The Wentworth Letter

The Wentworth Letter

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wentworth Letter, by Joseph
Smith Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check
the copyright laws for your country before downloading or
redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project
Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the
header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the
eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is
important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how
the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a
donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since
1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of
Volunteers!*****
Title: The Wentworth Letter
Author: Joseph Smith
Release Date: October, 2004 [EBook #6720] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on January 19,
2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE
WENTWORTH LETTER ***

This etext was produced by Gutenberg@BYU.
Editor: Philip MacCabe
The Wentworth Letter by Joseph Smith, Jun. as published in the Times
and Seasons Vol.3 No.9, 1 March 1842 available in the United States
Library Of Congress BX8605.1.T48 Vol.3 pp 706-710

CHURCH HISTORY
At the request of Mr. John Wentworth, Editor, and Proprietor of the
"Chicago Democrat," I have written the following sketch of the rise,
progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-Day Saints, of which I
have the honor, under God, of being the founder. Mr. Wentworth says,
that he wishes to furnish Mr.Bastow, a friend of his, who is writing the
history of New Hampshire, with this document. As Mr. Bastow has
taken the proper steps to obtain correct information, all that I shall ask
at his hands is that he publish the account entire, ungarnished, and
without misrepresentation.
I was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor co., Vermont, on the 23d of
December, A.D. 1805. When ten years old my parents removed to
Palmyra, New York, where we resided about four years, and from
thence we removed to the town of Manchester.
My father was a farmer and taught me the art of husbandry. When
about fourteen years of age I began to reflect upon the importance of
being prepared for a future state, and upon enquiring [of] the plan of
salvation I found that there was a great clash in religious sentiment; if I
went to one society they referred me to one plan, and another to another,
each one pointing to his own particular creed as the summum bonum of
perfection: considering that all could not be right, and that God could
not be the author of so much confusion I determined to investigate the
subject more fully, believing that if God had a church it would not be
split up into factions, and that if he taught one society to worship one
way, and administer in one set of ordinances, He would not teach

another, principles which were diametrically opposed. Believing the
word of God I had confidence in the declaration of James; "If any man
lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and
upbraideth not and it shall be given him," I retired to a secret place in a
grove and began to call upon the Lord, while fervently engaged in
supplication my mind was taken away from the objects with which I
was surrounded, and I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision and saw two
glorious personages who exactly resembled each other in features and
likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at
noon-day. They told me that all religious denominations were believing
in incorrect doctrines and that none of them was acknowledged of God
as His Church and kingdom. And I was expressly commanded to "go
not after them," at the same time receiving a promise that the fullness
of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto me.
On the evening of the 21st of September, A.D. 1823, while I was
praying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious
promises of scripture on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a far
purer and more glorious appearance, and brightness burst into the room,
indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled with
consuming fire; the appearance produced a shock that affected the
whole body; in a moment a personage stood before me surrounded with
a glory yet greater than