A Rational Theology, As Taught Part 6

**The Melchizedek Priesthood.** The Higher Priesthood is characterized by spiritual authority, the right of presidency and the power of officiating in all the work of the Church. There are also several divisions of this Priesthood but the fundamental authority is the same in all, and each division represents merely a calling in the Higher Priesthood. There are five chief groups in this Priesthood; the elder, the seventy, the high priest, the apostle, and the patriarch.

The elder may officiate when properly called and set apart in any of these groups of the Priesthood, without having conferred upon him any further Priesthood. The members of the Higher Priesthood are organized into quorums, of 96 elders with a president and two counselors and of 70 seventies with seven presidents. The quorums of high priests are indefinite in number, except administrative quorums, such as the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency.

**All Hold the Priesthood.** The Church exists to advance the Great Plan by which, in the end, every man may live happily on earth and at last enter into great progression. In it there should be no active and non-active members, for all must be active to work out their own proper destinies, and to a.s.sist in the advancement of the whole Plan.

All, therefore, need the authority of the Priesthood to officiate as may be needed in the work of the Church, or in their own behalf. If the work of the Church were delegated to a few members, it would probably be reasonable for a few men to hold the Priesthood. When, however, every member must or should take upon himself a part of the active work of the Church, it is necessary that every man hold the authority of the Priesthood so that he may authoritatively perform the necessary acts in the propaganda of truth.

In fact, in the Church, all men who have attained sufficient experience hold or should hold the Priesthood. The young men are ordained deacons, teachers and priests, and at last elders, when they possess all the authority of the Priesthood. They may then receive an ordination and calling in the Melchizedek Priesthood, such as seventy, apostle, high priest or patriarch.

Women enjoy all the endowments and blessings of the Priesthood in connection with their husbands. The family is the basis of society on earth, and as there must be organization among intelligent beings, someone must be spokesman for the family. In the family, the man is the spokesman and presiding authority, and, therefore, the Priesthood is bestowed upon him.

It is clear that there is no Priesthood cla.s.s in the Church of Jesus Christ. The Priesthood belongs to all. This is another distinguis.h.i.+ng mark of the true Church, which rests its doctrines upon eternal principles as already outlined. The general possession of the Priesthood by all the male members of the Church is only in conformity with the theory of the Gospel, which makes the Plan one of intelligent, united effort under the direction of beings of higher intelligence, and which declares that the highest individual satisfaction can be obtained only when all other individuals are simultaneously advancing.

**The Power of the Priesthood.** The Priesthood conferred on man carries with it real power to do effective work in behalf of the plan of salvation. Under the normal organization of the Church, when things are moving on in the ordained way, there is no insistent evidence of the great power possessed by those who have the Priesthood, and who, therefore, can act for G.o.d in matters pertaining to the Church. Under such a condition there is a quiet, steady use of power in behalf of the daily work of the Church--each man performing the work that has been a.s.signed to him, in addition to which each man in his own behalf may use his authority as seems to him fitting. Yet, the power is with the Priesthood, and when need arises, it becomes the voice of G.o.d, which all must hear. As an ill.u.s.tration of the great power, authority and duty carried by the Priesthood it may be recalled that, if by any chance every man holding the Priesthood in the Church should be destroyed, save one elder, it would be the duty and right of that one elder, under divine revelation, to reorganize the whole Church with all the grades of the Priesthood and of its officers. This far-reaching authority is held by all who receive the Priesthood--an authority to be guarded carefully and to be used cautiously as directed.

CHAPTER 19.

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH.

To carry on the diversified work of the Church requires a close organization. An organization, in turn, requires officers. All the officers of the Church hold the Priesthood, but the Priesthood is held also by many who do not hold official positions. Therefore, while the authority to act in all the offices of the Church is held by practically every man in the Church, that authority, in the administration of the affairs of the Church, becomes effective only when the man is called to exercise the authority. The chief officers of the Church are herewith briefly enumerated.

**The General Authorities.** The First Presidency consists of three presiding high priests, a President and two counselors, whose duty it is to supervise the work of the whole Church, in all matters of policy, organization and execution. No part of the work of the Church is beyond their authority. With the death of the President, the First Presidency becomes disorganized.

a.s.sociated with the First Presidency is the quorum of Twelve Apostles.

The Twelve are special witnesses for Christ, and it is their duty to carry the Gospel to all the world. In addition, they give direct a.s.sistance to the First Presidency. When the quorum of the First Presidency is disorganized, the quorum of apostles becomes the presiding quorum until the First Presidency is reorganized. The quorum of the Twelve has one president, who is always the senior apostle.

The Patriarchs of the Church possess the sealing and blessing powers and receive instructions from the Presiding Patriarch.

The quorums of Seventy, the missionary quorums of the Church, are presided over by the Seven Presidents of the first quorum. This Council labors under the direction of the apostles. If the First Presidency and the quorum of the Twelve were disorganized, simultaneously, the first quorum of Seventy would become the presiding quorum until full reorganization were effected.

The temporal affairs of the Church are largely cared for by the Presiding Bishopric, consisting of the presiding bishop and two counselors. The Presiding Bishopric also has general supervision of the bishops of the wards, of the Church.

The General Authorities are the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles, the Presiding Patriarch, the Presidents of the first quorum of Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric--making in all twenty-six men.

These general presiding authorities, representing all the great divisions of the Priesthood, deal with all the general affairs of the Church.

**The Stakes of Zion.** For convenience of administration, the Church is divided into stakes containing usually from one thousand to ten thousand members. The stakes are presided over by a Stake Presidency, three high priests denominated president and two counselors, which have the same relation to the stake that the First Presidency has to the whole Church. The Stake Presidency are a.s.sisted by the high council, consisting of twelve regular and six alternate counselors who are high priests. To this body is a.s.signed much of the work for the welfare of the members of the stake. Such other officers as may be needed are moreover secured in each stake.

**The Wards of the Stakes.** The stakes are, in turn, divided into wards containing usually from one hundred to two thousand members.

They are presided over by a Bishop and two counselors, who are a.s.sisted in various capacities by the local ward Priesthood.

**The Priesthood in Stakes and Wards.** In every ward, if there be enough members, are organized quorums of deacons, teachers, priests, elders and seventies. If there are not enough in one ward to form a quorum, then a quorum is organized from two or more wards. The high priests in a stake are usually a.s.sembled into one quorum for the stake. All of the Priesthood meets regularly in the ward to which they belong, for the discussion of their duties and for studying the outlines and books provided by the general Church authorities.

**Auxiliary Organizations.** In addition to the regular Priesthood, there are helps in government known as auxiliary organizations. These are the Relief Society, for women, the Deseret Sunday School Union, the Young Men's Mutual Improvement a.s.sociation, the Young Ladies'

Mutual Improvement a.s.sociation, the Primary a.s.sociation, the Religion Cla.s.s, the Boards of Education, and others that may be organized from time to time. Each of these is represented by a general board, under the direction of the First Presidency. In each stake there are also stake boards of these auxiliary organizations, under the direction of the stake presidency. Moreover, in each ward of the Church, if large enough, is an organization of each of the auxiliary activities of the Church.

**All Must Work.** So complete an organization, ramifying throughout the Church, shows that all members of the Church should or may be at work. There is no place for the idler. Every man or woman, who is not averse to working in behalf of the Church, will find some duty that will fill his life.

**The Tenure of Office.** The officers of the Priesthood have no definite tenure of office. Since all hold the Priesthood, there is always a supply of ready material to fill any vacancies that may occur. The general authorities in the Church have generally held life positions, but a number of these, for various reasons, chiefly insubordination or error of doctrine, have been released before death.

According to doctrine, no office in the Priesthood, is absolutely certain of life tenure. Failure to perform properly the work of the office const.i.tutes full cause for removal.

**An Unpaid Ministry.** The rewards of life should be and are only in part material. To a.s.sist, officially, in carrying out the Great Plan, brings its own distinct reward. The Priesthood of the Church, therefore, is largely unpaid. A man's duty in the Priesthood seldom takes all of his time, thus leaving him partly free to earn a livelihood by the use of his profession. When a man's whole time is taken by the Church, he gets his support from the Church. There is no Priesthood cla.s.s, especially trained for the work, and striving for positions carrying with them high material remuneration. All should know the Gospel and be prepared to carry on the work.

**Appointments in the Priesthood.** The power to nominate men to fill the official positions in the Priesthood belongs to the Priesthood of the Church. Men are chosen from any walk in life, without previous warning, and the acceptance of the office often means the sacrifice of business, profession, or ease of life. Under this system there can be no talk of men seeking offices in the Church. Preparation to do the work of the Church can be the only form of self-seeking, and that may or may not lead to any particular position in the Church. Meanwhile, the vast organization of the Church is such as to find work for every man; and in fact, every worthy worker should be kept busily engaged in the work of the Great Plan.

**Common Consent.** Every officer of the Priesthood, though properly nominated, holds his position in the Church only with the consent of the people. Officers may be nominated by the presidency of the Church, but unless the people accept them as their officials, they can not exercise the authority of the offices to which they have been called.

All things in the Church must be done by common consent. This makes the people, men and women, under G.o.d, the rulers of the Church. Even the President of the Church, before he can fully enter upon his duties, must be sustained by the people. It is the common custom in the Church to vote on the officers in the general, stake and ward conferences. This gives every member an opportunity to vote for or against the officers. Meanwhile, the judiciary system of the Church is such that there is ample provision whereby any officer of the Church, if found in error, may be brought to justice and if found guilty be removed from his position.

The doctrine of common consent is fundamental in the Church; and is coincident with the fact that the Church belongs to all the people.

Since the authority of the Priesthood is vested in all the people, it follows that the officials of the Priesthood must be responsible to the people. The responsibility and work of the Church are not only for but by the people as a whole.

**Bestowal of the Priesthood.** On the earth the Priesthood was first conferred on Adam and was handed down directly from Adam through his descendants to Noah. Every link in this progression of the Priesthood has been preserved. Similarly, after Noah, it was continued for many generations. Moreover, Jesus conferred the Priesthood directly upon his disciples. At various times in the history of the world, the Priesthood has been given by G.o.d to man and continued for various lengths of time. In these latter days of the restored Church, John the Baptist appeared in person and conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Later, Peter, James and John, who had received the Priesthood from Jesus Christ, and who represented the Presidency of the Priesthood in those days, appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and conferred upon them the Holy Priesthood and the apostles.h.i.+p which carried with it authority in the lower divisions of the Priesthood. In the Church of Christ the authority of the Priesthood may always be traced back directly to G.o.d, from whom it radiates and whom it represents.

CHAPTER 20.

THE AUTHORITY OF THE PRIESTHOOD.

The authority of the Priesthood is often misunderstood, and it is frequently the rock upon which many men and women suffer spiritual s.h.i.+pwreck.

**The Foundation of Authority.** The power or right to command or to act, is authority. In the beginning, man, conscious and in possession of will, reached out for truth, and gained new knowledge. Gradually as his intelligence grew, he learned to control natural forces, as he met them on his way. Knowledge, properly used, became power; and intelligent knowledge is the only true foundation of authority. The more intelligence a man possesses the more authority he may exercise.

Hence, "the glory of G.o.d is intelligence." This should be clear in the minds of all who exercise authority.

**Absolute Authority.** Such high authority, based on increasing intelligent knowledge, may be called absolute authority. All other forms of authority, and many forms exist, must be derived from absolute authority, for it is the essence of all authority. Nothing in the universe is absolutely understood, and absolute authority does not mean that full knowledge or full power has been gained over anything in the universe. Forever will the universe reveal its secrets. By absolute authority is meant the kind of authority that results directly from an intelligent understanding of the things over which authority is exercised. Authority can therefore, be absolute only so far as knowledge goes, and will become more absolute as more knowledge is obtained. The laws of G.o.d are never arbitrary; they are always founded on truth.

**Derived Authority.** Anyone possessing the absolute authority resting on high intelligence, will often find it necessary or convenient to ask others to exercise that authority for him. This may be called derived authority. It does not necessarily follow that those who are so asked understand the full meaning of the authority that they exercise. The workman in a factory carries out the operations as directed by the chief technician, and obtains the same results, though he does not to the same extent understand the principles involved.

Every person who has risen to the earth-estate possesses a certain degree of absolute authority, for he has knowledge of nature which gives him control over many surrounding forces. Every person possesses or should possess certain derived authority, which is exercised under the direction of a superior intelligence, though it is not always wholly understood.

**The Authority of Office.** In an organized body like the Church, each activity must be governed by established laws. Those who have been chosen officers to enforce these laws and to carry on the regular work of the Church, exercise their power because of their office.

Authority of office is only a form of derived authority--derived from the people who have agreed to submit their wills to certain officers, who are to enforce laws accepted by the people. Even such authority, belonging to official positions, must be founded on intelligent knowledge, and the organization of the Church itself must be intelligently authoritative. Therefore, authority of office is best exercised when those holding it have qualified themselves intelligently for the work. The mistakes made by officers are commonly due to the want of the needed intelligence in the exercise of their duties. Fortunately, however, the Church is so organized that the actions of its officials may be tried for their righteousness whenever they appear to be wrong to the people. Mistakes are most likely to be made by officials who will not qualify themselves for their work.

**Authority and Free Agency.** While intelligent knowledge does establish the highest degree of authority, absolute authority, yet it does not, alone, justify the exercising of authority that may conflict with the wills of others. The law of free agency must not be transcended; nor is it permissible to do anything that will hinder, in the least, the progress of man under the Great law. Authority must therefore be exercised only in such a manner as to benefit other individuals. Naturally, when a community accepts a body of laws for their government, and officers are appointed by the people to enforce the laws, the punishment of the disobedient is not an interference with free agency, for all have accepted the law. Only when a person withdraws from the community, does the community law become inoperative with respect to him. Since the battle for free agency must not be waged again, laws must be enforced as they are accepted by the people; thus it comes about that all the officers in the Church, who merely represent the people, must be sustained by the people. The people govern the Church through their sustained authorities. When a person opposes righteousness, the worst that can be done is to sever that individual from the organization. The Priesthood has no authority to exercise further punishment. The punishment which comes to those who do wrong is automatic, and will, of itself, find out the sinner.

**Authority over Self.** The Priesthood conferred on man establishes an authority which each man may at all times exercise with respect to himself and G.o.d. By the authority of the Priesthood he has a right to commune with G.o.d in prayer or in other ways, and has, as it were, the right to receive communications in return from the intelligent beings about him, so that his ways may be ways of strength and pleasantness.

Man's own work should be inseparably connected with the power of the Priesthood to which he has attained.

**The Exercise of Authority.** The authority committed to man by G.o.d is in earthly hands. The flesh is weak; and men who possess authority may often make mistakes in its exercise. The proper manner of exercising the authority of the Priesthood has been made exceedingly clear. "The rights of the Priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and the powers of heaven cannot be controlled or handled only upon the principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control, or dominion, or compulsion, upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the Priesthood, or the authority of that man.

Behold! ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the p.r.i.c.ks; to persecute the Saints, and to fight against G.o.d. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the Priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness, and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile, reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy; that he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death; let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of G.o.d, and the doctrine of the Priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy sceptre an unchanging sceptre of righteousness and truth, and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee for ever and ever."

Any authority of the Priesthood otherwise exercised than as above stated is not in harmony with the law. There is therefore no need to fear authority, for those who misuse it will ultimately be removed from their offices and will be punished not only by the laws of the Church, but by G.o.d, the Giver of law. Meanwhile, the thought stands out prominently, that those who are given the Priesthood, and especially those who are to exercise authority in the offices of the Priesthood, should carefully fit themselves for the work that they have to do. This is the only safe key to authority.

**The Unrighteous Exercise of Authority.** Authority may be unrighteously exercised from the lack of intelligence or because of wickedness. Should a member of the Church note this, the procedure of correction is to notify the ward teachers, who try to settle the difficulty. If the ward teachers do not succeed in this, the bishop's court takes up the matter, which, if needs be, it pa.s.ses to the Stake Presidency and high council, and may be appealed to the First Presidency. Justice is meted out to all in-the Church. If the people are dissatisfied with any officer they may refuse to sustain him at the times of the voting, which prevents him from exercising the functions of his office. However, in all things the majority rules; and in many of the judgments of the Church there must be unanimity.