=4.= Samuel, who became so great a prophet in Israel, commissioned to consecrate, command, and rebuke kings, to direct armies, and to serve as the oracle of G.o.d unto the people, was chosen while yet a boy, and called by the voice of the Lord.[543] And such was the power that followed this call, that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established a prophet of the Lord.[544] Time fails to permit the mention of many other men of might, who received their power from G.o.d, whose histories portray the honor with which the Lord regarded His chosen ministers. Think of the heavenly vision by which Isaiah was called and directed in the duties of his prophetic office;[545] of Jeremiah, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah;[546] of the priest Ezekiel, who first received the Divine message in the land of the Chaldeans,[547] and subsequently on other occasions; of Hosea,[548] and all the rest of the prophets to Zechariah[549] and Malachi.[550]

[543] I Sam. iii, 4-14.

[544] I Sam. iii, 20.

[545] Isa. i, 1; ii, 1; vi, 8-9.

[546] Jer. i, 2-10.

[547] Ezek. i, 1.

[548] Hos. i, 1.

[549] Zech. i, 1.

[550] Mal. i, 1.

=5.= The apostles of the Lord were called by His own voice in the days of His ministry; and surely the Savior's authority is beyond question, vindicated as it is by the mighty works of the atonement, wrought through pain and the anguish of death, and by the authoritative declaration of the Father at the time of Christ's baptism. Peter, and Andrew his brother, while casting their nets into the sea, were called with the instruction,--"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men;"[551] and soon after, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were similarly called. So with all of the chosen Twelve who ministered with the Master; and unto the Eleven who had remained faithful, He appeared after His resurrection, giving them special commissions for the work of the kingdom.[552] Christ specifically declares that He had chosen His apostles, and that He had ordained them in their exalted stations.[553]

[551] Matt. iv, 18-20.

[552] Matt. xviii, 19-20; Mark xvi, 15.

[553] John vi, 70; xv, 16.

=6.= In the period immediately following that of Christ's earthly mission, the ministers of the Gospel were all designated and set apart by unquestionable authority. Even Saul of Tarsus, afterward Paul the Apostle, who was converted with marvelous signs and wondrous manifestations,[554] had to be formally commissioned for the labor which the Lord desired him to perform; and we are told that the Holy Ghost spake to the prophets and teachers of the Church at Antioch, while they fasted before the Lord, saying, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them."[555]

[554] Acts ix.

[555] Acts xiii, 1-2.

=7. The Ordination of Men to the Ministry=, as sanctioned by scriptural precedent, and established by direct revelation of G.o.d's will, is to be effected through the gift of prophecy, and by the imposition of hands by those who are in authority. By prophecy is meant the right to receive, and the power to interpret, manifestations of the Divine will. That the laying on of hands is usual as a part of the ceremony is seen in several of the instances already cited; nevertheless the scriptures record numerous ordinations to the offices of the priesthood, with no specific statement concerning the imposition of hands, nor indeed any other details of the ceremony.

Such instances do not warrant the conclusion that the laying on of hands was not actually performed; and indeed in the light of modern revelation it is clear that the imposition of hands was a usual accompaniment of ordination, as it was also a part of the ceremony of confirming blessings,[556] and of bestowing the Holy Ghost.[557]

[556] Gen. xlviii, 14-19. Compare II Kings v, 11; Matt. viii, 15; Mark vi, 5; xvi, 15-18.

[557] See Lecture viii, pp. 162-174.

=8.= Thus, the priesthood descended from Adam to Noah, under the hands of the fathers;[558] Enos was ordained by the hand of Adam; and the same was true of Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah. Lamech was ordained under the hand of Seth; Noah received his authority from the hand of Methuselah. And so may the priesthood be traced, bestowed as the spirit of prophecy directed by the hand of one upon another, till the time of Moses. Melchizedek, who conferred this authority upon Abraham, received his own through the direct lineage of his fathers, from Noah. Esaias, a contemporary of Abraham, received his ordination under the hand of G.o.d. Through the hand of Esaias, the authority pa.s.sed to Gad, thence by the same means to Jeremy, Elihu, Caleb, and Jethro, the priest of Midian, under whose hand Moses was ordained.[559] Joshua the son of Nun was set apart as directed of G.o.d, through the imposition of hands by Moses.[560]

[558] Doc. and Cov. cvii, 40-52.

[559] Doc. and Cov. lx.x.xiv, 6-14.

[560] Numb. xxvii, 18; Deut. x.x.xiv, 9.

=9.= In the days of the apostles, circ.u.mstances rendered it expedient to appoint special officers in the Church, to care for the poor and attend to the distribution of supplies; these were selected with care, and were set apart through prayer and laying on of hands.[561] Timothy was similarly ordained, as witness the admonitions given him by Paul:--"Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery,"[562] and again, "Stir up the gift of G.o.d which is in thee by the putting on of my hands."[563] The Lord has bound Himself by solemn covenant to acknowledge the acts of His authorized servants. Unto whomsoever the elders give promise after baptism the Holy Ghost will come.[564]

Whatever the priesthood shall bind or loose on earth, is to be similarly bound or loosed in heaven;[565] the sick upon whom the elders lay their hands, are to recover;[566] and many other signs are to follow them that believe. And so jealous is the Lord of the power to officiate in His name, that at the judgment, all who have aided or persecuted His servants, are to be rewarded or punished as if they had done those things unto Christ Himself.[567]

[561] Acts vi, 1-6.

[562] I Timothy iv, 14.

[563] II Tim. i, 6.

[564] Acts ii, 38; III Nephi xi, 35; xii, 2; Doc. and Cov. lx.x.xiv, 64.

[565] Matt. xvi, 19; Doc. and Cov. i, 8; cxxviii, 8-11.

[566] Mark xvi, 15-18.

[567] Matt. xviii, 4-6; xxv, 31-46; Doc. and Cov. lxxv, 19-22; lx.x.xiv, 88-90.

=10. Unauthorized Ministrations= in priestly functions are not alone invalid, they are indeed grievously sinful. In His dealings with mankind, G.o.d has ever recognized and honored the priesthood established by His direction; and has never countenanced any unauthorized a.s.sumption of authority. A terrible lesson is taught in the case of Korah and his a.s.sociates, in their rebellion against the authority of the priesthood,--in that they falsely professed the right to minister in the priest's office. The Lord promptly visited them for their sins, causing the ground to cleave asunder, and to swallow them up with all their belongings.[568]

[568] Numbers xvi.

=11.= And think of the affliction that fell upon Miriam, the sister of Moses, a prophetess among the people.[569] She, with Aaron, railed against Moses, and they said, "Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath He not spoken also by us? and the Lord heard it."[570] He came at once in a cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, denouncing their presumption, and vindicating the authority of His chosen oracle, Moses. When the cloud pa.s.sed from the tabernacle, Miriam was seen to be leprous, white as snow; and according to the law, she was shut out of the camp of Israel. However, through the earnest entreaties of Moses, the Lord healed the woman, and she was subsequently permitted to return to the company.

[569] Exo. xv, 21.

[570] Numbers xii.

=12.= Consider the fate of Uzza, the Israelite who met sudden death through the anger of G.o.d, because he put forth his hand to steady the ark of the covenant lest it fall.[571] This he did in spite of the law that none but the priests might touch the sacred accompaniments of the ark; we read that not even the appointed bearers of the vessel were allowed to touch its holy parts, on pain of death.[572]

[571] I Chron. xiii, 10.

[572] Num. iv, 15.

=13.= Think also of Saul the King of Israel, who had been called from the farm to be made a monarch favored of G.o.d. When the Philistines were marshalled against Israel in Michmash, Saul waited for Samuel,[573] under whose hand he had received his kingly anointing,[574] and to whom he had looked in the days of his humility for guidance; he asked that the prophet come and offer sacrifices to the Lord in behalf of the people. But, growing impatient at Samuel's delay, Saul prepared the burnt offering himself, forgetting that though he occupied the throne, wore the crown, and bore the sceptre, these insignia of kingly power gave him no right to officiate even as a door-keeper in the house of G.o.d; and for this and other instances of his unrighteous presumption, he was rejected of G.o.d and another was chosen in his place.

[573] I Sam. xiii, 5-14.

[574] I Sam. x.

=14.= A striking instance of Divine jealousy concerning holy functions is shown in the dreadful experience of Uzziah, king of Judah. He was placed upon the throne when but sixteen years old; and, as long as he sought the Lord, he was greatly prospered, so that his name became a terror unto his enemies. But he allowed pride to grow in his heart, and indulged the delusion that in his kingship he was supreme. He entered the temple and essayed to burn incense on the altar. Shocked at his blasphemous action, Azariah, the chief priest of the temple, and fourscore priests with him, forbade the king, saying:--"It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense; go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespa.s.sed." At this rebuke and condemnation from his subjects, though they were priests of the living G.o.d, the king became angry; but immediately the dread scourge of leprosy fell upon him; the signs of the horrible disease appeared in his forehead; and, being now physically an unclean creature, his presence tended the more to defile the holy place. So Azariah and his a.s.sociate priests thrust the king out from the temple, and he, a smitten thing, fled from the house of G.o.d never again to enter its sacred precincts. Concerning the rest of his punishment we read, "And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord."[575]

[575] II Chron. xxvi.

=15.= A forceful ill.u.s.tration of the futility of false ceremonies, or of the mere form of sacred ordinances when the authority is absent, is shown in the New Testament record of the seven sons of Sceva. These in common with others had seen, and had marveled at, the miraculous power exhibited by Paul, whom the Lord so blessed in his apostleship that through contact with handkerchiefs or ap.r.o.ns sent by him the sick were healed, and their evil spirits were cast out. Sceva's sons, who are counted by the sacred chronicler among the exorcists and the vagabond Jews, sought also to expel an evil spirit: "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth," said they; but the evil spirit derided them for their lack of authority, exclaiming: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?" Then the afflicted person, in whom the evil spirit dwelt, leaped upon them and overcame them, so that when they escaped from the house they were naked and wounded.[576]

[576] Acts xix, 13-17.

=16. Teachers True and False.=--None but those who are duly authorized to teach can be regarded as true expounders of the word. The remarks of Paul concerning the high priests are alike applicable to every office of the priesthood: "No man taketh this honor to himself, but he that is called of G.o.d, as was Aaron."[577] And Aaron, as we have already seen, was called through Moses unto whom the Lord revealed His will in the matter. This authority to act in the name of the Lord is given to those only who are chosen of G.o.d; it is not to be had for the mere asking; it is not to be bought with gold. We read of Simon, the sorcerer, who coveted the power possessed by the apostles; he offered these ministers of Christ money, saying, "Give me also this power that on whomsoever I lay my hands he may receive the Holy Ghost." But Peter answered him with righteous indignation, "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of G.o.d may be purchased with money; thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of G.o.d."[578]

[577] Heb. v, 4.

[578] Acts viii, 18-24.