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Discourse, 2 July 1839, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff–A

Source Note

JS, Discourse, , Lee Co., Iowa Territory, 2 July 1839. Featured version copied [between 2 July and 8 Aug. 1839] in Wilford Woodruff, “Book of Revelations,” pp. [21]–[26]; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Discourse, 27 June 1839, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff–A.

Historical Introduction

On 2 July 1839, JS delivered a discourse regarding the cooperation and humility required of the . The morning of 2 July, JS and several others traveled to to visit land that had recently purchased for the . After this visit, JS and his counselors in the went to the home of apostle in , Iowa Territory, where the presidency met with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the apostles’ wives, and members of the Quorums of the . This meeting was one of several convened to instruct the apostles and several of the seventies who were preparing to leave for a proselytizing mission in Europe. The presidency gave blessings to three prospective missionaries and three of the women in attendance. then instructed the apostles and seventies, advising the men to preach about “the first principles of the gospel.” He also warned the men against “trifling with their office, and of holding on strictly to the importance of their mission & the authority of the .”
After spoke, JS addressed the group. Apostle , who attended the meeting, recorded in his journal that JS “arose & presented some precious things of the kingdom unto us in the power of the Holy Ghost.” According to JS’s journal, he gave those in attendance instructions “calculated to guard them against selfsufficiency, selfrighteousness & selfimportance.” In particular, JS taught the importance of forgiveness, humility, unity, and cooperation among the apostles. He concluded by urging the men to endure the coming hardships without betraying Christ or each other. JS perhaps felt the need to caution the apostles because disaffection during the previous two years had resulted in several apostles being excommunicated and replaced with men who were loyal to JS and the church.
Three versions of this discourse are extant. took notes on the discourse and later copied the notes into his “Book of Revelations,” a notebook in which he copied JS revelations and discourses. In his notebook, Woodruff dated the discourse as 1 July 1839, but the context of the discourse places it on 2 July, when JS was in . Woodruff brought his notebook on his mission to , where fellow missionary borrowed the notebook and copied this and other discourses into his own notebook. Woodruff also copied the discourse into his 1839 journal. In the journal version, he omitted the final section of the discourse, which addressed apostasy, and made other minor revisions. Woodruff’s “Book of Revelations” version is featured here because it is the earliest and most complete and was likely copied between 2 July and 8 August, the date Woodruff and fellow apostle departed for , en route to England. Significant differences between the two versions are noted in annotation.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    On 26 June, Knight purchased from Isaac Galland about sixteen thousand acres in the “Half-Breed Tract” in southern Iowa Territory. JS, accompanied by Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, Newel K. Whitney, Vinson Knight, Wilford Woodruff, and possibly other Montrose Saints, visited Nashville, which Woodruff called “Blefens point,” apparently named after F. P. Blevins, an Iowa Territory landowner. (JS, Journal, 2 July 1839; Lee Co., IA, Land Records, 1836–1961, vol. 2, pp. 3–6, 13–16, 26 June 1839, microfilm 959,239, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Woodruff, Journal, 2 July 1839; Elias Smith, Journal, 24 June 1839; F. P. Blevins, Agreement with Alanson Ripley, Nashville, Iowa Territory, 28 June 1839, JS Office Papers, CHL.)

    U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

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

    Smith, Elias. Journals, 1836–1888. CHL. MS 1319.

  2. [2]

    The presidency gave blessings to Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Theodore Turley of the Quorum of the Seventy; and Mary Ann Angell Young, Leonora Cannon Taylor, and Phebe Carter Woodruff, who were wives of apostles in attendance. According to Woodruff, the blessings promised that “if we were faithful we had the promise of again returning to the bosom of our families & being blesed on our mission.” (Woodruff, Journal, 2 July 1839; JS, Journal, 2 July 1839.)

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

  3. [3]

    Woodruff, Journal, 2 July 1839.

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

  4. [4]

    JS, Journal, 2 July 1839.

  5. [5]

    Woodruff, Journal, 2 July 1839.

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

  6. [6]

    JS, Journal, 2 July 1839.

  7. [7]

    Woodruff corrected the date when he copied his discourse notes into his 1839 journal. JS’s journal records JS traveling to Montrose and holding a meeting there on 2 July. (Woodruff, Journal, 2 July 1839; JS, Journal, 2 July 1839.)

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

  8. [8]

    See Richards, “Pocket Companion,” 10–15.

    Richards, Willard. “Willard Richards Pocket Companion Written in England,” ca. 1838–1840. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, box 2, fd. 6.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Discourse, 2 July 1839, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff–A Discourse, 2 July 1839, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff–B Discourse, 2 July 1839, as Reported by Willard Richards History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith” Discourse, 2 July 1839, as Reported by William Clayton

Page [22]

honourable mention of his name & not backbite & devour our brother. why will not man learn wisdom by precept at this late agee of the world where we have such a cloud of witnesses & Examples before us & not be oblieged to learn by sad experianc [experience] every thing we know. must the new ones that are chosen to fill the places of those that are fallen of the begin to exalt themselves untill they exhalt themselves so high that they will soon tumble over & have a great fall & go wallowing through the mud & mire & darkness Judas like to the buffatings of as several of the quorum of the Twelve have done or will they learn wisdom & be wise. (O God give them wisdom & keep them humble I pray [p. [22]]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Discourse, 2 July 1839, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff–A
ID #
9113
Total Pages
6
Print Volume Location
JSP, D6:516–521
Handwriting on This Page
  • Wilford Woodruff

Footnotes

  1. [7]

    Instead of “pray for one & another & honour our brother or make honourable mention of his name,” Woodruff’s journal version has “honerably make mention of each other’s name in our prayrs before the Lord & before our fellow men.” (Woodruff, Journal, 2 July 1839; see also Romans 1:9; Ephesians 1:16; and 1 Thessalonians 1:2.)

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

  2. [8]

    See Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 114 [2 Nephi 28:30].

  3. [9]

    Hebrews 12:1.

  4. [10]

    Instead of “at this late agee of the world where we have such a cloud of witnesses & examples before us,” Woodruff’s journal version has “& example at this late age of the world.” (Woodruff, Journal, 2 July 1839.)

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

  5. [11]

    A revelation JS dictated on 8 July 1838 appointed John E. Page, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Willard Richards to replace former quorum members William E. McLellin, Luke Johnson, John F. Boynton, and Lyman Johnson.a In a 16 January 1839 letter from the jail in Clay County, Missouri, JS named George A. Smith as a replacement for Thomas B. Marsh, who withdrew from the church in October 1838. George A. Smith was ordained an apostle in April 1839.b On 4 May 1839, William Smith and Orson Hyde were suspended from the Quorum of the Twelve; Smith was restored to the quorum on 25 May, and Hyde was restored on 27 June 1839.c

    (aRevelation, 8 July 1838–A [D&C 118:6]. bLetter to Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young, 16 Jan. 1839; Woodruff, Journal, 26 Apr. 1839. cSee Minutes, 4–5 May 1839; and Woodruff, Journal, 25 May and 27 June 1839.)

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

  6. [12]

    See Psalms 66:7; 140:8.

  7. [13]

    Instead of “exhalt themselves,” Woodruff’s journal version has “get.” (Woodruff, Journal, 2 July 1839.)

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

  8. [14]

    See Luke 22:47–48; and Mark 14:43–44.

  9. [15]

    See Revelation, 1 Mar. 1832 [D&C 78:12]; Revelation, 26 Apr. 1832 [D&C 82:21]; and Revelation, 23 Apr. 1834 [D&C 104:9].

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