MosesClawson.com

Moses Clawson's speech delivered on the deck of the ship "Ellen Maria" on Sunday morning the 27th of February 1853.

My dear brethren and sisters, we have met together this morning to offer up unto the God of Israel our songs of praise, and to speak of things which pertain to eternal life, and which are of value unto us. It is with very peculiar feelings and under very peculiar circumstances that I stand before you this morning. I have not had a well day, and scarcely a well hour during the whole time I have been on this ship, and I want you to come close together so that all may hear, as my voice is no very strong; but I will do my best under our present circumstances. I want to repeat a few words, which the Savior said, says He: "I came not to do my own will but the will of Him that sent me."

I appreciate this saying much; for I am here not to do my own will, but the will of those who sent me; if I had my own will, I should not have been on this ship; neither should I have seen England; but I should have stayed with my family whom I love; but being appointed on a mission to England I felt to work in whatever yoke might be placed upon me, and I have never said or even thought, "If I cannot have things jus so, I will not act," but I have sought to do good all the day long and at night I have not ceased. I have labored hard during my mission and have been exposed more than I should have been, and at the end of my mission, I was very weak; but I am getting stronger, although I have felt that if I could have had the privilege of sitting down like one of you without having the care of presiding over a company of people, I should have been happy; but I did not say, "Let somebody else preside over you." No I felt to do whatever was placed upon me. Well, brethren you see I am here, and my name will be handed down to generations to come together with the actions which you may have performed on board this ship. My feelings are very peculiar and I wish to speak freely unto you: I am not without friends neither am I without enemies, but I would to God I had no enemies on this ship. My heart is with the Saints and I would do anything for your good as you have been baptized into the same spirit with myself and have began that career which if you are faithful will lead you unto Exaltation in the Kingdom of God. We have embraced a general law and covenanted to do the will of God and have started to obtain Eternal Life and when I see that you have made a sacrifice and left you homes with a view to the obtaining of that blessing. I feel after you welfare and it is the first thing with me to seek after my salvation and the salvation of this people. I have sought it. I have not sought my own good and I will now tell you what I want as there is a great deal at stake, with me at any rate; I did not appoint myself to preside over you, but I was appointed by proper authority to watch over you, but not you to watch over me. I am out of your reach and says Isaiah, "They who watch for iniquity shall be cut off." I was set to look after your good and I have sought after your welfare in every shape and manner and I want to know how you fell toward me this day whether my course of management had been agreeable to you and I want a manifestation of you feelings from every man and woman either for or against. I am going to take an expression of your feelings. And I want everyone to act just fee and if you are not satisfied just show it. I want a man to speak that which he means and if he wants to butcher me, I wish him to tell em so that I may be prepared for him. Good men will always say what they mean and show themselves openly.

(Elder Clawson the put it to the vote whether the Saints were satisfied with his course and the vote was unanimous in his favor, and when he called for those who might be dissatisfied to express themselves, not a single hand was raise. He then continued.)

You have now agreed to sustain me and let men beware if they do not act up to their covenants; when we get to New Orleans my presidency ceases as to the Ship Company, but those of you who are going by the L 10 Emigratiss I shall take up to St. Louis.

Well, before taking this journey I felt to want to have someone to care for me while crossing the mighty deep for on my Journey to Europe I was sick nearly all the way and I did not wish on my return to be just as I was then, and I have felt to need it since I have been on this hip as there are some who would pass me 40 times a day and never speak. There have been some who have only sought for iniquity and I say the Lord reward them according to their works, but I would to God you were all of you as pure as I am, but you will many of you have to pass through scenes which will knock some of the knots off you. It was necessary for me to call you together and take an expression of your feelings as there must soon be a letter written back to England to be published in the "Star" which is circulated in all the world. Should I way that you rebelled against your president? No! God forbid! It would have been an eternal blot on you character as a people, for that which is right. Let us look at David although he committed great and heinous crimes did he cease to be their King? No! It required the same power to displace him which anointed him to be king. Could the people do anything with him? No! They could not. And when Saul was King and was hunting after David’s life and the life of Saul was in the hand of David did he slay him? No! He did not dare to lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed; and allow me to inform you God has "anointed" in this age of the world and let men beware how they act towards the. I did not way this to justify myself, but to show you Eternal principles; and did you know the principles by which I am actuated you would not say that "Bro. Clawson ahs that girl along with him and we do not know anything very bad; but.." but you will know better some day. Well, I have one to take care of me and wait upon me and I am glad of it and I would ask who of you could tell me how to manage? Well, brethren, seek after that which is righteous and let principle guide you in all things. Do you suppose that I guide and direct you by feelings? No! but by principle, if I was going to sit in judgement upon the most wicked man in the world, principle should guide me, and you will find that in the Valley feelings are put away and nothing but principle is recognized by you brethren in Zion. But there are some men who, if they see a man put his arm around a female say "of my feelings are so." Why if those men were to do so they might perhaps the first they knew be doing something more. But brethren put away these feelings and seek after truth and virtue and do not do as some have done. Do not seek for iniquity and publish it before you know what you are doing. But seek after truth and virtue and leave that which is bad, and soar above little mean paltry things and become Godlike and leave the workers of iniquity to seek after their won. You will find that in America that a woman may travel for thousands of miles alone and be protected all the time and I believe in protecting the ladies and protecting them pure, too, and I have taught this principle all the time and practiced it too, and now do you think that I want to go home with a stain on my character? No, verily. Well brethren, I pray that those whose eyes are watching for iniquity may repent and watch for good and righteousness. You are a good a lot of Saints as ever I saw in my life and when we consider that you have been taken from nearly every conference in England and are unacquainted with each other’s customs and dialects and being jammed together in this ship with many things to irritate the feelings and as you let these things pass over in peace and with but few exceptions scarcely the first complaint is heard, we must feel that the hand of the Lord is over us for good and brethren if you keep faithful and will walk in and will of the Lord you shall be blessed an have a part in the first resurrection. Now, as I told you I dreamed that we were in an awful storm and that the ship to all appearance would go down and I felt to pray "Oh Lord, wilt thou allow thy people to perish after they have made this sacrifice to gather up and obey they commandments," and I felt an assurance that we should be preserved in safety across the mighty deep and the other night when you were all in a bustle I lay still in my berth without any fear for the safety of the ship. Did you think that the Lord had forgot us? Or that the prayers which were offered up night and morning for the safety of the ship and that the captain might have wisdom to govern it right were not heard? You have the prayers of hundreds and thousands of Saints for you welfare, and when I think of the scenes through which you will have to pass, I feel that you will need them and that it will require much wisdom and faith to pass up their in safety and I would say unto you that as you are going into a land of strangers, let all nationality alone and do not attempt to touch upon the freedom of the people, but leave all tyrannical spirits and feelings behind you, or if you do not you will find it difficult to get along. Well brethren, we have been greatly helped and your faced are blooming with health as if you were upon the prairie. Some have been healthy and strong all the way while others have been sickly and weak and I wish my face was as blooming as some of yours. I feel my lungs fail me and we will meet in the afternoon and partake the Sacrament. I feel as that I can eat with you and we will see if we can all eat together and if we can we will just manifest it May the Lord bless you.

Amen.