BURIAL (Teachings of Joseph Smith)

Burial location is sacred — Willard Richards Account (April 16, 1843)

. . . I would esteem it one of the greatest blessings, if I am to be afflicted in this world, to have my lot cast where I can find brethen & friends all aroud me, but​ this is not. thing. I referred to is ​it is​ to have the privilige of having our dead burid on the land where god has appointd to gather his saints together,— & where there will be nothing but saints, where they may have the privelige of laying their bodies where the Son will make his appearance. & where they may hear the. sound of the trump that shall call them forth, to behold him, that in the morn of the resurrectin, they may come forth in a body. & come right up out of their graves. & strike hands immediately​ in eternal glory. & felicity rather​ than to be scattered thousands of miles apart. There is something good. & sacred to me— ​in this thing. the place where a man is buried has been sacred to me.— ​this subjct is made mention of— In Book of Mormon & Scripturs. ​to​ the aborigines ​regard the burying places of their fathers as is more sacred that than any thing else.

When I. heard of the death of our beloved bro ​Barns it would not have affected me so much​ if I had the opprtunity of burying him in the land of Zion. I beleive, those who have buried their friends here their condition is enviable. Look at Joseph in Egypt how he required his friends to bury him in the tomb of his fathers,— see the expence & great company— ​which attended the​ embalming. &c ​and the going up of the great company. to his burial.​

It has always been considird a geat curse not to obtain an honorable buryal. & one of the gratest curses the ancint prophets could put on any one was. that he man should go without a burial.​

I have said, father, I desire to be burid here, & before I go home, but if ^ *​this is not thy will​* not may I return, or find Some kind frind to bring me back, & gather my friends, who have fallen in foreign lands, & bring them up hither, that we may may all lie together.—

I will tell you what I want. if tomorrow I shall be calld to lay in yonder tombs. in the morning of the resurrectin, let me strike hands​ with my father, & cry, my father, & he will say my son, my Son,— as soon as the rock rends. & before we come out of our graves.

& may we contemplate these things so? yes, if we learn how to live & how to die [blank] when we lie down we contemplat how we may rise up in the mornig and ​it is pleasing for friends to lie down together locked in the arms of love, to sleep, & wake in each others embrace ​& renew their conversation.​

would you think it strange that I relate what I have seen in vision in relation this intereting theme.

those who have died in Jesus christ, may expect to enter in to all that fruition of Joy when they come forth. which they have possessed here,

so plain was the vision I actually saw men, before they had ascendd from the tomb, as though they were gettig up slowly, they tooke each othe by the hand & it was my father & my Son. my mother & my daughter ​my brother & my sister​ & when the voice calls, suppose I am laid by the side of my fathe.— what would be the first Joy of my heart? where is my fath[e]r. my mother. my sister. they are by my side I embrace them. & they me.​

Discourse, 16 April 1843, as Reported by Willard Richards, pp. 140-142, The Joseph Smith Papers.

Burial location is sacred — Wilford Woodruff Account (April 16, 1843)

. . . he said he had vary peculiar feelings relative to recieving an honorable burial with his fathers he considered Nauvoo would be a burying place of the saints & should he die he considered it would be a great Blessing to be buried with the saints & esspecially to be buried with his father yes he wanted to lie by the side of his father that when the trump of God should sound & the voice of God should say ye Saints arise that when the tomb should birst he could arise from the grave & first salute his father & say O my father; & his father say O my Son!! as they took each other by the hand he wished next to salute his brothers & sisters & then the saints & he said it was upon this principle that the ancients were so particular to have an honorable burial with their fathers as in the case of Joseph, before his death he made his kindred promise to carry his bones to the land of Canann & they did so they embalmed his body took it to the land of Canann & buryed it with his fathers their is a glory in this that many do not comprehend,

it is true that in the resurrection that the bodies will be caught up to meet the Lord & the saints will all be brought together though they were scattered upon the face of the whole earth yet they would not as readily salute each other as though they lay down & rose up together from the same bed, To bring it to the understanding it would be upon the same principle as though two who were vary friends indeed should lie down upon the same bed at night locked in each others embrace talking of their love & should awake in the morning together they could immediately renew their conversation of love even while rising, from their bed but if their they​ were alone & in seperate apartments they could not as readily salute each other as though they were together He remarked that should he live & have an opportunity of gathering his friends who had died together he intended to do it but is if​ he should not live to do it himself he hoped that some of his friends would. He wished all of the saints to be comforted with the victory they were to gain by the resurrection it is sufficient to encorage the saints to overcome in the midst of evry trial trouble & tribulation though thunders roar & earthquakes bellow, lightnings flash & wars are upon evry hand yet suffer not a joint to tremble nor let not your heart faint for the great Eloheem will deliver you & if not before the resurrection will set you eternally free from all these things from pain sorrow & death. I have labored hard & sought evry way to try to prepare this people to comprehend the things that God is unfolding to me In speaking of the resurrection I would say that God hath shown unto me a vission of the resurrection of the dead & I saw the graves open & the saints as they arose took each other by the hand even before they got up or while getting up & great joy & glory rested upon them

Discourse, 16 April 1843, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff, pp. 25-27, The Joseph Smith Papers.

Burial location is sacred — William Clayton Account (April 16, 1843)

Heard pres. J preach on the resurrection. shewing the importance of being buried with the saints & their relatives inasmuch as we shall want to see our relatives first & shall rejoice to strike hands with our parents, children &c when rising from the tomb . . .

Discourse, 16 April 1843, as Reported by William Clayton, pp. 78-79, The Joseph Smith Papers.