Priesthood Expounded

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Revised edition published by

Harvard Pratt Stubbs

1990

PREFACE

One of the grandest themes and the most important subjects spo en of inholy writ is the fulfillment of the covenant, in the latter days, which theEternal Father has made to the house of Israel. This covenant is repeatedlyreferred to throughout holy writ. The Bible prophets, the Boo of Mormonprophets, as well as the modern prophets, have prophesied concerning thisgreat event. But what does this covenant consist of and what do we have inholy writ by which we might now when it will be fulfilled? Upon this subjectwe have the following from the pen of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

The time has at last arrived when the God of Abraham, of Isaac, andof Jacob, has set his hand again the second time to recover the remnantsof his people, which have been left from Assyria, and from Egypt, andfrom Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from

Hamath, and from the islands of the sea, and with them to bring in thefulness of the Gentiles, and establish that covenant with them, whichwas promised when their sins should be ta en away. See Isaiah 11; Romans11:25, 26 and 27, and also Jeremiah 31:31, 32 and 33. This covenant hasnever been established with the house of Israel, nor with the house ofJudah, for it requires two parties to ma e a covenant, and those twoparties must be agreed, or no covenant can be made. (TPJS p. 14; DHC1:313)

Here the Prophet gives us three important quotations and tells us plainlythat they pertain to the same event. The first quotation, the 11th chapter ofIsaiah, is of such importance that the Lord has given us a special revelationexplaining it, found in Section 113 of the Doctrine and Covenants. We will here

quote the verses that the Prophet most directly alludes to:

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall standfor an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles see : and his restshall be glorious.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set hishand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, whichshall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and fromCush, and from Elam, and from Shinar and from Hamath, and from theislands of the sea.

And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble

the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah fromthe four corners of the earth. (Isa. 11:1012)

The second passage the Prophet here refers us to is preceded by Paul'sexplanations concerning the parable of the olive tree and the grafting in ofthe Gentiles. We give the quotation:

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of thismystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceit; that blindness inpart is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come


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in.

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shallcome out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness fromJacob:

For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall ta e away theirsins. (Rom. 11:2527)

Here Paul tells us plainly what the covenant is, and that it was to befulfilled when the fulness of the Gentiles be come in or in other words, whenthe Gentiles are cut off and Israel is grafted bac in.

In the 45th section of the Doctrine and Covenants the times of theGentiles in the latter days are signalized by the light of the gospelbrea ing forth among them; and in verses 24 and 25 of that section thefulfillment of the times of the Gentiles is signalized by the gathering ofthe Jews. The Savior tells us in III Nephi 16:4, 5 that the time when Godwould fulfill his covenant to the whole house of Israel would be signalizedby the gathering of the Jews.

The third abovementioned reference given by the Prophet concerning thiscovenant is as follows:

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will ma e a newcovenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in theday that I too them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;which my covenant they bra e, although I was an husband unto them, saiththe Lord:

But this shall be the covenant that I will ma e with the house ofIsrael; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in theirinward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, andthey shall be my people. (Jer. 31:3133)

April 3, 1956, mar ed the passing of 120 years since the visitation byElias and his conferment of authority when he committed the dispensation ofthe Gospel in the Kirtland Temple April 3, 1836. (See D&C 110, with specialnotice to the Prophet's words in the preface thereto.) The man holding theoffice and authority that was committed by Elias, or in other words, Johnthe Revelator has, as foretold by the prophets, appeared on the stage ofaction. The purpose of this boo let is to set forth some of the doctrines heis teaching.

[The writer here wishers to express his appreciation for the assistanacerendered him by his brothers in the preparation of this wor .

Ervil M. LeBaron

President of the Mexican Mission

Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times]

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PRIESTHOOD EXPOUNDED

S e c t i o n 1

1 There has been much conjecture, as also many opinions and testimonies givenamong those calling themselves Latterday Saints, concerning the manner inwhich the authority of the priesthood has come down since the martyrdom atCarthage, Illinois, to the present time. But comparatively little correctinformation has been given out to the masses of the people of today.

2 The Prophet Joseph Smith has said:

...it is necessary to now who holds the eys of power, and who does not,or we may be li ely to be deceived. (TPJS p. 336; DHC 6:250)

3 The Prophet Joseph also clearly stated that only a correct nowledge of thepriesthood will save a man and give him power to triumph over death.

4 We find no place in all recorded history where a clear picture of thepattern of heaven relative to the organization of the priesthood, in all ofits ramifications of authority, is given in plainness to the understanding

of the general public.

5 Therefore it is our object to convey to the mind of the public the correctunderstanding of the priesthood of God, as it has existed upon the earthfrom the days of Adam to the present time, that the heavenly pattern inpriesthood government may be clearly understood the time having fully comewhen the facts should be published.

6 If we LeBaron brothers are so fortunate as to be able to explain thesethings correctly, in this time of confusion and turmoil, when all others ofour time have utterly failed to do it, then let every man and woman sit insilence and put their hands on their mouths, recognize where the authorityis, and cease to spea evil of the servants of God.

7 But if we fail to do this, it becomes our duty to renounce all furtherpretensions and claims that the blessing that was put upon Joseph Smith,the prophet, by Elias, which blessing was to remain with the Prophet andhis lineage, and to come down on the head (one man) of his posterity, isnow held among us.

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S e c t i o n 2

1 All Latterday Saints should understand that Joseph Smith the Prophet andHyrum Smith the Patriarch, were the two grand heads of priesthood in theirday, as were Moses and Aaron in ancient times; and that the Aaronicpriesthood includes the Levitical authority in the same sense that allpriesthood is Melchizede .


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2 We here quote a few statements from President John Taylor:

WHAT IS THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD? There were in the days of Moses a tribeof the children of Israel set apart to officiate in some of the lesserduties of the Aaronic priesthood, and their office was called the Leviticalpriesthood. (JD 21:364, August 8, 1880)

3 THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD AN APPENDAGE TO THE AARONIC Aaron and his sonsheld the Aaronic priesthood, and the Levites were given unto them tominister unto them to eep his charge, the charge of the congregation, todo the service of the tabernacle, eep the instruments of the tabernacle,and the charge of the children of Israel...

4 They seemed to have been an appendage to the Aaronic priesthood to assistin the service of the tabernacle and other duties. Aaron and his maledescendants were selected for the priesthood, and other Levites asassistants, or an appendage. (IP 4041)

5 SUMMARY From the above it would seem

First. That the Levites were selected in the place of the firstborn whom theLord called his own.

Second. That they were given to Aaron to assist him in the minor or lesserduties of the priesthood; but that Aaron and his sons officiated in theleading offices of the priesthood, and not the Levites.

Third. That there was a tithing paid to them by the whole house of Israel fortheir sustenance.

Fourth. That they paid a tithe of this to Aaron.

Fifth. That on assuming the higher duties of the priesthood of Aaron, thejudgments of God overtoo them.

Sixth. That their priesthood was only an appendage to the Aaronic priesthood,

and not that priesthood itself as held by Aaron and his sons. (IP 43; TheGospel Kingdom, p. 158)

6 The Lord has said:

There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizede andAaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood. (D&C 107:1)

7 In many places in the Old Testament, we find a clear distinction madebetween the priesthood that was held by Aaron and his sons and theauthority that was put upon the Levites.

8 The Lord, in a revelation given through Aaron, spo e as follows concerning

the authority that was put upon Aaron and his sons:

And ye shall eep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar:that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel... (Num.18:5)

9 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall eep your priest's office forevery thing of the altar, and within the vail...

10 And the Lord spa e unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge


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of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children ofIsrael; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thysons, by an ordinance for ever. (Num. 18:7, 8)

11 Concerning the authority that was given to the upon the Levites, the samerevelation says:

And they shall eep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: onlythey shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, thatneither they, nor ye also, die...

12 And I, behold, I have ta en your brethren the Levites from among thechildren of Israel: to you they are given as a gift from the Lord, to dothe service of the tabernacle of the congregation. (Num. 18:3, 6)

13 We will not at this point treat the subject of the office Moses held, northe office of Presiding Bishop which constitutes the third grand head ofpriesthood; but we will first consider the authority of the second grandhead of priesthood, or in other words, the office Aaron held.

14 One reason this priesthood office is referred to as a Levi Leviticaloffice at times, is because Aaron was a descendant of Levi.

15 Another reason for this is that both of these lesser orders of priesthood

were placed under one grand head as all priesthood comes under theauthority of the office held by Melchizede . Therefore, it should be bornein mind that the Levitical priesthood is Aaronic only in the sense that allpriesthood is Melchizede .

16 We feel that no one will dispute the fact that the head of the priesthood;head of, is Presiding Bishop Levitical priesthood is the man holding theoffice of Presiding Bishop, and that this office does not come down fromfather to son.

17 However, the office Aaron held did come down from father to son, exceptwhere the Lord directed otherwise, from Aaron to John the Baptist.

18 Therefore it is selfevident that Aaron held authority higher than theoffice of Bishop.

19 His son Eleazar who was his successor to the office he held was the grandhead over all priesthood left in Israel after the departure of after Moses.

20 The Bible tells us that Aaron and his seed had authority over the Lord'sSanctuary, the altar and all the hallowed things of the children of Israel;while the Levites merely had authority to perform the outward ordinancesand do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, etc.

21 The Levites were made subject to Aaron and his sons.

22 It is true that the right to hold the lesser or selfperpetuatingLevitical offices was hereditary, yet the Presiding Bishop should be aliteral descendant of Aaron; and this is not a selfperpetuating office, aswas the office held by Aaron.

23 We find by the following verse that the office held by Aaron was to comedown by lineage and that Aaron was the second grand head of priesthood.

24 The second priesthood is called the Priesthood of Aaron, because it wasconferred upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations. (D&C


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107:13)

25 By examining carefully the sacred history, both ancient and modern, wefind only one office which has come down by lineage from father to sonexcept where the Lord directed otherwise, since the early ages of theworld.

26 After Aaron's time this office was called the priesthood of Aaron.

27 The second grand order of priesthood or the patriarchal office Aaron heldis referred to in scripture as the priesthood of Aaron, or the secondpriesthood. These terms are used interchangeably.

28 We assume that no one had a clearer understanding than the Prophet JosephSmith himself, as pertaining to the authority of the second priesthood.

29 In his explanations respecting three grand orders of priesthood, he saidon this subject:

The 2nd Priesthood is Patriarchal authority. Go to and finish the morenowledge after, is built temple, and God will fill it with power, and youwill then receive more nowledge concerning this priesthood. (TPJS p. 323)

30 This seems to indicate that the patriarchal office is the head authoritythat presides over the Temple wor , as did Aaron anciently.

31 This is the priesthood that holds the eys of the ministering of angels toall the human family and is important in connection with the temple wor ,while the head;authority to bring into presence of God first grand head ofpriesthood has the necessary authority to bring the people into thepresence of God, as did Enoch, who brought his people into a terrestrialstate.

32 In the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 321 to 323 are foundsome very important explanations on priesthood, which were given by theProphet in connection with the reading of the seventh chapter of Hebrews.

33 Concerning the meaning of these teachings there has been much speculation

and many misconstrued ideas have been advanced.

34 With reference to this chapter, the Prophet stated:

There are three grand orders of priesthood referred to here. (TPJS p. 322)

35 That the three grand orders explained by the Prophet in the above citedpages and to which Paul referred, may be more clearly comprehended, wequote from the above mentioned chapter.

36 For this Melchizede , ing of Salem, priest of the most high God, who metAbraham returning from the slaughter of the ings, and blessed him;...

37 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abrahamgave the tenth of the spoils...

38 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better...

39 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under itthe people received the law,) what further need was there that anotherpriest should rise after the order of Melchizede , and not be called afterthe order of Aaron?


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40 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, firstfor his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when heoffered up himself. (Heb. 7:1, 4, 7, 11, 27)

41 From this seventh chapter then we find:

1st.That a priest after the order of Melchizede , in the sense this term ishere used, is a man holding the office or authority Melchizede held.

2nd.That a priest after the order of Aaron, in the sense that this term ishere used, is a man holding the office or authority Aaron held.

3rd.That there is a distinction made between the office Melchizede held andthe patriarchal office Abraham held at the time here mentioned that he gavetithes to Melchizede .

4th.That the priests after the order of Aaron who anciently had charge of thealtar and sacrifices pertaining thereto, were High Priests.

5th.That the Levitical priesthood is subject to the priesthood is subject tothe patriarchal priesthood which was held by Abraham before he held theoffice Melchizede held, and which was held by Aaron and his seed down tothe time of John the Baptist.

42 Therefore the priesthood;Melchizede PatriarchalLevitical three grandorders referred to here are:

1st.The office Melchizede held.

2nd.The Patriarchal office held by Abraham and Aaron.

3rd.The Levitical priesthood.

43 Note that the Prophet does not say that all the orders of the Orders ofPriesthood; Not all the orders of priesthood priesthood are referred tohere.

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S e c t i o n 3

1 We find by careful study of the Bible that Aaron, anciently, had the Urim

and Thummin and presided over the holy things, the spiritual blessings ofthe Church and Temple wor in concert with Moses, the same as Hyrum heldthe second office and presided over the spiritual blessings of the Churchin concert with Joseph.

2 Many are acquainted with what is written in Section 124 of the Doctrine andCovenants concerning the authority held by Hyrum, wherein he was appointedto be the second grand head of priesthood; to be a prophet, a seer and arevelator unto the Church as well as Joseph, and to act in concert withJoseph in the priesthood. (See D&C 124:9196)


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3 Those who now what it means to be sealed up by the Holy Spirit of Promiseunto the day of redemption, will understand the following verse.

4 First, I give unto you Hyrum Smith to be a patriarch unto you, to hold thesealing blessings of my church, even the Holy Spirit of promise, whereby yeare sealed up unto the day of redemption, that ye may not fallnotwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon you. (D&C124:124)

5 This office and priesthood which presides over the spiritual blessings andthe holy ordinances of the house of God, and which comes down from fatherto son under normal circumstances, is the same priesthood and anointingthat was put upon Aaron and his seed, which came down anciently from fatherto son, except where the Lord directed otherwise, and presided in theTemple between the time of Moses and the time of Zacharias, the father ofJohn the Baptist, as may be seen by a study of the following references:

Exo. 28:30, 38 Exo. 29:2830

Exo. 30:10, 30, 31 Exo. 40:1315

Lev. 8:8 Lev. 16:2934

Num. 4:28, 33 Num. 16:10, 40

Num. 18:1, 8 Num. 20:2429

Num. 25:1113 Num. 27:1821

I Chr. 6:49 I Chr. 23:13, 2732

I Chr. 27:17 II Chr. 13:9, 10

II Chr. 17:8 II Chr. 19:811

II Chr. 31:10 Ezra 2:62, 63

Neh. 7:64, 65 Neh. 8:13

Neh. 10:37, 38 Neh. 11:11, 16

Heb. 7:27, 28 Heb. 9:7

Lu e 1:6466 Lu e 1:76, 77

6 The Prophet Joseph Smith taught on various occasions that the ordinances ofthe Gospel have ever been the same and that the order of the house of Godalways has been and ever will be the same.

7 Therefore those who will contend that the office of Bishop or that of aLevitical priest is all the authority that was put upon Aaron and his seed,should be as ed to explain what they thin the seed of Aaron, officiatingin the office Aaron held, were using the temple for, between the time ofMoses and the time of John the Baptista tithing office, a Bishop'sstorehouse, or what?

8 It is true that John the Baptist, in preparing the way of the Lord, did notconfirm the people members of any church or bestow the gift of the HolyGhost, as he could not consistently do this for the time was at hand for


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reorganization and he could not turn the people over to the Jewish Church.But he told them that one would come after him whose shoes he was unworthyto unloose, who would bestow upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost, and ofcourse at the same time bring them to the true Church.

9 Although John, in performing his singular mission, seemingly did notfunction in a higher office than that of a Levitical priest, this by nomeans proves that this was all the authority he held, for surely the oneholding the eys of the Levitical priest must be at least a Bishoppriesthood must be at least a Bishop.

10 Let us here emphasize what the Lord has said concerning the office of aBishop:

And again, the offices of elder and bishop are necessary Priesthoodappendages belonging unto the high priesthood. (D&C 84:29)

Here we find that it is just as necessary for a bishop to hold the highpriesthood as it is for an elder.

11 It is also stated by the Prophet Joseph Smith:

The Jews had to obey his (be damned John's) instructions or be damned, bytheir own law. (TPJS p. 276)

This indicates that John held the highest office in Israel at that time,for the people would surely have to obey the highest authority.

12 Again the Prophet states:

The son of Zacharias wrested the eys, the ingdom, the power, the gloryfrom the Jews, by the holy anointing and decree of heaven . . . (TPJS p.276)

13 This shows that John was a prophet, seer and revelator to the Jewishnation, even the Lord's anointed.

14 If he had not held the second highest office in the priesthood, would itnot have confused the people for him to say, There cometh one mightier thanI after me? Since he held the second grand office in the priesthood as didAaron, this declaration could only indicate that a prophet should comeholding the office held by Melchizede and Moses. What compliment to theSavior or testimony in his behalf would it have been for a man holding nohigher office than that of a Levitical priest to have said, There comethone mightier than I?

15 We quote a few statements from Joseph Smith found in the Teachings of theProphet Joseph Smith from page 271 to 276 inclusive:

16 John, at that time, was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the

ingdom there was then on the earth, and holding the eys of power. (TPJSp. 276)

17 Where there is no ingdom of God there is no salvation. What constitutesthe ingdom of God? Where there is a prophet, a priest, or a righteous manunto whom God gives His oracles, there is the ingdom of God; and where theoracles of God are not, there the ingdom of God is not. (TPJS p. 272)

18 ...if we do not get revelations, we do not have the oracles of God; and ifthey have not the oracles of God, they are not the people of God. (TPJS p.


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272)

19 ...John came preaching the Gospel for the remission of sins; he had hisauthority from God, and the oracles of God were with him, and the ingdomof God for a season seemed to rest with John alone. (TPJS p. 272)

20 Zacharias was a priest of God, and officiating in the officiated inTemple, and John was a priest after his father, and held the eys of theAaronic John and Zacharias held eys of Priesthood... (TPJS p. 273)

21 But, says one, the ingdom of God could not be set up in the days ofBaptist;said the ingdom was at hand John, for John said the ingdom was athand. But I would as if it could be any nearer to them than to be in thehands of John. (TPJS p. 273)

22 By these statements we find that John the Baptist had the ingdom of Godin his hands, the eys of revelation, the oracles of God, the eys ofpower, by Aaronic priesthood authority over the Temple ordinances, the eysof the Aaronic eys of priesthood. This is precisely the authority whichwas held by priesthood Hyrum Smith and the ancient patriarchs.

23 Therefore, seeing that priesthood John was the man li e Aaron who held thesecond office in the priesthood, yet would only baptize with water, when he

said to the Jews in no uncertain terms:

...he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthyto bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. (Matthew3:11)

24 It was plain for those who new what John held, to understand that a manli e Moses should come to set in order the house of God and ordain newofficers in the church organization.

25 This was the only way this wor could be accomplished, in view of thestate of apostasy and corruption in the Jewish Church. For under thecircumstances that then existed, it would have been improper to have used

force and violence or for the Lord to have brought down destructions uponthe people before the wheat was divided from the tares.

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S e c t i o n 4

1 It is a common supposition that the elders of Israel, after the time ofMoses, did not hold the Melchizede priesthood and that the gift of theHoly Ghost was not enjoyed among the people prior to the time of John theBaptist.

2 These fallacies seem to have arisen from the fact that John did not conferthe gift of the Holy Ghost upon those whom he baptized, and becauseEleazar, the son of Aaron was the highest authority in the priesthood afterthe departure of Moses; he being a priest after his father and having been


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appointed to obtain revelation for the guidance of Joshua.

3 The priests after the order of Aaron presided over the Temple ordinancesbetween the time of Moses and the time of Zacharias, who was slain betweenthe slain between the, and the altar Temple and the altar.

4 How could they have done so without the power of the Holy Ghost?

5 How could they have obtained that gift without the authority of theMelchizede priesthood?

6 The Prophet Joseph Smith gives us the following eys:

Every principle proceeding from God is eternal and any principle which isnot eternal is of the devil. (TPJS p. 181)

The Holy Ghost is God's messenger to administer in all those priesthoods.(TPJS p. 323)

7 This last statement was made after the Prophet had given explanationsconcerning the three grand orders of priesthood referred to in the 7thchapter of Hebrews.

8 With these statements in mind we will as the reader the following

questions.

9 1st.By what authority did Joshua command the sun and the moon to standstill and by what power were the waters of the river Jordan divided?

10 2nd.By what authority did King David and many other faithful servants ofthe Lord receive their wives during the period of time indicated above?

11 3rd.How is it that the priesthood was conferred upon so many of theancients, if they had not the gift of the Holy Ghost? How could theyminister without it?

12 4th.Upon what principle was the power of the Almighty poured out upon the

faithful of ancient Israel, if they obeyed not the Lord's ordinances?

13 5th.How is it, if the Melchizede priesthood did not exist in Israel priorto the time of John the Baptist, that the Jews had the offices of elder andhigh priest in their church and even thought they had a man li e Mosesamong them sitting in Moses's seat? For upon this hypothesis the Savior wasrejected, condemned as a false prophet, a blasphemer, etc., and put todeath.

14 It is evident that the principles and ordinances whereby man might obtainthe blessings of heaven, ever have been the same; for the Prophet JosephSmith tells us:

...He (God) set the ordinances to be the same forever and ever, and setAdam to watch over them, to reveal them from heaven to man, or to sendangels to reveal them. (TPJS p. 168)

15 Again the Prophet says:

Now ta ing it for granted that the scriptures say what they mean, and meanwhat they say, we have sufficient grounds to go on and prove from the Biblethat the gospel has always been the same; the ordinances to fulfill itsrequirements, the same, and the officers to officiate, the same; and the


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signs and fruits resulting from the promises, the same:...(TPJS p. 264)

16 The Prophet further states:

...All men are liars who say they are of the true Church without the Allmen are liars "revelations of Jesus Christ and the Priesthood ofMelchizede , which is after the order of the Son of God." (TPJS p. 375)

17 Was then, the Church between the time of Moses and the time of John theBaptist a true Church or was it false?

18 If they had not the Melchizede priesthood during that time they shouldhave had men officiating in the priesthood without the gift of the HolyGhost.

19 Or else, if the notions and traditions of many are true, the Aaronicpriesthood presided over the Melchizede priesthood during that time, forthe priests after the order of Aaron consistently stood at the head.

20 It seems that many Bible students of Mormondom have noticed or ta en forgranted that Aaron and his successors in the priesthood office he held,necessarily held the high priesthood.

21 In a boo copyrighted by Heber J. Grant for the Department of Education of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints written by Ezra C. Dalby,M. A., principal of West Seminary, Salt La e City, Utah, is found a lessonentitled ELI, THE HIGH PRIEST.22

We quote from the first paragraph:

We have already mentioned the name of Eli, the high priest, in connectionwith Hannah and her child Samuel. He was a descendant of Aaron through hisyoungest son, and just how Eli came to hold the office that belonged by

right of descent to the family of Eleazar, the oldest son of Aaron, is notnown. Perhaps the latter had no descendant at that time, who was qualifiedfor the office. (Land and Leaders of Israel, p. 199)

23 Aaron departed this mortal state before Moses did, yet all the holy thingsand the spiritual blessings of the Church that were had at that time werehad under the authority of Aaron's office.

24 In fact, Moses wor ed through Aaron in the performing of many of the greatmiracles that were manifested in leading the children of Israel out ofbondage.

25 All the ordinances and blessings were had in the Church under Moses, andAaron presided over the sanctuary and the altar and administered them all.

26 We quote again from the Prophet:

Paul told about Moses' proceedings; spo e of the children of Israel beingbaptized. (1 Cor. 10:14) He new this, and that all the ordinances andblessings were in the Church . . . (TPJS p. 159)

27 The office Aaron held continued to hold the eys of power and the ingdomof God in Israel after the departure of Moses as we see from the followingnotes ta en down as the Prophet delivered a sermon.

28 The eys of the Aaronic Priesthood were committed unto him, and he was as


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the voice of one crying in the wilderness saying: `Prepare ye the way ofthe Lord and ma e his paths straight.'

29 The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, etc.

30 The ingdom of heaven continueth in authority until John.

31 The authority ta eth it by absolute power.

32 John having the power too the Kingdom by authority.

33 How have you obtained all this great nowledge? By the gift of the HolyGhost.

34 Wrested the Kingdom from the Jews. (TPJS p. 319)

35 Thus we see that the oracles continued to the church and the ingdomremained set up on the earth from the time of Aaron to the time of John theBaptist through the prophets who stood in the Aaronic office or Aar,priesthood and presided over the Temple ordinances as was the case withoffice Eli, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, etc.

36 This grand selfperpetuating patriarchal office rightfully holds the eysof all the spiritual blessings, the wor for the dead, etc., and holds all

the eys pertaining to the apostleship and the fulness of the Melchizede priesthood, to act in concert with, yet subordinate to the office Mosesheld.

37 The Prophet Joseph Smith explained:

...The spirit, power, and calling of powercalling of, Elijah is, that yehave power to hold the ey of the revelations, ordinances, oracles, powersand endowments of the fulness of the Melchizede priesthood and of theingdom of God on earth; and to receive, obtain, and perform all theordinances belonging to the ingdom of God, even unto the turning of thehearts of the fathers unto the children, and the hearts of thechildren unto the fathers, even those who are in heaven. (TPJS p. 337)

38 This is the office, power and authority that was held by all the headprophets in Israel from Eleazar to Elijah, who was translated, and too with him a part of the eys of the priesthood;

39 but the patriarchal office he committed to Elisha, together with theApostleship and the eys necessary to carry on the ingdom.

40 Thus we see that the pathway of eternal progression was open to theancient Israelites and that the Holy Spirit of Promise, even the spirit ofthat promise which Abraham received from God, mentioned by Paul in thesixth chapter of Hebrews, could be obtained by them, through obedience tothe laws upon which this blessing was predicated.

41 The Prophet Joseph, in answer to the question, Was the priesthood ofMelchizede ta en away when Moses died? said:

All Priesthood is Melchizede , but there are different portions or degreesof it. That portion which brought Moses to spea with God face to face wasta en away; but that which brought the ministry of angels remained. All theprophets had the Melchizede Priesthood and were ordained by God himself.(TPJS p. 1801)

42 Then if all the prophets had the Melchizede priesthood, surely the


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prophets from Moses to Christ had it; and this must certainly include Aaronand Melchizede priesthood John the Baptist, the greatest prophet born ofwoman.

43 And what was to prevent the faithful elders of Israel from having it also?

44 But when and where were all the prophets ordained by God himself?

45 The Prophet explains:

Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world wasordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before thisworld was. (TPJS p. 365)

* * * * * * * *


S e c t i o n 5

1 What then was ta en out of Israel when Moses departed?

2 When Moses was translated, the priesthood office which he received fromJethro which brought him to spea with God, the Father, face to face, isall that was ta en away.

3 The two divisions of priesthood authority which pertain to the Churchgovernment remained after the departure of Moses the same as theorganization stood during his lifetime.

4 No man lost any priesthood or authority because Moses departed.

5 He simply did not appoint a priest after the order of Melchizede in hisstead, but remained in a translated condition holding that office.

6 Therefore he left the same pattern of organization explained in Section 124of the Doctrine and Covenants, commencing at verse 124, in which theProphet Joseph held an office subordinate to Hyrum at the time therevelation was given.

7 Joseph also held the office which presides over all things.

8 The same pattern of organization existed in the Church at the time therevelation nown as Section 107 was given.

9 Joseph at that time was the grand patriarch and stood at the head, and alsoheld the office of President of the Church, which as Brigham Young said, heheld by the voice of the people.

10 The grand priesthood office which presides over all things which was heldby Moses and committed by him to Christ and from Christ to priesthoodoffice John the Revelator, had not at that time been committed to theProphet.


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11 At the time the revelation nown as Section 107 was given there were twopriesthoods in the Church and two grand heads, the grand patriarch and theBishop;over temporal blessings Presiding Bishop respectively; the oneholding the eys of the spiritual blessings and the other, the eys of thetemporal blessings.

12 A year later the office Moses held, as also Noah, etc., was committedwhich holds authority over them both, as also other authority besides.

13 The Prophet Joseph spo e as follows concerning the office Noah and Mosesheld:

Thus we behold the eys of this Priesthood consisted in obtaining the voiceof Jehovah that He tal ed with him (Noah) in a familiar and friendlymanner, that HE CONTINUED TO HIM THE KEYS, THE COVENANTS, THE POWER AND THEGLORY, with which He blessed Adam at the beginning . . . (TPJS p. 171)

14 After Moses departed from Israel, Eleazar, the son of Aaron stood at thehead of the Church as the grand patriarch, holding the eys of thespiritual blessings and presiding over the Sanctuary of the Lord.

15 Aaron, having left only one other faithful living son of whom the Biblegives account, it would seem his lot to have been the presiding Bishop.

16 For Aaron and his sons were to preside over the Aaron Levites.

17 While Moses was living he ruled over Israel politically as well asspiritually and temporally, and gave the laws by which the nation of Israelwas to be governed.

18 Thus he acted in a triple capacity.

19 Before his departure, Joshua was appointed to preside over the politicalbranch of government and to command the armies of Israel, for the Lord'speople were at that time an independent nation.

20 Joshua then, presided over the political ingdom as well as acting in theoffice of president of the Church.

21 The presiding patriarch and the presiding bishop were the ghead;heldMelchizede priesthood rand heads of priesthoodthe Melchizede and theLevitical respectively.

22 Joshua held a presiding office, which pertains to earthly rule in thepolitical field as also the office of president of the Church.

23 Thus we see that Joshua was under Eleazar in spiritual things, yet overhim in political government. He was also over the presiding Bishop in thepolitical field, yet under him in temporal concerns.

24 He occupied the office of president of the Church by appointment throughMoses and by the voice of the people, yet he did not hold the priesthoodoffice and sceptre Moses held.

25 This is the difference between a president of the Church who holds thepriesthood office Moses held and a president of the Church who does nothold that office.

26 The presiding patriarch, the presiding bishop and the president over the


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ingdom in the Prophet Joseph Smith's time, just before his death were:Patriarch before Joseph's death Hyrum Smith, Bishop Newel K. Whitney andpresident of the ingdom, Young;president of the ingdom Brigham Young.

27 Brigham Young was the modern Joshua, not the modern Young not modernMoses, and would have been under Hyrum in spiritual things, had Hyrumlived, just as Joshua was under Eleazar.

28 Brigham Young did not hold or claim to hold the priesthood sceptre held byJoseph Smith the Prophet.

29 After Joshua didn't hold office o, Moses was ta en from Israel, thechildren of Israel thought that Joshua held all the authority that Mosesheld, just the same as the great majority of the Mormon people, after themartyrdom of the Prophet, thought and still believe that Brigham Young heldall the authority that Smith;Brigham Y. did not hold same authority asJoseph Smith held. But in neither case is it true.

30 We find by the following what the situation was in the case of Joshua.

31 And the Lord said unto Moses, Ta e thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man inwhom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; and set him before Eleazarthe priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in theirsight. And thou shalt put SOME of thine honour upon him, that all the

congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. (Num. 27:18, 19,20)

* * * * * * * *


S e c t i o n 6

1 Anciently, when the first grand head of priesthood was ta en from thissphere of action, he left Eleazar, the second grand head.

2 But in modern times, we find a unique situationthe the same time two grandheads of priesthood holding the only two grand selfperpetuating officesboth left this sphere of action at the same time.

3 After the martyrdom at Carthage, who held the grand office that Josephheld, and who held the grand office that Hyrum held?

4 It is a fact that cannot be successfully refuted that the office self

perpetuating Hyrum held was to be put upon the head of his posterity afterhim, or as the Lord should direct, the same as the office or priesthoodAaron held was to come down on the head of his posterity after him.

5 However, there are a great many of the professed followers of the ProphetJoseph Smith, who do not now or pay any attention to the fact that theblessing or priesthood office that was put upon Joseph by John theRevelator, who was the Elias in this case, was, according to the word ofthe Lord, to be put upon the head of his posterity after him.


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6 The Lord says:

For this anointing have I put upon his head, that his blessing shall alsobe put upon the head (one man, brac ets ours) of his posterity after him.And as I said unto Abraham concerning the indreds of the earth, even so Isay unto my servant Joseph: In thee and in thy seed shall the indred ofthe earth be blessed. (D&C 124:5758)

7 The Prophet Joseph, then, was given the same Smith promise that Abrahamreceived from the Lord, concerning the indred of the earth being blessedthrough his seed.

8 The fulfillment of this great covenant and promise to covenant to Abrahamwas the central theme of the holy men and sacred writers of old.

9 In fact, all of the great prophets prophesied concerning the fulfillment ofthis covenant and promise that God made to Abraham.

10 Yet in our time, very few pay any attention to or now anything about thefulfillment of this same great promise to Joseph Smith.

11 The truth is that the great majority of the professed followers of theProphet, in our day seem to believe and some even teach that the word ofthe Lord in this covenant has utterly failed or become null and void.

12 If such were the case, it would ma e God a covenant brea er and a liar.

13 Concerning the covenant to Abraham and its fulfillment, the Savior spo eas follows to the ancient Nephites:

And behold, ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house ofIsrael; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers,saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the indreds of the earth beblessed.

THE FATHER HAVING RAISED ME UP UNTO YOU FIRST, AND SENT ME TO BLESS YOU inturning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are

the children of the covenant

And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenantwhich he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the indreds ofthe earth be blessedunto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost THROUGH ME UPONthe Gentiles, which blessing upon the Gentiles shall ma e them mighty aboveall, unto the scattering of my people, O house of Israel. (3 Nephi 20:2527)

14 Here we find from the Savior's own words that He Himself was the promisedseed who was to be raised up to bless the indreds of the earth.

15 The Apostle Paul also spo e concerning this important subject. Now toAbraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, asof many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)

16 Parley P. Pratt explained:

Jesus Christ was that man spo en of when God said, `In thee and in thy seedshall all nations of the earth be blessed.' (JD 1:180)

17 The promise to Abraham concerning his seed, having been fulfilled through


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Christ, it is a selfevident fact, that the same promise and covenant toJoseph Smith concerning his seed, must be fulfilled in a li e manner, whichshows that the great prophet spo en of in Isaiah 11:10, Doctrine andCovenants 113:6, Doctrine and Covenants 85:7, Doctrine and Covenants103:16, Romans 11:2527 and 3 Nephi 20:4345 through whom the indred ofthe earth are to receive their blessings, must be the seed of the ProphetJoseph Smith and the head of his posterity, even as Christ was the head ofhead of posterity Abraham's posterity.

18 The Lord said plainly in his promise to the Prophet Joseph:

And as I said unto Abraham concerning the indreds of the earth, even so Isay unto my servant Joseph: In thee and in thy seed shall the indred ofthe earth be blessed. (D&C 124:58)

19 Abraham was given the highest priesthood office and through him theblessings were dispensed to the human family.

20 Christ was given that office, and he was the next after office afterAbraham to offer the blessings of the gospel to the whole human family.

21 To Joseph Smith was committed the dispensation of the gospel as it hadbeen committed to Abraham and the blessings of the gospel were offeredthrough him to the whole human family.

22 And according to prophecy the blessings of the gospel are again to beoffered to all the human family through a man li e Moses holding this sameoffice, which holds authority over all things pertaining to the Kingdom ofGod on earth.

23 That the point at issue might be more fully comprehended and that thereader will understand what priesthood office has come down upon thepromised seed from the days of Adamwhich promised seed has always hadreference to the special servants whom the Lord would raise up, and whichpriesthood office has always constituted the cornerstone of Zion (Christbeing the chief cornerstone), we quote in full the verses to which weallude.

24 And now I say unto you, as pertaining to my boarding house which I havecommanded you to build for the boarding of strangers, let it be built untomy name, and let my name be named upon it, and let my servant Joseph andhis house have place therein, from generation to generation.

25 For this anointing have I put upon his head, that his blessing shall alsobe put upon the head of his posterity after him.

26 And as I said unto Abraham concerning the indreds of the earth, even so Isay unto my servant Joseph: In thee and in thy seed shall the indred ofthe earth be blessed.

27 Therefore, let my servant Joseph and his seed after him have place in thathouse, from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord.

28 And let the name of that house be called Nauvoo House; and let it be adelightful habitation for man, and a restingplace for the weary traveler,that he may contemplate the glory of Zion, and the glory of this, thecornerstone thereof;

29 That he may receive also the counsel from those whom I have set to be asplants of renown, and as watchmen upon her walls. (D&C 124:5661)


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30 For the benefit of those who have supposed that the boarding house was thecentral point at issue in the above cited verses, we as the followingquestions:

31 1st.What was of greater importance, the anointing and blessing or themansion?

32 2nd.In view of the prophecies to the effect that Zion would be establishedin the tops of the mountains, are we to believe that the Lord intended thatthe posterity of the Prophet should reside in the mansion at Nauvoo forever and ever?

33 3rd.Which was of greater importance, for the head of the Prophet'sposterity to reside in the mansion, or for the indred of the earth to beblessed through the seed of the Prophet?

34 4th.What was referred to as the cornerstone of Zion, the mansion or theman having received the anointing?

35 5th.What was to be the principal source through whom the weary travelerwas to receive counsel, the man referred to as the cornerstone or thosereferred to as watchmen?

36 6th.What was of greater importance, for the seed of the Prophet to inheritthe house built at Nauvoo or for the anointing and blessing the Prophet hadreceived under the hand of Elias, to be put upon the head of the Prophet'sposterity?

37 For testimony, other than that of the writer, that the Prophet receivedthis anointing under the hand of Elias, see the references in the Doctrineand Covenants relative to the above cited verses. The reference pertainingto verse 57 refers us to verse 58 and vice versa.

38 The references pertaining to both of these verses refer us to the 12thverse of Section 110 which says: After this, Elias appeared, and committedthe dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed

all generations after us should be blessed.

39 It will be of interest to the reader to note from the Prophet's own wordsin the preface to Section 110, that it was authority that Elias conferred,referring to the event as the Visitation by Elias and his conferment ofauthority.

40 This authority that Elias conferred would not have been lesser authoritythan that conferred by John the Baptist and Peter, James and John, becausethe authority they restored has the power to appoint all lesser offices.

41 Therefore, it could have been nothing other than the authority and officethat Moses held which he received from his fatherinlaw Jethro, and which

has held the authority of the dispensation of the gospel in all ages of theworld.

42 Concerning this grand office the Prophet Joseph Smith taught as follows:

43 Although there are two Priesthoods, yet the Priesthood;comprehends AaronicMelchizede Priesthood comprehends the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood, andis the grand head;comprehends Aaronic or Levitical priethood grand head,and holds the highest authority which pertains to the priesthood, and theof the Kingdom;comprehended by Melchizede priesthood eys of the Kingdom


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of God in all ages of the world to the latest posterity on the earth, andis the channel through which all nowledge, doctrine, the plan ofsalvation, and every important matter is revealed from heaven.

44 Its institution was prior to `the foundation of this earth, or the morningstars sang together, or the Sons of God shouted for joy,' and is thehighest and holiest Priesthood, and is after the order of the Son of God,and all other Priesthoods are only parts, ramifications, powers andblessings belonging to the same, and are held, controlled, and directed by

it. It is the channel through which the Almighty commenced revealing Hisglory at the beginning of the creation of this earth, and through which Hehas continued to reveal Himself to the children of men to the present time,and through which He will ma e nown His purposes to the end of time.(Joseph Smith's Teachings, p. 112)

45 Again the Prophet said:

Now the doctrine of translation is a power which belongs to thisPriesthood. There are many things which belong to the powers of thePriesthood and the eys thereof, that have been ept hid from before thefoundation of the world; they are hid from the wise and prudent to berevealed in the last times. (Joseph Smith's Teachings, p. 117)

* * * * * * * *


S e c t i o n 7

1 Although the Savior, John the Revelator and Joseph the Prophet have held

the highest priesthood office since Moses was translated, yet there areeys pertaining to the priesthood, which have not been held by mortal mansince the time of Elijah, pertaining to ordinances of the priesthood, whichhe must yet come to restore, as explained in the Teachings of the ProphetJoseph Smith, pages 171 to 173 inclusive.

2 We quote:

Thus we behold the eys of this Priesthood consisted in obtaining the voiceof Jehovah that He tal ed with him (Noah) in a familiar and friendlymanner, that He continued to him the eys, the covenants, the power and theglory, with which He blessed in familiar manner as was Noah & Adam at thebeginning; and the offering of sacrifice, which also shall be continued at

the last time; for all the ordinances and duties that ever have beenrequired by the Priesthood, under the directions and commandments of theAlmighty in any of the dispensations, shall all be had in the lastdispensation, therefore all things had under the authority of thePriesthood at any former period, shall be had again, bringing to pass therestoration spo en of by the mouth of all the Holy Prophets; then shallthe sons of Levi offer and acceptable offering to the Lord. `And he shallsit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons ofLevi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto theLord.' (See Malachi 3:3)


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3 It will be necessary here to ma e a few observations on the doctrine setforth in the above quotation, and it is generally supposed that sacrificewas entirely done away when the Great Sacrifice (i.e.,) the sacrifice ofthe Lord Jesus was offered up, and that there will be no necessity for theordinance of sacrifice in future; but those who assert this are certainlynot acquainted with the duties, privileges and authority of the Priesthood,or with the Prophets.

4 The offering of sacrifice has ever been connected and forms a part of theduties of the Priesthood. It began with the Priesthood, and will becontinued until after the coming of Christ, from generation to generation.We frequently have mention made of the offering of sacrifice by theservants of the Most High in ancient days, prior to the law of Moses; whichordinances will be continued when the Priesthood is restored with all itsauthority, power and blessings.

5 Elijah was the last Prophet that held the eys of the Priesthood, and whowill, before the last dispensation, restore the authority and deliver theeys of the Priesthood, in order that all the ordinances may be attended toin righteousness. It is true that the Savior had authority and power tobestow this blessing; but the sons of Levi were too prejudiced. `And I willsend Elijah the Prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord,'etc., etc. Why send Elijah? Because he holds the eys of the authority to

administer in all the ordinances of the Priesthood; and without theauthority is given, the ordinances could not be administered inrighteousness.

6 It is a very prevalent opinion that the sacrifices which were offered wereentirely consumed. This was not the case; if you read Leviticus 2:23, youwill observe that the priests too a part as a memorial and offered it upbefore the Lord, while the remainder was ept for the maintenance of thepriests; so that the offerings and sacrifices are not all consumed upon thealtar but the blood is sprin led, and the fat and certain other portionsare consumed.

7 These sacrifices, as well as every ordinance belonging to the Priesthood,

will, when the Temple of the Lord shall be built, and the sons of Levi bepurified, be fully restored and attended to in all their powers,ramifications, and blessings. This ever did and ever will exist when thepowers of the Melchizede Priesthood are sufficiently manifest; else howcan the restitution of all things spo en of by the Holy Prophets be broughtto pass. It is not to be understood that the law of Moses will beestablished again with all its rites and variety of ceremonies; this hasnever been spo en of by the prophets; but those things which existed priorto Moses' day, namely, sacrifice, will be continued.

8 It may be as ed by some, what necessity for sacrifice, since the GreatSacrifice was offered? In answer to which, if repentance, baptism, andfaith existed prior to the days of Christ, what necessity for them since

that time? The Priesthood has descended in regular line from father to son,through their succeeding generations. (See Boo of Doctrine and Covenants.)(October 5, 1840.) DHC 4:207212. (TPJS p. 171173)

9 We have quoted the above to show, among other things, that there is adifference between eys and offices, and yet that at times these terms areused interchangeably. It will be noted that at the beginning of thisquotation the term eys is used in eys two different senses. First, withreference to the office Noah held and next with reference to functions,duties, powers and authority pertaining to that office.


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10 Elijah was the last prophet that held certain eys, yet he did not holdthe first priesthood office as did Noah, but the second or patriarchaloffice, which was committed by him to Elisha.

11 Peter, James and John held eys as a quorum which they received on theMount, yet they there received neither the office Noah held nor the officeElijah held, but they held as a quorum the third authority in thepriesthood, the first office being held by the Savior and the second havingbeen ta en to the grave by John the Baptist.

12 The Savior was made a priest after the order of Melchizede as stated byPaul in his Epistle to the Hebrews. Therefore, the Savior had received frompriesthood from Moses the priesthood office which Melchizede put uponMelchizede Abraham, and therefore had in His hands the dispensation of thegospel.

13 If He had not appointed a successor to this office, it would have beennecessary for Him to have come personally to commit to the Prophet Josephthe dispensation of the gospel, or in other words all the authority Abrahamhad held.

14 Therefore theElias who committed the dispensation of the gospel, had to besomeone who was a priest after the order of Melchizede and Abraham after

the Savior had departed this life.

* * * * * * * *


S e c t i o n 8

1 The highest priesthood office has continued in an unbro en chain from thedays of Adam to the present time.

2 All who have held it since the days of Adam, have been properly appointed

thereunto by their predecessor.

3 This is what the Prophet Joseph Smith had reference to when he made thefollowing statements:

4 There has been a chain of authority and power from Adam down to the presenttime. (TPJS p. 191)

5 And again:

. . . I say, in the name of the Lord, that the ingdom of God was set up onthe earth from the days of Adam to the present time.(TPJS p. 271)

6 The chain of authority here mentioned by the Prophet could not havereference to the chain of patriarchal authority which was instituted in thedays of Adam and came down by lineage as explained in Section 107 of the


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Doctrine and Covenants, because that line of authority has not always remainedupon the earth.

7 But the first grand office of the priesthood which is over all lesserauthority, is that which has remained upon the earth since the days ofauthority Adam.

8 This is necessarily the case, because, in order for the ingdom of God tohave been set up through a chain of authority from the days of Adam to thepresent time, one of the grand offices which holds the oracles of God wouldhave had to have been upon the earth, forming an unbro en chain during thattime.

9 Let us trace the line of authority of this greater priesthood and see themanner in which this office has come down from the beginning to the presenttime.

10 We find that Enoch was the man who held that office after the departure ofAdam, which is shown by the following:

11 Enoch was twentyfive years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam;and he was sixtyfive and Adam blessed him. And he saw the Lord, and he wal edwith him, and was before his face continually; and he wal ed with God threehundred and sixtyfive years, ma ing him four hundred and thirty years old when

he was translated. (D&C 107:48, 49)

12 The Prophet Joseph Smith tells us who held this office after Enoch:

13 The next great, grand Patriarch (after Enoch) who held the eys of thepriesthood was Lamech. . . . The Priesthood continued from Lamech to Noah.(TPJS p. 171)

14 That this office came down from Lamech to Noah, from Noah to Melchizede ,and from Melchizede to Abraham, we feel no man should dispute.

15 On this subject Abraham wrote:

In the land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my father, I, Abraham, sawthat it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence;

16 And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I soughtfor the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordainedto administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness,desiring also to be one who possessed great nowledge, and to be a greaterfollower of righteousness, and to possess a greater nowledge, and to be afather of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions,and to eep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest,holding the right belonging to the fathers.

17 It was conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers,from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before thefoundations of the earth to the present time, even the right of the firstborn,on the first man, who is Adam, our first father, through the fathers unto me.

18 I sought for mine appointment unto the Priesthood according to theappointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed. (Pearl of Great Price,Abr. 1:14)

19 Here we find that the priesthood which constitutes the highest office, is


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called the right of the firstborn, which means the right to stand in the steadof the firstborn in His absence; the firstborn being Christ.

20 Also, that this office came down through the fathers, or in other words,through the men who held the rights of a father over the human family whichwere held by Enoch.

21 In other words, this is the authority over all things pertaining to theingdom of God on earth.

22 This office came down to of ear Abraham from before the foundations of theearth.

23 Who held it after him? It was the prophet Esaias, and not Isaac, as manysuppose.

24 The Lord says concerning this matter:

And the sons of Moses, according to the Holy Priesthood which he receivedunder the hand of his fatherinlaw, Jethro;

25 And Jethro received it under the hand of Caleb;

26 And Caleb received it under the hand of Elihu;

27 And Elihu under the hand of Jeremy;

28 And Jeremy under the hand of Gad;

29 And Gad under the hand of Esaias;

30 And Esaias received it under the hand of God.

31 Esaias also lived in the days of Abraham, and was blessed of him.(D&C 84:613)

32 Let it here be understood that this greater priesthood or Holy Priesthood

does not have reference to the Melchizede priesthood held by the elders ofIsrael in Egypt when Moses was sent to deliver Israel from bondage; but to thehighest office pertaining to the priesthood government upon the earth.

33 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the theKingdom; priesthood, greater ey of the mysteries of the ingdom, even the eyof the nowledge of God. (D&C 84:19)

34 This means that this greater priesthood administers the gospel, presidesover the dispensation of the gospel to, or the diffusion of the gospel amongthe human family; and holds the ey of the revelation of the mysteries ofthe ingdom to the inhabitants of the eartheven the office through which thecondition might be brought about that God might be personally nown by the

people, that He might converse with them and wal among them, as in the daysof Enoch; which condition Moses sought diligently to bring about, but thepeople hardened their hearts.

35 Therefore, the Lord too Moses and this office also, out of their midsts.This is precisely what is meant by the following verses:

36 Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness,and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the faceof God;


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37 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore,the Lord, in his wrath, for his anger was indled against them, swore thatthey should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is thefulness of his glory.

38 Therefore, he too Moses out of their midst, and the Holy priesthood also.(D&C 84:2325)

39 By the above cited verses we see that the children of Israel in thewilderness failed to obtain the greater blessing, having hardened their hearts,so that Israel hardened hearts against Moses, through the sceptre of power heheld, could not bring them into the presence of God; therefore, the Lord too

Moses, together with the priesthood office he held, out of their midst.

40 Moses held all the authority necessary to have brought to pass therestoration of all things that were had under the authority of the priesthoodduring the administration of Adam and Enoch.

41 All things that were ta en out of Israel by his office Moses, it was hismission to restore. Therefore, when the time should come that the Lord shouldsee fit to bless the human family, or any portion of it with the administrationof a man holding the priesthood office Moses held, it would be his place to

restore that office.

42 In due time that office was put upon Christ. Therefore the chain of authoritycontinued from Moses to Him.

43 Although the Savior held the highest office pertaining to priesthoodgovernment upon the earth, all the eys of the priesthood held by MeridianMoses and Aaron were not restored in the dispensation of the Meridian of Time.

44 Nor were all the eys of the priesthood committed to the Prophet Smith;alleys not committed to Joseph Smith.

45 We find by examining the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith that as wehave shown, there are eys and ordinances pertaining to the priesthood whichmust yet be restored.

46 Among other things the Prophet said:

Elijah was the last Prophet that held the eys of the Priesthood, and who will,before the last dispensation, restore the authority and deliver the eys ofthe priesthood, in order that all of the ordinances may be attended to inrighteousness. (TPJS p. 172)

47 By this statement, together with the information preceding and following it,which we have already quoted, we see that the restoration of all things is not

yet consummated, and that Elijah will yet have to come and restore certain eyswhich he was the last prophet to hold.

48 After Moses was translated, he had the mission to restore all the authorityand eys he too with him.

49 The eys of the gathering of Israel, he restored to the Prophet Smith; eysof gathering restored to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple, not havingcommitted them prior to that time.


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S e c t i o n 9

1 Having explained the manner in which an unbro en chain of of authority andpower came down from Adam to the Savior through the fathers, let us nowexplain how the ingdom of God has been set up on the earth from the days ofChrist to the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith and how that chain of authorityhas continued unbro en to the present time.

2 We quote a statement from the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, page 158:

The Priesthood is everlasting. The Savior, Peter, James, & John, Moses, andElias, gave the eys to to Peter, James and John, on the mount, when they weretransfigured before him. (TPJS p. 158)

3 Peter, James and John, then received certain eys on the Mount, which werenecessary for them to receive in order to accomplish the wor they were calledto do.

4 But these three did not receive at that time, the priesthood sceptre of powerand authority which office only one man can hold at a time on the earth, forthe Savior swayed that sceptre to the hour of His death.

5 That the Prophet Joseph Smith held this office, is evident, for the Lord saidto him:

For I have conferred upon you the eys and power of the priesthood, wherein Irestore all things, and ma e nown unto you all things in due time. (D&C 132:45)

6 John was the apostle who was given the greater wor and it was through himthat the ingdom of God was to remain set up on the earth from the days of theancient apostles to the time of the latterday restoration, which can be seenby a careful study of the seventh section of the Doctrine and Covenants, a partwhich we quote.

7 I say unto thee, Peter, this was a good desire; but my beloved has desiredthat he might do more, or a greater wor yet among men than what he has beforedone.

Yea, he has underta en a greater wor ; therefore I will ma e him as flamingfire and a ministering angel; he shall minister for those who shall be heirs

of salvation who dwell on the earth.

8 And I will ma e thee to minister for him and for thy brother James; and untoyou three I will give this power and the eys of this ministry until I come.(D&C 7:57)

9 By this it is clear that the power and eys of this ministry were given tothese three abovenamed apostles; but John was to be translated and remain onthe earth to hold the office held by Moses and Christ.


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10 That John, the beloved disciple, was the last of the ancient prophets tohold the highest priesthood office, is a fact that cannot be refuted.

11 That he would be the one to restore all things that he was the last one tohold, none should doubt; for it was just as necessary for him to restore thatwhich he was the last one to hold, as it was for Elijah to restore those thingswhich he was the last prophet to hold.

12 John was the Elias to whom was given the seal of the living God over thetwelve tribes of Israel.

13 The Lord gives us the following eys:

14 Q. What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east,Revelation 7th chapter and 2nd verse?

15 A. We are to understand that the angel ascending from the east is he towhom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve tribes of Israel;wherefore, he crieth unto the four angels having the everlasting gospel,saying: Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we havesealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And, if you will receiveit, this is Elias which was come to gather together the tribes of Israel andrestore all things. (D&C 77:9)

16 That the tribes of Israel were to be gathered through the authority Eliasheld is beyond controversy.

17 Therefore, it would be necessary in order to accomplish this great wor , forhim to restore that authority.

18 The Lord has told us who this latterday Elias or restorer was:

19 Q. What are we to understand by the little boo which was eaten by Revelator;little boo eaten by, (D&C 77:14) John, as mentioned in the 10th chapter ofRevelation?

20 A. We are to understand that it was a mission, and an ordinance, for him togather the tribes of Israel; behold, this is Elias, who, as it is written, mustcome and restore all things. (D&C 77:14)

21 It will here be noted that the revelation from which this verse is ta en,was given in March, 1832, nearly three years after Peter, James and John,together had restored certain things they held jointly.

22 At that time, Elias had not as yet committed that which he alone was thelast to hold.

23 His exceedingly long mission was yet incomplete and the ordinance which he

must perform in order to gather the tribes of Israel and restore the priesthoodoffice which presides over all things, and wherein the Lord restores all things,was yet a future event.

24 It was not until the temple was built at Kirtland, Ohio, that Elias appearedand committed the dispensation of the everlasting gospel, which no man can havefully under his hand without receiving the priesthood, the office or appointmentto stand as God, which Joseph the Prophet received at that time under the hand


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of to Joseph Smith John.

25 We again quote what the Prophet revealed concerning this grand event that isrecorded in Section 110 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

26 After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel ofAbraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should beblessed. (D&C 110:12)

27 We here find that the blessing was to come to all generations after Josephand Oliver, through them and their seed; or in other words through them andthose who should hold in fuure the offices they received at that time.

28 It is well nown where the blessing once put upon Oliver, was placed afterhe had stepped aside.

29 But what about the priesthood sceptre which was restored for the last time,through which the greater blessing was to come to the indred of the earth?

30 That the Lord's proceedings in these latter days concerning this mattermight be more clearly understood, let us examine His past dealings with Hispeople.

31 In the days of Abraham the Lord intervened and had the sceptre put upon

Esaias, and in the course of time this office was hidden from Israel and theworld.

32 The Patriarch, Jacob, who was the second grand head of priesthood upon theearth after Isaac, went with his family into Egypt.

33 The history and the trend of events that followed this move is one of themost commonly read parts of the Bible.

34 After the children of Israel were brought into bondage in Egypt, and evento the time Moses was sent to deliver them, what did they now about thesceptre being concealed in the deserts of Midian?

35 They did not now that there was authority on the earth higher than thatwhich was held by Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.

36 They did not now that a shepherd, having fled Egypt to save his life, wouldget the priesthood sceptre through Jethro, the great high priest of Midian andcome to their deliverance.

37 Notwithstanding the miracles performed by the Savior, did the Jews believehe had the authority? After His crucifixion, did all the Saints now that thehighest office was held by John? No, they did not, but thought Peter, who wasthe chief apostle, was the head.

38 The Christian world, even including the great majority of the Mormon people,

believe this to the present time.

39 In modern times, the Lord has acted upon the same principles in relation tothis matter, as He did in past ages.

40 He has said that he would send a man holding the sceptre of power to setHis house in ordera man unto whom should rightly belong the priesthood and theKingdom;necessary for the gathering eys of the ingdom, for an ensign, and forthe gathering of His people in the last days. (See D&C 113:6)


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41 The priesthood which should rightly belong to this messenger is the samepriesthood which has come down through the fathers from the beginning andremained upon the earth through John the Beloved, being hid from the worldwith Christ in God.42 We quote a few verses which the Lord spo e directly to Joseph Smith and tohis successors in this priesthood. It will be noted by reading this revelationthat it covers future time, down to the dividing of the wheat from the tares,when the field is left to be burned.

43 Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hathcontinued through the lineage of your fathers.

44 For ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from theworld with Christ in GodTherefore your life and the priesthood have remained,and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of allthings spo en of by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began.

45 Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto theGentiles, and through this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel. The Lordhath said it. Amen. (D&C 86:811)

46 For the benefit of those who thin these verses, heretofore, have beencorrectly understood by and explained to the Mormon people, we as thefollowing questions:

47 1st.At the time this revelation was given, what priesthood had continuedwith any man through the lineage of his earthly fathers?

48 2nd.Does the priesthood mentioned in these verses, each time it ismentioned or alluded to, have reference to the same thing?

49 3rd.Who are the lawful heirs of the priesthood here spo en of who have beenhid from the world? When and in what manner were they hid?

50 4th.Whose life and what priesthood had remained until the time thisrevelation was given?

51 5th.In view of what is written in verses 57 and 58 of Section 124, whatpriesthood or office could have remained with any man's lineage, other thanthat of the Prophet, that has anything to do with the restoration of allthings?

52 6th.Through what priesthood, other than the office Moses held, could asavior be raised up unto the Lord's people Israel?

53 A reference at the bottom of the page concerning the word savior in verse11, refers us to Romans 11:2531, a part of which we quote:

54 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lestye should be wise in your own conceit; that blindness in part is happened to

Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

55 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out ofSion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

56 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall ta e away their sins.(Rom. 11:2527)

57 Here we find that the very time when the man holding the sceptre was to comeforth and commence his wor of delivering the Lord's people out of bondage, was


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to be when the fulness of the Gentiles should be come in, or in other words,when the times of the Gentiles were over or fulfilled.

58 The Lord says:

Behold I say unto you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by power;

59 Therefore, I will raise up unto my people a man, who shall lead them li e asMoses led the children of Israel.

60 For ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of are seed of Abraham,and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, and with a stretchedout arm.

61 And as your fathers were led at the first, even so shall the redemption ofZion be. (D&C 103:1518)

62 When the time drew near for the Savior to come, holding the office Mosesheld, to declare Himself publicly and minister in that capacity in fulfillmentof His mission, he was preceded by a forerunner, holding the office Aaron held,who came to prepare a people for His ministry.

63 Now that the time is at the doors for the coming of the Son of Man in powerand great glory, it is necessary that a man should prepare the way who holds the

priesthood sceptre Moses held, together with all the eys pertaining thereunto.

64 One of the reasons that a man must come holding the office through which theLord restores all things, is that a people must be prepared to enter into theterrestrial state, which condition cannot be brought about through any otherchannel or authority.

65 There must be a man with all the eys and authority held by Enoch, in orderto bring the people into the presence of God and usher in the Millennium.

66 For unless every ordinance belonging to the priesthood is restored andattended to in righteousness, the Ancient of Days will not sit in council withhis faithful children to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man, as

spo en of by the Prophet Joseph Smith. (See TPJS p. 157 and D&C 116)

67 Until all of these ordinances are properly attended to the Eternal Fatherwill not visit his children upon the earth, for the Lord says:

68 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.(D&C 84:20)

69 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood,the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; (D&C 84:21)

70 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.(D&C 84:2022)

71 The power of godliness, which must be manifest unto men in the flesh, thatthey may see the face of the Father and live, includes a nowledge ofgodliness, which no mortal can obtain except through the ordinances of thepriesthood.

72 It is through nowledge obtained only through obedience to all theordinances of the Father's house or pertaining to His family that one'scalling and election is made sure.


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73 It is the nowledge of godliness, obtained through obedience andsacrifice, that enables man to become li e God.

74 On this point the Prophet stated:

. . . Knowledge is the power of salvation. (TPJS p. 306)

75 When the blessing is sealed upon a man's head, ma ing his calling andelection sure, it destines him to become a priest of God eternally in thehighest sense of the wordan heir of the title God and a joint heir with JesusChrist.

76 This is what constitutes the fulness of the fulness of God's priesthoodpriesthood of God.

77 This is what qualifies a man as a patriarch, priest and ing over his ownposterity eternally; and this blessing is infinitely more important to theindividual than any office pertaining to the Church or ingdom of God uponthe earth.

78 This is what the Prophet had reference to when he said:

The anointing and sealing is to be called, elected and made sure.(TPJS p. 323)

79 Joseph Smith also said on this subject:

If a man gets a fullness of the priesthood of God he has to get it in the sameway that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by eeping all thecommandments and obeying all of the ordinances of the house of the Lord.(TPJS p. 308)

80 This does not have reference to the office Melchizede held, which isreferred to as the fulness of the Melchizede priesthood, concerning which theProphet stated:

81 Those holding the fulness of the Melchizede Priesthood are ings and

priests of the Most High God, holding the eys of power and blessings. In fact,that Priesthood is a perfect law of theocracy, and stands as God to give lawsto the people, administering endless lives to the sons and daughters of Adam.(TPJS p. 322)

82 The priesthood which constitutes a perfect law of theocracy, and stands asGod to give laws to the people, administering endless lives unto them, is theone man priesthood which was held by Enoch, Melchizede and God to the peopleMoses, which can be held by only one man on the earth at a time.

83 For only one man on the earth at a time can stand as God to the people asthe Prophet Joseph did.

84 This is what he had reference to when he said:

God made Aaron to be the mouthpiece for the children of Israel, and He willma e me be God to you in His stead, and the Elders to be mouth for me; and ifyou don't li e it, you must lump it. (TPJS p. 363)

85 The office Melchizede held is the office of Melchizede , priesthood whichis by oath and covenant.

86 A man holding that office has never led the people astray.


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87 It is the priesthood which has come down from before the foundations of theearth and was held by Adam in the beginning.

88 It has remained upon the earth from the days of remain to all eternityAdam to the present time and will remain to all eternity.

89 Hence, it is referred to as having neither beginning of days nor end of life.

90 The Prophet explained:

@PAGE BREAKIN = The Melchizede Priesthood holds the right from the eternal God,and not by descent from father and mother; and that priesthood is as eternal asGod Himself, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. (TPJS p. 323)

91 Thus we see the difference between the Melchizede priesthood which everyfaithful elder has the right to hold over his own posterity and the officepriesthood;difference between office and priesthood Melchizede held over thewhole family of Adam.

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S e c t i o n 10

1 When the Melchizede priesthood is conferred upon a man, he is called tostand up for God and to magnify this priesthood.

2 He is called to try out for the blessings of eternal lives, that he may

obtain the crown over the ingdom of our God.

3 Then if that man continues faithful in eeping his covenants, obeys all thelaws and commandments of the Lord and lives by every word which proceeds forthout of the mouth of God, he will secure unto himself the right to hold thatpriesthood in the eternal worlds.

4 When it is confirmed upon him that he may hold it eternally, and obtain inthe hereafter all the blessings associated therewith, he is chosen, his callingand election is made sure.

5 On this subject the Lord says:

Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

6 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, andaspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson.

7 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powersof heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled onlyupon the principles of righteousness. (D&C 121:3436)


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8 Concerning the calling and election, the Prophet concerning calling andelection Joseph Smith taught:

9 After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized forthe remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on ofhands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himselfbefore God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by everyword of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted.When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determinedto serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and hiselection made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the otherComforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints . . . (TPJS p. 150)

10 For a man to be numbered with the chosen seed of Abraham, through havinghis calling and election made sure, is the result of obtaining the throughmagnifying calling Melchizede priesthood, which includes the Aaronic, andmagnifying his calling.

11 In order for a man holding the Melchizede priesthood to fully magnify hiscalling, he must obey every law and ordinance of the Gospel, as the way isopened by the Lord for him to do so, and offer unto the Lord every sacrificerequired at his hands, as well as do the wor required of him.

12 Concerning the blessings in store for the faithful who magnify their

priesthood, the Lord has said:

13 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which Ihave spo en, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spiritunto the renewing of their bodies.

14 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, andthe church and ingdom, and the elect of God. (D&C 84:3334)

15 Those who obtain the blessings referred to in these two verses are theonly ones who are chosen and receive the fulness of the priesthood of God,as a result of obeying the commandments, the ordinances, and the law ofsacrifice.

16 The above quotation continues:

And

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