3. Organization of the Seventy. The quorums of Seventy are organized with special reference to their calling as the foreign ministry of the Church. It will be observed that their organization is different from that of every other quorum in the Church, for whereas in all other quorums of the higher Priesthood the presidency consists of one president and two counselors, in the quorum of the Seventy there are seven presidents of equal power and authority. That is to say, there is not one president and six counselors, but each of the seven is a president and in power and authority is equal with his fellow-presidents; but for the sake of order the right of presidency is recognized as being vested in the senior president by ordination. "And it is according to the vision, showing the order of the Seventy, that they should have seven presidents to preside over them, chosen out of the number of the Seventy. And the seventh president (counting from the one last ordained) of these presidents is to preside over the six." In the absence of the senior president the next senior in ordination becomes the acting president. By this simple arrangement all confusion as to the right of presiding is obviated, for no sooner does the council of a quorum or any part thereof convene, than each president knows at once upon whom the responsibility of presiding rests, let them meet where they may.
By virtue of having seven presidents a quorum of Seventy is not easily disorganized, and this doubtless was one of the objects in view in this arrangement. One, two, three, or even six of the presidents could be sent abroad upon missions (although that is not likely to be the case at any one time) and yet the quorum would have a president left, who, with the quorum, would be competent to transact whatever of business might be necessary for that quorum.
Other duties and advantages growing out of this organization are apparent on a little reflection. Suppose, for instance, that a quorum of Seventy should be sent out bodily to preach the gospel, as the quorum of the Twelve at times have been. You would then have an organization which could be broken up into seven groups of ten men each, with a president for each group. These groups could be broken up into five pairs, and the Elders travel two and two, as the law of the gospel requires. It can be readily seen that such a quorum could be a flying column, capable of being broken up, first into groups and sent into different districts; and the groups again broken up into pairs and spread out over a wide area of country. The pairs could be called together in groups of ten for conference, for adjustment and rearrangement of traveling companions, and the groups occasionally brought together in quorum conference, report, or transact whatever business might be necessary, and again be scattered into fields of labor. In all of which there appears the very finest adaptation of means to an end; and also there appears more than mere human wisdom displayed in this organization of the quorums of the foreign ministry.
4. Of the First Quorum of the Seventy: In the revelation before quoted it is said: "And it is according to the vision, showing the order of the Seventy, that they should have seven presidents to preside over them, chosen out of the number of the seventy. * * * And these seven presidents are to choose other Seventy besides the first Seventy, to whom they belong, and are to preside over them; and also other Seventy, until seven times seventy, if the labor in the vineyard of necessity requires it."
It must not be understood that this passage limits the number of quorums to seven times seventy, for the Prophet, at the time the quorums were being organized, stated that "If the first Seventy are all employed and there is a call for more laborers, it will be the duty of the seven presidents of the first Seventy to call and ordain other Seventy, and send them forth to labor in the vineyard, until if needs be, they set apart seven times seventy, and even until there are 144,000 thus set apart for the ministry." (See Church History, Vol. II: 221 and Notes.)
It will be observed in the quotation from the Doctrine & Covenants above that provision is made that the presidents of Seventy are to be "chosen out of the number of the Seventy." It is because of this special provision that when inadvertently High Priests have been selected for presidents of Seventy they have taken their place again in the quorum of High Priests and others from among the Seventy, as provided by the law of God, chosen to fill their place. It will also be observed that the council of the First Seventy, in addition to presiding over their own quorum (the first), have a general presidency over all the quorums of the Church. It is this first quorum, members and presidents together, which constitutes what, by way of explanation, we may call the quorum of Seventy, the quorum of which it is said that they are equal in authority to the quorum of the twelve special witnesses, or Apostles.
5. Summary. It may be said by way of recapitulation that the Seventy hold the Melchisedek Priesthood; that with the Twelve, under whose directions they labor, they constitute the foreign ministry of the Church: that their special calling is to travel and preach the gospel in all nations, first to the Gentiles and then to the Jews; that they can, on occasion be employed in the work of the ministry at home, because their Priesthood authorizes them to do good and bring to pass righteousness wherever they may be, and when acting in order and under the direction of the Twelve Apostles they may do whatever is necessary to be done in order to accomplish the purposes of God, whose ministers they are; but their organization has particular reference to their special work of preaching the Gospel in all the world.
6. An Intelligent and Informed Ministry Contemplated in the Church: After this brief review of the organization and duties of the Seventies, it must be clearly manifest that it is the imperative duty of those holding this office in the Priesthood to make careful and thorough preparation to discharge the responsibilities of their high calling as the ambassadors of the Lord Jesus. Being special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world, preachers (i. e., teachers) of the gospel, and authorized under the direction of the Twelve Apostles to act in the name of the Lord in "building up the Church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations" (Doc. & Cov. Sec. cvii), it behooves them to become witnesses who understand the truth of which they testify, skilled workman, ambassadors of whom the Master need not be ashamed. It is evident that the Lord never designed that his ministry should be an ignorant ministry; for to the early Elders of his Church, in this last dispensation, when instructing a number of them to prepare for labor in the vineyard, he said:
"And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom; teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand. Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land, and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms. That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you. * * * Therefore, verily, I say unto you, my friends, call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you; and as all have not faith, seek, ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning even by study, and also by faith." (Doc. & Cov. Sec. 88:77, 78, 80 and 117, 118.)
The instructions then given to the Elders of the Church are still applicable to men engaged in the same ministry, and charged with like responsibility.