of the bible; Rigdou went to Kirtland, and on the 2d
of April, in obedience to a revelation, Smith started
for Missouri, having for his companions Whitney,
Peter Whitmer, and Gause. The spirit of mobocracy
was aroused throughout the entire country. Joseph
even feared to go to Kirtland, and escaped by way of
Warren, where he was joined by Rigdon, whence the
two proceeded to Cincinnati and St Louis by way of
Wheeling, Virginia, a mob following them a good part
of the way. The brethren at Independence and vicinity welcomed their leaders warmly, but the unbelievers there as elsewhere hourly threatened violence.[1]
In May the first edition of the Book of Commandments[2] was ordered printed; the following month, pub-
- ↑ The 26th of April Smith called a general council, which acknowledged him as president of the high priesthood, to which he had been ordained at the Amherst conference in January, and Bishop Parti-idge and Rigdon, who had quarrelled, were reconciled, probably by Smith, as Rigdon was supposed to be at Kirtland at the time. This greatly rejoiced Smith; and he immediately received a revelation, in which it was announced that the stakes must be strengthened, and all property was to be held in common. Times and Seasons, V. 624-5; Mackay's The Mormons, 71.
- ↑ The first edition of Doctrine and Covewam^s presents the following title page: A Book of Commandments for the Government of the Church of Christ organized according to law on the 6th of April, 1830. Zion: Published by W. W. Phelps & Co., 1833. This edition contains the revelations given up to September, 1831. There were 3,000 copies printed of this edition. Then there was The Book of Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; Selected from the Revelations of God. By Joseph Smith, President. First European Edition, Liverpool, no date. The preface, however, by Thomas Ward, is dated Liverpool, June 14, 1845. There are two principal divisions and an appendix. The first consists of seven lectures on faith, delivered by Sidney Rigdon before a class of elders at Kirtland; the second is called Covenants and Commandments, and consists chiefly of revelations given 1830-42, to Joseph Smith, the same for the most part that are also printed in Times and Seasons, under title of History of Joseph Smith. There are also rules, minutes of council, visions, and expositions. The appendix contains rules on marriage, a dissertation on government and laws, and a brief account of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. 'The book of Mormon, although most known, is not the chief book of the sect. The Book of Teachings and Covenants, containing some of the revelations which Smith pretended to have received from heaven, is regarded by his disciples as a book of the law which God
dealing, forgery, and swindling. Burton's City of the Saints, 672. Smith merely says that Rigdon was mad; but his mother asserts that he counterfeited the madness in order to mislead the saints into the belief that the keys of the kingdom had been taken from the church, and would not be restored, as he said, until they had built him a new house. This, she says, gave rise to great scandal, which Joseph however succeeded in silencing. Rigdon repented and was forgiven. He stated that as a punishment for his fault, the devil had three times thrown him out of his bed in one night. Remy's Journey to Great Salt Lake, i. 283 (note).
