To the Saints Emigrating from Great Britain and Ireland to America,

717.

Greeting.

 

718.

God, who in days of old spoke on divers occasions

And in many ways to the house of Israel by the prophets,

And afterwards to all the earth by his son whom he made ruler over all things,

719.

Last of all in these days restored the gospel to the earth by the ministry of angels,

and the priesthood that he conferred on the prophet Joseph Smith by their hands;

720.

And has thereby established a church by an everlasting and unchanging order,

Conferring upon that priesthood the keys of the kingdom of God,

And of the rest that he has reserved to the saints, and of everlasting righteousness.

721.

Apostles, High Priests, and Elders have received from the highest authority of this priesthood mission and commandments to visit you,

And in the name of the God of all the earth

To preach the gospel unto you,

722.

And have, in virtue of the jurisdiction thus obtained,

Taught you the law of the gospel and inducted you into the household of faith.

 

723.

From the first proclamation of the gospel in Great Britain you were taught that God spoke now,

As in days of old, by the mouths of prophets,

724.

And that a priesthood elected and chosen by kings, magistrates, or people,

Was unauthorized, and its administrations would not avail to salvation.

725.

Truly have they cried out to you that all your administrations by a man-made priesthood,

Whether they be Catholics, Episcopalians, or Protestants were vain,

and merely a mockery of God’s ordinances.                         post-Napoleonic laments in general

726.

And that unless men are truly called by revelation of God,

And set apart to the ministry by the hands of those who were thus called and set apart

They cannot act as ministers and priests of the true church.

727.

I rejoice that so many of you have received these truths, and laid hold on salvation.

728.

And it would be serious cause of grief,

If, after all the buffetings and persecutions you have endured for receiving the faith,

And the perils you have passed through in coming to this country,

729.

You should still throw yourselves under the authority of a mere man-made priesthood,

And trust your salvation to the administration of men merely elected by the people.

730.

Joseph, our martyred prophet,

Became a prophet and the first and presiding elder of the church of God

By revelation of God and the ordination of angels.

731.

And what authority and ceremonies it took to make him a prophet and the first presiding elder,

The same authority and ceremonies it would also take to confer the same office and priesthood

On anyone to stand in his place.

732.

As much as has been said on this subject, and little to the purpose,

I beg leave to call to your minds particularly the principles involved in the ordination of a prophet

To stand at the head of a dispensation.

733.

When Moses received the dispensation of Israel,

Jethro, and probably many others, were priests of the true God.

734.

Yet as Moses was called to a higher authority than any of them possessed,

the Lord God spoke to Moses to give him the authority;

735.

And though we are not expressly told that he was ordained by the hand of angels,

Yet we are plainly told that the angel of the Lord appeared to him,

and are left to infer that he appeared for some rational purpose.                            Exodus 3: 1-12

736.

When Christ received the dispensation of the gospel,

Though he found John the Baptist, a priest of the order of Aaron,

Yet he could not receive the priesthood from him,

737.

yet Christ Jesus had a dispensation and a higher priesthood immediately from God,

Who made him a high priest by his oath.

738.

For when John baptized him, the voice of God was heard, saying,

“This is my Son, hear ye him; ”

739.

And a messenger from heaven descended on his head

And designated him as the Messiah.

740.

So likewise, when the dispensation of the fullness of times was committed to Joseph,

God not only spoke to him and gave him commandments by his voice,

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