28 A plesant Morning I spent the day in the offices the forenoon with
President Youndg, Wells, Carrington, & R. L. Campbell. tA Carrington
read the conference minutes and a sermon of President Young deliv[er]ed
at the conference in Nauvoo Oct 1844 The minutes of this sermon
was compiled or written & furnished by Wm Clayton which done
great injustice to the subject. President Young gave a vary interesting
and instructive discourse upon the organization of the Church the power
of the priesthood the authority & duties of the various Quorums from
the deacon to the presidency But Brother Clayton in reporting it gave
a small portion of the sermon in detached sentences which gave an
Entire different meaning from what was intended Hence President
Young had to remoadle the sckeleton of the sermon before us After the
Prophet Joseph died, the Question was asked how will the Church exist
and be governed now the Prophet is dead. will the Twelve lead if so
can they get Revelation. President Young took up this subject & showed what
the privliges were of all the Saints from the least to the greatest. all saints male
and female have the privilege of revelation, of inspiration, the spirit of God
the Holy Ghost. all saints should live in the spirit of revelation. A Priest
after the order of Aaron holds the keys of the Administering of Angels
will Angels administer to a man and visit him & not reveal any thing
to him No. then if Priests can have revelation cannot Apostles
yes. Evry part of the Melchezedeck Priesthood from an Elder to
the Presidency of the Church have a right to receive Revelations
From the face of the Lord direct without the Administration of
an Angel. Both Priesthoods are divided into classes as helps in the
government of God. Elders Belong to the Melchezedek priesthood, as Deakons
& teachers do to the arAaronic priesthood High Priests are for Presidents
to preside over different Branches & stakes & to administer in all the
ordinances of the Melchezedek Priesthood The Seventies are special
witnesses or& apostles to go into all the world to preach the gospel unto all
Nations to Build up the kingdom of God, & Esstablish churches in all
the Earth under the direction of the Twelve Apostles they should call upon
the High Priest to come & preside over the Branches after they are built up
a Quorum of ^70^ Apostles when united are Equal in authority to the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles. [Doctrine and Covenants 107:25-26] The Twelve Apostles or traveling council are to be
special witnnessese of the name of Christ in all the world they are Equal in athhority
in there decissions to the Presidency of the Church they are to preside in all
the world whare the three first Presidency are not. [Doctrine and Covenants 107:23-24] The three first
Presidency preside over the whole Church & administer in all the
ordinances of the Church, which consists of a president & his
two councellors the President of the Church holds the keys of the
sealing powers & his secouncil act in concert with him in all things
should the presidency die The Twelve could organize anorter Presidency
& should the Presidency & Twelve all be slain, the seventies being
Equal in power & Authority to the Twelve or first Presidency could
organize both Quorums. A Bishop has two councellors there
is no difference in the authority of his councillors the 2nd has as much
authority as the first A Bishop should have his councilers with him
on the trial of a case in order to make it Legal as it takes three to make
a Quorum. The High Priest could organize the Church in all its
parts if all other Authorities were dead for they have the Melchezedk
Priesthood out of which grow all of the Higher offices of the Church
An Apostle is the highest office in the Church & kingdom of God Joseph
Smith was a Prophet Seer & Revelator before he was baptized or
ordained, to the arAaronic Priesthood or had any Authority to adm-
inister in one of the ordinances of the house of the Lord He was afterw[ar]ds
ordained to the aAaronic Priesthood then to the Melchezedek priesthood
& Apostleship which is the highest office in the Church & kingdom
of God on Earth. when a man is ordained to the Apostleship &
keys thereoff if he dies in faith He will hold those keys to all Eternity
all the Prophets APatriarchs & Apostles who ever did or ever will
hold the keys of the Apostleship if faithful unto death will hold
them forever President Young was an Elder when he was ord[ai]ned
to be one of the Twelve Apostles some asked the Question how He
could officiate as an High Priest not having previsously been ord[ai]ned
a High Priest Joseph Said the Apostleship covered all the offices
of the High Priesthood, the same as a private member ord[ai]ned a
High Priest could officiate as a Deakon Teacher Priest or Elder
President Young said "I ordained most of the two or three first
Quorums of the Seventies and Joseph gave me vary particular
instructions to ordain them all High Priests which I did when
a man is ordained an High Priest Seventy or one of the Twelve He
can officiate in all the lesser offices of the Church whether He has been
ordained to that office or not. when I met with the Saints in
Nauvoo at the first meeting after Josephs death in defending
the true organization aga[in]st Sidney Rigdon I had it in my mind
all the time that there would have to be a presidency of three
Appointed but I knew the people could not bear it at the
time and on our return as the pioneers from the valley I
Broached the subject first to Brother Woodruff and afterwords
to the rest of the Quorum they received it & finally sustained it
I spent the afternoon in the office Journalizing
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