You Shall be Filled with Joy and Gladness
Historical Background and Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants Section 75
What is the historical background for Doctrine and Covenants Section 75?
This is Bruce R. McConkie’s section heading for this section:
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Amherst, Ohio, January 25, 1832. This section comprises two separate revelations (the first in verses 1 through 22 and the second in verses 23 through 36) given on the same day. The occasion was a conference at which Joseph Smith was sustained and ordained President of the High Priesthood. Certain elders desired to learn more about their immediate duties. These revelations followed.
J. Christopher Conkling’s introduction to this section in his book A Joseph Smith Chronology is essentially the same:
Jan. 25, 1832
Conference is held at Amherst, Ohio. For the first time Joseph is sustained and ordained as President of the High Priesthood. He then receives D&C 75. (p. 30)
In his book The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Lyndon W. Cook sheds more light on the historical background for this section:
Date. 25 January 1832.
Place. Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio.
Historical Note. On 25 January 1832 an important priesthood conference was convened in Amherst, Ohio, the home of several Church members, notably the Carters, the Johnsons, and Sylvester Smith. At this meeting Joseph Smith was ordained and sustained president of the High Priesthood.
The elders in attendance at this conference were anxious for Joseph Smith to inquire of the Lord “that they might know His will or learn what would be most pleasing to Him for them to do. Pursuant to this request by the brethren, “a revelation was given and written in the presence of the whole assembly, appointing many of the Elders to missions.”
Edson Barney, an early convert, stated that he “became personally acquainted with the Prophet Joseph in January 1832 at a Conference in Lorraine Co at that Conference a Revelation was received by Joseph in [Barney’s] presence and Sidney Rigdon wrote it down.”
Section 75 is a composite of two revelations. Verses 1-22 (“a command given to 10 Elders”) called four elders to go south (William E. McLellan, Luke S. Johnson, Major N. Ashley, and Burr Riggs), four to go east (Orson Hyde, Samuel H. Smith, Orson Pratt, and Lyman E. Johnson), and two to go west (Asa Doods and Calves Wilson).
Verses 23-36 (the second part of the revelation) named fourteen elders who were given a general call to preach the gospel.
Publication Note. Section 75 was first published as section 87 in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. (pp. 152-153)
Cook also includes helpful biographical notes on Major Noble Ashley, Seymour Brunson, Stephen Burnett, Gideon Hayden Carter, Asa Dodds, Ruggles Eames, Emer Harris, Burr Riggs, Eden Smith, Sylvester Smith, Daniel Stanton, Micah Baldwin Welton, and Calves Wilson. What great names! We need to revive some of these names. Major. Gideon. Ruggles. Emer. Sylvester. Calves… they just don’t make names like they used to.
In my study of the Doctrine and Covenants thus far, it is interesting to note that several people left the Church around 1838. Let’s pay close attention to what happens in the next seven years of Church history to figure out why so many people left the Church at this time.
In their Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Smith and Sjodahl introduce D&C 75 as follows:
The date of the Amherst Conference* had now arrived. The Elders who had been promised instructions, by revelation, concerning their duties as missionaries, were present, and eager for the word of the Lord through His inspired servant. In answer to prayer this Revelation was received, in which the Lord (1) demands the attention of his servants (1-2); (2) calls them to go on missions (3-5); (3) selects especially (a) M’Lellin and Luke Johnson (6-12); (b) Orson Hyde and Samuel H. Smith (13); (c) Lyman Johnson and Orson Pratt (14); (d) Asa Dodds and Calves Wilson (15-16); and (e) Major N. Ashly and Burr Riggs (17); (4) gives general instructions (a) to the Elders (18-22), and (b) to the Church members (23-9); and (5) calls a number of missionaries (30-6). (p. 433)
*At this Conference the Prophet Joseph was ordained as President of the High Priesthood.
This is the Prophet Joseph Smith’s own introduction to the revelation that he received:
A few days before the conference was to commence in Amhurst, Lorraine county, I started with the Elders that lived in my own vicinity, and arrived in good time. At this conference much harmony prevailed, and considerable business was done to advance the kingdom, and promulgate the Gospel to the inhabitants of the surrounding country. The Elders seemed anxious for me to inquire of the Lord that they might know His will, or learn what would be most pleasing to Him for them to do, in order to bring men to a sense of their condition; for, as it is written, all men have gone out of the way, so that none doeth good, no, not one. [Sec. 33:4.] I inquired and received the following: [Section 75, follows.] (HC 1:242-43, January 1832, Amherst, Ohio.) (Roy W. Doxey, Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine & Covenants, Vol. I., p. 569, See also Monte S. Nyman, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 12)
The chief item of interest connected with the Amherst conference held on the 25th of January, 1832, is the fact that it was here that the Prophet Joseph was sustained and ordained as President of the High Priesthood. [HC, 1:242-243]. (p. 12)
As a side note, I have been studying the Joseph Smith Papers along with my study of the Doctrine and Covenants, and it is thrilling to leaf through pages of copies of the original manuscripts for these revelations. Each page of the manuscripts contains detailed analyses of every word and every stroke of the pen. This is the beginning of the original manuscript for what is now Doctrine and Covenants Section 75.
The Doctrine and Covenants is coming alive for me, and I have felt like more than just a fly on the wall observing the actions and words of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his associates. In fact, I began to explore the doctrine of Christ regarding high priests before I read about when Joseph and his associates began to be called to the high priesthood. During the conference when this revelation (D&C 75) was received, Joseph Smith was also called as the President of the high priesthood.
With these thought and this historical background in mind, let’s examine and appreciate the revelation itself:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, I who speak even by the voice of my Spirit, even Alpha and Omega, your Lord and your God—
Hearken, O ye who have given your names to go forth to proclaim my gospel, and to prune my vineyard. (D&C 75:1-2)
Can you imagine being present at this Conference of the Church in Amherst, Ohio when Joseph Smith was ordained and sustained as the President of the High Priesthood and received this revelation from the Lord? Can you imagine Sidney Rigdon writing ✍️ as Joseph Smith dictated these words that the Lord spoke to him through the Holy Ghost? This is the Lord’s response to the sincere inquiry of those who sought His will, to those who earnestly desired to please Him.
The Lord Demands Attention.
Hearken] When the Elders of the Church can say, in all sincerity, with Samual of old, “Speak; for thy servant heareth” (I. Sam. 3:10), then the Lord can use them in the ministry. (p. 433)
Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might—
Lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, proclaiming the truth according to the revelations and commandments which I have given you.
And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life. (D&C 75:3-5)
To live and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a privilege and a reward in itself, but the Lord promises to bless His faithful and valiant servants with even greater blessings. If we labor with our might, lift up our voices as with the sound of a trump, and proclaim the truth according to the revelations and commandments that we have received, then the Lord promises to bless us with the greatest blessings: honor, glory, immortality, and eternal life. What could be great than that? Nothing.
The Lord expects his missionaries to work. He had previously commanded that they not be idle (v. 2; see also D&C 60:13). He had also instructed them to teach what he had revealed (v. 4; see D&C 49:4). The promised blessings were also stated before (v. 5; see D&C 31:3; 33:9; 66:12).
Calls the Elders for the Ministry.
Labor with your might] Our Lord is the great “householder” (Matt. 20:1). He has work that must be done, and He calls His laborers to do it; He needs their services, but they need the wages which He pays. He expects them to labor faithfully. There must be no idlers in His service.
Lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump] A trumpet is heard far and wide. The year of jubilee was announced in ancient Israel, from hill top to hill top, by blasts of trumpets. That is the way to proclaim the gospel. The sound of harps and lutes, caressing like the soft, warm breath of love, can not be compared to the vigor and earnestness with which the truth must be proclaimed.
If faithful *** laden with many sheaves] Elders who go out to preach the gospel sometimes return and report that they know not whether they have been the means of converting anybody or not. But if they have been faithful, the harvest is sure. The seed they have sown may sprout and come to maturity years after they have been released.
At all events, faithful Elders have the promise that they will be crowned with “honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life.” (p. 434)
It may take many years before the seeds that I have planted in my Substack The Torch take root. It may take many years before anyone reads the things that I have written. But to the best of my ability I have written the things that I know are true, and I have done my best to proclaim, with the voice of a trump, the Gospel of Jesus Christ as contained in the scriptures. I have done my best to teach what the Lord has revealed, and I will continue to write, if I can become the means by which even one soul is brought closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.
I care not a fig for the honors of men or the glory of the world. I care even less about the riches and worldly wealth that accompany such fleeting honors and glory. My aim is the same as that of Nephi of old and Captain Moroni of old:
For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.
Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world. (1 Nephi 6:4-5)
and,
Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country. And thus I close mine epistle. (Alma 60:36)
The revelation in D&C 75 continues:
Therefore, verily I say unto my servant William E. McLellin, I revoke the commission which I gave unto him to go unto the eastern countries;
And I give unto him a new commission and a new commandment, in the which I, the Lord, chasten him for the murmurings of his heart;
And he sinned; nevertheless, I forgive him and say unto him again, Go ye into the south countries.
And let my servant Luke Johnson go with him, and proclaim the things which I have commanded them—
Calling on the name of the Lord for the Comforter, which shall teach them all things that are expedient for them—
Praying always that they faint not; and inasmuch as they do this, I will be with them even unto the end.
Behold, this is the will of the Lord your God concerning you. Even so. Amen. (D&C 75:6-12)
It is the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, who teaches us everything that we need to know. Some critics of the Restored Church complain about what they consider to be problems with Mormon epistemology, but they disregard the Lord’s method for discovering and assimilating truth into our lives. A testimony of Jesus Christ and His Gospel, and even a testimony of the various appendages to His Gospel, does not come through an emotional response by indoctrination through repetition. The Lord bestows spiritual knowledge of truth in His way, by the Holy Ghost:
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (John 15:26)
These things that are spiritually discerned seem like foolishness to the natural man:
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor. 2:9-14)
After being chastened for the murmurings of his heart, William E. McLellin received a new missionary assignment (to the South) and a new missionary companion (Luke Johnson). Mercifully, the Lord chastened and forgave McLellin because He loved him. He commanded him and his companion to pray for the Comforter, and to pray always, promising to always be with them.
This is Smith’s and Sjodahl’s commentary on these verses:
(a) M’Lellin and Luke Johnson
William E. M’Lellin] See Sec. 66:1; 68:7.
New commission] M’Lellin had, it seems, been called to go to the Eastern States, but had neglected to obey the call. The Lord, in this Revelation, rebuked him for the “murmurings of his heart,” but gave him another chance.
Into the south countries] The Southern States
Luke Johnson] See Sec. 68:7.
Calling *** for the Comforter] They were commanded (v. 4) to preach the truth “according to the revelations and commandments” given. They were to keep strictly to the revealed word, but even this they could not do without the aid of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God. Studying alone does not qualify an Elder for preaching the truth. It is the Spirit that qualifies.
Praying always] Some Elders put all their faith in preaching. The Latter-day Saints generally will endorse the following, though uttered by one not a member of the Church:
“What is preaching without praying! Sermons are but pulpit performances, learned essays, rhetorical orations, popular lectures, or it may be political harangues, until God gives, in answer to earnest prayer, the preparation of the heart, and the answer of the tongue. It is only he who prays that can truly preach. Many a sermon that has shown no intellectual genius and has violated all homiletic rules and standards has had the dynamic spiritual force. Somehow it has moved men, melted them, moulded them. The man whose lips are touched by God’s living coal from off the altar may even stammer, but his hearers soon find out that he is on fire with one consuming passion to save souls” (Arthur T. Pierson, The Fundamentals, Vol. IX., p. 67).
Even unto the end] The end of their mission. The Lord will be with His servants, as long as they are laboring faithfully in their calling. (p. 435)
The revelation in D&C 75 continues:
And again, verily thus saith the Lord, let my servant Orson Hyde and my servant Samuel H. Smith take their journey into the eastern countries, and proclaim the things which I have commanded them; and inasmuch as they are faithful, lo, I will be with them even unto the end.
And again, verily I say unto my servant Lyman Johnson, and unto my servant Orson Pratt, they shall also take their journey into the eastern countries; and behold, and lo, I am with them also, even unto the end.
And again, I say unto my servant Asa Dodds, and unto my servant Calves Wilson, that they also shall take their journey unto the western countries, and proclaim my gospel, even as I have commanded them.
And he who is faithful shall overcome all things, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
And again, I say unto my servant Major N. Ashley, and my servant Burr Riggs, let them take their journey also into the south country.
Yea, let all those take their journey, as I have commanded them, going from house to house, and from village to village, and from city to city.
And in whatsoever house ye enter, and they receive you, leave your blessing upon that house.
And in whatsoever house ye enter, and they receive you not, ye shall depart speedily from that house, and shake off the dust of your feet as a testimony against them.
And you shall be filled with joy and gladness; and know this, that in the day of judgment you shall be judges of that house, and condemn them;
And it shall be more tolerable for the heathen in the day of judgment, than for that house; therefore, gird up your loins and be faithful, and ye shall overcome all things, and be lifted up at the last day. Even so. Amen. (D&C 75:13-22)
Thus concludes the first half of this revelation.
In previous posts (see here and here) we learned something about the great Orson Hyde. In another previous post, we learned something about Samuel H. Smith, a man of great integrity. These two were called to be mission companions in the eastern states. We also learned something about Lyman Johnson and the great Orson Pratt in previous posts. These two were also called to be mission companions in the eastern states.
To the western states, the Lord sent Asa Dodds and Calves Wilson together as companions, and to the southern states He sent Major N. Ashley and Burr Riggs together as mission companions. (See links to their names above for brief biographical information on these missionaries.)
The Lord sent missionaries in all directions.
That the Lord called His missionaries to go from house to house reminds me of my mission in southern Italy because much of our work consisted of going from house to house - casa in casa - or apartment to apartment. We also went from village to village and from city to city.
We were rejected from many houses and received in many others, but I always pray that my brothers and sisters in southern Italy will embrace the Restored Gospel and obtain all of the blessings that flow from it. As challenging as it was to preach the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ to inveterate Catholics in Italy, I feel like I’ve had more occasion to shake off the dust of my feet as a testimony against people here in the United States of America, especially in my own home state of Utah, and even among my own people, the “Mormons.” Nevertheless, regardless of the response of others, it is true that service to the Lord as a missionary brings great joy and gladness. The Lord declared that Elders will sit in judgment of those who reject their message. I’m sure that I speak for most Elders when I say that our hearts are filled only with love and mercy even toward those who rejected us.
Smith’s and Sjodahl’s brief commentary and Monte S. Nyman’s brief commentary on each of the aforementioned missionary companionships is instructive, and I commend them to your attention as well.
And again, thus saith the Lord unto you, O ye elders of my church, who have given your names that you might know his will concerning you—
Behold, I say unto you, that it is the duty of the church to assist in supporting the families of those, and also to support the families of those who are called and must needs be sent unto the world to proclaim the gospel unto the world.
Wherefore, I, the Lord, give unto you this commandment, that ye obtain places for your families, inasmuch as your brethren are willing to open their hearts.
And let all such as can obtain places for their families, and support of the church for them, not fail to go into the world, whether to the east or to the west, or to the north, or to the south.
Let them ask and they shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto them, and be made known from on high, even by the Comforter, whither they shall go.
And again, verily I say unto you, that every man who is obliged to provide for his own family, let him provide, and he shall in nowise lose his crown; and let him labor in the church.
Let every man be diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in the church, except he repent and mend his ways. (D&C 75:23-29)
In the early days of the Church, married men left their families to preach the Restored Gospel, and the Lord commanded members of the Church to help care for the families that were left behind. Such missionaries demonstrated that the Lord was their first priority, and that they loved Him above all else:
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. (Matt. 10:34-39)
Instructions to Church Members.
23. -9. In these paragraphs the Lord provides that the families of the missionaries be looked after by the Church members. (v. 24); the Elders, before leaving, were to obtain places for those dependent on them, “inasmuch as your brethren are willing to open their hearts” (v. 25). Those who were able to obtain places and support for their families during their absence, were to perform, without fail, the missions to which they had been called (v. 26). To those who were under the necessity of providing for their families, themselves, the Lord says, “Let him provide, and he shall in no wise lose his crown” (v. 28). (p. 438)
The revelation continues and concludes:
Wherefore, let my servant Simeon Carter and my servant Emer Harris be united in the ministry;
And also my servant Ezra Thayre and my servant Thomas B. Marsh;
Also my servant Hyrum Smith and my servant Reynolds Cahoon;
And also my servant Daniel Stanton and my servant Seymour Brunson;
And also my servant Sylvester Smith and my servant Gideon Carter;
And also my servant Ruggles Eames and my servant Stephen Burnett;
And also my servant Micah B. Welton and also my servant Eden Smith. Even so. Amen. (D&C 75:30-36)
Links to the brief biographical sketches of these missionaries are given at the beginning of this post. Smith and Sjodahl also provide brief biographical sketches for these missionaries. Finally, the corresponding quotations by latter-day prophets in Doxey’s book are especially noteworthy.
