| 578 between it and the "Book of Commandments" published by W. W. Phelps, at Independence, Missouri, in 1833.
It is true that the revelations were sent to Zion for publication, by the hands of Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer. Some work was done on them but the issue was never completed, the press and office being destroyed while the work was being done. The most of those that were printed were destroyed by the mob. Some of them were preserved by individuals, who picked up the scattered sheets, and a few copies of the unfinished work are still in existence. The Book of "Doctrine and Covenants" contains revelations that the other does not, and parts of some of the revelations found in both books read differently.
The point as to which is the more reliable wherein they differ, has been a subject of much discussion. We are not able to account for how the differences occurred, but we think the testimony is overwhelmingly in favor of the correctness of the revelations as published in the Doctrine and Covenants:-
1. The Book of Commandments was never indorsed [endorsed] by conference, quorum, council, or assembly that we have any record of. The Book of Doctrine and Covenants was indorsed [endorsed] by the General Assembly, as the minutes herein published show; first by the quorums separately, and then by the assembly as a whole, and that in every instance by unanimous vote.
2. The Book of Commandments, so far as we know, never in early days received the indorsement [endorsement] of a leading man of the church, so far as the correctness of the revelations is concerned. The Book of Doctrine and Covenants received the indorsement [endorsement] of the committee compiling it; namely, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, F. G. Williams, and Oliver Cowdery; 3 of all the members of the Quorum
3 To the members of the church of the Latter Day Saints-
Dear Brethren:-We deem it to be unnecessary to entertain you with a lengthy preface to the following volume, but merely to say that it contains in short, the leading items of the religion which we have professed to believe.
The first part of the book will be found to contain a series of Lectures
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