Power founded on contract, can descend only to him, who has right by that contract: power founded on begetting, he only can have that begets: and power founded on the positive grant or donation of God, he only have have by right of succession, to whom that grant directs it.

If God by his positive grant and revealed declaration, firsst gave rule and dominion to any man, he that will claim by that title, must have the same posistive grant of God for his succession. For if that has not directed the course of its descent and conveyance down to others, no body can succeed to this titel fo the first ruler; children have no riht of inheritance to this; and primogeniture can lay no claim to it, unless God the Author of this constitution has so ordained it. Thus we see the pretensions of Saul's family, who received his crown from teh immediate appointement of God, ended with his reign; and Davied by the same title that Saul reigned, viz. God's appointment, succeeded in his throne, to the exclusion of Jonathan, and all pretensions of paternal inheritance. And if Solomon had a right to succeed his father, it must be by some other title, then that of primogeniture.

If any one can find out that there is meant any Monarchical Power of one Man over another, but only the Dominion of the whole Species of Mankind, over the inferios Species of Creatures, he may, for ought I know, deserve to be one of Sire Robert's Monarchs in habit, for the rarenes of the discovery. And by this time, I hope it is evident, that he that gave Dominion over every Living thing that moveth on the Earth, gave Adam no Monarchical Pwer over those of his own Species, which will yet appear more fully in the next thing I am to show.

Whatever God gave by the words of this Grant, 1 Gen. 28. it was not to Adam in particular, exclusive of all other Men: whatever Dominion he had thereby, it was not a Private Dominion, but a Dominion in common with the rest of Mankind.

We have read these passages and their associated passages for many years. We have seen what the words say and have said to ourselves, "Yes, it says that, but we must read out of it the taking of the gospel and the blessings of the temple to the Negro people, because they are denied certain things." There are statements in our literature by the early Brethren that we have interpreted to mean that the Negroes would not receive the priesthood in mortality. I have said the same things, and people write me letters and say,

"You said such and such, and how is it now that we do such and such?" All I can say is that it is time disbelieving people repented and got in line and believed in a living, modern prophet. Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world.

We get our truth and light line upon line and precept upon precept (2 Ne. 28:30; Isa. 28:9-10; D&C 98:11-12; 128:21). We have now added a new flood of intelligence and light on this particular subject, and it erases all the darkness and all the views and all the thoughts of the past. They don't matter anymore.{1}

It doesn't make a particle of difference what anybody ever said about the Negro matter before the first day of June 1978. It is a new day and a new arrangement, and the Lord has now given the revelation that sheds light out into the world on this subject. As to any slivers of light or any particles of darkness of the past, we forget about them. We now do what meridian Israel did when the Lord said the gospel should go to the Gentiles. We forget all the statements that limited the gospel to the house of Israel, and we start going to the Gentiles.

Little wonder that the Prophet Joseph would include in those succinct and eloquent articles of our faith, "We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof." Clearly, acting with divine authority requires more than mere social contract. It cannot be generated by theological training or a commission from the congregation. No, in the authorized work of God there has to be power greater than that already possessed by the people in the pews or in the streets or in the seminaries—a fact that many honest religious seekers had known and openly acknowledged for generations leading up to the Restoration.