I have worked my way through the first year of the meetings of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo. Meetings discontinued for almost nine months. There is still the next year to go through.

Eliza tacks on an epistle, explaining that she would have put this in the beginning of the book, but she was not present at the time it was given, so she now adds it to the record.

The body of the epistle challenges the Relief Society to be trustworthy of the truths offered up in their meetings. A reminder that there are those who would aspire after power to lead you astray; they might even say they have the proper authority. Do not be one of those, or utter the names of those, who lie and debauch the name of Joseph Smith.

“May God add His blessing upon your heads and lead you in all paths of virtue, piety, and grace, that you may be an ornament unto those to whom you belong, and rise up and crown them with honors, and by so doing, you shall be crown’d with honor in heav’n and shall sit upon thrones judging those over whom you are plac’d in authority and shall be judg’d of God for all the responsibilities that we confer’d upon you.”

The epistle is signed by Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Hyrum Smith, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards and Vinson Knight. Their salutation is “We are your humble servants in the Bonds of the New and Everlasting Covenant.” The Postscript says, “If the Lord be God, serve him; but if Baal, then serve him.”

That this charge was given to the women early on, the Brethren certainly laid their trust and confidence, on the table, to the women from the very beginning. And what a boost of confidence, love, and merit. These ideas came before the women experienced the promises of the temple yet, unmistakably, looked forward to them. The Brethren were teaching the women that they would one day stand alongside the men throughout eternity, if they didn’t get caught up in vainglory and sin.

With so much energy and excitement, in being witness to the Prophet Joseph Smith and his bright light of power and authority, it seems clear to me that there was insurmountable opposition amongst these firstlings of the early church. How did they do it? So much trust and responsibility had to be offered and confirmed. And what a relief that those who hung on stayed strong.

The Minute Book is now online at www.josephsmithpapers.org