Sidney Rigdon's Remarks on Church Debts.
President Sidney Rigdon rose a little before 5 p.m., and after referring to the gathering, and the preaching of the Gospel, as the first things, alluded to the debt which had been contracted for building the Lord's House, and other purposes, and stated three principal items that constituted nearly the aggregate of debt that now remained unliquidated.
First a charge of six thousand dollars which was appropriated and expended in consequence of the brethren being driven by a lawless mob from their possessions in Jackson county. The second was the building of the Lord's House, the unliquidated debt of which was rising of thirteen thousand dollars. The third item of debt was for the purchase of land, that there might be a place of rest, a place of safety, a place that the Saints might lawfully call their own. All this is to lay a foundation for the gathering of Israel, and when the Elders go abroad they can speak understandingly, and urge the necessity and propriety of the gathering, from the fact that we have a place for them, and it is the will of God they should come. Prey not one upon another, brethren, and for the time being say not, Pay me what thou owest; but contribute all in your power to discharge the great debts that now hang over the Church.
The Sacrament—Use of Water.
At half-past five, bread and water[[3]] were distributed liberally among the quorums, and it was truly a refreshing season to spirit and body. Many brethren and sisters assembled in the evening for prayer and exhortation, and some tarried nearly all night.
Footnotes
[1]. That is they ordained them High Priests. Since they were Elders, however, they already possessed the High Priesthood, and hence it was only necessary to ordain them to the office of Seventy in that Priesthood; but the brethren who had immediate charge of ordaining Seventies (the first presidents of Seventies) seemed to have thought it necessary to ordain them High Priests in order for them to hold the High Priesthood, hence the correction made by the Prophet.
[2]. In the selection and ordination of the council composed of the first seven presidents of Seventy, it bad been overlooked, evidently, that the revelation on Priesthood, given March 28, 1835, specifically stated: "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."—(Doc. and Cov., sec. 107, verse 93). Five of those chosen to make up the first council were High Priests; therefore to make the action of the Church conform to the word of God, these High Priests were invited by the Prophet to take their place in the High Priests' quorum, that the first council might be made up of men "chosen out of the number of the Seventy" as provided by the law of God.
[3]. In the revelation given in August 1830 (sec. 27) the Lord said "it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the Sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory" etc. This is the first occasion on record where water was used instead of wine, but it is possible that water may have been used in the Sacrament before this time.