"1 Hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, while I speak unto you, Emma Smith, my daughter; for verily I say unto you, all those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom.
. . .
11 And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church."
— Doctrine and Covenants 25:1, 111
The first hymnbook of the Church, titled A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of the Latter Day Saints,2 was curated by Emma Smith with the assistance of William Phelps.3 With the reminder that "the song of the righteous is a prayer unto God," the introduction of the hymnbook stated, "It is sincerely hoped that the following collection, selected with an eye single to his glory, may answer every purpose till more are composed, or till we are blessed with a copious variety of the songs of Zion."2
The book contained a blend of new hymns penned by Latter-Day Saint writers like William Phelps, Parley P. Pratt, and Eliza R. Snow, as well as other Christian hymns.4 It included songs such as "I Know That My Redeemer Lives," "Redeemer of Israel," and "He Died! The Great Redeemer Died!"4 The final hymn in the hymnbook came from William Phelps and was titled "The Spirit of God like a Fire Is Burning."2,3
