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PRIESTHOOD, 1905.
1905: 1 Jan.: A very grave condition for the Church.
“In the afternoon there was a meeting in the Pres. Office. The present condition of the Church was considered. It is a very grave condition which has arisen.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 1 Jan., 1905; LDS Archives)
2 Jan.: Post-Manifesto marriages must be disciplined.
“The afternoon I remained at home it being a holiday but in the evening the Presidency met with Mr. Worthington and Mr. Waldemar Van Cott. They urged again strongly that those who have entered plural marriages since the manifesto be dealt with or they said that the Church will have to bear the brunt of the offense. This may mean a constitutional amendment and perhaps confiscation.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 2 Jan., 1905; LDS Archives)
20 Feb.: Dedicated a home.
“Two days later [20 Feb., 1905] Brother Judson Tolman and myself drove to Centerville to another cottage meeting, and while there we dedicated the house of Brother Ford and administered to five of the sick.” (Thomas Briggs diary, 18 Feb., 1905; in Our Pioneer Heritage, 3:323, 1960)
6 Apr.: JS and OC didn’t receive office with priesthood.
“Afterwards they received the Melchisedek Priesthood under the hands of Peter, James and John, who were instrusted by the Savior to hold the keys of the Priesthood upon the earth. When He ascended to heaven He left the authority to administer the ordinances of the Gospel with the Apostles, and Peter, James and John no doubt held the presidency of the apostleship. These persons were sent to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and conferred upon them the Melchisedek Priesthood. Remember, there was no church organized at that time, and therefore there were no offices. In conferring the Priesthood upon Joseph and Oliver they were not ordained to any particular office, but the Priesthood itself was conferred upon them. They were instructed, however, that when the Church was organized they should ordain each other to the office of Elder. When those who had been baptized met together seventy-five years ago today, they opened their meeting with earnest prayer, and then they laid before those present what the Lord wanted them to do, and they were accepted unanimously to teach the things of the kingdom of God. Then they ordained each other to the office of an Elder.” (Anthon H. Lund, 6 Apr., 1905; CR Apr., 1905, p. 13)
6 Apr.: Only 2 votes cast in opposition.
“The authorities were voted upon and only two votes were cast in opposition.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 6 Apr., 1905; LDS Archives)
7 Apr.: Importance of the quorums.
“Thirteen years ago there were 33 stakes of Zion; today there are 55 stakes, or an increase of 22 in 13 years. Of the 33 Presidents of stakes then living 11, or one-third of the number, have passed away. . . . What may we expect, brethren and sisters, in the course of 20 or 30 or 50 years to come? Whether we disguise it or not, the fact still remains that the boys and girls of today will be the men and women of tomorrow. The authority resting uopn the men of today will speedily descend to their children; and this emphasizes the need and the importance of the quorums of the Holy Priesthood and the auxiliary organizations of the Church. Many parents among us are very busy men and women; they are engaged in the various avocations of life, in order to provide for their families, and they do not wseem to have very much time to devote to the teaching of their children. But a way is provided in the quorums of the Priesthood and in these organizations whereby the children maybe taught in the things of the Lord. We have various grades of the Priesthood in the Church, from the Deacon up to the High Priest. There is no principle in this Church of so great importance and consequence to us as the authority of the Priesthood. This authority should be fostered and nourished, and the quorums should be strengthened and supported by the Latter-day Saints. Every man, every young man, and every boy who holds the Priesthood should do his duty.” (Rudger Clawson, 7 Apr., 1905; CR Apr., 1905, p. 34)
9 Apr.: A stake quorum of priests, if too few for ward.
“We do not have sufficient material in any one ward to organize the Priests of the Lesser Priesthood, so we have made a stake organization of the Priests, and at 1 o’clock they meet in the academy.” (Andrew Kimball, President of the St. Joseph Stake, 9 Apr., 1905; CR Apr., 1905, p. 67)
2 Aug.: Was angel of Rev. 14:6 Peter, James & John?
“I attended my [prayer] circle. The question of ‘Who is the Angel described by John in Rev. 14:6, and has this angel appeared?’ was discussed. I said he had come, but I had not attached any importance to the fact claimed by some that it was Morono or John or Peter James and John, more to the fact that the Gospel had been revealed through an angel.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 2 Aug., 1905; LDS Archives)
[Note: Numerous references to fast meetings held on Sunday mornings in the SL Temple, ca. 1904-05, etc. See Anthon H. Lund diary, LDS Archives.]
8 Oct.: Joseph had the priesthood before he came here.
“It is said that without the Melchisedek Priesthood no man can look upon the face of God and live. And yet, Joseph Smith, when a boy of fourteen years, gazed upon the Father and the Son, and it was nine years before he held the Priesthood in the flesh. I once asked President Lorenzo Snow concerning this matter: ‘Why is it, if a man without the Melchisedek Priesthood cannot look upon God’s face and live, that Joseph Smith could see the Father and the Son, and live, when he held no priesthood at all?’ President Snow replied: ‘Joseph did hold the priesthood; he came with it into the world.’ I believed it before he said it, but I wanted him to say it first. Joseph Smith, as much as any Prophet that ever lived, was ordained a prophet before he came into this mortal life. He held the Melchisedek priesthood in the spirit, when he came here, or he could never have received what he did from God. And these men who have followed in his footsteps are spirits of the same class. The Prophet Joseph declared that every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, was ordained to that very purpose before the world was.” (Orson F. Whitney, 8 Oct., 1905; CR Oct., 1905, p. 93)
8 Oct.: Take the worthy Elders and make them 70s.
“I feel like blessing the quorums of the Priesthood, every one of them, from the High Priests to the Deacons. I pray God, my Heavenly Father to remember them in their organizations, to help them, that they may magnify the Priesthood they hold and do the will of the Father; that the Seventies may be minute men, instant in season and out of season, ready and willing to respond to the calls that are made upon them to go and preach the Gospel to the world. Gather in from the Elders quorums those who have proven themselves worthy and who have gained experience, and make Seventies of them, so that the quorum of the Seventies may be replenished; and the aged ones, whose physical condition will not permit them any longer to do missionary duty in the world, let them be ordained High Priests and Patriarchs, to bless the people and to minister at home. Gather in the strong, the vigorous, the young, the able-bodied, who have the spirit of the Gospel in their hearts, to fill up the ranks of the Seventies, that we may have ministers to preach the Gospel to the world. They are needed. We cannot now meet the demand.” (Joseph F. Smith, 8 Oct., 1905; CR Oct., 1905, pp. 95-96)
9 Oct.: Only 1 in 4 recommended is fit to go on mission.
“[General Conference, Priesthood Session, J. Golden Kimball speaking] Selections [for missionaries] are made by presidents of 70s quorums which upon enquiry prove to be entirely disqualified & only on[e] name in 4 that is recommended are fit to go on missions.” (Anthony W. Ivins diary, 9 Oct., 1905)
9 Oct.: Rules on Church courts.
“[General Conference, Priesthood Session, Joseph F. Smith speaking] A Bishops Court is not an open court. Matters in which persons who are not in the Church are parties should not be brought before Church Courts, such matters may be arbitrated.
Church Courts should not attempt to adjudicate matters bet[ween] Church members where titles to property is concerned, but men may be held responsible before Church Courts for unchristianlike conduct in prosecuting a brother before a civil court. The action of the court is final and should not be submitted to the people.” (Anthony W. Ivins diary, 9 Oct., 1905)
10 Oct.: 70s and D&C 85.
“At the Pres. Office we met with the P. Bishopric and the counsel of seventies on the meaning of the 85th Sec. of D&C and it was agreed to print or publish our interpretation.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 10 Oct., 1905; LDS Archives)
13 Nov.: Expect no overthrow of the established order.
“So long as that Church remains in the earth–and we have the assurance from the Lord that it will now remain in the earth forever–the Saints need look for nothing of God’s appointing that will be erratic, or irregular, or that smacks of starting over afresh or that would ignore or overthrow the established order of things. The Saints should remember that they are living in the dispensation of the fulness of times, when the Church of Christ is established in the earth for the last days and for the last time, and that God’s Church is a Church of order, of law, and that there is no place for anarchy in it.” (First Presidency, “One Mighty and Strong,” 13 Nov., 1905, Deseret News. In Clark, Messages of the First Presidency 4:109)
1 Dec.: List of Non-Tithepayers only to MP quorums.
“The Stake Tithing Clerk will furnish the Presiding Officers of the several Quorums of the Melchisedec Priesthood of the Stake a list of the non-tithepayers of their respective quorums as they appear on the Bishop’s reports, so that a labor can be taken up in a quorum capacity, which should be done privately. In no way should individuals be mentioned in this connection at quorum meetings, or in a public capacity.” (First Presidency and Presiding Bishopric, Annual Instructions, No. 7, to Presidents of Stakes and Counselors, High Councilors, Bishops and Counselors, and Stake Tithing Clerks in Zion, 1 Dec., 1905, pp. 23-24)