“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversary and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job. * * * Wo unto all those that discomfort my people, and drive, and murder, and testify against them, saith the Lord of Hosts. A generation of vipers shall not escape the damnation of hell. * * * Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly. Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God, and the doctrine of the Priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth, and they dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee for ever and ever.”
When I looked upon the Liberty jail in 1834, again in 1838-39, and for the last time in 1888, in the last stages of decay (it being 54 years from the time I first saw it), my soul was moved upon with deep emotion, for thoughts of the past crowded upon my mind. Indeed, I felt almost bewildered, and as if in a dream. It was only four years and nine months after the Prophet left this dungeon that he was murdered, dying as a martyr in Carthage jail, Hancock County, Illinois, on the memorable 27th of June, 1844.
Elder Jenson, Bishop Black and myself obtained a photograph of the jail as a relic, from which the engraving illustrating this article has been taken. The jail was built about 1830, of hewn oak logs, and was only 14 by 14-1/2 feet in the clear. Soon after a stone wall two feet thick was added, leaving a space of twelve inches between the logs and the stone wall, which was filled in with loose stones, thus making a wall four feet thick.
In order to show how particular the Prophet was regarding revelations which he received from the Lord, I will relate an incident which occurred in Liberty jail. While the Prophet was receiving a revelation, the late Bishop Alexander McRae was writing as Joseph received it. Upon this occasion Brother McRae suggested a slight change in the wording of the revelation, when Joseph sternly asked:
“Do you know who you are writing for?”
Brother McRae, who at once discovered his mistake, begged the Prophet’s pardon for undertaking to correct the word of the Lord.
In March, 1839, and less than one month before leaving the jail, Joseph received the word of the Lord, as follows:
“The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee, while the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek council, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand. And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors. And although their influence shall cast thee into trouble, into bars and walls, thou shalt be had in honor, and but for a small moment and thy voice shall be more terrible in the midst of thy enemies than the fierce lion, because of thy righteousness; and thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever. If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea; if thou are accused of all manner of false accusations; if thy enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother, and brethren and sisters; and if, with a drawn sword, thine enemies tear thee from the [p.43] bosom of thy wife and of thine offspring, and thine elder son (Joseph), although but 6 years of age, … and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb; and if thou should be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all; art thou greater than he? Therefore hold on thy way, and the Priesthood shall remain with thee, for their bounds are set and they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you for ever and every.”