Commenting
on the importance and primacy of the Apostleship, Brigham Young stated the
following about the Apostleship in the ministry of Joseph Smith:
I speak thus to show you the order of the
Priesthood. We will now commence with the Apostleship, where Joseph commenced.
Joseph was ordained an Apostle—that you can read and understand. After he was
ordained to this office, then he had the right to organize and build up the
kingdom of God, for he had committed unto him the keys of the Priesthood,
which is after the order of Melchisedec—the High
Priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God. And this, remember,
by being ordained an Apostle.
Could he have built up the Kingdom of God,
without first being an Apostle? No, he never could. The keys of the eternal
Priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God, are comprehended by
being an Apostle. All the Priesthood, all the keys, all the gifts, all the
endowments, and everything preparatory to entering into the presence of the
Father and of the Son, are in, composed of, circumscribed by, or I might say
incorporated within the circumference
of, the Apostleship. (JOD 1:134-35 | April 6, 1853, italics in original)
