SECTION
125
Revelation
given through Joseph Smith III, April 15, 1901, at Independence,
Missouri. This revelation was unusual in that —- for the first time
—- the inspired message was presented to the General Conference
without prior consideration by the quorums. Joseph explained that he
was “bidden” to follow this procedure. The Conference referred
the document to the quorums. After the quorums had reported
favorably, it was approved by the body. At the same time it was
ordered to be included in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Statement
and Revelation
1. The
successor of my servant W. W. Blair is with the body, but the
conditions are not ripe for this addition to the presidency; but it
shall be made in due time. In the meantime, let the presidency
continue as at present constituted.
2. To
fill this vacancy I was instructed to present the name of “my
servant Peter Andersen.”
3a.
The patriarch is an evangelical minister. The duties of this office
are to be an evangelical minister; to preach, teach, expound, exhort,
to be a revivalist, and to visit branches and districts as wisdom may
direct, invitation, request, or the Spirit of God determine and
require;
3b. to
comfort the Saints; to be a father to the church; to give counsel and
advice to individuals who may seek for such; to lay on hands for the
conferment of spiritual blessing, and if so led, to point out the
lineage of the one who is blessed.
4a. He
is to be free from responsibility—ministerial—as a traveling
minister, and from the care of the local branch or church and
district affairs.
4b.
When traveling and preaching, holding revival meetings, he is to
labor in connection with the branch and district officers, not
subject to the ministerial control of the missionary in charge,
except he should transcend his bounds and teach false doctrine or be
found in transgression.
4c. He
is not to meddle with branch affairs or district affairs.
4d. He
is not to listen to complaints made by individuals to him, but if
persons insist upon presenting their troubles, he is to request them
and require them to make them in writing, signing the name, giving
time, place, and character of the trouble, with the witnesses, which
it will be his duty to present to the branch or district officers, as
the case may require.
4e. He
is not to be put in charge of either branch or district. These are
the privileges which attach to the office of patriarch and
evangelical minister.
5a.
The Presiding Patriarch is to be considered the first, and when
patriarchs meet in council, is to preside.
5b.
Besides these duties, the patriarch may meet with quorums in their
quorum meetings, where he may be asked for counsel, but will not have
either voice or vote, except by courtesy, having no direct control of
quorums.
6a.
Other evangelical ministers beside the Presiding Patriarch have
similar duties in the districts where they are appointed.
6b.
Revelations have been given, as my people know, that these men should
receive ordination, but hitherto those upon whom this burden has lain
have neglected, for the reason that they did not understand the
duties and prerogatives that attach to the office. Let my servants
take heed and hesitate no longer.
7a. My
servant was directed to present to the church rules of
representation, and he so stated to the body at different times that
he was so led; but the conferences of my people saw proper to change
these articles and rules of representation, and propositions are
pending that they be still further changed.
7b.
The direction of the Spirit is that they be left as they now are
until such time as the increased numbers of the members of the church
shall require either an enlargement of the number entitled to
delegate, or that there may be a closer line drawn as to the number
of delegates which the church shall require to meet.
8. The
word elders used in the law signifies those holding the Melchisedec
priesthood only; all classes and orders of this priesthood are
characterized by the word elder.
9. The
only qualification for delegates chosen by the branches or districts
should be membership and good standing, it being given by the Spirit
that those other than the eldership should be represented in this
way.
10a.
My people are directed to establish two stakes; one at Independence,
one at Lamoni, Iowa, organizing them after the pattern which is found
in the law; a presiding high priest with counselors, a high council,
and a bishop and his counselors.
10b.
These stakes shall be made to comprise the boundaries of the
districts as they now stand, the center at the towns and places
named;
10c.
and the majority of the councils that should be chosen should be
residents of the places named, in order that there may ever be a
sufficient body to transact the business required.
11a.
It is the duty of the church to provide tracts in the Scandinavian,
German, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese languages, and others, as
the missions may require;
11b.
these tracts to be written by those in the ministry and those of the
brothers who are not of the ministry who have a talent for writing,
and to be submitted to the Presidency before being published.
11c.
They should be short, clearly stated, and a sufficient number should
be printed to furnish the traveling ministry with the quantities
desirable for them to distribute.
12a.
The missions abroad other than those in the land of Joseph which were
opened officially during the lifetime of the martyrs shall be
considered as having been opened unto us, whether they were at once
undertaken and prosecuted during the lifetime of the martyrs, or
whether subsequent to their death they were prosecuted in
righteousness-wherever they were sent.
12b.
Other missions not thus opened, it will be requisite that the Twelve
shall either go, or in the exercise of their missionary authority
send, as provided in the law, of the Seventy.
13a.
For prosecuting the work in two of these missions, this is offered
and directed:
13b.
Send the Bishop to England with my servant Gomer T. Griffiths, to aid
in arranging the affairs of the church there, organizing the ministry
locally and determining what help in the missionary field may be
required from America.
13c.
Authorize the selection and the ordination of a high priest to
officiate in the office of bishop in England, that it may be
accomplished as soon as practicable and without fail, in answer to
the request made by my servants in that land.
13d.
Authorize the patriarch as one of the Presidency to visit Australia
and the islands of the sea, the Society Islands, authorizing him to
assist the authorities there in arranging their missionary labor by
his advice,
13e.
and also selecting and ordaining a high priest to act in the office
of bishop, carrying with him the authority of the conference.
14a.
Branches and districts are to be conducted according to the rules
given in the law as directed in a former revelation: They shall take
the things which have been given unto them as my law to the church to
be my law to govern my church.
14b.
And these affairs are not to be conducted by manifestations of the
Spirit unless these directions and manifestations come through the
regularly authorized officers of branch or district.
14c.
If my people will respect the officers whom I have called and set in
the church, I will respect these officers; and if they do not, they
cannot expect the riches of gifts and the blessings of direction.
15a.
Prophesying over them that are sick in administering to them has been
a fruitful source of trouble among my people.
15b.
They must observe that this they are not required to do except there
be a direct manifestation of the Spirit which may direct it.
15c.
Pray over the sick, anoint them with oil, as commanded in the law,
and leave them in my hands, that the Spirit may deal with them
according to my wisdom.
15d.
Many spiritual manifestations have been had. Some of these have been
false, and under the operation of the law which I gave many, many
years ago, those who make these false presentations are not to be
feared among my people.
15e.
They are not justified in permitting their human sympathies to
overcome that which has been written in my Scriptures. The spirit of
the prophets is subject to the prophets.
16a.
The college debt should be paid, the ministers going out from the
conferences held by the elders of my church are not expected or
authorized to throw obstacles in the way of the accomplishment of
that which has been intrusted to the Bishopric to pay this great
debt.
16b.
Their right to free speech, their right to liberty of conscience,
does not permit them as individuals to frustrate the commands of the
body in conference assembly.
16c.
They are sent out as ministers to preach the gospel, and their voices
if opposed to what may be presented to the conference should be heard
in the conferences, and not in the mission fields, to prevent the
accomplishment of the object with which the officers of the church
have been intrusted.
