and keep in mind that it is a day of warning and
not of many words. Act honest before God & men beware
of sophestry such as bowing & scraping unto men in whom
you have no confidence be ^honest^ open and frank and I in all
your intercourse with mankind I wish to say to
the Twelve and all the Saints to profit by this important key
that in all your trials, troubles, and temptations afflictions
bonds, imprisionsments and death se[e] to it that you do
not betray Jesus Christ that you do not betray your
Brethren, that you do not betray the revelations of God whether
in the bible Book of Mormon or Doctrin & Covenants or
any of the word of God Yea in all your troubles see that
ye do not this thing lest innocent blood be found in
your shirts and ye go down to Hell. We may ever know
by this sign that there is danger of our being lead to
a fall & aposticy when we give way to the devil so as to
neglect the first known duty but whatever you do do
not betray your friend the forg[o]ing are some of the important
instructions given to the Twelve by the prophet Joseph
before they started upon their missions
In as much as the devil had been in a means not prevented
by the Twelve going to Far west & returning without [illegible] it
seemed as though the Destroyer was determined to make
some other affect upon us to hinder our performing our
mission for it seemed that as soon as any one of the
A Apostles begins to prepare for starting they were smitten

and keep in mind that it is a day of warning and not of many words. Act honest before God & men beware of sophestry such as bowing & scraping unto men in whom you have no confidence be honest open and frank in all your intercourse with mankind I wish to say to the Twelve and all the Saints to profit by this important key that in all your trials, troubles, and temptations afflictions bonds, imprisionsments and death see to it that you do not betray Jesus Christ that you do not betray your Brethren, that you do not betray the revelations of God whether in the bible Book of Mormon or Doctrin & Covenants or any of the word of God Yea in all your troubles see that ye do not this thing lest innocent blood be found in your shirts and ye go down to Hell. We may ever know by this sign that there is danger of our being lead to a fall & aposticy when we give way to the devil so as to neglect the first known duty but whatever you do do not betray your friend the forgoing are some of the important instructions given to the Twelve by the prophet Joseph before they started upon their missions In as much as the devil had been in a means not prevented by the Twelve going to Far west & returning without la◊◊n it seemed as though the Destroyer was determined to make some other affect upon us to hinder our performing our mission for it seemed that as soon as any one of the Apostles begins to prepare for starting they were smitten