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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”

Page 18

I shod. not have brot. up this wod [illegible] only to shew that I am right when we beg[in] to learn in this way we beg to learn the only true God & when we find to know how to come to him & he begins to unfold the heavens to us & tell us all ab[ou]t. it bef our prayers get to his ears at the b◊ now I ask all the learned men who hear me whe[the]r. the learned me[n] who are preach[in]g. Saln. say that God created the Heavens & the Earth out of nothing & the reason is that they are unlearned & I know more than all the world put togr. & if the H. G. in me com[prehends]: more than all the world I will associate with it— what does Boro mean it means to organize same as you wod. organize a Ship— God himself had materials to org[anize] the world out of chaos which is Element & in which dwells all the glory— that nothing can destroy they never can have an ending they exist eternally— I have anor. to dwell on & it is impossible for me to say much but to touch upon them— for time will not permit me to say all— so I must come to the res[urrectio]n. of the dead— the soul the imm. [immortal] Spirit oh <​man says​> God created in the beging. the very idea lestens man in my idea— I dont bel[ieve] the doct[rine]: hear it all ye Ends of the World for God has told me so I am going to tell of things more noble— we say that God himself is a self existing God, who told you so, how did it get it into your head who told you that man did not exist in like manner— how does it read in the Heb[rew] that God made man & put into <​it​> Adams Spirit & so became a living Spirit— the mind of man— the mind of man is as immortal as God himself— hence while I talk to these mourners— they are only separated from their bodies for a short period— their Spirits coexisted with God & now converse one another same as we do— does not this give your satisfact[io]n. I want to reason more on the Spirit of Man for I am dwelling on the body of man on the subjt. of the dead— the Sp of Man I take my ring from my finger & liken it unto the mind of man the im[morta]l. Sp[irit] bec[ause] it has no beging. suppose you cut it into but as the L[or]d lives there wod. be an end all the fools & wise men from the beging of creation who say that man had begin— they must have an end & then the doc[trine] of annihilitn. [annihilation] wod. be true— but if I am right I mit. with boldness proclaim from the house top that God never had power to create the Sp of Man at all— it is no God himself cod. not create himself intelligence is self existent it is a Sp from age to end & there is no creatn abt. it [p. 18]
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Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock
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  • Thomas Bullock

Footnotes

  1. [40]

    TEXT: Possibly “wo[r]d” or “wo[ul]d”.

  2. [41]

    Creation ex nihilo, or the doctrine that God “created the universe out of nothing,” was a position long held by mainstream Christians, although it “was being called into question by scientists and churchmen alike, with the dawn of the nineteenth century.” (Givens, Wrestling the Angel, 53–54.)

    Givens, Terryl L. Wrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon Thought: Cosmos, God, Humanity. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.

  3. [42]

    Baurau, or bara, is the Hebrew verb in Genesis 1:1 that is traditionally translated as “to create.” JS, however, drew upon less conventional translations of the verb—which could include “to form” or “to make”—to refute the notion of creation ex nihilo. (See Gibbs, Manual Hebrew and English Lexicon, 36.)

    Gibbs, Josiah W. A Manual Hebrew and English Lexicon Including Biblical Chaldee. Designed Particularly for Beginners. 2nd ed. New Haven, CT: Hezekiah Howe, 1832.

  4. [43]

    JS had previously taught that the earth had been formed out of existing materials. (See Accounts of Meeting and Discourse, 5 Jan. 1841; and Book of Abraham Excerpt and Facsimile 2, 15 Mar. 1842 [Abraham 3:24; 4:1].)

  5. [44]

    See Revelation, 6 May 1833 [D&C 93:33].

  6. [45]

    The Times and Seasons account renders this passage as “I have another subject to dwell upon” (italics added).

  7. [46]

    See Genesis 2:7; Old Testament Revision 1, p. 5 [Moses 3:7]; and Book of Abraham Excerpt and Facsimile 2, 15 Mar. 1842 [Abraham 5:7].

  8. [47]

    The Times and Seasons account renders this passage as “hence when I talk to these mourners; what have they lost.” The Willard Richards and Wilford Woodruff versions clarify that “they” refers not to the “mourners” but to their recently departed “friends.”

  9. [48]

    In 1843 JS taught that the “same sociality which exists amongst us here will exist among us there only it will be coupled with eternal glory which we do not enjoy now.” (Instruction, 2 Apr. 1843 [D&C 130:2].)

  10. [49]

    The Times and Seasons account renders this passage as “suppose you cut it in two” (italics added).

  11. [50]

    In 1841 JS taught that “that which has a beginning will surely have an end.” Instructing his audience to consider a ring, he continued, “It is without beginning or end; cut it for a beginning place, and at the same time you have an ending place.” Later he concluded that “if the soul of man had a beginning it will surely have an end.” (Accounts of Meeting and Discourse, 5 Jan. 1841.)

  12. [51]

    The doctrine of annihilation, as understood in Christian theology, argues that “human beings may pass or be put out of existence altogether”—as opposed to living out a postmortal eternity of rewards or punishments in heaven or hell. JS also referenced the idea of annihilation in a 13 August 1843 discourse. (Pinnock, “Annihilationism,” 462; Discourse, 13 Aug. 1843–A.)

    Pinnock, Clark H. “Annihilationism.” In The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology, edited by Jerry L. Walls, 462–475. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

  13. [52]

    See Book of Abraham Excerpt and Facsimile 2, 15 Mar. 1842 [Abraham 3:19, 22–23]; Revelation, 6 May 1833 [D&C 93:29]; Discourse, between ca. 26 June and ca. 4 Aug. 1839–A; and Discourse, 5 Feb. 1840.

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