The Spirit of Worship

I wish to speak to the seventies of the Church today, and of course what is said will be in common to every brother who holds the priesthood of God. In a sermon delivered in the old tabernacle in Salt Lake City, October 11, 1857, President Joseph Young, who had been made president of all the seventies, in the Kirtland Temple, said: ¶

Language is too frail to express the rich sentiments of the hearts of the Saints; the tongue fails to utter the glory and the pleasure of the kingdom of God. It cannot do it; language fails. There is an influence of the Holy Spirit in the understanding that surpasses all language. ¶

Melchizedek ¶

How true this is, when we speak of the restoration of the priesthood of God to the Prophet Joseph Smith. When John the Baptist came and gave unto the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery the Aaronic Priesthood, it was followed by holy baptism. They were given the promise of the coming of Peter, James, and John with the keys of the priesthood of Melchizedek. The promise was fulfilled. ¶

In the days of Abraham, there lived in Palestine a "great king and priest of the Most High God." His name was Melchizedek. Beautiful is the thought we have when we are told by the prophet-historian Moses, that Abraham paid tithes of all that he had to Melchizedek, for he was the high priest appointed to keep the storehouse of God. Then we have another historic scene. ¶

Incidents from the Life of Moses ¶

The children of Israel had been with Moses at Mt. Sinai for many months. In fact it was not until the second month of the second year that things were ready for a new start. The children of Israel were headed for the conquest of Canaan. The arrangements for the vast camp were simple. Moses received the law direct from God, yet he had to descend to the people and present it to them. In the assembly at the foot of the mountain were men, women and children. These all had to live under the law, so they all pledged their assent, exclaiming: "We hear and obey." The commandments were ratified by the voice of the people, one of the noblest examples of pure democracy in the history of the world. Shortly after leaving Sinai, a council of seventy, of which Hur, founder of Bethlehem, seems to have been the head, was chosen by the people, and solemnly set apart to their dignity by Moses, as a kind of senate, or wise men to aid him by their counsel, and give him the support of leading families among the various tribes; for among a people so hard to govern, he often needed this added help. ¶

And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. (Numbers 11:16.) ¶

When Moses was called by the Lord to go unto the Mount, he was accompanied by seventy elders. "... the Lord," says the inspired narrative, "came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders." (Numbers 11:25.) ¶

In those far ancient days of the priesthood, the seventies seemed to have been called to many noble duties both individually and in groups. Moses had them with him in the holy rites of the tabernacle, and we find them responsible for clean government in the civic life of the towns of Palestine. ¶

The Seventy Called by Jesus ¶

When Jesus was concluding his missionary labors in Galilee, he summoned his followers together, and out of them chose seventy to prepare his way. The mission of so many to go before him, two and two, and prepare for his arrival in every place which he intended to visit, implies for this last journey an important event. The instructions he gave them closely resembled those which he had issued to the Twelve. It was a time when he was setting forth in sorrow, and some writers infer that they, the Seventy, going two by two, were announcing his divine teachings. ¶

Some weeks passed, and one of the things that filled his heart with joy was the return of the seventy, as he approached the cities and villages, whither he had sent them. They came to give him an account of their successes. Their hearts were filled with astonishment and exultation. And Jesus, while entering into their joy, yet checked the tone of their exultation, or rather turned it into a holier channel. He bade them feel sure that good was eternally mightier than evil, and that their victory over Satan would be achieved. He gave them assurance that they would be protected from harm because he had set his love upon them. Their names had been written, and stood unobliterated in the Book of Life. ¶

The Seventies' Work in Latter-days ¶

My brethren of the quorums of the seventy, you are all endowed with this same priesthood and power which gives you a distinct hope and message. You have an exalted purpose — to teach the gospel to all the world today. You have the good news of salvation, of freedom, to show the way of eternal life. You are a body of men to help build a regenerated body of religious ideals and life. From this day, you are to stand for a moral awakening as never before, a spiritual upsurge, a deeper appreciation of the spiritual needs of humanity. People will receive the message if it is presented and taught as it should be. The demands are high; the spiritual discipline must be sincere; the sacrifice of material things great. The qualities which made Jesus a master teacher were: He was divinely inspired, profound in his simplicity, understanding, and sympathy. ¶

As the ancient disciples came to know the truths of the Master, so we come to know in our day the importance of revealed truth as we look to him who is our Savior. The priesthood envisages the Church of God, which in time will be known to all peoples of the earth. Life is made over; men are made over; and as one evangelist says: "Men come from darkness into light." ¶

A new missionary effort has come into the world, for men and women are thinking of life eternal. Missionaries are laboring with profound and undying zeal to awaken people to a sense of the meaning of life, and to prepare themselves for the future in this world and in the world to come. ¶

There never was a time when it was more needful for us to recur to the reason of the power of Jesus Christ in the world than now; never a time when we were more in danger of throwing away true permanence for barren change; never a time when we were more in danger of sacrificing truth for wrong. Truly do we know that the man who holds the priesthood of God has a principle higher than any that has gone before; that man whose policy, whose statesmanship, whose legislation, whose faith involves the highest reach possible of the human understanding in the spiritual direction — that men will endure and will help save the world. ¶

We can, my brethren, be honest, intelligent, truthful; we can be courageous, just, and valiant. We can bear witness that this is God's work, and we can be consciously grateful for all the resources, for all the opportunities which are ours. We can be faithful and zealous. These things we are certain of; if we will do our part, in faith, God will give the increase. ¶

The Wasatch Ward choir sang, "The Music of Life," by Cain. ¶