In a sermon from the summer of 1839, Joseph Smith stated that the Holy Ghost
is more powerful in
expanding the mind enlightening the Understanding & storeing the intellect
with present Knowledge of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham than one
that is a gentile though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the
body for as the Holy ghost falls upon one of the Literal Seed of Abraham it is
calm & serene & his whole soul & body are only exercised by the
pure spirit of Inteligence; while the effect <of the Holy Ghost> upon a
gentile is to purge out the old blood & make him actually of the seed of
Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a
new creation by the Holy Ghost, in such a case there may be more of a powerful
effect upon the body & visible to the eye than upon an Israelite, while the
Israelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure Intelligence. (Discourse,
between circa 26 June and circa 2 July 1839, as Reported by Willard Richards
[cf. the
version recorded by Wilford Woodruff])
