| 135 To this some members of the Twelve made reply, and considerable friction was engendered.
"each individual" of the fifteen, in so collecting and disbursing, as we understand is the tenor of the above, and would be the result of adopting a conjoint rule giving equal privileges to all.
Neither do we see that it would be according to either law, precedent, or necessity, or by permission of the word of God, that "a rule affirmed" by this body of fifteen men, could rightfully or properly govern and control the funds of the church, by such conjoint rule, or consistently and in keeping with said law and revelation of God.
Nor do we think that governing in this matter is consonant with the duties of the Twelve, whose mission is so clearly defined in the following passages of the law: B. of C., 16:5; 17:8; 83:9-16, 20, 21; 104:11, 12, 16, 30; 105:2-8, 11; 107:40; Matt. 6:25-33; Luke 12:22-40; Acts 6:2-5. See also instructions of Joseph Smith, in Mil. Star, vol. 15, pages 213, 261, 262.
On page 218 President Smith in answer to a question as to the special duties of the Twelve, other than those pertaining to other quorums, replied that they are to preside over all the churches and to travel and preach and "to hold the keys of this ministry . . . unto all nations. This is the power, authority, and virtue of their apostleships." On page 261 he stated as follows, that "it is their duty to go abroad and regulate all matters relative to the different branches of the church. When the Twelve are together or a quorum of them, in any church, they have the authority to make decisions and those decisions will be valid; but where there is not a quorum they will have to do business by the voice of the church. . . . No elder has authority to go into any branch and appoint meetings or attempt to regulate the affairs of the church without the consent of the presiding elder of the branch. The Twelve and the Seventy have particularly to depend upon their ministry for their support, and that of their families, and they have a right to call upon the churches to assist them." Their privileges of support are apparent, and their right to call upon the branches for aid, but no jurisdiction is given herein, any more than the foregoing quotations from the law, to demand it from the Bishop or his agents, or to collect and disburse funds in common with the Bishop and his agents, or in like manner.
Their office, calling, and jurisdiction in their field of labor is entirely dissimilar, by the law, from those of the Bishopric, whose jurisdiction and duties are none the less clearly defined; and we do not feel, before God, that we can properly or consistently thus join ourselves by such proposed compact, or to be governed by rules, in whose adoption, as well as in all legislation and plans of procedure, we would stand but as one to four; and all this to be submitted to and conceded by us to deprive the temporal authorities of the church of the very rights especially committed to their care, and upon which the law is so plain, leaving no need for the proposed compact.
Those rights and duties may be seen by consulting the following passages in the B. of C., see. 42;8-10; 51:1-5; 57:6; 58:12; 70.3; 83:18-23; 87:6; 104:32; 106:1, 2; 38:8.
In sec. 42: 10, the reference to the High Council we understand to mean that body which is so designated and known as the High Council of the church, even the body of twelve high priests. In support of this we find the instructions of Joseph Smith to Bishop Partridge, in 1833, as found in "Millennial Star," vol. 14, page 450, where he writes concerning issues that may take place on the subject of tithing and consecration, and of how they are to be laid before a council "of twelve high priests" for a decision. From the law (sec. 99 and 107:4), their jurisdiction is clearly more of a temporal nature than that of the Twelve, and they are the ones commonly understood when speaking of the High Council, and are directly named by Joseph the Martyr, in connection with the Bishop, as being high priests, as we have seen. The purpose of the association of the apostles, or "traveling high council," with the matter, as by the revelation of 1861, we will again refer to, as we view lt.
Again, the revelation in section 83:18, clearly shows that every man who goes forth to proclaim the gospel should be in his financial matters in subjection to the order given, even to the Bishop of the church; and not that the Bishop, neither his agents, nor the
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