While the church was yet assembled a revelation was received from the Lord, directing that a record be kept in the church, and that in it Joseph be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the church; and the church was commanded to give heed to all his words and commandments which he should receive from the Lord; accepting his word as the word of God in all patience and faith. On condition of their doing this the Lord promised them that the gates of hell should not prevail against the church; but on the contrary he would disperse the powers of darkness from before them and shake the heavens for their good.

4. The Voice of God and the Voice of the People in Church Government: Thus the church was organized; and in that organization we see the operation of two mighty principles—the voice of God; the consent of the people. At the time that Joseph and Oliver received instruction to ordain each other to be elders of the church, they were told to defer their ordination until such time as would be practicable to get their brethren who had been and who would be baptized assembled together: for they must have the sanction of their brethren before they ordained each other elders of the Church; and their brethren must decide by vote whether they would accept them (Joseph and Oliver) as spiritual teachers. Thus, notwithstanding Joseph and Oliver had been ordained apostles under the hands of Peter, James and John, and had doubtless re-ordained each other as already stated, yet when it came to being ordained Elders of the church, and made the spiritual leaders of it, it must be done by the common consent of the church; and thus early we see enforced that law which says: All things shall be done by common consent in the church, by much prayer and faith. But no sooner was the church organized than a prophet, a seer, a translator, is appointed and the church commanded to give heed to his words, and to receive them as coming from the mouth of the Lord himself. Here in the very inception of the church organization is clearly established the great truth, the grand principle, that in the government of the church there is to be a union of the voice of God and the consent or voice of the people. Not vox populi, vox Dei; nor vox Dei, vox populi; but vox Dei et vox populi.[A] (Outlines, pp. 319-21.)

[Footnote A: The voice of God and the voice of the people.]

LESSON XLIII.

(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

DOCTRINAL AND ORGANIC DEVELOPMENT (Note 1).

ANALYSIS.REFERENCES.
I. The Name of the Church: 1. The Church of Christ. 2. The Church of the Latter Day Saints. 3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.History of the Church, Vol. II p. 79, 62—See title of minutes as also minutes and footnote; also Ibid pp. 79, 249. Doc. & Cov. Sec. cxv. and History of the Church Vol. III, pp. 23-4 and note 2, note 1.
II. The first officers of the Church: 1. Elders. 2. Priests. 3. Teachers. 4. Deacons.Doc. & Cov. Sec. xx. New Witness for God, ch. xxiv.
III. Subsequent additions of officers and Councils. 1. The Presidency of the Church. 2. High Priests. 3. Bishops. 4. Standing High Councils. 5. Councils of the Seventy. Doc. & Cov. Sec. xx; 65-67. Also Ibid Secs, lxxxiv, cvii; cxxiv, (Presidency.) Doc. & Cov. Sec. xx; 2, 3. History of the Church Vol. I pp. 76-78. Ibid 243 and foot note. Ibid p. 267. Ibid p. 334 (Doc. & Cov. Sec. xc; 6. And Vol. II p. 176. Doc. & Cov. Sec. cvii-22.) History of the Church Vol. I pp. 175-6 and foot notes. Doc. and Cov. Sec. xli; 9 and foot note lxxii; 1-15. Doc. & Cov. Sec. cii. History of the Church, Vol. II ch. ii. Doc. & Cov. Sec. xviii, also Sec. cvii. History of the Church, Vol. II, ch. xiii. And the foot notes. Also Seventy's Year Book No. 1, Lesson i, ii, iii.

NOTES.

1. Development of the Church and its Doctrine: Only the merest outline can be indicated on the Doctrinal and Organic development of the Church in this and the succeeding (which is the concluding) LESSON of this Year Book. It should be understood, however, that we have been merely led up to the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, not into it. These sketches are merely traced to give something like completeness to our outline History of the Dispensations, but it should be remembered of course that they are outlines throughout, and that these of the last dispensation, the most incomplete.

2. The Evolution of the Name of the Church: "For thus shall my Church be called in the last days, even the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." It will be observed that the Lord gives to the Church its official name, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Previous to this the Church had been called "The Church of Christ," "The Church of Jesus Christ," "The Church of God," and by a conference of Elders held at Kirtland in May, 1834, (see Church History, vol. 2 pp. 62-3), it was given the name "The Church of the Latter-day Saints." All these names, however, were by this revelation brushed aside, and since then the official name given in this revelation has been recognized as the true title of the Church, though often spoken of as "The Mormon Church," the "Church of Christ," etc. The appropriateness of this title is self evident, and in it there is a beautiful recognition of the relationship both of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Saints to the organization. It is "The Church of Jesus Christ." It is the Lord's. He owns it. He organized it. It is the Sacred Depository of His truth. It is His instrumentality for promulgating all those spiritual truths with which He would have mankind acquainted. It is also His instrumentality for the perfecting of the Saints, as well as for the work of the ministry. It is His in all these respects. But it is an institution which also belongs to the Saints. It is their refuge in principle, doctrine; and they have joint ownership in it with Jesus Christ, which ownership is beautifully recognized in the latter part of the title. "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," is equivalent to "The Church of Jesus Christ;" and "The Church of the Latter-day Saints." (History of the Church, vol. III, p. 24.)