Nothing Shall Prevail against Them
Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants 32
In previous posts I introduced Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson and their mission to the Lamanites. In our study of the Doctrine and Covenants this week, we have arrived at Doctrine and Covenants 32 which contains the Lord’s revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith to Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson, calling them to preach the Gospel to the Lamanites and to accompany Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, and instructing them to pray for an understanding of the scriptures.
In his book The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Lyndon W. Cook provides us with the background for this section:
Date. October 1830 (before 17 October, see Historical Note below).
Place. (Probably Manchester, Ontario County, New York.)
Historical Note. Section 28 mentioned that Oliver Cowdery was to “go unto the Lamanites and preach my gospel.” In section 30 Peter Whitmer, Jr., was told to take his “journey with your brother Oliver… [and] build up my church among the Lamanites.” As these two brethren were preparing to leave for the West, it was asked if others could accompany them on this mission. In response to this request, Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord and received section 32. As indicated in the revelation, Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson were to accompany Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, Jr. These fearless missionaries, who departed after 17 October 1830, signed their names to the following statements:
Manchester, New York, Oct. 17, 1830
I Oliver, being commanded by the Lord God, to go forth unto the Lamanites, to proclaim glad tidings of great joy unto them, by presenting unto them the fullness of the Gospel, of the only begotten Son of God; and also, to rear up a pillar as a witness where the temple of God shall be built, in the glorious new Jerusalem; and having certain brothers with me, who are called of GOD TO ASSIST ME, whose names are Parley, and Peter and Ziba, do therefore most solumnly covenant with God that I will walk humbly before him, and to this business, and this glorious work according as he shall direct me by the Holy Ghost; ever praying for mine and their prosperity, and deliverance from bonds, and from imprisonment, and whatsoever may befall us, with all patience and faith. Amen
Oliver Cowdery
We, the undersigned, being called and commanded by the Lord God, to accompany our brother Oliver Cowdery to go to the Lamanites and to assist in the above mentioned glorious work and business, we do, therefore, most solumnly covenant before God, that we will assist him faithfully in this thing, by giving heed to all his words and advise, which is, or shall be given him by the spirit of truth, ever praying with all prayer and supplication, for our and his prosperity, and our deliverance from bonds, and imprisonments and whatsoever may come upon us, with all patience and faith. Amen.
Signed in the presence of Joseph Smith jun.,
David Whitmer / Parley P. Pratt / Ziba Peterson / Peter Whitmer
This preaching effort, known as the “Lamanite mission,” significantly extended the western boundaries of Mormonism. Although the purpose of the mission was to take the Book of Mormon message to the American Indians situated west of Missouri, ironically, its success was in the Western Reserve among whites.
Publication Note. Section 32 was first published as section 54 in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. (pp. 43-45)
It seems highly unlikely, if not simply impossible, that these four men would have signed these documents and risked their lives for something that they thought or that they knew was a fraud. It seems even more unlikely, and even more impossible, that these four men, and all of the other early converts to “Mormonism” were part of some great conspiracy that Joseph Smith somehow concocted in his youth. These missionaries studied the Book of Mormon thoroughly and knew by the power of the Spirit of God that it was true. They were converted to Jesus Christ through the power of the Book of Mormon, and like the sons of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon, they were willing to risk their lives to carry the message of the fulness of the Gospel to the Lamanites.
The biographical notes on Ziba Peterson and Parley P. Pratt in Lyndon W. Cook’s book The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith are informative, but the shorter entries on these two major figures in early Church history in Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr.’s Doctrine & Covenants Encyclopedia will suffice for now:
Peterson, Ziba
In October 1830, four missionaries were called to labor among the Lamanites. Among the four was a little-known man called Ziba Peterson (D&C 32:3). It appears that he was baptized on April 18, 1830, but there is some discrepancy here. In the History of the Church, there is record of Richard B. Peterson baptized on that date. However, in the Historical Record the name appears as Richard Z. Peterson. In the Doctrine and Covenants he is referred to as Ziba PEterson. All three appear to be the same individual (HC 1:81; SS, 169).
Peterson is publicly chastised in a revelation received in August 1831 for not confessing his sins and for attempting to hide them (D&C 58:60). He was subsequently mentioned in a letter signed by the First Presidency of the Church in June 1833, wherein they said: “We deliver Brother Ziba Peterson over to the buffetings of Satan, in the name of the Lord, that he may learn not to transgress the commandments of God” (HC 1:367.) He did not return to fellowship in the faith that could have brought him the blessings of eternal life. (pp. 422-23)
There is, of course, more to this Ziba Peterson story. (See e.g. here, here, here, here, here, and here)
Pratt, Parley P.
The elder of the two famous brothers, Parley P. Pratt is mentioned in seven revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants. In 1830, the Lord declared of Elder Pratt: “I will that he shall declare my gospel and learn of me and be meek and lowly of heart” (D&C 32:1). Three years later the Lord expressed pleasure with Parley’s labors (D&C 97:3). His missionary labors are mentioned in four sections (D&C 49:1, 3; 50:37; 52:26; 103:30, 37), and his membership in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is cited in another (124:129). Parley received his apostolic calling in February 1835 as one of the original members of the Twelve.
His testimony of the restored gospel came after he followed the promptings of the Spirit, which led him to discover the Book of Mormon. His reaction to “that book of books” is recorded in his autobiography: “I opened it with eagerness… I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep. As I read the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true, as plainly and manifestly as a man comprehends and knows that he exists. My joy was now full, as it were, and I rejoiced.” (APP, 36-37)
Elder Pratt became known for sermons and poetry; some of the latter have become well-known hymns to Latter-day Saints. Among them are such favorites as “The Morning Breaks; The Shadows Flee,” “An Angel from on High,” and “Come, O Thou King of Kings” (Hymns 1, 13, 59). He was the founding editor of The Millennial Star and wrote the famous Mormon publications, Voice of Warning and Key to Theology.
During the Missouri persecutions, he was confined to prison without benefit of trial for about eight months, from which he finally escaped on July 4, 1839 - an appropriate day on which to receive liberty. Elder Pratt became one of the Church’s martyrs to die a violent death when he was murdered on May 13, 1857, while performing his duties as an Apostolic missionary near the Arkansas border. His dying words to his bereaved wife, Eleanor, were: “I die a firm believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and I wish you to carry this my dying testimony. I know that the Gospel is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God, I am dying a martyr to the faith.” (BYUS 15:248.) (pp. 431-32)
This brief introduction to Parley and Thankful Pratt further sets the stage for our study of D&C 32:
Parley and Thankful Pratt
Like Thomas Marsh, Parley and Thankful Pratt responded to spiritual stirrings to leave their prosperous farm in Ohio with the intent to preach the gospel as they understood it from the Bible. As Parley told his brother, “The spirit of these things had wrought so powerfully on my mind of late that I could not rest.” When they reached eastern New York, Parley had a prompting to stay awhile in the area. Thankful, they decided, would continue on without him. “I have a work to do in this region of country,” Parley told her, “and what it is, or how long it will take to perform it, I know not; but I will come when it is performed.” It was there that Parley first heard of the Book of Mormon. “I felt a strange interest in the book,” he said. He requested a copy and read through the night. By morning, he knew the book was true, valuing it “more than all the riches of the world.” Within a few days Parley was baptized. He then returned to Thankful, who was also baptized. (For more information about Parley P. Pratt, see Doctrine and Covenants 32.)
Because of the early Saints great interest and earnest desires to share the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with the Lamanites as prophesied in the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord to discover His will for sending elders to the Indian tribes in the West and received the following by revelation:
And now concerning my servant Parley P. Pratt, behold, I say unto him that as I live I will that he shall declare my gospel and learn of me, and be meek and lowly of heart.
And that which I have appointed unto him is that he shall go with my servants, Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, Jun., into the wilderness among the Lamanites.
And Ziba Peterson also shall go with them; and I myself will go with them and be in their midst; and I am their advocate with the Father, and nothing shall prevail against them.
And they shall give heed to that which is written, and pretend to no other revelation; and they shall pray always that I may unfold the same to their understanding.
And they shall give heed unto these words and trifle not, and I will bless them. Amen. (D&C 32:1-5)
The Lord’s revelation and instructions to the newly called missionaries Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson apply to all newly called missionaries, and to each one of us who has been called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
Declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Learn of Jesus Christ
Be meek and lowly of heart
Preach the Gospel among the Lamanites
Give heed to that which is written
Pretend to no other revelation
Pray always that the Lord may unfold the revelations to our understanding
Give heed unto these words
Trifle not
This is the Smith and Sjodahl commentary on D&C 32:
Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer had been called to go on a mission to the Lamanites (Sec. 28:8; 30:5). There was great interest among the Saints in this mission, for it was hoped that the time had come for the redemption of the scattered Remnant, according to the promises in the Book of Mormon (I Nephi 15:13-18), and many other places). The Prophet laid the matter before the Lord in prayer and received this Revelation, in which Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson were called to join Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, Jr. on that important mission.
Parley P. Pratt was born on the 12th of April, 1807, in Burlington, N.Y., a descendant of a venerable Pilgrim family that came with the Rev. Thomas Hooker and settled at Hartford, Conn., 1636. In September, 1830, he started on a journey east from his home in Ohio and, in the providence of God, obtained a copy of the Book of Mormon. He believed and hastened to Palmyra to investigate. At Manchester he met Hyrum Smith, who related to him the wonderful story of the coming forth of that Book. In company with Hyrum Smith he went to Fayette, where he was baptized by Oliver Cowdery, in September, 1830. He now continued his journey eastward. His brother, Orson Pratt, heard the gospel and was baptized by him. Then he went back to Fayette, attended the Conference and received his call to go on a mission. Parley P. Pratt, previous to joining the Church, had identified himself with the Campbellite movement. After several successful missionary journeys, he was called to the Apostleship, in February, 1835, and in 1840 he accompanied Brigham Young and others to England, where he commenced the publication of the Millennial Star, at Manchester. In 1846 he again performed a mission to Great Britain, having left his family at Council Bluffs upon the broad prairie, without adequate shelter. The following year he came to Salt Lake Valley. In the year 1857, on the 13th of May, his earthly life of usefulness and self-sacrifice was ended. His Voice of Warning and Key to Theology are known wherever there are Latter-day Saints.
Of Ziba Peterson less is known. He* was baptized on the 18th of April, 1830, together with Peter Whitmer, Sen. Mary Whitmer, William Jolly, and Elizabeth Ann Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery officiating. He went on a mission to the Lamanites, but, unfortunately, afterwards, he proved himself unworthy of being entrusted with further responsibilities, and the Lord commanded that that which had been bestowed upon him be taken away (Sec. 58:60). He had committed sins in secret, and refused to confess them.
* In the Church History there appears among the names of those baptized on that date that of Richard B. Peterson. In the “Historical Record” the name is Richard Z. Peterson. In the Revelations we have Ziba Peterson.
Be meek and lowly] Parley P. Pratt, just before joining the Church, had decided to become a Campbellite preacher, and needed this admonition. The great majority of preachers are too proud to receive instruction from the servants of the Lord. Their attitude towards the gospel is one of assumed hauteur. Christ was “meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29), and His disciples must learn of Him.
—
I am their advocate] A most delicate warning to Ziba Peterson, especially, to beware of sin. For this expression is found in a passage of the New Testament which reads, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus christ, the righteous (I. John 2:1). The very mention of the word “advocate” should have called to his mind the preceding warning, “Sin not.” It should also have reminded him that, if he should be overcome and fall, it would not be necessary to remain in sin, for we have an Advocate with the Father. An “advocate” is one who acts as the spokesman, or intercessor, for another, Christ intercedes for the repentant sinner. The Spirit also “maketh intercession” for us (Rom. 8:26). Against these divine Advocates “nothing shall prevail.”
Give heed to that which is written] This is another admonition not to go beyond the written word or pretend to receive or accept false revelation.
General Notes
Concerning the mission to the Lamanites, Oliver Cowdery wrote from Kaw Township, Mo. May 7th, 1831: -
“Brother Ziba Peterson and myself went into the county east, which is Lafayette, about forty miles; and in the name of Jesus, we called on the people to repent, many of who are, I believe, earnestly searching for truth, and if sincerely, I pray they may find that precious treasure, for it seems to be wholly fallen in the streets; and equity cannot enter. The letter we received from you, informed us that the opposition was great against you. Now, our beloved brethren, we verily believe that we also can rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer shame for His name; for almost the whole country, consisting of Universalists, Atheists, Deists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and other professed Christians, priests, and people, with all the devils from the eternal pit, are united and foaming out their shame [against us]. God forbid that I should bring a railing accusation against them, for vengeance belongeth to Him who is able to repay” (History of the Church, Vol. I., p. 182).
Parley P. Pratt was admonished to be meek and lowly of heart. In the year 1837, there were “jarrings and discord” in the Church at Kirtland, and he was overcome with that spirit. He even tried to turn John Taylor from the Prophet by pointing out to him what he regarded as Joseph’s error. Elder Taylor rebuked him as a brother, and Parley P. Pratt went to the Prophet in tears and confessed his sin, whereupon the Prophet frankly forgave him, prayed with him, and blessed him. This was meekness. It was also manliness. Only a really strong character can possess true humility. (pp. 169-71)
I’ve already mentioned that Parley P. Pratt’s books The Key to the Science of Theology and the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt are two of my all-time favorite books. A Voice of Warning is also great. Parley P. Pratt was the father of Mormon pamphleteering, and author Terryl Givens called him The Apostle Paul of Mormonism. I started to read the Pre-Assassination Writings of Parley P. Pratt too. This fascinating little book contains, among other things, "A Dialogue Between Joseph Smith and the Devil," a fictional religious treatise (the first work of Mormon fiction) in which Pratt used the dialogue to promote his proselytizing goals.
