If you will read the history of
the Church from the beginning, you will find that Joseph was visited by various
angelic beings, but not one of them professed to give him the keys until John
the Baptist came to him. Moroni, who held the keys of the record of the stick
of Ephraim, visited Joseph; he had doubtless, also, visits from Nephi and it
may be from Alma and others, but though they came and had authority,
holding the authority of the Priesthood, we have no account of their ordaining
him, neither did Joseph ever profess, because of the ministration of these
angels, to have authority to administer in any of the ordinances of the Kingdom
of God. He never baptized anybody, nor attempted to lay on hands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost; and, in fact, he never attempted, that we have any
account of, to exercise any of the functions of the holy Priesthood. He was a prophet,
it is true, but a man may be a prophet and yet not have authority to administer
in the Priesthood. The prophetic gift, to some extent, is distinct from the
Priesthood. Joseph had received the prophetic gift and he exercised it and he
acted as such prior to his ordination. But when the time came for him to be
baptized, then a man who held the keys of that Priesthood came to him and laid
his hands upon Joseph's head, and upon Oliver Cowdery, and set them apart, and
gave them authority to officiate in the Aaronic Priesthood, which Priesthood
held the keys of baptism and so forth. (George Q. Cannon, “The Right and
Authority of President Brigham Young,” December 5, 1869 [JOD 13:47])
Don't you think that Adam, the
father of us all, feels interested in the welfare of his children? I think he
does. Don't you think that Enoch feels interested in the welfare of his people?
I guess he does. Don't you think that Noah does? Yes, and even some of the
Prophets, in speaking about events in the future, tell of a time when Ethiopia
shall stretch out her hands to God. Are they not all interested? Yes. Are not
all of you interested in your posterity? Yes, you are. Does the Gospel show you
how to take care of them? It does. Does it enable you to bless your posterity
as Jacob did? It does, and to seal blessings upon their heads. Does it give you
promises pertaining to the future? It does, pertaining to you and your
posterity. And are not all of these men engaged with us in the same object?
Yes, and they are just as much interested as we are, and ten thousand times
more, because they know more; and they have been operating in the various ages,
and when they were permitted they have come forth and communicated the will of
God to man. And when Joseph Smith was raised up as a Prophet of God, Mormon,
Moroni, Nephi and others of the ancient Prophets who formerly lived on this
Continent, and Peter and John and others who lived on the Asiatic
Continent, came to him and communicated to him certain principles pertaining
to the Gospel of the Son of God. Why? Because they held the keys of the
various dispensations, and conferred them upon him, and he upon us. He was
indebted to God; and we are indebted to God and to him for all the intelligence
that we have on these subjects. Who in this generation knew anything about
Temples and their uses until Joseph revealed it? Nobody. Who knew anything
about baptism for the dead until then? Nobody. Who knew anything about the past
or the future? Why, when I commenced to preach this Gospel, years ago, it was
enough to damn anybody to even mention the principle of revelation. In this
enlightened age we were so far ahead of God that we could have a religion
without him, and could go to heaven without him; we did not want any revelation
from, or communication with, God. But the Gospel brings us into communication
with God, and makes us one with him and with those who have operated before;
and those holy men of God who have lived in the various ages feel interested in
our welfare, and they are watching over us, and we are better taken care of
than many of us think for. Many of us are careless, thoughtless, heedless,
reckless, unbelieving and full of doubts and anxiety; but God has given his
angels charge concerning us lest we should dash our foot against a stone. God's
bowels of mercy have been extended to us in spite of our waywardness, folly,
weakness, corruption and imbecility. (John Taylor, “Man, the Offspring of God,
a Dual Being—Immediate Revelation—Operate With the Priesthood,” April 8, 1875 [JOD
17:374-75])
