[Apostle John Henry Smith Diary] Salt Lake City
I bid my mother and son good bye for the present and returned to the City.
I went to Prest. Taylors office and received the following:
Blessing pronounced upon the head of Apostle John Henry Smith under the hands of Presidents John Taylor, George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith. President J. Taylor was mouth.
Brother John Henry: In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, we lay our hands upon thy head and set thee apart to go and preside over the European mission. And to this end, we pray that the spirit and power of thy mission may rest upon thee from this time forth; that the spirit of God may flow into thee, directing thee in all things pertaining to this mission and the interests thereof and pertaining to those over whom thou shalt preside, over all the Elders in that Country, that is, in England, in Scandinavia, in Germany, and in Switzerland, or wherever thy mission shall extend in that part of the world; that thou mayest be filled with the spirit and power of the Apostleship and be able to discern the spirits and actions of men, that thou mayest have wisdom given unto thee at all times to enable thee to act intelligently and carefully in managing all the affairs of thy mission; that thou mayest be as a father unto those over whom thou sh
alt
preside. And seek unto God and obtain from Him revelation to direct thee in everything thou shalt engage in, that thou mayest have wisdom to direct and appoint men to those places in which they will be most serviceable and where their talents shall be most usefully employed, not only in England but in other parts of Europe wherein they shall labor; and pray that the spirit and power of God may rest down upon thee at all times, that thou mayest be enabled to act intelligently in all thy doings.
And we say unto thee seek unto the Lord to enable thee to do whatever devolves upon thee, and thou shalt be blessed, and in the transaction of business, in making appointments, and in all matters pertaining to the interest of the Church and Kingdom of God in that part of the Lords vineyard, seek unto the Lord to know just what is best and what is calculated to benefit the people over whom thou shalt preside.
And we ask that thy health and strength may be adequate to the labors to be performed in this mission, that thy system may be preserved from disease, and that thou mayest be enabled to accomplish a good work even according to the desire of thy heart, and see the work of God roll forth in that part of the land where thou shalt preside.
And we say unto thee, go in peace, and God shall bless thee in thy journey upon land and across the Ocean, and in thy labors in that part of the world, and thou shalt return, after accomplishing a good work, to the bosom of thy family and to the association of the Saints.
We seal upon thee all of these blessings and set thee apart to this mission, and ask that the spirit and power of God may rest down upon thee from this time forth. We seal all these blessings upon thy head by virtue of the Holy Priesthood and Apostleship in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. (1)
-- 1882 October 28
[Apostle John Henry Smith [father of George Albert Smith]] Leaves Salt Lake City to preside over the European Mission. (2)
-- Friday, Nov. 24, 1882
[Apostle John Henry Smith Diary] Liverpool
I received a letter from my wife Josephine written Nov. 5. All were pretty well at that time. I also received a letter from my son George Albert with a gem picture. I received a copy of the following revelation.
Revelation given through President John Taylor,
at Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, Oct. 13th 1882.
Thus saith the Lord to the Twelve, and to the priesthood and people of my church: Let my servants George Teasdale and Heber J. Grant be appointed to fill the vacancies in the Twelve, that you may be fully organized and prepared for the Labors devolving upon you, for you have a great work to perform, and then proceed to fill up the presiding quorum of Seventies, and assist in organizing that body of my priesthood who are your co-laborers in the ministry. You may appoint Seymour B. Young to fill up 'the vacancy in the presiding quorum of seventies, if he will conform to my law; for it is not meet that men who will not abide by law shall preside over my priesthood; and then proceed forthwith and call to your aid any assistance that you may recquire from among the seventies to assist you in your labors in introducing and maintaining the gospel among the Lamanites throughout the land. And then let High Priests be selected, under the direction of the first Presidency, to presi
de
over the various organizations that shall exist among this people; that those who receive the Gospel may be taught in the doctrines of my church, and in the ordinances and law thereof; and also in the things pertaining to my Zion and my Kingdom, saith the Lord, that they may be one with you in my church and my Kingdom.
Let the Presidency of my church be one in all things; and let the Twelve also be one in all things; and let them all be one with me as I am one with the Father.
And let the High Priests organize themselves and purify themselves, and prepare themselves for this labor, and for all other labors that they may be called upon to fulfil.
And let the Presidents of Stakes also purify themselves, and the priesthood and people of the Stakes over which they preside, and organize the priesthood in their various Stakes according to my law in all the various departments thereof, in the High Councils, in the Elders quorums, and in the Bishops and their councils, and in the quorum of Priests, Teachers and Deacons, that every quorum may be fully organized according to the order of my church; and then let them inquire into the standing and fellowship of all that hold my holy priesthood in their several stakes; and if they find those that are unworthy let them remove them, except they repent; for my priesthood, whom I have called and whom I have sustained and honored, shall honor me and obey my laws, and the laws of my holy priesthood or they shall not be considered worthy to hold my priesthood, saith the Lord. And let my priesthood humble themselves before me, and seek not their own will but my will; for if my priest
hood,
whom I have chosen, and called, and endowed with the spirit and gifts of their several callings, and with the powers thereof do not acknowledge me I will not acknowledge them, saith the Lord, for I will be honored and obeyed by my priesthood.
And, then, I call upon my priesthood, and upon all my people, to repent of all their sins and shortcomings, of their covetousness and pride and selfwill, and of all their iniquities wherein they sin against me; and to seek with all humility to fulfil my law, as my priesthood, my saints, and my people, and I call upon the heads of families to put their houses in order according to the law of God, and attend to the various duties and responsibilities associated therewith, and to purify themselves before me, and to purge out iniquity from their households.
And I will bless and be with you, Saith the Lord, and ye shall gather together in your holy places wherein ye assemble to call upon me, and ye shall ask for such things as are right, and I will hear your prayers, and my spirit and power shall be with you, and my blessing shall rest upon you, upon your families, your dwellings, and your households, upon your flocks and herds and fields, your orchards and vineyards, and upon all that pertain to you, and you shall be my people and I will be your God and your enemies shall not have dominion over you, for I will preserve you and confound them, saith the Lord, and they shall not have power nor dominion over you; for my word shall go forth, and my work shall be accomplished; and my Zion shall be established, and my rule and my power and my dominion shall prevail among my people, and all nations shall yet acknowledge me, Even So amen. (1)
Footnotes:
1 - White, Jean Bickmore, Church, State, and Politics: The Diaries of John Henry Smith, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1990, http://bit.ly/johnhenrysmith
2 - White, Jean Bickmore, Church, State, and Politics, p.xviii, A John Henry Smith Chronology, http://bit.ly/johnhenrysmith
LDS History Chronology: George Albert Smith
Mormon History Timeline: The life of George Albert Smith
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
