_____________________________________________ THE VISITATION OF JESUS CHRIST AND JOSEPH SMITH TO JOHN TAYLOR _____________________________________________ In the Spring of 1839, Joseph Smith Sr. gave an eight year old boy by the name of John Woolley a Patriarchal Blessing which prophesied, "Thou wilt obtain blessings, glory and honour, and through it thou wilt receive keys, worlds of knowledge and power, and thou wilt be called the Lord's anointed." That young boy grew into a righteous man, and a trusted friend of the prophets. When John Taylor was in hiding because of the principle of Celestial (plural) Marriage, there were very few of the Saints he could rely on (as there was a price on his head for his capture). Brother Woolley's house was one of the few homes in which he was confident his whereabouts would not be betrayed. One of the occasions he was staying there was a miraculous visitation, followed by events of great significance, which would be the source of controversy up to the present day. Of the many accounts of these events, the sworn statement of John Woolley's son, Lorin stands out as the most complete record of the events that transpired. Lorin C. Woolley related the following: While the brethren were at the Carlisle residence [in Murray] in May or June of 1886, letters began to come to President John Taylor from such men as John Sharp, Horace Eldredge, William Jennings, John T. Caine, Abraham Hatch, President Cluff and many other leading men from all over the Church, asking the leaders to do something, as the Gentiles were talking of confiscating their property in connection with the property of the Church. These letters not only came from those who were living in the Plural Marriage relation, but also from prominent men who were presiding in various offices of the Church who were not living in that relation. They all urged that something be done to satisfy the Gentiles so that their property would not be confiscated. George Q. Cannon on his own initiative selected a committee comprising himself, Hyrum B. Clawson, Franklin S. Richards, John T. Caine and James Jack, to get up a statement or manifesto that would meet the objections urged by the brethren above named. They met from time to time to discuss the situation. From the White home, where President Taylor and companions stopped, after leaving the Carlisle home, they came out to father's [John W.]. George Q. Cannon would go, and consult with the brethren of the committee, I taking him back and forth each day. On September 26, 1886, George Q. Cannon, Hyrum B. Clawson, Franklin S. Richards and others met with President John Taylor at my father's residence at Centerville, Davis County, Utah, and presented a document for President Taylor's consideration. I had just got back from a three days trip, during most of which time I had been in the saddle, and being greatly fatigued, I retired to rest. Between one and two o'clock p.m., Brother [Samuel] Bateman came and woke me up and asked me to be at my father's home, where a manifesto was to be discussed. I went there and found there were congregated Samuel Bateman, Charles H. Wilkins, L. John Nuttall, Charles Birrell, George Q. Cannon, Franklin S. Richards and Hyrum B. Clawson. We discussed the proposed manifesto at length, but we were unable to become united in the discussion. Finally George Q. Cannon suggested President Taylor take the matter up with the Lord and decide the same the next day. [President Taylor replied, "Do you think that I would decide on such a matter as that without taking it to the Lord and get His decision and final word on the matter?"] Brothers Clawson and Richards were taken back to Salt Lake. That evening I was called to act as a guard during the first part of the night, notwithstanding the fact that I was greatly fatigued on account of the three days trip I had just completed. The brethren retired to bed soon after nine o'clock. The sleeping rooms were inspected by the guard as was the custom. President Taylor's room had no outside door. The windows were heavily screened. Some time after the brethren retired and while I was reading the Doctrine and Covenants, I was suddenly attracted to a light appearing under the door leading to President Taylor's room, and was at once startled to hear the voices of men talking there. There were three distinct voices. I was bewildered because it was my duty to keep people out of that room and evidently someone had entered without my knowing it. I made a hasty examination and found the door leading to the room bolted as usual. I then examined the outside of the house and found all the window screens intact. While examining the last window, and feeling greatly agitated, a voice spoke to me, saying, "Can't you feel the Spirit? Why should you worry?" At this I returned to my post and continued to hear the voices in that room. They were so audible that although I did not see the parties, I could place their positions in the room from the sound of their voices. the three continued until about midnight, when one of them left, and the other two continued. One of them I recognised as President Taylor's voice. I called Charles Birrell, and we both sat up until eight o'clock the next morning. When President Taylor came out of his room about eight o'clock of the morning of September 27, 1886, we could scarcely look at him on account of the brightness of his personage. He stated, "Brethren, I have had a very pleasant conversation all night with Brother Joseph [Smith]." I said, "Boss, who was the man that was there until midnight?" He asked, "What do you know about it Lorin?" I told him all about my experience. He said, "Brother Lorin, that was your Lord." The Perpetuation of the Priesthood We had no breakfast, but assembled ourselves in a meeting. I forget who opened the meeting. I was called to offer the benediction. I think my father, John W. Woolley offered the opening prayer. There were present at the meeting, in addition to President Taylor, George Q. Cannon, L. John Nuttall, John W. Woolley, Samuel Bateman, Bishop Samuel Sedden, George Earl, my mother, Julie E. Woolley, my sister, Amy Woolley, and myself. The meeting was held from about nine o'clock in the morning until five in the afternoon without intermission, being eight hours in all. President Taylor called the meeting to order. He had the manifesto, that had been prepared under the direction of George Q. Cannon, read over again. He then put each person under covenant that he or she would defend the principle of Celestial or Plural Marriage, and that they would consecrate their lives, liberty, and property to this end, and that they personally would sustain and uphold the principle. By that time we were all filled with the Holy Ghost. President Taylor and those present occupied about three hours up to this time. After placing us under covenant, he placed his finger on the document, his person rising from the floor about a foot or eight inches, and with countenance animated by the Spirit of the Lord, and raising his right hand to the square, he said, "Sign that document; - never! I would suffer my right hand to be severed from my body first. Sanction it, - never! I would suffer my tongue to be torn from its roots in my mouth before I would sanction it!" After that he talked for about an hour and then sat down and wrote the revelation which was given him by the Lord upon the question of Plural Marriage. Then he talked to us for some time, and said, "Some of you will be handled and ostracised and cast out from the Church by your brethren because of your faithfulness and integrity to this principle, and some of you may have to surrender your lives because of the same, but woe, woe, unto those who shall bring these troubles upon you." (Three of us were handled and ostracised for supporting and sustaining this principle. There are only three left who were at the meeting mentioned - Daniel R. Bateman, George Earl and myself. So far as I know those of them who have passed away all stood firm to the covenants entered into from that day to the day of their deaths.) After the meeting referred to, president Taylor had L. John Nuttall write five copies of the revelation. He called five of us together: Samuel Bateman, Charles H. Wilkins, George Q. Cannon, John W. Woolley, and myself. He then set apart and placed us under covenant that while we lived we would see to it that no year passed by without children being born in the principle of Plural Marriage. We were given authority to ordain others if necessary to carry this work on, they in turn to be given authority to ordain others when necessary, under the direction of the worthy senior (by ordination), so that there should be no cessation in the work. He then gave each of us a copy of the Revelation. I am the only one of the five now living, and so far as I know all five of the brethren remained true and faithful to the covenants they entered into and to the responsibilities placed upon them at that time. Prophecies of John Taylor During the eight hours we were together, and while President Taylor was talking to us, he frequently arose and stood above the floor, and his countenance and being were so enveloped by light and glory that it was difficult for us to look upon him. He stated that the document, referring to the Manifesto, was from the lower regions. He stated that many of the things he had told us we would forget and they would be taken from us, but that they would return in due time as needed and from this fact we would know the same was from the Lord. This has been literally fulfilled. Many of the things I forgot, but they are coming to me gradually, and those things that come to me are as clear as on the day which they were written. He said that in the time of the seventh President of this Church, the Church would go into bondage both temporally and spiritually and in that day (the day of bondage) the One Mighty and Strong spoken of in the 85th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants would come. Among other things stated by President Taylor on this occasion was this, "I would be surprised if ten percent of those who claim to hold the Melchizedek Priesthood will remain true and faithful to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, at that time of the seventh President, and there would be thousands that think they hold the Priesthood at that time, but would not have it properly conferred upon them." John Taylor set the five mentioned apart and gave them authority to perform marriage ceremonies, and also to set others apart to do the same thing as long as they remained upon the Earth; and while doing so, the Prophet Joseph stood by directing the proceedings. Two of us had not met the Prophet Joseph in his mortal lifetime and we - Charles H. Wilkins and myself - were introduced to him and shook hands with him. [Signed] Lorin C. Woolley The following is the revelation John Taylor received, as referred to in Lorin Woolley's statement: __________________________________________________ A REVELATION ON CELESTIAL MARRIAGE __________________________________________________ Given Through President John Taylor, at Centerville, Utah, on September 27th, 1886 My son John: You have asked me concerning the New and Everlasting Covenant and how far it is binding upon my people. Thus saith the Lord: All commandments that I give must be obeyed by those calling themselves by my name unless they are revoked by me or by my authority, and how can I revoke an everlasting covenant; for I the Lord am everlasting and my everlasting covenants cannot be abrogated nor done away with ; but they stand forever. Have I not given my word in great plainness on this subject? Yet have not great numbers of my people been negligent in the observance of my law and the keeping of my commandment, and yet I have borne with them these many years because of the perilous times. And furthermore it is pleasing to me that men should use their free agency in these matters. Nevertheless I the Lord do not change and my word and my covenants and my law do not. And as I have heretofore said by my servant Joseph: All those who would enter into my glory must and shall obey my law. And have I not commanded men that if they were Abraham's seed and would enter into my glory they must do the works of Abraham. I have not revoked this law nor will I for it is everlasting and those who will enter into my glory must obey the conditions thereof, even so, Amen. John Taylor Papers, Church Historians Office The following are just some of the evidences for the accuracy of Brother Woolley's account, although ultimately it is through the witness of the Spirit that we will gain a knowledge of the truth of the events and revelation related: __________________________________________________________ "IN THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES" __________________________________________________________ As we mentioned at the start: In the Spring of 1839, Joseph Smith, Sr. gave the young John W. Woolley a Patriarchal Blessing which prophesied, "Thou wilt obtain blessings, glory and honour, and through it though wilt receive keys, world of knowledge and power, and thou wilt be called the Lord's anointed." As we have just read in his son's account, that eight year old boy grew to see those promises fulfilled. The first recorded instance of Lorin C. Woolley bearing testimony to the events of the 1886 meeting is recorded in B. Harvey Allred's Missionary Journal. In which he states that Lorin testified to having seen Joseph Smith since his death. (28nd March 1897) In 1912 Lorin submitted a short account of some of the events of the visitation and meeting to the Church Archives, and on 22nd September 1929 left us the fuller account we have today. Daniel R. Bateman testified in a sworn statement on 4th May 1934; "I was privileged to be at the meeting of September 27th, 1886, spoken of by Brother Woolley. I myself acting as one of the guards for the brethren during those exciting times. The proceedings of the meeting as related by Brother Woolley are correct in every detail." There are indications that Samuel Bateman also related the events of that time as early as 1888 in a conversation to John M. Whitaker1. George Q. Cannon, of the First Presidency, told Joseph W. Musser that, "President John Taylor had, during his lifetime, under the direction of the Lord, perfected arrangements for the perpetuation of plural marriage, even after the Church should reject its practice. "2 'Nellie' Taylor, said that her husband, "John W. referred to the circumstances on several occasions and told how his father was in hiding in the home of John W. Woolley at Centerville the night it [the 1886 revelation] was received. That Lorin Woolley was on guard in the next room and witnessed a strange light under President Taylor's door. "3 As far as contemporary evidence is concerned; John Taylor's Journal has since been 'lost' by the Church Archives, and Wilford Woodruff's and L. John Nuttall's Journal entries for that month are missing, although every other month is available. However Daniel R. Bateman had in his possession a copy of the 1886 revelation L. John Nuttall made at the time of the meeting4, and since that time the original revelation has come forward for investigation. Dr. Reed C. Durham, President of the Mormon History Association and L.D.S. Co-ordinator of Seminaries and Institutes in Salt Lake City, in a High Priest Meeting of the Salt Lake Foothill Stake, on 24th February 1974, stated that: "There was a revelation that John Taylor received and we have it in his handwriting. We've analyzed the handwriting. It is John Taylor's handwriting and the revelation is reproduced by the Fundamentalists...The revelation is dated September 27; that fits the account of the meeting, 1886." A statement from the Son of John Taylor who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1911, John W. Taylor, who had been visited by the Saviour also. John W. Taylor: ‘‘My Father received a revelation which however was never presented to the Church, and I refer to this not because it was a revelation to my Father; I don’t think a revelation because it came through him was any greater than one received through any other President of the Church...This revelation is either true or it is false. Assuming that it is true, it seems to me that it would be better to offer leniency on the side of the Lord, if you are to offer any leniency, than on the side of politics...Brother Lyman, what do you think of the revelation to my Father?’’ Minutes of Council of Twelve Meeting concerning fellowship of John W. Taylor, son of John Taylor, and Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, held in the Salt Lake Temple, February 22, 1911, at 10 am, at which were present: President Francis M. Lyman, Heber J. Grant, Hyrum M. Smith, Charles W. Penrose, George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, David O. Mckay, Anthony W. Ivins, and Joseph F. Smith, Jr. 1 Diary of John M. Whitaker (16th September 1888), Manuscripts, University of Utah. 2 Truth magazine 7:277, Joseph W. Musser (Editor), 1936 - 1954. 3 Journal of Douglas M. Todd, Sr. (1st September 1934), Pioneer Press. 4 Truth magazine 6:136. http://www.mormons.org.uk/1886meet.htm