7. The Traveling Presiding High Council.—The twelve apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world, are a traveling, presiding high council, and have the power to officiate in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the first presidency of the church, to build up the church and regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations. In all large branches of the church, or the stakes of Zion, they are authorized to ordain patriarchs, as they may be designated unto them by revelation; it is the duty of the twelve also to ordain and set in order all other officers in the church. These twelve apostles form the second general presiding quorum in the church, and are equal in authority and power to the quorum of the first presidency.[[111]]
8. The Presiding Quorum of Seventy.—The seventy are appointed to act in the name of the Lord under the direction of the traveling high council in building up the church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations.[[112]] The quorum of seventy is presided over by seven presidents, and the senior of the seven—that is, the senior by ordination, not by age—presides over the six. This quorum is equal in authority to the traveling high council—the quorum of the twelve apostles.[[113]] In addition to presiding over the first quorum of seventy—to which quorum they belong—the first seven presidents were authorized in the beginning to choose other seventy, besides the first, until seven times seventy had been chosen—if the labor in the ministry required it[[114]]—and preside over them. Each quorum has its council of seven presidents; but the first seven presidents preside over all these quorums and all their presidents. The seventies are special witnesses for the Lord in all the world,[[115]] and are especially chosen to preach the gospel abroad; the responsibility of declaring the great message of God unto the world rests upon them particularly, laboring, of course, under the direction of the twelve; and the twelve are to call upon the seventy in preference to any others when they have need of assistance to fill the calls for preaching and administering the gospel.[[116]]
9. We have spoken of these three quorums being equal in authority; but every decision made by either of them, in order to make such decision of the same power or validity one with the other, must be by unanimous voice of the respective quorums; that is every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions, or such decisions are not entitled to the same blessings as the decisions of the quorum of the first presidency. When circumstances render it impossible to be otherwise, a majority may form a quorum.[[117]] The decisions of these quorums of course are to be made in righteousness, in holiness and lowliness of heart. If so made there is no appeal from their decision; but in case that any decision of these quorums is made in unrighteousness, it may then be brought before a general assembly of the several quorums of the priesthood which constitute the spiritual authorities of the church.
10. Patriarchs.—These officers hold the keys of blessings in the church. The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made.[[118]] There is one general and a number of local patriarchs in the church. The first is patriarch to the whole church, and he may minister in any branch or stake in it, his jurisdiction in blessing the people being co-extensive with the church. He holds the keys of the patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all the Lord's people. And whomsoever he blesses shall be blessed, and whomsoever he curses shall be cursed; and whatsoever he binds on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever he looses on earth shall be loosed in heaven.[[119]] He holds the sealing blessings of the church, "even the Holy Spirit of promise," whereby men are sealed up unto the day of redemption; that they may not fall, notwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon them.[[120]] The local patriarchs referred to above are patriarchs appointed and ordained by the apostles to hold and exercise the powers of giving patriarchal blessings to the Saints within the branches and stakes of Zion in which they are appointed to minister in this calling, but they are not to minister outside of their respective districts. Hence they call them local patriarchs. They possess the same powers in blessing within the district where they are appointed to labor as the general patriarch of the church does in his wider sphere.
11. High Priests.—The quorums of high priests are designed to qualify those who shall be appointed standing presidents over different stakes in Zion, and abroad.[[121]] They may travel and preach the gospel if they choose, for high priests have power to preach and administer all the ordinances of the gospel; but their calling is more especially to preside. To them belongs the sphere of presidency of government in the church. From these quorums, so far as the most suitable men can be found in them, are chosen men to act as bishops—where no literal descendant of Aaron can be found,—the bishops' counselors; presidents of stakes and their counselors; and also high counselors. When men more suitable for these positions are found in other quorums of the priesthood, then they are ordained high priests, and appointed to the presiding positions enumerated. In every stake there is a high priests' quorum, presided over by a president and two counselors. There is no specific number necessary to form a quorum of high priests, the quorum includes all high priests within a stake or branch where it exists, be they many or few. The quorum organization is for convenience, for discipline, and for training its members in the art of government. Since to the high priests belongs the sphere of government, we know of no position in the church which calls for higher qualities of heart and mind than that of high priests. It is an office that requires the combination of wisdom and executive ability, a combination the rarest among men. The world has had untold thousands of learned men and orators, and multitudes of men with special great gifts; but it has had comparatively few blessed with that combination of gifts which makes men successful rulers; and yet those qualities which make men rulers are the qualities to be looked for and developed in high priests.
12. Elders.—Elder is the lowest office in the Melchisedek Priesthood. It is an office that is an appendage to the Melchisedek Priesthood.[[122]] Yet the Elder has the power to preach the gospel, baptize, lay on hands for the Holy Ghost, administer the sacrament, and preside when there is no high priest present.[[123]] Ninety-six Elders constitute a quorum.[[124]] The quorum is presided over by a president and two counselors, whose duty it is to instruct them in the duties of their office. There may be any number of quorums of Elders in a branch or stake of Zion, as there is no limit whatsoever in the revelations. The elders constitute a standing ministry in Zion and her stakes.[[125]] They are not under obligations to travel abroad as the seventies are; but may be called upon to preside from time to time as circumstances may require.[[126]]
13. Presidencies in the Aaronic Priesthood.—The Aaronic priesthood, as already remarked,[[127]] has to do more especially with the temporal affairs of the church; and the general presidency of it is the presiding bishopric of the church. The local bishops in like manner preside over the Aaronic priesthood within their respective districts. The powers, rights, duties and responsibilities of the bishops have been treated at some length in Section III, Part IV, under the caption THE BISHOPRIC, and to the paragraphs on that subject the student is directed.
14. Priests.—Forty-eight Priests of the Aaronic order of priesthood constitute a quorum. The president of this quorum is to be a bishop, for that is one of the duties of his calling to sit in council with this quorum and teach the members thereof their duties.[[128]] There is no limit to the number of quorums of priests in the church; there may be such a quorum in every ward or branch.
15. Teachers.—Twenty-four Teachers constitute a quorum. They are presided over by a president and two counselors, who are to teach them the duties of their office.[[129]]
16. Deacons—Twelve deacons form a quorum. The quorum is presided over by a president and two counselors, who are to instruct them in the duties of their office.[[130]] The offices of teacher and deacon are appendages[[131]] to the Aaronic priesthood, as the office of elder and bishop are appendages to the Melchisedek priesthood.[[132]] What is meant by appendage to the priesthood is an addition to the regular quorums of the priesthood. When so added they become part of the organization but in a subordinate way. Then elders may assist high priests in their duties when called upon, and may officiate in their stead when there is no high priest present; but when the high priest is present the elder has no right to act in his stead unless called upon. The teacher may assist the priest in his duties, as the deacon may assist the teacher in his duty,[[133]] but in that event the lesser quorums act in subordination to the ones they are authorized to assist. They were quorums added to the regular organization of the priesthood, when the duties were so multiplied that the higher and regular quorums could not discharge them. By creating these appendages to the priesthood men could be called into requisition whose wisdom and experience would not justify placing upon them all the authority with the accompanying responsibility of the higher offices of the priesthood.