This, then, represents the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints upon the authoritative sources of their doctrine. It is not sufficient to quote sayings purported to come from Joseph Smith or Brigham Young upon matters of doctrine. Our own people also need instruction and correction in respect of this. It is common to hear some of our older brethren say, "But I heard Brother Joseph myself say so," or "Brother Brigham preached it: I heard him." But that is not the question. The question is has God said it? Was the prophet speaking officially, what the Catholics would call excathedra? . . . As to the printed discourses of even leading brethren, the same principle holds. They do not constitute the court of ultimate appeal on doctrine. They may be very useful in the way of elucidation and are very generally good and sound in doctrine, but they are not the ultimate sources of the doctrines of the Church, and are not binding upon the Church. The rule in that respect is: What God has spoken, and what has been accepted by the Church as the word of God, by that, and that only, are we bound in doctrine. When in the revelations it is said concerning the Prophet, Seer and Revelator that the Church shall "give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth: them — for his word ye shall receive as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith" — (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 21)— it is understood, of course, that this has reference to the word of God received through revelation, and officially announced to the Church, and not to every chance word spoken. And when it is further said, as it is in one of the revelations, that whatsoever the elders of the Church "shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, shall be the mind of the Lord and shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord and the power of God unto salvation" — it is to be precisely noted that this is "when" the elders "speak as moved upon by the Holy Ghost," and not otherwise; and as the elders do not always speak as moved upon by the Holy Ghost, the Church does not admit their utterances as on the same level for deciding upon Church doctrine as the four books that have been mentioned.