Chapter VII. The Day Appointed for Organizing the Church--Revelation on Church Government. [Sidenote: Directions for the Organization of the Church.] We now became anxious to have that promise realized to us, which the angel that conferred upon us the Aaronic Priesthood had given us, viz., that provided we continued faithful, we should also have the Melchisedek Priesthood, which holds the authority of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. We had for some time made this matter a subject of humble prayer, and at length we got together in the chamber of Mr. Whitmer's house, in order more particularly to seek of the Lord what we now so earnestly desired; and here, to our unspeakable satisfaction, did we realize the truth of the Savior's promise--"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you"--for we had not long been engaged in solemn and fervent prayer, when the word of the Lord came unto us in the chamber, [1] commanding us {61} that I should ordain Oliver Cowdery to be an Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ; and that he also should ordain me to the same office; and then to ordain others, as it should be made known unto us from time to time. We were, however, commanded to defer this our ordination until such times as it should be practicable to have our brethren, who had been and who should be baptized, assembled together, when we must have their sanction to our thus proceeding to ordain each other, and have them decide by vote whether they were willing to accept us as spiritual teachers or not; when also we were commanded to bless bread and break it with them, and to take wine, bless it, and drink it with them; afterward proceed to ordain each other according to commandment; then call out such men as the Spirit should dictate, and ordain them; and then attend to the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, upon all those whom we had previously baptized, doing all things in the name of the Lord. The following commandment will further illustrate the {62} nature of our calling to this Priesthood, as well as that of others who were yet to be sought after: _Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jun., Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, making known the calling of Twelve Apostles in these last days; and also instructions relative to building up the Church of Christ according to the fulness of the Gospel. Given in Fayette, New York, June, 1829_. [2] 1. Now, behold, because of the thing which you, my servant Oliver Cowdery, have desired to know of me, I give unto you these words: 2. Behold, I have manifested unto you, by my Spirit in many instances, that the things which you have written are true; wherefore you know that they are true; 3. And if you know that they are true, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that you rely upon the things which are written;