[Apostle John Taylor diary] I attended the dedication of the Seventies' Hall, and the following is a copy of the proceedings. Fourth and Fifth Quorums met. Prayer by Elder G. A. Smith. The order of the meeting was explained by President Joseph Young. Elder H. C. Kimball then delivered a short address upon the authorities of the kingdom of God, and in passing on, he set forth the order as to endowment, and informing the saints that every man and women must stand in their proper place and station, being subject to the powers that be, in order to be exalted to glory, honor, immortality in the eternal world. It is even in the resurrection from the dead as St. Paul informs us that Christ is the first of the resurrection from the dead, in the primitive age, and so will Joseph Smith be in this dispensation. Joseph will be the first man who will rise from the dead, and then all men according to their order. I will tell the seventies and every body else, if you cannot and will not sub
mit to the authorities that God has placed in his church over you, you had better back out now and not attempt to proceeded further; if you are ever saved it will be by obedience to the order of God's kingdom here on the earth, and this order is in subordination to that order which is in the heavens. According to the important station the Seventies are called in this last dispensation, they should be careful to walk uprightly and act justly, shunning every appearance of evil and never condescend to do any thing mean. Adjourned one hour. Met pursuant to adjournment. I took the stand and proceeded to lay before them the pure principles of life and salvation, reminding them that they were the people that the Lord had chosen and set apart to accomplish the great and mighty work of the last days, which was spoken of by the prophets of old. No other people, said I, can possibly do this, for unto us the keys of this last dispensation, with the power of the priesthood is given; cons
equently there is no people under the whole heaven that sustain the same relationship with God, as we do. What knowledge have the world of God's laws or his ways. They don't know enough in reality to save a musquito. I do not mean to say that there is no learning in the world, for I am aware of the fact that there is far more of what the world calls wisdom in the midst of the inhabitants of the earth than can be found here; but a learned fool is no better than an illiterate one, if the apostle Paul's judgment can be admitted as proof. He told the people of his day that the wisdom of this world was foolishness with God. When I ask what knowledge the world has of God or his government, I mean to be understood as speaking of that knowledge that comes from God, communicated to us through the knowledge of revelation, for without it we know nothing correctly, no more than the brute beasts who are led by the instinct of nature. Consequently, brethren, when you go to declare the pla
in truth of the kingdom of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ.'1/2--You should never shrink from your calling, nor succumb to the learned because of the advantage they have over you by reason of literary attainments, for God is with you, and will give you a month and wisdom, by which you shall be delivered from the strong arm of violence. Remember the race is not to the swift nor the batt[l]e to the strong; but to those who trust in the Lord. When the Twelve were called to bear the John Taylor Nauvoo Journal 13 gospel of this kingdom to the inhabitants of Europe, there were not many wise among them, speaking after the manner of men; yet we believed him faithful who had chosen us, and as little children we trusted in him for wisdom and understanding to do his will; for his will was our pleasure, and in the short space of two years, about two thousand souls were given to us in the ministry. I speak of these things that you may know in whom to put your trust and confidence; for sh
ould you desire self esteem, and take the honor to yourselves, you soon would sink to shame and disgrace. You are the heralds of salvation, and through your faithfulness, obedience, and perseverance, you may be exalted to kings and priests unto God in the eternal worlds. Some of you may be called to go to foreign lands to administer salvation to nations that are to you unknown. The redemption of your deceased relatives are also required at your hands. Hence you discover your relationship with God and the responsibility under which you are acting. Be faithful in him who has called you, and he will deliver you from every snare, pit, and temptation that await you. I would rather trust in God for bread, than to trust in the princes of this world. I speak of these things for your interest; then let your hearts be comforted. When we (the Twelve) left this place, on our mission to England, a journey of near five thousand miles to be accomplished without a penny in our pockets, our
only resource was to trust in the disposer of all events to supply our returning wants. And our prayers were heard and answered according to the desires of our hearts. When you go forth, lift your hands like kings and trust in the name of Israel's God; for the very hairs of your head are numbered and will not fall to the ground without notice. Remembering at all times to uphold each other by the prayer and power of faith, and God will bless you and your labors. The following prayer was made by President Joseph Young on the fourth day of the dedication. O God, our heavenly Father, we humbly pray thee in the name of Jesus Christ, thy Son, to bless us with the remission of all our sins and vanities; for we are subject to follies and vanities. But we thank thee, our Father, that thou hast prepared a way and provided means whereby we may be enabled to overcome, and to elude the grasp of the destroyer. We ask thee, our Father, to guide us by thy spirit, that we may feel thy love s
hed abroad in our hearts, and fully appreciate every blessing that flows from thy liberal hands. As thou hast seen fit to break the silence of heaven, and again communicated thy will to the sons of men that dwell upon the earth. We ask thee to indict our petitions as we present ourselves in thy presence to dedicate this Hall, for we dedicate it and ourselves unto thee, and ask thee to let a special blessing rest upon him who has bequeathed to us the ground upon which this Hall now stands. We remember before thee, our Father, the building committee, who were appointed to build the Temple. Let their hands be strengthened to carry on the work, and grant that the house may be finished according to thy commandment unto thy people, that thy servants may receive their endowments and be clothed upon with power and authority, to carry thy word to the scattered remnants of thy people. Let the council of the Twelve come in remembrance before thee. Bless them, O Lord, with all that pert
ains to them. Also the Quorums of the Seventies, who have built this house, not particularly by thy commandment, but in honor of thy name. Bless them and their families when they shall go to the Islands of the sea, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and declare the truth of heaven, the gospel of the son of God. Let them become mighty men in pulling down the strong holds of Satan, and bursting the prison doors of darkness, and spread the light of the everlasting gospel to earth's remotest bounds. Bless the poor who are destitute; open the hearts of the rich, so that the principle of sympathy and charity may predomiate and reign in their bosoms, that they may impart of their substance to feed the poor. Finally our Father, we ask thee to guide the destinies of this [p. ] meeting to thy praise, for thine is the kingdom, power and glory, worlds without end: Amen. Elder John E. Page15 having arrived here a short time since with his family from Pittsburgh, being present, w
as requested to render an account of his stewardship, which he cheerfully assented to. He arose and proceeded in a concise manner and gave a very interesting narrative of the events connected with his mission during his absence from this city. He also made, any pertinent remark
s upon the principles of the kingdom of God, and the organization of the same. He then added that the seventies were in the hands of God as a lever, by which he would turn the world upside down and establish his covenant with the inhabitants of every land; that light and truth should prevail where the powers of darkness, superstition and error, had long swayed universal dominion; and finally concluded by assuring the saints that he was one with them, and gave his testimony to the present organization of the church in the most solemn manner, and gave place. (1)
-- Monday, December 30th, 1844
[Apostle John Taylor diary] I attended the dedication of the Seventies' Hall, the following is a copy of the proceedings. Elder O. Pratt took the stand and after many appropriate remarks upon the principle of union, he made a quotation from the Book of Mormon: Adam fell that man might be'1/2--men are that they have joy, and reasoned upon the correctness of the saying. He said that if Adam had not partook of the fruit of the tree of life, he never could have obeyed the commandment enjoined upon him and the woman, which was to multiply and John Taylor Nauvoo Journal 15 replenish the earth: (as will appear in the sequel neither could he have appreciated the blessings of Providence Par-[p. 16]adise without an experience of the opposite. The apostle Paul plainly declared that the man was not in the transgression, but the woman; hence we infer that Adam was acquainted with the penalty annexed to the law of God, and with his future destiny, before he partook of the fruit. It might
be said that out of the two evils the man upon reflection chose the least. The first was the seduction of the woman, by the tempter, which evil would terminate in the banishment of the woman from the garden of Paradise, it being one of the penalties annexed to the law, for the offence already committed. Adam knowing this fact chose no suffer the penalty of the law with the woman, rather than to be deprived of her society; consequently he followed her into transgression; as St. Paul remarks. The creature (Adam) was made subject to sin, not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope. The hope spoken of here, by Paul, must allude to the redemption of the woman and her posterity from the fall, to immortality and eternal life. From this last quotation of the Apostle, we have reason to believe that Adam was encouraged to follow the woman into the transgression, and to people the earth. Whether Adam understood the law of redemption prior to the fall or not,
I shall not decide; but shall be contented to submit the circumstance to your consideration. A word to the wise is sufficient. It was designed at the commencement to have continued each discourse throughout the week; but as that would occupy entirely too much space, we will conclude with these brief sketches already given. Truly, this was a time and season of rejoicing with the saints. Peace and harmony, brotherly love, kindness, and charity prevails throughout. [p. ] The remembrance of this glorious jubilee will never erased from the minds of those who were participants. Each family was provided with fruits, and every thing that heart could wish. Well might it be said that the Saints enjoyed a feast of fat things.17 (1)
Footnotes:
1 - 'The John Taylor Nauvoo journal, January 1845-September 1845,' BYU Studies 23:3 (1983) edited by Dean C. Jessee
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