Discourse, 29 July 1838
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Source Note
JS, Discourse, , Daviess Co., MO, 29 July 1838. Featured version published [ca. May 1840] in William Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, p. 27.William Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the “Book of Covenants,” &c., &c., Pekin, OH: By the author, [between 12 April and 4 May] 1840; forty-eight pages. The copy used for transcription is held at BYU.Printed pamphlet containing twenty-five leaves. The text block measures 8¼ × 5⅜ × ⅛ inches (21 × 14 × 0.3 cm). The leaves were bound in a single sheet of purple paper that was pasted to the spine. The bulk of the pamphlet consists of the typescript of a journal kept in 1838. The printed journal evidently contains several editorial changes from the nonextant original manuscript; these changes tend to be easily identified because they are explicitly marked as editorial insertions or because of changes in verb tense. Notwithstanding these changes, Swartzell’s journal appears to be an accurate, contemporaneous record of events in during summer 1838. Swartzell apparently finished preparing his journal for publication on 12 April 1840 in Pekin, Carroll County, Ohio. Shortly thereafter, Swartzell or a representative took the manuscript to , Pennsylvania, to copyright the manuscript and to contract with the printing office of Alexander Ingram. On 4 May 1840, Ingram printed an advertisement for the pamphlet in the Daily Pittsburgh Gazette, noting that the pamphlet was “just published, and for sale” at his 78 Market Street office. Though the pamphlet was printed in Pittsburgh by Ingram, its copyright page states that it was published by the author.
Footnotes
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1
See, for example, Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, 6, 11, 13–14, 19–20, 24–25.
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
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2
Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, iv.
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
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3
Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, [i], [ii]; Notice, Daily Pittsburgh Gazette, 4 May 1840, [2].
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
Daily Pittsburgh Gazette. Pittsburgh. 1833–1841.
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1
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Historical Introduction
On 29 July 1838, JS preached at a Sunday worship service held at , Missouri, regarding the spiritual manifestations and persecution he had experienced and his willingness to submit to the will of God. According to , JS and left for Adam-ondi-Ahman on 28 July to “transact some important buisness” and assist in the settlement of recent immigrants from . At least part of this business may have been the formal integration of the at Adam-ondi-Ahman into the broader Danite organization, which was headquartered at Far West. According to , a who was living in Adam-ondi-Ahman and keeping a journal at the time, the Danites at Adam-ondi-Ahman met on 28 July and were placed under the command of a brigadier general and other officers. JS and Rigdon presumably attended this meeting and may have addressed the men prior to their reorganization.wrote that the next day, and JS addressed the Saints during the worship service held at ’s unfinished home at the foot of Tower Hill in . Rigdon spoke first, taking Ephesians 4:4–13 as his text and expounding on the theme of “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” He criticized other Christian denominations for their lack of “those gifts which Jesus Christ gave to men when he ascended on high.”JS spoke next, taking 1 Thessalonians 5:15–23 as his text, particularly the instruction to “despise not prophesyings.” Much of JS’s address, as captured by , focused on JS’s experiences—possibly drawing on the themes and events he had recently narrated in a new personal and church history. JS, , and had begun work on the history in late April 1838, following the excommunication of , the previous church historian. The draft of this history focused on JS’s earliest visions, including his first vision of Deity and the persecution he faced after reporting the experience. Though Swartzell’s account of JS’s 29 July sermon lacks detail, the material he recorded matches elements of JS’s written history.apparently recorded JS’s discourse in his journal on or within a few days of the worship service. Part of his account is a summary, but he also captured, or attempted to capture, some of JS’s words. Within a month of this meeting, Swartzell renounced the church and returned to his former home in Pekin, Ohio. In spring 1840, Swartzell prepared his journal, which is no longer extant, for publication as part of an anti-Mormon exposé explaining his history with the church and warning about “one of the most extraordinary bands of fanatics that ever was known in the annals of human delusion.” While Swartzell added retrospective material to his journal before publication, it is fairly easy to distinguish these editorial comments and explanations from the rather ordinary entries of the original journal. As a whole, Swartzell’s historical account of events in matches well with contemporaneous sources. No evidence suggests that his account of JS’s 29 July discourse was manufactured or embellished. In fact, on other occasions Swartzell reported that JS had preached but that Swartzell did “not recollect” JS’s words.
Footnotes
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2
Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, 25–26.
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
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3
Swartzell wrote that in two earlier Danite meetings held at Adam-ondi-Ahman, JS preached to the men. Swartzell also noted that on 28 July, the Danites at Adam-ondi-Ahman were organized “after considerable preaching, as usual”—suggesting that JS may also have addressed the Danites during this organizational meeting. John Smith, the president of the Adam-ondi-Ahman stake, noted in his journal that at least three Danite meetings had taken place by 4 August 1838, though he neglected to provide dates or additional details. (Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, 17–18, 20–21, 25–26; see also Thompson, “Chronology of Danite Meetings in Adam-ondi-Ahman,” 12; and John Smith, Journal, 4 Aug. 1838.)
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
Thompson, John E. “A Chronology of Danite Meetings in Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri: July to September 1838.” Restoration 4, no. 1 (Jan. 1985): 11–14.
Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1, fd. 1.
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4
Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, 26; Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:376, 399–402. John Smith likewise noted in his journal the following week that JS and Rigdon held a meeting in Adam-ondi-Ahman “last Sabbath.” (John Smith, Journal, 4 Aug. 1838.)
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.
Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1, fd. 1.
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5
Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, 26–27.
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
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7
JS, Journal, 30 Apr.–4 May 1838; see also “Joseph Smith’s Historical Enterprise”; and Historical Introduction to History Drafts, 1838–ca. 1841.
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8
Swartzell’s journal has daily entries. His account of JS’s 29 July 1838 discourse begins by stating that JS and Rigdon preached “to-day,” suggesting that Swartzell wrote the entry later that day. (Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, 26.)
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
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9
Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, 35–37.
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
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10
Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, [iii].
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
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11
See, for example, Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, 11, 13–14, 21.
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
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12
Swartzell, Mormonism Exposed, 21.
Swartzell, William. Mormonism Exposed, Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Revelation concerning the Golden Bible, with Numerous Extracts from the ‘Book of Covenants,’ &c., &c. Pekin, OH: By the author, 1840.
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