Читать книгу History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Joseph F. Smith - Страница 21

1. This occasion is unquestionably the one that the Prophet Joseph alludes to in his letter to the Saints in Nauvoo, under date or September 6th 1842, (Doctrine and Covenants sec. 128:21) where he says: "Again what do we hear * * * the voice of God in the chamber of old father Peter Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county, and at sundry times, and in divers places through all the travels and tribulations of this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." It must not be thought because of the reference in the text above to the desire of Joseph and Oliver to have the Melchizedek Priesthood conferred upon them, and the commandment given that they should ordain each other Elders of the Church—it must not be thought because of this, I repeat, that there is any conflict between what is here stated in the text and what has been said with reference to the restoration of the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood by Peter, James and John. This "voice of God in the chamber of old Father Peter Whitmer, in Fayette," commanding Joseph and Oliver to ordain each other "Elders of the Church," but also commanding them to defer said ordinations until their brethren who had been and should be baptized could be assembled together to give their sanction to such procedure—was all previous to their ordination to the Apostleship under the hands of Peter, James and John and; to be regarded as instruction to them as to how they should proceed in the matter of ordaining each other, and calling and ordaining others to the same ministry, after they themselves should have received the keys of this Melchizedek Priesthood. The ordination of each other to be Elders of the Church was deferred until the meeting at which the Church was organized, the 6th of April, 1830. (see p. 75.) But this voice of God in Peter Whitmer's chamber, which told them how to proceed in the matter of ordaining each other, was given in or before June, 1829. The evidence of this is in the fact that the revelation in Whitmer's chamber, about ordaining each other "Elders of the Church," precedes the one immediately following the paragraph of narrative above: and that revelation, making known the calling to the Twelve Apostles, was given in June, 1829, ten months before the instructions relative to ordaining each other to be Elders in the Church was carried out. Meantime, as we have seen (see note pp. 40, 41, 42,) before the 6th of April, 1830, and probably before that very month of June, 1829, had expired Peter, James and John had come and conferred upon Joseph and Oliver the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the holy apostleship, by which authority they were authorized to organize the Church, ordain each other Elders, and also call and ordain others to the same office.

2. Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 18.

3. Doctrine and Covenants, section 20.

4. Verses 65, 66 and 67 were added by the Prophet some time after the rest of the revelation was given.