Revelation, 14 June 1831 [D&C 55]

  • 58 Comandment June 14th. 1831 A Revelation  to William [W.] Phelps & Joseph Coe their Calling &c——

    Behold thus saith the lord unto you, my servent William  yea even the lord of the whole Earth thou art called & chosen & hast  after thou hast been baptized by water, which if you do with an eye  single to my glory you shall have a remission of your sins & a recep tion of the Holy spirit by the laying on of hands & then thou shalt  be ordained by the hand of my servent Joseph to be an Elder unto this  Church to Preach repentance & remission of sins by way of baptism  in the name of Jesus Christ the son of the living God & on whom soever you shall lay your hands & if they are contrite before me  you shall have power t◊ give the holy spirit & again thou shalt  be ordained to assist my servent Oliver [Cowdery] to do the work of Print ing & of Selecting & writing Books for Schools in this Church  that little Children also may receive instruction before me as  is pleasing unto me & again verily I say unto you for this cause  thou shalt take thy Journey with my servents Joseph & Sidney [Rigdon] that  thou mayest be planted in the land of thine inheritance to do  this work & again let my servent Joseph (Coe) also take his  Journey with them the residue shall be made known hereafter  even as I will Amen [p. 91]

In the late 1820s and early 1830s, William W. Phelps published an anti-Masonic newspaper, the Ontario Phoenix, in Canandaigua, New York. Just weeks after publication of the Book of Mormon in March 1830, Phelps purchased a copy of the book and became convinced that it contained the word of God.

He did not, however, join the church immediately. In December 1830 he traveled to Fayette Township, New York, to meet JS, departing after that experience with a resolve to join the new church. In early June 1831, after relinquishing his job as editor, Phelps moved his family to Ohio to join the Mormons. This revelation called on Phelps to be baptized and ordained an elder. He was also instructed to journey to Missouri and assist Oliver Cowdery with church printing. The revelation also directed Joseph Coe to emigrate to Missouri.

John Whitmer copied this text   into Revelation Book 1, where it is designated “58th Commandment given at Kirtland June 14th 1831,” sometime in June 1831. The 1833 Book of Commandments dates it to June 1831 at Kirtland, Ohio, while the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants gives the same date but no location.

Facts

Editorial Title
Revelation, 14 June 1831 [D&C 55]
ID #
6516