A LEAF IN REVIEW of the Words and Acts of God and Men Relative to the Fullness of the Gospel Copyright 1933 by THE CAXTON PRINTERS, LTD. Caldwell, Idaho (Now expired) Contents Preface to Second Edition and Biographical Note and Appendix, Section III: A Mighty Prophet Of the Remnant of the House of Israel Now Dwelling on this Land and Index with Cross References to the Subjects in B. Harvey Allred's A Leaf in Review of the Words and Acts of God and Men Relative to the Fullness of the Gospel Copyright c. 1980 by Lynn L. Bishop & Rhea Allred Kunz. All rights reserved. Any correspondence or inquiries should be directed to: Review and Preview Publishers P. 0. Box 368 Draper, Utah, 84020 [3] PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION More than thirty years have elapsed since the writer of this widelyknown and controversial book took his journey to that place "where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary be at rest." In the near thirtyfive years of its existence, this book has been in great demand. Many who have dared to investigate or espouse an unpopular cause have turned to this publication as one of the few existing and enduring treatises on the subject of Mormon Church apostasy. In the minds of many who champion "the fullness", it is a sad reflection that urgent necessity now calls for another prophet "crying in the wilderness" against the apostasy that now exists among many Fundamentalists and other outcasts and dissidents. As a daughter of the author of A Leaf in Review of the Acts of God and Men, often I have wished that my father's book were reprinted and updated. Now I have come to see more clearly than ever that this book is timeless. In its truth and in its application, it fits present and future spiritual and sociopolitical conditions locally, nationally and abroad. Whatever the name or nature of books that will yet augment and enrich A Leaf in Review, this gem of great spiritual truth will and must remain as it is, unchanged, a spiritual entity of priceless and enduring value. It not only reveals the moral and spiritual decline, present and future, of the Mormon people and the terrible judgments to follow; it reveals the mission and identity of the "one like unto Moses" (D&C 103:158) who will deliver the valiant remnant of this people from spiritual and temporal bondage and lead them to Jackson County, Missouri to prepare a place and habitation for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In the following pages, I have attempted a brief review of my father's life. We are indebted to Lynn L. Bishop and his brother, Steven L.Bishop for the index and appendix. Rhea Allred Kunz [4] BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE My father, Byron Harvey Allred Jr. was born on March 31, 1870 to Byron Harvey and Phoebe Irene Cook Allred at St. Charles, Bear Lake County, Idaho. His early life was arduous but he made the best of his opportunity for a grade school education and by selfimprovement qualified to become a teacher and to practice law. At the age of eighteen he married his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte Susannah Pead. To this union were born eleven living children. The following paragraph is taken from a brief sketch of the life of Charlotte written by one of her sisters. "Her husband, Byron Harvey Allred Jr., was the most sought after man in Star Valley. He was a brilliant man; a lawyer, school teacher, carpenter, etc. He could do almost anything and was a good provider. They were the second family in Afton to have linoleum on their floor. He was kind, loving, and considerate of Lottie. It seemed to me that they loved with a love that was more than the ordinary love." He became a Wyoming State Legislator at the age of twentytwo years, the second youngest man in the United States to serve in that [5] capacity. In 1897, father was called to fill a mission preaching the gospel in the "Indian territory" and thereabouts. When he was thirtythree years of age he took his first plural wife, Mary Evelyn Clark. The sealing was performed in Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico by Anthony W. Ivins, July 15, 1903.(1) To this union were born ten children. Having foreseen the Mexican Revolution in a dream, Father brought his families to the United States early in 1908. The following December his first wife and her newborn twin daughters died.(2) In 1916 the author was elected a representative to the Idaho legislature where he served as Speaker of the House. During the first World War he was director of important state offices under Governor Moses Alexander. Subsequently he moved to Canada with his plural family and two unmarried children of the first wife. After three eventful years the family returned to Boise, Idaho where Father's health began a rapid decline. Frequently throughout his life time he had been requested to speak to public gatherings, Church and civil. Now the task became increasingly hard for him to accomplish. He was a fluent, articulate speaker with an unusually good speaking voice, clear and resonant as a bell until weakened by age and physical suffering. In 1927 Father made a trip to Salt Lake City where he had the happy privilege of again meeting a beloved former missionary companion, Loin C. Woollen, of Centerville, Utah. At this time Father also met John Wickersham Woolley, father of Loin, and from these men heard for the first time, the detailed and thrilling account of John Taylor's experience on the night of Sept. 26 and 27, 1886, in John W. Woolley's home. At that time heavenly visitors spent the night with and instructed President Taylor, who in turn called and conducted the memorable meetings of the next day. At this time provisions were made for the perpetuation of Celestial Marriage.(3) Laden with the glad news and actuated by the glory and beauty of the same, Father came home to Boise, where he promptly appointed a meeting of his wife and all children of teen or adult age. As the eldest child then present and with my husband of less than three months, I was one of the privileged few. As Father conducted the little gathering and narrated the story of that wonderful and historic event, the Holy Ghost fell upon us in great power, confirming the facts as they fell from Father's lips. Against great odds of physical suffering and financial scantiness, Father began A Leaf in Review.(4) Spiritual experiences, of which I am aware, renewed his courage and improved his health, enabling him to continue his work on the manuscript until it was finished and [6] in the publisher's hands. Only those who were near Father and who, like him, had subdued the fear of mortals and devils could know and appreciate the holy influence that led and sustained the patient scribe. Often we felt this holy influence like an aura about him as we observed his thin and bent form toiling over books and typewriter. Likewise only we who sensed this holiness could or would share his great joy and ease his financial burden in bringing the book to completion. One of the high points of Father's book is his testimony of the great Indian prophet. It was the privilege of myself and other children of B. Harvey Allred during our youth to hear from him the detailed account of his meeting with our departed Mother Charlotte and two little girls, likely the twins, and going with them to the great assemblage of Indian people who had gathered to hear that "mighty prophet." I bear humble witness that I heard and believed Father's narration of this prophetic experience years before he wrote his book.(5) For about a year previous to his death Father experienced much better health and could visit children and family members in other states. Thus God enabled him to explain and confirm his experiences and testimony to contrite and dedicated family members and friends. Approximately nine months before his death another sainted and lovely woman was added to his family for time and eternity. She was Frieda Dorothea Elizabeth Von Qualen Bauer, mother of several children, a gospel convert and widow of an atheist husband who refused to hear the gospel. On the Sunday just prior to Father's death in Emmett, Idaho, he was visited by a family acquaintance. This man came seeking and obtaining correct ordination to the Melchizadek Priesthood under Father's hands. At this time Father was feeling considerably better and informed his visitor, "My work is done. I am ready to go and am just waiting for my call." To his wife and children he conveyed this same information, settled his affairs and joyfully anticipated going. To the end, his mind remained keen and bright. That call came early on the morning of March 18, 1937. [7] Preface IN LIFE'S experiences, influenced mightily by the words and acts of God and men, relative to the fullness of the gospel, I find justification for A Leaf In Review. So interwoven are these mightiest things with man's eternal destiny, I feel it a duty I owe to my fellows to indicate their relative merits, measured by divine truths discovered in my personal experiences. My cause could be better introduced to the reader by an honest and frank narrative, in which will be found the first plantings of doubt's fertile acorn, now grown into a mighty oak of conviction rooted in the living Word of God, yet, because of the unavoidable length of this narrative, it will be more fully written within the body of our REVIEW, when we approach the subjects most closely connected therewith. I am not so conceited, nor am I such a fool as to believe my thoughts, feelings, and knowledge as expressed in a REVIEW OF THE WORDS AND ACTS OF GOD AND MEN shall turn "a little corner of the world upside down." If some honest souls can, by my compilations and writing, be moved to think for themselves, to watch and to pray, and if some truth be found, make it their own, my humble purpose shall be well served. From the depths of my heart I thank The Giver of All Good that I "was born of goodly parents and taught in the ways of the Lord." I praise His holy name that I, and you, dear reader, have been privileged to live in this "the ushering in of the dispensation of the fullness of times" . . . a "time that a whole and complete and perfect union and welding together of dispensations and keys and powers and glories should take place and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time; and not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but which have been kept hid from the (worldly) wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes [8] and sucklings, in this the dispensation of the fullness of times."(6) With all my soul, I thank my Lord for the gift of a living faith in the fullness of His gospel, as it is taught in the "sticks of Judah and Ephraim, "(7) and again revealed of Him through His prophet, Joseph Smith. Notwithstanding my many weaknesses and imperfections, God, in His mercy, has counted me fit to receive His "Two Priesthoods" and in their authority to bear my humble testimony to His gospel, at home and abroad. It is by the Grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord, that I know He lives and have heard His voice; that I know His gospel in its fullness, as revealed through Joseph Smith, is verily true, "everlasting and unchangeable."(8) For the reason that I believe with all my soul the declaration of Paul, "there is no other gospel, and though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel, let him be accursed," and that this gospel, as taught by Christ and His apostles, unchanged and unchangeable, was taught in authority by Joseph Smith "is the power of God unto salvation," of it I am not ashamed.(9) I believe just as sincerely that the sacred Scripture, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and other attested revelations from God, contain a true record of the fullness of the gospel as given of Jesus Christ and by His holy prophets and apostles, and that all mankind will be judged by those truths and not by the doctrines of men. A careful and prayerful study of the gospel as contained in those sacred documents, when compared with the teachings, practice, and gifts of the Latter Day Saint Church of today, has convinced me beyond the shadow of a doubt that this Church has apostatized, or turned away from many of the saving truths taught in those holy writings, and that the leaders of this Church have perverted the doctrines, changed the ordinances, rejected the fullness of the gospel, and broken the new and everlasting covenant.(10) [9]Believing these truths to be selfevident when called to the attention of honest seekers after righteousness, many of whom have been asleep with an assurance that "all is well in Zion," and for the purpose of more fully discharging what I honestly believe to be my duty to my conscience, my fellow men, and my God, I have been irresistibly moved upon to compile the references and write the comments made thereon as contained in A LEAF IN REVIEW. I alone am responsible for its contents, as arranged, for its faulty language and diction and all other imperfections therein. I lay no claim to mortal or divine commission for this REVIEW or its publication. If, perchance, good comes of my effort, the praise, honor, and glory is all the Lord's, for He alone is the author of good. If evil or harm comes to me or mine or any other of mankind as a result, I alone am responsible for what I have arranged and written, and not for evil others may do in and of themselves. Having a conscience void of known offense in this thing toward my Maker and man, I have most humbly sought the Lord to guide me with His spirit, to give sense, courage, and strength to write the truth as I honestly understand it to be, and to stay my mind, hand, and pen should the weakness and imperfections to which the flesh is heir  and I am full of them  move me to write a word contrary to His holy will. The final fruits of my humble effort, all now in His just care, will determine to what extent He has seen fit to hear my pleadings. I acknowledge with gratitude my indebtedness to several of my good brethren (whom I will not name lest responsibility for my act be charged to them), for locating and providing me with some of the quotations from church history, civil history, and private documents herein copied and arranged. All italicizing employed is mine. Footnotes will aid the reader in locating complete text from which quotation is made. If errors are found in these it is of the head and not the heart. I have nothing new to declare; that which I have here [10] assembled of the revealed word of God, is more than ample to prove my claims and damn the unbelieving and rebellious of this generation. Because of A LEAF IN REVIEW I shall no doubt be considered bigoted, presumptuous and "out of harmony" by many of my fellow church members. Some of my loved brethren and sisters who know best my frailties, and yet have hitherto done me the honor to consider me worthy of some little esteem, may now censure and condemn, even without a study of A LEAF IN REVIEW. I hope, for the sake of such I shall not be maligned. What I write I write with an honest and sincere conviction in its truth and present need. If I am found in error, I will be indeed grateful to the friend who sets me right. My imperfect language and limited vocabulary force me to make many repetitions, and to employ words and sentences in an effort to make my meaning clear that will, undoubtedly, smack of a spite, harshness, and bitterness I by no means feel. I love, honor, and respect that body of good men, whom my convictions of right and wrong impel me to declare do not possess the divine requisites of prophets, seers, and revelators, as I admire no other similar group of men on earth. I believe them to possess virtues and qualifications for their responsible positions a hundredfold greater than I possess and to possess them more than any like body of men of whom I know. Notwithstanding the fact that I know the lack of living faith in the promises and commands of God and the departure from many of His most sacred laws and ordinances, on the part of our leaders, has deterred and prevented untold numbers of honest, Godfearing Saints from living the fullness of the gospel as taught by our Lord through Joseph Smith and other holy prophets and apostles, I also know these good men do teach and admonish the people to be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and to do good to all men. And although they do not teach or practice "all that God has revealed" and even hinder others who would do those things, yet, we can  and it is our solemn duty as we love our souls and [11] our God  diligently observe all their righteous teachings and admonitions, and obey every law and commandment or part thereof revealed of God, which these leaders do or do not teach, and their leadership will permit us to practice either through the church organization, or through other divinely appointed means, or in and of ourselves. I fearlessly declare unto all the world, and in the name of Jesus Christ, through the irresistible power of His spirit that is upon me, that all they who will believe, teach, and diligently observe to do these things, in humility before God, with an eye single to His glory, will be prepared and counted worthy to believe and obey the fullness of the gospel and shall receive an inheritance with the righteous, when God makes up His jewels and moves again in mighty power to "set His house in order."(11) All the powers of man and hell combined cannot stay the hand of the Mighty God of Jacob from the speedy execution of His purpose to "set His house in order" and pour out His blessings, even eternal blessings of joy, glory, and increase in the heaven of heavens upon those who delight to honor and obey Him. It is not the purpose of A LEAF IN REVIEW to attempt a vindication of the fullness of the gospel as taught of our Lord through His prophet Joseph Smith. To this I have here borne my humble and solemn testimony; but its purpose is to prove to the honest searcher for truth, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the Church of Latterday Saints as an organization, and its leaders have apostatized from many of its divine truths. Because of my weakness and imperfections, I fear and dread the censure of my loved brethren and sisters, and even more do I fear that by this, my seeming rashness, I shall be deprived of my church standing and the prized positions of trust I have held therein with my fellows. These things I have prized next to my mortal life from my youth. On account of "church action" taken against other men who have dared to express their honest convictions, and of their ostracism by their former associates, my [12] contemplation of the possible, yes, probable, results to me and mine of my REVIEW fills me with mortal fear and dread. I am very weak and lack the courage one who travels this path should possess. May a kind Father temper the winds to me and mine if it be His will I should be shorn, and turn my present weakness into needed courage and strength. For seven long years I have tried to reason against my better sense of duty in this matter. I have searched in vain for an acceptable excuse for leaving this thing to more worthy and capable minds. Several times I have gathered courage to make a beginning, but my overwhelming fear of facing the worldly consequences of a publication of my convictions has driven me to desist and destroy much of that I had written. I have at last arrived at a milestone in my journey of life where I have encountered a fear of facing the known consequences of a violated conscience, through continued silence, far more poignant than any fear I ever felt of the displeasure and abuse of mortal man. I have now "put my hand to the plow," and God being my helper, I will not again turn back until I have "turned my little furrow." To Him, first and last, I am indebted for all I am and have, and, little though it be in the eyes of other men, I prize it very highly. Through His abundant mercy and goodness I have life. Many times He has spared it unto me. Twice, while held in the very grasp of death, has He, by the miraculous and direct interposition of His holy angels, seen fit to intercede and lengthen my days. To what purpose I know not, yet, be it ever so small, I pray I may not fail it now. For this and other unmerited blessings I have in the holy priesthood, conferred upon me by and through a direct succession of ordination under the hands of my Redeemer, for the fullness of the gospel, for my wives and my children, for my true friends, for my all, 0 Lord, my God, I am humbly grateful to Thee. [13] Surely, even under the burden of my many imperfections, I can do no less than to make, in this my humble effort to uphold Thy sacred truths, a published acknowledgment of my endless debt to Thee. To the cause of truth embraced in the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the good of my fellow men I humbly dedicate A LEAF IN REVIEW. B. HARVEY ALLRED. Boise, Idaho, May 23, 1932. [15] CONTENTS Page PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.......................................3 Biographical Note of B. Harvey Allred (second edition only).....4 PREFACE (first edition).........................................7 Chapter 1. A Plea for Truth...........................................19 2. They wander................................................22 3. A Rock of Refuge...........................................24 4. Of What Composed...........................................25 5. How Discovered.............................................27 6. The Unfailing Guide and Key to Knowledge...................28 7. The Reliable Key of Conceit................................30 8. Priesthood, Its Covenant and Oath..........................32 9. The Call and Authority of Joseph Smith.....................35 10. The Foundation.............................................39 11. Priesthood, Powers and Authority...........................40 12. Has the Sun Gone Down?.....................................44 13. What Constitutes a Prophet, a Seer, and a Revelator?.......50 14. A House of Order Versus a House of Confusion...............54 15. The Aaronic Priesthood.....................................63 16. Order of Conferring and Ordaining to Priesthood............78 17. "If Ye Forsake Him, He Will Forsake You"...................86 18. "Neither Are Your Ways My Ways, Saith the Lord"............89 19. "The Tares Shall Be Bound in Bundles and Burned"...........93 20. "Verily, They Have Their Reward"...........................96 21. "The Root of All Evil"....................................103 22. Cut Off  "A Land of Zion Unto Whom?"....................107 23. Fast Offering, Man's or the Lord's Plan?..................110 24. God's House Shall Be Set in Order.........................116 25. The Faithful Mormon's Emblem..............................125 26. "Your Iniquities Have Turned Away These Things, and Your Sins Have Withholden Good Things From You"..........130 27. Apostasy Foretold.........................................131 28. "They Have Perverted My Law"..............................136 29. "The Bone of Mormon Contention"...........................140 30. The New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage Ceremony.....150 31. "But Cursed Be the Deceiver"..............................157 32. "Who Is on the Lord's Side?"..............................166 [16] 33. The Manifesto.............................................194 34. Life's Experience.........................................198 35. Teaching, Warning, and Prophecies.........................204 36. We Resume.................................................211 37. "Therefore Turn Thou to Thy God"..........................215 ADDED CONTENTS OF SECOND EDITION: (Not yet in this infobase) Page APPENDIX......................................................223 Contents of Appendix.......................................227 Preface to Appendix........................................229 Section I: Revelation to John Taylor Recorded in His Own Handwriting..............................................230 Section II: Visitation of Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith to John Taylor as Recorded by Lorin C. Woolley..............232 Section III: A Mighty Prophet of the Remnant of the House of Israel Now Dwelling on This Land................................239 INDEX with CROSS REFERENCES...................................259 Preface to Index with Cross References.....................263 Key to Abbreviations.......................................263 Index with Cross References................................269 [19] 1 A PLEA FOR TRUTH. GOD HAS commanded those who have in this day been called by Him to proclaim His gospel and prune His vineyard that they should "proclaim the truth according to the revelations and commandments which He has given them." "And thus if ye are faithful," said He, "ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life."(12) In strict accord with this command A LEAF IN REVIEW will seek, with our Lord's help, to proclaim and vindicate His sacred truths. That they are the most dependable and enduring of all things given to us of God is evidenced in these precious words, "For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever."(13) The revelations inform us(14) that "All truth is independent in that sphere in which God placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence. Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which is from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light." We are here informed that these saving truths which have existed from the beginning, God has plainly manifested unto us through His revelations and commandments in this our present sphere of action. And these truths are independent and selfexistent regardless of man's attitude toward them. Man is also free and independent, has his free agency in all spheres of his existence, he may accept or reject any or all of these eternal, saving truths. We are further told that no man can acquire a fullness of truth unless he keepeth God's commandments pertaining to that sphere in which he exists. [20] The revelation teaches us that "Man was also in the beginning with God," and in that sphere of man's first organized or spirit state God proclaimed this eternal truth, also independent in its every sphere of operation: "They who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads forever and ever."(15) Scripture hereinafter cited teaches us that some spirits "kept not their first estate." Having transgressed the truths of God pertaining to that sphere they were condemned and cast out. This truth is also taught us by the revelations of God. If we reject their testimony concerning that which befell the disobedient during our "first estate," we will be much inclined to reject God's truths revealed concerning His laws which govern this sphere or probation of our lives, and thereby forfeit our right to added glory. Hoge says, "It is easier to find a score of men wise enough to discover the truth than to find one intrepid enough in the face of opposition to stand up for it." To the few willing to "stand up" for truth I quote the comforting words of the apostle. "God hath from the beginning, chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth."(16) Moreover, "The tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom He hath chosen, because of their faith."(17) But, says Christ, "He that will not take up his cross and follow me and keep my commandments, the same shall not be saved."(18) Kind reader, are you "hungering and thirsting after righteousness"? If so, you "shall be filled with the Holy Ghost"(19) is the promise of our Lord; but you must believe and obey the truth when presented, or you will by no means obtain your salvation. Truth and truth only has power to save your soul, yet its complete acceptance will bring a cross for you to bear, for in keeping God's commandments [21] the wicked and unbelieving will hate and persecute you."(20) If you are granted a conviction of the truths quoted and written within A LEAF IN REVIEW, have you the courage to accept and act upon them? If not, I beg you peruse these pages no further, "For unto whom much is given, much is required and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation."(21) The Lord has said over and over again, "Give heed unto my word which is quick and powerful, sharper than a twoedged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my words."(22) Many things written and quoted herein will sound harsh and unkind to the wicked and unbelieving. To such they will cut deep, but to the righteous they will bring joy, comfort, and strength. Paul tells us "There is a deceivableness of unrighteousness in those that perish, because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved; And for this reason God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie that they might be damned who believe not the truth and have pleasure in unrighteousness."(23) Unrighteousness in men always causes them to fear the truth, and leads them to seek excuses for not facing it. They attempt to deceive themselves, then their fellows, because they have no love for the truth that runs counter to their conceit and worldly ambitions. So strong is this desire within them to deceive that they actually believe, first their exaggerations, then the falsehoods they once uttered to deceive others, and thus delusions, selfcreated, grow into belief to their damnation. The deceivableness of unrighteousness in many who profess to speak for God has, for years, presented strong delusion, masked in robes of priesthood, before the people and themselves. [22] 2 THEY WANDER. "WHO provideth for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat."(24) Many honest, conscientious seekers after truth, within the Church wander like lost sheep on the mountain; "they are tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine." They look in vain to the shepherds whom they have been taught to respect, reverence, and obey as the mouthpiece of God. Searching, searching for a soulsatisfying solution of the many serious and perplexing problems, they return unrewarded. They seek and pray for light through lamps that have ceased to burn. On almost every hand are heard contentions and disputations concerning points of sacred doctrine and ordinances upon which we have been taught our eternal exaltation depends. In high places exist doubts, controversies and disputations, where there should be unity of faith and purpose if we are to have an "answer of God." Witness these facts in the talks made by President Grant at the funeral of Elder Ray Pratt and at the dedicatory services of the Hollywood Stake Chapel, or Tabernacle, as well as from many other sources too numerous to quote or name. And yet, never in all the history of the Church of former or Latterday Saints have there been so many men of worldly wisdom and learning in the presiding quorums of the Church as there are today. It was of late said in the hearing of the writer, by one who pretends to little faith in any creed, that if the words of Paul as recorded in I Cor. 1:26, 27; 2:4, 12, 13 were transposed they would well depict the present day leadership of the Mormon Church. Then he proceeded to quote: "Many wise men after the flesh, many mighty, many noble are called, for God hath chosen the wise of the world to confound foolishness, and hath chosen the strong [23] in things of this world to confound the things that are weak." "They have received not the Spirit which is of God that they might know the things which were freely given to us of God; but they have received the spirit of the world, which things they speak in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but not which the Holy Ghost teacheth." "My preaching was with enticing words of man's wisdom, but not in demonstration of the spirit and of power." I know this is not wholly true of them, for many times some of them do teach through the inspiration of God's spirit. But, just how much, if any, of it is true, God must judge, yet, in the absence of convincing evidence to the contrary, none will arise to deny the fact that "The seers have closed their mouths and the sun has gone down over our prophets." We are left without satisfying evidence that God longer "delights to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom through them, under their present state of unbelief and rebellion against His laws." [24] 3 A ROCK OF REFUGE. CAN WE say with David "The Lord is my rock and my fortress, my refuge and my saviour"?(25) "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls."(26) Oh, the hope this promise of our Lord inspires in the weary and heavy laden! The answer can come from God and from Him alone. He who has perfect "knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come."(27) "The spirit of Truth is of God ."(28) "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost," which Christ said to His disciples, "the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."(29) Inasmuch as few of us unworthy mortals are privileged to listen to the very words of our Lord as were His apostles and righteous saints of that day, and as few of the most faithful have been and now are, in this, the dispensation of the fullness of times, and of these few remaining, none deliver to us "The word of the Lord" on these confusing mysteries, publicly or privately, in a manner approved by our church organization, we must turn to another source for truth, namely, that of the writings of holy men of God contained in our accepted Scriptures, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great P rice, and other authenticated documents, containing their testimony concerning the sacred truths embraced within the "fullness of the gospel" as taught by the Lord to them. [25] 4 OF WHAT COMPOSED? "WITH God is wisdom and strength. He hath counsel and understanding." "He discovereth deep things out of the darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death."(30) "For His eyes are upon the ways of men, and He seeth all his goings." "There is no darkness, nor shadow of death (in Him) where the workers of iniquity may hide them selves."(31) In searching for God's truth contained in the Holy Scriptures, we must ever remember, "No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."(32) We must accept the prophecy as given, if its wording is in language that conveys to our finite minds a ready understanding, but if it be couched in language peculiar to the olden prophets, we must make sure we have the Spirit of God to direct our interpretations, for "The things of God are only understood by the Spirit of God"(33) and unless in possession of that infallible power we may "wander from understanding." If we take the unwarranted liberty of placing our own private interpretation on the written word of God, not easily understood by man's common intelligence, we are treading on unsafe grounds. Other mortals will claim the same prerogative, and confusion is sure to follow, to the condemnation of all who participate. "God's Spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and to the condemnation of the ungodly."(34) Peter's admonition that we place no private interpretation upon prophecy of the Scripture certainly applies to God's laws and commandments contained therein. [26] If the doctrine, laws and commandments taught by holy men of God when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, in olden times, were the will of God and not of men, and became Scripture for our guidance, most assuredly the doctrines, laws, and commandments taught in this, or any other dispensation, by holy men of God when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, are the word of God, Scripture, and truth, equally binding and authoritative. If we seek to wrest, misconstrue, or place a private interpretation upon them we do it in our own damnation.(35) For God whether it be the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost, is the same yesterday, today, and forever .(36) "God does not walk in crooked paths, neither does He turn to the right hand nor the left, neither doth He vary from that which He hath said."(37) Of this matter the Lord said to Joseph Smith, "And this is the example unto them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost. Whatever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation."(38) [27] 5 HOW DISCOVERED. NOW, kind reader, having learned that an unfailing source of Truth, a "rock of refuge" awaits our exploring, we are confronted with another vital question, namely, how are we to know that men claiming power and authority to speak the mind and will of the Lord are really holy men of God, moved upon by the Holy Ghost? This is indeed an essential understanding if we are not to be deceived by the worldly wisdom and cunning of men. Nearly all of us are quite willing to admit that the dead prophets were thus qualified, but what of the living? Cannot the same rule of measurement be applied to both? Or, in "building the tombs of the dead prophets,"(39) did we pause to apply any rule? However, insofar as prophecies, revelations, and teachings of the dead prophets are recorded in the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, we, as Latterday Saint Church members, have repeatedly agreed to accept them as our "Standard Church Works," containing the will of God. We need not now pause to apply any rule for determining their authority. Yet if there is to be had an infallible key for knowing whether or not God really spoke, or is speaking certain things, written or oral, through men, that measure could surely be applied to the contents of those books, did we care now to employ it. Inasmuch as we Latterday Saints have already agreed to accept those books as containing the word, mind, and will of God to us, the writer of this REVIEW will be justified in employing their record of truth to discover this unfailing key, by which we may know whether or not any pretended revelation from God is in fact God's word  a "rock of refuge." [28] 6 THE UNFAILING GUIDE AND KEY TO KNOWLEDGE. NOW, dear reader, to the discovery of that priceless key by which we may know whether or not the Holy Ghost, God or the Spirit of God is moving upon us or upon others. "The things of man are understood by the spirit of man which is in him, but the things of God knoweth no man but by the spirit of God."(40) "By my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by My power will make known unto them the secrets of My will."(41) Many holy and sacred truths "are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit which God bestows on those who love Him and purify themselves before Him."(42) You now understand the conditions upon which you may possess that key. Not all men and women are worthy to be entrusted with it any more than they would be with the keys to the United States Treasury vaults. Reader, if you have complied with those allimportant conditions, God is ready, and will be pleased to entrust you with that key. He says unto us, "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise. "(43) If you have not already received this priceless key, do you not think its possession is worthy your utmost, faithful effort to obtain? Try your own soul, and feel first that you are worthy to be trusted of God, then try the Lord. He will not fail you. "Faith without works is dead." "Knock and it shall be opened unto you." But, know first that you are fit to enter! Having honestly and worthily sought this key, how are you to know when it is in your possession? Ponder, with prayerful heart the following: The Lord said to Oliver Cowdery, "you have supposed that I would give it unto you, (not the key, but the [29] knowledge it would unlock) when you took no thought, save it was to ask me; but, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then ask Me if it be right, and if it is I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you: therefore, you shall feel that it is right: But, if it be not right, you shall have no such feelings; but shall have a stupor of thought, that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong: therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred, save it be given you from Me."(44) Dear reader, can the English language make a thing more clear? This "burning within your bosom" is that "baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire" which John said Christ would give."(45) The same that is promised to the truly repentant and faithful believer in our day.(46) It is that baptism of fire and power felt by the prophet, Joseph Smith, the effects of which he so forcefully tells in the sixth verse of the eightyfifth section of The Doctrine and Covenants. Its holy presence is unmistakable, its power irresistible and infallible. There is no other that can counterfeit it. It is unfailing and gloriously overwhelming, to the extent that it takes possession of your entire being. Your every nerve cell and fiber becomes a power of sight, feeling, or hearing so far beyond the power of man's normal senses that we can make no adequate comparison. Its heavenly presence and power cannot be described by the feeble words at mortal man's command. It must be experienced to be sensed and understood. Faithful reader, it is a priceless key, of more value than all earth's riches. With all your might, mind, and strength lay hold, worthily, upon it. If you once possess it you would rather part with life than be deprived of it. May its blessed promptings be with us in our present quest, for we shall have real need and frequent occasion to employ it in this, the most important search of all our mortal life. We will hereafter refer to it as "the key to knowledge." [30] 7 THE RELIABLE KEY OF CONCEIT. THERE is a class, some of whom may be blessed, "such as should be saved," to read and profit by the contents of A LEAF IN REVIEW who are unworthy to possess the "key to knowledge" because of their conceit, selfrighteousness, worldlymindedness, and "stiffkneedness." For just such, God, loving all His children, has prepared another key, yes, an unfailing key. "None shall be left with excuse for rejecting the words of God or holy men speaking for Him. For convenience and because of its appropriateness we will call this key "the key of conceit." Do not despise it because of the name. It is of God and will help you to know His word whether spoken or written. The occasion for the revealing of this key came about in November of 1831 on this wise: The gospel net gathered in many of the meek and lowly and a few of the learned of the earth. Among this class particularly appeared from time to time a few who were "wise in their own conceit." Their language and address were good, their natural powers of expression whether by word or pen, were superior to the natural learning possessed by the prophet, Joseph. In their conceit and in a spirit of contempt for the powers of God, weak in their worldly eyes, they said they could write better revelations than some of Joseph's were, as expressed in his imperfect language. When many of the elders were ordained and sent out to preach the Gospel they were instructed to testify to the divinity of the Book of Mormon and th e Book of Commandments which contained the revelations given by Joseph Smith. The boasting and ridicule of the few worldly wise among them caused doubts to arise in the minds of some of the spiritually weaker elders. These and some of the more devout and faithful who had received a testimony [31] of the divinity of those revelations came to Joseph with earnest request to know how these doubts could be overcome, and the boasting of the conceited few be confounded. A meeting of these and other brethren was called at which time the Prophet received the revelation now known as Section 67 in our Doctrine and Covenants. Only that portion containing this key is quoted: "Now seek ye out of the book of commandments, even the least that is among them, and appoint him that is the most wise among you: "Or, if there be any among you, that shall make one like unto it, then ye are justified in saying that ye do not know that they are true; "But if ye cannot make one like unto it, ye are under condemnation if ye do not bear record that they are true." William E. Mellon as the wisest man in his own estimation, having more learning than sense, endeavored to write a commandment like unto one of the least of the Lord's, but failed and was greatly humiliated. He learned "it was an awful responsibility to write in the name of the Lord." Dear friend, when you doubt the divinity of any declaration, oral or written, claiming to be of the Lord, if you are not in possession of the key to knowledge, insert and turn this key of conceit. You will find the promise true and something worth your while inside, be you either doubter or faithful believer. There is this great difference in those two keys. The key to knowledge not only reveals the Truth, but it also gives courage and power to make that Truth your own. The key of conceit carries with it no such saving gift, yet it opens a door by which humility may acquire the gift. Reader, you are now, or should be, equipped with keys to unlock the door to Truth for yourself as we proceed on our way. [32] 8 PRIESTHOOD, ITS COVENANT AND OATH. IN A former dispensation "God gave some to be apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ till we all attain unto the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God."(47) God has given us the same priesthood, and the same offices append to those priesthoods in our day, for the same ministry and purpose .(48) If we are to be perfected and brought to a unity in the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, we should thoroughly understand the priesthood, its offices, duties, and powers, and know to just what extent we owe obedience to and reverence for the priesthoods and offices within them. The salvation of the souls of men depends upon the rights, powers, authority, and righteousness of those who accept the mighty responsibilities of "ministering for men in things pertaining to God." When priesthood is to be authoritatively conferred upon men, God requires that they be selected and chosen according to the gifts, callings, and qualifications in them for the righteous discharge of duties and responsibilities of the office to which they will be ordained.(49) When men are thus selected and have the priesthoods conferred upon them God demands righteous and capable service through inspiration of His Holy Spirit, and He requires them to enter into the following covenant, sealed by oath, with Him.(50) Those who "come unto those two priesthoods aver that they have been faithful unto their obtaining." They are then required by God's word to enter into the following covenant with Him whom they are called to represent: they covenant to magnify their calling, to [33] receive God and obey His laws and commandments, to receive Christ and take upon them His name, and to receive His servants. How many men and boys on whom the priesthood has been conferred were advised of that covenant and oath? The following is God's promise, sealed by oath, made to those who observe their covenant: That they shall be sanctified by His Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies; That they shall become the sons of Moses and Aaron and the seed of Abraham; That they shall be the Church and the kingdom and the elect of God; That all the Father hath shall be given unto them. Dear reader, have you entered into that covenant, and do you value the promises of God here repeated to that extent that you will diligently comply with its terms? God's oath and covenant cannot be broken or moved. But if man fails to perform his part "after he hath received it and altogether turneth therefrom, he shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come!"(51) 0 Lord, our God, full of justice, compassion, and longsuffering toward men, have mercy upon all those who profess thy name, and are led unwittingly to accept the sacred and awful responsibilities of administering therein, and visit the sins of their ignorant mockery upon the heads of those who wantonly blaspheme Thy holy priesthood and gracious name! Our Lord has prescribed the only conditions upon which He will accept men or the acts of men "who come unto these two priesthoods," and yet men are known to have presumed divine rights, by virtue of some ordination, to represent Him in their ministrations, and to proclaim salvation to those who trustingly accept the sacraments of His holy ordinances at their hands, when they well knew they were not only unworthy to be delegated with divine authority, but had not diligently observed the covenants they were required to make with [34] God when that authority was supposed to have been conferred upon them! How long, 0 Lord, wilt Thou withhold the visitation of Thy just anger upon all those who are reprobate concerning Thy holy commandments? [35] 9 THE CALL AND AUTHORITY OF JOSEPH SMITH. "AND I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell upon the earth, and to every nation and kindred, and tongue, and people; saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water."(52) God ordained that Joseph Smith should receive at the hand of that holy angel His everlasting gospel, and reveal unto us His mind and will, to confer sacred priesthood and keys, to administer in the ordinances of the gospel for our eternal salvation. Of this He said: "I the Lord, called upon my servant Joseph Smith and spoke unto Him from heaven, and gave him commandments."(53) "Behold, thou art Joseph and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord."(54) And in the following words the Lord commanded those who professed His name to receive Joseph Smith's revelations as authority from Him: "Being inspired of the Holy Ghost to lay the foundation thereof, (meaning the Church) and to build it up unto the most holy faith . . . . Wherefore, meaning the Church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you, as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me."(55) All who have a portion of the spirit of truth in them will understand that Joseph Smith's words and commandments were of God and binding upon men as His word and law only when they were given under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and this while Joseph Smith was strictly observing God's ordinances. "For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do [36] many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him."(56) The Lord also told Joseph Smith that the gifts, powers, and blessings that had been bestowed upon him would be taken away if he did not abide in Him.(57) This prophet was mortal and subject to fault when the Holy Ghost was not with him, just as other men chosen of God have been and will be in mortality. We read of Joseph's sinning, repenting, and being forgiven of the Lord."(58) If these weaknesses to which mortal is heir, were evidenced in a tried and proven prophet of God, as was Joseph Smith, would they not possess other men, not so gifted, to an even greater degree? Would not they, too, be subject to a like condemnation for sin? We are informed that God "cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance."(59) This being God's truth no man can expect, or be expected, to retain the gifts and callings of God if he transgresses His laws. No man can commit sin in any degree while possessed of the Holy Ghost, nor can he possess the Holy Ghost while committed to sin. No being, Jesus Christ himself excepted, ever dwelt long in mortality without sin, for the reason that in his mortal state he cannot endure in the constant possession of the Holy Ghost. It consumes all dross of which the tabernacle of man is composed.(60) Because of this a translation, or partial change, was granted John the Beloved, the three Nephite disciples, the worthy inhabitants of Enoch's holy city, Elijah, and others. Thus the powers of the Holy Ghost could be ever with them, preserving from sin, death, and the devil. Inasmuch as Joseph Smith was warned against transgression and threatened with the loss of his divine gifts should he continue in sin  and a failure to observe God's ordinances was one important condition named  is it not reasonable to believe that that warning, threat, and its [37] execution would apply with equal force to his successors and all who essayed to speak for God? It is only when men are humble, contrite, and faithfully observing God's laws and ordinances that they can possess the Holy Ghost and speak thereby for God. It is only at such times and under such conditions that man's prophecies, teachings, and revelations are divine, and have a binding authority to require obedience in man. At all other times their wisdom is worldly, of self and likely to err. Consequently the significance of their words may be measured by their personal knowledge and experiences through a like wisdom in their fellows, and demands only a proportionate respect. Of this matter we read: "President Wilford Woodruff is a man of wisdom, but we do not believe his personal views or utterances are revelations from God; and when 'Thus saith the Lord' comes from him, the Saints investigate it; they do not shut their eyes and take it down like a pill."(61) "To what extent is obedience to those who hold the priesthood required? This is a very important question, and one that should be understood by all Saints. . . . We have heard men who hold the priesthood remark that they would do anything they were told to do by those presiding over them, even if they knew it was wrong; but, such obedience as this is worse than folly to us. It is slavery in the extreme; and the man who would thus willingly degrade himself should not claim a rank among intelligent beings, until he turns from his folly. . . . Others in the extreme exercise of their almighty (?) authority, have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the Saints were told to do by their Presidents, they should do without asking any questions . . . . We would ask, for what was the priesthood given unto man? It is that they may have the right to administer the law of God. Have they a right to make void that law? Verily, no! When the law of God has gone forth from His own mouth, and then declared by the mouths of His apostles and prophets, saying, Thou [38] shalt not kill, then, we say, who can kill and be forgiven? And in like manner it might be asked of all the laws of God. Who has the right to make them void? None can revoke the decree but Him by whom it was given; neither can the laws of God be trampled upon with impunity, or revoked by a lesser power than that by which they were framed. It is written of God that He cannot lie; then none need suppose that He will approve of it through His authority which is on the earth; "neither is He the son of man that He should repent, therefore He will maintain the law by which His kingdom is governed." "Where the authority of God is, there should be the confidence of all men reposed sufficiently to obey His laws; but not to violate them; for we have not yet learned that it has power enough to save the transgressor in his sins. Some men have been so wise as to think the little authority they had was sufficient for them to set aside laws and revelations, and meet our justice and judgment upon their own responsibility. But in the end they have found that responsibility to be greater than they can bear. Some have supposed that the more authority men have in the kingdom of God, the greater is their liberty to disregard His laws, and that their greatness consists in their almost unlimited privileges, which leave them without restrictions; but, this is a mistaken idea. Those who are the greatest in authority, are under the greatest restrictions; the law of their sphere is greater than that of those who are less in power, and the restrictions and penalty of that law are proportionately greater: Therefore, they are under greater obligation to maintain the virtue of the law, and the institutions of God."(62) This should make clear our position as believers in God and men holding His priesthood and administering thereunder. [39] 10 THE FOUNDATION. LET US begin our search for truth at the very "foundation." "Thou, Joseph Smith, shalt be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the church. Being inspired of the Holy Ghost to lay the foundation thereof, and to build it up unto the most holy faith.(63) Wherefore, if ye shall build My Church upon the foundation of the gospel and my rock, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you."(64) Paul says, "Now therefore ye are built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone. "(65) Our Lord said to Peter, "And upon this rock (meaning the rock of revelation by which power the Godship of Christ was made known to Peter) I will build My church."(66) From only a casual reading of these passages of Scripture we might get the impression that there was lack of harmony in them. Not so. Think it over and compare them with other Scripture bearing upon the same matter, of which there is much we do not have space here to quote. The writer believes you will understand their meaning in the following light: Holy priesthood, within which there are prophets and apostles, holds the keys to the revelations of God, through which the gospel's truths, doctrines, and ordinances, are revealed from Jesus Christ, "the chief corner stone," and the church is built up unto Him. These three, the gospel of Jesus Christ, prophets and apostles with revelation form a "trinity" of power and truth constituting the foundation of Christ's Church. "Priesthood continueth in the Church of God in all generations, and this greater Priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof and the authority of the Priesthood, the power of Godliness is made manifest unto men in the flesh."(67) [40] 11 PRIESTHOOD, POWERS AND AUTHORITY. WITH the priesthood rests the governing power of the church, it is the delegated power and authority to act for and in behalf of God, in fact, it is the "mouth piece" of God to the people. "The rights of the Priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven and the powers of heaven can not be controlled nor 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 ambitions, 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 is grieved; and when it is withdrawn Amen to the Priesthood or authority of that man."(68) Please read and ponder well these words of the Lord, for thus has He defined the source of authority and the limitations of priesthood power in men." All authorities or offices in the church are appendage to this Priesthood. "(69) If the church is led, influenced, or controlled by its officers in any degree of unrighteousness, the Spirit of the Lord, or the Holy Ghost, is grieved, and if withdrawn, Amen to that man's priesthood and authority. But if this influence and control is exercised in truth and righteousness, we are given the following promise: "For thus saith the Lord, I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness, and in truth unto the end. . . . And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea all hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom."(70) [41] Thus the Lord promises the leaders of our church that He will make known unto them the good pleasure of His will concerning all things pertaining to His kingdom, provided, they will serve Him in righteousness and truth. These promises are conditional promises of God. You are, no doubt, aware that the President of the Latter Day Saint Church, his two counselors, the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and the Presiding Patriarch of the Church are all sustained, at least semiannually, by the vote of the Church as prophets, seers, and revelators, and that the Lord has promised them, in the quotation just read, that He "will make known unto them His will concerning all things pertaining to His kingdom"  on condition of their faithful and righteous observance of His commandments. At no previous time in the history of the Mormon(71) Church have there been such changes in church practices, principles, and ordinances, such bickerings and disputations regarding just what God's will really is and who shall succeed to high church positions, as there now are and have been for the few years just past. And yet, we have no record of one of these leaders repeatedly sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators having had "the good pleasure" of God's will revealed to him pertaining to these grave matters since the departure of Wilford Woodruff, but they have disregarded and annulled the commandments of God revealed to that good and holy man, as will be hereinafter shown. Heber J. Grant, present President of the Church, and sustained as a prophet, seer, and revelator, said of himself when delivering a speech before "The Knife and Fork Club" of Kansas City a few years since, that he had never received a revelation or divine manifestation of any kind for the guidance of the Church. Many church members say they have so often listened to President Grant's account of that memorable banquet, and his speech made to that august body assembled there, that [42] they have memorized the most important details connected therewith. Yet, very few, if any, can remember of his having told the church members, while at public meeting, that he made that allimportant declaration to that "Knife and Fork Club." We must go to the written account made of that occasion at the time, if we wish to know that fact. If President Grant has even pretended to revelation since that time the Church has not been advised of it. From the pulpit and press, leaders and laymen of the Church very frequently quote, "Where there is no vision the people perish,"(72) and "If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make known myself unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream."(73) This being the Lord's truth it most certainly applies to the Mormon people as well as any other, and if it proves anything it proves that we have no prophets, seers, or revelators now, other than in name. If we have had no one to "speak for God" in all these years of disputation and dissensions, we are most certainly being taught "the precepts of men," and this in literal fulfillment of Book of Mormon prophecy, "All have gone astray save it be a few humble followers of Christ; nevertheless they are led that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men."(74) This prophecy can have reference to no people other than the Latter Day Saints, for we are told in this same chapter it would have its fulfillment after the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and at a time when the "blood of the Saints shall cry from the ground against" their persecutors of the other churches not "built up unto the Lord." Who, we might ask, more loudly boast of being the "humble followers of Christ" than we do? Who more persistently assert that they are the "Saints of God" whose "blood has been shed for the testimony of Jesus"? None. The prophecy just quoted says, "All have gone astray." We Mormons say that refers to the whole Christian world except ourselves. The prophecy says, [43] it save it be a few." The Mormons claim to be that few. The prophecy says, "nevertheless, they are led that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men." If we are to accept this prophecy as being of God and the Church's explanation generally given as being correct, we have proved quite conclusively that revelation from God for the guidance of the Mormon Church has ceased and we are now being "taught by the precepts of men." That revelation and prophecy have ceased is not denied in positive terms by church leader or member. However, many of them, the leaders in particular, attempt to account for this fact, and hide our need in the statement, "All that is necessary for our salvation has already been revealed, and we need no more until we observe that which we now have." Thus they admit the absence of these gifts today, and their excuse, offered in an attempt at justification, is again in fulfillment of Book of Mormon prophecy. "Therefore, wo unto him that is at ease in Zion. Wo unto him that crieth, All is well. Wo be unto him that shall say, We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough."(75) Who but the Latter Day Saints claim to have received the word of God direct to them? Who but we boast of our Zion and cry "All is well"? Who so frequently boast of their "ease in Zion" and freedom from persecutions in the changed attitude of the world toward us as we do? Or, is it our changed attitude toward the commandments of the Lord that has won the freedom, ease, and love of the world in which we now rejoice? Good Paul, you must have been mistaken in saying, "All that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."(76) [44] 12 HAS THE SUN GONE DOWN? IN THE quotation immediately following the compiler will take the liberty of rendering the word "wine," pride, and the words "strong drink," love of the world. If this version is not warranted, please read it as given in the text, or supply one you think will better convey its real meaning. "But they also have erred through pride, and through love of the world are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through love of the world, they are swallowed up in pride, they are out of the way through love of the world, and they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. . . . Wherefore, hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men that rule my people, which is in Jerusalem: Because ye have said, we have made a covenant with death and with hell are at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge and under falsehood have we hid ourselves. . . . Your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through then ye shall be trodden down by it."(77) This prophecy very accurately depicts our agreement with the world, and the lies somebody has told to deceive somebody else and themselves. But we must not think we shall escape the judgment predicted. "Thus saith the Lord, concerning the prophets that make my people err, and bite with their teeth and cry, Peace, and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him; Therefore, night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded; yea they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer of God."(78) [45] Kind reader, was history ever more accurate in its description of past events, than this prophecy is in foretelling conditions that now prevail with the Mormon Church, who claim to be "God's people" and to have prophets, seers, and revelators who all "cover their lips, for there is no answer of God?" I am not blaming, censuring or finding fault with our leaders because they are not in reality prophets, seers, and revelators. If I were, if you, kind reader, were, if a thousand more like us were, what would it amount to? Neither your nor my censure of men for pretending to be what they are not will cut a very wide swath in this field of investigation for truth. It is God's approval or censure that harvests the whole field. We have no more right to censure men in high places for not possessing the precious gifts of prophecy, revelation, and seership than we have to condemn an honest man for being poor in this world's goods. I am poor, perhaps you are, but I find some consolation in the fact that I find not one word of God condemning men for this misfortune, if misfortune it be. However, if you and I do not have worldly riches, if we are unable, having honestly and diligently tried, to provide our families with many of the good things of this world, or if we are unable to pay our honest debts, these things present an undeniable proof that you and I do not possess the gift to acquire and retain wealth. Brother John being much in need of ready money, with honest purpose, went to the banker and asked for his assistance in a loan. He told the banker he could pay it back when due. The banker, believing John to be honest and capable of doing as he agreed, let him have the money. John was a good man, but he failed, although he tried hard to meet his obligation. When it fell due he went again to the banker and explained the reasons for his failure, as he believed them to be, and asked the banker for further assistance by an extension of time. John looked good to that banker; he believed him, and gave the support asked. But, John failed again and again, and the banker repeatedly gave him his support by extensions of time. Finally, John's excuses and ability to [46] pay were doubted, then disbelieved, and the banker became thoroughly convinced that John had deceived him. He was condemned as dishonest, his available goods were attached and sold to satisfy the debt. The banker did not condemn John for being poor, but for the reason that he believed him to be a deceiver and hypocrite. So in the matter of blaming some of our church leaders for not being prophets, seers, and revelators, I have no occasion; I am not a prophet or the son of a prophet, and I find some consolation in the fact that the written word of God does not condemn men for lacking all or any one of these precious gifts. I do, however, find much in that word condemning men for hypocrisy, for pretending to be that which they are not. All of our leaders embraced in the First Presidency and Twelve, when nominated for their respective positions, found themselves in actual need of the assistance and support of church members. And, no doubt, in the beginning of their ministry, when they first asked the support of the people, they honestly believed they would be able to "magnify their high calling" or they would have declined the nomination. Having faith In God and themselves they all appeared before the Church in conference assembled and asked their support in being sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators. The people believed in them and gave their unanimous vote in support of their claims. And these brethren all voted to sustain themselves and each other as prophets, seers, and revelators, thereby covenanting to satisfy the confidence reposed in them. For some reason, we have no record of any one of these brethren having justified the expectations of the people, yet they all appeared again and again before the Church assembled, and without offering an explanation for their failure (perhaps the people never thought to ask for one) asked the people to sustain them by uplifted hands and by their prayers as prophets, seers, and revelators. And every time they renewed their request they covenanted with uplifted hand, in voting for themselves, "to make good." [47] At least twice each year ever since President Joseph F. Smith passed beyond, some, perhaps all, of these brethren have renewed their promises and been granted an extension of time. Have we on record testimony of their having met the divine requirements of the sacred positions to which they have been so often sustained by the people? It is true as recorded in Church History, Vol. 2, p. 417, the Prophet Joseph Smith asked the quorums of Priesthood and Saints assembled on the memorable occasion of the dedication of Kirtland Temple to sustain the Church Presidency, and the members of the Quorum of Twelve then present, as prophets, seers, and revelators; but, insofar as the Twelve were concerned that request was limited to the members of the Quorum present on that occasion. Some if not all the members of that Quorum then present, also many others assembled with them, spoke in tongues, prophesied, had the heavens opened to them and were administered to by angels, at that Pentecostal gathering. However, subsequent events prove conclusively that the Prophet's request and compliance on the part of the entire assembly, did not constitute all of those men prophets, seers, or revelators, recognized as such by God. Without this divine recognition any mortal pretension would most assuredly be vain. This being undeniably true, is it reasonable to believe that Joseph Smith or any of those men, would be justified in continuing to ask the Church to sustain them as being endowed with such divine gifts, after they had ceased to possess them, or if they never had been blessed with them? Kind reader, what does the Lord, for whom such men have pretended to speak, say of a final settlement? "But, wo unto them that are deceivers and hypocrites, for thus saith the Lord, I will bring them to judgment."(79) "For it shall come to pass that the inhabitants of Zion shall judge all things pertaining to Zion, and liars and hypocrites shall be proved by them, and they who are not prophets and apostles shall be known. And even the [48] bishop, who is a judge, and his counselors, if they are not faithful in their stewardship, shall be condemned and others shall be planted in their stead."(80) That is a "very hard saying" but, it is the Lord's, not the compiler's. The word of the Lord has something quite as pertinent to say relative to the authority of the President of the Church himself. The revelation(81) informs us of the several presiding offices growing out of the two priesthoods, and says, "Of the Melchizedek Priesthood, three Presiding High Priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith, and prayers of the Church form a quorum of the Presidency of the Church." The first requisite to right of Church Presidency, insofar as the action of the Church itself is concerned, is that these men shall be "three Presiding High Priests." Then these Three Presiding High Priests must be "chosen by the body." What body? some may ask. The revelations inform us it is the body of the Melchizedek Priesthood, not the Quorum of Twelve alone, nor that of the Seventy, high priests or elders, but by all these quorums "the body" of that Priesthood. These Presiding High Priests must be appointed and then ordained to the office of Church Presidency. As to the right of "appointment" of these men we will speak a little later. The revelation informs us they are to be ordained by the "Twelve" apostles. In order that these men may then be recognized in their high positions by the Church as a body, they must be upheld by the confidence, faith, and prayers of the Church. Insofar as the Church is concerned, by its own action, these three men are now duly authorized to represent and speak for it. But if God is to recognize this President as His mouthpiece to this people He most certainly will demand a voice in his appointment. Paul tells us" the leaders of Christ's Church in his time were ambassadors for Christ. If so, he assuredly "appointed" them. Reader, do you think the United States Government would permit Great Britain to "appoint" [49] our ambassadors to speak for this government in all its dealings with that power? Hardly! Great Britain has the right, and may possibly exercise it, to refuse to receive a duly appointed United States ambassador. In that case the United States Government would appoint another, possibly acceptable, or cease to deal with that government. Just so, the Church may reject Christ's appointed ambassadors. But a review of the acts of God convinces us that He would cease to communicate with this Church. He would most certainly find a people who would receive His "appointed" servants. He tells us, "The president of the Church, who is also president of the council, is appointed by revelation."(82) Joseph Smith and all his divinely authorized successors, were first "appointed" of God by revelation, then recognized by the Church as President through the very means quoted above. If the present President of the Church was appointed by revelation from God," then chosen "by the body of the Melchizedek Priesthood," and all the people were authoritatively advised of these very important facts, is it not possible that the Church would more diligently and earnestly uphold him by their confidence, faith, and prayers, and that we would again hear "Thus saith the Lord" in matters now perplexing the Church so sorely? If the First Presidency of the Mormon Church, "three Presiding High Priests," were "appointed by revelation," then they, with the Twelve were chosen, ordained, and sustained in their respective positions, as the revelations say they should be, and this without pretending to the sacred and divine powers of "prophets, seers, and revelators," we could find no reason in the written word why any Mormon, familiar with the revelations and fully converted to their divinity, should hesitate to sustain these good men as a Church Presidency and Quorum of Twelve Apostles, because, nowhere can we find in these revelations that God demands these unusual and divine qualifications, at all times, of any of these Church officials. Why then should church members be required to sustain these brethren in positions and claim not demanded by God of them, or evidenced in their ministrations? [50] 13 WHAT CONSTITUTES A PROPHET, A SEER, AND A REVELATOR? WHAT divine requisites have we a right to expect in a prophet of God? Answer: He or she who prophesies in the name of the Lord and that prophecy comes true is Please pause a moment before we attempt to complete that sentence. For, that stated is by no means, the most vital test. We might have to live a very long time for it to be of much value in our search for truth. The Lord answers our question in a fullness for ready use. Paul says, "Now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which we have learned and avoid them."(83) Something more explicit, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles ?"(84) Let us examine more carefully these "fruits" of which Jesus speaks. "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee, saying, let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them. Thou shalt not hearken unto that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."(85) This word of God teaches that although a pretending prophet prophesies in His name and that prediction comes true, yet he is not of God if he teaches something contrary to that which God has previously revealed. For "from eternity to eternity God and His gospel are the same, everlasting and unchangeable."(86) We have a modern revelation confirming the truths [51] set forth above. "And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all thing s, that you may not be deceived, for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations; Wherefore, he that prayeth whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me, if he obey mine ordinances; He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God, if he obey mine ordinances. . . . And again, he that is overcome and bringeth forth not fruits, even according to this pattern, is not of me. Wherefore, by this pattern ye shall know the spirits in all cases under the whole heavens."(87) Has any mortal with faith in God an excuse now for being deceived by those who pretend to be God's prophets? Test them and yourself by this infallible pattern. Though they may possibly be obeying God's ordinances, if they teach others not to obey those ordinances, or prevent others from obeying them, God will surely bring them to judgment. The Scripture cited teaches us very plainly that the fruits by which Jesus told us we might judge a pretending prophet, if enumerated would stand in about the following order: 1st. The prophecy must be uttered in the name and by the authority given of God. 2nd. The prophet must himself obey God's ordinances and teach others to walk in subjection to God's laws. 3rd. His precepts must be in perfect accord with all that God has previously revealed on the subject taught. 4th. The prophecies uttered must come true in every particular. In these fruits the Lord has provided a sure means whereby we may justly judge a pretending prophet; and by the just and careful application of this rule God will try His people and justify or condemn their response to professed prophetic powers. What of a Seer's Qualifications? God Answers Us! By the holy angel God said to Joseph Smith, "Also, that there were two stones in silver bows, and these two stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim, and the possession and [52] use of these stones were what constituted 'Seers' in ancient, or former times."(88) And God establishes this truth in the mouth of two witnesses. "And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look into them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look into them the same is called seer; And the king said, that a Seer is greater than a prophet; and Ammon said, that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also, and a gift which is greater no man can have except he should possess the power of God."(89) Reader, do you require anything more to know what constitutes a seer" of God? From the little written history left us of ancient Israel, particularly that found in the Bible, we learn it was not an uncommon thing for false teachers, prophets, and pretenders to sacred privilege and priesthood to arise among that people, and lead many away from the God of Abraham. Then, as now, among all people, eloquent and appealing pretenders to divine prophetic powers seem to have experienced no great difficulty in deceiving the uninformed and credulous among that chosen people. However, we have no record of a false "Seer" having arisen with pretensions of divine powers vested in those chosen Oracles, for the very simple reason that the unlearned, even, among them knew that God's "seers" were possessed of Urim and Thummim. In the days of the prophetpriests, Ezra and Nehemiah, certain learned and influential men arose claiming right to the holy priesthood, and they, as well as others, to support from certain portions known as "the most holy things" reserved from sacrifices set apart in the Mosaic Law as belonging only to the High Priest, Aaron and his sons  or the rightful presiding priesthood  by an ordinance forever."(90) These pretenders' rights to sacred place and things were "weighed in the balance and found wanting." "Therefore, they were, as polluted, put from the priest[53] hood, and the Tirshatha, (or governor of the council) said unto them that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.(91) If the possession of Urim and Thummim was so essential in ancient Israel to determine man's divine right to presiding place and sacred things, should it not have some such significance today? If their possession in ancient, or former times constituted "seers" tell me, pray, what, in the absence of these divine instruments, is required to "constitute a seer" in our day? Do you think that the acclaim of any man's followers constitutes him a prophet, a seer, or a revelator for God? The calling of a revelator is well explained in the following summary of truths set forth in the quotations cited. Please read them. A revelator in the sense in which we are supposed now to view him as representing God, is one who reveals divine truth. And all that he reveals must be in perfect harmony with God's law formerly revealed. Many persons may receive revelations.(92) Yet, there is but one mouthpiece of God to the Church when fully organized.(93) Revelation may come by the voice of God, the Holy Ghost, or angels' administrations.(94) However, revelations may come through evil sources."(95) Of these the Lord warns us to be aware, and gives infallible keys by which they may be detected. God has thrown about us every safeguard needed, so, we have no excuse but that given of sin, for being deceived by men, devils, or their emissaries. All the keys and patterns heretofore cited are at the command of the honest searcher for truth. "There are none so blind as those who will not see," and "Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost."(96) [54] 14 A HOUSE OF ORDER VERSUS A HOUSE OF CONFUSION. A CAREFUL consideration of priesthood and offices appendage thereto together with their several duties is before us in this section for additional light. Without these priesthoods, God informs us, there can be no right or authority to preach the gospel or administer in its ordinances. As we consider the offices appendage to these priesthoods, please keep fixed in your memory the "covenant and oath" those who attain unto the higher priesthood are required of God to make. It has already been quoted in this REVIEW. "Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord, and not a house of confusion. . . . Will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed? . . . And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law?"(97) In Section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants we are told of the restoration of the gospel, the ordinances pertaining thereto, and of the priesthood given to administer in them. Verses 109 and 110 say: "Therefore, let every man stand in his own office, and labor in his own calling . . . that the system may be kept perfect." This command admits of no cavil, yet "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but he that hearkeneth unto counsel (of God) is wise ."(98) In our review of this most important subject we will consider the present practices of the Mormon Church and compare them with God's command just cited. In this way we will learn whether the present Mormon Church is God's house, "a house of order, where every man stands in his own office and labors in his own calling," or, whether it is a "house of confusion" unequaled in any other church in Christendom. We have already reviewed the necessity of "appointment by revelation" of the President of the Church, his [55] office and calling, as prescribed by the revelations. We will begin this further review with the office, duties, and calling of the Twelve Apostles, as individuals and as a quorum. When our Lord chose his Twelve Apostles, in the days of his personal ministry among men, he said, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit."(99) And He commanded them, "Go ye into all the world, and proclaim the gospel to every creature."(100) From the very brief account we have of the ministry of those Apostles, we know they obeyed their Lord's injunctions, suffering untold hardships, persecution, and even death in their strict compliance, in almost every land of the then known earth. Just so was it with calling and service of the Twelve Apostles chosen by revelation from their Lord in the incipiency of His Latter Day Work. The revelations say of the particular duties and calling of the Apostles, "The Twelve shall be my disciples, and they shall take upon them my name . . . they are called to go into all the world and to preach my gospel unto every creature."(101) That the labors of this quorum of Twelve Apostles, in promulgation of the gospel, administering and presiding in Church affairs was primarily abroad, is evidenced by so great a volume of "modern scripture" that we have space to cite only a few of the many passages of Scripture declaring this truth. Please read those here cited by reference.(102) We will, however, call the reader's attention to the following facts, conclusively establishing this truth. In compliance with the word of the Lord, the early apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints, as a quorum, diligently proclaimed the gospel abroad and there administered the affairs of the Church, suffering, like their predecessors, hunger, cold, untold hardships, and persecution in every nation to which they carried the gospel tidings. So thoroughly converted and devoted were those men to their sacred calling, that during the bitterest persecutions and drivings of the Church, [56] its Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve were at a loss to know whether the Lord required them to leave their families and loved ones at the mercy of mobs, and, under such trying circumstances, continue their ministry "abroad." Their prayer, "Show us Thy will, 0 Lord, concerning the Twelve" ascended to the Throne of Grace and they were given the Lord's answer as recorded in Section 118 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Here they were commanded to fully organize the quorum by approving and ordaining certain men there named to fill the vacancies caused by apostasy and the cutting off of former members. They were further told to have the Quorum of Twelve and those appointed to fill vacancies, meet at Far West, Missouri, on the twentysixth day of April of the following year, and there ordain the new members then called by revelation. After which they were to take leave of their families and the Saints "to go over the great waters, and there promulgate my gospel, the fullness thereof, and bear record of my name." Would it not seem to us that this required a thorough conversion to the Gospel and its restored saving powers, as well as a mighty faith in the divinity of their calling and the promises of their Lord then made to them? Verily, it would! After this revelation was made known, the mobs of Missouri swore that this was one prophecy of Joseph Smith's that would never be fulfilled, for they would see to it that there was not a Mormon left in that county by that date. Despite these threats, mobbings, and persecutions that had continued from the date of this call to the time set for its fulfillment, Joseph Smith's associate leaders of the Church, apostles remaining faithful and not then on missions abroad, and those appointed by revelation to take the places of those who had fallen, avoided the mob and before daylight on the twentysixth day of April met on the Temple Lot at Far West, and ordained those formerly chosen to complete the Quorum of Twelve. The prophet later blessed and instructed them all, after which they bade adieu to their loved ones and made their way, suffering hunger, hardship, and almost every privation, [57] over land and sea to their various fields of missionary labor.(103) So constant and diligent were the labors of the Twelve abroad that at the time of the martyrdom of the prophet and his brother, Hyrum, some of them had to be called home before a "Quorum" could be had to take their place as a Presiding Quorum over the Church until a Presidency of Three Presiding High Priests would be appointed and ordained.(104) Kind reader, please compare the service performed by those apostles of the early Mormon Church, and that of their predecessors of Peter and Paul's time with that of our present Mormon Church Quorum of Twelve being now performed. In our review of recent history and current events, we feel justified in saying that very few members of the present Quorum of Twelve have, since their call to the apostleship, performed a real missionary service "in all the world" or any part of it. It is very true that some of them have presided over missions in foreign lands, from time to time, and the majority of the Quorum, possibly, have traveled, in luxury and comfort not formerly known, from mission to mission and from Stake to Stake preaching the gospel in wellappointed churches and chapels. But, to perform a mission from door to door, from village to village or from city to city, preaching the gospel as former apostles did, or even as the majority of present day Mormon missionaries do, seems quite out of line with their Quorum prerogatives in the more modern Mormon Church. To one reviewing all this labor it appears there is much more comfort to be had, and the position carries with it more worldly dignity, when this Quorum can discharge its otherwise arduous missionary duties "abroad," by dictating its will from the most costly and beautiful church offices in all the world. Not that the possession of all these worldly comforts is in and of itself any indication of wrong having been committed in their acquirement. The question at issue in our REVIEW lies here: In view of the fact that we [58] profess to be, by divine right, in the service of the Son of Man who had during His personal mission on earth nowhere to lay his head, and, that He made definite promise, ever hitherto literally fulfilled, to all those who loved Him and would diligently labor in His cause, a worldly state quite the opposite; does the uninterrupted possession of all these worldly comforts evidence a service performed in strict compliance with our Master's commandments? If this were the only evidence found in our REVIEW that the Twelve Apostles of today did not "labor in their own calling," we might not be caused to wonder so much at their departure from the "revealed word"; but, we are moved thereby to a further consideration of the Lord's commands relative to their sacred duties as a Quorum. His word says, "The Twelve are a Traveling Presiding High Council to officiate in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Presidency of the Church, agreeable to the institutions of heaven; to build up the Church, and regulate the affairs of the same in all nations, first unto the Gentiles and secondly unto the Jews.(105) Again, "They, (the Twelve) are also called Traveling Councilors. They constitute a traveling Presiding High Council, and from their decisions, when exercising Judiciary functions abroad, there is no appeal."(106) Scripture is so replete with evidences of the fact set forth in the above quotations, viz. that the duties of this Presiding High Council of Twelve Apostles is "Traveling" and "abroad" that we will not take more space to cite them. Because of the foregoing stated fact this Traveling High Council of Twelve Apostles, when acting as a Council and as such in judiciary capacity, have no authority, neither is it physically possible for them, if in the line of their missionary duties "abroad," to perform these very important functions "at the seat of the First Presidency of the Church." Consequently, quorums of Twelve High Priests were occasionally called for special causes, to act in behalf of the Church, before the Twelve Apostles were chosen. However, on the seventeenth of [59] February, 1834, a "permanent High Council of The Church of Christ of LatterDay Saints" was organized at Kirtland, Ohio. The minutes of this organization comprise Section 102 of our Doctrine and Covenants, of which, The Doctrine and Covenants Commentary says, on page 813, "It now forms what may be called The Constitution of The High Council of The Church of Christ." We are informed in the first and second verses of this Section that all this was done "by revelation," presumably received before the meeting convened. The second verse also says this High Council of the Church of Christ was organized "for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the Church, which could not be settled by the Church or the Bishop's Council to the satisfaction of the parties." These difficulties included those of "doctrine and principle" as is evidenced by the twentythird verse which says, "In case of difficulty respecting doctrine or principle, if there is not a sufficiency written to make the case clear to the minds of the Council, the President may inquire and obtain the mind of the Lord by revelation." It is made undeniably evident by the wording of the ninth verse that this High Council of The Church was to act for the whole Church, and not for any particular stake of the Church or for Kirtland, where it was organized, for it says, "The President of the Church, who is also President of the Council, is appointed by revelation, and acknowledged in his administrations by the voice of the Church." And that this High Council of the Church, presided over by the President of the Church was to function at the seat of the First Presidency of The Church is made evident by verses 26 and 27. That this High Council of The Church of Christ was to be a permanent organization is conclusively proved by the following quoted from the eighth verse. (Please remember, kind reader, it was said in preceding verses of this section, as above quoted, that this was being done "by revelation.") It says, "Voted, that whenever any vacancy shall occur by death, removal from office for transgression or removal from the bounds of this church [60] government, it shall be filled by the nomination of the presidents, and sanctioned by the voice of a general council of High Priests convened for that purpose, to act in the name of the Church." Inasmuch as this Church High Council was effected before the Twelve Apostles were chosen, some may say it was only a temporary organization, to be done away with when the Quorum of the Twelve was chosen. That such a position is not tenable is evidenced by the fact that the particular calling and duties of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles were made known long before this Church High Council was ever organized, and that this organization was not to be abolished after the Twelve Apostles were functioning as a quorum is conclusively proved by the following words of George A. Smith as recorded in Journal of Discourse, Vol. XI, p. 7. He said, "I remember very well the organization of the High Council at Kirtland as a permanent institution. There had been several Councils of Twelve High Priests called for special cases, but they organized it permanently on the seventeenth of February, 1834." By revelation found in Section 107, verses 79 and 80, the Lord informs us of the "permanency" of this High Council. It says, "And the Presidency of the Council of the High Priesthood shall have power to call other high priests, even twelve, to assist as Councilors; and thus the Presidency of the High Priesthood and its Councilors shall have power to decide upon testimony according to the law of the Church. "And after this decision it shall be had in remembrance no more before the Lord; for this is the highest council of the Church of God, and a final decision upon controversy in spiritual matters." It seems to the writer that these words of God and men here quoted should prove conclusively our claims set forth above. The Mormon Church of today has abolished this High Council of The Church of Christ which was to function permanently at the "seat of the First Presidency of the Church." And the Quorum of Twelve Apostles has now usurped the powers and authority of this Church High [61] Council established by revelation, in that they attempt to settle "at the seat of the First Presidency of the Church" all important difficulties which arise in the Church and are appealed from the Bishops' Councils and from the Stake High Councils, not only in secular matters but in difficulties of doctrine and principle, and that not always by "unanimous decision" which the revelations demand of all Quorums of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Yet we find no record of their President having inquired and obtained the mind of the Lord by revelation, during late years. This may not be necessary, however. Do the Seventies of the Church "stand in their own office or labor in their own calling"? A review of their calling will answer that question. The revelation says the Quorum of Seventy consists of seventy members, each Quorum, (and there are many such quorums in the Church) is presided over by seven presidents, which in turn, is presided over by the seventh president of the seven. These seven presidents of the first Quorum of Seventy also preside over all other quorums of Seventy in the Church.(107) It is claimed by the Latterday Saints that this order has existed from the beginning, whenever God's Priesthood was fully organized on earth. As evidence of that belief we cite God's instruction to Moses that he should select seventy men for the ministry in Israel.(108) And the Lord's appointment of "other seventy" also and sending them out two and two.(109) The specific duties of the Seventy in the Mormon Church, as prescribed by the revelations to Joseph Smith are, "to preach the gospel, and to be special witnesses in all the world, laboring under the direction of the Twelve Apostles.(110) The Seventy have the responsibility of traveling continually to preach the gospel, and they have no responsibility of presiding.(111) They are to be called for preaching and administering the gospel instead of any others.(112) Today very few of the Seventies, comparatively speaking, in the Mormon Church "stand in their own [62] office or labor in their own calling." They are not called by the Twelve to preach the gospel abroad "instead of any others." So far as we have been able to learn in our review of church missionary statistics, not onehalf of those called to preach the gospel abroad are seventies. The church missionaries abroad consist of high priests, seventies, elders, some bishops and priests of the Levitical Order. The Lord said the "Seventy have no responsibility of presiding." Yet Seventies are called by the present leaders of the Church to preside over branches of the Church, over missions, over Sunday Schools, in fact, over almost every activity of the Church but the Church itself. The Lord asks, "Will I accept at your hands that which I have not appointed?" Of the duties and calling of an Elder in the Church of Christ the revelations say they are "standing ministers" unto the Church.(113) They may travel but not among all nations."(114) "They are to conduct the meetings and officiate in the place and standing of a High Priest, when the last named is not present."(115) We are informed that the "office and calling of a High Priest is to be a standing President."(116) Very few Elders now "stand in their own office" or "labor in their own calling" as standing ministers to the Church or standing Presidents in the Church, as the Lord said they should. The great majority of them labor, if they labor at all, in the calling of a Priest of the Levitical Order, but by order of the Church Presidency, these Elders are designated Teachers, while they are sent out to labor in the calling of a Priest, as that calling is prescribed by revelation in God's House of Order. While these elders are "visiting from house to house" in the calling of a priest, under the name of Teacher, some Seventies and all the Ward Bishops of the Church have usurped their office of Presidency! And all this is done by order of the file leaders of the Mormon Church. [63] 15 THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD. KIND reader, please follow with us in our review of what God says and man does with reference to the offices and their respective duties of the Aaronic Priesthood. "It is the calling of a Bishop to preside over the Aaronic Priesthood."(93) There are three classes of Bishops in God's House of Order, and this duty just cited applies to all of them. They are, first, Presiding Bishops over the Aaronic Priesthood of the whole Church, second, Stake Bishops who should perform the same duties in the various Stakes. But, the Mormon Church no longer has Stake Bishops. These are done away with in our manmade system, and their duties, or some of them, are now discharged by Stake Supervisors over the Aaronic Priesthood, others by elders or Seventies or High Priests, laboring as Stake Clerks, and by High Priests laboring as a Stake Presidency. Some of the duties prescribed by the revelation for these Stake Bishops are not now performed by any one in particular. We have no need for them now. Our ways are better than God's ways, "in our own eyes." The duty of a Bishop of the third class is to preside over a Quorum of Fortyeight Priests, in his ward or branch,(94) and all other offices in the Aaronic Priesthood. "The office of a Bishop is in administering all temporal things."(95) "To keep the Lord's storehouse. To receive the funds of the Church. To look after the temporal needs of those who are called to administer in spiritual things, and of those who are called to administer the gospel and the things of the kingdom unto the Church and unto the world.(96) These duties all apply to the three classes of Bishops. However, the temporal needs of only a certain few of those who are faithful and labor for the kingdom are administered to. All others pay their own expenses, [64] and look after their own needs, including that of their families. This is particularly true of the missionaries sent out to preach the gospel in all the world. And this, regardless of the fact that the Lord said, "It is the duty of the Church to support the families of those who are called, and must needs be sent into the world to proclaim the gospel."(97) Our church leaders of today are psychologists of no mean ability and accomplishment. They have devised a means of appealing to the prospective missionary's patriotism, fear of disfavor, and possible ostracism by his old and faithful associates, as well as to his personal pride, which seems to be far more effective than any effort made of late years to obtain financial aid from the masses with which to provide for the needs of the missionary's family. Consequently they have discarded God's revealed plan and have substituted one their worldly wisdom and ingenuity can work to better advantage. To return to the calling of Bishops, "This is the duty of a Bishop who is not a literal descendant of Aaron, but has been ordained to the High Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek, to be a judge in Israel, to do the business of the Church." "Thus shall he be a judge, even a common judge among the inhabitants of Zion, or in the Stakes of Zion, or any branch of the Church where he shall be set apart to this ministry."(98) The duties above quoted apply to all three classes of Bishops, but, as previously stated, Stake Bishops have been done away with, and most of their duties, in matters of Stake concern, are taken direct to the Stake Presidency, the High Council or Stake Clerk, none of whom are ordained bishops. In none of the "Standard Church Works" do we find account of an instance where it is said to be a Bishop's duty to preside over anything, except the Priesthood of Aaron and a Quorum of FortyEight Priests of that order. Nor do we find a word in any one of these books charging Bishops with the responsibility of looking after the spiritual needs of a branch, ward, stake or the Church, except in the duties discharged through the [65] Aaronic Priesthood under his presidency. And yet, without one word of law or command from the Lord the Church of today has all the Bishops of the third class preside over all the wards in the Church, and look after the spiritual welfare of all its members, among which are always found men holding the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood. A certain brother, high in official position of the Church, was asked why ward Bishops were appointed to preside over wards and men holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, or to administer in spiritual matters, when the revelations of the Lord positively declared the Bishops' calling to be specifically a temporal one, except in the case of their presidency over the Aaronic Priesthood. The reply and conversation that ensued was about as follows: "The Bishop does this by virtue of the Melchizedek Priesthood he holds in conjunction with the office of Bishop. You will perhaps understand the revelations provide that if a Bishop is not a literal descendant of Aaron, he must be chosen from the Melchizedek Priesthood, a High Priest, and then ordained a Bishop to serve with two councilors?"(99) "Yes, I think I understand that," the writer answered, "but does not the commandment say that 'every man should stand in his own office and labor in his own calling'? Which of these two offices is now 'his own calling,' it does not say his own two callings. Inasmuch as only a High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek can be ordained to the office of a Bishop in the absence of a literal descendant of Aaron, and he cannot serve in that office without having two councilors, is not his calling when so ordained that of a Bishop, whose duties are temporal, instead of a High Priest?" Permit another question or two, "If a Bishop has right to preside over a ward, formerly called a Church, and the Melchizedek Priesthood therein by virtue of that Higher Priesthood from which he was chosen, why is it that the Presiding Bishop over the Aaronic Priesthood of the Church does not preside over the entire church [66] membership, including all those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood? We understand he too was chosen from the Melchizedek Priesthood, a High Priest, just the same office the President of the Church holds. "Are not the duties of Stake and Ward Bishops as precisely prescribed and limited as are those of a Presiding Bishop? Are not the temporal duties specifically named common to all Bishops? If a Presiding Bishop over the Church has no authority to preside over the Church, tell me, please, how a Ward Bishop may consistently preside over a Ward." "The Lord answers that question," the brother replied. "In the Doctrine and Covenants He says, 'Wherefore, the office of a Bishop is not equal unto it,'" (meaning the President of the Church).(100) "Exactly," I said. "That's the Lord's reason, and why should it not hold good in the matter of a Ward Presidency and Ward Bishop? The Lord informs us that it is the calling of High Priests and Elders to preside. This being true would it not be in strict harmony with His word to repeat, 'Wherefore, the office of a Bishop is not equal to it'? And the remaining sentence of that paragraph you quoted, in part says, 'For the office of a Bishop is in administering all temporal things.' Verse 74 of that Section tells us these duties are prescribed for the three classes of Bishops alike. If there is an extension of authority granted either class the Lord does not advise us of it. "May I continue?" I asked. "Yes, but  " "You may add all the objections you have to offer and we will measure their value by the Word of God. And, as I am privileged to proceed, please call my attention to all errors I may make in quoting that Word, and to all want of harmony you may detect in my effort at reasoning therefrom. I am searching for Truth and will greatly appreciate all the assistance you will give me in finding it." The kind brother patiently heard me out, about as follows: [67] "Notwithstanding the fact that the office of a Bishop is said of the Lord not to be equal to that of the Melchizedek Priesthood, 'which holds the keys to all spiritual blessings of the Church,(101) a Bishop must be chosen from that High Priesthood.(102) If this man is a worthy High Priest he would understand the temporal duties of a Bishop by the 'Spirit of Truth' the Higher Priesthood entitles him to.(103) "We are here again told of the temporal duties peculiar to a Bishop, and that the High Priest selected and ordained to that office must discharg e those duties, not the duties of a High Priest. In other words, he must be a Bishop and discharge the temporal duties of a Bishop. "I read of no duty prescribed for a Bishop who is a literal descendant of Aaron that is not set down authoritatively for a Bishop that is chosen from the Melchizedek Priesthood. And in the setting forth of all these temporal duties of a Bishop, not one word is said by the Lord even intimating that this High Priest is to function longer in the Church as a High Priest. "We are informed that the offices of Elder and Bishop, as well as all other offices in the Melchizedek Priesthood, are appendages to that Priesthood.(104) Hence, all the officers thereunder must hold that High Priesthood before they can hold an office appendage thereto. "From this revealed Word we are made to know the Priesthood holds authority over the office and not the office over the Priesthood. An Apostle holds no higher Priesthood than an Elder does, in fact, they both hold the same Priesthood. It is the office to which they are ordained thereunder that determines the rank they will hold in the Church and the duties they will discharge in its organization. "When any man holding this High Priesthood is chosen, set apart, and ordained to any particular office appendage to that Priesthood, he has no right or authority to act within the Church in any higher office appendage thereto. "There is but one instance of command, and consequently of correct procedure within the authority of the [68] Priesthood where a man holding a higher office in the Priesthood is ever ordained to a lesser office in the Priesthood, and that exception is in the case of a High Priest ordained to be and to perform the duties of a Bishop. "This specific call and ordination transfers the High Priest from his office, or appendage, in the Melchizedek Priesthood to that of a Bishop in the Aaronic Priesthood. There he not only functions as a Bishop, he is honored as a Bishop and tried as a Bishop. " 'No Bishop or High Priest who shall be set apart to this ministry shall be tried or condemned for any crime, save it be before the First Presidency of the Church.'(105) Moreover, a Bishop is the only judge or council, assisted by twelve councilors of the High Priesthood, that has authority to judge and try the President of the High Priesthood.(106) "If this specially chosen High Priest can continue to officiate in the Church as a High Priest of the Melchizedek Order, tell me, pray, why he cannot be tried as a High Priest of that Order, and, why he can exercise the authority of a High Judge which no High Priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has a right to do? "Tell me, also, if you will, just when this High Priest chosen and ordained to be a Bishop  if he has such a right  is expected to doff the robes of his Bishopric and don those of a High Priest? And conversely, please?" If there be no power in mortal man's reasoning possessed by the writer, coupled with the revealed word of God definitely prescribing the duties of Bishops in His Church, to convince the reader that the Mormon Church of today has departed from God's commandments respecting the rights of this office, surely all must be convinced by God's word cited below, wherein he states in unmistakable words, just where Presiding Officers and Bishops shall function in the Church! First as to the right of Presidency over branches or churches, now called wards, in the Church: In Church History, Volume 1, page 336 we are informed that the High Priests having charge over all Church affairs in Zion, Missouri, were instructed to "ap[69] point, with the common consent of the branches comprising the Church in that land, Presiding Elders to take the watch care of the several branches as they were appointed." On page 409 of the same volume we learn that "ten High Priests were named and appointed to preside over as many branches, all of which are there designated by numbers one to ten inclusive." By revelation found in Section 106 of The Doctrine and Covenants, verses one to eight, Warren A. Cowdery was appointed Presiding High Priest over the Church at Freedom. And in the same manner, as recorded in Section 117, tenth verse, William Marks, a High Priest, was appointed to preside over the Church at Far West. There is surely no need to cite more instances of this procedure and prevailing order. It is sufficient to quote here just what our Assistant Church Historian, Andrew Jensen, says in "The Church Section" of the Saturday Evening Deseret News under date of September 3, 1932, page 8, as follows: "The ranking officers in the Church in the beginning were elders who presided in most of the organized branches . . . at the beginning of 1832 the following high priests figured in the Church at the head of the most important church organizations." (Fortyfour high priests are then named.) At the beginning of 1832 there were twentyeight organized branches named here. Historian Jensen says, "Later in the year, the saints in Jackson County, Missouri were divided into ten branches presided over by ten high priests." We will now review the word of God telling us just how and where Bishops function in those branches or churches and stake organizations. Kirtland and nearby branches of the Church were Presided over by Elders or High Priests prior to December 4, 1831 on which date Joseph Smith received the revelation now known as Section 72 in our Doctrine and Covenants. In this revelation Newel K. Whitney was called to be a Bishop and discharge the duties of a Bishop in that part of the Lord's vineyard, as those duties had [70] been and would be made known by revelation. The twentythird verse of this Section says, "And now behold this shall be an ensample for all the extensive branches of my Church in whatsoever land they shall be established." This order was complied with in the organization of all the larger branches of the Church thereafter, insofar as the writer is able to learn. We will, however, take space to cite but one or two instances of branch, or, as we now call it, ward organization, to show that the order given in the revelation as an "ensample" was followed in church practice while under the direction of the prophet Joseph Smith. In Church History, Volume I, page 369, the prophet is quoted as having written, "Concerning Bishops, we recommend the following: Let Brother Isaac Moreley be ordained second Bishop in Zion, and let Brother John Corrill be ordained third Bishop." These men and their counselors, also named in this letter, discharged their duties as Bishops in the branches over which Elders were appointed to preside, as already shown. Inasmuch as this REVIEW has spoken before of "Stake Bishops" and quoted the word of the Lord as designating them necessary officers in His Church, we will now learn just where these Stake Bishops functioned in early church organization. We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants, Sections 82:13; 94:1 and 96 that shortly after Newel K. Whitney was called by revelation to be a Bishop at Kirtland, it and adjacent church branches were organized into a "Stake of Zion," presided over by High Priests, and Newel K. Whitney discharged the duties of a Stake Bishop in that organization. In Church History, Volume III, page 38, we have record of the organization of a Stake of Zion at AdamondiAhman, on June 28, 1838, the Stake Presidency of Three High Priests, a High Council of Twelve High Priests, and a Stake Bishopric all of which are named. Vinson Knight was chosen as acting Bishop pro tempore for that Stake. On July 8, following this Stake organization, Newel [71] K. Whitney, acting as Stake Bishop at Kirtland, was called by revelation, as found in Section 117, verse 11, to move from Kirtland to AdamondiAhman and be a Bishop to that people,, as we understand, to be the Stake Bishop in place of Vinson Knight who had been appointed only temporarily. By revelation found in Section 124, verses 131145, we are given a complete Stake organization, which was effected at Nauvoo, Illinois January 19, 1841. And this includes a Stake Bishop and his counselors, who are, in connection with all other officers of that Stake, named. The Mormon Church of today has done away with this office entirely, and so changed the duties of a branch or ward Bishop that our muddle, in the opinion of church leaders, demands the creation of offices and responsibilities never heard of in revelations given to leaders of Christ's Church. We now have stake and ward "Supervisors" of Aaronic Priesthood appointed to perform duties the revelations say should be discharged by Bishops. The Presiding Bishop of the Church is "the only Bishop in the Mormon Church that "Stands in his own office, and labors in his own calling" according to the revelations of God given to Joseph Smith. Fortyeight Priests, after the Levitical Order, constitute a quorum, presided over by a Bishop."(107) "The Priest's duty is to, preach, teach, expound, exhort, and to baptize, and administer the sacrament ; and visit the house of each member, and exhort them to pray vocally and in secret and to attend to all family duties; and he may also ordain other Priests, Teachers, and Deacons; and he is to take the lead of meetings, when there is no Elder present. The Priest is to assist the Elder if occasion requires."(108) Although this wording admits of no misunderstanding, several readings and some careful thought may be required for us fully to sense the responsibility attached to this important Office. For the wise and capable discharging any one should know it would require a thorough understanding of the gospel for this officer to expound and teach it. It would require much wisdom and [72] no little tact for one to accomplish good and not evil in "visiting the house of each member and exhorting them to pray vocally and in secret." The Book of Mormon informs us that Joseph and Jacob were consecrated Priests and Teachers over that people. They must have possessed the requisite qualifications for the discharge of their duties, for we read that these men taught and expounded the word of God in great power.(109) Wilford Woodruff, when a man, was ordained to this responsible office and he did teach, preach, and expound the gospel in unusual power. The words used by the Nephite Prophets in ordaining Priests would indicate that men of mental and physical ability were ordained to those offices, and that they were required to discharge duties very similar, and in no way more difficult than those now demanded by the word of God of these officers in His Church. We read there the ceremony of ordination employed, "I ordain you to be a priest to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ."(110) In view of the fact that the Lord required certain specific duties to be discharged by the Priests, and we have evidence that men who were at least supposed to possess mental capacity, tact, wisdom, and experience justifying their ordination were formerly called to those responsibilities, the wisdom of this world, particularly when augmented by wisdom given of God, should teach us that these qualifications are, or should be, demanded of those ordained to the office of Priest in our day. But, the natural endowments of our boys must far exceed that of the men of Nephite days, and the wisdom of our leaders of today seems to be ample justification for ignoring God's command entirely in this matter, for they ,not only ordain boys and very young men whom they know do not possess even mental capacity, let alone, tact, wisdom, and experience necessary to the intelligent discharge of a Priest's responsibilities, but they "go the Lord one better" in not even requiring these young and inexperienced boys to do the things the Lord said a Priest should do. [73] About the only duties Priests of the Mormon Church are required to discharge today is to administer the sacrament and baptize. Neither they nor any one else set apart to discharge the duties of a Priest are today required "to visit the house of each member, or exhort, or teach them." This great responsi