I have taken the title of this lecture, “The Established Order of the Kingdom of God,” from a statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith as he was discussing the purpose of the ministration of angels and spirits to men and women on the earth. His explanation was that heavenly messengers converse with mortals to teach them “the established order of the kingdom of God,” and to bring those mortals “up to the standard of their knowledge.”[1] I take it that the “established order” is that which already exists in heaven. By their ministering, the angels and spirits raise the cultural, spiritual, and intellectual level of the mortals to a higher plane, so that the order in heaven will become the order on earth.
Many such statements by the Prophet Joseph Smith, other prophets and many scriptural passages have shaped and molded my understanding about the purpose of revelation and the commandments, and about the lifestyle and society of celestial culture. It gives us a peek into what the Lord is doing in the salvation of mankind. He is endeavoring to make it possible for us to become like Him.
Completeness of the Eternal Plan
This idea also gives me a feeling for the exactness and completeness of the plan of salvation and the ancient and eternal nature of the plan and why it is called a new and everlasting covenant. The plan is eternal, and thus is very old and everlasting, but each one of us learns it individually - thus to us it is “new.” The plan of salvation, with all its promises and blessings is not only what our Heavenly Father wants us to live by; it is the plan and system that He and other celestial persons live by. That gives particular meaning to the scripture in which the Lord says: “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”[2] If we are to be comfortable in God’s presence, then we must be as much like Him as possible. The revealed plan of redemption that we have in the Church, and which is spoken of in the scriptures, reflects the type of life and environment of the celestial kingdom.
Exaltation is by Redemption
What our Heavenly Father is doing is infusing into our mortal, fallen environment, as rapidly as we can absorb it, the kind of life that He has. He has revealed the authority of the holy priesthood, and the laws and ordinances, and family organization that exists in heaven. He does not force it upon us, but as we taste of the joy, the testimony, and the knowledge of the gospel, and of the Holy Spirit, we want more. It is natural to thirst for more knowledge. It is such a huge transition and change from our mortal condition into celestial light and glory, and holiness, that it takes time and effort. Such a change cannot be made casually or by osmosis alone. It is not accomplished by intellectuality or by education alone. The change can only come through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and by our faith and repentance, and obedience to the ordinances and a mighty change of heart brought about by the action of the Holy Ghost upon us. Exaltation in the presence of God is redemptive, spiritual, intellectual, and physical. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, with all its blessings, is the only way that a person can be prepared to return home and stand comfortably in the presence of God.
A Divine Orientation
The plan of salvation, with all of its ordinances, commandments and priesthood authority, is actually a piece of celestial society (a divine pattern) transferred to and superimposed upon our mortal condition. I pray for the help of the Holy Spirit so that I can present a few passages of scripture and teachings of the Brethren in an interesting and useful manner. Have you noticed that when the Lord calls a great prophet or seer, he generally gives him a vision of the universe and of eternity, to orient him so that he will know what is out there, and what is in heaven, so he can teach with conviction and authority? Adam, Enoch, the Brother of Jared, Abraham, Moses, Peter, Paul, Nephi and Joseph Smith all had this orientation, as did many others. We receive an orientation, on a smaller scale, in the endowment of the temple. A temple is a scale model of the universe. It shows us what God’s plans are. In the temple endowment we receive some secrets of the universe.
Establishing a Heavenly Colony
Heavenly messengers plant the gospel on the earth through conferring heavenly priesthood, doctrines, ordinances and covenants upon men and women, establish a colony, so to speak. It is like settlers coming from the old world of Europe to North America, and they brought their customs, ideas and lifestyle with them. Thus we have New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New England and New Holland, and in the South Pacific, New Zealand and New South Wales, New Guinea, etc. We see the same with San Francisco’s Chinatown, and many other like places. The Lord began a “colony” from heaven when he came to Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove, and later sent Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, Moses, Elijah and other heavenly representatives to establish the dispensation of the fullness of times. In reality a little stone was cut out of the mountain, without human hands,[3] that will eventually roll forth and fill the whole earth, as spoken of in Doctrine and Covenants 65:1-2:
"Hearken, and lo, a voice as of one sent down from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth…until it has filled the whole earth."
The Grand Rule of Heaven
One of the firmly established orders of heaven is taught in Amos 3:7: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” In explaining this matter, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “The grand rule of heaven was that nothing should ever be done on earth without revealing the secret to his servants the prophets.”[4] The Prophet says that God will do nothing but what he will reveal unto his servants the prophets. Consequently, if it is not made known to the prophets, it will not come to pass.[5]
An Opportunity to Become Like God
The Prophet Joseph Smith said that until we know something about the character of God, we do not comprehend ourselves. When God proposed to save His children He proposed to make them precisely like Himself, in character, attributes, authority, glory, intellectually, and in happiness, in a perfect, resurrected, physical body, organized into families with an eternal increase of children and kingdoms and worlds.
We All Know Our Heavenly Father
An interesting statement by President Ezra Taft Benson adds this thought:
"Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us."[6]
Note also this statement in Doctrine and Covenants 130:1-2:
"When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that He is a man like ourselves. And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy."
In our mortality we have temporarily forgotten what we once knew, but by the revelations in the gospel we learn again that our earth life is an extension of the sociality we knew in heaven, before we were born here. But we needed to be born to get a physical body and to experience mortality. President Joseph F. Smith explained:
"Things upon the earth, so far as they have not been perverted by wickedness, are typical of things in heaven. Heaven was the prototype of this beautiful creation when it came from the hand of the Creator, and was pronounced “good”[7]
One Divine Plan Fits All
These are wonderful and important principles. Everything in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, from premortal life, to earth life, to post-mortal life, to resurrection and eternal judgment, is one package, each segment is based and built upon the same format and the same goals, and the same plan, and the same purposes as every other segment. I talked with a man who had served a mission in Australia 70 years ago. He told me that to cross the continent of Australia by rail in those days, it took three different railroad companies, and each one had a different width track. One company’s train could not run on another company’s track. You would ride one train as far as it went, then change to the other company, and so forth. No unity, no continuity. Now compare that with the plan of salvation that God has for the human family. One plan comprehends the entire trip from newborn spirit child to exaltation. One plan fits all places, all persons, all conditions. It is correlated, unified, divine, and is the plan of God our Father, made available to us through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and is adapted to the personal needs of every person, through the love, mercy, and grace of God. It is the new and everlasting covenant, and everything is done in the name of Jesus Christ.
This great eternal plan was worked out and established before the foundations of the earth were laid. In fact this earth, and all the other planets and stars and moons were created in harmony with, and because of the more ancient plan. Hear now the voice of the Lord speaking to us in the Doctrine and Covenants, 132:5-6, 8-11:
"For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world. And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fullness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fullness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God."
"Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion. Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name? Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed? And will I appoint unto you saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and My Father ordained unto you, before the world was?"
And the words of President John Taylor:
"The principles that we believe in reach back into eternity. They originated with the Gods in the eternal worlds, and they reach forward to the eternities that are to come. We feel that we are operating with God in connection with those who were, with those who are, and with those who are to come."[8]
Fixed Principles
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “God has made certain decrees that are fixed and immovable.”[9] He went on to say that one of these fixed principles “is that baptism by immersion is the only way to obtain remission of sins,” and another fixed principle is that after baptism the gift of the Holy Ghost can only be obtained by the laying on of hands.[10] He said that God will not acknowledge any other way.
The Prophet also explained:
"We are only capable of comprehending that certain things exist, which we may acquire by certain fixed principles. If men would acquire salvation, they have got to be subject, before they leave this world, to certain rules and principles, which were fixed by an unalterable decree before the world was."[11]
In like manner the holy priesthood is eternal, sacred and divine and existed before the world was. It is called the “holy order after the order of the Son of God,” and has existed forever, and will exist forever. What we have on earth in the Church is a little twig of the priesthood which exists in heaven. Listen to the words of Elder Orson Pratt, as he discourses on priesthood:
"There are authorities in heaven as well as upon the earth, and the authorities in heaven are far greater in number than the few who are upon the earth. This is only a little branch of the great tree of the Priesthood—merely a small branch receiving authority from heaven, so that the inhabitants of the earth may be benefited as well as the inhabitants of the eternal world; but the great trunk of the tree of the Priesthood is in heaven. There you will find thousands and millions holding the power of the Priesthood."[12]
The Prophet Joseph Smith said this about priesthood:
"[The Melchizedek Priesthood is the] grand head, and holds the highest authority which pertains to the priesthood, and the keys of the Kingdom of God in all ages of the world to the latest posterity on the earth; and is the channel through which all knowledge, doctrine, the plan of salvation and every important matter is revealed from heaven."
"Its institution was prior to “the foundation of this earth, or the morning stars sang together, or the Sons of God shouted for joy,” and is the highest and holiest Priesthood, and is after the order of the Son of God, and all other Priesthoods are only parts, ramifications, powers and blessings belonging to the same, and are held, controlled, and directed by it. It is the channel through which the Almighty commenced revealing His glory at the beginning of the creation of this earth, and through which He has continued to reveal Himself to the children of men to the present time, and through which He will make known His purposes to the end of time."[13]
"How have we come at the Priesthood in the last days? It came down, down, in regular succession. Peter, James, and John had it given to them and they gave it to others. Christ is the Great High Priest; Adam next."[14]
"It was the design of the councils of heaven before the world was, that the principles and laws of the priesthood should be predicated upon the gathering of the people in every age of the world…Ordinances, instituted in the heavens before the foundation of the world, in the priesthood, for the salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed. All must be saved on the same principles."[15]
Absolute Truths
When we find in the scriptures, and in the teachings of the prophets, such phrases and terms as “the holy order of God,” and ”new and everlasting covenant,” and “before the foundation of the world,” I think we need to realize that we are talking about absolute truths revealed from God to us because we are his children and he wants to save us and bring us up to his standard. I know it is popular to say that everything is relative and evolutionary. I know that some things are relative, but fundamental gospel truths are absolute. The scripture says in Doctrine and Covenants 121:42 that the faithful will receive “pure knowledge.” I suppose “pure knowledge” is absolute truth received by revelation as compared to knowledge by human research which might be relative and change with more research. I heard a student declare with great finality that there are no absolute truths, and that everything was relative. If that were so, then his own statement could not be true, because he was making an absolute statement. Be assured, brothers and sisters, that there are absolute truths, and they come from God, and they are essential to our eternal welfare. There is comfort and assurance in knowing that salvation operates on the basis of truth as it really is. The great plan which God has revealed for us to follow is absolute, and is the same plan that He, himself, followed millions of years ago[16] that enabled Him to become who He is. Now hear what the Prophet Joseph Smith said:
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible,- I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with another….It is necessary we should understand the character and being of God and how he came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see. These are incomprehensible ideas to some, but they are simple. It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did; …The Scriptures inform us that Jesus said, As the Father hath power in Himself, even so hath the Son power—to do what? Why, what the Father did. The answer is obvious—in a manner to lay down His body and take it up again. Jesus, what are you going to do? To lay down my life as my Father did, and take it up again….Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power."[17]
The plan of God is that if his children are willing, they may progress through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and become joint-heirs with Christ, and inherit all that the Father has, and become like Him in every way. They become members of the Church of the Firstborn, meaning they have the inheritance of the firstborn, even Jesus Christ.
Land Inheritance in Eternity
Another vital observation is the reality of physical things in eternity. What is eternity like? Hear the words of President Lorenzo Snow:
"What is in heaven? If the saints will consecrate and be faithful they shall eventually be exalted to possess all that is desirable—the land, the houses, the vineyards, the cattle, the gold, the silver, and all the riches of the heavens and of the earth. The Lord says: All these things are mine; and because of the willingness of my people, all will be restored to me; and then I will put them in possession of all the riches of eternity."[18]
And from Elder Orson Pratt:
"Heavenly riches and earthly riches are of the same nature, only one is glorified and made immortal, while the other is in a fallen unglorified state. If we are not willing to be governed by the law of equality in regard to that which is of the least value, who shall entrust us with all the riches of eternity?"[19]
Did you notice that both of these Brethren used the phrase “riches of eternity?” This phrase comes from the Doctrine and Covenants 38:39; 67:2; 78:18. Let us look carefully at Doctrine and Covenants 38:17-20, 39, and notice that the Lord is talking about real substance, actually real estate, a land inheritance, both on earth and in heaven. Here are the words:
"And I have made the earth rich, and behold it is my footstool, wherefore, again I will stand upon it. And I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh; And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts. And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away."
"And if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth are mine to give;"
The physical nature of eternity is one of the great concepts of the plan of salvation.
Gender is an Eternal Principle
Another of the great realities of eternity, both on earth and in heaven, is that gender—maleness and femaleness—is an eternal principle. In the “Proclamation to the World” about the Family, we read the following in paragraph two:
"All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God."
"Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."
You notice that the Proclamation states that every human being is a beloved spirit son or daughter of “heavenly parents.” The scope of the family in the Proclamation includes God’s family, as well as our individual earthly families. Note also that the Proclamation says that gender is an eternal identification, and an essential characteristic, and has an eternal purpose. This is a very sacred doctrinal declaration and lays the groundwork for eternal marriage, and for a mother in heaven.
In the eighth paragraph of the Proclamation we read: “The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.” Every one of you knows that it is basic doctrine of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that marriage, as performed in the temple, is necessary to obtain a fullness of God’s glory. The conclusion is unmistakable. What we have in the Church is the pattern of the celestial family—to enable us to become precisely as our Heavenly Parents are. If marriage for eternity is necessary for us to become like our Heavenly parents, it must have been necessary for them also.
A Material Existence
I have tried to show that what we have in the Church, and in the gospel, is the established order of heaven transferred to the earth, with heavenly priesthood, heavenly covenants, heavenly ordinances, and heavenly doctrines. I think Elder Orson Pratt says it very well:
"A Saint who is one in deed and in truth, does not look for an immaterial heaven, but he expects a heaven with lands, houses, cities, vegetation, rivers, and animals; with thrones, temples, palaces, kings, princes, priests, and angels; with food, raiment, musical instruments, etc., all of which are material. Indeed, the Saints’ heaven is a redeemed, glorified, celestial, material creation, inhabited by glorified material beings, male and female, organized into families, embracing all the relationships of husbands and wives, parents and children, where sorrow, crying, pain, and death will be no more. Or to speak still more definitely, this earth, when glorified, is the Saints’ eternal heaven. On it they expect to live, with body, parts, and holy passions; on it they expect to move and have their being; to eat, drink, converse, worship, sing, play on musical instruments, engage in joyful, innocent, social amusements, visit neighboring towns and neighboring worlds; indeed, matter and its qualities and properties are the only beings or things with which they expect to associate."[20]
Elder Pratt also said:
"The dealing of God towards his children from the time they are first born in Heaven, through all their successive stages of existence, until they are redeemed, perfected, and made Gods, is a pattern after which all other worlds are dealt with….The creation, fall, and redemption of all future worlds with their inhabitants will be conducted upon the same general plan….The Father of our spirits has only been doing that which His progenitors did before Him. Each succeeding generation of Gods follow the example of the preceding ones….[The same plan of redemption is carried out] by which more ancient worlds have been redeemed…Thus will worlds and systems of worlds…be multiplied in endless succession through the infinite depths of boundless space; some telestial, some terrestrial, and some Celestial, differing in their glory."[21]
If we believe these statements we will come to see that earth life, if we have the gospel, is a reflection of what exists in heaven, and that our Heavenly Father, and our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ are laboring with us to enable us to become like God.
Additional Heavenly Principles
Time will not permit a discussion of the many other principles that were taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith that give us a glimpse of the order of eternity. I will quickly mention a few. The Prophet Joseph explained that every person may receive revelation from the Lord for his or her own guidance, and for his or her particular responsibilities, but it is contrary to the order of heaven for anyone to receive revelation for those in higher authority than themselves.[22]
The Prophet Joseph also gave numerous insights concerning the different ministrations of angels and spirits, and that Adam, as the oldest man, and patriarch of the human family presides over the spirits of all mankind. He taught that angels and spirits are those who once lived on this earth as mortals, and that when any angel or spirit ministers to men or women on this earth, it is by Adam’s authority.[23] Thus it was Adam who sent Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James, John, Moses, Elijah, etc. to Joseph Smith. Joseph also taught that no angels or spirits minister to this earth except those who do or have belonged to this earth, and that angels have advanced further than spirits because they have bodies of flesh and bone.[24] If priesthood or keys are to be conferred it requires an angel with a tangible body. If the purpose is knowledge, a spirit can do that.
Indebtedness to the Prophet Joseph Smith
I feel like we have scarcely begun to appreciate what we have in the gospel and in the scriptures, and what it means to be a member of the Church, and to have been baptized, confirmed, ordained, endowed, and so forth. It is almost like having one foot already in heaven. It is the true meaning of the term, Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. President Brigham Young said we have the most “natural faith of any people on earth.”[25]
I realize that mortals cannot understand all the things of God. We can scarcely understand the system, but the Holy Spirit tells us that the gospel is true and also very important.
I have quoted scriptures and statements of the Brethren today. These ideas and testimonies came from them as they learned from the Prophet Joseph Smith, who learned from the Lord and from holy angels. In closing I will read from President Brigham Young as he expresses his feelings of appreciation for the Prophet Joseph:
"I feel like shouting Hallelujah, all the time, when I think that I ever knew"
"Joseph Smith, the Prophet whom the Lord raised up and ordained, and to whom he gave keys and power to build up the Kingdom of God on earth and sustain it. These keys are committed to this people, and we have power to continue the work that Joseph commenced."[26]
"I never saw any one, until I met Joseph Smith, who could tell me anything about the character, personality and dwelling-place of God, or anything satisfactory about angels, or the relationship of man to his Maker. Yet I was as diligent as any man needs to be to try and find out these things."[27]
"What is the nature and beauty of Joseph’s mission? You know that I am one of his Apostles. When I first heard him preach, he brought heaven and earth together; and all the priests of the day could not tell me anything correct about heaven, hell, God, angels, or devils; they were as blind as Egyptian darkness."
"When I saw Joseph Smith, he took heaven, figuratively speaking, and brought it down to earth; and he took the earth, brought it up, and opened up, in plainness and simplicity, the things of God; and that is the beauty of his mission. I had a testimony, long before that, that he was a Prophet of the Lord, and that was consoling. Did not Joseph do the same to your understandings? Would he not take the Scriptures and make them so plain and simple that everybody could understand? Every person says, “Yes, it is admirable; it unites the heavens and the earth together,” and as for time, it is nothing, only to teach us how to live in eternity."[28]
"When you hear a man pour out eternal things, how well you feel, to what a nearness you seem to be brought with God. What a delight it was to hear"
"Brother Joseph talk upon the great principles of eternity; he would bring them down to the capacity of a child, and he would unite heaven with earth, this is the beauty of our religion."[29]
"The excellency of the glory of the character of Brother Joseph Smith was that he could reduce heavenly things to the understanding of the finite. When he preached to the people—revealed the things of God, the will of God, the plan of salvation, the purposes of Jehovah, the relation of which we stand to him and all the heavenly beings, he reduced his teachings to the capacity of every man, woman, and child, making them as plain as a well-defined pathway."
"This should have convinced every person that ever heard of him of his divine authority and power, for no other man was able to teach as he could."[30]
I have endeavored to show a little of the established order of the kingdom of God as it exists on earth and in heaven. Now multiply that by billions of earths like this, and we begin to get a glimpse of the mighty work of God and the mission of Jesus Christ. Yet in their greatness they still have time to hear the prayers of you and me. Not a sparrow falls without our Father’s notice. I commend to you a study of the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and of the scriptures, especially latter-day scriptures for an understanding of the plan of salvation. We need to know what the Lord has revealed to give us perspective—a life with a view. We follow the living First Presidency and the Twelve, for the daily direction in our lives. Someone asked President Harold B. Lee what was the most important commandment, and his answer was: “It is whatever you are having the most difficulty to obey.”
We are indebted to our Heavenly Father for His grace, love, mercy, and patience for wanting to save us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Notes
[1] TPJS, pp. 320, 325
[2] 1 Peter 1:15-16; Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 20:26
[3] Daniel 2:45
[4] Times and Seasons,1 September 1842, p. 905
[5] 6 April 1843, Words of Joseph Smith, p. 181
[6] Ensign, December 1988, p.6
[7] Journal of Discourses, Vol. 23 (1883), p. 175, delivered June 18, 1882. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 21)
[8] Gospel Kingdom, p. 14; JD 17:206
[9] TPJS, p. 197
[10] TPJS, pp. 198, 199
[11] TPJS, p. 324
[12] Masterful Discourses and Writings of Orson Pratt, p. 259; also JD 7:76-91
[13] TPJS, pp. 166-67
[14] TPJS, p. 158
[15] TPJS, p. 308
[16] Wilford Woodruff, JD 4:192-3
[17] TPJS, 345-47
[18] JD 5:65
[19] Masterful Discourses and Writings of Orson Pratt, pp. 591-602
[20] Masterful Discourses and Writings of Orson Pratt [1946] p. 60; Millennial Star, 28:721-23
[21] The Seer, “Pre-existence,” p. 134-135
[22] TPJS, p. 111; D&C 28:1-7
[23] TPJS, pp. 157, 167-69
[24] Doctrine and Covenants 130:5; 129:1-9
[25] Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 125
[26] JD 3:51; Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 458
[27] JD 16:46
[28] JD 5:332; Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 458-59
[29] JD 4:54; Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 459
[30] Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 463