| 491 was ordained by Jethro to the holy priesthood, and subsequently preached the Gospel to this people Israel, and taught them faith in Christ who should come, and baptized those who believed; but if Moses had no priesthood, how could he consecrate other priests? But notwithstanding he preached the Gospel to them, and offered them the blessings of the Holy priesthood, and God proposed to make them a kingdom of priests; yet they afterwards in the wilderness hardened their hearts in unbellef [disbelief], and rebelled against Moses and the holy priesthood, and provoked the Lord to anger until he swore in his wrath they should not enter into his rest; and we are told, Gal. ii. 19, the law was added, because of their transgressions, to continue with them till Christ should come: and again, in Heb. ix. 10, this law consisted "only in meats, drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation." Thus it was, they rendered themselves unworthy of the blessings of the Gospel and the Melchizedek priesthood, and God took Moses out of their midst and the holy priesthood from among them, and the lesser priesthood continued with the tribe of Levi to officiate under the law until John the Baptist. He being the only son of Zechariah the priest, was the legal heir to the Aaronic priesthood; but Christ being a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek, reinstated the holy priesthood again in his church. It is probable however, that between Moses and Christ, God conferred the holy priesthood on different individuals who were not the tribe of Levi: for instance, Samuel the Ephraimite, Samson and his father Manoah of the tribe of Dan, Elijah the Tishbite, Elisha, Isaiah, and many others.
[To be Continued]
Communications.
Nauvoo, July, 1841.
Bro's Smith & Thompson:-
In order that I may act in concert with my brethren in the ministry, and being often times stimulated to duty and greater exertion in the cause of righteousness by reading the communications of the traveling elders, I have thought that it might be interesting to some, to hear of the prosperity of Zion in the region of country where I have traveled for a few months past.
I left this place on the 22nd of Dec. last, for the express purpose of proclaiming the gospel of salvation as is revealed in these days for the benefit of both the living and the dead, that God's justice might be exhibited, and all flesh see the salvation of the Lord, and rejoice in experiencing all its blessings. About the 16th of January, I got in company with Elder J. E. Page in the village of Hagerstown, Preble county, Ohio: from thence we visited many of the towns and villages of Ohio and Indiana, warning them of the things that are coming on the earth according to ancient and modern prophecies, which must come to pass. Among the number I would name Dayton, Springfield, York, Milton, Lewisburg, Richmond, Washington, Centreville, Hagerstown, Williamsburg, and seemingly to considerable benefit, for prejudice gave way on every side, and hundreds acknowledged Mormonism to be the only truth if the bible was true; so, that those who formerly were enemies, because of reports, are now friends and advocates, because as they do truly say, "Mormonism is a smash all." There are many warm hearted friends in Dayton, especially among the sceptical [skeptical] part of community, among the many I would mention Dr. Knizely, Mr. Richard Green and others who shewed [showed] their independence, in distribution and selling Book of Mormon, in defiance of all the religious opposition of bigots who every where show their deformed head. Springfield also, contains some distinguished characters who nobly stood forth of community, backed by the Rev. D. Crawl would have put an external application of tar and feathers upon my skin in order to reform my mind from the delusion, that I have been endeavoring to propagate,
"How strange a thought, that stripes would change the mind,
Correct the judgment and reform mankind."
But in the midst of the rage of fanatics, a few avowed their faith in the gospel, and have been brought into the kingdom, by baptism for the remission of their sias [sins]. From the latter place I went to Richmond Indiana, where Elder Page had labored for a few weeks alone, and baptized two, I baptized three while in company with him, and after his departure I baptized and organized with the assistance of Elder
(page 491) |
