When the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Associations meet separately,

they each have presiding officers, and they take charge and conduct

the business. If the bishop {180} comes in to either the Young Men's

or Young Ladies' Association, due deference is paid him. But in joint

association of the Young Men's and Young Ladies' officers, there are

the two organizations; the two boards are represented. Who shall take

the initiative? Who shall exercise the presiding function? Is the

sister to take the initiative and exercise the presiding function?

Why, no! not so, because that is not in accordance with the order of

the priesthood. If the Young Men's officers are there, they hold the

priesthood, and it is their place to take the initiative. If I were the

president of a Young Ladies' Association, and we met in joint meeting,

I should expect the president of the Young Men's Association to take

the initial step, that he would call the meeting to order, etc.,

because he holds the priesthood, and should be the head; then he should

not forget that the young ladies have an organization, and are entitled

to perfect and complete representation in the conjoint meetings, and,

under the priesthood, should be given charge at least half the time. If

he is not in his place, then let the young lady preside as she would

in her own meeting. The ladies should not be discriminated against,

but should have equal chances. There should be no curtailment nor

abridgment of these rights, but every opportunity for their exercise

should be given. Gallantry would naturally prompt the young men to give

even more, maybe, than they take themselves, but they should direct in

all these matters, in the spirit of love and kindness.

There never can be and never will be, under God's direction, two equal

heads at the same time. That would not be consistent; it would be

irrational and unreasonable; contrary to God's will. There is one head,

and he is God, the head of all. Next to him stands the man he puts in

nomination to stand at the head on the earth, with his associates; and

all the other organizations and heads, from him to the {181} last, are

subordinate to the first, otherwise there would be discord, disunion

and disorganization.

I am tenacious that all should learn the right and power of the

Priesthood, and recognize it; and if they do it, they will not go far

astray. It is wrong to sit in judgment upon the presiding officers.

Suppose a bishop does wrong, are we to run away to everyone and

backbite and slander him, and tell all we know or think we know, in

relation to the matter, and spread it about? Is that the way for Saints

to do? If we do so we shall breed destruction to the faith of the

young, and others. If I have done wrong, you should come right to me

with your complaint, tell me what you know, and not say one word to

any other soul on earth; but let us sit down together as brethren and

make the matter right; confess, ask forgiveness, shake hands and be at

peace. Any other course than this will create a nest of evil, and stir

up strife among the Saints.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 6, July, 1903, pp.

704-708.

A BLESSING AND AN EXPLANATION OF THE PRIESTHOOD. The Lord bless you.

From the depths of my soul, I bless you; I hold the right, the keys

and the authority of the Patriarchal Priesthood in the Church. I have

a right to pronounce patriarchal blessings, because I bold the keys

and authority to do it. It is given to me and my associates to ordain

patriarchs and set them apart to give blessings to the people, to

comfort them by promises made in wisdom and the inspiration of the

Spirit of God, of the favor and mercies of the Lord that they may be

stronger in good works, and their hopes may be realized and their faith

increased. And I bless you, my brethren and sisters, in the cause of

Zion, with all my soul and by the authority of the priesthood that

I hold. I hold the priesthood of the apostleship, I hold the high

priesthood which is after the order of the Son of God, which is at the

foundation of all priesthood and is he greatest of all priesthoods,

because the apostle and the high priest {182} and the seventy derive

their authority and their privileges from the priesthood which is after

the Son of God. All authority comes out of that high priesthood.--_Oct.

C. R.,_ 1916, p. 7.

THE PRIVILEGE OF THE PRIESTHOOD TO BLESS. We have been told of an

incident which occurred a few weeks ago, when a bishop's counselor

(and therefore a high priest) from a remote settlement, while visiting

Salt Lake City, refused to administer to his sister's child who was

dangerously sick, for the reason that he was outside his own ward.

This brother must have had a misunderstanding of the authority of

his office, or he was over diffident. Whatever the cause, he was not

justified in his refusal. His authority to bless in the name of the

Lord was not confined to his ward; no elder's opportunity for doing a

purely good deed should be confined to a ward nor to any other limit,

and when he went into a house and the head of that household made such

a request of him it was clearly not only his privilege and right,

but his duty to comply. Indeed, we believe that every man holding

the priesthood, in good standing in the Church, who owns a home, is

supreme in his own household, and when another brother enters it, and

he requests the latter to perform any duty consistent with his calling,

the latter should accede to his wishes; and if there should be anything

wrong, he who makes the request as the head of the house into which the

brother has come, is responsible therefor. If that head of a household

asks anything to be done which for the sake of Church discipline, or to

fulfil the revelations of the Lord, should be placed on the records of

the Church, he should see to it that the necessary details are supplied

and recorded.

We further believe that the rights of fatherhood in all faithful,

worthy men are paramount, and should be recognized by all other men

holding positions or calling in the {183} priesthood. To make this idea

plainer we will say, as an example of our idea, we do not consider it

proper in a bishop or other officer to suggest that the son of such a

man (the son himself not being the head of a family, but living with

his father) be called upon a mission without first consulting the

father. The priesthood was originally exercised in the patriarchal

order; those who held it exercised their powers firstly by right of

their fatherhood. It is so with the great Elohim. This first and

strongest claim on our love, reverence and obedience is based on the

fact that he is the Father, the Creator, of all mankind. Without him we

are not, and consequently we owe to him existence and all that flows

therefrom--all we have and all that we are. Man possessing the holy

priesthood is typical of him. But as men on earth cannot act in God's

stead as his representatives without the authority, appointment and

ordination naturally follow. No man has the right to take this honor

to himself, except he be called of God through the channels that he

recognizes and has empowered.

Returning to the thought expressed in our opening paragraph, we

recognize that there is a side to the question that must not be lost

sight of, as to ignore that view would be to encourage a condition

in the midst of the Saints pregnant with confusion. We have found

occasionally that men blessed with some peculiar gift of the spirit

have exercised it in an unwise--shall we say, improper--manner. For

instance: brethren strongly gifted with the power of healing have

visited far and near amongst the Saints (to the neglect sometimes of

other duties), until it has almost become a business with them, and

their visits to the homes of the Saints have assumed somewhat the

character of those of a physician, and the people have come to regard

the power so manifested as if coming from man, and he himself has

sometimes grown to so feel, and not that he was simply an instrument

in the hands of God of bringing blessings to their {184} house. This

view is exceedingly unfortunate, when indulged in, and is apt to

result in the displeasure of the Lord. It has sometimes ended in the

brother possessing this gift, if he encouraged such a feeling, losing

his power to bless and heal. Departures from the recognized order

and discipline of the Church should therefore be discountenanced and

discouraged.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 37, pp. 50, 51, Jan. 15, 1902.

THE PRIESTHOOD GREATER THAN ANY OF ITS OFFICES. There is no office

growing out of this priesthood that is or can be greater than the

priesthood itself. It is from the priesthood that the office derives

its authority and power. No office gives authority to the priesthood.

No office adds to the power of the priesthood. But all offices in

the Church derive their power, their virtue, their authority, from

the Priesthood. If our brethren would get this principle thoroughly

established in their minds, there would be less misunderstanding in

relation to the functions of government in the Church than there is.

Today the question is, which is the greater--the high priest or the

seventy--the seventy or the high priest? I tell you that neither of

them is the greater, and neither of them is the lesser. Their callings

lie in different directions, but they are from the same Priesthood. If

it were necessary, the seventy, holding the Melchizedek Priesthood,

as he does, I say _if it were necessary,_ he could ordain a high

priest; and if it were necessary for a high priest to ordain a seventy,

he could do that? Why? Because both of them hold the Melchizedek

Priesthood. Then again, if it were necessary, though I do not expect

the necessity will ever arise, and there was no man left on earth

holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, except an elder--that elder, by

the inspiration of the Spirit of God and by the direction of the

Almighty, could proceed, and should proceed, to organize the Church of

Jesus Christ in all its perfection, because he holds the Melchizedek

Priesthood. {185} But the house of God is a house of order, and while

the other officers remain in the Church, we must observe the order of

the priesthood, and we must perform ordinances and ordinations strictly

in accordance with that order, as it has been established in the

Church through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his

successors.--_Oct. C. R_., 1903, p. 87.

NECESSITY OF ORGANIZATION. The house of God is a house of order, and

not a house of confusion; and it could not be thus, if there were

not those who had authority to preside, to direct, to counsel, to

lead in the affairs of the Church. No house would be a house of order

if it were not properly organized, as the Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints is organized. Take away the organization of the

Church and its power would cease. Every part of its organization is

necessary and essential to its perfect existence. Disregard, ignore,

or omit any part, and you start imperfection in the Church; and if we

should continue in that way we would find ourselves like those of old,

being led by error, superstition, ignorance, and by the cunning and

craftiness of men. We would soon leave out here a little and there a

little, here a line and there a precept, until we would become like

the rest of the world, divided, disorganized, confused and without

knowledge; without revelation or inspiration, and without Divine

authority or power.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1915, p. 5.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRIESTHOOD A SERIOUS MATTER. This makes a very

serious matter of receiving this covenant and this priesthood; for

those who receive it must, like God himself, abide in it, and must not

fail, and must not be moved out of the way; for those who receive this

oath and covenant and turn away from it, and cease to do righteously

and to honor this covenant, and will to abide in sin and repent not,

there is no forgiveness for them, either in this life or in the

world to come. That is the language of this {186} book, and this is

doctrine and truth which was revealed from God to men through the

instrumentality of Joseph Smith the prophet. And this word is reliable.

It is God's word, and God's word is truth; and it becomes necessary

for all those who enter into this covenant to understand this word,

that they may indeed abide in it, and may not be turned out of the

way_. Apr. C. R.,_ 1898, p. 65. See _Doc. and Cov._ 84:33-41;_ Book of

Mormon,_ Mosiah 5.

HOW AUTHORITY SHOULD BE ADMINISTERED. No man should be oppressed. No

authority of the priesthood can be administered or exerted in any

degree of unrighteousness, without offending God. Therefore, when

we deal with men we should not deal with them with prejudice in our

minds against them. We should dismiss prejudice, dispel anger from

our hearts, and when we try our brethren for membership or fellowship

in the Church we should do it dispassionately, charitably, lovingly,

kindly, with a view to save and not destroy. That is our business; our

business is to save the world, to save mankind; to bring them into

harmony with the laws of God and with principles of righteousness and

of justice and truth, that they may be saved in the kingdom of our God,

and become, eventually, through obedience to the ordinances of the

gospel, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. That is our

mission.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1913, p. 6.

AUTHORITY GIVES ENDURING POWER. The Church has two characteristics--the

temporal and the spiritual, and one is not without the other. We

maintain that both are essential and that one without the other

is incomplete and ineffectual. Hence, the Lord instituted in the

government of the Church two priesthoods--the lesser or Aaronic, having

special charge of the temporal, and the higher or Melchizedek, looking

to the spiritual welfare of the people. In all the history of the

Church, there has never been a time when considerable attention was not

given to temporal affairs, in {187} the gathering places of the Saints,

under all the leaders up to the present time as witness the building

of Kirtland, the settlement of Missouri, Nauvoo, and the founding of

cities and towns in the far west, our present home. The Saints have

lived and helped each other to live, have worked out their temporal

salvation with zeal and energy, but withal, have neither neglected nor

forgotten the spiritual essence of the great work inaugurated by divine

order, as witness their temples, and other houses of worship, that have

marked their every abiding place.

And so, while we have devoted much time to temporal affairs, it has

always been with a view to better our spiritual condition, it being

apparent that the temporal, rightly understood, is a great lever by

which spiritual progress may be achieved in this earthly sphere of

action. Besides, we have come to understand that all we do is indeed

spiritual, for before the Father there is no temporal. Hence, in our

labors of redeeming the waste places, a strong spiritual vein underlies

the outward temporal covering.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 8, pp. 620,

623, 1904-5.

MINISTRY SHOULD KNOW ITS DUTIES AND THE USE OF AUTHORITY. Of course it

is very necessary that those who preside in the Church should learn

thoroughly their duties. There is not a man holding any position of

authority in the Church who can perform his duty as he should in any

other spirit than in the spirit of fatherhood and brotherhood toward

those over whom he presides. Those who have authority should not be

rulers, nor dictators; they should not be arbitrary; they should gain

the hearts, the confidence and love of those over whom they preside, by

kindness and love unfeigned, by gentleness of spirit, by persuasion,

by an example that is above reproach and above the reach of unjust

criticism. In this way, in the kindness of their hearts, in their

love for their people, they lead them in the path of righteousness,

and teach them the way of salvation, {188} by saying to them, both by

precept and example: Follow me, as I follow our head. This is the duty

of those who preside.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1915, p. 5.

HOW OFFICERS IN THE CHURCH ARE CHOSEN: A WORD TO BISHOPS. They are

faithful men chosen by inspiration. The Lord has given us the way to

do these things. He has revealed to us that it is the duty of the

presiding authorities to appoint and call; and then those whom they

choose for any official position in the Church shall be presented

to the body. If the body reject them, they are responsible for that

rejection. They have the right to reject, if they will, or to receive

them and sustain them by their faith and prayers. That is strictly in

accordance with the rule laid down of the Lord. If any officer in the

Church has my sympathy, it is the bishop. If any officer in the Church

deserves credit for patience, for long-suffering, kindness, charity,

and for love unfeigned, it is the bishop who does his duty. And we feel

to sustain in our faith and love, the bishops and counselors in Zion.

We say to the bishoprics of the various wards: Be united; see eye to

eye, even if you have to go down on your knees before the Lord and

humble yourselves until your spirits will mingle and your hearts will

be united one with the other. When you see the truth, you will see eye

to eye, and you will be united.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1907, p. 4.

JURISDICTION OF QUORUMS OF PRIESTHOOD. Now then, we have our high

priests' quorums or councils, and we have our seventies' councils, and

our elders, and then we have the councils of the priests, teachers

and deacons of the lesser Priesthood. These councils each and all in

their organized capacity, have jurisdiction over the fellowship of the

members of these councils--if the member is an elder, or if a man has a

standing in the seventies' quorum, or in the high priests' quorum, and

he is misbehaving himself, shows a lack of faith, a lack of reverence

for the position he holds in his council, or quorum, his fellowship

in that quorum to which {189} he belongs, or his standing should be

looked after or inquired into, for he is amenable to his quorum for

his good standing and fellowship in it. So that we have the check that

the Lord has placed upon members of the Church, and when I say members

of the Church, I mean me, I mean the apostles, I mean the high priests

and the seventies and elders. I mean everybody who is a member of the

Church.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1913, p. 6.

JURISDICTION IN STAKES AND WARDS. Now again, the bishoprics, and the

presidents of stakes, have exclusive jurisdiction over the membership

or the standing of men and women in their wards and in their stakes.

I want to state that pretty plain--that is to say, it is not my duty,

it is not the duty of the seven presidents of seventies, nor of

the council of the twelve apostles, to go into a stake of Zion and

try for membership, or for standing in the Church, any member of a

stake or ward. We have no business to do it; it belongs to the local

authorities, and they have ample authority to deal with the membership

in their wards and in their stakes. The bishops may try an elder

for misconduct, for un-Christian-like conduct, for apostasy, or for

wickedness of any kind that would disqualify him for membership in the

Church, and they may pass upon him their judgment that he is unworthy

of fellowship in the Church, and they may withdraw from him their

fellowship. Then they may refer his case to the presidency and high

council, and it will be the duty of the presidency and high council

of the stake to deal with him, even to the extent of excommunication

from the Church; and there is no remedy for this, only the right of

appeal to the Presidency of the Church. If there may be, perchance,

any injustice and partiality, lack of information or understanding on

the part of the bishopric, which may not be corrected and therefore

might be perpetuated by the decision of the high council, and the party

aggrieved does not feel that he has had justice dealt out to {190} him,

he then has a right, under the laws of the Church, to appeal to the

Presidency of the Church, but not otherwise.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1913, p. 5.

DUTIES OF THOSE ENGAGED IN THE MINISTRY. I need not say to my brethren

engaged in the ministry that it is expected of them that one and all

will attend to the labors and be true to the responsibilities that rest

upon them in the discharge of their duties as officers in the Church.

We expect that the presidents of the stakes of Zion will be exemplars

to the people. We expect them of a truth to be fathers unto those

over whom they preside; men of wisdom, of sound judgment, impartial

and just, men who will indeed qualify themselves, or who are indeed

qualified by their natural endowments and by the inspiration from God

which it is their privilege to enjoy, to preside in righteousness

and to sit in righteous judgment over all matters brought to their

attention, or that may legitimately belong to their office and

calling. We anticipate the same fidelity, the same faithfulness, the

same intelligent administration of their duties from the bishops and

their counselors, and indeed upon these rests perhaps the greatest

possible responsibility, for the reason that they are expected by their

presidencies to attend to the various interests and needs of their

people. It is expected of a bishop to know all the people in his ward,

not only those who are faithful members of the Church, diligent in the

performance of their duties and prominent by their good acts, but to

know those who are cold and indifferent, those who are lukewarm, those

who are inclined to err and to make mistakes; and not only these, but

it is expected that the bishops, through their aides in their wards,

will become acquainted, not only with their members, male and female,

but that they will know also the stranger that is within their gates

and be prepared to minister solace, comfort, good counsel, wisdom and

every other aid possible to be rendered to those who are in need,

whether they are of the household of faith or are {191} strangers

to the truth. So that there is a great deal expected of the bishops

and their counselors and the elders and lesser priesthood in their

wards whom they call to their aid in administering to the people both

spiritually and temporally, and I want to remark in this connection

that it is the duty of these bishops and of the presidencies of the

stakes of Zion, together with their high councils, to administer

justice and right judgment to every member of their wards and of their

stakes. Included in this are the high priests and the seventies and the

elders and the apostles and the patriarchs and the presidency of the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No man who is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or who has a standing

in the Church as a member, is exempt from his responsibilities as a

member and his allegiance to the bishop of the ward in which he dwells.

I am as much bound to acknowledge my bishop as a member of the ward

in which I dwell, as the humblest and latest member of the Church. No

man, who claims to be a member of the Church in good standing, can rise

above or become independent of the authority that the Lord Almighty

has established in his Church. This watch-care of the people, of their

right living, of their fidelity to their covenants and to the gospel of

Jesus Christ, belongs to the presidents of stakes and their counselors

and the high councils, or members of the high councils, to the bishop

and his counselors and the teachers of his ward.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1913,

p. 4.

THE PURPOSE AND THE DUTY OF THE CHURCH: QUALITIES OF LEADERS. The Lord

bless you. I see before me the leaders of the Church, the presiding

spirits in the capacity of presidents of stakes, counselors to

presidents of stakes, high councilors, bishops and their counselors,

and those who are engaged in our educational institutions and in other

responsible positions in the Church. I honor you all. I love you and

your integrity to the cause of Zion. It is the kingdom {192} of God or

nothing, so far as I am concerned. I cut no figure personally in this

work, and I am nothing except in the humble effort to do my duty as the

Lord gives me the ability to do it. But it is the kingdom of God. What

I mean by the kingdom of God is the organization of the Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Jesus Christ is the king and

the head; not as an organization in any wise menacing or jeopardizing

the liberties or rights of the people throughout the world, but as an

organization calculated to lift up and ameliorate the condition of

mankind; to make bad men good, if it is possible for them to repent of

their sins, and to make good men better. That is the object and purpose

of the Church, that is what it is accomplishing in the world. And it

is very strict in regard to these matters. Drunkards, whoremongers,

liars, thieves, those who betray the confidence of their fellowmen,

those who are unworthy of credence--such, when their character becomes

known, are disfellowshiped from the Church, and are not permitted

to have a standing in it, if we know it. It is true that there are

none of us but have our imperfections and shortcomings. Perfection

dwells not with mortal man. We all have our weaknesses. But when a man

abandons the truth, virtue, his love for the gospel and for the people

of God, and becomes an open, avowed enemy, it becomes the duty of the

Church to sever him from the Church, and the Church would be recreant

to its duty if it did not sever him from communion, cut him off, and

let him go where he pleases. We would do wrong if we hung on to and

tried to nurture such evil creatures in our midst, no matter what the

relationship may be that exists between us and them. Therefore, I say

again, the Church of Jesus Christ stands for virtue, honor, truth,

purity of life, and good will to all mankind. It stands for God the

eternal Father, and for Jesus Christ, whom the Father sent into the

world, and whom to know is life eternal. This is what the Church {193}

stands for, and it cannot tolerate abomination, crime and wickedness,

on the part of those who may claim to have some connection with it. We

must sever ourselves from them, and let them go. Not that we want to

hurt them. We do not want to hurt anybody. We never have, and we do

not intend to, hurt anybody. But we do not intend to be hurt by those

who are seeking our destruction, if we can help it. It is our right to

protect ourselves.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1906, pp. 7, 8.

LEADERS MUST BE COURAGEOUS. One of the highest qualities of all true

leadership is a high standard of courage. When we speak of courage and

leadership we are using terms that stand for the quality of life by

which men determine consciously the proper course to pursue and stand

with fidelity to their convictions. There has never been a time in the

Church when its leaders were not required to be courageous men; not

alone courageous in the sense that they were able to meet physical

dangers, but also in the sense that they were steadfast and true to a

clear and upright conviction.

Leaders of the Church, then, should be men not easily discouraged,

not without hope, and not given to forebodings of all sorts of evils

to come. Above all things the leaders of the people should never

disseminate a spirit of gloom in the hearts of the people. If men

standing in high places sometimes feel the weight and anxiety of

momentous times, they should be all the firmer and all the more

resolute in those convictions which come from a God-fearing conscience

and pure lives. Men in their private lives should feel the necessity of

extending encouragement to the people by their own hopeful and cheerful

intercourse with them, as they do by their utterances in public places.

It is a matter of the greatest importance that the people be educated

to appreciate and cultivate the bright side of life rather than to

permit its darkness and shadows to hover over them.

In order to successfully overcome anxieties in reference {194} to

questions that require time for their solution, an absolute faith and

confidence in God and in the triumph of his work are essential.

The most momentous questions and the greatest dangers to personal

happiness are not always met and solved within oneself, and if men

cannot courageously meet the difficulties, and obstacles of their own

individual lives and natures, how are they to meet successfully those

public questions in which the welfare and happiness of the public are

concerned? Men, then, who are called to leadership should be alarmed at

the possession of a disposition filled with forebodings and misgivings

and doubts and constant wonderments. Clouds, threatening storms,

frequently rise in the horizon of life and pass by as speedily as they

came, so the problems and difficulties and dangers that beset us are

not always met and solved, nor overcome by our individual effort nor by

our efforts collectively.

It is not discreditable to a man to say, "I don't know," to questions

whose solution lies wholly within some divine purpose whose end it is

not given man clearly to foresee. It is, however, unfortunate when men

and women allow such questions, questions which time and patience alone

can solve, to discourage them and to defeat their own efforts in the

accomplishment of their chosen lives and professions. In leaders undue

impatience and a gloomy mind are almost unpardonable, and it sometimes

takes almost as much courage to wait as to act. It is to be hoped,

then, that the leaders of God's people, and the people themselves, will

not feel that they must have at once a solution of every question that

arises to disturb the even tenor of their way.--_Juvenile Instructor,_

Vol. 38, p. 339, 1903.

DUTIES OF OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. The Lord here especially demands of

the men who stand at the head of this Church, and who are responsible

for the guidance and direction of the people of God, that they shall

see to it that the {195} law of God is kept. It is our duty to do

this.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1899, p. 41.

TRUTH WILL UNITE US: WORDS TO CHURCH OFFICERS. The truth will never

divide councils of the priesthood. It will never divide presidents from

their counselors, nor counselors from their presidents, nor members

of the Church from one another, nor from the Church. The truth will

unite us and cement us together. It will make us strong, for it is

a foundation that cannot be destroyed. Therefore, when bishops and

their counselors do not see eye to eye, or when presidents and their

counselors have any difference whatever in their sentiments or in

their policy, it is their duty to get together, to go before the Lord

together and humble themselves before him until they get revelation

from the Lord and see the truth alike, that they may go before their

people unitedly. It is the duty of the presidents of stakes and high

councilors to meet often, to pray together, to counsel together,

to learn each other's spirit, to understand each other, and unite

together, that there may be no dissension nor division among them. The

same with the bishops and their counselors. The same may be said of the

councils of the priesthood from first to last. Let them get together

and become united in their understanding of what is right, just and

true, and then go as one man to the accomplishment of the purpose they

have in view.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1907, pp. 4, 5.

OFFICERS TO SET THE EXAMPLE. The Lord will make a record also and out

of that shall the whole world be judged. And you men bearing the holy

priesthood--you apostles, presidents, bishops, and high priests in

Zion--will be called upon to be the judges of the people. Therefore,

it is expected that you shall set the standard for them to attain to,

and see that they shall live according to the spirit of the gospel, do

their duty, and keep the commandments of the Lord. You shall make a

record of their acts. You shall {196} record when they are baptized,

when they are confirmed, and when they receive the Holy Ghost by the

laying on of hands. You shall record when they come to Zion, their

membership in the Church. You shall record whether they attend to their

duties as priests, teachers or deacons, as elders, seventies or high

priests. You shall write their works, as the Lord says here. You shall

record their tithings and give them credit for that which they do; and

the Lord will determine the difference between the credit which they

make for themselves and the credit which they should make. The Lord

will judge between us in that respect; but we shall judge the people,

first requiring them to do their duty. In order to do that, those who

stand at the head must set the example. They must walk in the right

path, and invite the people to follow them. They should not seek to

drive the people; they should not seek to become rulers; but they

should be brethren and leaders of the people.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1901, p.

72.

DUTY OF THE HOLY PRIESTHOOD. It is the duty of this vast body of men

holding the holy priesthood, which is after the order of the Son

of God, to exert their influence and exercise their power for good

among the people of Israel and the people of the world. It is their

bounden duty to preach and to work righteousness, both at home and

abroad.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1901, p. 83.

HOW TO VOTE ON CHURCH PROPOSITIONS. We desire that the brethren and

sisters will all feel the responsibility of expressing their feelings

in relation to the propositions that may be put before you. We do not

want any man or woman who is a member of the Church to violate their

conscience. Of course, we are not asking apostates or non-members of

the Church to vote on the authorities of the Church. We only ask for

members of the Church in good standing to vote on the propositions that

shall be put before {197} you, and we would like all to vote as they

feel, whether for or against.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1902, p. 83.

ORDER OF VOTING FOR OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. The Presidency of the

Church will first express their mind, thus indicating, at least in

some degree, the mind of the Spirit and the suggestions from the head.

Then the proposition will be submitted to the apostles, for them to

show their willingness or otherwise to sustain the action of the First

Presidency. It will then go to the patriarchs, and they will have the

privilege of showing whether they will sustain the action that has been

taken; then to the presidents of stakes and counselors and the high

councilors; then to the high priests (that office in the Melchizedek

Priesthood which holds the keys of presidency); next the traveling

elders--the seventies--will be called to express their feelings; and

then the elders; then the bishoprics of the Church and the lesser

priesthood, and after them the whole congregation. All the members of

the Church present will have the privilege of expressing their views in

relation to the matters which shall be proposed, by a rising vote and

by the uplifted band.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1901, p. 73.

OFFICERS DEPENDENT ON VOICE OF PEOPLE. It is well understood that

we meet together in general conference twice a year for the purpose

of presenting the names of those who have been chosen as presiding

officers in the Church, and it is understood that those who occupy

these positions are dependent upon the voice of the people for the

continuance of the authority, the rights and privileges they exercise.

The female members of this Church have the same privilege of voting to

sustain their presiding officers as the male members of the Church, and

the vote of a sister in good standing counts in every way equal with

the vote of a brother.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1904, p. 73.

NEARLY ALL MALE MEMBERS HOLD THE PRIESTHOOD; RESPONSIBILITY. We

want the people to understand, and {198} we would like the world to

understand, the great fact that it is not the prominent leaders of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that wield all the

influence among the people of this Church. We want it understood that

we have fewer lay members in this Church, in proportion to the number

of our membership, than you will find in any other church upon the

globe. Nearly every man in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints holds the Melchizedek or the Aaronic Priesthood, and may act

in an official capacity by authority of that priesthood whenever

called upon to do so. They are priests and kings, if you please, unto

God in righteousness. Out of this vast body of priests we call and

ordain or set apart our presidents of stakes, our counselors, our

high councilors, our bishops and their counselors, our seventies, our

high priests, and our elders, upon whom rests the responsibility of

proclaiming the gospel of eternal truth to all the world, and upon whom

also rests the great and glorious responsibility of maintaining the

dignity, the honor and the sacredness of that calling and priesthood.

So that nearly every male person in the Church, who has reached the

years of accountability, is supposed to be, in his sphere, a pillar in

Zion, a defender of the faith, an exemplar, a man of righteousness,

truth and soberness, a man of virtue and of honor, a good citizen of

the state in which he lives, and a staunch and loyal citizen of the

great country that we are proud to call our home.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1903,

p. 73.

MANY HOLD THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD. Although we may enjoy a little

advantage over the rest of the congregation, for my part I could stay

here a week longer to hear the testimonies of my brethren, and to give

to the world an opportunity to see and know that the priesthood in the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not confined to one man,

nor to three men, nor to fifteen men, but that there are thousands of

men in Zion who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, which is after the

order of the Son of God, {199} and who possess keys of authority and

power to minister for life and salvation among the people of the world.

I would like to give the world an opportunity to see what we are, to

hear what we know, and to understand what our business is, and what we

intend to do, by the help of the Lord._--Oct. C. R.,_ 1903, p. 73.

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' RESPONSIBILITIES. We expect to see the day, if we

live long enough (and if some of us do not live long enough to see it,

there are others who will), when every council of the Priesthood in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will understand its

duty; will assume its own responsibility, will magnify its calling,

and fill its place in the Church, to the uttermost, according to the

intelligence and ability possessed by it. When that day shall come,

there will not be so much necessity for work that is now being done by

the auxiliary organizations, because it will be done by the regular

quorums of the priesthood. The Lord designed and comprehended it from

the beginning, and he has made provision in the Church whereby every

need may be met and satisfied through the regular organizations of

the priesthood. It has truly been said that the Church is perfectly

organized. The only trouble is that these organizations are not

fully alive to the obligations that rest upon them. When they become

thoroughly awakened to the requirements made of them, they will fulfil

their duties more faithfully, and the work of the Lord will be all the

stronger and more powerful and influential in the world.--_Apr. C. R.,_

1906, p. 3.

WHAT IS PRIESTHOOD? Honor that power and authority which we call the

Holy Priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God, and which

has been conferred upon man by God himself. Honor that priesthood. What

is that priesthood? It is nothing more and nothing less than divine

authority committed unto man from God. That is the principle that we

should honor. We hold the keys of {200} that authority and priesthood

ourselves; it has been conferred upon the great masses of the

Latter-day Saints. It has, indeed, I may say, been bestowed upon many

who were not worthy to receive it and who have not magnified it, and

who have brought disgrace upon themselves and upon the priesthood which

was conferred upon them. The priesthood of the Son of God cannot be

exercised in any degree of unrighteousness; neither will its power, its

virtue and authority abide with him who is corrupt, who is treacherous

in his soul toward God and toward his fellowmen. It will not abide in

force and power with him who does not honor it in his life by complying

with the requirements of heaven.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1904, p. 3.

WHERE AND HOW COUNSEL SHOULD BE SOUGHT. The attention of the young men

in the Church is called to the need of conforming to the order of the

Church in matters of difficulty that may arise between brethren, and

members and officers, and also in other things where counsel is sought.

The youth of Zion should remember that the foundation principle in

settling difficulties lies in the persons themselves who are in

difficulty making the adjustments and settlements. If those who vary

cannot adjust their differences, it is infinitely more difficult, if

not impossible, for a third or fourth party to create harmony between

them. In any event, such outside parties can only aid the contending

persons to come to an understanding.

But, in case it is necessary to call in the priesthood as a third

party, there is a proper order in which this should be done. If no

conclusion can be arrived at, in a difficulty or difference between

two members of the Church, the ward teachers should be called to

assist; failing then, appeal may be made to the bishop, then to the

high council of the stake, and only after the difficulty has been

tried before that body should the matter ever come before the general

presiding {201} quorum of the Church. It is wrong to disregard any of

these authorized steps, or authorities.

This matter is generally understood in cases of difficulty, but does

not seem to be so well understood in what may be termed smaller, but

nevertheless quite as weighty subjects. We often find instances where

the counsel and advice and judgment of the priesthood next in order is

entirely overlooked, or completely disregarded. Men go to the president

of the stake for counsel when in reality, they should consult their

teachers or bishop; and often come to the First Presidency, apostles

or seventies, when the president of their stake has never been spoken

to. This is wrong, and not at all in compliance with the order of

the Church. The priesthood of the ward should never be overlooked in

any case where the stake authorities are consulted; nor should the

stake authorities be disregarded, that the counsel of the general

authorities may be obtained. Such a course of disregarding the proper

local officers is neither in conformity with the Church instructions

and organization, nor conducive to good order. It creates confusion.

Every officer in the Church has been placed in his position to magnify

the same, to be a guardian and counselor of the people. All should be

consulted and respected in their positions, and never overlooked in

their places.

In this way only can prevail that harmony and unity which are

characteristic of the Church of Christ. The responsibility also of

this great work is thus placed upon the laboring priesthood, who share

it with the general authorities; and thus likewise, the perfection,

strength and power of Church organization shine forth with clearer

lustre.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 5, p. 230; Jan. 1902.

PARENTS SHOULD BE CONSULTED. One of the first duties that a young man

owes in the world is his duty to his father and mother. The commandment

which God gave early in the history of the Israelites: "Honor thy

father and {202} thy mother," was accompanied with a promise that holds

good to this day; namely: "That thy days may be long upon the land

which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

With obedience naturally comes that respect and consideration for his

parents that should characterize a noble youth. They stand as the head

of the family, the patriarch, the mother, the rulers; and no child

should fail to consult them and obtain counsel from them throughout his

whole career under the parental roof.

This feeling should be respected by the Church. Hence, officers who

desire to use the services of a young man in any capacity for the

business of the Church, should not fail to consult the father before

the call is made. We have instances where young men have even been

called to fulfil important missions; their names having been suggested

to the Church by bishops of wards, or by presidents of quorums,

without the father having been consulted whatever. The parents have

been entirely overlooked. This is neither desirable nor right, nor

is it in conformity with the order of the Church, or the laws that

God instituted from the early times. The Church is patriarchal in its

character and nature, and it is highly proper and right that the head

of the family, the father, should be consulted by officers in all

things that pertain to the calling of his children to any of the duties

in the Church. No one understands as well as the father, the conditions

that surround the family, and what is best for his children; his wishes

should therefore be consulted and respected.

Our elders would justly think it wrong to baptize a wife without

the consent of her husband, and children without the consent of the

parents. So also, it is improper for any officer in the Church to call

the children in any family, as long as they are under the care and

keeping of the parents, to receive any ordination, or to perform any

calling in the Church, without first consulting the parents.

{203} The family organization lies at the basis of all true government,

and too much stress cannot be placed upon the importance of the

government in the family being as perfect as possible, nor upon the

fact that in all instances respect therefore should be upheld.

Young men should be scrupulously careful to impress upon their minds

the necessity of consulting with father and mother in all that pertains

to their actions in life. Respect and veneration for parents should be

inculcated into the hearts of the young people of the Church--father

and mother to be respected, their wishes to be regarded--and in the

heart of every child should be implanted this thought of esteem and

consideration for parents which characterized the families of the

ancient patriarchs.

God is at the head of the human race; we look up to him as the Father

of all. We cannot please him more than by regarding and respecting

and honoring our fathers and our mothers, who are the means of our

existence here upon the earth.

I desire, therefore, to impress upon the officers of the Church the

necessity of consulting fathers in all things that pertain to the

calling of their sons to the priesthood, and to the labors of the

Church, that the respect and veneration which children should show

for parents may not be disturbed by the Church, nor overstepped by

its officers. In this way harmony and good will are made to prevail;

and the sanction of the families and the family life, on which the

government of the Church is based and perpetuated, will thus be added

to the calls of the holy priesthood, insuring unity, strength and power

in its every action.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 5, p. 307. Feb., 1902.

PROPER USE OF TITLES OF THE PRIESTHOOD. There is also another point

in this connection to which attention may profitably be drawn. It is

the too frequent use in the ordinary conversation of the Saints of the

titles "Prophet, Seer {204} and Revelator," "Apostles," etc. These

titles are too sacred to be used indiscriminately in our common talk.

There are occasions when they are quite proper and in place, but in

our every-day conversations it is sufficient honor to address any

brother holding the Melchizedek Priesthood as elder. The term elder is

a general one, applying to all those who hold the higher priesthood,

whether they be apostles, patriarchs, high priests or seventies; and

to address a brother as Apostle So-and-So, or Patriarch Such-a-One, in

the common talk of business, and the like, is using titles too sacred

to be in place on such occasions. It, in a lesser degree, partakes of

the character of that evil of which we are so often warned--the too

frequent use of the name of that Holy Being whom we worship, and of his

Son, our Redeemer. To avoid this evil the Saints in ancient days called

the holy priesthood after the great high priest Melchizedek, while the

royal and correct title is, "The priesthood after the order of the Son

of God." The use of all these titles continuously and indiscriminately

savors somewhat of blasphemy, and is not pleasing to our heavenly

Father.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 38, p. 20; Jan. 1, 1903.

ALL OFFICERS OF THE PRIESTHOOD NECESSARY AND SHOULD BE RESPECTED. I

believe it to be the duty of the Church to recognize and acknowledge

every man who holds an official position in it, in his sphere and in

his calling. I hold to the doctrine that the duty of a teacher is as

sacred as the duty of an apostle, in the sphere in which he is called

to act, and that every member of the Church is as much in duty bound

to honor the teacher who visits him in his home, as he is to honor the

office and counsel of the presiding quorum of the Church. They all have

the priesthood; they are all acting in their callings, and they are all

essential in their places, because the Lord has appointed them and set

them in his Church. We cannot ignore them; or, if we do, the sin will

be upon our heads.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1902, p. 86.

{205} CHECKS UPON CHURCH MEMBERS. I say that when these members of

the Church are in error or doing wrong, we have the check on them in

the first place in the wards; bishops look after them; then their

quorums to which they belong have jurisdiction and they are required

to look after them, too, and then after the quorums look after them

the presidencies of the stakes look after them and see that they are

helped; that they are strengthened; that they are admonished; that

they are warned, and that they are applauded when they do their duties

and keep the commandments of the Lord. So the Lord has placed a great

many checks upon the members of the Church with a view to teaching

them right principles, to help them to do right, to live right and to

be pure and clean from the sins of the world, that the body of the

Church may be perfected, that it may be free from disease, from all

contagious evils, just as the body of the man Jesus Christ is free from

all taint, evil and sin. So God has placed these safeguards in the

Church, from the deacons to the apostles, and to the presidency of the

Church, with a view of persuading men and women to keep themselves pure

and unspotted from the world and to help them to be faithful to their

covenants entered into with one another and with their God.--_Apr. C.

R.,_ 1913, pp. 6, 7.

THE PRIESTHOOD SHOULD KNOW SECTION 107 OF THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS.

I now say to the brethren of the priesthood--the high priests, the

seventies, the elders and the lesser priesthood--magnify your callings;

study the scriptures; read the 107th section of the Doctrine and

Covenants on priesthood; learn that revelation, which was given through

the Prophet Joseph Smith, and live by its precepts and doctrine, and

you will gain power and intelligence to straighten out many kinks that

have heretofore existed in your minds, and to clear up many doubts and

uncertainties in relation to the rights of the priesthood. God gave

that word to us. It is in force today in the Church and in the {206}

world, and it contains instruction to the priesthood and the people in

relation to their duties, which every elder should know.--_Oct. C. R.,_

1902, p. 88.

WHO IS FIT TO PRESIDE? Every man should be willing to be presided

over; and he is not fit to preside over others until he can submit

sufficiently to the presidency of his brethren.--_Improvement Era,_

Vol. 21, p. 105.

OBLIGATIONS OF THE PRIESTHOOD. Think what it means to hold keys of

authority which--if exercised in wisdom and in righteousness--are

bound to be respected by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost!

Do you honor this Priesthood? Do you respect the office and honor

the key of authority that you possess in the Melchizedek Priesthood,

which is after the order of the Son of God? Will you, who hold this

priesthood, profane the name of Deity? Would you be riotous, and eat

and drink with the drunken, with the unbelieving and with the profane?

Would you, holding that priesthood, forget your prayers, and fail to

remember the Giver of all good? Would you, holding that priesthood,

and possessing the right and authority from God to administer in the

name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, violate

the confidence and the love of God, the hope and desire of the Father

of all of us? For, in bestowing that key and blessing upon you, he

desires and expects you to magnify your calling. Would you, as an

elder in the Church of Jesus Christ, dishonor your wife or your

children? Would you desert the mother of your children, the wife of

your bosom, the gift of God to you, which is more precious than life

itself? For without the woman the man is not perfect in the Lord, no

more than the woman is perfect without the man. Will you honor the

Sabbath day and keep it holy? Will you observe the law of tithing and

all the other requirements of the gospel? Will you carry with you at

all times the spirit of prayer and the desire to do good? Will you

teach your children the principles of life and salvation {207} so that

when they are eight years old they will desire baptism, of their own

accord?--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 21, December, 1917, pp. 105-6.

HOW HONOR FOR THOSE WHO BEAR THE PRIESTHOOD IS BEGOTTEN. If you will

honor the holy priesthood in yourself first, you will honor it in those

who preside over you, and those who administer in the various callings,

throughout the Church.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 21 December, 1917, p.

106.

PRIESTHOOD MEMBERSHIP ROLLS. First.--Each quorum should have one roll

only and every person holding the Priesthood should be enrolled in the

quorum having jurisdiction in the ward where his Church membership is

recorded. The practice of keeping a supplemental or inactive roll is

not approved.

Second.--Recommends from one quorum to another are not required. The

present arrangement for admitting members in the quorum is already

published as follows:

"The certificate of ordination should be carefully preserved by the

person ordained; and, whenever necessary, it should be presented to the

proper authority as an evidence of his ordination. Upon this evidence

he should be admitted to membership in the usual manner by the quorum

having jurisdiction in the ward or stake where he resides, provided he

has been accepted as a member of the ward. If he does not possess a

certificate of ordination, and the recommend upon which he is received

in the ward names his Priesthood and ordination, it should be accepted

as evidence that he holds that office, provided there is no evidence to

the contrary and provided he has been admitted as a member of the ward

in full fellowship."

Third.--When a person holding the Priesthood removes from one ward

to another, and is accepted as a member of the ward into which he

moves, it becomes the duty of the ward clerk to notify the president

of the quorum {208} of the arrival of this person. The new member

should present his certificate of ordination as evidence that he holds

the Priesthood, and upon that certificate he should be presented for

admission to membership in the quorum to which members of that ward

holding the same Priesthood belong. It is the duty of the ward clerk

to report at the next ward weekly Priesthood meeting the arrival of

any person holding the Priesthood, and every such newly arrived member

should be enrolled in the proper class, whether he has attended a class

meeting or not.

Fourth.--When a member holding the Priesthood becomes a member of the

ward, the proper quorum officer having jurisdiction should look after

him and see that he becomes enrolled in the quorum.

Fifth.--It is the duty of the secretary of a High Priests' or Elders'

quorum to prepare certificates of ordination, and to have them signed

by the proper officers, presented to the ward clerk to be entered upon

the ward record, and then delivered to the persons in whose favor they

are issued. Seventies' certificates of ordination are issued by the

First Council of Seventy. When a person is ordained a Seventy, by any

other person than a member of the First Council, the proper quorum

officers should immediately notify the First Council of Seventy,

requesting a certificate of ordination to be mailed or delivered to the

quorum officer, and after it has been entered on the quorum record and

the ward record it should be delivered to the person in whose favor it

is issued.

Sixth.--When a quorum withdraws its fellowship from one of its members,

a report of the action of the quorum should be sent to the bishop of

the ward.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 19, pp. 752-753.

ALL SHOULD EXERCISE THEIR AUTHORITY. A deacon in the Church should

exercise the authority of that calling in the priesthood, and honor

that position as sincerely and faithfully as a high priest or an

apostle should his calling, {209} feeling that he bears a portion of

the responsibility of the kingdom of God in the world, in common with

all his brethren. Every man should feel in his heart the necessity

of doing his part in the great latter-day work. All should seek to

be instrumental in rolling it forth. More especially is it the duty

of every one who possesses any portion of the authority of the holy

priesthood to magnify and honor that calling, and nowhere can we

begin to do so to better advantage than right here, within ourselves

and when we have cleaned the inside of the platter, cleansed our own

hearts, corrected our own lives, fixed our minds upon doing our whole

duty toward God and man, we will be prepared to wield an influence

for good in the family circle, in society, and in all the walks of

life.--_Deseret Weekly News,_ Vol. 24, p. 708.

THE LEADERS OF ISRAEL. These mighty men who sit before this stand

clothed with power from Almighty God, are not self-called. They have

not been chosen by man. They have not chosen themselves, but they have

been called by the power of the Almighty to stand in high places in the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as presidents, as fathers

to the people, as counselors, as judges, and as leaders, walking in

the way that the people of God should follow them into all truth and

into the possession of greater light, greater power and wisdom and

understanding. God bless you, my brethren. And while you stand united,

as you have stood in the past, and as you have manifested your union

here during this conference, so God will magnify you before your flocks

and in the midst of your people, and will increase your power and your

strength to do good and to accomplish his purposes, until you shall be

satisfied with your labors and have exceeding great joy therein; and

your people will rise up and call you blessed, they will pray for you

and sustain you by their faith and good works.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1905, p.

94.

{210} A TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH SMITH AND HIS SUCCESSORS. I bear my

testimony to you and to the world, that Joseph Smith was raised up by

the power of God to lay the foundations of this great latter-day work,

to reveal the fulness of the gospel to the world in this dispensation,

to restore the priesthood of God to the world, by which men may act

in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and

it will be accepted of God; it will be by his authority. I bear my

testimony to it; I know that it is true.

I bear my testimony to the divine authority of those who have succeeded

the Prophet Joseph Smith in the presidency of this Church. They were

men of God. I knew them; I was intimately associated with them, and

as one man may know another, through the intimate knowledge that he

possesses of him, so I can bear testimony to the integrity, to the

honor, to the purity of life, to the intelligence, and to the divinity

of the mission and calling of Brigham, of John, of Wilford, and of

Lorenzo. They were inspired of God to fill the mission to which they

were called, and I know it. I thank God for that testimony and for the

Spirit that prompts me and impels me towards these men, toward their

mission, toward this people, toward my God and my Redeemer. I thank

the Lord for it, and I pray earnestly that it may never depart from

me--worlds without end.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1910, pp. 4, 5.

GOODNESS OF THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH. I have served from my youth

up along with such men as Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard

Richards, George A. Smith, Jedediah M. Grant, Daniel H. Wells, John

Taylor, George Q. Cannon, and Wilford Woodruff and his associates, and

Lorenzo Snow and his associates, the members of the twelve apostles,

the seventies, and the high priests in the Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints for more than sixty years; and, that my word may be

heard by every stranger within the sound of my voice, I want to testify

to {211} you that better men than these have never lived within the

range of my acquaintance. I can so testify because I was familiar with

these men, grew up from babyhood with them, associated with them in

council, in prayer and supplication, and in travel from settlement to

settlement through our country here, and in crossing the plains. I have

heard them in private and in public, and I bear my testimony to you

that they were men of God, true men, pure men, God's noblemen; virtuous

men who never were either tempted to do evil or tempted others to do

wrong, men whose examples and whose lives were above reproach, except

in what corrupt, wicked or ignorant men supposed they saw and presumed

to denounce as wrong in them.--_April C. R.,_ 1917, p. 6.

DIVINE MISSIONS OF PRESIDENTS OF CHURCH. I testify to you, as I

know and feel that I live and move and have my being, that the Lord

raised up the boy prophet, Joseph Smith, and endowed him with divine

authority, and taught him those things which were necessary for him to

know that he might have power to lay the foundation of God's Church and

kingdom in the earth. Joseph Smith was true to the covenants that he

made with the Lord, true to his mission, and the Lord enabled him to

accomplish his work, even to the sealing of his testimony with his shed

blood. His testimony is now, and has been, in force among the children

of men as verily as the blood of Jesus Christ is in force and a binding

testimony upon all the world, and it has been from the day it was shed

until now, and will continue until the winding up scene.

I bear my testimony to you my brethren and sisters, of the divinity

of the mission and work that was accomplished by President Brigham

Young and his associates in fleeing from the wrath that threatened in

Illinois and Missouri and other places, into these peaceful vales,

which was done by the will of heaven and by the guiding power of the

Holy Spirit, President Young and the pioneers were enabled to lay the

{212} foundation of a commonwealth, the equal of which is scarcely to

be found within the borders of our glorious land; and it was done, not

by the wisdom of Brother Brigham, nor of Brother Heber C. Kimball, nor

of any of their associates, grand _men_ as they were, true servants of

the living God as they were, faithful and true to their callings, grand

as was their integrity to the cause of Zion--but back of them, behind

them, above them and below, and all around them, was the power of God,

leading and directing them, and thus consummating his purposes through

their instrumentality. We give the honor to our Father in heaven and

we also honor and bless the names of those great and good men whom

the Lord chose to accomplish his purposes, and through whom he did

accomplish his purpose without failure.

I bear my testimony to the integrity of John Taylor as one of the

purest men I ever knew in my life, a man clean from head to foot, clean

in body and clean in spirit, free from every vulgar thing, so common

among the children of men. I know whereof I speak, for I was with

him day and night, month after month, year after year, and I bear my

testimony of his integrity. He was a martyr with the Prophet Joseph

Smith. He suffered more than death with Joseph and Hyrum, and the Lord

preserved him and honored him by calling him to take charge of his work

for a season in the earth, thus exalting him to that most glorious and

most responsible position that any man could be called to occupy in the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I bear my testimony to the faithfulness of Wilford Woodruff, a man in

whom there was no guile, a man honest to the core, a man susceptible to

the impressions of the Spirit of the Lord, a man guided by inspiration

in the performance of his duty, far more than by any gift of wisdom or

of judgment that he himself possessed.

I bear my testimony to the work that was accomplished by President

Lorenzo Snow, although it was brief, yet some {213} of the things which

were left for him to do were absolutely necessary in order to relieve

his successor and others that may arise in time to come, from mistakes

and errors that had crept in before.

As to the present administration of the gospel and of the work of the

Lord I have nothing to say. Let the work speak for itself, let the

people and the voice of the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints say what is being done by the Lord, let it not be

said by me nor by my counselors and my associates. The Lord forbid

that I should ever imagine for one moment that we are of any great

importance in this great work of the Lord. Others may be raised up,

and the Lord can shape their minds. He can qualify them and can humble

them, if need be, to fit them for the duties and responsibilities that

may be required at their hands. I believe that Zion is prospering, and

that as far as our spiritual life, our spiritual growth, and our faith

are concerned, as well as our temporal condition, we are prosperous,

and all is well in Zion today.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1917.

THE PRESIDENTS OF THE CHURCH HAVE BEEN INSPIRED. I knew President

Brigham Young, and I bear my testimony to the world that not only was

Joseph Smith inspired of God and raised up to lay the foundations

of this great latter-day work, but Brigham Young was raised up and

sustained by the power of Almighty God to continue the mission of

Joseph and to accomplish the work that he laid out during his lifetime.

I have been connected with President John Taylor, and I testify that

he also was a man of God. He was indeed God's mouthpiece. He was a

martyr with the Prophet Joseph, for his blood was shed with Joseph's

and Hyrum's, but the Lord preserved his life that he might fulfill

the mission unto which he was called to preside over the Church for a

season. I was intimately acquainted with President Wilford Woodruff,

and I bear testimony to the {214} mission of that gracious, good man.

I have also been more or less intimate with President Snow, and I bear

testimony that his work was of God.--_Oct. C. R.,_ (Special), 1901, p.

96.

WHEN TO ORGANIZE THE FIRST PRESIDENCY. After the death of the Prophet

Joseph Smith, the Twelve Apostles continued as the presiding quorum of

the Church for a number of years; but finally they were moved upon by

the Holy Spirit to reorganize the First Presidency of the Church, with

Brigham Young as president, and Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards

as his counselors. In reality this organization might have been

effected within twenty-four hours after the death of the Prophet Joseph

Smith, but their action was delayed, until they found by experience

that the exercise of the functions of presidency and the government of

the Church by twelve men at the head, was not only cumbersome but was

not fully perfect in the order of the Holy Priesthood as established

by the Lord. On the death of President Brigham Young, President John

Taylor followed in some measure the example of his predecessor and

it was some time before the Presidency of the Church was organized.

The Presidency was finally organized, however, with John Taylor as

president, and George Q. Cannon and myself as counselors.

At the death of President Taylor, President Woodruff hesitated and

he allowed a little time to pass before the Presidency was again

organized. When at last he became convinced that it was his duty, and

necessary in order to carry out the purposes of the Lord, he organized

the Presidency of the Church. At that time he gave a solemn injunction

to his fellow servants in relation to this. He desired it understood

that in all future times, when the President of the Church should

die, and thereby the First Presidency become disorganized it would be

the duty of the proper authorities of the Church to proceed at once,

without any unnecessary delay, to reorganize the First Presidency.

{215} As soon as the news reached us of the death of President

Woodruff, who was in California at the time, President Lorenzo Snow

said to me, "it will be our duty to proceed as soon as possible to

reorganize the Presidency of the Church." As you are aware, after the

burial of the remains of President Woodruff, he proceeded at once to

do this. In this connection I may tell you another thing. President

Snow said to me, "you will live to be the President of the Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and when that time comes you should

proceed at once and reorganize the Presidency of the Church." This

was his counsel to me, and the same was given to the Twelve Apostles.

In accordance with the principle and with the injunction of President

Snow, within one week after his death the apostles proceeded to

designate the new Presidency of the Church and we did this strictly

in accordance with the pattern that the Lord has established in his

Church, unanimously.

I desire to read a little from the revelation in relation to the order

of the Holy Priesthood, that you may understand our views concerning

adhering as nearly as we can to the holy order of government that

has been established by revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith

in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. We cannot deny the fact

that the Lord has effected one of the most perfect organizations, in

this Church, that ever existed upon the earth. I do not know of any

more perfect organization than exists in the Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints today. We have not always carried out strictly

the order of the Priesthood; we have varied from it to some extent;

but we hope in due time that, by the promptings of the Holy Spirit,

we will be led into the exact channel and course that the Lord has

marked out for us to pursue and adhere strictly to the order that he

has established. I will read from a revelation that was given to the

Prophet Joseph Smith, at Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, January 19,

1841, which {216} stands as the law of the Church in relation to the

presentations of the authorities of the Holy Priesthood as they were

established in the Church, and from which I feel that we have no right

to depart.--_Oct. C. R.,_ (Special), 1901, pp. 70, 71. Doctrine and

Covenants 124:123-145.

FIRST PRESIDENCY NOT NECESSARILY APOSTLES. We have the council of the

first presidency consisting of three presiding high priests who are

called of God and appointed to preside over the Church and over the

Priesthood of God, and I want to say here that it does not follow

and never has followed that the members of the First Presidency of

the Church are necessarily to be ordained apostles. They hold by

virtue of their rights as Presidents of the Church all the keys and

all the authority that pertains to the Melchizedek Priesthood, which

comprehends and comprises all of the appendages to that priesthood, the

lesser priesthood, and all the offices in the priesthood from first to

last and from the least to the greatest.--_April C. R.,_ 1912.

THE PRIESTHOOD AND ITS OFFICES. In the _Era_ for February, it was

stated that several persons who had acted as counselors in the First

Presidency had never been ordained apostles. Several correspondents

have objected to the statement that Sidney Rigdon, Jedediah M. Grant,

Daniel H. Wells, John R. Winder, and others were not ordained apostles.

We still maintain, upon lack of convincing evidence to the contrary,

that none of these brethren was ever ordained an apostle. We do know

positively that John R. Winder, Sidney Rigdon, William Law and Hyrum

Smith, all of whom were members in the First Presidency of the Church,

were never ordained apostles. But, be that as it may, however, the

main point we wish to make is this, that it was not necessary that

they should be so ordained apostles in order to bold the position of

counselor in the First Presidency. The leading fact to be remembered

is that the Priesthood is greater than any of its offices; and that

any {217} man holding the Melchizedek Priesthood may, by virtue of its

possession, perform any ordinance pertaining thereto, or connected

therewith, when called upon to do so by one holding the proper

authority, which proper authority is vested in the President of the

Church, or in any whom he may designate. Every officer in the Church

is under his direction, and he is directed of God. He is also selected

of the Lord to be the head of the Church, and so becomes, when the

Priesthood of the Church (which includes its officers and its members),

shall have so accepted and upheld him. (Doctrine and Covenants, section

107:22.) No man can justly presume to have authority to preside, merely

by virtue of his priesthood as is the case with Joseph Smith of the

reorganized church, for in addition, he must be chosen and accepted

by the Church. The reverse was the case with him. Such action was

repudiated by the Twelve, the quorum in authority after the martyrdom,

and by the whole Church. An office in the priesthood is a calling, like

apostles, high priest, seventy, elder, and derives all its authority

from the priesthood; these officers hold different callings, but the

same priesthood.

The apostolic office in its very nature, is a proselyting office. When

an apostle presides, he, like the high priest, the seventy, the elder,

or the bishop, presides because of the high priesthood which has been

conferred upon him; and furthermore because he has been called upon so

to do by the acknowledged head of the Church. (Doctrine and Covenants,

section 107:23-33.) And so with the high priest who has been called

to officiate in the First Presidency, in which case he is "accounted

equal" with the President of the Church in holding the keys of the

Presidency (section 90:6) as long as the President remains. When he

dies, the calling of his counselors ends, and the responsibility of

Presidency falls upon the quorum of Twelve Apostles, because they

hold the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood and are {218} the next quorum in

authority. (Doctrine and Covenants, section 107:24.) It is not the

apostleship (Doctrine and Covenants section 107), but the priesthood

and the calling by proper authority which enables any person to

preside. Every man holding the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood may act in

any capacity and do all things that such priesthood holds, provided he

is called upon by proper authority to so officiate; but he would have

no right to depart from the limitations of his office, unless he is

specially called upon by one whose calling, from those over him up to

the head, would clearly authorize him to give such instructions. It

is always to be presumed, also, that order will be observed, and that

the servants of the Lord will not depart from that order, and call

upon men to do things which the law of the priesthood and the nature

of their office do not authorize, unless there is special occasion for

it. The Lord says that all things are governed by law. (See Doctrine

and Covenants, section 88:42.) It is not consistent, for instance, to

imagine that the Lord would call upon a deacon to baptize.

Witness the calling, on February 14, 1835, of David Whitmer and Martin

Harris, both high priests, by the Prophet Joseph, in conformity with

prior revelation from God (See Doctrine and Covenants, section 18)

to "search out the Twelve." They chose the Twelve, ordained and set

them apart for their exalted callings, because they were called upon

by the prophet of God who had been instructed of the Lord, and also

because these men held the necessary authority of the Priesthood,

which authority was exercised, in this case as it should be in all

cases, upon proper calling. The Doctrine and Covenants makes it very

clear that while each officer in the Church has a right to officiate

in his own standing, "the Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of

presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the

Church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual {219}

things." (Doctrine and Covenants, section 107:8.)

Further, in the same revelation verses 65 and 66, we are told:

"Wherefore it must needs be that one be appointed of the high

priesthood to preside over the priesthood, and he shall be called

president of the high priesthood of the Church:

"Or in other words, the presiding high priest over the high priesthood

of the Church."

It is well to remember that the term "high priesthood," as frequently

used, has reference to the Melchizedek Priesthood, in contradistinction

to the "lesser," or Aaronic Priesthood.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 5, p.

549, May, 1902.

AUTHORITY OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH. I have the right to bless.

I hold the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood and of the office and

power of patriarch. It is my right to bless; for all the keys and

authority and power pertaining to the government of the Church and to

the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthood are centered in the presiding

officer of the Church. There is no business nor office, within the

Church, that the President of the Church may not fill, and may not do,

if it is necessary, or if it is required of him to do it. He holds the

office of patriarch; he holds the office of high priest and of apostle,

of seventy, of elder, of bishop and of priest, teacher and deacon in

the Church; all these belong to the Presidency of the Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints, and they can officiate in any and in all

of these callings when occasion requires.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1915, p. 7.

RELATION OF MEMBERS OF FIRST PRESIDENCY. I desire to make another

remark or two before we close our conference. I will call your

attention to the fact that the Lord in the beginning of this work

revealed that there should be three high priests to preside over the

high priesthood of his Church and over the whole Church. (Doctrine and

Covenants {220} 107:22, 64, 65, 66, 67, 91 and 92.) He conferred upon

them all the authority necessary to preside over all the affairs of the

Church. They hold the keys of the house of God and of the ordinances

of the gospel, and of every blessing which has been restored to the

earth in this dispensation. This authority is vested in a presidency

of three high priests. They are three presidents. The Lord himself so

calls them. (Doctrine and Covenants section 107:29.) But there is one

presiding president, and his counselors are presidents also. I propose

that my counselors and fellow presidents in the First Presidency shall

share with me in the responsibility of every act which I shall perform

in this capacity. I do not propose to take the reins in my own hands

to do as I please; but I propose to do as my brethren and I agree

upon, and as the Spirit of the Lord manifests to us. I have always

held, and do hold, and trust I always shall hold, that it is wrong for

one man to exercise all the authority and power of presidency in the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I dare not assume such a

responsibility, and I will not, so long as I can have men like these

(pointing to Presidents Winder and Lund) to stand by and counsel with

me in the labors we have to perform, and in doing all those things

that shall tend to the peace, advancement and happiness of the people

of God and the building up of Zion. If at any time my brethren of

the apostleship shall see in me a disposition to depart from this

principle, or a forgetfulness on my part of this covenant that I make

today before this body of priesthood, I ask them in the name of my

Father, that they will come to me, as my brethren, as counselors in the

priesthood, as watchmen on the towers of Zion, and remind me of this

covenant and promise which I make to the body of the Church in general

conference assembled at this time. The Lord never did intend that one

man should have all power, and for that reason he has placed in his

Church, presidents, apostles, high priests, seventies, elders and the

various officers {221} of the lesser priesthood, all of which are

essential in their order and place according to the authority bestowed

on them. The Lord never did anything that was not essential or that was

superfluous. There is a use for every branch of the priesthood that he

has established in his Church. We want every man to learn his duty, and

we expect every man will do his duty as faithfully as he knows how, and

carry off his portion of the responsibility of building up Zion in the

latter days.

I felt like I wanted to say that much to these my brethren who bear

the holy priesthood--men who wield influence for the salvation of

souls, who set good examples before the people among whom they dwell,

who teach them the right way, admonish them from sin, lead them in the

path of duty, and enable them to stand firm and steadfast in the faith

of the gospel, wherewith they have been made free from sin and from

the grasp of Satan. God bless all Israel, is my prayer, in the name of

Jesus. Amen.--_Oct. C. R._ (Special), 1901, p. 82.

DUTIES OF APOSTLES. The duty of the twelve apostles of the Church is to

preach the gospel to the world, to send it to the inhabitants of the

earth and to bear testimony of Jesus Christ the Son of God, as living

witnesses of his divine mission. That is their special calling and they

are always under the direction of the Presidency of the Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints when that presidency is intact, and there

is never at the same time two equal heads in the Church--never. The

Lord never ordained any such thing, nor designed it. There is always a

head in the Church, and if the Presidency of the Church are removed by

death or other cause, then the next head of the Church is the Twelve

Apostles, until a presidency is again organized of three presiding

high priests who have the right to hold the office of First Presidency

over the Church; and, according to the doctrine laid down by President

Wilford Woodruff, who saw {222} the necessity for it, and that of

President Lorenzo Snow, if the president should die, his counselors are

then released from that presidency, and it is the duty of the Twelve

Apostles to proceed at once, in the manner that has been pointed out,

to see that the First Presidency is reorganized, so that there may

be no deficiency in the working and order of the priesthood in the

Church.--_Apr C. R.,_ 1913, pp. 4, 5.

TESTIMONY OF THE APOSTLES. For instance these twelve disciples of

Christ are supposed to be eye and ear witnesses of the divine mission

of Jesus Christ. It is not permissible for them to say, I believe,

simply; I have accepted it simply because I believe it. Read the

revelation; the Lord informs us they must _know,_ they must get the

knowledge for themselves. It must be with them as if they had seen with

their eyes and heard with their cars and they know the truth. That is

their mission, to testify of Jesus Christ and him crucified and risen

from the dead and clothed now with almighty power at the right hand of

God, the Savior of the world. That is their mission, and their duty,

and that is the doctrine and the truth that it is their duty to preach

to the world and see that it is preached to the world. Where they can

not go themselves they are to have the help of others called to their

assistance, the seventies first, also the elders and the high priests.

Those who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, who are not otherwise

appointed, are under their direction to preach the gospel to the world

and to declare the truth--that Jesus is the Christ and that Joseph is a

prophet of God, and was authorized and qualified to lay the foundation

of the kingdom of God. And when I say kingdom of God I mean what I say.

Christ is the King--not man. No man is king of the kingdom of God; God

is the King of it, and we acknowledge him and him only as Sovereign

of his Kingdom_.--April C. R.,_ 1916, p. 6. (Doctrine and Covenants

18:26-33.)

THE PRESIDING BISHOPRIC. Before we get through with the conference, we

expect to bear some reports from {223} the Presiding Bishopric, who are

the temporal custodians of the means of the Church, and whose duty it

is to account for the receipt and disbursement of these funds; and you

will be surprised, perhaps, to learn how generally and universally,

in the Church, the means gathered from the tithes of the people are

disposed of for the benefit of all the people--and not a few.--_April

C. R.,_ 1912, p. 6.

WHEN TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS TO THE GENERAL AUTHORITIES. If you have a

question to ask, or some problem that you are not sure you are able

to solve, I would suggest to you that you figure it out yourselves

and reach the very best conclusion that you can of the matter; and

then, if you are still not quite satisfied with it, and you cannot get

sufficient of the Spirit of the Lord to reveal to you the absolute

truth, as to whether you are right or wrong, just submit to us your

conclusion, and we think we can answer that a good deal easier and

quicker than we can solve your questions in the way they are generally

put to us.--_April C. R.,_ 1910, p. 45.

NO NEED TO POINT OUT DEFECTS OF CHURCH LEADERS. I do not think it

is my right or prerogative to point out the supposed defects of the

Prophet Joseph Smith, or Brigham Young, or any other of the leaders

of the Church. Let the Lord God Almighty judge them and speak for or

against them as it may seem to him good--but not me; it is not for me,

my brethren, to do this. Our enemies may have taken advantage of us,

in times gone by, because of unwise things that may have been said.

Some of us may now give to the world the same opportunity to speak evil

against us, because of that which we say, which should not be spoken at

all.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1909, pp. 124-125.

HELP THE GENERAL AUTHORITIES. The general authorities of the Church

will be presented possibly tomorrow, and if not then, the next day.

We desire the brethren and sisters who come to the conference to come

with their hearts full of the spirit of wisdom and of truth, and if

you discern {224} in us any lack of wisdom or of judgment, any failure

in the performance of our duty, we desire that those who have superior

experience and knowledge, and greater intelligence, will do us the

honor and favor of coming to us individually and letting us know

wherein we come short. We will give a thousand errors, if we can find

them, or if they exist in us--any moment, for one truth.--_April C.

R.,_ 1908, p. 8.

TEMPORAL SUPPORT OF GENERAL AUTHORITIES. There is not one of the

general authorities in the Church who draws one dollar from the tithes

of the people for his own use. Well, you may say, how do they live?

I will give you the key: The Church helped to support in its infancy

the sugar industry in this country, and it has some means invested

in that enterprise. The Church helped to establish the Z. C. M. I.,

and it has a little interest in that, and in some other institutions

which pay dividends. In other words, tithing funds were invested in

these institutions, which give employment to many, for which the

Trustee-in-Trust holds stock certificates, which are worth more today

than what was given for them; and the dividends from these investments

more than pay for the support of the general authorities of the Church.

So we do not use one dollar of your tithing.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1907, pp.

7, 8.

A BLESSING UPON STAKE PRESIDENCIES AND OTHER OFFICERS. May God bless

the presidents of the stakes of Zion and their counselors, and all

the officers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. May

he help them to be pure, holy, honest, upright men, after God's own

heart, free from the sins of the world, broadminded, full of the love

of truth, charity, the spirit of forgiveness, mercy and kindness, that

they may be as fathers indeed in the midst of the people, and not

tyrants. You, my brethren, are not called to be masters; you are called

to be servants. Let those who would be great among you be the servants

of all. Let us follow in the footsteps of our Master, the Lord Jesus

{225} Christ. He alone is the perfect example for mankind. He is the

only infallible rule and law, way and door into everlasting life. Let

us follow the Son of God. Make him our exemplar, and our guide. Imitate

him. Do his work. Become like unto him, as far as it lies within our

powers to become like him that was perfect and without sin.--_Apr. C.

R.,_ 1907, p. 118. (Doc. and Cov. 18:21-25.)

COUNSEL OF STAKE PRESIDENTS AND BISHOPS. Above all things let me say

to the presidents of stakes and counselors and presidents of missions,

and to the bishops and their counselors--let me say to you all, live

exemplary lives, so that you can each say to the people: "Come and

follow me, follow my example, obey my precepts; be in union with me,

and follow Christ."--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1906, p. 8.

DUTIES OF STAKE PRESIDENTS. I want to say to these presidents of

stakes who are present: you have my confidence, you have my love. I

pray for you every day of my life, and I trust that you remember me

and my brethren in your prayers. We understand the responsibilities

that rest upon you in the discharge of your duties. You are fathers to

the people; that great responsibility rests upon you; your labors are

manifold and sometimes very difficult. We realize the burdens that you

have to bear, the patience that you have to exercise and exhibit in the

discharge of your duty, in order that you may avoid giving offense, and

that you may reconcile the people, over whom you preside, to that which

is right without using drastic measures. We understand this, and you

have our sympathy, our fellowship, our love, and what strength you may

derive from our faith and prayers that you may preside in righteousness

over your different stakes of Zion, and that your brethren associated

with you may be united with you, and that you may pull together in that

which is right and proper for the upbuilding of Zion {226} and the

defense of the people of God.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1905, p. 8.

DUTY OF HIGH COUNCILS. The duty of the high councils of the Church,

when they are called to act upon questions involving the membership or

standing of members of the Church, is to find out the truth, the facts,

and then judge according to the truth and the facts that are brought to

their understanding, always tempered with mercy, love, and kindness,

and with the spirit in their souls to save and not to destroy; our aim

should be to build up, and not to tear down. Our calling is to convey

the spirit of love, truth, peace and good will to mankind throughout

the world; that war may cease; that strife may come to an end, and that

peace may prevail._--Apr. C. R.,_ 1915, p. 5.

DUTIES OF PATRIARCHS. We have a number of patriarchs in the Church

whose duty it is to bestow blessings upon the heads of those who

seek blessings at their hands. They are fathers. They hold the

evangelical office in the Church. It is their business and right to

bestow blessings upon the people, to make promises unto them in the

name of the Lord, as it may be given them by the inspiration of the

Holy Spirit, to comfort them in the hours of sorrow and trouble, to

strengthen their faith by the promises that shall be made to them

through the Spirit of God, and to be fathers indeed of the people,

leading them into all truth.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1904, p. 4.

DUTIES OF HIGH PRIESTS. In addition to these organizations we have in

each stake of Zion an organization called the high priests quorum, to

which all high priests of the Church belong, including the presidency

and the high councilors of the stake, and also the bishops and their

counselors, all the patriarchs, and all others who have been ordained

to the office of high priest in the Church, which office is the office

of presidency in the Melchizedek Priesthood, not that every man who

holds the office of high priest is a president. {227} Only he who is

called, appointed and set apart to preside among the high priests holds

the presiding authority and office.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1904, p. 3.

DUTIES OF HIGH PRIESTS' QUORUMS. The high priests' quorums should

have their regular meetings. They should meet together as often as

circumstances will permit or as necessity requires, and grow and unite

together. They should establish their schools of instruction and

enlightenment; for it is the duty of the high priests' quorums to teach

the principles of government, of union, of advancement and of growth in

the kingdom of God. They are indeed the fathers of the people at large.

In our high priests' quorum are numbered the presidents of stakes and

their counselors, bishops and counselors, patriarchs, and all that

have been ordained to the office of high priest in the Melchizedek

Priesthood. All such belong to the high priests' quorum. They come

under its supervision, and they should have a lively union with it, not

a dead connection. They should be united with the quorum in such a way

that they give it all the force that they can impart for good. They

should give it their individual influence, their hearty support, their

confidence, and the benefit of their advice and counsel. They should

not pull apart, nor be disinterested in these matters.--_Apr. C. R.,_

1907, p. 5.

DUTY OF HIGH PRIESTS. Every man who holds the office of high priest in

the Church, or has been ordained a high priest, whether he is called to

active position in the Church or not--inasmuch as he has been ordained

a high priest, should feel that he is obliged--that it is his bounden

duty, to set an example before the old and young worthy of emulation,

and to place himself in a position to be a teacher of righteousness,

not only by precept but more particularly by example--giving to the

younger ones the benefit of the experience of age, and thus becoming

individually a power in the midst of the community in which he dwells.

Every {228} man who has light should let that light shine, that those

who see it may glorify their Father which is in heaven, and honor

him who possesses the light and who causes it to shine forth for the

benefit of others. In a local capacity, there is no body of priesthood

in the Church who should excel, or who are expected to excel, those

who are called to bear the office of high priest in the Church. From

among those who hold this office are chosen the presidents of stakes

and their counselors, and the high councils of the stakes of Zion, and

from this office are chosen the bishops, and the bishops' counselors

in every ward in Zion; and heretofore, of this office are those who

have been called to take charge of our stake Mutual Improvement

organizations. Those holding this office are, as a rule, men of

advanced years, and varied experience, men who have filled missions

abroad, who have preached the gospel to the nations of the earth, and

who have had experience not only abroad but at home. Their experience

and wisdom is the ripened fruit of years of labor in the Church, and

they should exercise that wisdom for the benefit of all with whom they

are associated.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1908, pp. 5, 6.

PURPOSE AND DUTIES OF SEVENTIES. The seventies are called to be

assistants to the twelve apostles; indeed they are apostles of the Lord

Jesus Christ, subject to the direction of the Twelve, and it is their

duty to respond to the call of the Twelve, under the direction of the

First Presidency of the Church, to preach the gospel to every creature,

to every tongue and people under the heavens, to whom they may be

sent. Hence they should understand the gospel, and they should not be

wholly dependent upon our auxiliary organizations for instruction,

neither should they be wholly dependent upon the missionary classes

in our Church schools for their knowledge of the gospel, and for

their qualifications to preach that gospel to the world. They should

take up the study of the gospel, the study of the {229} scriptures

and the history of the dealings of God with the people of the earth,

in their own quorums, and make those quorums schools of learning and

instruction, wherein they may qualify themselves for every labor and

duty that may be required at their hands.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1907, pp. 5, 6.

DUTY OF SEVENTIES. The seventies have no responsibility of presiding.

It is not the calling or duty of their office to preside. They are

traveling elders, and they are to preach the gospel to the world, under

the direction of the twelve apostles, who constitute the traveling high

council of the Church, and who are special witnesses of Jesus Christ to

all the world.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1901, p. 72.

DUTIES OF SEVENTIES. We have also in the Church, today, I am informed,

146 quorums of seventy. These constitute a body of elders of somewhere

in the neighborhood of 10,000 men, whose special duty it is to respond

to the call of the apostles to preach the gospel, without purse or

scrip, to all the nations of the earth. They are minute men. It is

expected that they will be ready, whenever they are called, to go out

in the world, or to go out to the various organizations of the Church

to fulfil missions and to perform such duties as shall be required of

them, in order that the work of the Lord and the work of the ministry

may be upheld and sustained and carried on in the Church and throughout

the world.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1904, p. 3.

SEVENTIES QUORUMS TO BE REPLENISHED FROM ELDERS' QUORUMS. Gather in

from the elders' quorums those who have proved themselves worthy, and

who have gained experience, and make seventies of them, so that the

quorum of the seventies may be replenished; and the aged ones, whose

physical condition will not permit them any longer to do missionary

duty in the world, let them be ordained high priests and patriarchs,

to bless the people and to minister at home. Gather in the strong, the

vigorous, the young, the able-bodied, who have the spirit of the gospel

in their hearts, to fill up the {230} ranks of the seventies, that we

may have ministers to preach the gospel to the world. They are needed.

We cannot now meet the demand.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1905, p. 96.

ELDERS TO PROCLAIM GOSPEL. I believe that the elders of Israel, and the

officers of the Church, should devote themselves to the proclamation of

the gospel of life everlasting, and that they should not dwell or seek

to dwell upon trivial and nonsensical things, or upon personal conduct

or extraneous affairs. I think they should be dignified and sincere in

their spirit and utterances. I think they should be moved by the spirit

of truth and of the inspiration of the gospel, and consider that it is

their mission to bear record of Jesus Christ, of Joseph Smith, and of

the divinity of the great latter-day work, the foundations of which

Joseph Smith was instrumental in the hands of God in establishing in

the latter days. I believe if our brethren will devote their thought,

their minds and efforts in this direction, that they will please the

Lord, they will satisfy the Saints, and they will fulfil the object

of their mission better than they can possibly do by criticizing

themselves or others, or dwelling on the faults and failings of

men.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1909, p. 124.

DUTIES OF ELDERS. I am not prepared to state how many elders we have

in the Church; but they are very numerous. It is the duty of this body

of men to be standing ministers at home; to be ready at the call of

the presiding officers of the Church and the stakes, to labor in the

ministry at home, and to officiate in any calling that may be required

of them, whether it be to work in the temples, or to labor in the

ministry at home, or whether it be to go out into the world, along with

the seventies, to preach the gospel to the world.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1904,

p. 4.

AUTHORITY OF THE BISHOPS AND OTHER PRESIDING OFFICERS. A bishop is the

presiding officer of his ward, and where the bishop is in the ward,

his counselors and those who are members of his ward are subject to

his presidency. {231} He cannot yield it up. He cannot give it to

another; or, if he does, he violates one of the sacred principles

of the government of the priesthood. He may direct his counselors,

the first or the second, to do his will, to carry out his wishes, to

execute his desires, or his commands; but in so doing the counselor

does not act as the bishop, but he acts under the direction of the

presiding authority. He does not act independently of the bishop, but

subordinate to the bishop, and is subject entirely to the bishop's

direction. This principle prevails, or should prevail, in the Sunday

school organization of the Church. We can commission and appoint; that

is, those who preside can call upon their aids for assistance, they can

direct them to accomplish labors, but in every instance when they do,

it is by and with and under the consent of the presiding authority, and

by his advice, but not independently. Our missions have not always been

organized strictly according to the pattern that the Lord has given.

In a great many instances the presiding elder has been the presiding

officer of the mission.

But in recent years, in many instances, it has been deemed wise, not

only to have a presiding elder in the mission, but also assistants to

the president, or counselors, that they may render him such assistance

and counsel as he may need. In all these things the presiding officer

is the head, should be regarded in his place, and his place should be

held sacred in the minds of his associates. And no man possessing a

correct understanding of the spirit of the gospel and of the authority

and law of the Holy Priesthood will attempt for a moment to run before

his file leader or to do anything that is not strictly in harmony with

his wish and the authority that belongs to him. The moment a man in

a subordinate position begins to usurp the authority of his leader,

that moment he is out of his place, and proves by his conduct that he

does not comprehend his duty, that he is not acting in the line of his

calling, and is a dangerous character. {232} He will set bad examples,

he will mislead, he will lead others into error, having fallen into

error himself; indeed, he is in error the moment he acts contrary to

and independent of the direction of his presiding officer; and if he

continues in that course he will go astray entirely, and those who

follow him will follow him astray. We all understand that principle,

I think, and I would like to see my brethren and sisters who are

connected with the Sunday school work observe it strictly, but in the

true spirit; not with any kind of stiff formality or set ways, but in

the true spirit of presidency, lovingly subject to divine authority,

the authority that God has instituted that we may emulate, the example

of the Son himself, who came to earth, and while he possessed majestic

power to heal the sick, to restore sight to the blind, bearing to the

deaf, and bring the dead to life, and to accomplish wonderful things,

walking upon the waves, stilling the storms, casting out devils, and

multiplying the loaves and fishes, by which he fed the multitudes of

people, yet in accomplishing all this he declared, over and over again,

this great principle, that he came not to do his own will, but the will

of him that sent him, recognizing in every feature of his message and

ministry in the world that God was at the head, and that he did nothing

of himself, but only that which the Father sent him to do. Thus he was

acting under the authority of his president or file leader--of him who

sent him and commissioned him to accomplish the work he was sent to do.

Let us follow that spirit and example and adopt that principle in our

lives, then we shall never have presiding elders and officers in the

Church at logger-heads with each other, contending with each other, and

at cross purposes. They will always be one. They will see eye to eye,

they will understand better the principles of divine government, the

principles of the gospel and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.--_Oct.

C. R.,_ 1905 (Sunday School), pp. 109, 110.

{233} DUTIES OF BISHOPS. It is expected that the bishop of a ward with

his counselors will understand the necessities of every member of

his ward. Then they have as assistants and helpers a large corps of

elders, and priests, teachers and deacons of the lesser Priesthood,

who render assistance to them in the temporal as well as the spiritual

affairs of the Church. It devolves upon the bishopric of the ward to

look after the poor, to minister unto the sick and the afflicted,

and to see that there is no want nor suffering among the people in

these organized divisions of the Church. It is also the duty of these

presiding officers in the Church to look after the spiritual welfare of

the people, to see that they are living moral, pure and upright lives,

that they are faithful in the discharge of their duties as Latter-day

Saints, that they are honest in their dealings with one another, and

with all the world. It is their business to see that spiritual light

exists in their hearts, and that the people under their presidency and

direction are living the lives of Saints, as far as it is possible

for men and women, in the mortal body, beset by the weaknesses and

imperfections of mankind, to be Saints.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1904, pp. 2, 3.

BISHOPS AND LESSER PRIESTHOOD SHOULD BE ACTIVE. The bishops and the

lesser priesthood should be very active and energetic. We should look

after the boys who have been ordained deacons, teachers, and priests in

the Church. We should find something for them to do in their calling.

Let them be appointed to active labors in their several spheres. Put

forward those who have not had experience to accompany those who have,

and give them something to do. Let the deacons not only assist to keep

the meeting houses in repair and their grounds in proper condition,

but let them be set to work to look after the welfare of the widows

and fatherless, the aged and the poor. Many of our young men who are

idle, languishing for the want of something to do, could be made more

useful in helping the poor to clean {234} up about their homes and make

them comfortable, and helping them to live in such a way that life

would be pleasant to them. There is no reason why the members of the

lesser priesthood should not be engaged in missions and labors of this

kind.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1908, p. 6.

DUTIES OF THE LESSER PRIESTHOOD. Then we have the lesser priesthood,

who attends to the different temporal matters of the Church, consisting

of priests, teachers and deacons, who labor under the direction of the

bishopric in the various wards in which they dwell, for the work of the

ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, the unifying of the

people and bringing them up to the standard of righteousness that they

should reach in the flesh, according to the light they possess and the

ability and talent which the Lord has given them.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1904,

p. 4.

LESSER PRIESTHOOD. The bishops should take especial charge of the

lesser priesthood, and train them in the duties of their callings

--the priests, teachers and deacons. Our young men should be looked

after. The boys, as soon as it is prudent, should be called to take

part in the lesser priesthood. If it were possible to grade them, from

the deacon to the priest, and from the priest upward, through all the

offices that will eventually devolve upon them, it would be one of

the best things that could be done. All these things should be looked

after by the presiding authorities of the Church, especially those

who preside over the quorums. I will repeat what I said before, it is

expected that every man on whom responsibility is placed will do his

duty faithfully and be diligent in the performance thereof.--_Apr. C.

R.,_ 1907, p. 6.

THE WORK OF THE BISHOPRIC. The work of the bishopric is both temporal

and spiritual. The average bishop gives all his time and efforts for

the betterment of the people over whom he presides. The bishop should

not try to do all the work that is necessary to be done in his ward.

His {235} counselors are there to help him, and a due portion of the

responsibility of the bishop of the ward should be placed upon his

counselors. Neither is it wise that the bishopric of the ward should

feel they are compelled to do all that is necessary to be done in their

wards. They should exercise their right to call upon the priesthood

to visit the people as teachers and preachers of the gospel of Jesus

Christ that they may give to all as far as possible an opportunity to

exercise their talents and to do good in their wards. It is sometimes

advisable to give to each counselor special duties, and assign each

of the counselors his proportion of the responsibilities which belong

to the bishopric, each one doing some special work for which he is

adapted, so that all may be active.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1914, p. 6.

DIGNITY OF TEACHERS' CALLING. We have had called to our attention,

recently, the fact that some men who are of long standing in the

Church--indeed, some of them born and reared in the Church, and who

are occupying prominent positions in some of the quorums of the

priesthood--when their presidents or their bishops of the wards

in which they live call upon them to visit the Saints, teach the

principles of the gospel and perform the duties of teachers, they

coolly inform their bishops that they have graduated from that calling

and refuse to act as teachers. Brother Charles W. Penrose is eighty-two

years of age. I am going on seventy-six, and I believe that I am older

than several of these good men who have graduated from the duties in

the lesser priesthood, and I want to tell them and you that we are

not too old to act as teachers, if you will call us to do it--not one

of us. There is never a time, there never will come a time to those

who bold the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints, when men can say of themselves that they have done enough. So

long as life lasts, and so long as we possess ability to do good, to

labor for the upbuilding of Zion, and for the benefit of the human

family, we ought, with willingness, {236} to yield with alacrity to the

requirements made of us to do our duty, little or great.--_Apr. C. R.,_

1914, p. 7.

VALUE OF TEACHERS' WORK. I don't know of any duty that is more sacred,

or more necessary, if it is carried out as it should be, than the

duties of the teachers who visit the homes of the people, who pray with

them, who admonish them to virtue and honor, to unity, to love, and

to faith in and fidelity to the cause of Zion; who strive to settle

uncertainties in the minds of the people and bring them to the standard

of the knowledge that they should possess in the gospel of Jesus

Christ. May all the people open their doors, call in the members of

their families, and respect the visit of the teachers to their homes,

and join with them in striving to bring about a better condition, if

possible, in the home than ordinarily exists. If you can advance, try

to aid the teachers to help you make that advancement.--_Apr. C. R.,_

1915, p. 140.

THE RESTORATION OF THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD. "No man can be exalted

unless he be independent. * * * Mankind are naturally independent

and intelligent beings, they have been created for the express

purpose of exalting themselves." The study of the subject of the Holy

or Melchizedek Priesthood, including the Aaronic, is one of vast

importance to the human family. The student of the true science of

theology will readily comprehend the necessity of its existence among

men, for the reason that true theology, or the Church of Jesus Christ,

cannot exist without it. It lies at the foundation of the Church, it

is the authority by which the Church is established or organized,

built up and governed, and by which the gospel is preached, and all

the ordinances thereof designed for the salvation of mankind are

administered or solemnized. No ordinance of the gospel can be performed

acceptably to God or with efficacy to man except by its authority and

power, and certainly there is no ordinance or rite instituted by the

Almighty in {237} the great plan of redemption which is not essential

to the salvation or exaltation of his children. Therefore, where the

Melchizedek or holy Priesthood does not exist, there can be no true

Church of Christ in its fulness. When this priesthood is not found

among mankind they are destitute of the power of God, and therefore

of the true science of theology, or the Church and religion of Jesus

Christ who is the great High Priest and Apostle of our salvation. While

the Prophet Joseph Smith was engaged in translating the Book of Mormon,

in 1829, he and Oliver Cowdery became animated over the truths and

glorious promises unfolded to them in their work, and desired to reach

out after these blessings before their work was done, but the Lord

gently admonished them not to be in a hurry; he said: "You must wait

yet a little while, for ye are not yet ordained," but the promise was

given that they should be ordained thereafter, and they should go forth

and deliver the word of God unto the children of men, and he pronounced

a woe upon the inhabitants of the earth if they would not then hearken

unto their words.

The ordinary meaning of the word priesthood, as generally understood

and applied in the world, signifies a class or body of men set apart

for sacred duties, or holding the priestly office, or an order of

persons composed of priests spoken of or taken collectively. This

is not, however, the sense in which the words Melchizedek or holy

Priesthood, are used here. Reference is made in this article to the

sacred office itself, or the principle of power which constitutes

the office, and is the authority by which individuals or the several

orders, or quorums, as we use the term, composing the priesthood of the

Church, may legitimately act in the name of the Lord; or the moving,

directing, controlling, governing or presiding agency, right and

authority, which is vested in the Godhead and delegated unto man for

the purpose of his instruction, initiation into the Church, spiritual

{238} and temporal guidance, government and exaltation. That is the

Melchizedek Priesthood, which is without father, without mother, or

descent, or beginning of days, or end of life, which the great high

priest, Melchizedek, so honored and magnified in his time that it was

called after his name, in honor to him and to avoid the too frequent

repetition of the name of the Son of God.

This distinction between the quorums of the priesthood and the

priesthood itself should always be kept in mind in the use of the

term Melchizedek or Holy Priesthood. The Holy Priesthood after

the order of the Son of God was the original name given to this

priesthood. Subsequently it was called the Melchizedek Priesthood. This

priesthood was confirmed upon Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah,

Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses and many others, and doubtless upon

many of the prophets prior to the birth of Christ, upon his chosen

disciples among the Jews, before his crucifixion, and upon the Nephite

disciples upon this continent, after his resurrection and ascension

on high. These he made his apostles, to bear witness of him upon both

hemispheres and to all the world; and doubtless the Savior conferred

this priesthood upon other disciples whom he chose from among the

"other sheep" of whom he spoke to the Nephites, which were not of the

folds of the Jews or of the Nephites, whose records are yet to come

forth to bear witness of him, in the due time of the Lord.

We learn from the revelations that God took Moses, and the Holy

Priesthood also, out of the midst of the children of Israel. But the

lesser or Aaronic Priesthood, which was confirmed upon Aaron and his

seed, continued among them till the coming of Christ in the meridian of

time. John, the son of Zacharias, was probably the last who held the

keys of this Priesthood among the Jews. He was raised up and sent as

the forerunner of Christ to prepare the way for his first coming. And

he was also sent to the world in this dispensation {239} to begin the

work of preparation for Christ's second advent.

"There are in the Church two Priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and

Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood. Why the first is called

the Melchizedek Priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great high

priest. Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood after the

order of the Son of God." The Melchizedek priesthood holds the keys

of all the spiritual blessings of the Church, of the mysteries of the

kingdom of heaven, of communion with the general assembly and Church

of the first born, and the presence of God, the Father, and Jesus, the

Mediator.

The Aaronic priesthood is an appendage to the first, and holds the keys

of the ministering of angels, and the outward ordinances and letter

of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,

agreeable to the covenants and commandments.