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Discourse, 10 March 1844, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff

Source Note

JS, Discourse, [, Hancock Co., IL, 10 Mar. 1844]. Featured version inscribed [ca. 10 Mar. 1844] in Wilford Woodruff, Journal, vol. 5, 1 Jan. 1843–31 Dec. 1844, pp. [205]–[212]; handwriting of ; Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Discourse, 17 Jan. 1843, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff.

Historical Introduction

On Sunday, 10 March 1844, JS delivered a discourse in , Illinois, on the spirit of Elias, the spirit of Elijah, and the “spirit of Messiah.” JS delivered this sermon in a morning meeting held at the construction site. The meeting was attended by “a very large . . . congregation.”
In his sermon, JS taught that the spirit of Elias was to prepare the way for greater revelations or a greater work while the spirit of Elijah was to redeem the dead and bind generations together through the power of the . Both spirits prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah. JS also preached about the doctrine of election, explaining that if a person fell from grace by blaspheming against the Holy Ghost or shedding innocent blood, it would be impossible for him or her to be forgiven. JS concluded his discourse with two prophecies concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ in response to statements made by and his followers that Christ’s return was imminent. First, JS explained that Christ would not come in any year a rainbow was seen, stating that he had recently seen a rainbow and therefore Christ would not return in 1844. Second, he declared that Christ would not come anytime within the next forty years. JS closed by instructing his listeners to write down this prophecy.
JS’s sermon was reportedly received by an “attentive congregation.” concluded that the subject of JS’s discourse was “one of the most important & interesting . . . ever presented to the saints” and that “the principles presented were of the greatest importance to be understood.”
JS’s injunction to his audience to write down his concluding prophecy may be why several members wrote accounts of the discourse. These members included , James Burgess, Franklin D. Richards, Thomas Bullock, John S. Fullmer, and Willard Richards. While all of these church members’ accounts are featured here, Woodruff’s version, which he wrote in his own journal, is substantially longer than the other accounts.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844.

  2. [2]

    Historian’s Office, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844.

  3. [3]

    JS had referenced Elijah in previous discourses. In late January 1844, for example, JS spoke on the coming of Elijah, referring to the prophecy in the book of Malachi that Elijah would return before the second coming of Jesus Christ to “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children & the hearts of the children to their fathers.” He explained that this prophecy was fulfilled as the Latter-day Saints received keys, preached the gospel, gathered together, built up Zion, constructed temples, and acted as proxies for their dead in receiving sacred ordinances, such as baptism, which are necessary for salvation. JS’s journal entry for 3 April 1836 notes that JS and Oliver Cowdery experienced a vision of Elijah appearing to them in the House of the Lord in Kirtland, Ohio, announcing the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy and therefore conveying to them the “Keys” associated with sealing. (Discourse, 21 Jan. 1844, underlining in original; see also Minutes and Discourse, 1–5 Oct. 1841; Discourse, 13 Aug. 1843–A; and Visions, 3 Apr. 1836 [D&C 110:13–16].)

  4. [4]

    Miller was a Baptist who maintained that a thorough examination of the books of Daniel and Revelation revealed that the second advent of Christ was imminent. He did not claim the gift of prophecy, but merely that he had correctly read the biblical prophecies and accurately calculated the proper chronology. His premillennial message was accepted by thousands of Christians in the early 1840s. Miller began preaching in 1831 that the second advent of Christ would occur “in the year 1843 or before.” His views became widely known after the publication of Evidence from Scripture and History of the Second Coming of Christ, about the Year 1843: Exhibited in a Course of Lectures (Troy, NY: Kemble and Hooper, 1836). As followers of Miller’s interpretation of scripture grew in number, he was joined by several other prominent millennialists, including Joshua Himes, George Storrs, Josiah Litch, Henry Dana Ward, and Charles Fitch. By November 1842, Miller had set the “period extending from March 21, 1843 to March 21, 1844” for the second coming of Christ. One of Miller’s disciples who visited Nauvoo in late January 1844 reportedly taught that Christ would “make his appearance” by 1 April 1844. JS had earlier made comments on Miller’s message and the Second Coming. The Times and Seasons also published numerous articles on Millerism. (Rowe, God’s Strange Work, chaps. 4–7; “Mr. Miller’s Apology and Defence,” Advent Herald, and Morning Watch, 13 Aug. 1845, [4]; JS, Journal, 29–30 Jan. 1844; News Item, Nauvoo Neighbor, 31 Jan. 1844, [2]; see also JS, Journal, 12 Feb. 1843; 2–3 and 6 Apr. 1843; Clayton, Journal, 2 Apr. 1843; “Millerism,” Times and Seasons, 15 Feb. 1843, 4:103–105; “Millerism,” Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1843, 4:114–116; “Millerism,” Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1843, 4:168–171; “Millerism—Fanaticism,” Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1843, 4:307–308; “Millerism,” Times and Seasons, 1 Jan. 1844, 5:391; and “Millerism,” Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1844, 5:454.)

    Miller, William. Evidence from Scripture and History of the Second Coming of Christ, about the Year 1843; Exhibited in a Course of Lectures. Troy, NY: Kemble and Hooper, 1836.

    Rowe, David L. God’s Strange Work: William Miller and the End of the World. Library of Religious Biography. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2008.

    Advent Herald, and Morning Watch. Boston. 1845–1846.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  5. [5]

    Historian’s Office, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844.

  6. [6]

    Woodruff, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844.

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

  7. [7]

    The quality of Woodruff’s handwriting suggests that the account in his journal was a fair copy and that he first inscribed the text elsewhere before transferring it to his journal. It is unclear, however, if Woodruff created his account from notes he took during the sermon or whether he reconstructed it from memory.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Discourse, 10 March 1844, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff *Discourse, 10 March 1844, as Reported by James Burgess *Discourse, 10 March 1844, as Reported by Franklin D. Richards *Discourse, 10 March 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock *Discourse, 10 March 1844, as Reported by John S. Fullmer *Discourse, 10 March 1844, as Reported by Willard Richards Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 4, 1 March–22 June 1844 History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith” “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [208]

of the hearts fathers unto the children & the hearts of the children unto the fathers even those who are in heaven. Malachi says I will send Elijah befor the great and dredful day of the Lord come & He shall turn the hearts of the Fathers to the Children and the hearts of the Children to the Fathers lest I come & smite the earth with a curse, Now what I am after is the knowledge of God & I take my own course to obtain it, what are we to under<​stand​> by this in the last days, in the days of Noah God destroyed the world by a flood & has promised to destroy it by fire in the last days but before it took place Elijah should first come & turn the hearts of the Fathers to the Children &c, now comes the point, what is this office & work of Elijah, it is one of the greatest & most important subjects that God has revealed, He should send Elijah to the children to the fathers & fathers to the children, now was this merely confined to the living to settle difficulties with families on earth by no means, it was a far greater work Elijah what would you do if you was here would you confine <​refer​> <​confine​> your work to the living alone. No I would confine <​refer​> you to the scriptures whare the subject is manifest, ie without us they could not be made perfect nor we without them, the fathers without the children nor the children without the fathers. I wish you to understand this subject for it is important & if you will recieve it this is the spirit of Elijah that we redeem our dead & connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven & seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrecti[o]n & here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those which dwell in heaven this is the power of Elijah & the [p. [208]]
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Editorial Title
Discourse, 10 March 1844, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff
ID #
1297
Total Pages
8
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  • Wilford Woodruff

Footnotes

  1. [14]

    See Malachi 4:5–6; and JS History, vol. A-1, 5–6. JS's journal entry for 3 April 1836 notes that JS and Oliver Cowdery experienced a vision of Elijah appearing to them in the House of the Lord in Kirtland, Ohio, announcing the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy and conveying to them “the Keys of this dispensation.” (Visions, 3 Apr. 1836 [D&C 110:13–16]; see also JS, Journal, 3 Apr. 1836.)

  2. [15]

    See Genesis 6:17; and 2 Peter 3:5–6.

  3. [16]

    See Nahum 1:5; Malachi 4:1; 2 Peter 3:7, 10, 12; Revelation, Sept. 1830–A [D&C 29:9]; Revelation, 11 Sept. 1831 [D&C 64:24]; and Revelation, 3 Nov. 1831 [D&C 133:64].

  4. [17]

    See Hebrews 11:40; and Letter to the Church, 7 Sept. 1842 [D&C 128:15, 18].

  5. [18]

    In 1840 JS began teaching publicly that church members could be baptized on behalf of deceased relatives. Church members began performing baptisms for the dead in the Mississippi River as early as September 1840.

  6. [19]

    See Revelation 20:5–6; Vision, 16 Feb. 1832 [D&C 76:64–65]; and Letter to the Church, 7 Sept. 1842 [D&C 128:18].

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