[Brigham Young] --7-- Brother Joseph and several of the Twelve called on me. We went to meeting, when Joseph spoke on temperance, virtue, charity and truth. After the meeting I met with the Twelve and high priests quorum. The word of wisdom was brought up; I expressed my views upon the subject, and said I considered it wisdom to use all things put into our hands according to the best judgment God would give us: wisdom was justified of her children. (1)
-- During Oct 1841
[Black History] In a discourse on fault-finding among the brethren, Smith tangentially comments upon the curse Noah laid upon Ham, and states that the curse remains upon the posterity of Canaan until the present day. "I referred to the curse of Ham for laughing at Noah, while in his wine, but doing no harm. Noah was a righteous man, and yet he drank wine and became intoxicated; the Lord did not forsake him in consequence thereof, for he retained all the power of his priesthood, and when he was accused by Canaan, he cursed him by the priesthood which he held, and the Lord had respect to his word, and the priesthood which he held, notwithstanding he was drunk, and the curse remains upon the posterity of Canaan until the present day" (History of the Church, 4:446). (2)
-- Nov 7, 1841 (Sunday)
[Joseph Smith Sermon] 7th Sunday I first called upon Br Joseph with some of the Twelve from thence to B. Young from thence to the meeting ground near the Temple whare I found many hundreds of Saints Elder Wm Clark preached about 2 hours when Br Joseph arose & reproved him as pharisaical & hypocritical & not edifying the people Br Joseph then delivered unto us an Edifying address ... what many people called sin was not sin & he did many things to break down superstition & he would break it down he spoke of the curse of ham for laughing at Noah while in his wine but doing no harm. (3)
-- January the 18th 1842
[High Council Minutes] The High Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day [Saints] of Nauvoo Illinois met in council at the office of Elder Hyrum Smith.
1st President William Marks stated that the object of the meeting of the Council was to take into consideration the affairs of the Church, to set in order all things relative to their duty as Councellors, to call on the Bishops and see if they call the Lesser Priest-hood together, if they do their duty, if the Priests visit from house to house, if there was no malice, no hardness, no difficulty in the Church, that he wished to have them make a record of all who do their duty, who keep the word of wisdom &c He recommended that the Bishops adopt such measures as would be most practicable and useful for th to bring about such an order of things, that their reports be brought before the High Council that they may have a knowledge of their proceedings and the situation of the Church.... (4)
-- January the 21st 1842
[High Council Minutes] 2nd Elder Hyrum Smith spoke showing the proper order of things. Spoke, at length, on the word of wisdom, the necessity of obeying it, how it had been trifled with, the temporal danger in not obeying and the blessings in obeying it. (4)
Footnotes:
1 - Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1801-1844, ed. Elden Jay Watson (Salt Lake City: Smith Secretarial Service, 1968).
2 - Crapo, Richley, Chronology Pertaining to Blacks and the LDS Priesthood, http://www.mormonsocialscience.org/node/62
3 - The Woodland Institute, http://www.woodlandinstitute.com
4 - Minutes of the High Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Nauvoo Illinois: Nauvoo Hancock County Illinois, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
LDS History Chronology: the Word of Wisdom
Mormon Timeline: the Word of Wisdom
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
