Succession in the Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Part 11

On March 8th, 1833, the Lord said to Joseph Smith:

Verily, I say unto you, the keys of this kingdom shall never be taken from you, while thou art in the world, neither in the world to come; nevertheless, through you shall the oracles be given unto another yea, _even to the church!_[A]

[Footnote A: The _italics_ are mine. R. Doc. and Cov., sec. xc.]

Joseph and Hyrum, then, did not take with them the "oracles" of G.o.d necessary to make the church efficient in accomplis.h.i.+ng the work that G.o.d designed it to perform. Though the keys given to the prophet were never to be taken from him, either in this world or that which is to come--though for ever he is to stand as the President of the great dispensation of the fullness of times--yet the keys of authority and power committed to his hands may be given to another, "even to the church," not to his posterity, mark you.

This revelation makes it easy to believe that there was inspiration in the declaration of Brigham Young, uttered when he heard for the first time of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. He was at Peterboro, N. H., when the sad intelligence reached him:--

The first thing that I thought of was whether Joseph had taken the keys of the kingdom with him from the earth. Brother Orson Pratt sat on my left, we were both leaning back in our chairs. Bringing my hand down on my knee, I said, _the keys of the kingdom are right here with the church_.[A]

[Footnote A: Brigham Young, quoted by Tullidge. See Life of Brigham Young, p. 106.]

In line also with this revelation under consideration is the testimony of the spirit of G.o.d to Parley P. Pratt. This elder while making his way on foot across the prairies of Illinois towards Nauvoo, bowed down with grief at the loss of Joseph and Hyrum, heard the spirit of G.o.d say:

Lift up your head and rejoice, for behold it is well with my servants Joseph and Hyrum. My servant Joseph still holds the keys of my kingdom in this dispensation, and he shall stand in due time on the earth, in the flesh, and fulfill that to which he is appointed. Go and say to my people in Nauvoo that they shall continue to pursue their daily duties, and take care of themselves, and make no movement in church government to organize or alter anything until the return of the remainder of the quorum of the Twelve; but exhort them that they continue to build up the house of the Lord, which I have commanded them to build in Nauvoo.[A]

[Footnote A: Autobiography P. P. Pratt, p. 361.]

The keys had not been taken from Joseph--he is yet to stand on the earth and fulfill all that is appointed to him--the work which under G.o.d he had founded was to go on, is the significance of this message of the spirit.

A carping criticism may ask: How can Joseph Smith forever stand at the head of the dispensation of the fullness of times, never have the keys of authority thereof taken from him, and yet give those keys or oracles to another, "even to the church"--how can this thing be? It can be upon the same principle that G.o.d can give his power to men, even the priesthood, and yet not diminish aught from his own power: Upon the same principle that Jesus could say to Peter, "I give unto you the keys of the kingdom, and whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,"[A] and yet Jesus lose nothing in dignity of office, in authority, or the possession of keys. Upon the same principle that Peter, James and John, (whom John the Baptist declared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery possessed the keys of the priesthood of Melchisedek,) could give the keys of the priesthood of Melchisedek to Joseph Smith, and yet not strip themselves of them. So Joseph Smith could give the keys or oracles of the priesthood to the church and still hold them--giving the keys to the Twelve more especially, and yet stand in his place, without losing one iota of power ever conferred upon him. It is a case where the one possessing keys of power and authority can give and not diminish his own store; but even increase it more abundantly, being made richer the more he gives, when bestowing upon those who are worthy to receive such high things; even as G.o.d increases the ever widening circle of his own power by giving that power--the priesthood--to his faithful sons.

[Footnote A: Matt. xvi.]

It now remains for me to prove that the prophet Joseph did give the "oracles to another"--and that they remained with the church.

On the 7th of August, 1844, at a meeting of the Twelve Apostles, high council of the Nauvoo stake, and high priests, held in the Seventies'

Hall, in a speech following one made by Sidney Rigdon, Brigham Young, speaking of the Twelve, said:

Joseph conferred upon our heads all the keys and powers belonging to the apostles.h.i.+p which he himself held before he was taken away, and no man or set of men can get between Joseph and the Twelve in this world or the world to come. How often has Joseph said to the Twelve, "I have laid the foundation and you must build thereon, for upon your shoulders the kingdom rests."[A]

[Footnote A: Hist. Joseph Smith, _Mill. Star_, Vol. XXV, p. 232.]

In his speech in behalf of the claims of the Twelve Apostles to lead the church, on that memorable day, the 8th of August, 1844, Brigham Young said:

I say unto you that the quorum of the Twelve have the keys of the kingdom of G.o.d in all the world.

... . You[A] cannot appoint a prophet; but if you will let the Twelve remain and act in their place, the keys of the kingdom are with them and they can manage the affairs of the church and direct in all things aright.[B]

[Footnote A: The saints.]

[Footnote B: History of Joseph Smith, _Mill. Star_, p. 215-6.]

Whence this confidence on the part of Brigham Young before the church to make so bold a declaration that the keys of the kingdom were still with the church--held more especially by the Twelve? It arose from the fact that the prophet Joseph had committed those keys to the Twelve.

Elder Woodruff, writing from Salem, Ma.s.s., under date of October 11th, 1844, at a time when the claims of Sidney Rigdon were still agitated, said:

Has the prophet Joseph found Elder Rigdon in his counsels when he organized the quorum of the Twelve, a few months before his death, to prepare them for their endowment? And when they received their endowment, and actually received the keys of the Kingdom of G.o.d, and the oracles of G.o.d, keys of revelation, and the pattern of heavenly things; and thus addressing the Twelve, exclaimed, "upon your shoulders the kingdom rests, and you must round up your shoulders, and bear it; for I have had to do it until now. But now the responsibility rests upon you. It mattereth not what becomes of me."[A]

[Footnote A: _Times and Seasons_, Vol. V, p. 698.]

That was when Wilford Woodruff was a young man; let us hear him forty-eight years' later, when he stood up under the weight of eighty-five years and in the presence of a large congregation said:

I remember the last speech that he [Joseph the prophet] ever gave us before his death. It was before we started upon our mission to the East. He stood upon his feet some three hours. The room was filled as with consuming fire, his face was as clear as amber, and he was clothed upon by the power of G.o.d. He laid before us our duty. He laid before us the fullness of this great work of G.o.d; and in his remarks to us he said: "I have had sealed upon my head every key, every power, every principle of life and salvation that G.o.d has ever given to any man who ever lived upon the face of the earth. And these principles and this Priesthood and power belong to this great and last dispensation which the G.o.d of heaven has set his hand to establish in the earth, "now," said he, addressing the Twelve, "I have sealed upon your heads every key, every power, and every principle which the Lord has sealed upon my head." And continuing he said: "I have lived up to the present time, I have been in the midst of this people and in the great work and labor of redemption. I have desired to live to see this temple [the Nauvoo temple] built. But I shall never live to see it completed, but you will. After addressing us in this manner he said: "I tell you the burden of this kingdom now rests upon your shoulders; you have got to bear it off in all the world, and if you don't do it you will be d.a.m.ned."[A]

[Footnote A: Remarks of President Woodruff following a discourse on Priesthood and the Right of Succession, by the writer in 1892.--See Appendix.]

The testimony of Wilford Woodruff in his youth is the same as in his old age; the same when a missionary in the eastern states traveling without purse or scrip, as when President of the church of Jesus Christ, honored and loved for his unswerving integrity and truth.

Under date of January 23rd, 1848, President Brigham Young, in a letter to Orson Spencer, President of the British Mission, informing him of the organization of the First Presidency of the church at Winter Quarters in 1848, said:--

Joseph told the Twelve, the year before he died, there is not one key or power to be bestowed on this Church to lead the people into the celestial gate but I have given you, showed you, and talked it over to you, the kingdom is set up, and you have the perfect pattern, you can go and build up the kingdom, and go in at the celestial gate, taking your train with you.[A]

[Footnote A: _Mill. Star_, Vol. X, p. 115.]

And now for a testimony from the "enemy's" camp that the Twelve were the proper persons to lead the church, after the prophet Joseph's death:

NOTICE!!!

After mature and candid deliberation I am fully and satisfactorily convinced that Mr. Sidney Rigdon's claims to the Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are not founded in Truth. I have been deceived by his specious pretences, and now feel to warn every one over whom I have any influence to beware of him, and his pretended visions and revelations. _The Twelve are the proper persons to lead the church._[A]

WILLIAM MARKS.[B]

NAUVOO, Dec. 9, 1844.

[Footnote A: _Italics_ are mine, R.]

[Footnote B: _Times and Seasons_, Vol. V, p. 742.]

This is that same William Marks who after this testimony became the a.s.sociate of James J. Strang and subsequently was the chief man in ordaining "young Joseph" to be President of the church. He is a type of the character of men who founded the "Reorganized church."

This completes our direct testimony that the keys of authority and power held by the prophet Joseph were not taken from the earth by him, but that he had given them to another, "even to the church," the authority to exercise the powers thereof, after his death, more especially belonging to the Twelve as the highest general presiding quorum in the church in case of the absence, destruction or rejection of the First Presidency. Let it be remembered that all the keys of priesthood which the prophet Joseph held were given to the Twelve; and they from time to time, as occasions required, have given those keys of authority to other worthy men; and thus all the authority, keys of priesthood, and heavenly powers conferred upon the prophet Joseph have been preserved unto the church, and are with it to this day.

The array of testimony presented, taken in connection with the law of the church as given in the revelations of G.o.d, clearly demonstrates that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not disorganized at the death of the prophets Joseph and Hyrum; that such a thing was never contemplated in the work of G.o.d in this dispensation; and since the church has never been disorganized, any organization claiming to be the "Reorganized church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" is a counterfeit, and writes fraud in the very t.i.tle of it.

Now that we draw to the close of our consideration of the claims of this "Reorganized church," we cannot point to its destruction as we have done in the case of Sidney Rigdon's church, William Smith's church and James J. Strang's church; for the Reorganized church still exists. But its doom is written as distinctly as that of the other false churches that we have seen crumble to pieces into shapeless heaps of ruin. It is only a question of time with regard to its failure. MENE, MENE, TEKEL, is written upon its walls--G.o.d hath numbered thy kingdom--weighed in the balances--found wanting!

IX.

_If any man thinks he has influence among this people to lead away a party, let him try it, and he will find out that there is power with the Apostles which will carry them off victorious through all the world, and build up and defend the church and kingdom of G.o.d_.[A]

[Footnote A: History of Joseph Smith, _Mill Star_, Vol. XXV, p. 216.]