Letter to the Church in Caldwell County, Missouri, 16 December 1838

  • Source Note
  • Historical Introduction
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Missouri. Dec 16th 1838
To the in and the saints scattered abroad and are persecuted and made desolate and are afflicted in divers manners for christ’s sake and the gospel’s, and whose perils are greatly augmented by the wickedness and corruption of false brethren. May grace, mercy, and peace, be and abide with you and notwithstanding all your sufferings we assure you that you have our prayers and fervent desires for your welfare both day and night. We believe that, that God who sees us in this solitary place will hear our prayers & reward you openly. Know assuredly dear brethren that it is for the testimony of Jesus that we are in bonds and in prison. But we say unto you that we consider our condition better, (notwithstanding our suffering) than those who have persecuted us and smitten us and <​borne​> bear false witness against us, and we most assuredly believe that those who bear false witness against us <​do​> seem to have a great triumph over us for the present. But we want you to remember Haman and Mordecai you know that Haman could not be satisfied so long as he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he sought the life of Mordecai and the people of the jews. But the Lord so ordered that Haman was hanged upon his own gallows. So shall it come to pass with poor Haman in the last days. Those who have sought by their unbelief and wickedness and by the principle of mobocracy to destroy us and the people of God by killing and scattering them abroad and wilfully and maliciously delivering us into the hands of murderers desiring us to be put to death thereby having us dragged about in chains and cast into prison, and for what cause; it is because we were honest men and were determined to defend the lives of the saints at the expense of our own. I say unto you that those who have thus vilely treated us like Haman shall be hanged upon their own gallows, or in other words shall fall into their own gin and trap and ditch which they have prepared for us and shall go backward and stumble and fall, and their names shall be blotted out, and God shall reward them according to all their abominations. Dear brethren do not think that our hearts faint as though some strange thing had happened unto us for we have seen and been assured of all these things beforehand, and have an assurance of a better hope than that of our persecutors. Therefore God has made our shoulders broad that we can bear it. We glory in our tribulation because we know that God is with us, that he is our friend and that he will save our souls. We do not care for those that kill the body they cannot harm our souls; we ask no favors at the hands of mobs nor of the world, nor of the devil nor of his emissaries the dissenters. We have never dissembled nor will we for the sake of our lives. Forasmuch then as we know that we have been endeavoring with all our mights, minds, and strength [p. [1]]
Missouri. Dec 16th 1838
To the in and the saints scattered abroad and are persecuted and made desolate and are afflicted in divers manners for christ’s sake and the gospel’s, and whose perils are greatly augmented by the wickedness and corruption of false brethren. May grace, mercy, and peace, be and abide with you and notwithstanding all your sufferings we assure you that you have our prayers and fervent desires for your welfare both day and night. We believe that, that God who sees us in this solitary place will hear our prayers & reward you openly. Know assuredly dear brethren that it is for the testimony of Jesus that we are in bonds and in prison. But we say unto you that we consider our condition better, (notwithstanding our suffering) than those who have persecuted us and smitten us and borne false witness against us, and we most assuredly believe that those who bear false witness against us do seem to have a great triumph over us for the present. But we want you to remember Haman and Mordecai you know that Haman could not be satisfied so long as he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he sought the life of Mordecai and the people of the jews. But the Lord so ordered that Haman was hanged upon his own gallows. So shall it come to pass with poor Haman in the last days. Those who have sought by their unbelief and wickedness and by the principle of mobocracy to destroy us and the people of God by killing and scattering them abroad and wilfully and maliciously delivering us into the hands of murderers desiring us to be put to death thereby having us dragged about in chains and cast into prison, and for what cause; it is because we were honest men and were determined to defend the lives of the saints at the expense of our own. I say unto you that those who have thus vilely treated us like Haman shall be hanged upon their own gallows, or in other words shall fall into their own gin and trap and ditch which they have prepared for us and shall go backward and stumble and fall, and their names shall be blotted out, and God shall reward them according to all their abominations. Dear brethren do not think that our hearts faint as though some strange thing had happened unto us for we have seen and been assured of all these things beforehand, and have an assurance of a better hope than that of our persecutors. Therefore God has made our shoulders broad that we can bear it. We glory in our tribulation because we know that God is with us, that he is our friend and that he will save our souls. We do not care for those that kill the body they cannot harm our souls; we ask no favors at the hands of mobs nor of the world, nor of the devil nor of his emissaries the dissenters. We have never dissembled nor will we for the sake of our lives. Forasmuch then as we know that we have been endeavoring with all our mights, minds, and strength [p. [1]]
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