Doctrine and Covenants 55

Doctrine and Covenants 55

Historical Context

William Wines Phelps was the editor of a newspaper, the Ontario Phoenix, when he began to hear tales of a new book of scripture brought forth by a Prophet in the nearby community of Palmyra. Phelps was acquainted with several early members of the Church, including Martin Harris and Thomas B. Marsh. Many other early converts lived near Phelps’s home in Canandaigua, New York, including Brigham Young and Ezra Thayer. In April 1830 Phelps purchased several copies of the Book of Mormon. He stayed up the entire night comparing the new book with the Bible. Soon he and his wife, Sally, became convinced that the Book of Mormon was the word of God. Though he hesitated to join the new Church, he later wrote, “My heart was there from the time I became acquainted with the Book of Mormon, and my hope, steadfast like an anchor, and my faith increased like the grass after a refreshing shower.”1

Phelps held off on joining the Church but was still subject to persecution because of his promotion of the Book of Mormon. In the Spring of 1831, Phelps was in Palmyra researching the beginnings of the new movement when two men from his hometown of Canandaigua brought charges against him, arresting him for indebtedness. Newspapermen like Phelps often operated on credit, but apparently it wasn’t the debt that caused the arrest. When Phelps arrived at the jail he was informed that the action was taken to “keep him from joining the Mormons.” Jailed for thirty days, Phelps wrote a letter of outrage to the local newspapers. “Is this religion?” he demanded. “Is it liberty to jail someone who is investigating to find the truth? Is this humanity?” While he languished in jail, Phelps resigned his editorship of the Ontario Phoenix and began preparations to leave with his family to join the gathering Church in Kirtland, Ohio.

In his final message to his readers, he wrote, “We live in an eventful day. According to the Psalmist, truth springs out of the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven, and as twin-angels they will sweep through the world like a mighty torrent, till mankind, untrammeled by secret bondage, sings as the sons of glory, ‘we are one—peace on earth—virtue endures forever!’” William and Sally left Canandaigua on June 9, traveling to Kirtland via the Erie Canal and over Lake Erie to Kirtland. The Phelps family arrived in Kirtland on June 14, 1831, and immediately went to see Joseph Smith, who was then residing northeast of Kirtland on the Morley farm. When William arrived, he told Joseph Smith he was willing “to do the will of the Lord” and asked Joseph to seek a revelation on his behalf. Joseph agreed, receiving the following revelation.2

See “Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 14 June 1831 [D&C 55].

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

D&C 55:1–3

1 Behold, thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant William, yea, even the Lord of the whole earth, thou art called and chosen; and 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 and a reception of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands;

2 And then thou shalt be ordained by the hand of my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., to be an elder unto this church, to preach repentance and remission of sins by way of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.

3 And on whomsoever you shall lay your hands, if they are contrite before me, you shall have power to give the Holy Spirit.

William W. Phelps was baptized shortly after this revelation was given. In an 1835 letter, Phelps gives the date of his baptism as June 10, 1831. However, several different sources give the date of this revelation as June 14, 1831, and at the time the revelation was given Phelps was not baptized.3

In the revelation, the Lord directs that William be immediately ordained an elder, a step that was rare in the early Church. The Lord may have recognized the earlier struggles William had experienced and knew his talents as a leader and writer. William was among the most influential of the early converts to the Church, and the works produced by his pen continue to resound in the Church today. William wrotoe the words of a number of beloved Latter-day Saint hymns, including “Now Let Us Rejoice,” “Redeemer of Israel,” “Praise to the Man,” “If You Could Hie to Kolob,” and “The Spirit of God.”

Phelps also possessed a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon, refined by his trials before he joined the Church. He later wrote of the importance of the Book of Mormon in helping him join the Church: “Whenever I have meditated upon the Book of Mormon, and looked ahead at the glory which will be brought to pass by that, and the servants of God, I have been filled with hope; filled with light; filled with joy; and filled with satisfaction. What a wonderful volume! What a glorious treasure! By that book I learned the right way to God; by that book I received the fulness of the everlasting gospel; by that book I found the new covenant.”4

D&C 55:4–6

4 And again, you shall be ordained to assist my servant Oliver Cowdery to do the work of printing, and of selecting and writing books for schools in this church, that little children also may receive instruction before me as is pleasing unto me.

5 And again, verily I say unto you, for this cause you shall take your journey with my servants Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, that you may be planted in the land of your inheritance to do this work.

6 And again, let my servant Joseph Coe also take his journey with them. The residue shall be made known hereafter, even as I will. Amen.

William was commanded to accompany Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon on their journey to Missouri. He departed along with them on June 19, 1831, just three days after his baptism. He was also selected for a special work: alongside Oliver Cowdery, he was to write books for the schools of the Church “that little children also may receive instruction” (D&C 55:4). This is the earliest revelation relating to the educational initiatives of the Church. Later, Parley P. Pratt and others were told that “there should be a school in Zion” (D&C 97:3).

In later revelations the Lord directed not only the creation of schools for children but also the building of educational programs for adults (D&C 88:78–80). The revelatory command for William W. Phelps to serve as an educator in Zion serves as a precursor to the Church’s emphasis on education. Throughout its history, the Church has engaged in a myriad of educational programs. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf succinctly summarized the Church’s approach to education when he said, “For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment.”5

Footnotes

• 1. Bruce Van Orden, We’ll Sing and We’ll Shout, 2018, 32.
• 2. Van Orden, 34–36
• 3. See “Letter No. 6,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, April 1835, 1:97, also JSP D1:336.
• 4. “Letter No. 10, Latter-day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate 12 (September 1835): 177–78.
• 5. “Two Principles for Any Economy,” October 2009 General Conference.