15. Thus it cometh out of the Church, for according to the law every man that cometh up to Zion, must lay all things before the Bishop in Zion.
16. And now, verily I say unto you, that as every Elder in this part of the vineyard must give an account of his stewardship unto the Bishop in this part of the vineyard,
17. A certificate from the judge or Bishop in this part of the vineyard, unto the Bishop in Zion, rendereth every man acceptable, and answereth all things, for an inheritance, and to be received as a wise steward, and as a faithful laborer;
18. Otherwise he shall not be accepted of the Bishop of Zion.
19. And now, verily I say unto you, let every Elder who shall give an account unto the Bishop of the Church, in this part of the vineyard be recommended by the church or churches, in which he labors, that he may render himself and his accounts approved in all things.
20. And again, let my servants who are appointed as stewards over the literary concerns of my Church, have claim for assistance upon the Bishop or Bishops, in all things,
21. That the revelations may be published, and go forth unto the ends of the earth; that they also may obtain funds which shall benefit the Church in all things,
22. That they also may render themselves approved in all things, and be accounted as wise stewards.
23. And now, behold, this shall be an ensample for all the extensive branches of my Church, in whatsoever land they shall be established. And now I make an end of my sayings. Amen.
24. A few words in addition to the laws of the kingdom, respecting the members of the Church. They that are appointed by the Holy Spirit to go up unto Zion, and they who are privileged to go up unto Zion,
25. Let them carry up unto the Bishop a certificate from three Elders of the Church, or a certificate from the Bishop,
26. Otherwise he who shall go up unto the land of Zion shall not be accounted as a wise steward. This is also an ensample. Amen.
Effectiveness of the Prophet's and Sidney Rigdon's Labors.
From this time until the 8th or 10th of January, 1832, myself and Elder Rigdon continued to preach in Shalersville, Ravenna, and other places, setting forth the truth, vindicating the cause of our Redeemer; showing that the day of vengeance was coming upon this generation like a thief in the night; that prejudice, blindness and darkness filled the minds of many, and caused them to persecute the true Church, and reject the true light; by which means we did much towards allaying the excited feelings which were growing out of the scandalous letters then being published in the Ohio Star, at Ravenna, by the before-mentioned apostate, Ezra Booth.3 On the 10th of January, I received the following revelation making known the will of the Lord concerning the Elders of the Church until the convening of the next conference.4
Revelation of January 10th, 1832.5
1. For verily thus saith the Lord, it is expedient in me, that they should continue preaching the Gospel, and in exhortation to the churches in the regions round about, until conference;
2. And then, behold, it shall be made known unto them, by the voice of the conference, their several missions.
3. Now, verily, I say unto you my servants, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, saith the Lord, it is expedient to translate again,
4. And, inasmuch as it is practicable, to preach in the regions round about until conference; and after that it is expedient to continue the work of translation until it be finished.
5. And let this be a pattern unto the Elders until further knowledge, even as it is written.
6. Now I give no more unto you at this time. Gird up your loins and be sober. Even so. Amen.
Translation Renewed.
Upon the reception of the foregoing word of the Lord, I recommenced the translation of the Scriptures, and labored diligently until just before the conference, which was to convene on the 25th of January. During this period, I also received the following, as an explanation of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 7th chapter, 14th verse:
Revelation.6
1. "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband, else were your children unclean, but now are they holy."
2. Now, in the days of the Apostles the law of circumcision was had among all the Jews who believed not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. And it came to pass that there arose a great contention among the people concerning the law of circumcision, for the unbelieving husband was desirous that his children should be circumcised and become subject to the law of Moses, which law was fulfilled.
4. And it came to pass that the children, being brought up in subjection to the law of Moses, gave heed to the traditions of their fathers and believed not the Gospel of Christ, wherein they became unholy;
5. Wherefore, for this cause the Apostle wrote unto the Church, giving unto them a commandment, not of the Lord, but of himself, that a believer should not be united to an unbeliever, except the law of Moses should be done away among them.
6. That their children might remain without circumcision; and that the tradition might be done away, which saith that little children are unholy; for it was had among the Jews,
7. But little children are holy, being sanctified through the atonement of Jesus Christ; and this is what the Scriptures mean.
The Amherst Conference.
A few days before the conference was to commence in Amherst, Lorain county, I started with the Elders that lived in my own vicinity, and arrived in good time. At this conference much harmony prevailed, and considerable business was done to advance the kingdom, and promulgate the Gospel to the inhabitants of the surrounding country.7 The Elders seemed anxious for me to inquire of the Lord that they might know His will, or learn what would be most pleasing to Him for them to do, in order to bring men to a sense of their condition; for, as it was written, all men have gone out of the way, so that none doeth good, no, not one. I inquired and received the following:
Revelation, given January, 1832.8
1. Verily, verily, I say unto you, I who speak even by the voice of my Spirit; even Alpha and Omega, your Lord and your God;
2. Hearken, O ye who have given your names to go forth to proclaim my Gospel, and to prune my vineyard.
3. Behold, I say unto you, that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your mights,
4. Lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, proclaiming the truth according to the revelations and commandments which I have given you,
5. And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life.
6. Therefore, verily I say unto my servant William E. M'Lellin, I revoke the commission which I gave unto him, to go unto the eastern countries,
7. And I give unto him a new commission and a new commandment, in the which I, the Lord, chasten him for the murmurings of his heart;
8. And he sinned, nevertheless, I forgive him, and say unto him again, Go ye into the south countries,
9. And let my servant Luke Johnson go with him and proclaim the things which I have commanded them,
10. Calling on the name of the Lord for the Comforter, which shall teach them all things that are expedient for them,
11. Praying always that they faint not, and inasmuch as they do this, I will be with them even unto the end.
12. Behold, this is the will of the Lord your God concerning you. Even so. Amen.
13.