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Having been appointed by the Lord to initiate the work of establishing a new dispensation of the gospel and direct the proclamation of its saving message, Joseph Smith stepped forth in his prophetic calling to explain the nature of that work and to forewarn the people and the nation of impending judgments. In so doing, he marked out the way by which true peace could be established among men and by which the judgments he fore-saw could be averted.
Joseph Smith directed his first official proclamation to the American people on these subjects in a letter dated January 4, 1833. That significant statement, long referred to as the “Seaton Letter,[1] was one of the most important documents he wrote during his eventful lifetime. Subsequently he explained to the editor to whom he directed his communication: “That letter which I wrote to you for publication. I wrote by the command of God.”[2]
Through a lack of available information, historians have miss-titled this important letter, which takes its name from the editor to whom it was written. B. H. Roberts gave the editor's name as N. E. Seaton, with a note that it is also spelled Sexton in the Manuscript History of the Church. He explained that the person in question published a paper in Rochester, New York, then added: “The name of the paper cannot be ascertained.”[3]
[1] This letter, written to N. C. Saxton of Rochester, New York. is found in the Joseph Smith Collection. Historical Department of the Church, Salt Lake City, Utah. The full text of the letter can be found in History of the Church (Salt Lake City. 1951), I, pp. 312-316. Hereafter this source is abbreviated HC, followed by the appropriate volume and page number. [See also “The Joseph Smith Papers” Letter to N.C. Saxton 4 January 1833 for a copy of the letter and the translation.]
[2] Letter of Joseph Smith to N.C. Saxton, February 12, 1833, Joseph Smith Collection; found also in HC, I, p. 326. [See also “The Joseph Smith Papers” Follow up letter to N.C. Saxton 12 Feb 1833.]
[3] HC. I. p. 312.