By Elder Erastus Snow

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenants, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation."-Exodus, xix, 5-6.

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood."-Peter.

In all ages from Adam to the latest generation, when God acknowledged a people to be his, there has been a priesthood among them or a delegation of authority by which all the ordinances of God's house were administered. The are in the book of Doctrine and Covenants, recent revelations on Priesthood, which say, there are in the church two Priesthoods, viz: the Melchizedek, and the Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood. Before the days of Melchizedek the church called the former the holy priesthood after the order of the Son of God; but Melchizedek being a mighty man, and a great high priest, they from, and after his day called it the Melchizedek priesthood, to avoid the too frequent repetition of the name of the Supreme Being. The latter was called the Aaronic priesthood, because it was confered [conferred] upon Aaron, and his sons throughout all their generations, to be a perpetual covenant of priesthood. (See Exodus, xl. 15 and xxix 9; Num. xxv. 13.) It is called the lesser priesthood because it is an appendage to the greater: for all lesser authorities, and offices in the church in all ages, are appendages to the Melchizedek priesthood; but there are two divisions of grand heads. The office of an elder comes under the Melchizedek; that of a teacher, and deacon under the Aaronic, or lesser priesthood. Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews says much concerning these two priesthoods, and of the superior excellence of the Melchizedek over the Levitical order.

This Melchizedek flourished in the days of Abraham, about two thousand years before Christ. Moses tells us-Gen. xiv. 18, that he blessed Abraham, and he was priest of the Most High God, and king of Salem, which was the original name of Jerusalem. Many eminent writers are of the opinion that he was the founder of that city, and that it subsequently fell into the hands of the Jebusites, from whom it received the prefix Jeru: and Jerusalem was governed buy Adonizedec the Amorite, at the time of its capture by Joshua, about fourteen hundred and fifty years before Christ. (See Josh. x. 1.)

This priesthood did not originate with Melchizedek; neither was it confined to him, as many suppose; but was confered [conferred] on many, both before, and after him: and it is as ancient as the Son of God himself, who was with the Father from the beginning: for it is said of him-Ps. cx. 4, "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

When we speak of an order of priesthood we convey an idea of a succession of priests and various smaller offices in the priesthood; as when Paul speaks of the order of Melchizedek, and the order of Aaron.-Heb. vii. 11. As there were many who had the priesthood after the order of Aaron, would it not be nonsense to talk about the order of Melchizedek if he was the only man who ever had the priesthood? As Moses' account of his ancestors was very brief, he necessarily said but little about the church, or order of priesthood, which existed before his day; but the hints he as given are sufficient to show us there was such an order existing from the beginning. Alma in the Book of Mormon, page 253, 3rd edition, is very plain on this subject. He shows that there were many, both before, and after Melchizedek; but none were greater, and he was king in the land of Salem, and when his people had corrupted themselves before the Lord, he exercised mighty faith, took upon himself the high priesthood and preached repentance unto his people, aud [and] they did repent and he established peace in the land. Therefore, he was called the Prince of peace. He moreover shows that this priesthood, being the priesthood

of the son of God, is an everlasting, and an unchangeable [unchangeable] one without beginning or end.

Some ignorant translator, or heedless transcriber has made Paul say, Heb. vii. 3, that Melchizedek was without beginning or end; without father, mother, or descent; but again in the 6th verse he makes it appear that he had a descent.-By reading the chapter it will be seen that Paul spake not of the person of Melchizedek as being without father, or mother; but of his priesthood in contradistinction to the priesthood of Aaron, which was entailed upon his posterity, and descended from father to son. But the decree of Jehovah concerning those who receive and magnify the office of the holy priesthood, is that they shall hold it, not only in time, but in eternity. Therefore, with them the priesthood has no end. (See Rev. v. 10; xx. 6; xxii. 5.)

I am aware that it is believed by many theologians that no priesthood acknowledged of God, existed among men previous to the covenant of priesthood established with Aaron. As objections to this theory, I shall urge the following: first, Paul says, Heb. viii. 3, "For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices:" Again, xi. 4, he says, Abel offered an acceptable offering unto God, but Cain's sacrifice was not acceptable because he did not offer it in faith; also, Enoch the seventh from Adam walked with God three hundred years, and then by faith was translated to heaven. (See Gen. v. 22; Heb. xi. 5.) Noah also, it is said, offered sacrifices unto God immediately after coming out of the ark. (See Gen. viii. 20.) Also Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and many others, after the flood offered acceptable sacrifices to God. All these, it is said, offered their sacrifices in faith, and how I ask did they offer them by faith? Answer; even Abel's lamb, and all their offerings were but types of the Lamb of God, who should be offered in due time without spot to God as the great sacrifice for the sins of the world, and they as they offered their sacrifices looked forward by faith to him, expecting to receive redemption and remission of sins through his blood: for Christ said, "Abraham truly saw my day and when he saw it he was glad." Moreover it is said, Gal. iii. 8, that the Gospel was preached unto Abraham.

Now, if we had a full history of Adam and his sons, we should learn that God made known the plan of salvation to him, and confered [conferred] on him the priesthood, and he upon his sons Abel, Cain and Seth; and that it was continued with the seed of Seth till Enoch, and from Enoch to Noah and his son Shem, and among the seed of Shem to Abraham, and down to Jethro, priest in the land of Midian.

Midian was the son of Abraham, by his second wife Keturah. He and his posterity peopled the land, which was called after his name, and Jethro being the fifth in regular descent from Midian, loved in the days of Moses, and was priest of the Most High God, when Moses was a young man, forty years before God called him to lead Israel from Egypt.-(See Exodus iii. 1.) Moses married Jethro's daughter, and lived with him about forty years, and then God sent him to lead Israel out of Egypt: and we are told in the eighteenth chapter of Exodus that after Moses had brought Israel into the wilderness Jethro came to them, and praised God among them, and offered sacrifices and set in order all the officers in Israel, and gave Moses commandments how to proceed: and all this was long before Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the priest's office. A priest of On is also spoken of.

Second, I shall urge from the foregoing, if Jethro, Melchizedek, and others, had the priesthood before Aaron, and if, as Paul says, high-priests were ordained to offer sacrifices, the argument is conclusive that those holy men, from Adam down to Jethro, had the priesthood. It should not be forgotten also, that the text at the head of this article, in which God proposed to make Israel a kingdom of priests, was spoken by Moses long previous to the covenant of priesthood established with Aaron, from which it will appear that the office of the priesthood was well understood by them.

Third, I shall urge what every one who is acquainted with heathen mythology knows, that from a short time after the food the heathens had their priests, and sacred orders to officiate in their worship. If it is asked how such customs were established among them? I answer: when about 150 years after the flood, the wicked part of the posterity of Noah built the tower of Babel the Lord confounded their language and scattered them in companies throughout all parts of the

earth as we are told Gen. xi. 9: and different nations sprang up in Idolatry, speaking different dialects, and as they had a partial knowledge of the true worship of God, which was had among the posterity of Shem in their native land; they, in their idolatrous condition counterfeited the true priesthood, and the religion of heaven.

Now as it is known that such a worship and priesthood did exist among the heathens in those early ages before Aaron, and as there can be no counterfeit without true coin, it follows of course that a holy priesthood existed among the children of God, which the heathens patterned after; for it cannot be said, with propriety, that the great Jehovah in establishing a priesthood among the children of Israel, patterned after the heathen world.

Fourth, it does not even appear from the scriptures that the order of priesthood established with the tribe of Levi, of which Aaron was chief, was at that time instituted. But it appears that they were inducted into an office that previously existed, which was well understood in Israel. The Lord said unto Moses, Exodus, xxviii 1, "And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him from among the children of Israel that they may minister unto me in the priest's office."-Again Ex. xxx. 30, "And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them that they may minister unto me in the Priest's office." Chap. xxix. 9, "And the priest's office shall be their's for a perpetual statute." Chap. xl. 15, "For their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations." Much is said also in other passages concerning all the rest of the tribe of Levi officiating under the direction of Aaron and his sons in offices of less denominations; but nothing is said signifying that the priesthood was a new institution. An order of priests inferior to Moses, is also mentioned, Ex. xix. 24, before the above was spoken. I therefore infer from the scriptures as well as from recent revelations that Aaron and his sons were chosen to preside over the lesser priesthood, and to hold the keys of the same, which office was declared hereditary in his family by a perpetual statute. Whereas before Aaron, the right of presiding belonged to the first born in all the families of the chosen seed; hence called the birthright, from which arose patriarchial [patriarchal] governments. But we are told that God chose the tribe of Levi to officiate in the place of the first born of all the families of Israel.-Num. iii. 12, Paul says, Heb. vii. 11, "Under the Levitical priesthood the people received the law," that is the old ceremonial law of carnal commandments, as he calls it, given by Moses. Now if they receive the law under that priesthood, the priesthood must have existed before the law, and was not instituted as some suppose, for the express purpose of executing those rites and ceremonies. But it must be remembered that the holy priesthood after the order of the Son of God was not confirmed upon the tribe of Levi. We are told in a revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that Moses held that priesthood, and that he received it under the hand of his father-in-law Jethro, priest of Midian; and it is evident from the scriptures that Moses had some priesthood greater than the Levitical order: and if Jethro had not the holy priesthood, how could he have authority over Moses, and all other officers in Israel to regulate all matters, as is stated in the eighteenth chapter of Exodus?

The priesthood after the order of Melchizedek holds a right to officiate in all the offices, and ordinances of God's house, from the highest to the lowest in all ages; and we learn from Heb. iv. 2, that the gospel was preached to the children of Israel in the wilderness; and also from 1 Cor. x. 2., that they were baptized unto Moses the same as the Jews were baptized unto John, he preaching baptism and baptizing them.-We are also told in Heb. xi. from the 24 to the 26 verse inclusive, that when Moses was a young man in Egypt before he fled to Midian, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproaches of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt: wherefore Moses must have believed in Christ who was to come; and that belief was public, and he was reproached for Christ's sake therefore, he esteemed the reproaches of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt;-hence I infer that Moses after he fled from Egypt to escape his persecutors,

was ordained by Jethro to the holy priesthood, and subsequently preached the Gospel to this people Israel, and taught them faith in Christ who should come, and baptized those who believed; but if Moses had no priesthood, how could he consecrate other priests? But notwithstanding he preached the Gospel to them, and offered them the blessings of the Holy priesthood, and God proposed to make them a kingdom of priests; yet they afterwards in the wilderness hardened their hearts in unbelief [disbelief], and rebelled against Moses and the holy priesthood, and provoked the Lord to anger until he swore in his wrath they should not enter into his rest; and we are told, Gal. ii. 19, the law was added, because of their transgressions, to continue with them till Christ should come: and again, in Heb. ix. 10, this law consisted "only in meats, drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation." Thus it was, they rendered themselves unworthy of the blessings of the Gospel and the Melchizedek priesthood, and God took Moses out of their midst and the holy priesthood from among them, and the lesser priesthood continued with the tribe of Levi to officiate under the law until John the Baptist. He being the only son of Zechariah the priest, was the legal heir to the Aaronic priesthood; but Christ being a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek, reinstated the holy priesthood again in his church. It is probable however, that between Moses and Christ, God conferred the holy priesthood on different individuals who were not the tribe of Levi: for instance, Samuel the Ephraimite, Samson and his father Manoah of the tribe of Dan, Elijah the Tishbite, Elisha, Isaiah, and many others.

[To be Continued]