Hyrum Smith

You know this reference.

The Lord tells Hyrum Smith, seek not to declare my word.

First, seek to obtain my word.

Then you can go forth and teach me.

I wonder what's going on in Orson Pratt's mind that he feels like this is necessary to include.

I'm just spitballing here, but maybe they got fed up with schismatic groups like the Godbyites and others claiming, you know, like these guys were spiritualists, right? Fun fact, everybody, the Salt Lake Tribune was founded by a bunch of spiritualists, just in case you didn't know, who were doing seances and channeling the spirits of Hiram Smith and other people.

So I imagine if maybe the context of kind of the rise of spiritualism in the United States and other people maybe or schismatic break off groups, that's something to do with that.

It's just kind of interesting.

And I want to point out a couple of things.

In verse 3, the Lord tells Hiram, And so you'll recall section 11 of the Doctrine and Covenants was earlier given to Hyrum Smith.

And in that one, the Lord promised him that his tongue would be loosed.

Like we always quote that because the Lord told him, first seek to obtain my word, then shall your tongue be loosed.

We tend to use the term sustaining partially because it's not an election, right? Usually the people have already been called and discussed by church leaders, and we're just basically saying we'll sustain them.

Let me give you a couple quotes here.

Joseph F. Smith, this is the son of Hyrum Smith, president of the church, said, "...it is an important duty resting upon the saints who sustain the authorities of the church, to do so not only by lifting of the hand, the mere form, but in deed and truth." So common consent can also extend to us not just raising our hand and saying, yeah, this is okay with me.

I have no problems in deed and truth.

The Smith family followed this religious excitement, and members of the family were proselyted to various faiths.

Mother Smith and three of the children, Hiram, Samuel, and Sophrina, joined one church, while Father Smith and his eldest son Alvin affiliated with another.

When 14-year-old Joseph Jr. considered which church to join, he investigated each denomination carefully, listening to the respective ministers and trying to sort out the truth.

He knew there was one faith, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, but which was the one? He did not know.

In the midst of this war of tumult and opinions, Joseph Smith, Jr. wrote later, I often said to myself, What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right, or are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?

the great great grandson of Hiram Smith speaking to us there.

Just to make that fact known.

Yeah, so he's saying that in part of the story is that in 1820, four of the Smiths joined the Presbyterian Church.

Like I said, sometimes the LDS Church will choose what it... what it restores, right? And then it'll ignore other things.

Like I have a friend in Nauvoo and she made me aware a while ago that Hiram Smith's house was up for sale.

I'm like, what do you mean Hiram Smith's house is up for sale? Isn't that something that's preserved and you can tour? And she's like, no, I think it's the barn.

It's just for sale.

So sometimes the church kind of just lets things slide.

Among those who were attracted by the proclamations of this new evangel were a number who were or had been members of the Masonic fraternity.

Prominent among these were Dr. John C. Bennett, an Ohio Mason, Herbert C. Kimball, one of the first apostles and a trusted friend of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, who had received a degree in Victor, New York, and Hiram Smith, the prophet's brother, who was also a New York Mason.

Early in the summer of 1841, these Masons addressed a communication to Bodley Lodge No. 1, located at Quincy, in which they asked for the usual recommendation in order that they might establish a new lodge at Nauvoo.

This request was denied, the reason assigned by Bodley Lodge being that as these persons are unknown to this lodge as Masons, it was thought prudent not to do so.

On April 1st, 1844, Bodley Lodge No. 1, after discussing the situation, directed its secretary to notify the Grand Master that the lodges in Nauvoo and Keokuk continued to work and that notice had appeared in public print that the lodges of Nauvoo would dedicate their Masonic Hall in that place on April 5th, the members of those lodges claiming that they had received no notice of the action of Grand Lodge withdrawing their dispensations.

From the journal of Joseph Smith, we get certain interesting details of the exercises connected with the dedication of the Masonic Hall.

He tells us under date of Friday, April 5th, that he attended the ceremonies, that about 550 Masons from various parts of the world were present and took part, that a procession was formed, which was accompanied by the Nauvoo brass band, that the exercises were in charge of Hiram Smith, Worshipful Master, that the principal address of the occasion was given by Apostle Erastus Snow, that he, Joseph Smith, and Dr. Goforth had addressed the assembly, that all the visiting Masons were given dinner in the Masonic Hall at the expense of the Nauvoo Lodge.

An echo of the exercises held in connection with the dedication of the Masonic Hall at Nauvoo is found in the action taken by the lodge at Belleville, St. Clair No. 24.