D&C 66: Revelation to William E. McLellin — Faithfulness and Avoiding Temptation
I spent a Saturday afternoon a few months ago planing a cherry board that had been sitting in my garage for two years. Cherry is a tricky wood when it is green. It warps, cups, and moves in ways you do not expect. But if you let it sit long enough, if you give it time to dry and settle, it becomes one of the most stable things you can work with. That is what seasoning does. It makes the wood predictable even though it does not make it stronger.
I thought about that while reading D&C 66. This is a short revelation of eleven verses, given to a man named William E. McLellin in the spring of 1831. It reads more like a personal letter than a general declaration. The Lord calls him to preach, warns him about temptation, and tells him to be faithful.
It reads like a seasoning process for a new servant.
"Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, and I will come quickly. Amen." (D&C 66:11)
Who Was William E. McLellin in the Early Church
McLellin was a skilled speaker. The kind of person who could walk into a room and hold it without trying. He joined the Church early, in 1831, and was called to help organize the work in the Eastern States. His natural gifts made him useful, but they also made him vulnerable.
The revelation does not waste time on flattery. It tells McLellin to preach the gospel, to avoid temptation, and to be faithful. The tone is direct and personal. There is no praise for his eloquence, only instruction and warning. That caught my attention. The Lord gave McLellin a gift for speaking, and then told him to be careful with it. The warning was not about the people he would preach to. It was about himself.
What Does D&C 66 Teach About Faithfulness
The word faithful shows up in these verses the way a grain line shows up in a board. It is not loud. It runs underneath everything else. Verse 3 says McLellin has been faithful in keeping the commandments and that because of this, the Lord accepts him. Verses 5 and 6 tell him to continue being faithful and to preach with power.
There is an honesty to this that I appreciate. McLellin was not flawless. He had been faithful enough to be called, but the revelation makes it clear that the call does not come with permanent approval. You keep going and you keep choosing. The command stays the same, but the decision is new every time.
McLellin needed the reminder. He would eventually leave the Church years later, and that makes this revelation read differently than it might if he had stayed faithful to the end. It is a snapshot of a moment when someone was still in the middle of their story, still being told to hold on.
How to Avoid Temptation in a Calling
The warning in verse 10 is direct. The Lord tells McLellin to look to God and live. To avoid the snare because it has been prepared to destroy him. That is specific language. It suggests that McLellin knew what his weak spots were, and the revelation was pointing at them without naming them out loud.
The snare is not always the obvious sin. Often it is the drift. The slow acceptance of small compromises that do not feel like betrayals in the moment. A preacher who starts believing his own press. A woodworker who takes a shortcut on a joint because it will not be visible. A pilot who skips a preflight because the weather looks good.
The revelation names the danger in a way that is both warning and mercy. It says: I know where this could go. Now do not go there.
Lessons on Humility and Eloquence in Scripture
McLellin was given a platform because of his ability to speak. But the revelation does not promise him a platform. It promises him a warning. That is a pattern I have noticed in scripture. When the Lord calls someone with natural talent, He nearly always pairs it with a caution about pride.
The same thread appears in a different section of the Doctrine and Covenants where the focus is on the Lord's work rather than the worker's ability. The stone rolls forth and the worker is just someone who helps push.
I think about this when I watch someone who is good at what they do. That could be a teacher, a musician, a manager, a bishop. The gift is real. But the gift becomes a liability the moment you start believing it belongs to you. McLellin was not warned because he was weak. He was warned because he was strong, and strength that is not disciplined will find its own way down.
Meaning of the Revelation to William McLellin
I keep coming back to the question of why this revelation exists at all. McLellin was one of many early converts. The Lord chose to give him a personal section in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Two reasons come to mind. First, because the Lord deals with people as individuals. He did not give McLellin a generic list of missionary instructions. He gave him a warning tailored to his specific risk. Second, because McLellin's story was not finished when the revelation was written. It was a moment of potential. The revelation captures what the Lord wanted for him.
The jar of manna in Exodus was kept as a memorial of what God provided. This revelation is a memorial of what God wanted to provide. A warning and a direction and a chance to choose the hard right thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was William E. McLellin and why was he receiving this revelation?
William E. McLellin was an early member of the Church and a talented speaker called to help organize the Church in the Eastern States. This revelation was given to him as a guide and a warning, helping him remain faithful and humble while serving his mission.
What is the primary warning given to McLellin in Section 66?
The Lord warns him to avoid temptation and the pride that can come with natural talent and public success. The emphasis is on maintaining spiritual integrity rather than focusing on outward results.
How does this section apply to people in callings today?
It is a reminder that callings require ongoing personal faithfulness and humility. Natural abilities are tools to be used for God's purposes, but only if we stay disciplined and avoid the drift toward worldliness.
What happened to William E. McLellin later?
He served faithfully for several years but eventually left the Church in the late 1830s. His later history makes the warning in this revelation feel particularly significant. It was not a prophecy of failure. It was a chance to avoid one.
The cherry board I planed that Saturday is now a small table in my living room. It did not become anything special. I made the mistake of letting the grain wander before I understood where it was going, and I had to adjust the design mid-build to accommodate it. The table is fine. But it would have been better if I had paid more attention in the early stages, when the wood was still telling me what it needed.
That is what this revelation sounds like to me. A moment early in the work, when someone is still being told what they need to hear, before the grain has set.
-- D.