Joseph Smith Sermons of 1834
Date: 12 February 1834 (Wednesday)
Location: Joseph Smith Home, Kirtland, Ohio, USA
Source: Orson Hyde Record in the Kirtland Council Minute Book, LDS Archives (Kirtland Council Minute Book, 22)
[Joseph Smith said] I shall now endeavor to set forth before this council, the dignity of the office which has been conferred upon me by the ministering of the Angel of God, by His own will and by the voice of this Church. I have never set before any council in all the order in which a council ought to be conducted, which, perhaps, has deprived the council of some, or many blessings.
He said that no man was capable of judging a matter in council without his own heart was pure, and that we frequently are so filled with prejudice, or have a beam in our own eye, that we are not capable of passing right decisions, &c. But to return to the subject of the order. In ancient days, councils were conducted with such strict propriety, that no one was allowed to whisper, be weary, leave the room, or get uneasy in the least, until the voice of the Lord, by revelation, or by the voice of the council by the Spirit was obtained; which has not been observed in this Church to the present. It was understood in ancient days, that if one man could stay in council, another could, and if the President could spend his time, the members could also. But in our councils, generally, one would be uneasy, another sleep, one praying, another not; one's mind on the business of the council and another thinking on something else &c.
Our acts are recorded, and at a future day they will be laid before us, and if we should fail to judge right and injure our fellow beings, they may there, perhaps, condemn us; then they are of great consequence, and to me the consequence appears to be of force beyond anything which I am able to express &c. Ask yourselves, brethren, how much you have exercised yourselves in prayer since you heard of this council; and if you are now prepared to sit in judgment upon the soul of your brother.
Bro Joseph then went on to give us a relation of his situation at the time he obtained the record, the persecution he met with &c. He also told us of his transgression at the time he was translating the Book of Mormon. He also prophesied that he should stand and shine like the sun in the firmament when his enemies and the gainsayers of his testimony should be put down and cut off and their names blotted out from among men.
When: 17 February 1834 (Monday)
Location: Joseph Smith Jr. Home, Kirtland, Ohio, USA
Source: Orson Hyde Record in the Kirtland Council Minute Book, LDS Archives (Kirtland Council Minute Book, 23–26)
Bro. Joseph opened the Council by solemn prayer. He then arose and called upon the High Priests, Elders, Priests, Teachers and Deacons that were present, who had not been nominated as councilors, to pass their vote whether they were satisfied with the appointments or nomination of the Twelve to compose the Church [High] Council.
Bro Joseph then said he would show the order of councils in ancient days as shown to him by vision. The law and by which to govern the Council in the Church of Christ. Jerusalem was the seat of the Church Council in ancient days. The apostle Peter was the president of the Council in ancient days and held the keys of the Kingdom of God on the earth. [He] was appointed to this office by the voice of the Savior and acknowledged in it by the voice of the Church. He had two men appointed as councilors with him, and in case Peter was absent, his councilors could transact business, or either one of them. The President could also transact business alone. It was not the order of heaven in ancient councils to plead for and against the guilty as in our judicial courts (so called) but that every councilor when he arose to speak, should speak precisely according to evidence and according to the teaching of the Spirit of the Lord, that no councilor should attempt to screen the guilty when his guilt was manifest. That the person accused before the High Council had a right to one half the members of the council to plead his cause, in order that his case might be fairly presented before the president that a decision might be rendered according to truth and righteousness. If the case was not a very difficult one to investigate, two of the councilors only, spoke, one for the accused and one against on one side and one on the other according to evidence. If the case was more difficult, according to the judgment of the Council, two were to speak on each side, and if more difficult, three might speak on each side, and three only. Those who spoke in Council were chosen by the Council, and that too by casting lots. Those who were thus chosen to speak took their regular turn in speaking. Bro Joseph said that this organization was an ensample to the High Priests in their councils abroad, and a copy of their proceedings [was to] be transmitted to the seat of the government of the Church, to be recorded on the general record. In all cases, the accuser and the accused have a perfect right to speak for themselves. If in case the parties are not satisfied with the decision of the council abroad, they have a right to an appeal to the Bishops Court, and from there to the Presidents Council which is an end of all strife. The remaining six councilors who do not speak in Council, are to hear patiently the reasoning of the others and correct all errors which they may discover, and after decision is rendered by the president, if these remaining councilors can throw any further light upon the subject, so as to correct the decision of the president, they have the liberty so to do, otherwise it stands and the majority of the Council must rule. It was then voted by all present that they desired to come under the present order of things which they all considered to the will of God. Many questions have been asked during the time of the organization of the Council and doubtless some errors have been committed. It was, therefore, voted by all present that Bro. Joseph should make all necessary corrections by the Spirit of inspiration.
When: 19 February 1834 (Wednesday)
Location: Joseph Smith, Jr. Home, Kirtland, Ohio, USA
Source: Orson Hyde Record in the Kirtland Council Minute Book, LDS Archives (Kirtland Council Minute Book, 29–30)
The Council assembled pursuant to adjournment. Joseph Smith Jnr. opened the Council by reading the 3rd chap of [the] Lord's prophecy and prayer. After which he arose before the Council, and said that he had labored the day before with all the strength and wisdom that he had given him [of the Lord] in making the corrections necessary in the last council minutes, which he would now read before the this Council. He asked the Council for their attention, that they might rightly judge upon the truth and propriety of these minutes, as all were equally interested in them &c. He also urged the necessity of prayer, that the things of the Spirit might be given, that the things of the Spirit might be judged thereby; because the carnal mind cannot discern the things of God &c.
When: 24 February 1834 (Monday)
Location: Joseph Smith, Jr. Home, Kirtland, Ohio, USA
Source: Orson Hyde-Oliver Cowdery Record in the Kirtland Council Minute Book, LDS Archives (Kirtland Council Minute Book, 35)
Joseph then arose and said that he was going to Zion to assist in redeeming. He then called for the voice of the Council to sanction his going, which was given without a dissenting voice. He then called for volunteers to go with him, when some thirty or forty volunteers [volunteered] to go, who were then present at the Council.
When: 21 April 1834 (Monday)
Location: Dwelling of "bro. Carpenters," Norton, Medina County, Ohio, USA
Source: Oliver Cowdery Record in the Kirtland Council Minute Book, LDS Archives (Kirtland Council Minute Book, 37–38)
Bro. Joseph Smith Jun. read the 2nd Chapter of the prophecy of Joel & took the lead in prayer, after which, he commenced addressing the congregation as follows. It is very difficult for us to communicate to the churches all that God has revealed to us, in consequence of tradition; for we are differently situated from any other people that ever existed upon this Earth. Consequently those former revelations cannot be suited to our condition, because they were given to other people who were before us; but in the last days, God was to call a remnant, in which was to be deliverance, as well as in Jerusalem and Zion. Now, if God should give no more revelations, where will we find Zion and this remnant? He said that the time was near when desolation was to cover the earth and then God would have a place of deliverance in his remnant, and in Zion, &c. He then gave a relation of obtaining and translating the Book of Mormon, the revelation of the Priesthood of Aaron [on May 15th, 1829], the organization of the Church in the 1830, the revelation of the High Priesthood, and the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out upon the Church, &c.
Take away the Book of Mormon, and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none; for without Zion and a place of deliverance, we must fall, because the time is near when the sun will be darkened, the moon turn to blood, the stars fall from heaven and the earth reel to and fro; then if this is the case, if we are not sanctified and gathered to the places where God has appointed, [not withstanding] our former professions and our great love for the Bible, we must fall, we cannot stand, we cannot be saved; for God will gather out His Saints from the Gentiles and then comes desolation or destruction and none can escape except the pure in heart who are gathered, &c.
When: 7 July 1834 (Monday)
Location: Lyman Wight Home, Clay County Missouri, USA
Source: Frederick G. Williams Record Copied into the Far West Record (Far West Record, 71–72)
After which br. Joseph Smith, Jun. proceeded to give the council such instruction (relative to their high calling) as would enable them to proceed and minister in their office—agreeable to the pattern given heretofore—also read to them the Revelation speaking on the subject[D&C 102]—He also informed them if he should now be taken away that he had accomplished the great work which the Lord had laid before him, and that which he had desired of the Lord, and that he now had done his duty in organizing the High Council, through which Council the will of the Lord might be known on all important occasions in the building up of Zion, and establishing truth in the earth.
When: 8 September 1834 (Monday)
Location: New Portage, Ohio, USA
Source: Oliver Cowdery Record in the Kirtland Council Minute Book, LDS (Kirtland Council Minute Book, 58–60)
After prayer by brother Joseph Smith Junr., he, brother Joseph, and Oliver Cowdery united in anointing with oil and laying hands upon a sick sister who said she was healed and requested us to pray that her faith fail not, saying, if she did not doubt, she should not be afflicted any more. Brother Joseph then made a few introductory remarks upon the subject of false spirits and other items.
Brother Joseph then proceeded to give an explanation of the gift of tongues: That it was particularly instituted for the preaching of the Gospel to other nations and languages, but it was not given for the government of the Church. He further said, if brother Gordon [the individual who had spoken in tongues] introduced the gift of tongues as a testimony against brother Carpenter, that it was contrary to the rules and regulations of the Church, because in all our decisions we must judge from actual testimony. . . . Brother Joseph advised that [we] speak in our own language in all such matters and then the adversary cannot lead our minds astray . . . Brother said . . . that brother Gordon's tongues in the end, did operate as testimony, as by his remarks in tongues, the former decision was set aside, and his taken. That it was his decision that brother Gordon's manifestation was incorrect and from a suspicious heart.