| Show EY y E deli meil GD nn ill bil L n 11 Q lel del LIVErM af 01 og oi 01 sunday afternoon OG ool br bre b r 1882 BY G P albes GIBES 2 ns s ua s latter day saints sainta b bl thil thit we liwe the P ne nwe ot he phe lord our god gad we r ay vy iy likely to become involved I 1 leplaa of ott and t As 3 llis work cannot be op vip b 7 man mans mana power drw ra mans skill are all 1 1 1 lent tent t establish and to carry 0 work r our god in the earth i aed iod v ti ta the building up of 7 it is ie a corlous reflection that fr to e t til s his his work was found e acae eoe ebe coe i last days up to pre pro 6 al a 1 j 1 has nevor never been a is I 1 j i this people have ret eit 0 rit ut of the guidance of t d of the revelations a bauni Lecea necessary sary aary to enable to ti ca A the mind and will 0 au no time have we L left baor ksor hao bao to ourselves r olvea elves atno at no time LL hel hen lie ilo L i f r day hants been at 0 i lei lel at a LA ajl to find out the iuds i i id ad councel of god ning t e c either na hi divid L ria a lle ile le ro roha ha t en some ideal id aaa afloat a our L e c iren concerning the a ty i d the power of those NV ata ava va in charge chargo of the v f 1 god upon the earth I 1 h t heard so much of it my bc we ia e perhaps for the reason reaton t dosi rA bailon ilon lion hag hns baen been such buch that i t had the opportunity of L 3 ath the people and jand learn i alsa C za their ideas and feel iu ing re this matter but at th thoc thoo ocea ocel navi of tho the prophet joseph smil a aid n a ad pro probably baby haby for many years su nt to his hla death some peo p ne to 0 L bava bave ava ave the feeling that v naj u i le e J t ere wre dies died with him bono bonc aad aud bome authority and park mettra r ettia ettra latt foit oti entil envil I bana tint ti h t i regained regain cd very readily and was waa cut of the possession of those who presided over the church this feeling may prevail to some extent at the present ti methe feeling that bome great one heb hab to arise in our midst in order to revive the old power and restore it to the church and to perform the mighty works that god has promised shall be performed in connection with his zion of the last days ido I 1 do not believe that all the latter day saints understand as they should I 1 speak now in general terms tho authority the gifts and qualifications which god bestowed upon his hix r servant ervant brigham Brig ham bam and there were many who after the prophet joseph Josep hya hys death were not disputed dispo ted to accord to president young tho the same rights the same authority the same samne gifts girts that they were willing to accord to the prophet joseph the Bigdon ites iles the tho followers of sidney rigdon bigdon originated the idea that the prophetic gift did not rest upon president young that he did not possess it the Strang ites the followers of J J strang labored to the same end strang set up ul a claim that he had been des ignited by josoph joseph to preside over the church and in fact showed a letter with the postmark post mark of nauvoo upon the envelope in a which he claimed that he was thus authored to preside others set up the same claim and circulated the same bame idea william smith wished it understood that the prophetic office belonged to the smith family that it should be some bome member of that hat family that should preside over the church he entertained the same bame ide idea a and circulated it to some extent t nt that has been entertained and circulated by the son of joseph young joseph as aa he be is called and all these influences camb combined ined to together have had the effect to a greater or lesa igsa extent to create in many minds the impression of which I 1 speak that there was some withholding of power that here there were some gifts and manifestations of power that ought to be but were not in tho the church that the prophetic gifts did not noi roli foli row fow to the same extent that god designed they should that although president young and his hia counselors and the twelve were apostles I 1 tiie tile apostle ship did not emady in itself the samo tho the same powers that were exercised by the prophet joseph I 1 remember when on one of my early missions meeting with an old member of the church in california a man of some prominence at one t time I 1 M e and of considerable experience in t the h a ch church who contended that president young was not entitled to be called prophet beer and rovela bovela tor or to be put to the general conference as euch his idea seamed beamed to be that when the prophet joseph died the office of prophet tj beer and revelator died with him and therefore ther eore eone this claim by the leaders leaders of tho the church was a piece of assumption on their parts now how far these ideas have prevailed and und are hold I 1 cannot say bay because as I 1 have remarked my opportunities of mingling with the people usi asi Us as I did in former year shave not been sueh such as to enable moto mato me to speak from personal knowledge and were so they would not talk so fresly treely with me about such things as they once did but bat I 1 wih to say that those who look for lne ine increased reared manifestation of power to came in some form outside of that which we recognize as tho the governing authority of the church are in danger of being deluded and of boing bolna led astray such persons person git gif if there bo be arty any and andias I 1 am inclined to bellevo area are are rein roin in just the condition that the adver brry erry would liko ilko people to ba in that he may with them ince bince inca my return from washington in the middle of august last I 1 have hav e heard moie mose move of new prophets and revelator sand their revelation revelations than I 1 have heard for several years years I 1 do not know of how many prophets I 1 have heard of who have arisen I 1 do not know how many revelations I 1 have heard of that have been gives elbut but there have been quite a number many revelations have been sent to mo me by persons who claim the right to preside over tho the church and to be the prophet Prop helof of the church president taylor has been the recipient of a number of similar communications each one s a ting forth his hia his claim to the presidency I 1 of the tho church and to the prophetic office and some bome of them requiring us ua to accept the author as the person whom god had designated to be the revelator to and the president of the church la n fop fon to tn art jool rn some somo authority outside of our present organization of the holy priesthood you can readily seo see how the adversary could take advantage of it and andruff puff vat vai weak men up with the te idea islea that they are to be pome some me great one oneo no greater mistake can be indulged in than for any person to suppose that there Is not that authority in the church at tho the present time that is neco nece necessary essry Esary for the establishment lish ment for the government and guidance and for the building up and complete control of the church and kingdom KIng dorn of out our god upon the earth according to the pattern which he has given god revealed to the prophet joeeph smith the necessity of the priesthood and until the priesthood was bestowed bes bea towed though he had the gifta which constitute a prophet Revelator rev Bev elator and wand seer beer prior to receiving it having had the gift of prophecy and revelations revelation from god i and nd hav having g e exercised xer elfed the peers gift by looking t through the and be never attempted to act in any capacity beyond that in which god authorized him to act although he possessed the gifts that I 1 have referred to he never attempted to act in any ordinance of the hoube boube of god gods or that belongs to the church of god until he received authority to do so and that authority was not lot conferred upon him when he ba first saw angels and bad some rome of the gifts of which I 1 have spoken it required the laying on of the hands of some personage or perso personages nages Dages who had the authority of the holy priesthood no joseph never ran until he was sent he exhibited in this tho the qualities of the ronn monn that he wa warm I 1 are few men inen a aa we well know who if they had obtained the gifts that he possessed would not have overstepped over stepped the limit of their calling and authority and done something beyond their province but joseph did not err in this way ho he had been too tio well taugh taught tor of the lord and therefore he bewailed waited chenever he never neven attempted to preach the gospel or to baptize for the of sins sim but when he found that it was nece pece necessary for him to receive the priesthood he called upon the lurd lord and the lord heard his prayer and in answer to his call and that of oliver cowdery sent bont to them john the baptist a literal etem descendent descendant of aaron who by virtue of his descent held the keys beys of the aaronie priesthood he being the last lastman man upon the theearta earth that held these keys john had been ordained by the angel of tho the lord at the time he was eight days daya old unto this thid power and 6 to overthrow the kingdom k of f I 1 the jows jews and to prepare the t he way of the lord having leen teen hus thus t ordained by the angel of the lord lords and having been baptized while he hoaas was yet in his childhood c Il abood and holding the authority and the keys of the priesthood bb was a nit rit personage to come como menn moan ario arid d bestow the key keys a upon joseph who had been chosen to stand at the head of this dispensation he came and he laid his hands upon joseph and upon olav ro r and conferred bonfe red upon them the priesthood which author anthor authorized izad them to administer the ordinance of baptism for the remission of els eis bis when joseph received that authority he administered the ordinance ol of baat sm am unto oliver I 1 unto him they afterwards received the authority of the Melchi meichi sedek priesthood under the hands of those who last held tile the keys of that priesthood upon tha the earth when jesus you will remember took hla hie three disciples into the mount he was trans trant figured before them and moses and ennas ehnas administered unto them and at that time tima peter wat was ord aind d to hold the keys of that dispensation he held the keys heys in conjunction with his brethren jamed james and john they came and laid their hands upon the heads of joseph and oliver and ordained them to the authority that they themselves held namely aj that of the apostleship Apostle shir in this way they received the authority of the Melchi sedek priesthood and could administer in the ordinances that belong to that priesthood one oneat of which is the laying on of hands for the gift of the holy ghost until that they had not received that ordinance soma homa might think it strange that a man like joseph so gifted of the lord should deem it necessary to be ad minis feied to by a man ur or men holding the holy priesthood inest Idest hood in order to receive the holy ghost but it is upon the same principle that tile the son of god had to be baptized in order to fulfill fulfil all nil righteousness and yet he wab was a pure and holy being and arid when joh Job PM P M to tn hrry himy r hawn hawe wil elg ngot agot lipor irl f 1 be baptized of thee thie and thou to mt me jesus to him sut suffer it to be so 60 now for thus thua jt it be cometh us to fulfill fulfil all righteous nesi nebi ne a and aad john then a the ordinance of baptism to the san bon of god and holy as aa he was wag our savior could not and did not refute refuse to comply with any of the ordinances which are placed in the church for the salvation of lods lads children on the contrary he ele set the example by going down into inlo the water and being baptized by john evan even as the most humble of his followers did in like manner it was as necessary that joseph should be baptized and have hands bands laid upon him for the reception of the holy ghost for there Is ia no doubt in my mind that joseph smith was called just as the hen ben of god gody our lord and redeem er was called before the foundation of the earth eaith as jeremiah jeni jeri in his hib record kays says he be was wae and was ordained to be a prophet seer beer and revelator rev Kev elator and to stand at the head of 1 lat idt dispensation although this was the case it was wab at steil 8 bary sary that he should be baptized and have hands laid upon him for the reception of the holy ghost jaud waud antl anil jand also be ordained to the priesthood of aaron and K you remember reading in the book of mormon that the twelve on this contie contle ent whom the savior chose after his resurrection are to be judged by the twelve that were at jerusalem it was with peter who was the senior benlor apostle there that the keys heys rested he was at the head of that dispensation therefore ther eiore etore those that received the apostleship on this land were to be judged by the twelve at jerusalem there the keys heys were and it was right and proper that peter with james and john should come and bestow them upon him who was to be the head bead of this dispensation namely joseph smith in addition to thia this the prophet joseph informs us in his letter ad to the saints when ho he fled away from nauvoo to escape the hands of his enemies that it is necessary nece in the ushering in of the dispensation of the falness ot of time which dispensation fa h now beginning to usher in that a whole and complete and perfect union and aad together gether to of dispensations and keyland keys key sand band and po powers and glories lorle should take place and be revealed from the days of adam even 0 to o the present time 3 hey hei he therefore received the ministration of divers angel angels heads of dispensations from michael or adam adana down to the present time every man in his time tin 1 a and season coming to him and nil alj declaring their their rights their keys their honors their majesty and glory and the power of their priesthood so that joseph the head of this dispensation prophet seer heer and revelator whom god raised raked up received from all these different source sources according to the mind and will of god and according to the design of god concerning him he received from all these diff merent marent sources all the power and all the authority and all keys that were necessary for the building up of the work of god in the last days and for the accod I 1 purposes connected with this dispensation he hie stands at the head he la Is a unique character from every other man in this respect and excelling every other man because he was the head god choe him and aud hilo hiie he was faithful no man could take his place and position he was faithful and died faithful he blands therefore at the head of this dispensation and will throughout all eternity and no man can take that power away from him if any man holds theeo theto keys hs ils holds them subordinate but bub ordinate to him you never nover heird heard president young youn tesch teach any other doctrine he always said that joseph joaeph jo eph stood at the heau beau or of this dispensation that joseph holds the keys kays that although joseph bad gone behind the vall vail bo be stood at the nead head of this dispensation and that ho he himself held the keys kess subordinate to him president taylor teaches the same doctrine and you will wili never hear any other doctrine from any of the faithful apostles or eer vanta of goj who understand the order older of the holy priesthood if wo we get our cur salvation we shall have to pass by him if we enter into our glory it will be through the authority autho that he liss lias received we cannot ot get around him we cannot let get around president young we cannot get around president taylor |
