When the Lord God called Miriam and Aaron to task for speaking against their brother Moses, He said to them, "Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold; wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"^[A]

[Footnote A: Num. 12:1-8.]

So it was also with the Prophet Joseph Smith. From the day of the first splendid vision of the Father and the Son, the Lord spoke often to the young prophet, and clearly. Particularly close was the communion of the Prophet with his God after the re-establishment of the Church upon the earth. As often as he felt the need of direction or encouragement, so often did the young man seek God; and God always answered him, and spoke to him, and gave him what was needful for him in that hour. It happened, then, that in a very short time the Prophet had accumulated a fairly large number of revelations. For each time the Lord spoke to him, either he himself or one of his scribes recorded the revelation as it was given. Afterwards, copies were made and circulated among the Saints that were most nearly concerned.

If we had lived with the Saints in Kirtland, in the year 1832, we should have been thrilled with them when the Prophet received the momentous revelation now numbered eighty-eight in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. This remarkable and important revelation was circulated among the Saints in manuscript form. It came to be called the "Olive Leaf." And the "Olive Leaf" is an example of how the revelations were first circulated among the Saints. Of course, the method was very unsatisfactory in a day of modern advancement. The people began soon to desire the word of God, as given to them directly, in printed form. Indeed, so early did this desire manifest itself that in July, 1830, only three months after the organization of the Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith was already engaged on the compilation of the revelations.^[B] This was the beginning of the book of modern scripture.

[Footnote B: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 104.]

The work of compilation seems, however, to have progressed slowly. Somewhat over a year after the task was begun, a special conference was convened in Hiram, Ohio. This was November 1st, 1831.^[C] The conference was called to consider the publication of the revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was decided to issue an edition of 10,000 copies; and during the afternoon of the first day of the conference, the Prophet "received by inspiration," the preface to the proposed book. It appears now as section first in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. It is a model of literary construction. The same afternoon, too, the brethren assembled bore testimony to the divine inspiration of the revelations. "Brother Joseph Smith, Jun.," we read, "said that inasmuch as the Lord had bestowed a great blessing upon us in giving commandments and revelations, he asked the conference what testimony they were willing to attach to these commandments which would shortly be sent to the world. A number of the brethren arose and said that they were willing to testify to the world that they knew that they were of the Lord."^[D]

[Footnote C: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 221.]

[Footnote D: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 222, footnote.]

On the second day of the conference, "the revelation (of the evening before) was read by the moderator (this was Oliver Cowdery). The brethren then arose in turn and bore witness to the truth of the Book of Commandments." The elders present at this special conference were Joseph Smith, Jun., Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, John Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jun., Sidney Rigdon, William E. McLellin, Orson Hyde, Luke Johnson and Lyman E. Johnson.

With the confidence and the testimonies of the elders thus expressed, Joseph Smith proceeded further to prepare the revelations for publication. It was decided by the conference that Oliver Cowdery should carry the commandments and revelations to Independence, Mo., where the printing press of the Church was located. The Prophet should prepare and arrange the revelations by the time Elder Cowdery left—"which was to be by—or, if possible, before—the 15th of the month" (November).^[E] In due time, the work of compilation was accomplished; the volume of modern scripture was dedicated by prayer to the service of the Almighty, the Prophet himself performing the ordinance;^[F] John Whitmer was appointed to accompany Oliver Cowdery through the wild frontier to Independence; and the sacred record was sent on its way to Zion.

[Footnote E: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 290.]

[Footnote F: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 234.]

The printing of the sacred book did not progress rapidly. On the twenty-fifth of June, 1833, more than a year after the holding of the special conference, Sidney Rigdon wrote a long letter, in behalf of the Presidency of the Church, to W. W. Phelps and others in Zion. "We have received your last," he writes, "containing a number of questions which you desire us to answer. * * *

"First as respects getting the Book of Commandments bound we think it is not necessary. They will be sold well without binding, and there is no book-binder to be had that we know of, nor are there materials to be had for biding, without keeping the books too long from circulation."

Later in the same letter, the writer says, "We have received some revelations within a short time back, which you will obtain in due season." And a little later, still, in the same letter, the writer calls attention to some typographical errors in the fortieth and forty-fourth chapters of the forthcoming book.^[G] Evidently, then, the work of printing the sacred book had progressed so far that preparations had to be made for binding the book; yet, there was still time apparently to add new revelations and to make corrections.

[Footnote G: "History of the Church," Vol. I, pp. 362-364.]

A little less than a month after writing the letter mentioned above, Sidney Rigdon wrote another in behalf of the Presidency. In the latter letter he writes, "Consign the box of the Book of Commandments to N. K. Whitney & Co., Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio, care of Kelly and Walworth, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio."^[H] Evidently, the first edition of the Book of Commandments was nearing completion. The Sacred Book of today was soon to be sent out into the world.

[Footnote H: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 369.]

Unfortunately, however, the shipment was never made. On July 20th, 1833, a mob collected near the Church printing office in Independence, and demanded that the printing office and the store be closed, and that all mechanical labors cease.^[I] The Church leaders in Zion refused to comply with these unreasonable demands. Thereupon, the mob rushed upon the building, destroyed papers and publications, seized materials of value, turned the family of Wm. W. Phelps out of doors, and razed the building to the ground. Only a few copies of that edition of the Book of Commandments as far as printed were saved from destruction.^[J]

[Footnote I: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 390.]

[Footnote J: "History of the Church," Vol. I, pp. 411, 412.]

Somewhat over a year later, the Church prepared again to publish the revelations. A printing house had been established in Kirtland, Ohio. The conditions seemed favorable for the putting forth of the Book of Commandments. On September 24, 1834, at a meeting of the High Council, at Kirtland, a committee was appointed "to arrange the items of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, for the government of the Church of Latter-day Saints, which Church was organized and commenced its rise on the 6th of April, 1830. These items are to be taken from the Bible, Book of Mormon, and the revelations which have been given to the Church up to this date, or that shall be given until such arrangements are made." President Joseph Smith, Jun., Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams were appointed the committee.^[K]

[Footnote K: "History of the Church," Vol. II, p. 165.]

This committee, it seems, worked with energy at the task of compiling and printing. On August 17, 1835, a little less than a year after their appointment, the committee finished their appointed labor, and a general assembly of the priesthood was called to accept the volume of sacred scripture. In the afternoon session of the assembly Oliver Cowdery introduced to the priesthood the "Book of Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter-day Saints." William W. Phelps and John Whitmer voluntarily testified to the divine authenticity of the new volume of Scripture. Thereafter, the presidents of the High Councils of Kirtland and Missouri, and the presidents of the several quorums of the priesthood bore testimony that the revelations in the book were true and that the book should become "a law and a rule of faith and a practice to the Church." Finally, the general authorities and the whole assembly accepted the book by unanimous vote as the doctrine and covenants of their faith. William W. Phelps read also the following testimony of the twelve apostles to the truth of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants:

"The testimony of the Witnesses to the Book of the Lord's commandments, which commandments He gave to His Church through Joseph Smith Jun., who was appointed, by the voice of the Church, for this purpose.

"We therefore feel willing to bear testimony to all the world of mankind, to every creature upon the face of all the earth, that the Lord has borne record to our souls, through the Holy Ghost shed forth upon us, that these commandments were given by inspiration of God, and are profitable for all men, and are verily true. We give this testimony unto the world, the Lord being our helper; and it is through the grace of God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, that we are permitted to have this privilege of bearing this testimony unto the world, in the which we rejoice exceedingly, praying the Lord always that the children of men may be profited thereby.^[L] (Signed)

"THOMAS B. MARSH, DAVID W. PATTEN, BRIGHAM YOUNG, HEBER C. KIMBALL, ORSON HYDE, WM. E. MCLELLIN, PARLEY P. PRATT, LUKE S. JOHNSON, WILLIAM SMITH, ORSON PRATT, JOHN F. BOYNTON, LYMAN E. JOHNSON."^[M]

[Footnote L: "History of the Church," Vol. II, pp. 243-45.]

[Footnote M: In this testimony of the Twelve to the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, as published in the History of Joseph Smith in the "Millennial Star," the names of the Apostles were not appended, but it is thought proper that they should be inserted here in the order in which they stood in the quorum. The document was undoubtedly prepared before the departure of the Twelve for the East, as it was well known that the work of the committee on selection and compilation would present the Doctrine and Covenants to a general assembly before the Twelve would return.—"History of the Church," Vol. II, p. 245, footnote.]

Thus was the "Book of Doctrine and Covenants" accepted by the Church as a divinely inspired work. And what is the "Book of Doctrine and Covenants"? First, there appears in the book a series of seven "Lectures on Faith," prepared during the year 1835. "They are not to be regarded," we are told, "as of equal authority in matters of doctrine with the revelations of God in the Doctrine and Covenants," but as judiciously written and compiled, and as profitable doctrine.^[N] There follow one hundred thirty-six sections, or chapters, of the book proper. One of these, section 136, is a revelation to Brigham Young. Nine others, sections 102, 121, 123, 127, 128, 130, 131, 134, and 135—are not direct revelations in the usually accepted sense, but are minutes of important meetings, prayers and prophecies, addresses to the Saints, letters, instructions, and so forth, containing important doctrines. The rest—one hundred twenty-six sections in all—are revelations from the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith to the Church, or to individuals in the Church. In these one hundred thirty-six sections may be found instructions that pertain to the organization of the Church and to the doctrines of the Church. While there have been many revelations received since the first Book of Doctrine and Covenants was published—while, indeed, the Church leaders today are prophets, seers, and revelators—yet the early revelations are so replete with doctrinal instruction, that we may find there sufficient directions for the establishment and the building up of the Church of Christ.

[Footnote N: "History of the Church," Vol. II, p. 176. footnote.]

The Doctrine and Covenants meets conditions, not of two thousand years or more before Christ, but of the present day. It gives specific directions for the establishing and the maintaining of the Church of Christ, not among an oriental people in a primitive age, but among an active people in a progressive age. The living oracle of God is of far more value than the breathless letter. The living prophet is the oracle of God; and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants—the Sacred Book of today—is the record of the revelations received today for the people of today.