Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock

I do not calculate to please your ears with oratory with much lea[rni]ng but I calculate to edify you with simple truths from Heaven— I wish to go back to the begin[ning]: of creation— it is necessary to know the mind decree & ordina[tio]n. of the great Eloe [Elōheem or Elohim] begin[nin]g at the creat[io]n. & it is nec[essar]y. for us to have an understand[in]g. of God in the beging. if we start right it is very easy for us to go right all the time but if we start wrong it is hard to get right there are very few who understand rightly the char[acter] of God— they do not comprehend any thing that is past or that which is to come & com: but little more than the brute beast if a man learns know nothing more than to eat, drink, sleep, & does not comprehend any of the des[ig]ns of God the Beast can the same thing eats drin[ks] sleeps— noes [knows] nothing more & how are we to do it by no o[the]r. way than the Insp[iratio]n of A[lmighty] God I want to go back to the begin & so get you into a more lofty sphere than what the human being generally understands I want to ask this cong[regation]: every man wom[an]: & child to ans[we]r. the quest[io]n. in their own heart what kind of a being is God I ag[ai]n. rep[ea]t. the questn. what kind of a being is God does any man or woman know have any of you seen, him heard him, communed with him, here is the questn. that will peradventure from <​this time​> henceforth occupy your attentn.— the Apos[tle]: says this is Eternal life to know God & J. C [Jesus Christ] who he has sent— that is etern[a]l. life if any man enquire what kind of a being is God if he will search deligently his own heart that unless he knows God he has no eternal life— my first object is to find out the character of the true God & if I sho[ul]d. be the man to com[prehend]: the God & I com: them to your heart let every man & woman henceforth shut their mouths & never say anything ag[ain]st. the man of God & If I do not do it I have no right to rev[elatio]n. inspn. if all are pretension to the God they will all be as bad off as I am they will all say I ought to be d[amne]d there is not a man or wom who wo[ul]d not breath[e] out an anathema on my head & some wod. feel auth[orize]d to take away my life— if any man is authd. to take away my life who say I am a false teacher so I shod. have the same right to all false teacher & where wod. be the end of the blood & there is no law in the heart of God that wod. allow any one to interfere with the rights of man every man has a right to be a false as well as a true prophet— if I shew verily that I have the truth of God & shew that [p. 15]