present condition to that; such a difference is there between light and darkness, between truth and error. The object of the Baptismal Font s [is] also truly interesting to me, and I have no doubt to all the saints: for some time I had thought much on the subject of the redemption of those who died under the broken covenant, it is plain they could not come forth in the kingdom of God, as they had not been adopted, legally into it, neither could they be while there was no priesthood, they had not been born of water and the spirit, and if they should come into the kingdom without this it would falsify the plain word of Jesus Christ, yet how would those who died martyrs and all those who have lived up to the best light they have had, and would no doubt have rejoiced in the fulness [fullness] of the gospel had they had it, be denied this privilege? I thought, perhaps those who receive the priesthood in these last days would baptize them at the coming of the Savior, and this would fulfil [fulfill] the words of the Savior; many shall come from the east and from the west &c., and shall sit down in the kingdom of God,-but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out, as foolish virgins, but a touch of the light of revelation has at once dispelled the darkness and scattered the doubts which once perplexed my mind and I behold the means which God hath devised that his banished ones may be brought back again; every step I take in surveying the plan of heaven, and the wisdom and goodness of God, my heart feels glad, but when I have listened to the teachings of the servants of God under the new covenant and the principle of Baptism for the Dead the feelings of my soul were such as I cannot describe, I contrast it with the narrow, contracted views of part of the Christian world who hold with the election of a few to eternal life, and the reprobation of the rest to eternal damnation, which was the religion of most of my neighbors in my native land, and in short, it forms a wide contrast with all the notions of men on the subject of redemption, the gleams of light seen among the Pagans of various nations, derived by them from some people who had the priesthood, and the fulness [fullness] of the ordinances of salvation, are far nearer the truth than any thing now in the sectarian churches, but the day has dawned, the day star has risen in our hearts; but when I meditate on these things I am reminded at the same time, of the conflict and war to be sustained on the side of truth, I see that the number of those that endure to the end will be but small, nothing but the principle of truth firmly planted in the soul will enable us to overcome, but the thought of the hidden manna, of receiving the white stone, of sitting with the Savior on his throne, and of eating of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God, of being filled with intelligence, with light and truth, enables us to look at the dreadful conflict with firmness and composure of mind, the sting of death is gone, because of the love of God which is shed abroad in our hearts, and having received the holy priesthood there is in our souls a desire to bring others to a joint and equal possession of that felicity which is to be bestowed upon us at that day.

It is a remarkable fact that we are called to be one, and the Lord says if ye are not one, ye are not mine, and we are dependent on each other as links in one vast chain, or as stones to form one great building, all ministering to each other, and yet we have to be independent in another sense, of any one, we have each to stand in our place and act our part, as though we were alone, and leaning on no one, each of us must be a man here and I suppose if faithful to the end of our time of probation each will be as I may say an independent God, or at least equal with Jesus Christ; it is experience that makes us wise, therefore let the winds blow and the storm beat, from whatever quarter, our souls shall rest in the faith of the gospel, clothed with humility, and filled with sincerity, and charity, and while we walk according to the order which God has placed in his church, nothing can harm us, and we will say all is well, all is well. JOSEPH FIELDING.