CHAPTER I.
Divine Authority.
"Priest" Defined.—The English word "Priest" is generally derived from the New Testament term "presbyter" (Elder), which means "to preside." Aristotle's definition of "Priest" is, "presiding over things relating to the gods." Similar to this is Paul's understanding of the term, as expressed in Heb. 5:1: "Every high priest taken from among men is constituted on the behalf of men, with respect to their concerns with God, that he may present both gifts and sacrifices for sins." In Arabic, the word denotes to prophesy, to foretell, as a soothsayer, also to act as a mediator or middle person in any business. In the earliest families of the race of Shem, the offices of priest and prophet were united, so that the word originally meant both. The Hebrew idiom kept one part of the idea, and the Arabic another. The primary meaning of the Hebrew word is regarded to be the rendering of honorable and dignified service, like that of ministers of state to their sovereign.
Meaning of "Priesthood."—"Priesthood" is the office or character of a priest. The term also denotes the execution of that office, and signifies a class of priests, or the order of men set apart for sacred offices—priests collectively.
So much for human wisdom, and what it has gleaned upon this subject from the literary fields of the past.
To the Latter-day Saints, who owe most of their knowledge concerning it to modern revelation, "Priesthood" means divine authority, conferred upon men chosen of God to officiate in his name and in his stead. It also signifies the men bearing that authority, the possession of which constitutes them legal representatives of the Almighty. "No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." (Hebrews 5:4.)
Necessity for a Priesthood.—The necessity for a priesthood is as obvious as the necessity for a gospel. The laws of God, like the laws of man, require officers and a government to administer them. God cannot be everywhere in person. He is omnipresent by his Spirit, his power, his authority, and his influence. But in person, being in the form of man, he is subject to certain limitations, imposed by eternal law and the very nature of things. There are some things that even the Omnipotent cannot do. I speak it with all reverence, and for a good purpose—the teaching of the truth in plainness. For instance, he cannot make something out of nothing, though many pious people ascribe to him that power—the power to perform the impossible and absurd. He cannot be in two or more places, at precisely one and the same time—not in person. Therefore, to carry on his work throughout the universe, he must have agents to represent him, and this is the fundamental fact underlying the necessity for a Priesthood and a Church organization.
President Smith's Definition.—When we speak of Priesthood we mean God's authority, and the men holding that authority, to administer the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Let me cite here some remarks made by President Joseph F. Smith, at a general conference of the Church. Said he:
"What is Priesthood? It is nothing more nor less than the power of God delegated to man, by which man can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost; and act legitimately in assuming that authority—an authority that has been given in this day in which we live, by ministering angels and spirits from above, direct from the presence of Almighty God, who have come to the earth and administered the priesthood to the children of men. * * * It is the same power and priesthood that was committed to the disciples of Christ while he was upon the earth; that whatever should be bound on earth should be bound in heaven, and whatever should be loosed on earth should be loosed in heaven."
The Principle of Representation.—Inherent in the Priesthood is the principle of representation. Priesthood, as President Smith affirms, is the delegated authority of God, and so plenary and far-reaching are its powers, that when those holding that authority are in the line of their duty, and have the spirit of their calling, their official acts and utterances are as valid as if God himself were personally present, doing and saying what his servants do and say for him.
A Soul-Searching Admonition.—A tremendous power for frail mortal man to wield! Yes; and to guard against its abuse, the exercise of this divine prerogative by weak human beings is hedged about with certain conditions and limitations, as indicated by the following inspired admonition from the lips of Joseph the Seer:
"Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
"Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—
"That the rights of the Priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
"That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control, or dominion, or compulsion, upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the Priesthood, or the authority of that man.
"Behold! ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks; to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.
"We have learned, by sad experience, that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
"Hence many are called, but few are chosen.
"No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the Priesthood, only by persuasion, by long suffering, by gentleness, and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
"By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile.
"Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
"That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death;
"Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God, and the doctrine of the Priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
"The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy sceptre an unchanging sceptre of righteousness and truth, and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee for ever and ever."—(D. and C. 121:34-46.)
An Echo from Eternity.—Can anyone, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, doubt the heavenly origin of such wise and sublime instructions? Are they not virtually an echo from the heights of eternity, where the Gods sat in council before the foundation of the world, and decreed freedom, not tyranny; persuasion, not compulsion; charity, not intolerance, to be the platform upon which the servants of God should stand?
"Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also that I should give unto him mine own power, by the power of mine Only Begotten I caused that he should be cast down." (Moses 4:3.)
A Gold and Silver Shield.—But there is another side to the question. It is a gold and silver shield that we are contemplating. If those bearing the priesthood are careful to confine themselves to the lawful and legitimate exercise of the sacred powers conferred upon them, acting as men of God should act, and doing no other things than those commanded by divine revelation or inspired by the Holy Spirit; what then? In that event the responsibility shifts to other shoulders, and just how weighty the responsibility is, the Savior himself tells in the following prophetic parable:
How God Will Judge the World.—"When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
"And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
"And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
"Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
"When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
"Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
"I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
"Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
"Then shall he answer them, saying. Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal." (Matthew 25:31-46.)
This, then, is one of the moral standards by which men and nations will be judged: How have you treated my servants whom I sent unto you? Happy the man or the nation who can truthfully reply to the Just and Righteous One in that day: Lord, I rendered unto thy servants the same respect and obedience that I would have shown unto thee, hadst thou been present in person.
Warning and Exhortation.—The Savior's solemn warning to the world may well be supplemented by his servant Joseph's impressive exhortation to the Priesthood and the Church in general. He was addressing the apostles and some of the seventies, prior to their mission to Europe, in the summer of 1839:
"O ye Twelve! and all Saints! profit by this important key—that in all your trials, troubles, temptations, afflictions, bonds, imprisonments and death, see to it, that you do not betray Heaven; that you do not betray Jesus Christ; that you do not betray the brethren; that you do not betray the revelations of God, whether in the Bible, Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants, or any other that ever was or ever will be given and revealed unto man in this world or that which is to come. Yea, in all your kicking and flounderings, see to it that you do not this thing, lest innocent blood be found upon your skirts, and you go down to hell. All other sins are not to be compared to sinning against the Holy Ghost, and proving a traitor to the brethren." (History of the Church," Vol. III, p. 385.)
Such warnings give added weight to an ancient admonition that comes sounding through the centuries: "Touch not mine anointed; do my prophets no harm."
Agents of the Almighty.—What it means to bear the Priesthood and to officiate therein, is made clear to the comprehension by considering men clothed upon with divine authority as agents of God, sent forth to transact business in his name and in his interest. What kind of men ought they to be, and what is required of them by Him who sent them forth? Such a question can have but one consistent answer: They should be men who will represent him truly and faithfully. They should reflect his intelligence, his goodness, his benevolence, and as diligent, upright agents of the One who commissioned and empowered them to carry on his work, follow closely the instructions that he has given, doing conscientiously and thoroughly what they sincerely believe he would do were he present in his own proper person. Such men should live so near to the Lord, that when the letter—the revealed word—falls short, the Spirit that inspired it, resting upon them as a continual benediction, can readily give "line upon line" of revelation, flash upon flash of inspiration, to illumine and make plain the path they are to tread. This is what it means to be an agent of the Almighty, a representative of God.
"And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation."—(D. and C. 68:4.)