Discourse

I will read a few words from Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians: ¶

Wherefore he saith. When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. ¶

(Now that he ascended, what it is but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? ¶

He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) ¶

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; ¶

For the perfecting of the saints, for the working of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: ¶

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: ¶

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to receive; ¶

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. ¶

In these words Paul sets forth with great plainness the reasons why there should be Apostles and Prophets in the Church of Christ. They were necessary, he says, to bring the Saints to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of the Son of God. When this Church was organized it had in it Apostles; it had the Priesthood. It is a remarkable thing that the Prophet Joseph Smith, although gifted by the Lord with revelations and with power to translate the Book of Mormon, and though he had received the ministration of angels, and had even been permitted to behold the Father and the Son, yet he never presumed to officiate in any of the ordinances of the gospel until he was ordained. One might think, that, having had such high privileges and blessings bestowed upon him, he would have thought he had the authority to administer the simple ordinance of baptism. But he did not. He awaited the bestowal of the authority. And he received it—not from man, because there was not a man on the face of the earth that we know of that held the authority, but from a messenger of God, endowed with the power to bestow the authority. John the Baptist came and announced himself as the servant of God who held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, being a literal descendant of Aaron, by virtue of which authority he had baptized the Son of God int he waters of Jordan. This heavenly messenger came qualified in every way to bestow upon the men to whom he was sent the authority to baptize. Could there be any more suitable personage thought of than the one who had baptized the immaculate Son of God himself? Concerning him Jesus said, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” Yet John the Baptist never did any miracles. But what greater honor could a man have than to come in the flesh and baptize the Son of God? That holy being, I say, came and laid his hands upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and ordained them to the Aaronic Priesthood, by virtue of which they had authority to baptize. Then there was something else needed. John said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” Though John had the authority to baptize the Son of God, he did not have the authority to baptize with “the Holy Ghost and with fire.” He did not have the authority to confirm upon men and women the Holy Ghost, but he said that one should come after him with that power—referring to Jesus. Jesus ordained men, He himself having been ordained. We do not have the full account of what Jesus received; but we know that angels administered unto Him, and He did not presume to act in the ministry, though He was the Son of God and the Redeemer of the world, until He had been ordained to that authority. You remember what took place in the transfiguration on the mount. He was there ministered to by heavenly beings, and He and they doubtless ministered to Peter, James John. He ordained twelve Apostles, and sent them forth as witnesses with the same power and authority which He himself had received. In speaking to them on one occasion, He said, in answer to a question put by Peter: “Ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Although they were the intimate companions of the Son of God, they did not go forth until He had ordained them to the authority which He himself had exercised. He selected these twelve out of the disciples that followed Him and gave unto them the Apostleship, by the authority of which they were able to do all that Paul said the Apostles should do—to regulate the affairs of the Church, to teach sound doctrine, to be, in fact, revelators, prophets and seers, when the occasion should demand it; to possess all the gifts that God gives to man in the flesh. They were ordained to this, and until they were they did not presume to go forth and minister in the authority among the children of men. But when they received this authority they went forth, accompanied by mighty power; and they cast out devils, healed the sick, and performed many wonderful works in the name of the Lord and through the authority which they had received from Him. While the Church was under their guidance the members thereof were not carried about by every wind of doctrine. They were not deceived by the sleight of men, nor their cunning craftiness. They knew that while they followed the guidance of these inspired and divinely-authorized men, there was no danger of division or strife; but they were led to the unity of the faith. Therefore, in the last days, God being about to restore His Church in its primitive purity and power to the earth, He deemed it necessary to bestow the Apostleship once more upon men. After the Aaronic Priesthood had been conferred, therefore, and John the Baptist had transmitted that power (which had been taken from the earth through the wickedness of men and the shedding of the blood of those who bore it) again to the earth, others came from the mansions of bliss and committed to men once more in the flesh the keys and the authority which they had held when they were in the flesh, and which keys and authority were necessary to complete the great work of God in the last days. The Lord, when he was upon the earth, said unto Peter, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Peter, James and John were the three presiding High Priests over the Church of Christ, after the Savior’s departure; and these three Apostles descended from the mansions of glory and laid their hands upon the heads of these two young servants of God in this day and ordained them to the authority which they held, committing unto them all the keys and powers of Priesthood which they had received in their day, and which had not been transmitted by them to any others, because of the wickedness of the children of men. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were ordained to the Apostleship of the Son of God by Peter and his fellow Apostles, and thus was restored to the earth once more that great authority and glorious power which the Son of God had bestowed when in the flesh. I doubt not that the angelic hosts rejoiced and every heart that surrounded the throne of God was gladdened at the thought that once more on earth were men the eternal authority of the everlasting Priesthood, by means of which men should be led from the lowest depths of ignorance and sin back into the presence of the Great Eternal! No doubt peans of joy resounded throughout the vaulted heavens when that event took place; for it was an event pregnant with more importance to the children of men than any which had taken place since the days of the Savior. When that authority was restored in its fulness, then the Church was organized. Men and women were baptized and received the Holy Ghost, and officers were ordained in the Church. The organization was not completed all at once; but the authority to complete the organization was there, and as the Saints increased in numbers, so the organization of the Church increased in perfection, each officer being appointed and ordained as the necessity arose for that office to be filled. ¶

Now, it was a new thing in the earth. It startled Christendom. Up to that time no one had pretended to say—at least very few—that there was not all necessary authority on the earth. The religious world looked to the Bible. They asserted that it contained the entire word of God. Nothing more was necessary. God had completed the canon of scripture. There would be no more revelation from Him. Everything had been given that was necessary for man’s salvation. And the inference was that God, having done this, had retired from any active participation in the affairs of the earth, and had left the whole business to men. Therefore, it was a startling declaration to have anyone say that God himself, accompanied by His Son jesus Christ, had revealed himself to man once more; and equally startling was the statement that angels had come, and that the authority of the Priesthood had been restored again to the earth. These were astounding declarations to the great bulk of the people. Of course, there were honest souls who rejoiced at this proclamation. They had been searching for the truth. Dissatisfied with the existing order of things, they were yearning for the restoration of that power, and were anxious to find men who held and exercised it. Therefore, their hearts were gladdened by the intelligence that God had spoken. It was almost too good to believe. But they investigated it. They prayed unto the Father about it. The result was, they received testimonies concerning it, and embraced the Gospel. But at that day—sixty-four years ago—there were very few men in Christendom who dared to say that God would speak from the heavens, or who believed that such a thing was possible. Revelation from God was a thing of the past. It belonged to ages anterior to this. The ministers of religion contented themselves by making these statements. ¶

How was this new declaration received? Let me call your attention to this. During the first persecution against the Saints of God in Jackson County, one of the main charges made by the mob was that Joseph Smith was accepted by the “Mormons” as a prophet, and that they believe in revelation from God. It was about as strong an appeal as could be made to the prejudices of the age, to arouse intense hostility against the people. This shows how the people felt at that time. But I heard Joseph Smith predict that the day would come when there would be false spirits go forth among the children of men and that they would deceive them. I remember on one occasion his speaking about the false prophet that should call down fire from heaven, and he warned the people in the most impressive and solemn manner against being deceived by these works that should be wrought to deceive the children of men. It was only two years after his death that spirit rapping commenced in Rochester, New York. We had been driven out here in the wilderness, and we did not know much that was transpiring in the eastern world. But I happened, while on the Sandwich Islands in 1851, to get hold of a book that had been issued by spiritualists, and I was surprised at the manner in which they presented their claims to the public. Arguments that our Elders used they had taken and revamped, so to speak, and adapted them to their ideas. A more deceptive book in the interests of falsehood and false doctrine could not, in my opinion, have been published. And from that day until the present, belief in spiritual agencies and manifestations has spread and increased, until at the present time there is scarcely a person to be found who does not believe that there is something connected with man that he can use to bring him into close and intimate relation with the spirit world. Since that day there has been a wonderful stride taken in this direction. The world has been progressing—if that can be called progress—in a most remarkable manner. Theories that prevailed with the Gospel was revealed and the Priesthood of the Son of God was restored have been discarded, and today the popular magazines are filled with communications concerning these occult powers that are being brought to light. Talk to men about dreams and visions and spiritual manifestations, and they admit that such things are possible; but they cannot explain them. ¶

This is one of the results that followed the revelation of the Gospel and the bestowal of the authority of the Holy Priesthood. The doctrines taught by the elders have had their effect. They have been received, to a greater or less extent, in the world, without the source from which they came being acknowledged. I hear that there are advocates of what is called Christian Science in our midst. I hear that they creep into our houses and lead silly women astray by telling them of wonderful things that can be done by means of Christian Science. A few days ago a father came to me and told me about two of his daughters, one of whom had been afflicted and had been told by some of these persons how she might be cured. Now, that is a comparatively new doctrine in the world. it was not heard of until the Church of Christ was organized. We taught this, and were persecuted for teaching it. Every kind of obloquy was thrust upon us, because we believed that there was a power, which God would give to those who obeyed His commandments, that would result in the healing of the sick, the casting out of devils, and other miraculous things. But a great change has come over men. Satan has been busy. Men say, as the Book of Mormon says they would in the last days, that there is no hell, and no devil. Satan is whispering this into the ears of the children of men; and today there are thousands of people who do not believe that there is any hell, or any personal devil. Nevertheless, there is a personal devil, just as sure as there is a personal God. He has not a tabernacle; but he is a living entity, and he is endeavoring to destroy the work of God by producing imitations of it and showing unto the inhabitants of the earth that they can obtain power without obeying the laws of God. Wherever spiritualism has a foothold faith in God decreases. Whenever you see a Latter-day Saint begin to dabble in spiritualism, you will find that he begins to doubt the atonement of the Savior and the redemption wrought out by the shedding of His blood, and the doctrine of the resurrection of the body. These are signs that accompany spiritualism. Satan is laboring with all his might to lead men and women to these conclusions, binding them in chains to darkness and leading them down to everlasting destruction. It is the same with Christian Science, whose doctrines are being insidiously spread throughout the country. They are publishing books and circulating them gratuitously and endeavoring to undermine the faith of the people in the ordinances of the Gospel and in the words of Jesus contained in the New Testament. They tell the sick not to believe they are sick, to exercise their will power, and to consider sickness as imaginary; and we are told they are doing mighty works in healing the people. I would not be surprised at that, because I know that Satan is almost capable of deceiving the very elect. I believe that Satan can make himself appear to those who cannot discern, as an angel of light; and if he has that power, he has power also to deceive men and women in the flesh by performing mighty works. Was not this done in the days of Moses? Was not Pharaoh’s heart hardened by the works of the magicians? He did not believe that Moses and Aaron were servants of God, but that they had a little more skill perhaps than his magicians had. So it is now. Satan is capable of deceiving the people. ¶

I want in this conference, before we separate, to lift my voice in warning to the people of God against these insidious advances—against spiritualism, against Christian Science and against all such isms, however much they may profess to be of God. I hear that men who claim to be the Reorganized Church say that they have power to work miracles. Perhaps they have; but that is not evidence of the divinity of their cause, or that they are the authorized servants of God. This evidence is to be found, my brethren and sisters, in the blessings that God bestows upon His people. Read the words that I have read in your hearing. Remember them. The Apostleship has been placed in this Church to lead men to the unity of the faith. That is what Paul said in ancient days concerning the Apostleship. What have been its fruits today? What have been the fruits that have attended the restoration of the Apostleship in this Church? Has it not led all who have been guided by it to the unity of the faith? Latter-day Saints here assembled from almost every nation of Christendom, what do you say? Has not the Apostleship restored by the ministrations of holy angels to the earth, brought you from the ends of the earth to the unity of the faith in this land? Where will you find a people more united? Nowhere. That is one of its fruits. Another is, it is for the perfecting of the Saints. I leave it to the Latter-day Saints to say whether the teachings and the labors of the Apostles in your midst have not led to great perfection among you. You are our witnesses and God’s witnesses to this; for you know for yourselves whether these have been the results that have followed or not. If you have followed the teachings of the Apostles, you have not been carried about by every wind of doctrine; nor have you been deceived by the cunning craftiness of men. None of you have been misled in this way. But you have been guarded against this. God has placed Apostles int he Church for this express purpose. They are not self-chosen. God knows, and you know, that those who bear the Apostleship have not sought this authority. Do you think that we are presided over by a man who has sought this office of himself? We all know the man too well to suppose that Wilford Woodruff would ever, if he had lived to the age of Methusaleh, have put forward his hand to guide this work of our God. God has preserved his life and spared him to this people, clothed with the Apostleship of the Son of God to lead the people, just as He did John Taylor, just as He did Brigham Young, and the others who have been associated with them. I appeal to you, ye Latter-day Saints, in conference assembled, to know whether these are not truths that I am speaking; whether you have not had in your midst the evidences of the divine origin of this work and of the authority which presides over this Church. God has borne testimony to this by the fruits that have followed our ministrations. I include myself, although I consider myself unworthy to be in the ranks of these men. God has blessed the people in listening to the counsels of His servants. He has brought us to these mountains and built up a mighty people here. We have erected temples, and have gone into them and performed ordinances which God has revealed. Where else can you find these things upon the face of the earth? By whom are such doctrines taught? What would you do for your dead, if it were not for the light that God has revealed through the Apostleship concerning the plan of salvation for the dead? The whole world is groping in darkness regarding these matters. They cannot tell what shall be done with the heathen, or with those who have died in ignorance of the Gospel of Christ. Yet they teach that there is no other name given under heaven whereby man can be saved, excepting the name of Jesus. Already some ministers of Christendom are rejecting the doctrine that salvation is confined to those alive, thus following in the wake of the teachings of the servants of God. But how shall we know these things if the heavens are as brass over our heads, and if there is to be no communication from God to man? “Oh,” says one, “we might receive it, if it came from some other source than it does.” Now, it is a peculiar feature of the work of God in all ages that He chose men for this purpose. He did not send angels to minister unto all men; but He chose men to minister unto their fellow men. The prophets are men, and full of failings and frailties. Even the Son of God, perfect as He was, was not recognized among men as divine. Now, God has chosen men in this day. Although they may feel unworthy of such high honor, and that He could have chosen probably better  instruments, nevertheless God has chosen them, and He will honor them in the eyes of the people, if they will be humble. He will make them His mouthpieces to declare unto the children of men His word and will. He will fill them with the Holy Ghost, and the people who listen to them will be led in the path of salvation, and be delivered from the many evils that are coming upon the inhabitants of the earth. ¶

My brethren and sisters, these are solemn truths. I would like to arouse faith in your hearts. I say to you that the sick can be healed, and are healed, in this Church, and the prayer of faith is heard. The proper way for people to receive an answer to their prayers and to have the blessings attend that are desired, is to obey the ordinances of the Gospel. Do not go straying after false gods. Do not be looking after those who have no authority, but are false guides; for I tell you that they will lead those who follow them down to destruction. I do not care how holy they may profess to be; I do not care how many miracles they may profess to perform; I do not care though they may be the sons of the holiest men that ever trod upon the earth, if they do not keep within the lines which God has prescribed, I tell you that they will lead those who follow them to destruction. I bear testimony to this, and am responsible for it. It is not miracles that are the sole evidence of the truth of anything. We have been taught that from the beginning. But it is the spirit and power of God when it poured out upon the people, uniting their hearts, filling them with love, prompting them to confess their sins one to another, and to the Lord. These are the fruits that we see in these valleys among the people who keep the commandments of God. When you hear men begin to doubt, and say, “Well, I don’t know about this, or that,” it is an evidence that they are in the dark; for if they would live in the light God would bear testimony to them by the power of the Holy Ghost concerning these things. I therefore say to all who are here, if any of you have felt in your hearts that you would follow what I call false gods—false lights, false teachers; if any of you have felt to weaken in your attachment to the work of God and to entertain doubts concerning its validity—I ask you this afternoon to repent truly and sincerely of that, and turn to God with full purpose of heart and with a determination to serve Him all the rest of your days. If you ever had the love of God in your hearts, and that inexpressible joy that God gives unto those who keep His commandments, you know it is sweeter than the sweetest honeycomb. There is nothing on earth sweeter than the spirit of God when it is enjoyed by a humble Latter-day Saint. And God has placed this within our reach. He has opened a fountain to us at which we may drink until our souls are filled to overflowing. I say to you that Satan would tell you nineteen miracles to get you to accept one untruth and to take a wrong step. That is the kind of power he exercises. Do not be deceived, my brethren and sisters. Try the spirits, and see whether they are of God or not. Cling to the authority of the Priesthood, which God sent. His messengers to bestow upon man. If you do so, I will assure you, as a servant of God, you will be led back into the presence of God and the Lamb, there to dwell eternally and to receive that glorious reward which He has promised unto the faithful. God grant unto us that we may receive this, that we may never step a single inch from the path which He has marked out, nor do a thing that will grieve the Spirit of God, from this time henceforth and forever. Amen. ¶