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Discourse, 9 July 1843

Source Note

JS, Discourse, [
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Hancock Co., IL, 9 July 1843]. Featured version copied [ca. 9 July 1843] in JS, Journal, 1842–1844, bk. 2, pp. [300]–[304]; handwriting of
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS, Journal, 1842–1844.

Historical Introduction

On 9 July 1843 in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Illinois, JS delivered a discourse comparing the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

View Glossary
with other Christian denominations. The occasion was the first Sunday meeting at which JS preached to the Saints after his 23 June arrest in
Dixon

Post village in northwestern Illinois, located on Rock River. Area settled and ferry established, spring 1828. Post office established, 1829. John Dixon settled in area with family, 11 Apr. 1830, and purchased ferry. Fort built in area during Black Hawk War...

More Info
, Illinois, and his subsequent discharge by the Nauvoo Municipal Court on 1 July.
1

JS evidently did not preach at Sunday services on 2 July 1843. (See JS, Journal, 2 July 1843; Historical Introduction to Affidavit, 24 June 1843; and Historical Introduction to Petition to Nauvoo Municipal Court, 30 June 1843.)


Following the discharge,
Joseph H. Reynolds

1813–29 Mar. 1884. Grocer, government official. Born in Lincoln Co., Kentucky. Moved to Independence, Jackson Co., Missouri, 1834. Elected county coroner, Aug. 1836, and justice of the peace, 1837. Served in Seminole War. Married first, by June 1840. Served...

View Full Bio
, the sheriff of
Jackson County

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

More Info
, Missouri, and the agent authorized to transport JS out of
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
following the arrest, petitioned Illinois governor
Thomas Ford

5 Dec. 1800–3 Nov. 1850. Schoolteacher, newspaperman, lawyer, politician, judge, author. Born in Uniontown, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Robert Ford and Elizabeth Logue Forquer. Moved to St. Louis, 1804; to New Design (later American Bottom), Randolph...

View Full Bio
to dispatch the militia to retake JS. As of 9 July, word had not yet reached Nauvoo as to Ford’s decision. This anticipation aggravated tensions between the Saints and their antagonists outside of Nauvoo, leading JS and other church leaders to employ various strategies to influence public opinion.
2

See Historical Introduction to Discourse, 4 July 1843.


Similarly, in this discourse JS sought to emphasize the points of agreement between Latter-day Saint beliefs and those of other religions. According to
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
, who was present at the meeting, JS explained that he differed “but little from other men” in terms of religious beliefs, although he identified “a few points” of divergence.
3

Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to Brigham Young, New York City, NY, 18–19 July 1843, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL; see also Levi Richards, Journal, 9 July 1843.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

Richards, Levi. Journals, 1840–1853. Levi Richards, Papers, 1837–1867. CHL. MS 1284, box 1.

Much of the discourse was framed as a dialogue between JS and an interlocutor who asked a series of questions regarding Latter-day Saint beliefs. It is unclear if JS was responding to a past conversation with a specific individual or if he was generalizing from several such conversations.
4

In 1838, JS published responses to questions that he was frequently asked. (See Questions and Answers, 8 May 1838.)


Just over one month prior to giving the discourse, he met with Erastus DeWolf, an Episcopal priest from
Lee County

Located in north-central Illinois, with part of northern county boundary formed by Rock River. Fertile agricultural area. French trappers frequented area, by 1780. Second Black Hawk campaign fought in area, 1832. Illinois Central Railroad construction began...

More Info
, Illinois.
5

JS, Journal, 4 June 1843.


The content of their discussion is unknown, but the following Sunday, 11 June 1843, DeWolf preached before a Latter-day Saint audience that included JS on Christian principles outlined in Hebrews 6, including faith,
baptism

An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...

View Glossary
, the
laying on of hands

A practice in which individuals place their hands upon a person to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, ordain to an office or calling, or confer other power, authority, or blessings, often as part of an ordinance. The Book of Mormon explained that ecclesiastical...

View Glossary
, resurrection, and eternal judgment.
6

JS, Journal, 11 June 1843.


In his 9 July 1843 discourse, JS did not refer directly to DeWolf, but he did reference some of the topics DeWolf addressed, such as baptism and the laying on of hands, suggesting that he was at least partly responding to the priest. While differentiating the Saints’ beliefs from those of other religions, JS’s discourse also built on common ground and expressed toleration and respect for the beliefs of others. Richards later described the sermon as “a sweet conciliating discourse” that was “expressive of good feeling to all men.”
7

Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to Brigham Young, New York City, NY, 18–19 July 1843, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

As JS’s scribe,
Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
may have captured rough notes of the discourse as he heard it in a small booklet or on loose leaves of paper, later transferring the notes (which are apparently not extant) into JS’s journal, as was apparently his common practice. The uneven nature of Richards’s account of the discourse suggests that he did minimal polishing and expansion when copying the notes.
8

For more on Richards’s note-taking and record-keeping methods, see Historical Introduction to Discourse, 4 July 1843.


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS evidently did not preach at Sunday services on 2 July 1843. (See JS, Journal, 2 July 1843; Historical Introduction to Affidavit, 24 June 1843; and Historical Introduction to Petition to Nauvoo Municipal Court, 30 June 1843.)

  2. [2]

    See Historical Introduction to Discourse, 4 July 1843.

  3. [3]

    Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to Brigham Young, New York City, NY, 18–19 July 1843, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL; see also Levi Richards, Journal, 9 July 1843.

    Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

    Richards, Levi. Journals, 1840–1853. Levi Richards, Papers, 1837–1867. CHL. MS 1284, box 1.

  4. [4]

    In 1838, JS published responses to questions that he was frequently asked. (See Questions and Answers, 8 May 1838.)

  5. [5]

    JS, Journal, 4 June 1843.

  6. [6]

    JS, Journal, 11 June 1843.

  7. [7]

    Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to Brigham Young, New York City, NY, 18–19 July 1843, Brigham Young Office Files, CHL.

    Brigham Young Office Files, 1832–1878. CHL. CR 1234 1.

  8. [8]

    For more on Richards’s note-taking and record-keeping methods, see Historical Introduction to Discourse, 4 July 1843.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Discourse, 9 July 1843 Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 2, 10 March 1843–14 July 1843 History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [303]

Do you believe in Jesus christ &c? So do I. christians should cultivate the frie[n]dship of each other. & will do it.
“Do you believe in the
baptism

An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...

View Glossary
of infants”? says the presby[t]erian.— No.— “why”. because it is no where written in the book circumcision is not Baptism.
10

In 1 Corinthians 7:14, the apostle Paul declared that the children of mixed-faith unions became “holy.” Nineteenth-century defenders of infant baptism believed that the apostle implied that this sanctification occurred through baptism. Early in the church’s history, JS challenged this interpretation by arguing that children instead became holy through the atonement of Christ. (See Woods, Lectures on Infant Baptism, 75–93; and Explanation of Scripture, 1830 [D&C 74:7].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Woods, Leonard. Lectures on Infant Baptism. Andover: Mark Newman, 1828.Woods, Terry K. Ohio’s Grand Canal: A Brief History of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2008.

Baptism is for remission of sins.—
11

See Mark 1:4; and Acts 2:38.


childrn have no sins— he <​Jesus​> blessed them—
12

See Matthew 19:13–15; and Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 476 [3 Nephi 17:21].


do what you have seen me do—
13

See John 13:15; and Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 494 [3 Nephi 27:21].


all made alive in christ.
14

See 1 Corinthians 15:22; and Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 566 [Moroni 8:22].


faith & repentance.— we are agreed.— baptism. yes by imme[r]sion. the Hebrew is the root. to by bury immerse
15

Baptism comes from the Greek word baptìzo, which in ancient times had the primary meaning of “dip” and “plunge.” (Liddell and Scott, Greek-English Lexicon, 305–306.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Liddell, H. G., and R. Scott. Greek-English Lexicon with a Revised Supplement. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.

—— Do you believe this no.— I believe in b[e]ing convertd converted.—— I believe in this tinaceously [tenaciously]
Holy Ghost by
laying on of hands

A practice in which individuals place their hands upon a person to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, ordain to an office or calling, or confer other power, authority, or blessings, often as part of an ordinance. The Book of Mormon explained that ecclesiastical...

View Glossary
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Source Note

Document Transcript

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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Discourse, 9 July 1843
ID #
1114
Total Pages
5
Print Volume Location
JSP, D12:453–456
Handwriting on This Page
  • Willard Richards

Footnotes

  1. [10]

    In 1 Corinthians 7:14, the apostle Paul declared that the children of mixed-faith unions became “holy.” Nineteenth-century defenders of infant baptism believed that the apostle implied that this sanctification occurred through baptism. Early in the church’s history, JS challenged this interpretation by arguing that children instead became holy through the atonement of Christ. (See Woods, Lectures on Infant Baptism, 75–93; and Explanation of Scripture, 1830 [D&C 74:7].)

    Woods, Leonard. Lectures on Infant Baptism. Andover: Mark Newman, 1828.Woods, Terry K. Ohio’s Grand Canal: A Brief History of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2008.

  2. [11]

    See Mark 1:4; and Acts 2:38.

  3. [12]

    See Matthew 19:13–15; and Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 476 [3 Nephi 17:21].

  4. [13]

    See John 13:15; and Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 494 [3 Nephi 27:21].

  5. [14]

    See 1 Corinthians 15:22; and Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 566 [Moroni 8:22].

  6. [15]

    Baptism comes from the Greek word baptìzo, which in ancient times had the primary meaning of “dip” and “plunge.” (Liddell and Scott, Greek-English Lexicon, 305–306.)

    Liddell, H. G., and R. Scott. Greek-English Lexicon with a Revised Supplement. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.

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