the First Presidency; the traveling presiding high council, or Twelve Apostles; and th

ody, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, fa

of Christ in all the world; thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their cal

all the world. Thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling; and t

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e decisions of either the Twelve or the Seventy, those quorums must be unanimous-"every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions," in order for said decisions to be entitled to

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suffering; and in that event their decisions are final. But if their decisions are unrighteous they may be brought before a general assembly

: Ibid, ver

absence, destruction or rejection of the first of these three great councils, upon whom does the duty and resp

the order of Presid

resident is absent, w

counselors, both or ei

ighest authority prese

he whole secret of

The highest authorit

amphlet issued by the R

to the Scattered Sain

Josephite edit

e. Now let us consider the situation at Nauvoo after the death of the prophet Joseph, and then see where the Pres

ness for the place is taken into account, not even Josephites can say the church did wrong in rejecting him. In the very meetings where he sought to be appointed "Guardian of the church" there stood the man whom the prophet Joseph had ordained to take his place-Amasa Lyman. But Elder Lyman had never been presented to the people to be sustained by their vote, and hence his appointment was not completed, and he had no claim even to the counselorship to the Presidency. The death of the prophets, Joseph and Hyrum, and the rejection of the unworthy Sidney Rigdon, removed the First Presidency from the church. In Hyrum Smith there fell by martyrdom the only man that the prophet Joseph had designated to

ized when the president dies, or is impeached. The Twelve possessing equal power and authority with the First Presidency, in case of the death or removal of that

h are in heaven and which are in earth-it is not to be supposed, I say,[A] that in a few years he would permit that church thus brought forth out of obscurity to become disorganized, and fall back into darkness. The thought is preposterous. There is nothing in all that God has revealed to indicate th

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irst Presidency was removed by the death of Joseph and Hyrum and the rejection of Sidney Rigdon, is false. The other positio

ters assume both these positions, see Th

n for the Twelve to assume the Presidency of the church at Nauvoo

lative to the different branches of the church. When the Twelve are together, or a quorum of them, in any church, they will have authority to act independently, and make decisions, and those decisions will be valid. But wh

l. Star, Vol. XV, p. 261. The instru

to the whole church of Christ, and not to the affairs of Nauvoo stake. It was a matter which affected all the stakes of Zion and all the branches of the church throughout the world, as much those branches scattered throughout the United States and Great Britain as those in the stake at Nauvoo, that the Twelve came to Nauvoo to regulate. Matters of such high importance were considered and decided upon which the Twelve and the Twelve only, in the ab

. Star, Vol. XXV.

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l at Nauvoo was the proper authority to regulate the affair

l in authority, in the affairs of the Church, in all their decisions,

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high council is a judicial and not a presiding o

tant difficulties which might arise in the Church, which could not be settled

A: That

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he assumption is that the standing high council in a stake of Zion is a local council, limited in its operations to the particular distri

nto the churches abroad and regulate the matte

f Joseph Smith, Mill

ng can be clearer in the organization of the church than the fact that the standing high councils in the stakes of Zion are judicial not executive bodies, limited in their jurisdicti