<16. Joseph’s Letter to the Elders.> Monday the 16th. at
home. Dictated the followin[g] letter for publication in the “Messenger
and Advocate.” [HC 2:312]
To the Elders of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. I have shewn unto you, in my last, that there are
two Jerusalems spoken of in Holy Writ, in a manner, I
think, satisfactorily to your minds: At any rate I have given my
views <up>on the subject. I shall now proceed to make some remarks
from the sayings of the Savior, recorded in the 13th chapter
of his Gospel according to St Matthew, which in my mind affords us as
clear an understanding, upon the important subject of the
gathering, as any thing recorded in the Bible. At the time the Savior
spoke these beautiful sayings and parables, contained in the
chapter above quoted, we find him seated in a ship, on the account of
the multitude that pressed upon him to hear his words, <Mat. 13th.>
and he commenced teaching them saying, [HC 2:264] “Behold a sower went
forth to sow. and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the
fowls came and devoured them up; some fell upon stony places, where they
had not much earth, and forthwith they sprang up because they had no
deepness of earth, and when the sun was up, they were scorched,
and because they had not root they withered away; and some fell among
thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them; but other fell in good
ground and brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold, some sixty fold,
some thirty fold: who hath ears to hear let him hear. And
the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in
parables? (I would here remark, that the “them,” made use of in this
interrogation, is a personal pronoun, and refers to the multitude,) he
answered and said unto them, (that is the disciples,) it is given
unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
but unto them (that is unbelievers) it is not given, for
whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance;
but whosoever hath not shall be taken away even that he hath.”
We understand from this saying, that those who had
previously looking for a messiah to come, according to the testimony of the
prophets, and were then, at that time, looking for a messiah, but had not
sufficient light on account of their unbelief, to discern him to be their
Savior; and he being the true Messiah, consequently they must be
disappointed and lose even all the knowledge, or have taken away from
them, all the light, understanding and faith, which they had upon
this subject: therefore he that will not receive the greater— [p. 643] light,
must have taken away from him all the light which <November
16 Joseph’s Letter to the elders, continued.> he hath. And if the
light which is in you become darkness, behold how great is that darkness?
Therefore says the Savior, speak I unto them in parables, because they,
seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand:
and in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith: by hearing
ye shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see and not
perceive.
Now we discover, that the very reason assigned by this prophet, why
they would not receive the Messiah, was, because they did or would not
understand; and seeing they did not perceive; for this people’s heart is
waxed gross; and their ears are dull of hearing; their eyes they
have closed, lest at any time, they should see with their eyes, and
hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and should be
converted and I should heal them.
But what saith he to his disciples: “Blessed are your eyes, for they
see, and your ears for they hear; for verily I say unto you, that many
prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see,
and have not seen [HC 2:265] them; and to hear those things which ye hear,
and have not heard them.” (source)