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Appendix 1: First Theological Lecture on Faith, circa January–May 1835

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Appendix 1: First Theological Lecture on Faith, circa January–May 1835

Source Note

First Theological Lecture on Faith, [, Geauga Co., OH], ca. Jan.–May 1835; “Theology. Lecture First on the Doctrine of the Church of the Latter Day Saints,” broadside; CHL.
Broadside measuring 13⅛ × 10⅛ inches (33 × 26 cm). The verso is blank and lined with tissue. The text is printed in three columns. The broadside has horizontal and vertical creases, indicating that it was folded at some point. Breaks occur along the center horizontal crease, resulting in slight textual loss. Some horizontal staining is present at the top, middle, and bottom of the document.
The broadside was likely not published before January 1835, when JS and others began preparing the lectures for publication. By 26 May 1835, the first six gatherings of the Doctrine and Covenants, which contained all seven lectures, had been printed, though the book itself was not available until September. The broadside and the Doctrine and Covenants apparently used the same typesetting, suggesting that the broadside was published by the end of May. The Church Historical Department obtained a photocopy of the broadside in 1977 and acquired the original in 1987.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 563.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  2. [2]

    William W. Phelps, Kirtland, OH, to Sally Waterman Phelps, Liberty, MO, 26 May 1835, William W. Phelps, Papers, BYU; Historical Introduction to Doctrine and Covenants, 1835.

    Phelps, William W. Papers, 1835–1865. BYU.

  3. [3]

    After comparing the typesetting of the two documents, Peter Crawley concluded that the broadside was likely printed before the Doctrine and Covenants. (Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 1:53.)

    Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.

  4. [4]

    See the full bibliographic entry for the First Theological Lecture on Faith in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

Sometime in the first months of 1835, the church’s in , Ohio, printed this broadside of a theological lecture “on the doctrine of the .” The lecture was designated as the first in a series of several presentations on faith given at a theological school in Kirtland in the winter of 1834–1835. A June 1834 revelation declared that before church members could reclaim their lands in , God’s people needed to “be taught more perfectly, and have experience and know more perfectly concerning their duty, and the things which I [God] require at their hands.” Thereafter, several of the “” in were appointed to travel to Kirtland to receive an of power. Some of them were also told to assist in gathering the “strength of the Lord’s house” and in preaching the gospel so that could be redeemed. As these began to reach Kirtland in fall 1834, JS and other leaders made “preperations for the school for the Elders, wherein they might be more perfectly instructed, in the great things of God during the coming winter.” The lectures were presented at this school and directed to elders who were preparing to proselytize, with the goal of “unfold[ing] to the understanding the doctrine of Jesus Christ.” They also provided instruction necessary for those who were preaching and gathering the elect to Zion, thereby facilitating the redemption of Zion. Such instruction prefaced an intense period of missionary work in 1835, when numerous men, including those newly designated as or , were sent from Kirtland to preach in the eastern and .
The , which met in the on the lower story of the , was apparently functioning by December 1834. A later JS history explains that by 1 December, it was “well attended.” The history also states that participants in the school “gave the most studious attention to the all important object, of qualifying themselves, as messengers of Jesus Christ, to be ready to do his will.” According to , who said he attended this “high school together with Brothers Joseph & ,” the theological lectures were given during evening sessions devoted to “instruction in the principles of our Faith and religion.” The lectures appear to have been concluded by January 1835, when JS and others apparently began preparing them for publication.
Although numerous scholars have tried to identify the author of the lectures presented in the school, contemporary records are largely silent as to who actually wrote or delivered them. None of the 1835 publications of the lectures attributed authorship to any individual. However, it seems likely that had a large hand in composing the lectures. , who was living in in 1835, later remembered that “Elders Smith, Rigdon, and others, acted as teachers” in the school, though he did not specify who gave the lectures. ’s memories also tie the lectures to Rigdon, stating that the presentations were given at the school “where Sidney presided.” After Rigdon broke with and the in 1844, the periodical for the church that Rigdon led republished the lectures in 1845 and 1846, stating that they presented the principle of faith “in a clear and interesting manner.” Although the periodical does not declare the lectures’ authorship, it seems unlikely that Rigdon’s new church would have published the lectures had Rigdon not had a prominent role in their composition. Perhaps the most direct evidence of Rigdon’s involvement is Brigham Young’s characterization of the lectures in 1860 as ones “Brother Sidney prepared.” Young was in Kirtland at this time and likely attended the school.
Even though likely had a large role in producing the lectures, JS was apparently involved as well. ’s recollection of JS as one of the teachers in the School of the Elders suggests JS may have helped present the lectures. Entries in a later JS history, which were prepared by in 1843, also state that JS devoted much time to the school in late 1834 and early 1835, to the point that both the school and the lectures were “absorb[ing], for the time being, every thing else of a temporal nature.” In addition, the history states that in January 1835, JS engaged in “preparing the Lectures on Theology for publication in the Book of Doctrine and covenants, which the committee appointed last September, were now compiling.” It is not clear from extant records what form this preparation took or how extensively JS was involved, nor is it clear how different the lectures in their published form were from their oral delivery. However, as part of the committee commissioned to compile the Doctrine and Covenants, JS and other members of the church presidency signed their names to the book’s preface, which declared that the seven lectures included in the volume “embrac[ed] the important doctrine of salvation.”
The broadside of the first lecture is reproduced here as an example of the lectures as a whole. Because JS’s role in producing the lectures cannot be clearly determined, the first lecture is presented as an appendix of the volume rather than as a featured text. It is unclear why the first lecture was published separately as a broadside, though several of JS’s revelations had previously been published as broadsides and distributed to church members. It may be that elders preaching in 1835 took the broadside with them as they traveled, perhaps leaving copies with church members or others who were interested.
In August 1835, an assembly of church members voted to approve the Doctrine and Covenants as compiled, thereby making the book “a law. unto the church, and a rule of faith and practice unto the same.” In the course of the approval process, some church officers commented specifically on the lectures. , one of the presidents of the , stated “that he had examined the Lectures and many of the Revelations” in the book and “knew that they were true by the testimony of the Holy Spirit of God given unto him.” , the in , similarly commented “that he had examined the Lectures . . . and that he believed them beyond a doubt.” The lectures remained part of the Doctrine and Covenants until 1921.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 562; Preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, 17 Feb. 1835.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  2. [2]

    Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105:10].

  3. [3]

    Minutes, 23 June 1834; see also Minute Book 2, 6–7 Aug. 1834.

  4. [4]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 557–558.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  5. [5]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 588; Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835; Minutes and Blessings, 28 Feb.–1 Mar. 1835; Phelps, “Letters of Faith from Kirtland,” 529.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

    Phelps, Leah Y. “Letters of Faith from Kirtland.” Improvement Era 45, no. 8 (Aug. 1942): 529.

  6. [6]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 557–558, 562.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  7. [7]

    Burgess, Autobiography, 4. Some later recollections conflate the School of the Elders with a larger grammar school operated by William E. McLellin, but, according to William W. Phelps, they appear to be two separate entities. The grammar school began on 22 December 1834 with McLellin and Thomas Burdick as instructors. The school taught geography, grammar, and writing, among other things, and apparently was attended by many of the elders as well. (William W. Phelps, Kirtland Mills, OH, to Sally Waterman Phelps, Liberty, MO, 18 Dec. 1835, in “Some Early Letters of William W. Phelps,” Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Jan. 1940, 30; McLellin, Journal, 22 Dec. 1834; William E. McLellin, Notice, 27 Feb. 1835, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Feb. 1835, 1:80; Johnson, My Life’s Review, 21–22; Kimball, “Journal and Record,” 51.)

    Burgess, Harrison. Autobiography, ca. 1883. Photocopy. CHL. MS 893. Also available as “Sketch of a Well-Spent Life,” in Labors in the Vineyard, Faith-Promoting Series 12 (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1884), 65–74.

    Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine. Salt Lake City. 1910–1940.

    McLellin, William E. Journal, July 1834–Apr. 1835. William E. McLellin, Papers, 1831–1836, 1877–1878. CHL. MS 13538, box 1, fd. 4. Also available as Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831–1836 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies; Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994).

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

    Johnson, Benjamin Franklin. My Life’s Review: Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Johnson. Independence, MO: Zion’s Printing and Publishing Company, [1947].

    Kimball, Heber C. “The Journal and Record of Heber Chase Kimball an Apostle of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” ca. 1842–1858. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 1.

  8. [8]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 563.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

  9. [9]

    See, for example, Partridge, Notes on the Authorship of the “Lectures on Faith”; Phipps, “Lectures on Faith: An Authorship Study”; and Reynolds, “Case for Sidney Rigdon as Author of the Lectures on Faith,” 1–41.

    Partridge, Elinore H. Characteristics of Joseph Smith’s Style and Notes on the Authorship of the Lectures on Faith. Task Papers in LDS History 14. Salt Lake City: History Division, Historical Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1976.

    Phipps, Alan J. “The Lectures on Faith: An Authorship Study.” Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1977.

    Reynolds, Noel B. “The Case for Sidney Rigdon as Author of the Lectures on Faith.” Journal of Mormon History 32 (Fall 2005): 1–41.

  10. [10]

    Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1835, 1:122; Preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, 17 Feb. 1835; First Lecture on Faith, in Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 ed., [5].

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

  11. [11]

    Grant, Collection of Facts, 8.

    Grant, Jedediah M. A Collection of Facts, Relative to the Course Taken by Elder Sidney Rigdon, in the States of Ohio, Missouri, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking and Guilbert, 1844.

  12. [12]

    School of the Prophets Salt Lake City Minutes, 11 Oct. 1883.

    School of the Prophets Salt Lake City Minutes, Apr.–Dec. 1883. CHL.

  13. [13]

    “Faith,” Messenger and Advocate of the Church of Christ, 15 Oct. 1845, 1:[360]. This issue contained the first lecture. Subsequent lectures were published in the following issues: Nov. 1845 (2:385–389); Dec. 1845 (2:405–407); Jan. 1846 (2:422–424); Feb. 1846 (2:443–445); and Mar. 1846 (2:449–452).

    Messenger and Advocate of the Church of Christ. Pittsburgh. Apr. 1845–Sept. 1846.

  14. [14]

    Brigham Young, Discourse, 4 Apr. 1860, in George D. Watt, Discourse Shorthand Notes, 4 Apr. 1860, Pitman Shorthand Transcriptions, CHL. By 1835, Rigdon was also already in the process of authoring a fifteen-installment piece on “Faith of the church,” which appeared in both The Evening and the Morning Star and the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. (“Faith of the Church of Christ in These Last Days,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Feb. 1834, 130–131; Apr. 1834, 145–146; May 1834, 153–154; June 1834, 162–163; July 1834, 170–172; Aug. 1834, 178–179; Sept. 1834, 186–187; Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Nov. 1834, 1:25–26; for a more extensive explanation of Rigdon’s probable role in preparing the lectures, see Reynolds, “Case for Sidney Rigdon as Author of the Lectures on Faith,” 1–41.)

    Watt, George D. Papers, ca. 1846–1865. CHL.

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

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

    Reynolds, Noel B. “The Case for Sidney Rigdon as Author of the Lectures on Faith.” Journal of Mormon History 32 (Fall 2005): 1–41.

  15. [15]

    JS History, vol. B-1, 557–558, 562–563; Richards, Journal, 28 Aug. 1843.

    JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

    Richards, Willard. Journals, 1836–1853. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, boxes 1–2.

  16. [16]

    A note prefacing two of the lectures in the Messenger and Advocate states that catechisms for the lectures were included in the publication so “that the reader may fully understand the manner in which this science was taught,” indicating that the published form of the lectures may have been quite similar to the oral versions. (Editorial, LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1835, 1:122.)

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

  17. [17]

    Preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, 17 Feb. 1835.

  18. [18]

    The Joseph Smith Papers previously published all seven lectures as part of its reproduction of the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. (Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 ed., [5]–74.)

  19. [19]

    See, for example, Verily, I Say unto You, concerning Your Brethren Who Have Been Afflicted, [Kirtland, OH, ca. Jan. 1834], copy at CHL [D&C 101]; “A Scrap of Mormonism,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 24 Jan. 1834, [1]; and Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 155.

    Verily, I say unto you, concerning your brethren who have been afflicted. [Kirtland, OH: ca. Jan. 1834]. Copy at CHL.

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

    Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.

  20. [20]

    Minutes, 17 Aug. 1835.

  21. [21]

    Reynolds, “Case for Sidney Rigdon as Author of the Lectures on Faith,” 2. The fifth and sixth lectures were also published in the May 1835 issue of the Messenger and Advocate. (“Lecture Fifth” and “Lecture Sixth,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, May 1835, 1:122–126; for two views on why the lectures were removed from the Doctrine and Covenants, see Gentry, “What of the Lectures on Faith?” 5–6; and Van Wagoner et al., “Lectures on Faith,” 71–77.)

    Reynolds, Noel B. “The Case for Sidney Rigdon as Author of the Lectures on Faith.” Journal of Mormon History 32 (Fall 2005): 1–41.

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

    Gentry, Leland H. “What of the Lectures on Faith?” BYU Studies 19, no. 1 (1979): 5–19.

    Van Wagoner, Richard S., Steven C. Walker, and Allen D. Roberts. “The ‘Lectures on Faith’: A Case Study in Decanonization.” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 20, no. 3 (Fall 1987): 71–77.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Appendix 1: First Theological Lecture on Faith, circa January–May 1835
Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 Doctrine and Covenants, 1844

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THEOLOGY.
LECTURE FIRST
On the doctrine of the
.
Of Faith.
1 Faith being the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness, necessarily claims the first place in a course of lectures which are designed to unfold to the understanding the doctrine of Jesus Christ.
2 In presenting the subject of faith, we shall observe the following order:
3 First, Faith itself—what it is:
4 Second, The object on which it rests; and
5 Third, The effects which flow from it.
6 Agreeably to this order we have first to show what faith is.
7 The author of the epistle to the Hebrews, in the eleventh chapter of that epistle, and first verse, gives the following definition of the word faith:
8 Now faith is the substance -[assurance]- of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
9 From this we learn, that faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things which they have not seen—that is, with their natural eyes—and the principle of action in all intelligent beings.
10 If men were duly to consider themselves, and turn their thoughts and reflections to the operations of their own minds, they would readily discover that it is faith, and faith only, which is the moving cause of all action, in them; that without it, both mind and body, would be in a state of inactivity, and all their exertions would cease, both physical and mental.
11 Were this class to go back and reflect upon the history of th[eir] l[i]ves, f[ro]m the period of their first recollection, and ask themselves, what principle excited them to action, or what gave them energy and activity, in all their different avocations, callings, and pursuits, what would be the answer? Would it not be that it was the assurance which we had of the existence of things which we had not seen, as yet?—Was it not the hope which you had, in consequence of your belief, in the existence of unseen things, which stimulated you to action and exertion, in order to obtain them? Are you not dependant on your faith, or belief, for the acquisition of all knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence? Would you exert yourselves to obtain wisdom and intelligence, unless you did believe that you could obtain them? Would you have ever sown if you had not believed that you would reap? Would you have ever planted if you had not believed that you would gather? Would you have ever asked unless you had believed that you would receive? Would you have ever sought unless you had believed that you would have found? Or would you have ever knocked unless you had believed that it would have been opened unto you? In a word, is there any thing that you would have done, either physical or mental, if you had not previously believed? Are not all your exertions, of every kind, dependant on your faith? Or may we not ask, what have you got, or what do you possess, which you have not obtained by reason of your faith? Your food, your raiment, your lodgings, are they not all by reason of your faith? Reflect, and ask yourselves, if these things are not so. Turn your thoughts on your own minds, and see if faith is not the moving cause of all action in yourselves; and if the moving cause in you, is it not in all other intelligent beings?
12 And as faith is the moving cause of all action in temporal concerns, so it is in spiritual; for the Savior has said, and that truly, that he that believeth and is , shall be saved. Mark 16:16.
13 As we receive all temporal blessings by faith, so we, in like manner, receive all spiritual blessings.— But faith is not only the principle of action, but of power, also, in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven, or on earth. Thus says the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, 11:3:
14 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God: so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
15 By this we understand that the principle of power, which existed in the bosom of God, by which the worlds were framed, was faith; and that it is by reason of this principle of power, existing in the Deity that all created things exist—so that all things in heaven, on earth, or under the earth, exist by reason of faith, as it existed in him.
16 Had it not been for the principle of faith the worlds would never have been framed, neither would man have been formed of the dust—it is the principle by which Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power over all temporal, as well as eternal things. Take this principle or attribate, (for it is an attribute) from the Deity and he would cease to exist.
17 Who cannot see, that if God framed the worlds by faith, that it is by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the principle of power? And that if the principle of power, it must be so in man as well as in the Deity? This is the testimony of all the sacred writers, and the lesson which they have been endeavoring to teach to man.
18 The Savior says, Matthew 17:19, 20, in explaining the reason why the disciples could not cast out the devil, that it was because of their unbelief: “For verily, I say unto you,” said he, “if ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place! and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
19 Moroni, while abridging and compiling the record of his fathers, has given us the following account of faith as the principle of power: He says, page 563, that it was the faith of Alma and Amulek which caused the walls of the prison to be wrent, as recorded on the 264th page; that it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi which caused a change to be wrought upon the hearts of the , when they were immersed with the Holy Spirit, and with fire, as seen on the 421st page, and that it was by faith that the mountain Zerin was removed, when the brother of Jared spake in the name of the Lord. See also 565th page.
20 In addition to this we are told in Hebrews, 11:32, 33, 34, 35, that Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens; and that women received their dead raised to life again, &c. &c.
21 Also, Joshua, in the sight of all Israel, bade the sun and moon to stand still, and it was done. Josh. 10:12.
22 We here understand, that the sacred writers, say, that all these things were done by faith—It was by faith that the worlds were framed—God spake, chaos heard, and worlds came into order, by reason of the faith there was in him. So with man also—he spake by faith in the name of God, and the sun stood still, the moon obeyed, mountains removed, prisons fell, lions’ mouths were closed, the human heart lost its enmity, fire its violence, armies their power, the sword its terror, and death its dominion; and all this by reason of the faith which was in them.
23 Had it not been for the faith which was in man, they might have spoken to the sun, the moon, the mountains, prisons, lions, the human heart, fire, armies, the sword, or to death in vain!
24 Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things: by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeably to the will of God. Without it, there is no power, and without power there could be no creation, nor existence!
 
OF THEOLOGY.
Question.—What is theology?
Answer.—It is that revealed science which treats of the being and attributes of God—his relations to us—the dispensations of his providence—his will with respect to our actions—and his purposes with respect to our end. -[Buck’s Theological Dictionary, page 582.]-
Q. What is the first principle in this revealed science?
A. Faith. -[§ i. ¶ 1.]-
Q. Why is faith the first principle in this revealed science?
A. Because it is the foundation of all righteousness. Heb. 11:6. Without faith it is impossible to please God. 1st. John, 3:7. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness, is righteous, even as he -[God]- is righteous. -[§ i. ¶ 1.]-
Q. What arrangement should be followed in presenting the subject of faith?
A. First, Should be shown what faith is: -[§ i. ¶ 3.]-
Second, The subject upon which it rests; and -[§ i. ¶ 4.]-
Third, The effects which flow from it. -[§ i. ¶ 5.]-
Q. What is faith?
A. It is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen: Heb. 11:1. That is, it is the assurance we have of the existence of unseen things. And being the assurance which we have of the existence of unseen things, must be the principle of action in all intelligent beings. Heb. 11:3. By faith we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God. -[§ i. ¶ 8, 9.]-
Q. How do you prove that faith is the principle of action in all intelligent beings?
A. First, By duly considering the operations of my own mind; and secondly, by the direct declaration of scripture.— Heb. 11:7. By faith Noah, being warned of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Heb. 11:8. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went. Heb. 11:9. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. Heb. 11:27. By faith Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. -[§ i. ¶ 10, 11.]-
Q. Is not faith the principle of action in spiritual things as well as in temporal?
A. It is.
Q. How do you prove it?
A. Heb. 11:6. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Mark 16:16. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved. Rom. 4:16. Therefore, it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed: not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which i[s] of the faith of Abraham, [who is the father] of us [all.]— -[§ i. ¶ 12, 13.]-
Q. Is faith any thing else beside the principle of action?
A. It is.
Q. What is it?
A. It is the principle of power, also. -[§ i. ¶ 13.]-
Q. How do you prove it?
A. First, it is the principle of power in the Deity, as well as in man. Heb. 11:3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.— -[§ i. ¶ 14,15,16.]-
Secondly, It is the principle of power in man also. Book of Mormon, page 264. Alma and Amulek are delivered from prison. D[itt]o. page 421. Nephi and Lehi, with the Lamanites, are immersed with the Spirit. Do. page 565. The mountain Zerin, by the faith of the brother of Jared, is removed. Josh. 10:12. Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. Josh. 10:13. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. Mat. 17:19. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? Mat. 17:20. And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.— And Heb. 11:32. And what shall I say more? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets. Heb. 11:23. Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Heb. 11:34. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Heb. 11:35. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection. -[§ i. ¶ 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.]-
Q. How would you define faith in its most unlimited sense?
A. It is the first great governing principle, which has power, dominion and authority over all things. -[§ i. ¶ 23.]-
Q. How do you convey to the understanding more clearly, that faith is the first great governing principle, which has power, dominion, and authority over all things?
A. By it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeably to the will of God; and without it there is no power; and without power there could be no creation, nor existence! -[§ i. ¶ 23.]- [p. [1]]
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Appendix 1: First Theological Lecture on Faith, circa January–May 1835
ID #
7012
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D4:457–467
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Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Sometime in February or March 1832, as part of his project to revise the Bible, JS changed the word “substance” to “assurance” in this verse. (New Testament Revision 2, p. 141 [second numbering] [Joseph Smith Translation, Hebrews 11:1].)

  2. [2]

    TEXT: Damage to the page resulted in lost characters in the preceding three words.

  3. [3]

    Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 264, 563 [Alma 14:26–27; Ether 12:13].

  4. [4]

    Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 421, 563 [Helaman 5:43–45; Ether 12:14].

  5. [5]

    Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 565 [Ether 12:30].

  6. [6]

    Charles Buck, an officer of the London Missionary Society and editor of its periodical Evangelical Magazine, published A Theological Dictionary, Containing Definitions of All Religious Terms in 1802 in England. The work soon became widely popular in the United States with total sales eclipsing fifty thousand by the early 1830s. The 1818 edition of Buck’s dictionary contains the following definition of theology: “THEOLOGY, signifies that science which treats of the being and attributes of God, his relations to us, the dispensations of his providence, his will with respect to our actions, and his purposes with respect to our end.” (Bowman and Brown, “Reverend Buck’s Theological Dictionary,” 441–442, 446; “Theology,” in Buck, Theological Dictionary, 502.)

    Bowman, Matthew, and Samuel Brown. “Reverend Buck’s Theological Dictionary and the Struggle to Define American Evangelicalism, 1802–1851.” Journal of the Early Republic 29, no. 3 (Fall 2009): 441–473.

    Buck, Charles. A Theological Dictionary, Containing Definitions of All Religious Terms: A Comprehensive View of Every Article in the System of Divinity. . . . Philadelphia: W. W. Woodward, 1818.

  7. [7]

    TEXT: “Abraham [crease and hole in paper] of us [hole in paper]”. Missing text supplied from the copy of the lecture in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. (First Lecture on Faith, in Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 ed., 10.)

  8. [8]

    Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 264 [Alma 14:26–27].

  9. [9]

    Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 421 [Helaman 5:43–45].

  10. [10]

    Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 565 [Ether 12:30].

  11. [11]

    The verse that follows is actually Hebrews 11:33.

  12. [12]

    Sometime in February or March 1832, as part of his project to revise the Bible, JS changed “a better resurrection” to “the first resurrection.” In other places in the lectures, including earlier in this lecture, quotations from the Bible use the text of JS’s revisions, rather than the text from the King James Version. It is unclear why JS’s revisions are not incorporated here. (New Testament Revision 2, p. 141 [second numbering] [Joseph Smith Translation, Hebrews 11:25]; see also Second Lecture on Faith, in Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 ed., 12–35.)

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