History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Volume 1Smith, Joseph, Jr.
Religion
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Volume 1
Smith, Joseph, Jr.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
to Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, the Lord said: "I speak unto
you, even as unto Paul mine Apostle, _for you are called even with
that same calling with which he was called_." As this could scarcely
be said of men who had not been ordained to the same holy apostleship
as that held by Paul, and consequently to the Melchizedek Priesthood,
the conclusion is reasonable that the ordination promised by John the
Baptist, doubtless occurred some time between May 15, 1829, and the
expiration of the month of June of that same year. That there was a
distinct administration of angels in the restoration of the Melchizedek
Priesthood is sustained by the testimony of Oliver Cowdery. On the
occasion of his returning to the Church at Kanesville, Iowa, in the
fall of 1848, after an absence of eleven years from the body of the
Saints, in the course of the public address which he then delivered, he
said: "I was present with Joseph when an holy angel from God came down
from heaven and conferred on us, or restored, the lesser or Aaronic
Priesthood, and said to us, at the same time, that it should remain
upon the earth while the earth stands. _I was also present with Joseph
when the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood was conferred by the holy
angel from on high_. This Priesthood, we then conferred on each other
by the will and commandment of God." The authority for the foregoing
statement is the report of Bishop Reuben Miller, who was present on
the occasion of Oliver Cowdery's delivering the address from which
the above is quoted. Bishop Miller's notes of Cowdery's remarks were
published in the _Deseret News_ of the 13th of April, 1859. It is to
be observed that Oliver Cowdery, in this quotation, is represented as
saying with reference to the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood,
that it was by the "holy angel," whereas, according to the statement
of the Prophet, that Priesthood was restored by three angels--Peter,
James and John. The discrepancy may arise from imperfect recording of
Oliver's language. In a signed statement which Oliver Cowdery gave to
Samuel W. Richards, under date of January 13, 1849--the statement has
been published a number of times in our Church periodicals--being about
two months and a half after delivering the address reported by Bishop
Miller, he said: "John the Baptist, holding the keys of the Aaronic
Priesthood; Peter, James and John, holding the keys of the Melchizedek
Priesthood, have also ministered for those who shall be heirs of
salvation, and with these administrations ordained men to the same
Priesthood. These Priesthoods, with their authority, are now, and must
continue to be in the body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. * * * Accept assurances, dear brother, of the unfeigned prayer
of him who, in connection with Joseph, the Seer, was blessed with the
above administrations."
[Signed] Oliver Cowdery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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