Chosen an Apostle—Ordination—Revelation instructing the Twelve—Date of birth—Healing of Mrs. Stearns—Impression of Lorenzo Snow.

From Paris, Tennessee, David made his way to Kirtland, where events very nearly concerning him were soon to take place.

Even before the organization of the Church, two of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, were directed to search out the Twelve Apostles, and as a mark by which these men were to be known the Lord particularizes:

"And the Twelve are they who shall desire to take upon them my name with full purpose of heart."

In his diary under date of 1835, the Prophet Joseph writes:

"On the Sabbath previous to the 14th of February, Brothers Joseph and Brigham Young came to my house after meeting and sang for me; the Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us, and I told them I wanted those brethren together who went up to Zion in the camp the previous summer, for I had a blessing for them."

Of the minutes of that meeting on February 14th, a brief extract will be interesting:

"President Joseph Smith, Jr., after making many remarks on the subject of choosing the Twelve, wanted an expression from the brethren if they would be satisfied to have the Spirit of the Lord dictate in the choice of the Elders to be Apostles; whereupon all the Elders present expressed their anxious desire to have it so.

"A hymn was then sung, 'Hark, Listen to the Trumpeters.' President Hyrum prayed and the meeting was dismissed for one hour.

"Assembled pursuant to adjournment, and commenced with prayer.

"President Joseph Smith, Jr., said that the first business of the meeting was for the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon to pray, each one, and then proceed to choose twelve men from the Church as Apostles, to go to all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

"The three witnesses, viz., Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris, united in prayer.

"These three witnesses were then blessed by the laying on of the hands of the Presidency.

"The witnesses then, according to a former commandment, proceeded to make a choice of the Twelve. Their names are as follows:

Lyman E. Johnson,
Brigham Young,
Heber C. Kimball,
Orson Hyde,
David W. Patten,
Luke Johnson,
Wm. E. McLellin,
John F. Boynton,
Orson Pratt,
William Smith,
Thos. B. Marsh,
Parley P. Pratt."

Under the hands of the witnesses, the Twelve were next ordained. David's ordination occurred on Sunday, February 15, 1835, in language of which the following quotation from the minutes is probably only a synopsis:

"O God, give this, Thy servant, a knowledge of Thy will; may he be like one of old, who bore testimony of Jesus; may he be a new man from this day forth. He shall be equal with his brethren, the Twelve, and have the qualifications of the Prophets before him; may his body be strong and never weary; may he walk and not faint. May he have power over all diseases, and faith according to his desires; may the heavens be opened upon him speedily, that he may bear testimony from knowledge; that he may go to the nations and isles afar off. May he have a knowledge of the things of the kingdom from the beginning, and be able to tear down priestcraft like a lion; may he have power to smite his enemies before him with utter destruction; may he continue till the Lord comes. O Father, we seal these blessings upon him. Even so. Amen."

The period intervening till the 4th of May, when their first mission was entered upon, was a veritable Pentecost to the newly chosen Twelve. Through the Prophet Joseph and his counselors the Lord truly poured out upon them the choicest blessings of heaven. On March 28th, in answer to their petition for "a revelation of His mind and will concerning our duty the coming season, even a great revelation that will enlarge our hearts, comfort us in adversity, and brighten our hopes amidst the powers of darkness," the Lord, through the Prophet, answered every desire of their hearts with the revelation Section 107, in the Doctrine and Covenants, as follows:

"1. There are in the church, two Priesthoods, namely, the Melchisedek, and Aaronic, including the Levitical priesthood.

"2. Why the first is called the Melchisedek Priesthood, is because Melchisedek was such a great High Priest.

"3. Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the order of the Son of God;

"4. But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that Priesthood after Melchisedek, or the Melchisedek Priesthood.

"5. All other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this Priesthood.

"6. But there are two divisions or grand heads—one is the Melchisedek Priesthood, and the other is the Aaronic, or Levitical Priesthood.

"7. The office of an Elder comes under the Priesthood of Melchisedek.

"8. The Melchisedek Priesthood holds the right of Presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things.

"9. The Presidency of the High Priesthood, after the order of Melchisedek, have a right to officiate in all the offices in the church.

"10. High Priests after the order of the Melchisedek Priesthood, have a right to officiate in their own standing, under the direction of the Presidency, in administering spiritual things; and also in the office of an elder, priest, (of the Levitical order,) teacher, deacon, and member.

"11. An elder has a right to officiate in his stead when the High Priest is not present.

"12. The High Priest and elder are to administer in spiritual things, agreeable to the covenants and commandments of the church; and they have a right to officiate in all these offices of the church when there are no higher authorities present.

"13. The second priesthood is called the priesthood of Aaron, because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations.

"14. Why it is called the lesser priesthood, is because it is an appendage to the greater or the Melchisedek Priesthood, and has power in administering outward ordinances.

"15. The bishopric is the presidency of this priesthood and holds the keys or authority of the same.

"16. No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant of Aaron.

"17. But as a High Priest of the Melchisedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the office of bishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this power by the hands of the Presidency of the Melchisedek Priesthood.

"18. The power and authority of the Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church—

"19. To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven—to have the heavens opened unto them—to commune with the general assembly and church of the first born, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.

"20. The power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel—the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments.

"21. Of necessity there are presidents, or presiding offices growing out of, or appointed of or from among those who are ordained to the several offices in these two priesthoods.

"22. Of the Melchisedek Priesthood, three Presiding High Priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith, and prayer of the church, form a quorum of the Presidency of the church.

"23. The Twelve traveling counselors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world; thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.

"24. And they form a quorum, equal in authority and power to the three Presidents previously mentioned.

"25. The seventy are also called to preach the gospel, and to be especial witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world. Thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling;

"26. And they form a quorum equal in authority to that of the Twelve special witnesses or apostles just named.

"27. And every decision made by either of these quorums, must be by the unanimous voice of the same; that is, every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions, in order to make their decisions of the same power or validity one with the other.

"28. (A majority may form a quorum, when circumstances render it impossible to be otherwise.)

"29. Unless this is the case, their decisions are not entitled to the same blessings which the decisions of a quorum of three Presidents were anciently, who were ordained after the order of Melchisedek, and were righteous and holy men.

"30. The decisions of these quorums, or either of them, are to be made in all righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long-suffering, and in faith, and virtue, and knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity;

"31. Because the promise is, if these things abound in them, they shall not be unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord.

"32. And in case that any decision of these quorums is made in unrighteousness, it may be brought before a general assembly of the several quorums, which constitute the spiritual authorities of the church, otherwise there can be no appeal from their decision.

"33. The Twelve are a traveling presiding High Council, to officiate in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Presidency of the church, agreeable to the institution of heaven; to build up the church, and regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations; first unto the Gentiles, and secondly unto the Jews.

"34. The seventy are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve or the traveling High Council, in building up the church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations—first unto the Gentiles and then to the Jews;

"35. The Twelve being sent out, holding the keys to open the door by the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ—and first unto the Gentiles and then unto the Jews.

"36. The standing High Councils, at the Stakes of Zion, form a quorum equal in authority, in the affairs of the church, in all their decisions, to the quorum of the Presidency, or to the traveling High Council.

"37. The High Council in Zion, form a quorum equal in authority, in the affairs of the church, in all their decisions, to the Councils of the Twelve at the Stakes of Zion.

"38. It is the duty of the traveling High Council to call upon the seventy, when they need assistance, to fill the several calls for preaching and administering the gospel, instead of any others.

"39. It is the duty of the Twelve, in all large branches of the church, to ordain evangelical ministers, as they shall be designated unto them by revelation.

"40. The order of this Priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made.

"41. This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage in the following manner:—

"42. From Adam to Seth, who was ordained by Adam at the age of 69 years, and was blessed by him three years previous to his (Adam's) death, and received the promise of God by his father that his posterity should be the chosen of the Lord, and that they should be preserved unto the end of the earth,

"43. Because he (Seth) was a perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father's, insomuch that he seemed to be like unto his father in all things, and could be distinguished from him only by his age.

"44. Enos was ordained at the age of 134 years and four months, by the hand of Adam.

"45. God called upon Cainan in the wilderness, in the fortieth year of his age, and he met Adam in journeying to the place Shedolamak. He was 87 years old when he received his ordination.

"46. Mahalaleel was 496 years and seven days old when he was ordained by the hand of Adam, who also blessed him.

"47. Jared was 200 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam, who also blessed him.

"48. Enoch was 25 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam, and he was 65 and Adam blessed him.

"49. And he saw the Lord, and he walked with him, and was before his face continually; and he walked with God 365 years, making him 430 years old when he was translated.

"50. Methuselah was 100 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam.

"51. Lamech was 32 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Seth.

"52. Noah was 10 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Methuselah.

"53. Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all High Priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.

"54. And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the Prince, the Archangel.

"55. And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam and said unto him, I have set thee to be at the head—a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them for ever.

"56. And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation, and notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation.

"57. These things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time.

"58. It is the duty of the Twelve, also, to ordain and set in order all the other officers of the church."

Just before starting off on their first mission as a quorum unto the eastern states, to set the branches of the Church in order, the Twelve were instructed to take their places in council, according to age, the oldest to be seated at the head. In pursuance thereof, the Twelve were arranged with Thomas B. Marsh, David W. Patten and Brigham Young in the order named; and this fact gives us the most definite information we now have as to the date of David's birth. Thomas B. Marsh, being the oldest of the Twelve, was born November 1, 1799, and Brigham Young on June 1, 1801, and somewhere between these dates was the birthday of David.

The 4th of May saw the departure of the Twelve from Kirtland. The next five months were spent by David in traveling with his quorum through New York, Canada, Vermont, and Maine, holding meetings and setting branches in order.

While a conference was being held at Bethel, Maine, a young woman, Mary Ann Stearns, who had been troubled for five years with an extremely aggravated case of heart disease, sent for the Elders, and upon investigation asked for baptism. David was mouth in the confirmation as well as in administering to her afterward for her health, and made her the promise that she should be entirely restored to perfect health and soundness. She afterwards became the wife of Apostle Parley P. Pratt, and endured all the hardships through which the Saints were called to pass; but from that time till the time of her death in 1891, at the age of eighty-two years, she never again complained of heart trouble.

The Twelve returned to Kirtland in September, 1835.

The indelibility of the impressions made by David upon those with whom he associated was something remarkable. Though it is more than sixty years since his death, the Saints who knew him in life still recall with pleasure the inspiration of his presence. In the course of a ride of twenty-five miles with him on horseback about the time of David's return from his mission with the Twelve, Lorenzo Snow first received a testimony of the truth of the Gospel. Sister Eliza R. Snow in the biography of her brother best describes the occurrence:

"On his way to Oberlin, my brother accidentally fell in company with David W. Patten, an incident to which he frequently refers as one of those seemingly trivial occurrences in human life which leaves an indelible trace. This gentleman was an early champion of the fulness of the Gospel as taught by Jesus and his Apostles in the meridian of time, and revealed in our own day through the Prophet Joseph Smith, to which cause Elder Patten fell a martyr on the 24th of October, 1838, in Missouri, during the terrible scenes of persecution through which the Latter-day Saints passed in that State. He possessed a mind of deep thought and rich intelligence. In conversation with him, my brother was much impressed with the depth and beauty of the philosophical reasoning with which this inspired EIder seemed perfectly familiar as he descanted on the condition of the human family in connection with the sayings of the ancient Prophets, as recorded in the Scriptures—the dealings with, and the purposes of God in relation to, His children on the earth. From that time a new field with a new train of reflections, was open to my brother's mind, the impress of which has never been erased."