[1] Sunday 16 Joseph preached all day.—A.M. 27th Matthew & c.—did not hear him.—"Mans foes they of his own house. [2]—the spirit that crucified Christ, same spirit in Nauvoo. refered particularly to—I wont say who—was it Bro Marks? [3]—did not Say.—bro Cole [Cowles]? [4] or bro P.P.P? [5] did not hear the sermon, why ask me. nothing new same as when you left. [6]—the spirit was against Christ because of his innocence.—So in the present case.—

Joseph Smith Diary, by Willard Richards

preached all day. or A.M. & P.M. at the Stand, in the grove, near & west of the temple concerning a mans foes being they of his own house. [7] Such as having secret enemies in the city—intermingling with the saints &c.—

Levi Richards Diary

16 July AM at Temple stand heard Pres. Joseph Smith read the 27th Chapt. Math. spoke of the persecution of the innocent the guilty might go free escapes—

Willard Richards Diary

Joseph Pr[eached]—all day—constituted Hyrum prophet

—16 July 1843 (1)

Notes

[1] See History of the Church, 5:510 and 512. Not in Teachings. The original source for the entry in History of the Church is the Joseph Smith Diary, by Willard Richards. The letter of Willard Richards to Brigham postmarked 19 July 1843, is located in the Church Archives, and is published in History of the Church, 5:512. The reports of Levi Richards and Willard Richards (personal diary) are here published for the first time.

[2] Matthew 10:36 (34-39).

[3] This was William Marks, president of the Nauvoo Stake. He and others opposed to the principle of plural marriage felt it their duty to prevent the Church from having to endure untold misery and suffering because of the practice. Knowing the Prophet was unable to advocate the principle publicly, they betrayed him by publicly opposing any form of plural marriage. Their technique was to feign ignorance of this doctrinal development, while conducting a campaign ostensibly to rid Nauvoo of the last vestiges of John C. Bennett's "spiritual wifery."

[4] Austin A. Cowles, first counselor to William Marks in the Nauvoo Stake presidency. When the revelation on plural marriage was read to the Nauvoo high council a month later (12 August 1843), Cowles rejected it and subsequently resigned his position in the stake presidency (23 September 1843). He prepared an affidavit testifying of these events, and it was published in the Nauvoo Expositor (7 June 1844), three weeks before the Prophet's martyrdom.

[5] Initially Parley P. Pratt opposed the Prophet on the principle of plural marriage, but near 27 June (just three weeks before this discourse) he and his wife, Mary Ann, accepted the principle. Mary Ann told Vilate Kimball that although she previously had been "raging against these things … the Lord had shown her it was all right" (27-29 June 1843 letter of Vilate Kimball to Heber C. Kimball, Church Archives). Parley's conversion came just before the Prophet's trip to Dixon, Illinois. Willard Richards's awareness of Parley's conversion must have barely preceded this discourse.

[6] "Nothing [was] new same as when you left" is an interesting statement in light of the comments made in 16 July 1843 (2), note 15.

[7] Matthew 10:36 (34-39).