The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-12

dIvlnely authorized and exclusive chan
mel of communication between God
and mankind.
The obligations imposed upon those
who hold the high order of the priest
hood require absolute obedience to the
first presidency, not only as TO re-
hgious and spiritual things, but also
those that are civil and political.
Wilford Woodruff, at one time prcsl.
dent of the church, declared:
Now whatever | might have obtained in
the shape OF learning by searching and
study respecting the arts and sciences of
men, whatever principles may have I'M
bibed during my scientific research. yet
if the prophet of God should tell me that
certain principle or theory which |
NOT care what my Ideas have been, /
should consider Ii my dutS. at the sug-
gestion Of my file leader. to abandon my
principle or theory Suppose he were TO
crned not right, that they were In
correct. what would he my duty? | an
swer that 1t would be my duty to lay
those principles aside and to take up
those that might be laid down by the
servant of God
The church of Christ Is governed by
the laws of God. which laws he reveals To
the church through him who is the pres
ident thereof. and II the church should
reject that law, they reject the law of
God, and would be under condemnation
never exist Two supreme lawmaking pow
ers In any organization al one and the
same time. God has appointed but one
supreme laWmaking power In his church
and rha, is the presidency Of the church
the word OF the president of the church
WHICH the saints are commanded 10 re-
ceive as the very word of God.
What Joseph F. Smith Declared,
Joseph f. Smith, the present head of
the church, declared in 1900:
The question with me is. when I get
the word OF the Lord as TO who is the
right man. Will / obey ii, no matter
whether IL does come contrary to my con-
ViCtionS.
Priesthood is power with God conferred
upon man, By which he becomes an agent
FOR God, authorized to act In his name
Men who possess the priesthood possess
divine authority thus 10 act for God, and
by possessing part OF Gods power, they
are in reality part Of God.
In a magazine called "The Juvenile
Instructor, expressly designed for the
young, and edited by Joseph f. Smith.
appears the following:
The priesthood is sacred thing. The
Lord has not given to members of the
church the right to find fault with or con-
denim those who hold the priesthood;
neither is IL the right Of an elder or oth-
er official 10 judge or censure or speak
disrespectfuly or condemnatory Of his file
leader OF men who preside over him.
Farley p. Pratt, an apostle and au
thor Of acknowledged authority, says:
This priesthood holds the keys OF reve-
latiop OF the oracles OF God TO man upon
the earth, the power and right TO give
laws and commandments TO individuals
churches. rulers. nations, and The world:
to appoint, ordain, and establish consti-
tutions and kingdoms. 10 appoint Kings,
Presidents, Governors or Judges
The priesthood upon the earth is the
Legitimate government OF God. whether
in the heavens or on the earth, and II is
the only legitimate power that has right
10 rule upon the esruh.
James F.. Talmage, professor of geol
ogy in the State University of Utah,
and high authority in the church, in
his work called "Articles Of Faith, -
SAYS:
Twelve men holding the apostIeshp
properly organized constitute the quorum
of the apostles. These the Lord has de-
signed as the twelve travelling counselors.
They form the travelling presiding high
counsel to act under the direction OF the
first presidency in all parts of the world
They constitute quorum, whose unani-
power and authority with those OF the
first presidency OF the church.
Matthias f. Cowey, author of the
"Twelye Apostles, - says:
1t is an undeniable fact in the history
OF the saints that obedience to whatever
has come either by written document or
verbally from the presidency of the
church has been attended with good re-
suits. On the other hand. whosoever has
opposed such counsel without repentance
has been followed with evidence OF con-
demnation
Ii Brother Brigham tells me TO do
anything, II is the same as though the
Lord told me TO do II, This Is the course
for you and every other saint to take.
Gov. Thomas, in report of affairs in
Utah, declares:
While the Mormon masses are too sin
cere TO voluntarily make false pretenses.
they can be induced to accept and adopt
a form OF words however contradictory II
advised 10 do so by their authorities. for
obedience To the priesthood and to obey
duty. The orthodox Mormon,
In every political and business act. puts
the church first, the country afterwards.
II cannot he otherwise, for the priesthood
claim all government but its own TO be IL
legal and claim separate and political
destiny and temporal dominion by di
vine right.
Brigham Young declared:
No man need Judge me. You know
nothing about ii; whether / am sent or
not Furthermore. II is none OF your bust
ness. only you listen with open ears TO
what is taught you.
Wilford Woodruff is a prophet. and
know that he has a great many prophets
good as those in the Bible,
The living oracles are worth more Ia
the Latter-Day Saints than all the Bibles.
Compared with the living oracles, these
books are nothing to me.
The Utah commission, in its report
of 1887, declared;
Extracts From Utah Commission.
Standing face to face with the law. the
leaders and their obedient followers have
made no concession TO Its supremacy, and
lne issue is squarely maintained between
assumed revelations and the laws of the
land.
The right of the hierarchy to domi.
nate in secular, as well as spiritual,
matters is openly proclaimed by those
who assume TO speak for the church. AS
late as 1904 one of the twelve apostles
In a public address declared:
That from the viewpoint OF the gospel
there could he no separation OF temporal
and spiritual things. and those who oh
ject to the church people advising and
taking part In temporal affairs have no
conception Of the gospel OF Christ.
The hierarchy secures obedience to
its domination by claiming that its
members are inspired and that they are
the "mouthpiece of God, and their
adherents are cDjoined always TO take
counsel of their superiors. which
means 70 Frcceive COUNSEL and obey