185 years ago today - 1833: 18 December

[Patriarchal Blessing]
Given by Joseph Smith, Jr.?)

"Blessed of the Lord is brother [name erased, but was probably Oliver Cowdery, who was later cut off from the church] ... he is blessed of the Lord for his constancy and steadfastness in the work of the Lord: Wherefore, he shall be blessed in his generations, and they shall never be cut off; ... He shall be blessed with the blessings that couch beneath; even the hidden things of the ancient mountains: even the records that have been hid from the first ages, from generation to generation shall he be an instrument in the hands of his God, with his brother Joseph, of translating and bringing forth to the house of Israel. And blessed upon the mountains shall his feet be, for he shall publish peace and salvation among all the Gentile nations, and lo, lo, among the Jews, also: and his name shall be had in remembrance among all nations, and it shall be said of him, This man is blessed of the Lord for he went out in search of the promised land like Abraham of old, not knowing whither he went, and the right hand of his God did protect him that he did not stop till his feet stood thereon: therefore, for this he is blessed and his posterity after him; and when men bless in Israel they shall bless, saying, The Lord bless thee as he did his servant [name erased] who sought diligently for the promised land, whereon the city of Zion should stand: the Lord bring peace and blessings upon thy house as he has upon the house of this man; for inasmuch as he has done like Abraham, in this thing, the blessings of his father--Abraham shall come upon him. Thus shall his name remain a blessing. And he shall yet do the work of an evangelist in his day; and Zion shall rejoice for the multitudes that shall flow unto her--because of him. And he shall be kept under the shadow of the wing of the Almighty, and be made a polished shaft in his quiver, and send forth by his mighty hand. He shall sit in the council of the patriarchs, with his brother Joseph and with him have part in the keys of that ministry when the Ancient of Days shall come. Behold, there is no end to the blessings and glories that shall come upon my brother [name erased] yet in his days; for he shall have part with me in the keys of the kingdom of the last days, and we shall judge this generation by our testimony: and the keys shall never be taken from us but shall vest with us for an everlasting priesthood, forever and ever. Behold, he shall be a choice lawyer in Israel both pertaining to the law of God and also the law of man, for he shall have understanding in these matters. He shall be equal in the councils of Israel, for he shall sit in the great assemblys of the house of Jacob, and by his understanding shall they be benefited. He shall also stand in the councils of nations and states, and his voice shall be heard in the midst of the most renowned among the statesmen of the world, and by his superior intelligence and great wisdom convince them of their errors: thus shall he be reverenced; for he shall be had in repute even by governors and kings, and stand in the legislatures of nations. And because of the liberality of his soul shall the poor be benefitted, and their blessings shall rest upon his head: Though his heart shall desire, above all things, to see the law of God fulfilled, yet because he is ever filled with charity he shall be quick to forgive the transgressor, when he repents. He shall be blessed with an abundance of the good things of this earth, even with houses and with lands, and in the fruit of the vine, the fruit of the olive and the fruit of the field, and in the abundance of cattle, and of horses, and of asses, and of she asses, of sheep, and of goats, of camels, dromedaries, and all swift beasts, and of chariots in abundance, with gold and with silver, with diamonds and all precious stones, with brass and with iron, and with the choice platina, and of blessings at home and abroad, and of blessings pertaining to right among the nobles of the earth, in palaces of governors and kings, and in foreign nations, and in kingdoms afar off unto the utmost parts of the earth, and they shall acknowledge his right and his authority. So shall the blessings come upon my brother [name erased] and upon his seed after him, from generation to generation, unto the latest posterity. These blessings shall come upon him according to the blessings of the prophecy of Joseph, in ancient days, which he said should come upon the Seer of the last days and the Scribe that should sit with him, and that should be ordained with him, by the hand of the angel in the bush, unto the lesser priesthood, and after receive the holy priesthood under the hands of those who had been held in reserve for a long season even those who received it under the hand of the Messiah, while he should dwell in the flesh, upon the earth, and should receive the blessings with him, even the Seer of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saith he, even Joseph of old, by his hand, even God. And he shall inherit a crown of eternal life, at the end; and while in the flesh shall stand up in Zion and assist to crown the tribes of Jacob; even so. Amen.

Oliver Cowdery, Clerk and Recorder

Given December 18, 1833, and recorded in this book October 2, 1835."

[Selected LDS Patriarchal Blessings, New Mormon Studies CD ROM, Signature Book, 2009, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

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