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Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 6 November 1829

and the most to learn of your faithfulness in christ my dear Brother when I think of the goodness of christ I feel no desire to live or Stay here upon the shores of this world of iniquity only to to Serve him my maker and be if posible an instriment in his hands of doing Some good in his cause with his <grace> to assist me when I consider and try to realise what he has done for me I am astonished and amaised why Should I not be for while I was rushing on in sin and crouding my way down to that awful gulf he yet Strove with me and praised be his holy name <and> Eternal name he has redeemed my Soul from endless torment and wo not for any thing that I have me[r]ited or any worthyness there was in me for there was none but it was in and through his own mercy wraught out by his own infinite wisdom by prepareing from all Eternity a means wherefore whereby man could be saved on conditions of repentance and faith on that infinite attonement which was to be mad[e] by a great and last Sacrif[i]ce which Sacr[i]fice was the death of the only begotten of the Father yea the eter nal Father of Heaven and of Earth that by his resere ction all the Family of man might be braught back into the presance of God if therefore we follow christ in all things whatsoever he comma[n]deth

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

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us and are buried with him by baptism

An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...

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into death that like as christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Eter nal Father even So we also Should walk in newn ess of life and if we walk in newness of life to the end of this probation at the day of accounts we Shall be caught up in clouds to meet the Lord in the air but I need not undertake to write of the goodness of God for his goodness is unspeakable ne[i]ther tell of the mite ries [mysteries] of God for what is man that he can comprehend and Search out the wisdom of deity for Great is the misteries of Godliness therefore my only motive in this writing is to inform you of my prospects and hopes and my desires and my long<ing> to be freed from Sin and to rest in the king dom of my Savior and my redeemer when I [p. 7]

In this letter, Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

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reported briefly on the activities of the New York

Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...

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believers and on the status of the printing of the Book of Mormon. However, the preponderance of this document provides a glimpse of Cowdery as a deeply religious man. His work during the previous six months as JS’s scribe exposed him to the Book of Mormon’s emphasis on redemptive grace, and he incorporated a number of that book’s passages into his letter.

Cowdery

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wrote this letter in response to JS’s letter of 22 October 1829. Though the original is not available, JS copied this letter into his Letterbook 1 in late 1832 or early 1833.

Facts

Editorial Title: Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 6 November 1829
ID #: 25