| 504 A discourse was delivered at his funeral by Elder John Taylor, which was attentively listened to by the immense concourse which assembled to pay their last respects and kind offices to the deceased.
"Now he's gone we'd not recall him
From a paradise of bliss,
Where no evil can befall him,
To a changing world like this.
His loved name will never perish,
Nor his mem'ry crown the dust;
For the saints of God will cherish
The remembrance of the JUST."
The deceased has left a wife and three children to mourn his loss.
Lines, Written on the Death of Gen. Don Carlos Smith.
By Miss E. R. Snow.
"Thy shaft flew thrice and thrice my peace was slain."
Th' insatiate archer, Death, once more
Has bath'd his shaft in human gore!
The pale fac'd monarch's crimson'd bow, Ours, is the sorrow-ours the loss!
Once more has laid a good man low! For thro' the triumphs of the Cross,
His noble part by death set free,
If tears of love could ever save On wings of immortality;
A noble victim from the grave- Tracing the steps the Savior trod,
If strong affection e'er had power Has reach'd the paradise of God.
To rescue in the dying hour- There he rejoins the ransom'd choir-
If kindred sympathy could hold There, there he hails his noble sire,
A jewel in its sacred fold- A Patriarch of these latter-days,
If friendship could produce a charm Whose goodness, mem'ry loves to trace
The heartless tyrant to disarm- With rev'rence, grattitude [gratitude] and love:
If wide acknowledg'd worth could be He left us for the courts above.
A screen from mortal destiny- There, with the Spirits of the just,
If pure integrity of heart Where Zion's welfare is discuss'd
Could baffle death's malignant dart- Once more, their kindred spirits join-
If usefulness and noble zeal- Once more, their efforts to combine
Devotedness to Zion's weal- In Zion's cause.-And shall we mourn
A conduct grac'd with purpos'd aim- For those who have been upward borne?
A reputation free from blame, And shall the "Legion's: sorrow flow:
Could save a mortal from the tomb, As if a Chieftain were laid low;
And stamp with an eternal bloom; Who threw his frail escutcheon by,
He never would have bow'd to death, To join the Legion form'd on high?
Or yielded up his mortal breath. Yes, mourn:-the loss is great to earth-
A loss of high exalted worth!
City of Nauvoo, Aug. 81h, 1841.
From the Gospel Reflector.
On Priesthood.
By Elder Erastus Snow.
[Concluded.]
Having thus endeavored to trace these two priesthoods down till Christ came, I shall now take a brief view of them as thy [they] existed in the Apostolic age, and from that period till the present day.
By comparing together the two passages of scripture, which stand at the head of this article, one spoken by Moses to Israel, the other by Peter to the Christian church in his day, it will be seen that the blessings conditionally promised to Israel, and the "holy Priesthood," which through their transgressions they were deprived of, were snbsequently [subsequently] conferred upon the Christian church: "ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, and holy priesthood." We are told in John's Gospel, xv. 16, that Christ ordained his apostles; and of course he ordained them to the same priesthood he had himself: for the Apostleship is the high priesthood; hence Christ is called the Great Apostle, and High Priest of our profession Heb. iii. 1. Unto Peter, (who was also called Cephas, were the keys of this ministry committed,) and James and John were his assistants and counsellors [counselors], and those three Paul says, seemed to be pillars of the church.-Gal. ii. 9. Next to the apostles in office came the seventy, Luke x. 1, whom Jesus called to be travelling [traveling] ministers in all the world, which agreed with the order of the seventy elders, mentioned, Ex. xxiv. 1-9, which were ordained under the same priesthood in Moses' day. Besides these travelling [traveling] elders there were standing elders ordained in all branches of the church in all parts of the world. (See Acts xiv. 23. Tit. i. 5.) It appears from the scriptures that
(page 504) |
