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Source: Church History Vol. 3 Chapter 30 Page: 562 (~1870)

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562 duty toward those under his charge is to seek unto the Lord for wisdom, that he may be aided and instructed to direct the affairs intrusted to him successfully. He should be a firm friend to the truth. His duty under this head would imply that he must speak the truth himself, encourage it in others, and reprove the disregard and the want of it in others. He must be gentle. In this light he must not be heady, high-minded, or obstinate, neither in his preaching to the world nor in his demeanor to the saints. He must be an open, avowed, and honest enemy; to wrong, oppression, false doctrines, and false practices. Under this rule of conduct he is authorized to silence elders preaching in his district, transient or local, if they preach false doctrine, or if they transgress the rules of morality which are known to obtain in the church and by which the members should be governed. He should preach and secure the preaching of others within his district. If at all practicable, he should travel in his district constantly, opening new fields of labor, filling stated appointments, and securing, by a guarded, careful walk and conversation, the favor of the people, that they may be induced to listen to the preaching of the word. He must realize that upon him to a great extent rests the entire moral responsibility of the district. He is supposed to be the representative of the saints comprising the district. As such a representative, if he is dirty in person, and disorderly and unclean in his dress, so will it be understood are his constituents. He must therefore be clean. If he be rough in language, profane, light, using foul and indecent language in private, and uncouth language in public, of just such material will it be understood is his congregation of saints composed. He must therefore be chaste and clean in his conversation.

"He must be impartial as a judge. Under this rule he must be closely discriminating in his choice of elders to take charge of congregations upon special occasions. He must not assume a right which is not his. He may preside at branch meetings, but it is not his right so to do. He may preach in a branch, and may call upon the branch authorities to call special meetings. It is their duty when

(page 562)

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