| Show TUB THE priesthood AND THE PEOPLE is 18 nothing clearer in the authorized zed written exponents ot of mormon doctrine and discipline thau than that the body of the church composed of iti baptized members male anil and female la Is to be consulted on all questions of polity and gov ern ment end that all things in the church must be done by common consent therefore the statement made by apostle moses thatchers That cherf in the Tiber tabernacle Bacle on sunday sanday sept eth that the church of jesus christ of latter day saints is a theo denion raey racy s is precisely correct utterances of this kind peem to enrage a certain class of ly misrepresented the mormon people persistently for years they are angered beyond decency when conclusive arguments are made that shatter their falsehoods and grind the them liv impalpable dust ne of the most frequent un untruths truths told to tile the world is that mormonism fm is a religious despotism in which the priests priest fi rule as au an irresponsible hierarchy anti and nothing is left tor for the mass of the people but to do as they are bidden this answers very well to te deceive the multitude the pulpit takes up the refrain and the press echoes the error scarcely any effort is ie wade anade to nod flad out the faeta and vo the country resounds with remarks about the cho mormon bler hierarchy archy and the ah sAuLe rule of the mormon priest priesthood dood 11 cheit a little fair inquiry would show beyond doubt that no such thing exists ju a the church that is thus defamed the principle of ecclesiastic sti cal gov ov fn an this church is a a union of the will of ef god and the will of the people vox tox dei et vox when they agree and the agreement is 14 made active in practice ethe the highest and mom BOOK perfect form of government is reached divine wisdom and authority aith with human adment and voluntary make a combination of power and right rulland rule and liberty that cannot be he excelled it unites the heavenly and the earthly and establishes order without tyranny 1 Itis it is difficult apparently for some ome of our opponents to comprehend how bow there can be be any liberty where there is belief that god reveals his will to map they cannot see how people can be free to act in any matter on their own volition when the word of the lord jord is given concerning concerning it this comes come s from hasty judgment and failure to investigate ane that must be kept in studying y ju F the dealings of god wit with mankind is the agency of ef the creat creature pre the of man is free be may ch choose tie sow goor or evil e As a he et ri s rge soab axe KS placed b e ag rell 1 ana be ie n jaane e hw bifi own sae lan As the tee oaf tiie ald a a tp the oe bree of death were placed afi loa paradise radise and man bould tae fruit of either at will so af a the r and the wrongs which m absan ge gad da ap g this world placed before bet alt ai people pie daring their earthly care career r an and their actions are left lef t free god told the pair in the pr barden not to eat of the fruit ol of one tree but they did eat of it all the same and they had to suffer the consequences therill the will find end word of the fjord jorj did not prevent their act of disobedience e ti e I 1 delther Vel either ther did the temptation q 01 itt roe e opp oain influence co con in pel thel di n aey their agency sp 69 baye ha ve Q all their 6 X 1 1 ay adf A g god clod never nemer interferes wat with lt it jimr nor can satan tan deprive the them of it sit it isa is a mistake f to 0 tent the Q mere fact that god reveals or av jeow 4 commands a th thing implies baua vaua obedience to te that which which is revealed the tha history of the awe race proves to the contrary the story of min in is a narration of human disregard of the laws of deity the idea that knowledge destroys sin Is is erroneous the more light the greater the sin of 61 disobedience it is those these who know the misters masters will and do it not who are to be beaten with many maby stripes the mere understanding of right does not hinder the doing of wrong wron but efte t he knowledge makes the sin more flagrant many a drunkard will imbibe knowing that it 11 is both slut sinful ul against god and destructive to ids his own body it ft to is the he same with other off offenses offen eases sea against avine and human lave the will of god is always right the will of man Is often wrong yet the lord has respect to the agency which he has bestowed upon mank mankind ad and W alle 1 ae his spirit will prompt and guide a and lle inspire and light to man it will not aa always lw ays strive with him and does doe mot snot ever torce force him even pro prophecy be which comes not by the will will of man is within the control of the mind impressed and the spirit of the prophets is thus subject unto the prophets I 1 I 1 their utterance is not com coin ulsery their agency is not invaded it choose to du do so the will of man is independent in its sphere even as the will of god is in its sphere they should ual unite but that they do not is a truth beyond rational dispute the baurch ol of jesus christ of lat ter day saints saint commonly called the mormon Chur church bli it is built upon the mutual recognition of divine and hu mat ma t it is founded on the rev elandus of the most moat high god and his hl son jesus christ their voluntary acceptance by flie he church establishes them as the doctrines doctrin ts of tue church no matter how true right and divine they may be in and of themselves they are not the doctrines of the ibe church until accepted hy by tile the Cli church it is tha same nith alith the church authorities gud god confers the priesthood for it comes from him it 1 14 divine an authority t arity but that authority most b voluntarily recognized by tae me church before it can be exercised therein at the of the tha church joseph smith and oliver cowdery bad to be accepted as elders by the meia bers bere composing the body before they could act in that capacity to the C church burch although they had bad been called by the voice of god and ordained to the apostleship by heavenly messengers toe one of the earliest revelations to the C hurch upon the subject of church government I 1 given la Is april low 0 o no person is to be ordained to any office in this church where there is a tegu regularly barly organ organized fied branch of the same without the vote of 0 that church the elders aref are to io receive theirly their licenses from other elders by vote of the church to which thy belong or from the conferences I 1 poc doc A man may be a prophet called bod and endowed with all the gift an powers of a moses and yet until accepted by the body of the ChUr churgan charch gah 00 h cannot preside over them in an any ca opacity it is the right of the people to say bay whether they will have trave him to pre ride ide over them or not the conse quinces lu paces of rejecting him will of course he be theirs prophets sent of god have been rejected time and again by bv the people to whom they were ware sent I 1 even yen jeans the christ came to MR hi own 40 am his bis own received him not he WM wax the son of god but they were not compelled to accept him on oil the of january 1641 1841 a reve wien lien was given in n the lord jord named and ove gave to the church its general authorities from joseph to be a presiding eldera translator a revelator a seer and a prophet down through all the grades of vie the priesthood to the deacons quorum but the right of the church to their voice in the matter was thus divinely recognized id a 46 commandment I 1 give unto 44 ahyou you should fall 11 all these offices 0 me ces apa babat I 1 prove approve qt of those names w which b I 1 ive e mentioned lention mentioned ed ow 01 else disapprove disappio v e of my general 1 doc oc md coy sec gee this to is thoo democratic and corresponds with the general rule role laid down for the government of the ahu rob lathe beginning in july 1880 1830 1 in n a revelation the lord said and all things shall be done dene by common consent in the church by much prayer and faith for or all things you hall receive by faith doc and cov see bravi alce a year at the general conferences the church authorities are pre P MW for the vote of the body of the ca burch h some may regard this as a am aare form im but it is a solemn real reality alty h li very er T act ol 01 of calling tor for both at aiice lve and add lie negative daive votes on every ayn t I 1 announcement llin of ts ol 01 t ao 70 f the members fa ile ti if ain an n op oki eai orVele ri c action buonis t we aeu on e officers agte t the e W t wa fit SW d andward and ward Vard organizations iza to 0 bishop appointed pointed without the vote of th the e people vie mong among whom he is to officiate should come from G god od of alg D his bis authority sod and the accept acceptance ance deetion should be freely manifee by the people specially interested in the councils of the priesthood breedom baido m of expression is or ought to box en cou Qu raged the rights of all are eted ed b by h heaven eave n and due provi made ma L e to for or their exercise on eh it if I 1 adt true thattie mor theay t tt erice df a dan so in t the e is the 0 I 1 the lord iterations by C to the church come 4 0 tv i ought the man upheld and sus by the body as the president NUO alone holds the keys of that a au by the will of gad and the he common consent of the church and he be holds no BO absolute irresponsible and arbitrary powers 14 the church does not receive what he brings forth he be has no power to compel their action even as lie he has no power to force their belief the very idea of compulsion tyran ay coercion ot of any kind is foreign to the genius ot mormonism ll 11 it if any man holding authority has attempted to exercise it by torce he be has gone astray from the spirit of his hid callino ane gospel is a perfect law of liberty the church has rules roles regulations ions discipline but bat they have been adopted hy common consent those who will not be governed by them can go outside the church and act as they please no one will compel thern them to act as the church discipline requires or prevent their withdrawal there are church courts or councils tor for the settlement of individual difficulties trans sors but the utmost penalty they can enforce Is excommunication they cannot tine fine or imprison or in any way in with the ahe liberty of the offender in political affairs the church cuts no figure as an organization its presiding officers however can give their advice upon any matter affecting the welfare of the members fly by tion they have been commanded to uphold all constitutional laws of the land and to seek and SU AMU for public office good men and wise men duty duly they have a legal right righta W perform they claim no other the voting po poyer power yer of the people is atee under the local laws a strictly secret ballot protects that f freedom reedo na beyond rational cavil influential denof men of the church chuich have their rights as citizens in common with others and one of those rightie right is the choice of men for office and the free expression of that choice but bat they do not attempt to force their views upon others nor pretend that they have the right to do so by virtue of any ecclesiastical authority either held or assumed here is the word of the lord in regard to the powers ol of the priesthood pt lest hood which they hold as mandatory inand alory upon them and as prohibitory ol of the exercise of any species of d despotism ano no power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood Priest hodd only by persuasion by long suffering oy gentleness and mee meekness guess and by love unfeigned b by kind kindness dess and pure knowledge which chic shall greatly enlarge thy soul without hypocrisy and without guile the theory then the doctrine the genius of ai mormon Mor church govern ment is not in any sense absolutism or the role of a ier few over the marly by priestly dictation it is in very deed nd ad truth a ebeo democracy and power po war I 1 a in the hands of the body bod of the people to have just juat such frast presiding ing 0 tal officers aers and a such C h re ra s a as they y w aul wul but they he believe ineve in the rev revelations elat iori given tar or their guidance lance and have fa faith t that at when it bie becomes comes necessary the lord will manifest again through the appointed bead whom they reco recognize guize in that capacity such things as are not already r revealed e tor for their church government when such revelation comes it if they receive it as TI divine vine the faithful al amon among them will endeavor to carry it into e effect A act but all retain their agency and can receive or reject as they may choose the resli result it of 0 their sets acts will be according to ta tbell deserts without itsou thie the ower ol of agency there could be pw ast judgment for or the deeds done in the tt ke body reward itaw ard and punishments are predicated qu on this power ower there is nothing in the church t to arrest or curtail cartall its exercise and therefore eyers mormon is frie free he is free in filth faith free to in works tree free in religion free in politics and if he be jives hyes by bi lil screed he is tree from everything that brings the soul into inta bon bond 1 ag age he will be glad and thankful to re receive C ejiu e I 1 ivine divine guidance and to render reader cheerful obedience to the decrees of heaven gat but in doing so he will exercise that agency wh i C hj 6 his abts right as an in telli te lUgent n s ib le beng and not in gema the op spirit t of oo 00 bondage e as a 4 s serf rf lie is a son SOB of god an T heir ei r 0 of f salvation salvat ioa sad and his desire is to b be e onedith one with the father living and acting in harmony with the divine ivine spirit and the divine purpose for in that la Is the greatest present loy joy and the assurance ot of everlasting happiness and glory in worlds without end |
