A PLEASANT INTERVIEW.
In the evening Elder Durant not only had the pleasure of meeting
all his old friends of the previous visit, but was honored with the
presence of a large number of persons whom he had not seen before. Some
of them had attended the meeting he held in the Town Hall on his first
visit, while others had only heard of him through the Marshalls.
When all were comfortably seated in the large dining room, Mr.
Sutherland by way of introducing the missionary to his new friends,
said:
"My friends and neighbors, we have assembled here this evening for the
purpose of listening to Mr. Durant on the religious faith of a people
who claim to have the keys of a new dispensation committed to them.
If their claim is correct, then it is of the utmost importance to the
whole human race. If God has indeed spoken from the heavens, it is
the duty of His children to listen; on the other hand, if this claim
of the Mormons be founded on a myth, then it is our duty to do all in
our power to disprove their declarations, and deny that they have any
divine commission whatever to proclaim the principles of salvation.
You who have the privilege of listening to him will know whether his
arguments are sound and scriptural, or otherwise; and can therefore
exercise the right, which you all have, of judging for yourselves. We
will, therefore, ask our friend from the valleys of the West to give
us, in as few words as possible, an outline of what Mormonism teaches,
after which all may act with the utmost freedom in asking questions
upon anything the gentleman may say, or upon any principle believed in
by his people. Now, Mr. Durant, we are anxious to hear you, and you
will find us attentive listeners."
The Elder arose and in a few well-chosen words expressed his thanks to
the Marshalls for their kindness, as well as to Mr. Sutherland, and
all his friends who had taken an interest in him. He was pleased to
answer questions pertaining to his faith, and with all sincerity bore
testimony that the Mormons were less understood by the people of this
and other nations than any other sect in Christendom. Their mission is
one of "peace on earth and good will to man," not withstanding they had
been represented as having objects quite the reverse.
Their faith teaches the reason why man is here in this probation;
whence man came, and whither he goes, after his departure by death. It
teaches that the destiny of man is mighty, that his exaltation is to be
great; that what man is, God once was; that what God is, man can be.
"Mormonism teaches men to believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in
His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost, who bears record of them
forever.
"As a people, we believe that all mankind, through the transgression
of our first parents, were brought under the curse and penalty for
transgression; but that through the atoning sacrifice, sufferings,
and death of Jesus Christ, all are to be redeemed from any effects of
original transgression; that 'as by the offense of one, judgment came
upon all men unto condemnation; even so, by the righteousness of one,
the free gift came upon all men unto the justification of life.' (Rom.
v: 18.)
"We believe that little children are innocent, and not under
transgression; that they are incapable of obeying any law, not
understanding good or evil; and Jesus says, 'Of such are the kingdom of
heaven;' but then, when they arrive at the years of maturity, and know
good from evil, and are capable of obeying or disobeying law; if they
then transgress, they will be condemned for breaking a known law.
"We believe that no man will be condemned for not obeying a law that
he does not know; and that consequently millions of the human family
who have never heard the gospel, are more blessed than those who have
had that privilege, and have refused to accept it; that mankind will be
judged according to the deeds done in the body.
"We believe in the sufferings, death and atoning sacrifice of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, and in His resurrection and ascension on high,
and in the Holy Ghost, which is given to all who obey the gospel.
"We believe, first, it is necessary to have faith in God, and that,
next, it is necessary to repent of our sins to confess and to turn away
from them, and make restitution to all whom we have injured, as far as
it is in our power.
"We believe that the third necessity is to be baptized by immersion in
water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 'for remission
of sins,' and that this ordinance must be performed by one having
authority, or otherwise it is of no avail.
"The fourth is, to receive the laying on of hands, in the name of Jesus
Christ, for the gift of the Holy Ghost; and this ordinance must also
be administered by the Apostles or the Elders, whom the Lord Jesus has
called to lay on hands, nor then is it of any advantage except to those
persons who have complied with the before-named three conditions.
"We believe that the Holy Ghost is the same now, as it was in the
apostolic days, and that when a church is organized, it is its
privilege to have all the gifts, powers and blessings which flow from
the Holy Spirit:
"'Such, for instance, as the gifts of revelation, prophecy, visions,
the ministry of angels, healing the sick by the laying on of hands in
the name of Jesus, the working of miracles, and, in short, all the
gifts mentioned in the scriptures, or enjoyed by the ancient Saints.'
We believe that inspired apostles and prophets, together with all the
officers as mentioned in the New Testament, are necessary in the Church
in these days.
"We believe that there has been a general and awful apostasy from the
religion of the New Testament, so that all the known world have been
left for centuries without the church of Christ among them; without a
priesthood authorized of God to administer ordinances; that every one
of the churches has perverted the gospel, some in one way and some in
another. For instance, almost every church has ignored the doctrine of
'immersion for the remission of sins.' Those few who have practiced
it have abolished the ordinance of the 'laying on of hands' upon
baptized believers for the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Again the few who
have practiced the last ordinance have perverted the first, or have
denied the ancient gifts, powers and blessings which flow from the
Holy Spirit, or have said to the inspired apostles and prophets, we
have no need of you in the body. Those few, again, who have believed
in, and contended for, the miraculous gifts and powers of the Holy
Spirit, have perverted the ordinances. Thus all the churches preach
false doctrines and distort the gospel, and instead of having authority
from God to administer its ordinances, they are under the curse of
God for corrupting it. Paul says (Gal. i: 8), 'Though we or an angel
from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed.'
"We believe that there are a few sincere, honest and humble persons who
are striving to do according to the best of their understanding, but,
in many respects, they err in doctrine because of false teachers and
the precepts of men, and that they will receive the fullness of the
gospel with gladness as soon as they hear it."
"We believe in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and in living and continued
revelation; but we also believe that no new revelation will contradict
the old.
"The gospel in the Book of Mormon is the same as that in the New
Testament, so that no one who reads it can misunderstand its
principles. It has been revealed by the angel to be preached as a
witness to all nations, first to the Gentiles and then to the Jews,
then cometh the downfall of Babylon. Thus fulfilling the vision of
John, which he beheld on the Isle of Patmos, (Rev. xiv: 6, 7, 8), 'And
I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
gospel to preach unto them that dwell upon the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice,
fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come;
and worship Him that made the heaven and earth, and the sea and the
fountains of water.' And there followed another angel saying, 'Babylon
is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations
drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornications.'
"Many revelations and prophecies have been given to this Church since
its rise, which have been printed and sent forth to the world. These
also contain the gospel in great plainness, and instructions of
infinite importance to the Saints. They also unfold the great events
that await this generation, the terrible judgments to be poured forth
upon the wicked, and the blessings and glories to be given to the
righteous. We believe God will continue to give revelations by visions,
by the ministry of angels, and by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,
until the Saints are guided into all truth.
"We believe that wherever the people enjoy the religion of the New
Testament, there they enjoy visions, revelations, the ministry of
angels, etc. And that wherever these blessings cease to be enjoyed,
there they also cease to enjoy the religion of the New Testament.
"We believe that God has established His church in order to prepare
a people for His second coming in the clouds of heaven, in power and
great glory; and that then the Saints that are asleep in their graves
will be raised and reign with Him on earth a thousand years.
"We believe that great judgments await the earth on account of the
wickedness of its inhabitants, and that when the gospel shall have been
sufficiently proclaimed, if they reject it they will be destroyed;
that plagues, pestilence and famine will be multiplied upon them; that
thrones will be cast down, empires overthrown, and nations destroyed;
that when the Spirit of God ceases to restrain the people, the world
will be full of blood, carnage and desolation; that peace will be taken
from the earth and from among all people, religious and irreligious. It
shall be as with the people, so with the priest, etc.
"We believe that the Lord will gather His people from among all nations
unto a land of peace, and give them pastors after His own heart, who
shall feed them with knowledge and understanding, and they shall be the
only people upon the earth that shall not be at war with one another.
"We believe that the Ten Tribes of Israel, with the dispersed of
Judah, shall soon be restored to their own lands, according to the
covenants which God made with their ancient fathers, and that when this
great work of restitution shall take place, the power of God shall be
made manifest in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds, far exceeding
anything that took place in the exodus from Egypt. Jerusalem will be
rebuilt, together with the glorious temple, and the Lord shall visit
His Saints in Zion. In that day the name of the Lord shall become great
unto the ends of the earth, and all nations shall serve and obey Him,
for the wicked shall have perished out of the earth.
"We believe in all principles of truth that have been revealed; in all
that are now being revealed, and are prepared to receive all that God
will reveal.
"We believe that the gospel, now being preached by the Latter-day
Saints, is to call the honest in heart out of Babylon, that they
partake not of her sins nor receive of her plagues.
"We believe in morality, chastity, purity, virtue and honesty, and wish
to promote the happiness of our fellow-men."
The Elder's words were listened to with marked attention. He expressed
a willingness to answer questions, and a desire to have as many asked,
concerning the religious principles believed in by his people, as the
listeners were pleased to propound.
"Mr. Durant," said Sutherland, when the former was seated, "I have not
only listened to all you have said with the greatest interest, but have
taken pleasure in reading the tracts left while on your former visit,
and whether your faith is correct or otherwise, it will be a difficult
task to disprove any of your arguments by the Sacred Record. I wish to
ask you a few questions regarding some of the principles you have not
touched upon, and which I understand to be a part of your faith. I am
informed that you believe in a literal resurrection of the body? Is
this correct?"
"Certainly," answered the Elder promptly. "How could we lay any claim
whatever to a Christian belief in the resurrection unless we believed
in a literal resurrection?"
"Well you certainly would not be compelled to believe in a literal
resurrection in order to lay claim to having a Christian belief in that
principle, for all Christians are surely not believers in it."
"All true Christians must follow Christ's teachings regarding this
principle as well as all others, or else how can they be considered
true Christians? Christ is the resurrection and the life. (John xi:
25.) He was also the first fruits of the resurrection. (Acts xxvi:
23.) He, therefore, is our great pattern. We know He was put to death
(Matt. xxvii: 50); that His body was laid in the tomb (Matt. xxvii:
60); that when His friends visited that tomb the body was gone; that
an angel declared that the body had been resurrected (Matt. xxviii:
6); that He appeared to His apostles with the body which had been
crucified, even bearing the prints of the cruel nails in His hands, and
the marks of the spear in His side, and to satisfy Thomas, He asked to
be handled that no mistake might be made regarding its being a literal
resurrection of the same body He had before the crucifixion (John xx:
27, 28). This was the resurrection of our Master, and inasmuch as He
has commanded us to follow Him, why should ours not be the same?"
"But you will admit that if Christianity is true and Christ is really
the Savior, that there is a great difference between His resurrection
and that of those who have died since. His body had only just been
interred; there had not been sufficient time for it to decay in the
grave, and He was God Himself, while the bodies of others decay, and
are scattered, in some cases at least, to the four winds," answered
Brown.
"How about the statement regarding the resurrection of others, who,
the scriptures declare, came forth from their graves at the time of
Christ's resurrection? (Matt. xxvii: 52.) They certainly must have
slumbered for a long time."
"I cannot understand," said Brown "how it could be possible for a
literal resurrection of the body to occur after decay had taken place,
and the body had returned as dust to the earth."
"Mr. Brown," the Elder said, "you will candidly admit that there are
many things now accepted as truths which at one time seemed to you
incomprehensible?"
"No doubt, I do," answered Brown.
"Yes, you do, most decidedly: For instance, when you first learned of
the wonders of the telephone, you could scarcely credit them; when you
were informed that you could converse with a friend who stood miles
away, you not only doubted, but perhaps disbelieved, yet you doubt no
longer, for your eyes have seen, and your ears have heard. Is not this
true?"
"It is; what the eye has seen or the ear has heard, one must certainly
believe. But is not that a vastly different proposition?"
"Not at all; you are only less familiar with the methods or principles
upon which the resurrection depends, that is all. When we have more of
the intelligence of heaven, and can understand more regarding the great
principle by which the resurrection is brought about, it will appear
simple enough. God permits a ray of intelligence to come from heaven;
it reaches the mind of man, it gives us knowledge of the telegraph,
by which our messages flash from nation to nation in the twinkling of
an eye, and opens to our understanding many other wonders of modern
science. We may not understand fully how it is done, but we know it is
accomplished, and we therefore believe what we once disbelieved.
"Another ray reaches us, and we have an understanding of the telephone,
the phonograph, the electric cars; and through the effects of these
discoveries, we open our eyes in wonderment! Yet these flashes of
intelligence are nothing compared with the mighty fire of wisdom in the
heavens from whence these originate. They may be new to us, but are
thoroughly understood by Him who sent them. They are all gifts from the
Father of our spirits, and only small gifts at that, compared with what
He has in store for us."
"How can you imagine for an instant," exclaimed Mr. Sutherland, "that
it can be possible for all the particles of our bodies to be gathered
together again after they have been scattered?"
"I do not, and cannot pretend to, answer this question. It will require
more intelligence than I have, to answer it. But this I firmly believe;
that no particle, that is, none of the component parts, of my body
will ever go to make up the body of anything else, except perhaps for
a time, and that it matters not whether my body be burned or permitted
to decay and return to mother earth, every particle will be collected
and brought together again, at the time of the resurrection which will
be literal in every sense of the word. Let me relate a little anecdote
which illustrates my position.
"A person had received, as a birthday gift, a beautiful silver cup from
a friend. This cup was prized very much, not only on account of its
beauty, but because of the love the receiver had for the giver. In a
short time the one making this present was called away, the cold hand
of death was laid upon him.
"Then the cup increased a hundred fold in value to the owner, and
nothing could influence him to part from it. Years afterward, the
owner of the present carried it to the place where he was employed,
for the purpose of exhibiting it to a fellow workman. During the day,
in passing the shelf where it rested while he was engaged in moving
some valuable goods, he carelessly knocked the cup from the shelf,
and it fell into a vessel of fluid. Thinking at the moment that the
vessel contained nothing but water, the owner waited until his arms
were released from the valuable load they contained, before seeking
to remove the cup from the place into which it had fallen. When he
returned, he found, to his sorrow, that his cup had disappeared. Upon
investigation, imagine his sorrow, when he discovered that the vessel
contained nitric acid instead of water, and that the cup had been
eaten up by the fluid. He thought of how he had valued that keepsake,
how much he revered the memory of the giver, and how foolish he was
to bring the prize from his home that morning. At this moment, his
employer happened along, and noticing his grief enquired for the cause.
After listening to the poor man's story, and learning that the cup was
made in a neighboring town, he rather startled the sorrowing man with
this remark: 'Don't feel bad, my man, I promise, you shall again have
your cup.'
"The workingman, thinking his words meant that he should receive the
amount of its real value, or another cup, explained that it was not its
cost, neither would another cup fill its place. It was the loss of this
particular article, which came from the hands of a friend who had since
died, that caused him grief.
"'Never mind, I say, whether you believe my words or not, I promise,
and will make good that promise, that you shall again have your cup,
and it shall be made of the same identical silver, having the same
form, and being composed of nothing but the same metal. I don't mean
the same kind, but the very same silver you dropped into that fluid.'
"And with this he took a few hand fulls of common salt, flung them into
the liquid, and there formed in the solution a white solid; this he
removed, dried and heated in a crucible, and the result was a lump of
silver of the highest lustre.
"'Now, you see,' said the kind-hearted man, 'how easy it is to restore
when you understand the method by which it is done. All the silver
composing that cup of yours is now in my hands. How easy it is for me
to have it remoulded in the same moulds! and who will say you have not
the same cup resurrected from the grave?'
"Can you not understand," said Durant, "that this laborer was in
the same condition as the poor mortals who are in painful ignorance
of the way and means by which the resurrection will take place? And
yet how simple when once understood. The cup had been buried in that
world of liquid, it had dissolved and had been scattered throughout
the world in which it was buried, and to a person unacquainted with
the laws governing such things, was lost forever. If man, who is as
a babe compared with God in intelligence, could resurrect a cup from
that little world, do you not think it possible for God, who is the
fountain-head of intelligence and power, to restore your body after it
has been scattered through out this little world of ours? And as the
restoring of that cup appeared very simple to that laboring man, so I
believe the resurrection of the body will appear very simple to us when
we are on the other side, and fully understand the laws, methods and
powers which govern the restoration."
At this moment a Mr. Williams, who had been a very attentive listener
during the entire evening, arose and said: "Mr. Durant, to all
appearances you have proved every argument made with some quotation
from the Bible; your mode of reasoning appears very logical, but I have
here a passage which seems to conflict with the argument that baptism
is positively essential to salvation."
"If so," answered the Elder, "I will be pleased to listen. Really, if
you have found an argument, from the sayings of Christ or His apostles,
which promises salvation without baptism, you have certainly made a
great discovery."
"Well, I think the discovery has been made," answered Williams, "and
it seems strange that a gentleman who has made the Bible as much of a
study as you have, has never been able to comprehend it."
"Thanks, but now for the argument; do not build your hopes too high,
perhaps you misunderstand your own reading of the Sacred Record."
"Well, that remains to be seen. You have disclaimed all belief in
death-bed repentance bringing salvation, and you are, as well, a
disbeliever in salvation without baptism. Now to the law and the
testimony once more. Examine the account of the crucifixion, as
recorded in Luke 23rd chapter, beginning with the 39th verse. Christ
upon that occasion had a male factor on either side of Him; one railed
on Him saying, 'If though be Christ, save thyself and us,' while the
other, being filled with repentance and being converted, rebuked his
companion in sin and implored the blessed Redeemer: 'Lord remember me
when thou comest to thy kingdom.' Christ, witnessing the repentance of
this malefactor, even at the last moment of his life, presented him
with the gift of salvation before giving up the ghost: 'Verily I say
unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.' These were the
words used by the Captain of our salvation; the promise was granted
without baptism, and he was carried to heaven with our Savior; and
yet in the very face of this testimony you proclaim the doctrine that
without baptism salvation cannot be obtained."
"Christ did not offer that malefactor salvation on that occasion,
neither was he carried to heaven with the Redeemer. I desire to
convince you, Mr. Williams, if you will accept the statement in the
Bible, and I believe you will, that Christ did not go to His Father
until some time after this, and that the paradise referred to is not
the haven of salvation that we all hope to reach."
"Mr. Durant, if you convince me of this, I will have nothing more to
say," replied Mr. Williams.
"Very well, then, pay strict attention to the words you have just
quoted which contain the promise that in your opinion insures the
penitent malefactor entrance to the presence of the Father: 'Today
shalt thou be with me in paradise.' Three days after these words were
spoken, we discover Mary weeping as she bowed down at the sepulcher
where Christ's remains had been deposited, and upon recognizing her
Lord, who stood by her side and addressed her, she received this
command, 'Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.' Rather
a strange and startling declaration for the Savior to make, was it not,
when the promise to the thief, made three days previously was to the
effect that upon that day they should both be in His presence?"
"Why, Mr. Durant," exclaimed Claire, "I can't understand it at all; He
did certainly make the promise, and yet from His words, spoken three
days after, it appears that He had not yet been to His Father. Can it
be that one of our Savior's promises has really fallen to the ground
unfulfilled?"
"Not in the least, Mrs. Sutherland; it is merely another one of those
cases where we read but fail to understand. 'The letter killeth but
the Spirit giveth life,' you know. Christ kept His word with the
malefactor, and He also spoke truthfully to Mary. He and the sinner
undoubtedly went on the day mentioned to paradise, but the great
mistake, made by many, lies in believing that paradise is heaven."
"Well, if paradise is not heaven, what is it? If they went to some
other place, where is that place?" exclaimed Mr. Williams. "I believe
it was heaven."
"I do not doubt your statement for a moment. Prof. A. Hindercoper, a
German writer, says: 'In the second and third centuries every branch
and division of the Christian church, so far as their records enable us
to judge, believed that Christ preached to the departed spirits.' This
is in harmony with the belief of the Latter-day Saints, as well as in
harmony with the Bible. Peter speaking upon this subject answers your
question by saying: 'For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death
in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit: by which also He went and
preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometimes were disobedient,
when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while
the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved
by water.' Christ undoubtedly understood that His mission would not
end with His crucifixion, but as He finished His mission to mortals
by opening to them the gospel gates, it would be the beginning of His
mission, for a similar purpose, with those on the other side of the
vail, and realizing that His mission there would begin immediately upon
His release here, and that the malefactor would meet him there, He
made the promise mentioned: 'Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.'
Peter declares that they were visited and preached to in order that
they might be judged according to man in the flesh, but live according
to God in the spirit. (I. Peter iv: 6.) Bishop Alford, speaking of
the declaration made by the chief apostle, said: 'I understand these
words (I. Peter iii: 19) to say that our Lord in his disembodied state,
did go to the place of detention of departed spirits, and did there
announce his work of redemption; preach salvation in fact, to the
disembodied spirits of those who refused to obey the voice of God when
the judgment of the flood was hanging over them."
"That seems reasonable, and it has given me a pew idea and something to
consider," said Williams, "but how about the ordinances you claim are
necessary for all? How can those who did not hear the gospel before
they died, receive the ordinances?"
"Now we believe that those who embraced the gospel in the spirit world
will be saved; and believe with the scriptures that a vicarious work
must be performed for them by the living. This doctrine was evidently
understood by the saints in the days of the apostles. Paul informs us
that the first gospel ordinance of all dispensations, baptism, was
administered by proxy among the former-day Saints. While teaching the
Corinthian saints about the resurrection, (I Cor. xv: 29) he asks them:
'Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead
rise not at all?' in other words, of what use is baptism for the dead,
if there is no resurrection? showing that the doctrine of baptism
for the dead was evidently neither new nor strange to the people to
whom the apostle was writing. Christ died for the dead as well as the
living: "For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that
he might be the Lord both of the dead and the living." (Rom. xiv: 9.)
"But do you mean that living persons shall be baptized for the dead?"
"Certainly. Before the great day of the Lord shall come 'that shall
burn as an oven, and when all the proud, yea and all that do wickedly
shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith
the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch,'
(Mal. iv: 1,) an important event is to take place, as we learn from
the same prophet, verses 5 and 6: 'Behold I will send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;
and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the
heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth
with a curse.' The coming of Elijah, to inaugurate this great work must
evidently be to some one who is prepared to receive him. His mission,
'to turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of
the children to their fathers' is very comprehensive, and pertains to
the whole family of Adam, there being no discrimination between the
living and the dead, between those who have lived in the past and those
who shall live in the future. There must be a welding link between the
fathers and their children, and that welding link is baptism for the
dead. We testify that Elijah has come; that he appeared to Joseph,
the seer, and Oliver Cowdery, in the Kirtland Temple, on the 3rd of
April, 1836, and said: 'Behold, the time has fully come, which was
spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should
be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers,
lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore, the keys of
this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may
know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the
doors.' Ordinances for the salvation of the dead require temples, or
sacred places, especially constructed for their administration; for
this reason, we build temples, and also, that we may perform other
ordinances for the dead and the living."
"I have heard that the organization of your Church is unusually
complete. How is it organized?" asked one of the visitors present.
"It is organized on the foundation of Apostles and Prophets. We
have therefore various quorums of these in the Church organized by
revelation for the efficient and harmonious performance of church
duties. There is the First Presidency, chosen from those who hold the
High Priesthood and Apostleship, consisting of a President and two
counsellors. The duty of the President is to preside over the whole
Church, and he is sustained by the whole people as a seer, a revelator,
a translator, and a prophet."
"What is meant by Priesthood? You must have two Priesthoods then, as
you speak of the High Priesthood, indicating there must be a lower one?"
"The Church is governed by the Holy Priesthood, which is divided into
two grand heads the Aaronic or lesser and the Melchisedek or higher.
"The Melchisedek Priesthood, so called because Melchisedek was such a
great High Priest, and also to avoid the too frequent use of Jehovah's
name, as this Priesthood was formerly called after the order of His
Son,--holds the right of presidency, to receive revelations from heaven
and to enjoy the spiritual blessings; while the Aaronic Priesthood, so
called because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed forever, holds
the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in the outward
ordinances of the Church. The offices of the Melchisedek Priesthood
include Apostles, Seventies, Patriarchs or Evangelists, and Elders, and
the Aaronic Priesthood includes Bishops, Priests, Teachers and Deacons.
"Next to the quorum of the First Presidency is the Twelve Apostles,
then the High Council, the Seventies, the High Priests, the Elders, and
the quorums of the Lesser Priesthood.
"Each calling has its own duties to be performed, and the organization
is such that one does not come in conflict with the other."
The company now parted for the evening, each hoping that an opportunity
might be given to hear the Elder again.