Elder (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

“ And those Elders who labor continually in preaching the Gospel to the world, should also be particular to render their account of the same, that they may show themselves approved in all things, and be known to be worthy of the high office in which they stand in the Church of Christ. ”

“ Using the same figure, the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are called to right up the world. To turn it over is a gigantic work, but it will be done, for both the righteous on earth, and the sanctified in heaven are working at it, and all power both in heaven and on earth is given to the Saviour by his Father. It is our business to fully comprehend the sayings and doings of the Saviour in his mission on the earth, which is life to all who believe and endure to the end in the pursuit of life eternal. ”

“ And now, verily, I say concerning the residue of the Elders of my Church, the time has not yet come, for many years, for them to receive their inheritance in this land—except they desire it through the prayer of faith—only as it shall be appointed unto them of the Lord.
{194} 45. For, behold, they shall push the people together from the ends of the earth;
46. Wherefore, assemble yourselves together; and they who are not appointed to stay in this land, let them preach the Gospel in the regions round about, and after that let them return to their homes. ”

“ It is no wonder, then, that everybody loved him—his young men in the various Bible-classes especially. Eternity alone will reveal the amount of good he accomplished by his kind, gentle, meek, cheerful, and quiet spirit.
Servant of Christ, well done; you rest from your labor, and your works do follow you.
Let us look at his work as a ruling Elder of the Church of Christ.
Paul, in writing to Timothy, says: "Let the elders that rule well, be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine" (1 Timothy v. 17) . An elder is one who rules the house of God. ”

“ They are called elders, say some, because for the most part they were chosen out of the elder sort of men: others better, from the maturity of knowledge, wisdom, gifts, gravity, piety, &c., which ought to be in them. This name elder seems to have rule and authority written upon it, when applied to any church officer; and it is by the Septuagint often ascribed to rulers political, elders in the gate, Judges viii. ”

“ I do not wish you to beg, but trust in God, and do not rob any one or take anything unjustly, but go and preach the Gospel faithfully. If you trust in the Lord, He will give you all you need.
"There is another subject of importance, and that is the temptation you will meet from women. This has caused the downfall of more elders in the Church than any other thing. Some elders go upon missions nearly all their lives and keep themselves clean and pure, while others come home and are shady, their countenances fall, they cannot look you straight in the eye. They have fallen into a snare. ”

“ Here are at present, seated some of our first elders of the church; strong men in point of their native intellect and moral courage, who have truly come up thus far, through great tribulation. Some of them have tasted, yea more, they have drank the bitter cup of affliction and sorrows, and have been taught in the severe school of adversity, till the Lord has looked on their affection, as we trust, and said it is enough. ”

“ The elder he grows, he is a stair lower from God; and, like his first father, much worse in his breeches. [3] He is the Christian's example, and the old man's relapse; the one imitates his pureness, and the other falls into his simplicity. Could he put off his body with his little coat, he had got eternity without a burden, and exchanged but one heaven for another. ”

“ Elder C. is a man with whom we have formed an intimate acquaintance, and know that he is a peaceable, circumspect, devout man of God; and that wherever he may travel and proclaim the gospel, he will do it without infringing upon the lawful privileges of any, and that such men are sure to rouse the indignation of Satan, and his emissaries who labor for hire and make merchandise of souls!
We have not received our usual number of letters from the elders and churches, and shall not in consequence, be able to give our usual lengthy summary. ”

“ The Elder gives us to understand that he has met with little opposition, except from those whose craft was in danger; but that God had in every instance thus far given him wisdom that his adversaries had not been able to gainsay nor resist. He farther adds, although this mission has not been as successful as some others in bringing souls into the kingdom, yet through the assistance of God he had been instrumental in establishing a small branch of a church of eighteen members in the town of Sackville Westmoreland county. ”

“ Many who went forth in their weakness have returned rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them, as trophies of the victory of the principles of eternal life that they themselves had communicated. I say there is not another instance on record to-day of like disinterested, affectionate regard for the welfare of the human family as has been manifested by the Elders of this Church. I have travelled thousands and hundreds of thousands of miles to preach the Gospel among the nations of the earth, and my brethren around me have done the same thing. ”

“ What understandest thou, which is not in us? With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, Much elder than thy father. Are the consolations of God small with thee? Is there any secret thing with thee? ”

“ He follows this general message to the Churches with a solemn charge to their teachers. They are specially responsible for the welfare of the brethren. On them it rests by the holiness of their lives and the spirit in which they labour to win men to the faith. The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which is among you. ”

“ It will not, we trust, be improper here to remark, that these elders were absent from here but 8 days, and in one of the most busy seasons of the year, yet under all circumstances, say they, many followed us from place to place, and listened attentively while we held forth the words of life and salvation. A goodly number, as we have seen, were convinced of the truth and willing to obey the commandments of the Lord. So "grows the word of God and multiplies." ”

“ Say, for example, after calling the person by name, "In the name of Jesus Christ we confirm you a member of the Church, etc., and say unto you, receive ye the Holy Ghost." That really covers the ground. But if an Elder's heart is filled with blessing for the persons to whom he administers, and the Spirit prompts him to pronounce blessings upon them for their encouragement, or the strengthening of their hope and faith and virtue ”

“ Souls are as precious in the sight of God as they ever were; and the Elders were never called to drive any down to hell, but to persuade and invite all men everywhere to repent, that they may become the heirs of salvation. It is the acceptable year of the Lord: liberate the captives that they may sing hosanna. ”

“ They do not know the difference, neither do they understand the day of their visitation. They possess not the Spirit of God; they are wallowing in the mire of sin and groping in the darkness of unbelief and death. ”

“ The elder informs us that he is now about to leave Ia. where he has labored the most of the season thus far since he left here. We trust he has been usefully employed, and that the Lord has blessed his labors. We think few are more successful in proclaiming the truths of the Gospel then elder Hinkle. ”

“ Our Elders go abroad and preach to the world, and their hearts are filled with charity and loving kindness towards their fellow creatures. They administer to the sick among the Saints, and they are often called upon to administer to those who do not belong to the Church, to whom they administer according to their faith, and thus the power of faith through the ordinance of God is made manifest among the children of men. ”

“ Elder Welcome was one of the old-fashioned sort not so common in these days, a good man, but stern and somewhat harsh. He preached only the terrors of the law, dwelt much upon the doctrines, the decrees, election, predestination, and eternal punishment, and rarely lingered over such themes as the fatherhood of God, his love to mankind, and his wonderful gift to a lost world. ”

“ God went with his Elders, and they have gathered together his people as they are here to-day. They have been seeking to carry out the desire of the Lord and the wish of the Almighty in regard to the human family. They were told to go trusting in the name of the Lord, and he would take care of them and go before them, and that his Spirit should go with them and his angels accompany them. ”

“ The brethren and sisters from the old countries frequently place great confidence in the American Elders who have been their pastors, but some trifling thing occurs that does not appear right to them, and they say in a moment, That Elder is not a Latter-day Saint." Judge no man. A person who would say another is not a Latter-day Saint, for some trifling affair in human life, proves that he does not possess the Spirit of God. ”

“ It is by the power of God that the Elders have been sustained in days past and gone. And I want to say to my brethren—and what I say to them I take to myself—we should wake up, we should open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and we should open our hearts to understand our appointment and position before the Lord; for if, as Latter-day Saints, we are going to stop praying, lose the light of the Holy Ghost, and turn to the beggarly elements of the world, the Lord will have to say to us—"Get out of my way, my purposes can not be thwarted;" ”

“ In every professional life there are daily occurrences that try men's tempers. But by the grace of God, our brother was enabled to adorn the doctrine of God, our Saviour, and to live unspotted from the world. As all elders have to mingle more with the world than a minister, how essential it is that the outside world should see that their walk and conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ.
Again: another qualification of an elder, is, that "he should be a prayerful man." Our brother had all through life cultivated a spirit of prayer. This "is the Christian's vital breath." ”

“ Well, gentlemen, the duties of elders have never been very clearly defined in the church. But latterly they have settled down to this. The younger elder is to brush down and harness the pastor's horse when he wishes to ride out, and the elder is to accompany him, when he goes out of town, and pay his bills. ”

“ Did the world know who these Elders are that go forth among them bearing the precious seed of eternal life; could they comprehend and realize it, they would ask of them, and they would give them water which would be in them a well springing up into eternal life; for they are the representatives of God on the earth, going forth with authority from Him to impart unto the world the Holy Ghost, and lead them into the paths of life. ”

“ The object of sending Elders forth to the nations of the earth is to preach the Gospel, that the world may know the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, and through obedience thereto be gathered to the people of God, and be saved in His kingdom. ”

“ The elders are travelling into many parts, as may be seen from letters published from time to time, and what adds to the reflection, and gives joy to the heart, is that wherever they go, and labor but a short season, are instruments in the economy of heaven, of convincing hundreds of the truth and propriety of the faith of the everlasting gospel. ”

“ An old man, already so exhausted by age that he could hardly stand upon his feet, came one day with the others to the church, and upon being enjoined to become a Christian, that he might give to God the little of life that remained to him, told them to leave him in peace, for he was no longer fit for anything except death. ”

“ The elder now states to us verbally, that he was well received by the brethren where there were any, and that it is due to all where he travelled to say, that he was kindly received and hospitably entertained. Truth and reason are the best weapons to combat prejudice and error. Time, patience and perseverance on the part of the saints are necessary to overcome these, and all other opposing barrier to the truth. The elder has had full congregations of hearers, has preached in a great many places, and baptized five sine he wrote us, making 29 in all since he left home in April last. ”

“ When I listen to the Elders, as we have to-day, speaking their experience, and relating that which they have met with, and the joy they have had, it has seemed to me that, if any of the Elders, or if all the Elders, could comprehend this and enter into the spirit of it, they would say that they would devote themselves with all they possess, with every feeling of their heart, with every power of their mind, with all the strength and the ability which God has given them, to the rolling forth of his work upon the face of the earth. ”

“ Our elders will be but in the middle forties and the earlier fifties; and we must find for them an age which may evoke their friendly interest, and yet be likely to call forth, besides that, their sympathy and their longing admiration, and later their tolerance, their patience, and even their forgiveness. ”

“ It is very agreeable to us to have our principles investigated, for the first Elders of the Church have endeavored for nearly forty years to disseminate a knowledge of them among all people unto whom they could get access. ”

“ When an Elder goes out to preach he ought not to let his mind be filled with care for his family, only when he is praying about them; and if they have lived by faith, all right; and if they have died during his absence, all right ”