Page:The House of the Lord.djvu/252

236 "Therefore he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also;

"And the Lesser Priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;

"Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath, caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb;

"For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power."

The Higher or Melchisedek Priesthood was restored through the personal ministry of Jesus Christ, and remained with His apostles and in the Church under their administration, but was again lost as the great apostasy progressed.

The Holy Priesthood in its fulness has been restored in the present age,—not alone the lesser functions of deacon, teacher, and priest, which constitute the distinctive offices of the Aaronic order including the Levitical, but the higher authority as well—that of the elder, the seventy, the patriarch, the apostle, and the high priest. "The Aaronic Priesthood is named after Aaron, who was given to Moses as his mouthpiece, to act under his direction in the carrying out of God's purposes respecting Israel (Exodus 4:14-16). For this reason, it is sometimes called the Lesser Priesthood; but though lesser, it is neither small nor insignificant.  While Israel journeyed in the wilderness, Aaron and his sons were called by prophecy and set apart for the duties of the priest's office.  (Exodus 28:1.) "At a subsequent period of Israel's history, the Lord chose the tribe of Levi to assist Aaron in the priestly functions, the special duties of the Levites being to keep the instruments and attend to the services of the tabernacle. The Levites thus chosen of the Lord were to take the place of the first-born throughout the tribes, whom the Lord had claimed for His service from the time of the last dread plague in Egypt, whereby the first-born in every Egyptian house was slain, while the eldest in every Israelitish house was hallowed and spared. (Numbers 3:12-13, 39:44-45, 50-51.) The commission thus given to the Levites is sometimes called the Levitical Priesthood; (Hebrews 7:11.) it is to be regarded as an appendage to the priesthood of Aaron, not comprising the highest priestly powers. The Aaronic Priesthood, as restored to the earth in this dispensation, comprises the Levitical order. (Doctrine and Covenants 107:1.) This priesthood holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and the authority to attend to the outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel; (Doctrine and Covenants 107:20.) it comprises the offices of deacon, teacher, and priest, with the bishopric holding the keys of presidency. "The greater or Melchisedek Priesthood is named after the king of Salem, a great High Priest of God; (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7:1-17.) before his day it was known as 'the Holy Priesthood, after the order of the Son of God, but out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of His name, they, the Church, in ancient days, called that Priesthood after Melchisedek.' (Doctrine and Covenants 107:2-4.) This priesthood holds the right of presidency in all the offices of the Church; its special functions lie in the administration of spiritual things: comprising as it does the keys of all spiritual blessings of the Church, the right 'to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and Church of the First Born, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.' (Doctrine and Covenants 107:8, 18-19.)  The special offices of the Melchisedek Priesthood are those of apostle, patriarch or evangelist, high priest, seventy, and elder."—The "Articles of Faith," XI:13-15.