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TWENTY PRIESTHOOD LAWS AND EVIDENCES, part 1 of Chapter 8 of The Church and The Priesthood
Pages 109 to 119
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. (Joseph Smith, TPJS, p. 308)
Why was it that the Lord did not restore the Gospel and Priesthood to one of the many churches already in existence? The answer is probably because He knew the ministers and their congregations would not accept them. This is evidenced by the fact that after Joseph Smith established the Priesthood with its doctrines and ordinances, other churches combined to oppose him and the restored Gospel. However, preserving and maintaining these Priesthood laws and ordinances have proved to be just as difficult as restoring them.
When the U.S. Constitution was originally adopted, a lady asked Benjamin Franklin what they had given to the people. He responded, “A Republic–if you can keep it!” Undoubtedly the Prophet Joseph Smith felt the same–that he had given the Saints the fullness of the gospel and the authority of the Priesthood, but could they keep it?
