Discourse, 10 April 1842, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff
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Source Note
JS, Discourse, [, Hancock Co., IL, 10 Apr. 1842]. Featured version copied [ca. 10 Apr. 1842] in Wilford Woodruff, Journal, vol. 4, 1 Jan. 1841–31 Dec. 1842, pp. [146]–[147]; handwriting of ; Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Discourse, 7 Nov. 1841, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff.
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Historical Introduction
On the morning of Sunday, 10 April 1842, JS delivered a discourse on wickedness and righteousness. wrote in his journal that it was “a plesant morning” and that “a large Congregation of Saints met at the ” in , Illinois. After “addressed the assembly for about 1. hour,” JS encouraged the Saints to draw near to God; condemned immorality, dishonesty, and theft; and—according to JS’s journal—“pronounced a curse upon all Adulterers & fornicators & unvirtuous persons. & those who had made use of his name to carry on their iniquitous designs.” JS was particularly concerned with rumors that leaders justified immoral behavior. JS also preached on the necessity of gaining knowledge for salvation.attempted to capture the content of JS’s discourse in his journal, presumably based on notes he made during the discourse and his memory. Woodruff presented some of the content in JS’s words, enclosing them in quotation marks or even writing them in first person. Yet Woodruff acknowledged that this report was incomplete, noting at the end that “many other remarks of interest were made by the speaker.” Woodruff ended his account of the gathering by reflecting, “I truly felt in my own heart that it was a profitable meeting.” Woodruff presumably wrote this entry in the evening on 10 April or shortly thereafter. No other accounts of the discourse, except the note in JS’s journal, have been located.
Footnotes
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1
Woodruff, Journal, 10 Apr. 1842; JS, Journal, 10 Apr. 1842.
Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.
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2
The following month, on 24 May, JS swore out an affidavit against Chauncey L. Higbee for slander and defamation of character by “using their [JS and Emma Smith’s] names, the more readily to accomplish his purpose in seducing certain females.” Higbee was tried the same day before the high council in Nauvoo in what was the first of several similar cases. (JS, Affidavit, 24 May 1842, in Price and Price, Joseph Smith Fought Polygamy, 146; Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, 24 May 1842, 2.)
Nauvoo Stake High Council Minutes, ca. 1839–ca. 1843. Fair copy. In Oliver Cowdery, Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL.
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3
Woodruff, Journal, 10 Apr. 1842.
Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.
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