Zenas H. Gurley, who also laid hands on the head of Joseph in that
"ordination," was ordained to the office of a Seventy in Nauvoo in
1844 under the direction of President Joseph Young. Members of the
"Reorganization" claim that he was ordained a Seventy in Far West,
Mo., in 1838, but this is not the fact. The records in the Historian's
office show that this man was ordained in 1844, as I have stated, and
the following year--April 6, 1845--he was made the senior president of
the Twenty-first quorum of Seventy. He left the Church as did William
Marks, and therefore lost his Priesthood and had none to confer on the
head of Joseph Smith.
Now the revelation clearly indicates that no man is called to build up
the Church unless it is known to the Church that he has been properly
ordained to that calling, by the heads of the Church. But these men
were not so called. On the 8th of July, 1904, I wrote to Mr. Heman C.
Smith, historian of the "Reorganization" as follows:
"In the biographical sketch of Zenas H. Gurley, in the third
volume of your Church History, the statement is made that he,
(Zenas H. Gurley) was ordained to the office of a Seventy at Far
West, Missouri. Would you kindly furnish me with the date of this
ordination, and also state the authority on which the statement is
made, and oblige."
On the 15th of that month I received the following:
"Replying to yours of July 8, will say that the church record in
the Recorder's office shows that Zenas H. Gurley was ordained to
the office of Seventy at Far West, Mo., in 1838; day and month
are not stated. This appears once in the hand-writing of Isaac
Sheen, former church recorder, and once in the handwriting of
Henry A. Stebbins, the present church recorder. Elder Stebbins'
memory is that he received it directly from Elder Gurley; and it is
presumable that Elder Sheen also had the information direct. It is
upon the authority of this record that the statement was made in
the biographical sketch."
You see they don't know very much about it, it is all presumption. I
cannot conceive of any reason why Mr. Gurley would desire to falsify
the record, and doubt that he ever made such a statement as the above.
The fact is, however, that he was not ordained a Seventy in Far West in
1838, but in Nauvoo in 1844.
Now we will see how much faith they put in the "authority" of Mr.
Gurley themselves. January 30, 1905, the following communication was
sent to the president of the "Reorganization:"
"Will you be so kind as to answer for me the following questions:
Is it a teaching of the 'Reorganized' Church that the quorums of
Seventies are limited in number to seven quorums, or do you place a
limit on these quorums at all?
"Do you recognize as valid any of the ordinations in Nauvoo in
1844-5, of men to the office of Seventy, under the direction of the
Twelve Apostles and first council of Seventy, beyond those of the
first seven quorums?
"In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah, the
custom is to ordain Seventies and organize quorums beyond the
seventh, and as this practice has been opposed by some of the
Elders of the 'Reorganized' Church, I was prompted to inquire if
those Elders were in harmony with the doctrines of the Church."
On the 31st of January the following was received:
"There are no provisions as revelations as law to the Church for
the organization of more than seven quorums of Seventy; for that
reason we do not recognize as valid any of the ordinations in
Nauvoo in 1844-5 beyond those of the first seven quorums; and
our teaching is that the number is necessarily limited by direct
provision of the law."
Thus you see, the president of the "Reorganization" repudiates the
Priesthood of the very man who "ordained" him to the office which he
pretends to hold. In conclusion let me add that these men did not
hold the keys of the kingdom and therefore could not bestow them on
another. The organization to which they belong is not the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and all the laying on of hands
that they can practice from now till dooms day, will not give one
single soul the Priesthood of God, for that can only come through the
proper channel--the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An
ordination in the "Reorganized" Church is of no more effect than is
an ordination in the Methodist, Presbyterian, or Catholic church, for
those officiating do not hold the Priesthood, and are not recognized
of God. The Prophet did bestow the keys of the kingdom upon the head
of Brigham Young and with him his associates, the Twelve, as we have
shown with a multitude of unimpeachable testimony. If it was necessary
for all the prophets from Adam to Peter, James and John to confer their
keys upon the head of Joseph Smith (See D. & C., 110 and 128 sections),
notwithstanding he has been ordained to the Priesthood by angels, then
in all reason we must hold that it is necessary for him to bestow the
same power and keys of the kingdom on others which the evidence shows
that he did. The men who ordained Joseph Smith of the "Reorganization"
were not regularly ordained and did not hold the keys of the kingdom.
The Apostles constituted the second quorum in the Church and were
sustained in their calling as the First Presidency of the Church by the
vote of the people August 8, 1844, and again at the fall conference in
October of that same year.
I call the attention of the Latter-day Saints once more to the fact
previously mentioned (section 43:4-6) that there is but one at a
time who holds the keys and the right to receive revelation for the
Church, and that man is the President of the Church. And when the First
Presidency is disorganized through the death of the President, then,
according to revelation, the Twelve Apostles become the presiding
quorum of the Church, and then, if the Lord has any revelations to
give to His people they will come through the proper channels--the
President of the Twelve. If we will keep this in mind it will be a key
to us as the Lord intended that it should be, by which we may gage
and weigh the pretended revelations of men. When we see this man, or
that man, or perhaps that woman, or child, giving revelations as was
the case in the "Reorganized" Church when Jason W. Briggs, Zenas H.
Gurley, Henry H. Deam and the daughter of Zenas H. Gurley, received
"revelations" bearing on the organization of their cult, we will
know assuredly that these things are not of God. The Lord will never
ignore the presiding officer and quorum of the Church, for he respects
authority, as He requires us to respect authority. And it will always
be a key to us, if we will bear it in mind, that whenever He has a
revelation or commandment to give to His people that it will come
through the presiding officer of the Church. This is plainly taught in
the revelations.
If there is within the sound of my voice one soul who has not received
a testimony of this work, and that Brigham Young was the right man in
the right place, and the rightful successor, and so on down to the
present day, then I say to you, when you go home go before the Lord
in the spirit of repentance, and humility, and prayer, and ask Him in
faith for that knowledge and He will hear your prayers. There is no
reason why any man should be deceived, for the Lord has promised us
that we shall receive if we ask and if we knock it shall be opened unto
us. By keeping the commandments of God, all men may know of this work
that it is true. If you will do this, then when these deceivers and
pretenders, these men who delight in destroying your faith, come to you
saying that you are in the dark, you can say to them, get behind me,
for I will not be deceived by you. I know we have the truth, that this
is the work of the Lord, that Jesus is the Redeemer of the world, and
that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and was called to stand at the
head of this dispensation, and those keys and that position he will
ever hold. He was not a fallen Prophet, but died a martyr to this work.
May God bless you. Amen.