The Seventy's Course in Theology (First Year). B. H. Roberts
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And not only is the Church the depository of revealed truth; but she is also the depository of the divine authority; she, in organized capacity, holds as content the Holy Priesthood; and she has commission and agency to dispense the truth and administer through her instrumentalities all the ordinances of the gospel.
3. The Mission of the Church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was brought into existence for the accomplishment of two great things: first, the proclamation of the truth concerning man's salvation to all the world: and second, the perfecting of those who accept that truth. The Church is organized with reference to the accomplishment of these two purposes, and has, for the accomplishment of those purposes, a foreign ministry and a home ministry. In defining the duties of a Seventy it is with the foreign ministry that we have to deal.
4. The Foreign Ministry. The business of the foreign ministry is to make proclamation of the gospel in all the world, and gather, as soon as wisdom dictates, those who accept it into the organized stakes of Zion. This foreign ministry, strictly speaking, is composed of the Twelve Apostles and the quorums of the Seventy.
5. The Twelve: "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. * * * * 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. * * * * 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." (Doc & Cov., Sec. cvii.) This is the special calling of the Twelve Apostles, and the calling of the Seventy is like unto it.
6. The Seventy: "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. * * * * 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. * * * * 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. * * * * And these Seventy (the reference is to the whole body of that Priesthood) are to be traveling ministers unto the Gentiles first, and also unto the Jews. * * * * Whereas other officers of the Church, who belong not unto the Twelve, neither to the Seventy, are not under the responsibility to travel among all nations, but are to travel as their circumstances shall allow, notwithstanding they may hold as high and responsible offices in the Church." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. cvii.)
When the Church was set in order at Nauvoo, in 1841, by direction of a revelation (Doc. & Cov.; Sec. cxxiv.) after naming the First Seven Presidents, who were to preside over the quorums of Seventies, the Lord said: "Which quorum is instituted for traveling Elders to bear record of my name in all the world, whenever the traveling High Council, my Apostles, shall send them to prepare a way before my face. The difference between this quorum and the quorum of Elders is, that one is to travel continually, and the other is to preside over the churches from time to time: the one has the responsibility of presiding from time to time, and the other has no responsibility of presiding, saith the Lord your God."
In these passages the special calling and duties of the Seventies are so clearly set forth that neither comment nor amplification is necessary, since these foregoing quotations are the word of the Lord, and evidence the fact that the Twelve, with the Seventy, constitute the foreign ministry of the Church. They are special witnesses of God and Christ to the truth of the gospel, and that is their special and peculiar calling in the Church. Not that the whole responsibility of preaching the gospel rests upon the Twelve and the Seventy alone. That responsibility rests upon the whole body of the Church. These quorums, the Twelve and Seventy, are merely the instrumentality through which the Church discharges its obligations to the people of the world in making known to them the truth.
7. President Joseph F. Smith on the Calling of the Seventy: We have also in the Church today, I am informed, 146 quorums of Seventy [the number in 1904]. These constitute a body of Elders of somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 men, whose special duty it is to respond to the call of the Apostles to preach the gospel, without purse or scrip, to all the nations of the earth. They are minute men. It is expected that they will be ready, whenever they are called, to go out in the world, or to go out to the various organizations of the Church to fulfill missions and to perform such duties as shall be required of them, in order that the work of the Lord and the work of the ministry may be upheld and sustained and carried on in the Church and throughout the world. These councils or quorums of Seventy are not always full, a full council being 70 Elders. But there are approximately 10,000 Elders who now hold that position in the Church. They are called to an apostolic calling. They are required to be special witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is expected of this body of men that they will have burning in their souls the testimony of Jesus Christ, which is the spirit of prophecy; that they will be full of light and of the knowledge of the truth; that they will be enthusiastic in their calling, and in the cause of Zion, and that they will be ready at any moment, when required, to go out into the world, or anywhere throughout the Church and bear testimony of the truth, preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and set examples before the world of purity, love, honesty, uprightness and integrity to the truth. (The General Conference Reports, October 6th, 1904, p. 3.)
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