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Discourse, 6 April 1837

Source Note

JS, Discourse, [, Geauga Co., OH], 6 Apr. 1837. Featured version published in “Anniversary of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:487–488. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Oliver Cowdery, Dec. 1834.

Historical Introduction

On 6 April 1837, the seventh anniversary of the organization of the , the , , and other priesthood holders gathered in the in , Ohio, for a . This gathering occurred just over a year after the solemn assembly that followed the dedication of the House of the Lord in March 1836.
On the morning of the 1837 solemn assembly, each priesthood quorum met in the to perform the of and to prepare “to receive instruction from the Presidents of the church.” The First Presidency met separately with the Quorum of the in the upper room of the temple to confirm and bless new members of the Seventy, who had been anointed prior to the solemn assembly. They also met to address questions of authority and to correct inconsistencies in who had been called as quorum presidents. Previously, some presidents of the Seventy had been called from among the , but according to minutes of the meeting, “It was decided by President Joseph Smith, that the seventies were not High priests as they had been previously taught.” Reminiscent accounts by and noted that there was tension between the quorums over which had authority over the other. These concerns resulted in the removal and replacement of some of the presidents of the Seventy. It appeared that six of the seven presidents of the Seventy (the exception being Joseph Young) had already been as high priests when they were appointed presidents of the Seventy and had not been chosen from the Quorum of the Seventy as set out in the 1835 “Instruction on Priesthood.” noted that the practice of appointing high priests as leaders of the Seventy “was declared to be wrong, and not according to the order of heaven.” To resolve the matter, the presidents who were thought to have been ordained high priests were removed as presidents of the Seventy and new men were appointed from the Quorum of the Seventy to serve as quorum presidents. The five former presidents who were at the meeting, as well as other seventies who had been ordained high priests, were then asked to join the high priests quorum.
After all the priesthood quorums gathered for instruction, they were addressed by members of the church presidency—JS, , , and . JS’s discourse, featured here, is extracted from ’s synopsis of the proceedings of the solemn assembly. In his address, JS discussed the duties and roles of each of the priesthood quorums and explained the “grades of the different quorums” without clarifying which quorum had the higher authority.
After JS finished speaking on the topic of priesthood, he spoke on the temporal affairs of the church. He informed the assembled priesthood holders that the city of must be developed and that the Saints should gather there and purchase land intended for them. and also spoke in the solemn assembly regarding the church’s financial situation. Hyrum chastised members who were giving new arrivals unauthorized advice about purchasing land; their actions contradicted guidelines established by church leaders the previous December to govern Saints wanting to move to Kirtland. He also rebuked those members of the church who were taking the money of newly arrived Saints rather than directing them to purchase land from church leaders, who had gone into considerable debt to acquire property for church settlement. Hyrum also told members to support the for the benefit of the church and its members. In his remarks, Rigdon named the three most significant debts of the church, identifying $6,000 related to the Saints being driven from , Missouri; $13,000 for building the in Kirtland; and an unspecified amount for land purchases in Kirtland. Building on JS’s earlier comments, Rigdon emphasized the principle of gathering and instructed the to tell church members that there was “a place for them” in Kirtland and that “it is the will of God that they should come.”

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Minutes, 30 Mar. 1836.

  2. [2]

    “Anniversary of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:486.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  3. [3]

    Record of Seventies, bk. A, 17.

    Record of Seventies / First Council of the Seventy. “Book of Records,” 1837–1843. Bk. A. In First Council of the Seventy, Records, 1837–1885. CHL. CR 3 51, box 1, fd. 1.

  4. [4]

    Record of Seventies, bk. A, 9, 18. Elias Smith prepared these meeting minutes using the journal of Hazen Aldrich. Wilford Woodruff wrote that a reorganization of the leadership of the Seventy was required because of the “difference in the authority and office of the quorums of high Priesthood & Seventies.” (Woodruff, Journal, 6 Apr. 1837.)

    Record of Seventies / First Council of the Seventy. “Book of Records,” 1837–1843. Bk. A. In First Council of the Seventy, Records, 1837–1885. CHL. CR 3 51, box 1, fd. 1.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  5. [5]

    Young and Coltrin noted that members of each quorum argued that theirs held greater authority. Young wrote in 1878 that the debate developed “with so much warmth that it amounted to jealousy.” Coltrin’s account, recorded by L. John Nuttall in 1879, specified that the debate began between Benjamin Winchester and Jared Carter: “Bro. W[inchester] A Seventy and Bro Jared [Carter] a High Priest got to contending which held the highest office. Carter was rebuking him on account of his folly, which he said he had not right to do. as he held a higher Priesthood than he did. and Jared contended that he didn’t because [he] was a High Priest.” Coltrin wrote that the debate came to the attention of Joseph Smith Sr., who then informed JS. (Young, History of the Organization of the Seventies, 4–5; Nuttall, Diary, 31 May 1879.)

    Young, Joseph, Sr. History of the Organization of the Seventies: Names of First and Second Quorums. Items in Relation to the First Presidency of the Seventies. Also, a Brief Glance at Enoch and His City. Embellished with a Likeness of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and a View of the Kirtland Temple. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Steam Printing Establishment, 1878.

    Nuttall, L. John. Diary, 1876–1884. L. John Nuttall, Papers, 1857–1904. BYU.

  6. [6]

    Instruction on Priesthood, between ca. 1 Mar. and ca. 4 May 1835 [D&C 107:93].

  7. [7]

    “Anniversary of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:486.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  8. [8]

    The six men who were removed as presidents of the Seventy were Hazen Aldrich, Leonard Rich, Zebedee Coltrin, Lyman Sherman, Sylvester Smith, and Levi Hancock. The six men appointed to fill the positions were James Foster, Josiah Butterfield, John Gould, John Gaylord, Daniel S. Miles, and Salmon Gee. (Young, History of the Organization of the Seventies, 5.)

    Young, Joseph, Sr. History of the Organization of the Seventies: Names of First and Second Quorums. Items in Relation to the First Presidency of the Seventies. Also, a Brief Glance at Enoch and His City. Embellished with a Likeness of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and a View of the Kirtland Temple. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Steam Printing Establishment, 1878.

  9. [9]

    Levi Hancock, who was removed at this meeting and replaced by John Gould, was not in Kirtland at the time of the meeting. When Hancock returned to Kirtland, he informed church leaders that he had not been ordained a high priest and should not have been removed from his position. It was decided that Hancock should retain his position as a president of the Seventy, and John Gould was removed. (Minutes, 3 Sept. 1837.)

  10. [10]

    “Anniversary of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:486.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  11. [11]

    In contrast to the other members of the presidency, Oliver Cowdery spoke on proselytizing and teaching. (“Anniversary of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:488; Woodruff, Journal, 6 Apr. 1837.)

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  12. [12]

    Minutes, 22 Dec. 1836.

  13. [13]

    “Anniversary of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:488; Minutes, 22 Dec. 1836.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  14. [14]

    Woodruff, Journal, 6 Apr. 1837.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  15. [15]

    “Anniversary of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:488. The losses for Jackson County were likely much higher than Rigdon’s figure; on the amount of debt for the House of the Lord, see Historical Introduction to Mortgage to Mead, Stafford & Co., 11 July 1837; for more information on the land purchases in Kirtland, see Historical Introduction to Mortgage to Peter French, 5 Oct. 1836.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  16. [16]

    “Anniversary of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:489, italics in original.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

Page 488

gospel, to sacirfice their time, their talents, their good name and jeopardize their lives, and in addition to this, they were to build a , and prepare for the of the saints.
Thus it was easy to see this must involve them. They had no temporal means in the beginning commensurate with such an undertaking, but this work must be done, this place had to be built up. He further remarked that it must yet be built up, that more houses must be built. He observed that large contracts had been entered into for land on all sides where our enemies had signed away their right. We are indebted to them to be sure, but our brethren abroad have only to come with their money, take these eontracts [contracts], relieve their brethren of the pecuniary embarrassments under which they now labor, and procure for themselves a peaceable place of rest among us. He then closed at about 4 P. M. by uttering a prophesy saying this place must be built up, and would be built up, and that every brother that would take hold and help secure and discharge those contracts that had been made, should be rich. [p. 488]
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Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 488

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Discourse, 6 April 1837
ID #
344
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D5:352–357
Handwriting on This Page
  • Printed text

Footnotes

  1. [12]

    JS and other church leaders hoped that building the city of Kirtland and gathering the Saints and their resources there might aid them in repaying debts. In this 6 April meeting, JS, Hyrum Smith, and Sidney Rigdon each urged church members to come to Kirtland and to purchase land that had already been obtained by church leaders. (See Historical Introduction to Constitution of the Kirtland Safety Society Bank, 2 Nov. 1836.)

  2. [13]

    At a previous meeting, Frederick G. Williams expressed similar sentiments about the impoverished beginning of the church and the many undertakings that involved church leaders in amassing large debts. (Minutes, 16 June 1836.)

  3. [14]

    It is not clear to whom JS referred when he mentioned enemies, though he and other church members bought land in Kirtland from individuals who were antagonistic toward him or the church. In selling and transferring the titles of the land, they would have signed away their rights to the land to the church leaders who purchased it. Although no extant deeds document the land purchases, church leaders apparently arranged to buy land from Timothy Martindale and Christopher Crary. Christopher Crary’s brother, Oliver A. Crary, and Martindale were part of the 1834 committee to investigate the validity of the Book of Mormon and try to “avert the evils” of JS’s teachings. The committee provided financial support for Doctor Philastus Hurlbut to travel to the eastern states and collect affidavits concerning JS and the Book of Mormon. (Crary, Pioneer and Personal Reminiscences, 21; Transcript of Proceedings, 5 June 1837, Martindale v. JS, Whitney, Cahoon, and Johnson [Geauga Co. C.P. 1837], Geauga Co., OH, Court of Common Pleas, Record Book U, pp. 106–107, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH; “To the Public,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 31 Jan. 1834, [3]; for more on the hundreds of acres of land JS purchased in Kirtland between September and November 1836, see Historical Introduction to Mortgage to Peter French, 5 Oct. 1836; and Historical Introduction to Letter from Newel K. Whitney, 20 Apr. 1837.)

    Crary, Christopher G. Pioneer and Personal Reminiscences. Marshalltown, IA: Marshall Printing Co., 1893.

    Geauga Co., OH, Court of Common Pleas, Record Book U. Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH.

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

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