TO WILLIAM W. PHELPS
1832 NOVEMBER 27

FC Joseph Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, to William W. Phelps, Independence, Missouri, 27 November 1832, in Joseph Smith Letterbook 1, pp. 1-4, in the hand of Joseph Smith and Frederick G. Williams, Joseph Smith Collection, LDS Church Archives. In 1876 a portion of the letter was canonized as Section 85 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

The 1831 revelations that designated Jackson County, Missouri, as a gathering place of the Saints and location for the city of Zion also directed Edward Partridge, the recently appointed bishop, to administer the law of consecration and oversee the settlement of the Saints in that land. They also gave specific instructions for those who planned to go there.456 The Saints were advised to avoid disorder and haste in migrating, to purchase the land they settled on so that outsiders "may not be stirred up unto anger," to bring a certificate of recommendation from their former presiding Church officer, and to consecrate their property for the assistance of the poor.457 "The Church newspaper in Missouri admonished prospective inhabitants of Zion to "prepare temporally and spiritually . . . settle all . . . concerns with the world, and owe no man," to "overcome the world" and be ready, when they arrived at the place of gathering, "to consecrate all to the Lord," otherwise they could not hold communion with their brethren nor "expect an inheritance according to the regulations and order of the church."458

As the influx of Mormons to Jackson County increased, the rules governing the migration were often ignored. One witness noted that the gathering fostered an irrational enthusiasm; "The church got crazy to go up to Zion. . . . The rich were afraid to send up their money to purchase lands, and the poor crowded up in numbers, without having any places provided, contrary to the advice of the bishop and others, until the old citizens began to be highly displeased." At one point, a conference of high priests lamented, "We feel more like weeping over Zion than we do like rejoicing over her."459

In the midst of these developments, Joseph Smith wrote to William W. Phelps, the Church newspaper editor in Jackson County on 27 November 1832, and again on 11 January 1833.

Kirtland Nov 27th 1832

Brother Wm Phelps

I say brother because I feel so from the heart and altho it is not long since I wrote a letter unto you yet I feel as tho you would excuse me for writing this as I have many things which I wish to communicate some things which I will mention in this letter which are laying <great> with weight upon my mind I inform you I am well and family God grant that you may enjoy the same and yours and all the brethren and sisters who remember to enquire afte[r] the commandments of the Lord and the welfare of Zion and such a being as me and while I dictate this letter I fancy to myself that you are saying or thinking something simmiler to these words my God great and mighty art thou therefore shew unto thy servant what shall becom[e] of all these who are assaying to come up unto Zion in order to keep the commandments of God and yet rec[e]ive not there inhertance by consecration by order or deed from the bishop the man that God has appointed in a legal way agreeable to the law given to organize and regulate the church and all the affairs of the same; Bro Wm in the love of God having the most implicit confidence in you as a man of God having obtained this confidence by a vision of heaven therefore I will procede to unfold to you some of the feelings of my heart and procede to answer the questions firstly, it is the duty of the lord[s] clerk whom he has appointed to keep a hystory and a general church receord of all things that transpire in Zion and of all those who consecrate properties and receive inhertances legally from the bishop and also there manner of life and the faith and works and also of all the apostates who apostatize after receiving ther inhertances in that day shall not find an inheritance among the saints of the [p.1a] most high therefore it shall be done unto them as unto the Children of the priest as you will find recorded in the second chapter and sixty first and second verses of Ezra now Brother william if what I have said is true how careful then had men aught to be what they do in the last days lest they think they stand should fall because they keep not the <Lod> commandments whilest you who obey who do the will of the lord and keep his commandments have need to rejoice with unspeakabl Joy for such shall be exalted very high and shall be lifted up in triumph above all the kingdoms of the world but I must drop this subject at the begining, O Lord when will the time come when Bro Wm thy servant and myself behold the day that we may stand together and gaze upon eternal wisdom engraven upon the heavens while the magesty of our God holdeth up the dark curtain until we may read the record of eternity to the fulness of our immortal souls, O Lord God deliver us in thy due time from the little narrow prison almost as it were total darkness of paper pen and Ink and a crooked broken scattered and imperfect Language, I would inform seccondly it is conterary to the will and commandment of God that those who receive not their inheritance by consecration agreeable to his law which he has given that he may tithe his people to prepare them against the day of vengence and burning should have there names enrolled with the people of God, neithe[r] is the geneology to be kept or to be had where it may be found on any of the reccords or hystory of the church there names shall not be found neithe[r] the names of their fathers or the names of the children writen in the book of the Law of God saith [p. 2] the Lord of hosts yea thus saith the still small voice which whispereth through and pierceth all things and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest saying and it shall come to pass that I the Lord God will send one mighty and strong holding the scepter of power in his hand clothed with light for a covering whose mouth shall utt utter words Eternal words while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth to set in order the house of God and to arange by lot the inheritance of the saints whose names are found and the names of their fathers and of their children enroled in the Book of the Law of God while that man who was called of God and appointed that puteth forth his hand to steady the ark of God shall fall by the shaft of death like as a tree that is smitten by the vivid shaft of lightning and all they who are not found writen in the book of remmemberance shall find none inheritence in that day but they shall be cut assunder and their portion shall be appointed them among unbelievers where is wailing and gnashing of teeth these things I say not of myself therefore as the Lord speaketh he will also fulfill and they who are of the high Priesthood whose names are not found writen in the book of the Law or that are found to have appostitised or to have been cut off out of the church as well as the lesser Priesthood or the members in that day shall not find an inheritence among the saints of the most high therefore it shall be done unto them as unto the children of the Priest as you will find recorded in the second chapter and sixty first and second verses of Ezra now Broth- William if what I say have said is true how careful then had men aught to be what they do in the last days lest they are cut as-sunder short of their expectations and they that think [they] stand should fall because they keep not the Lords commandments whilst you who do the will of the Lord and keep his commandments have need to rejoice with unspeakable Joy for such shall be exalted very high and shall be lifted up in triu [p. 3] triumph above all the kingdoms of this world but I must drop this subject at the begining Oh Lord when will the time come when Brother William thy Servent and myself sha behold the day that we may stand together and gase upon Eternal wisdom engraven upon the hevens while the magesty of our God holdeth up the dark curtain <until> we may read the round of Eternity to the fullness and satisfaction of our immortal souls Oh Lord God deliver us in thy due time from the little narrow prison almost as it were totel darkness of paper pen and ink and a crooked broken scattered and imperfect language I would inform you that I have obtained ten subscribers for the Star and received pay their names and place of residence [are] as follows, John McMahhan, James McMahhan, James White, William Brown, Henry Kingery, Micayer Dillions, Abraham Kingery, John A Fisher, David Houghs, Thomas Singers, the papers and and all to be sent to Guyndotte the paper are all to be sent to Post office Verginea except David Houghs his is to be sent to Wayne <County> Township Worster County <Township> Ohio,460 Vienna Jaqis [Jacques] has not rceived her Papers pleas inform her Sister <Hariet> that Shee is well and give my respects to her tell her that Mrs Angels Brother came after her and the child soon after she went from here all he wanted wanted was the child No more <my> love for all the Brotheren yours in bonds Amen

Joseph Smith Jr

William W Phelps

P S send the evening and morning star to Brothe[r] Joseph Wakefield Watertown Jeffers[on] County New York all to be from first No.

Joseph [p. 4]