Succession in the Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Part 10

Succession in the Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Part 10

[Footnote B: The revelation teaching that none but Joseph should be the law-giver to the church until he be taken from the earth if he remained faithful, etc., was given February, 1831, but before this the Lord had made it the law of the church that "no person is to be ordained to any office in this church, where there is a regularly organized branch of the same, without the vote of that church... .

Every president of the high priesthood (or presiding elder) ... is to be ordained by the direction of a high council or general conference."--(Rev. given April, 1830, Doc. and Cov. sec. xx.) The "president of the high priesthood" is also the President of the church, hence the foregoing law applies to the President as well as other officers of the church--he must be sustained by the church and if he is not, he cannot act in that position.]

The information thus given officially to the church was calculated to preserve the saints from following unauthorized "law-givers." Through it they learned that Joseph, if he remained faithful, would be the law-giver to Israel; if he transgressed he should retain sufficient of the power of revelation to designate whom the Lord would have to succeed him; and in that or any other event the man who becomes President must come in at the gate and be ordained as described in one of the laws of the church previously given. There was surely no need after this that any should be deceived. But to argue from what is set down in this revelation that the only possible way for a successor "in any event," to be appointed to the church was through Joseph Smith the prophet, is clearly an error; for the only provision made in this revelation for him to appoint his successor is in the event of his own transgression; and I affirm that Joseph Smith was faithful to G.o.d and the church up to the day of his death. Never in his life was he more faithful, more favored by G.o.d, or more powerful, or fruitful in revelation or intelligence than in the closing year of his life. He was G.o.d's mouthpiece to the church of Christ on earth to the very moment that he sealed his testimony with his blood at Carthage, Illinois.

Having received premonitions of his approaching fate, he desired that his brother Hyrum who had shared his toils, dangers and responsibilities, and who under all circ.u.mstances however trying had been true and just and merciful--he desired that this brother should succeed him in leading the church. It so happened, however, in the providences of G.o.d that Hyrum fell a martyr before Joseph; and therefore the man whom the prophet desired to succeed him, as well as himself, were taken from the earth. So that notwithstanding the fact that Joseph desired Hyrum to succeed to the Presidency, and had appointed him to that place, both himself and the one he appointed being taken away by the hand of death--the question confronts us just as it would have done had Joseph never intimated that he wanted Hyrum to succeed him. And I now ask, in the absence of both Joseph and Hyrum, where was the authority lodged to lead the church and carry on the work of G.o.d? Was the church disorganized? Had G.o.d been so shortsighted, so unlike himself, as to establish his church in such a manner that at the death of two of his servants it crumbled to pieces?

Can it be that G.o.d, with whom all things are as present, had not foreseen this fate which overtook his servants Joseph and Hyrum, and failed to provide for such an emergency? O, charge not the Lord with such lack of wisdom, or his church with such imperfection in its organization!

VII.

In the church there are three general presiding councils, of equal authority. These are the First Presidency; the traveling presiding high council, or Twelve Apostles; and the first quorum of Seventy. In proof of the a.s.sertion, I quote the Doctrine and Covenants:

Of the Melchisedek priesthood, three presiding high priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith and prayer of the church, form a quorum of the Presidency of the church.

The twelve traveling counselors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world; thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling. _And they form a quorum, equal in authority and power to the three Presidents previously mentioned_.

The Seventy are also called to preach the gospel and to be especial witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world. Thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling; _and they form a quorum equal in authority to that of the Twelve special witnesses or Apostles just named_.[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov., sec. cvii]

It is the order of the law of G.o.d, however, that the Twelve act under the direction of the First Presidency, and the Seventy under the direction of the Twelve. It is also provided that in the decisions of either the Twelve or the Seventy, those quorums must be unanimous--"every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions," in order for said decisions to be ent.i.tled to the same blessings that the decisions of a quorum of three Presidents receive.

However, when circ.u.mstances render it impossible to be otherwise, a majority of the members may form a quorum.[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov., sec. xvii.]

The decisions of these quorums or either of them are to be made in all righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long suffering; and in that event their decisions are final. But if their decisions are unrighteous they may be brought before a general a.s.sembly of the several quorums which const.i.tute the spiritual authorities of the church--in no other way can there be an appeal from their decisions.[A]

[Footnote A: Ibid, verses 27-33.]

These are the limitations set to the equality of these quorums and the only limitations, and now in case of the absence, destruction or rejection of the first of these three great councils, upon whom does the duty and responsibility of Presidency fall? We could well-nigh let the Josephites themselves answer that question. They say:

Now let us examine the order of Presidency in the Church.

Supposing the First President is absent, who presides in council or in conference? The counselors, both or either of them. And why?

Because they are the highest authority present. True. Then here is the key to unlock the whole secret of the Presidency of the Church. Hear it then! _The highest authority presides always._[A]

[Footnote A: From the pamphlet issued by the Reorganization, ent.i.tled "A Word of Consolation to the Scattered Saints," quoted by Tullidge.

Life of Joseph, Josephite edition, pp. 589-90.]

The closing a.s.sertion is made well-nigh as strong as type can be made to say it; and to it I respond: that is true. Now let us consider the situation at Nauvoo after the death of the prophet Joseph, and then see where the Presidency of the church would fall according to this Josephite doctrine that "the highest authority presides always."

The prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum and Sidney Rigdon const.i.tuted the First Presidency at the time of the martyrdom. Joseph and Hyrum being taken, Sidney Rigdon alone was left of that great quorum. We have already spoken of the delinquency of Mr. Rigdon in the performance of his duty during the five years preceding the prophet's death, of Joseph's efforts to be rid of him and of his standing in his quorum at the time his two a.s.sociates were a.s.sa.s.sinated at Carthage.

He sought to be appointed Guardian of the church, but was unanimously rejected by the a.s.sembled quorums of priesthood and the saints at Nauvoo. This was clearly their right, and when the unfaithfulness of Sidney Rigdon and his unfitness for the place is taken into account, not even Josephites can say the church did wrong in rejecting him. In the very meetings where he sought to be appointed "Guardian of the church" there stood the man whom the prophet Joseph had ordained to take his place--Amasa Lyman. But Elder Lyman had never been presented to the people to be sustained by their vote, and hence his appointment was not completed, and he had no claim even to the counselorship to the Presidency. The death of the prophets, Joseph and Hyrum, and the rejection of the unworthy Sidney Rigdon, removed the First Presidency from the church. In Hyrum Smith there fell by martyrdom the only man that the prophet Joseph had designated to succeed him in the Presidency; so that not only was the First Presidency removed from the church, but the only man concerning whom the prophet had expressed a desire to succeed him was also removed. Then upon whom devolved the Presidency? Upon the next highest authority in the church--the Twelve Apostles. And as they possessed equal authority with the First Presidency, there was nothing the First Presidency could do but what the Twelve could do. So long as the First Presidency existed the Twelve could only operate under their direction, but now that there was no First Presidency in existence, the Twelve stood in their place, with full power and authority to act as the presiding quorum in the church.

The church was no more disorganized by the death of Joseph and Hyrum and the rejection of Sidney Rigdon than the government of the United States becomes disorganized when the president dies, or is impeached.

The Twelve possessing equal power and authority with the First Presidency, in case of the death or removal of that Presidency, have all the keys and authority necessary to preside over all the church, direct in all the affairs thereof, and move right on with the work of G.o.d.

When the Lord stretched forth his hand to establish his church in these last days, and for the last time, committing unto men the keys of his kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last time; and for the fullness of times, in the which G.o.d will gather together in one, all things, both which are in heaven and which are in earth--it is not to be supposed, I say,[A] that in a few years he would permit that church thus brought forth out of obscurity to become disorganized, and fall back into darkness. The thought is preposterous. There is nothing in all that G.o.d has revealed to indicate that he ever contemplated its disorganization; but on the contrary, there is every encouragement to believe that it will go on from grace to grace, from faith to faith, from one victory to another until, like the little stone of Daniel's vision, it shall become a great mountain and fill the whole earth.

[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. sec. xxvii, 13.]

The position of Josephite writers that it was an usurpation for the Twelve to a.s.sume the Presidency of the church when the First Presidency was removed by the death of Joseph and Hyrum and the rejection of Sidney Rigdon, is false. The other position that the high council at Nauvoo was the proper authority to succeed to the functions of the Presidency is equally false.[A]

[Footnote A: In proof that Josephite writers a.s.sume both these positions, see _The Saints' Herald_, Vol. x.x.xIX, pp. 407-8]

In support of their first position, viz., that it was an usurpation for the Twelve to a.s.sume the Presidency of the church at Nauvoo after the death of the prophet, Josephites rely upon the following:

The Twelve will have no right to go into Zion, or any of her stakes, and there undertake to regulate the affairs thereof where there is a standing high council; but it is their duty to go abroad and regulate all matters relative to the different branches of the church. When the Twelve are together, or a quorum of them, in any church, they will have authority to act independently, and make decisions, and those decisions will be valid. But where there is not a quorum they will have to do business by the voice of the church. No standing high council has authority to go into the churches abroad and regulate the matters thereof, for this belongs to the Twelve.[A]

[Footnote A: Hist. Joseph Smith, _Mill. Star_, Vol. XV, p. 261. The instructions are from the prophet Joseph.]

Wherein the usurpation lies, according to Josephite argument, is in this: The Twelve came to Nauvoo, where there was a regularly organized stake, and undertook to regulate the affairs thereof. The reply to that sophistry--no, it is not even sophistry--it is simply an inaccurate, not to say untrue, statement. The Twelve did not come to Nauvoo to regulate the affairs of that stake independent of its standing high council. Their action was in relation to the whole church of Christ, and not to the affairs of Nauvoo stake. It was a matter which affected all the stakes of Zion and all the branches of the church throughout the world, as much those branches scattered throughout the United States and Great Britain as those in the stake at Nauvoo, that the Twelve came to Nauvoo to regulate. Matters of such high importance were considered and decided upon which the Twelve and the Twelve only, in the absence of the First Presidency, could deal with; and in those matters the Twelve not only consulted with the high council of the Nauvoo stake, but they called a general a.s.sembly of all the quorums and arranged them in their order[A] to act as the highest spiritual authorities in the church. The quorums sustained the action of the Twelve in every particular, and from the united action of the a.s.sembled quorums of the priesthood _there is no appeal_.[B]

[Footnote A: _Mill. Star_, Vol. XXV. Nos. 14, 15, 16.]

[Footnote B: Doc. and Cov., sec. cvii.]

In support of the Josephite a.s.sumption that the high council at Nauvoo was the proper authority to regulate the affairs of the church and not the Twelve, the following is quoted:

The standing high councils, at the Stakes of Zion, form a quorum _equal_ in authority, _in the affairs of the Church_, in _all_ their decisions, to the quorum of the Presidency, or to the traveling high council.[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. sec. cvii, 36.]

The answer to this a.s.sumption is, first, that the high council is a judicial and not a presiding or executive council, as is proven by the following:

The high council was appointed by revelation 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[A] to the satisfaction of the parties.[B]

[Footnote A: That is, court.]

[Footnote B: Doc. and Cov. sec. cii, 2.]

Hence the "equality" here referred to must have reference to judicial not to administrative affairs in the church. The second answer to the a.s.sumption is that the standing high council in a stake of Zion is a local council, limited in its operations to the particular district of country comprising the stake. If any proof were needed to sustain the statement it would be found in the words of the prophet Joseph:

No standing high council has authority to go into the churches abroad and regulate the matters thereof, for this belongs to the Twelve.[A]

[Footnote A: Hist. of Joseph Smith, _Mill. Star_, Vol. XV, 261.]

Surely no one will contend that the standing high council in one stake could go into another stake and attempt to regulate the affairs thereof; for that would create confusion. Nothing can be clearer in the organization of the church than the fact that the standing high councils in the stakes of Zion are judicial not executive bodies, limited in their jurisdiction to the stakes in which they are respectively located; and hence not the proper councils to undertake the general Presidency of the church, or administrative functions of any kind.

VIII.

Let us now proceed to the proof that Joseph Smith, the prophet, did not take the keys of authority with him from the church, when he fell a martyr to the truth, but that said keys of authority remained with the church, more especially with the quorum of the Twelve.