The following important edefying & interesting discourse was delivered by President. Joseph Smith to about twenty <ten> thousand souls upon the subject of the death of Elder
I now call the attention of this congregation while I addres you upon the subject of the dead The case of our Beloved Brother who was crushed to death in a well as well as many others who have lost friends will be had in mind this afternoon & shall speak upon the subject in general as far as I shall be inspired by the Holy spirit to treat upon the subject, I want the Prayers & faith of the Saints that I may have the Holy Ghost, that the testimony may carry conviction to your minds of the truth of what I shall say, & pray that the Lord may strengthen my lungs, there is strength here your prayers will be herd. Before I enter upon an investigation of this subject, I wish to pave the way, and bring up the subject from the beginning that you may understand, I do not intend to please you with oritory but with the simple truths of heaven Edify you. Go to the morn of creation to understand of the decrees of the Eloheem at the creation. It is necessary for us to have an understanding of God at the beginning, if we get a good start first we can go right, but if you start wrong you may go wrong. But few understand the character of God. they do not know they do not understand their relationship to God. the world know no more than the brute beast & they know no more than [p. [133]]