=1. Scriptural Examples.=--It is not less agreeable to the dictates of
human reason, than it is conformable to the plan of perfect
organization which characterizes the Church of Christ, that all who
minister in the ordinances of the Gospel should be called and
commissioned for their sacred duties by the authority of heaven. The
scriptures sustain this view most thoroughly; they present to us an
array of men whose Divine callings are specially attested, and whose
mighty works declare a power greater than that of man. On the other
hand, not an instance is set down in holy writ of anyone taking to
himself the authority to officiate in sacred ordinances, and being
acknowledged of the Lord in such administration.
=2.= Consider the case of Noah, who "found grace in the eyes of the
Lord"[534] in the midst of a wicked world. Unto him the Lord spake,
announcing His displeasure with the wicked inhabitants of earth, and
the Divine intention concerning the deluge; and instructed him in the
manner of building and stocking the ark. That Noah declared the word
of God unto his perverse contemporaries is shown in Peter's
declaration of Christ's mission in the spirit world,--that the Savior
preached to those who had been disobedient during the period of God's
long suffering in the days of Noah, and who had in consequence
endured the privations of the prison house in the interval.[535]
Surely none can question the Divine source of Noah's authority, nor
the justice of the retributive punishment following the wilful
rejection of his teachings, for his words were the words of God.
[534] Gen. vi, 8.
[535] I Peter iii, 19-20.
=3.= So also with Abraham, the father of the faithful; the Lord called
him[536] and made covenant with him for all the generations of his
posterity. Isaac[537] was similarly distinguished; likewise
Jacob,[538] to whom, as he rested upon his pillow of stones in the
desert, the Lord appeared. Unto Moses[539] came the voice of God
amidst the fierceness of fire, calling and commissioning the man to go
into Egypt and deliver therefrom the people whose cries had come up
with such effect before the throne of heaven. In this great work
Aaron[540] was called to assist his brother; and later, Aaron and his
sons[541] were chosen by Divine direction from the midst of the
children of Israel to minister in the priest's office. When Moses[542]
saw that his days were numbered, he solicited the Lord to appoint a
successor in his holy station; and by special command, Joshua, the son
of Nun, was so selected.
[536] Gen. xii-xxv; Pearl of Great Price: Book of Abraham.
[537] Gen. xxvi, 2-5.
[538] Gen. xxviii, 10-15.
[539] Exo. iii, 2-10.
[540] Exo. iv, 14-16, 27.
[541] Exo. xxviii, 1.
[542] Numb, xxvii, 15-23.
=4.= Samuel, who became so great a prophet in Israel, commissioned to
consecrate, command, and rebuke kings, to direct armies, and to serve
as the oracle of God unto the people, was chosen while yet a boy, and
called by the voice of the Lord.[543] And such was the power that
followed this call, that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that
Samuel was established a prophet of the Lord.[544] Time fails to
permit the mention of many other men of might, who received their
power from God, whose histories portray the honor with which the Lord
regarded His chosen ministers. Think of the heavenly vision by which
Isaiah was called and directed in the duties of his prophetic
office;[545] of Jeremiah, to whom the word of the Lord came in the
days of Josiah;[546] of the priest Ezekiel, who first received the
Divine message in the land of the Chaldeans,[547] and subsequently on
other occasions; of Hosea,[548] and all the rest of the prophets to
Zechariah[549] and Malachi.[550]
[543] I Sam. iii, 4-14.
[544] I Sam. iii, 20.
[545] Isa. i, 1; ii, 1; vi, 8-9.
[546] Jer. i, 2-10.
[547] Ezek. i, 1.
[548] Hos. i, 1.
[549] Zech. i, 1.
[550] Mal. i, 1.
=5.= The apostles of the Lord were called by His own voice in the days
of His ministry; and surely the Savior's authority is beyond question,
vindicated as it is by the mighty works of the atonement, wrought
through pain and the anguish of death, and by the authoritative
declaration of the Father at the time of Christ's baptism. Peter, and
Andrew his brother, while casting their nets into the sea, were called
with the instruction,--"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of
men;"[551] and soon after, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were
similarly called. So with all of the chosen Twelve who ministered with
the Master; and unto the Eleven who had remained faithful, He appeared
after His resurrection, giving them special commissions for the work
of the kingdom.[552] Christ specifically declares that He had chosen
His apostles, and that He had ordained them in their exalted
stations.[553]
[551] Matt. iv, 18-20.
[552] Matt. xviii, 19-20; Mark xvi, 15.
[553] John vi, 70; xv, 16.
=6.= In the period immediately following that of Christ's earthly
mission, the ministers of the Gospel were all designated and set apart
by unquestionable authority. Even Saul of Tarsus, afterward Paul the
Apostle, who was converted with marvelous signs and wondrous
manifestations,[554] had to be formally commissioned for the labor
which the Lord desired him to perform; and we are told that the Holy
Ghost spake to the prophets and teachers of the Church at Antioch,
while they fasted before the Lord, saying, "Separate me Barnabas and
Saul for the work whereunto I have called them."[555]
[554] Acts ix.
[555] Acts xiii, 1-2.
=7. The Ordination of Men to the Ministry=, as sanctioned by
scriptural precedent, and established by direct revelation of God's
will, is to be effected through the gift of prophecy, and by the
imposition of hands by those who are in authority. By prophecy is
meant the right to receive, and the power to interpret, manifestations
of the Divine will. That the laying on of hands is usual as a part of
the ceremony is seen in several of the instances already cited;
nevertheless the scriptures record numerous ordinations to the offices
of the priesthood, with no specific statement concerning the
imposition of hands, nor indeed any other details of the ceremony.
Such instances do not warrant the conclusion that the laying on of
hands was not actually performed; and indeed in the light of modern
revelation it is clear that the imposition of hands was a usual
accompaniment of ordination, as it was also a part of the ceremony of
confirming blessings,[556] and of bestowing the Holy Ghost.[557]
[556] Gen. xlviii, 14-19. Compare II Kings v, 11; Matt. viii, 15;
Mark vi, 5; xvi, 15-18.
[557] See Lecture viii, pp. 162-174.
=8.= Thus, the priesthood descended from Adam to Noah, under the
hands of the fathers;[558] Enos was ordained by the hand of Adam; and
the same was true of Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah. Lamech
was ordained under the hand of Seth; Noah received his authority from
the hand of Methuselah. And so may the priesthood be traced, bestowed
as the spirit of prophecy directed by the hand of one upon another,
till the time of Moses. Melchizedek, who conferred this authority upon
Abraham, received his own through the direct lineage of his fathers,
from Noah. Esaias, a contemporary of Abraham, received his ordination
under the hand of God. Through the hand of Esaias, the authority
passed to Gad, thence by the same means to Jeremy, Elihu, Caleb, and
Jethro, the priest of Midian, under whose hand Moses was
ordained.[559] Joshua the son of Nun was set apart as directed of God,
through the imposition of hands by Moses.[560]
[558] Doc. and Cov. cvii, 40-52.
[559] Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv, 6-14.
[560] Numb. xxvii, 18; Deut. xxxiv, 9.
=9.= In the days of the apostles, circumstances rendered it expedient
to appoint special officers in the Church, to care for the poor and
attend to the distribution of supplies; these were selected with care,
and were set apart through prayer and laying on of hands.[561] Timothy
was similarly ordained, as witness the admonitions given him by
Paul:--"Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by
prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery,"[562] and
again, "Stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of
my hands."[563] The Lord has bound Himself by solemn covenant to
acknowledge the acts of His authorized servants. Unto whomsoever the
elders give promise after baptism the Holy Ghost will come.[564]
Whatever the priesthood shall bind or loose on earth, is to be
similarly bound or loosed in heaven;[565] the sick upon whom the
elders lay their hands, are to recover;[566] and many other signs are
to follow them that believe. And so jealous is the Lord of the power
to officiate in His name, that at the judgment, all who have aided or
persecuted His servants, are to be rewarded or punished as if they had
done those things unto Christ Himself.[567]
[561] Acts vi, 1-6.
[562] I Timothy iv, 14.
[563] II Tim. i, 6.
[564] Acts ii, 38; III Nephi xi, 35; xii, 2; Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv,
64.
[565] Matt. xvi, 19; Doc. and Cov. i, 8; cxxviii, 8-11.
[566] Mark xvi, 15-18.
[567] Matt. xviii, 4-6; xxv, 31-46; Doc. and Cov. lxxv, 19-22;
lxxxiv, 88-90.
=10. Unauthorized Ministrations= in priestly functions are not alone
invalid, they are indeed grievously sinful. In His dealings with
mankind, God has ever recognized and honored the priesthood
established by His direction; and has never countenanced any
unauthorized assumption of authority. A terrible lesson is taught in
the case of Korah and his associates, in their rebellion against the
authority of the priesthood,--in that they falsely professed the right
to minister in the priest's office. The Lord promptly visited them for
their sins, causing the ground to cleave asunder, and to swallow them
up with all their belongings.[568]
[568] Numbers xvi.
=11.= And think of the affliction that fell upon Miriam, the sister of
Moses, a prophetess among the people.[569] She, with Aaron, railed
against Moses, and they said, "Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by
Moses? hath He not spoken also by us? and the Lord heard it."[570] He
came at once in a cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle,
denouncing their presumption, and vindicating the authority of His
chosen oracle, Moses. When the cloud passed from the tabernacle,
Miriam was seen to be leprous, white as snow; and according to the
law, she was shut out of the camp of Israel. However, through the
earnest entreaties of Moses, the Lord healed the woman, and she was
subsequently permitted to return to the company.
[569] Exo. xv, 21.
[570] Numbers xii.
=12.= Consider the fate of Uzza, the Israelite who met sudden death
through the anger of God, because he put forth his hand to steady the
ark of the covenant lest it fall.[571] This he did in spite of the law
that none but the priests might touch the sacred accompaniments of the
ark; we read that not even the appointed bearers of the vessel were
allowed to touch its holy parts, on pain of death.[572]
[571] I Chron. xiii, 10.
[572] Num. iv, 15.
=13.= Think also of Saul the King of Israel, who had been called from
the farm to be made a monarch favored of God. When the Philistines
were marshalled against Israel in Michmash, Saul waited for
Samuel,[573] under whose hand he had received his kingly
anointing,[574] and to whom he had looked in the days of his humility
for guidance; he asked that the prophet come and offer sacrifices to
the Lord in behalf of the people. But, growing impatient at Samuel's
delay, Saul prepared the burnt offering himself, forgetting that
though he occupied the throne, wore the crown, and bore the sceptre,
these insignia of kingly power gave him no right to officiate even as
a door-keeper in the house of God; and for this and other instances of
his unrighteous presumption, he was rejected of God and another was
chosen in his place.
[573] I Sam. xiii, 5-14.
[574] I Sam. x.
=14.= A striking instance of Divine jealousy concerning holy functions
is shown in the dreadful experience of Uzziah, king of Judah. He was
placed upon the throne when but sixteen years old; and, as long as he
sought the Lord, he was greatly prospered, so that his name became a
terror unto his enemies. But he allowed pride to grow in his heart,
and indulged the delusion that in his kingship he was supreme. He
entered the temple and essayed to burn incense on the altar. Shocked
at his blasphemous action, Azariah, the chief priest of the temple,
and fourscore priests with him, forbade the king, saying:--"It
appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but
to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn
incense; go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed." At this
rebuke and condemnation from his subjects, though they were priests of
the living God, the king became angry; but immediately the dread
scourge of leprosy fell upon him; the signs of the horrible disease
appeared in his forehead; and, being now physically an unclean
creature, his presence tended the more to defile the holy place. So
Azariah and his associate priests thrust the king out from the temple,
and he, a smitten thing, fled from the house of God never again to
enter its sacred precincts. Concerning the rest of his punishment we
read, "And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and
dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the
house of the Lord."[575]
[575] II Chron. xxvi.
=15.= A forceful illustration of the futility of false ceremonies, or
of the mere form of sacred ordinances when the authority is absent, is
shown in the New Testament record of the seven sons of Sceva. These in
common with others had seen, and had marveled at, the miraculous power
exhibited by Paul, whom the Lord so blessed in his apostleship that
through contact with handkerchiefs or aprons sent by him the sick were
healed, and their evil spirits were cast out. Sceva's sons, who are
counted by the sacred chronicler among the exorcists and the vagabond
Jews, sought also to expel an evil spirit: "We adjure you by Jesus
whom Paul preacheth," said they; but the evil spirit derided them for
their lack of authority, exclaiming: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know,
but who are ye?" Then the afflicted person, in whom the evil spirit
dwelt, leaped upon them and overcame them, so that when they escaped
from the house they were naked and wounded.[576]
[576] Acts xix, 13-17.
=16. Teachers True and False.=--None but those who are duly authorized
to teach can be regarded as true expounders of the word. The remarks
of Paul concerning the high priests are alike applicable to every
office of the priesthood: "No man taketh this honor to himself, but he
that is called of God, as was Aaron."[577] And Aaron, as we have
already seen, was called through Moses unto whom the Lord revealed His
will in the matter. This authority to act in the name of the Lord is
given to those only who are chosen of God; it is not to be had for the
mere asking; it is not to be bought with gold. We read of Simon, the
sorcerer, who coveted the power possessed by the apostles; he offered
these ministers of Christ money, saying, "Give me also this power that
on whomsoever I lay my hands he may receive the Holy Ghost." But Peter
answered him with righteous indignation, "Thy money perish with thee,
because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with
money; thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is
not right in the sight of God."[578]
[577] Heb. v, 4.
[578] Acts viii, 18-24.
=17.= It was known to the apostles of old that men would seek to
arrogate unto themselves the right to officiate in things divine, thus
becoming servants of Satan. In addressing a conference of the elders
at Ephesus, Paul prophesied of these ill events, and warned the
shepherds of the flock to look well to their charge.[579] In an
epistle to Timothy, the apostle reiterates this prophecy; encouraging
to diligence in preaching the word, he declares, "For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own
lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and
they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned
unto fables."[580] Peter's declarations on the same subject are no
less plain. Addressing himself to the Saints of his time, he refers to
the false prophets of old, and adds:--"There shall be false teachers
among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies; even denying
the Lord that bought them.... And many shall follow their pernicious
ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken
of."[581]
[579] Acts xx, 28-30.
[580] II Tim. iv, 2-4.
[581] II Pet. ii, 1-3.
=18. Divine Authority in the Present Dispensation.=--The Latter-day
Saints claim to possess authority to administer in the name of God,
and that this right has been conferred in this day under the hands of
those who held the same power in former dispensations. That the
authority of the holy priesthood was to be taken from the earth as the
apostles of old were slain, and that it would of necessity have to be
restored from heaven before the Church could be re-established, may be
shown by scripture. On the 15th day of May, 1829, while Joseph Smith
and Oliver Cowdery were engaged in earnest prayer for instruction
concerning baptism for the remission of sins, mention of which they
had found in the plates from which they were then engaged in
translating the Book of Mormon, a messenger from heaven descended in a
cloud of light. He announced himself as John, called of old the
Baptist, and said he acted under the direction of Peter, James, and
John, who held the keys of the higher priesthood. The messenger laid
his hands upon the two young men and ordained them to authority,
saying, "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I
confer the priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the
ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism
by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken
again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an
offering unto the Lord in righteousness."[582]
[582] Pearl of Great Price: Extr. Hist. of Joseph Smith, 69. Doc.
and Cov. xiii.
=19.= A short time after this event, Peter, James, and John appeared
to Joseph and Oliver, and ordained the two to the higher or
Melchizedek priesthood, bestowing upon them the keys of the
apostleship, which these heavenly messengers had held and exercised in
the former gospel dispensation. This order of priesthood holds
authority over all the offices in the Church, and includes power to
administer in spiritual things;[583] consequently all the authorities
and powers necessary to the establishment of the Church were by this
visitation restored to earth.
[583] Doc. and Cov. cvii.
=20.= No one is authorized to officiate in any of the ordinances of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unless he has been
ordained to that calling by those holding the power; thus, no man
receives the priesthood except under the hand of one who holds that
priesthood himself; that one must have obtained it from others
previously commissioned; and so every holder of the priesthood to-day
can trace his authority to the hands of Joseph the Prophet, who, as
already stated, received his ordination under the hands of heavenly
messengers clothed with power divine. That men who are called of God
to the authority of the ministry on earth may have been selected for
such appointment even before they took mortal bodies is evident from
the scriptures. This matter may properly claim attention in the
present connection; and its consideration leads us to the subjects
which follow.