Journal of Discourses

Junius F. Wells in the Journal of Discourses

His one sermon in the series, and what it covers.

Founder of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association in 1875.

One sermon by Junius F. Wells appears in the Journal of Discourses, in volume 26 (1886).

In his own words

The table below says what his one sermon covers. This is what it sounded like.

The kind of commission we want is this: We want the government—if it is possible in all this land of enlightenment, among all these people that are offended at the immorality of the "Mormons" —to select a commission of men who are perfectly true to their marital relations, who are virtuous, and we challenge the commission of men to prove us an immoral people. Let them go into our homes and what will we show them there? We will show them respect of husbands for wives, wives for husbands, parents for children, children for parents and for each other. We will show them faith; we will show them virtue, and we challenge them to deny the truth of our showing to the American people. Then if we are not immoral, why this hue and cry raised against us? Can you answer who have passed laws to send men, whose lives are above reproach, into prison, and to scatter their families? Can you who have passed such wicked laws answer if we prove that we are a moral people?

Junius F. Wells, Refusal of So-Called Christians to Receive the Gospel of Christ—The Latter-day Saints Desire Investigation of Their Principles—The Truth Cannot Be Destroyed—We Have Every Requisite for Self-Government—We Must Maintain Our Fidelity to the Truth—Rarity of Crime Among the "Mormons"—Purity of "Mormon" Homes—Character of the Latter-day Saints, Journal of Discourses, Volume 26

What the sermon covers

Indexed subjects, in order of how often they appear: Family, Ordinances, Jesus Christ, Plural Marriage, Purity, Morality, Self-Government, Revelation, Dead, Polygamy, Crime, Salvation.

Where it sits

Volume 26 (1886) holds 40 sermons by 14 speakers, of which 1 is his. George Q. Cannon carries that volume with 9.

The Journal is overwhelmingly the work of a dozen men. The speakers who appear once or twice are the reason the series is worth indexing in full: they are printed at the same length and with the same care as the presidencies, and almost nowhere else.

Every sermon, in order

The complete list as the Journal prints it. Titles are the printed titles, which routinely name four or five unrelated subjects in one line — each one links to the discourse itself at journalofdiscourses.com.