This week's study is a collection of 4 completely unrelated short revelations, the first of which is curious and even baffling, so this is one we will focus on here.
Section 111
In the summer of 1836, the young church was in serious financial jeopardy with large debts. Joseph Smith was a young man who had grown up in poverty and knew nothing of managing money to run a large organization like a church, and they had just completed the Kirtland Temple, built to the Lord's high standard at tremendous expense. In Missouri, the local citizenry had attacked the saints and destroyed their two major means of income: their printing press and their store, stealing all its supplies as well. The church also had debt for the purchase of lands for church buildings and indigent saints' dwellings.
During this crisis, the young prophet heard from a church member who had been to or lived in Salem, Massachusetts, a Brother Burgess, that there was abandoned money hidden in the cellar of a house there whose owners had died. He said he was the only one who knew about it or where it was and apparently no one had claim on it.
The Lord had told the church, "It is my will that you shall pay all your debts" (D&C 104:78). With no means to do so, Joseph Smith decided to take a trip to New York City to petition their creditors for more time, explaining that they had counted on the publications and the store goods to make the money for the debt payment and they would need to find another source. It seemed prudent to him to travel on up the coast to Salem while he was there, just in case this lead might be a providential solution to the problem and provide money which they could then drop off in New York on the way home. He took Hyrum Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Sidney Rigdon with him, top leaders in the church.
When they arrived in Salem, which is 15 miles from Boston, reportedly Brother Burgess couldn't find the home because of growth and change in the area. The brethren had been planning to rent it and stay in it while they searched. Instead they rented another place. Later, Joseph wrote to Emma that they did find the home but someone else was occupying it.
In the meantime, the revelation of Section 111 was received. The first verse tells us a little bit about the Lord's opinion of the plan:
1 I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies.
2 I have much treasure in this city for you, for the benefit of Zion, and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion, through your instrumentality.
3 Therefore, it is expedient that you should form acquaintance with men in this city, as you shall be led, and as it shall be given you.
(I confess that I do not understand verse 4 and no one else seems to, either. That will be fun to discover someday. It's always good to have something left to learn!)
9 ...inquire diligently concerning the more ancient inhabitants and founders of this city;
This command was taken to heart immediately by the four men. "Ancient inhabitants" was interpreted by the men as the early Puritans who lived in the area. They went to the marine museum and traveled the area, learning about the infamous Salem witch trials which had stained that city's name for over 150 years. Olivery Cowdery was editor of the church's newspaper in Kirtland and sent letters to be published there regarding the horrors of religious zeal turned to murder.
"This witch business began in 1691, and was so effectually carried on for about two years that the innocent blood of hundreds moistened the earth to gratify the vile ambition of jealous mortals."
Thanks to the remorse of the city of Salem, he easily found these records in books in their public library.
The men also visited the ruins of a Catholic compound nearby which had been the focus of a terrorist attack: the Catholic Ursuline Convent, including a school, a chapel, gardens, and other buildings had all been burned to the ground. Anti-Catholic sentiment had led to unfounded rumors which led to mob mentality and violence.
Elder Cowdery reported:
"It was a religious persecution--a disgraceful, shameful religious persecution--one, or more, religious societies rising up against another. Is this religion? The good people here, being very tenacious of right, as well as the tradition of their ancestors, thought it doing God service to burn a Catholic convent, because the Catholic religion was different from their own. The Author of my existence knows the sorrowing of my heart, on the reflection that our country has come to this, that the weak must be trodden down by the strong, and disorder, confusion and terror, must distract our land and sow the discordant seeds of party strife and party animosity in the hearts of ignorant men, led on by infatuated [religious leaders], to overwhelm the continent with blood, and spread destruction and devastation throughout our happy asylum, and expose us to the fire, the sword, the rack and to death!"
Joseph Smith wrote about the experience as well, condemning the "wicked mob who destroyed the Charleston convent, and the cool, calculating religious lookers on, who inspired their hearts with deeds of infamy." He sorrowed that man wars with man to "wrest from him his sacred rights of worshiping his God according as his conscience dictates."
Six years later, Joseph would use his similar wording to pen the 11th Article of Faith: "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."
10 For there are more treasures than one for you in this city.
In 1841, missionary Erastus Snow was sent to Salem and successfully established a branch of the church there after much patience and hard work. A copy of one of his missionary tracts is found in the Joseph Smith Papers.
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