In the church there are three general presiding councils, of equal
authority. These are the First Presidency; the traveling presiding
high council, or Twelve Apostles; and the first quorum of Seventy. In
proof of the assertion, I quote the Doctrine and Covenants:
Of the Melchisedek priesthood, three presiding high priests,
chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and
upheld by the confidence, faith and prayer of the church, form a
quorum of the Presidency of the church.
The twelve traveling counselors are called to be the Twelve
Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the
world; thus differing from other officers in the church in the
duties of their calling. _And they form a quorum, equal in
authority and power to the three Presidents previously mentioned_.
The Seventy are also called to preach the gospel and to be
especial witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world. Thus
differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their
calling; _and they form a quorum equal in authority to that of the
Twelve special witnesses or Apostles just named_.[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov., sec. cvii]
It is the order of the law of God, however, that the Twelve act under
the direction of the First Presidency, and the Seventy under the
direction of the Twelve. It is also provided that in the decisions of
either the Twelve or the Seventy, those quorums must be
unanimous--"every member in each quorum must be agreed to its
decisions," in order for said decisions to be entitled to the same
blessings that the decisions of a quorum of three Presidents receive.
However, when circumstances render it impossible to be otherwise, a
majority of the members may form a quorum.[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov., sec. xvii.]
The decisions of these quorums or either of them are to be made in all
righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long
suffering; and in that event their decisions are final. But if their
decisions are unrighteous they may be brought before a general
assembly of the several quorums which constitute the spiritual
authorities of the church--in no other way can there be an appeal from
their decisions.[A]
[Footnote A: Ibid, verses 27-33.]
These are the limitations set to the equality of these quorums and the
only limitations, and now in case of the absence, destruction or
rejection of the first of these three great councils, upon whom does
the duty and responsibility of Presidency fall? We could well-nigh let
the Josephites themselves answer that question. They say:
Now let us examine the order of Presidency in the Church.
Supposing the First President is absent, who presides in council
or in conference? The counselors, both or either of them. And why?
Because they are the highest authority present. True. Then here is
the key to unlock the whole secret of the Presidency of the
Church. Hear it then! _The highest authority presides always._[A]
[Footnote A: From the pamphlet issued by the Reorganization, entitled
"A Word of Consolation to the Scattered Saints," quoted by Tullidge.
Life of Joseph, Josephite edition, pp. 589-90.]
The closing assertion is made well-nigh as strong as type can be made
to say it; and to it I respond: that is true. Now let us consider the
situation at Nauvoo after the death of the prophet Joseph, and then
see where the Presidency of the church would fall according to this
Josephite doctrine that "the highest authority presides always."
The prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum and Sidney Rigdon constituted
the First Presidency at the time of the martyrdom. Joseph and Hyrum
being taken, Sidney Rigdon alone was left of that great quorum. We
have already spoken of the delinquency of Mr. Rigdon in the
performance of his duty during the five years preceding the prophet's
death, of Joseph's efforts to be rid of him and of his standing in his
quorum at the time his two associates were assassinated at Carthage.
He sought to be appointed Guardian of the church, but was unanimously
rejected by the assembled quorums of priesthood and the saints at
Nauvoo. This was clearly their right, and when the unfaithfulness of
Sidney Rigdon and his unfitness for the place is taken into account,
not even Josephites can say the church did wrong in rejecting him. In
the very meetings where he sought to be appointed "Guardian of the
church" there stood the man whom the prophet Joseph had ordained to
take his place--Amasa Lyman. But Elder Lyman had never been presented
to the people to be sustained by their vote, and hence his appointment
was not completed, and he had no claim even to the counselorship to
the Presidency. The death of the prophets, Joseph and Hyrum, and the
rejection of the unworthy Sidney Rigdon, removed the First Presidency
from the church. In Hyrum Smith there fell by martyrdom the only man
that the prophet Joseph had designated to succeed him in the
Presidency; so that not only was the First Presidency removed from the
church, but the only man concerning whom the prophet had expressed a
desire to succeed him was also removed. Then upon whom devolved the
Presidency? Upon the next highest authority in the church--the Twelve
Apostles. And as they possessed equal authority with the First
Presidency, there was nothing the First Presidency could do but what
the Twelve could do. So long as the First Presidency existed the
Twelve could only operate under their direction, but now that there
was no First Presidency in existence, the Twelve stood in their place,
with full power and authority to act as the presiding quorum in the
church.
The church was no more disorganized by the death of Joseph and Hyrum
and the rejection of Sidney Rigdon than the government of the United
States becomes disorganized when the president dies, or is impeached.
The Twelve possessing equal power and authority with the First
Presidency, in case of the death or removal of that Presidency, have
all the keys and authority necessary to preside over all the church,
direct in all the affairs thereof, and move right on with the work of
God.
When the Lord stretched forth his hand to establish his church in
these last days, and for the last time, committing unto men the keys
of his kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last time;
and for the fullness of times, in the which God will gather together
in one, all things, both which are in heaven and which are in
earth--it is not to be supposed, I say,[A] that in a few years he
would permit that church thus brought forth out of obscurity to become
disorganized, and fall back into darkness. The thought is
preposterous. There is nothing in all that God has revealed to
indicate that he ever contemplated its disorganization; but on the
contrary, there is every encouragement to believe that it will go on
from grace to grace, from faith to faith, from one victory to another
until, like the little stone of Daniel's vision, it shall become a
great mountain and fill the whole earth.
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. sec. xxvii, 13.]
The position of Josephite writers that it was an usurpation for the
Twelve to assume the Presidency of the church when the First
Presidency was removed by the death of Joseph and Hyrum and the
rejection of Sidney Rigdon, is false. The other position that the high
council at Nauvoo was the proper authority to succeed to the functions
of the Presidency is equally false.[A]
[Footnote A: In proof that Josephite writers assume both these
positions, see _The Saints' Herald_, Vol. XXXIX, pp. 407-8]
In support of their first position, viz., that it was an usurpation
for the Twelve to assume the Presidency of the church at Nauvoo after
the death of the prophet, Josephites rely upon the following:
The Twelve will have no right to go into Zion, or any of her
stakes, and there undertake to regulate the affairs thereof where
there is a standing high council; but it is their duty to go
abroad and regulate all matters relative to the different branches
of the church. When the Twelve are together, or a quorum of them,
in any church, they will have authority to act independently, and
make decisions, and those decisions will be valid. But where there
is not a quorum they will have to do business by the voice of the
church. No standing high council has authority to go into the
churches abroad and regulate the matters thereof, for this belongs
to the Twelve.[A]
[Footnote A: Hist. Joseph Smith, _Mill. Star_, Vol. XV, p. 261. The
instructions are from the prophet Joseph.]
Wherein the usurpation lies, according to Josephite argument, is in
this: The Twelve came to Nauvoo, where there was a regularly organized
stake, and undertook to regulate the affairs thereof. The reply to
that sophistry--no, it is not even sophistry--it is simply an
inaccurate, not to say untrue, statement. The Twelve did not come to
Nauvoo to regulate the affairs of that stake independent of its
standing high council. Their action was in relation to the whole
church of Christ, and not to the affairs of Nauvoo stake. It was a
matter which affected all the stakes of Zion and all the branches of
the church throughout the world, as much those branches scattered
throughout the United States and Great Britain as those in the stake
at Nauvoo, that the Twelve came to Nauvoo to regulate. Matters of such
high importance were considered and decided upon which the Twelve and
the Twelve only, in the absence of the First Presidency, could deal
with; and in those matters the Twelve not only consulted with the high
council of the Nauvoo stake, but they called a general assembly of all
the quorums and arranged them in their order[A] to act as the highest
spiritual authorities in the church. The quorums sustained the action
of the Twelve in every particular, and from the united action of the
assembled quorums of the priesthood _there is no appeal_.[B]
[Footnote A: _Mill. Star_, Vol. XXV. Nos. 14, 15, 16.]
[Footnote B: Doc. and Cov., sec. cvii.]
In support of the Josephite assumption that the high council at Nauvoo
was the proper authority to regulate the affairs of the church and not
the Twelve, the following is quoted:
The standing high councils, at the Stakes of Zion, form a quorum
_equal_ in authority, _in the affairs of the Church_, in _all_
their decisions, to the quorum of the Presidency, or to the
traveling high council.[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. sec. cvii, 36.]
The answer to this assumption is, first, that the high council is a
judicial and not a presiding or executive council, as is proven by the
following:
The high council was appointed by revelation for the purpose of
settling important difficulties which might arise in the Church,
which could not be settled by the Church or the bishop's
council[A] to the satisfaction of the parties.[B]
[Footnote A: That is, court.]
[Footnote B: Doc. and Cov. sec. cii, 2.]
Hence the "equality" here referred to must have reference to judicial
not to administrative affairs in the church. The second answer to the
assumption is that the standing high council in a stake of Zion is a
local council, limited in its operations to the particular district of
country comprising the stake. If any proof were needed to sustain the
statement it would be found in the words of the prophet Joseph:
No standing high council has authority to go into the churches
abroad and regulate the matters thereof, for this belongs to the
Twelve.[A]
[Footnote A: Hist. of Joseph Smith, _Mill. Star_, Vol. XV, 261.]
Surely no one will contend that the standing high council in one stake
could go into another stake and attempt to regulate the affairs
thereof; for that would create confusion. Nothing can be clearer in
the organization of the church than the fact that the standing high
councils in the stakes of Zion are judicial not executive bodies,
limited in their jurisdiction to the stakes in which they are
respectively located; and hence not the proper councils to undertake
the general Presidency of the church, or administrative functions of
any kind.