of Latter-day Saints.
A revelation given through President John Taylor, at Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, on Saturday, April 14th, 1883, in answer to the question: "Show unto us thy will, O Lord, concerning the organization of the Seventies."
What ye have written is my will, and is acceptable unto me: and furthermore,
Thus saith the Lord unto the First Presidency, unto the Twelve, unto the Seventies and unto all my holy Priesthood, let not your hearts be troubled, neither be ye concerned about the management and organization of my Church and Priesthood and the accomplishment of my work. Fear me and observe my laws and I will reveal unto you, from time to time, through the channels that I have appointed, everything that shall be necessary for the future development and perfection of my Church, for the adjustment and rolling forth of my kingdom, and for the building up and the establishment of my Zion. For ye are my Priesthood and I am your God. Even so. Amen.
Under the instructions given in the foregoing communication and revelation, the First Council of the Seventy have proceeded with the work of increasing the quorums and managing their affairs. The quorums now number 151, giving to the foreign ministry of the Church a body of men numbering about ten thousand.
Footnotes
1. Hackett edition, in four volumes, now and always quoted.
2. I take occasion here to remark that by making reference to works such as Edersheim's Life of Jesus, Bible Dictionaries Ecclesiastical Histories, etc., it must not be understood that in making such references I approve the works, or even accept the correctness of the passages indicated. Such references are made that the student may consult the literature on a given point. He must make his own deductions as to the correctness of the statements and arguments of such authors. As for instance, in this very passage cited from Edersheim's really great work, I think him, in the main, wrong in his treatment of this subject of the Seventy, but our Seventies should know what so high an authority, as Edersheim is generally accepted to be, has said upon the subject.
3. It will be observed from this statement that the "Cephas," or "Peter" whom Paul "withstood to his face" at Antioch, was not the chief Apostle Peter, but another "Cephas" or "Peter," one of the Seventy. I fear, however, that the testimony in Galatians ii, as to its being Peter, the chief Apostle, with whom Paul had his unfortunate controversy, is too strong to be overturned by this inference in Eusebius.
LESSON II.
THE ORGANIZATION AND DUTIES OF THE SEVENTY.
| ANALYSIS. | REFERENCES. |
| I. The Priesthood. 1. Definition, and the Grouping of Powers and Officers. | Note 1; Alma xiii; Doc, & Cov. 84; Sec. 107; Compendium[1] pp. 64–73. History of the Church Vol. II, Chap. 33; Vol. IV, Chap. 11; Outlines Eccl. History, Part IV, Sec. v. The Gospel[2] pp. 210–216. |
| II. The Church: Defined. 1. The Depository of Revealed Truth. 2. Of Divine Authority--Her Commission. | Note 2. I Corinthians xii. Articles of Faith, (Talmadge) Lecture XI. Compendium pp. 157–158. Book of Mormon, Mosiah 5:7–12. Doc. & Cov. Sec. 76; 50–70. The Gospel pp. 216–227. |
| III. The Mission of the Church. 1. Proclamation of the Truth. 2. Perfecting the Lives of Those Who Receive Her Truth. | Note 3; Eph. iv:4–17. The Gospel pp. 216–227. History of the Church Vol. II. pp. 47. 476–480. |
| IV. The Foreign Ministry. 1. The Twelve Apostles. 2. The Seventy. 3. Special Duties of the Seventy. | Note 4, 5, 6. Doc. & Cov. Sec. 107; also Sec. 124; 138–140. History of the Church, Vol. III,[3] Chap. xxvi. Luke x; Outlines Eccl. History[4] Sec. v, p. 336–7, p. 360; also pp. 343–6. Also note 7. |
SPECIAL TEXT: "Wherefore now, let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence." Doc. and Cov., Sec. 107.
NOTES.
1. Priesthood. Priesthood is authority which God gives to man, by which man is made an agent of God, authorized to speak, act, and administer in the divine name, and have his words and administrations of binding effect as if done by the Lord himself; provided, of course, said administrations are in accordance with the divine directions or instructions, within the limits of the authority confirmed upon the agent, performed in righteousness and relate to the matters for which the divine authority was given to man.
Necessarily this delegated authority is one in kind;[5] it is simply authority given of God to man by which man is authorized to act in God's stead in relation to certain things; but its powers are grouped in various ways for the purpose of facilitating the administration of its government. First, its powers are grouped with reference to temporal and spiritual affairs; the division of the Priesthood which has charge more especially of spiritual affairs is called the Melchisedek Priesthood; that which has charge more especially of temporal affairs, the Aaronic Priesthood. The officers of the Melchisedek Priesthood are, Apostles, Prophets, Patriarchs, High Priests, Seventies, Elders; of the Aaronic Priesthood: Bishops (who are High Priests, ordained to be Bishops and constitute the Presidency of the Aaronic Priesthood), Priests, Teachers, Deacons.
While this division of the Priesthood, or this grouping of its officers with reference to spiritual and temporal labors, assigns one to spiritual and the other to temporal concerns, it must not be thought that there is anything rigid in said division of labor; that the Aaronic Priesthood is excluded from participation in spiritual labors; or that the Melchisedek Priesthood is excluded from dealing with temporal affairs. The line of demarkation,[6] as a matter of fact, is crossed by each division; some of the duties of the Aaronic Priesthood are spiritual, and some of the duties of the Melchisedek, temporal. This division then rests upon the fact that the duties assigned the Aaronic priesthood are chiefly temporal, and the duties of the Melchisedek chiefly spiritual.
Another division of the Priesthood may be said to exist within the Melchisedek Priesthood, which is also a division with reference to its labors, viz., the foreign ministry and the home ministry, of which more is to be said later.
2. The Church. The Church may be said to arise from the Priesthood. Comprehensively defined it may be said to be an organization of people—including all officers and members—who believe in and endeavor to incorporate in their lives God's Truth; who have obeyed the ordinances or sacraments appointed of God for salvation and admission into his Church; whose officers are of divine appointment and commission, (that is, possessed of divine authority, the Priesthood) guided by an ever present inspiration from God, and walking within reach of an ever present and continuous source of immediate revelation.
The Church is the depository of God's revealed truth. Man may be able by searching to find out many truths. What he has learned
