On the first of July Joseph crossed the Missouri with some of the brethren and went to Independence. He saw the same land that the Lord had dedicated as Zion three years before, now entirely in the hands of the wicked. It must have made him sad, but he did not lose courage. It was not the part of a fearful man to go into Jackson county as Joseph did. True, he was not known very well in that neighborhood, but if he had been recognized it would probably have meant death.
Two days later he organized a High Council in Clay county, for the Saints in Missouri. This was formed like the Council at Kirtland, only David Whitmer and two counselors presided in place of the Presidency of the Church. After visiting another week among the Saints the Prophet set out for home. He reached Kirtland alone about the first of August, after a wearisome journey and after three months of hardest toil and of most valuable experience.
CHAPTER XXII.
1834-36.
A TIME OF PEACE BEGINS—BUILDING THE TEMPLE AT KIRTLAND—THE TWELVE APOSTLES CHOSEN—FIRST QUORUM OF SEVENTY ORGANIZED—JOSEPH TRANSLATES PEARL OF GREAT PRICE—WILLIAM SMITH'S SIN.
Much sorrow was felt by the Church because Zion's Camp was not permitted to help the Saints back to Jackson county, and thus redeem Zion—and yet no one was sorry that the brethren had gone to Missouri. It was soon seen that this journey was a trial for certain men before they were called to be Seventies and Twelve Apostles. Perhaps also on account of the willingness of so many and the sufferings they went through, the Lord blessed the Church for three years with much peace.
This was a time when mighty things were done. The Priesthood was more fully organized, the temple was dedicated and the Gospel began to spread more rapidly. Soon after the Prophet Joseph came to Kirtland he sent forth Elders and Priests and he himself went for a short time to Michigan. With Hyrum and others he set out by steamer on Lake Erie, and while on their way they had a laughable experience. One of the passengers named Elmer told them he knew Joe Smith very well, and he was glad now that he was dead. He said Joe Smith was a dark complexioned man, and he had heard him preach his lies in Bainbridge, New York, five years before. That man was a pretty bad liar himself. Joseph was not dead; he was light complexioned; he had not begun preaching five years before, and he had never been in Bainbridge.
During the fall and winter much work was done on the temple at Kirtland. The people were very poor, but they did their best, as the Saints have done in Utah—when they had no money to help on the Lord's work they gave their labor and their time. Joseph worked as foreman of the stone quarry, and Hyrum, Brigham, Heber, and others took up their humble toil with him.
Besides this work, High Council meetings were held very often, and the School of the Prophets was begun again. It was a busy time for Joseph, but he had this motto, and he made it a rule for his future life, "When the Lord commanded, do it." By obeying the Lord without delay he was able to do much more work than if he had put things off, just as you boys and girls can do more work by obeying your fathers and mothers at once.
One Sabbath afternoon in February, 1835, Brigham and Joseph Young came to the Prophet's house after meeting to sing for him. They had very sweet voices and he loved to hear their hymns. After they had sung, he told them that he had seen the glory of those men who had died of cholera in Zion's Camp and their reward was very great. They talked over the journey to Zion, and Joseph wept. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he said that the Twelve Apostles were to be chosen and Brigham should be one of them. He said also to Joseph Young, "The Lord has made you President of the Seventies."