January 13, 1840

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Sermon and instructions delivered at Philadelphia, PA branch on January 13, 1840 Source: Philadelphia LDS Branch Minutes, RLDS Archives, Independence, Missouri

Respect Local Authorities
Joseph Smith Jr. dilated¹ at some length on the offices of the Priesthood and on the duties of Elder, Bishops, Priests, &c. and directed it should be entered on the minutes as the injunction of the Presidency that travelling Elders should be especially cautious of incroaching on the ground of stationed & presiding Elders and rather direct their efforts to breaking up and occupying new ground and that the Churches² generally refuse to be burdened with the support of unprofitable and dilatory laborers.

Notes

1. I.e., discussed.

2. "Churches" was still the common name for different congregations of the LDS Church at the time, taken from the New Testament (see Rev. 1:11 for example). In the present vernacular the term would be "wards" or "branches." The counsel regarding giving respect to local leaders repeats that of 2May35

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