McIntire Minute Book[1]

Next Meeting Meeting on sunday Joseph Reads the 38th Ch—of Job. in the book he says is a Great Display of human Nature—it is very Natureal for a man when he sees his fellow man afflicted his Natureal conclusion is that he is sufering the Rath of an angry God & turn from him in haste not knowing the purpose of God [2] he says the spirit or the inteligence of men are self Existant principles he before the foundation this Earth—& quotes the Lords question to Job "where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the Earth" [3] Evidence that Job was in Existing somewhere at that time he says God is Good & all his acts is for the benifit of infereir inteligences—God saw that those intelegences had Not power to Defend themselves against those that had a tabernicle therefore the Lord Calls them togather in Counsel & agrees to form them tabernicles so that he might Gender the Spirit & the tabernicle togather so as to create sympathy for their fellowman—for it is a Natureal thing with those spirits that has the most power to bore down on those of Lesser power so we see the Devil is without a tabernicle & the Lord as set bo[u]nds to all Spirits & hence Come the Saying thou son of David why art thou Come to torment us before the time, & Jesus Comanded him to Come out of the Man & the Devil besought him that he might Enter in a herd of swine Near by (for the Devil knew they were a Coveitous people & if he Could Kill their Hogs that would Drive Jesus out of their Coasts & he then would have tabernicle enough) & Jesus—permitted him to Enter into the swine. [4]

—28 March 1841

Notes

[1] The following report by William P. McIntire is here published for the first time.

[2] See Joseph Smith's statement (in the discourse dated 29 September 1839) that such thinking is "an unhallowed principle."

[3] Joseph Smith quoted Job 38:4 as an evidence of the premortal existence of man. See discourse dated "Before 8 August 1839 (1)," note 4.

[4] Matthew 8:28-34.* See discourse dated 5 January 1841.