The second claim of the "Reorganization" is that the office of
president of the church belongs to "young Joseph" by right of the law
of lineage, that it is his by birthright.
To begin with, we will say that there are ONLY TWO offices in the
church which descend by lineage from father to son--the office
of Patriarch and the office of Bishop. It is evident that the
Lord recognizes the family unit and makes provision for it in the
priesthood, but to attempt to stretch the law to include all the
offices of the Priesthood and thus create royal families is unjust and
carries us back to the feudal state of the Dark Ages. Here in America,
where so great an advance has been made in this line, one cannot but
stand amazed at seeing men hunt about in crevices and nooks for some
reason which will make the Lord an upholder of special privileges to
the exclusion of equality in his work. Of the office of patriarch or
evangelist, concerning which the misinterpretation arises (Reorganized
Edition, sec. 125:3), we read the following:
"It is the duty of the Twelve, in all large branches of the church,
to ordain evangelical ministers (i.e., Patriarchs), as they shall
be designated unto them by revelation. The order of this Priesthood
was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly
belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the
promises were made. This order was instituted in the days of Adam
and came down by lineage in the following manner:--" (Doc. & Cov.,
sec. 107:39-41; Reorganized edition, sec. 104:17-18.)
These passages refer solely to the patriarchal or evangelical office,
but our Reorganization friends would have you believe {494} that they
apply to the Presidency of the Church or the Melchisedek Priesthood.
That a proper comparison may be made we quote from The Saints Herald,
vol. 39, p. 337, the above passage with the words they insert in
parentheses to bolster up their claims:
"The order (including offices) of this Priesthood was confirmed
to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the
literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were
made. This order (not the Priesthood, but the offices therein)
was instituted in the days of Adam, and came by lineage in the
following manner:--From Adam to Seth" (Abel having been slain).
It can readily be observed that the Reorganization is not only guilty
of misapplication of this passage, but also of perverting scripture
by inserting words in a revelation of God to gain their stranded
point. The revelation plainly states that the Patriarchal order of
the priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son,
etc., and NOT THE OFFICES IN THE PRIESTHOOD, as asserted and assumed
by the "Reorganization," and has nothing to do with the office of the
President of the Church, which presidency according to Doctrine and
Covenants, is chosen in the following manner: "Of the Melchisedek
Priesthood, three Presiding High Priests, chosen by the body, appointed
and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith, and
prayers of the Church, form a quorum of the Presidency of the Church."
Secs. 107-122, Reorganized Edition, 104-111. The fact that the office
of the Patriarch and the office of Bishop are the only ones named in
the revelations which go by lineage from father to son, is reason
enough to any fair minded person that the other offices (including
President of the Church) do NOT so descend. If not, why does the Lord
make this specification and name the two exceptions?
Again, they contend that the Prophet Joseph received by blessing from
his father the birthright, and that "his blessing (the Prophet's)
shall also be put upon the head of his posterity after him." (True
Succession, p. 44.)
Therefore, they reason that "young Joseph" should be President of
the Church. Let us see--the fact of the matter is: Hyrum Smith, the
oldest living brother of the Prophet, obtained the birthright from his
father. Joseph acknowledged that his brother Hyrum should receive the
birthright, for "it was the right of patriarchal priesthood, even the
evangelical priesthood, that was conferred upon the first born, and not
the presidency of the church." Furthermore, in proof that {495} Hyrum
Smith received the birthright, we quote the following revelation:
"And again, verily I say unto you, Let my servant William be
appointed, ordained, and anointed, as a counselor unto my servant
Joseph, in the room of my servant Hyrum, that my servant Hyrum may
take the office of Priesthood and Patriarch, which was appointed
unto him by his father, by blessing and also BY RIGHT." (Doc. &
Cov., sec. 124: 91; Reorganized edition, sec. 107:29.)
Furthermore, in Hyrum Smith's patriarchal blessing given by his father,
we read: "I now ask my Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ to
bless thee with the same blessings with which Jacob blessed his son
Joseph," etc. In I Chronicles, chapter 5, we are told that Joseph (son
of Jacob) received the birthright.
However, the fact that Hyrum Smith received the birthright from his
father would in no wise make him president of the church; for the
patriarchal priesthood and the presidency of the church are two
different things, and further, the descendants of Joseph Smith and
those of Hyrum Smith "stand before God, as do all other men, assured
of honor or dishonor, exaltation or degradation, according to their
individual works."
It is further claimed that the president of this organization was
called to be president of the church by revelation in 1841, which reads
as follows:
"And now I say unto you as pertaining to my boarding house which I
have commanded you to build for the boarding of strangers, let it
be built unto my name, and let my name be named upon it, and let my
servant Joseph, and his house have place therein, from generation
to generation; For this anointing have I put upon his head, that
his blessing shall also be put upon the head of his posterity
after him, And as I said unto Abraham concerning the kindreds of
the earth, even so I say unto my servant Joseph, in thee and in
thy seed shall the kindred of the earth be blessed." (Doc. & Cov.,
sec.125:56-59; Reorganized edition, sec. 107:18.)
It seems almost unnecessary for comment or explanation as to the
meaning of this passage. The Lord gives commandment to build a house in
which the Prophet and his family are to have a home, and his posterity
after him from generation to generation. It was this anointing that
the Lord put upon the Prophet's head, that he and his posterity should
enjoy the blessing of a home in this house, known as the "Nauvoo
House." An inheritance in this house is the subject of this passage,
and not one word to indicate that the posterity of the {496} Prophet
should have the right to the Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints.
As a conclusion in respect to the law of lineage, we quote the
following words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, which should silence all
controversy on this subject:
"The Melchisedek Priesthood holds the right from Eternal God, and
NOT BY DESCENT FROM FATHER AND MOTHER, and that Priesthood is
eternal as God himself, having neither beginning of days or end of
life." (Mil. Star, vol. 22, p. 55.)
Thinking, perhaps the Reorganization officials may question the
authority of our quotation from the Millennial Star in 1860, we will
verify the same by quoting the following passage from the inspired
translation of "The Holy Scriptures" published by the Reorganized
Church:
"For this Melchisedek was ordained a Priest after the order of the
Son of God, which Order was without FATHER, without MOTHER, without
DESCENT, having neither beginning of days or end of life. And ALL
THOSE who are ordained unto this Priesthood are like unto the Son
of God, abiding a Priest continually." (Heb. 7:3.)
There is only ONE way men receive the priesthood of God, and that is by
the laying on of hands by one who had already the authority, therefore,
"ALL THOSE who are ORDAINED UNTO this priesthood are made like unto
the Son of God, abiding a priest continually." It thus becomes evident
that even had the son of the Prophet been promised in the revelations
that he should become President of the Church, he could not become such
until he was ordained by one possessing the authority to ordain him.
Should we admit that he had the promise from his father of being
president, would men who had joined one church after another and become
divested of all authority, have priesthood enough to so ordain him?
(See Corner-Stone tract.)