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Our purpose here is to understand the historical setting for several revelations related to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1837 and 1838, most notably Doctrine and Covenants 112, but also sections 31, 114, 118, and the very short section 126, and, aided by that background, better understand the revelations. At the same time, in the spirit of Nephi, who “did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23), we will see the relevance for today of inspired counsel from the 1830s. Reviewing how Thomas B. Marsh responded to challenges and adversity provides profitable reminders for the conduct of our own lives.

What follows is a chapter in the early history of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that transpired before Joseph Smith, in 1841, formally invited them to take their place next to the First Presidency in governing the whole Church. Before that, especially in Kirtland, the Twelve had neither prominence nor precedence (over, for example, the Kirtland High Council), though revelation and inspired counsel from the beginning made clear that this was their potential. This lack of status or formal authority within organized stakes rankled some and contributed to misunderstandings and disharmony, but in retrospect we can see it as an important period of testing and preparation before greater responsibility was given to the Twelve. In Doctrine and Covenants 112, which we will examine in detail, the Lord says of the Twelve specifically that “after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them” and heal them “if they harden not their hearts” (v. 13; emphasis added). Their history provides a specific example of the general principle that “after much tribulation come the blessings” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:4; see also 103:12; and Ether 12:6).

On Sunday, September 6, 1857, in Salt Lake City, Thomas B. Marsh, who had been called in 1835 as an Apostle and as President of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, stood before the Saints for the first time in nearly two decades. A broken man, a shadow of his former self, he felt acutely the pain of opportunities and blessings irretrievably lost. Among lost blessings was his health. A once vigorous man, Marsh now referred to himself as old and infirm, and so he appeared—a dramatic illustration of the toll of apostasy and disobedience. Standing comparatively young and robust, President Young pointed out that Thomas was his senior by less than two years. For his part Marsh acknowledged faults that led him first to jealousy and anger and finally to apostasy, which brought only misery and affliction.[1] Four months earlier Marsh had confessed to Heber C. Kimball: “I have sined [sic] against Heaven and in thy sight. . . . I deserve no place . . . in the church even as the lowest member; but I cannot live long . . . without a reconciliation with the 12 and the Church whom I have injured O Bretheren once Bretheren!! How can I leave this world without your forgiveness Can I have it Can I have it? Something seems to say within yes. . . . can you speak one word of comfort to me. . . . Can I find peace among you?”[2] What he sought now, and what the audience voted unanimously to extend, was not office or position but simply fellowship with the Saints. In the 1830s he had aspired to much more.

When the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was organized in February 1835, Thomas B. Marsh became president because he was the eldest of those selected, though thereafter, seniority would be determined by date of ordination, not age. A member since 1830 (when the Church was still in New York) and an effective missionary, Marsh appeared to be a reasonable choice to head the new quorum. David Whitmer had baptized him, Oliver Cowdery had ordained him an elder, he had been one of the first to receive the high priesthood in 1831, and in 1834 he had become a member of the first high council organized in Zion, or Missouri. An 1831 revelation declared that he would be “a physician unto the church” (Doctrine and Covenants 31:10).

But there were also warning signs, or at least foreshadowings, of possible trouble. The Quorum of the Twelve was uniquely charged to carry the gospel to all the world, and from the Church’s beginning members looked toward the day they could begin that work abroad by preaching in England, yet the same 1831 revelation that named Marsh a “physician unto the church” warned that he could not be a physician “unto the world, for they will not receive you” (v. 10). Furthermore, an impressive charge to the new Apostles in February 1835, delivered by Oliver Cowdery in Kirtland before Marsh had arrived from Missouri, stressed the need for brotherhood and unity within the Twelve and warned the Apostles to cultivate humility, beware of pride, and give all credit to God. Rather than playing to natural strengths, these requirements challenged Marsh where he was weakest, for he tended toward officiousness and an overblown concern about appearances and position. The 1831 revelation concerning him had ended with a warning and a promise. “Pray always, lest you enter into temptation and lose your reward,” Marsh was told, but “be faithful unto the end, and lo, I am with you” (vv. 12–13).

A Young Quorum

Members of a new quorum with scriptural precedents but without institutional memory or living example to rely on, the Apostles at first struggled to understand their proper role and to develop effective ways of working together as a quorum and in harmony with other leaders. In preparation for their first mission—even before Marsh had arrived from Missouri—Joseph instructed them by counsel and by revelation. In March 1835, feeling unprepared and unworthy, they had petitioned the Prophet to “inquire of God for us, and obtain a revelation, (if consistent) that our hearts may be comforted.”[3] The significant revelation “on priesthood” (Doctrine and Covenants 107) was the result. Among its instructions was the declaration that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles “form a quorum, equal in authority and power” to the presidency of the Church—but only when they are united and in harmony as a quorum—along with a reminder, accompanied with a promise, that relationships within the quorum must be characterized by “lowliness of heart, meekness and long suffering, and . . . temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity” (vv. 24, 30). Despite such guidelines, only with time and experience could these men learn in detail what it meant to be Apostles. In the meantime, understandably, they would occasionally flounder and stumble.

As it turned out, both inexperience and personality made it difficult for Thomas Marsh to lead the new quorum effectively. In terms later used by Joseph Smith in writing about priesthood leadership, too easily do pride, vain ambition, and even compulsion enter into relationships that should be based only on persuasion, longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, and love unfeigned (see Doctrine and Covenants 121:31, 41). For Thomas Marsh and others like him—young men in a young church, uneducated, and inexperienced as leaders—the style demanded by such principles remained a distant ideal. Faced with opportunities for growth and improvement, for the moment Marsh was part of the committed but struggling generation in Missouri whose “jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires,” in the words of revelation, brought them into difficulties (Doctrine and Covenants 101:6). Here, clearly, was a man of ability. But it was less clear that he would learn to govern his feelings enough to reach his potential or learn to meet challenges and snubs with patience and love rather than “jarrings and strife.”

The new Apostles spent that summer of 1835 traveling together in the East on their first (and only) missionary undertaking under President Marsh as a full quorum.[4] With pointed counsel and revelation vividly in mind, they conscientiously labored to carry out their commission, and the result was a successful mission. But that fall they returned home not to accolades but to accusations, and these they handled much less well. What should have been minor difficulties arising from affronts or simple miscommunication aroused intense feelings, and soon the new Quorum of the Twelve found itself immersed in charges and countercharges with the First Presidency, concerns about position and precedence with the High Council, and divisive complaints among its own members.[5]

President Marsh generally met these challenges in a manner that stressed rights, justice, and his (or his quorum’s) prerogatives more than brotherhood or humble submission to counsel. The difficulties cannot all be attributed to Marsh, of course. All of the Apostles were inexperienced, none yet fully understood their calling, and some others shared Marsh’s unfortunate focus on potential authority and prestige. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith ruffled the feelings of his sensitive Apostles as often as he soothed them. Whether this was a conscious ploy to teach that humility and service must precede authority, as Brigham Young came to believe, or simply a consequence of his own style, the results were the same. Anxious to be powerful men in the kingdom, some of the Apostles bristled and complained at every slight.

For the Apostles and other Church leaders in Kirtland, the fall of 1835 should have been a joyful season devoted to preparing hearts and spirits for long-awaited blessings in the nearly completed Kirtland Temple. Instead, hurt feelings required that council after council be dedicated to airing complaints, soothing feelings, and generally working to reestablish brotherhood.[6] These efforts did bear fruit, however, and as far as records reveal, by November comparative harmony seemed to prevail. Then, without clarifying explanation, on November 3 the Prophet recorded in his diary the following: “Thus came the word of the Lord unto me concerning the Twelve [saying] behold they are under condemnation, because they have not been sufficiently humble in my sight, and in consequence of their covetous desires, in that they have not dealt equally with each other.” The revelation commanded that “all must humble themselves before Me, before they will be accounted worthy to receive an endowment,” and even listed several of the Apostles by name as offenders.[7]

Understandably, this caused a stir among the Apostles. The only other revelation addressing them specifically had been the great revelation on priesthood, and now, only months later, this. Records do not preserve President Marsh’s response to this chastisement, though we can surmise that he took it personally and was not pleased, but Joseph did record that Elders Hyde and McLellin, two of those named, stopped by to express “some little dissatisfaction” before humbling themselves and accepting the rebuke. Brigham Young, on the other hand, “appeared perfectly satisfied” with the chastisement.[8] Perhaps he felt no need to take it personally or, if he did, remembered the inspired counsel of the June 1833 that became Doctrine and Covenants 95: “Whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation” (v. 1).

No doubt Brigham Young also recognized the justice of the rebuke. Not only had the Apostles clashed with other Church officials but they had also experienced disunity, jealousy, and pettiness within their own quorum. Years later Young characterized the Kirtland Twelve as “continually sparring at each other.” To illustrate, he told of once being summoned to answer for having accepted an invitation to preach. By what authority, demanded his fellow Apostles, had he “presumed to appoint a meeting and preach” without consulting them? Under Thomas Marsh the Twelve met very often, Young continued, “and if no one of them needed cleaning, they had to ‘clean’ some one any how.”[9] On another occasion President Young contrasted his own style as President, trying to be a father to all, with President Marsh’s: “like a toad’s hair comb[ing] up and down.”[10]

There is no doubt that the personality of Thomas Marsh contributed to the pettiness and self-concern that plagued his quorum. Because of his concern about prerogatives, his leadership could be intrusive and officious. He was also impatient with criticism and tended to view a difference of opinion or even initiative by others as a challenge to his leadership. And he was impatient about the status of the Twelve in Kirtland. According to Brigham Young, he was among those who, when Joseph “snubbed” the Apostles, exclaimed, “We are apostles[!] it’s an insult for us to be so treated.”[11] Brigham, on the other hand, came to see the snubbing, the trials, in a way Thomas never did—as a testing—a necessary preparation before they were ready for power. This he once explained to Marsh when he complained of their treatment. “If we are faithful,” insisted Brigham Young, “we shall see the day . . . that we will have all the power we shall know how to wield before God.”[12]

Joy and Trouble in Kirtland

Although it took until January 1836, the Apostles eventually settled important differences and came to enjoy both increased unity within their quorum and general harmony with other leaders. Thus prepared, they shared with other Kirtland Saints the extraordinary blessings and manifestations associated with the Kirtland Temple in early 1836. But for the Quorum of the Twelve, unity, harmony, and new spiritual strength did not last. Instead of moving the quorum to Missouri, as earlier contemplated once the temple was finished, Joseph Smith announced that they were now free to move or not, as they chose; and instead of another quorum mission, he suggested that each was free to preach where he would—though each understood his duty to take the gospel abroad as soon as possible. Thomas Marsh and David Patten, the two senior Apostles, returned to Missouri, whereas most of the others continued to call Kirtland home. Within a year the Twelve would be as divided spiritually as they were geographically.

In 1837 dissension and rebellion swept the Church, especially among the leaders. Although most retained faith in the Book of Mormon and believed in the necessity of restored authority, not everyone shared the Prophet’s enthusiasm for the ancient order of things. To some, a society modeled after ancient Israel, where prophetic authority directed all aspects of life (not just the religious), portended a reduction in cherished social and economic freedoms. Too papist, they declared, too un-American. Those concerns underlay the discontent of many who ostensibly blamed Joseph for meddling in the Kirtland Safety Society, which ultimately failed, or who had other complaints against his conduct of economic or civic affairs.[13] While most members trusted the Prophet and continued to remain loyal even if they did not yet fully understand his vision, a rift developed between Joseph and many leaders, including some in the Presidency and in the Twelve, who were certain they understood more, or at least better, than he did. Of the Apostles in Kirtland, only Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball expressed unwavering support for Joseph Smith and his program.

When news of the rebellion reached President Marsh in Missouri, he was appalled. Word that several of his own quorum members were prominent among dissenters especially humiliated him. He had envisioned leading a united quorum abroad to introduce the gospel to Great Britain, and now this. He was also distressed to learn that an impatient Parley P. Pratt (and perhaps others) intended to leave on a foreign mission without him. Hurt, angry, and determined, Marsh hoped to “right-up” the Twelve and reestablish himself as an effective leader by holding a dramatic meeting with his quorum in Kirtland in which he would interject himself vigorously into the fray on the side of the Prophet. On May 10, 1837, he and Elder Patten dispatched an urgent letter to Parley P. Pratt, advising him not to depart for England: “The 12 must get together difficulties must be removed & love restored, we must have peace within before we can wage a successful war without. . . . Shall the 12 apostles of the Lambe [sic] be a disorganised [sic] body pulling different ways, Shall one [go] to his plough another to his merchandise, another to England &c. No! I even I Thomas will step in if their [sic] is none other for it is my right in this case and give council to you.”[14] The letter appointed July 24 for an extraordinary council “to break through every obstacle” and prepare for their mission abroad.

Since at least February 1837, the Kirtland Apostles had spoken of a summer mission to England; Parley Pratt was not alone in this. But amid dissension and the continuing absence of President Marsh, the mission appeared doubtful. Heber Kimball was thus shocked when the Prophet told him in early June that “for the salvation of His church” the mission must go forth without delay and that he must head it.[15] Joseph needed Brigham Young in Kirtland, he insisted; Parley had joined the others in rebellion, and they could not wait for Marsh and Patten. Begging forgiveness, Orson Hyde sought reconciliation the very day Kimball was set apart for his mission and requested permission to accompany him. Thus it was that Elders Kimball and Hyde, not Marsh and Patten, left Kirtland on June 13 to open the work abroad.[16] A few days later, after Brigham Young tried but failed to reconcile Parley Pratt with Joseph, Pratt suddenly departed for Missouri. Providentially, Marsh and Patten encountered Parley en route, and they succeeded (where Brigham had not) in turning him around.

As soon as they reached Kirtland, Brigham Young briefed Elders Marsh and Patten on the perplexing problems. Marsh then went directly to Joseph’s home—his headquarters during his Kirtland stay—and set to work reconciling the disaffected. David Patten, meanwhile, visited first the dissenters and, according to Brigham, “got his mind prejudiced” and insulted Joseph. The Prophet reacted strongly to the affront and “kicked him out of the yard,” which in Young’s view “done David good,” and quickly returned him to his senses.[17] To settle any differences, the Prophet arranged a special meeting at his home for several of the prominent malcontents, no doubt including the members of the Twelve. Marsh “moderated” and, he reported later, “a reconciliation was effected between all parties.”[18]

Without question President Marsh contributed to the healing and reconciliation in Kirtland that summer. He labored with the “merchant apostles,” Lyman Johnson and John Boynton, and with Constable Luke Johnson. Following his arrival, Elders Orson Pratt and Parley Pratt, among others, made public confessions and expressions of support for Joseph. Although neither Marsh nor the Prophet swept away the basic differences in outlook that had brought dissent, as President of the Twelve, Marsh was able to return a modicum of civility and unity to his quorum. An early departure for England seemed out of the question, however, and there is no evidence that Marsh convened the “extraordinary meeting” he had earlier proposed for July 24.

Despite modest success, President Marsh was still troubled—troubled that members of his quorum had rebelled and also troubled that missionary work abroad was proceeding without him. Concerned about his own status and wondering if the Lord could still accept the Twelve, he went to Joseph on July 23, the day before his extraordinary council would have been held, to discuss his concerns. That evening the Prophet dictated as Thomas wrote: “the word of the Lord unto Thomas B. Marsh, concerning the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb” (see headnote to Doctrine and Covenants 112). With that background, we are now ready to more closely examine how Doctrine and Covenants 112 not only applied to Marsh and the Twelve in 1838, but how it might also apply to us today.

Doctrine and Covenants 112

The opening verse states, “I have heard thy prayers, . . . in behalf of those, thy brethren, who were chosen to bear testimony . . . abroad . . . and ordained through the instrumentality of my servants” (v. 1). Although we are not of their quorum, this passage describes a duty common to all priesthood holders, especially missionaries. President Marsh is then told that there had been a few things in his heart that had displeased the Lord, but because he had abased himself (abase means to humble, which is a universal requirement for forgiveness and reconciliation), he had been forgiven of his sins (vv. 2–3).

Marsh is told to let his heart be of good cheer—this was what he was really concerned about—and promised “thou shalt [still, despite all the problems], bear record of my name” and “send forth my word unto the ends of the earth” (v. 4). Even though Elders Kimball and Hyde had departed, he might yet have his day. Therefore, “contend thou, therefore, morning by morning; and day after day let thy warning voice go forth” (v. 5)—a good description of what every Latter-day Saint should be about. In the meantime, he was told not to move his household from Missouri, where, as printer, he was instructed to publish the word abroad (v. 6). “Therefore, gird up thy loins for the work. Let thy feet be shod also, for thou art chosen, and thy path lieth among the mountains” (possibly the Rocky Mountains?) and “among many nations” (v. 7), which, because of his personal apostasy, he failed to fulfill.[19] He is also told that his words will bring down the exalted and exalt the lowly and that he will rebuke the transgressor (vv. 8–9). Priesthood leaders generally share this responsibility to rebuke when so inspired.

What follows next is one of the great promises in scripture, one that surely can be adopted as a general principle and applied to all: “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers” (v. 10). This, and related scriptural promises (see Romans 8:28; Doctrine and Covenants 90:24) all include qualifications. To claim the promised blessings, we must be humble and faithful, love God, and honor his commandments. With us, as with President Marsh, worthiness determines whether we can claim the promise.

In his attempts to bring harmony in his quorum, Marsh had petitioned the Lord in their behalf. The revelation assured him that the Lord had heard his prayers concerning them, but he was also counseled to “be not partial towards them in love above many others, but let thy love be for them as for thyself,” with the additional reminder to “let thy love abound unto all men, and unto all who love my name” (v. 11). He was also admonished to continue to “pray for thy brethren of the Twelve” and “admonish them sharply . . . for all their sins” (v. 12). As their quorum leader, it was expected that Marsh would reprove them as required. Yet, he is also told, “after their temptations, and much tribulation,” there is still a promise: “I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them” (v. 13). These were new Apostles—young, inexperienced, and often in transgression—needing to be converted anew. Similarly, we should search our own hearts about where we stand. When we find ourselves stumbling, sinning, or kicking against the pricks, these verses remind us of the way back. The Lord then directs the Twelve—but it is also a directive to all his disciples—to “gird up your loins, take up your cross, follow me, and feed my sheep” (v. 14). For the Twelve in 1837, this charge specifically meant that they should prepare to take the gospel abroad to his sheep in other lands.

The next few verses clarify the position of the Twelve in relationship to the First Presidency and Joseph Smith as the President of the Church. The revelation chastised the bigheadedness of those Apostles who had been inclined to place themselves above the authority of the Prophet and the First Presidency. “Exalt not yourselves, and rebel not against my servant Joseph.” We can now understand why that was essential counsel to them at that time, as well as a reminder for us. Both the First Presidency and the Twelve had keys, but the Prophet Joseph was the head, “for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given unto him . . . shall not be taken from him till I come” (v. 15).

The next passages are at the heart of what weighed heavily on President Marsh’s mind when he approached the Prophet seeking the word of the Lord. Despite the current difficulties, “I say unto you, my servant Thomas, thou art the man whom I have chosen to hold the keys of my kingdom, as pertaining to the Twelve, abroad among all nations” (even in England!) and “to unlock the door of the kingdom in all places” (vv. 16–17). Unfortunately, instead of humbly accepting this assurance as a renewed opportunity, Thomas immediately visited Vilate Kimball and, backed by this affirmation, told her that Heber could not open an “effectual door” in England because he, Thomas, had not sent him! Marsh explained that the Prophet had assured him that since proclaiming the gospel abroad was his special responsibility, the door could not be “effectually” opened until he sent someone or went himself.

In pressing this point, Thomas Marsh once again missed the mark, as the revelation itself makes clear. Marsh held the keys “to unlock the door of the kingdom in all places where my servant Joseph” and his counselors (i.e., the First Presidency) “cannot come” (v. 17); for “on them have I laid the burden of all the churches for a little season. Wherefore, whithersoever they shall send you [or Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, or whomever], go ye, and I will be with you; and in whatsoever place ye shall proclaim my name an effectual door shall be opened unto you, that they may receive my word” (vv. 18–19; emphasis added). Stated again: the Prophet’s keys held precedence even over those of the President of the Quorum of the Twelve.

Heber understood that principle. When he learned in England of Marsh’s claim, he was philosophical, allowing that “Brother Joseph sed [sic] it was all right to prepare the way . . . so we have come to prepare the way before Brother Thomas. And we have baptised a good lot of them.”[20] Even so, he added, Brother Marsh would have to do some of the work himself if he intended to claim some of the credit.

If that was not clear enough for Marsh—and apparently it was not—the revelation clarified further: “Whosoever receiveth my word receiveth me, and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth those, the First Presidency, whom I have sent . . . unto you” (v. 20). Others also have power—especially the Twelve with their special calling and responsibility to take the gospel abroad—but it is all under the First Presidency. The revelation also indicated that Marsh was not to act alone: “And again, I say unto you, that whosoever ye shall send in my name by the voice of your brethren, the Twelve, . . . shall have power to open the door of my kingdom unto any nation whithersoever ye shall send them—inasmuch as they shall humble themselves before me, and abide in my word, and hearken to the voice of my Spirit” (vv. 21–22).

One particular verse speaks of a future day of desolation, weeping, mourning, and lamentation that “cometh speedily” (v. 24). And while this verse likely has reference in a broader sense to the futuristic problems and conditions in the world, it may have had specific application to Kirtland. Why will there be troubles? Because “darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt” (v. 23). (That sounds like an accurate description of today.) Where will there be troubles? “Upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth” (v. 25). Who will suffer? Those who “have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house” (v. 26). Surely some of the wayward Apostles and others of the Seventy, soon to be cut off, could be among that number. Why “my house”? Already there had been difficulties, and soon there would be disorder and blasphemy in the temple in Kirtland. Therefore, were the Twelve to labor at home where the problems were and try to straighten things up? No! Marsh was to tell the Apostles: “Therefore, see to it that ye trouble not yourselves concerning the affairs of my church in this place, saith the Lord,” but rather purify your hearts and then go about your labor, which was, of course, to take the gospel to all the world (vv. 27–28).

The message seems to be that the Lord himself can care for his house, and moreover, what can be more important for the Twelve than to preach divine truth with power and authority? They are to preach “to every creature” who has not received the gospel (v. 28), either to their damnation or to their salvation (v. 29), for “unto you, the Twelve, and those, the First Presidency, who are appointed with you to be your counselors and your leaders, is the power of this priesthood given, for the last days and for the last time” (v. 30). These are the same keys which “have come down from the fathers, and last of all, being sent down from heaven unto you” (v. 32). The Lord then tells them, “Verily . . . behold how great is your calling,” hence the need that they cleanse themselves and do their duty, “lest the blood of this generation be required at your hands” (v. 33). The revelation closes with a promise to the Twelve and to us: “Be faithful until I come,” the Lord says, for “my reward is . . . to recompense every man according as his work shall be” (v. 34).

A Trial of Faith in Missouri

Despite the best efforts of Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Thomas Marsh, David Patten, and Brigham Young, the Church could not be saved in Kirtland. Up to this point, the Prophet had patiently worked with dissenters, bringing back many, but when open rebellion broke out again in the fall of 1837, patience was no longer a virtue and backsliders were cut off, including Apostles Luke Johnson and John F. Boynton in December.[21] Anger mounted, division deepened, apostates grew bolder, and by year’s end Brigham Young, the most vigorous and outspoken among the Prophet’s defenders, was forced to flee for his life. In early January, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon followed, their families close behind, and by spring most of the faithful were on their way to Missouri.

Joseph Smith arrived in Far West, Missouri, in March 1838. After firming up local organization and leadership, in April Church officials set about the business of removing those considered to be apostates, including none other than Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Apostle Lyman E. Johnson, each of whom were formally tried and cut off.[22] After Joseph Smith’s months of concern and labor with the quorum, the Twelve were now essentially down to eight. (Note: William E. McLellin was not in good standing and was excommunicated in May,[23] and William Smith, the Prophet’s young brother, could not be relied upon.) Feeling deep concern for their quorum, Marsh and the remaining Apostles were encouraged by a revelation for David Patten received on April 7, 1838. The revelation, Doctrine and Covenants 114, advised Patten to prepare himself, saying, “He may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto all the world” (v.1). What twelve? And did this also include Marsh? There were no longer twelve Apostles in his quorum, nor had any been added since its organization more than three years before. The revelation supplied the answer: “For verily . . . inasmuch as there are those among you who deny my name, others shall be planted in their stead and receive their bishopric” (v. 2). By noting that fallen brethren would be replaced and by commanding Patten to prepare for a mission “with others, even twelve,” this short revelation foreshadows several of the key points made more explicit three months later.

On July 8, in answer to the query “Show us thy will, O Lord, concerning the Twelve” (headnote to Doctrine and Covenants 118), another revelation, now Doctrine and Covenants 118, imparted firm direction and new life to the Quorum of the Twelve. “Let a conference be held immediately; let the Twelve be organized; and let men be appointed to supply the place of those who are fallen” (v. 1). Thomas Marsh was to “remain for a season in the land of Zion,” where he was now coeditor of the Elder’s Journal with Joseph Smith, “to publish my word” (v. 2). This was not a choice between Kirtland and Missouri, as before in Doctrine and Covenants 112, but between staying for a time in Far West and going abroad immediately. The revelation instructed “the residue”—meaning the other Apostles who had remained faithful or who had returned to full fellowship—to “continue to preach from that hour.” It promised that if they would do this “in all lowliness of heart, in meekness and humility, and long-suffering,” they could still fulfill their divine mission (that is, despite disaster and division, they had not yet lost the possibility of fulfilling their destiny), and “an effectual door shall be opened for them, from henceforth”(v. 3, emphasis added; see also Doctrine and Covenants 112:19). Moreover, if they were thus faithful they had another promise, that while they were serving abroad, the Lord would “provide for their families” (v. 3). The revelation also specified the date and place of their departure. “And next spring let them depart to go over the great waters, and there promulgate my gospel [in Great Britain]. Let them take leave of my saints in the city of Far West, on the twenty-sixth day of April next, on the building-spot of my house, saith the Lord” (vv. 4–5). The revelation closed by naming those “appointed to fill the places of those who have fallen,” namely, John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff, and Willard Richards (v. 6).

The following day, the Apostles, for the first time in months, held a formal quorum meeting. They agreed to immediately notify the four new Apostles, none of whom were in Far West, and to prepare for their mission abroad. The anticipated ordination of new Apostles, the return of Elders Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde from England later in the month, and this renewal of their commission to carry the gospel to the nations seemed to portend a new day for Marsh’s shattered quorum. The command had been given, the date was known, and finally, President Marsh would have the opportunity to lead his colleagues abroad.

But it was not to be. Before the spring mission, indeed even before existing vacancies could be filled, there would be two more casualties among the Twelve. David Patten would be killed during the violence that erupted in northern Missouri in October, and President Marsh himself would become disaffected, which was in some ways a by-product of that same Missouri conflict.

Marsh’s disillusionment and decision to leave the Church was the result of many factors—pride, misunderstanding, hurt feelings, suspicion, and, in Marsh’s own later words, stubbornness and a loss of the Spirit.[24] Troubled of mind and heart and feeling himself wavering, he humbled himself before the Lord in his printing shop long enough to receive a revelation about what course he should take. After sharing the revelation with Heber Kimball and Brigham Young, he promptly went out and did the opposite, becoming bitter against the Church. Once his face was set, the stubborn, inflexible Thomas was not a man who could be turned. By removing himself from the Saints, he escaped the violence that soon decimated Far West and drove his coreligionists from Missouri, but at what cost? As he eventually came to acknowledge, his loss was the greater.

From Liberty Jail, Joseph Smith named George A. Smith to fill the vacancy created by the death of Elder Patten, but Marsh’s position remained vacant for nearly three years. In the meantime, under the direction of President Brigham Young, now the senior Apostle, the available Apostles—William Smith was not to be found, Parley Pratt was in prison, and Willard Richards was in England—boldly returned to Missouri, whence they had so recently escaped, to fulfill the July 1838 revelation requiring them to depart April 26, 1839, from “the building-spot of my house” in Far West (Doctrine and Covenants 118:5).

Enemies had boasted that the revelation proved Joseph Smith a false prophet because it could not be fulfilled. So certain were they that no one would attempt it that they did not even bother to post a guard. Perhaps, under the circumstances, the Lord would “take the will for the deed,” some Latter-day Saints urged, but Brigham Young and his associates would not allow even supposed failure to stand as a witness against Joseph. In the predawn hours they and a small group of Saints sang hymns, ordained two new Apostles, laid a symbolic cornerstone, excommunicated dissidents, and departed before the first surprised anti-Mormon reached the site.

New Hope in Nauvoo

From Far West the Apostles returned to the new city being built in Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi to complete their preparations and to situate their families as well as possible before departing. Instead of keeping the Apostles at arm’s length as had often been the case in Kirtland, Joseph Smith embraced them, instructed them, blessed them, and participated fully in their preparations. None, however, had means to help their families. Destitute after the Missouri tragedy and without adequate shelter or provisions, everyone suffered—the more so when summer diseases befell them in the damp, sickly hollows along the river. Consequently, it was a great test of faith to leave their families in such circumstances in order to fulfill their mission. Because they understood that the Church could provide little help, they essentially left their families in the hands of God to embark on a mission that could not be postponed and that would eventually transform the Church. The Apostles did not forget that the revelation commanding their departure also declared, “I . . . give unto them a promise that I will provide for their families” (Doctrine and Covenants 118:3). As Brigham Young wrote to his wife from England, though he longed to be able to administer to their needs, he had faith enough not to be unduly concerned: “The Lord said by the mouth of Brother Joseph, that they should be provided for, and I believed it.”[25]

The result of this sacrifice, of obedience in difficult circumstances and of diligent efforts to labor together with unity and harmony, was perhaps the most successful single mission in the history of the Church. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland noted, after this mission, “neither this group of men, the British Isles, nor the Church would ever be the same again.”[26] Finally the Twelve had fulfilled the promise inherent in their calling that had so eluded them during the years under President Marsh.

The rewards for service are many and are often individualized. No doubt each of the Apostles received assurances and blessings fitted to his needs, as suggested by Doctrine and Covenants 82:10: “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” Doctrine and Covenants 126, the last section in our story, preserves one example—the knowledge that service is acceptable to the Lord: “My servant Brigham,” began the revelation given July 9,1841: “It is no more required at your hand to leave your family as in times past, for your offering is acceptable to me. I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name. I therefore command you to send my word abroad, and take especial care of your family from this time, henceforth and forever. Amen.” (vv. 1–3).

Under Brigham Young, the “new” Quorum of the Twelve proved competent and fiercely loyal to Joseph and his principles and rendered extraordinary service at great sacrifice. After shared experiences in Britain molded this new quorum into an effective, united body of power, they returned home at a time when the Prophet’s needs for loyal assistance had multiplied. The result, announced by Joseph Smith on August 16, 1841, was a significant realignment of assignment and authority, with the Twelve taking their place next to the First Presidency in managing all Church affairs. The ambiguity between the high councils and the Twelve that had so vexed Thomas Marsh and the Apostles in Kirtland was over. The Apostles had completed their preparation, and the Prophet judged them, to use Brigham Young’s phrase, “fit for power.” What Thomas Marsh had dreamed of was now reality.

Throughout his service as President of the Twelve, Thomas Marsh had thought it his special mission to lead his quorum in taking the gospel abroad, and the July 1838 revelation, a few months before his apostasy, reaffirmed that mission (see Doctrine and Covenants 118). His 1857 letter to Heber C. Kimball pleading for readmission revealed that nineteen years later he still remembered: “I know what I have done a mission was laid upon me & I have never filled it and now I fear it is too late but it is filled by another, I see, the Lord could get along very well without me and He has lost nothing by my falling out of the ranks; But O what have I lost?”[27]

Had Thomas B. Marsh remained faithful in 1838, he would have led the Quorum of the Twelve to England instead of Brigham Young and would have presided over the “new quorum” and the “new role”—the one he had so impatiently longed for—that resulted from that mission. All this occurred, instead, without him.

Notes

[1] Brigham Young and Thomas B. Marsh, in JD, 5:206–10.

[2] Thomas B. Marsh to Heber C. Kimball, May 5, 1857, Heber C. Kimball Papers, CHL.

[3] History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 (1 September 1834–2 November 1838), 28 March 1835, 582, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[4] Ronald K. Esplin and Sharon E. Nielsen, “The Record of the Twelve, 1835: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles’ Call and 1835 Mission,” BYU Studies 51, no. 1 (2012): 4–52.

[5] See Ronald K. Esplin, “The Emergence of Brigham Young and the Twelve to Mormon Leadership, 1830–1841” (PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1981), 166–70.

[6] For details, see chapter 4 in Esplin, “Emergence of Brigham Young.”

[7] Joseph Smith, Journal, 3 November 1834, in JSP, J1:83.

[8] Joseph Smith, Journal, 5 November 1834, in JSP, J1:84.

[9] Historian’s Office Journal, February 16, 1859, CHL.

[10] Minutes, February 12, 1849, CHL.

[11] Minutes, November 30, 1847, Brigham Young Papers, CHL.

[12] Brigham Young, in JD, 8:197.

[13] For details of the Kirtland crisis, see chapters 5–7 in Esplin, “Emergence of Brigham Young,” and chapters 17–18 in Milton V. Backman Jr., The Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter day Saints in Ohio, 1830–1838 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983); details not otherwise documented are from Esplin, “Emergence of Brigham Young.”

[14] Thomas B. Marsh and David Patten to Parley P. Pratt, May 10, 1837, Joseph Smith Letterbook 2, p. 63, Joseph Smith Collection, CHL.

[15] History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 (1 September 1834–2 November 1838), 1 June 1837, 701, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[16] The story of Kimball’s call and of the Kimball-Hyde mission is told in James B. Allen, Ronald K. Esplin, and David J. Whittaker, Men with a Mission: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the British Isles, 1837–1841 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992), 23–53.

[17] Wilford Woodruff, journal (January 1, 1854–December 31, 1859), June 25, 1857, 226, www.wilfordwoodruffpapers.org.

[18] Thomas B. Marsh, “History of Thos. Baldwin Marsh,” Deseret News, March 24, 1858, 18.

[19] If this allusion is to the Rocky Mountains, it would not necessarily be an anachronism. Discussion of and prophecies about a destiny for the Saints in the Rocky Mountains can be demonstrated long before Nauvoo. See Ronald K. Esplin, “’A Place Prepared’: Joseph, Brigham, and the Quest for Promised Refuge in the West,” Journal of Mormon History 9 (1982): 85–111.

[20] Esplin, “Emergence of Brigham Young,” 313–44.

[21] Conference Minutes, 7 April 1838, in JSP, D6:72; see also 6:72n364.

[22] Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated on April 12, and David Whitmer and Lyman E. Johnson on April 13. See Minutes, 12 April 1838, in JSP, D6:83–104.

[23] McLellin’s status had been in question for some time. Apparently a formal hearing was held for him on May 11, 1838, which suggests this was when he was formally excommunicated. See Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia (Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901–36), 1:83; see also Larry H. Porter, “The Odyssey of William Earl McLellin: Man of Diversity, 1806–83,” in The Journals of William E. McLellin, ed. Jan Shipps and John W. Welch (Provo, UT: BYU Studies; Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1994), 323.

[24] Esplin, “Emergence of Brigham Young,” 339–43.

[25] Brigham Young to Mary Ann Young, October 16, 1840, in Allen, Esplin, and Whittaker, Men with a Mission,399.

[26] Jeffrey R. Holland to James B. Allen, Ronald K. Esplin, and David J. Whittaker, July 31, 1992.

[27] Thomas B. Marsh to Heber C. Kimball, May 5, 1857, Heber C. Kimball Papers, CHL.