JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. C-1, created 24 Feb. 1845–3 July 1845; handwriting of , , Jonathan Grimshaw, and ; 512 pages, plus 24 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the third volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This third volume covers the period from 2 Nov. 1838 to 31 July 1842; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1, B-1, D-1, E-1 and F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
This document, “History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842],” is the third of six volumes of the “Manuscript History of the Church” (in The Joseph Smith Papers the “Manuscript History” bears the editorial title “History, 1838–1856”). The completed six-volume collection covers the period from 23 December 1805 to 8 August 1844. The narrative in this volume commences on 2 November 1838 with JS and other church leaders being held prisoner by the “’s forces” at , Missouri, and concludes with the death of Bishop at , Illinois, on 31 July 1842. For a more complete discussion of the entire six-volume work, see the general introduction to this history.
Volume C-1 was created beginning on or just after 24 February 1845 and its narrative was completed by 3 May 1845, although some additional work continued on the volume through 3 July of that year (Richards, Journal, 24 and 28 Feb. 1845; Historian’s Office, Journal, 3 May 1845; 3 and 4 July 1845). It is in the handwriting of and contains 512 pages of primary text, plus 24 pages of addenda. Additional addenda for this volume were created at a later date as a supplementary document and appear in this collection as “History, 1838-1856, volume C-1 Addenda.” Compilers and Thomas Bullock drew heavily from JS’s letters, discourses, and diary entries; meeting minutes; church and other periodicals and journals; and reminiscences, recollections, and letters of church members and other contacts. At JS’s behest, Richards maintained the first-person, chronological-narrative format established in previous volumes, as if JS were the author. , , , and others reviewed and modified the manuscript prior to its eventual publication in the Salt Lake City newspaper Deseret News.
The historical narrative recorded in volume C-1 continued the account of JS’s life as prophet and president of the church. Critical events occurring within the forty-five-month period covered by this text include the Mormon War; subsequent legal trials of church leaders; expulsion of the Saints from Missouri; missionary efforts in by the and others; attempts by JS to obtain federal redress for the Missouri depredations; publication of the LDS Millennial Star in England; the migration of English converts to ; missionary efforts in other nations; the death of church patriarch ; the establishment of the city charter; the commencement of construction of the Nauvoo ; the expedition that facilitated temple construction; the introduction of the doctrine of proxy baptism for deceased persons; the dedicatory prayer by on the Mount of Olives in Palestine; publication of the “Book of Abraham” in the Nauvoo Times and Seasons; publication of the JS history often referred to as the “Wentworth letter;” the organization of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo; and the inception of Nauvoo-era temple endowment ceremonies.
else how did they begin to offer sacrifices to God in an acceptable manner— And if they offered sacrifices they must be authorized by ordination. We read in Gen: 4th. ch 4 v That Abel brought of the firstlings of the flock and the fat thereof and the Lord had respect to Abel and to his offering. And again Hebrews xi. 4. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts and by it he being dead yet speaketh. How doth he yet speak? Why he magnified the Priesthood which was conferred upon him and died a righteous man, and therefore has become an Angel of God by receiving his body from the dead, therefore holding still the Keys of his dispensation and was sent down from heaven unto Paul to minister consoling words and to commit unto him a knowledge of the mysteries of Godliness. And if this was not the case, I would ask how did Paul know so much about Abel, and why should he talk about his speaking after he was dead— Hence that he spoke after he was dead must be by being sent down out of heaven, to administer, this then is the nature of the Priesthood, every man holding the presidency of his dispensation, and one man holding the Presidency of them all even Adam, and Adam receiving his Presidency and authority from the Lord, but cannot receive a fulness until Christ shall present the Kingdom to the Father which shall be at the end of the last dispensation. The power glory and blessings of the Priesthood could not continue with those who received ordination only as their righteousness continued, for Cain also being authorized to offer Sacrifice, but not offering it in righteousness, — — was cursed. It signifies then, that the ordinances must be kept in the very way God has appointed, otherwise their Priesthood will prove a cursing instead of a blessing. If Cain had fulfilled the law of righteousness as did Eoch, he could have walked with God all the days of his life and never failed of a blessing. Genesis 5 ch. 22 v. “And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years and begat Sons and Daughters, and all the days of Enoch were 365 years, and Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” Now this Enoch God reserved <un>to himself that he should not die at that time and appointed unto him a ministry unto terrestrial bodies of whom there have been but little revealed. He is reserved also unto the Presidency of a dispensation, and more shall be said of him and terrestrial bodies in another treatise. He is a ministering Angel, to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation, and appeared unto Jude as Abel did unto Paul, therefore Jude spoke of him 14 & 15 v. “And Enoch the Seventh <from Adam> revealed these sayings Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints— Paul was also acquainted with this character and received instructions from him. Heb xi. 5. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God, but without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a revealer to those who diligently seek him. Now the doctrine of translation is a power which belongs to this Priesthood, there are many things which belong to the powers of the Priesthood and the Keys thereof, that have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world; they are hid from the wise and prudent to be revealed in the last times. Many may have supposed that the doctrine of translation was a doctrine whereby men were taken immediately into the presence of God and into an Eternal fulness, but this is a mistaken idea. Their place of habitation is that of the terrestrial order and a place prepared for such characters, he held in reserve to be ministering Angels unto many Planets, and who as yet have not entered into so great a fulness as those who are resurrected from the dead— See Heb: xi ch part of the 35 verse “others were tortured not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection”— Now it was evident that there was a better resurrection, or else God would not have revealed it unto Paul, wherein then can it be said a better resurrection? This distinction is made between the doctrine of the actual resurrection and thedoctrineof translation, thedoctrineof translation obtains deliverance from the tortures and sufferings of the body, but their existence will prolong as to their labors and toils of the ministry before they can enter into so great a rest and glory, — — on the other hand those who were tortured not accepting deliverance received an immediate rest from their labors— see Revelations 14 ch. 13 v. And I heard a voice from heaven saying blessed are the dead who die in the Lord for from henceforth they do rest from their labors and their works do follow them. They rest from their labors for a long time and yet their work is held in reserve for them, that they are permitted to do the same works after they receive a resurrection for their bodies, but we shall leave this subject and the subject of [p. 17 [addenda]]