Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-06-16

seeking Tor notoriety; he was not seek
ing 10 establish a Church according 20
his notions as was done by 70 many
abound him. lie reads In the New
Witness for God In the Book OF MOT
mon. how that IN ancient ages, people
were baptized on this continent Tor the
remission Of sins. Again, but this time
having a companion with him, ne seeks
the Lord In the woods. And 10 and
behold! on the 18th OF May, lS2S an
angel. John the Baptist in answer TO
their earnest prayers, appears unto Jo-
seph Smith and Oliver Cowdery ana
confers upon them the Aaronic Priest
hood, using the following words Up
on you. my fellow servants. IN the name
OF Messiah, / confer the Priesthood OF
Aaron. which holds the keys OF the min
istering Of angels, and Of the Gospel OF
repentance, and Of baptism by INNER
sion for the remission Of sins; and this
shall never be taken again from the
earth, until the sons Of Levi do offer
again an offering unto the Lord In
Righteousness"
Commanded by the angel they bap-
ti2ed each other, and confirmed upon
each other the Priesthood Of Aaron,
which they had just received. Filled
with Joy and the Spirit Of God. they
smoke and prophesled Of the fututa
greatness Of the work OF God. In the
Bible every Prophet OF old relates IN
his own words and depicts 10 us the
grandeur and the glory Of the appear
ance Of the Lord, when he was ordained
and sent as Prophet OF the Most
High. In the Pearl Of Great Price the
ordination Of Joseph and oliver Is des-
crited in magnificent language, There
are few passages written anywhere
which excel the lofty sentiments eX-
pressed IN those pages.
Here the skeptics will ask. What
evidences have We that Joseph Smith
and Oliver Cowdery were ordained by
John the Baptist, 20 the Aaronlc
Priesthood, as they claimY' We have
their word. which. like the testimony
Of the witnesses 20 the Book OF Nor
mon, has never been successfully gain
said. although oliver and several Of
those witnesses apostatlzed. they never
recauted. Those who object 10 Joseph
Smiths testimony put themselves on
record with the Pharisees OF Old, who
said unto Christ: Thou Dearest record
OF myself. thy record Is not true
Before judging nations and people
God has always sent witnesses among
the world, Noah TO the antediluvians,
Jesus and His Apostles 20 the Jews,
joseph Smith and his successors TO
those living IN the latter days; and III
any man will do His Will he shall know
OF the doctrine. whether Il be OF God,
or whether / speak Of myself" said the
savior On no other grounds does the
/ Christian world accept the testimonies
OF Moses. Isaiah. John or Paul In the
mouth OF two or three witnesses every
word shall be established No doubt
Of Joseph the Lord said as OF jeremiah.
Before / formed thee in the belly, |
knew thee, and before thou earnest
forth out Of the womb | sanctitied
| thee. and I ordained thee a Prophet
unto the nations" At the time OF his
| first vision. Joseph was not commits
| stoned; neither was he, when the angel
MOroni revealed unto him the stick Of
Joseph, the Book Of Mormon. But now
| he was ordained as was Aaron, by d.
rect revelation. under the hands Of him
/ who held that Priesthood in the days
/ Of Christ, even OF him who baptized the
| Lamb OF God. Here the links Of the
chain that had been broken by
| the universal apostasy, became welded
| together by revelation from heaven.
Joseph and oliver had now received
! the Aaronic Priesthood-the Blshoprlc.
which administers the first ordinances