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Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock

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Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock

Source Note

JS, Discourse, [, Hancock Co., IL, 7 Apr. 1844]. Featured version inscribed [ca. 7 Apr. 1844] in Thomas Bullock, Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, pp. 14–22; handwriting of ; Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minutes and Discourses, 6–8 Apr. 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock.

Historical Introduction

On 7 April 1844, JS preached a funeral sermon in , Illinois, for member . An early member of the church, Follett had lived through the persecutions and served as a constable in , Illinois. On 27 February 1844, Follett was “stoning up a well” some fifteen feet underground when a rope lowering a tub of rocks snapped and Follett was struck by the falling objects. Although the crushing blow did not kill him instantly, Follett died from his injuries eleven days later, on 9 March, having “suffered much.” Follett’s family and friends requested that JS give Follett’s funeral sermon. JS had originally intended to deliver the sermon on 5 April but postponed it because of poor health. On 6 April, the first day of the church’s April , JS noted that his lungs were weak and consequently delayed addressing the Latter-day Saints at length until the following day.
The meetings on 7 April were held in a east of the partially constructed . Contemporary estimates of the number in attendance varied between ten thousand and twenty thousand. , JS’s counselor in the , observed that the turnout on 7 April exceeded the previous day’s attendance, and believed that it “was the largest congregation ever seen in .” Likewise, the Nauvoo Neighbor reported that “we do not remember that we ever saw so large an audience before, any where in the western country” and noted that “many spectators were present from , , , , and other towns of less noteriety.” After a morning session, the conference adjourned until two o’clock in the afternoon. JS’s sermon, which he delivered in the afternoon session, began at 3:15 and concluded at 5:30.
JS’s sermon was meant to console ’s family, but it was not a eulogy. Instead, JS addressed the subject of death broadly. Although he occasionally addressed Follett’s family and friends directly, he generalized his remarks to all in the audience who had lost family and friends. JS sought to comfort the survivors by teaching about the nature of God—specifically, that God had the form of a man and that God had once been a man and had incrementally advanced to godhood. JS also stated that men and women must similarly learn to become gods. He argued that God had organized the world from existing eternal elements rather than creating it ex nihilo. Likewise, JS declared that “intelligences”—or “the intelligent part” of the “mind of man”—are self-existent and have no beginning or end. Furthermore, God gave these intelligences laws to help them progress to become like him. JS then emphasized the great responsibility of the living to help save the dead and declared that all can be saved except those who commit the “unpardonable sin” of “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.”
JS preached this sermon amid mounting tension between him and his enemies in , who alleged that JS was a fallen prophet. Two weeks before delivering his 7 April discourse, JS publicly accused , , , , and of plotting to kill him and his family members. Around the same time, William Law, JS’s disaffected former counselor in the , told JS’s brother that he “was ready for an investigation before the Conference, and that there [he] would bring their abominations to light”—apparently referring to the practice of plural marriage. Hyrum reportedly replied that “there would not be an investigation before [the] Conference, that they wanted peace.” At some point, Law apparently “sent Joseph and some of the Twelve, special word that he desired an investigation before the Church in General Conference, on the 6th of Ap’l.”
At the opening of the conference, however, JS explained that he would not discuss the difficulties in the church. Instead, he would instruct the Saints in “principles of eternal truth.” In addition, JS affirmed that “he was not a fallen prophet” and was “never in any nearer relationship to God than at the present time, & would show before the Conferen[ce] closed that God was with him.” During his 7 April discourse, JS referenced the threats against his life at several points, defended his calling as a true prophet, and warned his audience about the dire consequences of denying the Holy Ghost. JS closed his sermon by emphasizing that others did not understand him, that he loved all people, and that he would only be truly known on Judgment Day.
For church member , the 7 April discourse was convincing evidence of JS’s prophetic calling. Fielding affirmed that “Josephs Discourse on the Origin of Man, the Nature of God and the Resurrection was the most interesting Matter of this time and any one that could not see in him the Spirit of Inspiration of God must be dark, they might have known that he was not a fallen Prophet even if they thought he was fallen.” Fielding was not the only one to positively appraise JS’s 7 April discourse. called JS’s sermon “important edefying & interesting.” In a similar vein, , an resident who sympathized with the Latter-day Saints, observed that “Joseph Smith here and on this occasion in tones of truth and taste, elegantly portrayed the designs of heaven and carried the mind through time, declaring his good will, his love and sympathies for the world in its present educated character.” In contrast, remarked that “some of the most blasphemous doctrines have been taught by J. Smith & others” during the conference, referring, among other things, to teachings in JS’s 7 April discourse, such as the notion of a plurality of gods and the belief that God “wrought out his salvation in the flesh with fear and trembling, the same as we do.”
Six individuals—, , , , Samuel W. Richards, and —wrote accounts of JS’s 7 April discourse. Bullock, Clayton, and Willard Richards all recorded their accounts as JS spoke. Bullock specifically attended the conference as a reporter. Clayton, who was JS’s “private clerk,” and Willard Richards, who was JS’s “private se[c]retary & historian,” often acted as scribes for JS and may have been assigned to record the proceedings as well. Bullock took the most comprehensive notes of the three, and his minutes contain many abbreviations. Clayton’s account ends abruptly and fails to record the last part of JS’s discourse. Richards’s account is shorter and less detailed than Bullock’s and Clayton’s and is at times cryptic.
Although they were apparently not assigned to take notes at the April conference, , Samuel W. Richards, and wrote accounts of JS’s 7 April discourse in their respective personal records, probably derived from rough notes they took while JS spoke. Woodruff, for instance, recalled in 1877 that he recorded JS’s 7 April sermon “on the crown of his hat, standing in the congregation.” Certain factors suggest that the account in Woodruff’s journal was a fair copy or refined version of the notes he had taken during JS’s discourse. Particularly telling are the preface that he wrote before his account and the quality of his handwriting. Samuel W. Richards, who attended the April conference, copied a few unpolished notes from JS’s discourse into a notebook sometime after April 1845. Laub copied an incomplete account of the sermon into his journal sometime after 1 January 1845. While Laub’s account captures only part of JS’s discourse, the portion it does record is fairly detailed and contains unique phrases.
A polished account of JS’s 7 April discourse, which was an amalgamation of ’s and ’s notes, appeared in the 15 August 1844 issue of the Times and Seasons. Each of the seven accounts of JS’s discourse is featured here. All transliterations of Hebrew words in this document will provide two spellings: first, the spelling used by , JS’s Hebrew instructor in , Ohio, and second, a modern spelling of the word.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Obituary for King Follett, Nauvoo Neighbor, 20 Mar. 1844, [2]; JS History, vol. C-1, 929, 942–943; JS, Journal, 17 Dec. 1843.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  2. [2]

    Nauvoo Masonic Lodge Minute Book, 10 Mar. 1844; Obituary for King Follett, Nauvoo Neighbor, 20 Mar. 1844, [2]. Follett was buried on 10 March “in due Masonic form.” (See also Historian’s Office, Journal, 10 Mar. 1844.)

    Nauvoo Masonic Lodge Minute Book. / “Record of Na[u]voo Lodge Under Dispensation,” 1842–1846. CHL. MS 3436.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

  3. [3]

    Woodruff, Journal, 5 Apr. 1844; Notice, Nauvoo Neighbor, 20 Mar. 1844, [2].

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

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  4. [4]

    Discourse, 6 Apr. 1844.

  5. [5]

    Samuel Richards noted that “the Grove a little East of the Temple was selected for the meeting ground” for the conference. He also reported that “seats were made,” as were other “necessary arrangements for the congregation.” (Richards, Reminiscences and Journal, 6 Apr. 1844; see also JS, Journal, 6 Apr. 1844.)

    Richards, Samuel W. Reminiscences and Journal, ca. 1843–1845. Samuel W. Richards, Papers, 1839–1909. CHL. MS 1841.

  6. [6]

    Richards, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844; Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, 12; Woodruff, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844.

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

  7. [7]

    Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, 8; JS, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844.

  8. [8]

    “Conference,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 10 Apr. 1844, [2].

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  9. [9]

    JS, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844. Wilford Woodruff gave the start time as three o’clock in the afternoon. Thomas Bullock agreed with Richards’s ending time of 5:30. (Woodruff, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844; Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844, 22.)

  10. [10]

    Matthew 12:31–32; see also Mark 3:29; and Luke 12:10.

  11. [11]

    Discourse, 24 Mar. 1844–A; JS, Journal, 24 Mar. 1844; Historian’s Office, Journal, 24 Mar. 1844.

  12. [12]

    William Law reported, “I told him [Hyrum Smith] then to cease their abominations, for they were from Hell & that I knew it. he said they were not doing anything in the plurality of wife business now, and that he had published a piece against it; when I came to examine the piece referred to I found that it amounted to this, that no one should preach or practice such things unless by revelation (of course through Hyrum or Joseph).” (Law, Record of Doings, 29 Mar. 1844, in Cook, William Law, 48, underlining in original.)

    Cook, Lyndon W. William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Orem, UT: Grandin Book, 1994.

  13. [13]

    “Preamble,” Nauvoo Expositor, 7 June 1844, [2].

    Nauvoo Expositor. Nauvoo, IL. 1844.

  14. [14]

    Discourse, 6 Apr. 1844.

  15. [15]

    Fielding, Journal, 6 Apr. 1844, 28–29.

    Fielding, Joseph. Journals, 1837–1859. CHL. MS 1567.

  16. [16]

    Woodruff, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844; William Goforth [Sissimus, pseud.], Nauvoo, IL, 10 Apr. 1844, Letter to the Editor, Nauvoo Neighbor, 1 May 1844, [2]. Some attendees wrote glowing reports on the conference. Thomas Bullock observed that “the speakers have all had the Spirit of the Lord upon them. spoke powerful. and told of great things.” He considered the conference “the greatest, best and most glorious five days that ever were consecutively” and concluded that “all rejoiced” with “much good done.” Others shared Bullock’s sentiment. Ellen Douglas wrote to her family in England that “the teaching which we heard made our hearts rejoice. I for one feel to rejoice and to praise my God that he ever sent the Elders of Israel to England and that he ever gave me a heart to believe them.” Likewise, Sally Randall wrote to her friends: “I wish you could have the teachings that we have here at the conference.” (Historian’s Office, Journal, 9 Apr. 1844; Ellen Douglas to family in England, 14 Apr. 1844, Ellen B. Parker Letters, 1842–1851, Martha G. Boyle Family Papers, 1842–1972, CHL; Sally Randall, Nauvoo, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 21 Apr. 1844, CHL.)

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

    Boyle, Martha G. Family Papers, 1842–1972. Microfilm. CHL.

    Randall, Sally. Letters, 1843–1852. Typescript. CHL.

  17. [17]

    Law, Record of Doings, 1 June 1844, in Cook, William Law, 49. The Nauvoo Expositor also criticized the idea of a plurality of gods. (“Preamble,” Nauvoo Expositor, 7 June 1844, [2]; see also “Resolutions,” Nauvoo Expositor, 7 June 1844, [2].)

    Cook, Lyndon W. William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Orem, UT: Grandin Book, 1994.

    Nauvoo Expositor. Nauvoo, IL. 1844.

  18. [18]

    In his account of the April conference, William Goforth observed that four clerks were recording the “masterly sermons” preached. (William Goforth [Sissimus, pseud.], Nauvoo, IL, 10 Apr. 1844, Letter to the Editor, Nauvoo Neighbor, 1 May 1844, [2].)

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  19. [19]

    Historian’s Office, Journal, 6–9 Apr. 1844.

  20. [20]

    Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 31.

    Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.

  21. [21]

    JS, Journal, 21 Dec. 1842.

  22. [22]

    Bleak, Annals of the Southern Utah Mission, 10 June 1877; Woodruff, Journal, 7 Apr. 1844.

    Bleak, James Godson. Annals of the Southern Utah Mission, ca. 1903–1906. CHL.

  23. [23]

    Richards, Reminiscences and Journal, 6 Apr. 1844; see also Richards, Notebook, [66].

    Richards, Samuel W. Reminiscences and Journal, ca. 1843–1845. Samuel W. Richards, Papers, 1839–1909. CHL. MS 1841.

    Richards, Samuel W. Notebook, ca. 1844–1845. Samuel W. Richards, Papers, 1839–1909. CHL.

  24. [24]

    Laub, Reminiscences and Journal, 1 Jan. 1845, 1.

    Laub, George. Reminiscences and Journal, 1845–1857. CHL. MS 9628.

  25. [25]

    Apparently, by 10 April there were plans to publish the discourses from the conference. (William Goforth [Sissimus, pseud.], Nauvoo, IL, 10 Apr. 1844, Letter to the Editor, Nauvoo Neighbor, 1 May 1844, [2]; see also Historian’s Office, Journal, 10, 23–26, and 28 Apr. 1844; and the docket for the 6 April 1844 minutes in Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 6–9 Apr. 1844.)

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

    Historian’s Office. General Church Minutes, 1839–1877. CHL

  26. [26]

    JS, Journal, 26 Jan. and 29 Mar. 1836; Seixas, Manual Hebrew Grammar, 55.

    Seixas, Joshua. Manual Hebrew Grammar for the Use of Beginners. 2nd ed., enl. and impr. Andover, MA: Gould and Newman, 1834.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock
*Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by William Clayton *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Willard Richards Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 4, 1 March–22 June 1844 *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by George Laub *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Samuel W. Richards *Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Published in Times and Seasons History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”

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The Prophet while I address you on the subject which <​in the fore p[ar]t. of the ​> was contemp[late]d.— as the wind blows very hard it will be hardly possible for me to make you all hear it is of the greatest importance & the mo[st] solemn of any that co[ul]d. occupy our attent[io]n. & that is the subj[ect] of the dead on the dece[ase] of our who was crushed to death in a well— & inasmuch as there <​are​> a great many in this congre[gation] who live in this & who have lost friend I shall speak in gen[era]l. & offe[r] you my ideas so far as I have ability & so far as I shall be insp[ire]d. by the H S. [Holy Spirit] to dwell on this subj[ec]t. I want your prayer, faith the instr[uctio]n. of Alm[ighty] God to say things that are true & shall carry the testimony to your hearts & pray that he may streng[then] my lungs— stay the winds— & let the pray[ers] of the Saints to heaven appear— for the prayers of the righteous avail much & I verily believe that your prayers shall be heard before I enter in the investig[atio]n. fully of the subjt. that is lying before us I wish to make a few preliminaries in order that you may understand when I come to it [p. 14]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock
ID #
1321
Total Pages
9
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Thomas Bullock

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    TEXT: Possibly “inspr.”. William Clayton’s account renders this passage as “the inspirati[o]n of A[lmighty] God.”

  2. [2]

    See Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 119 [2 Nephi 33:1].

  3. [3]

    See Revelation 8:3–4.

  4. [4]

    See James 5:16.

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