July 1, 1866 ISunday mI met with my Quorum in the morning
I Attended meeting in the Bowery John Taylor spoke in
the morning 1 Hour & 25 minutes upon the Gospel In the Afternoon
John Sharp Jr spoke 10 minutes & Wm Jennings 10 minutes then
President Young spoke 1 Hour & 15 minutes At the close of the
meeting I met at the Prayer circle with President Young
John Taylor W. Woodruff G. A. Smith G. Q. Cannon & Joseph
F Smith. John Taylor &Prayed & President Young was mouth
At the close of the Prayer President Young arose from his knees
took off his Apron with the intention of undressing
Of a sudden he stoped & Exclaimed hold on, "shall I
do as I feel led? I always fell well to do as the Spirit
constrains me. It is my mind to Ordain Brother Joseph
F Smith to the Apostleship, and to be one of my Councillors
He then called upon Each one of us for an Expression
of our Feelings and we Individually responded that
it met our Harty approval. we then offered up the signs
of the Priesthood After which Brother Joseph F. Smith
knelt upon the Alter & taking off his cap we laid our
hands upon him, Brother Brigham being mouth & we
repeating after him in the usual Form He said: Brother
Joseph F Smith we lay our hands upon your head in the
name of Jesus Christ and By virtue of the Holy Priesthood
we ordain you to be An Apostle in the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints, And to be a special
witness to the Nations of the Earth. We seal upon your
head all the Authority power & keys of this Holy Apostle-
ship, and we ordain you to be a councillor unto the
First Presidency of the Church & Kingdom of God upon
the Earth These Blessings we seal upon you in the name
of Jesus Christ & By the Authority of the Holy Priesthood
Amen
After the ordination Br Brigham said this is
the first time that any person has been ordained
in this manner, and though right I do not wish
in recording it that it should be written in a way
to lead others to think that this mode is Essential
or the ownly way in which such ordinations can be
performed. He suggested to us that it would be wisdom
for us to keep the fact of this ordination to ourselves
but be sure to record it **After we had finished up
stairs we descended to the Historians office & wrote
this statement which we signed at 20 minutes past 6
oclok of the Afternoon of Sunday July first Eighteen
hundred & sixty six John Taylor Wilford Woodruff
George A Smith & G. Q. Cannon
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At the close of the meeting I met at the Prayer circle with President Young John Taylor W. Woodruff G. A. Smith G. Q. Cannon & Joseph F Smith, John Taylor Prayed & President Young was mouth At the close of the Prayer President Young arose from his knees took off his Apron with the intention of undressing of a sudden he stoped & Exclaimed hold on, [shall I do as I feel led? I always fell well to do as the spirit constrains me. It is my mind to Ordain Brother Joseph F Smith to the Apostleship, and to be one of my Councillors] He then called upon Each one of us for an Expression of our Feelings and we Individually responded that it met our Harty approval, we then offered up the signs of the Priesthood After which Brother Joseph F Smith knelt upon the Altar & taking off his cap we laid our hands upon him, Brother Brigham being mouth & we repeating after him in the usual Form He Said: Brother Joseph F Smith we lay our hands upon your head in the name of Jesus Christ and By virtue of the Holy Priesthood we ordain you to be An Apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, And to be a special witness to the Nations of the Earth. We seal upon your head all the Authority Power & Keys of this Holy Apostle- ship, and we ordain you to be a councillor unto the First Presidency of the Church & Kingdom of God upon the Earth These Blessings we seal upon you in the name of Jesus Christ & By the Authority of the Holy Priesthood Amen
G. A. Smith who traced the History of the Christian Church from the days of Christ and the Apostles through Paganism, Catholicism, Protestant- ism down to our day through all the days of darkness corruption & tradition & clearly showed that the purity of the gospel of Christ with all of its gifts & gracies was done away
