john taylor's brave defense of joseph—the prophet encounters the spirit of apostasy in missouri—hyrum in the first presidency—brigham young's courage and devotion—joseph driven from kirtland—david w. patten's prophetic objection—sad excommunications—fate of prominent men—adam-ondi-ahman—the gathering.
after the apostasy became general at kirtland, those who banded themselves against the prophet and the faithful saints set up a claim to the ownership of the temple. scenes of a turbulent and even violent character were witnessed in the sacred building. deadly weapons were drawn and flourished and lives were threatened by the members of the apostate party who sought by these means to overawe the peaceful members of the church and to accomplish the ends they had in view.
after the visit which the prophet, sidney rigdon and thomas b. marsh made to canada, elder john taylor, with the view of making preparations to gather with the saints and to provide a home for himself and family, repaired to kirtland. while there he attended services in the temple. fault-finding and accusation were indulged in by leading men in their remarks, and the prophet was the target at which their shafts of censure were aimed. they looked upon him and spoke of him as a fallen prophet. these attacks aroused all the lion of john taylor's nature—and all who ever saw him when strength and courage were demanded, can remember how grandly he could rise to the occasion and satisfy every expectation—and he arose and obtained the privilege of speaking from one of the stands. he was a stranger to the congregation; they knew not who he was nor whence he came, but the saints saw in him a man of god. his fine presence, his courageous demeanor, the plainness and strength of his reasoning and the power of god which accompanied his words, made a great impression upon the entire audience. his address was a masterly exposition of the great truths which god had inspired joseph to reveal—truths of which all the learned and religious world were in entire ignorance until they were brought forth by joseph—and a defense of him as a prophet of god. the dissenters were rebuked and the saints were strengthened and encouraged and all felt that a man had appeared upon the scene who would yet be a power among the saints. this was president taylor's first public introduction to the saints at the gathering place.
undaunted by the apostasy, and relying upon the promise of the lord, joseph knew that the work would surely grow and that places must be appointed for the gathering of the saints in the last days. to every human appearance, in the spring and summer of 1837, the church was in a state of dissolution; but all who were animated by the spirit of truth knew that the disunion at kirtland was but the effort of the adversary, which, with patience and faithfulness, might be overcome.
in september, joseph had not yet learned through any earthly medium of the marvelous work which was to be done abroad among the honest-in-heart; and yet, on the 27th day of that month, he and sidney rigdon began a journey to the west to visit the saints in missouri and to establish places into which might come converts from every land. they were accompanied on this journey by vinson knight and william smith, while hyrum was already at far west, laboring with his accustomed energy and fidelity for the advancement of the gospel and the well-being of the saints.
while the prophet and his companions were on the way, hyrum's wife jerusha died at kirtland, leaving five little children. her dying message was full of faith in the gospel and was a comfort to her absent husband when he learned it, and it proved that she was worthy to be the consort of the destined patriarch and martyr.
a little over a month was consumed in the journey to far west; and soon after the prophet's arrival he began to hold meetings for the settlement of all difficulties which had arisen between the brethren there, the same evil spirit which had gained such sway in kirtland having begun to assert its power in missouri. on the 7th of november, 1837, a general assembly of the church was held at far west, at which frederick g. williams was rejected by the congregation as a counselor to the president of the church; and, upon motion of sidney rigdon, hyrum smith was elected to fill the vacancy. the local organization was also perfected, and prayer was offered to god that this place might be a gathering spot for the saints.
as it appeared to the prophet that the regions surrounding far west, occupied by other settlers, afforded yet much room, the plat of far west was enlarged into the dimensions of a city, and every preparation was made to afford a refuge to such as might choose to gather to this new stake of zion. it was also decided that the time had not yet come for the building of a temple at far west, but that the brethren should await the commandment of the lord upon this subject.
about the 10th of november, joseph left far west to return to kirtland, occupying a month in the journey and reaching his home on the 10th day of december.
while he had been absent, the spirit of apostasy had gained an ascendancy with men who had previously begged forgiveness from the prophet. warren parrish, john f. boynton, joseph coe and others,—deeming that the absence of the prophet afforded them an opportunity—banded themselves together to accomplish the overthrow of the church. they renounced the church of jesus christ, renounced the authority of the prophet of god, and set up an organization for themselves. denouncing joseph and his faithful supporters as heretics, they became so violent at any opposition to their falsehoods that they even sought the lives of their former brethren.
brigham young always was one of the truest and most intrepid of men; and during all these kirtland troubles he openly and fearlessly declared to all that joseph smith was a prophet of god and had neither transgressed nor fallen from his divinely appointed place. his unswerving and undaunted attitude, the plainness of his declarations and the vigor of his defense of joseph, and his exposure of the schemes of his enemies, aroused their fury. the apostates could not brook this boldness of the apostle brigham; it interfered with their murderous designs against joseph and their hateful purposes against the church. threats and cajolery having alike failed to intimidate or divert him, they determined to kill him. but he learned of their designs; and nearly two weeks after the prophet had returned to kirtland and was able to assert his own authority, brigham young departed for missouri to escape the assassins who ravened for his life at kirtland.
in the meantime the work abroad progressed gloriously. on christmas day, 1837, a conference was held at preston, at which the reports showed that already the branch of the church in england numbered about one thousand souls.
the letters conveying these happy tidings had not yet reached the prophet; and except as hope was inspired in his heart by the holy spirit, he had little comfort through the darkness of that night of 1837, for apostasy and transgression strove hard to rule the weak and ruin the staunch at kirtland.
the experience of 1836-7 in the church demonstrated as never before, that irrefragable testimonies concerning the divine origin of the gospel and the prophetic calling of joseph were not alone sufficient to keep men faithful. unflinching firmness and intrepidity were also indispensable; but preeminent above all other qualities, purity of life was absolutely essential. the half century which has since elapsed has abundantly confirmed this. the virtuous, humble men who possessed steadfastness and faith in the days of trial at kirtland, have since grown to prominence among the saints. the qualities which they then exhibited have had ample room for exercise in the subsequent vicissitudes through which the church has passed. the lord has tried and proved them; they have acquired confidence themselves; and the people have ever looked to them as leaders who could be trusted and upon whose courage, judgment and integrity they could safely rely.
in this connection it is worthy of remark that the three men who have succeeded the prophet joseph as presidents of the church, were all distinguished during joseph's lifetime for their love for the truth and their unswerving affection and loyalty to him as the prophet of god. president brigham young, probably above all men in kirtland, displayed these qualities during the stormy scenes of the last year of his residence at that place.
president wilford woodruff, though not so prominent in those days as he afterwards became, was expostulated with, coaxed and ridiculed by some of his old friends, notably warren parrish, who had been his fellow-missionary in the southern states, for the purpose of inducing him to join them and turn against the prophet. but the integrity of the man was immovable and all their efforts proved unavailing.
with the dawn of the new year confusion and mobocratic power increased, and on the 12th of january, 1838, joseph and sidney were driven from kirtland to escape mob violence. their destination was far west, and they were pursued more than two hundred miles by armed enemies seeking their lives. the weather was intensely severe, and joseph and his companion, with their families who had joined them, suffered greatly in their endeavor to elude the murderous pursuit. several times the pursuers crossed the prophet's track. twice they entered the houses where his party had gained a refuge, and once they occupied a room in the same building with only a partition between them, through which the prophet heard their oaths and imprecations concerning him. thus were they protected by divine power, else murder would have been done, for the long and unavailing pursuit had filled these would-be assassins with a fiendish desire for blood. owing to the severity of the season two months were occupied in the journey to far west, which place the prophet and his family reached on the 14th day of march, 1838, accompanied by apostle brigham young, who had joined him on the way.
his arrival was very timely and necessary. upon his previous visit objection had been raised to some of the local authorities and they were only accepted by the congregation after having made humble confession of their sins and entered their solemn promise of repentance.
but so soon as the prophet had turned his back upon far west to go to kirtland, the local presidency had again entered into transgression, acting selfishly and arbitrarily in the administration of financial affairs and completely losing the confidence of the body of the people.
while the prophet had been journeying toward missouri after escaping the kirtland mob in january, 1838, a general assembly of the saints in far west was held on the 5th day of february, at which david whitmer, john whitmer and william w. phelps were rejected as the local presidency; and a few days later thomas b. marsh and david w. patten, of the twelve, were selected to act as a presidency until the prophet should arrive. oliver cowdery too had been suspended from his position. persisting in unchristianlike conduct, w. w. phelps and john whitmer had been excommunicated by the high council in far west, four days previous to the arrival of joseph.
this was the sad situation as the prophet approached the dwelling place of the saints in missouri. many of the people went out to meet him, and at a distance of one hundred and twenty miles from far west they found him and tendered him teams and money to help him forward. the joy they had in his presence arose from an absolute knowledge of his power and authority as a prophet of god. they were certain that many of their difficulties would end with his presence, because he would give the light of truth by which to guide their footsteps.
on the eighth anniversary of the organization of the church a conference was held at far west under the presidency of joseph. on this occasion david w. patten declared that he could not recommend william e. mclellin, luke johnson and john f. boynton as members of the twelve, and he was also doubtful of william smith. his objection to these men was prophetic; all of them lost their standing, disgraced their calling, forfeited their knowledge of the truth and their promise of reward hereafter, and sank back into the mire of this world.
at the same conference brigham young, david w. patten and thomas b. marsh were chosen to preside over the church in missouri.
on the 12th of april, 1838, oliver cowdery was found guilty of serious wrong-doing for which he had not made repentance, and he was excommunicated by the high council at far west. before the same tribunal on the day following david whitmer was charged with persistent disobedience of the word of wisdom and with unchristianlike conduct, and he was also cut off. luke johnson, lyman e. johnson and john f. boynton were excommunicated about the same tune, and less than a month later a similar fate befell william e. mclellin.
it was a sorrowful day for joseph when he lost the companionship of these men who had been with him during many trials and who had participated with him in the glorious understanding of heavenly things. but they were no longer anything but dead branches, harmful to the growing tree, and it was necessary for the pruner to lop them off. oliver cowdery and david whitmer were two of the witnesses to the book of mormon, designated by the word of the almighty to view the plates and to be ministered unto by the angel of the record. oliver had stood with joseph in the kirtland temple and seen the marvelous manifestations there. it was sad to see them thus shorn of power and blessing, but they had demonstrated their unworthiness to hold the positions which they had filled, and the penalty must fall upon them that the church might escape the evil of their sins.
had joseph's faith in god and confidence in the mission which the creator had entrusted to him been less than it was, he might have temporized with these men and not dealt with them in so strict and summary a manner. he was attached to them by many ties. they had been his aids and companions in days when he most needed help, sustenance and friendship. through his ministrations of the gospel, god had enabled him to abundantly repay them. still he never could forget their past associations. they were two of the heaven-selected witnesses who had testified that god's voice had declared to them that joseph's translation of the book of mormon had been made by the gift and power of god. if they should be excommunicated from the church, suppose that they, filled with anger thereat, should abandon themselves to the spirit of evil which so many men, so dealt with, yielded to in those days; what then? like others, might they not renounce the truth, circulate all manner of falsehoods, deny the divinity of the work and even the solemn testimony which they had borne? these might be the reflections of an ordinary man under such circumstances; but such thoughts never troubled this prophet of god. this church was not the church of man. jesus christ, its divine head, had promised he would take care of, sustain and defend it. however much, then, joseph's affection and friendship might be for these men, he owed a paramount duty to his god to deal with transgressors in his church according to the laws which he had given. this duty the prophet performed without hesitation, leaving all consequences for the lord to control.
oliver cowdery, david whitmer and martin harris, the three witnesses of the divine origin of joseph's translation of the book of mormon, were all severed from the church. they became opponents of joseph smith and claimed he had fallen into transgression; but amid all their trials, temptations and vicissitudes they never hesitated or wavered in regard to the published testimony which they gave to the world concerning the book of mormon. each of them to the day of his death, asseverated in the most solemn manner the truth of his testimony. all three are dead; but they still live as immutable witnesses of the truth and divinity of the record known as the book of mormon, and by their testimony will the world yet be judged.
in the sacred records which have come to us there is no mention of any other man, that was so highly favored as oliver cowdery was, falling from his exalted position and forfeiting his blessings and priesthood as he did. what a lesson and warning does his history convey! it is generally understood by those who knew him in the days of which we write, that he was guilty of unvirtuous conduct. this came to the prophet's knowledge. he warned oliver of the consequences which would follow if he did not repent. the warnings were unheeded. the spirit of god withdrew itself from him and he fell into darkness; and from being the second elder in the church, he lost his standing as a member and became an alien to the people of god. for years he remained in this condition. after the exodus of the saints from nauvoo and the city of salt lake had been founded, he arrived at kanesville, made suitable acknowledgments in great humility to the church there and was admitted to it by baptism under the direction of elder orson hyde. he was re-ordained to the melchisedec priesthood and shortly afterwards died at richmond, in the state of missouri.
martin harris also came back penitent to the church, after being for years separated from it. he was restored to fellowship and the priesthood, and was strong in his testimony for the truth up to his death, which was at a very advanced age at smithfield, cache county, utah territory.
david whitmer never rejoined the church; but his testimony concerning the divine origin of the book of mormon was widely circulated through the newspapers of the country. he died at richmond, missouri.
of the three apostles who were then excommunicated—boynton and the two johnsons—one only rejoined the church. luke johnson came to nauvoo at the time of the exodus and was again admitted to fellowship. he was one of the company of pioneers who under the leadership of president brigham young, left winter quarters on the missouri river in 1847, to find a home for the latter-day saints in the great west, and which resulted in the settling of great salt lake valley. luke johnson was a member of the church when he died in salt lake city.
president brigham young related a conversation himself and some others of the twelve apostles had with lyman e. johnson on one occasion in nauvoo. it was after the martyrdom of the prophet joseph. they were speaking of old times when they were all engaged in the ministry and when lyman e. johnson was a zealous advocate of the truth. the bitterness he had exhibited in kirtland had passed away, and he was softened by the association with his old companions. speaking of the heavenly influence and spirit which had accompanied him in his labors in the ministry, lyman said, "i would give my right hand to-day if, by so doing, i could feel once more as i did then."
in the month of april, 1838, the lord commanded his saints through joseph that the church in these last days should be called the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. he also commanded his people to arise and shine that their light might be a standard for the nations, and that the gathering to zion and her stakes might be a refuge from the storm and from the wrath which shall be poured out upon the whole earth.
during the spring and early summer of 1838, the prophet was peacefully engaged in his labors at far west and in the regions surrounding. he established a stake of zion at adam-ondi-ahman in daviess county, missouri, at the spot where adam had dwelt and where, according to daniel the prophet, the ancient of days shall sit. he assisted in the laying of the corner stones of the house of the lord at far west on the 4th day of july. and during all this time he was busily engaged in collating data and recording facts relating to church history, that the momentous events of the eight years preceding might not be lost to the coming generations.
on the 8th day of july, john taylor, john e. page, wilford woodruff and willard richards were appointed by revelation to fill the places of those who had fallen from the quorum of the twelve. on the same day the lord declared the law of tithing to stand for the guidance of the faithful forever.
joseph also labored in the preparation of the elders' journal, the publication of which was resumed in july, 1838, at far west.
apostles heber c. kimball and orson hyde had returned from england, reaching kirtland in may, 1838, having left the english mission under the presidency of joseph fielding, with willard richards and william clayton as his counselors.
on the 10th of march, 1838, the seventies at kirtland had decided to remove their quorum in a camp to the west; and on the 6th day of july of this year, a large body of the saints, numbering five hundred and fifteen souls—including and in charge of the seventies—departed from kirtland for missouri. many sufferings were endured by this devoted band. their ranks were decimated by disease and persecutions. some of them grew faint and faithless and fell by the wayside. but the majority persevered; and about two hundred of the original number reached adam-ondi-ahman in a body, while many of the others came as speedily as their circumstances would permit.
from that time on, until the mob once more triumphed and drove them forth, the gathering of the saints continued.