To the Patriarch, father John Smith
Great glory awaits
thee, thou father in Israel
To reward all thy
toils * thy labor of love:
The angels that guard
thee—that watch o’er thy pathway
Are proud to report
thee in councils above.
The pathway that
leads to the mansions of glory
Where freedom &
justice eternal reign:
The Lord God of Jacob
has chose for thy footsteps,
To bring thee to
dwell in His presence again.
Thou art greatly
belov’d by the saints that surround thee
They have tasted thy
blessings & greatly rejoice.—
The pow’r of the Priesthood
is felt thro’ thy presence—
The weak become
strong at the sound of thy voice.
Thou art greatly
belov’d in the councils of heaven
Where once thou wast
seated, & where still thy name
Is spoken with honor
& held in remembrance
Till thou shalt return
to their sittings again.
I have oft felt the
pow’r of thy blessings upon me—
And my heart feels to
bless thee, thou servant of God
And say thou’lt be
hid in the chambers of Israel
While the great
indignation is raging abroad;
For He that
appointeth the times, & the seasons
Allotted thy calling
& work on the earth;
And here in His sight
will thy life be held precious
Till thou hast fulfil’d
the design of thy birth.
When thou shalt have
finish’d thy toils & thy trials,
Thou’lt rest for
awhile for thy present reward—
Thou wilt join with
the spirits of just men made perfect
And enter with triumph
the joy of thy Lord:
And then in the morn
and of the first resurrection
Thou’lt come forth to
reign with the Savior on earth
Made holy & pure
thro’ the regeneration,
The Gods will rejoice
in thy glorious birth. (entry for October 22, 2846, in Eliza R. Snow, Trial
Diary, February 1846-May 1847, in Maureen Ursenbach Beecher, ed., The
Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow [Life Writings of Frontier Women
Volume 5; Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2000], 145)