Skip to main content

Discourse, 17 January 1843, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff

  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Discourse, 17 January 1843, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff

Source Note

JS, Discourse, [, Hancock Co., IL, 17 Jan. 1843]. Featured version copied [ca. 17 Jan. 1843] in Wilford Woodruff, Journal, vol. 5, 1 Jan. 1843–31 Dec. 1844, p. [2]; handwriting of ; Wilford Woodruff Journals and Papers, 1828–1898, CHL.
, “Wilford Woodruff’s Daily Journal and History in 1843,” Journal, vol. 5, 1 Jan. 1843–31 Dec. 1844; handwriting of ; 342 pages; Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, CHL. Includes drawings, shorthand, Latin, Hebrew, redactions, and use marks.
Blank book measuring 6⅛ × 3⅞ × 1⅛ inches (16 × 10 × 3 cm) and containing 192 leaves. The front and back of the volume each contain two flyleaves, with the exterior leaves attached to pastedowns at the front and back of the volume. A label with “W. WOODRUFF” has been glued onto the front pastedown. The volume is bound in brown leather, and “JOURNAL” was printed on the spine. Sometime after 1930, someone attempted to repair portions of the spine with cellophane tape.
This volume was the fifth journal wrote in after his baptism in December 1833. On the first leaf after the pastedown and flyleaves, Woodruff titled the book “WILFORD WOODRUFF’s | DAILY JOURNAL | AND | HISTORY | IN | 1843”. The volume contains daily journal entries from 1 January 1843 to 31 December 1844. Woodruff apparently wrote regularly in daybooks and later copied those entries into his journal, expanding upon them. He inscribed all of his entries in brown or blue ink; redactions by Woodruff are in graphite and brown ink. An unknown scribe later labeled the verso of the front pastedown: “4 | January 1st 1843 | to | December 31. 1844”.
A catalog record created in March 1858 by the Church Historian’s Office (now CHL) indicates that Woodruff’s “Private Papers” were in the possession of the office by that time, probably because of his position as assistant church historian. A July 1858 inventory clarified that these papers included Woodruff’s journals. The journals likewise appear in an inventory produced around 1878. The volume’s inclusion in later Church Historian’s Office inventories suggests continuous institutional custody since 1858.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Cellophane tape was invented in 1930. (Cole et al., Encyclopedia of Modern Everyday Inventions, 22; Edelman, “Brief History of Tape,” 45–46.)

    Cole, David J., Eve Browning, and Fred E.H. Schroeder. Encyclopedia of Modern Everyday Inventions. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003.

    Edelman, Jonathan. “A Brief History of Tape.” Ambidextrous 5 (Falling in 2006): 45–46.

  2. [2]

    Several daybooks from which Woodruff copied entries into this and other journal volumes are located in Wilford Woodruff, Collection, 1830–1898, CHL.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Collection, 1830–1898. CHL. MS 5506.

  3. [3]

    “Historian’s Office Catalogue Book March 1858,” [25], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  4. [4]

    “Contents of the Historian and Recorder’s Office. G. S. L. City July 1858,” 9, Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  5. [5]

    “Index of Records and Journals in the Historian’s Office 1878,” [16], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL.

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

Historical Introduction

On 17 January 1843, JS delivered a discourse at his home in , Illinois, on the kingdom of God and the baptisms performed by John the Baptist in the New Testament. The had proclaimed 17 January a day of “fastings, humiliations, and thanksgivings” in gratitude for the safe return of JS from his hearing in , Illinois, in which the request to extradite him to was discharged. As part of the fast day, the apostles requested that the of the Nauvoo wards organize meetings and ask those who had accompanied JS on his journey to relate the proceedings in Springfield to other members. Meetings were scheduled for eleven o’clock in the morning in the homes of various Latter-day Saints in and around Nauvoo. JS held one of these meetings in his own home, located near the southwest corner of Main and Water streets, where he delivered this discourse. , who attended the meeting, wrote briefly about the discourse in his journal.
JS may have had the subjects of this discourse on his mind since 1 January. On that date, he attended a Sunday service at the state capitol while in for his habeas corpus hearing. The Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives informed JS and those accompanying him that they could use the representatives’ hall for their services. During the service, delivered a sermon in which he declared that from the time of Malachi to the time of John the Baptist the “voice of Revelation was not heard.— John came to prepare the way.— baptizd many of the different sects.” At the 17 January meeting, JS explained that the validity of John’s baptisms had been not only debated among Christians “for many years” but also discussed among the Saints. During a sermon the following Sunday, 22 January 1843, JS noted that questions regarding the topic had arisen at a recent meeting of the lyceum. As 17 January 1843 was a Tuesday, the day of the week when the lyceum traditionally met, this meeting also may have served as a gathering of the lyceum.
In this discourse, JS addressed the question of whether John’s baptisms functioned as valid Christian baptisms—as Baptists and other Christians believed—or if baptism by the Holy Ghost, available after the day of Pentecost, was the only acceptable type of baptism in Christianity. The answer to this question had ramifications for beliefs about the origins of the Christian church. If the baptism of John signified a valid Christian baptism, it suggested that Christ’s kingdom existed prior to the day of Pentecost. JS treated the organization of the kingdom of God and the baptism of John, therefore, as part of the same theme. Distinguishing the Latter-day Saint perspective from that of other faiths, he declared that the kingdom of God not only predated the day of Pentecost but also had existed since the days of Adam. He therefore asserted that the baptisms John performed were valid Christian baptisms for the remission of sins, preparatory to the reception of the Holy Ghost.
’s journal is the only source for this particular discourse. , who often wrote notes of JS’s discourses, was evidently sick on 17 January and therefore did not mention the sermon in either his own journal or the journal he was keeping for JS. Five days later, JS expanded on his comments in another discourse.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    “Proclamation to the Saints in Nauvoo,” Wasp, 14 Jan. 1843, [3].

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

  2. [2]

    Meetings also occurred in the homes of William Mitchel, William Gheen, Orson Spencer, Winslow Farr, James Sloan, David Wood, Chandler Rogers, a Sister Snider, and a Brother Corkin. (Report, Wasp, 14 Jan. 1843, [2]–[3].)

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

  3. [3]

    According to the Times and Seasons, “a large concourse of people attended, composed of lawyers, judges, state officers, legislators, and citizens of Springfield.” (“The Release of Gen. Joseph Smith,” Times and Seasons, 2 Jan. 1843, 4:60–61.)

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

  4. [4]

    JS, Journal, 1 Jan. 1843.

  5. [5]

    Discourse, 22 Jan. 1843.

  6. [6]

    Historical Introduction to Discourse, ca. 2 Feb. 1841; Discourse, 22 Jan. 1843.

  7. [7]

    At different times, JS used the term “kingdom of God” to refer to at least three different things. Throughout the Book of Mormon and many of JS’s early revelations, the term consistently refers to the place where the righteous will be saved to dwell with God following Judgment Day. An October 1831 revelation suggests that the kingdom of God was the church, stating that “the Son of man Shall come down in heaven Clothed in the brightness of his glory to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the Earth.” Following the October 1831 revelation, JS and his revelations frequently referenced “the Kingdom of God on the earth,” the sense in which the phrase is used in the document featured here. JS also used the phrase kingdom of God to refer to a literal political kingdom, similar to ancient Israel. (Revelation, 30 Oct. 1831 [D&C 65:2, 5]; see also Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 38–39, 79–80, 229, 327–328 [1 Nephi 15:33–35; 2 Nephi 9:18; Alma 5:24; 41:4]; Revelation, Apr. 1829–A [D&C 6:3, 13]; Revelation, June 1829–A [D&C 14:3]; Letter to Silas Smith, 26 Sept. 1833; Discourse, 29 Sept. 1839; Letter to the Church, not after 18 Dec. 1833; Revelation, 2 Aug. 1833–A [D&C 97:14]; Blessing to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, between ca. 15 and 28 Sept. 1835; Discourse, 20 Mar. 1842; and “The Government of God,” Times and Seasons, 15 July 1842, 3:855–858.)

  8. [8]

    Richards, Journal, 17 Jan. 1843; JS, Journal, 17 Jan. 1843.

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

  9. [9]

    Discourse, 22 Jan. 1843.

Page [2]

Br Joseph spoke to some length on the kingdom of God & the Baptism of John, he said the kingdom of God was set upon the earth in all ages from the days of Adam to the presant time whenever there was a man on earth who had authority to Administar the of the gospel or a priest of God & unto such a man God did reveal his will concerning the Baptism of John it was the Baptism of repentance unto remission of sins for the receiving of the Holy Ghost & it was the gospel Baptism, These were questions which had been in debate for many years & in some degree among the Saints, He also spoke upon the subject of honor & dishonor &c [p. [2]]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page [2]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Discourse, 17 January 1843, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff
ID #
969
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:332–334
Handwriting on This Page
  • Wilford Woodruff

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS consistently taught that people who were alive before the establishment of the early Christian church knew of and worshipped Jesus Christ. Both the Book of Mormon and JS’s revision of the Old Testament included teachings about Christ and Christian worship predating New Testament times. There were, according to JS, “dispensations and keys and powers and glories” that had been “revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time,” Adam having been the person to whom “Christ was first revealed.” (Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 103–104, 157–158, 310–311 [2 Nephi 25:18–30; Mosiah 3:7–20; Alma 34:2–16]; Old Testament Revision 1, pp. 13–14 [Moses 6:50–62]; Letter to the Church, 7 Sept. 1842 [D&C 128:18]; Instruction on Priesthood, ca. 5 Oct. 1840.)

  2. [2]

    JS elaborated on earlier instruction, given in 1840, that “the keys of the Kingdom of God” were on the earth “in all ages of the world” and constituted the means by which “all knowledge, doctrine, the plan of salvation and every important truth is revealed from heaven.” According to JS, this pattern of revealing truth to humanity would continue “to the end of time.” (Instruction on Priesthood, ca. 5 Oct. 1840.)

  3. [3]

    JS’s reference to the church as the kingdom of God in this sermon responded to various disputes in the nineteenth century among American Protestants regarding the original founding date of Christ’s church and earthly kingdom. Most dated the organization of the ancient church to the day of Pentecost, when the apostles began to baptize converts, while others suggested that the church organization had existed previously. Some assumed that the day of Pentecost fulfilled Christ’s declaration to the apostles that they would receive a baptism of the Holy Ghost in addition to the water baptisms that John had performed. (See, for example, Hopkins, Primitive Church, 1; Blakeney, Protestant Catechism, 14; Coleman, Antiquities of the Christian Church, 439; “Notices of New Publications,” Evangelical Repository, May 1859, 684; Gould and Drapier, Debate between Rev. A. Campbell and Rev. N. L. Rice, 216, 341–348; Garrett, Baptist Theology, 256; Irving, Day of Pentecost, 1–10; Acts 1:5; and Chapman, Sermons, 153–154.)

    Hopkins, John Henry. The Primitive Church, Compared with the Protestant Episcopal Church, of the Present Day. . . . Burlington, VT: Smith and Harrington, 1835.

    Blakeney, R. P. Protestant Catechism; or, Popery Refuted and Protestantism Established by the Word of God. London: Hatchard, 1854.

    Coleman, Lyman. The Antiquities of the Christian Church. Translated and Compiled from the Works of Augusti, with Numerous Additions from Rheinwald, Siegal, and Others. Andover, MA: Gould, Newman, and Saxton, 1841.

    “Notices of New Publications.” Evangelical Repository 17, no. 12 (May 1859): 678–686.

    Gould, Marcus T. C., and A. Euclid Drapier. A Debate between Rev. A. Campbell and Rev. N. L. Rice, on the Action, Subject, Design, and Administrator of Christian Baptism. . . . Lexington, KY: A. T. Skillman and Son, 1844.

    Garrett, James Leo. Baptist Theology: A Four-Century Study. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2009.

    Irving, Edward. The Day of Pentecost; or, The Baptism with the Holy Ghost. . . . London: Baldwin and Cradock, 1831.

    Chapman, G. T. Sermons upon the Ministry, Worship, and Doctrines of the Protestant Episcopal Church. 2nd ed. Hartford, CT: F. J. Huntington, 1832.

  4. [4]

    Five days later, on 22 January, JS noted that questions had arisen at the Nauvoo lyceum regarding whether John had baptized for the remission of sins and “wether the kingdom of God was set up before the day of Pentecost or not till then.” It is unclear which meeting of the lyceum JS was referring to. Since this 17 January meeting was held on a Tuesday, the traditional day of the week for lyceum meetings, he could have been referring to this meeting. He also could have been referring to a previous meeting of the lyceum. (Discourse, 22 Jan. 1843.)