19. Behold, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with many who are in the Church at Kirtland,
20. For they do not forsake their sins, and their wicked ways, the pride of their hearts, and their covetousness, and all their detestable things, and observe the words of wisdom and eternal life which I have given unto them.
21. Verily I say unto you, that I, the Lord, will chasten them, and will do whatsoever I list, if they do not repent and observe all things whatsoever I have said unto them.
22. And again I say unto you, if ye observe to do whatsoever I command you, I, the Lord, will turn away all wrath and indignation from you, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.
23. Now I speak unto you concerning your families: if men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded;
24. But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you.
25. And again, if your enemy shall smite you the second time, and you revile not against your enemy, and bear it patiently, your reward shall be an hundredfold.
26. And again, if he shall smite you the third time, and ye bear it patiently, your reward shall be doubled unto you four-fold;
27. And these three testimonies shall stand against your enemy if he repent not, and shall not be blotted out.
28. And now, verily I say unto you, if that enemy shall escape my vengeance, that he be not brought into judgment before me, then ye shall see to it that ye warn him in my name, that he come no more upon you, neither upon your family, even your children's children unto the third and fourth generation;
29. And then if he shall come upon you, or your children, or your children's children unto the third and fourth generation; I have delivered thine enemy into thine hands.
30. And then if thou wilt spare him, thou shalt be rewarded for thy righteousness; and also thy children and thy children's children unto the third and fourth generation;
31. Nevertheless thine enemy is in thine hands, and if thou reward him according to his works, thou art justified; if he have sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him, thine enemy is in thine hands and thou art justified.
32. Behold, this is the law I gave unto my servant Nephi, and thy fathers, Joseph and Jacob, and Isaac and Abraham, and all mine ancient prophets and apostles.
33. And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them.
34. And if any nation, tongue, or people, should proclaim war against them, they should first lift a standard of peace unto that people, nation, or tongue;
35. And if that people did not accept the offering of peace neither the second nor the third time, they should bring these testimonies before the Lord;
36. Then I, the Lord, would give unto them a commandment, and justify them in going out to battle against that nation, tongue or people.
37. And I, the Lord, would fight their battles, and their children's battles, and their children's children's, until they had avenged themselves on all their enemies, to the third and fourth generation.
38. Behold, this is an example unto all people, saith the Lord your God, for justification before me.
39. And again, verily I say unto you, if after thine enemy has come upon thee the first time, he repent and come unto thee praying thy forgiveness, thou shalt forgive him, and shalt hold it no more as a testimony against thine enemy,
40. And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven.
41. And if he trespass against thee and repent not the first time, nevertheless thou shalt forgive him;
42. And if he trespass against thee the second time, and repent not, nevertheless thou shalt forgive him;
43. And if he trespass against thee the third time, and repent not, thou shalt also forgive him;
44. But if he trespass against thee the fourth time, thou shalt not forgive him, but shalt bring these testimonies before the Lord, and they shall not be blotted out until he repent and reward thee four-fold in all things wherewith he has trespassed against thee;
45. And if he do this, thou shalt forgive him with all thine heart, and if he do not this, I, the Lord, will avenge thee of thine enemy an hundred-fold:
46. And upon his children, and upon his children's children of all them that hate me, unto the third and fourth generation;
47. But if the children shall repent, or the children's children, and turn to the Lord their God, with all their hearts, and with all their might, mind, and strength and restore four-fold for all their trespasses, wherewith they have trespassed, or wherewith their fathers have trespassed, or their father's fathers, then thine indignation shall be turned away,
48. And vengeance shall no more come upon them, saith the Lord thy God, and their trespasses shall never be brought any more as a testimony before the Lord against them. Amen.
Footnotes
1. The mob consisted of from three to five hundred.—Times and Seasons, vol. 1, p. 18.
2. The incident is thus described in the Times and Seasons, vol. 1, p. 18: "In a short time hundreds of the mob gathered around the printing office, which was a two story brick building, which they soon threw down. The press was thrown from the upper story, and also the apparatus, book work, paper, type, etc. A family residing in the lower story was also thrust out in great haste. After destroying the printing establishment, they proceeded to Gilbert & Whitney's store for the same purpose, but Gilbert agreeing to box the goods, soon, they concluded to let it alone."
3. They succeeded in taking Charles Allen, whom they tarred and feathered upon the public square, surrounded by hundreds of the mob. A number more were taken, but they succeeded in making their escape, through the over anxiety of their keepers, who wished to have the "sport" of seeing those who were being tarred.—Times and Seasons, vol. I, p. 18.
4. The Prophet's statement on this head is abundantly sustained even by those historians who become apologists for the actions of the mob, and also by the declaration put forth by the mob themselves. It will be remembered that in the "Mob Manifesto," or "Secret Constitution," (p. 374, this volume) those who signed it justified their determination "to rid their society of the Mormons" by resorting to mob violence because, said they, "we believe that the arm of the civil law does not afford us a guarantee, or at least a sufficient one, against the evils which are now inflicted upon us." In the address adopted at their meeting of the 20th of July, which was published in the Western Monitor (see p. 396) the mob further excuse their lawless intentions by saying: "The evil is one that no one could have foreseen, and therefore is unprovided for by the laws; and the delays incident to legislation would put the mischief beyond remedy." In all of which one plainly sees unconscious admission that the Saints were not guilty of infraction of the laws of the land. As to the historian apologists referred to in the opening sentence of this note, I quote the following statements from the "History of Jackson County, Missouri," published by the Union Historical Company, Kansas City, Missouri, 1881: "Assuming this that they [the Saints] were the holy people of the Lord, that the Lord was the real owner of all things, and that all His possessions were free to them, they were not calculated to be very respectful of the rights and interests of their non-Mormon neighbors. But though no overt acts of transgression upon such rights were being committed, the rapidly gathering members of the Mormons * * * made the new sect an object of profound solicitude to the people." (See also comment of Parley