The Unique Nature and Record of Church History

My brethren and sisters, the subject that I shall touch upon will perhaps be unique in its nature, and may differ somewhat from the principles touched upon by the other speakers, and yet it will be a part of the great whole, and I think you will be pleased to be reminded of one of the many little duties that devolves upon every individual in the Church. ¶

We have been called to occupy different positions in the Church and appointed to labor in different callings ; but if we only do that which the Lord wants us to do, and go to with all our heart, mind and strength, the Lord will be pleased with us and our efforts, and bless us accordingly. It is so with the Twelve Apostles, whose duty it is to preach the Gospel in all the world ; it is so with the Seventies who are assistants to the Twelve. And the same can be said of the High Priests and other officers who preside at home, and those who are engaged in other labors. We all work for the upbuilding of Zion. ¶

Your humble servant has for many years been engaged in record-making— in culling from the old records and gathering from original sources the history of this people. I hold in my hand a copy of a little work, entitled the Pearl of Great Price, which among other things, contains the Book of Abraham. In that book I find it recorded that Abraham was in possession of certain records, and that by the perusal of these records he learned that he was entitled to the Holy Priesthood. With this understanding he sought diligently the God of his fathers, so that he might be ordained to that Priesthood. And he did not seek in vain, because Abraham was a righteous man, and the Lord was pleased to take him away from his father's country (where the people, including his own kindred, had sunk into idolatry) and make him a stranger in a land that afterwards became the inheritance of his descendants. This item of history is one of the first we have on record in regard to the Holy Priesthood. Abraham found from the record in his possession that he was entitled to that priesthood which had been given to the earth through Father Adam, and which had come down in a direct line from the father of all mankind to Abraham's own day, and Abraham was entitled to receive it, and he did receive it, as we find recorded. ¶

According to a revelation contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord, in speaking of the Patriarchial Priesthood, says : ¶

"This order was instituted in the days of Adam and came down by lineage in the following manner : ¶

"From Adam to Seth, who was ordained by Adam at the age of 69 years, and was blessed by him three years previous to his (Adam's) death, and received the promise of God by his father, that his posterity should be the chosen of the Lord, and that they should be preserved unto the end of the earth, "Because he (Seth )was a perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father's, insomuch that he seemed to be like unto his father in all things, and could be distinguished from him only by his age. ¶

"Enos was ordained at the age of 134 years and four months, by the hand of Adam. ¶

"God called upon Cainan in the wilderness, in the fortieth year of his age, and he met Adam in journeying to the place Shedolamak. He was 87 years old when he received his ordination. ¶

"Mahalaleel was 496 years and seven days old when he was ordained by the hand of Adam, who also blessed him. ¶

"Jared was 200 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam, who also blessed him. ¶

"Enoch was 25 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam, and he was 65 and Adam blessed him. ¶

"And he saw the Lord, and he walked with him, and was before his face continually ; and he walked with God 365 years, making him 430 years old when he was translated. ¶

"Methuselah was 100 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam. ¶

"Lamech was 32 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Seth. ¶

"Noah was 10 years old when he was ordained under the hand of Methuselah."—(Doc. & Cov., 106 : 41-52.) Shem, the son of Noah, was cotemporary with Abraham ; hence, the ordination of Abraham to the Priesthood that his fathers held could easily take place, according to the order which had been ordained by God from the beginning. ¶

By way of further illustration I will refer you to another item of record. I find in the history of the Jews, as recorded in the Bible, a passage that I desire to read; for I would like to make a deep and lasting impression upon you in regard to the importance of keeping records. Here is a brief history of the return of the children of Israel from the Babylonian captivity. It describes how and when they returned, and how many there were in each tribe or family who came back to their homes from which they had been absent for seventy years. But there were some of them, who, on their return, found themselves in a peculiar dilemma, and if you will listen to this — the 2nd chapter of Ezra, the 61st and 62nd verses — you will understand what that dilemma was : ¶

"And of the children of the Priests ; the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai (which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai, and was called after their name) : These sought their register among those who were recorded by genealogy, but they were not found ; therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood." ¶

You will find the same statement in the 7th chapter of Nehemiah, 63rd and 64th verses. ¶

I now refer you to the 128th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, paragraph 8. There you will find a rather extraordinary statement in a modern revelation, or rather in a communication that was sent to the Saints in Nauvoo, written by the Prophet Joseph Smith, who gives a new interpretation of the loosing and the binding power. After quoting the words, "Whatsoever you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven," he says, "or in other words, taking a different view of the translation, whatsoever you record on earth, shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not record on earth, shall not be recorded in heaven." ¶

My brethren and sisters, I would like to impress your minds with this fact : Records have been kept by and histories have been written of the people of God in all the dispensations that have ever been opened on the earth, and we, like the saints of former dispensations, need to keep records, so that we, like them, may be able to prove the genealogy of our Priesthood, and that we are members of the Church of Christ. It is required of us as a duty that we do this. ¶

It is true what President Seymour B. Young said in reference to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the founder of the work of God in these last days that everything we possess today to rejoice in we have attained through Joseph Smith ; the Gospel in its purity was restored to him, and the Priesthood which enables men to act in the name of Christ was given to him first; then others were called by the Lord through him, and in that manner, they obtained the Priesthood also. But it was all done through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith. Many years have already passed away since that Priesthood was thus restored. It is true that we do not have to go back many generations, like the Roman Catholic church, which endeavors to prove its right to the Priesthood that Peter possessed, through the lineage of some 273 Bishops and Popes. For we know something about the great "falling away, "and we know, too, that the Priesthood was taken away from the earth and restored again in these last days, which restoration took place over seventy-seven years ago. But all the Latter-day Saints who hold that Priesthood today have received it, in consequence of the fact that it was restored by heavenly messengers to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1829. ¶

We have no power in and of ourselves to officiate in the ordinances of the House of God; we have no right to baptize ; we have no right to lay on hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost; we can not make an officer in the Church of any description, be it Deacon or Teacher, Priest or Elder, Seventy or High Priest, or Apostle, except by virtue of that authority given to this Church through Joseph Smith. Therefore, I want to say this : We desire all men and all women who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to place themselves in such a condition that they can prove by records that they are members of the Church ; and those who hold the Holy Priesthood should be able to prove how and when that Priesthood was conferred upon them. This may to some seem a simple matter, but it is really of great importance. It has been agitated in your midst for the last sixteen years, at least, that documentary evidence is required of every man who claims to hold a portion of the Holy Priesthood, and of every member who claims to have been baptized by divine authority. They should prove by records that they are properly and legally called and ordained. We expect, therefore, that every family in the Church will keep a record, in which such entries will be made, that every male member, who is ordained, can trace his Priesthood the same as Abraham of old did, and that every one who has been blessed as a child, or who has been baptized and confirmed, can prove that fact by documentary evidence. ¶

In order to guide you in this matter, I will give you an example of how the Priesthood we hold should be traced to its source. Here is Seymour B. Young, who has just addressed this meeting ; he ranks now as the first Seventy in the Church, he being the senior President of all the Seventies. He is universally known by the Saints throughout the Stakes of Zion, but we have a right to know how Brother Young became possessed of the Priesthood, which makes him what he is today. I could as well illustrate my point with some other man, but I happen to know the facts in this particular case, and I will quote from Church Chronology, a work that was compiled some years ago by your humble servant. We want to prove that Seymour B. Young is a Seventy, and that he has a right to administer in the calling pertaining to that particular office in the Priesthood ; and if we can prove that he has a legitimate right to his present position, we can, on the same principle, prove that every other Elder in the Church is a legitimate officer, provided the necessary records are at hand. I find it recorded here that Brother Seymour B. Young was ordained a Seventy Feb. 18, 1857, by Edmund Ellsworth, who was ordained a Seventy Mar. 8, 1843, by Joseph Young, who was ordained a Seventy Feb. 28. 1835, by Joseph Smith the Prophet, who was ordained an Apostle in June, 1829, by Peter, James and John, who were ordained by the Savior Himself. ¶

Whenever we perform an official act in this Church, we do it in the name of Jesus Christ, and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood. When we baptize anybody, we use these words : "Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost ;" and in laying on hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, we also refer to the Priesthood we hold, and perform the ordinance in the name of Jesus Christ. We do not refer to our own power, because we have no power as human beings to confer heavenly gifts or blessings of any kind upon anybody, but in the name of Jesus Christ and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood that has been conferred upon us we go out into all the world to preach the Gospel to every creature, like the servants of God did in ancient days. We can baptize people for the remission of their sins, if we possess the priesthood, which is the power or authority of God. The Lord recognizes the act, because He recognizes His own authority, and thus sins are forgiven by baptism. By placing hands upon the heads of those who have been baptized, we can confer upon them the Holy Ghost, because we do it in the name of Jesus Christ, and because we have the Priesthood. In this manner the Holy Ghost has been conferred in thousands and tens of thousands of instances by the Elders of this Church. In fact, every man and woman who has been baptized into this Church has had hands laid upon him or her for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and that is how they became members of the Church. It must be plain then to all Saints, that these ordinances are of the greatest importance to every individual member of the Church, and I trust that hereafter a record will be kept in every family in which these ordinances will be properly recorded. Do not rely upon the public records alone, for they are sometimes destroyed or lost, but keep your own records. ¶

To the heads of families who have children that are being blessed, baptized, confirmed and ordained to the different grades and offices of the Priesthood, let me say: As long as your sons and daughters are members of your households, keep their records, for as a rule they do not, young and inexperienced as they are, understand the importance of keeping their own records. Enter upon your family records when and by whom blessings and ordinations are conferred upon any and all members of your households, so that when your boys and girls leave the parental roof, to establish families of their own, you can give them this important data. Then they will be able to prove, wherever they go, how and when they became members of the Church of Christ, or were blessed with a portion of the Holy Priesthood. ¶

My time is nearly spent, and I do not want to exceed it, as there are still other speakers to be heard from in this meeting. I had in my mind, when I arose to address you, that I wanted to impress upon you the necessity of record-keeping and this I have now endeavored to do. I have traveled in all the Stakes of Zion. I have visited nearly all the settlements of the saints twice, and some of them many times, to obtain historical data, I have also visited the different missionary fields throughout the world, some of them several times, in the inter est of Church Records, and I am pleased to say here that we are getting the public records in a pretty good shape. The records of the Church are being kept better now than they ever were before in the history of this people ; and yet these public records are not sufficient for the individual member. We want to make you all historians. We desire that everyone who has a family— every head of a family — should see to it that some record is being kept in the family, independent and aside from the public records. ¶

Had I time to give you more reasons for my earnest injunctions, I could give you a great many such. There are indeed numerous reasons why you should keep these records, but I do not think it is necessary for me to reiterate them here, for I feel impressed that you do not doubt the correctness of my counsel. In conclusion, let me once more remind you of the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith : "Whatsoever you record on earth, shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven." If you will keep records according to my counsel, brethren and sisters, you will at some future day be well pleased with your actions. You will then always be able to establish your genealogy, and when you move from one place to another and become members of some other Ward or branch of the Church, you can always present a truthful and acceptable record, and no question can then arise about the validity of your priesthood or the validity of your membership in the Church, because you carry your own records or documentary evidence with you. Amen. ¶