PRINCIPLES
OF THE LAW OF CONSECRATION
President
J. Reuben Clark Jr. said, "The
basic principle of all the revelations on the United Order is that everything
we have belongs to the Lord; therefore, the Lord may call upon us for any and
all of the property which we have, because it belongs to Him. This, I repeat,
is the basic principle" (October 3, 1942 Conference
Address). (See D&C 104:14-17, 54-57.)
Section
42 of the D&C outlines the Law of the Church, as laid forth by the Lord,
including the elements of the Law of Consecration. It is contained in between
two statements of the Lord’s straight from the New Testament.
Verse
29: If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep
all my commandments
Verse
38: For inasmuch as ye do it unto the
least of these, ye do it unto me.
So it
is based upon the loftiest of Christian values, serving Christ through service
to others, and the idea that everything we have is a stewardship to begin with.
The key elements:
Verse
30: A covenant, which cannot be broken
Verse
31-32: Giving of your substance to the
poor, by way of the bishop
Verse 32: Carrying out your own stewardship to a common
treasury for the future care of the poor, and for the building of churches,
etc.
Verse 37: Not being able to “take back” what you
consecrated
Verse
39: This was all in fulfillment of a
prophecy.
IMPLEMENTATIONS
OF THE LAW OF CONSECRATION
You
could say that there were four phases of the law of consecration during Joseph
Smith’s lifetime.
1831-1833.
Jackson County, Missouri. The vehicle used (Bruce R. McConkie’s word) was
called “The United Order.” A very brief attempt was made in Kirtland, then another in Jackson County. A member would deed all to the church, having a stewardship
deeded back to him, which belonged to him as long as he remained with the
church. The excess went to build the kingdom and support the
poor. It was a great deal of work for the bishop, who managed it all, with the help of
others. Some of the deeds have survived. The least affluent of those belonged
to James Lee, who consecrated to the bishop “a number of saddlers tools, one
candlestick & one washbowl valued seven dollars twenty five cents,--also
saddler’s stock, trunks and harness work valued twenty four dollars—also extra
clothing valued three dollars” – possessions totally $34.25 in value. Among the
wealthiest was George W. Pitkin, who gave “sundry articles of furniture valued
forty seven dollars thirty seven cents,--also three beds, bedding and extra
clothing valued sixty eight dollars,--also sundry farming tools valued eleven
dollars and fifty cents,--also two horses, one harness, one wagon, two cows and
one calf valued one hundred and eighty one dollars”—the total worth $307.87. (Leonard Arrington, Building the City of God, p. 24)
1833.
Jackson County, Missouri. As a result of the lawsuit of an ex-member,
stewardships were now private property of the individuals, and the bishop’s
authority over them was “softened.”
1837-1838.
Caldwell & Daviess Counties. Members gave voluntary contributions: initially 2% of their
net worth, and more to follow. Later, all of a member’s surplus was donated, plus
annual tithing of 10%. At this time in the history of the Church, most of them had, however, little or no
surplus.
1838-1844. Nauvoo, Illinois. The quantity of the
consecration was now the decision of the donor. Rather than setting specific
percentages, the Prophet emphasized true generosity in giving, and freedom from
all taint of self-interest. The Saints fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and
comforted the afflicted, regardless of religious affiliation. In 1842, the
sacred ritual of the endowment was introduced, which encompassed the Law of Consecration. Saints are promised joint inheritances
with Christ, powers, knowledge, and glory, by consecrating their energy and
resources to the Church and by sacrificing all things for the advancement of
God’s work on the earth (Lyndon W. Cook, author of Joseph Smith and the Law of Consecration, quoted in Encyclopedia of Latter-Day Saint History, p. 241-243).
EDWARD
PARTRIDGE : An Example of Consecration
The
Bishop who had the responsibility of managing this complicated United Order was
Edward Partridge, also the first bishop of this dispensation. Joseph Smith
wrote that Edward Partridge was “a pattern of piety and one of the Lord’s great
men.” (History of the Church, 1:128)
Edward
Partridge was a hatter before he joined the church. Hats, of course, were vital
to the genteel of the day (probably partly because they washed their hair so
infrequently), and millinery was a lucrative career. Edward Partridge had a
partnership in a store near Albany, and a branch store in Ohio, when he bought
out his partner. Then he met those first four missionaries of the church. That
was the end of his material prosperity, but it was the beginning of a great
spiritual treasure.
His
wife Lydia joined the church first, but he wanted to meet Joseph Smith before
he made up his mind. So he journeyed to New York in 1830, listened to a
discourse by the prophet, and asked to be baptized the next day. He was
baptized by Joseph Smith himself. He returned to Ohio and three days after his
arrival, having been a member of the church less than two months, he was called
to be the first bishop.
"And
again, I have called my servant Edward Partridge; and I give a commandment, that
he should be appointed by the voice of the church, and ordained a bishop unto
the church, to leave his merchandise and to spend all his time in the labors of
the church;
"To
see to all things as it shall be appointed unto him in my laws in the day that
I shall give them.
"And
this because his heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathanael of old,
in whom there is no guile" (D&C 41:9-11).
This
call as a Bishop involved a move to the wild frontier of Missouri to help in
the establishment of Zion. His family stayed behind in Ohio for a time. Despite
all the confidence of Joseph Smith, and the opinions of others around him,
Bishop Partridge was humble and felt inadequate to his calling, as he expressed
in a letter to his wife:
"You
know I stand in an important station, and as I am occasionally chastened I
sometimes feel my station is above what I can perform to the acceptance of my
Heavenly Father" (Edward Partridge Jr., “Biography and Family Genealogy,
Unpublished Journal,” p. 6-7, quoted in Susan Easton Black, Who's Who in the Doctrine and Covenants, p. 214).
As
Bishop, and particularly as the bishop carrying out the United Order, Edward
Partridge had great responsibility for the functioning of the entire community.
Can you imagine managing this huge system, trying to keep everyone happy with
their assignments? There were many more poor and destitute saints who came to
Independence hoping for an “inheritance” under the United Order than there were
wealthy saints consecrating of their abundance. Church leadership had to start telling
people they couldn’t move there without advance permissions, there were so many
poor saints showing up on Brother Partridge’s doorstep. Those who
had reasonable worldly possessions and gave them to the United Order could
expect, therefore, to have their economic status lowered. And some of them backed
out after agreeing to consecrate. But, generally, the economical level of the
church members began to rise enough because of this cooperation that they because a threat to the Missourians. Their piousness was also an annoyance to
the boisterous frontiersmen who decided to threaten the leadership and insist
that they take their congregation and go. Edward Partridge was number one on
their hit list.
On
July 20, 1833, he was dragged by an angry crowd, along with Charles Allen, to
the town square. There they were told to renounce their faith in the Book of
Mormon or leave the county. They consented to neither, upon which the mob
attacked them. (They were going to strip them naked, but Bishop Partridge
convinced them to leave his shirt and pantaloons on.) Then they dabbed them
with tar and acid from the tops of their heads to their feet and threw feathers
over them.
Brother
Partridge said of the incident:
"I
bore my abuse with so much resignation and meekness that it appeared to astound
the multitude, who permitted me to return in silence, many looking very solemn,
their sympathies having been touched...; and as to myself, I was so filled with
the Spirit and love of God, that I had no hatred towards my persecutors or
anyone else" (HC 1:391, quoted in WW, p. 215).
"The
leaders of the mob were the county judge, the constables, the court clerk, and
the justices of the peace. The lieutenant-governor, Lilburn W. Boggs, was
watching and aiding the mob. Bishop Partridge felt it right to sue the
perpetrators of the violence for $50,000, but even his lawyers conspired
against him. They took his pay of $600, made a compromise with the defendants
against his consent and had the case thrown out of court. He never got his
money back" (Paul C. Richards, BYU Studies, Vol. 13 #4, p. 532-4).
This
was only one of the trials of Bishop Partridge. The list of what his family
endured is too depressing to itemize. In addition to suffering mob violence and
numerous forced moves along with the rest of the saints, he was also imprisoned
for the gospel’s sake.
The
stirring accounts contained in Sections 121, 122, and 123 which Joseph Smith
wrote from Liberty Jail on March 25, 1839, he sent to the Saints, and “to
Bishop Partridge in Particular” (Susan E.
Black, Who’s Who, p. 215). He must
have felt that Bishop Partridge could use the encouragement as well. These
include the beautiful words, “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity
and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it
well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all of thy foes;”
(121:7-8), and “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee
experience, and shall be for thy good” (122:7).
The
United Order did not succeed for long in Jackson County. Too many of the saints
were not faithful to consecrate either their money on the part of many of the
rich, or their industry on the part of many of the poor. Any of you who have
more than one child and have ever tried to make “all things equal” between them
will understand what a formidable, thankless, and possibly quite unpleasant job
Bishop Partridge’s must have been. The
constant persecution of the mobs made it impossible to ever get any surplus.
The courts were against the Mormons and communal-type establishments of any
type. The Lord would have overcome these difficulties, however, had the saints
been faithful. In June of the same year, Edward Partridge, the man in charge of
the whole United Order, wrote in his journal,
"I
have not at this time two dollars in the world, one dollar and forty-four cents
is all. I owe for my rent, and for making clothes for some of the poor, and
some other things…What is best for me to do, I hardly know" (Journal History,
13 June 1839).
He
moved to Nauvoo, where he once again served as bishop. While building a home
outside of town and attempting to move the furniture, he collapsed from
exhaustion, and died within two weeks at age 46, less than a decade after he
joined the church (WW, p. 216).
In
her old age, his daughter Emily reflected upon his death: "I look and remember the great responsibility resting upon my father as
bishop—his poverty and privations and hardships he had to endure, the
accusations of false brethren, the grumblings of the poor, and the persecution
of our enemies, I do not wonder at his early death; and when I remember his
conversations with my mother, and can now comprehend in my mature years, his
extreme weariness of soul, it brings to my mind a clause of his blessing, which
says, 'Thou shalt stand in the office until thou shalt desire to resign it that
thou mayest rest for a little season'” (Emily Partridge Smith Young, Incidents, p. 79-81),
His
only son to live to maturity, Edward Partridge, Jr., was called to be bishop of
Fillmore, Utah in 1869. In his diary, he wrote, “This is something that I have
always had an instinctive dread of since I have had understanding sufficient to
know what the office of a bishop was” (Diary,
9 Mar 1869),
“Like
the merchant who sold all he had for the pearl of great price, Edward
Partridge…never thought the price was too high” (Dean Jessee, "Steadfastness and Patient Endurance: The Legacy of Edward Partridge," Ensign, June 1979).
The rewards to Bishop Partridge for his service were eternal. All
of his children as well as his wife remained faithful to the church. His
daughters were among the very first women called upon to live the law of
polygamy, wives of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Amasa Lyman. His grandson
and great-grandson were the architects for the old and new church office
buildings in Salt Lake City. Among his progeny is an unbroken line of bishops
and church leaders, including President James E. Faust.
THE
LAW OF CONSECRATION TODAY
Does
the Law of Consecration apply to us today, or is it something we are just
supposed to prepare to live at some future time?
"The
implementation of specific economic programs from 1831 to 1844 changed
significantly in practice though not in
principle. The possessions, skills, and time of the Saints were essential
components in building the kingdom of God on the earth…By 1844, Joseph Smith
taught that spiritual commitment and love were higher expressions of consecration
than legal stewardship agreements. During this time (1838), tithing had also
become established as a minimum standard of economic consecration for the
faithful" (Lyndon W. Cook, author of Joseph
Smith and the Law of Consecration, in Encyclopedia of LDS History,
p. 241-243).
The
Law of Consecration still functions in this way today. It is no longer
implemented through a detailed program, such as the “United Order,” with
binding legal documents and specific assignments from the bishop, but all the
principles are still valid, and ever Latter-day Saint can live the Law of
Consecration on his or her own initiative. The lesser law, the minimum standard, of
consecration is the law of tithing. Bruce R. McConkie says that you cannot live
the perfect law of consecration unless you first obey perfectly the law of
tithing (Mormon Doctrine, p. 158).
All church members are expected to pay tithing, and it is actually required of
those who want to attend the temple. Why? Because in the temple, church members
make an eternal covenant--much
more binding than a legal document--to
live the higher law.
J.
Reuben Clark, Jr. said in 1942:
"I
should like to suggest to you that perhaps, after all, when the Welfare Plan
gets thoroughly into operation—it is not so yet—we shall not be so very far
from carrying out the great fundamentals of the United Order....
"If
the Welfare Plan is fully operative, we shall be able to care for every
destitute Latter-Day Saint wherever he may be" (October 1942 Conference
Address).
Haven’t
we reached that point in the church? We have the opportunity
for consecration with the Perpetual Education Fund. Now, with our Humanitarian Aid contributions, we can extend our
“surplus” to assist the poor all over the world of any religious denomination.
In addition, many church members spend their “surplus” time crocheting leper
bandages, making school kits, doing medical service, etc. for people all over
the world. How wonderful will be the day when we can take care of "every
destitute soul" inside or outside the church, wherever he may be! That is our aim!
HOW
TO LIVE THE LAW OF CONSECRATION TODAY
The
bishop is no longer in charge of our consecration; we are. He may issue a
calling, and if we are living the law of consecration, we will accept it and
give it all we can. If our official church calling doesn’t take all our time and effort, we can give
the rest of it to build up the kingdom in little ways, serving in any way that
presents itself. After we pay our tithing, we can give much more, even to the
point of giving all of our excess beyond our basic needs and comforts. Serving as a full-time missionary is a call to live the law of consecration; a time of your life that you can
truly give all of your time and attention to the building of the kingdom.
Although
the Welfare Plan may not be exactly the same as the United Order, Albert E.
Bowen, who researched and wrote the book, The Church Welfare Plan, said,
"Safe
it is to say that a complete living of the law governing this Plan [that is,
the Welfare Plan], and the practice of the principles involved [which are the
PRINCIPLES OF THE LAW OF CONSECRATION], would make transition to the
organization of the United Order not too difficult" (p. 145, quoted in Mormon Doctrine, p. 814).
So,
as a Church, we are heading closer and closer to actually living the Law of
Consecration. But as individuals, there is nothing to prevent us from living it
right now. What can we do, specifically? Well, instructions on
how to live the Law of Consecration are found in Section 42, just after the
principles of the law are recorded. You may want to just highlight the key
words, and study this section, asking yourself how you are
doing.
Verse
40: Don’t be PROUD
Verse
41: Stay CLEAN
Verse
42: Don’t be IDLE
Verse
43: CARE for the sick
Verse
45: Live in LOVE
Verse
46: Call upon the Priesthood to HEAL the
sick
Verse
53: Carry out your individual
STEWARDSHIP in the Kingdom
Verse
54: PAY for what you get
Verse
55: GIVE YOUR EXCESS to the Church
Verse
56: Seek for the WORD OF GOD
THE
EFFECTS OF LIVING THE LAW OF CONSECRATION UPON THE SOUL
"The
law pertaining to material aid is so formulated that the carrying of it out
necessitates practices calculated to root out human traits not in harmony with
requirements for living in the celestial kingdom and replacing those
inharmonious traits with the virtues and character essential to life in that
abode" (Albert E. Bowen, The Church
Welfare Plan, p. 13).
A
promise to those who live the Law of Consecration is found in D&C 42:60-61:
"And
he that doeth according to these things shall be saved, and he that doeth them
not shall be damned if he so continue.
"If
thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon
knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which
bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal."
The
second part of that promise was fulfilled in Bishop Partridge’s life. He wrote:
"I
have torn my affections from this world’s goods, from the vanities and toys of
time and sense, and been willing to love and serve God, with all my heart and
be led by his holy Spirit. [As a consequence] my mind has been as it were
continually expanding—receiving the things of God, until glories indescribable
present themselves before me" (quoted in Dean Jessee Ensign article,
June 1979).
We
also know that the first part of the promise was fulfilled at Brother
Partridge’s death because the Lord said in D&C 124:19 that he had received
Edward Partridge unto himself, along with David Patten and Joseph Smith,
Sr.
As Edward Partridge lived the Law of Consecration totally throughout the 10 years of his church
membership, he was refined and perfected spiritually far beyond those who
struggled, refused, or grudgingly lived the law. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we
each followed his example, so that when our lives are over, it can be said of
us as I have found it universally said of Edward Partridge: “He gave everything
he had for the building up of the Kingdom of God” (Craig L. Foster, ELDSH, p. 897).
