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

! have sent unto you, by whom l have
ordained you and confirmed you TO be
Apostles" This revelation ID dated
September 1880. In Section 20, verse 2
we are told that commandments were
given 10 Joseph Smith, Jun, who was
called OF God and ordained an Apostle
of Jesus Christ to be the first Elder or
this Church. and 10 oliver Cowderywho
was also called OF God, an Apostle "
Jesus Christ. 10 be thte second Elder OF
this Church and ordained under his
hand" THIS revelation was, no doubt,
given April 8. 1880. as II recltes the or
ganizatlon OF the Church Of Jesus
Christ in these last days, and lmmedi-
ately precedes Section n, a revelation
given on April 1890 In which reyela-
ton the Apostleship Of Joseph and OIL
yer Is mentioned again o. 10 and I'D,
Therefore, earlier than April 8, 1880,
Joseph and oliver had been ordained
as Apostles OF the Lord under the
hands OF Peter. James and John, for We
have the word OF the Lord on that sub
ject. and we need not doubt Hence
when Joseph smith, on April 6, 1880, or
ganlzed the Church OF Christ he did so
rightfully, according TO the revelations
and commandments OF God and by
virture OF the authority resting upon
him as an Apostle Of the Lord,
Although some churches have since
claimed for themselves apostles. no
other Church had before made such
claim; and yet bold as It may appear,
this claim Is substantiated by analogy,
by reason, and by evidences. which
no court of law can reject
This ordination OF Joseph and oliver
to the Aposileship is OF momentous i'm
portance By this step the Lord con-
lrmed upon Joseph what he had
promised him In 1920. He had revealed
unto him Zine upon line, precept upon
precept" and IN order 20 prepare him
for the arduous task that lay before
him. the organization Of His Church
In all It's fullness. the Lord crowned His
revelations TO Joseph by that grace
power and glory that belongs alone to
the high Priesthood OF Melchsedek.
And this greater Priesthood admin
istereth the Gospel and holdeth the key
OF the mysteries OF the kingdom. even
the key OF the knowledge Of God; there.
fore In the ordinances thereof, the pow.
er OF Goodness is manifest and without
the ordln2nces thereof and the authori-
~ of the Priesthood, the power OF Cod
illness is not manifest unto men In the
flesh: for without this no man can see
the face OF God, even the Father and
live" This High Priesthood holds the
keys OF revelation Of dominion. even
the keys Of the kingdom Of God. Is
IT, then. strange that the enemy Of all
righteousness should be on the alert
and through his servants point the
finger Of scorn at the true servants OF
Christ, and through their mouths cry.
"Delusion, Fraud" Is II strange now
that Peter and Paul and all the other
Apostles OF the Lord, except John. the
Beloved, TO whom a special promise OF
long life was granted, is II strange that
those good and noble men had to give
their lives for the sake Of the testimony
they bore. viz: that the powers Of the
Apostleshlp. the keys Of the kingdom
were with them? Is It strange that Jo-
seph and his brother Hyrum, and other
| noble souls with them, were slain for
the testimony Of Jesus Christ, while
| oliver Cowdery and sidney RlgdOn, who
forsoQK their high and holy calling,
were not molested nor were their lives
sought after. having once become stran-
gers 10 the work of God2
When the tragic death Of Joseph and
Hyrum was announced 20 President
Brigham Young, his first thought was;
Are the keys OF the kingdom taken
/ away with Joseph, OF are they with the