Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine and Covenants v4 (R. Doxey)
Compiled by Roy W. Doxey

Deseret Book Company
Salt Lake City, Utah

ï¿½ 1978 Roy W. Doxey
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company,
P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein
are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company.
Deseret Book is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company.

Preface

Volume 4 of Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine and Covenants begins with a revelation that has provided this dispensation, the Dispensation of the Fulness of
Times, with valuable information about the government of the Church. From this priesthood revelation (Section 107), given March 28, 1835, the volume continues the
sections in numerical sequence through Section 136.

The Doctrine and Covenants from Sections 1 through 133 contains revelations and historical material given through Joseph Smith. Section 133 was received in
November 1831, but Section 132 carries the date of July 12, 1843, the last revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants received by the Prophet. What follows, by
section, is material prepared by others than the Prophet and a revelation to Brigham Young. Section 134, a declaration of belief regarding governments and laws in
general, was written by Oliver Cowdery during the Joseph Smith period; Section 135, the historical statement of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, was
written by John Taylor; Section 136, received by Brigham Young, is the revelation concerning preparations for the trek across the plains.

In the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants covered in this volume, one will find, in general, the reason why President Joseph F. Smith said the following:

I say to my brethren that the book of Doctrine and Covenants contains some of the most glorious principles ever revealed to the world, some that have been revealed
in greater fulness than they were ever revealed before to the world; and this, in fulfilment of the promises of the ancient prophets that in the latter times, the Lord would
reveal things to the world that had been kept hid from the foundation thereof; and the Lord has revealed them through the Prophet Joseph Smith. (Conference Report,
October 1913, p. 9.)

In addition to Section 107, other major revelations discussed in Volume 4 include Section 109, the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple; Section 110, the
account of the restoration of keys of the priesthood by Moses, Elias, and Elijah; Section 112, concerning the Twelve Apostles; Section 115, in which the name of the
Church is revealed and a fundamental purpose of the Church is given; Section 116, about Adam-ondi-Ahman, where an important council of priesthood leaders of all
dispensations will convene; Section 119, the law of tithing; Section 121, a revelation on the fate of the apostate and the manner in which the priesthood members should
govern themselves; Section 122, a revelation on adversity; Section 124, on temple ordinances, the necessity of obeying leadership, the appointment of Hyrum Smith as
Patriarch to the Church and Assistant President, the purpose of officers in the Church, and the general conference; Section 128, on salvation of the dead and the
restoration of the keys of the dispensations; Sections 129, 130, and 131, doctrinal matters of the highest significance; Section 132, the revelation on marriage for
eternity, including plural marriage. The remaining sections have been mentioned above.

In the Lord's Preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, we are informed that the message of the dispensation as carried in the Doctrine and Covenants is not only for the
members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but also "unto all men, and there is none to escape. . . ." (D&C 1:2.) In fact, "the voice of warning shall be
unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days" (D&C 1:4), and the revelations are to be published unto the "inhabitants of the
earth" (D&C 1:6).

In other words, as President Joseph Fielding Smith has said, this book belongs not alone to the Latter-day Saints, but to the entire world. However, it becomes a
person's book only when he accepts it as scripture. (Doctrines of Salvation 3:201.)

In September 1832, the Lord reminded the Saints of their responsibility to observe the commandments given in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants
as well as the condemnation upon Zion if repentance would not follow. This admonitory instruction seems as pertinent today as then.

And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received-

Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.

And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant,
even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written-

That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father's kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion. (D&C
84:54-58.)

When one examines the number of revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants by years, as shown in "Background Information on the Doctrine and Covenants" in
Volume 1, it will be noted that the years 1829-1833 were the most fruitful, with 99 revelations. Three revelations are recorded for the preceding years, beginning with
1823. In other words, of the 133 sections for which the Prophet was responsible, three times as many were given during the five "fruitful" years than in the ten years
from 1834 to 1843. Does this mean that as the dispensation lengthened fewer revelations were received?

This is a complex question to answer, and a number of answers might be given. Shortly before and for several years after the Church was organized on April 6, 1830,
there was a definite need for many more recorded revelations than later. Revelations addressed to individuals who sought wisdom from the Prophet make up many
early revelations. In these, great doctrinal truths are enunciated. The doctrines of the Church were not always revealed in fulness in the beginning, but piecemeal through
the years. Questions regarding church administration, duties of officers, guidance for the members of the Church, the place of the priesthood in the gospel, and the
events of the future-all these and many more subjects claimed the interest of the members. As fast as the Saints were prepared to receive more revelation, they were
given "in their time." One might think of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants as the "constitution" of the Church, and subsequent revelations as additions to this
fundamental framework.
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Not all of the revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith are included in the Doctrine and Covenants. The first compilation, A Book of Commandments,
contained 65; the 1835 edition, The Doctrine and Covenants, 102; the 1844 edition, 111; the 1876 edition, 136, the same as the current edition, 1921. By
the years. Questions regarding church administration, duties of officers, guidance for the members of the Church, the place of the priesthood in the gospel, and the
events of the future-all these and many more subjects claimed the interest of the members. As fast as the Saints were prepared to receive more revelation, they were
given "in their time." One might think of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants as the "constitution" of the Church, and subsequent revelations as additions to this
fundamental framework.

Not all of the revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith are included in the Doctrine and Covenants. The first compilation, A Book of Commandments,
contained 65; the 1835 edition, The Doctrine and Covenants, 102; the 1844 edition, 111; the 1876 edition, 136, the same as the current edition, 1921. By
appointment of the First Presidency, the 1876 edition was prepared by Elder Orson Pratt; the latest edition, under the direction of Elder James E. Talmage. The
important fact is that there is sufficient in the present edition to give exaltation to the obedient.

The primary source of the other revelations by the Prophet is the seven-volume History of the Church by Joseph Smith. In this source one will find that there are many
revelations entitled "Revelation."

Among these revelations are those giving counsel and instruction to individuals and also doctrinal subjects. An example of a revelation to an individual that might have
application in some present-day homes, and for which the family home evening program and home teaching are intended to assist, is the following:

Revelation.

Mine anger is kindled against my servant Reynolds Cahoon, because of his iniquities, his covetous and dishonest principles, in himself and family, and he doth not purge
them away and set his house in order. Therefore, if he repent not, chastisement awaiteth him, even as it seemeth good in my sight, therefore go and declare unto him
these words. (HC 2:299, November 1, 1835.)

A revelation not captioned "Revelation" (of which there are many), but which is of doctrinal importance, was referred to by the Prophet in a sermon delivered April 8,
1844, at a general conference:

You know very well that the Lord has led this Church by revelation. I have another revelation in relation to economy in the Church-a great, grand, and glorious
revelation. I shall not be able to dwell as largely upon it now as at some other time; but I will give you the first principles. You know there has been great discussion in
relation to Zion-where it is, and where the gathering of the dispensation is, and which I am now going to tell you. . . . The whole of America is Zion itself from north to
south, and is described by the Prophets, who declare that it is the Zion where the mountain the Lord should be, and that it should be in the center the land. . . .

I have received instructions from the Lord that from henceforth wherever the Elders of Israel shall build up churches and branches unto the Lord throughout the States,
there shall be a stake of Zion. In the great cities, as Boston, New York, etc., there shall be stakes. (HC 6:318-19.)

An example of a prophecy, comparable with Section 87 on war, is:

I prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains, many would apostatize, others would be put to death
by our persecutors or lose their lives in consequence of exposure or disease, and some of you will live to go and assist in making settlements and build cities and see the
Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. (HC 5:85, August 6, 1842.)

Vision is one method of revelation. The number of visions received by the Prophet is numerous, but most of them are not in the Doctrine and Covenants. An important
one in its doctrinal message is the following:

The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God. . . .

Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me saying-

Revelation.

All who have died without a knowledge of this Gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that Kingdom, for I, the Lord, will judge all
men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.

And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability, are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven. (HC 2:380-81, January 21,
1836.)

If one were to cite the great many inspired statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith, a sizeable number of sections similar to Sections 130 and 131 of the Doctrine and
Covenants could be prepared. (The purpose of this discussion is not to argue that we should have additions to or another Doctrine and Covenants, but to substantiate
the thesis that the Prophet had many revelations in addition to those in the Doctrine and Covenants. The principle of continuous revelation was very active during his
lifetime.) The following are only a few examples:

The gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, cannot be received through the medium of any other principle than the principle of righteousness, for if the
proposals are not complied with, it is of no use, but withdraws. (HC 3:379, June 27, 1839.)

The spirit of revelation is in connection with these blessings. A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel
pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that
were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of
revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus. (HC 3:381.)

As concerning the resurrection, I will merely say that all men will come from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young; there will not be "added unto your
stature one cubit," neither taken from it; all will be raised by the power of God, having spirit in their bodies, and not blood. (HC 4:555, March 20, 1842.)

Except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity, while in this probation, by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood,
they will cease to increase when they die; that is, they will not have any children after the resurrection. (HC 5:391.)

Salvation means a man's being placed beyond the power of all enemies. (HC 5:392, May 17, 1843.)

The great misery of departed spirits in the world of spirits, where they go after death, is to know that they come short of the glory that others enjoy and that they might
have enjoyed
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Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. (HC
6:364, May 12, 1844.)
Salvation means a man's being placed beyond the power of all enemies. (HC 5:392, May 17, 1843.)

The great misery of departed spirits in the world of spirits, where they go after death, is to know that they come short of the glory that others enjoy and that they might
have enjoyed themselves, and they are their own accusers. (HC 5:425, June 11, 1843.)

Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. (HC
6:364, May 12, 1844.)

History of the Church is a rich legacy available to this generation. It is very possible that among the "other books," other than the Bible, that Nephi saw come forth for
the salvation of men in our day are the inspired writings of the Prophet's history.

A question asked frequently is: Why has not the Doctrine and Covenants had more revelations added to it? President Joseph Fielding Smith answered this question as
follows:

When the Lord has a revelation to be placed in the Doctrine and Covenants he will indicate it. The Doctrine and Covenants does not contain all the revelations given to
the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is a "selection" of revelations which contain doctrines and commandments covering every phase of salvation, which, if we will follow them,
will direct us to the celestial kingdom. The Lord has given revelation to each of the presidents of the Church, but it is unnecessary that every word revealed should be
added to that volume. President Wilford Woodruff said:

"I have had the administration of angels in my day and time, though I never prayed for an angel. I have had, in several instances, the administration of holy angels. . . .
The Lord revealed to me by vision, by revelations, and by the Holy Spirit, many things that lay before me." (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 288, 300.)

President Brigham Young had similar experiences, and the revelations of the Lord were with him in directing the pioneers across the plains. He had the revelations from
the Lord in the building of colonies and cities throughout the western territory and in sending forth men and women to colonize them. The history which is written gives
evidence of that inspiration. President John Taylor also was directed during many trying days by revelation from the Lord. President Joseph F. Smith was likewise led,
and we have at our command his vision of the redemption of the dead. (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 601. Read also pages 596-602.) President Heber J.
Grant had the spirit of prophecy and revelation, to the writer's knowledge, for the benefit of the members of the Church, and so has it been down to the present day.

Can you tell me why some members of the Church are clamoring for more revelation to be placed in the Doctrine and Covenants, when most of those who do are not
keeping the commandments of the Lord that are already revealed? What privilege does a person have to ask for more revelation, when he does not conform his life to
the commandments already given? There is a very significant statement in Section 59 of the Doctrine and Covenants as follows:

"And they (the saints who are faithful) shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time-they
that are faithful and diligent before me." (D&C 59:4.) . . .

Let us one and all take an inward look. Perhaps it is because we have not humbled ourselves; because we have failed to heed the commandments and to accept and
abide in the revelations already given, that there is not more given to us. It is my humble opinion that we are receiving council by inspiration, or revelation, at every
general conference of the Church. Would it not be wise for the members of the Church to pay more heed to these counsels and prepare ourselves for more to come?
(Answers to Gospel Questions, 1958, 2:202-5.)

Revelation is given as members of the Church heed the counsel of the prophets, seers, and revelators. An important aspect of this subject was revealed January 2,
1831. The members of the Church, including the Prophet, had been praying about the outcome of conditions in the world. The Lord revealed that because of these
prayers he was making known to his prophet sufficient concerning the subject and admonished them to receive it lest the wickedness of men would bring about events
that would find them unprepared for these events. The Lord said:

Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.

I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their
wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear. (D&C 38:29-
31.)

If we listen to the words of the living prophets, we shall then find the answers to our personal problems. Thus, the windows of heaven are open to the faithful through
the prophets of the Lord. An important question is: Are we sufficiently humble to accept as inspired the words of the prophets? An additional question might be asked:
Are we also living in such a way as to receive the personal revelation to which we are entitled?

The Savior instructed the Nephites that if they would receive what had already been revealed, "then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them." (3 Nephi
26:9-10.)

Revelation need not be always expressed as "Thus saith the Lord" and placed in written form. Elder Harold B. Lee of the Council of the Twelve related the following at
the Brigham Young University on October 15, 1952:

Brother [John A.] Widtsoe, who, coming home from a Stake Conference some years ago, told of a little discussion he had with a group of officers round about the
Stake between meetings. In the course of one of these discussions someone had said to him, "Brother Widtsoe, how long has it been since the Church received a
revelation?" Brother Widtsoe rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said in reply, "Oh, probably since last Thursday." [On Thursdays the First Presidency and the Twelve
meet.] I think that surprised the people who asked.

In this same sermon Elder Lee said:

I recall an incident a little over six months ago when an important matter had been decided upon, and the Presidency had called the Twelve to announce the decision.
After the decision had been made, it was a thrilling thing to hear the President of the Church say, "Brethren, the Lord has spoken." It was a wonderful thought to hear
the President before he left for his mission to Europe, in a sort of a farewell talk to the Council, say something like this to them: "Brethren, pray for me. This is an
important mission that I am going on. Pray for me, and I'll try to live so that the Lord can answer your prayers through me."

Specific testimonies of revelation as well as printed revelations may be found throughout the dispensation. Here is what President Brigham Young said on the subject:

It has been observed that the people want revelation. This is revelation; and were it written, it would then be written revelation, as truly as the revelations which are
contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. I could give you revelation about going to California, for I know the mind of the Lord upon that matter. I could give
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line of truth in writing as any revelation you ever read. I could write the mind of the Lord, and you could put it in your pockets. But before we desire more written
revelation, let us fulfil the revelations that are already written, and which we have scarcely begun to fulfil. (Journal of Discourses 6:319, April 7, 1852.)
Specific testimonies of revelation as well as printed revelations may be found throughout the dispensation. Here is what President Brigham Young said on the subject:

It has been observed that the people want revelation. This is revelation; and were it written, it would then be written revelation, as truly as the revelations which are
contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. I could give you revelation about going to California, for I know the mind of the Lord upon that matter. I could give
you revelation upon the subject of paying your Tithing and building a temple to the name of the Lord; for the light is in me. I could put these revelations as straight to the
line of truth in writing as any revelation you ever read. I could write the mind of the Lord, and you could put it in your pockets. But before we desire more written
revelation, let us fulfil the revelations that are already written, and which we have scarcely begun to fulfil. (Journal of Discourses 6:319, April 7, 1852.)

Examples and illustrations, as valuable as they are in helping to build faith in a principle of the gospel, do not provide the sure word of prophecy in and of themselves.
Ultimately, in the life of each person there must come the conviction of the Holy Ghost. As scripture is made by the Holy Ghost, so also the knowledge of the truth must
come by the same Spirit. Many years of research into the writings and sermons of the prophets, seers, and revelators of the dispensation have only confirmed what the
Spirit had already revealed personally to the author-scripture is being made today. The Doctrine and Covenants is a most glorious book, full of truths about which a
sincere truthseeker will exclaim: "It is of God!" With equal fervor and knowledge, he also testifies that continuous revelation is in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints, as evidenced by the words of the prophets, seers, and revelators of the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times! Of these things, there is no question in the
mind of him who has received the witness of the Holy Ghost.

Key to Abbreviations

Abbreviations are used for those sources quoted most extensively in Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine and Covenants. Titles of other publications are given in full
following quotations. A bibliography giving publishing data for all publications is found at the end of this volume.

AF Articles of Faith, by James E. Talmage

C The Contributor

CHMR Church History and Modern Revelation, by Joseph Fielding Smith

CR Conference Report

DN Deseret News

DNCS Deseret News Church Section

DW Deseret Weekly

EMS Evening and Morning Star

HC History of the Church, by Joseph Smith

I Instructor

IE Improvement Era

JD Journal of Discourses

JI Juvenile Instructor

LEJ Liahona, or Elders' Journal

MS Millennial Star

RSM Relief Society Magazine

TPJS Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

TS Times and Seasons

YWJ Young Women's Journal

Section 107

Revelation on Priesthood, given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, dated March 28, 1835. On the date named the Twelve met in council, confessing
their individual weaknesses and shortcomings, expressing repentance, and seeking the further guidance of the Lord. They were about to separate on missions to
districts assigned. See History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 209.-Distinction between the Aaronic and the Melchizedek Priesthoods-The right of presidency belongs to the
Melchizedek Priesthood-High authority of the Presidency of the High Priesthood-The Bishopric as the presidency of the Aaronic Priesthood-Duties of the several
quorums and of the presiding officers thereof-The Twelve constitute the Traveling Presiding High Council-The Twelve to ordain evangelical ministers, or Patriarchs-
Descent of the patriarchal order from Adam to Noah-Bishops to be chosen from the High Priesthood unless literal descendants of Aaron are made known-The order
of Church tribunals-No one in the Church exempt from accountability.

1. There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood.

2. Why the first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great high priest.

3. Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.

4. But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that
priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood.
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5. All other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this priesthood.
3. Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.

4. But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that
priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood.

5. All other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this priesthood.

6. But there are two divisions or grand heads-one is the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the other is the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood.

7. The office of an elder comes under the priesthood of Melchizedek.

8. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in
spiritual things.

9. The Presidency of the High Priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, have a right to officiate in all the offices in the church.

10. High priests after the order of the Melchizedek Priesthood have a right to officiate in their own standing, under the direction of the presidency, in administering
spiritual things, and also in office of an elder, priest (of the Levitical order), teacher, deacon, and member.

11. An elder has a right to officiate in his stead when the high priest is not present.

12. The high priest and elder are to administer in spiritual things, agreeable to the covenants and commandments of the church; and they have a right to officiate in all
these offices of the church when there are no higher authorities present.

13. The second priesthood is called the Priesthood of Aaron, because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations.

14. Why it is called the lesser priesthood is because it is an appendage to the greater, or the Melchizedek Priesthood, and has power in administering outward
ordinances.

15. The bishopric is the presidency of this priesthood, and holds the keys or authority of the same.

16. No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant of Aaron.

17. But as a high priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the office of bishop when no literal
descendant of Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this power by the hands of the Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

18. The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church-

19. To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and
church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.

20. The power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of
the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments.

21. Of necessity there are presidents, or presiding officers growing out of, or appointed of or from among those who are ordained to the several offices in these two
priesthoods.

22. or the Melchizedek Priesthood, three Presiding High Priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith, and
prayer of the church, form a quorum of the Presidency of the Church.

23. The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world-thus differing from other officers in
the church in the duties of their calling.

24. And they form a quorum, equal in authority and power to the three presidents previously mentioned.

25. The Seventy are also called to preach the gospel, and to be especial witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world-thus differing from other officers in the church
in the duties of their calling.

26. And they form a quorum, equal in authority to that of the Twelve special witnesses or Apostles just named.

27. And every decision made by either of these quorums must be by the unanimous voice of the same; that is, every member in each quorum must be agreed to its
decisions, in order to make their decisions of the same power or validity one with the other-

28. A majority may form a quorum when circumstances render it impossible to be otherwise-

29. Unless this is the case, their decisions are not entitled to the same blessings which the decisions of a quorum of three presidents were anciently, who were ordained
after the order of Melchizedek, and were righteous and holy men.

30. The decisions of these quorums, or either of them, are to be made in all righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long suffering, and in faith,
and virtue, and knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity;

31. Because the promise is, if these things abound in them they shall not be unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord.

32. And in case that any decision of these quorums is made in unrighteousness, it may be brought before a general assembly of the several quorums, which constitute
the spiritual authorities of the church; otherwise there can be no appeal from their decision.

33. The Twelve are a Traveling Presiding High Council, to officiate in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Presidency of the Church, agreeable to the
institution
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34. The Seventy are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve or the traveling high council, in building up the church and regulating all the affairs
of the same in all nations, first unto the Gentiles and then to the Jews;
the spiritual authorities of the church; otherwise there can be no appeal from their decision.

33. The Twelve are a Traveling Presiding High Council, to officiate in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Presidency of the Church, agreeable to the
institution of heaven; to build up the church, and regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations, first unto the Gentiles and secondly unto the Jews.

34. The Seventy are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve or the traveling high council, in building up the church and regulating all the affairs
of the same in all nations, first unto the Gentiles and then to the Jews;

35. The Twelve being sent out, holding the keys, to open the door by the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and first unto the Gentiles and then unto the Jews.

36. The standing high councils, at the stakes of Zion, form a quorum equal in authority in the affairs of the church, in all their decisions, to the quorum of the presidency,
or to the traveling high council.

37. The high council in Zion form a quorum equal in authority in the affairs of the church, in all their decisions, to the councils of the Twelve at the stakes of Zion.

38. It is the duty of the traveling high council to call upon the Seventy, when they need assistance, to fill the several calls for preaching and administering the gospel,
instead of any others.

39. It is the duty of the Twelve, in all large branches of the church, to ordain evangelical ministers, as they shall be designated unto them by revelation-

40. The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the
promises were made.

41. This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage in the following manner:

42. From Adam to Seth, who was ordained by Adam at the age of sixty-nine years, and was blessed by him three years previous to his (Adam's) death, and received
the promise of God by his father, that his posterity should be the chosen of the Lord, and that they should be preserved unto the end of the earth;

43. Because he (Seth) was a perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father, insomuch that he seemed to be like unto his father in all things, and
could be distinguished from him only by his age.

44. Enos was ordained at the age of one hundred and thirty-four years and four months, by the hand of Adam.

45. God called upon Cainan in the wilderness in the fortieth year of his age; and he met Adam in journeying to the place Shedolamak. He was eighty-seven years old
when he received his ordination.

46. Mahalaleel was four hundred and ninety-six years and seven days old when he was ordained by the hand of Adam, who also blessed him.

47. Jared was two hundred years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam, who also blessed him.

48. Enoch was twenty-five years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam; and he was sixty-five and Adam blessed him.

49. And he saw the Lord, and he walked with him, and was before his face continually; and he walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years, making him four
hundred and thirty years old when he was translated.

50. Methuselah was one hundred years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam.

51. Lamech was thirty-two years old when he was ordained under the hand of Seth.

52. Noah was ten years old when he was ordained under the hand of Methuselah.

53. Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of
his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.

54. And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.

55. And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince
over them forever.

56. And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever
should befall his posterity unto the latest generation.

57. These things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time.

58. It is the duty of the Twelve, also, to ordain and set in order all the other officers of the church, agreeable to the revelation which says:

59. To the church of Christ in the land of Zion, in addition to the church laws respecting church business-

60. Verily, I say unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts, there must needs be presiding elders to preside over those who are of the office of an elder;

61. And also priests to preside over those who are of the office of a priest;

62. And also teachers to preside over those who are of the office of a teacher, in like manner, and also the deacons-

63. Wherefore, from deacon to teacher, and from teacher to priest, and from priest to elder, severally as they are appointed, according to the covenants and
commandments of the church.
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65. Wherefore, it must needs be that one be appointed of the High Priesthood to preside over the priesthood, and he shall be called President of the High Priesthood of
63. Wherefore, from deacon to teacher, and from teacher to priest, and from priest to elder, severally as they are appointed, according to the covenants and
commandments of the church.

64. Then comes the High Priesthood, which is the greatest of all.

65. Wherefore, it must needs be that one be appointed of the High Priesthood to preside over the priesthood, and he shall be called President of the High Priesthood of
the Church;

66. Or, in other words, the Presiding High Priest over the High Priesthood of the Church.

67. From the same comes the administering of ordinances and blessings upon the church, by the laying on of the hands.

68. Wherefore, the office of a bishop is not equal unto it; for the office of a bishop is in administering all temporal things;

69. Nevertheless a bishop must be chosen from the High Priesthood, unless he is a literal descendant of Aaron;

70. For unless he is a literal descendant of Aaron he cannot hold the keys of that priesthood.

71. Nevertheless, a high priest, that is, after the order of Melchizedek, may be set apart unto the ministering of temporal things, having a knowledge of them by the
Spirit of truth;

72. And also to be a judge in Israel, to do the business of the church, to sit in judgment upon transgressors upon testimony as it shall be laid before him according to the
laws, by the assistance of his counselors, whom he has chosen or will choose among the elders of the church.

73. This is the duty of a bishop who is not a literal descendant of Aaron, but has been ordained to the High Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.

74. Thus shall he be a judge, even a common judge among the inhabitants of Zion, or in a stake of Zion, or in any branch of the church where he shall be set apart unto
this ministry, until the borders of Zion are enlarged and it becomes necessary to have other bishops or judges in Zion or elsewhere.

75. And inasmuch as there are other bishops appointed they shall act in the same office.

76. But a literal descendant of Aaron has a legal right to the presidency of this priesthood, to the keys of this ministry, to act in the office of bishop independently,
without counselors, except in a case where a President of the High Priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, is tried, to sit as a judge in Israel.

77. And the decision of either of these councils, agreeable to the commandment which says:

78. Again, verily, I say unto you, the most important business of the church, and the most difficult cases of the church, inasmuch as there is not satisfaction upon the
decision of the bishop or judges, it shall be handed over and carried up unto the council of the church, before the Presidency of the High Priesthood.

79. And the Presidency of the council of the High Priesthood shall have power to call other high priests, even twelve, to assist as counselors; and thus the Presidency of
the High Priesthood and its counselors shall have power to decide upon testimony according to the laws of the church.

80. And after this decision it shall be had in remembrance no more before the Lord; for this is the highest council of the church of God, and a final decision upon
controversies in spiritual matters.

81. There is not any person belonging to the church who is exempt from this council of the church.

82. And inasmuch as a President of the High Priesthood shall transgress, he shall be had in remembrance before the common council of the church, who shall be
assisted by twelve counselors of the High Priesthood;

83. And their decision upon his head shall be an end of controversy concerning him.

84. Thus, none shall be exempted from the justice and the laws of God, that all things may be done in order and in solemnity before him, according to truth and
righteousness.

85. And again, verily I say unto you, the duty of a president over the office of a deacon is to preside over twelve deacons, to sit in council with them, and to teach them
their duty, edifying one another, as it is given according to the covenants.

86. And also the duty of the president over the office of the teachers is to preside over twenty-four of the teachers, and to sit in council with them, teaching them the
duties of their office, as given in the covenants.

87. Also the duty of the president over the Priesthood of Aaron is to preside over forty-eight priests, and sit in council with them, to teach them the duties of their office,
as is given in the covenants-

88. This president is to be a bishop; for this is one of the duties of this priesthood.

89. Again, the duty of the president over the office of elders is to preside over ninety-six elders, and to sit in council with them, and to teach them according to the
covenants.

90. This presidency is a distinct one from that of the seventy, and is designed for those who do not travel into all the world.

91. And again, the duty of the President of the office of the High Priesthood is to preside over the whole church, and to be like unto Moses-

92. Behold, here is wisdom; yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church.

93. And it is according to the vision showing the order of the Seventy, that they should have seven presidents to preside over them, chosen out of the number of the
seventy;
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94. And the seventh president of these presidents is to preside over the six;
92. Behold, here is wisdom; yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church.

93. And it is according to the vision showing the order of the Seventy, that they should have seven presidents to preside over them, chosen out of the number of the
seventy;

94. And the seventh president of these presidents is to preside over the six;

95. And these seven presidents are to choose other seventy besides the first seventy to whom they belong, and are to preside over them;

96. And also other seventy, until seven times seventy, if the labor in the vineyard of necessity requires it.

97. And these seventy are to be traveling ministers, unto the Gentiles first and also unto the Jews.

98. Whereas other officers of the church, who belong not unto the Twelve, neither to the Seventy, are not under the responsibility to travel among all nations, but are to
travel as their circumstances shall allow, notwithstanding they may hold as high and responsible offices in the church.

99. Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.

100. He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved shall not be counted worthy to stand. Even
so. Amen.

George Q. Cannon: Introduction

On the 14th day of February, 1835, the Prophet called an assemblage at Kirtland of all the men who had formed the Camp of Zion. He said to call this meeting he had
been directed by the Almighty. The elders who had passed through the trials and sufferings of the journey to Zion were to be ordained to the ministry to go forth and
prune the vineyard for the last time before the coming of the Lord. Twelve men were to be chosen as Apostles to bear testimony of the name of the Lord Jesus and to
send it abroad among all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

Under the hands of the Prophet the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris were blessed by the direction of the
Holy Spirit to choose the Twelve Apostles of the Church. The men thus selected were all equal in authority, but in a later time the Prophet designated the order in which
they should sit in council-that is, according to age the eldest first. And under this rule the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ in these last
days were: Thomas B. Marsh, David W. Patten, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, William E. McLellin, Parley P. Pratt, Luke Johnson, William Smith,
Orson Pratt, John F. Boynton, and Lyman E. Johnson. . . .

To the twelve it was not only a call to the ministry; for some of them it was a call to martyrdom.

Of the disciples chosen then and of those since selected to keep the quorum complete, not one has escaped the afflictions of time.

With some the pains were too intense to be endured, the burdens too heavy to be borne; and they dropped aside from the on-marching ranks to find, as they hoped,
repose and safety amidst the cooling shadows of that world from which they had been chosen to be special witnesses of the Son of God. Such are no longer His
apostles.

But the others, with unshaken resoluteness, have gone forward in fulfillment of their high mission, under the scorching heat of fiery persecution. Joseph is their captain
and their fellow soldier in the cause of Christ. With him and after him many of them have, with continuous and unyielding zeal, toiled steadily on until worn out in the
performance of the duty assigned them by their Master Jesus; they have passed to the enjoyment of His promised rest. With Him they and the other faithful apostles will
stand triumphant when human time shall be no more, and when the voice of the Eternal shall fill the universe with the thunder of His judgments. They shall not then be
only twelve; for they who have been called of God to this holy calling and who endure faithful, though they may lay down their mortality, yet shall they not lose their
apostleship; for it abideth with them in this world and in the worlds to come. [Sec. 124:130.] (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp. 177-79.)

Joseph Smith: Introduction

In compliance with the above request [Footnote: According to the explanatory note the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 107, the forepart of this revelation, the first
fifty-eight verses, was given March 28th, the same day the Twelve ask the Prophet to enquire of the Lord for them, the other items were revealed at sundry times] , I
inquired of the Lord, and received for answer the following: [Section 107, follows.] (HC 2:210, March 28, 1835; Kirtland, Ohio.)

John A. Widtsoe: Introduction

One hundred years ago this spring great things happened in this Church; the greatest, as an evidence of God's guiding hand over his Church, occurred on March 28th,
1835, just a few days more than one hundred years ago. On that day The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received a revelation which is one of the most
remarkable documents in the possession of man. It stands absolutely unique; there is none like it . . . it sets forth, in plainness and simplicity, the organization of the
quorums of the priesthood; the mutual relations of the quorums to one another; the judicial system of the Church is foreshadowed and outlined; and there is a wonderful
picture of the early history of the priesthood. I doubt whether any other such documents, of the same small extent, the same few number of words, lies at the foundation
of any other great human institution. . . .

It is so comprehensive in its brevity, so magnificent in its simplicity, that we have found no occasion, up to the present, to wish that it might have been more complete. . .
.

I find in the History of the Church that the first Twelve who had been selected in February scarcely knew what to do. It was a new calling to them. Finally they
assembled and decided that they would leave their homes and set about to preach the Gospel, in accordance with instructions given through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
On March 28th, 1835, as they were about to leave on their missions, they sent to the Prophet Joseph Smith a letter, the major part of which reads as follows (It is
signed by the Council of the Twelve, by their clerks, Orson Hyde and William E. M'Lellin):

"We feel to ask of him whom we have acknowledged to be our Prophet and Seer, that he inquire of God for us, and obtain a revelation, (if consistent) that we may
look upon it when we are separated, that our hearts may be comforted. Our worthiness has not inspired us to make this request, but our unworthiness. We have
unitedly asked God our Heavenly Father to grant unto us, through his Seer, a revelation of his mind and will concerning our duty that coming season, even a great
revelation, that will enlarge our hearts, comfort us in adversity, and brighten our hopes amidst the powers of darkness." (HC 2:210, March 28, 1835.] (CR, April
1935, pp. 80-82.)
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John Taylor: 1, 6
look upon it when we are separated, that our hearts may be comforted. Our worthiness has not inspired us to make this request, but our unworthiness. We have
unitedly asked God our Heavenly Father to grant unto us, through his Seer, a revelation of his mind and will concerning our duty that coming season, even a great
revelation, that will enlarge our hearts, comfort us in adversity, and brighten our hopes amidst the powers of darkness." (HC 2:210, March 28, 1835.] (CR, April
1935, pp. 80-82.)

John Taylor: 1, 6

. . . There are two distinctive general Priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood . . . they are both conferred by the Lord;
that both are everlasting, and administer in time and eternity . . . the second Priesthood is called the Priesthood of Aaron; because it was conferred upon Aaron and his
seed throughout all their generations . . . the lesser Priesthood is a part of, or an appendage to the greater, or the Melchizedek Priesthood, and has power in
administering outward ordinances. The lesser or Aaronic Priesthood can make appointments for the greater, in preaching, can baptize, administer the sacrament, attend
to the tithing, buy lands, settle people on possessions, divide inheritances, look after the poor, take care of the properties of the Church, attend generally to temporal
affairs; act as common judges in Israel, and assist in ordinances of the Temple, under the direction of the greater or Melchizedek Priesthood. They hold the keys of the
ministering of angels and administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the Gospel, and the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. . . . It is further evident that
as the Melchizedek Priesthood holds the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church, and that the Presidency thereof has a right to officiate in all the offices of the
Church, therefore that Presidency has a perfect right to direct or call, set apart and ordain Bishops, to fill any place or position in the Church that may be required for
that ministry to perform in all the Stakes of Zion, or throughout the world.

Aaron and his sons held the Aaronic Priesthood, and the Levites were given unto them to minister unto them to keep his charge, the charge of the congregation, to do
the service of the tabernacle, keep the instrument of the tabernacle, and the charge of the children of Israel. . . . [Numbers 3:5, 10.] They seemed to have been an
appendage to the Aaronic Priesthood to assist in the service of the tabernacle and other duties. Aaron and his male descendants were selected for the Priesthood, and
the other Levites as assistants, or an appendage. [Numbers 3:39, 44-45, 50-51.] (Items on Priesthood, 1899, pp. 30-31, 33-34.)

Harold B. Lee: 2

The priesthood

The history of the Melchizedek Priesthood did not begin with this earth. The prophets understood the premortality existence of priesthood. The Apostle Paul expressed
it when he said, "Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest
continually." (Hebrews 7:3.) That men who are called of God to the authority of the ministry on earth may have been selected for such an appointment even before they
took mortal bodies is clearly evident from the scriptures. (Articles of Faith, p.194.) In support of this doctrine, I bring you now three statements: two scriptural
quotations and one from the Prophet. You recall Abraham received from the Lord this instruction, ". . . and among all these there were many of the noble and great
ones; (meaning the organized intelligences before the world was) and God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I
will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast
chosen before thou wast born." (Abraham 3:22-23.)

In the 13th chapter of Alma, verses 3 and 4, we have a very interesting observation that makes this point very clear. This Nephite prophet spoke of the priests who had
been ordained after the order of the Son of God, and then added:

"And this is the manner after which they were ordained-being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account
of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceeding great faith, are
called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption of such.

"And thus have they been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and
blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren." (Alma 13:3-4.)

Now these are made clear by this statement of the Prophet:

"Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. (Now
note this.) I suppose I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council. It is the testimony that I want that I am God's servant and this people His
people." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 365.) (Address to Seminary and Institute Faculty, "Priesthood," July 17, 1958, pp. 4-5.)

Stephen L Richards: 2

Priesthood

The Priesthood is usually simply defined as "The power of God delegated to man." This definition, I think, is accurate. But for practical purposes I like to define the
Priesthood in terms of service and I frequently call it "the perfect plan of service." I do so because it seems to me that it is only through the utilization of the divine power
conferred on men that they may ever hope to realize the full importance and vitality of this endowment. It is an instrument of service. Its uses and purposes are all
defined in terms of service, and the man who fails to use it is apt to lose it, for we are plainly told by revelation that he who neglects it "shall not be counted worthy to
stand." [Sec. 107:100.]

The Priesthood is not static and a man's ordination to it is not a static investiture. There may be some men, however, who so regard it, for they seem to be so smug and
content with their ordinations.

I can well imagine such a man going into the presence of the great Eternal Judge and saying in substance, "While I was on earth I was a High Priest. I come now to
claim the reward of a High Priest." I think it is not difficult to suppose what may be his answer. He will likely be met with such questions as these, "What did you do
when you were a High Priest? How did you use this great power which you held? Whom did you bless with it?" Upon his reply to such interrogatories as these will his
reward be predicated? (CR, April 1937, pp. 46-47.)

Charles W. Penrose: 2

The priesthood

When a woman is sealed to a man holding the Priesthood, she becomes one with him. . . . The glory and power and dominion that he will exercise when he has the
fulness of the Priesthood and becomes a "king and a priest unto God," she will share with him. Sisters have said to me sometimes, "But, I hold the Priesthood with my
husband." "Well," I asked, "what office do you hold in the Priesthood?" Then they could not say much more. The sisters are not ordained to any office in the Priesthood
and  there is (c)
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a man. . . . When you are sealed to a man of God who holds it and who, by overcoming, inherits the fulness of the glory of God, you will share that with him if you are
fit for it, and I guess you will be. (CR, April 1921, p. 24.)
When a woman is sealed to a man holding the Priesthood, she becomes one with him. . . . The glory and power and dominion that he will exercise when he has the
fulness of the Priesthood and becomes a "king and a priest unto God," she will share with him. Sisters have said to me sometimes, "But, I hold the Priesthood with my
husband." "Well," I asked, "what office do you hold in the Priesthood?" Then they could not say much more. The sisters are not ordained to any office in the Priesthood
and there is authority in the Church which they cannot exercise; it does not belong to them; they cannot do that properly any more than they can change themselves into
a man. . . . When you are sealed to a man of God who holds it and who, by overcoming, inherits the fulness of the glory of God, you will share that with him if you are
fit for it, and I guess you will be. (CR, April 1921, p. 24.)

Joseph F. Smith: 5

All . . . offices . . . are appendages to this priesthood

There is no office growing out of this Priesthood that is or can be greater than the Priesthood itself. It is from the Priesthood that the office derives its authority and
power. No office gives authority to the Priesthood. No office adds to the power of the Priesthood. But all offices in the Church derive their power, their virtue, their
authority, from the Priesthood. If our brethren would get this principle thoroughly established in their minds, there would be less misunderstanding in relation to the
functions of government in the Church than there is. (CR, October 1903, p. 82.)

Joseph F. Smith: 7

The office of an Elder, of a High Priest, of a Seventy-all the offices in the Church are simply appendages to the Melchizedek Priesthood, and grow out of it. (CR,
October 1903, p. 87.)

Joseph Smith: 8

The Melchizedek High Priesthood was no other than the Priesthood of the Son of God; that there are certain ordinances which belong to the Priesthood, from which
flow certain results; and the Presidents or Presidency are over the Church; and revelations of the mind and will of God to the Church are to come through the
Presidency. This is the order of heaven, and the power and privilege of this Priesthood. (HC 2:477, April 6, 1837.)

Joseph F. Smith: 9

We have the council of the first presidency consisting of three presiding high priests who are called of God and appointed to preside over the Church and over the
Priesthood of God, and I want to say here that it does not follow and never has followed that the members of the first presidency of the Church are necessarily to be
ordained apostles. They hold by virtue of their rights as presidents of the Church all the keys and all the authority that pertains to the Melchizedek Priesthood, which
comprehends and comprises all of the appendages to that priesthood, the lesser priesthood and all the offices in the priesthood from first to last, and from least to
greatest. (CR, April 1913, p. 4.)

Joseph Smith: 10

High Priests

A High Priest is a member of the same Melchizedek Priesthood with the Presidency, but not of the same power or authority in the church. (HC 2:477, April 6, 1837.)

Brigham Young: 10

A person who is ordained to the office of an Elder in this kingdom has the same Priesthood that the High Priests, that the Twelve Apostles, that the Seventies, and that
the First Presidency hold; but all are not called to be one of the Twelve Apostles, nor are all called to be one of the First Presidency, nor to be one of the First
Presidents of all the Seventies, nor to be one of the Presidents of a Quorum of Seventies, nor to preside over the High Priests' Quorum; but every man in his order and
place, possessing a portion of the same Priesthood, according to the gifts and callings to each. (JD, May 7, 1861, 9:89.)

Joseph F. Smith: 10-12

Today the question is, which is the greater-the High Priest or the Seventy, the Seventy or the High Priest? I tell you that neither of them is the greater, and neither of
them is the lesser. Their callings lie in different directions, but they are from the same Priesthood. If it were necessary, the Seventy, holding the Melchizedek Priesthood,
as he does, I say IF IT WERE NECESSARY-he could ordain a High Priest; and if it were necessary for a High Priest to ordain a Seventy, he could do that. Why?
Because both of them hold the Melchizedek Priesthood. Then again, if it were necessary-though I do not expect the necessity will ever arise-and there was no man left
on earth holding the Melchizedek Priesthood except an Elder, that Elder, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, and by the direction of the Almighty, could proceed,
and should proceed, to organize the Church of Jesus Christ in all its perfection, because he holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. But the house of God is a house of
order, and while the other offices remain in the Church, we must observe the order of the Priesthood, and we must perform ordinances and ordinations strictly in
accordance with that order, as it has been established in the Church through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his successors. (CR, October 1903, p.
87.)

Orson Pratt: 13-17, 20

There is a lesser Priesthood, sometimes called the Priesthood after the order of Aaron, or the Aaronic Priesthood, which is merely an appendage to the higher
Priesthood of Melchizedek; in other words, it is included in the Priesthood of Melchizedek. It is more especially called the lesser Priesthood, because those holding it,
and being in possession of no higher authority, can only obtain a certain portion or measure of the blessings that the Lord has in store for his people; it can proceed so
far and no farther; it is limited in its nature, its power, its ordinances and its ministry. But when combined with the higher Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, it
then can receive all the blessings that are ordained of the Almighty to be bestowed upon his people in any dispensation. . . .

The Priesthood of Aaron, being an appendage to the higher Priesthood, has power to administer in temporal ordinances, such as that of baptism for remission of sins,
the administration of the Lord's Supper, and in attending to temporal things for the benefit of the people of God. Among the privileges that are granted to this lesser
Priesthood is to hold communion with holy angels that may be sent down from heaven. . . . [Sec. 13.]

Let me here say, for the benefit of those who have not studied the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church, that if we have literal descendants of Aaron, they have the
birthright, through their obedience to the Gospel of the Son of God, to the Bishopric, which pertains to the lesser Priesthood, they have the right to claim it, and to all
the keys and powers pertaining to it, they have the right to be ordained and set apart to that calling and to officiate therein, and that too without the aid of two
counselors. That is what we are taught in modern revelation. But as we have none at present, to our knowledge, that belong to the seed of Aaron, that has the right to
this by lineage,
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apart by the First Presidency, or under their direction and according to their instruction as Bishops to officiate in the Presidency of the lower Priesthood. This order has
been followed ever since the Lord revealed these things to this Church. A Bishop must be ordained to the high Priesthood, and by authority of that Priesthood, he may
be set apart as a Bishop to preside over the lesser Priesthood to exercise the functions thereof, with the exception of one condition, that is, he must have two
Let me here say, for the benefit of those who have not studied the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church, that if we have literal descendants of Aaron, they have the
birthright, through their obedience to the Gospel of the Son of God, to the Bishopric, which pertains to the lesser Priesthood, they have the right to claim it, and to all
the keys and powers pertaining to it, they have the right to be ordained and set apart to that calling and to officiate therein, and that too without the aid of two
counselors. That is what we are taught in modern revelation. But as we have none at present, to our knowledge, that belong to the seed of Aaron, that has the right to
this by lineage, the Lord has pointed out that those who are ordained to the higher Priesthood have the right, by virtue of this higher authority, to administer, when set
apart by the First Presidency, or under their direction and according to their instruction as Bishops to officiate in the Presidency of the lower Priesthood. This order has
been followed ever since the Lord revealed these things to this Church. A Bishop must be ordained to the high Priesthood, and by authority of that Priesthood, he may
be set apart as a Bishop to preside over the lesser Priesthood to exercise the functions thereof, with the exception of one condition, that is, he must have two
counsellors ordained from among the high Priests of the Church. These three persons must officiate in relation to all the ordinances that pertain to the lesser Priesthood,
and to administer in temporal things, having a knowledge of them by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, as we are taught in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. [Sec.
68:14-21.] (JD, May 13, 1877, 18:363-64.)

Orson Pratt: 18-19

The higher Priesthood after the order of the Son of God, we are told in a modern revelation, holds the power to commune with the Church of the Firstborn that are in
heaven, and that too not in a spiritual sense alone; or, as some would infer, to commune with them without receiving any revelation, to commune with them without
beholding their personages; but in the literal sense, even the same as one man communes with another. It holds not only the power of the ministration of holy angels to
be seen personally, but also the power of beholding the face of God the Father, that through the power and manifestations of the spirit of God and of His angels we
may be prepared to enter into the presence of God the Father in the world to come, and enjoy continual communion with Him, and be crowned with the glory of the
celestial kingdom, to stand in our place and calling to all eternity, in connection with all those who hold the Priesthood in the eternal worlds. (JD, May 13, 1877,
18:363.)

Joseph F. Smith: 21-22

I will call your attention to the fact that the Lord in the beginning of this work revealed that there should be three High Priests to preside over the High Priesthood of His
Church and over the whole Church. (D&C 107:22, 64, 65, 66, 67, 91, and 92.) He conferred upon them all the authority to preside over all the affairs of the Church.
They hold the keys of the house of God, and of the ordinances of the Gospel, and of every blessing which has been restored to the earth in this dispensation. This
authority is vested in a Presidency of three High Priests. They are three Presidents. The Lord himself so calls them. (D&C 107:29.) But there is one presiding President,
and his counselors are Presidents also. . . . I have always held, and do hold, and trust I always shall hold, that it is wrong for one man to exercise all the authority and
power of presidency in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (CR, November 1901, p. 82.)

David O. McKay: 21-22

The Lord has said that the three presiding high priests chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to this office of presidency, are to be "upheld by the confidence,
faith, and prayer of the Church." No one can preside over this Church without first being in tune with the head of the Church, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is
our head. This is his Church. Without his divine guidance and constant inspiration, we cannot succeed. With his guidance, with his inspiration, we cannot fail.

Next to that as a sustaining potent power, come the confidence, faith, prayers, and united support of the Church. (CR, April 1951, p. 157.)

J. Reuben Clark, Jr: 22

Upheld by the confidence . . . of the Church

To speak in terms of political science, this assembly here today, this Annual Conference, of the Priesthood and membership of the Church will, for the purpose of
sustaining the Authorities of the Church, act as a constituent assembly. Every General Authority of the Church, as well as other Church officers, comes before such an
assembly twice each year.

Again speaking in terms of political science, in the Church the nominating power rests in a group, the General Authorities, but the sustaining or electing power rests in
the body of the Church, which under no circumstances nominates officers, the function of the Church body being solely to sustain or to elect. In fact, as will be seen, the
General Authority or other officer, is proposed to the body of the Church for their sustaining vote. . . .

Furthermore, the actual procedure for voting is normally by the uplifted hand of those present. No electioneering, no speech-making, no stating of objections, no
proposing of candidates, no vocal demonstration of any kind is in order. Anyone seeking to do any of these things would not only be out of order as a matter of
procedure, but would be likewise breaking the peace of the State by interrupting and disturbing a public assembly, would be subject to arrest as a disturber of the
peace, and if necessary, would have to be so dealt with as a matter of public order. This assembly might be called the "voting booth" of the Church. . . .

It is obvious that only members of the Church are entitled to vote, and an excommunicant is not a member.

Anyone not desiring to sustain anyone proposed may not only indicate his dissent here but he may, if he wishes, present his objections to the proper authority of the
Church, and will be given an appropriate hearing. This is the rule and order of the Church. . . .

With this view of the rights, powers, and duties of the President of the High Priesthood of the Church, and also of the First Presidency (D&C 107:64-66; 102:9;
107:91, 92; 90:12, 15, 16; 107:33, 39; 81:2), it is clear that the sustaining vote by the people is not, and is not to be regarded as, a mere matter of form, but on the
contrary a matter of the last gravity. Every person is entitled to indicate whether or not he or she can sustain the officer proposed. While all the Church members vote
and sustain the officer, yet the sustaining Priesthood power comes from the Priesthood itself. Your voting will result in the Church body's acknowledging the
administration of the man appointed by revelation as the Presiding High Priest over the High Priesthood of the Church. (CR, April 1940, pp. 71-74.)

Wilford Woodruff: 22

Do you know of any reason in case of the death of the President of the Church why the Twelve Apostles should not choose some other than the President of the
Twelve to be the President of the Church?

I know of several reasons why they should not. First, at the death of the President of the Church the Twelve Apostles become the presiding authority the Church, and
the president of the Twelve is really the President of the Church, by virtue of his office as much while presiding over the Twelve Apostles as while presiding over his
two counselors. . . . Second, in case of the death of the President of the Church it takes a majority of the Twelve Apostles to appoint the President of the Church, and
it is very unreasonable to suppose that the majority of that quorum could be converted to depart from the course marked out by inspiration and followed by the
Apostles at the death of Christ and by the Twelve Apostles at the death of Joseph Smith. (Wilford Woodruff, March 28, 1877, p. 561.)
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James E. Talmage: 23

The Twelve Apostles
the president of the Twelve is really the President of the Church, by virtue of his office as much while presiding over the Twelve Apostles as while presiding over his
two counselors. . . . Second, in case of the death of the President of the Church it takes a majority of the Twelve Apostles to appoint the President of the Church, and
it is very unreasonable to suppose that the majority of that quorum could be converted to depart from the course marked out by inspiration and followed by the
Apostles at the death of Christ and by the Twelve Apostles at the death of Joseph Smith. (Wilford Woodruff, March 28, 1877, p. 561.)

James E. Talmage: 23

The Twelve Apostles

The title "Apostle" is one of special significance and sanctity; it has been given of God, and belongs only to those who have been called and ordained as "special
witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world, thus differing from other officers in the Church in the duties of their calling." (D&C 107:23.) By derivation the word
"Apostle" is the English equivalent of the Greek "apostolos," indicating a messenger, an ambassador, or literally "one who is sent." It signifies that he who is rightly so
called, speaks and acts not of himself, but as the representative of a higher power whence his commission issued; and in this sense the title is that of a servant, rather
than of a superior. Even the Christ, however, is called an Apostle, with reference to His ministry in the flesh (Hebrews 3:1); and this appellation is justified by His
repeated declarations that He came to earth to do not His own will but that of the Father by whom He was sent. [John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38-39.]

So great is the sanctity of this special calling, that the title "Apostle" should not be used lightly as the common or ordinary form of address applied to living men called to
this office. The quorum or council of the Twelve Apostles as existent in the Church today may better be spoken of as the "Quorum of the Twelve," the "Council of the
Twelve," or simply as the "Twelve," and as the "Twelve Apostles," except as particular occasion may warrant the use of the more sacred term. It is advised that the title
"Apostle" be not applied as a prefix to the name of any member of the Council of the Twelve; but that such a one be addressed or spoken of as Brother______ or
Elder______, and when necessary or desirable, as in announcing his presence in a public assembly, an explanatory clause may be added, thus, "Elder______ one of
the Council of the Twelve." (LEJ, February 24, 1914, 11:580-81.)

Brigham Young: 23-24

What ordination should a man receive to possess all the keys and powers of the Holy Priesthood that were delivered to the sons of Adam? He should be ordained an
Apostle of Jesus Christ. That office puts him in possession of every key, every power, every authority, communication, benefit, blessing, glory, and kingdom that was
ever revealed to man. That pertains to the office of an Apostle of Jesus Christ. (JD 9:87, May 7, 1861.)

Now brethren, the calling of an Apostle is to build up the kingdom of God in all the world: it is the Apostle that holds the keys of this power, and nobody else. If an
Apostle magnifies his calling, he is the word of the Lord to this people all the time, or else he does not magnify his calling;-either one or the other.

If he magnifies his calling, his words are the words of eternal life and salvation to those who hearken to them, just as much so as any written revelations contained in
these three books (Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants). There is nothing contained in these three books that is any more revelation than the words
of an Apostle that is magnifying his calling. (JD, August 29, 1852, 6:282.)

Charles W. Penrose: 23-24

When the Prophet Joseph was taken, and the quorum of the First Presidency was thus dissolved, it devolved upon the Twelve. Read this Section 107 and you will find
that the Lord gave to the Twelve authority to hold the keys, equal with the First Presidency-that is, when the First Presidency was dissolved. The Quorum of the
Twelve came next, and they had power to set in order all the other offices in the Church. That is part of their duty, as the Lord has commanded in this section. . . . God
knew what was coming, and He so ordered things that Brigham [Young] stood at the head of the Twelve and when the Prophet Joseph, and the Prophet Hyrum, the
Patriarch, were taken, the Twelve came up in their place, as the Lord had ordained. Satan then had twelve to overcome instead of three. Furthermore, you will find in
the same revelation, in Section 107, that even if the Twelve should all be taken away, then there are Seventy to come up. [Sec. 107:26.] It puts one in mind of the
Irishman's wall. He built it five feet high and eight feet thick, and when they asked him the reason, he said that if the wind came and blew it over it would be higher than
it was before. . . . So the Lord ordained, in the order of the priesthood, that when the First Presidency was dissolved, the Twelve should succeed, having all the keys,
power and authority to regulate the Church and to organize the quorums. Thus it was that President Young and the Twelve conducted the affairs of the Church for
some time. There was a majority of the Twelve who stood faithful, who were ready to do their duty, and the Lord says that "a majority may form a quorum" when it is
impossible to have them all together. The vacant places were filled up in the quorum; and when the proper time came, President Young, who was a Presiding High
Priest (so are all the Twelve-God's High Priests-a presiding traveling High Council), and his two counselors, were upheld and sustained by the vote and faith and
fellowship of the Church, and formed the Presidency of the Church, in the way God has appointed. (CR, October 1905, pp. 41-42.)

Wilford Woodruff in behalf of the Council of Twelve: 23-24

After the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph there were pretenders who asserted that they had the right to take his place at the head of the Church. Some were
deceived by their pretensions, not being familiar with the order of the Priesthood.

For some time before his death the Prophet Joseph was inspired of the Lord to anticipate his own departure from earthly scenes. This was shown in various ways; but
especially in the great anxiety which he displayed to bestow upon the Twelve Apostles all the keys and authority of the Holy Priesthood which he had received. He
declared in private and in public that they were equipped and fully qualified and that he had rolled the kingdom of God onto the shoulders of the Twelve Apostles.

I, Wilford Woodruff, being the last man living in the flesh who was present upon that occasion feel it a duty I owe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to
the House of Israel, and to the whole world to bear this my last testimony to all nations, that in the winter of 1843-44, Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, called the
twelve apostles together in the City of Nauvoo, and spent many days with us in giving us our endowments, and teaching us those glorious principles which God had
revealed to him. And upon one occasion he stood upon his feet in our midst for nearly three hours declaring unto us the great and last dispensation which God had set
His hand to perform upon the earth in these last days. The room was filled as if with consuming fire; the Prophet was clothed upon with much of the power of God, and
his face shone and was transparently clear, and he closed that speech, never-to-be-forgotten in time or in eternity, with the following language:

"Brethren, I have had great sorrow of heart for fear that I might be taken from the earth with the keys of the Kingdom of God upon me, without sealing them upon the
heads of other men. God has sealed upon my head all the keys of the kingdom of God upon the earth, and to prepare the Saints for the coming of the Son of Man.
Now brethren, I thank God I have lived to see the day that I have been enabled to give you your endowments, and I have now sealed upon your heads all the powers
of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods and Apostleship, with all the keys and powers thereof, which God has sealed upon me; and I now roll off all the labor,
burden and care of this Church and Kingdom of God before heaven and earth, and before God, angels and men; and if you don't do it you will be damned."

And the same spirit that filled the room at that time burns in my bosom while I record this testimony, and the Prophet of God appointed no one else but the Apostles to
stand at the head of the Church and direct its affairs. (Pamphlet-Church Historical Department, October 1888.)

Orson Hyde:(c)23-24
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Who has ever read Brigham Young's writings in which he has laboured to establish his right and claim to the Presidency of the Church? No one. God pleads his own
cause through Brigham, because he obeys him; but man has to plead the cause of man who is sordid, illiberal, murmuring, and corrupt.
And the same spirit that filled the room at that time burns in my bosom while I record this testimony, and the Prophet of God appointed no one else but the Apostles to
stand at the head of the Church and direct its affairs. (Pamphlet-Church Historical Department, October 1888.)

Orson Hyde: 23-24

Who has ever read Brigham Young's writings in which he has laboured to establish his right and claim to the Presidency of the Church? No one. God pleads his own
cause through Brigham, because he obeys him; but man has to plead the cause of man who is sordid, illiberal, murmuring, and corrupt.

In the month of February, 1848, the Twelve Apostles met at Hyde Park, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, where a small Branch of the Church was established; and I
must say that I feel not a little proud of the circumstance, and also very thankful, on account of its happening in my own little retired and sequestered hamlet, bearing my
own name. We were in prayer and council, communing together; and what took place on that occasion? The voice of God came from on high, and spake to the
Council. Every latent feeling was aroused, and every heart melted. What did it say unto us? "Let my servant Brigham step forth and receive the full power of the
presiding Priesthood in my Church and kingdom." This was the voice of the Almighty unto us at Council Bluffs, before I removed to what was called Kanesville. It has
been said by some that Brigham was appointed by the people, and not by the voice of God. I do not know that this testimony has often, if ever, been given to the
masses of the people before; but I am one that was present on that occasion, and did hear and feel the voice from heaven, and we were filled with the power of God.
This is my testimony; these are my declarations unto the Saints-unto the members of the kingdom of God in the last days, and to all people.

We said nothing about the matter in those times, but kept it still. (After seating myself in the stand, I was reminded of one circumstance that occurred, which I omitted in
my discourse. Men, women, and children came running together where we were, and asked us what was the matter. They said that their houses shook and the ground
trembled, and they did not know but that there was an earthquake. We told them that there was nothing the matter-not to be alarmed; the Lord was only whispering to
us a little, and that he was probably not very far off. We felt no shaking of the earth or of the house, but were filled with the exceeding power and goodness of God.)
We knew and realized that we had the testimony of God within us. On the 6th day of April following at our annual conference, held in the Log Tabernacle at
Kanesville, the propriety of choosing a man to preside over the Church was investigated. In a very few minutes it was agreed to, and Brigham Young was chosen to fill
that place without a dissenting voice, the people not knowing that there had been any revelation touching the matter. They ignorantly seconded the voice of the Lord
from on high in his appointment. . . . Yes, the voice of God was the voice of the people. Brigham went right ahead, silently, to do the work of the Lord, and to feed his
sheep, and take care of them like a faithful shepherd, leaving all vain aspirants to quarrel and contend about lineal descent, right, power, and authority. (JD, October
1860, 8:233-34.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 23

Special witnesses

Let us consider briefly the great responsibilities which devolve upon the apostles. They are special witnesses for Jesus Christ. It is their right to know the truth and have
an abiding witness, and this is an exacting duty upon them, to know that Jesus Christ is in very deed the Only Begotten Son of God, the Redeemer of the world and the
Savior of all those who will confess their sins, repent and keep his commandments. The question frequently arises: "Is it necessary for the members of the Council of the
twelve to see the Savior in order to be an apostle?" It is their privilege to see him if occasion requires, but the Lord has taught that there is a stronger witness than seeing
a personage, even of the Son of God, in a vision. I wish we could get this clear in the minds of the members of the Church. The Savior said:

"Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

"And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him, but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither
in this world, neither in the world to come." (Matt. 12:31-32.)

Therefore the seeing, even the Savior, does not leave as deep an impression in the mind as does the testimony of the Holy Ghost to the spirit. Both Peter and Paul
understood this. Here are the words of Paul:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

"And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

"If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." (Heb. 6:4-6.)

What is the lesson to be learned from this? That the impressions on the soul that come from the Holy Ghost are far more significant than a vision. It is where Spirit
speaks to spirit, and the imprint upon the soul is far more difficult to erase. Every member of the Church should have the impressions on his soul made by the Holy
Ghost that Jesus is the Son of God indelibly pictured so that they cannot be forgotten. We read that it is the Spirit that giveth life. [2 Cor. 3:6.] (Address to Seminary
and Institute Faculty, "The Twelve Apostles," 1958, p. 6.)

Anthon H. Lund: 26

Equal in authority to that of the Twelve

If the First Presidency is dissolved through the death of the Prophet, then the Twelve apostles have the authority to take the reins of government. [Sec. 107:23-24.]
Should there ever arise such a case as the Apostles' quorum also being dissolved (which I do not think will ever happen), the Lord has further provided that a quorum
of Seventy can hold and exercise the same power. I see a beautiful illustration here of the Lord's providence, in providing that his Church shall not be left in doubt. (CR,
November 1901, p. 75.)

Spencer W. Kimball: 26

Today we announce to you the appointment of four new General Authorities to assist in the carrying forth of the work of the Lord, especially in the missionary area.
The First Quorum of the Seventy will be gradually organized, eventually with seventy members, the presidency of which will be made up of the seven members. Three
Brethren this day will be added to the First Quorum of the Seventy. (CR, October 1975, pp. 3-4.)

Today we shall present four additional members of the First Quorum of the Seventy to you for your votes.

In 1941, five high priests were called to assist the Twelve Apostles in their heavy work, and to fill a role similar to that envisioned by the revelations for the First
Quorum of the Seventy. The scope and demands of the work at that time did not justify the reconstitution of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In the intervening years,
additional
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Commencing a year ago, brethren other than the First Council of the Seventy were called into the First Quorum of the Seventy, and at present there are fourteen in that
quorum, including the First Council.
Today we shall present four additional members of the First Quorum of the Seventy to you for your votes.

In 1941, five high priests were called to assist the Twelve Apostles in their heavy work, and to fill a role similar to that envisioned by the revelations for the First
Quorum of the Seventy. The scope and demands of the work at that time did not justify the reconstitution of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In the intervening years,
additional Assistants to the Twelve have been added and today we have twenty-one.

Commencing a year ago, brethren other than the First Council of the Seventy were called into the First Quorum of the Seventy, and at present there are fourteen in that
quorum, including the First Council.

Since the functions and responsibilities of the Assistants to the Twelve and the Seventy are similar, and since the accelerated, worldwide growth of the Church requires
a consolidation of its administrative functions at the general level, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, with the concurrence of the Assistants to the
Twelve and the First Quorum of the Seventy, have felt inspired to call all of the Assistants to the Twelve into the First Quorum of the Seventy, to call four new members
into the quorum, and to restructure the First Council of the Seventy.

You will see that these changes, which are reflected in the list of General Authorities to be read by President Tanner, bring to thirty-nine the total number in the First
Quorum of the Seventy, thus providing a quorum to do business.

With this move, the three governing quorums of the Church defined by the revelations-the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the First Quorum of the
Seventy-have been set in their places as revealed by the Lord. This will make it possible to handle efficiently the present heavy workload and to prepare for the
increasing expansion and acceleration of the work, anticipating the day when the Lord will return to take direct charge of His church and kingdom. (CR, October 1976,
p. 10.)

Lorenzo Snow: 27-32

Here are my counselors. We are one. We are united. . . . And here we have twelve men sitting in front with us-Twelve Apostles. There are many of these that you
know. . . . We are united together. We do not quarrel with each other. We do not slander one another, but we go where counsel requires and we are heart and soul
together. What for? Not to make ourselves rich, not to make ourselves wealthy, but to see what we can accomplish in the interests of the people, and we are laboring
continually to see what we can do. We come together every week and we talk about what we can do for the people. What can we do for these forty-two or forty-
three Stakes of Zion? (CR, October 1900, p. 5.)

Stephen L Richards: 27-32

Now who is entitled to interpret the doctrine of the Church, granting that same items are susceptible of different constructions? I am sure that upon serious reflection
there is no real difference of opinion on this question among the members. It is so well established by the revelations which we have received and the practice of the
Church that the President and his Counselors are invested with this authority that I cannot believe any member will seriously dispute it. In the language of the revelation
they, the Presidency, are constituted "a quorum . . . to receive the oracles for the whole Church." [Sec. 124:126.] They are the supreme court here on earth in the
interpretation of God's law.

In the exercise of their functions and delegated powers they are controlled by a constitution, a part of which is written and a part of which is not. The written part
consists in authenticated scripture, ancient and modern, and in the recorded utterances of our latter-day prophets. The unwritten part is the spirit of revelation and divine
inspiration which are appertinent to their calling.

In formulating their interpretations and decisions they always confer with the Council of the Twelve Apostles who by revelation are appointed to assist and act with
them in the government of the Church. When, therefore, a judgment is reached and proclaimed by these officers it becomes binding upon all members of the Church,
individual view to the contrary notwithstanding. God's Kingdom is a kingdom of law and order. [Sec. 132:8.] He is the Lawgiver and the Supreme Judge, but he has
delegated authority and conferred the keys of the Kingdom upon these men whom he has chosen. They act for him and, thank the Lord, we accept them. It is the only
safe thing to do.

There are some, perhaps, who may feel that it is subversive of individual freedom of thought and expression to be controlled by the interpretations of our leaders. I wish
to assure them that any feeling of constraint will disappear when once they secure the genius and true spirit of this work. Our unanimity of thought and action does not
arise, as some suppose, from duress or compulsion in any form. Our accord comes from universal agreement with righteous principles and common response to the
operation of the Spirit of our Father. It is actuated by no fear except one. That is the fear of offending God, the Author of our work. (CR, October 1938, pp. 115-16.)

George Q. Cannon: 29

Their decisions are not entitled to the same blessings

There are at the head of this Church, chosen by the Lord, three men, who constitute what is called the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. One is the President. The other two are his Counselors. But all three are Presidents, according to the revelations. One, however, holds the keys. President
[Wilford] Woodruff is distinguished from every other one of us by the fact that he possesses the keys of the kingdom on the earth. He represents the Supreme
authority. His voice to us, in its place, brings to us the voice of God. Not that he is God; not that he is infallible. He is a fallible man. His Counselors are fallible men. The
First Presidency cannot claim, individually or collectively, infallibility. Infallibility is not given to men. They are fallible. But God is infallible. And when God speaks to the
Church through him who holds the keys, it is the word of the Lord to this people. Can President Woodruff do this without his counselors? I do not know what he can
do, or what he might do; but I know that he does not do it. I know that President [Brigham] Young did not, nor President [John] Taylor. I know that President Joseph
Smith did not. He sought the counsel of his Counselors. They acted in concert, they are a power. But, as it was said . . . if the First Presidency were divided, and the
Twelve were divided, then we would not have the blessings that God has promised, and I do not know what would be our fate. (MS, September 5, 1895, 57:566-67.)

Stephen L Richards: 30

The decisions of these quorums

Now, I don't know that it is possible for any organization to succeed in the Church under the priesthood without adopting the genius of our Church government. What
is that? As I conceive it, the genius of our Church government is government through councils. The Council of the Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, the Council of
the Stake Presidency, or quorum, if you choose to use that word, the Council of the Bishopric, and the quorum or Council of the Quorum Presidency. I have had
enough experience to know the value of councils. Hardly a day passes but that I see the wisdom, God's wisdom, in creating councils: to govern his kingdom. In the
spirit under which we labor, men can get together with seemingly divergent views and far different backgrounds, and under the operation of that spirit, by counseling
together, they can arrive at an accord, and that accord (the occasions are so negligible as not to be mentioned), and therefore I say that accord is always right. That
accord   represents
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                               Infobase           acting under the Spirit. (CR, October 1953, p. 86.)
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James E. Talmage: 33
the Stake Presidency, or quorum, if you choose to use that word, the Council of the Bishopric, and the quorum or Council of the Quorum Presidency. I have had
enough experience to know the value of councils. Hardly a day passes but that I see the wisdom, God's wisdom, in creating councils: to govern his kingdom. In the
spirit under which we labor, men can get together with seemingly divergent views and far different backgrounds, and under the operation of that spirit, by counseling
together, they can arrive at an accord, and that accord (the occasions are so negligible as not to be mentioned), and therefore I say that accord is always right. That
accord represents the wisdom of the council, acting under the Spirit. (CR, October 1953, p. 86.)

James E. Talmage: 33

Though an Apostle is thus seen to be essentially an envoy or ambassador, his authority is great, as is also the responsibility associated therewith, for he speaks in the
name of a power greater than his own-the name of Him whose special witness he is. When one of the Twelve is sent to minister in any stake, mission or other division
of the Church or to labor in regions where no Church organization has been effected, he acts as the representative of the First Presidency, and has the right to use his
authority in doing whatever is requisite for the furtherance of the work of God. His duty is to preach the Gospel, administer the ordinances thereof, and set in order the
affairs of the Church, wherever he is sent. (LEJ, February 24, 1914, 11:581.)

John A. Widtsoe: 34-35

It was in this notable revelation [Sec. 107] that the missionary work of the Church was formally organized for the first time in this dispensation. Missionary work has
been done by this Church from the very beginning of its existence; and perhaps even before the Church was organized. But, when Section 107 was given, missionary
work was formally established; the appointment and definition of the Twelve Apostles were clearly made; the labors and functions of the Seventies were equally clearly
set out; and missionary work went forward, from that time on, as never before. (CR, April 1935, pp. 82-83.)

Joseph Smith: 34

On the 28th of February, the Church in council assembled, commenced selecting certain individuals to be Seventies, from the number of those who went up to Zion
with me in the camp . . . to begin the organization of the first quorum of Seventies, according to the visions and revelations which I have received. The Seventies are to
constitute traveling quorums, to go into all the earth, whithersoever the Twelve Apostles shall call them. (HC 2:201-2, February 28, 1835.)

Rudger Clawson: 34

The Seventy . . . act . . . in building up the church

Next to the Twelve Apostles are the First Seven Presidents of the Seventies. Oh, what a heavy weight of responsibility rests upon these seven men! . . . These Seven
Presidents are called to look after the interests of this great body of Seventies, to counsel, to direct, to warn them against the spirit of neglect and indifference, or
commend them for their good works. Have they any time for idleness? Have they any time to waste? No, indeed! These men meet together regularly once a week, that
they may counsel concerning the affairs of the quorums of Seventy, which are scattered throughout the Church, from Canada in the north to Mexico in the south. (CR,
October 1903, p. 59.)

Joseph Smith: 35

What importance is there attached to the calling of these Twelve Apostles, different from the other callings or officers of the Church? . . .

They are the Twelve Apostles, who are called to the office of the Traveling High Council, who are to preside over the churches of the Saints, among the Gentiles,
where there is a presidency established; and they are to travel and preach among the Gentiles until the Lord shall command them to go to the Jews. They are to hold the
keys of this ministry, to unlock the door of the Kingdom of heaven unto all nations, and to preach the Gospel to every creature. This is the power, authority, and virtue
of their apostleship. (HC 2:200, February 27, 1835.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 36-37

The first high council in this dispensation was organized at the home of Joseph Smith in Kirtland, February 17, 1834. The First Presidency presided in this council and
the following brethren were chosen as its members: Joseph Smith, Sen., John Smith, Joseph Coe, John Johnson, Martin Harris, John S. Carter, Jared Carter, Oliver
Cowdery, Samuel H. Smith, Orson Hyde, Sylvester Smith, and Luke S. Johnson. Several days before this action was taken the Prophet had explained the manner in
which councils should be conducted. "No man," said he, "is capable of judging a matter in council unless his own heart is pure." Ancient councils were conducted with
strict propriety; no one was permitted to whisper, leave the room, or think of anything but the matter before them for consideration. If the presiding officer could stay,
others were expected to do the same, until the Spirit was obtained and righteous decision was reached. . . .

The day after the revelation was given regarding the endowments (D&C, Sec. 105), a council of high priests met and called a number of individuals to receive these
blessings in the house of the Lord; and on the 3rd of July, 1834, the high priests assembled and a high council for the Church in Missouri was organized agreeable to
the revelation and pattern given in Kirtland. (Essentials in Church History, 1950, pp. 169, 178.)

Joseph Smith: 36-37

On the third of July, the High Priests of Zion assembled . . . in Clay County [Missouri] , and I proceeded to organize a High Council, agreeable to the revelation and
pattern given at Kirtland [Section 102] , for the purpose of settling important business that might come before them, which could not be settled by the Bishop and his
council. . . .

I gave the Council such instructions in relation to their high calling, as would enable them to proceed to minister in their office agreeable to the pattern heretofore given;
read the revelation on the subject; and told them that if I should now be taken away, I had accomplished the great work the Lord had laid before me, and that which I
had desired of the Lord; and that I had done my duty in organizing the High Council, through which council the will of the Lord might be known on all important
occasions, in the building up of Zion, and establishing truth in the earth. (HC 2:122, 124, July 3, 1834.)

John Taylor: 36-37

In Kirtland, Ohio, a great many things were revealed through the Prophet. There was then a presidency that presided over the High Council, in Kirtland; and that High
Council and another which was in Missouri, were the only High Councils in existence. As I have said, the High Council in Kirtland was presided over by Joseph Smith
and his Counselors; and hence there were some things associated with this that were quite peculiar in themselves. It is stated that when they were at a loss to find out
anything pertaining to any principles that might come before them in their councils, that the presidency were to inquire of the Lord and get revelation on those subjects
that were difficult for them to comprehend. And I would make a remark here in relation to these things, that all High Councils, and all Presidents of Stakes, and
Bishops,
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                                                                                                                                                                           159
with that faith that he requires of us, he will give them wisdom under all circumstances and on all occasions, and the Holy Spirit will never fail to indicate the path they
shall pursue. (JD, October 21, 1877, 19:241.)
Council and another which was in Missouri, were the only High Councils in existence. As I have said, the High Council in Kirtland was presided over by Joseph Smith
and his Counselors; and hence there were some things associated with this that were quite peculiar in themselves. It is stated that when they were at a loss to find out
anything pertaining to any principles that might come before them in their councils, that the presidency were to inquire of the Lord and get revelation on those subjects
that were difficult for them to comprehend. And I would make a remark here in relation to these things, that all High Councils, and all Presidents of Stakes, and
Bishops, and in fact all men holding the Priesthood, who are humble and faithful and diligent and honest and true to the principles of our religion, if they seek unto God
with that faith that he requires of us, he will give them wisdom under all circumstances and on all occasions, and the Holy Spirit will never fail to indicate the path they
shall pursue. (JD, October 21, 1877, 19:241.)

Rudger Clawson: 38

The seven presidents of Seventies labor under the direction of the Twelve Apostles, and hold themselves in constant readiness to respond to every call. They are
always on hand; we know where to find them. They go with the Twelve into the stakes of Zion, or wherever duty calls, in a spirit of cheerfulness and willingness. (CR,
October 1903, p. 59.)

Joseph Smith: 39

Evangelical ministers

An Evangelist is a Patriarch, even the oldest man of the blood of Joseph or of the seed of Abraham. Wherever the Church of Christ is established in the earth, there
should be a Patriarch for the benefit of the posterity of the Saints, as it was with Jacob in giving his patriarchal blessing unto his sons. [Gen. 48; 49:1-27.] (HC 2:381,
June 26, 1839.)

Eldred G. Smith: 39

Evangelical ministers

Then in this day and age, and I think if our records were more complete, we would probably find something similar with those of ancient times, the Lord tells us in The
Doctrine and Covenants that: [Sec. 107:39, quoted.]

Thus today we have more than one patriarch; we have one or more in each of the stakes of the Church. . . . And just as it was in ancient times-today, too, the Lord's
people desire his blessings. And as a Church we have the priesthood and the authority through which these blessings may be given. A patriarchal blessing today, given
by an ordained patriarch, should contain a declaration of lineage, that is, the tribe of Israel through which the promises of inheritance shall come, even as assignments of
inheritances were given in ancient Israel. . . .

We know that some of the inhabitants of the earth who join the Church are not direct descendants of Israel. It is given to us that the descendants of Shem and Japheth,
sons of Noah, if they receive the gospel, are entitled to the priesthood. Only the sons of Cain are not entitled to the priesthood, and you can read why in the Pearl of
Great Price. [Moses 7:12, 21-22; Abr. 1:21-27.] So all the descendants of Shem and Japheth, as they accept of the gospel of Jesus Christ, are entitled to the blessings
of Israel, because that was the promise given to Abraham, that through him all the families of the earth should be blessed.

And so, as these patriarchal blessings are given, there is given a declaration of lineage, or an assignment; for a pure Gentile who joins the Church becomes by adoption
of the seed of Abraham and of Israel. (Gen. 12:3; Abr. 2:11.) . . .

It is required that patriarchal blessings be recorded in the Church records. The body of the blessing usually contains sacred promises for comfort or for counsel or
warning, according to certain possibilities of blessings. All is predicated upon obedience to divine laws and faithfulness. The closing of a blessing is the sacred sealing of
the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood. The blessing pronounced, with all it contains, should serve as a comfort and guide through life according to faithfulness and is sealed
forever upon the conditions of faithfulness to the laws of God, which includes the laws of nature. Patriarchal blessings have been a source of guidance and comfort to
tens of thousands of members of the Church. Their faith has been quickened and strengthened through them. (CR, April 1952, pp. 38-39.)

LeGrand Richards: 39-52

The calling of a patriarch or an evangelist is to bless the people or members of the Church. We read of evangelists in the New Testament but find nothing there to
indicate what the particular duties of this calling in the priesthood are. [Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5.] This information has come to us only through the revelations of
the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Lord instructed the Twelve Apostles of his Church in this dispensation "to ordain evangelical ministers, as they shall be
designated unto them by revelation" in all large branches of the Church. (See D&C 107:39.) Then he explained how this order of priesthood was confirmed to be
handed down from father to son, indicating further that his order was instituted in the days of Adam and came down by lineage through the patriarchs: (Sec. 107:39-
57.) (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, p. 125.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 39-52

In this revelation [Sec. 107] certain knowledge was revealed concerning the Patriarchal Priesthood and its descent from the beginning of time. Regarding this
priesthood the Lord said: [Sec. 107:39-43, quoted.]

In the following verses are named the other patriarchs from Seth to Noah with the ages of each when ordained. In Genesis we find the descent continued as follows:
Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham. (Gen. 11:10-26.) The father of Abraham from what we learn in the book of Abraham,
turned to the worship of idols [Abr. 1:5-7; 2:5] ; therefore he either lost his priesthood or it passed by him; nevertheless the descent came through him to Abraham.
From Abraham the birthright went to Isaac and from him to Jacob, who was named Israel. From Israel it went to Joseph, the firstborn son of Rachel. The reason for
this birthright not going to Israel's oldest son or to any of Joseph's older brothers was evidently because each had forfeited it by transgression. Therefore, the birthright
and the Patriarchal Priesthood continued through the seed of Joseph. Just why it was continued through Ephraim rather than through Manasseh, his older brother, we
have not been informed, but we may be sure that the Lord had sufficient reason. From that time until now, this birthright has been vested in the descendants of Ephraim.
(1 Chron. 5:1-2; Jer. 31:9; D&C 133:30-34.)

In the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times in which we live, the Lord revealed that this birthright of the first-born in Israel belonged to Joseph Smith, the father of the
Prophet, and he was the first patriarch ordained in this dispensation. After his death the office and priesthood was conferred upon Hyrum Smith, the Prophet's oldest
living brother. There is an interesting statement in a revelation given to Hyrum Smith in April, 1830, a few days after the organization of the Church. In this revelation the
Lord said to him:

Behold, I speak unto you, Hyrum, a few words; for thou also art under no condemnation, and thy heart is open, and thy tongue loosed; and thy calling is . . . unto the
church forever,
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This appears to be a clear indication that he and his descendants after him should hold this patriarchal authority.
Lord said to him:

Behold, I speak unto you, Hyrum, a few words; for thou also art under no condemnation, and thy heart is open, and thy tongue loosed; and thy calling is . . . unto the
church forever, and this because of thy family. (D&C 23:3.)

This appears to be a clear indication that he and his descendants after him should hold this patriarchal authority.

After the death of the Patriarch Joseph Smith, Sr., Hyrum Smith, who was serving as second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, was called to take the
office of patriarch, and the Lord said: [Sec. 124:91-93, quoted.] . . .

Today in each stake of Zion a patriarch is ordained, in some cases more than one. The patriarchs are authorized to give blessings to all faithful members of the Church,
within the borders of the stake in which they live, who come properly recommended by their bishops. (IE, November 1956, pp. 789, 852-53.)

Joseph Smith: 53-57

I saw Adam in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. He called together his children and blessed them with a patriarchal blessing. The Lord appeared in their midst, and he
(Adam) blessed them all, and foretold what should befall them to the latest generation.

This is why Adam blessed his posterity; he wanted to bring them into the presence of God. (HC 3:388, July 2, 1839.)

John Taylor: 53-57

Adam, before he left the earth, gathered his people together in the Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and the curtain of eternity was unfolded before him, and he gazed
upon all events pertaining to his descendants, which should transpire in every subsequent period of time, and he prophesied to them. He saw the flood and its desolating
influence; he saw the introduction again of a people in the days of Noah; he saw their departure from the right path. He saw Abraham, Moses, and the prophets make
their appearance and witnessed the results of their acts; he saw nations rise and fall; he saw the time when Jesus would come and restore the Gospel and when he
would preach that Gospel to those who perished in the days of Noah; and in fact, he saw everything that should transpire upon the earth, until the winding up scene. He
was acquainted with the day in which we live and the circumstances with which we are surrounded. (JD, April 8, 1875, 17:372.)

John A. Widtsoe: 53

There has been much speculation about the location of the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve were placed when they came on earth. The earliest record, the
Bible, gives no conclusive clue. It says:

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. (Gen. 2:10-14.)

It has not been possible with this information to locate Eden with any certainty. Wild guesses have been made that Assyria and Ethiopia, names applied to countries in
modern times, might furnish sufficient evidence, but without success.

The question was finally answered to the satisfaction at least of the Latter-day Saints.

In 1831, under revelation, the Prophet Joseph Smith directed the Church to found settlements in what is now the state of Missouri, at that time sparsely settled. In and
near Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, the Saints planned to build a city to be called the "New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge." [Sec. 45:66.] In
that "city of Zion" was to be erected a temple to Almighty God. [Sec. 57:3; 84:3-4.]

The Prophet designated the land at Independence and beyond as "the land where Adam dwelt." (D&C 117:8.) Further, he declared, again under revelation, (History of
the Church 3:35) that Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri, is "the place where Adam shall come to visit his people," and called it Adam-ondi-Ahman. (D&C 116.)
The revelation said that [Sec. 107:53, quoted] .

Adam-ondi-Ahman is located on the north side of Grand River, in a sharp bend of the stream, on an elevated spot of ground overlooking the river and country
roundabout. On the top of the hill was an ancient stone altar.

". . . when the altar was first discovered, according to those who visited it frequently, it was about sixteen feet long, by nine or ten feet wide, having its greatest extent
north and south. The height of the altar at each end was some two and a half feet, gradually rising higher to the center, which was between four and five feet high-the
whole surface being crowning. Such was the altar of 'Diahman' when the Prophet's party visited it." (History of the Church 3:39.)

According to these several revealed statements Adam lived in America, in the region known as the state of Missouri. The Garden of Eden must then have been on the
American continent. This view is re-enforced by the recorded testimonies of those who heard Joseph Smith on this subject; for example, Brigham Young said:

It is a pleasant thing to think of and to know where the garden of Eden was. Did you ever think of it? I do not think many do, for in Jackson County (Missouri) was the
garden of Eden. Joseph has declared this and I am as much bound to believe that, as to believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. We must let the Lord take his
own time and prepare the way for our return to that country, and to build up the Temple. (Journal History, January-April, 1857; March 15, p. 1.)

Heber C. Kimball said:

I will say more, the garden of Eden was Jackson County, in the state of Missouri; where Independence now stands. . . . The Prophet Joseph Smith frequently spoke of
these things. (JD 10:235.)

The relative location of Independence and that of Adam-ondi-Ahman corroborate the Bible. After the so-called "Fall," Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden
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Now Adam-ondi-Ahman is about seventy miles northeast of the city of Independence. If our first progenitors settled at Adam-ondi-Ahman, it is more likely that the
these things. (JD 10:235.)

The relative location of Independence and that of Adam-ondi-Ahman corroborate the Bible. After the so-called "Fall," Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden
and a flaming sword "placed at the east to keep the way of the tree of life." Apparently Adam and Eve entered the country east of the garden.

Now Adam-ondi-Ahman is about seventy miles northeast of the city of Independence. If our first progenitors settled at Adam-ondi-Ahman, it is more likely that the
people as they increased settled along the course of the Mississippi basin. Noah probably built the Ark near the river. When the flood came, it floated easily into the
ocean, to the Asiatic continent where Noah and his family began again the work commenced by Adam. (Evidences and Reconciliations, 1951, 3:158-61.)

James E. Talmage: 58-63

The revealed word of God has provided for the establishment of presiding officers "growing out of, or appointed of or from among those who are ordained to the
several offices in these two priesthoods." (D&C 107:21.) In accordance with the prevailing principles of order characteristic of all His work, the Lord has directed that
the bearers of the Priesthood shall be organized into quorums, the better to aid them in learning and discharging the duties of their respective callings. (AF, 1950, p.
209.)

Joseph F. Smith: 60-62

There must needs be presiding elders . . . priests . . . teachers . . . and deacons

Every man should be willing to be presided over, and he is not fit to preside over others until he can submit sufficiently to the presidency of his brethren. (IE, December
1917, 21:105.)

John Taylor: 64-67

The president of the church presides over all patriarchs, presidents, and councils of the church; and this presidency does not depend so much upon genealogy as upon
calling, order, and seniority. (Times and Seasons, June 1, 1845, 6:921.)

First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund): 65-66

Witness the calling, on February 14, 1835, of David Whitmer and Martin Harris, both High Priests, by the Prophet Joseph, in conformity with prior revelation from
God (see Doctrine and Covenants section 18) to "search out the Twelve." They chose the Twelve, ordained, and set them apart for their exalted callings, because they
were called upon by the prophet of God who had been instructed of the Lord, and also because these men held the necessary authority of the Priesthood, which
authority was exercised, in this case as it should be in all cases, upon proper calling. The Doctrine and Covenants makes it very clear that which each officer in the
Church has a right to officiate in his own standing, "The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of Presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the
Church in all ages of the world to administer in spiritual things." (D&C 107:8.)

Further, in the same revelation, verses 65 and 66, we are told: [Sec. 107:65-66, quoted.]

It is well to remember that the term "High Priesthood," as frequently used, has reference to the Melchizedek Priesthood, in contradistinction to the "Lesser," or Aaronic
Priesthood. (IE, May 1902, 5:550-51.)

John Taylor: 68-76

He [bishop] was to be a common judge among the inhabitants of Zion, or in a Stake of Zion, or in a branch of the Church, when he shall be set apart unto his ministry.
His Bishopric is sufficient for any of these places when set apart: and he can only fill those offices for which he is set apart. But a literal descendant of Aaron has a legal
right to the Presidency of this Priesthood, to the keys of this ministry, to act in the office of Bishop, without Counselors, except in a case when a President of the High
Priesthood is tried. . . . the Bishopric is the Presidency of the Aaronic Priesthood, which is "an appendage to the greater or Melchizedek Priesthood," and that no man
has a legal right to hold the KEYS of the Aaronic Priesthood, which presides over all Bishops and all the lesser Priesthood, except he be a literal descendant of Aaron.
But, that "as a High Priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the office of Bishop," . . . if called, set
apart, and ordained unto this power "by the hands of the Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood." [Sec. 107:17.] The power and right of selecting and calling of the
Presiding Bishop and general Bishops is vested in the First Presidency, who also must try those appointed by them in case of transgression, except in the case of a
literal descendant of Aaron; who, if the firstborn, possesses a legal right to the keys of this Priesthood; but even he must be sanctioned and appointed by the First
Presidency. This arises from the fact that the Aaronic is an appendage to the Melchizedek Priesthood.

That the Presiding Bishop, who presides over all Bishops, and all of the lesser Priesthood, should consult the First Presidency in all important matters pertaining to the
Bishopric. (Items on Priesthood, 1899, pp. 29, 31-32.)

Rudger Clawson: 68

In administering all temporal things

I conceive it to be the duty of a Bishop, not so much to preach the gospel at length, or to occupy much time in the pulpit, but to be the executive officer of the ward, to
deal in temporal affairs, and to be a common judge in Israel, and to sit in the Bishop's court and adjudicate and regulate the affairs of his ward, with his counselors. It is
the duty of the Bishop particularly to see that the presidencies of the quorums of the Lesser Priesthood are active and faithful. Let him see also that the presidencies of
the auxiliary organizations are faithful in the performance of their duty. The great responsibility resting upon him is to see that others do their duty, and let the preaching
of the gospel be done by the brethren and sisters of his ward. (CR, April 1902, p. 30.)

Charles W. Penrose: 74

Thus shall he be a judge

Jesus, the Christ, in giving that beautiful sermon that has been alluded to today, the Sermon on the Mount, in the 7th chapter of Matthew, you can read it, said to the
multitude, "Judge not that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and the measure ye mete out to others shall be measured to you
again." [Vs. 1-2.] But judgment, to a great extent, is given into the hands of certain quorums and councils in this Church. One body to exercise judgment is the
bishopric, the bishopric of a ward are appointed and ordained to be judges. A bishop is a common judge in Israel to sit with his counselors in judgment upon
transgressors
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Now . . . what the Savior meant was that you and I, in our capacity as individuals, as members, outside of any official duty imposed upon us, should not sit in judgment
upon one another. . . . It is not our province as members of the Church, to sit in judgment upon one another and call bad names when we reflect upon the acts of
Jesus, the Christ, in giving that beautiful sermon that has been alluded to today, the Sermon on the Mount, in the 7th chapter of Matthew, you can read it, said to the
multitude, "Judge not that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and the measure ye mete out to others shall be measured to you
again." [Vs. 1-2.] But judgment, to a great extent, is given into the hands of certain quorums and councils in this Church. One body to exercise judgment is the
bishopric, the bishopric of a ward are appointed and ordained to be judges. A bishop is a common judge in Israel to sit with his counselors in judgment upon
transgressors and upon those whose difficulties cannot be settled by the teachers who visit them in their homes. . . .

Now . . . what the Savior meant was that you and I, in our capacity as individuals, as members, outside of any official duty imposed upon us, should not sit in judgment
upon one another. . . . It is not our province as members of the Church, to sit in judgment upon one another and call bad names when we reflect upon the acts of
people. We have no right, even if we are in official capacity, to form a one-sided judgment. There are two sides to every such question, if not more, always; and we
should hear both, "hear defense before deciding, and a ray of light may gleam, showing thee what filth is hiding underneath the shallow stream." Hear the other side
before you begin to find fault, and pass judgment. . . . So when we are called upon to sit in judgment, either in a bishop's court or in a high council, (to which the
bishop's court may be appealed) if we are members of the high council, just remember what the Lord has said concerning such quorum or council. Every decision of
these quorums that are organized must be given in justice, in righteousness, in equity, in fear of the Lord, and with the desire to do what is right, not out of personal
feeling. [Sec. 102:16.] Personal feelings ought to be banished from our souls when we sit in judgment having the right to sit in judgment. (CR, October 1916, pp. 21-
22.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 76

A literal descendant of Aaron

There are some men in the Church who have been blessed by patriarchs and pronounced descendants of Levi, but they have not made any claim to the office of
bishop, for the revelation governing this situation says literal descendant of Aaron, not of Levi. There is evidently a great host of men who are descendants of Levi but
not of Aaron.

The person spoken of in the revelations as having the right by lineage to the bishopric is the one who is the firstborn. By virtue of his birth he is entitled to hold "the keys
of authority of the same." This has reference only to the one who presides over the Aaronic Priesthood. It has no reference whatever to bishops of wards. Further, such
a one must be designated by the First Presidency of the Church and receive his anointing and ordination under their hands. [Sec. 68:16-21.] The revelation comes from
the Presidency, not from the patriarch, to establish a claim to the right to preside in this office. In the absence of knowledge concerning such a descendant, any high
priest, chosen by the Presidency, may hold the office of Presiding Bishop and serve with counselors. [Sec. 68:19; 107:13-17.] (Doctrines of Salvation, 1956, 3:92-
93.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 77-84

The apostles constitute the traveling high council of the Church. . . .

There are several councils in the Church. The traveling high council has jurisdiction in all the world. The high councils in stakes have jurisdiction in a judicial way in the
stakes. The First Presidency may sit as an appellate council and their decision is final. The Church is so organized that no member or officer, from the President to the
last member received, is "exempted from justice and the laws of God." The special court, or council, presided over by the presiding bishopric has been called into
existence several times. The Prophet Joseph Smith was tried before this council on charges made against him by Sylvester Smith after the return of Zion's Camp. Oliver
Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Frederick G. Williams were each tried by this tribunal. (CHMR, 1949, 3:55.)

Charles W. Penrose: 77-80

An appeal can be made, if it is claimed that injustice is done, [in the High Council Court] to the Presidency of the Church, who do not sit as a court, to hear witness, but
go over all the evidence as presented and attested by the clerk, to see if there is any wrong and mistake made, any injustice done, and if so, that they can point out the
means, as provided in Section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants, how the matter can be fully determined and heard again, if they so decide, and that the matter can
be so looked into that every point, every part and every item of the decision can be questioned and examined, and a conclusion arrived at as to its justice and
righteousness. (CR, October 1920, pp. 18-20.)

David O. McKay: 85-90

The organization of the Church is so perfect that every man, woman and child within the Church can find something to do; and therein depends the advancement of the
person's spiritual welfare. Presidents of quorums: The Lord has said to you, as you will read in the 107th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, that it is your duty to
meet with your quorum. If you are the president of a deacon's quorum, you are to meet with twelve deacons, and preside over them, to sit in counsel with them, and to
teach them their duties. O deacons, throughout the world! Respond to the call. Do your duty, Bishops, you who hold the presidency of the Aaronic Priesthood; guide
the young men in this activity. Are they slothful? Are they inactive? If they are, some of the results of inactivity as befalling the idle individual will afflict the quorum in
your ward. Mark it, it will not fulfill its place in the councils of the church unless it be active as a council, as a quorum. This is true of the Teachers, of the Priests, the
Elders, the Seventies, the High Priests, and all. (CR, October 1909, p. 92.)

Orson F. Whitney: 85-90

A stake has one or more quorums of Elders, each composed of ninety-six members, three of whom preside. Each ward should have one or more quorums of priests
(forty-eight), teachers (twenty-four), and deacons (twelve), each with a presidency of three [except the priests quorum] . The ward bishopric presides in a general way
over all the quorums of the Aaronic Priesthood in the ward, and over all church members, as individuals, residing therein. The bishop of the ward is ex-officio president
of the priest's quorum. The Elder's office is the lowest in the Melchizedek Priesthood. The duties of an elder are similar to those of seventy, though intended to be
exercised more at home than abroad. (Saturday Night Thoughts, 1921, p. 228.)

John A. Widtsoe: 91-92

As long as the Prophet lived, the Lord revealed his will to that generation through him. And it is significant how much of what he revealed dealt with the issues of that
day. Since the Prophet's martyrdom, the will of the Lord has been given through succeeding prophets, Presidents Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff,
Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F. Smith, and Heber J. Grant, who each in his turn has presided over the Church, and, like unto Moses, has guided the people of his generation
on the issues of their day by the spirit of revelation. (Sec. 107:91; 8:2-3.)

During the administrations of all these leaders, those who have accepted them as prophets, who have truly believed that by the spirit of revelation they spoke the
Father's will on the issues of the day, who have adjusted their thinking, their living, and their feelings to harmonize with the spirit and the letter of the words of these
living prophets-they are the ones who have been comforted and who have had peace in their souls.
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Today the Lord is revealing his will to all the inhabitants of the earth, and to members of the Church in particular, on the issues of this our day through the living
prophets, with the First Presidency at the head. What they say as a presidency is what the Lord would say if he were here in person. When the Prophet Joseph Smith
was asked what the difference was between the Latter-day Saint Church and the sectarian churches of the world, he said, "We have the Holy Ghost," by which he
During the administrations of all these leaders, those who have accepted them as prophets, who have truly believed that by the spirit of revelation they spoke the
Father's will on the issues of the day, who have adjusted their thinking, their living, and their feelings to harmonize with the spirit and the letter of the words of these
living prophets-they are the ones who have been comforted and who have had peace in their souls.

Today the Lord is revealing his will to all the inhabitants of the earth, and to members of the Church in particular, on the issues of this our day through the living
prophets, with the First Presidency at the head. What they say as a presidency is what the Lord would say if he were here in person. When the Prophet Joseph Smith
was asked what the difference was between the Latter-day Saint Church and the sectarian churches of the world, he said, "We have the Holy Ghost," by which he
meant that by the power of the Holy Ghost the will of our Father is revealed to the minds of the leaders of this Church. (CR, April 1945, pp. 90-91.)

Joseph F. Merrill: 91-92

Do the people of the Church want a safe guide to what is well for them to do? It is this: Keep in harmony with the Presidency of this Church. Accept and follow the
teachings and advice of the President. At every Conference we raise our hands to sustain the President as prophet, seer, and revelator. Is it consistent to do this and
then go contrary to his advice? Is anyone so simple as to believe he is serving the Lord when he opposes the President? Of course, the President is not infallible. He
makes no claims to infallibility. But when in his official duty he teaches and advises the members of the Church relative to their duties, let no man who wants to please
the Lord say aught against the counsels of the President.

In the spirit of helpfulness let me give you a key. When in doubt go on your knees in humility with an open mind and a pure heart with a real desire to do the Lord's will,
and pray earnestly and sincerely for divine guidance. Persist in praying in this way until you get an answer that will fill your bosom with joy and satisfaction. It will be
God's answer. If obedient to this answer you will always act as the President indicates. You will then be safe. (CR, April 1941, p. 51.)

George Q. Cannon: 92

Seer . . . revelator . . . and a prophet

"Can a number of men be Prophets, Seers, and Revelators, and yet not interfere with the rights of him who stands at the head?" . . .

On March 27, 1836, the Prophet Joseph Smith called upon the "quorums and congregation of Saints to acknowledge the Twelve Apostles who were present as
Prophets, Seers and Revelators" (History of the Church 2:417) and they were thus sustained. Their being ordained to this authority and sustained as such does not lead
to confusion nor to the least conflict of authority, any more than the reception of the gift of prophecy by the Elders leads to any conflict between them and the President
of the Church. The remark of the Prophet Moses upon this point is so applicable and so beautifully expresses the correct idea that we insert it. Two young men had
been prophesying in the camp of Israel, and Joshua asked Moses to forbid them. Moses replied: "Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord's people
were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!" [Numbers 11:29.] (JI, January 1, 1891, 26:27-28.)

James E. Talmage: 93-97

Seventies are primarily traveling elders, especially ordained to promulgate the Gospel among the nations of the earth, "unto the Gentiles first, and also unto the Jews."
They are to act under the direction of the apostles in this specific labor. (D&C 107:34-35, 97-98.) A full quorum comprises seventy members, including seven
presidents. (AF, 1950, p. 207.)

Heber C. Kimball: 93

When you go into heaven, into the celestialized world, you will see the Church organized just as it is here, and you will find all the officers down to the Deacon. Our
Church organization is a manifestation of things as they are in heaven, and you are all the time praying that the Church here may be brought into union and set in order
as it is in heaven. (Life of Heber C. Kimball, 1945, p. 466.)

Orson F. Whitney: 93

And it is according to the vision

Not only by the gift of prophecy, but by the power of seership, Joseph Smith was able to forecast the future. It was by that miraculous power that he saw the Father
and the Son. It was by that wonderful power that he and Oliver Cowdery saw Jehovah, Moses and Elijah in the Kirtland Temple; and by which also Joseph and
Sidney gazed upon the glories of the celestial, terrestrial and telestial worlds. By that marvelous power the Prophet, in all probability, beheld the great organization of
the Church of God in heaven; for while organizing the councils and quorums of the Priesthood, he said: [Sec. 107:93, quoted.]

Now, if he saw the Seventies in vision, why not the Apostles? Why not the First Presidency? Why not the stakes and wards, with their presiding officers, and even the
auxiliary organizations? Who can say that he did not see them? Who can say that these quorums of the Priesthood, these auxiliary societies and associations, the
Church of God in its entirety as it exists upon the earth, are not a reflex of the Church of God in heaven, so far as it is adapted to our present conditions, so far as it has
been found necessary to organize it here; the eventual outcome to be a perfect Church, corresponding in every particular to the Church of the First Born; and this that
the will of God may be done upon earth even as it is done in heaven? (CR, April 1912, p. 51.)

Joseph Smith: 96

If the first Seventy are all employed and there is a call for more laborers, it will be the duty of the seven presidents of the first Seventy to call and ordain other Seventy
and send them forth to labor in the vineyard, until, if needs be, they set apart seven times seventy, and even until there are one hundred and forty-four thousand thus set
apart for the ministry. (HC 2:221, May 2, 1835.)

Harold B. Lee: 98

Now the plan that has been announced is for the appointment of Regional Representatives of the Twelve. [Sec. 84:62; 88:71-73.] Many of you heard the
announcement by the First Presidency yesterday. This was the official announcement:

"As many of you will remember, in 1941, it became necessary for the First Presidency and the Twelve to provide for additional brethren to help with the work of
overseeing and setting in order an ever-growing, world-wide Church. Thus in the General Conference of April, 1941, Assistants to the Twelve were named and
sustained, 'to be increased or otherwise from time to time as the necessity of carrying on the Lord's work seems to dictate.'

"Since then (c)
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for guidance and direction is now needed.

"What, therefore, is now proposed is the calling of as many brethren as may be necessary, to be known as Regional Representatives of the Twelve, each, as assigned,
"As many of you will remember, in 1941, it became necessary for the First Presidency and the Twelve to provide for additional brethren to help with the work of
overseeing and setting in order an ever-growing, world-wide Church. Thus in the General Conference of April, 1941, Assistants to the Twelve were named and
sustained, 'to be increased or otherwise from time to time as the necessity of carrying on the Lord's work seems to dictate.'

"Since then the world-wide demands of the Church have increased in ever greater degree, and it is felt by the First Presidency and the Twelve that a further provision
for guidance and direction is now needed.

"What, therefore, is now proposed is the calling of as many brethren as may be necessary, to be known as Regional Representatives of the Twelve, each, as assigned,
to be responsible in some aspects of the work to carry counsel to and to conduct instructional meetings in groups of stakes or regions as may be designated from time
to time.

"These Regional Representatives of the Twelve will not be 'General' Authorities, as such, but will serve somewhat as do stake presidents, giving full Church service for
greater or lesser periods of service as circumstances may suggest.

"Fuller details will be in evidence as this plan proceeds under the guidance of the First Presidency and the Twelve." (CR, October 1967, pp. 104-5.)

Alonzo A. Hinckley: 99-100

While the revelation is definite in outlining the responsibility, duty and authority of this [first] presidency, the Lord in his mercy, has made the duties and responsibilities
and authority of every other man that holds the priesthood, just as clearly defined as for the presidency of the Church. Every man in this Church knows his calling,
knows his place, knows his authority. There is no schism, no division, no misunderstanding, because the Lord, after he has outlined all of their duties, sends them forth
to labor with this admonition: [Sec. 107:99, quoted.] (CR, April 1935, p. 73.)

Spencer W. Kimball: 99-100

The setting apart is an established practice in the Church and men and women are "set apart" to special responsibility, in ecclesiastical, quorum, and auxiliary positions.
All missionaries are set apart and it is remarkable how many of them speak often of the authority who officiate of the blessings promised and their fulfilment.

To some folk the setting apart seems a perfunctory act while others anticipate it eagerly, absorb every word of it, and let their lives be lifted thereby.

The setting apart may be taken literally; it is a setting apart from sin, apart from the carnal; apart from everything which is crude, low, vicious, cheap, or vulgar; set apart
from the world to a higher plane of thought and activity. The blessing is conditional upon faithful performance.

In a hotel in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania long years ago, I learned an important lesson when the president of the Rotary International said to the district
governors in the assembly:

"Gentlemen: This has been a great year for you. The people have honored you, praised you, banqueted you, applauded you, and given you lavish gifts. If you ever get
the mistaken idea that they were doing this for you personally, just try going back to the clubs next year when the mantle is on the other shoulders."

This has kept me on my knees in my holy calling. Whenever I have been inclined to think the honors were coming to me as I go about the Church, then I remember that
it is not to me, but to the position I hold that honors come. (CR, October 1958, p. 57.)

Francis M. Lyman: 99-100

The Lord makes no mistake in calling men; if we fail, it is our own weakness, for the Lord is ready to give strength sufficient to sustain the brethren in the responsibilities
that are upon them. (CR, April 1913, p. 69.)

Heber J. Grant: 99-100

I ask every man and woman occupying a place of responsibility whose duty it is to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to live it and to keep the commandments of God,
so that their example will teach it; and if they cannot live it we will go on loving them, we will go on putting our arms around them, we will go on praying for them that
they may become strong enough to live it. But unless they are able to live it we ask them to please step aside so that those who are living it can teach it. No man can
teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the inspiration of the living God and with power from on high unless he is living it. He can go on as a member and we will pray
for him, no matter how many years it may require, and we will never put a block in his way, because the Gospel is one of love and of forgiveness, but we want true men
and women as our officers in the Priesthood and in the Relief Societies. (CR, April 1938, p. 15.)

Henry D. Moyle: 99-100

I am sure it would be more pleasing to our Father in heaven to have us resign our positions-and that is not a practice which we commend in the Church-but nonetheless
it seems preferable to neglecting our duties in the least detail. It gives us an awesome feeling to realize that we are dedicated to the work of the Lord, and having thus
committed ourselves, it is not our privilege or our prerogative to violate his commandments, even the slightest of them. The Lord expects, and we expect it of ourselves,
each one of us, to live out our lives here upon this earth in as complete conformity to the laws of God as we are capable. No means of rationalizing, no means of
conjuring up excuses as to why we should do this or should not do the other, contrary to the will of our Heavenly Father, has any place in our lives. (CR, September
1961, pp. 43-44.)

Franklin D. Richards: 99-100

A man in this Church, who is an Elder in Israel, must have a degree of heroism if he is determined to be a servant of God, he must know what it is to be able to stand
up in the spirit and power of his calling under all circumstances. God requires him to live and serve him with all his heart, with all his mind, might and strength; and to
give himself wholly unto the work to which he has been called, and to have no other business on hand except those things which are subservient to the interests of his
Church and Kingdom. (CR, April 1880, p. 92.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 99-100

The story [Matt. 25:14-23] continues and we are told that the man who had two talents also gained two, and also was blessed and told to enter the joy of his lord. But
the man who had one and who buried it, brought it and said: "I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou has
not strawed; and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine." And his lord was angry with him and said to the other servants:
"Take  therefore
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that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Each man holding the Priesthood should learn his duty from this parable, for when the Lord shall come, like rewards shall be given us. Many who have promised to
The story [Matt. 25:14-23] continues and we are told that the man who had two talents also gained two, and also was blessed and told to enter the joy of his lord. But
the man who had one and who buried it, brought it and said: "I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou has
not strawed; and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine." And his lord was angry with him and said to the other servants:
"Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him
that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Each man holding the Priesthood should learn his duty from this parable, for when the Lord shall come, like rewards shall be given us. Many who have promised to
magnify their Priesthood, and who have failed to do so, shall be cast out. Their Priesthood shall be taken from them and they shall find themselves outside the gates of
the City, for they cannot stand with those who have been faithful. Theirs shall be a condition of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now what is meant by the saying: "For
unto every one that hath shall be given, . . . but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath?" Simply this: We are under obligation as men
holding the Priesthood to put to service the authority which we have received. If we do this then we shall have other responsibilities and glory added, and we shall
receive an abundance, that is the fulness of the Father's kingdom; but if we bury our Priesthood, then we are not entitled to receive any reward, we cannot be exalted.
(The Way to Perfection, 1943, pp. 220-21.)

Ezra Taft Benson: 99

Men who hold the priesthood "should be anxiously engaged in a good cause." The Lord points out that it is not to be expected, it is not expedient, "it is not meet," he
says, "that I should command in all things," for he that does not anything until he is commanded is a slothful servant. And then he says: ". . . men should be anxiously
engaged in a good cause . . . and bring to pass much righteousness" (D&C 58:26-27), of their own free will for the power is in them to be agents unto themselves. (CR,
October 1948, p. 101.)

Mark E. Petersen: 99

Let every man . . . act in the office in which he is appointed

It is my full belief that whenever any of us accepts a position of any description in the Church, we accept along with it the responsibility of that office, whatsoever it may
be. I believe that if a person accepts a position as a teacher in one of our organizations, or if he accepts the responsibility of preaching from the pulpit, such person
accepts the responsibility which goes with that call. He becomes a representative of the Church in that position. Every teacher and every preacher therefore is duty
bound, upon accepting such a call, to represent the official views and doctrines of the Church, and to teach those official doctrines in his class or from the pulpit with the
one thought in mind that conversion is to come about in the hearts of those who listen to him. I do not believe that conversion to the truth comes through the teaching of
half-truths or untruths.

Our classrooms and our assembly rooms have been built at great expense with one thought in mind, and that is that in them we may teach the truth so that we may
convert those who come there, so that they in turn will live the gospel and work out their salvation in the earth. (CR, April 1953, p. 83.)

Section 108

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, December 26, 1835.-Lyman Sherman is commended and admonished-His ordination to the
office of Elder promised.

1. Verily thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Lyman: Your sins are forgiven you, because you have obeyed my voice in coming up hither this morning to receive
counsel of him whom I have appointed.

2. Therefore, let your soul be at rest concerning your spiritual standing, and resist no more my voice.

3. And arise up and be more careful henceforth in observing your vows, which you have made and do make, and you shall be blessed with exceeding great blessings.

4. Wait patiently until the solemn assembly shall be called of my servants, then you shall be remembered with the first of mine elders, and receive right by ordination
with the rest of mine elders whom I have chosen.

5. Behold, this is the promise of the Father unto you if you continue faithful.

6. And it shall be fulfilled upon you in that day that you shall have right to preach my gospel wheresoever I shall send you, from henceforth from that time.

7. Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.

8. And behold, and lo, I am with you to bless you and deliver you forever. Amen.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

On the 28th of February, the Church in council assembled, commenced selecting certain individuals to be Seventies, from the number of those who went up to Zion
with me in the camp; and the following are the names of those who were ordained and blessed at that time, to begin the organization of the first quorum of Seventies,
according to the visions and revelations which I have received. The Seventies are to constitute traveling quorums, to go into all the earth, whithersoever the Twelve
Apostles shall call them. (HC 2:201-2, February 28, 1835.)

Commenced again studying the Hebrew language, in company with Brothers Parrish and Williams. In the meantime, Brother Lyman Sherman came in, and requested to
have the word of the Lord through me; "for," said he, "I have been wrought upon to make known to you my feelings and desires, and was promised that I should have
a revelation which should make known my duty." [Section 108, follows.] (HC 2:345, December 26, 1835; Kirtland, Ohio.)

Wilford Woodruff: 2-3

I often reflect upon the promises made concerning the Priesthood. The Lord, in a revelation upon this subject, says Doctrine and Covenants, (Sec. 84) 33rd to 41st
verses: "Whosoever is faithful unto obtaining these two Priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the
renewing of their bodies. . . . All that my Father hath shall be given unto him. Therefore, all those who receive the Priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my
Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved." Now, I sometimes ask myself the question, Do we comprehend these things? Do we comprehend that if we
abide the laws of the Priesthood we shall become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ? I realize that our eyes have not seen, our ears have not heard, neither
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                                                   glory that is in store for the faithful. We are placed in a position to be proven and tried; we must be, we      22 / we
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shall be, until we get through with our labors in the flesh. (JD, December 10, 1882, 23:329-30.)
verses: "Whosoever is faithful unto obtaining these two Priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the
renewing of their bodies. . . . All that my Father hath shall be given unto him. Therefore, all those who receive the Priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my
Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved." Now, I sometimes ask myself the question, Do we comprehend these things? Do we comprehend that if we
abide the laws of the Priesthood we shall become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ? I realize that our eyes have not seen, our ears have not heard, neither
hath it entered into our hearts to conceive the glory that is in store for the faithful. We are placed in a position to be proven and tried; we must be, we have been, we
shall be, until we get through with our labors in the flesh. (JD, December 10, 1882, 23:329-30.)

Brigham Young: 3

Your vows

All that the Lord requires of us is strict obedience to the laws of life. All the sacrifice that the Lord asks of his people is strict obedience to our own covenants that we
have made with our God, and that is to serve him with an undivided heart. (JD, June 23, 1874, 18:246.)

Joseph Smith: 4

The solemn assembly . . . of my servants

At early candle-light I met with the Presidency at the west school room, in the Temple [Kirtland] , to attend to the ordinance of anointing our heads with holy oil; also
the Councils of Kirtland and Zion met in the two adjoining rooms, and waited in prayer while we attended to the ordinance. . . .

Many of my brethren who received the ordinance with me saw glorious visions also. Angels ministered unto them as well as to myself, and the power of the Highest
rested upon us, the house was filled with the glory of God, and we shouted Hosanna to God and the Lamb. . . .

Friday 22.-Attended at the school room at the usual hour, but instead of pursuing our studies, we spent the time in rehearsing to each other the glorious scenes that
occurred on the preceding evening, while attending to the ordinance of holy anointing.

In the evening we met at the same place, with the Council of the Twelve, and the Presidency of the Seventy, who were to receive this ordinance (of anointing and
blessing). The High Councils of Kirtland and Zion were present also.

After calling to order and organizing, the Presidency proceeded to consecrate the oil. . . .

The Twelve then proceeded to anoint and bless the Presidency of the Seventy, and seal upon their heads power and authority to anoint their brethren. (HC 2:379, 381-
83, January 21-22, 1836.)

Heber C. Kimball: 7

I will give you a key which Brother Joseph Smith used to give in Nauvoo. He said that the very step of apostasy commenced with losing confidence in the leaders of
this Church and kingdom, and that whenever you discerned that spirit, you might know that it would lead the possessor of it on the road to apostasy. . . .

No man or woman can have the spirit of prophecy and at the same time do evil and speak against their brethren; and you will find that man or that woman barren and
unfruitful in the knowledge of God, and filled with disputations. (Life of Heber C. Kimball, 1945, p. 465.)

George F. Richards: 7

In all your conversation

When we say anything bad about the leaders of the Church, whether true or false, we tend to impair their influence and their usefulness and are thus working against the
Lord and his cause. When we speak well of our leaders, we tend to increase their influence and usefulness in the service of the Lord. In his absence our brother's
character when assailed, should be defended, thus doing to others as we would be done by. [Matt. 7:12.] The Lord needs the help of all of us. (CR, April 1947, p.
24.)

Charles W. Penrose: 7

In all your conversation . . . in all your exhortations

I think sometimes of the words of the Apostle James in regard to the power of the tongue. [James 1:26; 3:5, 8; 4:11.] What good can be accomplished by using the
powers of speech in the proper direction! What wrong can be accomplished when these powers are prostituted to speak evil. "Thou shalt not speak evil of the Lord's
anointed." I hope you recognize that saying. We are under promise that we will not do it. We should speak that which is good, not that which is evil. And we should
hesitate when we find an opportunity, or when some circumstance arises which might induce us to say something that would be improper in regard to cur brethren.
James says: "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity," it "setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. . . ." [James 3:6.]

We should be careful what we say. If we cannot say anything good, let us hold our tongues, and do as the mother sometimes roughly tells the children, "Shut your
mouth." It is a good thing to be able to shut your mouth, and to keep it shut, when you ought not to talk; and it's a good thing to be able to open your mouth at the
proper time and at the proper season and bring forth words of eternal life for the blessing, enlightenment, comfort and consolation of the sons of men. (CR, April 1904,
p. 71.)

J. Reuben Clark, Jr: 7

In all your doings

It is a presentation [of the names of the authorities] in which those who vote in the affirmative pledge themselves with their uplifted hands that they will sustain those for
whom they vote. And this sustaining means that you will support, follow, and obey in the proper ways those who preside over you. (CR, April 1957, p. 41.)

Marriner W. Merrill: 7

In all your doings
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We should honor the Lord and His Priesthood and His work. We should set this example to our families, to our neighbors and to all with whom we associate. The lack
of reverence to the Priesthood we may look upon as a trifling matter, but it is not. It is not the man particularly, it is the authority that God has bestowed upon the man. .
. . He has not canvassed for the support of the people, but he has been placed in his position because the Lord wanted him there. Therefore men and women who trifle
Marriner W. Merrill: 7

In all your doings

We should honor the Lord and His Priesthood and His work. We should set this example to our families, to our neighbors and to all with whom we associate. The lack
of reverence to the Priesthood we may look upon as a trifling matter, but it is not. It is not the man particularly, it is the authority that God has bestowed upon the man. .
. . He has not canvassed for the support of the people, but he has been placed in his position because the Lord wanted him there. Therefore men and women who trifle
with these things and ignore the counsel of God, are treading upon dangerous ground and they will be brought into shame and disgrace before the people in the due
time of the Lord, unless they repent. [Sec. 121:11-25.] We cannot afford to do these things. Our duty is to sustain each other, sustain this work, to be in harmony with
it, in all of its details, and to be in harmony with God's chosen servants in all the affairs of life. God will be with the men and women who will pursue this course. His
Spirit and power will be with them, to sustain them through trying times. [Sec. 121:45-46.] (CR, April 1900, p. 29.)

George Albert Smith: 7

In all your prayers

I hope that we will be found in the line of our duty, praying for and sustaining our present leaders, blessing them by our kindness and our love, and presenting them
before our Heavenly Father in our daily prayers, asking him that he will give them the richness of his love and blessings. (CR, October 1934, p. 53.)

Section 109

Prayer offered at the dedication of the Temple at Kirtland, Ohio, March 27, 1836. According to the Prophet's written statement, this prayer was given to him by
revelation. See History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 410.

1. Thanks be to thy name, O Lord God of Israel, who keepest covenant and showest mercy unto thy servants who walk uprightly before thee, with all their hearts-

2. Thou who hast commanded thy servants to build a house to thy name in this place [Kirtland] .

3. And now thou beholdest, O Lord, that thy servants have done according to thy commandment.

4. And now we ask thee, Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of thy bosom, in whose name alone salvation can be administered to the children of men,
we ask thee, O Lord, to accept of this house, the workmanship of the hands of us, thy servants, which thou didst command us to build.

5. For thou knowest that we have done this work through great tribulation; and out of our poverty we have given of our substance to build a house to thy name, that the
Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people.

6. And as thou hast said in a revelation, given to us, calling us thy friends, saying-Call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you;

7. And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by
study and also by faith;

8. Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of
glory, a house of order, a house of God;

9. That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord, that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord, that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord,
with uplifted hands unto the Most High-

10. And now, Holy Father, we ask thee to assist us, thy people, with thy grace, in calling our solemn assembly, that it may be done to thine honor and to thy divine
acceptance;

11. And in a manner that we may be found worthy, in thy sight, to secure a fulfilment of the promises which thou hast made unto us, thy people, in the revelations given
unto us;

12. That thy glory may rest down upon thy people, and upon this thy house, which we now dedicate to thee, that it may be sanctified and consecrated to be holy, and
that thy holy presence may be continually in this house;

13. And that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord's house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and
that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness.

14. And do thou grant, Holy Father, that all those who shall worship in this house may be taught words of wisdom out of the best books, and that they may seek
learning even by study, and also by faith, as thou hast said;

15. And that they may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, and be organized according to thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing;

16. And that this house may be a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of glory and of God, even thy house;

17. That all the incomings of thy people, into this house, may be in the name of the Lord;

18. That all their outgoings from this house may be in the name of the Lord;

19. And that all their salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with holy hands, uplifted to the Most High;

20. And that no unclean thing shall be permitted to come into thy house to pollute it;

21. And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou
hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house.
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22. And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and Page
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about them, and thine angels have charge over them;
21. And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou
hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house.

22. And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round
about them, and thine angels have charge over them;

23. And from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ends of the earth, that they may know that this is thy work, and that thou
hast put forth thy hand, to fulfil that which thou hast spoken by the mouths of the prophets, concerning the last days.

24. We ask thee, Holy Father, to establish the people that shall worship, and honorably hold a name and standing in this thy house, to all generations and for eternity;

25. That no weapon formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for them shall fall into the same himself;

26. That no combination of wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house;

27. And if any people shall rise against this people, that thine anger be kindled against them;

28. And if they shall smite this people thou wilt smite them; thou wilt fight for thy people as thou didst in the day of battle, that they may be delivered from the hands of
all their enemies.

29. We ask thee, Holy Father, to confound, and astonish, and to bring to shame and confusion, all those who have spread lying reports abroad, over the world, against
thy servant or servants, if they will not repent, when the everlasting gospel shall be proclaimed in their ears;

30. And that all their works may be brought to naught, and be swept away by the hail, and by the judgments which thou wilt send upon them in thine anger, that there
may be an end to lyings and slanders against thy people.

31. For thou knowest, O Lord, that thy servants have been innocent before thee in bearing record of thy name, for which they have suffered these things.

32. Therefore we plead before thee for a full and complete deliverance from under this yoke;

33. Break it off, O Lord; break it off from the necks of thy servants, by thy power, that we may rise up in the midst of this generation and do thy work.

34. O Jehovah, have mercy upon this people, and as all men sin forgive the transgressions of thy people, and let them be blotted out forever.

35. Let the anointing of thy ministers be sealed upon them with power from on high.

36. Let it be fulfilled upon them, as upon those on the day of Pentecost; let the gift of tongues be poured out upon thy people, even cloven tongues as of fire, and the
interpretation thereof.

37. And let thy house be filled, as with a rushing mighty wind, with thy glory.

38. Put upon thy servants the testimony of the covenant, that when they go out and proclaim thy word they may seal up the law, and prepare the hearts of thy saints for
all those judgments thou art about to send, in thy wrath, upon the inhabitants of the earth, because of their transgressions, that thy people may not faint in the day of
trouble.

39. And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, and the people of that city receive their testimony, let thy peace and thy salvation be upon that city; that they may
gather out of that city the righteous, that they may come forth to Zion, or to her stakes, the places of thine appointment, with songs of everlasting joy;

40. And until this be accomplished, let not thy judgments fall upon that city.

41. And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, and the people of that city receive not the testimony of thy servants, and thy servants warn them to save themselves
from this untoward generation, let it be upon that city according to that which thou hast spoken by the mouths of thy prophets.

42. But deliver thou, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, thy servants from their hands, and cleanse them from their blood.

43. O Lord, we delight not in the destruction of our fellow men; their souls are precious before thee;

44. But thy word must be fulfilled. Help thy servants to say, with thy grace assisting them: Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours.

45. We know that thou hast spoken by the mouth of thy prophets terrible things concerning the wicked, in the last days-that thou wilt pour out thy judgments, without
measure;

46. Therefore, O Lord, deliver thy people from the calamity of the wicked; enable thy servants to seal up the law, and bind up the testimony, that they may be prepared
against the day of burning.

47. We ask thee, Holy Father, to remember those who have been driven by the inhabitants of Jackson county, Missouri, from the lands of their inheritance, and break
off, O Lord, this yoke of affliction that has been put upon them.

48. Thou knowest, O Lord, that they have been greatly oppressed and afflicted by wicked men; and our hearts flow out with sorrow because of their grievous burdens.

49. O Lord, how long wilt thou suffer this people to bear this affliction, and the cries of their innocent ones to ascend up in thine ears, and their blood come up in
testimony before thee, and not make a display of thy testimony in their behalf?

50. Have mercy, O Lord, upon the wicked mob, who have driven thy people, that they may cease to spoil, that they may repent of their sins if repentance is to be
found;

51. But if they
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52. And if it cannot be otherwise, that the cause of thy people may not fail before thee may thine anger be kindled, and thine indignation fall upon them, that they may
be wasted away, both root and branch, from under heaven;
50. Have mercy, O Lord, upon the wicked mob, who have driven thy people, that they may cease to spoil, that they may repent of their sins if repentance is to be
found;

51. But if they will not, make bare thine arm, O Lord, and redeem that which thou didst appoint a Zion unto thy people.

52. And if it cannot be otherwise, that the cause of thy people may not fail before thee may thine anger be kindled, and thine indignation fall upon them, that they may
be wasted away, both root and branch, from under heaven;

53. But inasmuch as they will repent, thou art gracious and merciful, and wilt turn away thy wrath when thou lookest upon the face of thine Anointed.

54. Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended,
namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.

55. Remember the kings, the princes, the nobles, and the great ones of the earth, and all people, and the churches, all the poor, the needy, and afflicted ones of the
earth;

56. That their hearts may be softened when thy servants shall go out from thy house, O Jehovah, to bear testimony of thy name; that their prejudices may give way
before the truth, and thy people may obtain favor in the sight of all;

57. That all the ends of the earth may know that we, thy servants, have heard thy voice, and that thou hast sent us;

58. That from among all these, thy servants, the sons of Jacob, may gather out the righteous to build a holy city to thy name, as thou hast commanded them.

59. We ask thee to appoint unto Zion other stakes besides this one which thou hast appointed, that the gathering of thy people may roll on in great power and majesty,
that thy work may be cut short in righteousness.

60. Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the
Gentiles.

61. But thou knowest that thou hast a great love for the children of Jacob, who have been scattered upon the mountains for a long time, in a cloudy and dark day.

62. We therefore ask thee to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that Jerusalem, from this hour, may begin to be redeemed;

63. And the yoke of bondage may begin to be broken off from the house of David;

64. And the children of Judah may begin to return to the lands which thou didst give to Abraham, their father.

65. And cause that the remnants of Jacob, who have been cursed and smitten because of their transgression, be converted from their wild and savage condition to the
fulness of the everlasting gospel;

66. That they may lay down their weapons of bloodshed, and cease their rebellions.

67. And may all the scattered remnants of Israel, who have been driven to the ends of the earth, come to a knowledge of the truth, believe in the Messiah, and be
redeemed from oppression, and rejoice before thee.

68. O Lord, remember thy servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., and all his afflictions and persecutions-how he has covenanted with Jehovah, and vowed to thee, O Mighty
God of Jacob-and the commandments which thou hast given unto him, and that he hath sincerely striven to do thy will.

69. Have mercy, O Lord, upon his wife and children, that they may be exalted in thy presence, and preserved by thy fostering hand.

70. Have mercy upon all their immediate connections, that their prejudices may be broken up and swept away as with a flood; that they may be converted and
redeemed with Israel, and know that thou art God.

71. Remember, O Lord, the presidents, even all the presidents of thy church, that thy right hand may exalt them, with all their families, and their immediate connections,
that their names may be perpetuated and had in everlasting remembrance from generation to generation.

72. Remember all thy church, O Lord, with all their families, and all their immediate connections, with all their sick and afflicted ones, with all the poor and meek of the
earth; that the kingdom, which thou hast set up without hands, may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth;

73. That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners;

74. And be adorned as a bride for that day when thou shalt unveil the heavens, and cause the mountains to flow down at thy presence, and the valleys to be exalted,
the rough places made smooth; that thy glory may fill the earth;

75. That when the trump shall sound for the dead, we shall be caught up in the cloud to meet thee, that we may ever be with the Lord;

76. That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap
eternal joy for all our sufferings.

77. O Lord God Almighty, hear us in these our petitions, and answer us from heaven, thy holy habitation, where thou sittest enthroned, with glory, honor, power,
majesty, might, dominion, truth, justice, judgment, mercy, and an infinity of fulness, from everlasting to everlasting.

78. O hear, O hear, O hear us, O Lord! And answer these petitions, and accept the dedication of this house unto thee, the work of our hands, which we have built
unto thy name;

79. And also this church, to put upon it thy name. And help us by the power of thy Spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs around thy
throne, with(c)
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80. And let these, thine anointed ones, be clothed with salvation, and thy saints shout aloud for joy. Amen, and Amen.
unto thy name;

79. And also this church, to put upon it thy name. And help us by the power of thy Spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs around thy
throne, with acclamations of praise, singing Hosanna to God and the Lamb!

80. And let these, thine anointed ones, be clothed with salvation, and thy saints shout aloud for joy. Amen, and Amen.

Heber C. Kimball: Introduction

This building [Kirtland Temple] the saints commenced in 1833, in poverty, and without means to do it. In 1834 they completed the walls, and in 1835-6 they nearly
finished it. The cost was between sixty and seventy thousand dollars. . . . This house was 80 x 60 feet, and 57 feet high to the eaves. It was divided into two stories,
each 22 feet high and arched overhead. Ten feet were cut off from the front by a partition, and used as an entry or outer court, which also contained the stairs. This left
the main room 55 x 65 feet in the clear, both below and above. In each of these rooms were built two pulpits, one in each end. Each pulpit consisted of four different
apartments; the fourth standing on a platform raised a suitable height above the floor; the third stood directly behind and elevated a little above the fourth; the second in
rear of and elevated above the third; and in like manner the first above the second. Each of these apartments was just large enough and rightly calculated to seat three
persons, and the breastwork in front of each of these three last mentioned was constituted of three semi-circles joining each other, and finished in good style. The fourth
or lower one, was straight in front, and had an elegant table leaf attached to it, that could be raised at pleasure for the convenience of administering the Sacrament, etc.
These pulpits were alike in each end of the house. One was for the use of the Melchizedek or High Priesthood, and the other for the Aaronic or lesser Priesthood. The
first or highest apartment was occupied by the First Presidency over the whole Church; the second apartment by the Melchizedek High Priesthood; the third by the
President of the High Priests' Quorum; and the fourth by the President of the Elders and his two counselors. The highest apartment of the other pulpit was occupied by
the Bishop of the Church and his two counselors; the next by the President of the Priests and his two counselors; the third by the President of the Teachers and his two
counselors; and the fourth by the President of the Deacons and his two counselors.

Each of these apartments had curtains hanging from the ceiling over head down to the top of the pulpit, which could be rolled up or dropped down at pleasure; and
when dropped down would completely exclude those within the apartment from the sight of all others. The room itself was finished with slips and seats so calculated
that by slipping the seats a little the congregation could change their faces toward either pulpit they chose; for in some cases the high Priesthood would administer, and
in other cases the lesser Priesthood would administer. The room was also divided into four compartments by means of curtains or veils hanging from the ceiling over
head down to the floor, which could be rolled up at pleasure, so that the house could be used all in one or divided into four rooms and used for different purposes.
Thus the house was constructed to suit and accommodate the different quorums of the priesthood and worship peculiar to the Church. The first story or lower room
was dedicated for divine worship alone. The second story was finished similar in form to the first, but was designed wholly for instructing the Priesthood, and was
supplied with tables and seats instead of slips. In the attic, five rooms were finished for the convenience of schools and for different quorums of the Church to meet in.
There was no baptismal font in this temple, the ordinance of baptism for the dead not having been revealed.

At the time of dedication the first story was finished, also the attic, but the second story was in an unfinished condition.

At the dedication an address was delivered by Elder [Sidney] Rigdon, from Matthew 8th chap. 18th, 19th and 20th verses-more particularly the 20th. He spoke two
hours and a half. The tenor of his discourse went to show the toils, sufferings, privations, and hardships the brethren and sisters had to endure while building this house,
and compared it with the sufferings of the Saints in the days of the Savior. (Life of Heber C. Kimball, March 27, 1836, pp. 88-90.)

George Q. Cannon: Introduction

Joseph was acknowledged by the several quorums, standing upon their feet, as the Prophet and Seer of the Church, and they gave a solemn pledge to uphold him as
such by their faith and prayers. [Kirtland Temple dedication.] This action was also ratified by the entire congregation of the Saints in the same manner. The Prophet then
called upon the quorums and the congregation to acknowledge the other members of the First Presidency and the several quorums in their offices and callings, and the
vote was unanimous in every instance.

After the administration of the Lord's Supper and the expression of many solemn testimonies, the dedication was sealed by shouting Hosanna, Hosanna to God and the
Lamb, three times sealing it, each time with Amen, Amen, and Amen.

Brigham Young had the gift of tongues powerfully upon him and made an address, which David W. Patten interpreted. Then the Prophet made a short exhortation also
in tongues, and afterward blessed the congregation in the name of the Lord, and the assembly dispersed. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp. 190-91.)

Heber C. Kimball: Introduction

During the ceremonies of the dedication [Kirtland Temple] an angel appeared and sat near President Joseph Smith, Sen., and Frederick G. Williams, so that they had a
fair view of his person. He was a very tall personage, black eyes, white hair, and stoop shouldered; his garment was whole, extending to near his ankles; on his feet he
had sandals. He was sent as a messenger to accept of the dedication. (Life of Heber C. Kimball, March 27, 1836, p. 91.)

George A. Smith: Introduction

When the Temple was completed there was a great manifestation of power. The brethren gathered together to its dedication. We considered it a very large building.
Some nine hundred and sixty could be seated, and there would be room for a few to stand, the congregation was swelled to a little over a thousand persons at the time
of the dedication. It was a trial of faith. The Elders from every part of the country had come together. The finishing of the Temple had involved a debt of many
thousands, and we all came together to the dedication. The congregation was so large that we could not all get in; and when the house was full, then, of course, the
doors were closed, and no more admitted. . . . When the dedication prayer was read by Joseph, it was read from a printed copy. This was a great trial of faith to
many. "How can it be that the prophet should read a prayer?" What an awful trial it was, for the Prophet to read a prayer! The service of the dedication being over, it
was repeated again on the next day, to accommodate those who had not been able to get in on the first day, and all those who had been there on the first day,
excepting the authorities, being required to remain outside, till those who could not get in the day before were seated; the result of this arrangement was two days
dedication. (JD, November 15, 1864, 11:9-10.)

Mark E. Petersen: Introduction

When the Almighty taught the Prophet Joseph Smith how to dedicate the first temple of this dispensation, he gave the dedicatory prayer to him by revelation. (A Faith
to Live By, 1959, p. 298.)

George Q. Cannon: 1-3
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Saints had given of their substance and had toiled without ceasing to make a habitation fit for the ministration of angelic visitants and of the Holy One, Himself. The
consummation of this work had been very near to the Prophet's heart, especially since the tribulations in Missouri had shown that no house of the Lord could be
to Live By, 1959, p. 298.)

George Q. Cannon: 1-3

The building of the Kirtland Temple was accomplished by the utmost self-sacrifice. Nearly three years had been occupied in its construction; and during this time the
Saints had given of their substance and had toiled without ceasing to make a habitation fit for the ministration of angelic visitants and of the Holy One, Himself. The
consummation of this work had been very near to the Prophet's heart, especially since the tribulations in Missouri had shown that no house of the Lord could be
erected speedily in the center stake of Zion. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, p. 188.)

Heber C. Kimball: 6

Call your solemn assembly

We had been commanded to prepare ourselves for a solemn assembly. [Sec. 108:4.] At length the time arrived for this assembly to meet; previous to which the
Prophet Joseph exhorted the Elders to solemnize their minds, by casting away every evil from them, in thought, word and deed, and to let their hearts become
sanctified, because they need not expect a blessing from God without being duly prepared for it, for the Holy Ghost would not dwell in unholy temples. This meeting
took place soon after the house of the Lord had been dedicated. . . .

When the Prophet Joseph had finished the endowments of the First Presidency, the Twelve and the Presiding Bishops, the First Presidency proceeded to lay hands
upon each one of them to seal and confirm the anointing; and at the close of each blessing the whole of the quorums responded to it with a loud shout of Hosanna!
Hosanna! etc.

While these things were being attended to the beloved disciple John was seen in our midst by the Prophet Joseph, Oliver Cowdery and others. After this all the
quorums arose in order, together with the three Presidencies; and the Twelve then presented themselves separately and individually before the First Presidency, with
hands uplifted towards heaven, and asked of God whatever they felt to desire; and after each individual petition the whole of the quorums answered aloud Amen!
Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! To God and the Lamb, forever and ever, amen and amen!

The 6th day of April being the day appointed for fasting and prayer, all the Elders, Priests, Teachers and Deacons, numbering about four hundred, met together in the
House of the Lord to attend to further ordinances; none being permitted to enter but official members who had previously received their washings and anointings. (Life
of Heber C. Kimball, April 6, 1836, pp. 91-92.)

John A. Widtsoe: 7

Teach one another

The Church had scarcely been organized when our people began to talk about education. They wanted to provide schools and books for schools. In the difficult times
of the earliest days, the Prophet wrote a letter to the Church and said that not only were the people to secure schools and schoolbooks, but also if such means were not
available, then the fathers and the mothers should act as their instructors to the youth in their homes. The Church began its work on the foundation of moral, mental, and
spiritual education.

Later on, when the Church was still young, hard-handed toilers on the farm and in the shop, who were converts to the Church entered the school of the Prophets which
had been founded for the mature. It is thrilling to look back over our history to the time of the Kirtland Temple. The men left their farms, fields, and shops in the
evenings and climbed to the top story, the attic story of the Kirtland Temple, there, in provided classrooms, to study various subjects, languages, mathematics, history,
geography, and a variety of subjects. Really our people began there what we call today adult education. It was thought that an older man could not learn; only young
people could learn. Since that time the world has come to quite a different conclusion. Today a man is never too old to learn. A woman is never too old to learn. The
power to assimilate knowledge remains with us to the last day. Somehow these forebears of ours in the Church understood that. (CR, April 1949, p. 149.)

Rudger Clawson: 7

Seek ye out of the best books

Let me plead with you to give more attention to the standard works of the Church. There is so much literature that comes into our homes, I am sure, that we can hardly
reach the standard works of the Church, yet the standard works should come first, and other literature afterwards. [Sec. 88:118; 33:16.]

Of course, we must keep track of daily events, things that are going on in the world, but when it comes to reading books of interest and value, let us give preference to
the Church works because they are more precious than any other books in the world. (CR, October 1937, p. 113.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 7, 14

Seek learning even by study and also by faith

A man may have a wonderful education and not be on the road to salvation. It matters not if a man is acquainted with the principles of science, history, literature, and all
the branches of education as they are taught in the schools of our land, these truths, of themselves, will not save him in the kingdom of God. [Sec. 88:77-78.] He must
have in his heart the spirit of faith in the mission of Jesus Christ by which the remission of sins may be obtained, which is baptism by immersion by one having authority.
In fact, he must understand all of the first principles of the gospel and obey them. These truths are fundamental to salvation. If a man has not complied with these
principles and received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and obtained entrance into the kingdom of God, he is not on the road to salvation, no
matter what else his knowledge may be. [Sec. 33:11-16.] The great learning he obtains in the world will not save him. (CR, April 1928, p. 66.)

John A. Widtsoe: 7, 14

Seek learning even by study and also by faith

There are of course many kinds of knowledge; some of lesser, some of higher value. When Joseph Smith said that a man cannot be saved in ignorance, he meant
naturally ignorance of the laws which all together lead to salvation. Such knowledge is of the highest value. It should be sought after first. Then other kinds of knowledge
may be added to support and amplify the more direct knowledge of spiritual law. For example, it is a duty of the Church to preach the gospel to all the world. [Sec.
1:1-5.] This however requires the aid of railroads, steamships, printing presses, and a multitude of other things that make up our civilization. A knowledge of the gospel
is the missionary's first need, but the other needs, though lesser, help him perform better the divine injunction to teach the gospel to all people. (Evidences and
Reconciliations, 3:71, 84-85.)
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James E. Talmage: 8
naturally ignorance of the laws which all together lead to salvation. Such knowledge is of the highest value. It should be sought after first. Then other kinds of knowledge
may be added to support and amplify the more direct knowledge of spiritual law. For example, it is a duty of the Church to preach the gospel to all the world. [Sec.
1:1-5.] This however requires the aid of railroads, steamships, printing presses, and a multitude of other things that make up our civilization. A knowledge of the gospel
is the missionary's first need, but the other needs, though lesser, help him perform better the divine injunction to teach the gospel to all people. (Evidences and
Reconciliations, 3:71, 84-85.)

James E. Talmage: 8

A house of fasting

Fasting, when practiced in prudence, and genuine prayer are conducive to the development of faith with its accompanying power of good. (Jesus the Christ, 1916, p.
395.)

Mark E. Petersen: 20

No unclean thing . . . into thy house to pollute it

In it (Section 109) the Lord himself described his house as: [Sec. 109:16, quoted.]

Then he laid down another great principle. He taught that not only is his house holy, but the people who come to it must bring a degree of holiness with them to avoid
the desecration of the sacred edifice.

Through their own righteous lives they must obtain the Spirit of the Lord for themselves. By their obedience to the commandments they must sanctify themselves, and
thus come worthily to the house of the Lord.

With such a thought in mind he taught the Prophet in his first temple dedicatory service to pray: [Sec. 109:17-21, quoted.] (A Faith to Live By, 1959, pp. 298-99.)

Rudger Clawson: 21

When thy people transgress . . . they may speedily repent

Consider, for a moment, the great law of repentance. It is binding upon this Church. We must consider it and meet its requirements. It must have an influence in our
daily lives. God has said that He cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. [Sec. 1:31.] Hear it, O Israel! It cannot be condoned, it cannot be excused, it
cannot be winked at, because confronting sin is this great and eternal law of repentance. If we will have absolution, if we will have forgiveness of sin, we must submit to
the law and repent. I say-no, I do not say it-it is declared in the Gospel which we have received, that no man or woman can be saved in the kingdom of God except by
faith and repentance. [Sec. 19:31.] Salvation cannot be purchased. It is a free gift of God, and it comes through His Gospel. And in this matter, as in all things, God is
no respector of persons. He who sins in this Church, be it a small or a great transgression, must repent. It matters not in whom the sin may be found. In the President of
the Church? Yes. In his Counselors? Yes. In the Twelve Apostles? Yes. The Presidents of the Stakes, the Bishops of Wards, and the leaders of Zion? Yes. In the lay
members of the Church? Yes. It affects the most influential as well as the humblest in the Church. When children come to years of understanding and accountability,
must they repent and forsake sin? Yes. [Sec. 68:25-29.] Those who do not repent, those who do not yield obedience to this great and immutable law of the Gospel,
will go into spiritual darkness and, peradventure, will lose the faith. [Sec. 63:16.] (CR, October 1904, p. 36.)

Brigham Young: 22-23

The Lord is here with us, not in person, but his angels are round us, and he takes cognizance of every act of the children of men, as individuals and as nations. He is
here ready by his agents, the angels, and by the power of his Holy Spirit and Priesthood, which he has restored in these last days, to bring most perfect and absolute
deliverance unto all who put their trust in Him, when they are ready to receive it; and, until they are ready, the work of preparation must be vigorously progressed in,
while at the same time we in patience must possess our souls. (JD, December 11, 1864, 11:14.)

Brigham Young: 22

Armed with thy power

Much has been said about the power of the Latter-day Saints. Is it the people called Latter-day Saints that have this power, or is it the Priesthood? It is the Priesthood;
and if they live according to that Priesthood, they can commence their work here and gain many victories, and be prepared to receive glory, immortality, and eternal
life, that when they go into the spirit-world their work will far surpass that of any other man or being that has not been blessed with the keys of the Priesthood here.
(JD, October 9, 1859, 7:288-89.)

John A. Widtsoe: 22

Thine angels have charge over them

Undoubtedly angels often guard us from accidents and harm, from temptation and sin. They may properly be spoken of as guardian angels. Many people have borne
and may bear testimony to the guidance and protection that they have received from sources beyond their natural vision. Without the help that we receive from the
constant presence of the Holy Spirit, and from possibly holy angels, the difficulties of life would be greatly multiplied.

The common belief, however, that to every person born into the world is assigned a guardian angel to be with that person constantly, is not supported by available
evidence. It is a very comforting thought, but at present without proof of its correctness. An angel may be a guardian angel though he come only as assigned to give us
special help. In fact, the constant presence of the Holy Spirit would seem to make such a constant, angelic companionship unnecessary.

So, until further knowledge is obtained, we may say that angels may be sent to guard us according to our need; but we cannot say with certainty. (Gospel
Interpretations, 1947, pp. 28-29.)

Joseph Smith: 23

They may bear . . . glorious tidings . . . unto the ends of the earth

Brethren,
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shall bless you. Do not be discouraged on account of the greatness of the work; only be humble and faithful, and then you can say, "What art thou, O great mountain!
before Zerubbabel shalt thou be brought down." [Zech. 4:7.] He who scattered Israel has promised to gather them [Sec. 29:1-2, 7-9 ; therefore, inasmuch as you are
to be instrumental in this great work, He will endow you with power, wisdom, might, and intelligence, and every qualification necessary; while your minds will expand
Joseph Smith: 23

They may bear . . . glorious tidings . . . unto the ends of the earth

Brethren, you are in the pathway to eternal fame, and immortal glory; and inasmuch as you feel interested for the covenant people of the Lord, the God of their fathers
shall bless you. Do not be discouraged on account of the greatness of the work; only be humble and faithful, and then you can say, "What art thou, O great mountain!
before Zerubbabel shalt thou be brought down." [Zech. 4:7.] He who scattered Israel has promised to gather them [Sec. 29:1-2, 7-9 ; therefore, inasmuch as you are
to be instrumental in this great work, He will endow you with power, wisdom, might, and intelligence, and every qualification necessary; while your minds will expand
wider and wider, until you can circumscribe the earth and the heavens, reach forth into eternity, and contemplate the mighty acts of Jehovah in all their variety and glory.
(HC 4:128-29, May 14, 1840.)

Brigham Young: 25-31

I will tell you another prophecy of Joseph's, of which both Jews and Gentiles are my witnesses. Joseph said that the bones of hundreds of the Missouri and Illinois
mobocrats, who drove the Saints from those States, should bleach on the plains, and their flesh should be meat for wolves. Are you witnesses to that, in coming over
the Plains? Yes, hundreds and hundreds of those characters that started to go to the gold mines, their flesh was meat for the wolves, and their bones are there bleaching
today, so far as they have not been buried, or entirely rotted away. That is another prophecy of Joseph's. I do not say that all who differ with us in matters of religion
are mobocrats, No: there are as honest men in other churches as there are in ours.

Go into the world among the infidels and the Universalists; they are two good classes of men. Then visit the members of the Church of England, and the Roman
Catholic Church, the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Quakers, Shakers, etc., and millions of them are as honest as we are. Shall I call them mobocrats? Who are
the evildoers? Those who have had the light presented to them, and rejected it. I do not feel as I have represented towards all the children of men, only towards those
who have hunted our lives from the beginning. But they have not the power, neither will they have it, to divide this Kingdom. This Church will prosper and increase.
You understand that, when I talk about those men, I talk about those who have been active, in what? In trying to bring destruction upon us. Have we injured them? No,
we have not; at least, I have not, and I hope you have not. Have they any great reason for their usage to us? They have not. I will leave them in the hands of God. (JD,
March 3, 1861, 8:357-58.)

First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose): 35-37

We read that Jesus, after his resurrection, breathed upon his disciples and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." But we also read that he said, "Behold, I send the
promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." (Luke 24:49.) We read further, "For the Holy Ghost
was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:39.) Thus the promise was made, but the fulfillment came after, so that the Holy Ghost sent by
Jesus from the Father did not come in person until the day of Pentecost, and the cloven tongues of fire were the sign of his coming. This manifestation was repeated in
this dispensation at the endowment on the Kirtland Temple, in the month of April, 1836. (IE, March 1916, 19:460-61.)

Joseph Smith: 35-37

I left the meeting in the charge of the Twelve, and retired about nine o'clock in the evening. The brethren continued exhorting, prophesying, and speaking in tongues until
five o'clock in the morning. The Savior made his appearance to some, while angels administered to others, and it was a Pentecost and an endowment indeed, long to be
remembered, for the sound shall go forth from this place into all the world, and the occurrences of this day shall be handed down upon the pages of sacred history, to
all generations; as the day of Pentecost, so shall this day be numbered and celebrated as a year of jubilee, and a time of rejoicing to the Saints of the Most High God.
(HC 2:432-33, March 30, 1836.)

Charles W. Penrose: 38-46

The effect of righteousness shall be peace, but while unrighteousness and despotism and tyranny and inequality in regard to the rights of men shall persist in the world,
there will be wars and rumors of wars, and there will be destruction and sorrow and pain, and nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there
will be trouble, as the Lord predicted, such as there never was in the earth before. [Sec. 1:35; 29:14-21; 43:22-27; 45:26-42; 63:32-35; 87; 88:88-94.] If we are not
approaching that time very closely, I miss my guess, but my personal belief is that the Lord will overrule. The Lord does not kill people, the Lord does not tell nations to
rise and make conquests, but the Lord sits above and while many of the people on the earth are making their plans, "He that sitteth in the heavens," as the psalmist says,
"shall laugh" [Psalm 2:4] , and the time will come, when he will overturn all their plans and devices and turn them around to accomplish his own divine purposes and war
shall be overcome even if but for a time and peace shall prevail and the way shall open for the servants of Jesus Christ to go forth in the power and spirit of the holy
priesthood and publish the glad tidings of great joy revealed from heaven in the last days to all people, and thousands upon thousands shall turn into the Lord and repent
and bow in humble submission to his will. And the way shall be prepared for the establishment of Zion in all her strength and beauty and glory, and she shall be clothed
upon with everything that is lovely, and Christ our Redeemer and her king shall come and "reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before his ancients
gloriously." [Isa. 24:23.] (CR, October 1917, pp. 22-23.)

Joseph F. Smith: 41

The people . . . receive not the testimony

It is true there are those in the world who are so prejudiced and darkened in their minds that they will not see though the light shine upon them. They close their ears
and will not hear though the truth is spoken unto them, and they shut their eyes so they cannot see and close their hearts that they may not understand. Though you
declare unto them the truth they will deny it and reject it. We cannot help this. God will deal with them in His own time and in His own way, and we only need to do our
duty, keep the faith ourselves, to work righteousness in the world ourselves and leave the results in the hands of Him who overruleth all things for the good of those who
love Him and keep His commandments. (CR, April 1905, p. 6.)

Charles W. Penrose: 42

O Jehovah

Who was it that gave the law to Moses? We are told it was Jehovah. Well, was Jesus Jehovah? Yes, according to the scriptures, both ancient and modern. . . . (See
Doc. and Cov., Sec. 110:3, 4.) (CR, April 1916, p. 18.)

John Taylor: 43-53

The Gospel reveals many things to us which others are unacquainted with. I knew of those terrible events which were coming upon this nation previous to the breaking
out of our great
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nation like that in which we live, a nation which is blessed with the freest, the most enlightened and magnificent government in the world today, with privileges which
would exalt people to heaven if lived up to-do I not know that if they do not live up to them, but violate them and trample them under their feet, and discard the sacred
principles of liberty by which we ought to be governed-do I not know that their punishment will be commensurate with the enlightenment which they possess? I do. And
John Taylor: 43-53

The Gospel reveals many things to us which others are unacquainted with. I knew of those terrible events which were coming upon this nation previous to the breaking
out of our great fratricidal war [Civil War] , just as well as I now know that they transpired, and I have spoken of them to many. What of that? Do I not know that a
nation like that in which we live, a nation which is blessed with the freest, the most enlightened and magnificent government in the world today, with privileges which
would exalt people to heaven if lived up to-do I not know that if they do not live up to them, but violate them and trample them under their feet, and discard the sacred
principles of liberty by which we ought to be governed-do I not know that their punishment will be commensurate with the enlightenment which they possess? I do. And
I know-I cannot help but know-that there are a great many more afflictions yet awaiting this nation. But would I put forth my hand to help bring them on? God forbid!
And you, you Latter-day Saints, would you exercise your influence to the accomplishment of an object of that kind? God forbid! But we cannot help but know these
things. But our foreknowledge of these matters does not make us the agents in bringing them to pass. We are told that the wicked will slay the wicked. We are told in
sacred writ, "that vengeance is mine saith the Lord, and I will repay." [Rom. 12:19.] And in speaking of ourselves we need not be under any apprehensions pertaining
to the acts of men, for the Lord has said, "It is my business to take care of my Saints;" but it is our business to be Saints. [Sec. 82:10.] And to be worthy of that
character it is our duty to live by the principles of virtue, truth, integrity, holiness, purity, and honor, that we may at all times secure the favor of Almighty God; that his
blessings may be with us and dwell in our bosoms; that the peace of God may abide in our habitations; that our fields, our flocks, and our herds may be blessed of the
Lord; and that we, as people, may be under His divine protection. Fear him and keep his commandments, and if we do this we need know no other fear either on this
side of heaven or of hell, for God has pledged himself to take care of his people and to sustain and deliver them from the hands of their enemies. Therefore we may feel
easy, and we can always afford to treat all men right. What! Would you treat your enemies well? Why, yes. If they were hungry I would feed them; if they were thirsty I
would give them drink; if they were naked I would clothe them; but I would not be governed by their principles, nor influenced by the feelings which animate their
bosoms. I would try and imitate and cherish the same truths that dwell in the bosom of God, who makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and the rain to fall
on the just and on the unjust. [Matt. 5:45.] Then, having done that, I would leave them in the hands of God, and let them direct their affairs according to the counsels of
their own will. (JD, July 3, 1881, 22:141-42.)

Lorenzo Snow: 44

Thy will be done, O Lord

When things come up that require an exertion on our part, we should bring our wills into subjection to the will of the Father, and feel to say, what is the will of our
Father, whom we are here in the world to serve? Then every act that we perform will be a success. We may not see its success today or tomorrow, nevertheless it will
result in success. (CR, October 1899, p. 2.)

George Q. Cannon: 54-58

The Spirit of God is moving upon the people in all lands, and in many countries they are waiting in solemn anticipation of what is going to happen. All the nations of the
earth feel that something remarkable is likely to happen, but they do not know what. The honest in heart in those lands when they hear the glad tidings that God has
provided a refuge to which they can flee as He did in the days of Noah, will be led to rejoice. God has founded this land America and the government for the express
purpose that Zion might be built upon this land, and that the people of all nations might come here singing His praises and thanking Him that from the darkness and the
threatening evils by which they are surrounded He has provided a way of escape, a safe place, that when calamities and judgments come upon the inhabitants of the
earth, they can stand in holy places and be secure by keeping the commandments of God. [Sec. 45:66-75.] What a glorious theme this is for the Elders to carry to the
down-trodden of the nations of the earth who groan in darkness and who see no way of deliverance! Nor will it be the down-trodden alone who will listen to these
tidings. Men in high places and of commanding positions will yet listen to them, and they will take note of this extraordinary people who have done such a remarkable
work and who are now traversing the globe to bring from every land all who will listen to their message; to bring them with all their traditions to this place which we call
Zion, where they can, by the fusing power of the Spirit of God, be consolidated into one united people. (CR, October 1900, pp. 68-69.)

Orson F. Whitney: 59

Hear it, ye Gentiles! Hear it, O House of Israel! Jackson County, Missouri, is the chosen site for the City of Zion. No other place has been or will be appointed for that
purpose. All other gathering places of God's people are Stakes of Zion, holding the outside cords and curtains of the spiritual Tabernacle of the Lord. [Sec. 101:17-
24.]

Zion's first Stake was at Kirtland, Ohio; and other stakes were organized in Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa. All these have been abandoned; but many others, since
established, now flourish in the region of the Rocky Mountains. . . .

Zion is greater than any of her Stakes. It will require the Law of Consecration to bring forth Zion; while a lesser law suffices for the creation of stakes. When the
building up of Zion was postponed, the Law of Consecration was suspended, and the United Order went into abeyance. [Sec. 105:34-35.] Then was introduced the
Law of Tithing, a law adapted to the undeveloped condition of the Church. [Sec. 119.] Since that time the work of founding and maintaining Stakes of Zion,
preparatory to the coming forth of Zion proper, has engrossed the attention of the gathered children of Ephraim. (Saturday Night Thoughts, 1921, p. 183.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 60

We . . . who are identified with the Gentiles

Let us also remember that we are of the Gentiles! By this I mean that the Latter-day Saints have come to their blessings through the Gentile nations. President Brigham
Young . . . said that Joseph Smith was a pure Ephraimite. This is true; yet Joseph Smith came also of a Gentile lineage. So do most members of the Church. We may
boast of our lineage, and rejoice in the fact that Patriarchs have declared us to be of Ephraim, but at the same time let us not despise the Gentiles, for we are also of
them. If it were not so the scriptures would not be fulfilled. [1 Nephi 15:13-14; Ether 12:22.] (The Way to Perfection, 1943, p. 140.)

Joseph Smith: 61-67

By it [Book of Mormon] we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph which was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a
promised land unto them, and unto it all the tribes of Israel will come, with as many of the Gentiles as shall comply with the requisitions of the new covenant. But the
tribe of Judah will return to old Jerusalem. [Sec. 133:8, 13, 35.] The city of Zion spoken of by David, in the one hundred and second Psalm, will be built upon the land
of America, "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads" (Isaiah 35:10); and then they will be
delivered from the overflowing scourge that shall pass through the land. But Judah shall obtain deliverance at Jerusalem. (See Joel 11:32; Isaiah 16:20 and 21; Jeremiah
34:12; Psalm 1:5; Ezekiel 34:11, 12 and 13.) These are testimonies that the Good Shepherd will put forth His own sheep, and lead them out from all nations where
they have been scattered in a cloudy and dark day, to Zion, and to Jerusalem; besides many more testimonies which might be brought. (HC 1:315, January 4, 1833.)

Ezra Taft Benson: 61-64
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This great event of which I speak is one of the signs of the times, and is very important, it seems to me, particularly to all Christian people. It is transpiring in a small strip
of country about one hundred and ten miles long and fifty to sixty miles wide, in an area about the size of the state of Vermont. This little section has a population of
they have been scattered in a cloudy and dark day, to Zion, and to Jerusalem; besides many more testimonies which might be brought. (HC 1:315, January 4, 1833.)

Ezra Taft Benson: 61-64

This great event of which I speak is one of the signs of the times, and is very important, it seems to me, particularly to all Christian people. It is transpiring in a small strip
of country about one hundred and ten miles long and fifty to sixty miles wide, in an area about the size of the state of Vermont. This little section has a population of
approximately three million, divided as follows: about 1,700,000 Arabs; approximately 140,000 Christians, and other relatively minor sects and about 1,000,000
descendants of Judah, the son of Jacob.

The number of Jews has multiplied in recent years in this area in a rather remarkable manner. Plans are underway for the incorporation of about a million and a half
more during the immediate months ahead, and projected plans call for an eventual population of some four million in this area. . . .

This miracle of the return of the Jews was to be one of the events to precede Christ's second coming, and the scriptures are very clear with reference to this fact. [Isa.
11:11-12; Jer. 30:3; 33:7.] . . .

The prophets of the Book of Mormon even more clearly predict the conditions under which they will gather. These prophets also foresaw the time when they would
begin to believe in Jesus Christ [2 Nephi 30:7] , that the kings of the Gentiles would be as nursing fathers and their queens nursing mothers in helping to bring about their
return. [2 Nephi 10:3-9.] These prophets make it clear that eventually the fulness of the gospel will be carried to Jerusalem and to the descendants of Judah. [3 Nephi
20:29-31.]

In our day, in that first visit of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, mention was made that the "dispersed of Judah would be gathered from the four corners of the
earth." Thirteen years later, when Moses delivered the keys for the gathering of Israel and the Kirtland Temple was dedicated, the Prophet Joseph made further
reference to the promises made to Judah and appealed to the Lord that the time may soon come when the children of Judah would return to the land promised to their
father, Abraham. [Sec. 109:61-64.]

In some of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants, particularly the 133rd Section, reference is also made to the fact that the elders would go to the nations of the
earth, to the Gentiles first, and also to the Jews, that the Jews would "flee to Jerusalem," and that "Judah, after their pain shall be sanctified." (D&C 133:8, 13, 35.)

As Latter-day Saints, from the very inception of this latter-day work, we have had a deep interest in this group of our Father's children, the descendants of Judah. One
hundred and ten years ago, at this very conference, two of the elders of the Church, Elders Orson Hyde and John E. Page, were called to go to the land of Palestine
and dedicate it for the return of the descendants of Judah.

Ten years before, the Prophet Joseph had predicted on the head of Orson Hyde that in due time he should go to Jerusalem, the land of his fathers, and be a watchman
to that people. History tells us that Elder Hyde did go and dedicate the land in 1841, and in 1873 Elder George A. Smith went to that land and again dedicated it for
the return of the Jews.

In Elder Hyde's prayer of dedication on the Mount of Olives, he prayed that the barrenness and sterility of the land would be removed, that springs of water would
burst forth, that the land would become fruitful again, that the Lord would subdue their unbelief and "incline them to gather in upon this land." He also prayed that God
would inspire the kings of the earth to help bring about the promises made to Judah.

Other prophecies were made in connection with this event. . . .

Then he [Wilford Woodruff] said further that the time would come when the armies of the Gentiles would be gathered against them, but he promised further that "the
time is not far distant when the rich men among the Jews would be called upon to use their abundant wealth to gather the dispersed of Judah and purchase the ancient
dwelling places of their fathers in and about Jerusalem, and rebuild the holy city and temple." (Wilford Woodruff, Matthias F. Cowley, p. 508.)

It is rather significant that up to 1948 more than seven hundred million dollars had been expended by American Jews alone in helping to bring about the fulfillment of this
prophecy by President Wilford Woodruff. (CR, April 1950, pp. 72, 74-77.)

Anthon H. Lund: 67

Men will be sent to all nations to preach the Gospel, and we believe that wherever Israel are found they will listen and accept the word of the Lord and be gathered
out. . . . There is another gathering, unto this land, which was also prophesied by ancient prophets that it would take place, and this movement is now in progress. The
Book of Mormon is clear upon it, when it tells us that people from all nations shall be gathered to this land. [3 Nephi 5:24-26; Ether 13:4-8.] We have people from
every part of the world and from a great many nations; and they have come here, melting together into one body, becoming members of the same church, and aspiring
to become members of the kingdom of God when that shall be established in its fulness upon the earth. (CR, October 1913, p. 12.)

Thomas S. Monson: 67

Come to a knowledge of the truth

How grateful we should be that revelation, the clear and uncluttered channel of truth, is still open. Our Heavenly Father continues to inspire his prophets. This inspiration
can serve as a sure guide in making life's decisions. It will lead us to truth.

You do not find truth groveling through error. Truth is found by searching, studying, and living the revealed word of God. We learn truth when we associate with truth.
We adopt error when we mingle with error.

The Lord instructed us concerning how we might distinguish between truth and error when he said: ". . . that which doth not edify is not of God and is darkness. That
which is of God is light. . . ." (D&C 50:23-24.)

For those who humbly seek, there is no need to stumble or falter along the pathway leading to truth. It is well marked by our heavenly Father. We must first have a
desire to know for ourselves. We must study. We must pray. We must do the will of the Father. And then we will know the truth, and the truth will make us free.
Divine favor will attend those who humbly seek it. (IE, December 1964, 67:1053.)

John A. Widtsoe: 68

Joseph Smith,
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Joseph Smith was an obedient man. Humility always breeds obedience. Moreover, the revelations he received from God made obedience to truth the main issue of a
happy gospel life. . . .
Divine favor will attend those who humbly seek it. (IE, December 1964, 67:1053.)

John A. Widtsoe: 68

Joseph Smith, Jun. . . . hath sincerely striven to do thy will

Joseph Smith was an obedient man. Humility always breeds obedience. Moreover, the revelations he received from God made obedience to truth the main issue of a
happy gospel life. . . .

His life was an example of obedience. He was shown the Book of Mormon plates; he knew where they were; yet despite his natural eagerness to possess them, he
obediently saw them for four years only once a year, as commanded. Obediently, as the Lord directed, he went from place to place, built temples in the midst of his
people's poverty, subjected himself to trials and toils, accepted plural marriage in the face of his training for monogamy-and in every manner throughout his life showed
obedience to the Lord's will. As did Abraham of old, his all could be laid on the altar of the Lord. By these tests, as by many others, Joseph Smith was a great man.
(Joseph Smith, 1951, p. 333.)

George Q. Morris: 72

The kingdom . . . fill the whole earth

Just about a hundred years ago this people were driven, mobbed, outraged people, banished from one of the states of the Union, in the hope of those who banished
them-after killing their two leaders, Joseph and Hyrum, prophets of God-that they would perish in the western wilderness. We did not perish. Now a hundred years or
so later our President and our choir, with members of the Quorum of the Twelve, are made welcomed and honored visitors in the nations of the world, being accorded
welcomes that were heartfelt and generous, such as are perhaps given to royalty and other people of distinction-and the Lord will bless those peoples.

Why has this occurred? Because this is the kingdom of God. Daniel saw this day, and we should realize, and I hope our children realize, that we are taking part in
events which prophets saw and described centuries ago that the Lord knew would take place; and in my judgment all that is going on in the world today, with our
world wars and our great movements that seem to be shaking the earth-is being utilized for the consummation of his holy purposes as he has always done. So we are
seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy of Daniel:

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44.)

How could we identify this kingdom? Well, there are many ways. Mark the advance of civilization, from the ancient, Asiatic powers, with whom God had dealings
through his prophets, advancing westward, over Asia, advancing westward through Europe, always westward, and then it was stopped for centuries. Thousands of
miles of ocean formed an impediment to this advancement. Then in due time the Lord bridged that great gap, inspiring Columbus to discover this land, this the greatest
of all continents and the choicest of all lands, which God had reserved for the setting up of his kingdom; on which he established this free government, giving this nation
power over the mother country in the Revolutionary War. [1 Nephi 13:15-19.] During these years in Europe before America was discovered, kingdoms were
established all over the land and continued for centuries.

It was in the time of these kings that this kingdom of God was to be established. It is interesting to note that in great movements, and the establishment of kingdoms and
dominions, two things are very essential: transportation and communication. Without those, developments of that kind are not possible. The Lord has taken care of that,
and now as his kingdom advances in power, we hear the spoken word around the world, and we are on the way, I think, even to be able to see around the world
through television; and we are having planes built that will take us from here to our temple in Bern and to our other operations in Europe between sunrise and sunset.
The Lord has provided the necessary means at the right time.

Another identification: the Lord, through his prophets, and the Savior while he was with the Nephites, said that there would be a sign given when the Father would
undertake to establish his kingdom for the last time among the nations.

He said to them when the record of this people comes to your descendants, then you may know that the work of the Father is being begun among the nations of the
earth. [3 Nephi 21.]

Well, that Book of Mormon came to their descendants, and they have had it for a hundred years. The Lord also said that the time would come for the gathering of
Israel-Israel to this nation, the land of Joseph, and the Jews to their land in Palestine. For a hundred years, the gospel has been preached. You or your fathers and
mothers have been gathered from all the nations of the earth because you and they are of the blood of Israel. They heard the message of the gospel, and we have been
gathered here to this nation. Significantly enough, the movement westward continued when this great land was opened, even in this land, when we were driven from the
east we moved farther west, until we have come to the last stand in the westward movement in the tops of these Rocky Mountains. There is no place farther west to go
and no further need of it, for God has now established his kingdom in the tops of these mountains, and Israel is gathering to it. [Micah 4:1-2.] (CR, October 1955, pp.
101-2.)

Parley P. Pratt: 74

The valleys to be exalted

In the resurrection which now approaches, and in connection with the glorious coming of Jesus Christ, the earth will undergo a change in its physical features, climate,
soil, productions, and in its political, moral and spiritual government.

Its mountains will be levelled, its valleys exalted, its swamps and sickly places will be drained and become healthy, while its burning deserts and its frigid polar regions
will be redeemed and become temperate and fruitful. [Sec. 133:19-25.] (Key to the Science of Theology, 1938, p. 132.)

James E. Talmage: 75

Caught up in the cloud to meet thee

With Christ shall come those who have already been resurrected; and His approach shall be the means of inaugurating a general resurrection of the righteous dead,
while the pure and just who are still in the flesh shall be instantaneously changed from the mortal to the immortal state and shall be caught up with the newly resurrected
to meet the Lord and His Celestial company, and shall descend with Him. [Sec. 88:96-98.] (Jesus the Christ, 1916, p. 787.)

George Q. Cannon:
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On the morning of Sunday, March 27th, 1836, the first temple ever built in this dispensation by the command of God, was dedicated to His service. A large
assemblage of the Saints had congregated in the building. Joseph presided, and he was supported by the Priesthood. The Prophet himself made the dedicatory prayer,
With Christ shall come those who have already been resurrected; and His approach shall be the means of inaugurating a general resurrection of the righteous dead,
while the pure and just who are still in the flesh shall be instantaneously changed from the mortal to the immortal state and shall be caught up with the newly resurrected
to meet the Lord and His Celestial company, and shall descend with Him. [Sec. 88:96-98.] (Jesus the Christ, 1916, p. 787.)

George Q. Cannon: 78-80

On the morning of Sunday, March 27th, 1836, the first temple ever built in this dispensation by the command of God, was dedicated to His service. A large
assemblage of the Saints had congregated in the building. Joseph presided, and he was supported by the Priesthood. The Prophet himself made the dedicatory prayer,
which he closed in the following words: [Sec. 109:78-80, quoted.] (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, p. 190.)

Section 110

Visions manifested to Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Oliver Cowdery, in the Temple at Kirtland, Ohio, April 3, 1836. The occasion was that of a Sabbath day
meeting. The Prophet prefaces his record of the manifestations with these words: In the afternoon, I assisted the other presidents in distributing the Lord's Supper to the
Church, receiving it from the Twelve, whose privilege it was to officiate at the sacred desk this day. After having performed this service to my brethren, I retired to the
pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn and silent prayer. After rising from prayer, the following vision was opened to both
of us.-Personal manifestations of the Lord Jesus Christ-His acceptance of the Temple-Visitation by Moses and his commitment of the keys of the gathering-Visitation
by Elias and his conferment of authority-Visitation by Elijah in direct fulfilment of Malachi's prediction.

1. The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened.

2. We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.

3. His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the
sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

4. I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.

5. Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice.

6. Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this house to my name.

7. For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.

8. Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house.

9. Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my
servants have been endowed in this house.

10. And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands; and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the heads of my people. Even so.
Amen.

11. After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the
four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.

12. After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.

13. After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us,
and said:

14. Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi-testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the
Lord come-

15. To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse-

16. Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the
doors.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

Attended meeting in the Lord's House [Kirtland Temple] , and assisted the other Presidents of the Church in seating the congregation, and then became an attentive
listener to the preaching from the stand. Thomas B. Marsh and David W. Patten spoke in the forenoon to an attentive audience of about one thousand persons. In the
afternoon, I assisted the other Presidents in distributing the Lord's Supper to the Church, receiving it from the Twelve, whose privilege it was to officiate at the sacred
desk this day. After having performed this service to my brethren, I retired to the pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn
and silent prayer. After rising from prayer, the following vision was opened to both of us. [Section 110, follows.] (HC 2:434-35, April 3, 1836.)

Franklin D. Richards: 1-10

The Temple at Kirtland was built in this way. The Saints did all the work they could on the building, and then went out and obtained work here and there, and with the
money they earned they purchased those things that were necessary for its completion. It was done by sacrificing all that they had; and when we had done all that we
could do, Oh! how joyous, it was to know the Lord accepted the work, then he stood upon the breastwork of the Temple, conversed with the Prophet Joseph and
Oliver, and revealed to them their duties, and informed them that the Gospel should go from there and be preached throughout the nations of the earth. It had not then
been preached throughout the United States even, because the northern men were called abolitionists, and the southern slaveholders had no use for us and would not
tolerate us, but now it can be spread throughout the nation. (CR, April 1898, p. 17.)

Lorenzo Snow: 1-7

 Copyright
Here  are two(c)testimonies
                  2005-2009,  InfobaseJesus
                            concerning Media  Corp.[Rev. 1:12-18; D&C 110:1-7.] That which I first read was given about 1800 years ago, the other
                                            Christ.                                                                                                   Page
                                                                                                                                                        about 34   / 159
                                                                                                                                                               59 years
ago. I suppose there are many millions that believe in the first testimony which I have read in relation to the Son of God, as described by John the Revelator. This
second testimony about the same personage, the Son of God, is believed but by a very few compared to the great number of people who believe in the first testimony.
tolerate us, but now it can be spread throughout the nation. (CR, April 1898, p. 17.)

Lorenzo Snow: 1-7

Here are two testimonies concerning Jesus Christ. [Rev. 1:12-18; D&C 110:1-7.] That which I first read was given about 1800 years ago, the other about 59 years
ago. I suppose there are many millions that believe in the first testimony which I have read in relation to the Son of God, as described by John the Revelator. This
second testimony about the same personage, the Son of God, is believed but by a very few compared to the great number of people who believe in the first testimony.
In reference to John, who bore testimony to the Son of God, I never was familiar with him. Indeed I never saw his face; I never heard his voice; I never had the
pleasure of shaking hands with him. But Joseph Smith I was familiar with: In the year 1832, if I mistake not, I first saw him and heard him preach. And from that time
on, with the exception perhaps of a couple of years, I was intimately acquainted with him. I have conversed with him many times. I have heard him preach many times. I
have sat at his table at various times. I knew him to be a man of God, full of the spirit of his calling-a man whose integrity could not be disputed, and who was honest in
all his endeavors. No one that was as intimately acquainted with him as I was could find any fault with him, so far as his moral character was concerned. As to the
second individual here that bears this last testimony, Oliver Cowdery, I was partially acquainted with him. I heard him preach, and talked with him; and while he was
engaged in promulgating the principles of the religion which he espoused, the same that you and I have espoused, no fault could be found with him. At that time he was
a good man, and always bore a faithful testimony to these things which God had plainly manifested to him. But like some others who were prominent in the Church in
1836, and before and after that, he got apostatized, and remained in that condition for many years; but just previous to his death he came forward and requested to
have the privilege of being rebaptized and becoming again a member of the Church. Yet during all the period of his apostasy, so far as I understand, he always
maintained the truth of this testimony which he bore in regard to the truth of the principles of Mormonism and the various manifestations which he received of the Lord.
Now, I bear testimony of the good character of Brother Joseph Smith, of his honesty, his fidelity, his faithfulness, his generosity, and benevolence, as a man and as a
servant of God. This is why I have read these testimonies. (MS, June 27, 1895, 57:402.)

George Q. Cannon: 1-4

Oliver Cowdery, as well as Joseph Smith, saw this vision [Sec. 110:1-4] ; they beheld this glorious personage, even the Son of God, when He accepted the Kirtland
Temple after its dedication. These witnesses are also supplemented by hundreds of others who have beheld in vision and otherwise, glorious personages in these last
days. There are men alive who have beheld the Son of God, who have heard His voice, and who have been ministered unto by Him in this our day and generation. In
the face of these testimonies, which cannot be impeached successfully, is it any wonder that faith grows in the hearts of the people of God, the Latter-day Saints? (JD,
May 4, 1884, 25:158.)

Charles W. Penrose: 2-4

Jesus Christ of the New Testament, is Jehovah of the Old Testament, and he so proclaimed it when he came to the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery in the temple
of the Lord, the account of which we read in the 110th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. They speak of his appearance, the glorious appearance and power, and
his voice was like the rush of many waters. It was the voice of Jehovah of the Old Testament. Jesus the Christ represents the Father fully. In him dwelleth the fulness of
the Godhead bodily, as we read in the scriptures. "It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell." [Col. 2:9; D&C 93:2-4.] And so he could tell Philip, when
asked, "Lord, show us the Father": "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." [John
14:8-9.] God was manifest in the flesh, in the personality of Jesus of Nazareth, and he was verily the Son of God, begotten of the Father, and his mother was the virgin
Mary. There should be no dispute in regard to this matter, because it has been made so clear and full in the revelations of God to us. (CR, April 1920, p. 30.)

Brigham Young: 4

I am the first and the last

We read in the scriptures that Jesus declared he is the First and the Last. It is written again in this book, by the Prophet Joseph Smith, that he is the First and the Last-
the Last and the First. This principle you see in all the works of the Lord. When a man commences the work of his exaltation, he begins at the last thing that will be
completed. Our spirits, thousands of years ago, were first begotten; and at the consummation of all things, when the Savior has finished his work and presented it to the
Father, he will be crowned.

None of you will receive your crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal lives before he receives his. He will be crowned first, and then we shall be crowned, every one
in his order; for the work is finished, and the spirit is complete in its organization with the tabernacle. The world is the first to be redeemed, and the people last to be
crowned upon it. (JD, August 29, 1852, 6:282-83.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 7-10

That which took place [in the Kirtland Temple] on the third day of April in the year 1836 has spread forth to all lands. Thousands and tens of thousands, even hundreds
of thousands have been blessed because of what took place upon that occasion. Not only the thousands in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but
thousands upon thousands who are not members of the Church have partaken of the blessings which came at that time and which have spread forth throughout the
earth. And while they may not know it, they have been influenced, and have many of them performed a wonderful work because of the things that took place, and
because of the fulfillment of this prediction [Sec. 110:7-10] made by the Son of God. (CR, April 1936, p. 73.)

Harold B. Lee: 11

The first commandment to gather, in this dispensation, was within six months after the Church was organized. The Prophet Joseph Smith, in announcing this revelation,
made this significant declaration as recorded in the History of the Church: ". . . We soon found that Satan had been lying in wait to deceive, and seeking whom he might
devour." (HC 1:109.)

The meaning of that revelation and the purpose of it all was explained in these words: [Sec. 29:7-9, quoted.]

Three years later the Lord again spoke upon this subject: [Sec. 101:22, quoted.]

Thus, the Lord has said plainly to his Saints that the gathering was to prepare their hearts "according to the everlasting gospel," and to be prepared in all things "by
standing in holy places."

Six years after the Church was organized, the keys of gathering were committed to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. The record of that
marvelous restoration is given in these words: [Sec. 110:11, quoted.] The spirit of gathering has been with the Church from the days of that restoration. Those who are
of the blood of Israel, have a righteous desire after they are baptized, to gather together with the body of the Saints at the designated place. This, we have come to
recognize, is but the breath of God upon those who are converted, turning them to the promises made to their fathers.
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But the designation of gathering places is qualified in another revelation by the Lord to which I would desire to call your attention. After designating certain places in that
day where the Saints were to gather, the Lord said this: [Sec. 101:21, quoted.]
Six years after the Church was organized, the keys of gathering were committed to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. The record of that
marvelous restoration is given in these words: [Sec. 110:11, quoted.] The spirit of gathering has been with the Church from the days of that restoration. Those who are
of the blood of Israel, have a righteous desire after they are baptized, to gather together with the body of the Saints at the designated place. This, we have come to
recognize, is but the breath of God upon those who are converted, turning them to the promises made to their fathers.

But the designation of gathering places is qualified in another revelation by the Lord to which I would desire to call your attention. After designating certain places in that
day where the Saints were to gather, the Lord said this: [Sec. 101:21, quoted.]

Thus, clearly, the Lord has placed the responsibility for directing the work of gathering in the hands of the leaders of the Church to whom he will reveal his will where
and when such gatherings would take place in the future. It would be well . . . before the frightening events concerning the fulfillment of all God's promises and
predictions are upon us, that the Saints in every land prepare themselves and look forward to the instruction that shall come to them from the First Presidency of this
Church as to where they shall be gathered and not be disturbed in their feelings until such instruction is given to them as it is revealed by the Lord to the proper
authority.

Again, in 1838, the Lord gave a further reason for the gathering: [Sec. 115:5-6, quoted.]

Why was this to be called a "place of refuge" and a "place of safety"? Said the Lord in another revelation: [Sec. 45:67, quoted.] The time when these things shall be
would be as the Lord said when: [Sec. 63:33-34.]

Another and further reason for the gathering is given us with this revelation: [Sec. 63:36-37.] As we sit here today, we should be mindful of the fact that we are those of
whom these revelations have spoken. We are those who have been gathered from out of spiritual Babylon [Sec. 133:14] , or perhaps we represent the second or third
or even the fourth or fifth generation of those who heeded the call and felt the spirit of gathering. (CR, April 1948, pp. 54-56.)

Orson F. Whitney: 11

Up to this time [1836] the activities of the Elders who were preaching the gospel had been confined to various states of the Union and to the Dominion of Canada; but
now the Ensign, previously lifted, was farther advanced. The keys of the gathering having been restored, preparations were made for sending the gospel from the Land
of Zion into foreign lands, calling in from their long dispersion the children of Israel, scattered for generations through the various nations of the world. But if the keys
committed to Moses, who held them at the time of Israel's exodus from Egypt, had not been conferred upon the Prophet presiding over this dispensation, the work of
God would have halted then and there. There would have been no gathering of Israel, if the keys for the gathering had not been restored.

In the summer of 1837, a little over a year after these keys were given to Joseph and Oliver, the Prophet, harassed and tortured by conditions then prevailing at
Kirtland, where everything seemed tottering to its fall-half the Quorum of the Twelve and many of the Seventies and Elders arraying themselves against the Lord's
anointed-voiced the word of God to the effect that "something new must be done to save the Church." Yes, Satan saw what was coming; he knew the significance of
the restoration of those sacred keys, and he did his utmost to destroy the Lord's work in its infancy. It was a period of apostasy; the things of the world were
uppermost in the minds of the people, and many were neglecting their spiritual duties, and seeking to become rich at the sacrifice of principle. Such was the situation
when, according to Heber C. Kimball, one of the apostles, the Prophet, sitting beside him in the Kirtland Temple, Sunday, June 4, 1837, said: "Brother Heber, the
Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me, 'Let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim my gospel and open the door of salvation to that nation.' " Heber C.
Kimball and Orson Hyde, with Willard Richards, Joseph Fielding, Isaac Russell, John Goodson, and John Snyder, crossed the Atlantic, landed at Liverpool penniless,
proceeded to Preston in Lancashire, and there preached the first "Mormon" sermons ever heard on European soil. Their success was marvelous. Whole villages were
swept into the Church by these unlettered but divinely empowered apostles of the new dispensation. In eight months they baptized two thousand souls, and Heber
wrote back to Kirtland: "Glory to God, Joseph, the Lord is with us among the nations!"

Subsequently another apostolic mission, headed by Brigham Young and including a majority of the Twelve, crossed the ocean and carried the gospel to all parts of the
British Isles. Five thousand converts were added to the Church; a new edition of the Book of Mormon was published; many thousands of tracts were distributed; the
Millennial Star was founded; a permanent emigration agency established; and in the month of June, 1840, the first company of Latter-day Saints from a foreign land
sailed from Liverpool to New York bound for Nauvoo, Illinois, which had become the place of gathering. From that time on, Israel has been flocking from the nations,
to meet the God of Israel when he comes, and to make the necessary preparation for his coming. All this by virtue of the keys restored by Moses, and conferred upon
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple!

About two months before that little company of forty-one Saints crossed the Atlantic on the ship Britannia, a notable conference was held at Nauvoo, and two of the
apostles, Orson Hyde and John E. Page, were called to go to Palestine and bless that land, that its barrenness might depart and the way be opened for the restoration
of the Jews. For be it remembered that the gathering of Israel included the assembling of "the dispersed of Judah"-their return to their ancient homeland. America is the
Land of Zion, and here the New Jerusalem will stand. But Christ's kingdom will have two capitals, one in the Old World, one in the New; "for out of Zion shall go forth
the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." [Isa. 2:2-3.]

John E. Page faltered and fell by the way; but Orson Hyde accomplished his mission, though beset and hindered by many hardships and difficulties. It took him a year
and a half to reach the goal for which he had set out. Finally, on the 4th day of October, 1841, from the summit of the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem, he
offered to Jehovah, the God of Israel, a most fervent and eloquent prayer in behalf of his covenant people. He blessed the sterile land by the power of the holy
apostleship, that it might become fruitful once more, and that Judah might repossess his ancient heritage. Afterwards he predicted that the British nation would take an
active part in the redemption of Palestine; a prophecy fulfilled at the close of the recent World War, when General Allenby, at the head of a British army, made his
triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

In the year 1872 a mission went from Salt Lake City to the Holy Land. President George A. Smith headed the party, which also included Lorenzo Snow, one of the
Twelve Apostles and his gifted sister, the poet, Eliza R. Snow. Upon reaching Palestine, President Smith duplicated the work done by Orson Hyde in 1841, dedicating
the land for the return of the Jews and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Other elders of the Church have since visited that once favored and yet to be glorified region.
President Anthon H. Lund was there in 1898; and he likewise offered up an earnest prayer for the great consummation. All this because Moses restored the keys for
the gathering of Israel in this dispensation. (CR, October 1920, pp. 32-34.)

LeGrand Richards: 11

We call attention to the fact that because Moses brought the keys of the gathering of Israel back to earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as previously
indicated, has builded over six hundred cities in the western part of the United States, in the process of gathering the seed of Israel from among the gentile nations of the
earth. These converts to the new faith have not been asked or persuaded to emigrate to America, but this unseen power rests upon them who have authority to bestow
it. Of their own accord they desire to gather with the Saints of the Lord in His latter-day Zion. Shortage of finance and immigration restrictions by the United States
government seem to be the only things that hold them back. They are willing to forsake loved ones and friends and their business pursuits. No man could put such
desires into their hearts-they must come from God. (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, 1950, p. 189.)
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Joseph Fielding Smith: 11

The ten tribes from the land of the north
earth. These converts to the new faith have not been asked or persuaded to emigrate to America, but this unseen power rests upon them who have authority to bestow
it. Of their own accord they desire to gather with the Saints of the Lord in His latter-day Zion. Shortage of finance and immigration restrictions by the United States
government seem to be the only things that hold them back. They are willing to forsake loved ones and friends and their business pursuits. No man could put such
desires into their hearts-they must come from God. (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, 1950, p. 189.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 11

The ten tribes from the land of the north

Notwithstanding all that has been written, there are many members of the Church who think that these "lost tribes" were scattered among the nations and are now being
gathered out and are found through all the stakes and branches of the Church. They reach this conclusion because the general opinion is that these tribes went into the
North, and it is the northern countries from whence most of gathered Israel has been found. . . . Whether these tribes are in the North or not, I am not prepared to say.
As I said before, they are "lost" and until the Lord wishes it, they will not be found. All that I know about it is what the Lord has revealed, and He declares that they will
come from the North. He has also made it very clear and definite that these lost people are separate and apart from the scattered Israelites now being gathered out. If
this be not true, then the commission of Moses to the Prophet Joseph Smith is without meaning, wherein we read: [Sec. 110:9, quoted.] The statement that the tribes
are to be led from the North harmonizes perfectly with the words of Jeremiah (Jer. 16:14-15) and Section 133, verses 26 to 34. Surely there must be a time when this
great body of people will come to the children of Ephraim to receive their blessings. At their presence the mountains will tremble; they shall smite the rocks, and the ice
shall flow down. They will bring forth their rich treasures to the children of Ephraim, at whose hands they shall receive the rich blessings which the Gospel and its
ordinances offer them. Speaking of this, Elder Orson F. Whitney has said:

"It is maintained by some that the lost tribes of Israel-those carried into captivity about 725 B.C.-are no longer a distinct people; that they exist only in a scattered
condition, mixed with the nations among which they were taken by their captors, the conquering Assyrians. If this be true, and those tribes were not intact at the time
Joseph and Oliver received the keys of the 'gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth.' What need to particularize as to the Ten Tribes, if they were no longer a
distinct people? And why do our Articles of Faith give these tribes a special mention?" (See Saturday Night Thoughts, p. 174.)

Another striking statement pointing to the fact that these people are now in a body in preparation for their return is the statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith at the
conference held in Kirtland, June 3 to 6, 1831. At this conference the Prophet said: "John the Revelator was then among the ten tribes of Israel who had been led away
by Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, to prepare them for their return from their long dispersion." The Savior also bore witness that these tribes were in a body like the
Nephites and he would visit them. [3 Nephi 15:20 and 16:1-4.] (Signs of the Times, 1943, pp. 158-60.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 12

On the 3rd day of April, 1836, certain heavenly messengers appeared to the Prophet and to Oliver Cowdery. . . .

Elias came and restored the gospel of Abraham. Who was Elias? Well, Elias was Noah, who came and restored his keys.

"The priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before
the world was formed, as in Gen. 1:26, 27, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the scriptures. Then to
Noah, who is Gabriel; he stands next in authority to Adam in the priesthood; he is called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in his day, and to him was
given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then, in heaven." [HC 3:385-86.]

It was Gabriel who appeared to Zacharias and promised him a son, and who appeared to Mary and announced the coming of the Son of God as recorded by Luke. It
was also Gabriel as an Elias who is mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 27, verse 7, and was Gabriel or Noah, who stands next to Michael or Adam in
the priesthood. (CR, April 1960, p. 72.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 12

Elias came, after Moses had conferred his keys, and brought the gospel of the dispensation in which Abraham lived. Everything that pertains to that dispensation, the
blessings that were conferred upon Abraham, the promises that were given to his posterity, all had to be restored [Abr. 2:8-11] , and Elias, who held the keys of that
dispensation, came. (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, July 1936, 27:100.)

Joseph Smith: 13-16

The Bible says, "I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." [Mal. 4:5-6.]

Now, the word turn here should be translated bind, or seal. But what is the object of this important mission? Or how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered,
the spirit of Elijah is to come, the Gospel to be established, the Saints of God gathered, Zion built up, and the Saints to come up as saviors on Mount Zion.

But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts [Sec. 128:16-18] , and going forth and receiving all the
ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings, anointings, ordinations and sealing powers upon their heads [Sec. 124:39-42] , in behalf of all their progenitors who are
dead, and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted to thrones of glory with them, and herein is the chain that binds the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah. And I would to God that this temple was now done, that we might go into it,
and go to work and improve our time, and make use of the seals while they are on earth.

The Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their dead, and gather together their living relatives, that they may be saved also, before the earth will be smitten,
and the consumption decreed falls upon the world. [Sec. 87:6.]

I would advise all the Saints to go to with their might and gather together all their living relatives to this place, that they may be sealed and saved, that they may be
prepared against the day that the destroying angel goes forth; and if the whole Church should go to with all their might to save their dead, seal their posterity, and gather
their living friends, and spend none of their time in behalf of the world, they would hardly get through before night would come, when no man can work; and my only
trouble at the present time is concerning ourselves, that the Saints will be divided, broken up, and scattered, before we get our salvation secure; for there are so many
fools in the world for the devil to operate upon, it gives him the advantage oftentimes.

The question is frequently asked, "Can we not be saved without going through with all those ordinances, etc.?" I would answer, No, not the fulness of salvation. Jesus
said, "There are many mansions in my Father's house, and I will go and prepare a place for you." House here named should have been translated kingdom; and any
person who is exalted to the highest mansion has to abide a celestial law, and the whole law too. [Sec. 131:1-4; 132:14-24.] (HC 6:183-84, January 21, 1844.)
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Joseph Fielding Smith: 13-16

Then came another glorious manifestation in fulfillment of the prediction made by the prophet Malachi some four hundred years before the birth of Christ. We read
The question is frequently asked, "Can we not be saved without going through with all those ordinances, etc.?" I would answer, No, not the fulness of salvation. Jesus
said, "There are many mansions in my Father's house, and I will go and prepare a place for you." House here named should have been translated kingdom; and any
person who is exalted to the highest mansion has to abide a celestial law, and the whole law too. [Sec. 131:1-4; 132:14-24.] (HC 6:183-84, January 21, 1844.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 13-16

Then came another glorious manifestation in fulfillment of the prediction made by the prophet Malachi some four hundred years before the birth of Christ. We read
again: [Sec. 110:13-16, quoted.]

Since the bestowal of these keys the work of salvation for the dead has been proclaimed, has taken hold of the hearts of the children of men, I say, both in the Church
and out of it. [Sec. 2.] There are thousands who are working in the gathering of the records of the dead, and why they do it they do not know. . . .

I want to call your attention to an incident which I think is of some importance. I am going to read to you a statement from Alfred Edersheim in his work "The
Temple." . . .

And so also in the last days it would be the Paschal night when the final judgment should come upon "Edom," and the glorious deliverance of Israel take place. Hence
to this day, in every Jewish home, at a certain part of the Paschal service-the door is opened to admit Elijah the prophet as forerunner of the Messiah, while appropriate
passages are at the same time read which foretell the destruction of all heathen nations. It is a remarkable coincidence that, in instituting his own Supper, the Lord Jesus
connected the symbol, not of judgment, but of his dying love, with his "third cup."

It was, I am informed, on the third day of April, 1836, that the Jews, in their homes at the Paschal feast, opened their doors for Elijah to enter. On that very day Elijah
did enter-not in the home of the Jews to partake of the Passover with them, but he appeared in the House of the Lord, erected to his name and received by the Lord in
Kirtland, and there bestowed his keys to bring to pass the very things for which these Jews, assembled in their homes, were seeking. (CR, April 1936, pp. 74-75.)

Well, of course, the world does not believe that Elijah came to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery; but they have no record in the world that he has come to anyone
else. There has been no appearance and no claim of an appearance, and a restoration of his priesthood to anyone else. May we not, then, with perfect consistency, put
forth the claim that he did come on that occasion [April 3, 1836] and that he did restore his keys of authority to these two humble men, which turned the hearts of the
fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers? . . . We have an abundance of evidence that this story is true. If Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery had lied, it would have been impossible for them to have turned the hearts of the children to their fathers. Surely, they would not have any power to do that. It
is true that following the declaration by them that Elijah did come, the hearts of the children commenced to turn to their dead fathers. There is strong presumptive
evidence that this was because these keys were restored. This is a demonstrative fact, that the hearts of children have turned to their fathers. . . . Before the days of the
coming of Elijah in 1836, there was no endeavor of any import to search the records of the dead. What was done, here and there, was usually where some estate was
involved. The people were not turning their hearts to their dead fathers. They were not searching the records. They were not compiling them. There were no
organizations or societies on the face of the earth, as far as I can learn, gathering records of the dead, before the year 1836. In 1837, however, one year later, Great
Britain passed laws providing for and compelling the preservation of records of the dead. In the year 1844, the New England Historical and Genealogical Society was
organized in Boston, and I think this was the first organization of the kind in the world. In 1869, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society in the city of
New York was organized. Then following rapidly other societies up and down the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Maine to Georgia. . . . In Great Britain,
genealogical societies have been organized in practically every country in that land and in Scotland. These records have been kept and filed also in other countries in
Europe, the countries from which the Latter-day Saints have come. The Spirit has taken hold of the people, not only in the Church but also of many who are not of the
Church, and they, too, are searching the records, and compiling them, of the dead. . . .

Now here is something which I think is interesting. In 1935, Mr. T. B. Thompson published A Catalogue of British Family Histories. It included the titles and years of
publication of some two thousand seventy-one families and was supposed to be a complete list of all such published records up to that date. Here are his figures from
the date of the invention of printing:

From 1450 to 1600, were published 2 family histories.
From 1600 to 1700, were published 18 family histories.
From 1700 to 1800, were published 72 family histories.
From 1800 to 1836, when Elijah came, were published 100 family histories.
From 1837 to 1935, were published 1,879 family histories.

These were records in Europe, and since the year 1836, there have been published in Great Britain and the United States thousands of records of the dead. . . . Let me
call your attention to the fact, however . . . that Elijah restored to this Church and, if they would receive it, to the world, the keys of the sealing power; and that sealing
power puts the stamp of approval upon every ordinance that is done in this Church and more particularly those that are performed in the temples of the Lord. Through
that restoration each of you . . . has the privilege, of going into this house or one of the other temples to have your wife sealed to you for time and for all eternity, and
your children sealed to you also, or better, have them born under that covenant. What a glorious privilege it is to know that the family organization will remain intact. It
is not destroyed. . . . We may go into the house of the Lord and do these things and be baptized for our dead, those who have died, the scriptures say . . . who died
without the knowledge of the gospel. [Sec. 128:5, 16.] (CR, April 1948, pp. 132-33, 135.)

Section 111

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Salem, Massachusetts, August 6, 1836. The Prophet with one of his Counselors and two other Elders had
journeyed from Kirtland, Ohio, to Salem, Massachusetts; and, at their destination had entered upon the work of teaching the people from house to house, and
preaching publicly as opportunity presented. See History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 463.-Directions for further labor-The Lord's assurances as to Zion.

1. I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies.

2. I have much treasure in this city for you, for the benefit of Zion, and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion, through your
instrumentality.

3. Therefore, it is expedient that you should form acquaintance with men in this city, as you shall be led, and as it shall be given you.

4. And it shall come to pass in due time that I will give this city into your hands, that you shall have power over it, insomuch that they shall not discover your secret
parts; and its wealth pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours.

5. Concern not yourselves about your debts, for I will give you power to pay them.
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6. Concern not yourselves about Zion, for I will deal mercifully with her.
parts; and its wealth pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours.

5. Concern not yourselves about your debts, for I will give you power to pay them.

6. Concern not yourselves about Zion, for I will deal mercifully with her.

7. Tarry in this place, and in the regions round about;

8. And the place where it is my will that you should tarry, for the main, shall be signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you.

9. This place you may obtain by hire. And inquire diligently concerning the more ancient inhabitants and founders of this city;

10. For there are more treasures than one for you in this city.

11. Therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them. Amen.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

On Monday afternoon, July 25th, in company with Sidney Rigdon, Brother Hyrum Smith, and Oliver Cowdery, I left Kirtland . . . and the next evening, about ten
o'clock we arrived at Buffalo, New York. . . . we took passages on a line boat for Utica, where we arrived about eight o'clock A.M. of the 29th, just in time to take
the railroad car for Schenectady, the first passenger car on the new road. . . .

On the 30th, at seven o'clock A.M., we went on board the steamer John Mason, which took us to the Erie, lying over the bar. . . .

From New York we continued our journey to Providence, on board a steamer; from thence to Boston, by steam cars, and arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, early in
August, where we hired a house, and occupied the same during the month, teaching the people from house to house, and preaching publicly, as opportunity presented;
visiting occasionally, sections of the surrounding country, which are rich in the history of the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, in Indian warfare, religious superstition,
bigotry, persecution, and learned ignorance. . . .

I received the following: [Section 111, follows.] (HC 2:463-65, July 25-August 6, 1836; Salem, Massachusetts.)

George Q. Cannon: 2

He [Joseph Smith] labored diligently in the vicinity of Salem in Massachusetts, and while there received a revelation in which the Lord declared that many people from
that part would in His due time be gathered out to journey to Zion. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, p. 193.)

Brigham Young: 3

I wish the Elders of Israel to understand mankind as they are-to go to the people and take them as they are. (JD, February 1861, 9:121.)

Heber J. Grant: 4

Every Latter-day Saint who is loyal to the principles of the Gospel, is not seeking wealth; he is not asking himself the question, "What have I," and "What can I gain?"
The true Latter-day Saint is asking, "What can I do to better myself, to encourage those with whom I am associated, and to uplift the children of God?" That is the
inspiration that comes to every Latter-day Saint who realizes the force of this Gospel that we have espoused. (CR, October 1909, p. 30.)

John A. Widtsoe: 9

Inquire . . . concerning the more ancient inhabitants

On the direct paternal side Joseph Smith was descended from a Robert Smith, who in 1638, as a boy about fifteen years old, came from England to America. . . . In
America, Robert Smith and his descendants lived in Massachusetts, chiefly in or near Topsfield of that state.

On the direct maternal side his genealogy is traced back to John Mack, a Scotchman who in 1669 came to America. The Mack family lived chiefly in and about Lyne,
Connecticut. . . .

The father of Joseph Smith was born at Topsfield, Massachusetts, in 1771; his mother, Lucy Mack at Gilsum, New Hampshire, in 1776. . . .

After a period of financial reverses, they moved [in 1815] from New England to the neighborhood of Palmyra, New York State, hoping there to better their
circumstances. (Joseph Smith, 1951, pp. 169-70.)

Eldred G. Smith: 9

Inquire . . . concerning the more ancient inhabitants

Those who have died without this law [Gospel] may have the privilege of receiving these blessings by proxy. That is where our responsibility comes in. We must first
teach the gospel to living, and then for those of our families who died without the law we must gather their records that this great and important work can be done for
them. . . . [Sec. 128:5-18.] (CR, October 1954, p. 25.)

Section 112

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, to Thomas B. Marsh, at Kirtland, Ohio, July 23, 1837. The word of the Lord unto Thomas B. Marsh, concerning
the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb. The Prophet records that this revelation was received on the day on which the Gospel was first preached in England. Thomas B.
Marsh was at this time president of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles.-The Twelve to send the gospel abroad among all nations-They are to act under the direction of
the First Presidency-Others may be authorized by the Twelve for ministry among the nations-The keys of power in the Priesthood committed to the First Presidency
and the Twelve-The present designated as the dispensation of the fulness of times.
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1. Verily thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Thomas: I have heard thy prayers; and thine alms have come up as a memorial before me, in behalf of those, thy
brethren, who were chosen to bear testimony of my name and to send it abroad among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, and ordained through the
instrumentality of my servants.
Marsh was at this time president of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles.-The Twelve to send the gospel abroad among all nations-They are to act under the direction of
the First Presidency-Others may be authorized by the Twelve for ministry among the nations-The keys of power in the Priesthood committed to the First Presidency
and the Twelve-The present designated as the dispensation of the fulness of times.

1. Verily thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Thomas: I have heard thy prayers; and thine alms have come up as a memorial before me, in behalf of those, thy
brethren, who were chosen to bear testimony of my name and to send it abroad among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, and ordained through the
instrumentality of my servants.

2. Verily I say unto you, there have been some few things in thine heart and with thee with which I, the Lord, was not well pleased.

3. Nevertheless, inasmuch as thou hast abased thyself thou shalt be exalted; therefore, all thy sins are forgiven thee.

4. Let thy heart be of good cheer before my face; and thou shalt bear record of my name, not only unto the Gentiles, but also unto the Jews; and thou shalt send forth
my word unto the ends of the earth.

5. Contend thou, therefore, morning by morning; and day after day let thy warning voice go forth; and when the night cometh let not the inhabitants of the earth slumber,
because of thy speech.

6. Let thy habitation be known in Zion, and remove not thy house; for I, the Lord, have a great work for thee to do, in publishing my name among the children of men.

7. Therefore, gird up thy loins for the work. Let thy feet be shod also, for thou art chosen, and thy path lieth among the mountains, and among many nations.

8. And by thy word many high ones shall be brought low, and by thy word many low ones shall be exalted.

9. Thy voice shall be a rebuke unto the transgressor; and at thy rebuke let the tongue of the slanderer cease its perverseness.

10. Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.

11. I know thy heart, and have heard thy prayers concerning thy brethren. Be not partial towards them in love above many others, but let thy love be for them as for
thyself; and let thy love abound unto all men, and unto all who love my name.

12. And pray for thy brethren of the Twelve. Admonish them sharply for my name's sake, and let them be admonished for all their sins, and be ye faithful before me
unto my name.

13. And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me,
they shall be converted, and I will heal them.

14. Now, I say unto you, and what I say unto you, I say unto all the Twelve: Arise and gird up your loins, take up your cross, follow me, and feed my sheep.

15. Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph; for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given
unto him, and also to youward, shall not be taken from him till I come.

16. Verily I say unto you, my servant Thomas, thou art the man whom I have chosen to hold the keys of my kingdom, as pertaining to the Twelve, abroad among all
nations-

17. That thou mayest be my servant to unlock the door of the kingdom in all places where my servant Joseph, and my servant Sidney, and my servant Hyrum, cannot
come;

18. For on them have I laid the burden of all the churches for a little season.

19. Wherefore, whithersoever they shall send you, go ye, and I will be with you; and in whatsoever place ye shall proclaim my name an effectual door shall be opened
unto you, that they may receive my word.

20. Whosoever receiveth my word receiveth me, and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth those, the First Presidency, whom I have sent, whom I have made counselors
for my name's sake unto you.

21. And again, I say unto you, that whosoever ye shall send in my name, by the voice of your brethren, the Twelve, duly recommended and authorized by you, shall
have power to open the door of my kingdom unto any nation whithersoever ye shall send them-

22. Inasmuch as they shall humble themselves before me, and abide in my word, and hearken to the voice of my Spirit.

23. Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face.

24. Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of
lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord.

25. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord;

26. First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my
house, saith the Lord.

27. Therefore, see to it that ye trouble not yourselves concerning the affairs of my church in this place, saith the Lord.

28. But purify your hearts before me; and then go ye into all the world, and preach my gospel unto every creature who has not received it;

29. And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not, and is not baptized, shall be damned.

30. For unto(c)
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                 2005-2009,      and those,
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given, for the last days and for the last time, in the which is the dispensation of the fulness of times.

31. Which power you hold, in connection with all those who have received a dispensation at any time from the beginning of the creation;
28. But purify your hearts before me; and then go ye into all the world, and preach my gospel unto every creature who has not received it;

29. And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not, and is not baptized, shall be damned.

30. For unto you, the Twelve, and those, the First Presidency, who are appointed with you to be your counselors and your leaders, is the power of this priesthood
given, for the last days and for the last time, in the which is the dispensation of the fulness of times.

31. Which power you hold, in connection with all those who have received a dispensation at any time from the beginning of the creation;

32. For verily I say unto you, the keys of the dispensation, which ye have received, have come down from the fathers, and last of all, being sent down from heaven unto
you.

33. Verily I say unto you, behold how great is your calling. Cleanse your hearts and your garments, lest the blood of this generation be required at your hands.

34. Be faithful until I come, for I come quickly; and my reward is with me to recompense every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega. Amen.

George A. Smith: Introduction

Some time after the finishing of the Temple, the brethren under the direction of the Prophet had established a bank [Kirtland Safety Society] in Kirtland, the paper to be
redeemed by specie, and secured by real estate. The directors of that bank were members of the Church, and they were determined to sustain the credit of that money.
The question has some times been asked, how much has that bank failed for; it did not fail for a single dollar, and yet when it failed there was perhaps a hundred
thousand dollars of the bank paper out in circulation. Warren Parrish was the teller of the bank, and a number of other men who apostatized were officers. They took
out of its vault, unknown to the President or cashier, a hundred thousand dollars, and sent their agents around among the brethren to purchase their farms, wagons,
cattle, horses and every thing they could get hold of. The brethren would gather up this money and put it into the bank, and those traitors would steal it and send it out
to buy again, and they continued to do so until the plot was discovered and payment stopped. It was the cursed apostates-their stealing and robberies, and their infernal
villainies that prevented that bank being conducted as the Prophet designed. If they had followed the counsel of Joseph, there is not a doubt but that it would have been
the leading bank in Ohio, probably of the nation. It was founded upon safe principles, and would have been a safe and lasting institution. . . . a man that would stand up
in the streets and say he was Joseph's friend, could not get a greater compliment than being called a lick skillet. Joseph had few friends; but among the leading Elders of
the Church, in Kirtland the High Council, one of the members of the first Presidency, some of the seven Presidents of the seventies, and a great many others were so
darkened that they went astray in every direction. They boasted of the talent at their command, and what they would do. Their plan was to take the doctrines of the
Church, such as repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, throw aside the Book of Mormon, the Prophet and Priesthood, and go and unite the whole Christian
world under these doctrines. Where are they to-day? Like a rope of sand that has vanished in the four winds of heaven. Many of them have already in dust and ashes
lamented their fate, they have never been able to prosper in any business, or take a leading part in any capacity. [Sec. 121:11-25.] This is the result of that apostasy;
and yet it was so great that Joseph himself and his friends had to flee from Kirtland. (JD, November 15, 1864, 11:11.)

Joseph Smith: Introduction

At this time the spirit of speculation in lands and property of all kinds, which was so prevalent throughout the whole nation, was taking deep root in the Church. As the
fruits of this spirit, evil-surmising, fault-finding, disunion, dissension, and apostasy followed in quick succession, and it seemed as though all the powers of earth and hell
were combining their influence in an especial manner to overthrow the Church at once, and make a final end. Other banking institutions refused the "Kirtland Safety
Society's" notes. The enemy abroad, and apostates in our midst, united in their schemes, flour and provisions were turned toward other markets, and many became
disaffected toward me as though I were the sole cause of those very evils I was most strenuously striving against; and which were actually brought upon us by the
brethren not giving heed to my counsel.

No quorum in the Church was entirely exempt from the influence of those false spirits who are striving against me for the mastery; even some of the Twelve were so far
lost to their high and responsible calling, as to begin to take sides, secretly, with the enemy.

In this state of things, and but a few weeks before the Twelve were expecting to meet in full quorum, (some of them having been absent for some time), God revealed
to me that something new must be done for the salvation of the Church. And on or about the first of June, 1837, Heber C. Kimball, one of the Twelve, was set apart
by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, prayer and laying on of hands, of the First Presidency, to preside over a mission to England, to be the first foreign mission of
the Church of Christ in the last days. [See Sec. 110:11.] (HC 2:487-89, May-June 1837.)

Joseph Smith: Introduction

The same day that the Gospel was first preached in England I received the following: [Section 112, quoted.] (HC 2:499, July 23, 1837; Kirtland, Ohio.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 1-11

In this revelation [Section 112] Elder [Thomas B.] Marsh [president of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles] was instructed to teach the brethren in his council and point
out to them their duty and responsibilities in proclaiming the Gospel. Some of the apostles had forsaken their responsibility and had turned their attention to schemes of
speculation. We have seen that the years preceding the year 1837, were years of wild speculation throughout the United States and Elder Heber C. Kimball pointed
out how this boom had struck Kirtland and some of the brethren had borrowed great sums and had gone into business, at the expense of their ministry. Then when the
bauble of false prosperity broke they were left financially stranded; then they began to blame the Prophet Joseph Smith. This revelation to Thomas Marsh was a
warning and a call to him to bring his brethren back into the line of their duty as apostles of Jesus Christ.

The Lord declared that even Elder Marsh had strayed somewhat, but had repented and therefore he was forgiven: [Sec. 112:2-4, quoted.] He was called upon to raise
his warning voice and when night should come he was not to let the inhabitants of the earth slumber without the warning. If he would be faithful, many high ones would
be brought low, and by his word many low ones would be exalted: [Sec. 112:19-20, quoted.] The Lord told him that he knew his heart, which verily was true, and that
his prayers in behalf of his brethren had been heard. He was to show no partiality towards any of them, but his love for them was to be as the love for himself. There is
no question that Thomas B. Marsh was not in that day a man of force and character. Had he remained true the Lord would have used him and his ability would have
shown forth, for the Lord would have magnified him. (CHMR, 1949, 3:101-2.)

First Presidency (Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards): 10

Brethren, pray for us! Sisters, pray for us! Be humble, prayerful, watchful, diligent, and preserving in every good word and work, and in the end you shall overcome all
evil, and sit down with us in our Father's kingdom. (MS, January 15, 1852, 14:17.)

Harold B. Lee:
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Some of the older brethren who remember the days of President Joseph F. Smith have told me that frequently when President Smith was introduced as the "head of the
Church," he was always quick to reply, "Oh, no. I'm but the President of the Church. Jesus Christ is its head."
Brethren, pray for us! Sisters, pray for us! Be humble, prayerful, watchful, diligent, and preserving in every good word and work, and in the end you shall overcome all
evil, and sit down with us in our Father's kingdom. (MS, January 15, 1852, 14:17.)

Harold B. Lee: 10

Some of the older brethren who remember the days of President Joseph F. Smith have told me that frequently when President Smith was introduced as the "head of the
Church," he was always quick to reply, "Oh, no. I'm but the President of the Church. Jesus Christ is its head."

That is something for us to remember. When we receive the adulation of faithful people, we must never forget that such commendations come, not because of our
person, but because of the positions we hold. In conference meetings with the mission presidents we heard this repeated with variation and, as applied to the Church, it
might be said thus: "There is no end to the amount of good we can do in this Church if we are not concerned about who gets the credit for it." . . .

I remember at a stake conference some years ago a young man was called to a high position. When we had asked him to express himself, expecting a humble
testimony in his acceptance, he stood up and in a rather flamboyant, boastful way gave a dramatic performance. At the close of the service as we walked home, one of
the high council whispered to me and said, calling him by name: "When he stood up there in the pulpit this morning, he was all alone."

That is what the young missionary meant who said he had baptized a number of people but all of them had apostatized, so he said, "I must have converted them all by
myself." (CR, October 1960, pp. 16-17.)

Richard L. Evans: 10

Be thou humble

May I suggest humility and never the pride of learning. Be patient. There may be some seeming discrepancies. Do not worry about them. Eternity is a long time. I have
a great respect for learning, for academic endeavor and the university atmosphere. I have spent many years of my life in one way or another going to or in being
associated with some great institutions of learning. I have a great respect for science and scientists and for the search for truth. But remember this: science, after all
(even when it is true and final and factual), is simply a man's discovering of a few things that God already knows and controls in his ordering of the universe. We are,
after all, a bit like Newton who said of himself that he was like a child handling a few pebbles on the shore while the great, limitless, eternal sea was before him. God
has not told us all he knows. We believe in continuous revelation. Be patient. Keep humble and balanced in all things. (CR, April 1961, p. 76.)

George F. Richards: 11

Let thy love abound unto all men

And as He has loved us and done so much for us in providing for our salvation, he has asked us, in return, to love Him, even with all our heart, soul and mind, and then
to love one another, our neighbor as ourselves. If we could obey those two commandments, what peace there would be in the earth. If all mankind could live up to
those two principles there would be no more bloodshed, no widows and orphans caused through wars rampant in the nations of the earth. There would be no hatred in
our souls, but love would abound. . . .

Do we hate those men in high places responsible for war and bloodshed, killing and maiming and making widows and orphans? If we love them as we should we would
not hate them. The mother doesn't hate the wayward son or the wayward daughter. A mother's love, next to the love that our Father in heaven bears for us, is the kind
of love that should actuate us, one toward another. Whether we are in the Church or out of the Church, we are our Father's children, all of us, and the Lord loves us,
and no doubt sorrows over the sins and the wickedness of some, and rejoices over the righteousness of others. (CR, April 1941, p. 114.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 12-22

Thomas B. Marsh was called upon to see that the members of the council magnified their office. He was to admonish them sharply in the name of the Lord for all their
sins, and in it all he was to be true himself to the cause of righteousness. The Lord called attention to the temptations that had confronted and still were before members
of the council of the apostles, and said they would have to pass through much tribulation, but the Lord would feel after them, and if they hardened not their hearts, and
stiffened not their necks against the Lord, they should be converted, and the Lord would heal them: [Sec. 112:14-15, quoted.]

At the time this revelation was given some of the members of the council of the apostles were in open rebellion and had displayed a very bitter spirit towards the
Prophet. The Lord endeavored to impress upon them the fact that the Prophet was the one who held the keys of this dispensation and he would hold them constantly
until the Lord should come. In a former revelation (Sec. 43:4-7), the Lord had said that the keys were in the hands of Joseph Smith and that if he should transgress and
lose them they would be given to another. At that day the Prophet had not been tested and proved by tribulation and suffering, but now in July 1837, the Prophet
having shown his integrity in all kinds of difficulties and tribulation the Lord declared that the keys shall never be taken from him. The Lord wished to impress upon the
apostles and others in the councils of the Church that he had not forsaken his prophet and would be with him to the end. The Lord then endorses Thomas B. Marsh as
the president of the council of the twelve and says to him: [Sec. 112:16-18, quoted.] It will be noted here that the Lord names Hyrum Smith with Sidney Rigdon as a
counselor in the First Presidency. The reason for this is that Frederick G. Williams had partaken of the evil spirit which prevailed among so many of the brethren, and
had to be relieved of his place and presidency in that exalted quorum. Fortunately, however, at a later date he humbly returned repentant and was received back into
full fellowship in the Church.

Thomas B. Marsh was informed and instructed, that he and the apostles were to go forth into all the world wheresoever the First Presidency should send them to
proclaim the message of eternal life. He was also promised that if the brethren would go forth in faith and humility that in whatsoever place they should proclaim the
Gospel an effectual door would be opened. It will be remembered that Elders [Heber C.] Kimball and [Orson] Hyde of the council of the apostles were at this time just
landing in England, and we have learned of their remarkable success. So it would be, the Lord declared, with the other brethren in opening the door in other fields if
they would humble themselves and go forth determined to do the will of the Lord.

The First Presidency, the Lord said, were to be counselors to the twelve. By this is meant that the twelve should not go forth without the counsel and direction of the
First Presidency: [Sec. 112:21-22, quoted.] (CHMR, 1949, 3:102-3.)

George Q. Cannon: 12-13

Admonish . . . and if they harden not their hearts . . . I will heal them

Immediately after this time, on September 3rd [1837] , at a conference held in Kirtland, . . . Objection being . . . made to three of the apostles, Luke Johnson, Lyman
E. Johnson and
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protestation of their repentance, they were received back into the Church and into their station. But their humility was either a mere pretense or was very volatile in its
character; because not many weeks elapsed until they were once more engaged in an effort to ruin the Church and the Prophet. . . . (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp.
215-16.)
Admonish . . . and if they harden not their hearts . . . I will heal them

Immediately after this time, on September 3rd [1837] , at a conference held in Kirtland, . . . Objection being . . . made to three of the apostles, Luke Johnson, Lyman
E. Johnson and John F. Boynton, they were by the voice of the Saints shorn of their apostolic rank and were disfellowshiped; however, as they subsequently made
protestation of their repentance, they were received back into the Church and into their station. But their humility was either a mere pretense or was very volatile in its
character; because not many weeks elapsed until they were once more engaged in an effort to ruin the Church and the Prophet. . . . (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp.
215-16.)

Brigham Young: 14

Take up your cross, follow me

Let me say to the Latter-day Saints, if they will take up their cross and follow the Lord Jesus Christ in the regeneration, any of them will receive more, know more, and
have more of the spirit of revelation than they are aware of. (JD, February 17, 1856, 3:209.)

Joseph Smith: 14

Take up your cross, follow me

O ye Twelve, and all Saints, profit by this important key, that in all your trials, troubles, and temptations, afflictions, bonds, imprisonment and death, see to it that you
do not betray heaven, that you do not betray Jesus Christ, that you do not betray your brethren, and that you do not betray the revelations of God, whether in the
Bible, Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants, or any of the word of God. Yes, in all your kicking and floundering, see to it that you do not this thing, lest
innocent blood be found on your skirts, and you go down to hell. We may ever know by this sign that there is danger of our being led to a fall and apostasy, when we
give way to the devil so as to neglect the first known duty. But, whatever you do, do not betray your friends. (HC 3:385, July 2, 1839.)

George Q. Cannon: 15

Exalt not yourselves

The few of the Apostles who were willing to fulfill the requirements of the gospel in all things were ridiculed and every effort was made to dissuade them from the
course they were pursuing. Jealousy and hatred of the Prophet cropped out on every hand. Those who disobeyed were called wise by all the disaffected spirits; and
those who made every required sacrifice in humility were called foolish. But the generation had not passed away before the Lord repaid according to His promise. The
men who had exalted themselves were abased into nothingness; while those who had bowed their heads in humility were exalted. Today the names of the proud and the
vain of that time are almost forgotten; while the names of the Apostles who endured all things faithfully are held in most solemn and sacred remembrance by the
congregation of Israel. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, p. 208.)

Brigham Young: 15

I am with him, and my hand shall be over him

It was decreed in the counsels of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he [Joseph Smith] should be the man, in the last dispensation of this
world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had his eye upon
him, and upon his father, and upon his father's father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch, and
from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He was foreordained in eternity to preside
over this last dispensation. (JD, October 9, 1859, 7:289-90.)

Charles W. Penrose: 15

The keys . . . shall not be taken from him

I will read a verse or two from the 28th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, which shows how the Lord led along His servant in the beginning, and that this work
was to come forth by degrees. The Lord gave a commandment to Oliver Cowdery as early as September, 1830, that he was to speak by the Holy Ghost, and that he
should have the revelations of the Lord for himself and to aid him in his teachings; but although he had been ordained an Apostle when the Prophet Joseph was
ordained by Peter, James and John he was not to command the man who stood at the head. The Lord said: [Sec. 28:6-7, quoted.]

Here is the possibility set forth that if Joseph was not true and faithful in all things, another might be appointed in his stead; and Oliver was commanded not to counsel
him or to attempt to command him, but to receive the word of the Lord as it came from him.

In the 36th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants-a revelation given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon-the Lord said: [Sec. 36:18, quoted.]

This revelation was given in December, 1830, and there are two or three more of the same kind, given in the very beginning of the Church, while the Prophet Joseph
was, as it were, on probation before the Lord. The Lord gave him authority and put him into positions where he could be tried and tested, and He said, "If he abide not
in me, another will I plant in his stead." (Sec. 43:3-4.)

I will read the 2nd Verse of Section 65:

"The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut
out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth until it has filled the whole earth."

Now I will read from the 43rd Section, verses 3 to 7: [Read.]

There is still, you will see, the opening left that if Joseph was not true and faithful and worthy of his calling, another might be appointed in his stead. But I want you to
mark this point: there was not to be another appointed to his stead if he abided in the Lord. It was only if he transgressed and became unworthy of his calling that he
should have power to appoint another. Just put that down in your minds. So if dividers declare that somebody else was appointed to take the place of the Prophet
Joseph, then they announce that the Prophet did not abide in the Lord, and he transgressed, and therefore another had to be appointed in his stead.

In revelation given to the Church September 11th, 1831, the Lord said: [Sec. 64:4-5, quoted.]
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Here the promise was made to the Prophet Joseph Smith that he should have those keys as long as he lived, if he obeyed the commandments and ordinances of the
Lord.
Joseph, then they announce that the Prophet did not abide in the Lord, and he transgressed, and therefore another had to be appointed in his stead.

In revelation given to the Church September 11th, 1831, the Lord said: [Sec. 64:4-5, quoted.]

Here the promise was made to the Prophet Joseph Smith that he should have those keys as long as he lived, if he obeyed the commandments and ordinances of the
Lord.

Our testimony is that he lived and died a prophet of God, and that he sealed his testimony with his blood. The Lord promised that the keys should not be taken from
him while he lived, inasmuch as he obeyed His ordinances, so when the Prophet Joseph was taken away, the keys were with him, as the Lord promised they should be,
both in this world and in the world to come. I will read a verse from the 112th Section. The Lord says: [Sec. 112:14-15, quoted.]

Here is the promise of the Lord, not only to the Prophet Joseph Smith, but also the Twelve that the keys should not be taken from the Prophet until the Lord should
come; for by this time he had been tested, proved, and found worthy. As he himself said, he had been swimming in deep waters and up stream, and he had struggled
against false friends and those surrounding him who professed to be his disciples, but who spoke against him and had risen up against him. Now the Lord said to him
and to the Twelve, that the keys, which had been given first of all temporarily, as it were, until he should be tested and proved, should abide with him until the Lord
should come, and with the Twelve whom He had called and appointed. Therefore, rest your souls easy in this security, that the kingdom, as the Lord says, is given to
His people. (CR, October 1905, pp. 38-40.)

Bruce R. McConkie: 20

Whom I have sent

May I say that there is no chance in the call of these brethren [First Presidency] to direct the Lord's work on earth. His hand is in it. He knows the end from the
beginning. He ordained and established the plan of salvation and decreed that his everlasting gospel should be revealed to man in a series of dispensations commencing
with Adam and continuing to Joseph Smith. And he-the Almighty-chooses the prophets and apostles who minister in his name and present his message to the world in
every age and dispensation. He selects and foreordains his ministers; he sends them to earth at the time before appointed; he guides and directs their continuing mortal
preparations; and he then calls them to those positions they were foreordained to receive from before the foundations of the earth. (CR, April 1974, p. 101.)

First Presidency (Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards): 21

The Twelve . . . shall . . . open the door . . . unto any nation

God has sent his hand to restore Israel, and save the remnants of Ephraim, but they know it not. The oldest and most powerful governments are shaken to their centre,
and kings know not the cause. The way is fast preparing for the introduction of the Gospel into China, Japan, and other nations, which for ages have sat in darkness,
and stood aloof from celestial science and foreign intercourse; and it is the business of the Twelve Apostles to fill every open door, and push to the right and left with
the honors of Joseph, until every heart shall feel; and blow the trumpet of salvation till every ear shall ring with the glorious intelligence, that there is a God in the
heavens, who guides the destinies of all men, and who would that all men should come to the knowledge of a crucified Savior, and be saved. (MS, January 15, 1852,
14:17-25.)

Wilford Woodruff: 22

Hearken to the voice of my Spirit

The Lord would not permit me to occupy this position one day of my life, unless I was susceptible to the Holy Spirit and to the revelations of God. It is too late in the
day for this church to stand without revelation. Not only the President of the Church should possess this gift and give it unto the people, but his counselors and the
Apostles and all men that bear the Holy Priesthood, if they magnify their calling, should possess that gift for themselves and to assist them in their duties, although they
may not be called to give revelations to lead and direct the Church. The spirit of revelation belongs to the Priesthood. (MS, May 21, 1894, 56:324.)

J. Reuben Clark, Jr.: 23

Darkness covereth the earth

It seems sometimes as if the darkness that surrounds us is all but impenetrable. I can see on all sides the signs of one great evil master mind working for the overturning
of our civilization, the destruction of religion, the reduction of men to the status of animals. This mind is working here and there and everywhere. May we hope and pray
that this is the darkness before the dawn, and that soon the light will come in the east, that the darkness will fade out, that a sun of righteousness will rise and touch the
peaks and flow down and fill the valleys, fill our hearts and fill our lives, until we shall be the people which God wishes us to be. (CR, October 1935, p. 92.)

Orson Pratt: 23-26

The first that I will read will be the 9th and 10th paragraphs of a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, July 23rd, 1837. [Sec. 112:23-26, quoted.] . . .

It seems that this is a dispensation peculiar in its nature, differing from former dispensations. It is a dispensation of mercy and of judgment-of mercy to those who
receive the message of mercy, but of judgment to those who reject that message. In other words it is a dispensation in which the Gospel has been revealed from
heaven, the servants of God called to labor in the vineyard for the last time, and in which the Lord intends to pour out great and terrible judgments upon the nations of
the wicked after they have been warned by the sound of the everlasting Gospel. We are told in the revelation I have just read, that vengeance cometh speedily upon the
inhabitants of the earth; that it is a day of wrath, burning, desolation, weeping, mourning and lamentation, and that as a whirlwind these things shall come upon the
inhabitants of all the earth.

Where shall these great and severe judgments begin? Upon what people does the Lord intend to commence this great work of vengeance? Upon the people who
profess to know his name and still blaspheme it in the midst of his house. They are the ones designated for some of the most terrible judgments of the latter days. This
should be a warning to the Latter-day Saints; and not only those who are parents, but those who are chidren should diligently consider whether they are numbered
among those who are mentioned in the tenth paragraph, which I have read. Upon my house, saith the Lord, shall it begin, first upon those among you who have
professed my name and have not known me and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house.

There are some who have been baptized into this Church, baptized, perhaps, when they were eight years of age, entered into a covenant with the Lord to keep his
commandments according to the best of their ability and understanding, some of whom, when they have been brought into temptation, have turned away from that
covenant.
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Do we teach our children to walk uprightly and keep the commandments of the Most High? Do we read to them the revelations of God, and show them how wicked it
is to take his name in vain? [Sec. 68:27-28; 63:61-64.] . . . Every person who reads the word of the Lord knows that it is wicked; and these children growing up thus
professed my name and have not known me and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house.

There are some who have been baptized into this Church, baptized, perhaps, when they were eight years of age, entered into a covenant with the Lord to keep his
commandments according to the best of their ability and understanding, some of whom, when they have been brought into temptation, have turned away from that
covenant. . . .

Do we teach our children to walk uprightly and keep the commandments of the Most High? Do we read to them the revelations of God, and show them how wicked it
is to take his name in vain? [Sec. 68:27-28; 63:61-64.] . . . Every person who reads the word of the Lord knows that it is wicked; and these children growing up thus
in our midst go from one degree of sin to another until they finally lose, altogether, the Spirit of the Lord. What will be the consequences? There is a day of reckoning
and judgment coming, and it shall begin at the Lord's house, and from there it shall go forth among all the nations of the earth. Let parents awake and see to it lest the
same destruction that will overtake their children because of their apostasy come upon them also. (JD, January 1873, 15:329-30.)

Melvin J. Ballard: 23-26

Do you not know . . . that God knew what was coming; that he brought this people into these mountain valleys as a place of refuge when the storm shall come. We
only hear the beginning of that storm. Dismal and distressful as has been its approach, while its thunders and its flashings have filled our hearts with terror, it is but the
beginning of the storm. Oh, that it were passed, and that it were gone; but it is not, it is not! . . . Knowledge such as no other generation that has ever lived upon the
earth has enjoyed, has been diffused; and this is their condemnation, that light has come into the world. [Sec. 45:27-28; 93:31-32.] I fear for the world because I say to
you that no generation of men who have lived stand under greater condemnation before God Almighty than this generation, and except they shall repent, serious distress
awaits them. The storm in its fury shall rage; and all the powers of man cannot avert it. Only one thing can save them: their humiliation, their repentance will save them
and nothing else can. Therefore we stand in peril, many of us! For do you think that the Lord who has given us greater light and greater knowledge than the world, will
pass us by in our sins and our transgressions? I say to you that if we do not live better than the world, if our standard of morality is not in excess of theirs, if we do not
observe the law and maintain it better than any other people, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves, and we shall stand under great condemnation before the Lord,
because we know more than anybody else. The light and knowledge that the Lord has given to us place us in a very peculiar position, and if we are not careful the
judgment of the Lord shall begin at the house of the Lord. (CR, October 1922, p. 59.)

Brigham Young: 25

And upon my house shall it begin

There is one principle I would like to have the Latter-day Saints perfectly understand-that is, of blessings and cursings. For instance, we read that war, pestilence,
plagues, famine, etc. will be visited upon the inhabitants of the earth [Sec. 29:14-21; 45:26-33; 88:87-91] ; but if distress through the judgments of God comes upon
this people, it will be because the majority have turned away from the Lord. Let the majority of the people turn away from the Holy Commandments which the Lord
has delivered to us, and cease to hold the balance of power in the Church, and we may expect the judgments of God to come upon us; but while six-tenths or three-
fourths of this people will keep the commandments of God, the curse and judgments of the Almighty, will never come upon them, though we will have trials of various
kinds, and the elements to contend with-natural and spiritual elements. While this people will strive to serve God according to the best of their abilities, they will fare
better, have more to eat and to wear, have better houses to live in, better associations, and enjoy themselves better than the wicked ever do or ever will do. (JD, June
26, 1864, 10:335-36.)

Wilford Woodruff: 25-26

The eyes of the heavenly hosts are over us; the eyes of God himself and his Son Jesus Christ; the eyes of all the prophets and Apostles who have dwelt in the flesh; they
are watching our works. I have spent more time lately with those who are in the spirit world, in my night seasons, than in all the rest of my life together. On one
occasion I thought in my dream that Presidents [Brigham] Young, [Heber C.] Kimball, George A. Smith, and many others, attended one of our Conferences. When
Brother Young was asked to preach he said: "No, I have done my preaching, I have done my instructions in the flesh; I have come to hear you talk, I have come to
look at you, I have come to watch over you, I wish to see what this people are doing." This has been the answer and these are thoughts I believe in. I believe we are
not shut out from God, we are not shut out from our brethren, though the vail is between us. They understand our works, our conditions, our position, and I feel a
desire myself, what little time I have to spend in the flesh, to make my time useful. I wish to do what I can to bring to pass righteousness, and I feel that we should all be
in this position; we should all labor to occupy our time, our talents, and our attention as far as we possibly can to build up the kingdom of God.

I wish to say to the Latter-day Saints: Sometimes people apostatize; we speak of people getting into the dark. It does not make any difference who sells whiskey, nor
who drinks it; it makes no difference who blasphemes the name of God, or apostatizes from the church and kingdom of God, as far as the establishment of the kingdom
of God is concerned; the Lord has got valiant men and women in his kingdom who will be true and faithful to the Lord and his work. If half of this church were to fall
away, it would not destroy the purposes of the Lord. With regard to ourselves that is another thing. Many men who have received the gospel, and have had the Holy
Ghost conferred upon them, have fallen away, but in doing so they condemn themselves, they destroy themselves, they miss and lose all the hopes they ever had of
eternal life and the blessings of God in the celestial kingdom. Men may fall, but the kingdom of God never, never. The Lord has a good many men and women in this
church and kingdom that cannot afford to surrender any principle that the God of Israel has commanded us to obey, no principle that the Lord has commanded us to
receive, no principle that is embodied in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why? Because we know and understand very well that our destiny, our position, and our blessings
are all in his hands. We also know that the destinies of all the armies of the nations of the earth under the whole heavens are in the hands of God. The Lord guides these
things; he will guide them. We are approaching an important day and time. We are approaching a period when there must be a change in Babylon, a change in our
nation, and a change in Zion. Judgments are going to begin at the house of God. They will go forth and will not be taken from the earth until all has been fulfilled. (CR,
April 1880, pp. 9-10.)

Joseph Smith: 28-29

I contend that baptism is a sign ordained of God, for the believer in Christ to take upon himself in order to enter into the kingdom of God, "for except ye are born of
water and of the spirit ye cannot enter into the kingdom of God," said the Savior. [John 3:5.] It is a sign and a commandment which God has set for man to enter into
His kingdom. Those who seek to enter in any other way will seek in vain; for God will not receive them, neither will the angels acknowledge their works as accepted,
for they have not obeyed the ordinances, nor attended to the signs which God ordained for the salvation of man, to prepare him for, and give him title to, a celestial
glory; and God has decreed that all who will not obey His voice shall not escape the damnation of hell. What is the damnation of hell? To go with that society who have
not obeyed His commands.

Baptism is a sign to God, to angels, and to heaven that we do the will of God, and there is no other way beneath the heavens whereby God hath ordained for man to
come to Him to be saved, and enter into the kingdom of God, except faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, and any other course is in
vain; then you have the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost. (HC 4:554-55, March 20, 1842.)

Charles W. Penrose: 30-32
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We are living in the dispensation of the fulness of times, and in this dispensation-the grandest and greatest of all, will be gathered in one all things that are in Christ, not
only His people gathered from the various nations to Zion to build it up, to prepare the place for His feet, but the hosts that have passed away, whom He will bring with
Him. Not only are the people to be gathered together, but the glorious truths which have been made manifest in the ages that are past will all be brought forth in the
vain; then you have the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost. (HC 4:554-55, March 20, 1842.)

Charles W. Penrose: 30-32

We are living in the dispensation of the fulness of times, and in this dispensation-the grandest and greatest of all, will be gathered in one all things that are in Christ, not
only His people gathered from the various nations to Zion to build it up, to prepare the place for His feet, but the hosts that have passed away, whom He will bring with
Him. Not only are the people to be gathered together, but the glorious truths which have been made manifest in the ages that are past will all be brought forth in the
dispensation in which we are living, and things kept hid from the foundation of the world will be made manifest; for the Lord has promised it; and His promises never fail
of fulfillment. This dispensation in which we live is signalized by a great work of consummation of the purposes of the Almighty. [Sec. 27:5-13; 124:41; 128:19-24.]
(CR, October 1911, pp. 48-49.)

John Taylor: 33

The blood of this generation

I . . . wish to state to the Twelve and to the Seventies, and to the Elders, that they are not responsible for the reception or the rejection by the world of that word which
God has given to them to communicate. It is proper for them to use all necessary diligence and fidelity, and to plainly and intelligently, and with prayer and faith, go forth
as messengers to the nations, as the legates of the skies, clothed upon with authority from the God of heaven, even the authority of the Holy Priesthood, which is after
the order of the Son of God, which is after the order of Melchizedek, which is after the power of an endless life. He has endowed them . . . with authority to call upon
men to repent of their sins, and to be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and then He has told them to lay hands on the people thus believing, and
thus being baptized, and to confer upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost, and when they have performed their labors, and fulfilled their duties, their garments are free
from the blood of this generation, and the people are then left in the hands of God their Heavenly Father. For the people, as before stated, will be held responsible to
God for their rejection of the Gospel, and not to us. (JD, October 7, 1883, 24:289.)

Brigham Young: 34

Recompense every man according as his work shall be

Though our interest is one as a people, yet remember, salvation is an individual work; it is every person for themselves. I mean more by this than I have time to tell you
in full, but I will give you a hint. There are those in this Church who calculate to be saved by the righteousness of others. They will miss their mark. They are those who
will arrive just as the gate is shut, so in that case you may be shut out; then you will call upon some one, who, by their own faithfulness, through the mercy of Jesus
Christ, have entered in through the celestial gate, to come and open it for you; but to do this is not their province. Such will be the fate of those persons who vainly hope
to be saved upon the righteousness and through the influence of brother Somebody. I forewarn you therefore to cultivate righteousness and faithfulness in yourselves,
which is the only passport into celestial happiness. [Sec. 45:56-57.] (JD, December 18, 1853, 2:132.)

Section 113

Answers to certain questions on Scripture, given by Joseph Smith the Prophet, March, 1838.

1. Who is the Stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?

2. Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ.

3. What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come to the Stem of Jesse?

4. Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom
there is laid much power.

S. What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter?

6. Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign,
and for the gathering of my people in the last days.

7. Questions by Elias Higbee: What is meant by the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith: Put on thy strength, O Zion-and what people had Isaiah
reference to?

8. He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the power of priesthood to bring again Zion, and the redemption of Israel; and to
put on her strength is to put on the authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a right to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost.

9. What are we to understand by Zion loosing herself from the bands of her neck; 2d verse?

10. We are to understand that the scattered remnants are exhorted to return to the Lord from whence they have fallen; which if they do, the promise of the Lord is that
he will speak to them, or given them revelation. See the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses. The bands of her neck are the curses of God upon her, or the remnants of Israel in
their scattered condition among the Gentiles.

George Q. Cannon: Introduction

With the dawn of the new year confusion and mobocratic power increased, and on the 12th of January, 1838, Joseph and Sidney were driven from Kirtland to escape
mob violence. Their destination was Far West, and they were pursued more than two hundred miles by armed enemies seeking their lives. The weather was intensely
severe, and Joseph and his companion, with their families who had joined them, suffered greatly in their endeavor to elude the murderous pursuit. Several times the
pursuers crossed the Prophet's track. Twice they entered the houses where his party had gained a refuge, and once they occupied a room in the same building with only
a partition between them, through which the Prophet heard their oaths and imprecations concerning him. Thus they were protected by divine power, else murder would
have been done, for the long and unavailing pursuit had filled these would-be assassins with a fiendish desire for blood. Owing to the severity of the season two months
were occupied in the journey to Far West, which place the Prophet and his family reached on the 14th day of March, 1838, accompanied by Apostle Brigham Young
who had joined him on the way. . . .

While the Prophet had been journeying toward Missouri after escaping the Kirtland mob in January, 1838, a general assembly of the Saints in Far West was held on
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the 5th day of February, at which David Whitmer, John Whitmer and William W. Phelps were rejected as the local presidency; and a few days laterPage
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and David W. Patten, of the Twelve, were selected to act as a presidency until the Prophet should arrive. Oliver Cowdery too had been suspended from his position.
Persisting in unchristianlike conduct, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer had been excommunicated by the high council in Far West, four days previous to the arrival of
were occupied in the journey to Far West, which place the Prophet and his family reached on the 14th day of March, 1838, accompanied by Apostle Brigham Young
who had joined him on the way. . . .

While the Prophet had been journeying toward Missouri after escaping the Kirtland mob in January, 1838, a general assembly of the Saints in Far West was held on
the 5th day of February, at which David Whitmer, John Whitmer and William W. Phelps were rejected as the local presidency; and a few days later Thomas B. Marsh
and David W. Patten, of the Twelve, were selected to act as a presidency until the Prophet should arrive. Oliver Cowdery too had been suspended from his position.
Persisting in unchristianlike conduct, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer had been excommunicated by the high council in Far West, four days previous to the arrival of
Joseph.

This was the sad situation as the Prophet approached the dwelling place of the Saints in Missouri. Many of the people went out to meet him, and at a distance of one
hundred and twenty miles from Far West they found him and tendered him teams and money to help him forward. The joy they had in his presence arose from an
absolute knowledge of his power and authority as a Prophet of God. They were certain that many of their difficulties would end with his presence, because he would
give the light of truth by which to guide their footsteps. . . .

At the same conference [April 6, 1838] Brigham Young, David W. Patten and Thomas B. Marsh were chosen to preside over the Church in Missouri.

On the 12th of April, 1838, Oliver Cowdery was found guilty of serious wrong-doing for which he had not made repentance, and he was excommunicated by the high
council at Far West. Before the same tribunal on the day following David Whitmer was charged with persistent disobedience of the word of wisdom and with
unchristianlike conduct, and he was also cut off. Luke Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson and John F. Boynton were excommunicated about the same time, and less than a
month later a similar fate befell William E. McLellin.

It was a sorrowful day for Joseph when he lost the companionship of these men who had been with him during many trials and who had participated with him in the
glorious undertaking of heavenly things. But they were no longer anything but dead branches, harmful to the growing tree, and it was necessary for the pruner to lop
them off. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp. 221-24.)

Joseph Smith: Introduction

On the 14th of March, as we were about entering Far West [Missouri] , many of the brethren came to meet us, who also with open arms welcomed us to their
bosoms. . . .

Shortly after his [Samuel H. Smith's] arrival, while walking with him and certain other brethren, the following sentiments occurred to my mind: "The Political Motto of
the Church of Latter-day Saints." . . .

The Prophet's Answers to Questions on Scripture. [Section 113, follows.] (HC 3:9, March 1838.)

James E. Talmage: 1

As made known to the prophet [Isaiah] and by him proclaimed, the coming Lord was the living Branch that should spring from the undying root typified in the family of
Jesse [Isaiah 11:1 and 10; compare Romans 15:12; Revelation 5:5; 22:16; see also Jeremiah 23:5, 6.] (Jesus the Christ, 1916, p. 47.)

Section 114

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, April 17, 1838.-Directions to David W. Patten-Positions occupied by the unfaithful to be
given to others.

1. Verily thus saith the Lord: It is wisdom in my servant David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his
merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto
all the world.

2. For verily thus saith the Lord, that inasmuch as there are those among you who deny my name, others shall be planted in their stead and receive their bishopric.
Amen.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

I received the following: [Section 114, follows.] (HC 3:23, April 17, 1838; Far West, Missouri.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 1-2

On April 17, 1838, the Prophet received a revelation for David W. Patten who had for some time been located in Missouri and with Elder Thomas B. Marsh was
maintaining a steady influence amidst the opposition of disaffected brethren, including the three who had been appointed to preside, David Whitmer, William W. Phelps
and John Whitmer. The Lord called upon Elder Patten to settle up his business as soon as possible, make a disposition of his merchandise, and prepare to take a
mission the following spring, in company with others to preach the Gospel to all the world. (Sec. 114:1-2.) Elder Patten obedient to this revelation took steps to meet
this call which had come to him. Events were to develop, however, which would change the nature of his mission before the following spring could arrive. (CHMR,
1949, 3:114.)

Section 115

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, April 26, 1838, making know the will of God concerning the building up of that place, and
of the Lord's House. This revelation is addressed to the presiding officers of the Church.-The official name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, confirmed
by the Lord-Far West to be a holy and consecrated place-Commandment to build a house of the Lord there-The First Presidency not to incur debts for the building of
a house unto the Lord.

1. Verily thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and also my servant Sidney Rigdon, and also my servant Hyrum Smith, and your counselors who
are and shall be appointed hereafter;

2. And also unto you, my servant Edward Partridge, and his counselors;

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                                               of the high council of my church in Zion for thus it shall be called, and unto all the elders and people ofPage 47 /of159
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Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scattered abroad in all the world;
2. And also unto you, my servant Edward Partridge, and his counselors;

3. And also unto my faithful servants who are of the high council of my church in Zion for thus it shall be called, and unto all the elders and people of my Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scattered abroad in all the world;

4. For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

5. Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations;

6. And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be
poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.

7. Let the city, Far West, be a holy and consecrated land unto me; and it shall be called most holy, for the ground upon which thou standest is holy.

8. Therefore, I command you to build a house unto me, for the gathering together of my saints, that they may worship me.

9. And let there be a beginning of this work, and a foundation, and a preparatory work, this following summer;

10. And let the beginning be made on the fourth day of July next; and from that time forth let my people labor diligently to build a house unto my name;

11. And in one year from this day let them re-commence laying the foundation of my house.

12. Thus let them from that time forth labor diligently until it shall be finished, from the corner stone thereof unto the top thereof, until there shall not anything remain that
is not finished.

13. Verily I say unto you, let not my servant Joseph, neither my servant Sidney, neither my servant Hyrum, get in debt any more for the building of a house unto my
name;

14. But let a house be built unto my name according to the pattern which I will show unto them.

15. And if my people build it not according to the pattern which I shall show unto their presidency, I will not accept it at their hands.

16. But if my people do build it according to the pattern which I shall show unto their presidency, even my servant Joseph and his counselors, then I will accept it at the
hands of my people.

17. And again, verily I say unto you, it is my will that the city of Far West should be built up speedily by the gathering of my saints;

18. And also that other places should be appointed for stakes in the regions round about, as they shall be manifested unto my servant Joseph, from time to time.

19. For behold, I will be with him, and I will sanctify him before the people; for unto him have I given the keys of this kingdom and ministry. Even so. Amen.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

I received the following: [Section 115, follows.] (HC 3:23, April 26, 1838; Far West, Missouri.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 14

On the 26th of April [1838] the Prophet received a very important revelation of instruction for the First Presidency, the apostles, the bishop, and the members of the
Church. [Section 115.] It will be noted that the counselors named to serve with the Prophet were Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith. In the fall of the year 1837,
Frederick G. Williams lost his standing because he had become disaffected and Hyrum Smith was called and sustained in his stead. President Williams was a man of
high character and the Prophet, when he chose him as a counselor, spoke of him in the highest terms and expressed great confidence in him. During the days of
tribulation he was overcome and was influenced by those who had turned away in bitterness against the Church. However, he soon repented of the evil and asked to
come back into the Church. He was baptized on his show of repentance and confirmed Sunday, August 1, 1838, but he was not re-instated in his former position.

The word of the Lord was also to Bishop Partridge and those of the high council who had remained true, that from this time forth they should call the Church by its right
name-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "for thus shall my church be called in the last days." The brethren at times called it the Church of Christ and at
other times the Church of the Latter-day Saints, and this was becoming a fixed custom throughout the Church. On this occasion the Lord called the attention of all the
councils to the fact that he had given the Church its name and by that name it should be called. It is a very easy matter for us to adopt some other title, apparently for
convenience, as the correct name is rather lengthy. For instance we have, in these later days, fallen into the habit of speaking of the Church as the "Mormon Church," or
as "the Restored Church," setting aside the correct titles. It is true that even back in the days of the Prophet the Church was at times called the "Mormon Church," but
this was rare, although we were quite generally referred to as "Mormons," and we answered to that title. Since the Lord felt it important to remind the councils of the
Church of its correct name and inform them that by that name it should be known in the last days, we should endeavor to carry out this commandment more nearly than
it is the custom for many of us to do. (CHMR, 1949, 3:114-15.)

George Q. Morris: 4

When the Lord visited this continent and set up his Church among his people soon after his ascension into the heavens, they were querying after he left them one day, as
to what they should name the Church and when he came the next day to continue his instructions to them, he knew their contentions and queries and said:

And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses' name then it be Moses' church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it
be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. (3 Nephi 27:8.)

What a simple and logical and beautiful explanation of the facts! And that is something to guide us in the midst of all the religious confusion that exists in the world today.
The Church of Jesus Christ by his direction bears his name. In this day when it has again been restored, the same instructions came to the Prophet Joseph Smith that
this Church should be called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the "Latter-day Saints" being added to distinguish it from all other dispensations.
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The Lord continued in his instructions to the effect that: If the Church has his name and it is built upon his gospel, then it is his Church, and if they would pray to the
Father he would hear their prayers, and his works shall be manifest in the Church.
What a simple and logical and beautiful explanation of the facts! And that is something to guide us in the midst of all the religious confusion that exists in the world today.
The Church of Jesus Christ by his direction bears his name. In this day when it has again been restored, the same instructions came to the Prophet Joseph Smith that
this Church should be called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the "Latter-day Saints" being added to distinguish it from all other dispensations.

The Lord continued in his instructions to the effect that: If the Church has his name and it is built upon his gospel, then it is his Church, and if they would pray to the
Father he would hear their prayers, and his works shall be manifest in the Church.

Note the significant qualification added that not only must it have his name, but it must also be based upon his gospel. Then he adds that if churches are built that are
based upon the works of men or the works of Satan, then these will have joy in their churches for a period, but the time will come when they will be hewn down and
cast into the fire.

The Lord has very clearly set before us in this simple statement a guiding principle: There is one Church of Jesus Christ, bearing his name and preaching his gospel. All
other churches are the churches of men, and there can be no salvation in them, and the time will come when they will be destroyed. [Sec. 132:13-14.] (CR, October
1954, p. 98.)

James E. Talmage: 4

Latter-day Saints

But I pray you consider what the real name means-"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." We can understand, easily, what "Latter-day" means-modern
day, this day; but what does the word "Saint" mean? By derivation, by acceptation, and by the best authority in the language, it means directly, used as an adjective,
"holy," and when used as a noun "a holy one," and we, therefore, profess to be a body of holy men, holy women. We proclaim ourselves in the name of Jesus Christ to
be the holy ones of the last days, a significant proclamation, blasphemous in the extreme if it be not justified. But that name was given us of God. We do not apologize
for it, nor do we preach the doctrines of the gospel, committed to the Church to be preached, in any apologetic manner. We preach in simplicity, in humility, but not by
way of apology. . . . We have no apology to offer for our name nor for our membership in the Church, nor for our scriptures that have been given by revelation through
the prophets of the Lord unto the people.

What should it mean to you and me, to be thus called a holy man, a holy woman? As thus applied, the term does not mean that the one who bears it is necessarily
without weakness or devoid of blemish. An authorized usage of the term "holy" is that it shall apply for exclusive service in the cause of God, and such we profess to
be, set apart amongst men and nations as the people of God. However, all peoples and all nations may be one with us and may thus be set apart, if they only will, and
so become entitled to bear that distinguishing name. (CR, April 1922, p. 72.)

John A. Widtsoe: 5

Probably the thought that has come to me most often has been as to the place and purpose of the Church in this war-torn world, this world of strife and unhappiness.
What is our mission to the world? I have turned to the scriptures to get the answer, and have found the answer, both in ancient and modern scriptures. It is that the
Church of Christ at all times must be as a standard to the nations, a standard to which all nations, all people, all men may turn as they seek safety, peace, and
happiness.

It is our great mission . . . to be a standard to all the world, and we say without hesitation that those who obey and comply with that standard will find that which men
most desire in life. It is a bold declaration, tremendously bold, that a small people in the valleys of these mountains, misunderstood, often harassed by persecution, may
become the standard by which all mankind may be led to peace and happiness; but so it is. I am not saying it. It is the word of the Lord, both in ancient and modern
days. [Isa. 62:10-12.] If this standard would be accepted by the world, the things we pray and hope for would soon come.

Let me say that the Church itself cannot be this standard. Since the Church is made up of individuals, it becomes an individual responsibility to make the Church a
standard for the nations. I must be a standard in my life. I must so conduct myself that I may be a standard worthy of being followed by those who seek the greater joy
in life. (CR, April 1940, p. 35.)

Marriner W. Merrill: 5

A standard for the nations

It is designed in the heavens that this people shall be at the head, and that the great men of the nation will come by and by to Zion for counsel and wisdom. Where are
we going to get it? What are our opportunities above other people? Why, we commune with the heavens. There is where we are in advance of the world. We not only
have the advantages of their learning, but we have divine inspiration, by which our minds are enlightened. The Presidency of the Church have the heavens opened to
them by the Spirit, and power of God, and they will be able to counsel the wisest of the nations. This time will come; nor is it far off. (CR, April 1901, p. 26.)

Joseph F. Smith: 5

Every Saint should not only have the light within himself through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but his light should so shine that it may be clearly perceived by others.

Men and women should become settled in the truth, and founded in the knowledge of the gospel, depending upon no person for borrowed or reflected light, but
trusting only upon the Holy Spirit, who is ever the same, shining forever and testifying to the individual and the priesthood, who live in harmony with the laws of the
gospel of the glory and the will of the Father. They will then have light everlasting which cannot be obscured. By its shining in their lives they shall cause others to glorify
God; and by their well doing put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, and show forth the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous light.
[Sec. 45:9; 88:49-50.] (IE, November 1904, 8:62.)

Orson F. Whitney: 6

Joseph the Seer prophesied that war would "be poured out upon all nations." Zion, the pure in heart, are to "be the only people that shall not be at war one with
another." "And it shall come to pass, among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor, must needs flee unto Zion for safety." [D&C
45:68, 69.] To provide against these and other perils, the Church of Christ was founded-"a standard for the nations." [Sec. 115:5, quoted.] (Saturday Night Thoughts,
1921, p. 200.)

Joseph Smith: 6

Gathering
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In speaking of the gathering, we mean to be understood as speaking of it according to scripture, the gathering of the elect of the Lord out of every nation on earth, and
bringing them to the place of the Lord of Hosts, when the city of righteousness shall be built, and where the people shall be of one heart and one mind, when the Savior
1921, p. 200.)

Joseph Smith: 6

Gathering together upon the land of Zion

In speaking of the gathering, we mean to be understood as speaking of it according to scripture, the gathering of the elect of the Lord out of every nation on earth, and
bringing them to the place of the Lord of Hosts, when the city of righteousness shall be built, and where the people shall be of one heart and one mind, when the Savior
comes [Sec. 45:65-67; 38:27] ; yea, where the people shall walk with God like Enoch, and be free from sin. [Moses 7:18.] The word of the Lord is precious; and
when we read that the vail spread over all nations will be destroyed, and the pure in heart see God, and reign with Him a thousand years on earth, we want all honest
men to have a chance together and build up a city of righteousness, where even upon the bells of the horses shall be written Holiness to the Lord. [Zech. 14:20.] (HC
2:357-58, January 6, 1836.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 7-19

It was also declared in this revelation that the city of Far West should be made holy by consecration: [Sec. 115:7, quoted.] They were commanded to build a house
unto the Lord, and the saints were to commence the preparatory work the coming summer, the time being set as July 4, 1838, when this should begin, and from that
time forth they were to labor diligently to build the house unto the name of the Lord. When this revelation was given there was no house, or temple, recognized by the
Lord as his. He had promised to make holy the temple in Kirtland, but had declared also that if it should be defiled it should no longer be his house and his name would
not be upon it. [Sec. 97:15-17.] April 3, 1836, he accepted that house, but in the summer of 1837, it had been polluted, and apostates, wicked in spirit, had taken
possession of that temple, hence the Lord rejected it as a sacred spot, an holy temple to his name. [Sec. 124:28.] Now came the command to build another house on
ground that was consecrated. This house was to be built according to the Lord's plan, for it was to be a temple to his name.

In times past, and because of no fault of their own, the First Presidency had been greatly troubled because of debts. Now the Lord gives to them, in making this new
start, a commandment that they were to keep out of debt, and put forth their energies to build up settlements in Caldwell County and to send forth the word of the Lord
into all the world. If this temple at Far West were not built according to the Lord's plan, he said he would not receive it. We have good reason to believe that his plan
contemplated many changes not found in the house in Kirtland. The keys for the sealing of both the living and the dead had been revealed since the Kirtland Temple
was built. [Sec. 110:13-16.] The doctrine of salvation for the dead had been hinted at, but not yet clearly revealed. The Lord certainly intended to place in this new
temple if it should be built according to his plan, the provisions which were found in the Nauvoo Temple and all the other temples erected since that day so that the
ordinance of baptism for the dead, and all the ordinances of the gospel could be given to both the living and the dead, as outlined by the Lord to the Prophet, January
19, 1841. [Sec. 124:25-42.]

Another commandment was given, that the saints should be gathered to Far West and the settlements in adjacent territory. The Lord said it was his purpose, when the
saints gathered, to appoint other stakes of Zion as it should be manifested to Joseph Smith from time to time, for, said the Lord: [Sec. 115:19, quoted.] (CHMR, 1949,
3:115-16.)

Section 116

Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, near Wight's Ferry, at a place called Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri, May 19, 1838, wherein Spring Hill is named
by the Lord:
Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

Adam-ondi-Ahman is located immediately on the north side of Grand River, in Daviess county, Missouri, about twenty-five miles north of Far West. It is situated on an
elevated spot of ground, which renders the place as healthful as any part of the United States, and overlooking the river and the country about, it is certainly a beautiful
location. (HC 3:39, June 16, 1838.)

Heber C. Kimball: Introduction

The brethren of Caldwell [Missouri] went directly to Adam-ondi-Ahman. . . .

While there we laid out a city on a high elevated piece of land. . . .

The Prophet Joseph called upon Brigham [Young] , myself and others, saying, "Brethren, come go along with me, and I will show you something." He led us a short
distance to a place where were the ruins of three altars built of stone, one above the other, and one standing a little back of the other, like unto the pulpits in the Kirtland
Temple, representing the order of three grades of Priesthood; "There," said Joseph, "is the place where Adam offered up sacrifice after he was cast out of the garden."
The altar stood at the highest point of the bluff. I went and examined the place several times while I remained there. (Life of Heber C. Kimball, August 1838, pp. 208-
10.)

Joseph Smith:

Adam . . . the Ancient of Days . . . as spoken of by Daniel

Daniel in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael, he will call his children together and hold a council
with them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that have had
the keys must stand before him in this grand council. This may take place before some of us leave this stage of action. The Son of Man stands before him, and there is
given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing
as head of the human family. (HC 3:386-87, July 2, 1839.)

Joseph Fielding Smith:

The place where Adam shall come to visit his people

The world at large is in ignorance regarding this wonderful character, the Ancient of Days. Much has been written of him, but mostly without knowledge. He is, so the
Lord informs us, no other than Adam, our ancient father. As Michael, the arch-angel, he fought the battles against Lucifer in the beginning [Rev. 12:7] , and he shall also
sound the trumpet when all the dead shall awake (D&C 29:26), and he shall lead the fight in the final battle with Lucifer. (D&C 88:111-114.) As Adam he was known
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                                                   , as by virtue of that honor, he becomes "the father of all, the prince of all, the Ancient of Days." (D&C     50 He
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holds the keys of salvation for this earth, under the direction of the Holy One, "who is without beginning of days, or end of life," even Jesus Christ. (D&C 78:16.)
The world at large is in ignorance regarding this wonderful character, the Ancient of Days. Much has been written of him, but mostly without knowledge. He is, so the
Lord informs us, no other than Adam, our ancient father. As Michael, the arch-angel, he fought the battles against Lucifer in the beginning [Rev. 12:7] , and he shall also
sound the trumpet when all the dead shall awake (D&C 29:26), and he shall lead the fight in the final battle with Lucifer. (D&C 88:111-114.) As Adam he was known
as the first man on the earth [Sec. 88:112-113] , as by virtue of that honor, he becomes "the father of all, the prince of all, the Ancient of Days." (D&C 27:11.) He
holds the keys of salvation for this earth, under the direction of the Holy One, "who is without beginning of days, or end of life," even Jesus Christ. (D&C 78:16.)

Three years before the death of Adam, he called together his children, including all the faithful down to the generation of Methuselah, all who were high priests, "with the
residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing." (D&C 107:53.) At this grand
gathering the Lord appeared and administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: "I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and
thou art a prince over them forever." The assembly arose and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the arch-angel. Then Adam stood up in the midst of
the congregation-and no such a gathering on any other occasion has this world ever seen-and notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy
Ghost, (he) predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the last generation." And all this is written in the book of Enoch, which shall be revealed in due time.
(D&C 107:54-57.)

Not many years hence there shall be another gathering of high priests and righteous souls in this same valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. At this gathering Adam, the Ancient
of Days, will again be present. At this time the vision which Daniel saw will be enacted. The Ancient of Days will sit. [Dan. 7:9-14.] There will stand before him those
who have held the keys of all dispensations, who shall render up their stewardships to the first Patriarch of the race, who holds the keys of salvation. This shall be a day
of judgment and preparation. . . .

It was in the night vision that all this was shown to Daniel, and he saw the Son of Man come to the grand council, as he did to the first grand council in the valley of
Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there he received the keys from Adam "and there was given to him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." (Dan. 7:13-14.) In
this council Christ will take over the reigns of government, officially, on this earth, and "the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole
heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him," even Jesus
Christ. [Dan. 7:27.]

Until this grand council is held, Satan shall hold rule in the nations of the earth; but at that time thrones are to be cast down and men's rule shall come to an end-for it is
decreed that the Lord shall make an end of all nations. (D&C 87:6.) Preparation for this work is now going on. Kingdoms are already tottering; some have fallen; but
eventually they shall all go the way of the earth, and he shall come whose right it is to rule. Then shall he give the government to the saints of the Most High. [Sec.
38:21-22.]

This council in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman is to be of the greatest importance to this world. At that time there will be a transfer of authority from the usurper and
imposter, Lucifer, to the rightful King, Jesus Christ. Judgment will be set and all who have held keys will make their reports and deliver their stewardships, as they shall
be required. Adam will direct this judgment, and then he will make his report, as the one holding the keys of this earth, to his Superior Officer, Jesus Christ. Our Lord
will then assume the reigns of government; directions will be given to the Priesthood; and He, whose right it is to rule, will be installed officially by the voice of the
Priesthood there assembled. This grand council of Priesthood will be composed, not only of those who are faithful who now dwell on this earth, but also of the
prophets and apostles of old, who have had directing authority. Others may also be there, but if so they will be there by appointment, for this is to be an official council
called to attend to the most momentous matters concerning the destiny of this earth.

When this gathering is held, the world will not know of it; the members of the Church at large will not know of it, yet it shall be preparatory to the coming in the clouds
of glory of our Savior Jesus Christ as the Prophet Joseph Smith has said. The Saints cannot know-except for those who officially shall be called into this council-for it
shall precede the coming of Jesus Christ as a thief in the night, unbeknown to all the world. (The Way to Perfection, 1943, pp. 788-91.)

Anthon H. Lund:

The Ancient of Days

Some there are who follow our Elders, and after they have preached the principles of salvation, these men get up and charge that the Elders do not believe in God, but
that they believe in Adam as their God, and they will bring up a few passages from sermons delivered by this or that man in the Church to substantiate this charge.
Now, we are not ashamed of the glorious doctrine of eternal progression, that man may attain the position of those to whom came the word of God, that is, gods. [Sec.
76:55-62; 132:16-24, 37.] When Jesus was preaching unto the Jews on one occasion they stoned Him, and He wanted to know if they stoned Him for the good
works He had been doing. Oh, no, they say, "for a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." To
meet this, Jesus said:

It is not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scriptures cannot be broken;
Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemes; because I said, I am the Son of God? (John 10:34-36.)

We believe that there are gods, as the Savior quoted. He repeated what was written in the law, and He did not say it was wrong, but used it as an argument against
them. While, however, we believe, as the scripture states, that there are more gods, to us there is but one God. We worship the God that created the heavens and the
earth. We worship the same God that came to our first parents in the Garden of Eden. In the revelation contained in Section 116 of the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants the Lord speaks concerning Adam-ondi-Ahman, "the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of days shall sit, as spoken of by
Daniel the prophet." In the 107th Section, the Lord speaks of Adam as "Michael, the Prince, the Archangel," and says that he shall be a prince over the nations forever.
We may with perfect propriety call him prince, the ancient of days, or even God in the meaning of the words of Christ, which I have just quoted [Sec. 78:16] ; but we
do not worship him, we worship the same God that he worshipped. (CR, October 1902, p. 81.)

Section 117

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, July 8, 1838, concerning the immediate duties of certain Elders, William Marks, Newel K.
Whitney, Oliver Granger.-Imperative commands-What is property unto the Lord?

1. Verily thus saith the Lord unto my servant William Marks, and also unto my servant Newel K. Whitney, let them settle up their business speedily and journey from
the land of Kirtland, before I, the Lord, send again the snows upon the earth.

2. Let them awake, and arise, and come forth, and not tarry, for I, the Lord, command it.

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4. Let them repent of all their sins, and of all their covetous desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is property unto me? saith the Lord.
the land of Kirtland, before I, the Lord, send again the snows upon the earth.

2. Let them awake, and arise, and come forth, and not tarry, for I, the Lord, command it.

3. Therefore, if they tarry it shall not be well with them.

4. Let them repent of all their sins, and of all their covetous desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is property unto me? saith the Lord.

5. Let the properties of Kirtland be turned out for debts, saith the Lord. Let them go, saith the Lord, and whatsoever remaineth, let it remain in your hands, saith the
Lord.

6. For have I not the fowls of heaven, and also the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the mountains? Have I not made the earth? Do I not hold the destinies of all the
armies of the nations of the earth?

7. Therefore, will I not make solitary places to bud and to blossom, and to bring forth in abundance? saith the Lord.

8. Is there not room enough on the mountains of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and on the plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the land where Adam dwelt, that you should covet that
which is but the drop, and neglect the more weighty matters?

9. Therefore, come up hither unto the land of my people, even Zion.

10. Let my servant William Marks be faithful over a few things, and he shall be a ruler over many. Let him preside in the midst of my people in the city of Far West, and
let him be blessed with the blessings of my people.

11. Let my servant Newel K. Whitney be ashamed of the Nicolaitane band and of all their secret abominations, and of all his littleness of soul before me, saith the Lord,
and come up to the land of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and be a bishop unto my people, saith the Lord, not in name but in deed, saith the Lord.

12. And again, I say unto you, I remember my servant Oliver Granger; behold, verily I say unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation
to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord.

13. Therefore, let him contend earnestly for the redemption of the First Presidency of my Church, saith the Lord; and when he falls he shall rise again, for his sacrifice
shall be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the Lord.

14. Therefore, let him come up hither speedily, unto the land of Zion; and in the due time he shall be made a merchant unto my name, saith the Lord, for the benefit of
my people.

15. Therefore let no man despise my servant Oliver Granger, but let the blessings of my people be on him forever and ever.

16. And again, verily I say unto you, let all my servants in the land of Kirtland remember the Lord their God, and mine house also, to keep and preserve it holy, and to
overthrow the money-changers in mine own due time, saith the Lord. Even so. Amen.

Orson F. Whitney: Introduction

The departure of the Church leaders from Kirtland [Jan. 1838] had been the signal for a general migration of the Mormons from Ohio to Missouri. Far West was now
their gathering place-not their Zion, but only a stake of Zion, as Kirtland had been before. All during the spring and summer of 1838 the exodus continued, until the
Saints remaining at Kirtland were very few. Apostles [Heber C.] Kimball and [Orson] Hyde, arriving there from Europe in May, tarried only long enough to arrange
their affairs and make suitable preparations for their journey to Missouri. About the 1st of July the two Apostles, accompanied by Erastus Snow, Winslow Farr and
others, with their families, set out for Far West. Among those remaining at Kirtland were Bishop N. K. Whitney and Oliver Granger, who had charge of the Church
property in Ohio. (History of Utah, 1892, 1:140-41.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 1-9

William Marks, a new convert to the Church, and Bishop Newel K. Whitney were instructed to leave Ohio, settle up their business there speedily and, the Lord said,
"journey from the land of Kirtland, before I, the Lord, send again the snows upon the earth"; this was a command to them, and they were warned not to tarry. They
were also called upon to repent of all their sins and all their covetous desires, and not set their hearts upon property, "for what is property unto me? saith the Lord." The
Lord had declared that the earth was his and all the fulness thereof and men were merely stewards with properties in their hands for a season. [Sec. 38:39; 59:16-20;
104:13.] Nothing that pertains to this world can any of us take with us when we are called to go beyond. Yet men labor and accumulate and spend their lives in the
selfish desire to possess worldly wealth and call it their own; and the great majority of men forsake the treasures where moth and rust do not corrupt and thieves do not
break through and steal. [Matt. 6:19-21.] It is quite evident that these two brethren had fallen under the spell of speculation and temptation so rife in Kirtland in 1837,
and which was the downfall of so many of the leading brethren of the Church. However, they had not lost their faith and when the Lord gave them this call, they
proceeded to obey the command.

The Lord also gave direction as to the properties still held by the Church in Kirtland. So bitter had become the spirit there that it was wisdom for the members of the
Church to seek homes elsewhere. [Sec. 117:5, quoted.] It is also true that the Lord desired that saints should possess lands in Missouri. If they could not maintain their
possessions in Jackson County, then let them locate in Caldwell and adjacent territory and make their homes. Those brethren were not to spend their time fretting over
the things they were to leave behind. [Sec. 117:6, quoted.]

It is well for us all to remember this. Surely the Lord made the earth and he owns it. His government the nations of the earth rejected and in its stead set up governments
of their own making, and this has been the condition from the beginning until now. Kings and potentates all down the ages, thought they, by their own acts, controlled
the destinies of nations, and held dominion. Without the permission of the Almighty they never could have ruled and held dominion. All who have a correct insight into
the history of nations must surely know that the Lord has always held a controlling hand over the nations of the world. When they have become corrupt, he has relieved
them of power. When they have entered on expeditions of conquest, he has permitted them to go just so far, then as he said to Ezekiel concerning Gog and Magog, he
puts hooks in their jaws, and defeats their purpose. [Ezek. 38:1-7.] Truly he holds the destinies of the armies of the nations of the earth [Sec. 60:4] ; and not only the
armies, but the destinies of nations, and when the time is ripe he will make an end of all nations that now rule in their arrogance and mistaken idea of might and power,
and set up his own kingdom to endure forever.

He has promised to make the solitary places to bud and to blossom and to bring forth in abundance. He asks the question: [Sec. 117:8, quoted.] This we gather that
these brethren
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                                         Media   Corp. in Kirtland, and the Lord assures them that there is more in store for them in the land to which Page
                                                                                                                                                        he has called
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[See Sec. 116 about Adam-ondi-Ahman.]

The plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the place where Adam dwelt, must be a part of, or in the vicinity of Adam-ondi-Ahman. This name Olaha Shinehah, may be, or in all
and set up his own kingdom to endure forever.

He has promised to make the solitary places to bud and to blossom and to bring forth in abundance. He asks the question: [Sec. 117:8, quoted.] This we gather that
these brethren still regretted leaving their possessions in Kirtland, and the Lord assures them that there is more in store for them in the land to which he has called them.
[See Sec. 116 about Adam-ondi-Ahman.]

The plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the place where Adam dwelt, must be a part of, or in the vicinity of Adam-ondi-Ahman. This name Olaha Shinehah, may be, or in all
probability is, from the language of Adam. We may without great controversy believe that this is the name which Adam gave to this place, at least we may venture this
as a probable guess. Shinehah, according to the Book of Abraham, is the name given to the sun. (Abraham 3:13.) It is the name applied to Kirtland when the Lord
desired in a revelation to hide its identity. (Sec. 82.) Elder Janne M. Sjodahl commenting on the name, Olaha Shinehah, has said: "Shinehah means sun, and Olaha is
possibly, a variant of the word Olea, which is 'the moon.' (Abraham 3:13.) If so the plains of Olaha Shinehah would be the Plains of the Moon and the Sun, so-called,
perhaps because of astronomical observations there made." We learn from the writings of Moses that the Lord revealed to the ancients great knowledge concerning the
stars, and Abraham by revelations and through the Urim and Thummim received wonderful information concerning the heavens and the governing planets, or stars.
[Abr. 3.] It was also revealed by the Prophet Joseph Smith that Methuselah was acquainted with the stars as were others of the antediluvian prophets including Adam.
So it may be reasonable that here in this valley important information was made known anciently in relation to the stars of our universe. (CHMR, 1949, 3:123-25.)

Orson Pratt: 6-9

You may inquire why he [Adam] should come to that particular place, [Adam-ondi-Ahman] on this western continent? The reason is, because he once dwelt there.
[Sec. 107:53-57; 116.] You may say, I really thought that Adam lived in Asia, and if he did, we have no account of his leaving there. I will read another revelation,
contained in this Book of Doctrine and Covenants, given on the 8th day of July, 1838, wherein it is represented that Adam occupied that region of country. The
revelation was given in Far West, Missouri. I will only read a few verses-[Sec. 117:6-9, quoted.]

We have then an understanding that it was the place where Adam dwelt. Perhaps you may be anxious to know what "ondi-Ahman" means. It means the place where
Adam dwelt. "Ahman" signifies God. The whole term Valley of God, where Adam dwelt. It is in the original language spoken by Adam, as revealed to the Prophet
Joseph. (JD, February 25, 1877, 18:342-43.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 10-16

William Marks was called to preside "in the midst of the people in Far West." Bishop Whitney was called on to forsake the abominations of those in Kirtland, whom
the Lord designates as the "Nicolaitane band." He was to be ashamed of "his littleness of soul," and go to the land of Adam-ondi-Ahman and there serve as bishop.
Oliver Granger, who had remained faithful, was commended by the Lord and also commanded to move to Far West. The Lord promised that his name should be had
in "sacred remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord." Oliver Granger came as he was commanded and fulfilled his mission as a
merchant in that place. In May, 1839, he was appointed to return to Kirtland and take charge of the temple and church property. He died while in this service,
September 23, 1841. (CHMR, 1949, 3:125-26.)

Section 118

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, July 8, 1838, in response to the supplication: Show us thy will, O Lord, concerning the
Twelve.-Commandment given to fill the places of those who had fallen-Future mission of the Twelve beyond the seas-Date of their departure fixed.

1. Verily, thus saith the Lord: Let a conference be held immediately; let the Twelve be organized; and let men be appointed to supply the place of those who are fallen.

2. Let my servant Thomas remain for a season in the land of Zion, to publish my word.

3. Let the residue continue to preach from that hour, and if they will do this in all lowliness of heart, in meekness and humility, and long-suffering, I, the Lord, give unto
them a promise that I will provide for their families; and an effectual door shall be opened for them, from henceforth.

4. And next spring let them depart to go over the great waters, and there promulgate my gospel, the fulness thereof, and bear record of my name.

5. Let them take leave of my saints in the city of Far West, on the twenty-sixth day of April next, on the building-spot of my house, saith the Lord.

6. Let my servant John Taylor, and also my servant John E. Page, and also my servant Wilford Woodruff, and also my servant Willard Richards, be appointed to kill
the places of those who have fallen, and be officially notified of their appointment.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

Also I received the following:

Revelation given at Far West, July 8, 1838, in answer to the question, Show unto us thy will, O Lord, concerning the Twelve: [Section 118, follows.] (HC 3:46, July 8,
1838.)

Wilford Woodruff: 4-6

The Twelve Apostles were called by revelation to go to Far West, Caldwell county, to lay the foundation of the cornerstone of the Temple. When that revelation was
given this Church was in peace in Missouri. It is the only revelation that has ever been since the organization of the Church, that I know anything about, that had day
and date given with it. The Lord called the Twelve Apostles, while in this state of prosperity, on the 26th day of April, 1838, to go to Far West to lay the cornerstone
of the Temple; and from there to take their departure to England to preach the Gospel. Previous to the arrival of that period the whole Church was driven out of the
State of Missouri, and it was as much as a man's life was worth to be found in the state if it was known that he was a Latter-day Saint; and especially was this the case
with the Twelve. When the time came for the corner stone of the Temple to be laid, as directed in the revelation, the Church was in Illinois, having been expelled from
Missouri by an edict from the Governor. Joseph and Hyrum Smith and Parley P. Pratt were in chains in Missouri for the testimony of Jesus. As the time drew nigh for
the accomplishment of this work, the question arose. "What is to be done?" Here is a revelation commanding the Twelve to be in Far West on the 26th day of April, to
lay the cornerstone of the Temple there; it has to be fulfilled. The Missourians had sworn by all the gods of eternity that if every other revelation given through Joseph
Smith were fulfilled, that should not be, for the day and date being given they declared that it would fail. The general feeling in the Church, so far as I know, was that,
under the circumstances, it was impossible to accomplish the work; and the Lord would accept the will for the deed. This was the feeling of Father Smith, the father of
the Prophet. Joseph was not with us, he was in chains in Missouri, for his religion. When President [Brigham] Young asked the question of the Twelve, "Brethren, what
will you do about this?" the reply was, "The Lord has spoken and it is for us to obey." We felt that the Lord God had given the commandment and we had faith to go
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                                                                                                                                                                   I had one
and took brother [Orson] Pratt and President Young in mine; brother Cutler, and one of the building committee, had the other. We reached Far West and laid the
corner stone according to the revelation that had been given to us. We cut off apostates and those who had sworn away the lives of the brethren. We ordained Darwin
Smith were fulfilled, that should not be, for the day and date being given they declared that it would fail. The general feeling in the Church, so far as I know, was that,
under the circumstances, it was impossible to accomplish the work; and the Lord would accept the will for the deed. This was the feeling of Father Smith, the father of
the Prophet. Joseph was not with us, he was in chains in Missouri, for his religion. When President [Brigham] Young asked the question of the Twelve, "Brethren, what
will you do about this?" the reply was, "The Lord has spoken and it is for us to obey." We felt that the Lord God had given the commandment and we had faith to go
forward and accomplish it, feeling that it was his business whether we lived or died in its accomplishment. We started for Missouri. There were two wagons. I had one
and took brother [Orson] Pratt and President Young in mine; brother Cutler, and one of the building committee, had the other. We reached Far West and laid the
corner stone according to the revelation that had been given to us. We cut off apostates and those who had sworn away the lives of the brethren. We ordained Darwin
Chase and Norman Shearer into the Seventies. Brother George A. Smith and myself were ordained into the quorum of the Twelve on the corner stone of the Temple;
we had been called before, but not ordained. We then returned, nobody having molested or made us afraid. We performed that work by faith, and the Lord blessed us
in doing it. The devil, however, tried to kill us, for before we started for England everyone of the Twelve was taken sick and it was about as much as we could do to
move or stir. (JD, December 12, 1869, 13:159.)

Brigham Young: 4-6

Early on the morning of the 26th of April [1839] , we held our Conference, cut off 31 persons from the Church and proceeded to ordain Wilford Woodruff and
George A. Smith to the office of the Twelve, to fill the places of those who had fallen. Darwin Chase and Norman Shearer, (who had just been liberated from
Richmond prison, and arrived the evening previous) were then ordained to the office of the Seventies.

The Twelve then offered up vocal prayer in the following order: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff and
George A. Smith; after which we sang: "Adam-ondi-Ahman," and then we took our leave of the . . . Saints, agreeable to the revelation. . . .

As the Saints were passing away from the meeting, brother [Theodore] Turley said to Page and Woodruff, "Stop a bit, while I bid Isaac Russell good-bye" and
knocking at his house called brother Russell. His wife answered, "Come in; it is brother Turley." Russell replied, "It is not; he left here two weeks ago," and appeared
quite alarmed; but on finding it was Turley, asked him to sit down; but he replied, "I cannot; I shall lose my company." "Who is your company," inquired Russell. "The
Twelve." "The Twelve?" "Yes; don't you know that this is the twenty-sixth, and the day the Twelve were to take leave of their friends on the foundation of the Lord's
house to go to the islands of the sea? The revelation is now fulfilled and I am going with them." Russell was speechless, and Turley bid him farewell.

Thus was this revelation fulfilled, concerning which our enemies said, If all the other revelations of Joseph Smith were fulfilled that one should not, as it had day and date
to it. (MS, September 12, 1863, 25:567, 583-84.)

Wilford Woodruff: 6

Let my servant . . . Wilford Woodruff . . . be appointed

In the time of the great apostasy in Kirtland the Spirit of the Lord said to me, "Get you a partner and go to Fox Islands." I knew no more what was in Fox Islands than
what was in Kolob. I went there, however, baptized a hundred and brought them up to Zion with me. It was upon that island where I received a letter from Joseph
Smith, telling me that I was called by revelation to fill the place of one of the Twelve who had fallen. You will see it in the Doctrine and Covenants. That thing was
revealed to me before I received the letter from Joseph Smith, but I did not feel disposed to tell it to any mortal man, for I knew it was my duty to keep such things to
myself. (CR, April 1898, pp. 30-31.)

Section 119

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, July 8, 1838, in answer to the supplication: O Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou
requirest of the properties of thy people for a tithing.

1. Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church in Zion,

2. For the building of mine house, and for the laying of the foundation of Zion and for the priesthood, and for the debts of the Presidency of my Church.

3. And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people.

4. And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy
priesthood, saith the Lord.

5. Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus properties, and shall observe this law, or they
shall not be found worthy to abide among you.

6. And I say unto you, if my people observe not this law, to keep it holy, and by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my judgments may be
kept thereon, that it may be most holy, behold, verily I say unto you, it shall not be a land of Zion unto you.

7. And this shall be an ensample unto all the stakes of Zion. Even so. Amen.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

The three revelations which I received January 12, 1838, [these revelations have never been found] , the day I left Kirtland, were read in the public congregation at Far
West; and the same day I inquired of the Lord, "O Lord! Show unto thy servant how much thou requirest of the properties of the people for a tithing," and received the
following answer, which was also read in public: [Section 119, follows.] (HC 3:44, July 8, 1838; Far West, Missouri.)

Orson F. Whitney: Introduction

The Law of Tithing was given to supersede, for the time being, a greater law known as the Law of Consecration, [Sec. 42:30-42] the object of which was and is to
sanctify the Lord's people and "prepare them for a place in the celestial world." [Sec. 78:7.] To that end it was designed to do away with selfishness, greed, pride,
envy, poverty, and all the ills that spring from such conditions. For none of these things can be admitted into the kingdom of heaven. It was to institute an order of
equality and consequent unity, in which every man, employed at that for which he was best fitted, would be "seeking the interest of his neighbor and doing all things with
an eye single to the glory of God." [Sec. 82:19.] It is an ancient law. It was practised by Enoch and his people [Moses 7:18] , and later by the Apostles and their
proselytes at Jerusalem [Acts 4:31-37] , and by the followers of Christ, both Nephites and Lamanites, upon this chosen land. [4 Nephi 2-3, 15-16.] A brave attempt
to practice it was made by the Latter-day Saints, soon after this Church was organized. But they lacked experience, and did not completely rise to the occasion.
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Selfishness     2005-2009,
             within,           Infobase
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                                       without,  Corp.     a perfect achievement. So the Lord withdrew the Law of Consecration [see Sec. 105] , and Page            54 people
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a lesser law, one easier to live, but pointing forward, like the other, to something grand and glorious in the future. That lesser law, the Law of Tithing, is as a
schoolmaster, a disciplinary agent, to bring the Saints eventually up to the practice of the higher law, and meanwhile to keep their hearts open for its reception when it
equality and consequent unity, in which every man, employed at that for which he was best fitted, would be "seeking the interest of his neighbor and doing all things with
an eye single to the glory of God." [Sec. 82:19.] It is an ancient law. It was practised by Enoch and his people [Moses 7:18] , and later by the Apostles and their
proselytes at Jerusalem [Acts 4:31-37] , and by the followers of Christ, both Nephites and Lamanites, upon this chosen land. [4 Nephi 2-3, 15-16.] A brave attempt
to practice it was made by the Latter-day Saints, soon after this Church was organized. But they lacked experience, and did not completely rise to the occasion.
Selfishness within, and persecution without, prevented a perfect achievement. So the Lord withdrew the Law of Consecration [see Sec. 105] , and gave to His people
a lesser law, one easier to live, but pointing forward, like the other, to something grand and glorious in the future. That lesser law, the Law of Tithing, is as a
schoolmaster, a disciplinary agent, to bring the Saints eventually up to the practice of the higher law, and meanwhile to keep their hearts open for its reception when it
returns. Those who obey the Law of Tithing will be prepared to live the Law of Consecration. Those who do not obey it will not be prepared. That is the whole thing in
a nut shell. We are tithed that the Church may have means to build and maintain temples and tabernacles, to found and sustain missions and schools, and otherwise
carry on its great work throughout the world. But that is not all. The spiritual dividend that we draw from heaven as the reward of our obedience, is the principal
purpose for which the Law of Tithing was instituted. All the rest is incidental or secondary. (CR, April 1931, pp. 65-66.)

Joseph F. Smith: 1-7

In order that there might be means with which to accomplish every temporal good for the people, the Lord instituted this law of tithing in the place of the greater and
more perfect law of Zion. The Lord revealed to his people in the incipiency of His work at law which was more perfect than the law of tithing. It comprehended larger
things, greater power and more speedy accomplishment of the purposes of the Lord. But the people were unprepared to live by it, and the Lord, out of mercy to the
people, suspended the more perfect law, and gave the law of tithing, in order that there might be means in the storehouse of the Lord for the carrying out of the
purposes He had in view; for the gathering of the poor, for the spreading of the Gospel to the nations of the earth, for the maintenance of those who were required to
give their constant attention, day in and day out, to the work of the Lord, and for whom it was necessary to make some provision. [Sec. 42:33-36; 70:12; 106:3.]
Without this law these things could not be done, neither could Temples be built and maintained, nor the poor fed and clothed. Therefore the law of tithing is necessary
for the Church, so much so that the Lord has laid great stress upon it, as will be seen in these words: [Sec. 119:6-7, quoted.]

By this principle the loyalty of the people of this Church shall be put to the test. By this principle it shall be known who is for the kingdom of God and who is against it.
By this principle it shall be seen whose hearts are set on doing the will of God, and keeping His commandments, thereby sanctifying the land of Zion unto God, and who
are opposed to this principle and have cut themselves off from the blessings of Zion. There is a great deal of importance connected with this principle, for by it shall be
known whether we are faithful or unfaithful. In this respect it is as essential as faith in God, as repentance of sin, as baptism for the remission of sin, or as the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. For if a man keep all the law save in one point, and he offend in that, he is a transgressor of the law, and he is not entitled to the
fulness of the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. [Sec. 93:10; James 2:10.] But when a man keeps all the law that is revealed, according to his strength, his
substance and his ability, though what he does may be little, it is just as acceptable in the sight of God as if he were able to do a thousand times more. (CR, April 1900,
p. 47.)

Franklin D. Richards: 1, 5

Surplus properties

We will now look at this short "revelation given through Joseph, the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, July 8th, 1838."

Before going further I want to stop and consider the question asked by some, what He means where the Lord requires the surplus property of His people as the
beginning of their tithing. Let us consider for a moment this word "surplus." What does it mean when applied to a man and his property? Surplus cannot mean that
which is indispensably necessary for any given purpose, but what remains after supplying what is needed for that purpose. Is not the first and most necessary use of a
man's property that he feed, clothe and provide a home for himself and family! This appears to be the great leading object for which we labor to acquire means, and as,
until the time that this revelation was given, all public works and raising of all public funds had been by consecration, was not "surplus property," that which was over
and above a comfortable and necessary substance? In the light of what had transpired and of subsequent events, what else could it mean? Can we take any other view
of it when we consider the circumstances under which it was given in Far West, in July, 1838?

I have been unable in studying this subject to find any other definition of the term "surplus," as used in this revelation, than the one I have just given. I find that it was so
understood and recorded by the Bishops and people in those days, as well as by the Prophet Joseph himself, who was unquestionably the ablest and best exponent of
this revelation. (JD, November 6, 1882, 23:313.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 1, 5-7

Their surplus . . . it shall not be a land of Zion

In more recent years the Church has not called upon the members to give all their surplus property to the Church, but it has been the requirement according to the
covenant, that they pay the tenth. . . . If we are stingy with the Lord, he may be stingy with us, or in other words, withhold his blessings. Then again, we have those
among us who are hoping for the coming of the law of consecration thinking that in that day they are going to profit by the equalizing of the wealth of other members of
the Church. It is definitely true, however, that all those who will not obey the law of tithing, will not be entitled to enter into the covenants of consecration, but when the
day comes for the establishing of Zion, and the redemption of the earth, such people will find themselves removed. (CHMR, 1949, 3:120.)

Rudger Clawson: 2

Now somebody will say: "Brother Clawson, is it not a fact that the law of tithing is absolutely and purely and simply a temporal law?" I would answer and say that the
law of tithing, it is true, has to do with temporal things; but in a far deeper sense, the law of tithing is spiritual, and that is the thing I want to come to, to show that it is
spiritual. Everything that we do connected with this law of tithing points to spiritual things. What is tithing for? It is for the building up of Zion. It is to build temples to
God. . . . It takes money to build a temple. . . . But what does that temple represent; what does it amount to in and of itself. It is simply a building of wood and stone.
That is all it is, nothing more. It is not the temple; it is what the temple represents to us that gives it importance and value. It is what we get in the temple, and we there
obtain great and glorious spiritual blessings. That is the important thing. We get our washings and our anointings, and our sealings and do work for the living and the
dead. That is spiritual, very spiritual. Beautiful! . . . Take the tabernacle here. That is a material thing, isn't it? Very material. It is built of wood and stone. It is nothing
but a house; that is all. It is what the tabernacle represents to us; it is what is being done in the tabernacle. . . . It is what is said there; it is the valuable instructions that
are given, counsels of the priesthood, admonitions, warnings, reproof, all intended to build up and strengthen the soul. This is spiritual, and it grows out of the law of
tithing, because that great tabernacle was built from the tithes and offerings of the people. And so we might go on. There is a vast amount of the funds that comes from
the tithing that is used for our Church schools. This is a great movement in Zion. We do not know, we do not appreciate what the Church schools are doing. But I will
tell you who will appreciate it. The father that has his sons going to the Church schools, the parents that have daughters going there; and when they see that these
children are imbibing Gospel principles, that faith is springing up in their hearts, that they are getting testimonies and being prepared to carry on the work of their father,
they then begin to know what the Church schools mean to Zion. And let me tell you . . . in a wide sense, and in a very deep and important sense that is spiritual. (CR,
October 1913, pp. 56-58.)
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Howard W. Hunter: 4

One-tenth of all their interest annually
tell you who will appreciate it. The father that has his sons going to the Church schools, the parents that have daughters going there; and when they see that these
children are imbibing Gospel principles, that faith is springing up in their hearts, that they are getting testimonies and being prepared to carry on the work of their father,
they then begin to know what the Church schools mean to Zion. And let me tell you . . . in a wide sense, and in a very deep and important sense that is spiritual. (CR,
October 1913, pp. 56-58.)

Howard W. Hunter: 4

One-tenth of all their interest annually

The word "tithe" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon meaning "a tenth." It may be defined as a tenth of property or income which is paid over or dedicated for sacred uses
or purposes. . . .

Malachi began an even greater task of rebuilding the faith and the morale of a nation. In his supreme effort to strike out against the covetousness of those who were
religious only in name, he lashed them with the accusation of a crime against God.

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows
of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Mal. 3:8-10.)

The words of Malachi in which he accused the people of robbing God bring back to my mind the memories of my class in crimes in law school. Larceny is the unlawful
taking and carrying away of things personal with intent to deprive the owner of the same. Embezzlement is defined as the fraudulent appropriation of another's personal
property by one to whom it has been entrusted. The distinction between larceny and embezzlement lies in the character of acquiring the possession of the property or
money. In larceny there is an unlawful acquisition of the property, while in embezzlement the property which belongs to another is acquired lawfully and then
fraudulently converted to the possessor's use.

In order to memorize these distinctions, I pictured in my mind, to represent larceny, a masked burglar, sneaking about under the cover of darkness, taking that which
was not his. To represent the theory of embezzlement I thought of a nontithepayer. The Lord's share came into his hands lawfully, but he misappropriated it to his own
use. This seems to be the accusation.

The law is simply stated as "one-tenth of all their interest." Interest means profit, compensation, increase. It is the wage of one employed, the profit from the operation
of a business, the increase of one who grows or produces, or the income to a person from any other source. The Lord said it is a standing law "forever" as it has been
in the past.

The tithe is God's law for his children, yet the payment is entirely voluntary. In this respect it does not differ from the law of the Sabbath or from any other of his laws.
We may refuse to obey any or all of them. Our obedience is voluntary, but our refusal to pay does not abrogate or repeal the law.

If tithing is a voluntary matter, is it a gift or a payment of an obligation? There is a substantial difference between the two. A gift is a voluntary transfer of money or
property without consideration. It is gratuitous. No one owes the obligation to make a gift. If tithing is a gift, we could give whatever we please, when we please, or
make no gift at all. It would place our Heavenly Father in the very same category as the street beggar to whom we might toss a coin in passing.

The Lord has established the law of tithing, and because it is his law, it becomes our obligation to observe it if we love him and have a desire to keep his
commandments and receive his blessings. In this way it becomes a debt. The man who doesn't pay his tithing because he is in debt should ask himself if he is not also in
debt to the Lord. The Master said: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33.)

We can't walk east and west at the same time. We can't serve both God and mammon. The man who rejects the law of tithe is the man who has not given it a fair try.
Of course it costs something. It takes work and thought and effort to live any of the laws of the gospel or any of its principles. . . .

The payment of tithing strengthens faith, increases spirituality and spiritual capacity, and solidifies testimony. It gives the satisfaction of knowing one is complying with
the will of the Lord. It brings the blessings that come from sharing with others through the purposes for which tithing is used. We cannot afford to deny ourselves these
blessings. We cannot afford not to pay our tithing. We have a definite relationship to the future as well as to the present. What we give, and how we give, and the way
we meet our obligations to the Lord has eternal significance.

A testimony of the law of tithing comes from living it. Like all others of God's laws, when we live them we receive the blessings. (CR, April 1964, pp. 33-36.)

James E. Talmage: 4

One-tenth of all their interest annually

How much have you contributed by way of paying tithe, whether it be ten cents or a hundred dollars? For be it known that the one who pays with honest heart the ten
cent tithe, if it be a true tithe, will rank higher on those books than the one who pays a thousand dollars when that is only a tenth of a tithe for him. What are we doing
individually? I know what some are doing, for they have told me. Some are very busy trying to find excuses in the matter of tithing as in other duties. Some come with
strange questions: "Tell me please, ought I to subtract this or deduct that before I calculate the amount of my tithes?" Very seldom do I find it necessary to analyze the
case and to give an answer direct. Sometimes I have smiled because I could see the perfidy of the questioner's coming to me for excuses, and I did not feel
complimented. But I have given him a rule, and I venture to give it here. I have found it helpful myself, and I think that all may profit by it.

When you are in doubt as to just how you should calculate your tithes, reverse the terms as we sometimes do in solving complex mathematical problems, and suppose
for the time being that the Lord had said this; let us postulate this is an assumed law given to the Church: "In order to show my love for my people, the faithful members
of my Church, it is my will, saith the Lord, that each one shall receive from my storehouse, the storehouse of my Church, at regular intervals during the year, an amount
equal to one-tenth of his income." Now my dear brother, sit down and calculate how much the Lord owes you under that kind of law, and then go pay it to your
bishop. (CR, October 1928, p. 119.)

Reed Smoot: 4

One-tenth of all their interest annually

I want to say to you . . . that the law of tithing is not a question of dollars and cents alone. I believe that the man who pays his honest tithing to God will not only be
blessed  by God
 Copyright       himself, but Infobase
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                                           Media Corp.will reach farther than the other ten-tenths would if he did not obey that law; for the man who believes in the56
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tithes and offerings, believes also in the other requirements made by God of him and he does not spend money in breaking the Sabbath day nor in going to places
where his very soul is in danger of partaking of things that are not good for Latter-day Saints to receive. (CR, October 1900, pp. 7-8.)
One-tenth of all their interest annually

I want to say to you . . . that the law of tithing is not a question of dollars and cents alone. I believe that the man who pays his honest tithing to God will not only be
blessed by God himself, but that the nine-tenths will reach farther than the other ten-tenths would if he did not obey that law; for the man who believes in the law of
tithes and offerings, believes also in the other requirements made by God of him and he does not spend money in breaking the Sabbath day nor in going to places
where his very soul is in danger of partaking of things that are not good for Latter-day Saints to receive. (CR, October 1900, pp. 7-8.)

James E. Talmage: 6

By this law sanctify the land of Zion

Do you know that the soil can be sanctified by the tithing of its products? The land can be sanctified. [Mal. 3:8-10.] There is a relationship between the elements and
forces of nature and the actions of men. (CR, October 1929, p. 68.)

Melvin J. Ballard: 6

By this law sanctify the land of Zion

Do we not hope and expect to have an inheritance in the celestial kingdom, even upon this earth in its redeemed and sanctified state? [Sec. 88:25-26; 130:9.] What are
the terms under which we may obtain that inheritance? The law of tithing is the law of inheritance. It leads to it. No man may hope or expect to have an inheritance on
this celestial globe who has failed to pay his tithing. By the payment of his honest tithing he is establishing a right and a title to this inheritance, and he cannot secure it
upon any other terms but by complying with this and other just requirements; and this is one of the very essential things. (CR, October 1929, pp. 50-51.)

Section 120

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, July 18, 1838, making known the disposition of the properties tithed as named in the
preceding revelation, Section 119.

Verily, thus saith the Lord, the time is now come, that it shall be disposed of by a council, composed of the First Presidency of my Church, and of the bishop and his
council, and by my high council; and by mine own voice unto them, saith the Lord. Even so. Amen.

Charles W. Penrose:

Read the 120th section and you will see how the Lord said it [tithing] should be disbursed at that time. That was in Zion, Jackson county, when they first went there. Of
late years, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in conference assembled, has voted for the power to handle the funds of the Church and the properties of
the Church by the Trustee-in-trust for the Church. You have done that during this conference. We did it years and years ago. We have done it every conference from
the time we came into these vales of the mountains. Now let me say that the authority is given of God to the man that stands at the head of this Church, to preside over
the whole Church, and to be like unto Moses. [Sec. 28:2; 107:91-92.] He is a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator, and everything in the Church is under his direction.
The Bishops receive the tithing. The presiding bishopric handle and keep an account of it, but the Trustee-in-trust is voted upon by the people to have the control and
direction and to be responsible for all the funds and properties of the Church. We have endorsed that authority during this conference, as we always have done. It is no
new thing. (CR, April 1905, p. 73.)

J. Reuben Clark, Jr.:

Pursuant to these revelations [Sections 119 and 20] , and as explained at recent conferences, the Church has a council on the Distribution of Tithes, made up of the
First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric. This Council considers the proposed budget of the Church, which is itemized under general
headings, and then approves and authorizes such expenditures as it deems proper.

A subcommittee of this Council on the Distribution of Tithes then makes the detailed appropriations from the sums approved and authorized by the Council. This
subcommittee is known as the Committee on Expenditures, and is made up of the First Presidency, three members of the Council of the Twelve, and the Presiding
Bishopric. A Church Building Committee acts under the direction of the Committee on Expenditures. The Financial Secretary to the First Presidency acts as the
secretary of the Committee of Expenditures. (CR, April 1948, pp. 116-17.)

First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, John Henry Smith):

The subject of Church revenues may be touched upon perhaps with profit. The Latter-day Saints believe in tithing. It is a principle of their faith. It is an ancient
observance reaching back to patriarchal times, as related in the Bible. [Gen. 14:20; Lev. 27:30; Mal. 3:8-10; Heb. 7:9.] It was established in the Church in the year
1838. The manner of its payment and disbursement is revealed by Divine authority and has appeared in the Church books ever since that date. It is complied with
religiously by the Church Authorities themselves. It is not the property of the president. He does not claim it or collect it. Tithing is received and receipted for by the
local bishops and in the respective wards, who are under the supervision of the local presidents of stakes. The whole income is accounted for to the presiding bishopric
of the Church and is under their direction. Their office contains complete records of all the tithings paid during each year. Each tithepayer will find in that office his
record. The entire receipts and disbursements are there accounted for in the most complete detail. An auditing committee composed of men well known in the
community for their independence of character and business integrity, not of the leading Authorities of the Church, chosen by the general conference, thoroughly inspect
and report annually upon them. The funds thus received are not the property of the president of the Church or his associates, nor of the Presiding Bishopric, nor of the
local bishops. They belong to the Church and are used for Church purposes, including the building and maintenance of temples, meetinghouses, schools, colleges,
universities and other structures, the aid of the poor and afflicted, the extension of missions abroad and the help of new colonies at home, and sundry other objects and
but a small amount is used for the support of persons devoting their whole time to the service of the Church, and that not out of the tithing, but from the proceeds of
investments made with profit. This includes the presidency and other Church leaders. (CR, April 1911, p. 130.)

Section 121

Prayer and Prophecies, written by Joseph Smith the Prophet, while a prisoner in the jail at Liberty, Missouri, dated March 20, 1839. The Prophet with several
companions had been months in prison. Their petitions and appeals directed to the executive officers and the judiciary had failed to bring them relief. See History of the
Church, vol. 3, p. 289.-Fervent appeals to the Lord in behalf of the suffering Saints-The curse of the Lord to fall upon those who contend against his will-Men though
called may not be chosen-The rights of the Priesthood inseparably connected with the powers of heaven-Unrighteous exercise of the powers of the Priesthood leads to
apostasy-Powers of the Priesthood to be exercised in justice and mercy.
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1. O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?

2. How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be
Church, vol. 3, p. 289.-Fervent appeals to the Lord in behalf of the suffering Saints-The curse of the Lord to fall upon those who contend against his will-Men though
called may not be chosen-The rights of the Priesthood inseparably connected with the powers of heaven-Unrighteous exercise of the powers of the Priesthood leads to
apostasy-Powers of the Priesthood to be exercised in justice and mercy.

1. O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?

2. How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be
penetrated with their cries?

3. Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with
compassion toward them?

4. O Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth, and seas, and of all things that in them are, and who controllest and subjectest the devil, and the dark and benighted
dominion of Sheol-stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce; let thy pavilion be taken up; let thy hiding place no longer be covered; let thine ear be inclined; let thine
heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion toward us.

5. Let thine anger be kindled against our enemies; and, in the fury of thine heart, with thy sword avenge us of our wrongs.

6. Remember thy suffering saints, O our God; and thy servants will rejoice in thy name forever.

7. My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

8. And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

9. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

10. Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job.

11. And they who do charge thee with transgression, their hope shall be blasted, and their prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth before the burning rays of
the rising sun;

12. And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and seasons, and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous workings; that
he may prove them also and take them in their own craftiness;

13. Also because their hearts are corrupted, and the things which they are willing to bring upon others, and love to have others suffer, may come upon themselves to the
very uttermost;

14. That they may be disappointed also, and their hopes may be cut off;

15. And not many years hence, that they and their posterity shall be swept from under heaven, saith God, that not one of them is left to stand by the wall.

16. Cursed are all those that shall lift up the heel against mine anointed, saith the Lord, and cry they have sinned when they have not sinned before me, saith the Lord,
but have done that which was meet in mine eyes, and which I commanded them.

17. But those who cry transgression do it because they are the servants of sin, and are the children of disobedience themselves.

18. And those who swear falsely against my servants, that they might bring them into bondage and death-

19. Wo unto them; because they have offended my little ones they shall be severed from the ordinances of mine house.

20. Their basket shall not be full, their houses and their barns shall perish, and they themselves shall be despised by those that flattered them.

21. They shall not have right to the priesthood, nor their posterity after them from generation to generation.

22. It had been better for them that a millstone had been hanged about their necks, and they drowned in the depth of the sea.

23. Wo unto all those that discomfort my people, and drive, and murder, and testify against them, saith the Lord of Hosts; a generation of vipers shall not escape the
damnation of hell.

24. Behold, mine eyes see and know all their works, and I have in reserve a swift judgment in the season thereof, for them all;

25. For there is a time appointed for every man, according as his works shall be.

26. God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now;

27. Which our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times, which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for
the fulness of their glory;

28. A time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many gods, they shall be manifest.

29. All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

30. And also, if there be bounds set to the heavens or to the seas, or to the dry land, or to the sun, moon, or stars-

31. All the times of their revolutions, all the appointed days, months, and years, and all the days of their days, months, and years, and all their glories, laws, and set
times, shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fulness of times-

32. According
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finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest.

33. How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its
31. All the times of their revolutions, all the appointed days, months, and years, and all the days of their days, months, and years, and all their glories, laws, and set
times, shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fulness of times-

32. According to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was, that should be reserved unto the
finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest.

33. How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its
decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.

34. Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

35. Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson-

36. That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon
the principles of righteousness.

37. That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or
dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is
grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.

38. Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.

39. We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately
begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.

40. Hence many are called, but few are chosen.

41. No power or influence can or ought be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love
unfeigned;

42. By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile-

43. Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast
reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

44. That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

45. Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax
strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

46. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting
dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

Orson F. Whitney: Introduction

The Mormons in Missouri in the summer of 1838 numbered in the neighborhood of twelve thousand souls. All were not located in Caldwell County. Lands had been
purchased or pre-empted by them in other places as well. In two of the counties contiguous to Caldwell, namely: Daviess on the north, and Carroll on the east, in parts
previously unoccupied or but thinly peopled, they had founded flourishing settlements. In Daviess County, as in Caldwell, a stake of Zion was organized.

Their chief settlement in Daviess County was Adam-ondi-Ahman,-abbreviated to Diahman; the one in Carroll County, Dewitt. . . .

It was the 6th of August, 1838, and the state election was in progress. To Gallatin, the principal town of Daviess County, went twelve Mormon citizens for the purpose
of casting their ballots. Colonel William P. Peniston was a candidate in that district for representative to the Legislature. Having been prominent in the anti-Mormon
agitation . . . [he organized a mob and tried to prevent them from voting, calling them horse thieves and robbers.]

The Mormons, pronouncing his charges false, insisted upon their right to vote. Immediately Peniston's party, crazed with drink and furious with rage, set upon them.
The twelve Mormons, attacked by over a hundred men, stoutly defended themselves. Clubs, stones and fists were freely used, and even knives were unsheathed by
some of the assailants. In the melee, though no lives were lost, some on both sides were wounded, and several mobocratic heads were broken. The Mormons
withdrew from the scene, and the election proceeded.

This event, supplemented by incendiary speeches and articles in the local press, caused a general anti-Mormon uprising. All Daviess County was aroused, and even in
parts adjacent, as ran the exaggerated rumor of the riot at Gallatin, the Missourians began arming and organizing. For what? They scarcely knew,-ignorant dupes as
most of them were, tools of designing demagogues, of men without principle, who saw, as such characters quickly see, in a popular movement against an unpopular
people, opportunities for plunder and promotion. . . .

Learning of the situation in Daviess County, the Governor [Lilburn W. Boggs] directed Major-General Atchison and other officers of militia to muster and equip men to
put down the insurrection. . . .

Marching to the camp of the mobocrats near Millport, [General] Doniphan [commanding militia] ordered them to disperse. They protested that they were merely acting
in self-defense. He then went to Diahman and conferred with Colonel Wight, commanding the Mormon force, "Host of Israel." He found them willing to disband,
provided the enemy threatening them would disperse, and willing also to surrender any of their number accused of offenses against the laws to be dealt with by legal
authority. The prisoners and weapons taken by the Mormons [militia] were delivered up at the demand of General Doniphan, who, on the 15th of September joined
Generals Atchison and Parks at Gallatin.

The report of these officers to the Governor was substantially as follows: that affairs in Daviess County were not so bad as rumor had represented, and that his
Excellency had been deceived by designing or half-crazy men; that the Mormons, so far as could be learned, had been acting on the defensive, showing no hostile
intent, and evincing
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assist the people of Daviess against the Mormons, without being called out by the proper authorities; and that the Daviess County men were still threatening, in the
event of the failure of a certain committee on compromise to agree, to drive the Mormons with powder and lead. . . .
Generals Atchison and Parks at Gallatin.

The report of these officers to the Governor was substantially as follows: that affairs in Daviess County were not so bad as rumor had represented, and that his
Excellency had been deceived by designing or half-crazy men; that the Mormons, so far as could be learned, had been acting on the defensive, showing no hostile
intent, and evincing no disposition to resist the laws; that the officers, on their arrival there, had found a large body of men from other counties, armed and in the field, to
assist the people of Daviess against the Mormons, without being called out by the proper authorities; and that the Daviess County men were still threatening, in the
event of the failure of a certain committee on compromise to agree, to drive the Mormons with powder and lead. . . .

The scene now changes to Dewitt, in Carroll County. Enraged at being thwarted in their designs upon Diahman, the mob army, a portion of which had previously
threatened Dewitt, appeared to bombard the town. . . .

The first gun was fired upon Dewitt on the 2nd of October. Colonel Hinkle waited forty-eight hours, and then ordered the fire returned. The bombardment continued at
intervals for nine days. During its progress the Prophet made his way through much difficulty and danger from Far West to the beleaguered settlement. He found his
people there hemmed in by their foes, their provisions exhausted, their cattle and horses stolen, their houses burned, and themselves threatened with death if they
attempted to leave the town.

Through the agency of non-Mormon friends in that vicinity an appeal was made to Governor Boggs, in behalf of the beleaguered Saints. He replied that the quarrel was
between the Mormons and the mob, and that they might "fight it out."

Finally the Mormons were permitted to evacuate Dewitt, which they did on the 11th of October. Under the treacherous fire of their foes the homeless and plundered
refugees fled to Far West.

Eight hundred strong the mob army now marched upon Diahman. . . .

The battle of Crooked River was fought on the 25th of October. Captain David W. Patten, of the Far West militia, had been directed by Colonel Hinkle to proceed
with a company of men to the ford of the river and disperse a band of marauders under Captain Bogart, who were committing depredations in that vicinity. They had
captured three Mormons,-Nathan Pinkham, William Seely and Addison Green,-and had boasted of their intention to put them to death the next night. It was to rescue
these men, as well as to put a stop to Bogart's operations that Captain Patten went forth. Leaving Far West about midnight, he and his company, seventy-five in
number, came upon Bogart's band in ambush just at daybreak. As the Mormons crossed the Bluff above his camp, which was among the brush and willows in the river
bottom, the mob leader ordered his men to fire. They obeyed, when young Patrick O'Banion, a Mormon, fell mortally wounded. Captain Patten then ordered his men
to charge. Forward they dashed, returning the enemy's fire. After delivering a second volley Bogart's band broke and fled, crossing the river at the ford and abandoning
their camp to the victorious Mormons. The three prisoners held by the mob were liberated, though one of them had been shot and wounded by his captors during the
engagement.

But the victory had been dearly won. Captain Patten, like O'Banion, was mortally wounded, and Gideon Carter killed. Other Mormons were wounded, but not
seriously. Bogart, whose force outnumbered the attacking party, lost one man. . . .

On the 27th of October Governor Boggs issued an order to Major-General John B. Clark, giving him command of an overwhelming force of militia, with instructions to
proceed at once against the Mormons. "Their outrages are beyond all description," said the Governor, "They must be exterminated or driven from the State." Other
generals were ordered to take part, under Clark, in the military crusade. . . .

Among the first fruits of the sanguinary edict of Missouri's executive was the Haun's Mill massacre. It occurred on the 30th of October. Haun's Mill was situated on
Shoal Creek, about twenty miles south of Far West. Here dwelt, in the neighborhood of other lately arrived immigrants, all awaiting a lull in the war-like storm before
proceeding farther, a few families of Latter-day Saints. Among them were Joseph Young and his family, lately from Kirtland.

About four o'clock in the afternoon a company of two hundred and forty men, commanded by one Nehemiah Comstock, fell upon the little settlement and butchered in
cold blood, without warning or provocation, nearly a score of the unoffending Mormons. Men, women and children were shot down indiscriminately, their bodies
stripped and mutilated, their camp plundered and their horses and wagons driven off by the murdering marauders. The dead bodies were thrown into an old well. . . .

On the day of the massacre the troops from Richmond reinforced to nearly three thousand men, advanced upon beleaguered Far West. General Clark was still at a
distance, mustering his forces. The whole surrounding region was now being over-run by marauding bands, shooting, burning and pillaging wherever Mormons were to
be found. As the survivors of these savage raids came fleeing into Far West for safety, their red-handed pursuers augmented the army of investment. Among those who
thus joined the militia against the Mormons were Gilliam's painted guerillas and the perpetrators of the Haun's Mill massacre.

The inhabitants of the doomed city, their mails having been stopped, had not yet heard of the Governor's exterminating order but supposed the army of General Lucas
to be an overwhelming military mob. Though greatly outnumbered by the besieging force, they prepared to make a vigorous defense and sell their lives as dearly as
possible. Hastily throwing up some rude fortifications they awaited the onslaught of the foe. . . .

It was at this critical juncture that Colonel George M. Hinkle commanding the defenders of Far West, entered into negotiations with General Lucas, and without
consulting his associates agreed upon a compromise, the terms of which were as follows:

(1) The Mormon leaders were to be delivered up to be tried and punished.

(2) The Far West militia were to surrender their arms.

(3) An appropriation was to be made of the property of all Mormons who had taken up arms, to indemnify for damages said to have been inflicted by them. This was
afterwards construed to cover all the expenses of the militia in making war upon the Saints.

(4) The Mormons, as a body, excepting such as should be held as prisoners, were to forthwith leave the State. The prisoners were to include all Mormon participants
in the Crooked River battle, who were to be tried for murder.

The observance of these conditions, it was promised, would avert bloodshed. The alternative was an immediate assault upon the city.

Under pretense of arranging a conference between the Mormon leaders and the besieging generals, and without notifying the former of the compact he had entered
into, Colonel Hinkle, on the 31st of October, delivered up to General Lucas the following named persons, who had been demanded: Joseph Smith, junior, Sidney
Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Wight and George W. Robinson. Later were added to the list, Hyrum Smith and Amasa M. Lyman. They were placed under a strong
guard and treated as prisoners of war. . . .
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Next day, the army having advanced nearer the city, the Mormon militia laid down their arms, and were then compelled at the point of the bayonet and the cannon's
mouth to sign away their property to pay the expenses of the war waged upon them. They had made no agreement to do so, but Hinkle, forsooth, had made it for
them. All the men, save those who had escaped, were held in temporary durance, and the town then given up to pillage. Nameless crimes were committed by the
Under pretense of arranging a conference between the Mormon leaders and the besieging generals, and without notifying the former of the compact he had entered
into, Colonel Hinkle, on the 31st of October, delivered up to General Lucas the following named persons, who had been demanded: Joseph Smith, junior, Sidney
Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Wight and George W. Robinson. Later were added to the list, Hyrum Smith and Amasa M. Lyman. They were placed under a strong
guard and treated as prisoners of war. . . .

Next day, the army having advanced nearer the city, the Mormon militia laid down their arms, and were then compelled at the point of the bayonet and the cannon's
mouth to sign away their property to pay the expenses of the war waged upon them. They had made no agreement to do so, but Hinkle, forsooth, had made it for
them. All the men, save those who had escaped, were held in temporary durance, and the town then given up to pillage. Nameless crimes were committed by the
ruthless soldiery, and their yet more ruthless allies, the banditti. Women were abused, some of them till they died, within sight of their agonized husbands and fathers,
powerless to protect them. Let imagination paint the horror from which the historian's pen recoils. . . .

On the evening of November 1st, General Lucas convened a court-martial, consisting of the principal officers of his army, and no less than seventeen Christian
preachers. By a majority of this religio-military tribunal, Joseph Smith and his fellow prisoners, none of whom were permitted to be present during their trial, were
sentenced to be shot at eight o'clock next morning, in the public square at Far West, in the presence of their wives and children. Generals Doniphan and Graham
refused their assent to this decision, the former denouncing it as "cold-blooded murder," and threatening to withdraw his brigade from the scene of the proposed
massacre. This caused Lucas and his murderous colleagues to hesitate, and finally to reconsider their action. On the morning set for the execution they decided, in lieu
of killing the prisoners, to parade them in triumph through the neighboring counties. . . .

Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae and Caleb Baldwin were now removed to Clay County, and immured in Liberty jail. The
remainder of the prisoners were still held at Richmond. The Clay County captives were treated with great barbarity. Several times their food was poisoned, nearly
causing their death, and they even declared that cooked human flesh, called by their guards "Mormon beef," was repeatedly served up to them.

Months passed. Various efforts were made by legal process to free the prisoners. Among those actively engaged in their behalf were Brigham Young and Heber C.
Kimball, who, being comparatively unknown by the Missourians, had escaped arrest and incarceration. Stephen Markham was another faithful friend. Generals
Atchison and Doniphan lent their aid, and Judge Hughes, of the Supreme Court of Missouri, also favored the release of the captives. It was conceded by many that
they were illegally held, but owing to the prevailing prejudice, their friends were powerless to do much for them. Again and again they were put upon trial and nothing
was proven against them, even after their own witnesses had all been driven from the State. Finally by proceedings in habeas corpus Sidney Rigdon was let out on bail.
Threatened by the mob after his liberation he was compelled to flee for his life. His companions were remanded to prison, where they passed the winter of 1838-9.
(History of Utah, August 1838-March 1839, 1:142-64.)

J. Reuben Clark, Jr.: Introduction

In the midst of all this [persecution] , in Missouri, they arrested, on charges that apparently involved the death penalty, Joseph and Hyrum, Alexander McRae, Lyman
Wight, Caleb Baldwin, and Sidney Rigdon. . . . Four and a half months, as nearly as I can count, they were in Liberty Jail, and during the time they were in Liberty Jail,
the Prophet wrote a great epistle and certain parts of that epistle have been taken out and placed in the Doctrine and Covenants as revelations, as they were, glorious in
their language, in their principle, and in their instructions. . . .

But these revelations [March 25, 1839, HC 3:289-305] , these great outpourings of wisdom and the Spirit of the Lord, came at a time when the Church was struggling
for existence. They were threatening to exterminate us in Missouri. They were threatening to kill our leaders.

I have been just a little bit disappointed in noting that some of our historians are rather inclined to excuse or to explain the burnings, the robbings, the plunderings, the
rapings, and all the rest. Personally, I have no desire to forget all those things-not that I want to cherish them and build hate in my heart, but I do want to have some
understanding of what our forefathers went through in order that we might come here. And I recommend to you that you read the last chapters of Volume I, I think it is,
of Roberts' Comprehensive History of the Church, in which he sums up what happened in Missouri after they had gotten rid of us. It is an amazing story, and I assume
accurate.

While the brethren were in prison, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Hyrum and the rest, the Saints were led from Missouri to Illinois. Brigham Young led them. . . . That
was a great experience, one that every descendant, literally or spiritually, and all of us come in the latter group, should find a demonstration, a proof, of the great faith
which those stalwarts had. (CR, October 1958, pp. 81-82 .)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 1-6

It [Section 121] is a prayer and a prophecy and an answer by revelation from the Lord. None other but a noble soul filled with the spirit of love of Christ could have
written such a letter. Considering the fact that these prisoners had been confined several months; were fed on food at times not fit for a pig, and at times impregnated
with poison and once being offered human flesh, evidently from the body of one of their brethren, it is no wonder that the Prophet cried out in the anguish of his soul for
relief. Yet, in his earnest pleading, there breathed a spirit of tolerance and love for his fellow man.

In his anguish the Savior cried unto his Father while on the cross. [Mark 15:34.] In his anguish yet pleading not so much for himself as for his afflicted brethren, the
Prophet also cried in earnest pleading: [Sec. 121:1, quoted.] Did he feel that he had been forsaken? This he alone can answer. Yet his trust was in the Lord, for all
other help had failed him. Earnestly he pleaded: [Sec. 121:2, quoted.] It was his people for whom he plead, more than for himself. [Sec. 121:3, 6, quoted.] (CHMR,
1949, 3:197.)

George Q. Morris: 7

Thine adversity and thine afflictions

The Lord said to Adam that for his sake the earth was cursed and that he should eat his food in sorrow all the days of his life. [Moses 4:23.] The scriptures say that
man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward, [Job 5:7] , which means that it is in the design of God that we should have these adversities and experiences in the
world. In the midst of life, death and a sea of trials and troubles are ever with us. So none of us are free from them, and it follows that we should find some way of
meeting them successfully. As the Lord planned this earth, and in these plans were these problems, trials, and difficulties, he would not leave us without the means of
meeting them, and so sent his Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the world to bring us the means of meeting all of the conditions that we have to meet in this
world. . . .

The scriptures say: "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting. . . .

"Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better." (Eccl. 7:2-3.)

"Sweet are the
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"Affliction is the wholesome soil of virtue, where patience, honor, sweet humility, and calm fortitude, take root and strongly flourish." (Mallet.)
The scriptures say: "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting. . . .

"Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better." (Eccl. 7:2-3.)

"Sweet are the uses of adversity, which, like a toad, though ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in its head." (Shakespeare.)

"Affliction is the wholesome soil of virtue, where patience, honor, sweet humility, and calm fortitude, take root and strongly flourish." (Mallet.)

"Paradoxical as it may seem, God means not only to make us good, but to make us also happy, by sickness, disaster and disappointment." (C. A. Barton.)

This short one, which evidently came from the heart of the woman who expressed it struck me forcibly: "Ah! If you only knew the peace there is in an accepted
sorrow." (Madame Guion.)

"It is a great thing, when the cup of bitterness is pressed to our lips, to feel that it is not fate or necessity, but divine love working upon us for good ends." (E. H.
Chapin.)

"Affliction comes to us all not to make us sad, but sober; not to make us sorry, but wise; not to make us despondent, but by its darkness to refresh us, as the night
refreshes the day; not to impoverish, but to enrich us." (Henry Ward Beecher.)

The Prophet Joseph Smith one time said, when someone had remarked that somebody had affliction because of his sins, that it is an unhallowed statement to make, that
afflictions come to all. And M. Henry said: "Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces.
Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions."

I wonder if we may not at some later time envy those splendid people who have had so many afflictions. "No Christian but has his Gethsemane; but every praying
Christian will find there is no Gethsemane without its angel." (T. Binney.)

The final one: "Strength is born in the deep silence of long-suffering hearts: not amid joy." (Mrs. Hemans.)

The Lord has expressed himself about these adversities that come, and I speak for example, of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who had adversity from the moment he
delivered his glorious message of the vision in the grove. You will remember in Liberty Jail he cried out: [Sec. 121:1, 3, quoted.]

What was the Lord's answer to this prayer? [Sec. 121:7-8, quoted.] Then the Lord held up before him other trials and difficulties that were to come, some even worse
than he had had, but then said to him:". . . know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

"The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" [D&C 122:7-8.]

So, in adversity we may have that which will exalt us, or we may have that which will degrade us. We may have that which, "if we endure it well," will ennoble us, and
we may have that which, if we indulge in self-pity and bitterness, may destroy us. In all our adversities there are these two elements, and the determining factor is how
shall we endure them? Shall we endure them well? If not, they may destroy us. (CR, October 1958, pp. 70-72.)

Lorenzo Snow: 10

Thou art not yet as Job

I wonder if there are a few here within the sound of my voice, that have feelings of this kind [everything is going wrong] , like old Job had, for instance. A poor man
who wondered why his children were taken from him; why his herds were destroyed and why his houses, his dwellings, went up in flames, and why he was left without
anything. Well, his friends came about him. They were supposed to be friends. . . . They came about him and wanted to show him that these evils came upon him
because he had failed to do his duty in the past; because he had committed some sin. That was the kind of ideas that they communicated to him. But there was nothing
of the kind. It was not so. They were vastly mistaken. The Lord had a certain position in which He sought to place Job in the future at some future time when years and
years had rolled away perhaps, and He wanted to try him. He wanted to educate him so that he would not complain, no matter how illy he thought himself treated by
the Lord. That was a glorious trial of Job's. It has come down in history; his experience and his trials, and it has been a wonderful consolation to the people of the Lord
to read the history of his experiences and his trials and how well he passed through them. (CR, October 1900, p. 4.)

George Q. Cannon: 11-25

The Saints should not imagine that because they know the truth and the Work of God at the present time, that they will always know these things and therefore be able
to stand. If they lose the Holy Spirit through their transgressions, from that moment their knowledge respecting the Word of God ceases to increase and becomes dead;
a short time only elapses before such persons deny the faith. They may not deny that the Work was ever true, or that the Elders were ever the servants of God, but
they will place a limit and say, "Up to such a time the work was true and the Elders were all right, but, after that, they went astray," that very period being the time at
which they themselves had committed some act or acts to forfeit the Spirit of God and kill the growth of that knowledge which they had had bestowed upon them. This
has been the case in numerous instances in the past. During the Prophet Joseph's lifetime, men who had lost the Spirit themselves through their transgressions would
declare that he had gone astray, and in some instances attempt to point out the time when the spot where his departure from the right path had commenced. Many of
them were not in the least degree loath to contend that the work was of God, and that Joseph had been the Prophet of God, but he had fallen, and they felt it to be their
duty to deal with him and to rectify the errors and wrongs which he had committed. From his days until the present time numerous instances of this kind have occurred,
and but few men have apostatized who have not been willing to affirm that the Work was all true and the servants of God were all right up to a certain point, since
which everything had gone wrong. The progress of the Work of God and the blessings which have rested upon his servants and people have given abundant proofs that
the fault has lain with these persons who have been so loud in their talk respecting the transgressions of the servants of God. Indeed, if these were not sufficient
evidences, their decrease in everything that pertaineth to godliness and the miserable results which attend their efforts, would be quite ample of themselves to convince a
Saint of God that his displeasure was resting upon such characters. It is plain that it is they who have transgressed, and thereby driven the Spirit of the Lord from them,
and at the very time they say the Church of God strayed they themselves were guilty of transgression. (MS, August 8, 1863, 25:505-6.)

Wilford Woodruff: 11

They who do charge thee with transgression

I passed through that scene [great apostasy in Kirtland] , as did some others who are now with us, and I wish now to refer to it because it is something we should lay to
heart. Even Apostles took occasion to rise up and endeavored to dictate and direct the Prophet of God. Here . . . was a manifestation-and a very strange one, too-of
the power that
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Those who testified to the Book of Mormon were led away through not keeping the commandments of God and thinking that they themselves were great men. Some of
them were learned men; some of them considered themselves very smart men, and they were so smart that they wanted to dictate and direct the Prophet of God. The
consequence of all this was that they turned aside from the commandments of God. Some of them had been true and faithful in their labors in the ministry. I have heard
They who do charge thee with transgression

I passed through that scene [great apostasy in Kirtland] , as did some others who are now with us, and I wish now to refer to it because it is something we should lay to
heart. Even Apostles took occasion to rise up and endeavored to dictate and direct the Prophet of God. Here . . . was a manifestation-and a very strange one, too-of
the power that the devil had over the leading men whom God raised up to assist in laying the foundation of this Church and in bringing forth the Book of Mormon.
Those who testified to the Book of Mormon were led away through not keeping the commandments of God and thinking that they themselves were great men. Some of
them were learned men; some of them considered themselves very smart men, and they were so smart that they wanted to dictate and direct the Prophet of God. The
consequence of all this was that they turned aside from the commandments of God. Some of them had been true and faithful in their labors in the ministry. I have heard
Oliver Cowdery testify of the Book of Mormon by the power of God, when it seemed as if the very earth trembled under his feet. He was filled with the Holy Ghost
and the power of God while he was faithful, and so were many of these men. But Oliver Cowdery yielded to the temptation of the evil one, and we may say he
apostatized. So did Martin Harris, and several others connected with them. They left the Church, they turned against Joseph and they said he was a fallen prophet, and
they themselves wanted to direct the Church. I have remarked that there was a time when there were but two of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles then in town of
Kirtland who stood by Joseph Smith and upheld him as a Prophet, Seer and Revelator. I was not a member of that quorum at that time; I was a Seventy. Several of
these men called upon me in that time of this apostasy and asked me to join them against the Prophet; the Prophet was fallen, they said. Now, I had seen enough myself
of the Prophet of God and I had read enough of the revelations of God through him, to know that he was a Prophet of God and not a fallen prophet. I saw that these
men were yielding to the devil, and I told them so. Said I: "You will all go to hell unless you repent. Joseph has been raised up by the power of God and to the Church
and kingdom of God here on the earth, and you will fall and go to perdition unless you repent of your sins and turn from the position you are in today." A good many of
them did fall. I will here name one instance. I saw one of these Apostles in the Kirtland Temple, while the Sacrament was being passed, stand in the aisle and curse the
Prophet of God to his face while he was in the stand, and when the bread was passed he reached out his hand for a piece of bread and flung it into his mouth like a
mad dog. He turned as black in the face almost as an African with rage and with the power of the devil. What did he do? He ate and drank damnation to himself. He
did not go and hang himself, but he did go and drown himself, and the river went over his body while his spirit was cast into the pit where he ceased to have the power
to curse either God or His Prophet in time or in eternity. (MS, May 30, 1895, 57:339-40.)

J. Reuben Clark, Jr.: 11

Their hope shall be blasted

From the earliest days of the Church, malcontents, apostates, "soreheads," have railed out with slander, falsehood, derision, against those whom God called to lead the
people. They so treated the Prophet, and Brother Brigham [Young] , and to a lesser degree, every President who has followed. But the Lord has always prospered the
Church as it followed their leadership. The detractors have gone down to the oblivion they deserved. So it will always be. The Prophet of the Lord has stood above
and beyond the carpings of those unrighteous critics. He has always lived, as our leader lives today, in the kindly light of the Lord's approval, the recipient of the Lord's
choicest blessings, manifested openly to those who will but look. (CR, April 1940, p. 22.)

Brigham Young: 11

Their prospects shall melt away

He is a God of system, order, law, science, and art; a God of knowledge and of power. He says to the human family, "Do as you please, but I will overrule the results
of your actions." He says to the wicked, "You may fight these Latter-day Saints, but they are my people, I have called them, and commanded them to come out of
Babylon and to gather themselves together. You, wicked world, may fight them; you may lay your plans and schemes, but with all your machinations and wisdom I will
show you that I am greater than you all, and I will put you to shame, and blast your expectations, and disappoint your calculations, and your attempts to injure my
people will be foiled; for Zion shall arise, her glory shall be seen, and the kings of the earth shall enquire of the wisdom of Zion; and God shall be great, and His name
shall be terrible among the inhabitants of the earth; and He will bring forth His kingdom and establish His government, and Jesus will come and rule, King of Nations, as
he does King of Saints." (JD, November 13, 1870, 13:306.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 13

Because their hearts are corrupted

It seems to be the heritage of the ungodly, of the bigoted, and of those who love iniquity, to sit in judgment and to place themselves as dictators saying what shall be
done and what shall be said by the Authorities of the Church. They accuse the brethren of all manner of iniquity, dissimulation, falsehood, and try to cause a division
between them and the people over whom they preside. They take unto themselves the prerogative of saying what shall and what shall not be the doctrine of the Church,
what shall and what shall not be the government of the Church, when it concerns them not at all. But it is not of this class particularly that I desire to refer, but to those
members of the Church who have entered into the waters of baptism and have made covenants before the Lord, that they will observe His laws, respect His
priesthood, who have been persuaded or who are in danger of being persuaded, by such characters. Occasionally when a man has himself committed sin and has lost
the spirit of the gospel, he will raise his voice against the actions of the Authorities who preside over the Church; he will call them in question, sit in judgment upon them
and condemn them. I wish to raise a warning voice, to all such who hold membership in the Church, and say unto them, that they had better repent and turn unto the
Lord, lest His judgments come upon them, lest they lose the faith and be turned from the truth.

I desire to read a few words from some of our modern scriptures. . . . [Sec. 121:16-33, quoted.]

Again I repeat that it is a serious thing for a man holding a membership in this Church to say in his heart, or openly, that these men holding the keys of the kingdom
sinned, when they have not sinned and cause dissension, if it is in his power to do so among his brethren. The judgments of the Lord will overtake him. He will be
brought in question before the Lord, and shall be cast out and find his place among the unbelievers; and those who flattered him and encouraged him to raise up his heel
against his brethren will turn from him and leave him to his shame. . . . What time, since the organization of the Church has any of the brethren exercising the Spirit of the
Lord ever taught this people that which was false? When have they ever said unto you that you should do that which was not right; that which would not make you
better citizens and better members of the kingdom of God? You cannot, nor can any man, in righteousness, point to the time when any of them have willfully stated
anything that was contrary to the principles of righteousness, or that did not tend to make the people better in every way, that did not build them up in their salvation,
temporally as well as spiritually. (CR, October 1910, pp. 39-40.)

Luke Johnson: 13

The things . . . willing to bring upon others . . . may come upon themselves

In the fall of 1831, while Joseph was yet at my father's, a mob of forty or fifty came to his house, a few entered his room in the middle of the night, and Carnot Mason
dragged Joseph out of bed by the hair of his head; he was then seized by as many as could get hold of him, and taken about forty rods from the house, stretched on a
board . . . they tore off the few night clothes that he had on, for the purpose of emasculating him, and had Dr. Dennison there to perform the operation; but when the
Dr.  saw the (c)
 Copyright    Prophet  strippedInfobase
                  2005-2009,    and stretched onCorp.
                                          Media   the plank, his heart failed him, and he refused to operate. The mob then scratched his body all over, saying,
                                                                                                                                                         Page"Damn    you,
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this is the way the Holy Ghost falls upon you." And in attempting to force open his jaws, they broke one of his front teeth to pour a vial of some obnoxious drug into his
mouth.
In the fall of 1831, while Joseph was yet at my father's, a mob of forty or fifty came to his house, a few entered his room in the middle of the night, and Carnot Mason
dragged Joseph out of bed by the hair of his head; he was then seized by as many as could get hold of him, and taken about forty rods from the house, stretched on a
board . . . they tore off the few night clothes that he had on, for the purpose of emasculating him, and had Dr. Dennison there to perform the operation; but when the
Dr. saw the Prophet stripped and stretched on the plank, his heart failed him, and he refused to operate. The mob then scratched his body all over, saying, "Damn you,
this is the way the Holy Ghost falls upon you." And in attempting to force open his jaws, they broke one of his front teeth to pour a vial of some obnoxious drug into his
mouth.

The mob became divided, and did not succeed, but poured tar over him, and then stuck feathers in it and left him, and went to an old brickyard to wash themselves and
bury their filthy clothes. At this place a vial was dropped the content of which ran out and killed the grass. About the same time part of the mob went to the house that
Sidney Rigdon occupied, and dragged him out, and besmeared him with tar and feathers. My father, hearing the outcry of the family, went to the door, but finding it
held by some one on the outside, he called for his gun, when those who held the door left; he pursued and was knocked down; his collar bone was broken; he was
taken back to the house, and hands laid upon him by David Whitmer, and immediately healed. A few minutes after this accident, we heard the voice of Joseph calling
for a blanket; some person handed him one, and he came in, the tar trickling down his face; his wife was very much alarmed, supposing it to be blood, until he came
near enough to see that it was tar. My mother got some lard, and rubbed it upon him to get the tar off, which they succeeded in removing.

Waste, who was the strongest man on the Western Reserve, had boasted that he could take Joseph out alone. At the time they were taking him out of the house,
Waste had hold of one foot, Joseph drew up his leg and gave him a kick, which sent him sprawling in the street. He afterwards said that the Prophet was the most
powerful he ever had hold of in his life.

Soon after this persecution, Mason had an attack of the spinal affliction. Fullars, one of the mobocrats, died of cholera in Cleveland; Dr. Dennison was sent to the
penitentiary for ten years, and died before the term expired. (MS, December 31, 1864, 26:834-35.)

Heber J. Grant: 15

Not one of them is left to stand by the wall

Our enemies have never done anything that has injured this work of God, and they never will. I look around, I read, I reflect, and I ask questions, where are the men of
influence, of power and prestige, who have worked against the Latter-day Saints? Where is the reputation for honor and courage, of the governors of Missouri and
Illinois, the judges, and all others who have come here to Utah on special missions against the Latter-day Saints? Where are there people to do them honor? They
cannot be found. . . . Where are the men who have assailed this work? Where is their influence? They have faded away like dew before the sun. We need have no
fears, we Latter-day Saints. God will continue to sustain this work; He will sustain the right. If we are loyal, if we are true, if we are worthy of this Gospel, of which
God has given us a testimony, there is no danger that the world can ever injure us. We can never be injured . . . by any mortals, except ourselves. (CR, April 1909, p.
11.)

Harold B. Lee: 16

Cursed are all those . . . against mine anointed

There are some who look upon the leaders of this Church and God's anointed as men who are possessed of selfish motives. By them the words of our leaders are
always twisted to try to bring a snare to the work of the Lord. Mark well those who speak evil of the Lord's anointed for they speak from impure hearts. Only the
"pure in heart" see the "God" or the divine in man and accept our leaders, accept them as prophets of the Living God.

The testimonies of our leaders, in this connection, have been very significant to me. I remember hearing President [Heber J.] Grant on several occasions say:

Whenever certain individuals who are not living good lives, begin to compliment me and to speak well of me, I say to myself, Heber J. Grant, what's the matter with
you; you must not be doing your duty, or this kind of people wouldn't feel so kindly toward you.

I remember the prophetic pronouncement that was made from this stand by President George Albert Smith eighteen months ago when he said:

Many have belittled Joseph Smith, and those who have will be forgotten in the remains of mother earth and the odor of their infamy will be ever with them, but honor,
majesty, and fidelity to God attached to Joseph Smith's name and exemplified by him will never die.

I wish that statement could be heard to all the ends of the earth.

I want to bear you my testimony that the experience I have had has taught me that those who criticize the leaders of this Church are showing signs of a spiritual sickness
which, unless curbed, will bring about eventually spiritual death. I want to bear my testimony as well that those who in public seek by their criticism, to belittle our
leaders or bring them into disrepute, will bring upon themselves more hurt than upon those whom they seek thus to malign. I have watched over the years, and I have
read of the history of many of those who fell away from this Church, and I want to bear testimony that no apostate who ever left the Church ever prospered as an
influence in his community thereafter.

It is well that we remember today that statement of the prophet of old. . . . It was the Prophet Isaiah who said: ". . . Peace, peace, to him that is far off, and to him that
is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest; whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my
God, to the wicked." [Isaiah 57:19-21.] (CR, October 1941, pp. 66-67.)

Hyrum M. Smith: 17

Children of disobedience

To apostatize from the Church would be your own loss. As has been said, no physical injury or harm of any other kind would come to you from the Church itself; but in
leaving the faith which you have espoused you would only cut yourselves off from the fellowship of good men and women, and, what is more, from the fellowship of
God our Eternal Father. We often hear it said that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven, and that we should make sacrifices for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All
this may be true, but from my view-point the man who cuts himself off from the Church and denies himself full fellowship therein is the one who makes the greater
sacrifice; for by so doing he sacrifices the fellowship of the Spirit of the Lord and welcomes darkness rather than light; in fact, there is no good thing that he does not
sacrifice. (CR, October 1902, pp. 11-12.)

Joseph F. Smith: 21
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Nor their posterity after them

Infidels will say to you: "How unjust, how unmerciful, how un-Godlike it is to visit the iniquities of the parents upon the children to the third and fourth generations of
sacrifice. (CR, October 1902, pp. 11-12.)

Joseph F. Smith: 21

Nor their posterity after them

Infidels will say to you: "How unjust, how unmerciful, how un-Godlike it is to visit the iniquities of the parents upon the children to the third and fourth generations of
them that hate God." How do you see it? This way; and it is strictly in accordance with God's law. The infidel will impart infidelity to his children if he can. The
whoremonger will not raise a pure, righteous posterity. He will impart seeds of disease and misery, if not of death and destruction, upon his offspring, which will
continue upon his children and descend to his children's children to the third and fourth generation. It is perfectly natural that the children should inherit from their fathers,
and if they sow the seeds of corruption, crime and loathsome disease, their children will reap the fruits thereof. Not in accordance with God's wishes, for His wish is
that men will not sin and therefore will not transmit the consequences of their sin to their children, but that they will keep His commandments, and be free from sin and
from entailing the effects of sin upon their offspring; but inasmuch as men will not hearken unto the Lord, but will become a law unto themselves, and will commit sin
they will justly reap the consequences of their own iniquity, and will naturally impart its fruits to their children to the third and fourth generation. The laws of nature are
the laws of God, who is just; it is not God that inflicts these penalties, they are the effects of disobedience to His law. The results of men's own acts follow them. (CR,
October 1912, p. 9.)

Brigham Young: 24-25

Swift judgment . . . according as his works shall be

You have read in the Scriptures [Rev. 20:12-13] , that the children of men will be judged according to their works, whether they be good or bad. If a man's days be
filled up with good works, he will be rewarded accordingly. On the other hand, if his days be filled up with evil actions, he will receive according to those acts. (JD,
January 16, 1853, 1:5.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 26

Knowledge by his Holy Spirit

I say to you that the Lord blesses this people through the inspiration that comes to His servants, as they direct, and teach, and expound the scriptures. The statement is
often made by the enemies of the people . . . that there is no revelation in the Church. I say to you that there is revelation in the Church. The Lord not only blesses the
men who stand at the head and hold the keys of the kingdom, but He also blesses every faithful individual with the spirit of inspiration. He gives His people revelation
for their own guidance, wherein they keep His commandments and serve Him. That is a blessing promised, and within their power to receive. We are blest with
revelation; the Church is built upon that foundation. All the revelations given do not have to be written. The inspiration may come as the Lord directs them. It does not
have to be printed in a book. We have revelations that have been given that have been written; some of them have been published; some of them have not. (CR,
October 1910, pp. 40-41.)

Francis M. Lyman: 26

The unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost

We may not all be allowed to see the Father, yet we are all enjoined to know the Father and the Son, and to have the testimony of the Holy Ghost abiding in our hearts
in regard to the Father and the Son: for when we know them we can rely confidently upon the promises that have been made to us, and the more we become
acquainted with the Spirit of the Lord the more we become established, and the more we comprehend the things of God. Governors, judges, philosophers of the world
do not know these things. The simplest Latter-day Saint in the Church has inspiration and light that the philosophers and the greatest among men have not tasted. There
is a measure of light and inspiration that comes through the Holy Ghost to those who serve the Lord that the natural man, independent of the Holy Ghost, is not
endowed with. It is the possession of this Spirit that makes us a peculiar people; and the reason we are not more different from the rest of the world than we are is
because we do not live according to the light and inspiration of the Holy Ghost as we ought to do. (CR, April 1901, p. 47.)

Brigham Young: 28

A time to come . . . nothing shall be withheld

It is not for man, with his limited intelligence, to grasp eternity in his comprehension. There is an eternity of life, from which we were composed by the wisdom and skill
of superior Beings. It would be as easy for a gnat to trace the history of man back to his origin as for man to fathom the First Cause of all things, lift the veil of eternity,
and reveal the mysteries that have been sought after by philosophers from the beginning. What, then, should be the calling and duty of the children of men? Instead of
inquiring after the origin of the Gods-instead of trying to explore the depths of eternities that have been, that are, and that will be,-instead of endeavouring to discover
the boundaries of boundless space, let them seek to know the object of their present existence, and how to apply, in the most profitable manner for their mutual good
and salvation, the intelligence they possess. Let them seek to know and thoroughly understand things within their reach, and to make themselves well acquainted with
the object of their being here, by diligently seeking unto a superior Power for information, and by the careful study of the best books. [Sec. 109:7.] (JD, October 9,
1859, 7:284-85.)

Wilford Woodruff: 28

Whether there be one God or many Gods

I want to say this to all Israel: Cease troubling yourselves about who God is; who Adam is, who Christ is, who Jehovah is. For heaven's sake, let these things alone.
Why trouble yourselves about these things? God has revealed Himself, and when the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants is fulfilled, whether there be one God
or many Gods they will be revealed to the children of men as well as thrones and dominions, principalities, and powers. Then why trouble yourselves about these
things? God is God. Christ is Christ. The Holy Ghost is the Holy Ghost. That should be enough for you and me to know. If we want to know any more wait till we get
where God is in person. . . . Humble yourselves before the Lord; seek for light, for truth, and for a knowledge of the common things of the kingdom of God. The Lord
is the same yesterday, to-day and forever. He changes not. (MS, June 6, 1895, 57:355-56.)

First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose): 32

The Eternal God of all other gods
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This [Moses(c) 2005-2009,
             1:6-7]           Infobase
                     was repeated       Media Corp.
                                   in substance,                                                                                                   Page
                                                 and for the same reasons, in the first of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt have no other gods before     65 / 159
                                                                                                                                                       me,"-that is,
beside me, above me, or equal to me, or to be an object of worship. (Exodus 20:2-5.) Or, as Paul put it: "For though there be many that are called gods whether in
heaven or in earth, (as there are gods many and Lords many) yet to us there is one God the Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all
First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose): 32

The Eternal God of all other gods

This [Moses 1:6-7] was repeated in substance, and for the same reasons, in the first of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me,"-that is,
beside me, above me, or equal to me, or to be an object of worship. (Exodus 20:2-5.) Or, as Paul put it: "For though there be many that are called gods whether in
heaven or in earth, (as there are gods many and Lords many) yet to us there is one God the Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all
things and we by him." (1 Cor. 8:5-6.)

It should be remembered that it was Christ before He was in the flesh who gave the law and the commandments to Moses, and who spoke for the Father, as He
explained to the Nephites when he appeared to them after his resurrection. (3 Nephi 15:5.) He "was in the beginning with God and was God," according to John 1:1.
The Father was represented by Him and He acted and spoke for the Father, in the creation and from that time forward in all the divine dispensations. Angels also,
under Him have been appointed to speak for God, being so authorized and empowered. (See Exod. 23:20, 21.) But the sole object of worship, God the Eternal
Father, stands supreme and alone, and it is in the name of the Only Begotten that we thus approach Him, as Christ taught always. "God standeth in the congregation of
the mighty; he judgeth among the gods." (Psalm 82:1.) Jesus quoted this and did not dispute it. (John 10:34-36.) All the perfected beings who are rightly called gods,
being, like the Savior, possessed of "the fulness of the Godhead bodily," are ONE, just as the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are one. (IE, April 1912,
15:434-35.)

Bruce R. McConkie: 12

Now what does it mean to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus?

It is to be courageous and bold; to use all our strength, energy, and ability in the warfare with the world; to fight the good fight of faith. "Be strong and of a good
courage," the Lord commanded Joshua, and then specified that this strength and courage consisted of meditating upon and observing to do all that is written in the law
of the Lord. (See Josh. 1:6-9.) The great cornerstone of valiance in the cause of righteousness is obedience to the whole law of the whole gospel.

To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him"; it is to deny ourselves "of all ungodliness," and "love God" with all our "might,
mind and strength." (Moro. 10:32.)

To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to believe in Christ and his gospel with unshakable conviction. It is to know of the verity and divinity of the Lord's work on
earth.

But this is not all. It is more than believing and knowing. We must be doers of the word and not hearers only. It is more than lip service; it is not simply confessing with
the mouth the divine Sonship of the Savior. It is obedience and conformity and personal righteousness. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 7:21.)

To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men." It is to
"endure to the end." (2 Ne. 31:20.) It is to live our religion, to practice what we preach, to keep the commandments. It is the manifestation of "pure religion" in the lives
of men; it is visiting "the fatherless and widows in their affliction" and keeping ourselves "unspotted from the world." (James 1:27.)

To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to bridle our passions, control our appetites, and rise above carnal and evil things. It is to overcome the world as did he who is
our prototype and who himself was the most valiant of all our Father's children. It is to be morally clean, to pay our tithes and offerings, to honor the Sabbath day, to
pray with full purpose of heart, to lay our all upon the altar if called upon to do so.

To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to take the Lord's side on every issue. It is to vote as he would vote. It is to think what he thinks, to believe what he believes,
to say what he would say and do what he would do in the same situation. It is to have the mind of Christ and be one with him as he is one with his Father.

Our doctrine is clear: its application sometimes seems to be more difficult. Perhaps some personal introspection might be helpful. For instance:

Am I valiant in the testimony of Jesus if my chief interest and concern in life is laying up in store the treasures of this earth, rather than the building up of the kingdom?

Am I valiant if I have more of this world's goods than my just needs and wants require and I do not draw from my surplus to support missionary work, build temples,
and care for the needy?

Am I valiant if my approach to the Church and its doctrines is intellectual only, if I am more concerned with having a religious dialogue on this or that point than I am on
gaining a personal spiritual experience?

Am I valiant if I am deeply concerned about the Church's stand on who can or who cannot receive the priesthood and think it is time for a new revelation on this
doctrine?

Am I valiant if I use a boat, live in a country home, or engage in some other recreational pursuit on weekends that takes me away from my spiritual responsibilities?

Am I valiant if I engage in gambling, play cards, go to pornographic movies, shop on Sunday, wear immodest clothes, or do any of the things that are the accepted way
of life among worldly people? (CR, October 1974, pp. 45-46.)

Brigham Young: 32

In the midst of . . . all other gods

How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods and worlds, and when men were not passing through the same
ordeals that we are now passing through. That course has been from all eternity, and it is and will be to all eternity. You cannot comprehend this; but when you can, it
will be to you a matter of great consolation. (JD, October 8, 1859, 7:333-34.)

John Henry Smith: 33

As well might man . . . stop the Missouri river

The  gospel (c)
 Copyright  we 2005-2009,
                have embraced   is the truth.
                            Infobase    Media It Corp.
                                                 came from the Master. It has been sent to renovate the world, to re-establish among mankind the livingPage
                                                                                                                                                        faith which
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                                                                                                                                                                    159so
largely departed from the breasts of the human family, and to bring them to a comprehension of the responsibilities they owe to the Divine Master. Nothing can stay its
progress. You and I may fall by the wayside; we may lack the fortitude and faith to endure and fulfill our part; but the work itself has gone on from the day the
announcement was made of the administration of heavenly beings, and it will continue in its onward march until every nation, kindred, tongue, and people throughout the
John Henry Smith: 33

As well might man . . . stop the Missouri river

The gospel we have embraced is the truth. It came from the Master. It has been sent to renovate the world, to re-establish among mankind the living faith which had so
largely departed from the breasts of the human family, and to bring them to a comprehension of the responsibilities they owe to the Divine Master. Nothing can stay its
progress. You and I may fall by the wayside; we may lack the fortitude and faith to endure and fulfill our part; but the work itself has gone on from the day the
announcement was made of the administration of heavenly beings, and it will continue in its onward march until every nation, kindred, tongue, and people throughout the
universe shall hear the glad tidings of great joy and have the privilege of accepting or rejecting the same in the exercise of the agency our Father has given them. . . . It
cannot be expected that its mission will be accomplished without opposition. It must meet adverse elements, it must overcome obstacles, it must secure the ground step
by step, without fear and without favor, honoring our heavenly Father, and maintaining the dignity of that Priesthood God has given to us-the grandest heritage that was
ever given to the children of men in any day and age of the world. (CR, October 1905, pp. 13-14.)

Gordon B. Hinckley: 33

Knowledge from heaven

To the world we give our witness that there is revelation of the word of God as certainly in the atomic age as there was in the age of Jeremiah. It is just that simple and
just that true.

Joseph Smith was the anointed of the Lord to this dispensation. Well might we repeat the words of the Lord: ". . . What power shall stay the heavens? As well might
man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from
heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints." (D&C 121:33.) Knowledge has been and is being revealed. Those who accept it and obey it find that peace which
passeth understanding and that growth which leads to eternal life. (CR, April 1964, p. 39.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 34

There are many called

On the one hundred and twenty-first section of the Doctrine and Covenants . . . I would like to make a comment. [Sec. 121:34-36, quoted.]

Now who are those who are called? I take it that every man who is ordained to an office in the priesthood has been called. The Lord is willing that any man should
serve him. (CR, October 1945, p. 97.)

Stephen L Richards: 36

Upon the principles of righteousness

We are told very definitely in that great section of the Doctrine and Covenants, which I often characterize as the Constitution of the priesthood [Section 121] , that one
cannot minister in any degree of unrighteousness, for if he does so, amen to the priesthood of that man. His effort, his labors, his ministry will not be efficacious. He must
have the background of righteousness to make him able, capable, of administering the powers of Holy Priesthood. (CR, April 1955, p. 12.)

N. Eldon Tanner: 36

The principles of righteousness

. . . Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things that are for your good will be added unto you. By that I think he means-"and his
righteousness"-that whatever we do we will be honest, honorable, upright in our dealings, and that we will be honest, true, chaste, benevolent and virtuous, and strive to
do good to all men, that we might enjoy his spirit and his blessings to lead, guide and direct us. (DNCS, June 20, 1964, p. 8.)

George Q. Cannon: 37

The heavens withdraw themselves

When a person has been legally cut off from the Church of Christ, all the rights and privileges and authority which that person may have enjoyed as a Saint or servant of
God are forfeited, and he or she becomes, to all intents and purposes, an alien to the covenant. On this point there can be no doubt. There may be extenuating
circumstances in some cases which, in the sight of the Lord may view them with pity and mercy, as he has said that "unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be
much required"; "But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes" [Luke 12:48] : yet when proper action has been taken
with a member of the Church, and he is excommunicated, whether he knows much or little matters not, he is deprived of every claim to blessings which, by virtue of his
being a recognized member of God's Church, he may have enjoyed. (MS, November 7, 1863, 25:713.)

Wilford Woodruff: 37

Amen to the priesthood or the authority

If we as Apostles, bearing the Holy Priesthood, use that priesthood for any other purpose under heaven but to build up the Kingdom of God, if we do our power will
fall like lightning from heaven. A good many men have undertaken this-men high in the priesthood, even the Apostleship-to build themselves up upon the authority of the
priesthood. And where have they gone? You may say amen to their power and authority. They have lost their Bishopric and Apostleship. Let us reflect on these things.
I say the same to myself. I say the same to the Apostles, Seventies and High Priests. You cannot use the priesthood for any other purpose under heaven but to build up
the kingdom and do the will of. God; and when you attempt to do otherwise your power will be taken from you. (CR, April 1880, p. 83.)

Harold B. Lee: 38

To kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints

Men begin to fall away. They first begin to "kick against the pricks." . . . These no doubt are the pricks of the gospel. I wonder, perhaps, if they are not those things
President J. Reuben Clark . . . called "restraints," the restraints of the word of wisdom, the restraints imposed in keeping the Sabbath day holy, injunctions against card
playing, the(c)
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                2005-2009,       by following
                             Infobase   Mediaout    the welfare program. And so we might go on. These are the restraints against which some people seem
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kicking constantly against-the "pricks" of the gospel. . . .

These [persons] are the ones who next begin to "persecute the Saints" and, finally, to fight against God.
To kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints

Men begin to fall away. They first begin to "kick against the pricks." . . . These no doubt are the pricks of the gospel. I wonder, perhaps, if they are not those things
President J. Reuben Clark . . . called "restraints," the restraints of the word of wisdom, the restraints imposed in keeping the Sabbath day holy, injunctions against card
playing, the restraints imposed by following out the welfare program. And so we might go on. These are the restraints against which some people seem to rebel and are
kicking constantly against-the "pricks" of the gospel. . . .

These [persons] are the ones who next begin to "persecute the Saints" and, finally, to fight against God.

Speaking of those who would persecute the Saints, I am reminded of what the Prophet Joseph said while he was upon the earth. He said:

From apostates the faithful have received the severest persecutions. Judas was rebuked and immediately betrayed his Lord into the hands of his enemies because Satan
entered into him. There is a superior intelligence bestowed upon such as obey the gospel with full purpose of heart, which, if sinned against, the apostate is left naked
and destitute of the Spirit of God, and he is, in truth, nigh unto cursing, and his end is to be burned. When once that light which was in them is taken from them, they
become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened, and then, no marvel, of all their powers should be enlisted against the truth and they, Judas like, seek
the destruction of those who were their greatest benefactors. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 67.)

Yes, persecution seems to be the part of those who would teach the truth. (CR, October 1947, pp. 65-66.)

Orson F. Whitney: 39

Almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority

All men who hold position do not abuse its privileges, and the man who serves God humbly and faithfully never will, for the moment he yielded to the temptation so to
do, that moment would he cease to serve the Lord; but there are many, alas, who sadly misuse the functions of their office, and prostitute every power and privilege to
the gratification of self and the injury and embarrassment of their fellow men. It is dangerous to put some men into power. They swell up and become so distended with
the ideas of their greatness and importance, that we are forcibly reminded of so many inflated toy balloons, which the slightest prick of a pin would burst and ruin
forever. A very small office and a very little authority is sufficient to intoxicate some men and render them entirely unfit for duty.

The Prophet Joseph, in the course of a prophecy uttered in March, 1839, speaks as follows: [Sec. 121:34-39, quoted.]

It is certain indication of a weak mind when it can be overturned by a brief draught of authority. Like a ship which spreads sail, but lacks the necessary tonnage to hold
it level with the sea, the individual who hoists his pride on high and is devoid of the indispensable ballast of common sense, will speedily run on to ruin and oblivion.
SoIomon never said a wiser thing than that "Pride goeth beside destruction; and a haughty spirit before a fall." [Prov. 16:18.] But the truly great man is never so
affected. (Scrapbook of Mormon Literature, 1882, 2:510-13.)

Daniel H. Wells: 40

Many are called, but few are chosen

If we only reflect, when we enlisted in this cause it was for a lifetime-for eternity; not for a few days, or a year or two, and then to fall away and return again to the
beggarly elements of the world. We did not receive these principles with any such idea; but we enlisted for time and all eternity under King Emanuel's banner. We
covenanted that we would keep the law of God, walk humbly before Him, and do all in our power to build up Zion, and hold on to those principles made known in His
kingdom, that we might attain to the blessings which were in the future. They who get weary and discontented think, perhaps, that they are not called and chosen. Why,
we are called or chosen to be righteous, holy beings; and let us remember that the time for being chosen because we have been righteous will come after a while, and
happy will be that individual who has so lived up to his privileges as to be among the chosen ones. If we wish to attain to this great blessing we must live for it, and not
be neglectful in regard to the things of God. We must apply our religion to our daily lives. (JD, March 22, 1868, 12:233.)

Stephen L Richards: 41

Only by persuasion, by long-suffering

The women of the Church rejoice in the priesthood of their husbands. They know that that priesthood is not expressed in autocratic or unrighteous dominion. They
know that it is a divinely given power to be exercised only in long-suffering and patience, kindness and mercy. [Sec. 121:43, quoted.] They know that the priesthood
has true virtue within it-the power to bless, the power to heal, the power to counsel, to make peace and harmony prevail. (CR, April 1958, p. 95.)

Joseph F. Smith: 42

By kindness, and pure knowledge

Change the focus of your view, and of your eyes, from watching for evil to watching for that which is good, that which is pure, and leading, prompting those who err
into that path which has no error in it, and that will not admit of mistakes. Look for good in men, and where they fail to possess it try to build it up in them; try to
increase the good; and speak as little about the evil as you possibly can. It does not do any good to magnify evil, to publish evil or to promulgate it by tongue or pen.
There is no good to be obtained by it. (CR, April 1913, pp. 7-8.)

Joseph Smith: 43

Reproving betimes with sharpness

I frequently rebuke and admonish my brethren, and that because I love them, not because I wish to incur their displeasure, or mar their happiness. Such a course of
conduct is not calculated to gain the good will of all, but rather the ill will of many; therefore, the situation in which I stand is an important one; so, you see, brethren, the
higher the authority, the greater the difficulty of the station, from the perverseness of the brethren, for their temporal as well as spiritual welfare. (HC 2:478, April 6,
1837.)

Stephen L Richards: 43

Reproving betimes with sharpness
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It is a kindness to reprove in the spirit of love. It is an unkindness to mitigate the gravity of offenses in those for whose guidance and direction we have responsibility. . .
. Teach duty, require duty, if need be, in children to bless their lives with proper understanding and practices essential to their happiness. (CR, April 1957, pp. 97-98.)
Stephen L Richards: 43

Reproving betimes with sharpness

It is a kindness to reprove in the spirit of love. It is an unkindness to mitigate the gravity of offenses in those for whose guidance and direction we have responsibility. . .
. Teach duty, require duty, if need be, in children to bless their lives with proper understanding and practices essential to their happiness. (CR, April 1957, pp. 97-98.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 45

Be full of charity towards all men

Considering the fact that at the time this epistle was written [Section 121] the Prophet and his fellow prisoners were suffering intensely and unjustly at the hands of their
enemies the nobleness and greatness of his character stands out most clearly. When we consider that he could write in the spirit of forgiveness, charity and humility,
such as we find in this great document, we know surely the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. I repeat, that this is one of the great letters ever written. This we discover
when we take the time to analyze it. Not all of this communication has been placed in the Doctrine and Covenants as revelation. It does appear in full in the
Documentary History, Vol. 3, pages 289-305. The closing paragraphs of Section 121 are wonderfully inspiring and contain a beauty of sentiment and promise that
should rejoice the heart of every Latter-day Saint: [Sec. 121:45-46, quoted.] (CHMR, 1949, 3:199-200.)

John Taylor: 45

Be full of charity towards all men

When you get the Spirit of God, you feel full of kindness, charity, long-suffering, and you are willing all the day long to accord to every man that which you want
yourself. You feel disposed all the day long to do unto all men as you would wish them to do unto you. What is it that will enable one man to govern his fellows aright?
It is just as Joseph Smith said to a certain man who asked him, "How do you govern such a vast people as this?" "Oh," says Joseph, "it is very easy." "Why," says the
man, "but we find it very difficult." "But," said Joseph, "it is very easy, for I teach the people correct principles and they govern themselves"; and if correct principles will
do this in one family they will in ten, in a hundred and in ten hundred thousand. (JD, May 18, 1862, 10:57-58.)

Heber J. Grant: 45

Let virtue garnish thy thoughts

How I wish that virtue garnished our thoughts unceasingly. How I wish that no man holding the Priesthood of the living God was ever guilty of allowing any words to fall
from his lips that he could not repeat in the presence of his mother. Then he would be, to a very great extent, in that straight and narrow path that leads to life eternal.

There are very few things in all the world that are more demoralizing than what are known as "shady" stories. There is nothing in all the world of the same value as a
love of God and a desire to do those things that we know would please God. (CR, April 1937, pp. 11-12.)

Heber C. Kimball: 46

The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion

The Holy Ghost in the people of God will control not only our domestic animals, our families, our servants, and our handmaids, but it will control the armies of men that
are in the world, the mountains, seas, streams of water, tempests, famines and pestilence and every destructive power, that they come not nigh unto us, just as much as
we can keep sickness from us by the power of faith and prayer and good works. If we live our religion, we shall never suffer as the world suffers. We shall not be
perplexed with famine and pestilence, with the caterpillar, and other destructive insects which the Lord will send in the last days to afflict the wicked. (JD, October 7,
1859, 7:330.)

Rudger Clawson: 46

Thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion

How extremely sacred is the Holy Priesthood, which is nothing more nor less than divine authority committed unto man. . . . "Whoso," (meaning any man and every
man), "is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling," [Sec. 84:33] will enter into the possession of all
things, for he will become a joint heir with Jesus Christ, the Lord, in such possession. Now, I ask you, what more could a faithful high priest receive than the promise of
this blessing? Could he receive any more if he were an apostle? Could he receive any more if he were a counselor in the Presidency of the Church? Could he receive
any more if he were the President of the Church, than a promise which gives to him a joint heirship in all things? No, he could not. And so it is with the faithful seventy,
and so with the faithful elder in the Church.

There is no need for envy. There is no need for overweening ambition. There is no need to reach out and try to grasp that to which we are not entitled. The essential
thing is that every man should see to it, that he obtains the High Priesthood. If he advances no further than the office of an elder but is faithful in the magnifying of his
calling, he will enter into his glory and exaltation and will receive the fulness of which the record speaks. (CR, October 1917, pp. 28-29.)

Joseph Smith: 46

Thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion

Paul says, "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the
resurrection from the dead." [1 Cor. 15:41-42.] They who obtain a glorious resurrection from the dead, are exalted far above principalities, powers, thrones,
dominions, and angels, and are expressly declared to be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, all having eternal power. (HC 6:478, June 16, 1844.)

Section 122

The word of the Lord to Joseph Smith the Prophet, while a prisoner in the jail at Liberty, Missouri, March, 1839. See History of the Church, vol. 3, p. 300.-
Comforting assurances-Further persecutions of the Prophet and his possible martyrdom foreshadowed-The Son of Man had likewise suffered.

1. The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee;
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2. While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand.
The word of the Lord to Joseph Smith the Prophet, while a prisoner in the jail at Liberty, Missouri, March, 1839. See History of the Church, vol. 3, p. 300.-
Comforting assurances-Further persecutions of the Prophet and his possible martyrdom foreshadowed-The Son of Man had likewise suffered.

1. The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee;

2. While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand.

3. And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors.

4. And although their influence shall cast thee into trouble, and into bars and walls, thou shalt be had in honor; and but for a small moment and thy voice shall be more
terrible in the midst of thine enemies than the fierce lion, because of thy righteousness; and thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever.

5. If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;

6. If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and
sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall
cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can't you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be
thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;

7. And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing
surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the
very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

8. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

9. Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be
numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.

Heber J. Grant: Introduction

The enemies of the work of God . . . imprisoned the Prophet in Liberty Jail, [Missouri] where he received two very remarkable revelations. [March 25, 1839, HC
3:289-305.] They are known as Sections 121 and 122 of the Doctrine and Covenants, also a remarkable document which was published regarding the persecutions of
the Saints. (Section 123.) The mob could not prevent the Prophet from receiving communications from God. (CR, April 1937, p. 6.)

Bruce R. McConkie: 1-2

Here are the words of Deity, spoken to Joseph Smith, by which all men can judge the state of their own spiritual development: [Sec. 122:1-2, quoted.]

All men may well ask themselves where they stand with reference to Joseph Smith and his divine mission. Do they inquire after his name and seek that salvation found
only in the gospel of Christ as revealed to his latter-day prophet, or do they deride and despise the Lord's living oracles and say that God no longer speaks to men in
the way he did anciently? The great question which all men in our day must answer-and that at the peril of their own salvation-is: Was Joseph Smith called of God?

As for me and my house, we shall seek counsel and authority and blessing constantly from him and from those who now wear his prophetic mantle. (CR, April 1976, p.
144.)

Francis M. Lyman: 3

Thy people shall never be turned against thee

Speaking of the experience of the Prophet Joseph in the early days, I want to say that though there were many who turned from him, yet he had true and devoted
friends, who stood by his side and sustained him to the very last; and he rolled upon their shoulders the cause of the kingdom, and they have been true to that trust. This
Church has been taken care of from that time to this, and these men have walked in the footsteps of their file leaders, in the footsteps of the Prophet Joseph, and they
have built upon the foundations which he laid. (CR, October 1905, p. 11.)

Charles W. Penrose: 4

Thou shalt be had in honor

I thank God that when I heard the gospel preached, it found a place in my soul, I was prepared for it in that singular and simple way, and ever since that time there is
something about the very name of Joseph Smith and his work and mission which thrills me in every part of my nature. l rejoice in bearing testimony, as I have done in
many countries and at many times that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of the living God, that he lived a prophet, that he died-that is, his spirit left his body-as a
prophet, that he is still ministering in that capacity where he has gone in a sphere shut out from our gaze, like our former estate is shut out from our vision. But he lives
and he will be troubled no more by the tyrants that followed him; he will be troubled no more with the false reports that were raised against his character; he is troubled
no more with the conflicts of life, for he had to fight upstream all the time as he struggled along from year to year. But he has gone from the gaze of the world and from
our gaze, for a time, and now is working in the world behind the veil, in that vast sphere where there are so many of the children of God who have lived in the flesh and
have gone before us. (CR, October 1916, p. 18.)

Parley P. Pratt: 4

Thy voice . . . more terrible . . . than the fierce lion

In one of those tedious nights [Winter, 1838-39, Richmond, Mo. jail] we had lain as if in sleep, till the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears and hearts had been
pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies and filthy language of our guards, Colonel Price at their head, as
they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed among the "Mormons" while at Far West and vicinity. They even
boasted of defiling by force wives, daughters, and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women and children.

I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified, and so filled with the Spirit of indignant justice, that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and
rebuking
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                                                  Joseph or anyone else, although I lay next to him, and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to Page      his feet and
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in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:

"Silence! Ye fiends of the infernal pit! In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language.
boasted of defiling by force wives, daughters, and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women and children.

I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified, and so filled with the Spirit of indignant justice, that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and
rebuking the guards, but I had said nothing to Joseph or anyone else, although I lay next to him, and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet and spoke
in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:

"Silence! Ye fiends of the infernal pit! In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language.
Cease such talk, or you or I die this instant!"

He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained, and without a weapon, calm, unruffled, and dignified as an angel, he looked down upon his quailing
guards, whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet until an exchange of guards.

I have seen ministers of justice, clothed in ministerial robes, and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended upon a breath in the courts of England; I have
witnessed a congress in solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal courts, of thrones and crowns; and of emperors assembled to
decide the fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri.
(Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, 1938, pp. 210-11.)

Orson F. Whitney: 7

All these things . . . shall be for thy good

It remained for the Prophet Joseph Smith to . . . set forth the why and wherefore of human suffering; and in revealing it he gave us a strength and power to endure that
we did not before possess. For when men know why they suffer, and realize that it is for a good and wise purpose, they can bear it much better than they can in
ignorance.

The Prophet was lying in a dungeon [Liberty, Missouri] for the gospel's sake. He called upon God, "who controlleth and subjecteth the devil," and God answered
telling him that his sufferings should be but "a small moment." "Thou art not yet as Job," said the Lord, "thy friends do not contend against thee." Job's friends, it will be
remembered, tried to convince him that he must have done something wrong or those trials would not have come upon him. But Job had done no wrong; it was
"without cause" that Satan had sought to destroy him. God said to Joseph: "If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; perils
among robbers; perils by land and sea; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the billowing surge conspire against thee, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the
mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good."

There is the reason. It is for our development, our purification, our growth, our education and advancement, that we buffet the fierce waves of sorrow and misfortune;
and we shall be all the stronger and better when we have swum the flood and stand upon the farther shore. . . .

The fall of Adam and Eve was a great calamity, but it brought forth a wonderful blessing; it gave us our bodies, with endless opportunities to advance and achieve. It
brought death into the world, but it also brought forth the human family. There was the compensation. "Adam fell that men might be: and men are, that they might have
joy." [2 Nephi 2:25.] The crucifixion of Christ was a terrible calamity, but the atonement connected with it was the foreordained means of man's salvation. Israel's
calamitous fate proved a blessing to the world in general. God's promises to Abraham had to be made good. "In thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed." [Abr. 2:11.] This promise was fulfilled in Christ, but an important part of the fulfillment began when the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were flung
broadcast over the world, and the barren wastes of unbelief might be sprinkled with the blood that believes, and made fruitful of faith and righteousness.

So it is with all our troubles and sorrows; there is a compensation for them. The philosopher Emerson says:

A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a loss of wealth, a loss of friends, seems at the moment unpaid loss, and unpayable. But the sure years reveal the deep
remedial force that underlies all facts. The death of a dear friend, wife, brother, lover, which seemed nothing but privation, somewhat later assumes the aspect of a
guide or genius; for it commonly operates revolutions in our way of life, terminates an epoch of infancy or of youth which was waiting to be closed, breaks up a wonted
occupation, or a household or a style of living, and allows the formation of new ones more friendly to the growth of character. It permits or constrains the formation of
new acquaintances and the reception of new influences that prove of the first importance to the next years; and the man or woman who would have remained a sunny
garden flower, with no room for its roots and too much sunshine for its head, by the falling of the walls and the neglect of the gardener, is made the banyan of the forest,
yielding shade and fruit to wide neighborhoods of men.

How true! To whom do we look, in days of grief and disaster, for help and consolation? Who are these friendly neighbors gathered in today? They are men and
women who have suffered, and out of their experience in suffering they bring forth the riches of their sympathy and condolences as a blessing to those now in need.
Could they do this had they not suffered themselves?

When the sky darkens and the tempest threatens, where do we go for shelter? To the sagebrush or the willow? No, rather to some spreading oak that has withstood
the storms of ages and become stronger because of the fierce winds that have swayed its branches and caused its roots to strike deeper and deeper into the soil. When
we want counsel and comfort, we do not go to children, nor to those who know nothing but pleasure and self-gratification. We go to men and women of thought and
sympathy, men and women who have suffered themselves and can give us the comfort that we need. Is not this God's purpose in causing his children to suffer? He
wants them to become more like himself. God has suffered far more than man ever did or ever will, and is therefore the great source of sympathy and consolation.
"Who are these arrayed in white, nearest to the throne of God?" asked John the Apostle, wrapt in his mighty vision. The answer was: "These are they who have come
up through great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." [Rev. 7:13-14.]

There is always a blessing in sorrow and humiliation. They who escape these things are not the fortunate ones. "Whom God loveth he chasteneth." [Heb. 12:6.] When
he desires to make a great man he takes a little street waif, or a boy in the back-woods, such as Lincoln or Joseph Smith, and brings him up through hardship and
privation to be the grand and successful leader of a people. Flowers shed most of their perfume when they are crushed. Men and women have to suffer just so much in
order to bring out the best that is in them. (IE, November 1918, 22:5-7.)

Joseph Smith: 6

If thine enemies fall upon thee

Myself and fellow prisoners were taken to the town, [Far West, Mo.] into the public square, and before departure we, after much entreaty, were suffered to see our
families, being attended all the while by a strong guard. I found my wife and children in tears, who feared we had been shot by those who had sworn to take our lives,
and that they would see me no more. When I entered my house, they clung to my garments, their eyes streaming with tears while mingled emotions of joy and sorrow
were manifested in their countenances. I requested to have a private interview with them a few minutes, but this privilege was denied me by the guard. I was then
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My partner wept, my children clung to me, until they were thrust from me by the swords of the guards. I felt overwhelmed while I witnessed the scene, and could only
Myself and fellow prisoners were taken to the town, [Far West, Mo.] into the public square, and before departure we, after much entreaty, were suffered to see our
families, being attended all the while by a strong guard. I found my wife and children in tears, who feared we had been shot by those who had sworn to take our lives,
and that they would see me no more. When I entered my house, they clung to my garments, their eyes streaming with tears while mingled emotions of joy and sorrow
were manifested in their countenances. I requested to have a private interview with them a few minutes, but this privilege was denied me by the guard. I was then
obliged to take my departure. . . .

My partner wept, my children clung to me, until they were thrust from me by the swords of the guards. I felt overwhelmed while I witnessed the scene, and could only
recommend them to care of that God whose kindness had followed me to the present time, and who alone could protect them, and deliver me from the hands of my
enemies, and restore me to my family. (HC 3:193, November 2, 1838.)

Erastus Snow: 8

Art thou greater than he?

It is not necessary, in the providence of God, that we should all be martyrs; it is not necessary that all should suffer death upon the cross, because it was the will of the
Father that Jesus should so suffer, neither is it necessary that all the Saints of this last dispensation should perish because our prophet perished, but yet it may be
necessary that some should, that a sufficient number of faithful witnesses of God and of his Christ should suffer, and even perish by the hands of their enemies, to prove
and show unto the world-the unbelieving and unthinking-that their testimony is true, and that they are ready not only to bear testimony inward, but in deed, to sustain
and honor their testimony through their lives; and also in their death; and greater love than this no man can have for his friend or for his bosom companion, not even
David and Jonathan, whose love for each other is said to have surpassed the love of woman. [1 Sam. 20.] No one can give a stronger assurance of his devotion to the
principles he has received and which he teaches to his fellow man, than to patiently endure suffering and endurance even unto death. (JD, October 1879, 21:26.)

Daniel H. Wells: 8

Art thou greater than he?

Do not let us be discouraged at difficulties and trials, for we are sent to this state of existence for the express purpose of descending below all things, that we may pass
the ordeals and trials of this life and thereby prove our integrity and be prepared to rise above all things. And after all, we have not been called upon to endure to that
extent that the Savior of the world was. But he was not subjected to the afflictions he had to endure without hope, neither are we; but we are called to pass through
them that we may prove whether we have power and strength to stand in that day when all things shall be shaken, and nothing doubting, cleave to the Lord our God
with full purpose of heart, no matter how much things are against us, apparently. If we can pass these tests and trials we shall prove to God and angels that we are
worthy to receive the welcome plaudit, "well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord." [Matt. 25:21-23.] (JD, March 22, 1868,
12:235.)

Joseph Smith: 9

Thy years shall not be numbered less

I know what I say; I understand my mission and business. God Almighty is my shield; and what can man do if God is my friend? I shall not be sacrificed until my time
comes; then I shall be offered freely. (HC 5:259, January 22, 1843.)

Spencer W. Kimball: 9

Thy days are known

Was there frustration in the martyrdom of Joseph Smith? Joseph was protected and his life saved in every instance of persecution until his work was finished and he had
done his part in the restoration of the gospel and the priesthood and all other keys of the dispensation, and until the organization of the kingdom was effected. He could
not be killed before that time, though all hell raged against him. He wanted to live. Life was sweet to him. It held promise of sweet associations with his family, his
brethren and the satisfaction of seeing the work blossom into a full-blown flower. But his work was done; other strong leaders could now carry on; he was needed in
other fields. Only in his thirties, a very young man, he died, and commenced his work in other realms. (CR, April 1945, p. 59.)

Section 123

Duty of the Saints in relation to their persecutors, as set forth by Joseph Smith the Prophet, while a prisoner in the jail at Liberty, Missouri, March, 1839. See History
the Church, vol. 3, p. 302.-All facts relating to the sufferings and abuses of the people by their persecutors to be recorded-The record of persecution to be published.

1. And again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the saints gathering up a knowledge of all the facts, and sufferings and abuses put upon them
by the people of this State;

2. And also of all the property and amount of damages which they have sustained, both of character and personal injuries, as well as real property;

3. And also the names of all persons that have had a hand in their oppressions, as far as they can get hold of them and find them out.

4. And perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things, and to take statements and affidavits; and also to gather up the libelous publications that are
afloat;

5. And all that are in the magazines, and in the encyclopedias, and all the libelous histories that are published, and are writing, and by whom, and present the whole
concatenation of diabolical rascality and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practised upon this people-

6. That we may not only publish to all the world, but present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as the last effort which is enjoined on us
by our Heavenly Father, before we can fully and completely claim that promise which shall call him forth from his hiding place; and also that the whole nation may be
left without excuse before he can send forth the power of his mighty arm.

7. It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been
made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hand of murder, tyranny, and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the
influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with
confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity.
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8. It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell.
7. It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been
made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hand of murder, tyranny, and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the
influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with
confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity.

8. It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell.

9. Therefore it is an imperative duty that we owe, not only to our own wives and children, but to the widows and fatherless, whose husbands and fathers have been
murdered under its iron hand;

10. Which dark and blackening deeds are enough to make hell itself shudder, and to stand aghast and pale, and the hands of the very devil to tremble and palsy.

11. And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart-

12. For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it-

13. Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from
heaven-

14. These should then be attended to with great earnestness.

15. Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.

16. You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the
waves.

17. Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of
God, and for his arm to be revealed.

George Q. Cannon: Introduction

In prison [Liberty, Missouri, March 1839] , Joseph was in constant communion with the heavens and he received revelation [Sections 121, 122 and 123; March 25,
1839, HC 3:289-305] , without which he and his brethren must have been cast down and without hope. He also sent epistles full of instruction and hope to leading men
among the Saints. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, p. 283.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 1-6

The law of retribution is often slow, but is sure. The Lord promised to punish his enemies and mete out to them suitable reward for all the evil they had heaped upon his
servants. Punishment for sin does not always follow in this mortal life; the greater part of it quite generally is held in reserve for a future day. That records might be kept
on earth as well as in heaven, the Lord commanded (Sec. 123) that there be gathered all the knowledge of all the acts, and sufferings and the abuses put upon the
members of the Church by the State of Missouri. Also a record should be kept of all the property destroyed, the damages sustained, both to the character and the
personal injuries and to the real property of the Saints. The names of those who were engaged in this wickedness and these murders and drivings were also to be
gathered and preserved. A committee was appointed to gather this evidence that it might be on file. This information would be of value when presented before the
Government of the United States when the Church should seek justice at the seat of government. If redress could not be obtained there, then the evidence would stand
against those who were guilty, before the Eternal Tribunal which will try all men and all things.

This gathering of information was not to be confined to the deeds committed in Missouri, but should reach out to embrace the wickedness, falsehoods, and deeds of
those who fought the truth throughout all time. Magazine articles, writings in encyclopedias, all libelous histories, and other writings . . . were to be gathered that they
might be published to the world, sent to the heads of government. [Sec. 123:5, quoted.] (CHMR, 1949, 3:203-4.)

Joseph F. Smith: 4

Libelous publications

Now, what means are they using and what means have they been using, for years, against the Church? Ridicule, contumely, falsehood, slander, misrepresentation! Men
that fight against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints build up "men of straw" and slaughter them. They advance ideas that do not belong to us, that we have
never held, that we do not advocate, that are no part of our doctrine or religion at all. They conjure up these propositions in their own minds, and then proceed, with all
the eloquence and fervor of their souls, to tear in pieces and destroy the images of their own minds. They do not fight Mormonism-they can't, without they fight God
and the truth! The moment that men attempt to fight this Church they fight God, they fight the principles of His gospel and His truth; they fight faith in God, faith in Jesus
Christ, faith in righteousness, faith in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, faith in every principle that exalts and uplifts and ameliorates the condition of man in the
world. If they undertake to fight us they fight these principles, because we have espoused these principles. They are our principles, and they are not principles of error,
of injustice, or unvirtue, or of ungodliness. We do not espouse any such doctrine as that, neither do we teach it, when we are in the faith and fellowship of the Lord.
(CR, October 1910, pp. 128-29.)

First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, John Henry Smith): 4

Libelous publications

It is impossible to take up all the misrepresentations given to the world by anti "Mormon" preachers and writers. They have one merit. They stir up interest in what is
called the "Mormon" question. People are led thus to investigate and many of them find out the truth, and unite with the people who are so greatly maligned. Our
doctrines are open to the world. They are not secret or clothed in mystery. We proclaim the pure gospel of Christ as revealed from heaven in these last days through
the great prophet of the nineteenth century, Joseph Smith. [Sec. 1:17; 5:7-10.] We invite all mankind to look into our teachings and promise all who obey them a
witness of their truth by the power of the Holy Ghost which makes men free indeed. (CR, April 1911, p. 130.)

Anthony W. Ivins: 6

Present them(c). .2005-2009,
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It is not often that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pays attention to misrepresentations, but, when their doctrines are ridiculed, when they are
misrepresented, when they are spoken of with contempt, and when these things are published and sent broadcast to the world, by which men and women follow after
witness of their truth by the power of the Holy Ghost which makes men free indeed. (CR, April 1911, p. 130.)

Anthony W. Ivins: 6

Present them . . . in all their dark and hellish hue

It is not often that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pays attention to misrepresentations, but, when their doctrines are ridiculed, when they are
misrepresented, when they are spoken of with contempt, and when these things are published and sent broadcast to the world, by which men and women follow after
the falsehoods which are told, it becomes necessary, sometimes, to correct them, and expose the false basis upon which men reached conclusions in regard to the faith
of the Latter-day Saints. (CR, October 1910, p. 42.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 7-17

The work of gathering the libelous articles from magazines, books, newspapers, and all sources, still goes on. In the library of the Historian's Office, there are on file
today upwards of 2,000 books, encyclopedias, magazines, histories, pamphlets, communications, etc., sent forth by Satan and his emissaries, and still this flood of
wicked and malicious falsehood goes on and evidently will go on until the Lord comes to cleanse the earth of all its filthiness. (CHMR, 1949, 3:204.)

David O. McKay: 11

An imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation

I give you my testimony that God lives; that he is close to us; that his spirit is real, that his voice is real; that Jesus Christ his Son, stands at the head of this great work;
and no matter how much the atheistic philosophy takes hold of blinded boys and girls and men who hear Satan's voice, the truth stands as declared by the Father and
the Son to that boy Prophet. You and I and all the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the responsibility to declare that truth to the
world, and the world is full of honest men and women waiting to hear that truth. Let us not condemn them. Condemn the evil men who would blind them with their
sophistry and with false reasoning. (IE, December 1961, 64:976.)

Abraham O. Woodruff: 11

The pure in heart

We never expect the wicked or the ungodly to be pleased with the plan of salvation which the Lord has revealed, but we do hope that the honest in heart will be able to
see the kingdom of God as it has been established. (CR, April 1904, p. 36.)

Hyrum M. Smith: 12

Blinded by the subtle craftiness of men

Therefore, I say I do not believe the people are in this condition of unbelief, indifference and contention because they prefer to be in that condition, but because for
centuries they have been led by men who had not themselves a knowledge of the truth. . . . Their eyes have been blinded to the truth, while they have been led to
believe that what they received was the truth. . . .

You Latter-day Saints ought to praise God; but in your thankfulness for the greater blessings which you enjoy, you ought not to denounce others because they have not
so much good as you have. No; our whole souls should be filled with pity because of their condition, and we should sympathize with them because of their ignorance
and blindness because they are being led by blind guides. We should go forth among them with the sole desire in our hearts to manifest unto them that which God has
revealed unto us, and carry to them that which has made us free and happy, and which has made us in very deed the Church and people of God. That should be the
feeling of the Latter-day Saints. (CR, October 1903, pp. 70-71.)

John A. Widtsoe: 12

Kept from the truth because they know not where to find it

The world is looking for that which we have to give them, though they know it not. . . . Men walk in darkness, seeking for light, they desire righteousness, for a desire
for light and truth is in the heart of every man. They walk in darkness, trying to find their way out, pleading often for help.

I recall very distinctly the first experience I had as our ship touched British shores six years ago last December. The official of the British government who came on
board to stamp our passports, to permit us to enter the country, when he came to me and my family discovered what we were about, he refused us entrance. "I cannot
permit you to enter; we do not want your kind of people in our country. We may tolerate the young Elders, but not you who are leaders." In the course of the
conversation that followed-I must not take the time to detail it here-he said, "What do you intend to teach if I permit you to enter England?" I answered him, "We intend
to teach the British people so far as we are able how to win happiness while they live on earth, and how to find happiness in the life to come. We intend to teach them
the meaning of life, where they come from, why they are here, and where they are going."

Almost in a breath this official stamped the passports and said: "Now we are done with that. Let's talk about Mormonism. I belong to a church but I am dissatisfied
with it. It does not answer the problems of my life. It does not answer the questions that lie within my soul. I want to hear your teachings. Can you really tell me whence
I came? Can you tell me why I am here? Can you tell me where I am going, for I know that life upon earth will end?" He became a fast friend-a type of millions of
people in the world today who walk in darkness, feeling the need of light. Our obligation is to these people the world over. (CR, April 1934, pp. 114-15.)

Section 124

Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, January 19, 1841. Because of increasing persecutions and illegal procedures against them by public
officers, the Saints had been compelled to leave Missouri. The exterminating order issued by Lilburn W. Boggs, Governor of Missouri, dated October 27, 1838, had
left them no alternative. See History of the Church, vol. 3, p. 175. In 1841, when this revelation was given, the city of Nauvoo, occupying the site of the former village
of Commerce, Illinois, had been built up by the Saints, and here the headquarters of the Church had been established.-Proclamation to the president of the United
States, the governors of the States, and to the rulers of all nations-Blessed state of former members of the Church who had died-George Miller called to the bishopric-
A house of entertainment for strangers to be erected-A Temple to be built at Nauvoo-No baptismal font upon the earth for the administration of baptisms for the dead-
Reason for the command to Moses to build a tabernacle in the wilderness-Promise of revelations concerning sacred things thus far hidden-Men who prevent the Saints
from carrying out the commandments of God to be held accountable-Delay in building a Temple in Jackson county, Missouri, tolerated-The house of entertainment to
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Patriarch to the Church-His great powers and privileges-He receives the same office in the Priesthood once conferred upon Oliver Cowdery-General, stake and local
officers of the Church named.
States, the governors of the States, and to the rulers of all nations-Blessed state of former members of the Church who had died-George Miller called to the bishopric-
A house of entertainment for strangers to be erected-A Temple to be built at Nauvoo-No baptismal font upon the earth for the administration of baptisms for the dead-
Reason for the command to Moses to build a tabernacle in the wilderness-Promise of revelations concerning sacred things thus far hidden-Men who prevent the Saints
from carrying out the commandments of God to be held accountable-Delay in building a Temple in Jackson county, Missouri, tolerated-The house of entertainment to
be known as Nauvoo House-Directions for its building and administration-William Law called to be a counselor in the First Presidency-Hyrum Smith called to be the
Patriarch to the Church-His great powers and privileges-He receives the same office in the Priesthood once conferred upon Oliver Cowdery-General, stake and local
officers of the Church named.

1. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Joseph Smith, I am well pleased with your offering and acknowledgments, which you have made; for unto this end
have I raised you up, that I might show forth my wisdom through the weak things of the earth.

2. Your prayers are acceptable before me; and in answer to them I say unto you, that you are now called immediately to make a solemn proclamation of my gospel,
and of this stake which I have planted to be a corner-stone of Zion, which shall be polished with the refinement which is after the similitude of a palace.

3. This proclamation shall be made to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable president-elect, and the high-minded governors of the
nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth scattered abroad.

4. Let it be written in the spirit of meekness and by the power of the Holy Ghost, which shall be in you at the time of the writing of the same;

5. For it shall be given you by the Holy Ghost to know my will concerning those kings and authorities, even what shall befall them in a time to come.

6. For, behold, I am about to call upon them to give heed to the light and glory of Zion, for the set time has come to favor her.

7. Call ye, therefore, upon them with loud proclamation, and with your testimony, fearing them not, for they are as grass, and all their glory as the flower thereof which
soon falleth, that they may be left also without excuse-

8. And that I may visit them in the day of visitation, when I shall unveil the face of my covering, to appoint the portion of the oppressor among hypocrites, where there is
gnashing of teeth, if they reject my servants and my testimony which I have revealed unto them.

9. And again, I will visit and soften their hearts, many of them for your good, that ye may find grace in their eyes, that they may come to the light of truth, and the
Gentiles to the exaltation or lifting up of Zion.

10. For the day of my visitation cometh speedily, in an hour when ye think not of; and where shall be the safety of my people, and refuge for those who shall be left of
them?

11. Awake, O kings of the earth! Come ye, O, come ye, with your gold and your silver, to the help of my people, to the house of the daughters of Zion.

12. And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant Robert B. Thompson help you to write this proclamation, for I am well pleased with him, and that he should be with
you;

13. Let him, therefore, hearken to your counsel, and I will bless him with a multiplicity of blessings; let him be faithful and true in all things from henceforth, and he shall
be great in mine eyes;

14. But let him remember that his stewardship will I require at his hands.

15. And again, verily I say unto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which
is right before me, saith the Lord.

16. Again, let my servant John C. Bennett help you in your labor in sending my word to the kings and people of the earth, and stand by you, even you my servant
Joseph Smith, in the hour of affliction; and his reward shall not fail if he receive counsel.

17 . And for his love he shall be great, for he shall be mine if he do this, saith the Lord. I have seen the work which he hath done, which I accept if he continue, and will
crown him with blessings and great glory.

18. And again, I say unto you that it is my will that my servant Lyman Wight should continue in preaching for Zion, in the spirit of meekness, confessing me before the
world; and I will bear him up as on eagles' wings; and he shall beget glory and honor to himself and unto my name.

19. That when he shall finish his work I may receive him unto myself, even as I did my servant David Patten, who is with me at this time, and also my servant Edward
Partridge, and also my aged servant Joseph Smith, Sen., who sitteth with Abraham at his right hand, and blessed and holy is he, for he is mine.

20. And again, verily I say unto you, my servant George Miller is without guile; he may be trusted because of the integrity of his heart; and for the love which he has to
my testimony I, the Lord, love him.

21. I therefore say unto you, I seal upon his head the office of a bishopric, like unto my servant Edward Partridge, that he may receive the consecrations of mine house,
that he may administer blessings upon the heads of the poor of my people, saith the Lord. Let no man despise my servant George, for he shall honor me.

22. Let my servant George, and my servant Lyman, and my servant John Snider, and others, build a house unto my name, such a one as my servant Joseph shall show
unto them, upon the place which he shall show unto them also.

23. And it shall be for a house for boarding, a house that strangers may come from afar to lodge therein; therefore let it be a good house, worthy of all acceptation, that
the weary traveler may find health and safety while he shall contemplate the word of the Lord; and the corner-stone I have appointed for Zion.

24. This house shall be a healthful habitation if it be built unto my name, and if the governor which shall be appointed unto it shall not suffer any pollution to come upon
it. It shall be holy, or the Lord your God will not dwell therein.

25. And again, verily I say unto you, let all my saints come from afar.

26. And send
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your antiquities; and with all who have knowledge of antiquities, that will come, may come, and bring the box-tree, and the fir-tree, and the pine-tree, together with all
the precious trees of the earth;
it. It shall be holy, or the Lord your God will not dwell therein.

25. And again, verily I say unto you, let all my saints come from afar.

26. And send ye swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and say unto them: Come ye, with all your gold, and your silver, and your precious stones, and with all
your antiquities; and with all who have knowledge of antiquities, that will come, may come, and bring the box-tree, and the fir-tree, and the pine-tree, together with all
the precious trees of the earth;

27. And with iron, with copper, and with brass, and with zinc, and with all your precious things of the earth; and build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell
therein.

28. For there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the
priesthood.

29. For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead-

30. For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me.

31. But I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me; and during this time your baptisms
shall be acceptable unto me.

32. But behold, at the end of this appointment your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment
ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.

33. For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptizing for the dead belongeth, and for which the
same was instituted from before the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be acceptable unto me;

34. For therein are the keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that you may receive honor and glory.

35. And after this time, your baptisms for the dead, by those who are scattered abroad, are not acceptable unto me, saith the Lord.

36. For it is ordained that in Zion, and in her stakes, and in Jerusalem, those places which I have appointed for refuge, shall be the places for your baptisms for your
dead.

37. And again, verily I say unto you, how shall your washings be acceptable unto me, except ye perform them in a house which you have built to my name?

38. For, for this cause I commanded Moses that he should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of
promise, that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was.

39. Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your
sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the beginning of
the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house, which my
people are always commanded to build unto my holy name.

40. And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people;

41. For I deign to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness
of times.

42. And I will show unto my servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house, and the priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built.

43. And ye shall build it on the place where you have contemplated building it, for that is the spot which I have chosen for you to build it.

44. If ye labor with all your might, I will consecrate that spot that it shall be made holy.

45. And if my people will hearken unto my voice, and unto the voice of my servants whom I have appointed to lead my people, behold, verily I say unto you, they shall
not be moved out of their place.

46. But if they will not hearken to my voice, nor unto the voice of these men whom I have appointed, they shall not be blest, because they pollute mine holy grounds,
and mine holy ordinances, and charters, and my holy words which I give unto them.

47. And it shall come to pass that if you build a house unto my name, and do not do the things that I say, I will not perform the oath which I make unto you, neither fulfil
the promises which ye expect at my hands, saith the Lord.

48. For instead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads, by your follies, and by all your
abominations, which you practise before me, saith the Lord.

49. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might
and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it
behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings.

50. And the iniquity and transgression of my holy laws and commandments I will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my work, unto the third and fourth
generation, so long as they repent not, and hate me, saith the Lord God.

51. Therefore, for this cause have I accepted the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and a house unto my name, in Jackson county, Missouri, and
were hindered by their enemies, saith the Lord your God.

52. And I will
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they repent not, and hate me, saith the Lord your God.

53. And this I make an example unto you, for your consolation concerning all those who have been commanded to do a work and have been hindered by the hands of
51. Therefore, for this cause have I accepted the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and a house unto my name, in Jackson county, Missouri, and
were hindered by their enemies, saith the Lord your God.

52. And I will answer judgment, wrath, and indignation, wailing, and anguish, and gnashing of teeth upon their heads, unto the third and fourth generation, so long as
they repent not, and hate me, saith the Lord your God.

53. And this I make an example unto you, for your consolation concerning all those who have been commanded to do a work and have been hindered by the hands of
their enemies, and by oppression, saith the Lord your God.

54. For I am the Lord your God, and will save all those of your brethren who have been pure in heart, and have been slain in the land of Missouri, saith the Lord.

55. And again, verily I say unto you, I command you again to build a house to my name, even in this place, that you may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in
all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life.

56. And now I say unto you, as pertaining to my boarding house which I have commanded you to build for the boarding of strangers, let it be built unto my name, and
let my name be named upon it, and let my servant Joseph and his house have place therein, from generation to generation.

57. For this anointing have I put upon his head, that his blessing shall also be put upon the head of his posterity after him.

58. And as I said unto Abraham concerning the kindreds of the earth, even so I say unto my servant Joseph: In thee and in thy seed shall the kindred of the earth be
blessed.

59. Therefore, let my servant Joseph and his seed after him have place in that house, from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord.

60. And let the name of that house be called Nauvoo House; and let it be a delightful habitation for man, and a resting-place for the weary traveler, that he may
contemplate the glory of Zion, and the glory of this, the corner-stone thereof;

61. That he may receive also the counsel from those whom I have set to be as plants of renown, and as watchmen upon her walls.

62. Behold, verily I say unto you, let my servant George Miller, and my servant Lyman Wight, and my servant John Snider, and my servant Peter Haws, organize
themselves, and appoint one of them to be a president over their quorum for the purpose of building that house.

63. And they shall form a constitution, whereby they may receive stock for the building of that house.

64. And they shall not receive less than fifty dollars for a share of stock in that house, and they shall be permitted to receive fifteen thousand dollars from any one man
for stock in that house.

65. But they shall not be permitted to receive over fifteen thousand dollars stock from any one man.

66. And they shall not be permitted to receive under fifty dollars for a share of stock from any one man in that house.

67. And they shall not be permitted to receive any man, as a stockholder in this house, except the same shall pay his stock into their hands at the time he receives stock;

68. And in proportion to the amount of stock he pays into their hands he shall receive stock in that house; but if he pays nothing into their hands he shall not receive any
stock in that house.

69. And if any pay stock into their hands it shall be for stock in that house, for himself, and for his generation after him, from generation to generation, so long as he and
his heirs shall hold that stock, and do not sell or convey the stock away out of their hands by their own free will and act, if you will do my will, saith the Lord your God.

70. And again, verily I say unto you, if my servant George Miller, and my servant Lyman Wight, and my servant John Snider, and my servant Peter Haws, receive any
stock into their hands, in moneys, or in properties wherein they receive the real value of moneys, they shall not appropriate any portion of that stock to any other
purpose, only in that house.

71. And if they do appropriate any portion of that stock anywhere else, only in that house, without the consent of the stockholder, and do not repay fourfold for the
stock which they appropriate anywhere else, only in that house, they shall be accursed, and shall be moved out of their place, saith the Lord God; for I, the Lord, am
God, and cannot be mocked in any of these things.

72. Verily I say unto you, let my servant Joseph pay stock into their hands for the building of that house, as seemeth him good; but my servant Joseph cannot pay over
fifteen thousand dollars stock in that house, nor under fifty dollars; neither can any other man, saith the Lord.

73. And there are others also who wish to know my will concerning them, for they have asked it at my hands.

74. Therefore, I say unto you concerning my servant Vinson Knight, if he will do my will let him put stock into that house for himself, and for his generation after him,
from generation to generation.

75. And let him lift up his voice long and loud, in the midst of the people, to plead the cause of the poor and the needy; and let him not fail, neither let his heart faint; and
I will accept of his offerings, for they shall not be unto me as the offerings of Cain, for he shall be mine, saith the Lord.

76. Let his family rejoice and turn away their hearts from affliction; for I have chosen him and anointed him, and he shall be honored in the midst of his house, for I will
forgive all his sins, saith the Lord. Amen.

77. Verily I say unto you, let my servant Hyrum put stock into that house as seemeth him good, for himself and his generation after him, from generation to generation.

78. Let my servant Isaac Galland put stock into that house; for I, the Lord, love him for the work he hath done, and will forgive all his sins; therefore, let him be
remembered for an interest in that house from generation to generation.

79. Let my servant
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           (c) 2005-2009,        be appointed
                           Infobase           among you, and be ordained by my servant William Marks, and be blessed of him, to go with my servant
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accomplish the work that my servant Joseph shall point out to them, and they shall be greatly blessed.

80. Let my servant William Marks pay stock into that house, as seemeth him good, for himself and his generation, from generation to generation.
78. Let my servant Isaac Galland put stock into that house; for I, the Lord, love him for the work he hath done, and will forgive all his sins; therefore, let him be
remembered for an interest in that house from generation to generation.

79. Let my servant Isaac Galland be appointed among you, and be ordained by my servant William Marks, and be blessed of him, to go with my servant Hyrum to
accomplish the work that my servant Joseph shall point out to them, and they shall be greatly blessed.

80. Let my servant William Marks pay stock into that house, as seemeth him good, for himself and his generation, from generation to generation.

81. Let my servant Henry G. Sherwood pay stock into that house, as seemeth him good, for himself and his seed after him, from generation to generation.

82. Let my servant William Law pay stock into that house, for himself and his seed after him, from generation to generation.

83. If he will do my will let him not take his family unto the eastern lands, even unto Kirtland; nevertheless, I, the Lord, will build up Kirtland, but I, the Lord, have a
scourge prepared for the inhabitants thereof.

84. And with my servant Almon Babbitt, there are many things with which I am not pleased; behold, he aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I
have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church; and he setteth up a golden calf for the worship of my people.

85. Let no man go from this place who had come here essaying to keep my commandments.

86. If they live here let them live unto me; and if they die let them die unto me; for they shall rest from all their labors here, and shall continue their works.

87. Therefore, let my servant William put his trust in me, and cease to fear concerning his family, because of the sickness of the land. If ye love me, keep my
commandments; and the sickness of the land shall redound to your glory.

88. Let my servant William go and proclaim my everlasting gospel with a loud voice, and with great joy, as he shall be moved upon by my Spirit, unto the inhabitants of
Warsaw, and also unto the inhabitants of Carthage, and also unto the inhabitants of Burlington, and also unto the inhabitants of Madison, and await patiently and
diligently for further instructions at my general conference, saith the Lord.

89. If he will do my will let him from henceforth hearken to the counsel of my servant Joseph, and with his interest support the cause of the poor, and publish the new
translation of my holy word unto the inhabitants of the earth.

90. And if he will do this I will bless him with a multiplicity of blessings, that he shall not be forsaken, nor his seed be found begging bread.

91. And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant William be appointed, ordained, and anointed, as counselor unto my servant Joseph, in the room of my servant
Hyrum, that my servant Hyrum may take the office of Priesthood and Patriarch, which was appointed unto him by his father, by blessing and also by right;

92. That from henceforth he shall hold the keys of the patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all my people,

93. That whoever he blesses shall be blessed, and whoever he curses shall be cursed; that whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever
he shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

94. And from this time forth I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph;

95. That he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph; and that he shall receive counsel from my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he
may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was
my servant Oliver Cowdery;

96. That my servant Hyrum may bear record of the things which I shall show unto him, that his name may be had in honorable remembrance from generation to
generation, forever and ever.

97. Let my servant William Law also receive the keys by which he may ask and receive blessings; let him be humble before me, and be without guile, and he shall
receive of my Spirit, even the Comforter, which shall manifest unto him the truth of all things, and shall give him, in the very hour, what he shall say.

98. And these signs shall follow him-he shall heal the sick, he shall cast out devils, and shall be delivered from those who would administer unto him deadly poison;

99. And he shall be led in paths where the poisonous serpent cannot lay hold upon his heel, and he shall mount up in the imagination of his thoughts as upon eagles'
wings.

100. And what if I will that he should raise the dead, let him not withhold his voice.

101. Therefore, let my servant William cry aloud and spare not, with joy and rejoicing, and with hosannas to him that sitteth upon the throne forever and ever, saith the
Lord your God.

102. Behold, I say unto you, I have a mission in store for my servant William, and my servant Hyrum, and for them alone; and let my servant Joseph tarry at home, for
he is needed. The remainder I will show unto you hereafter. Even so. Amen.

103. And again, verily I say unto you, if my servant Sidney will serve me and be counselor unto my servant Joseph, let him arise and come up and stand in the office of
his calling, and humble himself before me.

104. And if he will offer unto me an acceptable offering, and acknowledgments, and remain with my people, behold, I, the Lord your God, will heal him that he shall be
healed; and he shall lift up his voice again on the mountains, and be a spokesman before my face.

105. Let him come and locate his family in the neighborhood in which my servant Joseph resides.

106. And in all his journeyings let him lift up his voice as with the sound of a trump, and warn the inhabitants of the earth to flee the wrath to come.
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107. Let him assist my servant Joseph, and also let my servant William Law assist my servant Joseph, in making a solemn proclamation unto the kings of the earth, even
as I have before said unto you.
105. Let him come and locate his family in the neighborhood in which my servant Joseph resides.

106. And in all his journeyings let him lift up his voice as with the sound of a trump, and warn the inhabitants of the earth to flee the wrath to come.

107. Let him assist my servant Joseph, and also let my servant William Law assist my servant Joseph, in making a solemn proclamation unto the kings of the earth, even
as I have before said unto you.

108. If my servant Sidney will do my will, let him not remove his family unto the eastern lands, but let him change their habitation, even as I have said.

109. Behold, it is not my will that he shall seek to find safety and refuge out of the city which I have appointed unto you, even the city of Nauvoo.

110. Verily I say unto you, even now, if he will hearken unto my voice, it shall be well with him. Even so. Amen.

111. And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant Amos Davies pay stock into the hands of those whom I have appointed to build a house for boarding, even the
Nauvoo House.

112. This let him do if he will have an interest; and let him hearken unto the counsel of my servant Joseph, and labor with his own hands that he may obtain the
confidence of men.

113. And when he shall prove himself faithful in all things that shall be entrusted unto his care, yea, even a few things, he shall be made ruler over many;

114. Let him therefore abase himself that he may be exalted. Even so. Amen.

115. And again, verily I say unto you, if my servant Robert D. Foster will obey my voice, let him build a house for my servant Joseph, according to the contract which
he has made with him, as the door shall be open to him from time to time.

116. And let him repent of all his folly, and clothe himself with charity; and cease to do evil, and lay aside all his hard speeches;

117. And pay stock also into the hands of the quorum of the Nauvoo House, for himself and for his generation after him, from generation to generation;

118. And hearken unto the counsel of my servants Joseph, and Hyrum, and William Law, and unto the authorities which I have called to lay the foundation of Zion; and
it shall be well with him forever and ever. Even so. Amen.

119. And again, verily I say unto you, let no man pay stock to the quorum of the Nauvoo House unless he shall be a believer in the Book of Mormon, and the
revelations I have given unto you, saith the Lord your God;

120. For that which is more or less than this cometh of evil, and shall be attended with cursings and not blessings, saith the Lord your God. Even so. Amen.

121. And again, verily I say unto you, let the quorum of the Nauvoo House have a just recompense of wages for all their labors which they do in building the Nauvoo
House; and let their wages be as shall be agreed among themselves, as pertaining to the price thereof.

122. And let every man who pays stock bear his proportion of their wages, if it must needs be, for their support, saith the Lord; otherwise, their labors shall be
accounted unto them for stock in that house. Even so. Amen.

123. Verily I say unto you, I now give unto you the officers belonging to my Priesthood, that ye may hold the keys thereof, even the Priesthood which is after the order
of Melchizedek, which is after the order of mine Only Begotten Son.

124. First, I give unto you Hyrum Smith to be a patriarch unto you, to hold the sealing blessings of my church, even the Holy Spirit of promise, whereby ye are sealed
up unto the day of redemption, that ye may not fall notwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon you.

125. I give unto you my servant Joseph to be a presiding elder over all my church, to be a translator, a revelator, a seer, and prophet.

126. I give unto him for counselors my servant Sidney Rigdon and my servant William Law, that these may constitute a quorum and First Presidency, to receive the
oracles for the whole church.

127. I give unto you my servant Brigham Young to be a president over the Twelve traveling council;

128. Which Twelve hold the keys to open up the authority of my kingdom upon the four corners of the earth, and after that to send my word to every creature.

129. They are Heber C. Kimball, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, Orson Hyde, William Smith, John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff, Willard Richards, George
A. Smith;

130. David Patten I have taken unto myself; behold, his priesthood no man taketh from him; but, verily I say unto you, another may be appointed unto the same calling.

131. And again, I say unto you, I give unto you a high council, for the corner-stone of Zion-

132. Namely, Samuel Bent, Henry G. Sherwood, George W. Harris, Charles C. Rich, Thomas Grover, Newel Knight, David Dort, Dunbar Wilson-Seymour Brunson
I have taken unto myself; no man taketh his priesthood, but another may be appointed unto the same priesthood in his stead; and verily I say unto you, let my servant
Aaron Johnson be ordained unto this calling in his stead-David Fullmer, Alpheus Cutler, William Huntington.

133. And again, I give unto you Don C. Smith to be a president over a quorum of high priests;

134. Which ordinance is instituted for the purpose of qualifying those who shall be appointed standing presidents or servants over different stakes scattered abroad;

135. And they may travel also if they choose, but rather be ordained for standing presidents; this is the office of their calling, saith the Lord your God.

136. I give unto him Amasa Lyman and Noah Packard for counselors, that they may preside over the quorum of high priests of my church, saith the Lord.
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137. And again, I say unto you, I give unto you John A. Hicks, Samuel Williams, and Jesse Baker, which priesthood is to preside over the quorum of elders, which
quorum is instituted for standing ministers; nevertheless they may travel, yet they are ordained to be standing ministers to my church, saith the Lord.
135. And they may travel also if they choose, but rather be ordained for standing presidents; this is the office of their calling, saith the Lord your God.

136. I give unto him Amasa Lyman and Noah Packard for counselors, that they may preside over the quorum of high priests of my church, saith the Lord.

137. And again, I say unto you, I give unto you John A. Hicks, Samuel Williams, and Jesse Baker, which priesthood is to preside over the quorum of elders, which
quorum is instituted for standing ministers; nevertheless they may travel, yet they are ordained to be standing ministers to my church, saith the Lord.

138. And again, I give unto you Joseph Young, Josiah Butterfield, Daniel Miles, Henry Herriman, Zera Pulsipher, Levi Hancock, James Foster, to preside over the
quorum of seventies;

139. Which quorum is instituted for traveling elders to bear record of my name in all the world, wherever the traveling high council, mine apostles, shall send them to
prepare a way before my face.

140. The difference between this quorum and the quorum of elders is that one is to travel continually, and the other is to preside over the churches from time to time;
the one has the responsibility of presiding from time to time, and the other has no responsibility of presiding, saith the Lord your God.

141. And again, I say unto you, I give unto you Vinson Knight, Samuel H. Smith, and Shadrach Roundy, if he will receive it, to preside over the bishopric; a knowledge
of said bishopric is given unto you in the book of Doctrine and Covenants.

142. And again, I say unto you, Samuel Rolfe and his counselors for priests, and the president of the teachers and his counselors, and also the president of the deacons
and his counselors, and also the president of the stake and his counselors.

143. The above offices I have given unto you, and the keys thereof, for helps and for governments, for the work of the ministry and the perfecting of my saints.

144. And a commandment I give unto you, that you should fill all these offices and approve of those names which I have mentioned, or else disapprove of them at my
general conference;

145. And that ye should prepare rooms for all these offices in my house when you build it unto my name, saith the Lord your God. Even so. Amen.

Orson F. Whitney: Introduction

That winter [1839] from ten to twelve thousand Latter-day Saints, men, women, and children, still hounded and pursued by their merciless oppressors, fled from
Missouri, leaving in places their bloody footprints in the snow of their frozen path-way. Crossing the icy Mississippi they cast themselves, homeless, plundered, and
penniless, upon the hospitable shores of Illinois. There their pitiable condition and the tragic story of their wrongs awoke wide-spread sympathy and compassion, with
corresponding sentiments of indignation and abhorrence toward their persecutors.

The main body of the Mormons were now beyond the reach of the Missourians. But some of the Committee on Exodus and a few scattered families yet remained.
These were now objects of mobocratic malice. About the middle of April a lawless band, encouraged by Judge-once Captain-Bogart, assaulted and drove away the
committee, threatened the lives of the remaining Mormons, and plundered and destroyed thousands of dollars' worth of property with which the committee were
assisting the poor to remove. (History of Utah, 1892, 1:166.)

George Q. Cannon: Introduction

On Saturday, the 6th day of April, 1839, Judge King ordered the Prophet and his fellow-prisoners off to Gallatin, Daviess County [Missouri] . . . .

The day after their arrival at Gallatin, an examination of their case commenced before a drunken jury. Austin A. King, who acted here as the presiding judge, was as
drunk as the jurymen. The same perjured testimony was invoked at this time as on previous occasions. Everything which was prejudicial to the prisoners, even when it
was a patent falsehood, and even when, if true it could have had no relevancy to the case, was eagerly seized and applauded. . . .

On the 11th of April, 1839, the grand jury brought in a bill against Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Alexander McRae, Caleb Baldwin and Lyman Wight for "murder,
treason, burglary, arson, larceny, theft and stealing." All of these counts were embodied in one indictment, and not one of them was sustained by any specific statement
of circumstances. The language of the bill proves that the grand jury . . . had failed to find a definite charge which they could substantiate, and so included everything
which they could think of. . . .

After the mock examination in Gallatin the Prophet and his companions procured a change of venue to Boone County, for which place they departed on the 15th day
of April, 1839, under charge of a strong guard. On the evening of the 16th, while pursuing their journey, all of the guards became intoxicated. It was a favorable
moment for an escape, and the brethren seized the opportunity. . . .

By this act the brethren took their change of venue from the state of Missouri to the state of Illinois. After indescribable hardships, traveling by night and suffering all
manner of privations, they arrived in Quincy, Illinois, and met the congratulations of their friends and the embraces of their families. . . .

It was on the 1st day of May that Joseph made the first purchase of lands in that locality [Commerce, Illinois]. . . .

The material welfare of the Saints increased marvelously, the marshy wilderness on the Mississippi banks soon grew to be a solid resting place for their weary feet. The
Twelve, on whom the burden of the exodus from Missouri had fallen, were now preparing for their mission to England. . . .

On the 5th day of October, 1839, a general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was convened at Nauvoo, at which it was decided to
establish a stake of Zion, and to organize a branch of the Church on the opposite side of the river in Iowa Territory, and officers were appointed to preside and officiate
in the stake and over the branch. . .

Joseph and his companion [Judge Elias Higbee] reached Washington [D.C.] on the 28th day of November, 1839. . . . The Prophet determined that the cause of his
people should be vigorously presented. He visited the leading men of the nation, including the President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. He had prepared for
presentation to Congress, an eloquent memorial in which was plainly stated the crime of Missouri. Nothing was set down in malice; but the facts were all given in such a
straightforward way that they formed apparently an irresistible argument. . . .

Some members of Congress showed a great deal of interest in the Prophet, and the cause which he was pleading; but after the most earnest effort, the only result was
toCopyright
   receive from  Martin Van Buren
             (c) 2005-2009,       the famous,
                            Infobase          almost infamous, reply:
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YOUR CAUSE IS JUST, BUT I CAN DO NOTHING FOR YOU.
straightforward way that they formed apparently an irresistible argument. . . .

Some members of Congress showed a great deal of interest in the Prophet, and the cause which he was pleading; but after the most earnest effort, the only result was
to receive from Martin Van Buren the famous, almost infamous, reply:

YOUR CAUSE IS JUST, BUT I CAN DO NOTHING FOR YOU.

And in the sense of this answer, if not in its words, the Senate and House of Representatives coincided. . . .

Becoming satisfied that there was little use for him to further press the claims of the Saints, Joseph departed from the nation's capital and returned to Nauvoo, reaching
there on the 4th day of March, 1840. . . .

Commerce was officially recognized as Nauvoo by the post office department on the 21st day of April, 1840. It was growing into the dignity of a town. In a year after
the first settlement of the Saints there, two hundred and fifty houses had been built. The region was becoming more healthful; and the Saints were achieving prosperity. .
..

On the 16th day of December, 1840, the charter of the city of Nauvoo, with charters of the Nauvoo Legion and the University of the City of Nauvoo, were signed by
Governor Thomas Carlin, having previously passed both houses of the Legislative Assembly of the state of Illinois. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp. 285-330.)

Joseph Smith: Introduction

I received the following revelation: [Section 124, follows.] (HC 4:274, January 19, 1841; Nauvoo, Illinois.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 1-11

He [Joseph Smith] is told that his offerings were acknowledged and his prayers accepted and that he is to have prepared a proclamation to go forth to all kings,
honorable presidents, governors and rulers in all the world inviting them to give heed to the word of the Lord and to the cause of Zion. [Sec. 124:1-2.] This
proclamation was to be written in the spirit of meekness and by the power of the Holy Ghost and several of the elders were named to assist the Prophet in its
preparation. If the nations and their rulers would listen to the proclamation given by inspiration from the Lord, with a humble invitation to recognize the cause of Zion,
they would be blessed; but if they refused, then in the due time of the Lord he would remember it against them in the day of his visitation. The day of visitation is the day
of the Lord's vengeance when in power he shall come to cleanse the earth. The Lord said to the nations: [Sec. 124:10-11.] It is needless to say that the kings and
honorable-minded governors and rulers paid no heed to this proclamation. What a wonderful thing it would have been, and what a great blessing to the nations, if they
had accepted this humble call! (CHMR, 1950, 4:79-80.)

George F. Richards: 1

Unto this end have I raised you up

Joseph Smith was born of humble parentage in an obscure village. He never went to college nor attended high school, but he accomplished in the short period of his life
of thirty-eight and one-half years more than any other mortal man of his time, if not of all time. . . .

During the short life of the Prophet Joseph Smith he was instrumental in the hands of the Lord in the establishment of the Church and kingdom of God on earth as seen
in vision by the Prophet Daniel. [Dan. 2.] Through him the everlasting gospel in its fulness was restored, with all its gifts, blessings, principles, and ordinances, and the
power and authority of the priesthood to administer the ordinances of the gospel to the children of men, who, by repentance and obedience, are prepared to receive
them.

The works of Joseph Smith and the spirit that prompted them live on in the hearts and lives of his followers who are numbered by the hundreds of thousands now living
and have influenced the lives of other hundreds of thousands who have gone to their reward.

More than a century has passed since the martyrdom of the Prophet, but his works and the spirit that actuated them are increasing in the earth. Many have died for the
religion established by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and there are many thousands today who would do likewise if necessary. He gave his life for the cause and, like the
Savior, sealed his testimony with his blood. [Sec. 135.] (CR, September 1949, p. 153.)

Wilford Woodruff: 3

To all the kings of the world

We have been called upon to warn all who came in our way, including kings, rulers, the rich, and learned, as well as the poor and humble. It is true that the Lord might
have enlightened the minds of the rulers, the rich, and learned, and chosen them to have performed his work in the establishment of his Church upon the earth. But he
never has seen fit to work through that channel; but he has ever chosen the poor and humble as his messengers upon the earth. (JD, January 10, 1858, 7:103.)

Joseph Smith: 12

My servant Robert B. Thompson

Elder Robert Blashel Thompson died at his residence in Nauvoo, in the 30th year of his age, in the full hope of a glorious resurrection. He was associate editor of the
Times and Seasons, colonel in the Nauvoo Legion, and had done much writing for myself and the Church. (HC 4:411, August 27, 1841.)

Heber J. Grant: 15

Because of the integrity of his heart

No mortal man who ever lived in this Church desired more to do good than did Hyrum Smith, the patriarch. I have it from the lips of my own sainted mother, that of all
the men she was acquainted with in her girlhood days in Nauvoo, she admired Hyrum Smith most for his absolute integrity and devotion to God, and his loyalty to the
prophet of God. (CR, October 1920, p. 84.)

Orson F. Whitney: 16
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Let my servant John C. Bennett help . . . his reward shall not fail if he receive counsel

In May, 1842, the treachery and rascality of a man whom the Mormon leader had befriended and loaded with honors, became known to his benefactor. That man was
prophet of God. (CR, October 1920, p. 84.)

Orson F. Whitney: 16

Let my servant John C. Bennett help . . . his reward shall not fail if he receive counsel

In May, 1842, the treachery and rascality of a man whom the Mormon leader had befriended and loaded with honors, became known to his benefactor. That man was
Dr. John C. Bennett, Mayor of Nauvoo, Chancellor of its University, and Major-General of its legion. He had become associated with the Saints soon after their
exodus from Missouri. Though a great egotist, he was a man of education, address and ability. That he had little or no principle was not immediately apparent.
Considerable of a diplomat and possessing some influence in political circles, he rendered valuable aid in securing the passage by the Illinois Legislature of the act
incorporating the city of Nauvoo. Hence the honors bestowed upon him by the Mormon people. Prior to that, and subsequently, he was Quartermaster-General of
Illinois. Bennett professed great sympathy for the Saints. He joined the Church and apparently was a sincere convert to the faith.

Governor Thomas Ford, in his history of Illinois, styles Bennett "probably the greatest scamp in the western country." But this was not until long after the Mormons,
thrice victimized, had become aware of his villainy. (History of Utah 1:193-94.)

Harold B. Lee: 19

My servant David Patten, who is with me at this time

I have thought it more than mere coincidence that one of the first martyrs in this dispensation, David W. Patten, a member of the Twelve Apostles, lost his life near the
valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, that same valley in which Adam had gathered his posterity, which the Lord had revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith was near Wight's
Ferry, at a place called Spring Hill, Daviess county, Missouri. [Sec. 116.] (CR, April 1948, p. 53.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 19

My servant Edward Partridge

Bishop Edward Partridge died Wednesday, May 27, 1840, in Nauvoo, in the forty-sixth year of his age. He was the first bishop of the Church, having been called to
that position by revelation in 1831. [Sec. 41:9.] (Essentials in Church History, 1950, p. 297.)

Joseph Smith: 19

My aged servant Joseph Smith, Sen.

My father, Joseph Smith, Sen., Patriarch of the whole Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at Nauvoo. (HC 4:189, September 14, 1840.)

John Taylor: 20-21

George Miller . . . the office of a bishopric, like unto my servant Edward Partridge

I would here remark that Edward Partridge was the first Bishop of the Church, and that he was appointed at an early day to go to the land of Zion, and to preside over
the Bishopric in that district of country. He was to purchase lands for the people that should gather there; he was to receive the consecrations of the people when they
should present themselves to him; he was to divide up the inheritances for the people, and to sit as a common judge in Israel, and hence he held charge, not as the
Bishops do here, over a particular Ward, but over the whole of that district of country in the land of Zion. . . . In the same revelation that George Miller was called to
occupy the place of Edward Partridge, and to hold the same kind of Bishopric that he held, we find that there was a Presiding Bishopric appointed. (JD, July 18, 1880,
22:199.)

Joseph F. Smith: 22-24

I would like you to turn to the book of Doctrine and Covenants and read the commandment of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the city of Nauvoo. [Sec.
124:22-24.] The people were requested to contribute of their means to take stock in this building, and they and their children after them, from generation to generation,
should have an inheritance in that building; for it was intended for the beauty of the city, for the glory of that stake of Zion, and to accommodate the stranger from afar
who came to contemplate the doctrines of the Church and the work of the Lord. (CR, October 1911, pp. 129-30.)

John A. Widtsoe: 23

A house for boarding

October 21, 1841, the cornerstone of the "Nauvoo House" was laid. However, this was never completed during the lifetime of the Prophet. August 31, 1843, he
moved into the "mansion house" in Nauvoo, a private dwelling, in which traveling guests could be entertained. (Joseph Smith, 1951, p. 212.)

Orson F. Whitney: 25

Let all my saints come from afar

These are the days of the gathering of Israel from their long dispersion. This is the dispensation of the fulness of times, when God has set his hand to gather in one all
things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. [Eph. 1:9-10.] For this purpose the Gospel was instituted, and for this purpose it was restored in these
latter days. Gathering is the great distinctive feature of the dispensation of the fulness of times. "Mormonism" does not scatter, does not disintegrate, does not divide; it
gathers, unifies, and proposes to bring together all things in Christ. (CR, April 1913, pp. 122-23.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 27

Build a house to my name

Almost as soon as the Prophet and his brethren arrived in Nauvoo from their imprisonment and persecutions in Missouri, the Lord gave instructions that a temple
should be built in Nauvoo. (CHMR, 1950, 4:80.)
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Brigham Young: 28
Build a house to my name

Almost as soon as the Prophet and his brethren arrived in Nauvoo from their imprisonment and persecutions in Missouri, the Lord gave instructions that a temple
should be built in Nauvoo. (CHMR, 1950, 4:80.)

Brigham Young: 28

There is not a place . . . that he may come to

The Saints had to flee before mobocracy. And, by toil and daily labor, they found places in Missouri, where they laid the corner stones of Temples, in Zion and her
Stakes, and then had to retreat to Illinois, to save the lives of those who could get away alive from Missouri, where fell the Apostle David W. Patten, with many like
associates, and where were imprisoned in loathsome dungeons, and fed on human flesh, Joseph and Hyrum, and many others. But before all this had transpired, the
Temple at Kirtland had fallen into the hands of wicked men, and by them been polluted, like the Temple at Jerusalem, and consequently it was disowned by the Father
and the Son. (JD, April 6, 1853, 2:32.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 28

Even the fulness of the priesthood

Joseph Smith said further: "If a man gets a fulness of the Priesthood of God, he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all
the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord."

I hope we understand that. If we want to receive the fullness of the Priesthood of God, then we must receive the fullness of the ordinances of the house of the Lord and
keep His commandments. . . .

Let me put this in a little different way. I do not care what office you hold in this Church, you may be an apostle, you may be patriarch, a high priest, or anything else,
and you cannot receive the fullness of the Priesthood unless you go into the temple of the Lord and receive these ordinances of which the Prophet speaks. No man can
get the fullness of the Priesthood outside of the temple of the Lord. There was a time when that could be done, for the Lord could give these things on the mountain
tops-no doubt that is where Moses got it, that is no doubt where Elijah got it-and the Lord said that in the days of poverty, when there was no house prepared in which
to receive these things, that they can be received on the mountain tops. But now you will have to go into the house of the Lord, and you cannot get the fullness of the
priesthood unless you go there. Do not think because anybody has a higher office in this Church than you have, that you are barred from blessings, because you can go
into the temple of the Lord and get all the blessings there are that have been revealed, if you are faithful, have them sealed upon you as an elder of this Church, and then
you have all that any man can get. There have to be offices in the Church, and we are not all called to the same calling, but you can get the fullness of the Priesthood in
the temple of the Lord by obeying this which I have read to you. I want to make this emphatic. (Elijah the Prophet and His Mission, 1936, pp. 28-29.)

Joseph Smith: 28

Even the fulness of the priesthood

He [Joseph Smith] spoke of delivering the keys of the Priesthood to the Church, and said that the faithful members of the Relief Society should receive them in
connection with their husbands, that the Saints whose integrity has been tried and proved faithful, might know how to ask the Lord and receive an answer; for
according to his prayers, God had appointed him elsewhere. (HC 4:604, April 28, 1842.)

Joseph Smith: 29

Baptized for those who are dead

I presume the doctrine of "baptism for the dead" has ere this reached your ears [the Twelve in England] , and may have raised some inquiries in your minds respecting
the same. I cannot in this letter give you all the information you may desire on the subject; but aside from knowledge independent of the Bible, I would say that it was
certainly practiced by the ancient churches; and St. Paul endeavors to prove the doctrine of the resurrection from the same, and says, "Else what shall they do which
are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?" [1 Cor. 15:29.]

I first mentioned the doctrine in public when preaching the funeral sermon of Brother Seymour Brunson; and have since then given general instructions in the Church on
the subject. The Saints have the privilege of being baptized for those of their relatives who are dead, whom they believe would have embraced the Gospel, if they had
been privileged with hearing it, and who have received the Gospel in the spirit, through the instrumentality of those who have been commissioned to preach to them
while in prison.

Without enlarging on the subject, you will undoubtedly see its consistency and reasonableness; and it presents the Gospel of Christ in probably a more enlarged scale
than some have imagined it. But as the performance of this rite is more particularly confined to this place, it will not be necessary to enter into particulars; at the same
time I always feel glad to give all the information in my power, but my space will not allow me to do it. (HC 4:231, October 19, 1840.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 31

I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house

This passage [Sec. 124:31-35] has been misinterpreted by some, especially by enemies of the Church who profess a belief in the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
but do not accept the doctrine of salvation for the dead. A careful reading of these verses will show that it was not the failure to build a house, but the failure to perform
the ordinances for the dead in the house after it was prepared for those ordinances that would cause the rejection. In the months when the saints were without a Temple
the Lord granted them the privilege of baptizing for their dead in the Mississippi River, but with the understanding that this was a special privilege which would end
when they had been given sufficient time to prepare a place in the Temple where this ordinance could be performed. For baptism for the dead, as well as other
ordinances for the dead, are to be performed in a house built to the name of the Lord and for that holy purpose. Therefore we find the members of the Church engaging
in baptisms for the dead in the river from the time the privilege was granted until the time arrived when the font in the house of the Lord was prepared for that
ordinance, and when that time arrived all baptisms for the dead in the river ceased by divine command. The Lord said: [Sec. 124:32-33, quoted.]

And if ye do not these things at the end of the appointment [v. 32], obviously does not mean "if ye do not build a temple at the end of the appointment," as our critics
infer it does, but it refers to the ordinances that were to be performed in the Temple, and the failure on the part of the Saints to perform these ordinances for their dead
was the thing that would cause their rejection with their dead, and not the failure to build the Temple, which was merely the edifice in which the saving principles were to
be performed.
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                                 Infobase  the teachings
                                                  Corp. of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who said that if we neglect the salvation of our dead, we do it at the peril of
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salvation! Why? Because we without them cannot be made perfect. [D&C 128:15.] (Salvation Universal, 1912, p. 22.)

Joseph Smith: 31-35
And if ye do not these things at the end of the appointment [v. 32], obviously does not mean "if ye do not build a temple at the end of the appointment," as our critics
infer it does, but it refers to the ordinances that were to be performed in the Temple, and the failure on the part of the Saints to perform these ordinances for their dead
was the thing that would cause their rejection with their dead, and not the failure to build the Temple, which was merely the edifice in which the saving principles were to
be performed. This is in harmony with the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who said that if we neglect the salvation of our dead, we do it at the peril of our own
salvation! Why? Because we without them cannot be made perfect. [D&C 128:15.] (Salvation Universal, 1912, p. 22.)

Joseph Smith: 31-35

I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house

There shall be no more baptisms for the dead, until the ordinance can be attended to in the Lord's house; and the Church shall not hold another General Conference,
until they can meet in said house. For thus saith the Lord! (HC 4:426, October 2, 1841.)

At five o'clock p.m., I attended the dedication of the baptismal font in the Lord's House. President Brigham Young was spokesman. (HC 4:446, November 8, 1841.)

The Twelve met in council at President Young's, and at four o'clock, repaired to the baptismal font in the basement of the Temple. Elders Brigham Young, Heber C.
Kimball and John Taylor baptized about forty persons for the dead; Elder Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, and George A. Smith confirming. These were the first
baptisms for the dead in the font. (HC 4:454, November 21, 1841.)

George A. Smith: 33

We went to work in Nauvoo and finished the Temple, and had no sooner got it done but we had to leave it to be burned by our enemies. (JD, March 18, 1855,
2:218.)

Orson Pratt: 36

By and by there will be a Temple built at Jerusalem. Who do you think is going to build it? You may think that it will be the unbelieving Jews who rejected the Savior. I
believe that that which is contained on the 77th page of the Book of Mormon [2 Nephi 8:4-17] , as well as in many other places, in that same book, will be literally
fulfilled. The Temple at Jerusalem will undoubtedly be built by those who believe in the true Messiah. Its construction will be, in some respects, different from the
Temples now being built. It will contain the throne of the Lord, upon which he will, at times, personally sit, and will reign over the house of Israel for ever. It may also
contain twelve other thrones, on which the twelve ancient Apostles will sit, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. It will, very likely, have an apartment, with a table, on
which food and drink will be prepared, such as are suitable to the taste and happiness of immortal resurrected beings, thus fulfilling the words of Jesus-"Ye that have
followed me in the regeneration shall eat and drink at my table, and sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." [Matt. 19:28.] (JD, May 20, 1877,
19:19-20.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 37-39

The importance of the ordinances in the house of the Lord is shown in verses 37-39 [Sec. 124] , where we are informed that Moses was commanded to build a
portable temple, generally called tabernacle, which could be carried with them in the wilderness. This tabernacle, is the same temple where the boy Samuel heard the
voice of the Lord. (1 Samuel, chapters 1-3.) This sacred building was later replaced by Solomon's Temple. The question is often asked, "What was the nature of the
ordinances performed in these edifices in ancient times?" The Lord explains this in the verses above cited. It is true that in ancient Israel they did not have the fulness of
ordinances as we do today, and most, if not all, of which they were privileged to receive very likely pertained to the Aaronic Priesthood. (See D&C 84:21-26.) Neither
did the ancients labor in their temples for the salvation of the dead. That work was reserved until after the Savior's visit to the spirit world where he unlocked the door
to the prisons and had the gospel carried to the spirits who had been confined. President Brigham Young understood this clearly and has said:

"Jesus was the first man that ever went to preach to the spirits in prison, holding the keys of the Gospel of salvation to them. Those keys were delivered to him in the
day and hour that he went in to the spirit world, and with them he opened the door of salvation to the spirits in prison." (JD 3:370.)

The Lord said to Enoch in speaking of the spirits of men, "But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a
prison have I prepared for them. And that which I have chosen hath plead before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in the day
that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment." (Moses 7:38-39.) The first work for the dead was accomplished by the primitive saints
after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. [1 Cor. 15:29.] (CHMR, 1950, 4:82.)

Orson Pratt: 38

Ordinances . . . hid from before the world was

You have come from the nations abroad, to be instructed in the ways of the Lord, to be taught in the ordinances that pertain to the great and last dispensation of the
fullness of times-ordinances that did not pertain to any former dispensation,-ordinances that were not made known to any former people, but ordinances and principles
that pertain to the exaltation and glory of the world which we inhabit. (JD, November 12, 1879, 21:205.)

Joseph Smith: 38-42

What was the object of gathering the Jews, or the people of God in any age of the world? . . .

The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach
the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that
purpose.

It was the design of the councils of heaven before the world was, that the principles and laws of the priesthood should be predicated upon the gathering of the people in
every age of the world. Jesus did everything to gather the people, and they would not be gathered, and He therefore poured out curses upon them. [Matt. 23:37-39.]
Ordinances instituted in the heavens before the foundation of the world, in the priesthood, for the salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed. All must be saved
on the same principles.

It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments,
washings and anointings, etc. One of the ordinances of the house of the Lord is baptism for the dead. . . .
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If a man gets a fullness of the priesthood of God, he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and
obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord. (HC 5:423-24, June 11, 1843.)
on the same principles.

It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments,
washings and anointings, etc. One of the ordinances of the house of the Lord is baptism for the dead. . . .

If a man gets a fullness of the priesthood of God, he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and
obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord. (HC 5:423-24, June 11, 1843.)

Charles W. Penrose: 39

You receive conversations

The temples will not be confined altogether to Zion, even though that may cover both North and South America. The work will spread forth in other lands as the veil
o'er the covering continues to burst. The spiritual and temporal, the heavenly and earthly will be closer, in being joined together, and the time will come when we shall
have plenty of work to do in the millennial season, the one thousand years, the one "day of the Lord," when we get communications from the priesthood behind the veil
to the priesthood in the earth, in the temples that will be erected. In those holy conversations we read about in the revelations of God, concerning the building of a house
to him, that day is not very far off, as the Lord sees things. It may be quite a while as we see them, but they are real, and that which God has promised them will surely
come to pass. (CR, October 1923, p. 14.)

Delbert L. Stapley: 39

For the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals

Men, through faithfulness, must become worthy for ordination to the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, that priesthood, after the order of the Son of God, which ordination
and priesthood makes possible receiving the spiritual blessings of God's kingdom, for it is the gospel ordinances officiated in by the authority of the Holy Priesthood that
the powers of godliness are manifest unto men in the flesh. In this dispensation God has restored the keys, powers, and authorities to officiate in all the sacred
ordinances with the right to seal and bind for time and all eternity both the living and the dead.

For the sacred purpose of obtaining the higher gospel ordinances and blessings, God has commanded that temples should be built wherein his people can receive their
endowments and sealings, to prepare them for celestial glory. Worthy women, [like] worthy men, enjoy the privileges of temple ordinances and blessings, receiving
them by the authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood. Both make covenants with God, and both accept obligations and responsibility; also pledge faithfulness and
obedience to God.

When the cornerstone of the great Salt Lake Temple was laid, Brigham Young . . . summarized the endowment in these words:

"Your endowment is to receive all those ordinances in the House of the Lord which are necessary for you after you depart this life, to enable you to walk back to the
presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key word, the signs and the tokens pertaining to the Holy Priesthood,
and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth or hell."

How sublime, comprehensive, significant, and important the endowment becomes when we understand it. When one has been endowed according to the order of the
temple rights and ordinances, then he or she is prepared for eternal sealing of husband to wife, wife to husband, and children to both, by men authorized and possessing
the keys of this sealing power. Families thus united may go on to perfection, exaltation, and eternal happiness together. (CR, April 1955, p. 67.)

Joseph Smith: 42

All things pertaining to this house

All men who become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ will have to receive the fullness of the ordinances of his kingdom; and those who will not receive all
the ordinances will come short of the fullness of that glory, if they do not lose the whole. (HC 5:424, June 11, 1843.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 42

All things pertaining to this house

Wednesday, May 4, 1842, the Prophet met with a number of brethren in the upper room of his store where he had his private office, where he kept his sacred writings,
did his translating and received revelations and held council meetings. The special reason for the gathering was of the greatest moment to the Church and to this
generation. It was the fulfillment of the promise the Lord made that he was about to reveal unto the Church "things which have been kept hid from before the foundation
of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times." [Sec. 124:41.] These things were to be made known, and the blessings coming from them to
be given to the members of the Church, within the walls of temples built to the name of the Lord. The Lord said he would reveal unto his servant, Joseph Smith "all
things pertaining to his house, and the priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built." (D&C 124:41-42.) Knowing that the Prophet would be taken in
death before this house was finished, the Lord commanded him to make known to the trusted brethren the ordinances which later would be performed in the temple
when it was finished. It was on this occasion, May 4, 1842, that the Prophet called some of these brethren to his upper room, and gave unto them instruction "in the
principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments and the communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on
to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is
enabled to secure the fullness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the
eternal worlds." [HC 5:2.] (CHMR, 1950, 4:111-12.)

J. Reuben Clark, Jr.: 45

Hearken . . . unto the voice of my servants

Some of the greatest heresies that have crept into the Christian religion came in through a very few men who held no real official position, mostly, but who spent their
time and their talents, and they were great, in trying to rationalize the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is some evidence-these were called "schoolmen," and the results of
their work "scholasticism,"-and I am persuaded that we have some tendency in that direction as among ourselves and I hope that the people will not listen to the
rationalizing of men who undertake to make God's plan conform to what they think it should be in their weak and ineffective reasonings. (CR, April 1952, p. 95.)

George Q. Cannon: 45
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Hearken . . . unto the voice of my servants

What can we do better than to show respect to our God by listening to His servant, by treating him with reverence, asking his counsel and seeking for his guidance? I
rationalizing of men who undertake to make God's plan conform to what they think it should be in their weak and ineffective reasonings. (CR, April 1952, p. 95.)

George Q. Cannon: 45

Hearken . . . unto the voice of my servants

What can we do better than to show respect to our God by listening to His servant, by treating him with reverence, asking his counsel and seeking for his guidance? I
know we pray to God for him, that he may be inspired from on high. Do you believe your prayers? Do you believe that God will and does inspire him? I hope you do;
and I hope that having this feeling, you will be prompted to different action. . . . Our settlement in these valleys was due to the recognition of that authority; the building
of these settlements throughout these valleys is due to that. And shall we say that in some things we are willing to be guided; we think it right to be guided in matters of
doctrine, etc.; but in other matters, just as important and necessary for the salvation and preservation of this people, we are not willing? Latter-day Saints, you cannot
do it. You cannot get away from this authority and remain Latter-day Saints, for you sever yourselves from the Church of God, because everything you have is based
on the recognition of this authority. (CR, April 1900, p. 13.)

Lorenzo Snow: 45

Hearken . . . unto the voice of my servants

There may be some things that the First Presidency do; that the Apostles do, that cannot for the moment be explained; yet the spirit, the motives that inspire the action
can be understood, because each member of the Church has a right to have that measure of the Spirit of God that they can judge as to those who are acting in their
interests or otherwise. . . . [Sec. 50:21-22.] (CR, October 1898, p. 54.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 46

If they will not hearken to my voice

No man ever went astray by following the counsel of the authorities of the Church. No man who ever followed the teachings or took advice or counsel from the one
who stands as the representative of the Lord ever went astray; but men who have refused to accept counsel have gone astray and into forbidden paths, and in some
instances have even denied the faith. Others who went astray because they failed to understand and to heed the counsels that were given unto them for their eternal
good, have humbled themselves and come back to the Church acknowledging their error. (CR, October 1912, p. 124.)

Brigham Young: 48

Instead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings

Who ought to be [cursed] ? Those who know their master's will, and do it not; they are worthy of many stripes; it is not those who do not know, and do not do, but
those who know it, and do not do it-they are the ones to be chastized. (JD, June 5, 1853, 1:248.)

Charles W. Penrose: 49-53

If you will read carefully the revelations I speak of now [Sec. 84 and 124] , you will find that the Lord refers particularly to this very requirement in regard to Jackson
county, Missouri, and he declares that the people there were commanded to build a house to him at that time, and on that spot. But their enemies came upon them and
prevented them from doing that which the Lord commanded them, and therefore the Lord accepted their offering. The Lord lays down there a principle which it is well
for us to understand. The Lord says that whenever he gives a commandment, no matter what it is about, to the children of man, and they go to with their might and
endeavor to fulfil his commandment, and do that which is required of them, and they are prevented by their enemies, or by any other means, from accomplishing it, he
does not require it any more at their hands. He accepts of their offering. That has applied in the past, and will apply in the future, and we should remember it. If God
gives a commandment, and we do not obey it, why he revokes it, and he revokes the blessings. If he gives us a commandment to do certain things, and we find
ourselves unable to do them, either by restricted laws or any other obstacles in the way of physical force, the Lord requires them no more but accepts our offering, and
he will visit his wrath and indignation upon those who prevent his people from accomplishing that which he required at their hands. (CR, April 1924, pp. 13-14.)

George Q. Cannon: 50

I will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my work

The edict of exile [by Governor Boggs of Missouri] was made and enforced, and so far as the Saints were concerned, the deed ended there; but not so with the state
of Missouri, for the wrong committed remained to plague and wreak its vengeance upon guilty and innocent alike. The demon conjured into power by the murderous
and plundering element of that region, would not down. When there were no "Mormons" to persecute, the turbulent spirits of the border at times fell upon each other
and at other times fell unitedly upon law-abiding, prosperous citizens. Missouri became deeply involved in the Kansas troubles, in which the lawless, mobocratic
element took bloody part; and when the Civil War opened, the government of Missouri, from the executive office down, became a chaos. The man who occupied the
place disgraced by Lilburn W. Boggs, was a secessionist, and fled from his capital to lead the state militia at Booneville against the Union troops. The national power
triumphed, and the governor and his forces, among which were many of the old mobocrats, were utterly routed. The offices which had once been disgraced by
cowards were now declared vacant by an arbitrary decree of a state convention in sympathy with the Republic, one and indivisible. The state was declared out of the
Union by the secessionist governor, and then became the theater for a fratricidal strife which deluged it with blood.

On the 31st day of August, 1861, General John C. Fremont, then in command of the western department, declared martial law in the state of Missouri, and proclaimed
free the slaves of all persons who had taken up arms against the United States. It was a wonderful retribution that Missouri, in which the mob had declared as a pretext
for their assaults upon the Saints that the latter were Abolitionists, should be the first state in which an edict of manumission went forth. It is also a wonderful retribution
that the state in which the civil power had once been helpless to protect law-abiding citizens, should, only five months after the breaking out of the war, have its civil
power abrogated and all its people placed under martial rule. . . .

Poor Missouri atoned with rivers of blood and tears for her sin against herself in permitting the executive to unsurp unlawful authority. The precedent of Boggs' exercise
of power was handed down. In the day of the persecution of the Saints, a court had decided that belief in the Bible was treason against the government. The idea had
moved with terrible momentum; for here we find in 1861 that, "even verbal opposition to the governor's assumption of authority was constituted treason."

It is true that with any kind of population Missouri must have taken part either for or against the Union; but it is also true that the existence within her boundaries of
thousands of lawless wretches who loved plunder and rapine, largely increased her sufferings. The entire state was punished for permitting the massacre of the Saints to
go unchecked and for encouraging the spirit of plunder by rewarding the mobocrats with money from the state treasury. Men learned to live by murder and rapine. It
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It is true that with any kind of population Missouri must have taken part either for or against the Union; but it is also true that the existence within her boundaries of
thousands of lawless wretches who loved plunder and rapine, largely increased her sufferings. The entire state was punished for permitting the massacre of the Saints to
go unchecked and for encouraging the spirit of plunder by rewarding the mobocrats with money from the state treasury. Men learned to live by murder and rapine. It
cost Missouri dearly to get rid of the evil, but happily for her much of the bad element was eliminated. Many of the old mobocrats suffered all the tortures which they
had inflicted.

But Missouri largely purged herself of the vile element, and after the strife was ended better men and better sentiments came into the ascendency. Some of the men who
had been averse to mobocratic violence against the Latter-day Saints believed that retribution would come. They lived to see the day of atonement and to participate in
a local reconstruction and a restoration of better things. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp. 295-96, 298-99.)

Spencer W. Kimball: 50

Since our last conference we have had a delightful message from Christopher S. Bond, governor of the state of Missouri, who advised us that he has rescinded the
138-year-old executive order of Governor Lilburn W. Boggs calling for the extermination or expulsion of the Mormons from the state of Missouri. Governor Bond,
present Missouri governor, writes:

"Expressing on behalf of all Missourians our deep regret for the injustice and undue suffering which was caused by this 1838 order, I hereby rescind Executive Order
No. 44 dated October 27, 1838, issued by Governor Lilburn W. Boggs."

To Governor Bond and the people of Missouri, we extend our deep appreciation for this reversal and for the present friendly associations between the membership of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the people of Missouri as it is now in effect.

In Missouri now we have five stakes in fifty-one communities, with approximately 15,000 members of the Church, who, we are confident, are law-abiding citizens of
the state of Missouri. Thank you, Governor Bond. (CR, October 1976, pp. 4-5.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 50

The iniquity . . . I will visit . . . unto the third and fourth generation

You have an idea that the commandment [Exodus 20:5] means that when a man sins his children will be held responsible for his folly and be punished for it, for three or
four generations. The commandment does not mean anything of this kind. The Lord never punishes a child for its parents' transgressions. He is just and merciful. The
real meaning of this visiting of the iniquity is that when a man transgresses he teaches his children to transgress, and they follow his teachings. It is natural for children to
follow in the practices of their fathers and by doing so suffer for the parents' iniquity which they have voluntarily brought upon themselves.

There are numerous other passages of scripture showing the mercy and justice of the Lord and that they are not to be punished for the fathers' transgression. Here are a
few: [Deut. 24:16; 2 Kings 14:6; 2 Chron. 25:4; Jer. 31:29-30; Ezek. 18:20, quoted.] (IE, June 1955, 58:383.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 56-83

A proclamation was also to go forth inviting the people to join in building the temple and the "boardinghouse" for strangers, which the Lord also commanded to be built
in Nauvoo. One object in having such a house as this, called the "Nauvoo House," was that there might be a proper place where strangers coming to the city, and
investigators, might be cared for in comfort without having to be entertained at the private homes of the people. The Prophet Joseph Smith and many others of the
leading brethren in Nauvoo were told to buy stock in this house and the invitation was extended to many to join in this undertaking. There have been those who have
tried to pervert the word of the Lord in this revelation because of the expression: [Sec. 124:56-57, quoted.]

This was merely a statement that the posterity of Joseph Smith should have claim after him to the extent of the stock which he held in his name. Similar expressions are
made in regard to others who paid stock into this house, that their generations after them should inherit holdings of their sires. This house was never finished because of
the persecutions which later arose and the necessity on the part of the saints to build the temple. (CHMR, 1950, 4:80-81.)

Joseph F. Smith: 84

He aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I have ordained

The moment a man says he will not submit to legally constituted authority of the Church, whether it be the Teachers, the Bishopric, the High Council, his Quorum or the
First Presidency, and in his heart confirms it and carries it out, that moment he cuts himself off from the privileges and blessings of the Priesthood and Church, and
severs himself from the people of God, for he ignores the authority that He has instituted in His Church. These are the men that generally get crochets in their heads, that
get inspiration (from beneath) and that are often so desirous to guide the Church, and to sit in judgment upon the Priesthood. The only safe way for us to do, as
individuals, is to live so humbly, so righteously and so faithfully before God, that we may possess His Spirit to that extent that we will be able to judge righteously, and
discern between truth and error, between right and wrong. . . . (JD, June 21, 1883, 24:193.)

Charles W. Penrose: 84

The counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church

Follow the counsel and advice and commandment revealed through the head of the Church to the Church and we will not go wrong. (CR, October 1922, p. 26.)

Heber C. Kimball: 84

He setteth up a golden calf

In Nauvoo we were commanded to build the Temple; and in order to accomplish that, we had to build a great many big houses . . . and the more we built, the more
means we had to build the Temple with. In the following February we left. My house was sold for seventeen hundred dollars, intended to be used to help to gather the
Saints; but Almon W. Babbitt put it in his pocket, I suppose. (JD, February 17, 1861, 8:350.)

Charles W. Penrose: 86

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He will be King of kings and Lord of lords, and every man who has labored with him and for him in this holy ministry will be crowned with glory and immortality and
"eternal lives." That means more than life, more than mere existence, it means perpetual increase of posterity worlds without end, and these blessings shall be ours if we
Saints; but Almon W. Babbitt put it in his pocket, I suppose. (JD, February 17, 1861, 8:350.)

Charles W. Penrose: 86

If they die . . . they . . . shall continue their works

He will be King of kings and Lord of lords, and every man who has labored with him and for him in this holy ministry will be crowned with glory and immortality and
"eternal lives." That means more than life, more than mere existence, it means perpetual increase of posterity worlds without end, and these blessings shall be ours if we
will prove faithful to that which we have received of the Lord, and this is what we are for in the Church, every one of us, that is our duty, that is what we are on the
earth for, to build up this Latter-day kingdom, to lead the inhabitants of the earth up to God, to bring them nearer to him so that they will be obedient in their hearts and
be willing to obey his commandments and walk in his ways and be prepared for the glorious future that lies before them. (CR, October 1921, p. 22.)

Joseph Smith: 89

If he will do my will let him . . . hearken to. . . my servant Joseph

There was a meeting at Wilson Law's, near the sawmill, of those who had been cut off from the Church, and their dupes. Several affidavits which they had taken against
me and others were read. William Law, Wilson Law, Austin A. Cowles, John Scott, Sen., Francis M. Higbee, Robert D. Foster, and Robert Pierce were appointed a
committee to visit the different families in the city, and see who would join the new church; i.e., as they had decided that I was a fallen prophet, etc.; and they appointed
William Law in my place, who chose Austin Cowles and Wilson Law as his counselors. Robert D. Foster and Francis M. Higbee to be two of the Twelve Apostles,
etc., etc., as report says. (HC 6:346-47, May 28, 1844.)

John A. Widtsoe: 89

The new translation of my holy word

Joseph Smith accepted the Bible as far as it was translated correctly but felt that many errors which should be corrected had crept into the work of the copyist and
translators. During the first year of the Church and almost to the end of his life, he endeavored through inspiration from on high to correct those many departures from
the original text. This was not fully completed when he died, but his manuscript exists in the original and in copies, and has been published by the Reorganized Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is a remarkable evidence of the prophetic power of Joseph Smith. Hundreds of changes make clear many a disputed text. It is
interesting to note that in so many instances his inspired corrections correspond to the text of modern translators. In every case his version makes the Bible statement
much more understandable. (Joseph Smith, 1951, p. 251.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 91

Let my servant William be appointed . . . counselor

William Law was called by revelation to act as second counselor in the First Presidency, in 1841, but when the doctrine of celestial marriage was revealed he turned
away from the Church, and was one of the chief plotters against the Prophet and Patriarch and helped to bring them to martyrdom. (CHMR, 1950, 4:83.)

Franklin D. Richards: 91

My servant Hyrum may take the office of . . . Patriarch . . . by right

A little more than four months after the death of the Patriarch, Joseph Smith, Sen., in a revelation given to his son Joseph, occurs the following: [Sec. 124:91-93,
quoted.]

From this we learn, that Joseph Smith, Sen., inherited the Patriarchal Priesthood, by right from the fathers over the house of Israel in this dispensation. For this right to
have descended to him, by lineage, he must of necessity be an Ephraimite, for Ephraim, by the right of appointment and ordination by his father Jacob, is the head of
Israel. This fact is plainly stated in the Scriptures: "Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed,
his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright." (1 Chron. 5:1.)

Just before his death, in blessing Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob adopted the sons of Joseph as his own. Said he, "Let my name be named on them, and the name of my
fathers Abraham and Isaac." (Gen. 48:16.) For this reason, these two sons of Joseph, each, had a name as the head of tribes in Israel, "and he set Ephraim before
Manasseh." (Ibid., 48:20.)

The Lord further declared through his Prophet Jeremiah, "I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn." (31:9.)

By virtue of this adoption of Ephraim, as the head of the house of Israel, and Joseph Smith, Sen., being the oldest son of Ephraim, holding the Priesthood in this
dispensation, he is Patriarch of the whole church by right. This right should be perpetuated in his family, as the oldest branch of the tribe of Ephraim.

If, from any cause, there should be failure of a son to exercise this right, then the office would be filled from the next eldest branch of the family.

This has been the case in the short history of the church. When Joseph and Hyrum were martyred, the latter had no son old enough to fill the office of patriarch, and
John, his eldest living brother, was ordained to the office vacated by his death.

After the death of father John Smith, the office reverted back to the family of Hyrum Smith, for his oldest son John had grown to manhood, and was ordained Patriarch
of the whole church. (Franklin D. Richards and James A. Little-Compendium, 1882, pp. 74-75.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 95

That he may act in concert also with . . . Joseph

Joseph Smith, Sr., was succeeded in this office [Patriarch to the Church] by his faithful son, Hyrum, who was ordained to this position, January 24, 1841. In the call
which came by revelation to Hyrum Smith the Lord said: [Sec. 124:91-93, quoted.]

This blessing pertains to the office and calling of the man who holds the keys of the Patriarchal Priesthood. The Lord conferred upon Hyrum Smith, however, another
important
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of that appointment: [Sec. 124:94, quoted.]

This was a special blessing given to Hyrum Smith, and in accepting it he took the place of Oliver Cowdery, upon whom these keys had previously been bestowed. It
which came by revelation to Hyrum Smith the Lord said: [Sec. 124:91-93, quoted.]

This blessing pertains to the office and calling of the man who holds the keys of the Patriarchal Priesthood. The Lord conferred upon Hyrum Smith, however, another
important and special honor, in making him as well as Joseph Smith a holder of the keys of authority in this Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. These are the words
of that appointment: [Sec. 124:94, quoted.]

This was a special blessing given to Hyrum Smith, and in accepting it he took the place of Oliver Cowdery, upon whom these keys had previously been bestowed. It
should be remembered that whenever the Lord revealed Priesthood and the keys of Priesthood from the heavens, Oliver Cowdery stood with Joseph Smith in the
presence of the heavenly messengers, and was a recipient, as well as Joseph Smith as the "first" and Oliver Cowdery as the "second" Elder of the Church. Thus the law
pertaining to witnesses was fully established, for there were two witnesses standing with authority, keys and presidency, at the head of this the greatest of all
dispensations. When through transgression Oliver Cowdery lost this wonderful and exalted blessing, Hyrum Smith was chosen by revelation of the Lord to take his
place, the Lord calling him in these words: [Sec. 124:95-96, quoted.]

And thus, according to promise, the Lord opened to the vision of Hyrum Smith and showed to him those things which were necessary to qualify him for this exalted
position, and upon him were conferred by Joseph Smith all the keys and authorities by which he, Hyrum Smith, was able to act in concert with his younger brother as a
prophet, seer and revelator, and president of the Church, "as well as my servant Joseph." (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, April 1932, 5:51-52.)

George Q. Cannon: 91-95

"Can a number of men be Prophets, Seers, and Revelators and yet not interfere with the rights of him who stands at the head?"

There is no reason why this should not be the case. By reference to Section 124, paragraphs 91-95, it will be seen that the Lord, by His own voice, appointed Hyrum
Smith to "be a prophet, seer and a revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph." . . .

Hyrum was to have the same blessing and glory and honor and Priesthood that were once put upon Oliver Cowdery. Oliver Cowdery had received these gifts and
powers from the Lord; but he fell away, and the Lord by this revelation selected Hyrum Smith to receive all that Oliver Cowdery had lost, so he was, to all intents and
purposes, a Prophet, Seer and Revelator the same as the Prophet Joseph. But, as in the case of Oliver Cowdery, he had to look to Joseph as his head and did not
have the authority to write commandments to the Church; for this belonged only to the President of the Church. [Sec. 28:1-7.]

There are many now living who can doubtless recall how frequently the Prophet Joseph mentioned in public that Hyrum was a Prophet. He led the Saints to understand
by his remarks that Hyrum had received this power and authority. Here, then, were two Prophets, Seers and Revelators, both appointed by direct revelation from the
Lord, and these revelations are written. (JI, January 1, 1891, 26:27-28.)

John A. Widtsoe: 95

Gifts of the priesthood . . . that once were put upon. . . my servant Oliver Cowdery

Perhaps the event of that troubled year 1838 which gave keenest sorrow was the loss of Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer from the membership roll of the Church-
two of the three original witnesses to the Book of Mormon, men held in high esteem by the Church. Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated, and for many years
remained outside the Church, rather than to confess his error and repent. David Whitmer withdrew from the Church rather than to face trial upon the charges made
against him. . . .

Though these men were no longer members of the Church, yet they always maintained the truth of their testimony as found in the Book of Mormon, and their belief in
the divinity of the revelations given to Joseph Smith, the Prophet. Moreover, Oliver Cowdery, after some years, humbly entered the waters of baptism again, and was
on his way to plead with David Whitmer to return to the Church, when death overtook him. Both affirmed with their last breath the truth of their testimony regarding the
Lord's latter-day work. Their knowledge of the truth of the restored Gospel did not leave them.

Naturally the question arises: How could these men, both of whom had seen the angelic guardian of the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated and the
plates themselves, and one of whom in addition had been privileged to have converse with heavenly beings, John the Baptist, Peter, James and John-how could such
men so conduct themselves as to endanger their Church beyond that of other men, of the reality and divinity of the events which led to the organization of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

The answer to the question is simple, well understood by all. These brethren did not use their knowledge in conformity with the order of the Church as set forth in the
revelations of the Lord. That is, they entered forbidden paths; they did not obey the commandments of God. The practices of their lives did not correspond with their
knowledge. (CR, April 1938, p. 49.)

George A. Smith: 95

My servant Oliver Cowdery

It is said, and I presume correctly, that Oliver Cowdery remarked at one time to Joseph Smith, "If I should apostatize and leave the Church, the Church would be
broken up." The answer of the Prophet was, "What and who are you? This is the work of God, and if you turn against it and withdraw from it, it will still roll on and you
will not be missed." It was not long until Oliver turned away, but the work continued. God raised up men from obscurity to step forth and shoulder the burdens, and it
was hardly known when and where he went. In about ten years he came back again, came before a local conference at Mosquito Creek, Pottawattomie Co., Iowa,
Oct., 1848, and acknowledged his faults. He bore testimony of the mission of the Prophet, Joseph Smith, and of the truth of the Book of Mormon; he exhorted the
Saints to follow the authority of the Holy Priesthood, which he assured them was with the Twelve Apostles. He said, "when the Saints follow the main channel of the
stream, they find themselves in deep water and always right, pursuing their journey with safety; but when they turned aside into sloughs and bayous, they are left to
flounder in the mud and are lost, for the Angel of God said unto Joseph in my hearing that this Priesthood shall remain on the earth until the end."

Oliver declared he took pleasure in bearing this testimony to the largest congregation of Saints he had ever seen together. He was re-baptized and made arrangements
to come to the mountains, but died soon after, while on a visit to the Whitmers, in Missouri. (JD, May 5, 1870, 13:347-48.)

Joseph Smith: 104

I, the Lord your God, will heal him that he shall be healed

This day Sidney Rigdon went to the meeting near the Temple, and stated to the congregation, that he was not upon the stand to renounce his faith in Mormonism, as
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                                                                                                                                                       evidences   the
power of God; neither did he rise to deliver any regular discourse, but to unfold to the audience a scene of deep interest which had occurred in his own family. He had
witnessed many instances of the power of God in this Church, but never before had he seen the dead raised; yet this was a thing that had actually taken place in his own
I, the Lord your God, will heal him that he shall be healed

This day Sidney Rigdon went to the meeting near the Temple, and stated to the congregation, that he was not upon the stand to renounce his faith in Mormonism, as
had been variously stated by enemies and licentious presses, but appeared to bear his testimony of its truth, and add another to the many miraculous evidences of the
power of God; neither did he rise to deliver any regular discourse, but to unfold to the audience a scene of deep interest which had occurred in his own family. He had
witnessed many instances of the power of God in this Church, but never before had he seen the dead raised; yet this was a thing that had actually taken place in his own
family.

His daughter Eliza was dead. The doctor told him that she was gone; when, after a considerable length of time, she rose up in the bed and spoke in a very powerful
tone to the following effect, in a supernatural manner:-She said to the family that she was going to leave them (being impressed with the idea herself that she had only
come back to deliver her message, and then depart again), saying the Lord had said to her the very words she should relate; and so particular was she in her relation,
that she would not suffer any person to leave out a word or add one. . . .

She said to her elder sister, Nancy, "It is in your heart to deny this work; and if you do, the Lord says it will be the damnation of your soul." In speaking to her sister
Sarah, she said, "Sarah, we have but once to die, and I would rather die now, than wait for another time. "

Elder Rigdon . . . closed by saying, as it regards his religion, he had no controversy with the world, having an incontrovertible evidence that, through obedience to the
ordinances of the religion, he now believes the Lord had actually given back his daughter from the dead. No person need, therefore come to reason with him, to
convince him of error, or make him believe another religion, unless those who profess it can show, through obedience to its laws, the dead have been, and can be,
raised; if it has no such power, it would be insulting his feelings to ask him to reason about it; and if it had, it would be no better than the one he had; and so he had
done with controversy; wherefore he dealt in facts and not in theory.

President Hyrum Smith spoke at great length and with great power. He cited Elder Rigdon's mind back to the revelation concerning him, that if he would move into the
midst of the city and defend the truth, he should be healed, etc.; and showed that what Elder Rigdon felt in regard to the improvement in his health was a fulfillment of
the revelation. (HC 5:121-23, August 20, 1842.)

Joseph Smith: 112

Let him hearken unto the counsel of my servant Joseph

In the evening attended trial at Brother Hyrum's office, the City of Nauvoo versus Amos Davis, for indecent and abusive language about me while at Mr. Davis' the day
previous. The charges were clearly substantiated by the testimony of Dr. Foster, Mr. and Mrs. Hibbard, and others. Mr. Davis was found guilty by the jury, and by the
municipal court, bound over to keep the peace six months, under $100 bond. (HC 4:549, March 10, 1842.)

George Q. Cannon: 1-16

Let him repent . . . and cease to do evil

So on the very day that the paper [Nauvoo Expositor] was to come forth burdened with lies, Robert D. Foster went to the mansion and demanded a private interview
with Joseph. He asked the Prophet to go away with him alone, pretending that he wished to return to the Church and wanted to confer upon that subject. Joseph
refused to talk except in the presence of witnesses, for this man Foster had often before misrepresented the Prophet's words. Joseph said to him that there was but one
condition upon which he might return and that was to repent and to make restitution as far as possible.

While they stood talking Joseph put his hand upon Foster's vest and said: "What have you concealed there?"

Foster stammered in reply: "It's my pistol."

He would have lied, but under that piercing glance his bravado deserted him, and he was compelled to acknowledge the fact.

The reason of this visit was soon made plain, and it was made plainer at a later time by the testimony of unimpeachable witnesses, Saints and strangers alike. He had
not come to seek forgiveness and restoration of fellowship; he had not come to make amends. He had come to lure Joseph away to his death. His party had sworn to
slay the Prophet, and every attempt up to this time had failed. The situation was desperate for the plotters. They were about to commit a flagrant violation of the law,
and the one man whom they most feared as the defender and executor of law was the mayor of the city. If they could have taken Joseph away where his assassination
could have been accomplished without the instant capture of his murderer, they believed that safe refuge could be found in the bosom of the waiting mob at Carthage
and other places.

Joseph only smiled upon the craven wretch, and told him to bring his witnesses if he desired and they would confer concerning his restoration to fellowship. This, Foster
willingly promised and left the mansion, saying that he would return with his friends immediately. He never came back. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp. 484-85.)

Brigham Young: 1-16

Hard speeches

When my feelings are aroused to anger by the ill doings of others, I hold them as I would hold a wild horse, and I gain the victory. Some think and say that it makes
them feel better when they are mad, as they call it, to give out vent to their madness in abusive and unbecoming language. This, however, is a mistake. Instead of its
making you feel better, it is making bad worse. (JD, June 17, 1866, 11:255.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 119

The Nauvoo House

. . . the Nauvoo House, [was] a place for the boarding of strangers. Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, and many others were called upon to "pay stock" for
themselves and their seed after them "from generation to generation," in this house. It was to be a place where the "weary traveler may find health and safety while he
shall contemplate the word of the Lord; and the corner stone [stake] I have appointed for Zion" [Sec. 124:23] , said the Lord. Those who took stock were not to pay
less than fifty dollars, and not more than fifteen thousand dollars for any one man. (Essentials in Church History, 1950, p. 306.)

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We have been asked, "Does not patriarch over the whole church" place Brother William Smith [William Smith was appointed Patriarch to the Church, but at a general
conference held in Nauvoo, October 6, 1845, he was dropped as one of the Twelve Apostles and Patriarch to the Church and on Sunday, October 19, 1845, he was
themselves and their seed after them "from generation to generation," in this house. It was to be a place where the "weary traveler may find health and safety while he
shall contemplate the word of the Lord; and the corner stone [stake] I have appointed for Zion" [Sec. 124:23] , said the Lord. Those who took stock were not to pay
less than fifty dollars, and not more than fifteen thousand dollars for any one man. (Essentials in Church History, 1950, p. 306.)

John Taylor: 123-25

We have been asked, "Does not patriarch over the whole church" place Brother William Smith [William Smith was appointed Patriarch to the Church, but at a general
conference held in Nauvoo, October 6, 1845, he was dropped as one of the Twelve Apostles and Patriarch to the Church and on Sunday, October 19, 1845, he was
excommunicated-HC 7:458-59, 483] at the head of the whole church as president?

Answer. No. Brother William is not patriarch over the whole church, but patriarch to the church, and as such he was ordained. The expression "over the whole
church," is a mistake made by W. W. Phelps. He is patriarch to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The twelve are commanded to ordain evangelical
ministers in all large branches of the church abroad, and who has charge over them? The patriarch? No. Those who ordained them. And to whom is committed the
power and authority to regulate all the affairs of the churches abroad? And who has the charge of the whole priesthood here? Answer. The presidency of the church,
and not the patriarch.

But does not the Doctrine and Covenants say:

"First, I give unto you Hyrum Smith to be a patriarch unto you to hold the sealing blessings of my church, even the Holy Spirit of promise, whereby ye are sealed up
unto the day of redemption, that ye may not fall notwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon you." (D&C 124:124.)

Yes, but that is in regard to seniority not in regard to authority in priesthood, for it immediately follows, "I give unto you my servant Joseph to be a presiding elder over
all my church, to be a translator, a revelator, a seer, and a prophet." (Ibid., 124:125.) In the Doctrine and Covenants we read "the duty of the President of the office of
the high priesthood is to preside over the whole church, and to be like unto Moses." (Ibid., 107:91.) And from this it is evident that the president of the church, not the
patriarch, is appointed by God to preside. . . .

The president of the church presides over all patriarchs, presidents, and councils of the church; and this presidency does not depend so much upon genealogy as upon
calling, order, and seniority. James and Joses were the brothers of Jesus, and John was his beloved disciple, yet Peter held the keys and presided over all the church.
Brother William was in the quorum of the twelve yet he was not president of the twelve during his brother's lifetime, nor since; and if being ordained a patriarch would
make him president of the church, it would have made Father Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith presidents over the church instead of Joseph.

Brother William understands the matter, and were it not for the folly of some men there would be no necessity for these remarks.

A patriarch is what is termed in scripture an evangelist, and Brother William acts in that capacity, and God placed in the church "first apostles," not first evangelists, but
the president stands in the same relationship to the church as Moses did to the children of Israel, according to the revelations. [Sec. 107:91.]

Again, who ordained Father Smith to the office of patriarch? His son Joseph, and Father Smith ordained Hyrum, and the twelve (of whom Brother William is one)
ordained him. Who are appointed to ordain evangelical ministers? It is the duty of the Twelve, in all large branches of the church, to ordain evangelical ministers, as they
shall be designated unto them by revelation. (D&C 107:39.) Can a stream rise higher than its fountain? No. . . . [Times and Seasons, June 1, 1845, 6:921-22.] (Gospel
Kingdom, 1943, pp. 147-49.)

David O. McKay: 123-145

Reference to the Doctrine and Covenants will disclose the fact that there are four principal purposes of holding conferences of the Church:

First, to transact current Church business. [Sec. 20:62 .]

Second, to hear reports and general Church statistics. [Sec. 73:2.]

Third, to "approve those names which I (the Lord) have appointed, or to disapprove of them." [Sec. 124:144.]

Fourth, to worship the Lord in sincerity and reverence, and to give and to receive encouragement, exhortation, and instruction. [Sec. 58:56; 72:7.] (CR, October 1938,
pp. 130-31.)

John Taylor: 130-132

The Doctrine and Covenants, in referring to the twelve, mentions their names and that of their president. It then mentions the names of the members of the high council
that was then organized. And in speaking about David Patten, one of the twelve, it is written: [Sec. 124:130, quoted.] But his being dead made no difference in regard
to his priesthood. He held it just the same in the heavens as on the earth. There is another man mentioned. Referring to the high council, it is stated: [Sec. 124:132,
quoted.] Then there is something said concerning Joseph Smith, Sen., the father of the Prophet Joseph Smith, of whom it is said that he sitteth with Abraham, at his right
hand. (See D&C 124:19.) Who was Abraham? A patriarch. Who was Father Joseph Smith? A patriarch. It is quite fitting, therefore, that he should associate with
Abraham, who was and is also a patriarch; and, perhaps, if we had the full details given, we should have an account of other patriarchs as well. But here is a place
alluded to, where he went when he left this world.

I have now referred to men holding three different callings in the priesthood on the earth who are indicated as being provided for in their proper positions in the
heavens. If the priesthood administers in time and in eternity, and if quorums of this kind are organized upon the earth, and this priesthood is not taken away, but
continued with them in the heavens, we do not wish, I think, to break up the order of the priesthood upon the earth; and it would seem to be necessary that these
principles of perpetuity or continuity should be held sacred among us. [October 7, 1881.] (Gospel Kingdom, 1943, pp. 184-85.)

George Q. Cannon: 130

His priesthood no man taketh from him

We believe, further, that every man who dies belonging to this Church, and having the right to officiate in the Priesthood, will be engaged, while awaiting the resurrection
of his body, in a work similar to that in which Jesus was engaged, namely, preaching the Gospel to those who are ignorant of it. We will proclaim the plan of salvation
to those in the spirit world who have died in ignorance of the name of Jesus and of the character of his redemption. For, let me tell you, there is no name under heaven
whereby men can be saved, except the name of Jesus Christ, and if the dead ever are saved, it must be through the name of Jesus Christ, through the redemption he
has  worked(c)
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Joseph F. Smith: 133
We believe, further, that every man who dies belonging to this Church, and having the right to officiate in the Priesthood, will be engaged, while awaiting the resurrection
of his body, in a work similar to that in which Jesus was engaged, namely, preaching the Gospel to those who are ignorant of it. We will proclaim the plan of salvation
to those in the spirit world who have died in ignorance of the name of Jesus and of the character of his redemption. For, let me tell you, there is no name under heaven
whereby men can be saved, except the name of Jesus Christ, and if the dead ever are saved, it must be through the name of Jesus Christ, through the redemption he
has worked out. This is the gospel and the plan of salvation as we believe it. (JD, December 3, 1871, 14:322.)

Joseph F. Smith: 133

A quorum of high priests

We have in each stake of Zion an organization called the High Priests' quorum, to which all High Priests of the Church belong, including the presidency and high
councilors of the stake, and also the Bishops and their counselors, all the Patriarchs and all others who have been ordained to the office of High Priest in the Church,
which office is the office of presidency in the Melchizedek Priesthood, not that every man who holds the office of High Priest is a president. Only he who is called,
appointed and set apart to preside among the High Priests holds the presiding authority and office. But it is the duty of these quorums of High Priests to act in their
calling; not to sit idly down and be indifferent to the interests of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor indifferent to the saving of the souls of men. It is
expected that this quorum of Priesthood in the various stakes of Zion will look after all the interests of the stake; that is, that they will look after the moral condition of
the people; that they will teach righteousness; that they will see that those who are acting in presiding authority in the stakes of Zion, are upright, honest, pure and
humble men, and fit for the positions in which they are called to act. Thus this council of the Priesthood constitutes a council of power and influence in the Church. (CR,
October 1904, pp. 3-4.)

John Taylor: 133-134, 142

High priests . . . who shall be appointed standing presidents . . . over different stakes

When we have a Stake organization, . . . the Presidency of the Stake presides over all Bishops, High Councils, and all authorities of the Stake. The several Bishops
preside over their respective wards and manage their affairs, under the direction of the Stake Presidency, who in their office and calling are responsible to the First
Presidency of the Church. . . . the First Presidency presides over all Bishops, all Presidents, all authorities, and lastly God presides over all. (JD, August 8, 1880,
21:365.)

Joseph F. Smith: 137

Quorum of elders

A council or quorum of Elders is composed of 96 Elders. There may be a number of councils or quorums of Elders in each stake. . . . It is the duty of this body of men
to be standing ministers at home; to be ready at the call of the presiding officers of the Church and the stakes, to labor in the ministry at home, and to officiate in any
calling that may be required of them, whether it be to go out into the world, along with the Seventies, to preach the Gospel to the world. (CR, October 1904, p. 4.)

Joseph F. Smith: 142

Priests, . . . teachers, . . . deacons

Then we have the Lesser Priesthood, which attends to the different temporal matters of the Church, consisting of Priests, Teachers and Deacons, who labor under the
direction of the Bishopric in the various wards in which they dwell, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, the unifying of the people and
bringing them up to the standard of righteousness that they should reach in the flesh, according to the light they possess and the ability and talent which the Lord has
given them. (CR, October 1904, p. 4.)

Joseph F. Smith: 143

Offices I have given . . . for . . . the perfecting of my saints

It [the Church] has been organized by the wisdom of the Almighty, and not by the wisdom of man. It has been organized to accomplish the purposes that the Lord has
in view to be accomplished by it. The people are organized that they may be taught righteousness; that they may be faithful before the Lord in keeping the covenants
that they have made with Him in righteousness. Among these covenants are that they will cease from sin and from all unrighteousness; that they will work righteousness
in their lives; that they will abstain from the use of intoxicants, from the use of strong drinks of every description, from the use of tobacco, from every vile thing, and
from extremes in every phase of life; that they will not take the name of God in vain; that they will not bear false witness against their neighbor; that they will seek to love
their neighbors as themselves; to carry out the golden rule of the Lord. Do unto others as they would that others should do unto them. [Matt. 7:12.] These principles are
involved in the convenants that the people have made in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it is expected that these officers and presiding authorities
in the Church, whom I have cursorily named, shall see to it that the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will keep these covenants that they
have made with the Lord, and that they will observe these principles and adapt them to their lives and carry them out, that they may be indeed the salt of the earth; not
salt that has lost its savor and is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the foot of men, but salt that has its savor and that is wholesome; that the people
of God may be a light unto this generation and unto the world; that men may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. [Matt. 5:16.] (CR,
October 1904, p. 4.)

J. Reuben Clark, Jr.: 144

Approve . . . or else disapprove of them at my general conference

This [general conference] . . . is a very solemn occasion. We so approach it and should so conduct it. It will take quite a time, but if we are in the frame of mind and
spirit which we should be in, I am sure it will not be tedious.

We shall follow the exact proceedings that were followed in connection with the installation of President George Albert Smith. The same script will be used except for
the necessary changes in names.

We are met . . . in a formal Solemn Assembly of the body of the Church to express the voice of the Church in a first sustaining vote for a new President of the Church.
[David O. McKay.] This proceeding is in accordance with the practice of the Church from the first sustaining vote cast by a general conference for President [John]
Taylor, until the present time.

The Priesthood
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The voting will be by Priesthood quorums first, and then by the conference assembly.
We are met . . . in a formal Solemn Assembly of the body of the Church to express the voice of the Church in a first sustaining vote for a new President of the Church.
[David O. McKay.] This proceeding is in accordance with the practice of the Church from the first sustaining vote cast by a general conference for President [John]
Taylor, until the present time.

The Priesthood of the Church, in so far as the building can accommodate them, is seated in the Tabernacle by Priesthood quorums. . . .

The voting will be by Priesthood quorums first, and then by the conference assembly.

The quorums and groups of quorums will vote in the following order:

1. The First Presidency

2. The Quorum of the Twelve

3. The Patriarchs

4. The High Priests, including the Assistants to the Twelve, the Presidents of Stakes and their counselors, the High Councilmen, Presidencies of quorums, quorum
members, the Presiding Bishopric, and Ward Bishoprics

5. The Seventies

6. The Elders

7. The Lesser Priesthood (Priests, Teachers, and Deacons)

8. The whole congregation here assembled, including the Priesthood.

The voting will be in the following manner:

As each quorum or group is called, they will be asked to vote to sustain the officer proposed: Those voting will when called upon, arise to their feet. When the
affirmative vote is called for, those so voting will bring their right arms to the square to witness to the Lord that they sustain the officer for whom they are voting. They
will then drop their hands. Then those opposing will be asked to bring their right hands to the square to bear witness to the Lord that they are not willing to sustain the
officer whom they are called upon to sustain.

When both affirmative and negative votes are cast, the members of the quorum will resume their seats.

All of the quorums will vote in this manner.

Every one is perfectly free to vote as he wishes. There is no compulsion whatsoever in this voting. When you vote affirmatively you make a solemn covenant with the
Lord that you will sustain, that is, give your full loyalty and support, without equivocation or reservation, to the officer for whom you vote.

After all the quorums have so voted, a vote will be called of the whole congregation, those bearing the priesthood and those not bearing it. All will arise. Those voting to
sustain will raise their right hands to the square, to witness that they sustain the officers for whom they vote. After they lower their hands the opposing vote will be called
for and will be manifested by raising the right hand to the square.

The Officers so to be voted for by quorums are the following:

The President of the Church

The First Counselor to the President of the Church

The Second Counselor to the President of the Church

The President of the Quorum of the Twelve

The Council of the Twelve

The Patriarch to the Church

The sustaining of the Counselors in the Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Patriarch, as Prophets, Seers, and Revelators to the Church.

After the vote by quorums to sustain these officers, the rest of the General Authorities, the General Officers of the Church, and the General Auxiliary Officers of the
Church will be sustained by voting as in the ordinary General Conference. This is in accordance with the procedure set by President John Taylor. . . .

Only Church members are entitled to vote.

Only one quorum, or group of quorums, as the case may be, will stand at a time in voting by quorums. Each quorum, or group of quorums, will please arise when
requested and remain standing until requested to be seated. (CR, April 1951, pp. 136-38.)

Orson Pratt: 144

Approve . . . or else disapprove them at my general conference

In the Kirtland Temple when the authorities were presented before the people, they were called upon to vote by quorums. Not that it occurred always in that manner.
That was the way Joseph ordained in the Temple; each Council voting separately, by standing upon their feet in order that their votes might be better known than they
could be by keeping their seats. After one Quorum had voted for the highest authority of the Church, then another Quorum or Council would be called upon to give
their vote, and so on, until all had voted for the different authorities, and then it was presented to all the Church male and female. Why? It is because God ordained, on
the 6th day of
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voting. [Sec. 20:65-66; 26:2.] Although the Lord may give a revelation upon the subject, although he might say, Let my servant Hyrum Smith be Patriarch; or let my
servant Brigham Young be President of the Twelve Apostles; notwithstanding the Lord may give this by revelation, yet he himself was anxious to carry out the principle
he had revealed a long time before that; namely, that all this I have named may be brought before the General Conference to be sanctioned and approved, or not to be
In the Kirtland Temple when the authorities were presented before the people, they were called upon to vote by quorums. Not that it occurred always in that manner.
That was the way Joseph ordained in the Temple; each Council voting separately, by standing upon their feet in order that their votes might be better known than they
could be by keeping their seats. After one Quorum had voted for the highest authority of the Church, then another Quorum or Council would be called upon to give
their vote, and so on, until all had voted for the different authorities, and then it was presented to all the Church male and female. Why? It is because God ordained, on
the 6th day of April, 1830, as you can read in the Doctrine and Covenants, that all things in this Church should be done by common consent. This is the reason for the
voting. [Sec. 20:65-66; 26:2.] Although the Lord may give a revelation upon the subject, although he might say, Let my servant Hyrum Smith be Patriarch; or let my
servant Brigham Young be President of the Twelve Apostles; notwithstanding the Lord may give this by revelation, yet he himself was anxious to carry out the principle
he had revealed a long time before that; namely, that all this I have named may be brought before the General Conference to be sanctioned and approved, or not to be
sanctioned. What! the people have a right to reject those whom the Lord names? Yes, they have this right, he gave it to them. "Let them be approved of or not
approved of"; showing that he had respect to the people themselves, that they should vote and give their general voice to either sustain or not to sustain. I do not know
why, only in the latter days the kingdom is in a little different circumstances upon the face of the earth, than it has been in during any former dispensation. We are living
in a free Republican Government, wherein the people vote, and the Lord established this great American Government and gave the Constitution and he wished the
people to have a voice in the officers named; he wished the people to exercise their agency; you may call it a democratic principle. Notwithstanding He himself may
point out the persons, and call them by name, yet you may approve of them or disapprove of them at my General Conference. (JD, October 5, 1877, 19:118-19.)

James E. Talmage: 144

Approve of those names

Do you ever think of the inconsistency of raising your right hand in solemn witness before God that you will sustain certain men who have been called and ordained, in
the manner appointed of God, as your leaders, as prophets unto the people, verily as revelators, and then, though perchance you come together and hear their words,
going away and pay no attention to them? When one speaks with the power of his Priesthood, and in the authority of his office, then what he speaks is binding upon
himself and all who hear. Ofttimes I tremble, literally, as I consider what I am doing when addressing the Latter-day Saints, for I know that what I say unto them is
binding upon me, and that I shall be judged by the precepts that I impress upon them; and what I say under such conditions is likewise binding upon those who hear.

You cannot, we cannot, pass by lightly the words that come by way of counsel and instruction from the ordained servants of God, and escape the inevitable penalty of
that neglect. Nevertheless, we have our agency; we may choose to disobey, but we must take the consequences of that choice. (CR, October 1921, pp. 187-88.)

Stephen L Richards: 144

My general conference

Some few years ago, through the courtesy of Brother [Reed] Smoot, I had the privilege of attending the second plenary session of the great Disarmament Conference
which was held in the city of Washington, where representatives of great nations of the earth met to consider plans for the limitation of the armaments and military
operations. I remember distinctly that upon that occasion I was deeply impressed with the importance of the great subject to be discussed, and with the dignity of the
men who came to represent the various countries. I saw such men as Balfour of England, the great ex-premier, Ex-premier Briand of France, and the notable Kato of
Japan, and other dignitaries, standing in that assembly representing and speaking for their peoples; and I was rather overwhelmed with the transcendent importance of
these men and the occasion. But I have since thought that as we gather together here in the semiannual conferences of the Church, such conferences as that which I
attended, and which so impressed me, had no more and greater significance and deep meaning to the people of the world than do these assemblies. Those men met to
represent the nations. We meet to represent God and his work in the earth. We come together to hear the voice of his prophet and to feel the flow of his Spirit course
through our beings, to stimulate us to higher endeavor in his mighty service, and to give us vision of the great work he designed we shall accomplish as his
representatives here on the earth.

I am aware that it always seems a highly presumptuous thing to make the statement that here only may be heard the word of God through his living oracles. In a sense it
is embarrassing to make that statement, either to ourselves or to the world. We are, however, constrained to make it, because God himself hath said it, and we do but
our duty in proclaiming to the children of men that here with this comparably small people is to be found the word of God, delivered to the people of the world, under
the only authority existent upon the earth at this time. (CR, October 1924, pp. 64-65.)

Section 125

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, March, 1841, concerning the Saints in the Territory of Iowa.

1. What is the will of the Lord concerning the saints in the Territory of Iowa?

2. Verily, thus saith the Lord, I say unto you, if those who call themselves by my name and are essaying to be my saints, if they will do my will and keep my
commandments concerning them, let them gather themselves together unto the places which I shall appoint unto them by my servant Joseph, and build up cities unto my
name, that they may be prepared for that which is in store for a time to come.

3. Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.

4. And let all those who come from the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, that have desires to dwell therein, take up their inheritance in the same, as well
as in the city of Nashville, or in the city of Nauvoo, and in all the stakes which I have appointed, saith the Lord.

Joseph Fielding Smith: Introduction

Mr. [Isaac] Galland in a communication to David W. Rogers [May 1839] , suggested that the Saints locate in Iowa, which was a territory; for he thought they would be
more likely to receive protection from mobs under the jurisdiction of the United States, than they would in a state of the Union, "where murder, rapine and robbery are
admirable (!) traits in the character of a demagogue; and where the greatest villains often reach the highest offices." He also wrote to Governor Robert Lucas of Iowa,
who had known the "Mormon" people in Ohio, and who spoke very highly of them as good citizens. (Essentials in Church History, 1950, p. 266.)

Joseph Smith: Introduction

About this time I received a revelation, given in the City of Nauvoo, [Illinois] in answer to the following interrogatory-"What is the will of the Lord, concerning the
Saints in the Territory of Iowa?" (HC 4:311, March 20, 1841.)

Orson F. Whitney: 2-4

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                                                 P. Pratt and Orson Hyde] who had gone abroad now returned home, some of them reaching Nauvoo early94   / 159
                                                                                                                                                    in July,
1841.
Orson F. Whitney: 2-4

The remainder of the Apostles [excepting Parley P. Pratt and Orson Hyde] who had gone abroad now returned home, some of them reaching Nauvoo early in July,
1841.

Anticipating their arrival by several weeks . . . [in] the latter part of May [1841] . . . . It was a part of the plan of the Mormon leader, besides building up a central
Stake of Zion at Nauvoo, to establish other stakes in that vicinity. Among these, which had now been organized for several months, were those of Ramus and Lima in
Hancock County, Quincy and Mount Hope in Adams County, Geneva in Morgan County, and Zarahemla in Lee County, Iowa. (History of Utah, May-July 1841, p.
186.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 2-4

Across the river [Mississippi at Nauvoo, Illinois] on the Iowa side, extensive holdings also were obtained. [1839.] The village of Nashville, in Lee County, with twenty
thousand acres adjoining, were purchased; also other lands opposite Nauvoo. Here the Prophet instructed the Saints that a city should be built, to be called Zarahemla.
A number of members of the Church had located here when the Saints were driven from Missouri, and it appeared to be a suitable location for a permanent settlement
of the people. . . . The idea seemed to be that the Latter-day Saints should spread out over considerable territory, and form organizations in various parts of the
country, but this plan was abandoned, and the Saints scattered abroad were commanded by revelation in January, 1841, to gather to Hancock County, Illinois, and to
Lee County, Iowa, and to build up the settlements in these parts occupied by the members of the Church. This was, the presidency wrote, "agreeable to the order of
heaven." Consequently the Saints began to immigrate to Nauvoo, and the city grew rapidly by such additions. About one year after the location of the site, Nauvoo had
a population of over three thousand souls, and six years later, at the time of the great western exodus, about twenty thousand. The stake at Zarahemla was later
discontinued, but John Smith remained there to preside over the Saints in Iowa. [1846.] (Essentials in Church History, 1950, pp. 268-69)

Section 126

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, in the house of Brigham Young, at Nauvoo, Illinois, July 9, 1841. At this time Brigham Young was president of the
quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

1. Dear and well-beloved brother, Brigham Young, verily thus saith the Lord unto you: My servant Brigham, it is no more required at your hand to leave your family as
in times past, for your offering is acceptable to me.

2. I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name.

3. I therefore command you to send my word abroad, and take especial care of your family from this time, henceforth and forever. Amen.

George Q. Cannon: Introduction

In the month of July, 1841, the Apostles began to return to Nauvoo from their missions to Europe, and their coming was a great comfort to the Prophet in his hour of
affliction. At a special conference which was held at Nauvoo on the 16th of August, 1841, shortly after the return of the Twelve, Joseph stated to the people there
assembled that the time had come when the Apostles must stand in their places next to the First Presidency. They had been faithful and had borne the burden and heat
of the day, giving the gospel triumph in the nations of the earth, and it was right that they should now remain at home and perform the duty in Zion. (Life of Joseph
Smith, 1907, p. 374.)

Joseph Smith: Introduction

Elders [Brigham] Young, [Heber C.] Kimball, and [John] Taylor arrived at Nauvoo, after an interesting mission to England. The accounts of their missions are highly
satisfactory. . .

[Revelation given to Joseph Smith, in the house of Brigham Young, in Nauvoo City, July 9, 1841.] [Section 126 follows.] (HC 4:382, July 9, 1841.)

Orson F. Whitney: 1

My servant Brigham

Brigham Young was a man of undoubted genius,-a master mind, well balanced and powerful, thoroughly practical in thought and method, and of Napoleonic energy
and intuition. . . .

Brigham Young first saw the Book of Mormon in the spring of 1830, at the home of his brother Phineas in Mendon. It had been left there by Samuel H. Smith, brother
to the Prophet. Two years later a party of Mormon Elders from Pennsylvania came preaching in that neighborhood. Being converted to the faith, Brigham was baptized
by Eleazer Miller on the 14th of April, 1832. . . .

Not long afterward Brigham . . . accompanied by Joseph Young, visited Kirtland and became acquainted with the Prophet. It was the summer or fall of 1832. This was
the first meeting of Joseph Smith with the man who was destined to be his successor. It is said that Joseph predicted about this time that Brigham Young would yet
preside over the Church. (History of Utah, 1882, p. 112.)

Brigham Young: 2

I have seen your labor and toil

I came into this Church in the spring of 1832. Previous to my being baptized, I took a mission to Canada at my own expense; and from the time that I was baptized
until the day of our sorrow and affliction, at the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum, no summer passed over my head but what I was traveling and preaching, and the
only thing I ever received from the Church, during over twelve years, and the only means that were ever given me by the Prophet, that I now recollect, was in 1842,
when brother Joseph sent me the half of a small pig that the brethren had brought to him. I did not ask him for it. . . .

I have traveled and preached, and at the same time sustained my family by my labor and economy. If I borrowed one hundred dollars, or fifty or if I had five dollars, it
almost universally went into the hands of brother Joseph, to pay lawyers' fees and to liberate him from the power of his enemies, so far as it would go. Hundreds and
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                                                    to borrow and trade for, I have handed over to Joseph when I came home. That is the way I got help,  and it95
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                                                                                                                                                                     good
for me; it learned [sic.] me a great deal, though I had learned, before I heard of "Mormonism," to take care of number one.
when brother Joseph sent me the half of a small pig that the brethren had brought to him. I did not ask him for it. . . .

I have traveled and preached, and at the same time sustained my family by my labor and economy. If I borrowed one hundred dollars, or fifty or if I had five dollars, it
almost universally went into the hands of brother Joseph, to pay lawyers' fees and to liberate him from the power of his enemies, so far as it would go. Hundreds and
hundreds of dollars that I have managed to get, to borrow and trade for, I have handed over to Joseph when I came home. That is the way I got help, and it was good
for me; it learned [sic.] me a great deal, though I had learned, before I heard of "Mormonism," to take care of number one.

For me to travel and preach without purse or scrip was never hard. . . . In company with several of the Twelve I was sent to England in 1839. We started from home
without purse or scrip, and most of the Twelve were sick; and those who were not sick when they started were sick on the way to Ohio; brother [John] Taylor was left
to die by the road-side, by old father Coltrin, though he did not die. I was not able to walk to the river, not so far as across this block, no, not more than half as far; I
had to be helped to the river, in not even an overcoat; I took a small quilt from the trundle bed, and that served for my overcoat, while I was traveling to the State of
New York, when I had a coarse sattinet overcoat given to me. Thus we went to England, to a strange land to sojourn among strangers.

When we reached England we designed to start a paper, but we had not the first penny to do it with. I had enough to buy a hat and pay my passage to Preston, for
from the time I left home, I had worn an old cap which my wife made out of a pair of old pantaloons; but the most of us were entirely destitute of means to buy even
any necessary article.

We went to Preston, and held our Conference and decided that we would publish a paper; brother Parley P. Pratt craved the privilege of editing it, and we granted him
the privilege. We also decided to print three thousand hymn books, though we had not the first cent to begin with, and were strangers in a strange land. We appointed
brother Woodruff to Herefordshire, and I accompanied him on his journey to that place. I wrote to brother Pratt for information about his plans, and he sent me his
prospectus, which stated that when he had a sufficient number of subscribers and money enough in hand to justify his publishing the paper, he would proceed with it.
How long we might have waited for that I know not, but I wrote to him to publish two thousand papers, and I would foot the bill. I borrowed two hundred and fifty
pounds of sister Jane Benbow, one hundred of brother Thomas Kington, and returned to Manchester, where we printed three thousand Hymn Books, and five
thousand Books of Mormon, and issued two thousand Millennial Stars monthly, and in the course of the summer printed and gave away rising of sixty thousand tracts. I
also paid from five to ten dollars per week for my board, and hired a house for brother Willard Richards and his wife who came to Manchester, and sustained them;
and gave sixty pounds to brother P. P. Pratt to bring his wife from New York. I also commenced the emigration in that year.

I was there one year and sixteen days, with my brethren the Twelve and during that time I bought all my clothing, except one pair of pantaloons, which the sisters gave
me in Liverpool soon after I arrived there and which I really needed. I told the brethren, in one of my discourses, that there was no need of their begging, for if they
needed anything the sisters could understand that. The sisters took the hint, and the pantaloons were forthcoming.

I paid three hundred and eighty dollars to get the work started in London, and when I arrived home, in Nauvoo, I owed no person one farthing. (JD, August 31, 1856,
4:34-35.)

Section 127

An Epistle from Joseph Smith the Prophet to the Latter-day Saints at Nauvoo, Illinois, containing directions on baptism for the dead; dated at Nauvoo, September 1,
1842.-Because of intense persecution and consequent interference with his labors, the Prophet purposes to go into retirement for a short period-He rejoices in the
eventual triumph of the cause of God-He gives the word of the Lord respecting the records to be made of baptisms for the dead.

1. Forasmuch as the Lord has revealed unto me that my enemies, both in Missouri and this State, were again in the pursuit of me; and inasmuch as they pursue me
without a cause, and have not the least shadow or coloring of justice or right on their side in the getting up of their prosecutions against me; and inasmuch as their
pretensions are all founded in falsehood of the blackest dye, I have thought it expedient and wisdom in me to leave the place for a short season, for my own safety and
the safety of this people. I would say to all those with whom I have business, that I have left my affairs with agents and clerks who will transact all business in a prompt
and proper manner, and will see that all my debts are canceled in due time, by turning out property, or otherwise, as the case may require, or as the circumstances may
admit of. When I learn that the storm is fully blown over, then I will return to you again.

2. And as for the perils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me, as the envy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my
life; and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless I was ordained from before the foundation of the world for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it.
Judge ye for yourselves. God knoweth all these things, whether it be good or bad. But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a
second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from
henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it.

3. Let all the saints rejoice, therefore, and be exceedingly glad; for Israel's God is their God, and he will mete out a just recompense of reward upon the heads of all
their oppressors.

4. And again, verily thus saith the Lord: Let the work of my temple, and all the works which I have appointed unto you, be continued on and not cease; and let your
diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts. And if they persecute
you, so persecuted they the prophets and righteous men that were before you. For all this there is a reward in heaven.

5. And again, I give unto you a word in relation to the baptism for your dead.

6. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning your dead: When any of you are baptized for your dead, let there be a recorder, and let him be eye-witness of your
baptisms; let him hear with his ears, that he may testify of a truth, saith the Lord;

7. That in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven; whatsoever you bind on earth, may be bound in heaven; whatsoever you loose on earth, may be loosed in
heaven;

8. For I am about to restore many things to the earth, pertaining to the priesthood, saith the Lord of Hosts.

9. And again, let all the records be had in order, that they may be put in the archives of my holy temple, to be held in remembrance from generation to generation, saith
the Lord of Hosts.

10. I will say to all the saints, that I desired, with exceedingly great desire, to have addressed them from the stand on the subject of baptism for the dead, on the
following Sabbath. But inasmuch as it is out of my power to do so, I will write the word of the Lord from time to time, on that subject, and send it to you by mail, as
well as many other things.

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nothing in me.
10. I will say to all the saints, that I desired, with exceedingly great desire, to have addressed them from the stand on the subject of baptism for the dead, on the
following Sabbath. But inasmuch as it is out of my power to do so, I will write the word of the Lord from time to time, on that subject, and send it to you by mail, as
well as many other things.

11. I now close my letter for the present, for the want of more time; for the enemy is on the alert, and as the Savior said, the prince of this world cometh, but he hath
nothing in me.

12. Behold, my prayer to God is that you all may be saved. And I subscribe myself your servant in the Lord, prophet and seer of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints.

JOSEPH SMITH

Joseph Fielding Smith: Introduction

During the summer and fall of 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith was forced to go into hiding because of the attempt on the part of Missouri mobocrats to get him in their
clutches. He had been accused by ax-governor [Lilburn W.] Boggs as being an accessory and Orrin Porter Rockwell as the principal in the shooting of Boggs, May 6,
1842. This was a conspiracy to get the Prophet back into the hands of the Missourian mobbers. Governor [Thomas] Carlin of Illinois, had joined this conspiracy
contrary to every principle of correct law, as it was later shown in the trial which was held in Springfield [Illinois] . . . . The Prophet wrote these two letters (Sections
127 and 128 in the Doctrine and Covenants) by revelation to the Church. (CHMR, 1950, 4:134.)

Willard Richards: Introduction
Springfield, Illinois,
January 3, 1843

President Joseph Smith has this day received a full and complete discharge from all his bonds and difficulties, touching the case of Missouri, in the case of Lilburn W.
Bogg's attempted assassination, having undergone a patient and laborious investigation by the circuit court of the United States, now in session in this place, Judge Pope
presiding. It was decided that all the proceedings against the Mormon Prophet were illegal, and that the case should never be revived again.

Joseph is in good health and fine spirits, and are all rejoicing that righteousness has prevailed throughout all the deliberations of the court, consequently Joseph is again
free and ready to attend to his Master's business. The Saints rejoice, and the heavens are glad, that truth has not entirely left the earth, and that the kingdom is at hand.
Yours in the gospel,
W. Richards

(Letter to Millennial Star)
(MS, March 1843, 3:190.)

Joseph Smith: Introduction

During the forenoon in the Assembly Room, and in the afternoon at home, attending to business. I wrote the following: [Section 127, follows.] (HC 5:142, September
1, 1842; Nauvoo, Illinois.)

Joseph Smith: 1

My enemies . . . were again in the pursuit of me

I told them [members of the Church] it was likely I would have again to hide up in the woods, but they must not be discouraged, but build up the city, the Temple, etc.
When my enemies take away my rights, I will bear it and keep out of the way; but if they take away your rights, I will fight for you. I blessed them and departed. (HC
5:181, October 29, 1842.)

Joseph Smith:

The getting up of their prosecutions against me

The enemies of this people will never get weary of their persecution against the Church, until they are overcome. I expect they will array everything against me that is in
their power to control, and that we shall have a long and tremendous warfare. He that will war the true Christian warfare against the corruptions of these last days will
have wicked men and angels of devils, and all the infernal powers of darkness continually arrayed against him. When wicked and corrupt men oppose, it is a criterion to
judge if a man is warring the Christian warfare. When all men speak evil of you falsely, blessed are ye, etc. Shall a man be considered bad, when men speak evil of
him? No. If a man stands and opposes the world of sin, he may expect to have all wicked and corrupt spirits arrayed against him. But it will be but a little season, and
all these afflictions will be turned away from us, inasmuch as we are faithful, and are not overcome by these evils. (HC 5:141, August 31, 1842.)

Anthony W. Ivins: 4

Let . . . your works be redoubled

It is not sufficient that we acknowledge allegiance to the Lord, but that we give Him our hearts, and if we give Him our hearts, we keep His commandments; we show
our love, we show our appreciation by yielding homage, obedience and service to Him whom we acknowledge as our Creator. . . . I believe . . . that the Lord has
made no requirements of us, nor requirement of any of His children, which is not possible of accomplishment. [1 Nephi 3:7.] (CR, October 1909, pp. 96-97.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 4

If they persecute you, so persecuted they . . . righteous men that were before you

The Church had its beginning in New York. Persecution came upon the Saints from the beginning, and they were driven out. The Lord gave them a commandment to
assemble in Ohio. They established their headquarters at Kirtland, in that state. No doubt they had no intention of leaving, when they first went there, but the Lord
revealed to them that there was another place, the place which he called "Zion" on the borders of the Lamanites, and so their hearts were turned to that place; however,
they never had intended to forsake altogether their headquarters in Kirtland, but persecution came upon them, and they were forced out. With rejoicing they assembled
in large measure in Jackson County where it had been made known to them that the great city, the New Jerusalem or Zion would be built and they rejoiced over it, but
they  were not
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the state of Missouri and there again intended and tried to establish themselves, but persecution still followed them, and the hatred of the officials in that state resulted in
their banishment and an edict coming from the governor of that state that they would have to leave or be exterminated. They went back eastward, crossed the great
river, and made their settlement at Nauvoo, in the state of Illinois. (CR, April 1947, p. 58.)
assemble in Ohio. They established their headquarters at Kirtland, in that state. No doubt they had no intention of leaving, when they first went there, but the Lord
revealed to them that there was another place, the place which he called "Zion" on the borders of the Lamanites, and so their hearts were turned to that place; however,
they never had intended to forsake altogether their headquarters in Kirtland, but persecution came upon them, and they were forced out. With rejoicing they assembled
in large measure in Jackson County where it had been made known to them that the great city, the New Jerusalem or Zion would be built and they rejoiced over it, but
they were not privileged to remain there. Their enemies came upon them with hatred and bitterness in their hearts and drove them out. They moved to another part of
the state of Missouri and there again intended and tried to establish themselves, but persecution still followed them, and the hatred of the officials in that state resulted in
their banishment and an edict coming from the governor of that state that they would have to leave or be exterminated. They went back eastward, crossed the great
river, and made their settlement at Nauvoo, in the state of Illinois. (CR, April 1947, p. 58.)

Anthon H. Lund: 5

Baptism for your dead

We believe that the plan of salvation, formulated before this earth rolled into existence, was formed by heavenly beings who could see the future, and who understood
what would take place, and were able to provide for the salvation of all who should inhabit this earth. They did so. We have learned, through the Prophet Joseph, that
there is a possibility for those who have departed, to hear the truth, to believe in God and in His Son, to repent, and to have the ordinances of the Gospel performed for
them. I know that many have held that these doctrines are blasphemous; but they are not. They are principles that give hope unto men. . . . Now those who hear the
Gospel today may ask where their forefathers have gone, and it can be said to them, "They all shall hear the name of Christ, for the Gospel will be preached unto them.
If they have not heard it here, they will hear it yonder; and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess His name." [Sec. 1:2; 76:110-11; 88:104.] Remember,
it is the spirit in man that hears, and understands, and wills. This tabernacle of clay is not capable of these functions. The spirit uses the different senses to obtain
perceptions from the outer world, it can still think, and will, and reason. The intelligent part of man does not die. At one time or another, those authorized to preach the
Gospel will administer unto the spirits in the spirit world and lay before them the glorious principles of truth. [Sec. 128:5.] (CR, October 1903, pp. 80-81.)

Joseph Smith: 6

Let there be a recorder . . . that he may testify

I have one remark to make respecting the baptism for the dead to suffice for the time being, until I have opportunity to discuss the subject at greater length-all persons
baptized for the dead must have a recorder present, that he may be an eyewitness to record and testify of the truth and validity of his record. It will be necessary, in the
Grand Council, that these things be testified to by competent witnesses. Therefore let the recording and witnessing of baptisms for the dead be carefully attended to
from this time forth. [Sec. 128:2-5.] If there is any lack, it may be at the expense of our friends; they may not come forth. (HC 5:141, August 31, 1842.)

Section 128

An Epistle from Joseph Smith the Prophet to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, containing further instructions on baptism for the dead; dated at Nauvoo,
Illinois, September 6, 1842.-More detailed instructions concerning the general recorder, local recorders, and their duties-Witnesses required-The keeping of records
shown to be in conformity with the ordinances of the Lord-Records kept on earth as well as those kept in heaven to be used in judgment-What is bound on earth by
the power of the Holy Priesthood is bound in heaven, and what is loosed here is loosed there-The baptismal font a similitude of the grave-The mission of Elijah the
Prophet-Baptism for the dead a welding link between the departed fathers and the living children-The Prophet's gladsome summary of heavenly visitations to him-The
voice of gladness-Glad tidings for the dead-Glad tidings from Cumorah-The voice of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon-The voice of Michael, of Peter,
James and John-Records of the work done for the dead to be made acceptable to the Lord.

1. As I stated to you in my letter before I left my place, that I would write to you from time to time and give you information in relation to many subjects, I now resume
the subject of the baptism for the dead, as that subject seems to occupy my mind, and press itself upon my feelings the strongest, since I have been pursued by my
enemies.

2. I wrote a few words of revelation to you concerning a recorder. I have had a few additional views in relation to this matter, which I now certify. That is, it was
declared in my former letter that there should be a recorder, who should be eye-witness, and also to hear with his ears, that he might make a record of a truth before
the Lord.

3. Now, in relation to this matter, it would be very difficult for one recorder to be present at all times, and to do all the business. To obviate this difficulty, there can be a
recorder appointed in each ward of the city, who is well qualified for taking accurate minutes; and let him be very particular and precise in taking the whole
proceedings, certifying in his record that he saw with his eyes, and heard with his ears, giving the date, and names, and so forth, and the history of the whole transaction;
naming also some three individuals that are present, if there be any present, who can at any time when called upon certify to the same, that in the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may be established.

4. Then, let there be a general recorder, to whom these other records can be handed, being attended with certificates over their own signatures, certifying that the
record they have made is true. Then the general church recorder can enter the record on the general church book, with the certificates and all the attending witnesses,
with his own statement that he verily believes the above statement and records to be true, from his knowledge of the general character and appointment of those men
by the church. And when this is done on the general church book, the record shall be just as holy, and shall answer the ordinance just the same as if he had seen with
his eyes and heard with his ears, and made a record of the same on the general church book.

5. You may think this order of things to be very particular; but let me tell you that it is only to answer the will of God, by conforming to the ordinance and preparation
that the Lord ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world, for the salvation of the dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel.

6. And further, I want you to remember that John the Revelator was contemplating this very subject in relation to the dead, when he declared, as you will find recorded
in Revelation 20:12-And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

7. You will discover in this quotation that the books were opened; and another book was opened, which was the book of life; but the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their works; consequently, the books spoken of must be the books which contained the record of their works, and
refer to the records which are kept on the earth. And the book which was the book of life is the record which is kept in heaven; the principle agreeing precisely with the
doctrine which is commanded you in the revelation contained in the letter which I wrote to you previous to my leaving my place-that in all your recordings it may be
recorded in heaven.

8. Now, the nature of this ordinance consists in the power of the priesthood, by the revelation of Jesus Christ, wherein it is granted that whatsoever you bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Or, in other words, taking a different view of the translation, whatsoever you
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                                                                                                                                                       your dead
judged, according to their own works, whether they themselves have attended to the ordinances in their own propria persona, or by the means of their own agents,
according to the ordinance which God has prepared for their salvation from before the foundation of the world, according to the records which they have kept
recorded in heaven.

8. Now, the nature of this ordinance consists in the power of the priesthood, by the revelation of Jesus Christ, wherein it is granted that whatsoever you bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Or, in other words, taking a different view of the translation, whatsoever you
record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven; for out of the books shall your dead be
judged, according to their own works, whether they themselves have attended to the ordinances in their own propria persona, or by the means of their own agents,
according to the ordinance which God has prepared for their salvation from before the foundation of the world, according to the records which they have kept
concerning their dead.

9. It may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of-a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in all ages of the world,
whenever the Lord has given a dispensation of the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men, this power has always been given. Hence, whatsoever
those men did in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in
heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great Jehovah. This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?

10. And again, for the precedent, Matthew 16:18, 19: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

11. Now the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining the powers of the
Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men, both as
well for the dead as for the living.

12. Herein is glory and honor, and immortality and eternal life-The ordinance of baptism by water, to be immersed therein in order to answer to the likeness of the
dead, that one principle might accord with the other; to be immersed in the water and come forth out of the water is in the likeness of the resurrection of the dead in
coming forth out of their graves; hence, this ordinance was instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead, being in likeness of the dead.

13. Consequently, the baptismal font was instituted as a similitude of the grave, and was commanded to be in a place underneath where the living are wont to assemble,
to show forth the living and the dead, and that all things may have their likeness, and that they may accord one with another-that which is earthly conforming to that
which is heavenly, as Paul hath declared, 1 Corinthians 15:46, 47, and 48.

14. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the
Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as are the records on the earth
in relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in heaven. This, therefore, is the sealing and binding power, and in one sense of the word, the
keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of knowledge.

15. And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over,
as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers-that they without us cannot be made
perfect-neither can we without our dead be made perfect.

16. And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, I will give you another quotation of Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the
dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?

17. And again, in connection with this quotation I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the restoration of the priesthood, the
glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead;
for Malachi says, 1st chapter, verses 5th and 6th: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall
turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

18. I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be
smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other-and behold what is that
subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made
perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now
beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be
revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but
have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.

19. Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad
tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad
tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!

20. And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets-the book to be revealed. A voice
of the Lord in the wilderness of Fayette, Seneca county, declaring the three witnesses to bear record of the book! The voice of Michael on the banks of the
Susquehanna, detecting the devil when he appeared as an angel of light! The voice of Peter, James, and John in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna county,
and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river declaring themselves as possessing the keys of the kingdom, and of the dispensation of the fulness of times!

21. And again, the voice of God in the chamber of old Father Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county, and at sundry times, and in divers places through all the travels and
tribulations of this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! And the voice of Michael, the archangel; the voice of Gabriel, and of Raphael, and of divers angels,
from Michael or Adam down to the present time, all declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their
priesthood; giving line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little, and there a little; giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to come, confirming our hope!

22. Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be
exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world
was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.

23. Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers and brooks and rills,
flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars
sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we
hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!
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24. Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and
like fuller's soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the
Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us
23. Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers and brooks and rills,
flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars
sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we
hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!

24. Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and
like fuller's soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the
Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us
present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.

25. Brethren, I have many things to say to you on the subject; but shall now close for the present, and continue the subject another time. I am, as ever, your humble
servant and never deviating friend,
JOSEPH SMITH.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

I wrote as follows: [Section 128.] . . .The important instructions contained in the foregoing letter made a deep and solemn impression on the minds of the Saints; and
they manifested their intentions to obey the instructions to the letter. (HC 5:148, September 6, 1842; Nauvoo, Illinois.)

Rudger Clawson: 2-4

In the early days of the Church some baptisms for the dead that were not properly witnessed and recorded, were rejected of the Lord, and the work had to be done
over again. We know that great care and attention is given to this matter today in our Temples and that efficient help must be secured to do this. . . . Truly it is a great
and marvelous work, and not the least important thing about it is that these ordinances are all carefully recorded in the books and are filed away in the archives of the
Temple, to be brought forth in due time. From these records the people who have gone to that house will be judged. Nothing that is done in that Temple will be
accepted of the Lord, except it is properly witnessed and recorded. (CR, April 1900, pp. 43-44.)

Joseph Smith: 5

The dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel

The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent
beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the
Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold. I saw Fathers Adam and Abraham, and my father
and mother, my brother, Alvin, that has long since slept, and marvelled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this
life before the Lord had set His hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins.

Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying-

All who have died without a knowledge of this Gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom, for I, the Lord, will judge all
men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.

And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability, are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven. (HC 2:380-81, January 21,
1836.)

Parley P. Pratt: 5

The dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel

In the world of spirits there are Apostles, Prophets, Elders, and members of the Church of the Saints, holding keys of Priesthood, and power to teach, comfort,
instruct, and proclaim the Gospel to their fellow spirits, after the pattern of Jesus Christ.

In the same world there are also the spirits of Catholics and Protestants of every sect, who have all need to be taught and to come to the knowledge of the true
unchangeable Gospel in its fullness and simplicity, that they may be judged the same as if they had been privileged with the same in the flesh. [1 Peter 4:6.]

There is also the Jew, the Mahomedan, the infidel, who did not believe in Christ while in the flesh. All these must be taught, must come to the knowledge of the crucified
and risen Redeemer, and hear the glad tidings of the Gospel.

There are also all the varieties of the heathen spirits; the noble and refined philosopher, poet, patriot or statesmen of Rome or Greece, the enlightened Socrates and
Plato, and their like, together with every grade of spirits down to the most uncultivated of the savage world.

All these must be taught, enlightened, and must bow the knee to the eternal King, for the decree hath gone forth that unto Him every knee shall bow and every tongue
confess. [Sec. 76:110-11; 88:104.]

O, what a field of labor, of benevolence, of missionary enterprise now opens to the Apostles and Elders of the Church of the Saints! As this field opens they will begin
to realize more fully the extent of their divine mission, and the meaning of the great command to "preach the gospel to every creature." [Mark 16:15.]

In this vast field of labor the Priesthood are, in a great measure, occupied during their sojourn in the world of spirits, while awaiting the resurrection of the body, and at
the same time they themselves are edified, improved and greatly advanced and matured in the science of divine Theology. (Key to the Science of Theology, 1943, pp.
127-28.)

Joseph F. Smith: 5

The dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel

In relation to the deliverance of spirits from their prison house, of course, we believe that can only be done after the gospel has been preached to them in the spirit, and
they  have accepted
 Copyright           the same,Infobase
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                                                 Corp. to their redemption by the living be done for them. That this work may be hastened so that all    who believe,
                                                                                                                                                       Page   100 / 159in the
spirit world, may receive the benefit of deliverance, it is revealed that the great work of the Millennium shall be the work in the temples for the redemption of the dead;
and then we hope to enjoy the benefits of revelation through the Urim and Thummim, or by such means as the Lord may reveal concerning those for whom the work
shall be done, so that we may not work by chance, or by faith alone, without knowledge, but with the actual knowledge revealed unto us. It stands to reason that, while
The dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel

In relation to the deliverance of spirits from their prison house, of course, we believe that can only be done after the gospel has been preached to them in the spirit, and
they have accepted the same, and the work necessary to their redemption by the living be done for them. That this work may be hastened so that all who believe, in the
spirit world, may receive the benefit of deliverance, it is revealed that the great work of the Millennium shall be the work in the temples for the redemption of the dead;
and then we hope to enjoy the benefits of revelation through the Urim and Thummim, or by such means as the Lord may reveal concerning those for whom the work
shall be done, so that we may not work by chance, or by faith alone, without knowledge, but with the actual knowledge revealed unto us. It stands to reason that, while
the gospel may be preached unto all, the good and the bad, or rather to those who would repent and to those who would not repent in the spirit world, the same as it is
here, redemption will only come to those who repent and obey. There is, no doubt, great leniency given to people who are anxious to do the work for their dead, and
in some instances, very unworthy people may have the work done for them; it does not follow, however, that they will receive any benefit therefrom, and the correct
thing is to do the work only for these of whom we have the testimony that they will receive it. However, we are disposed to give benefit of the doubt to the dead, as it is
better to do the work for many who are unworthy than to neglect one who is worthy. Now, we know in part and see in part, but steadfastly look forward to the time
when that which is perfect will come. [1 Cor. 13:8-12.] We are left largely to our own agency here, to exercise our own intelligence and to receive all the light that is
revealed, so far as we are capable of receiving it, and only those who seek the light, and desire it, are likely to find it. [Sec. 88:63-64; 46:8-9.] (IE, December 1901,
5:146-47.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 5

The dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel

We are not going to do the temple work for everybody, because it doesn't pertain to them ["all of the ordinances of the Gospel, pertain to the celestial kingdom of
God"] . We are going to do the temple work for those who are entitled, through their faith and their repentance, to enter into the celestial kingdom. But somebody says,
"How do we know? We search our records for hundreds of years and do the work for all of them." Of course we do, because we can't judge. I don't know whether
one man is worthy and another isn't. The Lord has given us the privilege of doing the work for all of our kindred, with the hope of course that all of them will receive the
truth, and since we are of the house of Israel our parents, generation by generation as they go back, also would be of the house of Israel, and hence they would be
more likely to receive the Gospel than would those who are purely Gentiles. Now if there are any in our lines we do work for in the temple who are unworthy or
unwilling to receive the ordinances of the house of the Lord, then the Lord will be the judge. He will set that ordinance aside and it will not be accounted as done. That
is in His hands. Our duty is to do the work the Lord has required at our hands for the salvation of our dead.

Now in the justice of our Father in Heaven every soul on the face of the earth must have an opportunity to receive the Gospel. I want to read a verse to you from the
Doctrine and Covenants:

For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall
not be penetrated.

And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed. (D&C 1:2-3.)

Now reason teaches us that it is a physical impossibility for us to reach every soul upon the face of the earth with a knowledge of the Gospel. We have not done that.
With all the means at our command they have been dying by the thousands, both in the days since the work began and before, without having heard the voice of a
servant of the Son of God upon the earth; yet the time must come, in the justice of our Father in Heaven, when every soul must hear-every ear shall hear, every eye
shall see, every heart shall be penetrated-and if it isn't done in this life by the preaching of the Gospel then it must be done among the dead, in the spirit world; but it
must be done. (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, October 1940, pp. 196-97.)

Orson Pratt: 6

Taking all these passages of Scripture together [Daniel 7:9-13; Revelation 20] , we may look for a general reckoning with all the inhabitants of this earth, both the
righteous and the wicked. How long this day, called the day of judgment, will be, is not revealed. It may be vastly longer than what many suppose. It seems to me that
unless there were a great number engaged in judging the dead, it would require a long period of time; for, for one being to personally investigate all the idle thoughts and
words of the children of men from the days of Adam down until that time [Mosiah 4:30] , it would require a great many millions of years, and therefore I come to
another conclusion, namely, that God has his agents, and that through those agents the dead will be judged. (JD, October 11, 1874, 17:182.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 7

The dead were judged . . . according to their works

We know that all of the ordinances of the Gospel are required of all men if they desire eternal exaltation. No man having sound judgment and knowledge of good and
evil can escape the penalties of the law which the Gospel places upon him. Thousands of men and women have died without knowing of Jesus Christ, or having an
understanding of the nature of the laws of God; but they have not been without law. They have been instructed in much that pertains to salvation. They have been taught
the difference between sin and righteousness, right and wrong, justice and injustice and many other principles; but they never had the opportunity of repentance and the
knowledge of the saving ordinances of the Gospel. They have had before them the written word of the Lord, although the spirit of interpretation has been lacking and
therefore in many things they have stumbled. The Lord has raised up unto them teachers of their own people to give to them as much knowledge as they were
prepared, or permitted, to receive at the time they lived on the earth. This knowledge is revealed by Alma. (Alma 29:7-8.) All of these people are under the necessity
of repentance, and the Gospel will be taught to them in the world of spirits in its fulness. If they accept it there will be given to them the right of the essential ordinances
administered vicariously in the Temples of the Lord, and they will become heirs in the celestial kingdom. (CHMR, 1950, 4:136-37.)

Brigham Young: 7

The dead were judged . . . according to their works

All who have lived on the earth according to the best light they had, and would have received the fulness of the Gospel had it been preached to them, are worthy of a
glorious resurrection, and will attain to this by being administered for in the flesh by those who have the authority. (JD, August 24, 1872, 15:136-37.)

John Taylor: 7

The book of life

The Bible [Rev. 20:12] and Doctrine and Covenants speak about certain books which should be opened; and another book would be opened, called the Book of Life,
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                      writtenInfobase  Mediawould
                              in these books Corp.men be judged at the last day. (JD, December 31, 1876, 18:330.)                       Page 101 / 159

Francis M. Lyman: 7
The book of life

The Bible [Rev. 20:12] and Doctrine and Covenants speak about certain books which should be opened; and another book would be opened, called the Book of Life,
and out of the things written in these books would men be judged at the last day. (JD, December 31, 1876, 18:330.)

Francis M. Lyman: 7

The records which are kept on the earth

There are, in the records of the Church today, the names of every man, woman and child who has given of their means for tithing. Those records can be scanned and
our faith and works can be understood by the Presidency of the Church. And we ought to be known; we want to be known. We want to be recognized, not alone as
having a name among the people, but as being faithful, devoted, humble, and obedient. (CR, October 1899, pp. 34-35.)

Melvin J. Ballard: 8

Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven

An evidence that those in the Spirit world know of the work we do here in the Temples, was related by President [Edward J.] Wood of the Alberta Temple. While
sealing a group of children to their parents, in the midst of the ceremony he felt an impression to ask the mother who was present, "Sister, does this list contain the
names of all your children?" She said, "Yes." He began again, but once more he stopped and asked if the list named all her children. She told him there were no more
children. He attempted to proceed, but a third time was impelled to ask: "My sister, have you not lost a child whose name is not on this list?" Then she said: "Yes, I do
remember now. We did lose a little baby. It was born alive and then died soon after. I had forgotten to put its name down." The name was given and then it, being the
first born, was named first and all were sealed to the parents.

Then President Wood said: "Everytime I started to seal the children, I heard a voice say: 'Mother, don't forget me,' and I could not go any farther." The appeal was
made each time until the omission was discovered. Our loved ones who have departed are conscious of what is happening. They are often very near to us. Their hearts
are turned to the work we are doing. We can make them happy and make ourselves happy. (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, October 1932, 23:149.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 8

God has prepared . . . salvation from before the foundation of the world

Malachi says promises of salvation, through aid rendered by the children, were made to the fathers. [Mal. 4:5-6; D&C 2.] When and how were such promises given?
This promise was made even before the foundation of the earth was laid. It was part of the great plan and was understood before man was placed on the earth. Joseph
Smith, by revelation, instructed the Saints and said that the Lord "ordained and prepared" the means, "before the foundation of the world, for the salvation of the dead
who should die without a knowledge of the gospel." [Sec. 128:5.] (The Way to Perfection, 1943, p. 176.)

Orson Pratt: 9

Whatsoever . . . men did in authority . . . and kept a . . . record . . . it became a law on earth and in heaven

The sacred books kept in the archives of eternity are to be opened in the great judgment day, and compared with the records kept on the earth; and then, if it is found
that things have been done by the authority and commandment of the Most High, in relation to the dead, and the same things are found to be recorded both on earth
and in heaven, such sacred books will be opened and read before the assembled universe in the day of judgment, and will be sanctioned by Him who sits on the throne
and deals out justice and mercy to all of his creation. (JD, August 28, 1859, 7:84.)

Parley P. Pratt: 12

The ordinance of baptism by water

The immersion in water, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, for remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit which follows according to promise,
by the laying on of hands of the holy priesthood, were instituted from before the foundation of the world, as a pattern of the birth, death, resurrection and new life of
man. (Key to the Science of Theology, 1943, p. 97.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 13

The baptismal font . . . as a similitude of the grave

The Lord has placed the baptismal font in our temples below the foundation, or the surface of the earth. This is symbolical, since the dead are in their graves, and we
are working for the dead when we are baptized for them. Moreover, baptism is also symbolical of death and the resurrection, in fact, is virtually a resurrection from the
life of sin, or from spiritual death, to the life of spiritual life. (See D&C 29:41-45.) Therefore when the dead have had this ordinance performed in their behalf they are
considered to have been brought into the presence of God, just as this doctrine is applied to the living. Other ordinances of the endowment and sealings therefore do
not have to be performed below the surface of the earth as in the case of baptism. (CHMR, 1950, 4:137-38.)

Rudger Clawson: 15-18

So this important prophecy, that comes out of the past [Malachi 4:5, has been fulfilled in the present, and in a manner connecting the past with the present. . . .

Now, in respect to this word "turn," we do not understand that that means that the fathers should simply assume a sympathetic attitude toward their children, that the
children should have a sympathetic attitude toward their fathers, their fathers being dead. It means, if we may rely upon the word of the latter-day prophet, Joseph
Smith, that the word "turn" should be translated "bind or seal," and if that be the case what a flood of light is thrown upon this important matter! It signifies that a work
must be done for the dead and that we are to manifest our faith in the Gospel and in the prediction that has been made, by our work. Perhaps I might read a word or
two from the history of the Church by the prophet:

Now the word "turn" here should be translated "bind or seal." But what is the object of this important mission, or; how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered;
the spirit of Elijah is to come; the gospel to be established; the Saints of God gathered; Zion built up; and the Saints to come up as saviors upon Mount Zion. [HC
6:184,  January
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We are told in the epistle of Peter:
two from the history of the Church by the prophet:

Now the word "turn" here should be translated "bind or seal." But what is the object of this important mission, or; how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered;
the spirit of Elijah is to come; the gospel to be established; the Saints of God gathered; Zion built up; and the Saints to come up as saviors upon Mount Zion. [HC
6:184, January 21, 1844.]

We are told in the epistle of Peter:

For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they may be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. [1
Peter 4:6.]

Oh, the beauty of the justice and mercy of God, who is no respecter of persons! And let it be remembered that what it takes to save one who is living; it takes just that
much to save one who is dead. (CR, October 1931, pp. 78-79.)

Rudger Clawson: 15

For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation

Some years ago, a brother approached me, and he said: "Brother Clawson, I am sixty-seven years of age; I have been a strong and active man in my life, and have
done a great deal of hard work, but now I am somewhat feeble; I cannot engage in manual labor as heretofore. How shall I spend my time?" I said to him, "Go to the
house of the Lord." "Thank you," he replied, "I will take your counsel." About eight years later, I met this brother again. He appeared to be very happy indeed; and
there was an expression of joy in his countenance. "Brother Clawson," he said, "during the past eight years I have been working for my ancestors, in the house of the
Lord. After that conversation with you, I went east and I gathered up eight hundred names of my relatives; and during the past eight years I have personally officiated
for three hundred of my ancestors, and I propose to continue on with the good work; I am happy for the Lord has blessed me." He further said, "I saw in a vision, upon
one occasion, my father and mother, who were not members of the Church, who had not received the Gospel in life, and I discovered that they were living separate
and apart in the spirit world, and when I asked them how it was that they were so, my father said: 'This is an enforced separation, and you are the only individual that
can bring us together; you can do this work; will you do it?"-meaning that he should go into the house of the Lord and there officiate for his parents who were dead,
and by the ordinance of sealing bring them together and unite them in the family relation beyond the veil; and he informed me that he had attended to the work, and I
rejoiced with him and congratulated him. (CR, October 1908, p. 74.)

Joseph Smith: 15

Paul

He [the apostle Paul] is about five feet high; very dark hair; dark complexion; dark skin; large Roman nose; short face; small black eyes, penetrating as eternity; round
shoulders; a whining voice, except when elevated, and then it almost resembled the roaring of a lion. He was a good orator, active and diligent, always employing
himself in doing good to his fellow man. (TPJS, January 5, 1841, p. 180.)

Joseph Smith: 15

Neither can we without our dead be made perfect

This doctrine [baptism for the dead] presents in a clear light the wisdom and mercy of God in preparing an ordinance for the salvation of the dead, being baptized by
proxy, their names recorded in heaven and they judged according to the deeds done in the body. This doctrine was the burden of the scriptures. Those Saints who
neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own salvation. (HC 4:426, October 2, 1841.)

Joseph Smith: 16

In relation to the baptism for the dead

In regard to the law of the priesthood, there should be a place where all nations shall come up from time to time to receive their endowments; and the Lord has said this
shall be the place for the baptisms for the dead. Every man that has been baptized and belongs to the kingdom has a right to be baptized for those who have gone
before; and as soon as the law of the Gospel is obeyed here by their friends who act as proxy for them, the Lord has administrators there to set them free. A man may
act as proxy for his own relatives; the ordinances of the Gospel which were laid out before the foundations of the world have thus been fulfilled by them, and we may
be baptized for those whom we have much friendship for; but it must first be revealed to the man of God, lest we should run too far. (HC 6:365-66, May 12, 1844.)

Orson Pratt: 17

The great and dreadful day of the Lord

What "great and dreadful day of the Lord" is meant in the words of our text? [Mal. 4:5-6.] . . . Surely this coming of our Lord has relation to the great and terrible day,
the day of burning, the day in which wickedness should be entirely swept from the earth, and no remnants of the wicked left, when every branch of them and every root
of them should become as stubble, and be consumed from the face of the earth. [Sec. 101:23-24; Mal. 4:1.] (JD, August 28, 1859, 7:76-77.)

Melvin J. Ballard: 17

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and . . . the children to their fathers

The dead know where their records are, so you are to search until you have gone as far as you can. But, of course, there are hosts of men and women in the Spirit
World whose records don't exist anywhere on the earth, but whose record is in the Spirit World.

When you have done all you can do and have reached the limit, what will happen? As always in the past, man's extremity is God's opportunity. The Lord never helps us
while we can help ourselves. This is our day. We don't expect Him to do miraculous things that we can do ourselves. When we have done our utmost, then will come
God's opportunity. Don't think for a moment that the temples will close. They will go on all through the Millennium. Great hosts of the dead in the Spirit World are
waiting for this work. Should it not stir us to do everything to relieve them of their distress? It surely should. When we have done our utmost, then will come the day
when the authorities that preside on the other side will come and make known all who have received the Gospel in the Spirit World, and everyone entitled to have their
work done. That is the simplest thing in the world. When the Lord is ready, it will be very simple and very easy. We can speed that day by doing now the work that we
can do. (Utah
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Orson F. Whitney: 18
God's opportunity. Don't think for a moment that the temples will close. They will go on all through the Millennium. Great hosts of the dead in the Spirit World are
waiting for this work. Should it not stir us to do everything to relieve them of their distress? It surely should. When we have done our utmost, then will come the day
when the authorities that preside on the other side will come and make known all who have received the Gospel in the Spirit World, and everyone entitled to have their
work done. That is the simplest thing in the world. When the Lord is ready, it will be very simple and very easy. We can speed that day by doing now the work that we
can do. (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, October 1932, 23:148-49.)

Orson F. Whitney: 18

The dominant thought in the mind of the Prophet Joseph Smith during his last days on earth was expressed by him in the following forceful language: [Sec. 128:18,
quoted.]

Involved in this mighty scheme of bringing together all things that are Christ's, is the gathering of the scattered house of Israel, the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
the chosen people, through whom God has worked from the beginning for the salvation and betterment of mankind; and Joseph Smith, a descendant of that Joseph
who was sold into Egypt [2 Nephi 3:6-8, 14-15] , was the divinely appointed instrument for lifting up the ensign for the gathering of Israel in the last days.

And what is the object in view? Why all this stupendous labor and sacrifice? Why must the house of Israel be assembled? Why must the gospel dispensations-links of a
mighty chain extending from the creation down to the end of time-be bound together in one? It is because God is coming down upon the earth, and the way must be
prepared before him. Jesus Christ is coming to reign as King of Kings, to inaugurate the millennial era of universal freedom, righteousness and peace; and in order that
his coming, which is designed as a blessing, may not prove a curse, a calamity, through the unpreparedness of His people and the world at large, he has set his hand in
these days to perform the marvelous work and wonder that the Prophet Isaiah foretold. [Isa. 29:14.] (CR, April 1918, p. 74.)

John Taylor: 18

A . . . welding together of dispensations

We talk sometimes about co-operation; but the plan of salvation, if you please, is a grand Co-operative Scheme, as expansive as the heavens and as wide as eternity; it
penetrates through all time, extends through all ages, and reaches men in every position, living or dead; they who have lived, we who now live, and they who will live
hereafter are all working together in this grand co-operative plan, and we cannot be made perfect without our progenitors, neither can they be perfected without us, and
they are as much dependent upon us as we are dependent upon them. We can build temples, they cannot; it is not their province to administer in them at present, but it
is ours, and we are called upon to do so. They are interested in our welfare, they are our fathers, we are their children; they are laboring there, we here, for our mutual
salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God. . . . The living and the dead so-called in Christ are all working for the accomplishment of the same great objects and
purposes. Don't you think that they, behind the veil, feel as much interested in the work as we do? Read the little glimpse given by John in Revelation, where he speaks
about the souls of those before the altar; who prayed day and night that he would avenge them of their adversaries [Rev. 6:10] ; and again, when the time came when
Babylon was cast down there was rejoicing among the angels in heaven. [Rev. 12:7-12.] This gives us some faint idea of the feelings entertained by those on the other
side of the veil in relation to events here. (JD, April 8, 1875, 17:373-74.)

Marriner W. Merrill: 18

We without them cannot be made perfect

A great many of our kindred have left this existence, many of them without a knowledge of the Gospel, perhaps the majority of them. We are here as their children, and
they have an interest in us and we have an interest in them, because the keys have been revealed whereby the hearts of the children are turned to the fathers, and the
hearts of the fathers to the children. Those keys and powers have been revealed in our day and time, and we now have opportunities, while in life, to prosecute this
labor in their behalf and to extend to our kindred beyond the veil the greatest redeeming plan of salvation. . . . We may pass away any moment. I have known of many
instances of this kind, where people have put off from time to time and from year to year, their work in behalf of some of their kindred dead, and have finally passed
away themselves without doing this work. (CR, October 1899, pp. 64-65.)

John Taylor: 20-21

As there were great and important events to be introduced into the world associated with the interests of humanity, not only with the people that now are, but with all
people that have ever lived upon the face of the earth, and as what is termed the dispensation of the fullness of times was about to be ushered in, Moroni, who held the
keys of the unfolding of the Book of Mormon, which is a record of the people who lived upon this American continent, came to Joseph Smith and revealed to him
certain things pertaining to the peoples who had lived here and the dealings of God with them, and also in regard to events that are to transpire on this continent. [Sec.
27:5; JS-H 30-55.]

Then comes another personage, whose name is John the Baptist. He ordained the Prophet Joseph to that portion of the Priesthood of which he held the keys, namely,
the Aaronic, or Lesser Priesthood. [Sec. 27:7-8; JS-H 68-73.] Afterwards came Peter, James, and John, who held the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and of the
dispensation of the fulness of times, they being the last in their day to whom it was committed, and therefore they came to him and revealed to him the principles
pertaining to the Gospel, and the events to be fulfilled. [Sec. 27:12-13.]

Then we read again of Elias or Elijah, who was to act as a restorer, and who committed to him the powers and authority associated with his position. [Sec. 27:9;
110:13-16.] Then Abraham, who had the Gospel, the Priesthood and the Patriarchal powers, in his day [Sec. 27:10] ; and Moses, who stood at the head of the
gathering dispensation in his day, and had these powers conferred upon him. [Sec. 110:11.] We are informed that Noah, who was a Patriarch and all in the line of the
Priesthood, in every generation back to Adam, who was the first man, possessed the same. Why was it that all these people should be associated with all these
dispensations, and all could communicate with Joseph Smith? Because he stood at the head of the dispensation of the fullness of times, which comprehends all the
various dispensations that have existed upon the earth, and that as the Gods in the eternal worlds and the Priesthood that officiated in time and eternity had declared
that it was time for the issuing forth of all these things, they all combined together to impart to him the keys of their several missions, that he might be fully competent,
through the intelligence and aid afforded him through these several parties, to introduce the Gospel in all its fullness, namely, the dispensation of the fullness of times,
when says the Apostle Paul, "He might gather all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth, even in him." [Eph. 1:9-10.] Consequently he stood
in that position and hence his familiarity with all these various dispensations and the men who administered in them. If you were to ask Joseph what sort of a looking
man Adam was, he would tell you at once; he would tell you his size and appearance and all about him. You might have asked him what sort of men Peter, James, and
John were, and he could have told you. Why? Because he had seen them. (JD, December 31, 1876, 18:325-26.)

Wilford Woodruff: 22

Shall we not go on in so great a cause?

When   I returned
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have a mother in the spirit world." My father was in the flesh. I baptized and ordained him and brought him up to Zion where he is buried. But I never saw my mother to
know her. She died when I was an infant. I had power to seal my mother to my father. Was not that a satisfaction? It was to me. I have gone to work with the
assistance of my friends and redeemed my father's and my mother's house. When I inquired of the Lord how I could redeem my dead, while I was in St. George, not
Wilford Woodruff: 22

Shall we not go on in so great a cause?

When I returned from England in 1841 and heard Joseph Smith give this revelation, that we had power to redeem our dead, one of the first things I thought was, "I
have a mother in the spirit world." My father was in the flesh. I baptized and ordained him and brought him up to Zion where he is buried. But I never saw my mother to
know her. She died when I was an infant. I had power to seal my mother to my father. Was not that a satisfaction? It was to me. I have gone to work with the
assistance of my friends and redeemed my father's and my mother's house. When I inquired of the Lord how I could redeem my dead, while I was in St. George, not
having any of my family there, the Lord told me to call upon the Saints in St. George and let them officiate for me in that temple, and it should be acceptable unto Him. .
. . This is a revelation to us. We can help one another in these matters, if we have not relatives sufficient to carry this on, and it will be acceptable unto the Lord. (MS,
May 28, 1894, 56:341.)

Wilford Woodruff: 22

Go forward and not backward

We must go forward, not backward. I bear testimony to you, my brethren and sisters, the whole spirit world is watching your labor and your works, and as I said in the
beginning, if the veil was taken from off our eyes, we would see the responsibility of our acts, and what would be the result of these things? We would labor diligently
and do all we could for the rearing of these temples for the redemption of our dead; we would sanctify ourselves and keep the Word of Wisdom, and unite ourselves
together according to the Law of God. There are many things we do as Latter-day Saints that we should abstain from; we should see the importance of our laboring in
the flesh to build up the Zion of God. (CR, April 1880, p. 11.)

Orson Pratt: 23

We are willing to go the earth over to save the living; we are willing to build temples and administer in ordinances to save the dead; we are willing to enter the eternal
worlds and preach to every creature who has not placed himself beyond the reach of mercy. We are willing to labour both in this world and in the next to save men.

Let all rejoice that the great day of the dispensation of the fulness of times has come. Let the living rejoice; let the dead rejoice; let the heavens and the earth rejoice; let
all creations shout hosannah! glory to God in the highest! for he hath brought salvation, and glory, and honour, and immortality, and eternal life to the fallen sons of men.
Amen. (JD, August 28, 1859, 7:90-91.)

Hugh B. Brown: 24

The great day of the Lord is at hand

Many revelations summarize the signs to be noted before the coming of the Master. There will be wars, commotions, calamities, plagues, pestilence, famine, and
disease such as has not been known before. Wars, carnage, and bloodshed and desolation which will overshadow anything of past ages.

Frequent visits to the temple will encourage us to watch and be ready for his coming as the day and hour is not known to anyone, but they who do watch and prepare
for that day will be able to read the signs of the times and approximate the time of the second coming. All we certainly know is that it is 133 years nearer than when
these revelations were given.

To the wicked, the second coming will be a great and dreadful day, a day of sorrow and desolation, of burning and vengeance and judgment.

For the presence of the Lord shall be as the melting fire that burneth, and as the fire which causeth the waters to boil.

But to the righteous who have waited faithfully and kept his laws, the second coming will be a day devoutly to be desired, when injustice will cease and wickedness be
banished.

The Lord will undoubtedly make many successive appearances in various parts of the earth, and Malachi asks: "Who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall
stand when he appeareth."

While the precise time of his coming is not known, he warns us to watch the developments of the work of God among nations and note the rapid fulfillment of significant
prophecies by which we may perceive the evidence of the approaching event, "but the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they
know until he comes." His coming will be a surprise to those who have ignored his warnings and have failed to watch. To them he will come as a thief in the night, and
he admonishes, "Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the son of man cometh." (DNCS, November 28, 1964, p. 15.)

John A. Widtsoe: 24

An offering in righteousness

The "offering in righteousness" is here identified with temple work for the salvation of the dead, which encompasses all the principles of the plan of salvation.

When, therefore, the sons of Levi accept Christ and His gospel, subject themselves to the ordinances of the Church, and become active in gospel requirements, they
will offer the offering in righteousness of which has been spoken. (Evidences and Reconciliations, 1943, 1:196.)

Section 129

Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, February 9, 1843, making known the three grand keys by which good or bad angels or spirits may
be distinguished.-Two kinds of beings besides mortals-Resurrected personages having bodies of flesh and bones-Disembodied spirits and spirits that have never been
embodied-Means of detection.

1. There are two kinds of beings in heaven, namely: Angels, who are resurrected personages, having bodies of flesh and bones-

2. For instance, Jesus said: Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

3. Secondly: the spirits of just men made perfect, they who are not resurrected, but inherit the same glory.
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4. When a messenger comes saying he has a message from God, offer him your hand and request him to shake hands with you.
2. For instance, Jesus said: Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

3. Secondly: the spirits of just men made perfect, they who are not resurrected, but inherit the same glory.

4. When a messenger comes saying he has a message from God, offer him your hand and request him to shake hands with you.

5. If he be an angel he will do so, and you will feel his hand.

6. If he be the spirit of a just man made perfect he will come in his glory; for that is the only way he can appear-

7. Ask him to shake hands with you, but he will not move, because it is contrary to the order of heaven for a just man to deceive; but he will still deliver his message.

8. If it be the devil as an angel of light, when you ask him to shake hands he will offer you his hand, and you will not feel anything; you may therefore detect him.

9. These are three grand keys whereby you may know whether any administration is from God.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

Spent most of the day in conversation with Parley P. Pratt and others. [Section 129, follows.]

A man came to me in Kirtland, and told me he had seen an angel, and described his dress. I told him he had seen no angel, and that there was no such dress in heaven.
He grew mad, and went into the street and commanded fire to come down out of heaven to consume me. I laughed at him, and said, You are one of Baal's prophets;
your God does not hear you; jump up and cut yourself: and he commanded fire from heaven to consume my house. (HC 5:267-68, February 9, 1843; Nauvoo,
Illinois.)

Joseph Smith: 1

He explained the difference between an angel and a ministering spirit; the one a resurrected or translated body, with its spirit ministering to embodied spirits-the other a
disembodied spirit, visiting and ministering to disembodied spirits. Jesus Christ became a ministering spirit (while His body was lying in the sepulchre) to the spirits in
prison, to fulfill an important part of His mission [1 Peter 3:18-20] , without which He could not have perfected His work, or enter into His rest. After His resurrection
He appeared as an angel to His disciples.

Translated bodies cannot enter into rest until they have undergone a change equivalent to death. Translated bodies are designed for future missions. (HC 4:425,
October 3, 1841.)

Charles W. Penrose: 1

Angels

. . . the quotation . . . from section 129, verse 1, of the Doctrine and Covenants; reference to the text cited will show that it is not there stated that "all" angels are
resurrected beings. . . . The theme discoursed upon is the presence in heaven of two kinds or classes of beings, namely, first, resurrected beings and, second, spirits
who are not resurrected. It is not asserted that there are no other kinds of persons in heaven than they, but the subject treated is of the two classes mentioned.

Comparison with other texts of scripture, ancient and modern, makes clear the fact that there are other grades or classes of heavenly beings than the two spoken of in
section 129. It is understood by ordinary students of modern religion that there are perfected beings called gods, who are higher than the angels (see Section 132:16-
39), and to whom the angels are servants. And even among the gods there are Presiding Personages, the Holy Trinity standing at the head. [Sec. 121:32; 130:22-23.]

There are angels of various appointments and stations. Michael is called an "archangel." (D&C 29:26; Dan. 10:13.) Some are resurrected beings like the angel that was
sent to John the Revelator (Rev. 22:8, 9), and those already referred to in D&C, Sec. 132, while others are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister unto them who
shall be heirs of salvation." (Heb. 1:14.) Some of these angels are described as "the spirits of just men made perfect" and are "not resurrected," and others were made
ministering spirits before entering into mortality, serving among their fellows in their pre-existent state. Christ was a ministering spirit before his birth into this world.
[Ether 3:14-16.] He was "anointed above his fellows." The angel Gabriel was a ministering spirit after he had been a mortal man (Noah), and before his resurrection,
for Jesus of Nazareth was . . . "the firstfruits of them that slept." (See Luke 1:11-30; Dan. 8:16; 9:21.)

Angels are God's messengers, whether used in that capacity as unembodied spirits, selected according to their capacities for the work required, or as disembodied
spirits, or as translated men, or as resurrected beings. They are agents of Deity of different degrees of intelligence, power and authority, under the direction of higher
dignitaries, and subject to law and order in their respective spheres. Elijah, who appeared with Moses on the mount of transfiguration, was a translated man; Moses at
that time was either a translated man or a spirit ministering to the Savior; both acted in the capacity of angels. (Luke 9:28-33.) Enoch's band of translated beings
doubtless appeared as angels in manifestations to the patriarchs recorded in the book of Genesis. [Gen. 21:17; 22:11; 32:1.]

Angels high in authority have been clothed on special occasions with the right to represent Deity personally. They have appeared and have been recognized as God
himself, just as royal ambassadors of earthly potentates have acted, as recorded in history. The angel spoken of in Exodus 23:20-22, was one of these. So also was the
Angel already spoken of who ministered to John on the isle of Patmos, and used the names and titles of the Son of God. (Rev. 1:1.)

The popular notion that angels are winged beings, because it is stated by some scripture writers that they saw them "flying through the heavens," is a fallacy. Cherubim
and Seraphim spoken of by Ezekiel [10:3] and Isaiah [6:2, 6] are not to be classed with the angels, for the angels are of the same race and descent as man, whether in
body or in spirit, and do not need wings for locomotion, nor do they appear in birdlike form. They are of the family of Deity in different degrees of progression and are
"in the image and likeness" of the Most High.

There are fallen angels, too, who were cast down for transgression, as mentioned by Jude (verse 6), chief among whom on this earth is Lucifer or Satan, who has
sought on many occasions to appear as an "angel of light" to deceive and lead astray, and who tempted the Son of God, but failed in his efforts as he did with Moses
and with the Prophet Joseph Smith (see Luke 4:1-13; Visions of Moses 1:12-22; D&C 128:20). That great spiritual personage was an angel of God in his "first estate,"
and yet never had a body of flesh, but "was in authority in the presence of God" as a spirit, before he rebelled and was "thrust down." (D&C 76:25-28.)

Thus it will be seen that all angels are not resurrected beings, nor is it so declared. . . . (IE, August 1912, 15:949-52.)

Heber C. Kimball: 3, 8
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The spirits of just men . . . the devil as an angel of light
Thus it will be seen that all angels are not resurrected beings, nor is it so declared. . . . (IE, August 1912, 15:949-52.)

Heber C. Kimball: 3, 8

The spirits of just men . . . the devil as an angel of light

I saw legions of wicked spirits that night, as plain as I now see you, and they came as near to me as you now are, and company after company of them rushed towards
me; and brother [Orson] Hyde and brother [Willard] Richards also saw them. It was near the break of day, and I looked upon them as I now look upon you. They
came when I was laying hands upon brother [Isaac] Russell, the wicked spirits got him to the door of the room, I did not see them till after that took place, and soon
afterwards I lay prostrate upon the floor. That was in England, pious England, in the little town of Preston, at the corner of Wilford Street, and they struggled and
exerted all their power and influence. That was the first introduction of the Gospel into England, and I was shown those spirits as plainly as ever I saw anything. . . . I
saw their hands, their eyes, and every feature of their faces, the hair on their heads, and their ears, in short they had full-formed bodies.

If evil spirits could come to me, cannot ministering spirits and angels also come from God? Of course they can, and there are thousands of them, and I wish you to
understand this, and that they can rush as an army going to battle, for the evil spirits came upon me and brother Hyde in that way. . . . The spirits of the wicked, who
have died for thousands of years past, are at war with the Saints of God upon the earth. Do I ever pray that I may see them again? No, I do not. . . .

When I returned home I called upon brother Joseph, and we walked down the bank of the river. He there told me what contests he had had with the devil; he told me
that he had contests with the devil, face to face. He also told me how he was handled and afflicted by the devil, and said, he had known circumstances where Elder
[Sidney] Rigdon was pulled out of bed three times in one night. After all this some persons will say to me, that there are no evil spirits. I tell you they are thicker than the
"Mormons" are in this country, but the Lord has said that there are more for us than there can be against us. "Who are they," says one? Righteous men who have been
upon the earth.

But do you suppose that angels will pay friendly visits to those who do not live up to their privileges? Would you? No, you would not like to visit with persons who lie,
and steal your goods, and borrow and never pay. Would you not forsake such persons? (JD, March 2, 1856, 3:229-30.)

Orson F. Whitney: 4-8

There are bad spirits as well as good, and the vital question is: How can we know the difference between them? Let us at this stage consult an expert-for there are
such-one who came in contact with spiritual forces to a marvelous extent, not only receiving messages from other worlds, but also interviewing the messengers. Joseph
Smith knew the difference between good and evil communicants, and here is his testimony concerning them: [Sec. 129:4-8, quoted.]

In another place, the Prophet says: "Wicked spirits have their bounds, limits and laws, by which they are governed; and it is very evident that they possess a power that
none but those who have the Priesthood can control." (HC 4:576.) To his declaration that "a man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge" [cf. Sec. 131:6] , he adds
that if men do not get knowledge including the knowledge of how to control evil spirits, the latter will have more power than the former, and thus be able to dominate
them. This is precisely the condition of "the spirits in prison." They are dominated by a power which they cannot control. They are in Hell, and Satan sways the scepter
over his own dominion. [Sec. 76:81-85.]

To those in quest of spiritual light, this word of counsel: Seek it only in the Lord's appointed way. Follow the advice of the Apostle James [James 4:7] and the example
of Joseph the Prophet. Never go upon the Devil's ground. Keep away from all deceptive influence. One may believe in hypnotism, without being a hypnotist, without
surrendering one's will to the will of the person exercising that power-a very dangerous power when wielded by an unprincipled possessor. In like manner, one may
believe spiritualism real, without becoming a spiritualist, without attending "seances," without consulting "mediums," without putting trust in planchettes, ouija boards,
automatic pencils, false impersonations, or in any way encouraging the advances of designing spirits, who thus gain an ascendancy over their victims, leading them into
mazes of delusion, and often into depths of despair. Go not after them; and if they come to you, put them to the test. "Try the spirits." [1 Jn. 4:1.] If they speak not
according to revealed truth, if they conform not to divine standards, "it is because there is no light in them."

Yes, the dead, or the departed, do return. They are no more dead than we are. Nay, not so much. (Saturday Night Thoughts, 1921, pp. 310-12.)

Charles W. Penrose: 4

When a messenger comes . . . from God

The time will come when the priesthood behind the veil will minister personally in the temples of God to men holding the priesthood in the flesh, revealing matters that
are needful to be known concerning the departed that the work being performed for the dead, as well as for the living may go on and be accomplished and perfected
properly, and that we may grow up together in Jesus the Christ, who is our living head. (CR, June 1919, p. 35.)

Section 130

Important Items of Instruction given by Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Ramus, Illinois, April 2, 1843.-When the Savior appears he will be in his true form, that of a man-
The abode of the angels-The earth in its sanctified and immortalized condition-Prophecy of great difficulties involving much bloodshed to begin in South Carolina-Time
of the Lord's coming not definitely made known-Intelligence acquired in this life will abide with its possessor-The law decreed in heaven, that blessings are obtained
only by obedience to the laws upon which they are predicated-The Father and the Son possess bodies of flesh and bones-The Holy Ghost a personage of spirit.

1. When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves.

2. And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.

3. John 14:23-The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man's heart is an old
sectarian notion, and is false.

4. In answer to the question-Is not the reckoning of God's time, angel's time, prophet's time, and man's time, according to the planet on which they reside?

5. I answer, Yes. But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it.

6. The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth;

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continually before the Lord.

8. The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.
5. I answer, Yes. But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it.

6. The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth;

7. But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are
continually before the Lord.

8. The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.

9. This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things
pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ's.

10. Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher
order of kingdoms will be made known;

11. And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it.
The new name is the key word.

12. I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the difficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will
be in South Carolina.

13. It may probably arise through the slave question. This a voice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832.

14. I was once praying very earnestly to know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, when I heard a voice repeat the following:

15. Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore let this suffice, and trouble me no more on this
matter.

16. I was left thus, without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of the millennium or to some previous appearing, or whether I should die
and thus see his face.

17. I believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be any sooner than that time.

18. Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

19. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world
to come.

20. There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated-

21. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

22. The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.
Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.

23. A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

At ten a.m. went to meeting. Heard Orson Hyde preach. . . . Alluding to the coming of the Savior, he said, "When He shall appear, we shall be like Him, etc. He will
appear on a white horse as a warrior, and maybe we shall have some of the same spirit. Our God is a warrior. (John 14:23.) It is our privilege to have the Father and
Son dwelling in our hearts, etc."

We dined with my sister Sophronia McCleary, when I told Elder Hyde that I was going to offer some corrections to his sermon this morning. He replied, "They shall be
thankfully received." [Section 130:1-16, follows.]

At one p.m. attended meetings. . . .

Then corrected Elder Hyde's remarks, the same as I had done to him privately. . . .

At seven o'clock meeting. . . . [Section 130:17-23, follows.] (HC 5:323-25, April 2, 1843; Ramus, Illinois.)

Hugh B. Brown: 1

The Savior shall appear

We accept the New Testament doctrine concerning the second coming of Christ; that He will rule and reign on the earth during a thousand years of peace known as the
millennium. His second coming was predicted by the apostles and prophets of old, and He Himself promised to return. The angel standing by at the time of His
ascension said to the astonished disciples: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up unto heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." [Acts 1:11.] "And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must
receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." [Acts 3:20-21.] (DNCS, March
3, 1962, p. 15.)

Orson Pratt: 2

A Saint who is one in deed and in truth, does not look for an immaterial heaven, but he expects a heaven with lands, houses, cities, vegetation, rivers, and animals; with
thrones, temples, palaces, kings, princes, priests, and angels; with food, raiment, musical instruments, etc., all of which are material. Indeed, the Saints' heaven is a
redeemed,
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husbands and wives, parents and children, where sorrow, crying, pain, and death will be known no more. Or to speak still more definitely, this earth, when glorified, is
the Saints' eternal heaven. On it they expect to live, with body, parts, and holy passions; on it they expect to move and have their being; to eat, drink, converse,
worship, sing, play on musical instruments, engaged in joyful, innocent, social amusements, visit neighboring towns and neighboring worlds; indeed, matter and its
Orson Pratt: 2

A Saint who is one in deed and in truth, does not look for an immaterial heaven, but he expects a heaven with lands, houses, cities, vegetation, rivers, and animals; with
thrones, temples, palaces, kings, princes, priests, and angels; with food, raiment, musical instruments, etc., all of which are material. Indeed, the Saints' heaven is a
redeemed, glorified, celestial, material creation, inhabited by glorified material beings, male and female, organized into families, embracing all the relationships of
husbands and wives, parents and children, where sorrow, crying, pain, and death will be known no more. Or to speak still more definitely, this earth, when glorified, is
the Saints' eternal heaven. On it they expect to live, with body, parts, and holy passions; on it they expect to move and have their being; to eat, drink, converse,
worship, sing, play on musical instruments, engaged in joyful, innocent, social amusements, visit neighboring towns and neighboring worlds; indeed, matter and its
qualities and properties are the only beings or things with which they expect to associate. (MS, November 17, 1866, 28:721-22.)

Joseph Smith: 3

A personal appearance

After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the
first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon
say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will
find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the
testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses. . . .

Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man
obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto
him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a
perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions-Isaiah
[6:1] , Ezekiel [1:1] , John upon the Isle of Patmos [Rev. 1:1-3] , St. Paul in the three heavens [2 Cor. 12:1-5] , and all the Saints who held communion with the
general assembly and Church of the First Born. (HC 3:380-81, June 27, 1830.)

John A. Widtsoe: 3

The Father

I believe that the spiritual resentment in the world today has resulted from the idolatry which still lingers upon the earth, the attempt to force men to worship a God that
is man-made, an incomprehensible God, an essence, one who is so far from us in understanding that men cannot bow down before him as they should, and pray to him
as a child should pray to his father.

The Latter-day Saints are able to answer this great need of humanity and to define God properly . . . it is the greatest message that the Church has to give to the world
today-the true definition and the true conception of God our Father, the maker of the heavens and the earth. He is a personage who is literally our father in a pre-
existent state, to whom we can speak as sons or daughters speak to their father; with whom they can take counsel and be intimate; a God to whom we may express
our inmost desires, and from whom we may expect answers from time to time to satisfy our hearts' inmost desires. (CR, April 1931, pp. 58-59.)

Brigham Young: 3

An old sectarian notion, . . . false

The Christian would say, "We believe in a God who has no body." You do not believe in anything of the sort, Christian world! You think you believe it, but it is only
tradition with you. Your fathers told you that God has no body; the priests told them; the schoolmasters have joined in the endorsement of the same ridiculous idea; it is
also written in your church creeds; but, when you let common sense have place in your hearts, you do not believe in any such nonentity or nondescript as a God without
body, parts or passions. . . .

We have proof that God lives and that he has a body; that he has eyes, and ears to hear; that he has arms, hands and feet; that he can walk and does walk. He has
declared himself to be a man of war-Jehovah, the great I Am, the Lord Almighty, and many other titles of a like import are used in reference to him in the Scriptures.
[Sec. 38:1; 110:3.] (JD, May 8, 1870, 14:40-41.)

Erastus Snow: 4

Time

Until our earth assumed its position among the planets, and began to perform its revolutions, and the earth was so far completed as to assume its position among the
heavenly orbs, and perform its revolutions as now, present modes of reckoning time could not be appointed to man-either our days or months or our years, all of which
are determined by the revolutions of the earth upon its axis, and the moon around the earth, and the earth in its orbit around the sun. But what is the rule or measure of
time by which God reckons his labor and work? Is it the time measured to the inhabitants of Mars or the little planet Mercury that describes its revolution around our
sun in less than three months, and counts out four of its years while we upon the earth are counting one? Or is it after the time appointed for a more distant orb of our
system, that is 160 or more of our years, in performing their revolutions around the sun, thus counting out its single year? Or were the days reckoned after the great
cycle of the multitudes of systems moving in space around the common center. . . . There is, however, one saying of Apostle Peter which reads-"Be not ignorant of this
one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." [2 Pet. 3:8.] But whether that has any reference to the days that Moses
speaks of, in which the Lord was engaged in the formation of this earth, we are not told. [Gen. 1; Moses 2.] (JD, January 20, 1878, 19:324.)

George Q. Cannon: 5

Angels who minister to this earth

We have no doubt of the correctness of the statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith that "there are no angels that minister to this earth but those who do belong or have
belonged to it;" but that does not necessarily imply that they took a mortal body. In our opinion they belonged to this earth from the time of its creation, when they
covenanted to come and take the bodies thereon, at the time that the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. [Job 38:4-7.] In just this
same way was Jesus "the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world." [Rev. 13:8.]

We are taught to believe that Adam was the first man who took a body on this earth. [Sec. 84:16; Moses 2:27; Abr. 4:27; 1 Nephi 5:11; 2 Nephi 2:22.] There was no
death before(c)
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guarded the tree of life? [Moses 4:31; 5:5-9; 6:51-53.] We cannot admit that the scriptures are false, and that these beings were not angels; neither can we admit that
Adam was not the first man, and that the Savior was not the first fruits of the resurrection. Therefore, we are forced to the conclusion that the word "angel" is used in
the scriptures for any heavenly being bearing God's message or fulfilling His commands; and, further, that all beings who were created with the design that they should
same way was Jesus "the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world." [Rev. 13:8.]

We are taught to believe that Adam was the first man who took a body on this earth. [Sec. 84:16; Moses 2:27; Abr. 4:27; 1 Nephi 5:11; 2 Nephi 2:22.] There was no
death before he fell. Who, then, was the angel who taught him the law of sacrifice, or of faith and baptism, or who was the cherubim with the flaming sword who
guarded the tree of life? [Moses 4:31; 5:5-9; 6:51-53.] We cannot admit that the scriptures are false, and that these beings were not angels; neither can we admit that
Adam was not the first man, and that the Savior was not the first fruits of the resurrection. Therefore, we are forced to the conclusion that the word "angel" is used in
the scriptures for any heavenly being bearing God's message or fulfilling His commands; and, further, that all beings who were created with the design that they should
inhabit this earth, belong to it, and to no other planet. (JI, January 15, 1891, 26:53-54.)

Joseph F. Smith: 5

Angels who minister to this earth

We are told by the Prophet Joseph Smith, that, "there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it." Hence, when
messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants.
The ancient Prophets who died were those who came to visit their fellow creatures upon the earth. [Sec. 129:3.] They came to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; it was
such beings,-holy beings if you please,-that waited upon the Savior and administered to Him on the Mount. The angel that visited John when an exile, and unfolded to
his vision future events in the history of man upon the earth, was one who had been here, and who had toiled and suffered in common with the people of God; for you
remember that John, after his eyes had beheld the glories of the great future, was about to fall down and worship him, but was peremptorily forbidden to do so. "See
thou do it not; for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the Prophets, and of them which kept the sayings of this book. Worship God." [Rev. 19:10.] . . . In like
manner our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and
privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine presence messages of love, of warning, of
reproof and instruction to those whom they have learned to love in the flesh. (JD, January 29, 1882, 22:351.)

Joseph Smith: 7

They reside in the presence of God

Gods have an ascendancy over the angels [Sec. 76:88; 132:16] , who are ministering servants. In the resurrection, some are raised to be angels; others are raised to
become Gods. [Sec. 76:54-62; 132:17.] (HC 5:426-27, June 11, 1843.)

John Taylor: 8

It is written here in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that the planet on which he lives is a great Urim and Thummim, which reveals everything pertaining to this
lower world and its inhabitants. And the holy beings who reside there can gaze upon us mortals whenever they please, looking also into the future or the past; hence
they know it as it is. (JD, December 31, 1876, 18:328.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 9

This earth . . . will be a Urim and Thummim

Then will the earth receive its resurrection, for it, as well as man and all other living creatures, was redeemed by the atonement of Jesus Christ from the fallen state.
When that day comes, the earth will become the sea of glass spoken of in John's Revelation. [Rev. 4:6; D&C 77:1.] This is a figure of speech typifying the earth in its
celestial form. The Lord has said that the earth abides the law of a celestial kingdom, "for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law-wherefore it
shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit
it." [Sec. 88:25-26.] When this time comes and the earth is celestialized it will become immortal. All of this comes about through the atonement of Jesus Christ, for he
has redeemed not only man and the living creatures on the face of the earth but through his atonement he has also redeemed the earth from its fallen state. Again we
read: "As effected by Jesus Christ, it (the atonement) signifies the deliverance, through his death and resurrection, of the earth and everything pertaining to it, from the
power which death has obtained over them through the transgression of Adam." (Compendium, "The Atonement," p. 8.)

Also speaking of this condition, President Brigham Young has said: "When it (the Earth) becomes celestialized, it will be like the sun, and be prepared for the habitation
of the saints, and be brought back into the presence of the Father and the Son. It will not then be an opaque body as it now is, but it will be like the stars of the
firmament, full of light and glory; it will be a body of light. John compares it, in its celestial state to a sea of glass." (JD 7:163.) He also said: "When the earth is
sanctified, cleansed, and purified by fire, and returns to its paradisiacal state, and becomes like a sea of glass, urim and thummim; when all this is done, and the Savior
has presented the earth to his Father, and it is placed in the cluster of the celestial kingdoms, and the Son and all his faithful brethren and sisters have received the
welcome plaudit, 'Enter ye into the joy of the Lord, and the Savior is crowned, then and not till then, will the saints receive their everlasting inheritance.' " [JD 17:117.]
(CHMR, 1948, 2:65-66.)

Brigham Young: 9

This earth, when it becomes purified and sanctified, or celestialized, will become like a sea of glass; and a person, by looking into it, can know things past, present, and
to come; though none but celestialized beings can enjoy this privilege. They will look into the earth, and the things they desire to know will be exhibited to them, the
same as the face is seen by looking into a mirror. (JD, May 7, 1861, 9:87.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 10-11

The ordinances of the temple, the endowment and sealings, pertain to exaltation in the celestial kingdom, where the sons and daughters are. The sons and daughters are
not outside in some other kingdom. The sons and daughters go into the house, belong to the household, have access to the home. "In my Father's house are many
mansions." [John 14:2.] Sons and daughters have access to the home where he dwells, and you cannot receive that access until you go to the temple. Why? Because
you must receive certain key words as well as make covenants by which you are able to enter. If you try to get into the house, and the door is locked, how are you
going to enter, if you haven't your key? You get your key in the temple, which will admit you.

I picked up a key on the street one day, and took it home, and it opened every door in my house. You cannot find a key on the street, for that key is never lost that will
open the door that enters into our Father's mansions. You have got to go where the key is given. And each can obtain the key, if you will; but after receiving it, you may
lose it, by having it taken away from you again unless you abide by the agreement which you entered into when you went to the house of the Lord. (Doctrines of
Salvation, 1955, 2:40-41.)
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In 1860, Brothers Orson Pratt, Erastus Snow, myself, and others, were going on missions, and we arrived at Omaha in the month of November of that year. A
open the door that enters into our Father's mansions. You have got to go where the key is given. And each can obtain the key, if you will; but after receiving it, you may
lose it, by having it taken away from you again unless you abide by the agreement which you entered into when you went to the house of the Lord. (Doctrines of
Salvation, 1955, 2:40-41.)

George Q. Cannon: 12-13

In 1860, Brothers Orson Pratt, Erastus Snow, myself, and others, were going on missions, and we arrived at Omaha in the month of November of that year. A
deputation of the leading citizens of that city came to our camp and tendered to us the use of the Court House, as they wished to hear our principles. The invitation was
accepted, and Elder Pratt preached to them. During the service, there was read the revelation to which I have referred-the revelation concerning the division between
the South and the North. [Sec. 87.] The reason probably, for reading it was that when we reached Omaha, the news came that trouble was already brewing, and
several States were threatening to secede from the Union. Its reading made considerable impression upon the people. A good many had never heard of it before, and
quite a number were struck with the remarkable character of the prophecy. . . . You doubtless remember it was for a good while doubtful whether the rebellion should
commence at South Carolina or not. I was in England at the time, and engaged in publishing the Millennial Star, and took a great deal of notice of the American papers,
and I well remember that to all human appearances it seemed for a while as though the trouble would break out at Fort Pickens, Florida. But the word of God had
been spoken concerning that event, and consequently it had to be fulfilled as predicted, and the war did commence at South Carolina. It was fulfilled, as you all know,
to the letter, Fort Sumter being the place where the rebellion broke out. [Sec. 87:1.] (JD, November 1879, 21:265-66.)

Charles A. Callis: 13

It may probably arise through the slave question

It is a part of a prophet's work not only to foretell and warn of impending conflicts and calamities, but also to show the means of escape. Joseph Smith was a prophet-
statesman. He predicted the war which would terminate in the death and misery of many souls [Sec. 87:1] ; but this great prophet had a peace offering to give to the
people. He told them of ways and means to avoid war. . . .

In 1844 the Prophet Joseph Smith gave the following counsel with respect to a coming event which was soon to cast its black shadow over the land, and which was of
great and general concern. "Pray Congress to pay every man a reasonable price for his slaves out of the surplus revenue arising from the sale of public lands, and from
deduction of pay from the members of Congress, break off the shackles from the poor black man, and hire him to labor with other human beings, for an hour of
virtuous liberty on earth is worth a whole eternity of bondage . . ."

Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, probably knew Joseph Smith very well. During a political campaign he wrote a letter in which "he gives a long list of names
to which he wants documents to be sent," and in the same letter he tells a candidate "that Joseph Smith is an admirer of his, and that a few documents had better be
mailed to the Mormon people." Abraham Lincoln was familiar with the prophetic message that Joseph Smith delivered and the means to escape that the Prophet
opened up to the nation to save the people from the dreadful calamity which bathed the land in the blood of human bodies.

Just two months before the war closed the famous Hampton Roads Conference was held. Lincoln appealed to Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Southern
Confederacy. "Stephens," said he, "let me write the word 'Union' at the top of this page, and you may put under it what you please, for," continued President Lincoln,
"there are men in the North, the mention of whose names would surprise you, who are in favor of paying for the slaves. I, too," he said, "am in favor of giving the
southerners a fair equivalent for the loss of their property."

When he returned to Washington, Lincoln wrote, in his own hand, the joint resolution to be presented to Congress, providing an appropriation of $400,000,000 to be
paid to the owners of the slaves if war should cease immediately. He laid this proposition before his cabinet, but it was unanimously disapproved. The great and lonely
Lincoln, the best friend the South had, turned away sadly. "I see," he said, "you are all against me. The war is costing us $3,000,000 a day, and think of the lives being
lost." (Abraham Lincoln, A History, by John G. Nicolay and John Hay, Volume 10, Chapter 7, pages 132-139.)

Oh, if the words of Joseph Smith, the prophet-statesman, had been heeded, what an effusion of blood would have been prevented! Those young men buried in
soldiers' graves would have walked the earth in the full vigor of youth and splendid manhood if the nation had accepted the means of escape which Joseph Smith
pointed out to them. (CR, October 1938, pp. 24-25.)

Joseph Smith: 14-17

I was once praying earnestly upon this subject [time of the coming of the Son of Man] , and a voice said unto me, "My son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years
of age, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man." I was left to draw my own conclusions concerning this; and I took the liberty to conclude that if I had lived to that
time, He would make His appearance. But I do not say whether He will make his appearance or I shall go where He is. I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and
let it be written-the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till I am eighty-five years old. Then read the 14th chapter of Revelation, 6th and 7th verses-"And
I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue,
and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come." And Hosea, 6th chapter, After two days, etc.,-2,520
years; which brings it to 1890. The coming of the Son of Man never will be-never can be till the judgments spoken of for this hour are poured out: which judgments are
commenced. Paul says, "Ye are the children of the light and not of the darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief in the night." [1 Thess. 5:1-5.] It is not the
design of the Almighty to come upon the earth and crush it and grind it to powder, but he will reveal it to His servants the prophets.

Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed. [Ezek. 47:8-12.] It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the
temple, &c.; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make His appearance. There will be wars and rumors of wars, signs in the heavens above and on the
earth beneath, the sun turned into darkness and the moon to blood, earthquakes in divers places, the seas heaving beyond their bounds [Sec. 29:14-20; 34:9; 45:31-
42; 88:87-91]; then will appear one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. [Sec. 88:93.] But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a comet, &c. But the
Son of Man will come as the sign of the coming of the Son of Man, which will be as the light of the morning cometh out of the east. [Sec. 43:20-27.] (HC 5:336-37,
April 6, 1843.)

Joseph F. Smith: 18-19

Educate yourself not only for time, but also for eternity. (C, June 5, 1895, 16:570.)

John Taylor: 18

Now, then, if men, without much of the advantage of what is termed education in this world, are filled with the Spirit of God, the revelations of the Holy Ghost, and can
comprehend the relationship of man to God, can know their duties, and can teach a people, a nation, or a world how they may be saved and obtain thrones,
principalities, powers and dominions in the eternal worlds,-if men can understand these principles by the gift of the Holy Ghost and the revelations of the Most High,
and are enabled
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calculated to bless and ennoble the human family. This is the kind of education that we want; and the more simple those principles can be conveyed the better: they are
more adapted to the wants and intelligence of the human family. . . .
Now, then, if men, without much of the advantage of what is termed education in this world, are filled with the Spirit of God, the revelations of the Holy Ghost, and can
comprehend the relationship of man to God, can know their duties, and can teach a people, a nation, or a world how they may be saved and obtain thrones,
principalities, powers and dominions in the eternal worlds,-if men can understand these principles by the gift of the Holy Ghost and the revelations of the Most High,
and are enabled to place them before the people so that they can comprehend them, then, I say, these are the men of education-the men of intellect-the men who are
calculated to bless and ennoble the human family. This is the kind of education that we want; and the more simple those principles can be conveyed the better: they are
more adapted to the wants and intelligence of the human family. . . .

Do you repudiate education, then? No-not at all. I appreciate all true intelligence, whether moral, social, scientific, political, or philosophical; but I despise the folly that
they hang on to it and the folly that they call education. (JD, September 20, 1857, 5:260-61.)

Albert E. Bowen: 18

It is fair to conclude that spiritual and mental growth can be attained only by obedience to the laws on which they are predicated. If through diligence, observance of
correct principles, discipline of the mind and of the spirit, a man attains to a fine development of personality in this life, surely it is not unreasonable to suppose that that
will be his imperishable possession and glory in the life he enters upon after death. On the contrary, if through lethargy or sin his self-realization in this life is dwarfed, he
shall be handicapped to that extent as he enters upon the new world. (CR, October 1937, p. 86.)

John A. Widtsoe: 19

True, we have been commanded to seek knowledge; the Lord has also said that "it is impossible to be saved in ignorance" [Sec. 131:6] , and that [Sec. 130:19,
quoted.] However, it is equally true that the gaining of knowledge is but a first necessary step in a progressive life. Knowledge must be quickened and made alive by
proper use.

This doctrine is made clear in sacred writ. Among the many great truths revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, none is more beloved by the Church than "The glory of
God is intelligence." [Sec. 93:36.] The word "intelligence" as used in common speech means readiness in learning, quickness of mind. Its higher Gospel meaning is more
profound. The intelligent man is he who seeks knowledge and uses it in accordance with the plan of the Lord for human good. This is implied in the revelation from
which the quotation is made, for the full sentence reads, "The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth." When men follow the light their knowledge
will always be well used.

Intelligence, then becomes but another name for wisdom. In the language of mathematics we may say that knowledge, plus the proper use of knowledge, equals
intelligence or wisdom. In this sense intelligence becomes the goal of the successful life. Knowledge is one of the means by which such intelligence is attained; the use of
knowledge is equally as important, for it gives life and direction to knowledge. The whole matter is much like faith and repentance-neither is complete without the other.
When faith becomes active through repentance, man rises towards his God-like destiny. Faith itself, built upon human experience, conforming to God's will, is but a
type of higher intelligence. Thus it often happens that a person of limited knowledge but who earnestly and prayerfully obeys the law, rises to a higher intelligence or
wisdom, than one of vast Gospel learning who does not comply in his daily life with the requirements of the gospel. Obedience to law is a mark of intelligence. (CR,
April 1938, p. 50.)

Richard L. Evans: 19

Through his diligence and obedience

This scripture . . . is no doubt one of the most quoted in the Church. . . . [Sec. 130:18-19, quoted.]

Those words are most meaningful-and I have no fear of learning, of the pursuit of knowledge, for any of our young people, if they will keep in mind diligence and
obedience-obedience to the commandments of God, diligence in keeping close to the Church, in keeping active, keeping prayerful, keeping clean, keeping circumspect
in their conduct. . . .

Intelligence would not let a man lose his faith in finding truth. Learning does not lead to loss of faith. False learning might, but no true learning. Lack of learning may.
Ignorance may. Failure to keep the commandments may lead to loss of faith. Loss of balance may lead to loss of faith. A man may pursue learning along too narrow
lines and forget to feed all sides of himself; he may forget his spirit and starve it, but not learning itself leads to loss of faith, not the search for truth, for truth cannot come
in conflict with truth. A man can have the pure love of learning and seek for it insatiably, and still keep a simple faith if he will keep the commandments, if he will feed his
spirit, if he will be patient, and sweet in humility, and not commit himself to quick conclusion or tentative theories. If he will really seek for eternal truth, with "diligence
and obedience," he can keep and pursue an insatiable love of learning and still keep his faith for "the glory of God is intelligence." [Sec. 93:36.] (CR, April 1956, pp.
43-44.)

Charles W. Penrose: 19

He will have so much the advantage in the world to come

Every man who has been called to hold the Priesthood should endeavor to qualify himself for the work that lies before him, both that which he will be called to do while
he dwells in the body, and that which he will have to perform when he goes out of the body, for it is a fact that when we go away from here we will take with us that
which we have spiritually. [Alma 34:34.] That intelligence which we gain, that knowledge of principle, that fellowship we have with the heavens, that Holy Priesthood
which we bear, that divine spirit by which we have been inspired, and all the powers that we have gained in being exercised in the duties of the Holy Priesthood, will be
strength and power and might to us when we depart from the body and are delivered from the weakness of mortality, and called to labor in the world of spirits. The
same authority, the same power, the same intelligence, the same experiences that we have had here we will have there. We will not leave any of it with our bodies to be
dropped down in the grave. [Sec. 59:2.] Another thing: if we are not diligent, if we are dilatory, if we are negligent, if we do not prize this authority that the Lord has
sent down out of Heaven in the last days for us to use for the salvation of the souls of men, we shall not be wafted into light, intelligence, power, and glory when we go
out of the body, but will merely carry with us that which we have when we drop our bodies. Therefore every man holding the Priesthood should endeavor to qualify
himself for the work of the ministry, in time and in eternity, so that we may labor under the direction of the Captain of our salvation until redemption shall come to all the
race, and every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, to the glory of God the Father. [See Rom. 14:11-12.] (CR, April 1906, pp. 86-87.)

Francis M. Lyman: 20-21

Obedience is the first law of God. It is most important that we should be obedient to the word and will of the Lord. It was that which entitled the Son of God to be
anointed above His brethren; for He was in all things most perfect and obedient. . . .

The Lord is (c)
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                                              Corp. our doing something. He requires of us a broken heart, a contrite spirit, and an obedience to thePage
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                                                                                                                                                                     of the
Lord. [Sec. 59:8; 82:10.] And this is reasonable. (CR, October 1899, p. 35.)

Albert E. Bowen: 20-21
Obedience is the first law of God. It is most important that we should be obedient to the word and will of the Lord. It was that which entitled the Son of God to be
anointed above His brethren; for He was in all things most perfect and obedient. . . .

The Lord is not going to give us everything without our doing something. He requires of us a broken heart, a contrite spirit, and an obedience to the mind and will of the
Lord. [Sec. 59:8; 82:10.] And this is reasonable. (CR, October 1899, p. 35.)

Albert E. Bowen: 20-21

The revelator declares concerning those who in vision he saw come forth from the dead:

". . . and they were judged every man according to their works." (Rev. 20:13.)

Modern-day revelation is replete with the same teaching, declaring with directness that at the final reckoning, every man shall be judged:

". . . according to his works and the deeds which he hath done." (D&C 19:3.)

The thing that I do want to make clear is that the principle, that progress and growth depend upon our own exertion and compliance with the governing laws, is a
universal principle applicable in the spiritual realm no less than in the realm of the temporal. Otherwise there is no meaning to the great parable of the talents spoken of
by Jesus. He likened the kingdom of heaven to a man about to journey to a far country who called his servants to him and delivered to them his goods in proportion to
their several abilities. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one. He who received the five talents forthwith traded with them and doubled them. So
likewise did he who received the two talents. But he of the one talent hid it. When the master returned, each gave his accounting. They who had multipled their talents
were commended, but he who returned but the one talent which had been given him was denounced as a slothful servant, and it was taken from him and given to the
one who had converted the five into ten. [Matt. 25:4-30.] (CR, April 1948, pp. 92-94.)

Orson F. Whitney: 20-21

It is not for man to sit in judgment upon the decrees of the Almighty. It is his duty to obey. We are told by the Prophet Joseph Smith that it is on the principle of
obedience that we receive all our blessings. [Sec. 130:20-21, quoted.] . . .

He [Abraham] was commanded to slay his son Isaac; and though it doubtless wrung his heart to make the sacrifice, he was willing, and was about to make it, when he
received, from the same source, another command suspending the former behest, and requiring of him that he lay not his hand upon the lad. [Gen. 22:1-14.] Abraham
would have carried out the first commandment, had he not received the second. And had he not been willing he would have been a transgressor; but, having received a
commandment not to do the thing that had been commanded, if he had gone on willfully and disobeyed the later requirement, he would have been a transgressor. Nor
would the Giver of those commandments have been inconsistent. "My word is my law, saith the Lord." He has a right to require one thing today and another thing
tomorrow, and the latest word that comes from Him is the word that his people must obey.

This is what it means to "live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." [Matt. 15:18.] We cannot justify ourselves in living by that particular part of the
word that appeals to us, the part that we desire to obey, but must be willing to make sacrifices. Sometimes the sacrifice is involved in the doing of a deed and
sometimes in leaving it undone. We do not take our commands from the Bible. We are not governed by the gospel as revealed to the Nephites. We are living in the
dispensation of the fulness of times, and have a right to receive divine revelation here and now and this is our guide, our law, and we must be governed, thereby. No
man can stand up today in this Church and justify himself in any course by pleading what the Nephites did or what the Jews did or did not do. The vital question with us
is: What does God require of the Latter-day Saints? We have as much right to the word of the Lord as had the Nephites, the Jews, or the early Christians. If this is not
true, Mormonism is a sham and is not what it claims to be.

In the month of January, 1847, the Latter-day Saints were encamped upon the banks of the Missouri river. They had been expelled from the State of Illinois, and a
band of pioneers were being selected for the journey across the plains to the Rocky Mountains. The word and will of the Lord was given through President Brigham
Young, commanding the people to organize themselves into companies, with captains of hundreds, and fifties, and tens, preparatory to their journey to the West.
[Section 136.] That was the word of the Lord to our parents and grand-parents. The Prophet Joseph Smith had predicted that the Latter-day Saints would be driven
westward and become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains, and President Brigham Young, as his successor and executor gave that word and will of
the Lord at Winter Quarters, but is it the word and will of the Lord to you and to me? Are we to hitch up ox-teams in this day of railroads, and automobiles and
aeroplanes, and go wandering off to California, or to Mexico, or to Canada, and justify ourselves by pointing to the word of the Lord given in January, 1847, upon the
banks of the Missouri? Why no; the fallacy is apparent at a glance. (CR, October 1910, pp. 51-52.)

Marion G. Romney: 20-21

The perfection upon which exaltation hangs, I repeat, is an individual matter. It is conditioned upon the observance of celestial laws as they apply to earth life. The
Word of Wisdom is one of them, so also are chastity, tithing, observance of the Sabbath day, prayer, honesty, industry, love of God and fellow men, patience,
kindness, charity, and all the rest of the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each individual who observes one or more of these laws shall receive
the blessings predicated thereon, and each Church member who will, with all the energy of his soul, diligently strive to live them all, shall receive the blessings predicated
upon such striving. Eternal life, the greatest gift of God, is that blessing, and it will follow the living of the gospel as the night the day, regardless of statistics or averages,
or of what others think or say or do, for the Lord Almighty himself has said that ". . . every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name,
and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am." (D&C 93:1.)

The converse, that every member of the Church who refuses to do so will fall short of the glory of God, is just as true, for the Lord has also said that ". . . no unclean
thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the
repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." (3 Nephi 27:19.) (CR, October 1956, pp. 15-16.)

Marion G. Romney: 22-23

In the early 1800's, the days of the Prophet's youth, no living man had a correct understanding of God. Professed believers knew no more about him than did the
Athenians who posted inscriptions to the "Unknown God." [Acts 17:23.]

Stirred by a religious revival, moved with a sincere desire to know which, if any, of the contending sects was right and relying upon the promise of James that, "If any of
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5.) Joseph Smith in simple faith and earnest
prayer sought wisdom from God.

The time was
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The place was Palmyra, Western New York state.
Stirred by a religious revival, moved with a sincere desire to know which, if any, of the contending sects was right and relying upon the promise of James that, "If any of
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5.) Joseph Smith in simple faith and earnest
prayer sought wisdom from God.

The time was spring, 1820. Joseph was then in his fifteenth year.

The place was Palmyra, Western New York state.

The result: God the Eternal Father and his Son Jesus Christ appeared to him. "I saw two Personages," he said, "whose brightness and glory defy all description." These
two Personages spoke to him and called him by name. He heard their voices and asked them questions. They gave him answer. (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith-
History 17.)

When he came out of that sacred interview he knew with certainty the nature of God. He had seen and conversed with him. From him he had received a personal
introduction to his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ.

In after years Joseph referred to God as an "exalted man," and said that both he and the Son were personages of flesh and bone, as tangible as man. [D&C 130:22.]
(CR, October 1958, pp. 95-96.)

Joseph Smith: 22

There is much said about God and the Godhead. The scriptures say there are Gods many and Lords many, but to us there is but one living and true God, and the
heaven of heavens could not contain him [1 Cor. 8:5-6] ; for he took the liberty to go into other heavens. The teachers of the day say that the Father is God, the Son is
God, and the Holy Ghost is God, and they are all in one body and one God. Jesus prayed that they were one; (one in spirit, in mind, in purpose). [John 17:22.] If I
were to testify that the Christian world were wrong on this point, my testimony would be true.

Peter and Stephen testify that they saw the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. [Acts 3:22; 1 Pet. 3:22; Acts 7:55-56.] Any person that has seen the
heavens opened knows that there are three personages in the heavens who hold the keys of power, and one presides over all. (HC 5:426, June 11, 1843.)

Joseph F. Smith: 22

I do not believe in the doctrines held by some that God is only a spirit and that He is of such a nature that He fills the immensity of space, and is everywhere present in
person or without person, for I cannot conceive it possible that God could be a person if He filled the immensity of space and was everywhere present at the same
time. It is a physical, a theological, an unreasonable inconsistency to imagine that even God the Eternal Father would be in two places, as an individual, at the same
moment. It is impossible. But His power extends throughout the immensity of space, His power extends to all His creations, and His knowledge comprehends them all,
and He governs them all and He knows all. [Sec. 38:2.] (CR, April 1916, p. 4.)

Section 131

Instructions by Joseph Smith the Prophet, given at Ramus, Illinois, May 16 and 17, 1843. See History of the Church, vol. 5, pp. 392, 393.-Degrees in the celestial
glory-Significance of the new and everlasting covenant of marriage-The more sure word of prophecy-Impossibility of a man being saved in ignorance-Spirit is matter.

1. In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;

2. And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage] ;

3. And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.

4. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.

5. (May 17th, 1843.) The more sure word of prophecy means a man's knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through
the power of the Holy Priesthood.

6. It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.

7. There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;

8. We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter.

Orson Pratt: 1

The celestial glory

The earth will have to pass away the same as our bodies do, and the dust thereof be mingled in a chaotic form. But that same being who organized the earth will again
speak, and eternity will again hear his voice, and the materials of our earth will come together again, and when it unites them in one, and forms them into a world, it will
be a glorious world, a habitation for immortal beings; for kings and for priests, and for those that have been faithful to the end. [Sec. 88:87-90.] (JD, March 9, 1879,
20:155.)

George Q. Cannon: 2

The new and everlasting covenant of marriage

We believe in the eternal nature of the marriage relation, that man and woman are destined, as husband and wife, to dwell together eternally. We believe that we are
organized as we are, with all these affections, with all this love for each other, for a definite purpose, something far more lasting than to be extinguished when death shall
overtake us. We believe that when a man and woman are united as husband and wife, and they love each other, their hearts and feelings are one, that that love is as
enduring as eternity itself, and that when death overtakes them it will neither extinguish nor cool that love, but that it will brighten and kindle it to a purer flame, and that
it will endure through eternity; and that if we have offspring they will be with us and our mutual associations will be one of the chief joys of the heaven to which we are
hastening. . . . God has restored the everlasting priesthood, by which ties can be formed, consecrated and consummated, which shall be as enduring as we ourselves
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this, as I have said, will constitute one of the chief joys of heaven; and we look forward to it with delightful anticipations. (JD, December 3, 1871, 14:320-21.)
overtake us. We believe that when a man and woman are united as husband and wife, and they love each other, their hearts and feelings are one, that that love is as
enduring as eternity itself, and that when death overtakes them it will neither extinguish nor cool that love, but that it will brighten and kindle it to a purer flame, and that
it will endure through eternity; and that if we have offspring they will be with us and our mutual associations will be one of the chief joys of the heaven to which we are
hastening. . . . God has restored the everlasting priesthood, by which ties can be formed, consecrated and consummated, which shall be as enduring as we ourselves
are enduring, that is, as our spiritual nature; and husbands and wives will be united together, and they and their children will dwell and associate together eternally, and
this, as I have said, will constitute one of the chief joys of heaven; and we look forward to it with delightful anticipations. (JD, December 3, 1871, 14:320-21.)

Joseph Smith: 4

He cannot have an increase

Except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity, while in this probation, by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood,
they will cease to increase when they die; that is, they will not have any children after the resurrection. (HC 5:391, May 16, 1843.)

Melvin J. Ballard: 4

An increase

What do we mean by endless or eternal increase? We mean that through the righteousness and faithfulness of men and women who keep the commandments of God
they will come forth with celestial bodies, fitted and prepared to enter into their great, high and eternal glory in the celestial kingdom of God; and unto them, through
their preparation, there will come children, who will be spirit children. I don't think that is very difficult to comprehend and understand. The nature of the offspring is
determined by the nature of the substance that flows in the veins of the being. When blood flows in the veins of the being, the offspring will be what blood produces,
which is tangible flesh and bone, but when that which flows in the veins is spirit matter, a substance which is more refined and pure and glorious than blood, the
offspring of such beings will be spirit children. By that I mean they will be in the image of the parents. They will have a spirit body and have a spark of the eternal or
divine that always did exist in them. (Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, 1949, pp. 239-40.)

Orson Pratt: 4

An increase

The increase of those who are exalted in that kingdom will endure for ever; and the bringing forth of children will not be attended with sorrow, pain and distress as it is
here: these evils have come in consequence of the fall of man and the transgression by him of God's holy laws. (JD, January 19, 1873, 15:320.)

Joseph Smith: 5

Your life [William Clayton] is hid with Christ in God, and so are many others. Nothing but the unpardonable sin can prevent you from inheriting eternal life for you are
sealed up by the power of the Priesthood unto eternal life, having taken the step necessary for that purpose. [Sec. 132:26-27.] (HC 5:391, May 16, 1843.)

Contend earnestly for the like precious faith with the Apostle Peter, "and add to your faith virtue," knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness,
charity; "for if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." [2 Pet. 1:5-8.]
Another point, after having all these qualifications, he lays this injunction upon the people "to make your calling and election sure." He is emphatic upon this subject-after
adding all this virtue, knowledge, etc., "Make your calling and election sure." [Ibid., v. 10.] What is the secret-the starting point?"According as His divine power hath
given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness." [Ibid., v. 3.] How did he obtain all things? Through the knowledge of Him who hath called him. There could
not anything be given pertaining to life and godliness, without knowledge. Woe! woe! woe to Christendom!-especially the divines and priests if this be true.

Salvation is for a man to be saved from all his enemies; for until a man can triumph over death, he is not saved. A knowledge of the priesthood alone will do this. (HC
5:402-3, May 21, 1843.)

Marion G. Romney: 5

This gift of eternal life in the world to come [Sec. 59:23] may not, of course, be fully realized during earth life. An assurance that it will be obtained in the world to come
may, however, be had in this world. As a matter of fact, the blessings of the celestial kingdom are promised only to those who have such an assurance. According to
the vision, a successful candidate for these blessings must qualify on three counts: First, he must ". . . have received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name"
and been ". . . baptized after the manner of his burial;" second, he must have received "the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed
unto this power;" and, third, he must be "sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise." (D&C 76:51-53.)

The Prophet Joseph taught that one so sealed would have within himself an assurance born of the spirit, that he would obtain eternal life in the world to come. He
urgently and repeatedly admonished the Saints of his day to obtain such an assurance by making their calling and election sure. It is this assurance within a person which
brings to him the peace in this world which will sustain him in every tribulation. [Sec. 59:23.]

So taught the Prophet in explanation of the words of Peter. Although that apostle had heard the voice of God declare, when he was with the Savior on the holy mount,
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" [Matt. 17:5] , he nevertheless wrote to the Saints, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye
do well that ye take heed." . . . (2 Peter 1:19.)

Explaining this statement the Prophet said:

Though they might hear the voice of God and know that Jesus was the Son of God, this would be no evidence that their election and calling was made sure, that they
had part with Christ, and were joint heirs with him. They then would want that more sure word of prophecy, that they were sealed in the heavens, and had the promise
of eternal life in the kingdom of God. Then, having this promise sealed unto them, it was an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast. Though the thunders might roll and
lightnings flash, and earthquakes bellow, and war gather thick around, yet this hope and knowledge would support the soul in every hour of trial, trouble and tribulation.
(HC 5:388-89.)

These fruits of the gospel-assurance that we shall obtain eternal life, peace in this world sustained by such an assurance, and finally eternal life in the world to come-are
within the reach of all of us. . . . We assume that because we are members of the Church, we shall receive as a matter of course all the blessings of the gospel. I have
heard people contend that they have a claim upon them because they have been through the temple, even though they are not careful to keep the covenants they there
made. I do not think this will be the case. . . .

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on the subject, it is. The price, however, is within the reach of us all, because it is not to be paid in money nor in any of this world's goods but in righteous living. What is
required is wholehearted devotion to the gospel and unreserved allegiance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Speaking to this point, the Prophet
taught ". . . that those who keep the commandments of the Lord and walk in his statutes to the end, are the only individuals" who shall receive the blessings. . . . We
within the reach of all of us. . . . We assume that because we are members of the Church, we shall receive as a matter of course all the blessings of the gospel. I have
heard people contend that they have a claim upon them because they have been through the temple, even though they are not careful to keep the covenants they there
made. I do not think this will be the case. . . .

I conceive the blessings of the gospel to be of such inestimable worth that the price of them must be very exacting, and if I correctly understand what the Lord has said
on the subject, it is. The price, however, is within the reach of us all, because it is not to be paid in money nor in any of this world's goods but in righteous living. What is
required is wholehearted devotion to the gospel and unreserved allegiance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Speaking to this point, the Prophet
taught ". . . that those who keep the commandments of the Lord and walk in his statutes to the end, are the only individuals" who shall receive the blessings. . . . We
must be willing to sacrifice everything. Through self-discipline and devotion we must demonstrate to the Lord that we are willing to serve him under all circumstances.
When we have done this, we shall receive an assurance that we shall have eternal life in the world to come. Then we shall have peace in this world. (CR, September
1949, pp. 41-44.)

Joseph Smith: 5

After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the
first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon
say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will
find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the
testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses. [Sec. 88:3.] (HC 3:380, June 26, 1839.)

Joseph Smith: 6

A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil
spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. Hence it needs revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge of
the things of God. (HC 4:588, April 10, 1842.)

Hugh B. Brown: 6

Man can no more be saved in his ignorance than he can be saved in his sins. The gospel helps us to overcome both and here again it becomes the power unto our
salvation, if we do our part. (Eternal Quest, 1956, p. 89.)

John A. Widtsoe: 6

Knowledge tested and tried is the beginning of faith. For that reason, "it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." The extent of a person's faith depends in part
on the amount of his knowledge. The more knowledge he gathers, the more extensive becomes his field of faith.

The degree of faith possessed by any man depends not upon the extent of his knowledge, but upon the certainty of his knowledge, which leads to the proper use of his
knowledge. Thus a man of great knowledge may have weak faith, while one of limited information may have strong faith. (Alma 32:34-41.) (Joseph Smith, 1951, p.
163.)

First Presidency (Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards): 6

If man would be great in goodness, they must be intelligent, for no man can do good unless he knows how; therefore, seek after knowledge, all knowledge, and
especially that which is from above, which is wisdom to direct in all things, and if you find anything that God does not know, you need not learn that thing; but strive to
know what God knows, and use that knowledge as God uses it, and then you will be like him; will see as you are seen, and know as you are known; and have charity,
love one another, and do each other good continually, and for ever, even as for yourselves.

But if a man have all knowledge, and does not use it for good, it will prove a curse instead of a blessing as it did to Lucifer, the Son of the Morning. If a sinner is
advised to repent, and be baptized for remission of his sins, and does it not, it will prove to his condemnation instead of a blessing, and he cannot receive the laying on
of the hands of the Elders for the reception of the Holy Ghost. (MS, January 15, 1852, 14:17-25.)

James E. Talmage: 6

Not all knowledge is of equal worth. The knowledge that constitutes the wisdom of the heavens is all embraced in the Gospel as taught by Jesus Christ; and wilful
ignorance of this, the highest type of knowledge, will regulate its victim to the inferior order of intelligences. Another latter-day scripture may be cited as an inspired
generalization embodying an eternal truth relating to our subject: [Sec. 131:6, quoted.]

Can it be otherwise? If a man be ignorant of the terms on which salvation is predicated he is unable to comply therewith, and consequently gain. The ignorance that thus
condemns is responsible ignorance, involving wilful and sinful neglect. Lack of the saving knowledge that one has had no opportunity to acquire is but a temporary
deficiency; for Eternal Justice provides means of education beyond the grave. Every one of us will be judged according to the measure of light and truth we have had
opportunity to acquire. [Alma 12:9-11.] (The Vitality of Mormonism, 1919, p. 278.)

George Teasdale: 6

We talk about the progression of the Church in scholastic attainments. I would not give a fig for all your scholastic attainments if you have no faith. What better are you
than the Gentile nations? They have the highest education that is possible to live, but they have little faith. They do not believe in God; they do not believe in the
ordinances of His house; they are infidel to those precious principles that exalt men. Show me men and women who are advancing in faith and in righteousness, in
meekness and in virtue, and I will show you a people that love the Lord God of Israel. Show me a people that are advancing in the iniquities of the world and I will
show you a people who despise the Almighty and are more in favor of the establishment of the kingdom of the adversary. We show it by our works. It does not matter
much what our reputation is, we manifest what we really are by our works. We prove that we love the Lord God when silently we meditate upon the principles of
righteousness and practice them. (MS, August 15, 1895, 57:515.)

Joseph Smith: 7

All spirit is matter

The spirit of man is not a created being; it existed from eternity, and will exist to eternity. [Sec. 93:29; Abr. 3:18.] Anything created cannot be eternal; and earth, water,
etc., had their
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Orson Pratt: 7
All spirit is matter

The spirit of man is not a created being; it existed from eternity, and will exist to eternity. [Sec. 93:29; Abr. 3:18.] Anything created cannot be eternal; and earth, water,
etc., had their existence in an elementary state, from eternity. (HC 3:387, July 2, 1839.)

Orson Pratt: 7

The materials out of which this earth was formed, are just as eternal as the materials of the glorious personage of the Lord himself. . . . This Being, when he formed the
earth, did not form it out of something that had no existence, but he formed it out of materials that had an existence from all eternity: they never had a beginning, neither
will one particle of substance now in existence ever have an end. There are just as many particles now as there were at any previous period of duration, and will be
while eternity lasts. Substance had no beginning; to say that laws had no beginning would be another thing; some laws might have been eternal, while others might have
had a lawgiver. But the earth was formed out of eternal materials, and it was made to be inhabited and God peopled it with creatures of his own formation. (JD, 1878,
19:286.)

John A. Widtsoe: 7-8

He [Joseph Smith] taught that the spiritual and the material worlds are not sharply separated as had long been held, but are only two aspects of the same ultimate
reality. There is really but one "world" in the universe. In his own words in the non-technical language of his day: [Sec. 131:7-8, quoted.]

Analogies supporting this doctrine exist in daily life; for example, the forces of nature are many, such as the electric current, radio, and magnetic waves, light, and heat.
However, all these stem from the same fountain of energy, as shown by the fact that they may be converted one into the other. They are one in essence.

The doctrine of the one world was not wholly new. Some of the world's philosophers had faintly suggested it. Under the title, "Materialism Versus Immaterialism," it
had been debated by theologians and philosophers. Some who could not accept the doctrine of the one world made themselves believe that "immaterialism" was
possible, which implied in turn that something can be created out of nothing. To this confusing notion, the doctrines of Joseph Smith could give no support. God, angels,
spirits, men, and all the things in the universe belong to the same world, are organized from existing materials. They differ only in their various forms of organization.
(Joseph Smith, 1951, 147-48.)

Rudger Clawson: 8

The unseen world is much larger and greater and much more important than the world that is seen, the world in which we live. The world in which we live is greatly
magnified by the fact that we can behold it with our mortal eyes. The unseen world suffers in this respect, because we do not see it with the mortal eye. Somebody may
ask: "Can it be seen?" Yes, oh, yes, indeed, it can be seen. "But how shall we see it?" We must look at it through our spiritual eye, or in other words, the eye of faith.
There is no doubt that what it exists, that greater world, and that it is very substantial. The Prophet Joseph Smith has said this concerning it: [Sec. 131:7-8, quoted.]
(CR, April 1933, pp. 74-75.)

Section 132

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, recorded July 12, 1843, relating to the new and everlasting covenant, including the eternity of
the marriage covenant, as also plurality of wives.-The Prophet's inquiry of the Lord-He is told to prepare himself to receive the new and everlasting covenant-
Conditions of this law-The power of the Holy Priesthood instituted by the Lord must be operative in ordinances to be in effect beyond the grave-Marriage by secular
authority is of effect during mortality only-Though the form of marriage should make it appear to be for time and eternity, the ordinance is not valid beyond the grave
unless solemnized by the authority of the Holy Priesthood as the Lord directs-Marriage duly authorized for time and eternity to be attended by surpassing blessings-
Essentials for the attainment of the status of godhood-Plurality of wives acceptable only when commanded by the Lord-The sin of adultery-Commandment to Emma
Smith, wife of the Prophet.

1. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my
servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and
concubines-

2. Behold, and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter.

3. Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey
the same.

4. For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant; then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be
permitted to enter into my glory.

5. For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the
foundation of the world.

6. And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the
law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God.

7. And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections,
associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all
eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I
have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this
priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end
when men are dead.

8. Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.

9. Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name?

10. Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?
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11. And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you before the world was?

12. I am the Lord thy God; and I give unto you this commandment-that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word, which is my law, saith the Lord.
9. Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name?

10. Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?

11. And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you before the world was?

12. I am the Lord thy God; and I give unto you this commandment-that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word, which is my law, saith the Lord.

13. And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not
by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God.

14. For whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and destroyed.

15. Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with
him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out
of the world.

16. Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to
minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.

17. For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all
eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.

18. And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that covenant is not by me or by my word,
which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force
when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there,
because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the
Lord God.

19. And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the
Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them-Ye shall come
forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all
heights and depths-then shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant,
and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all
eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all
things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.

20. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all,
because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.

21. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.

22. For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the
world neither do ye know me.

23. But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also.

24. This is eternal lives-to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.

25. Broad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the deaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they receive me not, neither do they abide in my law.

26. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, according to mine appointment, and
he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder wherein
they shed innocent blood, yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into their exaltation; but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered
unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the Lord God.

27. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood,
and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God; and he that abideth not this law can in nowise enter into my
glory, but shall be damned, saith the Lord.

28. I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me and my Father before the world was.

29. Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth
upon his throne.

30. Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins-from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph-which were to continue so long as
they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as
innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them.

31. This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father,
wherein he glorifieth himself.

32. Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved.

33. But if ye enter not into my law ye cannot receive the promise of my Father, which he made unto Abraham.

34. God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people.
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35. Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it.
33. But if ye enter not into my law ye cannot receive the promise of my Father, which he made unto Abraham.

34. God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people.
This, therefore, was fulfilling, among other things, the promises.

35. Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it.

36. Abraham was commanded to offer his son Isaac; nevertheless, it was written: Thou shalt not kill. Abraham, however, did not refuse, and it was accounted unto him
for righteousness.

37. Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my
law; as Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were
commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods.

38. David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation
until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me.

39. David's wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in
none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall
not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.

40. I am the Lord thy God, and I gave unto thee, my servant Joseph, an appointment, and restore all things. Ask what ye will, and it shall be given unto you according
to my word.

41. And as ye have asked concerning adultery, verily, verily I say unto you, if a man receiveth a wife in the new and everlasting covenant, and if she be with another
man, and I have not appointed unto her by the holy anointing, she hath committed adultery and shall be destroyed.

42. If she be not in the new and everlasting covenant, and she be with another man, she has committed adultery.

43. And if her husband be with another woman, and he was under a vow, he hath broken his vow and hath committed adultery.

44. And if she hath not committed adultery, but is innocent and hath not broken her vow, and she knoweth it, and I reveal it unto you, my servant Joseph, then shall you
have power, by the power of my Holy Priesthood, to take her and give her unto him that hath not committed adultery but hath been faithful; for he shall be made ruler
over many.

45. For I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein I restore all things, and make known unto you all things in due time.

46. And verily, verily, I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name and by my word,
saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you
retain on earth shall be retained in heaven.

47. And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless I will bless, and whomsoever you curse I will curse, saith the Lord, for I, the Lord, am thy God.

48. And again, verily I say unto you, my servant Joseph, that whatsoever you give on earth, and to whomsoever you give any one on earth, by my word and according
to my law, it shall be visited with blessings and not cursings, and with my power, saith the Lord, and shall be without condemnation on earth and in heaven.

49. For I am the Lord thy God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a
throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father.

50. Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and will forgive all your sins; I have seen your sacrifices in obedience to that which I have told you. Go, therefore, and I make a
way for your escape, as I accepted the offering of Abraham of his son Isaac.

51. Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of
that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by
covenant and sacrifice.

52. And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are
not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God.

53. For I am the Lord thy God, and ye shall obey my voice; and I give unto my servant Joseph that he shall be made ruler over many things; for he hath been faithful
over a few things, and from henceforth I will strengthen him.

54. And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall
be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.

55. But if she will not abide this commandment, then shall my servant Joseph do all things for her, even as he hath said; and I will bless him and multiply him and give
unto him an hundred-fold in this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal
worlds.

56. And again, verily I say, let mine handmaid forgive my servant Joseph for his trespasses; and then shall she be forgiven her trespasses, wherein she has trespassed
against me; and I, the Lord thy God, will bless her, and multiply her, and make her heart to rejoice.

57. And again, I say, let not my servant Joseph put his property out of his hands, lest an enemy come and destroy him; for Satan seeketh to destroy; for I am the Lord
thy God, and he is my servant; and behold, and lo, I am with him, as I was with Abraham, thy father, even unto his exaltation and glory.

58. Now, as touching the law of the priesthood, there are many things pertaining thereunto.
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power of this priesthood, if he do anything in my name, and according to my law and by my word, he will not commit sin, and I will justify him.
thy God, and he is my servant; and behold, and lo, I am with him, as I was with Abraham, thy father, even unto his exaltation and glory.

58. Now, as touching the law of the priesthood, there are many things pertaining thereunto.

59. Verily, if a man be called of my Father, as was Aaron, by mine own voice, and by the voice of him that sent me, and I have endowed him with the keys of the
power of this priesthood, if he do anything in my name, and according to my law and by my word, he will not commit sin, and I will justify him.

60. Let no one, therefore, set on my servant Joseph; for I will justify him; for he shall do the sacrifice which I require at his hands for his transgressions, saith the Lord
your God.

61. And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood-if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and it he espouse
the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit
adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.

62. And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.

63. But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto
him to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and
for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified.

64. And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining
to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name
upon all those who receive and abide in my law.

65. Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever I, the Lord his God, will give unto him, because she did not
believe and administer unto him according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto
Abraham according to the law when I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife.

66. And now, as pertaining to this law, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will reveal more unto you, hereafter; therefore, let this suffice for the present. Behold, I am Alpha
and Omega. Amen.

Orson Pratt (Joseph F. Smith): Introduction

[Elder Pratt, in company with President Joseph F. Smith, spoke at a meeting of the so-called Reorganized Church in 1878.] He explained the circumstances connected
with the coming forth of the revelation on plural marriage. Refuted the statement and belief of those present that Brigham Young was the author of that revelation;
showed that Joseph Smith the Prophet had not only commenced the practice himself, and taught it to others, before President Young and Twelve had returned from
their mission in Europe, in 1841, but that Joseph actually received revelations upon that principle as early as 1831. (HC 5:xxxi, "Introduction," 1878.)

George A. Smith: Introduction

In [July 12] 1843, the law on celestial marriage was written [at Nauvoo, Illinois] , but not published, and was known only to perhaps one or two hundred persons. It
was written from the dictation of Joseph Smith, by Elder William Clayton, his private secretary, who is now in this city. [Salt Lake City, Utah.] This revelation was
published in 1852, read to a general conference, and accepted as a portion of the faith of the Church. Elder Orson Pratt went to Washington and there published a
work called the Seer, in which this revelation was printed, and a series of articles showing forth the law of God in relation to marriage. (JD, August 13, 1871, 14:213-
14.)

Joseph F. Smith: 1

Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph

He [President Lorenzo Snow] lived to bear his testimony to the world that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, taught him the doctrine of celestial marriage. He lived to declare
to the world that he knew positively that Joseph Smith did receive it by revelation and that that doctrine was true and of God. And if he had done no more than this he
would have accomplished a great work, because he was a living witness, an eye-witness and an ear-witness, and he knew whereof he spoke. You and I will have to
meet his testimony, and so will the people of the world; and when we go to give an account of that which we have heard and known in the world, we cannot dodge
this, but will be held to an account for it, just as sure as the Lord lives and that President Snow did his duty. (CR, October 1902, p. 87.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 4

I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant

Each ordinance of the Gospel is a covenant which is new and everlasting. It is new and everlasting because it is divine truth and never grows old. . . . This was said of
baptism, and the Lord calls it "a new and an everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning." (Sec. 22:1.) It is so with all the covenants and obligations in
the Gospel which pertain to salvation and exaltation of man. . . .

President Brigham Young has said, that "All Latter-day Saints enter the new and everlasting covenant when they enter the Church. . . ." (Discourses of Brigham Young,
pp. 247-248.)

There are some members of the Church who seem to think that the new and everlasting covenant is the covenant of celestial marriage, or marriage for eternity, but this
is not so. Marriage for eternity is an everlasting covenant, and like the Lord said of baptism, we may say of marriage, it is a new as well as an everlasting covenant
because it was from the beginning. It will be, if properly performed according to the law of the Lord, eternal. In the opening verses of Section 132, the Lord draws a
distinction between a new and everlasting covenant and the new and everlasting covenant. While the definition is given in the negative form, it is plainly discernible that
the new and everlasting covenant is the fulness of the Gospel. In the words of the Lord, [Sec. 132:7, quoted] . (CHMR, 1948, 2:157-58.)

Joseph F. Smith: 7

All contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead

This  great work
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bond of the new and everlasting covenant with their fathers and mothers who have gone before them; the great principle that binds on earth and it is bound in heaven,
that takes the woman, chosen by the man, and seals her to the husband of her choice with an everlasting, unbreakable covenant, or a covenant that can only be broken
by sin or by the transgression of the laws of God; a covenant that can never be broken by death, by time, or distance, because God has confirmed it, it is sealed by His
Joseph F. Smith: 7

All contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead

This great work for the redemption of our dead, the uniting together of the living and the dead, the sealing power that takes the living children and unites them in the
bond of the new and everlasting covenant with their fathers and mothers who have gone before them; the great principle that binds on earth and it is bound in heaven,
that takes the woman, chosen by the man, and seals her to the husband of her choice with an everlasting, unbreakable covenant, or a covenant that can only be broken
by sin or by the transgression of the laws of God; a covenant that can never be broken by death, by time, or distance, because God has confirmed it, it is sealed by His
power for time and for all eternity; the work of baptism and other saving ordinances for the dead; the endowments, and all the ordinances that have been revealed to be
performed in the sacred edifices called temples, which we are under commandment from God always to build unto His holy name-[Sec. 124:39], these things have
been revealed to us in this dispensation in greater fulness and in greater plainness than ever before in the history of the world so far as we know. (CR, October 1913,
pp. 9-10.)

Joseph F. Smith: 8

Mine house is a house of order

God has established all things in their order. The house of God is a house of order, and not a house of confusion. In this house, God himself is the supreme head, and
He must be obeyed. Christ is in the image and likeness of His being, His begotten Son, and He stands as our Savior and our God. We must walk in His paths, and
observe His precepts to do them, or we will be cut off. Next unto God and Christ, in the earth is placed one unto whom the keys of power and the authority of the
Holy Priesthood are conferred, and unto whom the right of presidency is given. He is God's mouthpiece to His people, in all things pertaining to the building up of Zion
and to the spiritual and temporal salvation of the people. (CR, April 1898, pp. 68-69.)

James E. Talmage: 8-14

Permit me to read to you from the 132nd section of the Doctrine and Covenants, wherein the Lord says: [Sec. 132:8-14, quoted.]

Could it be otherwise? Human institutions, purely human institutions, will end with human life, and in and after the resurrection they will have no place nor name; but the
institutions established by the authority of heaven shall endure, and these alone are the things that can endure. In the same revelation we find this doctrine set forth . . .
relating to what the Lord calls by the comprehensive and significant name of "A new and an everlasting covenant." (Sec. 132:7.)

Is that not consistent with our conception of the eternal character of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Were the power to direct this authority in operation vested in more than
one man upon the earth at a time, there would be introduced at once the possibility of confusion and of a conflict of authority. . . . God's house is a house of order, I
repeat. (CR, October 1918, pp. 62-63.)

Harold B. Lee: 15

If . . . a man marry . . . her not by me . . . their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead

The one officiating by authority of the law of the land pronounced you legally and lawfully husband and wife "Until death do you part." There they stand clearly before
you-Death and Separation. You who are parties to a civil ceremony are to be married only during the period of your mortal lives. At death your marriage contract is to
be dissolved and you are to be permanently separated or divorced from each other in the next life. Not only must this thought be a startling consideration, but if there be
children and family life that too must end with death. According to the Lord's revelation, all manmade "covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows,
performances, connections, associations, or expectations . . . are of no efficacy, virtue or force in and after the resurrection from the dead . . . and have an end when
men are dead." (D&C 132:7.)

Even though the legal officer or minister had declared you to be husband and wife for "time and all eternity," unless he had the authority so to speak, then that promise
or contract would "not be valid, neither of force when they are out of the world." (Ibid., 132:18.) The Master told Peter and the other apostles of a power beyond that
of man which he called the "keys to the kingdom of heaven," and by this power he said, "Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." (Matt. 16:19.)
That power and authority, by which holy ordinances are administered, is known as the holy priesthood and is always to be found in the Church of Jesus Christ in every
dispensation of the gospel upon the earth. (Youth and the Church, 1945, pp. 125-26.)

Orson Pratt: 15-16

We cannot feel justified in closing this article on the subject of marriage without saying a few words to unmarried females in this Church.

You will clearly perceive, from the revelation which God has given, that you can never obtain a fulness of glory, without being married to a righteous man for time and
for all eternity. If you marry a man who receives not the gospel, you lay a foundation for sorrow in this world, besides losing the privilege of enjoying the society of a
husband in eternity. You forfeit your right to an endless increase of immortal lives. And even children which you may be favored with in this life, will not be entrusted to
your charge in eternity, but you will be left in that world without a husband, without a family, without a kingdom, without any means of enlarging yourselves, being
subject to the principalities and powers who are counted worthy of families, and kingdoms, and thrones, and the increase of dominions forever. To them you will be
servants and angels-that is, provided that your conduct should be such as to secure this measure of glory. [Sec. 131:1-4.] Can it be possible that any females, after
knowing these things, will suffer themselves to keep company with persons out of this Church? It matters not how great the morality of such persons may be, nor how
kind they may be to you, they are not numbered with the people of God; they are not in the way of salvation, they cannot save themselves, you cannot be justified, for
one moment, in keeping their company. (MS, September 3, 1853, 15:584.)

Wilford Woodruff: 16

When they are out of the world

A man has married a woman, and they have a family of children. The man lays [sic.] down in death without ever hearing the Gospel. His wife afterwards hears the
Gospel and embraces it. She comes to the temple and she wants to be sealed to her husband, who was a good man. . . . Why deprive a woman of being sealed to her
husband because he never heard the Gospel? What do any of us know with regard to him? Will he not hear the Gospel and embrace it in the spirit world? Now,
suppose that any of these [Joseph Smith's relatives] had died before they had the opportunity of entering into the covenant with the Lord through the Gospel, as his
brother Alvin did; they would have been in the same position as Alvin, concerning whom the Lord, when Joseph saw him in the celestial kingdom, said:

"All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
Also all that(c)
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men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts." [Joseph Smith-Vision 7-9.]

So it will be with your fathers. There will be very few, if any, who will not accept the Gospel. (MS, March 5, 1894, 56:339-40.)
brother Alvin did; they would have been in the same position as Alvin, concerning whom the Lord, when Joseph saw him in the celestial kingdom, said:

"All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; for I, the Lord, will judge all
men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts." [Joseph Smith-Vision 7-9.]

So it will be with your fathers. There will be very few, if any, who will not accept the Gospel. (MS, March 5, 1894, 56:339-40.)

Melvin J. Ballard: 16

When they are out of the world

Now, then, what of your daughters who have died and have not been sealed to some man? Unless it is made known to you, let their case rest. They will make known
to you the agreements and contracts they have mutually entered into. The sealing power shall be forever and ever with this Church, and provisions will be made for
them. We cannot run faster than the Lord has provided the way. Their blessings and privileges will come to them in due time. In the meantime, they are safe. (Sermons
and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, 1949, p. 260.)

LeGrand Richards: 17

Without exaltation, in their saved condition

From this revelation [Sec. 132:4-6, 15-17, 19-20] it will be seen that men can become Gods and enjoy a "fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever,"
only by observing the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, and that without marriage they can only become "ministering servants, to minister for those who are
worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory."

When the Lord said, referring to the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, "and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned," he does not use the term
"damned" in the sense that it is usually understood by the modern Christian world, for it will be noted he indicated they "shall be appointed angels in heaven; which
angels are ministering servants; to minister for those who are worthy of a far more and exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory." In verse seventeen of the above
quotation, the Lord stated that they shall "remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition." Thus even they will be saved, but not exalted. The
use of the word "damned," therefore, means that one's progress is stopped. (See D&C 131:4.) "They cannot be enlarged." [See D&C 132:17.] (A Marvelous Work
and a Wonder, 1950, p. 263.)

LeGrand Richards: 15-18

The following statement by Jesus has been very much misunderstood:

The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

Now there were with us seven brethren; and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:

Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

And last of all the woman died also.

Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven: For they all had her.

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Matt. 22:23-30.)

The late Dr. James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained the Savior's answer to the question of the Sadducees, who deny there is any
resurrection:

The Lord's meaning was clear, that in the resurrected state there can be no question among the seven brothers as to whose wife for eternity the woman shall be, since
all except the first had married her for the duration of mortal life only, and primarily for the purpose of perpetuating in mortality the name and family of the brother who
first died. Luke records the Lord's words as follows in part: "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither
marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels: and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection."
In the resurrection there will be no marrying nor giving in marriage; for all questions of marital status must be settled before that time, under the authority of the Holy
Priesthood, which holds the power to seal in marriage for both time and eternity. (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 548.)

To this explanation add the Lord's own words in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith at Nauvoo, Illinois, recorded July 12, 1843, relating to the new and
everlasting covenant of marriage: [Sec. 132:15-18, quoted.]

Jesus must have had this very thought in mind when he answered the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection and whose marriage vows were for this world
only. (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, 1950, pp. 172-73.)

Harold B. Lee: 19

A continuation of the seeds forever and ever

Now let us consider the first marriage that was performed after the earth was organized. Adam, the first man, had been created as well as the beasts and fowls and
every living thing upon the earth. We then find this recorded: "And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."
After the Lord had formed Eve, he "brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman because
she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh." (Genesis 2:18, 22-24.)
These words were undoubtedly just what they sound like. They were very likely the words spoken by Adam reciting the vows of the first marriage upon this earth.
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                                               commanded them to "be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it." (Ibid., 1:28.) Here  was122  / 159
                                                                                                                                                              a marriage
performed by the Lord between two immortal beings, for until sin entered the world their bodies were not subject to death. He made them one, not merely for time, nor
for any definite period; they were to be one throughout the eternal ages. If you were to say that because Adam and Eve transgressed and became subject to death that
every living thing upon the earth. We then find this recorded: "And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."
After the Lord had formed Eve, he "brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman because
she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh." (Genesis 2:18, 22-24.)
These words were undoubtedly just what they sound like. They were very likely the words spoken by Adam reciting the vows of the first marriage upon this earth.
With the completion of that marriage the Lord commanded them to "be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it." (Ibid., 1:28.) Here was a marriage
performed by the Lord between two immortal beings, for until sin entered the world their bodies were not subject to death. He made them one, not merely for time, nor
for any definite period; they were to be one throughout the eternal ages. If you were to say that because Adam and Eve transgressed and became subject to death that
this eternal union was broken, then just remember that the purpose of the atonement by Jesus Christ was to restore that which was lost by the fall. Their restoration then
to each other after the resurrection would not require a remarriage, for death to them was not a divorce; it was only a temporary separation. Resurrection to immortality
meant for. them a reunion and an eternal bond never again to be severed. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22.)

If you have carefully followed an explanation of this first marriage, you are prepared to understand the revelation given to the Church in our generation in these words:
[Sec. 132:19, quoted.]

If marriage then was for the purpose of the organizing of spirits before the world was formed and for "multiplying and replenishing the earth" on which we now live,
surely there must likewise be a divine purpose in its being continued after the resurrection. This purpose is declared by the Lord to be for "a continuation of the seeds
forever and ever." (D&C 132:19.) In other revelations he has told us about his temporal or worldly creations: "Worlds without number have I created. . . . And as one
earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. For behold, this is my work and my
glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." [Moses 1:33, 38-39.] (Youth and the Church, 1945, pp. 128-29.)

Erastus Snow: 19

And through all eternity

The course of God, we are told by the prophet Nephi, is one eternal round [1 Nephi 10:19] ; that, like eternity, it has neither beginning nor end, and is illustrated in the
Book of Abraham by the hieroglyphic of the circle. You may start upon this ring at any given point, and in traversing it you will come to the same point-it is without
beginning, without end.

We sometimes speak of eternity in contradistinction to time; and often say, "through time and into eternity;" and again "from eternity to eternity," which is simply another
form of expressing the same idea, and "pass through time into eternity." In other words, time is a short period allotted to man in his probationary state-and we use the
word time in contradistinction to the word eternity, merely for the accommodation of man in his finite sphere, that we may comprehend and learn to measure periods.
And for this purpose the Lord gave unto Adam his reckoning after the movement of the planets, which would appear to him stationary, or at least comparatively so,
making a suitable standard by which man in his mortal state may measure periods and count out the days and the months and the years and the cycles. (JD, October
1879, 21:23.)

Brigham Young: 20

Then shall they be gods, because they have all power

After men have got their exaltations and their crowns-have become Gods, even the sons of God-are made King of kings and Lord of Lords, they have the power then
of propagating their species in spirit; and that is the first of their operations with regard to organizing a world. Power is then given to them to organize the elements, and
then commence the organization of tabernacles. (JD, August 28, 1852, 6:275.)

Brigham Young: 20

Because they continue

The great and grand secret of salvation, which we should continually seek to understand through our faithfulness, is the continuation of the lives. Those of the Latter-day
Saints who will continue to follow after the revelations and commandments of God to do them, who are found to be obedient in all things continually advancing little by
little towards perfection and the knowledge of God, they, when they enter the spirit world and receive their bodies, will be able to advance faster in the things pertaining
to the knowledge of the Gods, and will continue onward and upward until they become Gods, even the sons of God. This I say is the great secret of the hereafter, to
continue in the lives forever and forever, which is the greatest of all gifts God has ever bestowed upon his children. We all have it within our reach, we can all attain to
this perfection and exalted state if we will embrace its principles and practice them in our every day life. (JD, October 8, 1878, 18:250.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 21-25

Every successful marriage in the Temple is based on faithfulness to the covenant of marriage there received. Every sin committed must be atoned for. Christ came into
the world to atone for the sins of all those who truly repent and accept the Gospel; all others must pay the price of their own sinning. [2 Nephi 9:20-27.] No covenants
or obligations will relieve the individual of punishment who is unrepentant, and there is nothing in the revelations of the Lord which holds out for any soul the hope that
he may deliberately sin and escape the consequences. "Except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory," is the word of the Lord. The way to eternal lives is strait.
That means that it is difficult of access, not easily attained. The expression "continuation of the lives," means the right and power of eternal increase, or posterity. "Broad
is the gate, and wide the way, that leadeth to the deaths, and many there are that go in thereat, because they receive me not, neither do they abide in my law." The term
"deaths" mentioned here has reference to the cutting off of all those who reject this eternal covenant of marriage and therefore they are denied the power of exaltation
and the continuation of posterity. To be denied posterity and the family organization, leads to the "death," or end of increase in the life to come. (CHMR, 1950, 4:161-
62.)

Charles W. Penrose: 24

This is eternal lives

He [Christ] will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and every man who has labored with him and for Him in this holy ministry will be crowned with glory and
immortality and "eternal lives." That means more than life, more than mere existence, it means perpetual increase of posterity, worlds without end, and these blessings
shall be ours if we will prove faithful to that which we have received of the Lord and this is what we are for in the Church. (CR, October 1921, p. 22.)

Joseph Smith: 26- 27

The unpardonable sin is to shed innocent blood, or be accessory thereto. All other sins will be visited with judgment in the flesh, and the spirit being delivered to the
buffetings
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Harold B. Lee: 26
Joseph Smith: 26- 27

The unpardonable sin is to shed innocent blood, or be accessory thereto. All other sins will be visited with judgment in the flesh, and the spirit being delivered to the
buffetings of Satan until the day of the Lord Jesus. (HC 5:391-92, May 13, 1843.)

Harold B. Lee: 26

It's possible for every church member to live perfectly the law of marriage, celestial marriage, to learn the duty of husband to wife, wife to husband, parents to children.
It's possible for us to learn it perfectly. Some folks have the mistaken notion that if somehow, by hook or crook, they can get into the House of the Lord and be
married they are assured of exaltation regardless of what they do, and they'll quote the 132 Section, the 26th verse. But that isn't what the Lord means. The Lord does
assure an exaltation to those who make mistakes, if they repent. (BYU Speeches of the Year, January 5, 1954, p. 7.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 26-27

I will make an explanation of the expression, "Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise." This does not have reference to marriage for time and all eternity only, but to every
ordinance and blessing of the gospel. Baptism into the Church is sealed by this Spirit, likewise confirmation, ordination, and all ordinances as well as marriage for time
and all eternity.

The meaning of this expression is this: Every covenant, contract, bond, obligation, oath, vow, and performance, that man receives through the covenants and blessings
of the gospel, is sealed by the Holy Spirit with a promise. The promise is that the blessing will be obtained, if those who seek it are true and faithful to the end. If they
are not faithful, then the Holy Spirit will withdraw the blessing, and the promise comes to an end. [Sec. 76:50-54; 88:3-5; 124:124; 132:7; Moses 6:60.]

Verse 26, in Section 132, is the most abused passage in any scripture. The Lord has never promised any soul that he may be taken into exaltation without the spirit of
repentance. While repentance is not stated in this passage, yet it is, and must be, implied. It is strange to me that everyone knows about verse 26, but it seems that they
have never read or heard of Matthew 12:31-32, where the Lord tells us the same thing in substance as we find in verse 26, Section 132.

It is wrong to take one passage of scripture and isolate it from all other teachings dealing with the same subject. We should bring together all that has been said by
authority on the question. . . .

The Lord said by his own mouth: "And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more
return, because of the justice of the Father. And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath
given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth all his words. And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have
washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." [3 Nephi 27:17-19.]

So we must conclude that those spoken of in verse 26 are those who, having sinned, have fully repented and are willing to pay the price of their sinning, else the
blessings of exaltation will not follow. Repentance is absolutely necessary for the forgiveness, and the person having sinned must be cleansed.

John said: "There is a sin unto death." "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.
There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it." [1 John 5:16.]

The Lord, in verse 27, has pointed out some sins unto death for which there is no forgiveness. It will do no good for one to pray for his brother for forgiveness from
such a sin. All other sins, including blasphemy against the Son of God, may be forgiven men, on their true repentance. If they do not repent, then no matter what the sin
may be, or the covenant violated, the guilty party or parties will never enter into the kingdom of God!

Here is something which those who contend that the Lord has granted immunity from their sins to some, if they have received certain sealings by the Holy Spirit of
promise, have overlooked in this passage. I will call attention to these two things. If covenants are broken and enormous sins are committed, but not unto death, there
are certain punishments to be inflicted. The mere confession is not enough; the sinners are: 1-to "be destroyed in the flesh"; 2-to "be delivered unto the buffetings of
Satan unto the day of redemption."

Who in the world is so foolish as to wish to sin with the hope of forgiveness, if such a penalty is to be inflicted? No one but a fool! To be "destroyed in the flesh" means
exactly that. We cannot destroy men in the flesh, because we do not control the lives of men and do not have power to pass sentences upon them which involve capital
punishment. In the days when there was a theocracy on the earth, then this decree was enforced. [Gen. 9:4-6; Lev. 20:10.] What the Lord will do in lieu of this
because we cannot destroy in the flesh, I am unable to say, but it will have to be made up in some other way.

Then to be turned over to the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, which is the resurrection, must be something horrible in its nature. Who wishes to endure
such torment? No one but a fool! I have seen their anguish. I have heard their pleadings for relief and their pitiful cries that they cannot endure the torment. This was in
this life. Add to that, the torment in the spirit world before the redemption comes-all of this, mark you, coming after severe and humble repentance!

Some among us have the idea that to confess their sins with their lips and to turn away from them constitutes all that is required of the repentant. This is not always so. It
is our duty to forgive, but the Lord may require a severe penalty after this humble repentance. David sorely repented; read some of his Psalms and realize how he cried
in anguish for relief; yet we understand that he is paying the price to this day and will until the Son of God comes to relieve him. [Psalms 16:10; 51:1-19; Acts 2:29,
34.]

I said that when the Lord ruled in a theocracy that punishment by death was the edict for certain crimes. Here is an example: "And the man that committeth adultery
with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." [Lev. 20:10.] There
were also other crimes for which this penalty was exacted. [Rom. 1:28-32; Ex. 35:2; Deut. 13:1-11; 17:1-7; 21:20-23.]

No, the Lord has not prepared for favoritism. He has not placed exemption upon some because they have received marriage for time and for all eternity and had it
sealed by the "Holy Spirit of promise." He has not given them the privilege of blaspheming his name, of committing any sin whatever, and then coming forth to receive
an exaltation. We should all be grateful for the wonderful principle of repentance; we all need it. But we must not lose sight of the fact that the celestial kingdom is
reserved for those who are sanctified and none others. Read Mormon 9:3-4.

Let it be remembered also that those who sin must repent in this life; if they die in their sins, unrepentant, then no matter what blessings they have received, they are not
reinstated. [Alma 34:31-35; 3 Nephi 12:20; 27:17-19.]

When a man and a woman, in all sincerity, enter into a covenant of marriage for time and all eternity (and after they have "overcome by faith," and are "just and true"),
[Sec. 76:54] the Holy Ghost-who is the Spirit of promise-bears record of or ratifies that sealing. In other words, he seals the promises appertaining to the marriage
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Now the Lord has said: "But there is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the listing God; Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest
reinstated. [Alma 34:31-35; 3 Nephi 12:20; 27:17-19.]

When a man and a woman, in all sincerity, enter into a covenant of marriage for time and all eternity (and after they have "overcome by faith," and are "just and true"),
[Sec. 76:54] the Holy Ghost-who is the Spirit of promise-bears record of or ratifies that sealing. In other words, he seals the promises appertaining to the marriage
covenant upon them.

Now the Lord has said: "But there is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the listing God; Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest
they fall into temptation; Yea, and even let those who are sanctified take heed also." [Sec. 20:31-34.]

If one or both of these covenanting persons break that covenant by which they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, then the Spirit withdraws the seal and the guilty
party, or parties, stand as if there had been no sealing or promise given. All covenants are sealed based upon faithfulness.

Should a person endeavor to receive the sealing blessing by fraud, then the blessing is not sealed, notwithstanding the integrity and authority of the person officiating.
Instead of a blessing they will receive a cursing, the heaviest of all. [Sec. 41:1.] Therefore, a person who may deceive the bishop or any other officer, will stand
condemned before the Lord, for he cannot be deceived and justice will be meted to all. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1955, 2:94-99.)

John Taylor: 29

Abraham received all things . . . by revelation and commandment

It was this priesthood that would be the means of introducing him into the presence of God that Abraham found that he was a rightful inheritor of, according to his
lineage and descent, and he applied for an ordination, which he received, according to the revelation given unto us, and with that ordination the powers, the blessings,
the light, intelligence and revelation associated with the Gospel of the Son of God. And what then? The next that we read of is that he had the Urim and Thummim, and
thus he sought unto God for himself, and while searching unto him, God revealed himself unto Abraham. . . . Afterwards, the Lord revealed himself to him from time to
time, communicated his will to him, and he was made acquainted with the designs of the Almighty. The Lord showed unto him the order of the creation of this earth on
which we stand, and revealed unto him some of the greatest and most sublime truths that ever were made known to man. [Abr. 3.] He got these through revelation
from God and through the medium of the Gospel of the Son of God. (JD, December 7, 1879, 21:159-60.)

Orson Pratt: 30

Abraham . . . and . . . the fruit of his loins

But when men are redeemed to immortality and eternal life there will be no pain, sorrow or affliction of body, and yet children will be brought forth, and to their
increase there will be no end. Hence the promise of God to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that their seed should be as numerous as the stars of heaven, or
as the sands upon the seashore. We all know that the sand on the seashore is innumerable to us. If we take a handful it numbers its tens of thousands of grains, and if
Abraham's seed are to become as numerous as the sands on the seashore they will fill a great many worlds like this of ours. There is to be no end to the increase of the
old Patriarch and, as his posterity increases, world on world will be created and brought into existence, and those children will be sent forth from the presence of the
Patriarch to take upon themselves bodies, as we have done here in this world. I mean their spirits. [Abr. 3:14.] (JD, January 19, 1879, 15:320.)

Orson Hyde: 31

This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham

If Abraham was to be a prince and a ruler, and his posterity become numerous, may we not, if faithful to our God and to our covenants, be as Abraham? Shall there be
any end to our posterity? May they not be as numerous as the stars in the firmament, and as the sands upon the seashore? Abraham may be in advance of us; he lived
in an earlier period; but we are following up in the same track. Although we may not be called upon to yield up an only son, as Abraham was, yet, may we not enjoy
through faithfulness the blessings, and honors, and privileges that he did? I see nothing in the way of it. I believe it is according to the goodness, and generosity, and
loving kindness of our Father in heaven. (JD, October 7, 1865, 11:151-52.)

Joseph Smith: 39

David's wives . . . shall not inherit them out of the world

A murderer, for instance, one that sheds innocent blood, cannot have forgiveness. David sought repentance at the hand of God carefully with tears, for the murder of
Uriah; but he could only get it through hell: He got a promise that his soul should not be left in hell.

Although David was a king, he never did obtain the spirit and power of Elijah and the fullness of the Priesthood; and the Priesthood that he received, and the throne and
kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage. (HC 6:253, March 10, 1844.)

Orson Pratt: 39

David's wives

There was a man in ancient times, named David, and because he was a man after God's own heart, the Lord chose him to be king over Israel. . . . But after Saul had
been cut off and David had been elevated to the throne of Israel, the Lord also gave him all the wives of Saul his master. So says Nathan the Prophet, and he was sent
to reprove David. [2 Sam. 12:1-14.] What had he done to need reproof? Why he had taken his neighbor's wife, a person he had no claim upon, and he not only
committed adultery by thus taking the wife of another, but by his order her lawful husband was placed in front of the battle that he might be destroyed, and he was
destroyed, hence, though he himself did not thrust a dagger to his heart, he became a murderer in the sight of heaven by having this man placed where his blood would
be shed. [Ibid., 11:2-27.] After all his goodness, and after all the light and knowledge which God had given to this man, he committed these two great crimes. Nathan
the Prophet was sent to reprove him. . . . With what kind of punishment was this man punished? Amongst them was that of suffering in the eternal worlds. How long? I
cannot say exactly, but a good many centuries, a thousand years at least; this man, once righteous, now wicked, had to suffer the penalty of that crime. Did he repent?
He did. Did he cry unto the Lord? He did. Was he sorely troubled? He was, and he was perhaps as repentant as any one could be; but the decree had gone forth, and
hence that man had to endure the penalty of his crime. Peter, when referring to this subject on the day of Pentecost, as recorded in the second chapter of the Acts of
the Apostles, quotes from the Psalms of David, and says, "Thou hast not left my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." [Psalm 16:10;
Acts 2:27, 31.] It seems that after all, though David's repentance could not wipe away his sin, yet he had a hope, and he looked forward to the time when he would be
liberated from hell; when that time arrived he would come forth and receive some kind of a glory, how much I do not know, for it is not revealed; but suffice it to say,
he sinned against great light and knowledge and because of his sin he fell from a very high position. (JD, January 19, 1873, 15:316-17.)
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Harold B. Lee: 50

The Lord gave to Moses, because of the "hardness of heart" among the Israelites, a code of laws called the "carnal commandments" or the Mosaic Law, and certain of
the Apostles, quotes from the Psalms of David, and says, "Thou hast not left my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." [Psalm 16:10;
Acts 2:27, 31.] It seems that after all, though David's repentance could not wipe away his sin, yet he had a hope, and he looked forward to the time when he would be
liberated from hell; when that time arrived he would come forth and receive some kind of a glory, how much I do not know, for it is not revealed; but suffice it to say,
he sinned against great light and knowledge and because of his sin he fell from a very high position. (JD, January 19, 1873, 15:316-17.)

Harold B. Lee: 50

The Lord gave to Moses, because of the "hardness of heart" among the Israelites, a code of laws called the "carnal commandments" or the Mosaic Law, and certain of
the rights of the higher priesthood were withdrawn from among the people. Does anyone question the right of Moses as God's prophet to take away these rights if the
Lord inspired him to do so? (D&C 84:24-26.) In the light of our experience today, I imagine that some in the day of Moses rebelled when their former rights were
taken away. What happened to those who continued to attempt to exercise those rights without the authority of the Lord through Moses? The history is complete. They
were cut off from among the people and were denied the blessings of the Lord.

This same principle has been applied to the doctrine of plural marriage. In the days of Abraham, Jacob and David, by divine commandment through the Lord's
mouthpiece, certain leaders were permitted to have more than one wife. At another period on this continent through his prophet, Jacob, son of Lehi, the Lord
prohibited the practice of the principle and commanded the Nephites, "For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife and concubines he shall have
none." (Jacob 2:27.) Still later in our own dispensation, the Lord through his prophet, Joseph Smith, in 1843 reestablished the practice of plurality of wives by a worthy
few who were especially chosen. This practice was commanded as a principle of sacrifice which the Lord compared as similar to that he had commanded at the hands
of Abraham, who was told to offer up his own son Isaac. (D&C 132:50.) (Youth and the Church, 1955, p. 109.)

Wilford Woodruff: 52

And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith

Emma Smith, the widow of the Prophet, is said to have maintained to her dying moments that her husband had nothing to do with the patriarchal order of marriage, but
that it was Brigham Young that got that up. I bear record before God, angels and men that Joseph Smith received that revelation, and I bear record that Emma Smith
gave her husband in marriage to several women while he was living, some of whom are to-day living in this city, and some may be present in this congregation, and
who, if called upon, would confirm my words. But lo and behold, we hear of publication after publication now-a-days, declaring that Joseph Smith had nothing to do
with these things. Joseph Smith himself organized every endowment in our Church and revealed the same to the Church, and he lived to receive every key of the
Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods from the hands of the men who held them while in the flesh, and who hold them in eternity. (JD, May 14, 1882, 23:131.)

First Presidency (Heber J. Grant, Anthony W. Ivins, J. Reuben Clark, Jr.):

Plural Marriage

The First Presidency have recently received letters making inquiry concerning the position of the Church regarding the contracting of polygamous or plural marriages. It
is evident from these letters, as well as from certain published material-some of it distributed during our last General Conference-that a secret and, according to
reputation, an oath-bound organization of misguided individuals is seeking to lead the people to adopt adulterous relations under the guise of a pretended and false
polygamous or plural marriage ceremony.

While the position of the Church since 1893 has been repeatedly set forth, namely, that polygamous or plural marriages are not and cannot now be performed, yet in
order that there may be no excuse for any Church member to be misled by the false representations or the corrupt, adulterous practices of the members of this secret,
and (by reputation) oath-bound organization (of which the history of the Nephites and Lamanites show so many counterparts), it is deemed wise again to set out the
position of the Church on this matter, at the same time tracing the outlines of the historical facts lying behind the Church's position, of which many young Church
members may not be fully aware. . . .

At this period in the history of the Church [1831-1832] the doctrine of the eternity of the marriage covenant and plural marriage had not been revealed. It is obvious
that the Church at that time recognized the monogamic system of marriage which prevailed among Christian people of the world. [D&C 42:22-23; 49:15-17.]

Twelve years after the foregoing revelations-that is, on July 12th, 1843-the revelation on the eternity of the marriage covenant, including plurality of wives, was
announced, one year before the martyrdom of the Prophet and of the Patriarch of the Church. . . .

Any ceremony pretending to bind man and woman together beyond the period of mortal life, which is not solemnized by one who has been commissioned and
authorized by the man who holds the keys of authority to bind upon earth with a covenant which will be binding in heaven, is of no efficacy or force when people are
out of the world. [Sec. 132:7.]

There is but one person on the earth at a time upon whom the keys of this sealing ordinance are conferred. That man is the Presiding High Priest, the President of the
Church. He is the bearer of this authority, which he may exercise personally or he may commission others to exercise it under his jurisdiction, for such time, long or
short, up to the end of his life, as he may desire.

It was after the revelation of July, 1843, which provided that under certain conditions, which are clearly defined, a man may receive more than one woman to be his
wife, that plural marriage became a recognized doctrine of the Church. Under this system family ties were established and relationships entered into which were held
sacred and binding, not alone by those who accepted and entered into the order of plural marriage, but by all those who had become members of the Church.

While the practice of plural marriage was severely criticized by the ministers of various religious denominations and others, it was not until 1874 that the Congress of the
United States took definite steps looking to the suppression of the practice. A member of the Church who had entered into the order of plural marriage was arrested,
tried before a jury, found guilty, and sentenced to pay a fine of five hundred dollars, and be incarcerated for two years at hard labor.

An appeal was taken to the Supreme Court of the Territory, which confirmed the decree of the lower court. The case was then carried to the Supreme Court of the
United States, which ruled that the law prohibiting the practice of plural marriage was constitutional and enforceable.

From August, 1877, the date of the death of President Brigham Young, until October, 1880, the Council of the Twelve, with John Taylor at their head, directed the
affairs of the Church.

At the October Conference, 1880, the First Presidency was reorganized, John Taylor was sustained as President, with George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith as his
first and second counselors.

During   the entire
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intensified.

Under the provisions of the Edmunds-Tucker law The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was disincorporated, the Perpetual Emigration Fund company was
At the October Conference, 1880, the First Presidency was reorganized, John Taylor was sustained as President, with George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith as his
first and second counselors.

During the entire period of the presidency of John Taylor, 1880 to 1887, relentless prosecution of men who had entered into the relationship of plural marriage was
intensified.

Under the provisions of the Edmunds-Tucker law The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was disincorporated, the Perpetual Emigration Fund company was
dissolved, and all property belonging to the Church, with the exception of buildings used exclusively for religious worship, was escheated to the government.

Hundreds of men who had contracted plural marriages were heavily fined, and imprisoned. All persons who could not subscribe to a test oath which was provided
especially for those who practiced or believed in the practice of plural marriage, were disfranchised.

It became obvious that no human power could prevent the disintegration of the Church, except upon a pledge by its members to obey the laws which had been enacted
prohibiting the practice of polygamy.

It was under these circumstances that Wilford Woodruff was sustained as President of the Church in April, 1889.

September 24th, 1890, President Woodruff promulgated his official Declaration to the Church and to the people of the United States, commonly referred to as The
Manifesto.

On the day that The Manifesto was issued President Woodruff wrote in his journal: "I have arrived at a point in the history of my life as the President of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where I am under the necessity of acting for the temporal salvation of the Church, and after praying to the Lord, and feeling inspired, I
have issued the following proclamation, which is sustained by my counselors and the Twelve Apostles."

After reviewing the enactment of the law prohibiting the practice of plural marriage, and the effect of its enforcement, President Woodruff, in his declaration, says:

"Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I hereby
declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise. . . . And I now
publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land."

The Manifesto was signed by President Woodruff as President of the Church.

After the vote approving the Manifesto had been recorded (October 6, 1890) President Woodruff, addressing the Conference congregation said:

"I want to say to all Israel that the step which I have taken in issuing this Manifesto has not been done without earnest prayer before the Lord. I am not ignorant of the
feelings that have been engendered through the course I have pursued, but I have done my duty."

The Official Declaration by President Woodruff and its approval by the members of the Church in General Conference assembled, was accepted by the government as
evidence that the practice of plural marriage would be discontinued. Prosecutions under the Edmunds-Tucker bill ceased and a spirit of neighborly good-will was
established between members and non-members of the Church.

In December, 1891, one year after the announcement of the Official Declaration of President Woodruff, a petition signed by the Presidency of the Church and Council
of the Twelve was prepared and forwarded to the President of the United States, asking that amnesty be granted to all violators of the Federal law which prohibited the
practice of plural marriage.

This petition was also signed by Governor Arthur L. Thomas, Judge Charles S. Zane, and many other non-members of the Church. The petition was approved and the
prayer of the signers granted by President Benjamin Harrison, on January 4th, 1893. The prayer of the petitioners was granted with the definite understanding that the
practice of plural marriage was to be discontinued.

September 6th, 1893, the Enabling Act, granting the people of Utah permission to meet in convention and frame a constitution under which Statehood might be
granted, was presented by Joseph L. Rawlins, Representative in Congress, was passed by the Congress, and approved by the President.

The Enabling Act provided (Section 3-First): "That perfect toleration of religious sentiment shall be secured, and that no inhabitant of said State shall ever be molested
in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship: Provided, that polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited."

The Convention met March 4th, 1895, an acceptable Constitution was framed, and by proclamation of President Grover Cleveland, Utah was admitted to the Union as
a sovereign State.

Article III, of the State Constitution provides as follows:

"The following ordinance shall be irrevocable without the consent of the United States, and the people of this State."

Religious Toleration-Polygamy Forbidden

"First: Perfect toleration of religious sentiment is guaranteed. No inhabitant of this State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of
religious worship, but polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited."

March 28th, 1896, President Grover Cleveland, in response to a memorial which had been presented to and approved by Congress, restored to the Church the
property which had been escheated to the Government in 1887. This petition was signed by Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith, who then
constituted the Presidency of the Church, and by the Council of the Twelve. It was also endorsed by Arthur L. Thomas, Governor, and Charles S. Zane, Chief Justice
of the Territory.

From the foregoing it will be seen by any person of normal intelligence that it was the practice of polygamous or plural marriage which led up to the enactment of the
Edmunds-Tucker law and later the enforcement of the law by representatives of the government.

It is also obvious that every available means in defense of the contention that polygamous or plural marriage was a religious rite, and therefore could not be attached
under   the Constitution
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assembled, and by its support of the State Constitution, to discontinue the practice of polygamous or plural marriage. Thus our people sacredly covenanted with the
Government of the United States that they would obey the civil law.
Edmunds-Tucker law and later the enforcement of the law by representatives of the government.

It is also obvious that every available means in defense of the contention that polygamous or plural marriage was a religious rite, and therefore could not be attached
under the Constitution of the United States, had been exhausted; that thereafter the Church pledge itself, by its Presidency, by its members in General Conference
assembled, and by its support of the State Constitution, to discontinue the practice of polygamous or plural marriage. Thus our people sacredly covenanted with the
Government of the United States that they would obey the civil law.

That the Lord requires from his people no more than that they shall exhaust all human means to obey the law is shown in the following quotations, which are from
revelations given to the Church, the first on September 22-23, 1832, and the latter January 19, 1841, nine years later.

Revelation, September 22-23, 1832

"A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six Elders, as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high.

"Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his Church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for
the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.

"Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by
the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.

"Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which
temple shall be reared in this generation.

"For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it which cloud shall be even the glory of the
Lord, which shall fill the house." (D&C 84:1-5.)

In this revelation the Lord definitely declares that a city and temple are to be built at Independence, Missouri, and that this was to be accomplished during the existing
generation. Because of wicked persecutions the Church was obliged to leave the State of Missouri, which had been designated as the gathering place of the saints.
Under orders signed by Lilburn W. Boggs, Governor of Missouri, twelve thousand members of the Church were compelled to abandon their homes and flee to the
State of Illinois, where they established the city of Nauvoo.

As stated above, on January 19th, 1841, a revelation was given to the Church at Nauvoo, from which the following was copied:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might
and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it
behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings.

"And the iniquity and transgression of my holy laws and commandments I will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my work, unto the third and fourth generation,
so long as they repent not, and hate me, saith the Lord God.

"Therefore, for this cause have I accepted the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and a house unto my name, in Jackson County, Missouri, and
were hindered by their enemies, saith the Lord your God. . . .

"And this I make an example unto you, for your consolation concerning all those who have been commanded to do a work, and have been hindered by the hands of
their enemies, and by oppression, saith the Lord your God." (D&C 124:49-53.)

At the October Conference of the Church (1890) following the publication of the Manifesto issued by President Woodruff, the document was read before the
assembled congregation, after which Lorenzo Snow, at the time President of the Council of the Twelve, arose and made the following motion:

"I move that, recognizing Wilford Woodruff as the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the only man on earth at the present time who
holds the keys of the sealing ordinances, we consider min fully authorizzed, by virtue of his position, to issue the Manifesto which has been read in our hearing, and
which is dated September 24th, 1890, and that as a Church in General Conference assembled, we accept his declaration concerning plural marriages as authoritative
and binding."

This motion was unanimously sustained.

Notwithstanding this covenant, a few misguided members of the Church, some of whom had been signers of the petition praying for amnesty, and beneficiaries of its
provisions, secretly associated themselves together for the avowed purpose of perpetuating the practices of polygamous or plural marriage in defiance of the pledge
made to the government, of the terms of the Enabling Act, and of the provisions of the State Constitution to which they had sworn allegiance.

Sworn to secrecy, these people promulgated their lawless propaganda, the result being that reports reached the Presidency indicating that certain professed members
of the Church were teaching and in some instances entering into polygamous or plural marriage.

At the General Conference of the Church, April, 1904, President Joseph F. Smith, who had succeeded President Lorenzo Snow as President of the Church, made the
following statement to the assembled congregation:

"Inasmuch as there are numerous reports in circulation that plural marriages have been entered into contrary to the official declaration of President Wilford Woodruff of
September 24th, 1890, commonly called the Manifesto, which was issued by President Woodruff and adopted by the Church at its General Conference, October 6,
1890, which forbade any marriage violative of the law of the land, I, Joseph F. Smith, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, do hereby affirm
and declare that no such marriages have been solemnized with the sanction, consent, or knowledge of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"And I hereby announce that all such marriages are prohibited, and if any officer or member of the Church shall assume to solemnize or enter into any such marriage he
will be deemed in transgression against the Church, and will be liable to be dealt with according to the rules and regulations thereof, and excommunicated therefrom."

The following resolution was presented to the congregation, and unanimously adopted:

"Resolved, that we, the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in General Conference assembled, hereby approve and endorse the statement
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thereof."
The following resolution was presented to the congregation, and unanimously adopted:

"Resolved, that we, the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in General Conference assembled, hereby approve and endorse the statement
and declaration of President Joseph F. Smith, just made to this conference, concerning plural marriages, and will support the courts of the Church in the enforcement
thereof."

October 5th, 1910, Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, and John Henry Smith, the First Presidency of the Church at the time, addressed a letter to the President of
each of the Stakes of the Church, which contained the full text of the statement made by President Joseph F. Smith, at the General Conference, April, 1904.

In this letter the Presidents of Stakes were definitely instructed to notify the members of the Church in the Stakes over which they presided, to report any case in which
a person had entered into a pretended marriage violative of the civil law, or taught others to do so, and to take action against such persons and excommunicate them
from the Church.

Notwithstanding all that had been said and done upon this question it became necessary again to call attention of the Presidents of Stakes to it in 1914, as follows:

"To Presidents of Stakes and Counselors,

"Dear Brethren:

"Having reason to believe that some members of the Church are secretly engaged advising and encouraging others to enter into unauthorized and unlawful marriages,
we have deemed it advisable to call your attention to the communication we addressed to you on this subject on the 5th of October, 1910, a copy of which is herewith
appended.

"And believing, as we do, that these people are at the bottom of all the violations referred to in our communication, we direct your special attention to them, with a
request that any information received by you from time to time relating to cases of this character, be followed up and investigated with a view to having this class of
offenders placed on trial for their fellowship in the Church, as we regard them equally culpable with actual offenders. Please make the same request of your bishops.

"Your brethren,
JOSEPH F. SMITH,
ANTON H. LUND
CHARLES W. PENROSE,
First Presidency."

From the attitude of the Church, the statements of its authorized Priesthood, and the revealed will of the Lord, as shown in the revelations quoted, it is made plain that
the discontinuance of polygamous or plural marriage was obligatory and justifiable.

In the revelation given September 22-23, 1832, Jackson County, Missouri, was designated as the gathering place of the members of the Church, the spot where a city
was to be established, and a temple built. This work was to be accomplished by the people of the present generation.

Because of an order issued by its Governor in which the removal of the people from the State or their extermination was ordered, the Church was obliged to leave the
State of Missouri.

In the revelation given January 19th, 1841, nine years later, the Lord absolved the Church from responsibility, and told them that he required that work no more at their
hands, and makes this an example in all things where the people are commanded to do a work, and are prevented by their enemies.

This principle applies to plural marriage as it does to all other commandments.

The members of the Church are reminded that the practice of polygamous or plural marriage is not the only law whose suspension has been authorized by the Lord and
adopted by the people. The law of animal sacrifice, in force in ancient Israel, has been suspended, but the Prophet Joseph asserted it would be again restored, and such
is the effect of the statement made by John the Baptist when restoring the Aaronic Priesthood. [Sec. 13.] The law of the United Order has likewise been suspended, to
be reestablished in the due time of the Lord. [Sec. 105:34.] Other laws might be mentioned. . . .

At President John Taylor's death, the keys of the sealing ordinances, with their powers and limitations, passed by regular devolution, in the way and manner prescribed
by the Lord and in accordance with the custom of the Church, to President Wilford Woodruff. At the latter's death they similarly passed to President Lorenzo Snow;
and upon his death, they similarly passed to President Joseph F. Smith; and at his death the same keys passed in the same way to President Heber J. Grant. There has
been no change in the law of succession of the Priesthood and of the keys appertaining thereto, nor in the regular order of its descent.

The keys of the sealing ordinances rest today solely in President Heber J. Grant, having so passed to him by the ordination prescribed by the Lord, at the hands of
those having the authority to pass them, and whose authority has never been taken away by the Lord, nor suspended, nor interfered with by the Church. President
Grant is the only man on the earth at this time who possesses these keys. He has never authorized any one to perform polygamous or plural marriages; he is not
performing such marriages himself; he has not on his part violated nor is he violating the pledge he made to the Church, to the world, and to our government at the time
of the Manifesto.

Anyone making statements contrary to the foregoing is innocently or maliciously telling that which is not true. Anyone representing himself as authorized to perform such
marriages is making a false representation. Any such ceremony performed by any person so making such representation is a false and mock ceremony. Those living as
husband and wife under and pursuant to the ceremonies prescribed by President Smith or the ceremonies performed by any person whatsoever since that proscription,
are living in adultery and are subject to the attaching penalties.

We reaffirm as true today and as being true ever since it was made in 1904, the statement of President Smith which was endorsed by a General Conference of the
Church "that no such marriages have been solemnized with the sanction, consent, or knowledge of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Finally, we are in honor bound to the government and people of the United States, upon a consideration we have fully received-Statehood-to discontinue the practice
of polygamous or plural marriage, and Latter-day Saints will not violate their plighted faith.

The Church reaffirms its adherence to the declarations of Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, and Joseph F. Smith.

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We confirm and renew the instructions given to Church officers by President Joseph F. Smith in 1904, in 1910, and in 1914, and direct the officers who administer the
affairs of the Church diligently to investigate reported violations of the adopted rule, and if persons are found who have violated President Smith's ruling (adopted by the
of polygamous or plural marriage, and Latter-day Saints will not violate their plighted faith.

The Church reaffirms its adherence to the declarations of Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, and Joseph F. Smith.

It adheres to the pledges made to the government of the United States, and to Constitutional law of the State of Utah.

We confirm and renew the instructions given to Church officers by President Joseph F. Smith in 1904, in 1910, and in 1914, and direct the officers who administer the
affairs of the Church diligently to investigate reported violations of the adopted rule, and if persons are found who have violated President Smith's ruling (adopted by the
Church) or who are entering into or teaching, encouraging, or conspiring with others to enter into so-called polygamous or plural marriages, we instruct such officers to
take action against such persons, and, finding them guilty, to excommunicate them from the Church in accord with the directions given by President Smith. We shall
hold Church officers responsible for the proper performance of this duty. (DNCS, June 17, 1933, pp. 3-21.)

Section 133

Revelation given Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Hiram, Ohio, November 3, 1831. Prefacing this revelation the Prophet wrote: At this time there were many things which
the Elders desired to know, relative to preaching the Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, and concerning the gathering; and in order to walk by the true light, and be
instructed from on high, on the 3rd of November, 1831, I inquired of the Lord and received the following important revelation, which has since been added to the book
of Doctrine and Covenants and called the Appendix.-A proclamation to the people of the Church to gather to Zion-This proclamation to be carried by the Elders to the
peoples of the world-Zion and Jerusalem both to be established-The voice of the Lord to issue from each of these centers-The Lost Tribes to be remembered by the
Lord and to be brought forth from the north countries-These to receive their blessings at the hand of Ephraim-Graves of the Saints to be opened at the coming of the
Lord-The doom of those who reject the Lord's message.

1. Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the Lord your God, and hear the word of the Lord concerning you-

2. The Lord who shall suddenly come to his temple; the Lord who shall come down upon the world with a curse to judgment; yea, upon all the nations that forget God,
and upon all the ungodly among you.

3. For he shall make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of their God.

4. Wherefore, prepare ye, prepare ye, O my people; sanctify yourselves; gather ye together, O ye people of my church, upon the land of Zion, all you that have not
been commanded to tarry.

5. Go ye out from Babylon. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.

6. Call your solemn assemblies, and speak often one to another. And let every man call upon the name of the Lord.

7. Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you: Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

8. Send forth the elders of my church unto the nations which are afar off; unto the islands of the sea; send forth unto foreign lands; call upon all nations, first upon the
Gentiles, and then upon the Jews.

9. And behold, and lo, this shall be their cry, and the voice of the Lord unto all people; Go ye forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be
enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about.

10. Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.

11. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.

12. Let them, therefore, who are among the Gentiles flee unto Zion.

13. And let them who be of Judah flee unto Jerusalem, unto the mountains of the Lord's house.

14. Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon.

15. But verily, thus saith the Lord, let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goeth, let him not look back lest sudden
destruction shall come upon him.

16. Hearken and hear, O ye inhabitants of the earth. Listen, ye elders of my church together, and hear the voice of the Lord; for he calleth upon all men, and he
commandeth all men everywhere to repent.

17. For behold, the Lord God hath sent forth the angel crying through the midst of heaven, saying: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the
hour of his coming is nigh-

18. When the Lamb shall stand upon Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father's name written on their foreheads.

19. Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom; go ye, go ye out to meet him.

20. For behold, he shall stand upon the mount of Olivet, and upon the mighty ocean, even the great deep, and upon the islands of the sea, and upon the land of Zion.

21. And he shall utter his voice out of Zion, and he shall speak from Jerusalem, and his voice shall be heard among all people;

22. And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.

23. He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land;

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25. And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh.
22. And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.

23. He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land;

24. And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.

25. And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh.

26. And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves;
and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence.

27. And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.

28. Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,

29. And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.

30. And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants.

31. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence.

32. And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim.

33. And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.

34. Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows.

35. And they also of the tribe of Judah, after their pain shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord, to dwell in his presence day and night, forever and ever.

36. And now, verily saith the Lord, that these things might be known among you, O inhabitants of the earth, I have sent forth mine angel flying through the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel, who hath appeared unto some and hath committed it unto man, who shall appear unto many that dwell on the earth.

37. And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.

38. And the servants of God shall go forth, saying with a loud voice: Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come;

39. And worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters-

40. Calling upon the name of the Lord day and night, saying: O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down
at thy presence.

41. And it shall be answered upon their heads; for the presence of the Lord shall be as the melting fire that burneth, and as the fire which causeth the waters to boil.

42. O Lord, thou shalt come down to make thy name known to thine adversaries, and all nations shall tremble at thy presence-

43. When thou doest terrible things, things they look not for;

44. Yea, when thou comest down, and the mountains flow down at thy presence, thou shalt meet him who rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, who remembereth thee
in thy ways.

45. For since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor perceived by the ear, neither hath any eye seen, O God, besides thee, how great things thou hast
prepared for him that waiteth for thee.

46. And it shall be said: Who is this that cometh down from God in heaven with dyed garments; yea, from the regions which are not known, clothed in his glorious
apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?

47. And he shall say: I am he who spake in righteousness, mighty to save.

48. And the Lord shall be red in his apparel, and his garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat.

49. And so great shall be the glory of his presence that the sun shall hide his face in shame, and the moon shall withhold its light, and the stars shall be hurled from their
places.

50. And his voice shall be heard: I have trodden the winepress alone, and have brought judgment upon all people; and none were with me;

51. And I have trampled them in my fury, and I did tread upon them in mine anger, and their blood have I sprinkled upon my garments, and stained all my rainment; for
this was the day of vengeance which was in my heart.

52. And now the year of my redeemed is come; and they shall mention the loving kindness of their Lord, and all that he has bestowed upon them according to his
goodness, and according to his loving kindness, forever and ever.

53. In all their afflictions he was afflicted. And the angel of his presence saved them; and in his love, and in his pity, he redeemed them, and bore them, and carried them
all the days of old;

54. Yea, and Enoch also, and they who were with him; the prophets who were before him; and Noah also, and they who were before him; and Moses also, and they
who were before him;

55. And from
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presence of the Lamb.

56. And the graves of the saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right hand of the Lamb, when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon
54. Yea, and Enoch also, and they who were with him; the prophets who were before him; and Noah also, and they who were before him; and Moses also, and they
who were before him;

55. And from Moses to Elijah, and from Elijah to John, who were with Christ in his resurrection, and the holy apostles, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, shall be in the
presence of the Lamb.

56. And the graves of the saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right hand of the Lamb, when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon
the holy city, the New Jerusalem; and they shall sing the song of the Lamb, day and night forever and ever.

57. And for this cause, that men might be made partakers of the glories which were to be revealed, the Lord sent forth the fulness of his gospel, his everlasting
covenant, reasoning in plainness and simplicity-

58. To prepare the weak for those things which are coming on the earth, and for the Lord's errand in the day when the weak shall confound the wise, and the little one
become a strong nation, and two shall put their tens of thousands to flight.

59. And by the weak things of the earth the Lord shall thrash the nations by the power of his Spirit.

60. And for this cause these commandments were given; they were commanded to be kept from the world in the day that they were given, but now are to go forth unto
all flesh-

61. And this according to the mind and will of the Lord, who ruleth over all flesh.

62. And unto him that repenteth and sanctifieth himself before the Lord shall be given eternal life.

63. And upon them that hearken not to the voice of the Lord shall be fulfilled that which was written by the prophet Moses, that they should be cut off from among the
people.

64. And also that which was written by the prophet Malachi: For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly,
shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

65. Wherefore, this shall be the answer of the Lord unto them:

66. In that day when I came unto mine own, no man among you received me, and you were driven out.

67. When I called again there was none of you to answer; yet my arm was not shortened at all that I could not redeem, neither my power to deliver.

68. Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish stink, and die for thirst.

69. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and make sackcloth their covering.

70. And this shall ye have of my hand-ye shall lie down in sorrow.

71. Behold, and lo, there are none to deliver you; for ye obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the heavens; ye believed not my servants, and when they
were sent unto you ye received them not.

72. Wherefore, they sealed up the testimony and bound up the law, and ye were delivered over unto darkness.

73. These shall go away into outer darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

74. Behold the Lord your God bath spoken it. Amen.

Joseph Smith: Introduction

At this time there were many things which the Elders desired to know relative to preaching the Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, and concerning the gathering; and
in order to walk by the true light, and be instructed from on high, on the 3rd of November, 1831, I inquired of the Lord and received the following important revelation,
which has since been added to the book of Doctrine and Covenants, and called the Appendix: [Section 133, follows.] (HC 1:229, November 3, 1831; Hiram, Ohio.)

Orson Pratt: 2

The Lord who shall suddenly come to his temple

We read in the scriptures of divine truth that the Lord our God is to come to his temple in the last days . . . it is recorded in the 3rd chapter of Malachi that "the Lord
whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple." This had no reference to the first coming of the Messiah, to the day when he appeared in the flesh; but it has
reference to that glorious period termed the last days, when the Lord will again have a house, or a temple reared up on the earth to his holy name. (JD, April 9, 1871,
14:274.)

Brigham Young: 2

The Lord who shall come down upon the world

We are preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ [by building temples] , just as truly as the world is ripening in iniquity and preparing to receive His
judgments when He does come. That is a pretty bold saying, but it is true. (JD, June 22, 1884, 25:192.)

John A. Widtsoe: 8-9

The foregoing scriptural injunction [Sec. 133:8-9] has been followed since the inception of the Church. And in an age that little understood the nature of men as eternal
brothers,
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and accepted it, were gathered, largely, to the body of the Church. And today . . . Zion itself is literally "going forth to the regions round about" in both hemispheres of
the globe, as witnessed by the growth and development of far-flung stakes of Zion and sturdy mission organizations.
John A. Widtsoe: 8-9

The foregoing scriptural injunction [Sec. 133:8-9] has been followed since the inception of the Church. And in an age that little understood the nature of men as eternal
brothers, despite language, race, or creed, the first missions of the Church were established under the authority of the Priesthood. Those who recognized this message
and accepted it, were gathered, largely, to the body of the Church. And today . . . Zion itself is literally "going forth to the regions round about" in both hemispheres of
the globe, as witnessed by the growth and development of far-flung stakes of Zion and sturdy mission organizations.

But while recognizing the fundamental need of mankind for the message of the Restoration, and in utilizing every available and honorable means known to human
ingenuity or technological advance, the Priesthood activates the missionary activity of the Church under the careful restraints imposed by the individual and social
natures of the very men and women in whom the need for the Gospel is recognized-and to whom those who receive the message are obligated, not only by divine
command to "warn every man his neighbor," but by the ageless agreement made before this world was organized, that those who were privileged to seek and find the
Gospel during its earthly career would do all in their power to bring it to the attention of others. Modern scripture makes this clear to the extent of noting that the
majority of the pre-existent beings were bound thus by contract, so precious was the formula for advancement held. (Priesthood and Church Government, 1950, pp.
318-19.)

Harold B. Lee: 10

Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord

Now, I have asked myself, this being the time to prepare for the millennial reign, how shall we set about to prepare a people to receive the coming of the Lord? . . .
This preparation demands first that a people, to receive the coming of the Lord, must be taught the personality and the nature of God and his Son, Jesus Christ.

Someone has said this: the demand our modern age is not "for a God who once was, but for a God who now is." As I read that, I thought how can one meet a person
whose identity is unknown? How can one be prepared to meet a person about whom he has no knowledge? How can one be prepared to meet a being whose
personality he cannot comprehend? . . .

To my thinking, another requisite of that preparation to receive the Lord at the beginning of his millennial reign demands that the people be taught to accept the divinity
of the mission of Jesus as the Savior of the world. Why was the Savior sent into the world? The Master himself answered that question during his ministry when he said:
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:17.) . . .

Saved from what? Redeemed from what? Well, first, saved from mortal death through the resurrection of the dead. But in another sense we are saved likewise by his
atoning sacrifice. We are saved from sin. . . .

The last declaration of the Prophet Alma [Alma 11:40, points still another requirement, as I see it, for a people to be prepared to receive the Savior's coming. We must
be cleansed and purified and sanctified to be made worthy to receive and abide that holy presence. The Prophet Mormon put it this way:

"Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell
with the damned souls in hell." (Mormon 9:4.)

How can this cleansing take place? The answer is: through holy ordinances which the Lord has established for that purpose. We are saved by grace, yes, through the
atonement of the Master, but Nephi taught this other principle: ". . . for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23.)

Now the nature of that ordinance by which salvation can be obtained is explained clearly also by the Prophet Nephi:

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real
intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism-yea, by following your Lord and your
Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then
can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel. . . .

And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. (Ibid., 31:13-
15.)

And now, finally, there is still one more thing that is necessary, to my thinking, before that preparation is made for the millennial reign. We must accept the divine mission
of the Prophet Joseph Smith as the instrumentality through which the restoration of the gospel and the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ was accomplished.
Each member of the Church, to be prepared for the millennial reign, must receive a testimony, each for himself, of the divinity of the work established by Joseph Smith.
It was this that was taught plainly by the Saints after the advent of the Savior upon the earth, and one of the leaders in our day has said it again, when he declared, I
suppose with reference to the parable of the five foolish and five wise virgins in the Master's parable, "The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to
endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself." (Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 449-50.) (CR, October 1956, pp. 61-62.)

First Presidency (Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards): 11

Ye know neither the day nor the hour

Of the day and the hour of the coming of Christ no man knoweth. It is not yet, neither is it far off; there are prophecies yet to be fulfilled before that event takes place;
therefore, let no man deceive the Saints with vain philosophy and false prophecy; for false prophets will arise, and deceive the wicked, and, if possible, the good; but
while the wicked fear and tremble at surrounding judgments, the Saints will watch and pray; and waiting the final event in patience, will look calmly on the passing
scenery of a corrupted world, and view transpiring events as confirmation of their faith in the holy gospel which they profess and rejoice more and more, as multiplied
signs shall confirm the approach of the millennial day. (MS, July 15, 1851, 13:209, 216.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 12-13

In this great day of gathering, the Lord has commanded that those of the house of Israel who are scattered among the Gentiles should flee unto Zion, and those who are
of the house of Judah should flee unto Jerusalem, "unto the mountain of the Lord's house," which is their gathering place. (D&C 133:12, 13.) . . .

Jerusalem of old after the Jews have been cleansed and sanctified from all their sins, shall become a holy city where the Lord shall dwell and from whence he shall send
forth his word unto all people. Likewise, on this continent, the city of Zion, New Jerusalem-shall be built, and from it the law of God shall also go forth. [Sec. 45:66-67;
84:2.] There will be no conflict, for each city shall be headquarters for the Redeemer of the world, and from each he shall send forth his proclamations as occasion may
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whose heads shall be conferred "the richer blessings." [Sec. 133:34.] (IE, July 1919, 22:815-16.)
Jerusalem of old after the Jews have been cleansed and sanctified from all their sins, shall become a holy city where the Lord shall dwell and from whence he shall send
forth his word unto all people. Likewise, on this continent, the city of Zion, New Jerusalem-shall be built, and from it the law of God shall also go forth. [Sec. 45:66-67;
84:2.] There will be no conflict, for each city shall be headquarters for the Redeemer of the world, and from each he shall send forth his proclamations as occasion may
require. Jerusalem shall be the gathering place of Judah and his fellows of the house of Israel, and Zion shall be the gathering place of Ephraim and his fellows, upon
whose heads shall be conferred "the richer blessings." [Sec. 133:34.] (IE, July 1919, 22:815-16.)

Daniel H. Wells:14

Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon

Now, we are here in obedience to a great command, a command given by the Almighty to his Saints to gather out from Babylon, lest they be partakers of her sins and
receive of her plagues. But if we are going to partake of her sins and to nourish and cherish the wicked and ungodly, what better shall we be for gathering? Shall we
escape her plagues by so doing? No, there is no promise to that effect, but if we practise the sins and iniquities of Babylon here in Zion, we may expect to receive of
her plagues and be destroyed. We have duties to perform here, which devolve upon us as Saints of the Most High. (JD, October 1875, 18:98.)

Orson Pratt: 18

A hundred and forty-four thousand

On that occasion he [John the Revelator] saw one hundred and forty-four thousand standing upon Mount Zion, singing a new and glorious song; the singers seemed to
be among the most happy and glorious of those who were shown to John. They, the one hundred and forty-four thousand, had a peculiar inscription in their foreheads.
[Rev. 14:1.] What was it? It was the Father's name. What is the Father's name? It is God-the being we worship. If, then, the one hundred and forty-four thousand are
to have the name of God inscribed on their foreheads, will it be simply a plaything, a something that has no meaning? Or will it mean that which the inscriptions specify?-
that they are indeed Gods-one with the Father and one with the Son; as the Father and Son are one, and both of them called Gods, so will all His children be one with
the Father and the Son, and they will be one so far as carrying out the great purposes of Jehovah is concerned. (JD, August 20, 1871, 14:242-43.)

Orson Pratt: 19-20

Zion . . . will still remain upon the Western Hemisphere, and she will be crowned with glory as well as old Jerusalem, and, as the Psalmist David says, she will become
the joy of the whole earth. . . .

Zion will be caught up when Jesus comes, to meet him. Jesus will descend not only upon the Mount of Olives, but he will descend and stand upon Mount Zion. But
before he stands upon it, it will be caught up to meet him in the air. Will the buildings of Zion be caught up? Yes. And its land? Yes. And Jesus will stand upon Mount
Zion, according to the prediction of John the Revelator, and he will reign over his people during a thousand years; and his associates will be the resurrected righteous of
all former dispensations, those, among others, who dwelt on this continent before the flood. (JD, July 25, 1875, 18:68-69.)

Joseph Smith: 24

The earth shall be like it was . . . before it was divided

There shall be famine, and pestilence, and earthquake in divers places; and the prophets have declared that the valleys should rise; that the mountains should be laid low
[Isa. 40:4-5] ; that a great earthquake should be, in which the sun should become black as sack-cloth of hair and the moon turn to blood; yea, the Eternal God hath
declared that the great deep shall roll back into the north countries and that the land of Zion and the land of Jerusalem shall be joined together, as they were before they
were divided in the days of Peleg. [Gen. 10:25.] No wonder the mind starts at the sound of the last days. (EMS, February 1835.)

James E. Talmage: 26

They who are in the north countries shall come

I read that in the last days one of the conditions preceding the return of the Christ to earth shall be the gathering of the Jews at their ancient capital, and in the land round
about; and that another sign shall be the gathering of the people who have been scattered among the nations; and yet another shall be the bringing forth of the Lost
Tribes from their hiding place, which is known to God, but unknown to man. Nevertheless, I have found elders in Israel who would tell me that the predictions relating
to the Lost Tribes are to be explained in this figurative manner-that the gathering of those tribes is already well advanced and that there is no hiding place whereto God
has led them, from which they shall come forth, led by their prophets to receive their blessings here at the hands of gathered Ephraim, the gathered portions that have
been scattered among the nations. Yea, let God be true, and doubt we not his word, though it makes the opinions of men appear to be lies. The tribes shall come; they
are not lost unto the Lord; they shall be brought forth as hath been predicted; and I say unto you there are those now living-aye, some here present-who shall live to
read the records of the Lost Tribes of Israel, which shall be made one with the record of the Jews, or the Holy Bible, and the record of the Nephites, or the Book of
Mormon, even as the Lord hath predicted [3 Nephi 16:1-3; 17:4; 21:26-27; 2 Nephi 29:11-14] ; and those records, which the tribes lost to man but yet to be found
again shall bring, shall tell of the visit of the resurrected Christ to them, after He had manifested Himself to the Nephites upon this continent. For, as not one jot or tittle
of the law has been permitted to fail, so surely no jot or tittle of the Gospel shall go unfulfilled.

I have heard it said that the predictions relative to the coming of the Christ are to be explained in a figurative way, that he is to dwell in the hearts of men and that is the
second advent. Verily, the Christ shall come in person and shall be seen of the righteous and shall stand upon the earth and reign as rightful King and Lord, and shall
send forth the law for the government of the world. (CR, October 1916, p. 76.)

Wilford Woodruff: 26-35

But hear it all Israel, after your sorrow and pain and distress and after the days of your tribulation, your great Eloheim will stretch out his hand and gather you from
every nation wherever you are driven, and he will bring you home to your own land, and you shall rebuild, your temple and city, and you shall be delivered by Shiloh
when he comes. That will be fulfilled; and all that God has said with regard to the ten tribes of Israel, strange as it may appear, will come to pass. They will, as has been
said concerning them, smite the rock, and the mountains of ice will flow before them, and a great highway will be cast up, and their enemies will become a prey to them;
and their records, and their choice treasures they will bring with them to Zion. These things are as true as God lives. (JD, August 1, 1880, 21:301.)

Hyrum G. Smith: 34

The richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim
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It is my testimony that "today" is the day of Ephraim. It is the day which the Lord has set to fulfil his promises made in the times of the Ancient Patriarchs, when he said
that he would scatter Israel to the four corners of the world, and that Ephraim should be scattered in all the nations, and then in the "last days" be gathered out again.
[Jer. 30:3; 1 Nephi 19:15-16; 3 Nephi 5:24.] Many are being gathered out by our missionaries, as "one of a family and two of a city" [Jer. 3:14] and they are found
Hyrum G. Smith: 34

The richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim

It is my testimony that "today" is the day of Ephraim. It is the day which the Lord has set to fulfil his promises made in the times of the Ancient Patriarchs, when he said
that he would scatter Israel to the four corners of the world, and that Ephraim should be scattered in all the nations, and then in the "last days" be gathered out again.
[Jer. 30:3; 1 Nephi 19:15-16; 3 Nephi 5:24.] Many are being gathered out by our missionaries, as "one of a family and two of a city" [Jer. 3:14] and they are found
here, gathered into a gathering place appointed of the Lord, and they are receiving his blessings. This is why so many of us are declared to be of Ephraim.

There have been discovered also, a few of the house of Israel who belong to the tribe of Lehi,-an ancient priest. There are also a few of some other tribes of Israel, but
very few except those of the house of Jacob, as represented by Ephraim in the great multitudes who are enjoying the blessings of the Church, and these who are of
Manasseh-the great multitudes of Indians in North and South America. (CR, April 1929, pp. 122-23.)

Brigham Young: 35

And they also of the tribe of Judah

We have a great desire for their [Jews] welfare, and are looking for the time soon to come when they will gather to Jerusalem, build up the city and the land of
Palestine, and prepare for the coming of the Messiah. When he comes again, he will not come as he did when the Jews rejected him [Sec. 49:22] ; neither will he
appear first at Jerusalem when he makes his second appearance on the earth; but he will appear first on the land where he commenced his work in the beginning, and
planted the garden of Eden, and that was done in the land of America.

When the Savior visits Jerusalem, and the Jews look upon him, and see the wounds in his hands and in his side and in his feet, they will then know that they have
persecuted and put to death the true Messiah, and then they will acknowledge him, but not till then. [Sec. 45:47-53.] They have confounded his first and second
coming, expecting his first coming to be as a mighty prince instead of as a servant. They will go back by and by to Jerusalem and own their Lord and Master. [Sec.
109:62-64; 110:11.] We have no feelings against them. (JD, December 23, 1866, 11:279.)

Charles W. Penrose: 36-53

Professed Christians of all denominations believe in the second coming of Christ; but while all agree that he will appear "the second time without sin unto
salvation" [Heb. 9:28] , they disagree about the manner, the place, and the time of his appearance.

The popular opinion is that he will come in a spiritual manner and reign in the hearts of his people; that his presence will be universally and simultaneously felt when all
the world has been converted through the preaching of the word. . . .

Through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, as revealed through Joseph Smith-namely, faith, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, the laying on of hands for
the gift of the Holy Ghost , etc., many among all nations will be led to forsake the traditions of their fathers and become numbered with the people of God. These will
gather to one place to prepare themselves for the appearance of the Savior, by learning through his inspired servants the things which are pleasing to him and purifying
themselves from all things which he hates. They will build unto him a holy Temple. Of necessity some forms of government must be set up among them, as they will exist
in a national as well as an ecclesiastical capacity. This government will be a theocracy, or, in other words, the kingdom of God. The laws, ordinances, regulations, etc.,
will be under the direction of God's Priesthood, and the people will progress in arts, sciences, and everything that will produce happiness, promote union, and establish
them in strength, righteousness, and everlasting peace.

On the other hand, through the rejection of this Gospel, which "shall be preached to all the world as a witness" of the coming of Christ [Pearl of Great Price, Joseph
Smith 1:31] ; the world will increase in confusion, doubt and horrible strife. As the upright in heart, the meek of the earth, withdraw from their midst, so will the Spirit of
God also be withdrawn from them. The darkness upon their minds in relation to eternal things will become blacker; nations will engage in frightful and bloody warfare;
the crimes which are now becoming so frequent will be of continual occurrence; the ties that bind together families and kindred will be disregarded and violated; the
passions of human nature will be put to the vilest uses; the very elements around will seem to be affected by the national and social convulsions that will agitate the
world, and storms, earthquakes, and appalling disasters by sea and land will cause terror and dismay among the people; new diseases will silently eat their ghastly way
through the ranks of the wicked; the earth, soaked with gore and defiled with the filthiness of her inhabitants, will begin to withhold her fruits in their season; the waves
of the sea will heave themselves beyond their bounds, and all things will be in a commotion; and in the midst of all these calamities, the masterminds among nations will
be taken away, and fear will take hold of the hearts of all men.

The Jews, still in unbelief that Jesus was the Christ, will separate themselves from among the Gentiles and gather to their fatherland. Events will be so controlled by the
God of Israel that they will increase and multiply in numbers and in riches, and practice the rites of the Mosaic law, looking for the coming of Messiah to reign over
them as king. The bankrupt nations, envying the wealth of the sons of Judah, will seek a pretext to make war upon them, and will invade the "holy lands" to "take a prey
and a spoil."

We may consider the inhabitants of the earth at the time immediately preceding the coming of Christ under three general divisions:

First, the saints of God gathered to one place on the western continent, called Zion, busily preparing for his appearance in their midst as their Redeemer, who had shed
his blood for their salvation, now coming to reign over them and to reward them for their labors in establishing his government:

Second, the Jews gathered to Jerusalem and also expecting the Messiah but not believing that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God, and being in danger of
destruction from their Gentile enemies:

Third, the corrupt nations and kingdoms of men, who, rejecting the light of the Gospel, are unprepared for the Lord's advent and are almost ripe for destruction.

Among the first-mentioned of these three classes of men, the Lord will make his appearance first; and that appearance will be unknown to the rest of mankind. He will
come to the Temple prepared for him, and his faithful people will behold his face, hear his voice, and gaze upon his glory. From his own lips they will receive further
instructions for the development and beautifying of Zion and for the extension and sure stability of his kingdom.

His next appearance will be among the distressed and nearly vanquished sons of Judah. At the crisis of their fate, when the hostile troops of several nations are ravaging
the city and all the horrors of war are overwhelming the people of Jerusalem, he will set his feet upon the Mount of Olives, which will cleave and part asunder at his
touch.

Attended by a host from heaven, he will overthrow and destroy the combined armies of the Gentiles, and appear to the worshiping Jews as the mighty Deliverer and
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                                                                                                                                                             crucifixion
and disclose himself as Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had reviled and whom their fathers put to death. Then will unbelief depart from their souls, and the "blindness in
part which has happened unto Israel" [Rom. 11:25] be removed. "A fountain for sin and uncleanness shall be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of
touch.

Attended by a host from heaven, he will overthrow and destroy the combined armies of the Gentiles, and appear to the worshiping Jews as the mighty Deliverer and
Conquerer so long expected by their race; and while love, gratitude, awe, and admiration swell their bosoms, the Deliverer will show them the tokens of his crucifixion
and disclose himself as Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had reviled and whom their fathers put to death. Then will unbelief depart from their souls, and the "blindness in
part which has happened unto Israel" [Rom. 11:25] be removed. "A fountain for sin and uncleanness shall be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem," [Zech. 13:1] and "a nation will be born" [Isa. 66:8] unto God in a day. They will be baptized for the remission of their sins, and will receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost and the government of God as established in Zion will be set up among them, no more to be thrown down for ever.

The great and crowning advent of the Lord will be subsequent to these two appearances; but who can describe it in the language of mortals? The tongue of man falters,
and the pen drops from the hand of the writer, as the mind is rapt in contemplation of the sublime and awful majesty of his coming to take vengeance on the ungodly
and to reign as king of the whole earth.

He comes! The earth shakes, and the tall mountains tremble; the mighty deep rolls back to the north as in fear, and the rent skies glow like molten brass. He comes!
The dead saints burst forth from their tombs, and "those who are alive and remain" are "caught up" with them to meet him. [1 Thess. 4:17.] The ungodly rush to hide
themselves from his presence, and call upon the quivering rocks to cover them. He comes! with all the hosts of the righteous glorified. The breath of his lips strikes
death to the wicked. His glory is a consuming fire. The proud and rebellious are as stubble; they are burned and "left neither root nor branch." He sweeps the earth "as
with the besom of destruction." [Isa. 14:23.] He deluges the earth with the fiery floods of his wrath, and the filthiness and abominations of the world are consumed.
Satan and his dark hosts are taken and bound-the prince of the power of the air has lost his dominion, for he whose right it is to reign has come, and "the kingdoms of
this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." [Rev. 11:15.]

"The people of the saints of the Most High" will dwell on the earth, which shall bring forth her strength as in the days of her youth; they will build cities and plant
gardens; those who have been faithful over a few things will be made rulers over many things; Eden will bloom, and the fruits and flowers of Paradise display their
loveliness as at the first; Jesus shall reign "in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before his ancients gloriously" [Isa. 24:23], and all created things "praise the Lord." (MS,
September 10, 1859, 21:582-83.)

Rudger Clawson: 36-39

Now, this is the remarkable thing to which John the Revelator calls our attention; he said:

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, kindred, and tongue,
and people.

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters. [Rev. 14:6-7.]

Wonder of wonders and mystery of mysteries! Is it possible that in the latter days an angel should be seen flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
Gospel to preach to the enlightened Christian nations of the world? It is so recorded in the Bible. We believe and claim as a people, that that angel has come to the
earth and appeared to Joseph Smith, in the person of Moroni, who delivered to the youthful Prophet a record familiarly known as the Book of Mormon, a record
containing the fulness of the Gospel, with a message that said the Gospel must be preached in every nation under the heavens before the end should come. [Sec. 20:6-
12; 27:5.] Shortly after the visitation of this angel, following the organization of the Church, the Spirit fell upon the early elders, and they went forth unto the regions
round about, proclaiming the word. Thus the Gospel was introduced into the world in the nineteenth century; and it spread from town to town, from village to village,
and from country to country, until in our day we have twenty-one missions established in the world. (CR, April 1909, pp. 91-92.)

Anthon H. Lund: 55

Who were with Christ in his resurrection

Not only did Christ rise from the dead at that time, but others were seen who had risen from their graves-righteous men and women who died before Christ, and who
had the privilege of rising with him. I do not believe that the resurrection then was a general one; I believe it extended to those only who, while upon earth, had proved
themselves willing to do all for the kingdom of God, and to whom neither property, honor, nor life itself had been too dear to keep them from carrying out the purposes
of God. (CR, April 1904, p. 6.)

James E. Talmage: 56

And the graves of the saints shall be opened

It is expressly asserted that many graves shall yield up their dead at the time of Christ's advent in glory, and the just who have slept, together with many who have not
died, will be caught up to meet the Lord. [1 Thess. 4:14-16.] (AF, 1950, p. 388.)

Wilford Woodruff: 57

The Lord sent forth the fulness of his gospel

We live in one of the most important dispensations that God ever gave to man, namely, the great and last dispensation of the fulness of times, the dispensation of all
dispensations, and the one in which the whole flood of prophecy in the Holy Bible will be fulfilled, for most all of the prophecies contained in that sacred volume, from
Adam to John the Revelator, point to the great work of God in the last days [Acts 3:19-21] , the days in which the God of heaven would set up a kingdom that should
be an everlasting kingdom, and to whose dominion there should be no end, and the kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens should be given
into the hands of the Saints of the Most High God, and they are to possess it for ever and ever. [Dan. 7:27.] . . .

The Lord never has built up his kingdom in any age of the world except by calling upon his servants and laboring through the tabernacles of men on the earth; but this he
has done in a great many ages and dispensations. . . .

The Lord has chosen a royal Priesthood and a holy people from among the weak things of the world, in fulfillment of his revelations; and we have been commanded to
go forth and bear record of these things, and we have done it. We should have been condemned and the curse of God would have rested upon us if we had not
because the full set time has come to build up and favor Zion, to build up the kingdom of God, to warn the world and prepare them for the judgments of the Almighty.
The Millennium
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soon dawn and the Savior will come in the clouds of heaven to reign over his people on the earth one thousand years. The Lord has a great work ahead and he is
preparing a people to do it before his coming. (JD, September 12, 1875, 18:110, 113-14.)
The Lord has chosen a royal Priesthood and a holy people from among the weak things of the world, in fulfillment of his revelations; and we have been commanded to
go forth and bear record of these things, and we have done it. We should have been condemned and the curse of God would have rested upon us if we had not
because the full set time has come to build up and favor Zion, to build up the kingdom of God, to warn the world and prepare them for the judgments of the Almighty.
The Millennium is dawning upon the world, we are at the end of the sixth thousand years, and the great day of rest, the Millennium of which the Lord has spoken, will
soon dawn and the Savior will come in the clouds of heaven to reign over his people on the earth one thousand years. The Lord has a great work ahead and he is
preparing a people to do it before his coming. (JD, September 12, 1875, 18:110, 113-14.)

Abraham O. Woodruff: 58

To prepare the weak . . . for the Lord's errand

The Lord always blesses us when we manifest a living faith in Him, and are not afraid that we cannot accomplish some task that He requires at our hands because it
looks so large and hard to perform. When we are sent out to preach the Gospel, if we could only remember all the time that we are upon the Lord's errand and that His
purposes are not frustrated, how much more strength would the Elders have than they do have now in some cases. If they would only remember that the Lord
commands His people to do nothing save He prepares a way whereby they can accomplish it [1 Nephi 3:7] what hope and courage it would afford them in their labors.
(CR, October 1901, p. 13.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 65-74

When Christ comes in his glory as conqueror and deliverer and to take vengeance upon the ungodly, he shall come as one who has trodden the winepress alone. It shall
be the time of vengeance which is in his heart and all nations shall tremble at his presence. [Sec. 45:74-75.] In that day he who has sanctified himself shall be saved, but
he who has not shall be cut off from among the people. Then the words of Malachi (chap. 3-4) shall be fulfilled. The wicked shall be as stubble and shall be consumed,
but the righteous shall be spared, and their children grow up as "calves of the stall" without sin unto salvation. The thousand years of peace shall be ushered in and
Christ shall reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In that day when the unrighteous question his coming and the authority of his punishment the Lord shall answer
them: [Sec. 133:65-74, quoted.] (CHMR, 1948, 2:266.)

Section 134

A Declaration of Belief regarding Governments and Laws in general, adopted by unanimous vote at a general assembly of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, held at Kirtland, Ohio, August 17, 1835, with the following preamble: That our belief with regard to earthly governments and laws in general may not be
misinterpreted nor misunderstood, we have thought proper to present at the close of this volume our opinion concerning the same.-This was inserted near the end of the
Book of Commandments, as compiled at that time. See History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 247.

1. We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws
and administering them, for the good and safety of society.

2. We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience,
the right and control of property, and the protection of life.

3. We believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws of the same; and that such as will administer the law in equity
and justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people if a republic, or the will of the sovereign.

4. We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to
infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of
men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress
the freedom of the soul.

5. We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by
the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all
governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the
freedom of conscience.

6. We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the
guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being
instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on
spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.

7. We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief;
but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are
shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.

8. We believe that the commission of crime should be punished according to the nature of the offense; that murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the
general peace, in all respects, should be punished according to their criminality and their tendency to evil among men, by the laws of that government in which the
offense is committed; and for the public peace and tranquility all men should step forward and use their ability in bringing offenders against good laws to punishment.

9. We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges,
and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied.

10. We believe that all religious societies have a right to deal with their members for disorderly conduct, according to the rules and regulations of such societies;
provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good standing; but we do not believe that any religious society has authority to try men on the right of property or life,
to take from them this world's goods, or to put them in jeopardy of either life or limb, or to inflict any physical punishment upon them. They can only excommunicate
them from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship.

11. We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted or the right of property or character
infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the
government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded.
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12. We believe it just to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth, and warn the righteous to save themselves from the corruption of the world; but we do not
believe it right to interfere with bond-servants, neither preach the gospel to, nor baptize them contrary to the will and wish of their masters, nor to meddle with or
11. We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted or the right of property or character
infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the
government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded.

12. We believe it just to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth, and warn the righteous to save themselves from the corruption of the world; but we do not
believe it right to interfere with bond-servants, neither preach the gospel to, nor baptize them contrary to the will and wish of their masters, nor to meddle with or
influence them in the least to cause them to be dissatisfied with their situations in this life, thereby jeopardizing the lives of men; such interference we believe to be
unlawful and unjust, and dangerous to the peace of every government allowing human beings to be held in servitude.

Oliver Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon: Introduction

A general assembly of the Church of Latter-day Saints was held at Kirtland on the 17th of August, 1835, to take into consideration the labors of a committee
appointed by a general assembly of the Church on the 24th of September, 1834, for the purpose of arranging the items of the doctrine of Jesus Christ for the
government of the Church. The names of the committee were: Joseph Smith, Jun., Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery, and Frederick G. Williams, who, having finished
said book according to the instructions given them, deem it necessary to call a general assembly of the Church to see whether the book be approved or not by the
authorities of the Church: that it may, if approved, become a law and a rule of faith and practice to the Church. Wherefore, Oliver Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon,
members of the First Presidency, (Presidents Joseph Smith, Jun., and Frederick G. Williams being absent on a visit to the Saints in Michigan,) appointed Thomas
Burdick, Warren Parrish, and Sylvester Smith clerks, and proceeded to organize the whole assembly. . . .

President Oliver Cowdery then read the following article on "Governments and Laws in General," which was accepted and adopted and ordered to be printed in said
book, by a unanimous vote: [Beginning of article.] "That our belief with regard to earthly governments and laws in general may not be misinterpreted nor misunderstood,
we have thought proper to present, at the close of this volume, our opinion concerning the same." [Sec. 134, follows.] (HC 2:243, 247, August 17, 1835; Kirtland,
Ohio.)

Erastus Snow: 1

Governments were instituted . . . for the benefit of man

The Apostle Paul says truly: "For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." [Rom. 13:1.] At first this is a startling statement. . . . "The
powers are ordained of God," not that they are always the best forms of government for the people, or that they afford liberty and freedom to mankind, but that any
and all forms of government are better than none at all, having a tendency as they do to restrain the passions of human nature and to curb them, and to establish and
maintain order to a greater or less degree. One monopoly is better than many; and the oppression of a mob, where every man is a law to himself and his own right arm,
is his power to enforce his own will, is the worst form of government. (JD, April 4, 1881, 22:151.)

Brigham Young: 1

Governments were instituted. . . . for the benefit of man

All governments are more or less under the control of the Almighty, and, in their forms, have sprung from the laws that he has from time to time given to man. Those
laws, in passing from generation to generation, have been more or less adulterated, and the result has been the various forms of government now in force among the
nations; for, as the Prophet says of Israel, "They have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, and broken the everlasting covenant." [Isa. 24:5.] (JD, July 31,
1859, 6:342.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 1

Governments were instituted . . . for the benefit of man

Taking this article [Section 134] in its entirety we are willing to accept it, for it contains sound principles that are acceptable today, and will be approved by the Church
until that day comes when the Rightful Ruler of the earth shall come to set up his perfect government. [Sec. 38:21-22.] One statement in this article, we could modify
and give a better meaning. "We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man," might be more nearly correct if stated: "A perfect government
was instituted of God for the benefit of man." The statement that governments, if this is interpreted to mean all governments, were instituted of God, may be questioned.
Yet it is true that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to the governments which man has set up, and which are not approved of God. (CHMR, 1948,
2:63-64.)

Joseph Smith: 1

He holds men accountable for their acts in relation to . . . laws

We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their several deserts, their means of
obtaining intelligence, the laws by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the
human family. . . . (HC 4:596, April 15, 1842.)

Stephen L Richards: 1

He holds men accountable for their acts in relation to . . . laws

Righteousness, in its last analysis, is a religious term. God is the author of righteousness. The framers of laws have, to a large extent, recognized that doctrine. The
Gospel is the compilation, the aggregation of all principles of righteousness, and into the form of government which we uphold and support there have been woven the
principles of individual and community righteousness which are underlain by truth which emanates from God himself. . . . [Constitution of the United States.] You can't
have a good government without good people, and goodness is a religious term. Much as many of our philosophers would contend that it is to be defined in terms only
of ethics, and of social convention and understanding, I maintain that all true morality is supported by and finds its basis in religion. . . . (CR, October 1923, p. 47.)

David O. McKay: 2

"Government represents the authority of the group, usually exercised in an external coercive way, to enforce the will of the group upon its individual member." That
government is best which has as its aim the administration of justice, social well-being and the promotion of prosperity among its members. (CR, April 1930, p. 80.)
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David O. McKay: 3

Our community is a great factor in the teaching of our children. Our officers, public servants, are teachers of the youth, and they carry the responsibility of teachers. It is
David O. McKay: 2

"Government represents the authority of the group, usually exercised in an external coercive way, to enforce the will of the group upon its individual member." That
government is best which has as its aim the administration of justice, social well-being and the promotion of prosperity among its members. (CR, April 1930, p. 80.)

David O. McKay: 3

Our community is a great factor in the teaching of our children. Our officers, public servants, are teachers of the youth, and they carry the responsibility of teachers. It is
our duty, therefore, as citizens of this republic, to exercise our right at the ballot box. It is our duty to see that men in both our great parties are chosen who will teach
not only by precept but also by example, obedience to law; that these men so elected will appoint men under them who will not scoff at the law, or who will not in any
way protect those men or women who violate moral laws. (CR, April 1928, pp. 105-8.)

Brigham Young: 3

Who is the most suitable judge between man and man? The man who is the most capable of judging between right and wrong; let him sit upon the judgment seat, and
so not ask him whether he is a Democrat, a Whig, a Tory, or a Republican. Is he a just man, and will he render an impartial judgment? If so, I care not to what political
party he belongs; I am content that he should adjudicate between me and my neighbor. (JD, May 31, 1863, 10:193.)

Joseph Smith: 4

Religion is instituted of God

If . . . we admit that God is the source of all wisdom and understanding, we must admit that by His direct inspiration He has taught man that law necessary in order to
govern and regulate His own immediate interest and welfare; for this reason, that law is beneficial to promote peace and happiness among men. . . . God is the source
from whence proceeds all good; and if man is benefited by law, then certainly, law is good; and if law is good, then law, or the principle of it emanated from God; for
God is the source of all good; consequently, then, he was the first Author of law, or the principle of it, to mankind. [Alma 5:40.] (HC 2:12-13, January 22, 1834.)

John A. Widtsoe: 4

A good government must secure for every citizen the free exercise of conscience. Matters of belief or religious practice should not be interfered with, unless they
oppose laws formulated for the common good. There should be no mingling of religious influence with trespassing upon each others' field. (Joseph Smith, 1951, p.
215.)

Heber J. Grant: 4

One of the fundamental articles of faith promulgated by the Prophet Joseph Smith was:

"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience; and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how,
where, or what they may."

But we claim absolutely no right, no prerogative whatever, to interfere with any other people. We desire the good will of all mankind, and we desire the advancement of
all mankind, and we pray God to bless every man that is striving for the betterment of humanity in any of the walks of life; and we say of every man who believes that
Jesus is the Christ and who proclaims it: O God, bless that man. But we cannot pray for those who pretend to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and deny the
atoning blood of Jesus Christ, and who proclaim that he was only a man. (CR, April 1921, p. 203.)

David O. McKay: 4

When a man uses this God-given right to encroach upon the rights of another, he commits a wrong. Liberty becomes license, and the man a transgressor. It is the
function of the state to curtail the violator and to protect the violated. (CR, April 1940, p. 118.)

Joseph Smith: 5

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. (Twelfth Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

David O. McKay: 5

The three significant words used in the 12th Article of Faith express the proper attitude of the membership of the Church toward law. These words are-obey, honor,
and sustain.

The Article does not say we believe in submission to the law. Obedience implies a higher attitude than mere submission, for obedience has its root in good intent;
submission may spring from selfishness or meanness of spirit. Though obedience and submission both imply restraint on one's own will, we are obedient only from a
sense of right; submissive from a sense of necessity.

Honor expresses an act or attitude of an inferior towards a superior. When applied to things it is taken in the sense of holding in honor. Thus, in honoring the law, we
look upon it as something which is above selfish desires or indulgences.

To sustain signifies to hold up; to keep from falling. To sustain the law, therefore, is to refrain from saying or doing anything which will weaken it or make it ineffective.

We obey law from a sense of right.

We honor law because of its necessity and strength to society.

We sustain law by keeping it in good repute. (CR, April 1937, p. 28.)

First Presidency (Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards): 5

Sustain  the government
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government sustains you in your civil and religious liberty, in those rights which inherently belong to every person born on the earth; and if you are persecuted in your
native land, and denied the privilege of worshipping the true God in spirit and in truth, flee to the land of Zion, to America-to the United States, where constitutional
rights and freedom are not surpassed by any nation-where God saw fit, in these last days, to renew the dispensation of salvation, by revelations from the heavens, and
We sustain law by keeping it in good repute. (CR, April 1937, p. 28.)

First Presidency (Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards): 5

Sustain the government of the nation wherever you are, and speak well of it, for this is right, and the government has a right to expect it of you so long as that
government sustains you in your civil and religious liberty, in those rights which inherently belong to every person born on the earth; and if you are persecuted in your
native land, and denied the privilege of worshipping the true God in spirit and in truth, flee to the land of Zion, to America-to the United States, where constitutional
rights and freedom are not surpassed by any nation-where God saw fit, in these last days, to renew the dispensation of salvation, by revelations from the heavens, and
where all, by the Constitution and laws of the land, when executed in righteousness, are protected in all the civil and religious freedom that man is capable of enjoying
on earth; and our national institutions will never fail, unless it be through the wickedness of the people, and the designs of evil men in brief authority; for those rights were
ordained of God on this land, for the establishment of the principles of truth on the earth; and our national organization originated in the heavens. (MS, July 17, 1852;
14:321-26.)

James E. Talmage: 5

All men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside

A question has many times been asked of the Church and of its individual members, to this effect: In the case of a conflict between the requirements made by the
revealed word of God, and those imposed by the secular law, which of these authorities would the members of the Church be bound to obey? In answer, the words of
Christ may be applied-it is the duty of the people to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. [Sec. 63:26; Matt. 22:21.]
At the present time the kingdom of heaven as an earthly power, with a reigning King exercising direct and personal authority in temporal matters, has not been
established upon the earth. The branches of the Church as such, and the members composing the same, are subjects of the several governments within whose separate
realms the Church organizations exist. In this day of comparative enlightenment and freedom there is still cause for expecting any direct interference with the rights of
private worship and individual devotion; in all civilized nations the people are accorded the right to pray, and this right is assured by what may be properly called a
common law of humankind. No earnest soul is cut off from communion with his God; and with such an open channel of communication, relief from burdensome laws
and redress from grievances may be sought from the power that holds control of nations.

Pending the overruling by Providence in favor of religious liberty, it is the duty of the saints to submit themselves to the laws of their country. Nevertheless, they should
use every proper method, as citizens or subjects of their several governments, to secure for themselves and for all men the boon of freedom in religious service. It is not
required of thence to suffer without protest imposition by lawless persecutors, or through the operation of unjust laws; but their protests should be offered in legal and
proper order. The saints have practically demonstrated their acceptance of the doctrine that it is better to suffer evil than to do wrong by purely human opposition to
unjust authority. And if by thus submitting themselves to the laws of the land, in the event of such laws being unjust and subversive of human freedom, the people be
prevented from doing the work appointed them of God, they are not to be held accountable for the failure to act under the higher law. [Sec. 124:49-50.] (AF, 1950,
pp. 422-23.)

Ezra Taft Benson: 5

Not only should we seek humble, worthy, courageous leadership, but we should measure all proposals having to do with our national or local welfare by four
standards:

First, is the proposal, the policy or the idea being promoted, right as measured by the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I assure you it is much easier for one to measure a
proposed policy by the Gospel of Jesus Christ if he has accepted the Gospel and is living it.

Second, is it right as measured by the Lord's standard of constitutional government, wherein He says: "And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that
principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me." (D&C 98:5.) Whether we live under a divinely inspired
constitution, as here in the United States, or under some other form of government, the Lord's standard is a safe guide.

Third, we might well ask the question: Is it right as measured by the counsel of the living oracles of God? It is my conviction that these living oracles are not only
authorized, but are also obligated to give counsel to this people on any subject which is vital to the welfare of this people and to the upbuilding of the kingdom of God.
So that measure should be applied. Is it right as measured by the counsel of the living oracles of God?

Fourth, what will be the effect upon the morale and the character of the people if this or that policy is adopted? After all, as a Church, we are interested in building men
and women and building character because character is the one thing we make in this world and take with us into the next. It must never be sacrificed for expediency.
(Our Prophets and Principles, 1956, pp. 69-70.)

Brigham Young: 6

If we live our religion, honor our God and his Priesthood, then we shall honor every wholesome government and law there is upon the earth, and become aliens to all
unrighteous, unjust and unlawful administrators, wherever they may be found. (JD, March 9, 1862, 10:41 .)

Joseph Smith: 6

Divine laws given of heaven

God has given certain laws to the human family, which, if observed, are sufficient to prepare them to inherit this (celestial) rest. This, then, we conclude was the purpose
of God in giving His laws to us: if not, why or for what were they given? (HC 2:12, January 22, 1834.)

James E. Talmage: 8

All men should step forward . . . in bringing offenders . . . to punishment

Now, the Lord has provided that those in his Church shall live according to the law, and he makes a distinction between the law pertaining to the Church and what we
call the secular law, or the law of the land, but he requires obedience to each. My love for my brother in this Church does not mean that I am to stand between him and
righteous judgment. This Church is no organization like that of the secret combinations of old, which the Lord hath said he hates, the members of which were pledged,
and bound by oath that they would cover up one another's crimes, that they would justify one another in theft and murder and in all things that were unclean. [Ether
8:13-19.] It is no such organization at all. It would not be of God if it were. (CR, 1920, p. 63.)

First Presidency
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds to the doctrine of the separation of church and state; the non-interference of church authority in political matters;
and the absolute freedom and independence of the individual in the performance of his political duties. If, at any time, there has been conduct at variance with this
righteous judgment. This Church is no organization like that of the secret combinations of old, which the Lord hath said he hates, the members of which were pledged,
and bound by oath that they would cover up one another's crimes, that they would justify one another in theft and murder and in all things that were unclean. [Ether
8:13-19.] It is no such organization at all. It would not be of God if it were. (CR, 1920, p. 63.)

First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund): 9

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds to the doctrine of the separation of church and state; the non-interference of church authority in political matters;
and the absolute freedom and independence of the individual in the performance of his political duties. If, at any time, there has been conduct at variance with this
doctrine, it has been in violation of the well settled principles and the policy of the Church.

We declare that from principle and policy, we favor:

The absolute separation of church and state;

No domination of the state by the church;

No church interference with the functions of the state;

No state interference with the functions of the church, or with the free exercise of religion;

The absolute freedom of the individual from the domination of ecclesiastical authority in political affairs;

The equality of all churches before the law. (CR, April 1907, p. 14.)

John A. Widtsoe: 10

The Church can try offenders only for their membership in the Church. Any further punishment is in the hands of the civil courts. Members of the Church may either be
disfellowshiped or excommunicated. (Priesthood and Church Government, p. 209, 1939.)

The Church applies only two kinds of punishment. The first and lightest is that of being disfellowshiped, which means that the hand of fellowship is withdrawn from the
accused, who cannot then officiate in the activities of the Church, though he may be present and partake of the spirit of all Church gatherings. In the course of time, if his
conduct justifies it, he is again admitted into full fellowship by the tribunal that found him guilty. Rebaptism is not necessary.

The second punishment is that of excommunication. This means loss of membership in the Church. An excommunicated member can re-enter the Church only after
showing full faith, and sincere repentance, by being baptized. (Program of the Church, 1938, p. 175.)

There are really only three kinds of offenses of which the Church takes cognizance. First and most serious is the breaking of the moral law in any of its division. Second,
deliberate disobedience to the regulations of the Church, which renders a person liable to such punishment as the Church can properly mete out to its members. Third,
the incorrect interpretation of doctrine, coupled with an unwillingness to accept the correct view after proper explanations of the doctrine have been made. The first two
types of violation are of conduct, the third of belief. All imply non-conformity to the practices or non-acceptance of the teachings of the Church. (Program of the
Church, 1938, p. 164.)

John Taylor: 11

We shall abide all constitutional law, as we always have done; but while we are God-fearing and law-abiding, and respect all honorable men and officers, we are no
craven serfs, and have not learned to lick the feet of oppressors, nor to bow in base submission to unreasoning clamor. We will contend inch by inch, legally and
constitutionally, for our rights as American citizens. (The Life of John Taylor, 1882, p. 363.)

Joseph Smith: 12

Preach the gospel . . . warn the righteous to save themselves

Remember that your business is to preach the Gospel in all humility and meekness, and warn sinners to repent and come to Christ. Avoid contentions and vain disputes
with men of corrupt minds, who do not desire to know the truth. [Sec. 10:62-63.] Remember that "it is a day of warning, and not a day of many words." [Sec. 63:58.]
If they receive not your testimony in one place, flee to another, remembering to cast no reflections, nor throw out any bitter sayings. If you do your duty, it will be just
as well with you, as though all men embraced the Gospel. (HC 1:468, December 19, 1833.)

Joseph Smith: 12

Bond-servants . . . masters

In my opinion, you will do well to search the Book of Covenants, in which you will see the belief of the Church, concerning masters and servants. All men are to be
taught to repent; but we have no right to interfere with slaves, contrary to the mind and will of their masters. In fact, it would be much better, and more prudent, not to
preach at all to slaves, until after their masters are converted, and then teach the masters to use them with kindness; remembering that they are accountable to God, and
the servants are bound to serve their masters with singleness of heart without murmuring. (HC 2:440, April 9, 1836.)

Joseph Smith: 12

We do not believe it right to interfere with bond-servants

It should be the duty of an Elder, when he enters into a house, to salute the master of that house, and if he gain his consent, then he may preach to all that are in that
house; but if he gain not his consent, let him not go unto his slaves, or servants, but let the responsibility be upon the head of the master of that house, and the
consequences thereof, and the guilt of that house is no longer upon his skirts, he is free; therefore, let him shake off the dust of his feet, and go his way. But if the master
of that house give consent, the Elder may preach to his family, his wife, his children and his servants, his man-servants, or his maid-servants, or his slaves; then it should
be the duty of the Elder to stand up boldly for the cause of Christ, and warn that people with one accord to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, and for the
Holy Ghost, always commanding them in the name of the Lord, in the spirit of meekness, to be kindly affectionate one toward another, that the fathers should be kind
to their children, husbands to their wives, masters to their slaves or servants, children obedient to their parents, wives to their husbands, and slaves or servants to their
masters.
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Section 135
be the duty of the Elder to stand up boldly for the cause of Christ, and warn that people with one accord to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, and for the
Holy Ghost, always commanding them in the name of the Lord, in the spirit of meekness, to be kindly affectionate one toward another, that the fathers should be kind
to their children, husbands to their wives, masters to their slaves or servants, children obedient to their parents, wives to their husbands, and slaves or servants to their
masters. (HC 2:263-64, September 1, 1835.)

Section 135

Martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and his brother, Hyrum Smith the Patriarch, at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844. See History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 612.

1. To seal the testimony of this book and the Book of Mormon, we announce the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith the Patriarch. They were
shot in Carthage jail, on the 27th of June, 1844, about five o'clock p.m., by an armed mob-painted black-of from 150 to 200 persons. Hyrum was shot first and fell
calmly, exclaiming: I am a dead man! Joseph leaped from the window, and was shot dead in the attempt, exclaiming: O Lord my God! They were both shot after they
were dead, in a brutal manner, and both received four balls.

2. John Taylor and Willard Richards, two of the Twelve, were the only persons in the room at the time; the former was wounded in a savage manner with four balls, but
has since recovered; the latter, through the providence of God, escaped, without even a hole in his robe.

3. Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the
short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on
two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments
which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands
of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and
like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided,
and in death they were not separated!

4. When Joseph went to Carthage to deliver himself up to the pretended requirements of the law, two or three days previous to his assassination, he said: "I am going
like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer's morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men. I SHALL DIE
INNOCENT, AND IT SHALL YET BE SAID OF ME-HE WAS MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD."-The same morning after Hyrum had made ready to go-shall it
be said to the slaughter? yes, for so it was-he read the following paragraph, near the close of the twelfth chapter of Ether, in the Book of Mormon, and turned down the
leaf upon it:

5. And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity. And it came to pass that the Lord said unto
me: If they have not clarity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore thy garments are clean. And because thou hast seer thy weakness, thou shalt be
made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father. And now I . . . bid farewell unto the Gentiles; yea, and also
unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted with your blood. The
testators are now dead, and their testament is in force.

6. Hyrum Smith was forty-four years old in February, 1844, and Joseph Smith was thirty-eight in December, 1843; and henceforward their names will be classed
among the martyrs of religion; and the reader in every nation will be reminded that the Book of Mormon, and this book of Doctrine and Covenants of the church, cost
the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring them forth for the salvation of a ruined world; and that if the fire can scathe a green tree for the glory of God, how easy
it will burn up the dry trees to purify the vineyard of corruption. They lived for glory; they died for glory; and glory is their eternal reward. From age to age shall their
names go down to posterity as gems for the sanctified.

7. They were innocent of any crime, as they had often been proved before, and were only confined in jail by the conspiracy of traitors and wicked men; and their
innocent blood on the floor of Carthage jail is a broad seal affixed to "Mormonism" that cannot be rejected by any court on earth, and their innocent blood on the
escutcheon of the State of Illinois, with the broken faith of the State as pledged by the governor, is a witness to the truth of the everlasting gospel that all the world
cannot impeach; and their innocent blood on the banner of liberty, and on the magna charta of the United States, is an ambassador for the religion of Jesus Christ, that
will touch the hearts of honest men among all nations; and their innocent blood, with the innocent blood of all the martyrs under the altar that John saw, will cry unto the
Lord of Hosts till he avenges that blood on the earth. Amen.

George Q. Cannon: Introduction

As the governor [Thomas Ford of Illinois] continued his preparations to depart from Carthage to Nauvoo, and as it was clear that he intended to break his solemn
promise by failing to take Joseph with him, Cyrus H. Wheelock, Dan Jones and John P. Greene went in town to him and protested with all possible solemnity against
his deed. He professed to reassure them; and then he took with him Captain Dunn, and his company-of all the militia the least vindictive against the Prophet; and left as
a guard the Carthage Greys-of all the mob the most bloodthirsty. These Carthage Greys had but two days before been under arrest for insulting the commanding
general; their conduct had shown them to be notoriously hostile to the prisoners; and they had often in the governor's hearing threatened the lives of Joseph and Hyrum.
Of the disbanded troops the governor permitted two or three hundred under Colonel Levi Williams, a sectarian preacher and a sworn enemy to Joseph, to remain
encamped in the vicinity of Carthage, awaiting the hour when they might safely descend upon the jail. . . .

At Carthage, after the governor left, the external situation was this: The guarding of the jail had been left to General Deming who had the Carthage Greys under his
command; but Deming retired during the day for fear of his life, as he saw the determination of the troops to connive at murder. The main body of the company was
stationed in the public square, one hundred and fifty yards from the jail, while eight men were detailed, under the command of Sergeant Frank A. Worrell, to guard the
prisoners. The disbanded mob militia had come up to Carthage to the number of two hundred, with their faces blackened with powder and mud. The Carthage Greys
were informed that the assassin band was ready; and it was then arranged that the guard at the jail should load with blank cartridges and that the mob should attack the
prison and meet with some show of resistance.

Within the jail, the brethren, Joseph and Hyrum, John Taylor and Willard Richards, were confined in a room upstairs and were busy, during the day, writing letters,
conversing and praying and singing. Between three and four o'clock at the Prophet's request, Apostle Taylor sang this sweet and comforting poem: "A Poor Wayfaring
Man of Grief."

And when it was done, Joseph asked him to repeat it. He replied that he did not feel like singing. He was oppressed with a sense of coming disaster; but to gratify
Hyrum, he sang the hymn again, with much tender feeling.

At four o'clock the guard was changed. A little after five, the jailor came in and said that Stephen Markham had been surrounded by a mob and driven from Carthage.
A little later there was a slight rustling at the outer door of the jail, and a cry of surrender, then a discharge of three or four guns. The plot had been carried out: two
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Many of the mob rushed up the stairs while others fired through the open windows of the jail into the room where the brethren were confined. The four prisoners
Hyrum, he sang the hymn again, with much tender feeling.

At four o'clock the guard was changed. A little after five, the jailor came in and said that Stephen Markham had been surrounded by a mob and driven from Carthage.
A little later there was a slight rustling at the outer door of the jail, and a cry of surrender, then a discharge of three or four guns. The plot had been carried out: two
hundred of the mob came rushing into the jail yard, and the guards fired their pieces over the heads of the assailing party.

Many of the mob rushed up the stairs while others fired through the open windows of the jail into the room where the brethren were confined. The four prisoners
sprang against the door, but the murderers burst it partly open and pushed their guns into the room. John Taylor and Willard Richards, each with a cane, tried to knock
aside the weapons. A shower of bullets came up the stairway and through the door. Hyrum was in front of the door when a ball struck him in the face, and he fell back
saying:

"I am a dead man."

As he was falling, another bullet from the outside passed through the swaying form, and two others from the doorway entered his body a moment later. When Hyrum
fell, Joseph exclaimed, "Oh, my dear brother Hyrum! " and opening the door a few inches he discharged his pistol into the stairway-but two or three barrels missed fire.

When the door could no longer be held, and when he could no longer parry the guns, Elder Taylor sprang toward the window. A bullet from the doorway struck his left
thigh. Paralyzed and unable to help himself he fell on the window sill, and felt himself falling out, when by some means which he did not understand at the time he was
thrown backward into the room. A bullet fired from the outside struck his watch and the watch saved his life in two ways; it stopped the bullet, which probably would
have killed him, and the force of the ball in striking it threw him into the room. The watch stopped at sixteen minutes and twenty-six seconds past 5 o'clock. After he fell
into the room three other bullets struck him, spattering his blood like rain upon the walls and floor.

Joseph saw that there was no longer safety in the room; and thinking that he would save the life of Willard Richards if he himself should spring from the room, he turned
immediately from the door, dropped his pistol and leaped into the window. Instantly two bullets pierced him from the door, and one entered his right breast from
without, and he fell outward into the hands of his murderers exclaiming:

"Oh, Lord, my God!"

When his body struck the ground he rolled instantly upon his face-dead. As he lay there, one of the mob, barefooted and bareheaded, wearing no coat, with his
trousers rolled above his knees and his shirt sleeves above his elbows, seized the body of the murdered Prophet and set it against the south side of the well curb.
Colonel Levi Williams then ordered four men to shoot Joseph. Standing about eight feet from his body they fired simultaneously. The body slightly cringed as the bullets
entered it, and once more Joseph fell upon his face. He had smiled with sweet compassion in his countenance as he gazed upon his murderers in the last moment of his
life; and this was the expression when his face was set in death. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp. 517, 524 ff.)

Heber J. Grant: Introduction

I have understood that this splendid account [Section 135] of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith was written by President John Taylor, known as the
"Champion of Liberty" who received four shots in his body and who lived carrying some of those bullets to his grave, and who, years after the martyrdom, stood before
the people in this stand as the President, Prophet, Seer and Revelator of the Church of Jesus Christ. (CR, October 1933, p. 7.)

Orson Hyde: 1

We announce the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith the Patriarch

Twenty-seventh of June, 1844. Eventful period in the calendar of the nineteenth century! That awful night! I remember it well: I shall never forget it! A solemn thrill-a
melancholy awe comes o'er my spirit! The memorable scene is fresh before me! It requires no art of the pencil, no retrospection of history, to portray it. The impression
of the Almighty Spirit on that occasion will run parallel with eternity! The scene was not portrayed by earthquake, or thunderings, and lightnings, and tempests; but the
majesty and sovereignty of Jehovah was felt far more impressively in the still, small voice of that significant hour, than the roaring of many waters, or the artillery of many
thunders, when the spirit of Joseph was driven back into the bosom of God, by an ungrateful and bloodthirsty world. There was an unspeakable something, a
portentous significancy on the firmament and among the inhabitants of the earth. Multitudes felt the whisperings of woe and grief, and the forebodings of tribulation and
sorrow that they will never forget, though the tongue of man can never utter it. The Saints of God, whether near the scene of blood, or even a thousand miles distant,
felt at the very moment the Prophet lay in royal gore, that an awful deed was perpetrated. O the repulsive chill! the melancholy vibrations of the very air, as the prince of
darkness receded in hopeful triumph from the scene of slaughter! That night could not the Saints sleep, though uninformed by man of what had passed with the Seer
and Patriarch, and far remote from the scene; yet to them sleep refused a visitation-the eyelids refused to close-the hearts of many sighed deeply in secret and inquired,
"Why am I thus?"

One of the Twelve Apostles, while traveling a hundred miles from the scene of assassination, and totally ignorant of what was done, was so unaccountably sad, and
filled with such unspeakable anguish of heart without knowing the cause, that he was constrained to turn aside from the road and give utterance to his feelings in tears
and supplications to God. Another Apostle, twelve hundred miles distant, while standing in Faneuil Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, with many others, was similarly
affected, and was obliged to turn aside to hide the big tears that gushed thick and long from his eyes. Another, President of the High Priests, while in the distant state of
Kentucky, in the solitude of midnight, being marvelously disquieted, God condescended to show him, in a vision, the mangled bodies of the two murdered worthies, all
dripping in purple gore, who said to him, "We are murdered by a faithless state and cruel mob."

Shall I attempt to describe the scene at Nauvoo on the memorable evening? If I could, surely you would weep, whatever may be your faith or skepticism, if the feelings
of humanity are lodged in your bosom; all prejudice and mirth would slumber, till the eye of pity had bedewed the bier, and the heart had found relief in lamentation.
(Scrapbook of Mormon Literature, June 27, 1849, 1:283-84.)

John Taylor: 3

Joseph Smith . . . has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world

We are living in this dispensation, which is pregnant with greater events than any other dispensation that has ever existed on the earth, because in it is embraced all that
ever existed any where among any people of the earth. [Sec. 128:19-22; Acts 3:19-21.] Hence why we look upon Joseph Smith as so great and important a character
in the world's history. I think he was one of the greatest Prophets that ever lived, Jesus himself' excepted. (JD, December 31, 1876, 18:326-27.)

Joseph F. Merrill: 3

Joseph Smith
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I spoke to the theme of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, indicating that, aside from Jesus Christ, I looked upon him as second in greatness to no other religious teacher that
ever lived. And judged by the same standard used in judging greatness in men-by his works-as with Shakespeare, Washington, Lincoln, Einstein, etc.-I still believe my
in the world's history. I think he was one of the greatest Prophets that ever lived, Jesus himself' excepted. (JD, December 31, 1876, 18:326-27.)

Joseph F. Merrill: 3

Joseph Smith . . . has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world

I spoke to the theme of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, indicating that, aside from Jesus Christ, I looked upon him as second in greatness to no other religious teacher that
ever lived. And judged by the same standard used in judging greatness in men-by his works-as with Shakespeare, Washington, Lincoln, Einstein, etc.-I still believe my
view of him is correct and that he is the greatest man America ever produced. Hence I am convinced that he is deserving of a careful, thorough, and honest study by
every person interested in his personal well-being. (CR, April 1948, p. 70.)

Wilford Woodruff: 3

For the salvation of men

Why did he [the Lord] call him [Joseph Smith] into the spirit world? Because he held the keys of this dispensation, not only before he came to this world and while he
was in the flesh, but he would hold them throughout the endless ages of eternity. [Sec. 90:3.] He held the keys of past generations-of the millions of people who dwelt
on the earth in the fifty generations that had passed and gone who had not the law of the gospel, who never saw a prophet, never saw an Apostle, never heard the
voice of any man who was inspired of God and had power to teach them the gospel of Christ, and to organize the church of Christ on earth. He went to unlock the
prison doors of these people, as far as they would receive his testimony, and the Saints of God who dwell in the flesh will build temples and perform certain ordinances
for the redemption of the dead. This was the work of Joseph the prophet in the spirit world. (CR, April 1880, pp. 8-9.)

Joseph F. Smith: 3

Joseph Smith was martyred in Carthage, Illinois, on the 27th of June, 1844-14 years after the organization of the Church. What did he accomplish in these 14 years?
He opened up communication with the heavens in his youth. He brought forth the Book of Mormon, which contains the fullness of the Gospel; and the revelations
contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants; restored the Holy Priesthood unto man; established and organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
an organization which has no parallel in all the world, and which all the cunning and wisdom of men for ages has failed to discover or produce and never could have
done. He founded colonies in the States of New York, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, and pointed the way for gathering of the Saints into the Rocky Mountains; sent the
Gospel into Europe and to the islands of the sea; founded the town of Kirtland, Ohio, and there built a temple that cost about a quarter of a million of dollars; he
founded the city of Nauvoo in the midst of persecution; gathered into Nauvoo and vicinity some 20,000 people, and commenced the building of the temple there, which
when completed cost one million dollars; and in doing all this he had to contend against the prejudices of the age, against relentless persecution, mobocracy and vile
calumny and slander, that were heaped upon him from all quarters without stint or measure. In a word, he did more in from 14 to 20 years for the salvation of man than
any other man save Jesus only, that ever lived, and yet he was accused by his enemies of being an indolent and worthless man! Where shall we go to find another man
that has accomplished the one thousandth part of good that Joseph Smith accomplished? . . . And yet no man in the nineteenth century, except Joseph Smith, has
discovered to the world a ray of light upon the keys and power of the Holy Priesthood or the ordinances of the Gospel either for the living or the dead. Through Joseph
Smith, God has revealed many things which were kept hid from the foundation of the world in fulfillment of the Prophets-and at no time since Enoch walked the earth
has the Church of God been organized as perfectly as it is today-not excepting the dispensation of Jesus and His disciples-or if it was we have no record of it. And this
is strictly in keeping with the objects and character of this great latter-day work, destined to consummate the great purpose and designs of God concerning the
dispensation of the fulness of times. The principles of baptism for the redemption of the dead, with the ordinances appertaining thereto, for the complete salvation and
exaltation of those who have died without the Gospel, as revealed through Joseph Smith, is alone worth more than all the dogmas of the so-called Christian world
combined. [Sec. 128.] Joseph Smith is accused of being a false prophet. It is, however, beyond the power of the world to prove that he was a false Prophet. (JD,
October 29, 1882, 24:14-15.)

Hugh B. Brown: 3

He has brought forth the Book of Mormon

The Prophet Joseph Smith translated a record which was placed in his hands by an angel from God. It's a book of about 600 pages. He translated it in just under two
months. It purports to be a sacred history of the ancient inhabitants of America. In it he told of cities and peoples, of wars, of civilizations, of political organizations.
Now, among my congregation there are some teachers and students. I'd like to ask you if you would undertake to write a history of the ancient inhabitants of America
and limit your source material to that which was available in 1829? . . . You must write 329 chapters-54 chapters to deal with wars; 21 historical chapters, 55 chapters
on visions and prophecies and 71 chapters on doctrines and exhortations; 17 chapters on missionary work and 21 on the ministry of Christ, and remember that every
word you write must be in meticulous agreement with the Holy Bible. Therefore you must become so well acquainted with the Bible that you can, with confidence, write
your book with no inaccuracies or contradictions. (Joseph Smith Among the Prophets, December 7, 1958, p. 11.)

David O. McKay: 3

He . . . has brought forth the revelations . . . which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants

Nearly every passage in the Doctrine and Covenants is replete with admonitions, full of inspiration and wonderful revelations to men. Sometimes those revelations are
couched in but few words, but by careful study one sees how closely related they are to all truth. Take for example the wonderful revelation simply expressed, in regard
to government by the priesthood: "No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by the priesthood only by persuasion, long suffering, gentleness, meekness and
with love unfeigned." [Sec. 121:41.] Just think of that use of the word "unfeigned." Love pretended has no influence. Love unfeigned always has the power to reach the
heart. To continue: "Reproving betimes with sharpness, . . . afterwards showing forth an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to
be his enemy." [Sec. 121:43.] Why, it is a wonderful admonition and lesson in regard to the government, not only in quorums of priesthood in the Church offices but in
our home life and in all phases of association in society. Consider again, the suggestion in regard to the worth of souls, "Remember the worth of souls is great." [Sec.
18:10.] Also the revelation in regard to true riches, "Seek after the riches I shall give, wisdom" and so on, "and the riches of the world will be added also." [Sec. 6:7;
59:16-20.] Such things are the real things in the world. And so we might continue, revelation after revelation as given in the Doctrine and Covenants, if studied and paid
attention to by the Latter-day Saints, will establish faith in their hearts and make them rejoice at this great and wonderful organization placed among men for their
salvation.

Not the least among these by any means is that revelation on the word of wisdom. Now there are just one or two little paragraphs in it that refer to the use of strong
drink: "If any man among you use strong drink, behold it is not good." Just a simple statement; it is unqualified, but there it stands. "Wine and strong drink are not
good." [Sec. 89:5.] That revelation was given over eighty years ago-the word of God, not only to the people who are members of His Church but to the inhabitants of
the world wherever that book has been published; wherever it has been distributed by the elders of the Church the word of God has been sounded to the world. (CR,
October 1913, pp. 104-5.)
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Hugh B. Brown: 3

He . . . gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints
drink: "If any man among you use strong drink, behold it is not good." Just a simple statement; it is unqualified, but there it stands. "Wine and strong drink are not
good." [Sec. 89:5.] That revelation was given over eighty years ago-the word of God, not only to the people who are members of His Church but to the inhabitants of
the world wherever that book has been published; wherever it has been distributed by the elders of the Church the word of God has been sounded to the world. (CR,
October 1913, pp. 104-5.)

Hugh B. Brown: 3

He . . . gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints

He [Joseph Smith] undertook to carry the gospel message to all parts of the world, and the success of that project is miraculous. He undertook to weld men from
practically all parts of the world into a brotherhood. They came by the thousands from Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, the British Isles, the Scandinavian
countries, and the isles of the sea; men of almost every nation, tongue and people, pursuant to the predictions of some of his predecessors. These people, despite
national antagonisms, were bound together in a brotherhood such as is not known anywhere else in the world. That's a superhuman undertaking for a young man
without education and with only thirty-nine years of life. (Joseph Smith Among the Prophets, December 7, 1958, p. 11.)

Gordon B. Hinckley: 3

Thousands of the Latter-day Saints

Within the space of that twenty years preceding his death, Joseph Smith set in motion a program for carrying the gospel to the nations of the earth. I marvel at the
boldness with which he moved. Even in the infant days of the Church, in times of dark adversity, men were called to leave their homes and families, to cross the sea, to
proclaim the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His mind, his vision encompassed the entire earth.

Seated in this hall [Salt Lake Tabernacle] today are those from North, Central, and South America; from the British Isles and Africa; from the nations of Europe; from
the islands and continents of the Pacific; and from the ancient lands of Asia. You who have come from far and near, you are the flowering of the vision of Joseph Smith,
the prophet of God. He was indeed a mighty seer, who saw this day and greater days yet to come as the work of the Lord moves over the earth. (CR, April 1977, p.
96.)

John A. Widtsoe: 3

And many other wise documents

The Pearl of Great Price contains the Book of Moses as revealed to the Prophet in 1830 shortly after the organization of the Church. This book came as a part of the
revision or inspired translation of the Bible. Since the Church has not yet attempted to publish Joseph's Bible revision in full, the Book of Moses, not complete, has
been published separately. This publication was made in the days of Joseph Smith. The Book of Moses amplifies many of the brief accounts given in the Bible rendition
of Genesis. It included doctrines of the utmost importance in forming a correct philosophy of life.

The Book of Abraham came out of the translation of some Egyptian papyri from the catacombs of Egypt which fell into the hands of the Prophet. It gives a more lucid
account of Abraham's early life and his doctrine than is found in other sacred scripture. It also contains a wealth of doctrinal information not to be found elsewhere. The
account of the creation of the earth there found is perhaps the most challenging subject in the book. The Book of Abraham was also published in the days of the
Prophet. . . .

It [Pearl of Great Price] also includes a revision of chapter twenty-four of the Gospel of Matthew. The changes made are revealing to all students of sacred history.

The Pearl of Great Price further contains extracts from the early history of the Prophet, recounting especially the events connected with the First Vision and the
visitation of Moroni.

The compilation closes with the Articles of Faith of the Church. These articles originally formed a part of a letter to Mr. John Wentworth, newspaper editor of Chicago.
They are now used by the Church at home and abroad and are held to be the best brief cardinal statement of the faith of the Latter-day Saints. Not only were these
articles written by Joseph Smith but also published in his day with his approval. . . .

The History of the Church is another of the literary efforts of the Prophet Joseph Smith. . . . This history is an account, almost day by day, of his own doings and those
of the Church. The personalities who helped build the early Church appear before the reader. . . .

Fortunately, also, when in this history he notes that he gave an address somewhere, very often an abstract of what he said, made by others, also appears. These
abstracts give added value to the history, since none others exist. . . .

The History of the Church and the utterances therein contain, if read properly, a continued evidence that Joseph Smith told the truth about the coming forth of the
restoration. It is a precious production that will be counted as a blessing throughout the years. (Joseph Smith, 1951, pp. 254-56.)

Joseph F. Merrill: 3

. . . you may be interested to hear what a nationally-known writer and publicist and once mayor of Boston, Josiah Quincy, wrote about Joseph Smith. In May 1844,
Mr. Quincy and his cultured friend, Charles Francis Adams, son and grandson, respectively, of two United States Presidents, happened to make a two-day visit to
Nauvoo. Being well-known, prominent men they were entertained at the Mansion House, Joseph Smith's residence. An account of this visit is given by Mr. Quincy, in
the last chapter of his book entitled Figures of the Past, published in 1880. I quote the following from this twenty-four page chapter:

It is by no means improbable that some future textbook for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of
the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to that
interrogatory may be thus written: Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men now living, may be an obvious
commonplace to their descendants. History deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as startling as this. The man who established a religion in this age of free debate, who
was and is today accepted by hundreds of thousands as a direct emissary from the Most High,-such a rare human being is not to be disposed of by pelting his memory
with unsavory epithets. Fanatic, impostor, charlatan, he may have been; but these hard names furnish no solution to the problem he presents to us. Fanatics and
impostors are living and dying every day, and their memory is buried with them; but the wonderful influence which this founder of a religion exerted and still exerts
throws him into relief before us, not as a rogue to be criminated, but as a phenomenon to be explained. The most vital questions Americans are asking each other today
have to do with this man and what he has left us. . . . Joseph Smith, claiming to be an inspired teacher, faced adversity such as few men have been called to meet,
enjoyed a brief season of prosperity such as few men have ever attained, and finally, forty-three days after I saw him, went cheerfully to a martyr's death.
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Born in the lowest ranks of poverty, without book-learning, and with the homeliest of all human names, he had made himself at the age of thirty-nine a power upon
earth. Of the multitudinous family of Smith . . . none had won human hearts and shaped human lives as this Joseph. His influence, whether for good or evil, is potent
today, and the end is not yet. . . .
impostors are living and dying every day, and their memory is buried with them; but the wonderful influence which this founder of a religion exerted and still exerts
throws him into relief before us, not as a rogue to be criminated, but as a phenomenon to be explained. The most vital questions Americans are asking each other today
have to do with this man and what he has left us. . . . Joseph Smith, claiming to be an inspired teacher, faced adversity such as few men have been called to meet,
enjoyed a brief season of prosperity such as few men have ever attained, and finally, forty-three days after I saw him, went cheerfully to a martyr's death.

Born in the lowest ranks of poverty, without book-learning, and with the homeliest of all human names, he had made himself at the age of thirty-nine a power upon
earth. Of the multitudinous family of Smith . . . none had won human hearts and shaped human lives as this Joseph. His influence, whether for good or evil, is potent
today, and the end is not yet. . . .

Mr. Quincy concludes his chapter with these words:

"I have endeavored to give the details of my visit to the Mormon prophet with absolute accuracy. If the reader does not know just what to make of Joseph Smith, I
cannot help him out of the difficulty. I myself stand helpless before the puzzle." (CR, April 1947, pp. 134-35.)

Parley P. Pratt: 4

While on this mission [Eastern States] , on the 27th of June, 1844, a mob murdered the Prophet Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum, in a jail at Carthage, Illinois,
while Governor Ford had pledged the faith of the State for their protection.

A day or two previous to this circumstance I had been constrained by the spirit to start prematurely for home without knowing why or wherefore; and on the same
afternoon I was passing on a canal boat near Utica, New York, on my way to Nauvoo. My brother, William Pratt, being then on a mission in the same State (New
York), happened providentially, to take passage on the same boat. As we conversed together on the deck, a strange and solemn awe came over me, as if the powers
of hell were let loose. I was so overwhelmed with sorrow I could hardly speak; and after pacing the deck for some time in silence, I turned to my brother William and
exclaimed-"Brother William, this is a dark hour; the powers of darkness seem to triumph, and the spirit of murder is abroad in the land; and it controls the hearts of the
American people, and a vast majority of them sanction the killing of the innocent. My brother, let us keep silence and not open our mouths. If you have any pamphlets
or books on the fulness of the gospel lock them up; show them not, neither open your mouth to the people; let us observe an entire and solemn silence, for this is a dark
day, and the hour of triumph for the powers of darkness. O, how sensible I am of the spirit of murder which seems to pervade the whole land." This was June 27,
1844, in the afternoon, and as near as I can judge, it was the same hour that the Carthage mob were shedding the blood of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and John Taylor,
near one thousand miles distant. . . .

The steamer touched at a landing in Wisconsin, some fifty or sixty miles from Chicago, and here some new passengers came on board and brought the news of the
martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Great excitement prevailed on board, there being a general spirit of exultation and triumph at this glorious news, as it was
called, much the same as is generally shown on the first receipt of the news of a great national victory in time of war. (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, 1844, pp. 330-
31.)

Joseph Smith: 4

He was murdered in cold blood

I told Stephen Markham that if I and Hyrum were ever taken again we should be massacred, or I was not a prophet of God. I want Hyrum to live to avenge my blood,
but he is determined not to leave me. (HC 6:546, June 22, 1844.)

It is thought by some that our enemies would be satisfied with my destruction; but I tell you that as soon as they have shed my blood they will thirst for the blood of
every man in whose heart dwells a single spark of the spirit of the fullness of the Gospel. The opposition of these men is moved by the spirit of the adversary of all
righteousness. It is not only to destroy me, but every man and woman who dares believe the doctrines that God hath inspired me to teach to this generation. (HC
6:498, June 18, 1844.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 6

Hyrum . . . and Joseph Smith . . . will be classed among the martyrs of religion

Hyrum Smith was six years older than his brother Joseph. These two men by divine appointment were entrusted with the keys and powers to stand at the head of the
great dispensation of the fulness of times. By divine appointment they were special witnesses for Jesus Christ in these latter-days and during all the persecutions,
drivings, and even to the death, they stood faithfully together. They had been given the keys of salvation for the human family as those powers concerned all living in this
dispensation. Because of this power and authority which was to be used for the redemption of all who would repent from sin, they were hated. They had testified that
Jesus Christ lives; that he is in very deed the Redeemer of the world. They spoke from knowledge for they were witnesses of this truth, for the heavens to them were
not sealed. All their days were spent in seeking to bless and save mankind, just as were the days of their Lord before them in his ministry. Many of the righteous were
gathered about them, and all who knew them loved them for their integrity and devotion to revealed truth. . . .

It was necessary for Hyrum Smith, as well as Joseph Smith, to lay down his life as a witness, for . . . the Lord had honored him with the responsibility of holding the
keys of authority in this dispensation jointly with his younger brother. "It is also written in your law," said Jesus to the Jews, "that the testimony of two men is true." [John
8:17.] And this law was binding upon Joseph and Hyrum Smith. The shedding of their blood also bound that testimony upon an unbelieving world and this testimony
will stand at the judgment seat as a witness against all men who have rejected their words of eternal life. (IE, June 1944, 47:364.)

George Q. Cannon: 6

From age to age shall their names go down to posterity

I would not have you indulge in man worship. God forbid. To Him be the glory always. We cannot glorify Joseph [Smith] without glorifying our Father in heaven. We
must glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot indulge in any worship that will detract from or lessen our worship of our Great and Eternal Father and His Son Jesus
Christ. But we can reverence the man of God; we can love him; we can emulate his example; we can cherish his memory; we can perpetuate this in our children; and
we can seek to comprehend the truths that he taught, so that by comprehending and by practicing them we may be prepared to dwell with him, and dwell with our
Father and our Lord Jesus Christ in eternity. 598

. (MS, May 23, 1895, 57:326.)

John A. Widtsoe: 7
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Innocent of any crime

Joseph Smith was loved by his people, held in contempt by others, and misunderstood by the majority of men. Often he was hunted as if he were an animal. Arrest,
. (MS, May 23, 1895, 57:326.)

John A. Widtsoe: 7

Innocent of any crime

Joseph Smith was loved by his people, held in contempt by others, and misunderstood by the majority of men. Often he was hunted as if he were an animal. Arrest,
imprisonment, trial followed one another until his death. It is said that about fifty times charges were made against him in the courts, yet, so the records prove, he was
never found guilty of a violation of the law. (Joseph Smith, 1951, p. 33.)

John Smith: 7

Innocent of any crime

I knew him [Joseph Smith] when at his mother's breast, I watched and counselled his youth, but when God spoke and taught him, I bowed to his superior knowledge,
and although he was a boy and I an old man, and his uncle, yet I was not ashamed to learn true principles from him, and like Paul at the feet of Gamaliel drank in the
truths which flowed from the prophet's lips. I was in jail with him and his brother Hyrum a few hours before they were killed, and I can testify before God, that they
died innocent of any crime, and that they sealed their testimony with their blood. (CR, April 1927, p. 85.)

John Taylor: 7

Of all the martyrs under the altar that John saw

But he [John the Revelator] , under the inspiration of the Almighty, and filled with the light and intelligence of heaven, could gaze upon the position of things in the eternal
worlds, and saw the souls of those who had been slain for the testimony of Jesus, and the word of God, etc. They were told that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. [Rev. 6:9-11.] . . . His servants who have been called to lay
down their lives, will come forth with crowns upon their heads and reign upon the earth. (JD, August 24, 1884, 25:285.)

Section 136

The Word and Will of the Lord, given through President Brigham Young, at the Winter Quarters of the Camp of Israel, Omaha Nation, West Bank of Missouri River,
near Council Bluffs, Iowa, January 14, 1847.-Plan of organization for migration to the West-Admonitions to righteousness-The Lord to be praised both in times of joy
and of sorrow-Needful that Joseph Smith the Prophet should have sealed his testimony with his blood.

1. The Word and Will of the Lord concerning the Camp of Israel in their journeyings to the West:

2. Let all the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and those who journey with them, be organized into companies, with a covenant and promise to
keep all the commandments and statutes of the Lord our God.

3. Let the companies be organized with captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, and captains of tens, with a president and his two counselors at their head, under the
direction of the Twelve Apostles.

4. And this shall be our covenant-that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord.

5. Let each company provide themselves with all the teams, wagons, provisions, clothing, and other necessaries for the journey, that they can.

6. When the companies are organized let them go to with their might, to prepare for those who are to tarry.

7. Let each company, with their captains and presidents, decide how many can go next spring; then choose out a sufficient number of able-bodied and expert men, to
take teams, seeds, and farming utensils, to go as pioneers to prepare for putting in spring crops.

8. Let each company bear an equal proportion, according to the dividend of their property, in taking the poor, the widows, the fatherless, and the families of those who
have gone into the army, that the cries of the widow and the fatherless come not up into the ears of the Lord against this people.

9. Let each company prepare houses, and fields for raising grain, for those who are to remain behind this season; and this is the will of the Lord concerning his people.

10. Let every man use all his influence and property to remove this people to the place where the Lord shall locate a stake of Zion.

11. And if ye do this with a pure heart, in all faithfulness, ye shall be blessed; you shall be blessed in your flocks, and in your herds, and in your fields, and in your
houses, and in your families.

12. Let my servants Ezra T. Benson and Erastus Snow organize a company.

13. And let my servants Orson Pratt and Wilford Woodruff organize a company.

14. Also, let my servants Amasa Lyman and George A. Smith organize a company.

15. And appoint presidents, and captains of hundreds, and of fifties, and of tens.

16. And let my servants that have been appointed go and teach this, my will, to the saints, that they may be ready to go to a land of peace.

17. Go thy way and do as I have told you, and fear not thine enemies; for they shall not have power to stop my work.

18. Zion shall be redeemed in mine own due time.

19. And if any man shall seek to build up himself, and seeketh not my counsel, he shall have no power, and his folly shall be made manifest.
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20. Seek ye; and keep all your pledges one with another; and covet not that which is thy brother's.

21. Keep yourselves from evil to take the name of the Lord in vain, for I am the Lord your God, even the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and
18. Zion shall be redeemed in mine own due time.

19. And if any man shall seek to build up himself, and seeketh not my counsel, he shall have no power, and his folly shall be made manifest.

20. Seek ye; and keep all your pledges one with another; and covet not that which is thy brother's.

21. Keep yourselves from evil to take the name of the Lord in vain, for I am the Lord your God, even the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and
of Jacob.

22. I am he who led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; and my arm is stretched out in the last days, to save my people Israel.

23. Cease to contend one with another; cease to speak evil one of another.

24. Cease drunkenness; and let your words tend to edifying one another.

25. If thou borrowest of thy neighbor, thou shalt restore that which thou hast borrowed; and if thou canst not repay then go straightway and tell thy neighbor, lest he
condemn thee.

26. If thou shalt find that which thy neighbor has lost, thou shalt make diligent search till thou shalt deliver it to him again.

27. Thou shalt be diligent in preserving what thou hast, that thou mayest be a wise steward; for it is the free gift of the Lord thy God, and thou art his steward.

28. If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.

29. If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful.

30. Fear not thine enemies, for they are in mine hands and I will do my pleasure with them.

31. My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear
chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.

32. Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that
he may hear;

33. For my Spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and to the condemnation of the ungodly.

34. Thy brethren have rejected you and your testimony, even the nation that has driven you out;

35. And now cometh the day of their calamity, even the days of sorrow, like a woman that is taken in travail; and their sorrow shall be great unless they speedily repent,
yea, very speedily.

36. For they killed the prophets, and them that were sent unto them; and they have shed innocent blood, which crieth from the ground against them.

37. Therefore, marvel not at these things, for ye are not yet pure; ye can not yet bear my glory; but ye shall behold it if ye are faithful in keeping all my words that I have
given you, from the days of Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses, from Moses to Jesus and his apostles, and from Jesus and his apostles to Joseph Smith,
whom I did call upon by mine angels, my ministering servants, and by mine own voice out of the heavens, to bring forth my work;

38. Which foundation he did lay, and was faithful; and I took him to myself.

39. Many have marveled because of his death; but it was needful that he should seal his testimony with his blood, that he might be honored and the wicked might be
condemned.

40. Have I not delivered you from your enemies, only in that I have left a witness of my name?

41. Now, therefore, hearken, O ye people of my church; and ye elders listen together; you have received my kingdom.

42. Be diligent in keeping all my commandments, lest judgments come upon you, and your faith fail you, and your enemies triumph over you. So no more at present.
Amen and Amen.

Orson F. Whitney: Introduction

Brigham Young succeeded Joseph Smith as leader of the Latter-day Saints. Sidney Rigdon claimed the leadership. It was to secure it that he came from Pittsburgh on
learning of the Prophet's death. Being his first counselor in the Presidency,-though Joseph, distrusting his fidelity, had long since virtually cast him off,-Elder Rigdon
believed, or affected to believe that this entitled him to the succession. A small fraction of the Saints felt likewise.

But the hearts of the people, as a rule, were not with Sidney . . . Sidney's claim, though plausible, was not valid according to Church policy. The First Presidency to
which he had belonged was no more. Death had dissolved that council. The Prophet in life had taught that "where he was not there was no First Presidency over the
Twelve." [HC 2:374.] Next in order stood the Twelve-the Apostles-with Brigham Young as their President. Instinctively the people turned to Brigham, for they loved
and trusted him, and by that "right divine," no less than of seniority and succession in the Priesthood, he became their President and spiritual guide.

Sidney Rigdon, after his rejection by the Saints, returned to Pittsburgh. Soon afterward he was excommunicated. . . .

In January, 1845, the Legislature of Illinois, yielding to long-continued popular pressure, repealed the Nauvoo charter. . . .

At a Mormon settlement called Morley, a few miles from Nauvoo, a band of incendiaries, on the night of September 10th, began operations. Deliberately setting fire to
the house of Edmund Durfee they turned the inmates out of doors and threatened them with death if they did not at once leave the settlement. Durfee they subsequently
killed. The mob continued its nefarious work until Morley was in ashes, and its people homeless. Green Plains and Bear Creek, localities also settled by the Saints,
were  next visited
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                             Infobase Media     like manner devastated. Such scenes continued for a week, during which nearly two hundred houses,    shops148
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were destroyed and the people driven away. A hundred and thirty-five teams went out from Nauvoo to bring in the homeless refugees, with what grain had been saved
from the flames.
At a Mormon settlement called Morley, a few miles from Nauvoo, a band of incendiaries, on the night of September 10th, began operations. Deliberately setting fire to
the house of Edmund Durfee they turned the inmates out of doors and threatened them with death if they did not at once leave the settlement. Durfee they subsequently
killed. The mob continued its nefarious work until Morley was in ashes, and its people homeless. Green Plains and Bear Creek, localities also settled by the Saints,
were next visited by the house-burners, and in like manner devastated. Such scenes continued for a week, during which nearly two hundred houses, shops and sheds
were destroyed and the people driven away. A hundred and thirty-five teams went out from Nauvoo to bring in the homeless refugees, with what grain had been saved
from the flames.

Intense excitement now reigned, not only at Nauvoo, and in the out-lying Mormon settlements that nightly anticipated attack, but throughout Hancock County. Non-
Mormons not of the radical class disapproved of these deeds of vandalism, and Sheriff Backenstos, of Carthage-to his honor be it said-did everything in his power to
quell the riots and punish the guilty parties. He first issued a proclamation, demanding that they desist. This order they ignored. He then called upon the posse
comitatus-the power of the county-to assist him in dispersing the rioters. But there was no response. Finally he applied to the Mormons for a posse, which was
furnished him, and he proceeded at once against the house-burners.

In the encounters that ensued two mobocrats were killed. . . . The Mormon settlements around Nauvoo were now evacuated, the people fearing pillage and massacre,
gathering into the city for protection.

At this juncture Governor [Thomas] Ford put forth his hand to restore order. . . . The result was an agreement by the Latter-day Saints to leave Illinois; the exodus to
begin in the spring. The demand came from a meeting of representatives of nine counties of the State, assembled at Carthage. . . .

Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, which satisfied General Hardin and his associate commissioners, and appeased for a time the anti-Mormons, preparations went
forward all during the fall and winter for the spring exodus. Houses and land in and around Nauvoo were sold, leased or abandoned. Wagons by hundreds were
purchased or manufactured, and horses, mules, oxen, riding draft and pack animals in general procured in large numbers. Clothing, bedding, provisions, tents, tools,
household goods, family relics and camp equipage composed the lading, wherewith animals and vehicles were packed and loaded until little or no room remained.

At length, all being ready for a start, on the 4th of February, 1846, the exodus of the Mormons from Illinois began. . . . By the middle of February a thousand souls,
with their wagons, teams and effects had been landed on the Iowa shore.

Sugar Creek, nine miles westward, was made the rendezvous and starting point of the great overland pilgrimage. Here the advance companies pitched their tents, and
awaited the coming of their leaders. The weather was bitter cold, the ground snow-covered and desolate as to have dismayed souls less trustful in Providence, less
inured to hardship and suffering than they. It was February 5th that the first camp formed on Sugar Creek. That night-a bitter night, nine wives became mothers; nine
children were born in tents and wagons in that wintry camp. How these tender babes, these sick and delicate women were cared for under such conditions, is left to the
imagination of the sensitive reader. How these Mormon exiles, outcasts of civilization, carrying their aged, infirm and helpless across the desolate plains and prairies,
were tracked and trailed thereafter by the nameless graves of their dead, is a tale which though often attempted, has never been and never will be fully told. . . .

At various points between the Mississippi and the Missouri the Mormons founded temporary settlements, or, as they called them, "traveling stakes of Zion," fencing the
land, building log cabins, and putting in crops for their own use or for the benefit of their people who came after them. Two of these "stakes" were named Garden
Grove and Mount Pisgah; the former on the east fork of Grand River, one hundred and forty-five miles from Nauvoo, and the latter near the middle fork of the Grand,
twenty-seven miles farther west. Mount Pisgah was on the Pottawatomie Indian lands.

A thousand west-bound wagons of the Saints were now rolling over the prairies of Iowa. . . .

Some of the Mormons had early crossed to the west side of the [Missouri] river, constructing a ferry-boat for that purpose, and settled, by permission of the Indians-
Omahas-upon the lands set apart for their use by the Federal Government. . . .

As the season advanced the settlers on the west side were instructed to congregate in one place, and a site being chosen for that purpose they there founded their
celebrated Winter Quarters. This place is now Florence, Nebraska, five miles above the city of Omaha. . . . Garden Grove and Mount Pisgah were still inhabited; their
numbers now swelled by the refugees from Nauvoo. Here in these humble prairie settlements, surrounded by Indians, hopeful and even happy, though enduring much
sickness and privation, which resulted in many deaths, the pilgrim Mormons passed the winter of 1846-7. . . . "The word and will of the Lord concerning the Camp of
Israel in their journeyings to the West," was issued by President Young at Winter Quarters [Iowa] on the 14th of January 1847. A few paragraphs of this manifesto-the
first of its kind, penned by the Prophet's successor-will convey some idea of the nature of the preparations for the continued exodus: [Sec. 136:2-11, 20-31, quoted.]

Agreeable to these instructions the Saints went to work with a will, and as spring opened all was life, bustle and stir at their camps on the Missouri, and at their other
settlements on the prairies of Iowa. (History of Utah, 1892, 1:233-34, 237, 244-46, 248-49, 254, 278-80, 298-99.)

Orson F. Whitney: 1-15

In 1847 the Latter-day Saints, under the leadership of President Brigham Young began to fulfill the prediction of the Prophet Joseph who had declared, two years
before his death, that the Saints would "become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains." In the book of Doctrine and Covenants there is a revelation
entitled "The Word and Will of the Lord," to a people encamped upon the Missouri river, who had left civilization behind, who had been driven from their homes and
were making preparation to cross the great plains and mountains and settle in this then empty and desolate land. That "Word and Will of the Lord" commanded the
people of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to organize themselves into companies of hundreds, fifties, and tens preparatory to the long and wearisome
ox-team journey to Salt Lake Valley. (CR, October 1916, pp. 54-55.)

Anthony W. Ivins: 22

Recognizing the hopelessness of reconciliation with their neighbors, determined to find a place where the Saints could worship the Lord without molestation, this
modern Moses [Brigham Young] and his associates turned their faces westward, and after a journey unparalleled in the history of the world found asylum in these
mountain valleys, where the body of the Church now resides.

It is true that Moses led the Israelites out from the Egyptian captivity; the Puritans had left their homes in the old world and landed at Plymouth Rock.

The impulse which prompted each of these great movements, which have meant so much to the world and its people, was similar, but the circumstances under which
they were accomplished entirely different.

The Israelites were going out from a grievous and humiliating bondage, and returning to their old home, in the land of their fathers. Modern Israel were leaving their
homes, the lands of their fathers, and were going into a country unknown to them, a country uninhabited by civilized man.
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The Israelites were a people of one race, influenced in the accomplishment of their purpose by the traditions and religion of their fathers. The Latter-day Saints were
composed of people gathered from various nations, bringing with them different traditions, different customs and different languages.
they were accomplished entirely different.

The Israelites were going out from a grievous and humiliating bondage, and returning to their old home, in the land of their fathers. Modern Israel were leaving their
homes, the lands of their fathers, and were going into a country unknown to them, a country uninhabited by civilized man.

The Israelites were a people of one race, influenced in the accomplishment of their purpose by the traditions and religion of their fathers. The Latter-day Saints were
composed of people gathered from various nations, bringing with them different traditions, different customs and different languages.

Ancient Israel was separated from their destination by only about two hundred and fifty miles, in a direct line, and that over a country where great armies have marched
from remote times. The "Mormon" Pioneers traveled over a road where a few had gone before, a distance of more than a thousand miles.

Ancient Israel were led by great ocular demonstrations of the power of the Lord, and their daily bread was provided by manna sent down from Heaven. The
"Mormon" Pioneers walked by divine faith, and provided for their daily necessities with the labor of their own hands.

Reaching their destination, Ancient Israel found cities already built, orchards and vineyards already planted, and flocks and herds which the Lord delivered into their
hands. Modern Israel found a desert waste, which could only be redeemed and made productive by infinite toil.

So I feel justified in saying that this accomplishment has no parallel in the history of the world. (CR, April 1922, pp. 36-37.)

Brigham Young: 27

. . . Idleness and wastefulness are not according to the rules of heaven. Preserve all you can, that you may have abundance to bless your friends and your enemies. . . .
(JD, May 8, 1870, 14:44.)

David O. McKay: 28

If thou art merry, praise the Lord

The "Mormon" Church has always encouraged legitimate amusements; in this respect, at least, it has set a worthy example to the world. . . . Away back in the days of
Nauvoo we find the drama introduced by the Prophet Joseph. We find acting in that drama men who later became prominent leaders in the Church. Among them was
the man who succeeded the Prophet Joseph, Brigham Young. He, imbued with the necessity of influencing the people in their amusements and of using their recreation
as a means of instilling virtue, integrity, and honesty, brought to these valleys that spirit. Why, even on the plains, after a day's march, the wagons were drawn up in a
circle, a man with the violin would take his place by the campfire, and there on the prairie the sturdy pioneers would join hands in a dance, opening it by prayer, and
participate in amusement that fostered the spirit of the gospel. Two years had not passed after their entrance into the "Valley" before they built the "bowery," and there
presented, undoubtedly, the first drama that was ever given in the West. Later they built the Social Hall. . . . President Brigham Young . . . once said, in substance: "The
atmosphere of the dance should be such that if any elder be called from the party to go to administer to a sick person, he could leave with the same spirit that he would
go from his elder's quorum meeting." (CR, April 1920, pp. 116-17.)

Joseph Fielding Smith: 28

If thou art merry, praise the Lord . . . with a prayer

Have we any right as Latter-day Saints who profess to keep the commandments of the Lord, to open our dances without prayer, or other amusements, and to close
them in improper hours and without prayer? Have we that right, professing to be Latter-day Saints, keeping the commandments of the Lord? I say unto you, No. It
makes no difference whether it is pleasure, whether it is our daily labor, whether it is the service of the Lord in teaching the gospel and trying to save mankind.
Whatever it may be, that thing should be consecrated by prayer, and every performance, for the welfare of our souls. (CR, October 1919, p. 145.)

Charles W. Penrose: 30

Fear not

. . . when the Lord commenced this work He commenced it "for the last days and for the last time." [Sec. 112:30.] It will not be thrown down or given to another
people. It is to endure and abide forever, and, instead of being overcome by the things of this world, it is to overcome them. . . . it will conquer, it will endure. It matters
not what may be brought against it, it will prevail; for it is the work of the Lord, and it is "a marvelous work and a wonder." [Isa. 29:14.] Let us not turn to the right or
to the left through the influences of that Evil One, who deceives the nations. Many people will fail; many persons will turn aside, and they will endeavor to lead others
astray. But this work will continue onward, and it will overcome everything that arises in its path; it will revolutionize the world. [Sec. 65:2; 71:9-11; 103:5-7.] (CR,
April 1902, p. 54.)

Brigham Young: 30

Fear not thine enemies, for they are in mine hands

Dear Brethren, we are sensible that the account of the death of the Prophet and Patriarch of the Church will be painful to your hearts; it is to ours. We feel and mourn
their loss, but they have sealed their testimony with their blood; they have not counted their lives as dear unto themselves as the lives of the Church; they have died in
the Lord and their works still follow them.

The eyes of the Lord are upon those who have shed the blood of the Lord's anointed, and he will judge them with a righteous judgment. Let the Saints cultivate a meek
and quiet spirit, and all things shall in the end work together for your good. (MS, July 18, 1844, 25:86.)

Brigham Young, Jr.: 31

My people must be tried in all things

We had gone along from the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1844. We had passed through those terrible scenes while journeying through the then Territory
of Iowa, when it seemed to me as if there was death on every hand. I was but a boy at the time, but it looked to me as if there would not be enough people to last till
we could emerge from that dreadful ordeal in the months of February and March. Day after day those who were in the rear part of the train thought they were doing
well if they could camp where the head of the train had camped the previous day. If they made in one day a journey of three miles, they thought they were doing
excellently, because
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Latter-day Saints. We have to journey sometimes in water up to our necks, where we can hardly keep our mouths above the surface, so it was at that time. We would
make these corduroy bridges across swamps every two or three hundred yards, and they would sink till the wagon bed would be partly filled with water on some
occasions. We traveled in this manner day after day, and I have seen the tracks of the wagons a quarter of a mile up and down a certain swale in the road, perhaps
We had gone along from the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1844. We had passed through those terrible scenes while journeying through the then Territory
of Iowa, when it seemed to me as if there was death on every hand. I was but a boy at the time, but it looked to me as if there would not be enough people to last till
we could emerge from that dreadful ordeal in the months of February and March. Day after day those who were in the rear part of the train thought they were doing
well if they could camp where the head of the train had camped the previous day. If they made in one day a journey of three miles, they thought they were doing
excellently, because they had to bridge the streams, and over every swamp they had to build corduroy bridges. I never will forget them. They were like the lives of the
Latter-day Saints. We have to journey sometimes in water up to our necks, where we can hardly keep our mouths above the surface, so it was at that time. We would
make these corduroy bridges across swamps every two or three hundred yards, and they would sink till the wagon bed would be partly filled with water on some
occasions. We traveled in this manner day after day, and I have seen the tracks of the wagons a quarter of a mile up and down a certain swale in the road, perhaps
where they had diverged to cross a grassy place, because if a wagon cut through the sod there was not bottom to the lake underneath. I relate this to give you an idea
of our condition in journeying through Iowa. I remember a little playmate of mine died, and was to be buried. In digging his grave as soon as they cut through above
twelve inches of grass roots they struck a lake that seemed unfathomable, and they had to bury the child on the top of the sod. All who died in that country had to be
buried on the sod, and a fence built around to preserve them from the wild animals. It was a condition that appalled the stoutest heart; and President Young and the
brethren of the Apostles were laboring night and day to avert the evils that seemed to come upon the people. (CR, November 1901, pp. 77-78.)

Spencer W. Kimball: 36-38

Another day dawns-a new dispensation; the heavens are opened. The Father and the Son bear witness again to earth. Other heavenly visitors restore priceless
blessings to men, and another martyr gives his precious life to testify to a faithless, skeptical, and unbelieving world that a personal God lives; that Jesus his Son is the
Redeemer; and that truth is again restored. The details of the life of Joseph Smith are familiar to us. He announced at once his glorious vision of the Father and the Son
and was immediately oppressed and persecuted. Modern scribes and Pharisees have published libelous books and articles by the hundreds, imprisoned him some
forty-odd times, tarred and feathered him, shot at him, and did everything in their power to destroy him. In spite of their every effort to take his life, he survived through
more than a score of years of bitter and violent persecution to fill his mission, until his hour should come.

Twenty-four years of hell he suffered but also twenty-four years of ecstasy he enjoyed in converse with Gods and other immortals! His mission was finished-heaven
and earth were linked again; the Church was organized; Brigham Young and other great leaders were trained to carry on; and he had conferred upon the heads of the
Twelve every key and power belonging to the apostleship which he himself held, and he had said to them: "I have laid the foundations and you must build thereon, for
upon your shoulders the kingdom rests." And his hour had come to seal with his blood his testimony, so often borne to multitudes of friends and foes. His Judas came
from his own circle-Governor Ford was his Pontius Pilate, Nauvoo was his Gethsemane, and Carthage his Calvary. There were also modern Pharisees to goad the
mobs and another martyr testified. . . . The shots rang out! And freely flowed the blood of martyrs, for Hyrum, his older brother, had chosen to remain with him. This
precious blood soaked into the earth, sealing an undying and unanswerable testimony which continued to ring in minds and hearts. . . .

His work was not lost. His testimony goes steadily forward on to infinity. As Alma had carried the torch for Abinadi, the apostles for the Savior, now came Brigham
Young and the Twelve to continue the work of restoration.

Men do not give their lives to perpetuate falsehoods. Martyrdom dissipates all questions as to the sincerity of the martyr. Personalities do not survive the ages. They rise
like a shooting star, shine brilliantly for a moment and disappear from view, but a martyr for a living cause, like the sun, shines on forever. Great characters, students,
businessmen, scientists, followed the youthful prophet to his death. They were not deceived. They lost him in martyrdom but inspired with the divinity of the Cause went
forward without hesitancy. Thousands gave lives they could have saved, in Missouri, Illinois, and crossing the plains, and today a great people hailed for their education,
practicability, and virtue, stand to bear witness that the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, like that of the martyrs before him, is another of the infallible proofs of the divinity
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, restored in its fulness through that humble prophet. (CR, April 1946, pp. 45, 50.)

George Albert Smith: 38

Which foundation he did lay, and was faithful

Under the Lord's direction, he [Joseph Smith] organized the Church of Christ, with apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc., as the Church should be
organized, to continue thus until all should come to a unity of the faith. He ministered unto the people, he healed the sick; he loved the souls of the children of men. But,
as had been the case with prophets whom the Lord had raised up before, it seemed necessary in this case that the testimony of His servant should be sealed with his
life's blood. No more pathetic page will be found in the history of the world than that upon which are inscribed the last sayings of our beloved Prophet Joseph Smith.
He knew that his time was near at hand; he realized that his life's mission had been fulfilled. He had given the keys for the gifts and blessings of God unto the people,
and the Father had continued to bless him; finally he realized that his labor was about done. (CR, April 1904, p. 63.)

Wilford Woodruff: 39

That he might be honored and the wicked might be condemned

The Lord has suffered some of our Prophets and Apostles to be martyred; and what for? That the cup of the iniquity of the nations might be full and that his servants
might be crowned heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ to a martyr's crown. (JD, September 27, 1857, 5:269.)

Orson F. Whitney: 39

Deep down, fundamentally, what was it that brought about the death of the Apostle Paul and the death of the Prophet Joseph? The fundamental reason was this: They
were servants of God, and Satan wanted them out of the way. They stood as "lions in the path," and were building up God's kingdom in His own appointed way. Both
these men had looked upon the face of Deity. Paul had been "caught up to the third heaven" [2 Cor. 12:2-5] , Joseph to the "seventh heaven" and there "heard things
unlawful to be uttered." [Sec. 76:115.] Each was a divinely commissioned preacher of the gospel at the opening of a new dispensation. (CR, October 1912, p. 70.)

George Q. Cannon: 40

Have I not delivered you from your enemies . . . ?

The blood of innocence has stained the soil of free America-the blood of a Prophet, of a Patriarch, and of other righteous men and women who have suffered for their
religion, and for no other cause than that they chose to espouse the truth and to advocate it, living lives of purity, offending no one-that is, no one who should be
offended-breaking no law, trampling upon no human right. They were cruelly murdered, and we as a people were driven out by violence, driven out from the midst of
civilization, driven out from our homes and our hard-earned possessions, and our track is marked with the blood and with the graves of our own people from the
borders of civilization till we reached these Rocky Mountains, and for no other cause for which we could be punished legally. We broke no law; we committed no
offense against the majesty of the law. We have lived lives of purity as we do here in these mountains. But prejudice was created; men became excited; mobs were
formed, and extermination was decided upon, and there was no alternative presented to us but this: either to submit to be killed off, men, women and children, from the
face  of the earth,
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conscience in peace and in quietness. We chose the latter alternative. We preferred to come out among tribes of Indians of which we knew nothing, and live in their
midst and trust to their mercies, savages though they were, than to remain among civilized men, men who called themselves Christians. We did this thirty-seven years
ago. (JD, November 23, 1884, 26:285.)
civilization, driven out from our homes and our hard-earned possessions, and our track is marked with the blood and with the graves of our own people from the
borders of civilization till we reached these Rocky Mountains, and for no other cause for which we could be punished legally. We broke no law; we committed no
offense against the majesty of the law. We have lived lives of purity as we do here in these mountains. But prejudice was created; men became excited; mobs were
formed, and extermination was decided upon, and there was no alternative presented to us but this: either to submit to be killed off, men, women and children, from the
face of the earth, or to take our flight as best we could in our poverty to some remote land where we could worship God according to the dictates of our own
conscience in peace and in quietness. We chose the latter alternative. We preferred to come out among tribes of Indians of which we knew nothing, and live in their
midst and trust to their mercies, savages though they were, than to remain among civilized men, men who called themselves Christians. We did this thirty-seven years
ago. (JD, November 23, 1884, 26:285.)

Francis M. Lyman: 42

Be diligent . . . lest . . . your faith fail you

Then I exhort you . . . to be faithful, to be humble. Do not neglect any duty that devolves upon you. Whenever you neglect your prayers, you are on dangerous ground.
Whenever you neglect to worship the Lord, and break the Sabbath day, you are on dangerous ground. Whenever you neglect to deal righteously and honestly by any
person in the world, you are on dangerous ground and in danger of falling into the grasp of Satan. You cannot afford to do it. Satan has great power in the world, and
he is more anxious about this little body of people gathered in these mountains than about any nation on this earth. Why? Because these people have the Priesthood of
God; they have the ordinances of the Gospel; they have the power of God for salvation to the world. Hence he is agitated, and he agitates others and stirs them up with
prejudice and evil thoughts against the Latter-day Saints. We have the Church of Christ, and it will remain. You and I may get shaky; we may fall away; but this Church
will endure; for it is established and planted here by our Father who is in Heaven. [Sec. 1:17-23; 65:2.] It does not depend upon any one man, or any number of men.
The Lord has chosen spirits that have been sent here for the very work that has to be accomplished. Let us . . . develop the fact in our lives that we are among those
that the Lord has selected to come here and perform His work. (MS, March 5, 1894, 56:149.)

Heber J. Grant: 42

Be diligent . . . lest . . . your faith fail you

I wish to call your attention to the many failures that have been made because of failure to keep the commandments. The Lord told Oliver Cowdery and David
Whitmer that if they labored all their lives in bringing but one soul to the knowledge of God they should have great joy. [Sec. 18:10-16.] Notwithstanding this
revelation, these men did not remain faithful, notwithstanding these men saw the angel of God; notwithstanding they gave their testimony to the Book of Mormon, in
which they declare that they knew the plates had been translated by the gift and power of God, for "His voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety
that the work is true." And again they testify that the angel came down and they beheld and saw the plates and the engravings thereon. . . . Notwithstanding all this, they
failed to keep the commandments of God and fell by the wayside. Take Sidney Rigdon who was with Joseph Smith when he received that great vision and revelation
wherein it is declared that they saw Jesus Christ who came into the world to bear the sins of the world and the testimony which they bore of Jesus. [Sec. 76:22-24.] . .
. And they testify that they saw the angels and those that were sanctified singing praises to God. [Sec. 76:20-21.] I say, notwithstanding they saw the Savior and bore
His testimony, this man Sidney Rigdon, fell by the wayside. I say to the Latter-day Saints, no amount of knowledge, no amount of testimony, no amount of sealing in the
temples of God to our wives and children will save us; but the keeping of the commandments of God, being honest in our dealings with God and with our fellow men,
paying our tithing, obeying the Word of Wisdom and doing our duty as Latter-day Saints-these are the things, and the only things that will save us. (CR, October 1900,
pp. 59-60.)

First Presidency (Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards): 41-42

Finally, brethren, slacken not your hands, but be diligent to do with your might a good work in every just and laudable calling, and prove your own selves by embracing
every opportunity to be useful, and magnify your callings, that you may be counted worthy of eternal life. Live your religion so manifestly and indisputably, that you may
feel the peaceful and purifying fruits of it, and the power thereof, lest temptations seize upon you that you have not power to withstand, and you lose what you have
seemed to gain. Let not your lives be such that your own hearts will condemn you, lest He who is greater than your hearts should prefer charges against you far more
and greater than a misty, darkened mind has supposed. (MS, January 14, 1853, 16:17-19.)

George Q. Cannon: 41-42

We know when a man dies, inasmuch as he dies faithful to the truth, having kept the commandments of God and obeyed the ordinances of the house of God as far as
they have been revealed and as he has had an opportunity, that he is secure, that his future is assured. He goes, as we are taught, to the Paradise of God, there to await
the morning of the first resurrection. We know that his body will be called forth from the dust and from the tomb, and that his spirit will re-animate it, and he enter upon
that glorious condition of existence concerning which so many promises have been made. [Sec. 88:27-29; 76:1-10, 50-70; 132:22-24.] In this respect the faith of the
Latter-day Saints is not a chimera, it is something tangible. (JD, July 19, 1874, 17:136.)

General Authorities Quoted in This Volume

Presidents of the Church

JOSEPH SMITH, JR.: December 23, 1805-June 27, 1844

Received the Melchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James, and John in 1829; sustained as first elder of the Church April 6, 1830; sustained as President of the High
Priesthood January 25, 1832.

BRIGHAM YOUNG: June 1, 1801-August 29, 1877

Ordained an apostle February 14, 1835; sustained as President of the Church December 27, 1847.

JOHN TAYLOR: November 1, 1808-July 25, 1887

Ordained an apostle December 19, 1838; sustained as President of the Church October 10, 1880.

WILFORD WOODRUFF: March 1, 1807-September 2, 1898

Ordained an apostle April 26, 1839; sustained as President of the Church April 7, 1889.

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Ordained an apostle February 12, 1849; sustained as President of the Church September 13, 1898.
WILFORD WOODRUFF: March 1, 1807-September 2, 1898

Ordained an apostle April 26, 1839; sustained as President of the Church April 7, 1889.

LORENZO SNOW: April 3, 1814-October 10, 1901

Ordained an apostle February 12, 1849; sustained as President of the Church September 13, 1898.

JOSEPH F. SMITH: November 13, 1838-November 19, 1918

Ordained an apostle July 1, 1866; sustained as President of the Church October 17, 1901.

HEBER J. GRANT: November 22, 1856-May 14, 1945

Ordained an apostle October 16, 1882; sustained as President of the Church November 23, 1918.

GEORGE ALBERT SMITH: April 4, 1870-April 4, 1951

Ordained an apostle October 8, 1903; sustained as President of the Church May 21, 1945.

DAVID O. McKAY: September 8, 1873-January 18, 1970

Ordained an apostle April 9, 1906; sustained as second counselor to President Heber J. Grant October 6, 1934; also sustained as second counselor to President
George Albert Smith May 21, 1945; sustained as President of the Church April 9, 1951.

JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH: July 19, 1876-July 2, 1972

Ordained an apostle April 7, 1910; sustained as counselor in the First Presidency October 29, 1965; sustained as President of the Church January 23, 1970.

HAROLD B. LEE: March 18, 1899-December 26, 1973

Ordained an apostle April 10, 1941; sustained as first counselor to President Joseph Fielding Smith January 23, 1970; sustained as President of the Church July 7,
1972.

SPENCER W. KIMBALL: March 28, 1895-

Ordained an apostle October 7, 1943; sustained as President of the Church December 30, 1973.

Second Elder and Assistant Counselor

OLIVER COWDERY: October 3, 1806-March 3, 1850

Received the Melchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James, and John in 1829; sustained as second elder of the Church April 6, 1830; sustained as assistant counselor in
the First Presidency September 3, 1837. Excommunicated April 11, 1839; rebaptized November 12, 1848.

Counselors in the First Presidency

SIDNEY RIGDON: February 19, 1793-July 14, 1876

Set apart as first counselor to President Joseph Smith March 18, 1833; excommunicated September 8, 1844.

HEBER C. KIMBALL: June 14, 1801-June 22, 1868

Ordained an apostle February 14, 1835; sustained as first counselor to President Brigham Young December 27, 1847.

WILLARD RICHARDS: June 24, 1804-March 11, 1854

Ordained an apostle April 14, 1840; sustained as second counselor to President Brigham Young December 27, 1847.

DANIEL H. WELLS: October 27, 1814-March 24, 1891

Set apart as second counselor to President Brigham Young January 4, 1857; released at the death of President Young August 29, 1877; sustained as counselor to the
Twelve Apostles October 6, 1877.

GEORGE A. SMITH: June 26, 1817-September 1, 1875

Ordained an apostle April 26, 1839; sustained as first counselor to President Brigham Young October 7, 1868.

GEORGE Q. CANNON: January 11, 1827-April 12, 1901

Ordained an apostle August 26, 1860; sustained as first counselor to President John Taylor October 10, 1880; to President Wilford Woodruff April 7, 1889; to
President Lorenzo Snow September 13, 1898.

JOHN R. WINDER: December 11, 1821-March 27, 1910

Sustained as first counselor to President Joseph F. Smith October 7, 1901.

ANTHON
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Ordained an apostle October 7, 1889; sustained as second counselor to President Joseph F. Smith October 17, 1901; sustained as first counselor April 7, 1910;
sustained as first counselor to President Heber J. Grant November 22, 1918.
JOHN R. WINDER: December 11, 1821-March 27, 1910

Sustained as first counselor to President Joseph F. Smith October 7, 1901.

ANTHON H. LUND: May 15, 1844-March 2, 1921

Ordained an apostle October 7, 1889; sustained as second counselor to President Joseph F. Smith October 17, 1901; sustained as first counselor April 7, 1910;
sustained as first counselor to President Heber J. Grant November 22, 1918.

JOHN HENRY SMITH: September 18, 1848-October 13, 1911

Ordained an apostle October 27, 1880; sustained as second counselor to President Joseph F. Smith April 7, 1910.

CHARLES W. PENROSE: February 4, 1832-May 16, 1925

Ordained an apostle July 7, 1904; sustained as second counselor to President Joseph F. Smith December 7, 1911; sustained as second counselor to President Heber
J. Grant November 23, 1918, and as first counselor March 10, 1921.

ANTHONY W. IVINS: September 16, 1852-September 23, 1934

Ordained an apostle October 6, 1907; sustained as second counselor to President Heber J. Grant March 10, 1921, and as first counselor May 28, 1925.

J. REUBEN CLARK, JR.: September 1, 1871-October 6, 1961

Sustained as second counselor to President Heber J. Grant April 6, 1933; sustained as first counselor October 6, 1934; ordained an apostle October 11, 1934;
sustained as second counselor to President David O. McKay April 9, 1951, and as first counselor June 13, 1959.

STEPHEN L RICHARDS: June 18, 1879-May 29, 1959

Ordained an apostle April 10, 1947; sustained as first counselor to President David O. McKay April 9, 1951.

HENRY D. MOYLE: April 22, 1889-September 18, 1963

Ordained an apostle April 10, 1947; sustained as second counselor to President David O. McKay June 12, 1959, and as first counselor October 12, 1961.

HUGH B. BROWN: October 24, 1883-December 2, 1975

Sustained as Assistant to the Council of the Twelve October 4, 1953; ordained an apostle April 10, 1958; sustained as second counselor to President David O.
McKay October 12, 1961; sustained as first counselor October 4, 1963; released January 18, 1970.

N. ELDON TANNER: May 9, 1898-

Sustained as Assistant to the Council of the Twelve October 8, 1960; ordained an apostle October 11, 1962; sustained as second counselor to President David O.
McKay October 4, 1963; sustained as second counselor to President Joseph Fielding Smith January 23, 1970; sustained as first counselor to President Harold B. Lee
July 7, 1972; sustained as first counselor to President Spencer W. Kimball December 30, 1973.

MARION G. ROMNEY: September 19, 1897-

Sustained as Assistant to the Council of the Twelve April 6, 1941; ordained an apostle October 11, 1951; sustained as second counselor to President Harold B. Lee
July 7, 1972; sustained as second counselor to President Spencer W. Kimball December 30, 1973.

The Twelve Apostles of the Church

ORSON HYDE: January 8, 1805-November 28, 1878

Ordained an apostle February 15, 1835.

PARLEY P. PRATT: April 12, 1807-May 13, 1857

Ordained an apostle February 21, 1835.

LUKE S. JOHNSON: November 3, 1807-December 9, 1861

Ordained an apostle February 15, 1835; excommunicated April 13, 1838; returned to the Church.

ORSON PRATT: September 19, 1811-October 3, 1881

Ordained an apostle April 26, 1835.

ERASTUS SNOW: November 9, 1818-May 27, 1888

Ordained an apostle February 12, 1849.

FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS: April 2, 1821-December 9, 1899

Ordained an apostle February 12, 1849.

BRIGHAM    YOUNG,
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Ordained an apostle February 4, 1864.
FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS: April 2, 1821-December 9, 1899

Ordained an apostle February 12, 1849.

BRIGHAM YOUNG, JR.: December 18, 1836-April 11, 1903

Ordained an apostle February 4, 1864.

FRANCIS M. LYMAN: January 12, 1840-November 18, 1916.

Ordained an apostle October 27, 1880.

GEORGE TEASDALE: December 8, 1831-June 9, 1907

Ordained an apostle October 16, 1882.

MARRINER W. MERRILL: September 25, 1832-February 6, 1906

Ordained an apostle October 7, 1889.

ABRAHAM O. WOODRUFF: November 23, 1872-June 20, 1904

Ordained an apostle October 7, 1897.

RUDGER CLAWSON: March 12, 1857-June 21, 1943

Ordained an apostle October 10, 1898.

REED SMOOT: January 10, 1862-February 9, 1941

Ordained an apostle April 8, 1900.

HYRUM M. SMITH: March 21, 1872-January 23, 1918

Ordained an apostle October 24, 1901.

GEORGE F. RICHARDS: February 23, 1861-August 8, 1950

Ordained an apostle April 9, 1906.

ORSON F. WHITNEY: July 1, 1855-May 16, 1931

Ordained an apostle April 9, 1906.

JAMES E. TALMAGE: September 21, 1862-July 27, 1933

Ordained an apostle December 8, 1911.

MELVIN J. BALLARD: February 9, 1873-July 30, 1939

Ordained an apostle January 7, 1919.

JOHN A. WIDTSOE: January 31, 1872-November 29, 1952

Ordained an apostle March 17, 1921.

JOSEPH F. MERRILL: August 24, 1868-February 3, 1952

Ordained an apostle October 8, 1931.

CHARLES A. CALLIS: May 4, 1865-January 21, 1947

Ordained an apostle October 12, 1933.

ALONZO A. HINCKLEY: April 23 , 1870-December 22, 1936

Ordained an apostle October 11, 1934.

ALBERT E. BOWEN: October 31, 1875-July 15, 1953

Ordained an apostle April 8, 1937.

EZRA TAFT BENSON: August 4, 1899-

Ordained an apostle October 7, 1943.

MARK E. PETERSEN: November 7, 1900-
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Ordained an apostle April 20, 1944.

DELBERT L. STAPLEY: December 11, 1896-
Ordained an apostle October 7, 1943.

MARK E. PETERSEN: November 7, 1900-

Ordained an apostle April 20, 1944.

DELBERT L. STAPLEY: December 11, 1896-

Ordained an apostle October 5, 1950.

LEGRAND RICHARDS: February 6, 1886-

Sustained as Presiding Bishop of the Church April 6, 1938; ordained an apostle April 10, 1952.

RICHARD L. EVANS: March 23, 1906-November 1, 1971

Sustained as one of the First Council of the Seventy October 7, 1938; ordained an apostle October 8, 1953.

GEORGE Q. MORRIS: February 20, 1874-April 23, 1962

Sustained as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve October 6, 1951; ordained an apostle April 8, 1954.

HOWARD W. HUNTER: November 14, 1907-

Ordained an apostle October 15, 1959.

GORDON B. HINCKLEY: June 23, 1910-

Sustained as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve April 6, 1958; ordained an apostle October 5, 1961.

THOMAS S. MONSON: August 21, 1927-

Ordained an apostle October 10, 1963.

BRUCE R. McCONKIE: July 29, 1915-

Sustained as a member of the First Council of the Seventy October 6, 1946; ordained an apostle October 12, 1972.

Patriarchs to the Church

JOHN SMITH: September 22, 1832-November 8, 1911

Ordained Patriarch to the Church February 18, 1855.

HYRUM G. SMITH: July 1879-February 4, 1932

Ordained a high priest and Patriarch to the Church May 9, 1912.

JOSEPH F. SMITH: January 30, 1899-August 29, 1964

Ordained a high priest and Patriarch to the Church October 8, 1942; released October 6, 1946, due to ill health.

ELDRED G. SMITH: January 9, 1907-

Ordained a high priest May 23, 1938; ordained and set apart as Patriarch to the Church April 10, 1947.

Bibliography

Books

Brown, Hugh B. Eternal Quest. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1956.

Callis, Charles A. Fundamentals of Religion. Independence, Missouri: Zion's Printing and Publishing Co., 1945.

Cannon, George Q. Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1907.

Clark, James R., comp. Messages of the First Presidency. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-75.

Conference Reports. Reports of the proceedings of the annual and semiannual conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, 1880,
1897-1977.

Cowley, Matthew. Matthew Cowley Speaks. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954.

Cowley, Matthias F. Cowley's Talks on Doctrine. Chattanooga, Tenn.: Ben E. Rich, 1902.

---. Wilford Woodruff. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909.
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Evans, John Henry. Ezra T. Benson, Pioneer-Statesman-Saint. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1947.

Hayward, John. The Book of Religions. Boston: John Hayward, 1842.
Cowley, Matthias F. Cowley's Talks on Doctrine. Chattanooga, Tenn.: Ben E. Rich, 1902.

---. Wilford Woodruff. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909.

Evans, John Henry. Ezra T. Benson, Pioneer-Statesman-Saint. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1947.

Hayward, John. The Book of Religions. Boston: John Hayward, 1842.

Hinckley, Bryant S. Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1949.

Jenson, Andrew, ed. The Historical Record. Church Encyclopedia, Book I. Salt Lake City, Utah, 1887.

Journal of Discourses. Brigham Young and others. Liverpool: F. D. and S. W. Richards, 1854-86.

Lee, Harold B. Youth and the Church. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1945

Lundwall, N. B., comp. A Compilation Containing the Lectures on Faith. Salt Lake City: N. B. Lundwall, n.d.

McKay, David O. Gospel Ideals. Salt Lake City: Improvement Era, 1957.

Petersen, Mark E. A Faith to Live By. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1959.

---. Your Faith and You. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1953.

Pratt, Orson. Masterful Discourses of Orson Pratt. Compiled by N. B. Lundwall. Salt Lake City: N. B. Lundwall, n.d.

Pratt, Parley P. Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1950.

---. Key to the Science of Theology. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1943.

---. A Voice of Warning. New York: W. Sandford, (c) 1837.

Richards, Franklin D., and Little, James A. A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1882.

Richards, LeGrand, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1950.

Roberts, B. H. The Life of John Taylor. Salt Lake City: George Q. Cannon and Sons, (c)1892.

Smith, Joseph. History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 7 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1950. (Volume 7 is a manuscript history of
Brigham Young.)

---. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976.

Smith, Joseph F. Gospel Doctrine. Compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., (c)1939.

Smith, Joseph Fielding. Answers to Gospel Questions. 5 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957-66.

---. Church History and Modern Revelation. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Council of the Twelve Apostles, 1947-50.

---. Doctrines of Salvation. 3 vols. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-56.

---. Elijah the Prophet and His Mission. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1936.

---. Essentials in Church History. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1950.

---. Life of Joseph F. Smith. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

---. The Progress of Man. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1940.

---. Salvation Universal. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1912.

---. The Signs of the Times. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1942.

---. The Way to Perfection. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1943.

Talmage, James E. Articles of Faith. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1950.

---. Jesus the Christ. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1915.

---. Sunday Night Talks; a series of radio addresses. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1931.

---. The Vitality of Mormonism. Boston: Richard G. Badger, 1919.

Taylor, John. Gospel Kingdom. Edited by G. Homer Durham. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1943.

---. Items on Priesthood. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, (c)1881.

---. Mediation
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Whitney, Orson F. History of Utah. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: George Q. Cannon and Sons Co., 1892-1904.
Taylor, John. Gospel Kingdom. Edited by G. Homer Durham. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1943.

---. Items on Priesthood. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, (c)1881.

---. Mediation and Atonement. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, (c)1882

Whitney, Orson F. History of Utah. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: George Q. Cannon and Sons Co., 1892-1904.

---. Life of Heber C. Kimball. Salt Lake City: Kimball Family, 1888.

---. Saturday Night Thoughts. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1921.

Widtsoe, John A. The Articles of Faith in Everyday Life. Salt Lake City: Young Men's and Young Women's Mutual 1mprovement Association, 1949.

---. Evidences and Reconciliations. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1943.

---. Gospel Interpretations. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1947.

---. Joseph Smith, Seeker After Truth, Prophet of God. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1951.

---. Priesthood and Church Government. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1950.

Periodicals

Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year. 1951-1977.

Deseret News. 1850-1977.

Deseret News Church Section, or Church News. 1931-1977.

Deseret Weekly. 1888-1898.

Evening and Morning Star. 1900-1913.

Improvement Era. 1897-1970.

Instructor. 1866-1970.

Juvenile Instructor. 1866-1929.

Liahona, or the Elder's Journal. 1907-1945.

Millennial Star. 1840-1970.

Missionary Handbook. 1944.

Relief Society Magazine. 1914-1970.

Times and Seasons. 1839-1846.

Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine. 1910-1940.

Young Woman's Journal. 1889-1929.

Miscellaneous

Addresses to Seminary and Institute Faculties. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University.

Clark, J. Reuben, Jr. "The Claim of Scripture." July 7, 1954.

Lee, Harold B. "Priesthood." July 17, 1958.

Smith, Joseph Fielding. "The Twelve Apostles," 1958.

Benson, Ezra Taft. "Our Prophets and Principles," writings on our Articles of Faith and prophets who made them live. Salt Lake City: The Instructor, 1956.

Bowen, Albert E. The Church Welfare Plan. Gospel Doctrine course of study. Salt Lake City: Deseret Sunday School Union, 1946.

Brown, Hugh B. "Joseph Smith Among the Prophets." 16th annual Joseph Smith Memorial Sermon, delivered at the Logan LDS Institute of Religion, December 7,
1958. Logan, Utah: LDS Institute of Religion, 1959.

Clark, J. Reuben, Jr. The One Mighty and Strong, also the United Order and Law of Consecration as set out in the revelations of the Lord. Reprinted from the Church
News section of the Deseret News. Salt Lake City, n.d.

Rich, Ben E., pub. Scrapbook of Mormon Literature. Religious tracts. Chicago: Press of Henry C. Etten and Co., 1910.

Widtsoe, John A. Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Manual for the senior department of the MIA, 1938-39. Salt Lake City, 1938.
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---. The Word of Wisdom. Salt Lake City: General Board of Education, July 19, 1921. Seminary lectures, no. 33.
Rich, Ben E., pub. Scrapbook of Mormon Literature. Religious tracts. Chicago: Press of Henry C. Etten and Co., 1910.

Widtsoe, John A. Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Manual for the senior department of the MIA, 1938-39. Salt Lake City, 1938.

---. The Word of Wisdom. Salt Lake City: General Board of Education, July 19, 1921. Seminary lectures, no. 33.




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