165 years ago today - Feb 2, 1857

Elder [Lorenzo] Snows mind run in a vary interesting Channel. The spiritual atmosphere seemed to be heavy when he arose but the spirit of God came upon him & he spoke in a vary edefying & interesting manner...:

this people are makeing a great rush to Presidents Youngs office to get wives sealed to them. On sunday night Presidet Young sealed men & women till it was time for the prayer circle to meet. Then He had to turn a room full out of Doors to wait another time. This spirit is increasing throughout this Teritory. ...

Now here is this great body of seventies & every other Quorum of this church should labour hard to arm yourselves with all the power of God you can get in order to save your families. If you do not you will soon find a stamped with your wives. You Cannot hold them. They will break from you. ... This woman wants a gown that one a Bonnet the next one Shoes & their Children clothing & one thinks she Has to do more than her part & this one will not do what she should &c & the man has got to stand in the midst of his family like a God in order to calm the troubled waters & safe them. ...

Look for instance at the example of president Young. Go into his house & take lessons. See him with his great family of wives & Children & see the God like Character & example of that man & the order which he manifests in his family. I tell you if it was not so you would see a stampede suddenly in that House but He is a great master spirit & manifests great wisdom in the perfect order of Government with his numerous family of wives & Children. They all respect him & obey his law for the wisdom of God is with him....

[Wilford Woodruff:] The Bishops feel to complain & say the seventies take all of the Lesser priesthood which we have & ordain them seventies so by the time we get some teachers organized they are ordained to the office of seventies. The seventies also complain that the Bishops come & take away their presiding officers & the seventies & make bishops & Councellors of them & Ordain them High priest. So their appears to be a difference of feeling in the several Quorums.

In order to avoid this I would recommend that the Teachers Priest & Deacons all that the Bishops wish to make use of as teachers in the several Quorum remain as they are untill they have magnifyed their calling & not evry man as soon as he is ordained a teacher go & get ordained a seventy & hide himself in that mighty forest of men so that He Cannot be found. For the Seventies are like a forest trees of all kinds from the tallest down to the shrubery & men get lost in such a forest.

Men should not despise the lesser preisthood for it is honorable & if they fully magnify that office they will have great power & many blessings. For the Aaronic priesthood hold the keys of administering of Angels & their have been but few men even High Priest or Apostles that have enjoyed all the blessings that belongs to the Lesser priesthood.

Then Let not the seventies seek to get all the Lesser priesthoods ordained into ther quorums. If they do I do not wish them to Complain if seventies are taken out to Make Bishops councillors & teachers of them as long as near'd all the timber is in that body. Let a man have what portion of the priesthood He may [if] He wants to keep it in lively exercise in order to save himself & family.

[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

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