Qualifications for the Priesthood.—The qualifications required in those whom the Lord ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood are thus outlined in the Book of Mormon:
"My brethren," [it is the Prophet Alma who is speaking]. "I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people.
"And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption.
"And this is the manner after which they were ordained: being called and prepared from the foundation of the world, according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works: in the first place being left to choose good or evil: therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceeding great faith, are called with a holy calling, * * * while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this, they might had as great privilege as their brethren.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Now they were ordained after this manner: Being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the High Priesthood of the holy order, which calling and ordinance and High Priesthood is without beginning or end:
"Thus they become High Priests for ever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father. * * * *
"Now as I said concerning the holy order of this High Priesthood: there were many who were ordained and became High Priests of God: and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God."—(Alma 13:1-10.)