October Conference Minutes

City of Nauvoo, Oct. 6, 1844.

Thousands having arrived on the ground by ten o'clock A. M. Elder P. P. Pratt called the people to order Singing by the choir.-Prayer by Elder Phelps. Some instructions were given by Elder Pratt, when President B. Young having arrived, arose to lay before the brethren the matters to be attended to during the conference: This day will be devoted to preaching and instruction, and we will attend to business to-morrow. If the Twelve could have had their desires when they returned home, they would have set their houses in order, and devoted themselves to fasting and prayer. It has not been the Twelve who desired to have business which pertains to this conference, transacted previous, it was others who urged it on. Some elders who have known the organization of the church from the beginning, have faultered [faltered] and become darkened. We feel to give the necessary instruction pertaining to the church, and how it has been led &c. It is necessary that the saints should also be instructed relative to building the temple, and spreading the principles of truth from sea to sea, and from land to land until it shall have been preached to all nations, and then according to the testimony of the ancients, the end will come. When the Lord commences to work upon the earth he always does it by revealing his will to some man on the earth, and he to others. The church is built up by revelation, given from day to day according to the requirements of the people. The Lord will not cease to give revelations to the people, unless, the people trample on his laws and forsake and reject him. I request that the Latter-day Saints may pray that we may have the outpouring of the spirit that we may hear, and I wish them to pray for me that I may have strength, and that I may make every principle I speak upon, so perfectly plain, that we may all understand as quick as when we talk together upon our daily matters.

This church has been led by revelation, and unless we forsake the Lord entirely, so

that the priesthood is taken from us, it will be led by revelation all the time. The question arises with some who has the right to revelation? I will not ascend any higher than a priest, and ask the priest what is your right? You have the right to receive the administration of angels. If an angel was to come to you and tell you what the Lord was going to do in this day, you would say you had a revelation. The president of the priests have a right to the Urim and Thummim, which gives all revelation. He has the right of receiving visits from angels. Every priest then in the church has the right of receiving revelations. Every member has the right of receiving revelations for themselves, both male and female. It is the very life of the church of the living God, in all ages of the world. The spirit of truth is sent forth into all the world to reprove the world of sin and righteousness, and of a judgment to come. If we were here to-day and had never heard this gospel, and a man was to come bounding into onr [our] midst, saying, he had come to preach the gospel, to tell us that God was about to restore the priesthood and save the people, &c.; it would be your privilege, and my privilege to ask God in the name of Jesus Christ, as individuals, concerning this thing, whether it was of God, and get a testimony from God that it was true, and this would be revelation. Let us take some of these old fathers for an example, they have heard the gospel, they have been baptised [baptized] &c.. had hands laid on them for the gift of the Holy Ghost-he has got a family of children, he has been led all his days by his own spirit, but now begins to come to understand he has the right to bow before the Lord and receive instruction from God, from day to day, how to manage his family, his farm, his merchandize [merchandise], and to govern all the affairs of his house. I will take some of my younger brethren who have received the gospel, they have been ordained an elder to hold the keys, &c. What is your privilege? It is your privilege to go and preach the gospel to the world, and to go by the power of the Holy Ghost, and you have no right to go without it. You have been ordained to go forth and build up the kingdom to a certain extent. No man ever preached a gospel discourse, nor never will, unless, he does it by revelation. You will do it by the Holy Ghost, or when you tell the history of the gospel and gospel will not be there. It has got to be done by revelation or the gospel you have not got, and when you preach, the people will still be left without the gospel.-There never was a prophet on the earth that dictated to the people, but he dictated their temporal affairs as well as spiritual. It is the right of an individual to get revelations to guide himself. It is the right of the head of a family to get revelations to guide and govern his family. It is the right of an elder when he has built up a church to get revelations to guide and lead that people until he leads them and delivers them up to his superiors. An elder will always be a little in advance of those whom he has raised up if he is faithful.

He next showed how the saints are delivered up in their progress from those who give them up to the High Council, and from the High Council to the prophet, and from the prophet to the son, the elder brother, and from the son to his father. Is the keys of the kingdom taken from Joseph? On no; well then he still lives. He that believes in Jesus as Joseph did, they will never die. They may lay down their lives, but they still hold the keys. You are not going to be led without revelation. The prophet has stepped behind the vail [veil] and you have the right to obtain revelations for your own salvation. Who stood next to the prophet when he was here. You have all acknowledged that the Twelve were the presidents of the whole church when Joseph was not; and now he has stepped behind the vail [veil], he is not here, and the Twelve are the presidents of the whole church. When did Joseph become a prophet? I can tell you, when he became an apostle. Years and years before he had the right of holding the keys of the Aaronic priesthood, he was a prophet, even before he was baptised [baptized]. There has been a perfect flood of revelation poured from this stand all the time and you did not know it. Every spirit that confesses that Joseph Smith is a prophet, that he lived and died a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true, is of God, and every spirit that does not is of anti-christ.

It is the test of our fellowship to believe and confess that Joseph lived and died a prophet of God in good standing; and I don't want any one to fellowship the Twelve who says that Joseph is fallen. If you don't know whose right it is to give revelations, I will tell you. It is I. There never has a man stood between Joseph and the Twelve, and unless we apostatize there never will. If Hyrum had lived he would not have stood between Joseph and the Twelve but he would have stood for Joseph.-Did Joseph ordain any man to take his place? He did. Who was it? It was Hyrum, but, Hyrum fell a martyr before Joseph did. If Hyrum had lived he would have acted for Joseph, and then when we had gone up, the

Twelve would have set down at Joseph right hand, and Hyrum on the left hand. The bible says God hath set in the church, first apostles, then comes prophets, afterwards, because the keys and power of the apostleship are greater than that of the prophets. Sidney Rigdon cannot hold the keys without Joseph, if he had held the keys with Joseph and been faithful he would have been with us. If the Twelve do not apostatize they carry the keys of this kingdom wherever they go. He concluded by requesting all the brethren to tarry with us until all the business is through.

The meeting adjourned by blessing from Elder H. C. Kimball, until 2 o'clock.

Two o'clock P. M. The meeting was opened as usual by singing, and prayer by Elder W. W. Phelps, after which Elder John Taylor arose and addressed the people. He said it was with peculiar feelings that he arose to address the congregation. This is the first general conference that has been held, where your beloved prophet and patriarch are not present. When I look at the many difficulties and severe trials we have passed through it fills me with peculiar feelings. I feel happy to see that the people still seem determined to hold on to those principles which have been given to us through revelation. Nothing shall separate us from those principles which we have imbibed, neither life nor death. By the voice of Jehovah we have been sustained and will be sustained so long as we put our trust in him.-We have not followed "cunningly devised fables," but those principles which have come from God. So long as we are sustained and upheld by the arm of Jehovah, we shall stand: mobs may rage, and the rulers may imagine vain things; but God has said, touch not mine anointed and do my people no harm; and if harm does befall them, wo to that man by whom it comes. If our prophets have been taken, they are gone to plead our cause before the Father. And if we are deprived of their persons, presence and council, that is no reason why we should be deprived of the council of God to direct us in all our movements whilst pressing our journey here below. We are in possession of the same principles, the same priesthood, the same medium of communication and intelligence, and of those things which will not only secure our happiness here, but hereafter. When we speak of these matters, we speak of things which we know assuredly, and although our prophet and patriarch are taken, all things pertaining to our salvation will roll on and progress with as great rapidity, and can be as effectually secured and accomplished as if they were here themselves. God has secured to us those things in relation to our salvation which has been in his bosom since the world began. He has in his providence seen fit to call our brethren to himself; but he has left others to take their places, who can teach us principles and lead us to those things whereby we may ultimately be clothed with glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life. If we had built upon a false foundation we might have made a mistake in relation to our gathering together to be instructed; but we have not; our present revelations agree with the past. The prophets said that the people would gather together, "those who had made a covenant with God by sacrifice" and the word and purposes of God must stand unchanged, they do not rest upon any mere casualty. Did the prophet ever tell us that if a certain man should happen to die we should scatter abroad? No! no such thing ever emanated from the lips of God. We assembled together to fulfill the revelations of the Great Jehovah, to bring about the dispensation of the fulness [fullness] of times, to build up a Zion to the Most High, that he might be glorified. We assembled here to bring about great events, to fulfil [fulfill] the things spoken of by the prophets and secure to ourselves an inheritance in the everlasting kingdom of God. Shall we then be led about by the foolish notions of any man? No! we will not, but we will accomplish those things which are commanded us. We will not be diverted from our course, though earth and hell oppose. Shall we fear the puny arm of man, or the prating of a wretched mobocrat? No! What have we to fear? We have nothing but God to fear.

It is true we have not much to live for, and if we have no hope beyond the grave we should be of all men most miserable. We are oppressed, and slandered and persecuted all the day long; all that I care for is to do the will of God, and secure to myself all those blessings which the gospel will warrant me, I have been brought to the gates of death, but I dont [don't] fear it; I care nothing about it. You feel as I do in relation to these matters, for your conduct has proven it during the late difficulties. I know that the majority of the people are endeavoring to serve God with all their hearts, and are they not prepared to die? There is nothing in death we have to fear; it is not half as much to die as it is to be persecuted all the day long. Our great object then is to accomplish the thing that we set out for. When we gathered together we expected to meet tribulation; the elders that preached to you told

you this or else they did not do their duty.-We have been told there would be earthquakes in divers places, and pestilence, and war, and persecution, and distress, and famine. Do these things move us? If the bud is so bitter I wonder what the fruit will be.-Dont [Don't] you expect to be worse off than you are now? John saw an innumerable company and wanted to know where they come from; it was told to him that they are they which came out of great tribulation. That is the path we have got to tread. The scripture says: 'wo unto you when all men shall speak well of you;' but that curse has never come upon us, for there are some few here and there who will not speak well of you. But 'blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for Christ's sake.' Do you think there is any more evil that they have not said? If there is, let it come. What is it that makes you be evil spoken of? you used to have a good name and reputation where you resided; what is the reason you are now so much spoken against?-You have dared to believe the gospel; you have dared to obey it; and that is the reason why the world hates you. I know there is not a better set of men than these by which I am surrounded; I know there is not a more virtuous set of people on the earth, and yet all manner of evil is spoken of you. Shall we cry and go mourning all the day long? No, we will rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is our reward in heaven. I feel to rejoice; we have cause to rejoice for all manner of evil is spoken against us falsely, and I will say hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. What did we know of God, of religion, of heaven or hell, until it was made known to us through this gospel? We knew nothing. Why are we taking so much pains to build that Temple? That we may fulfil [fulfill] certain ordinances, and receive certain endowments and secure to ourselves an inheritance in the eternal world. Every man, woman and child within the sound of my voice, are interested in the building of that Temple. We know very little as a people yet, we dont [don't] know so much as the former day saints. The Savior said to his disciples, 'whither I go ye know, and the way ye know;' but how many of you know the locality of the Savior and the way to go to him? I know there are some here who know how to save themselves and their families, and it is this which occupies their attention all the day long, and it was this which occupied the attention of our beloved prophet. Abraham obtained promises through the gospel, from God, for himself and his posterity. There were some upon this continent who also obtained promices [promises], in consequence of which the Book of Mormon came forth! The first thing we have got to do is to build the Temple, where we can receive those blessings which we so much desire. Never mind mobocrats, but let us do what God has commanded us. You that are living at a distance, dont [don't] fear these cursed scoundrels; we are all in the hands of God; we are all the servants of God; and we are going forth to do the things of God.

He exorted [exhorted] the saints to be virtuous, humble and faithful, and concluded by blessing the saints.

He said further, in relation to the baptisms for the dead, that it would be better for the saints to go on and build the Temple before we urge our baptisms too much. There are cases which require being attended to, and there are provisions made for them; but as a general thing he would advise them not to be in too great a hurry. He said one of the clerks had asked whether any should be baptized who had not paid their tithing; it is our duty to pay our tithing, one tenth of all we possess, and then one tenth of our increase, and a man who has not paid his tithing is unfit to be baptized for his dead. It is as easy for a man who has ten thousand dollars to pay one thousand, as it is for a man who has but a little to pay one tenth. It is our duty to pay our tithing. If a man has not faith enough to attend to these little things, he has not faith enough to save himself and his friends. It is a man's duty to attend to these things. The poor are not going to be deprived of these blessings because they are poor; no, God never reaps where he has not sown. This command is harder for the rich than the poor; a man who has one million dollars, if he should give one hundred thousand, he would think he was beggared forever. The Savior said, how hardly do they that have riches enter the kingdom of heaven.

Bishop Miller arose to say that on yesterday the bishops had to go in debt to get some wood to save some poor from suffering; and they wanted to take up a collection to pay the amount; he was opposed to taking up a collection in the congregation, but necessity required it on this occasion.

After the collection was taken up the conference adjourned until to-morrow morning at 10 a'clock [o'clock].

(To be Continued.)