John Madison Chidester

It is time to introduce a new ancestor who joined the church.  I am afraid I am a little late.  John Madison Chidester joined the Church in June 1932 so I should have posted when we were studying section 84.  John Chidester is a pretty awesome ancestor.  He was part of all the major church events from the time he joined the church until he dies in Utah. He is an ancestor of my grandma, Letty Dewey Snow.

John Madisen Chidester was born in Pompey, NY in 1809, which made him four years younger than Joseph Smith. His father died when he was only six months old, so John spent his infancy in the home of his grandparents.  His mother remarried, and he and his mother moved to Michigan to join a blended family. John was apprenticed to a wheelwright and carpenter.  When he was twenty, he married Mary Josephine Parker  and they bought property in Summerfield Michigan where they had their first son (our ancestor). 

In the summer of 1832, David Patten, who had just been made an elder, returned to his home in Michigan and preached to his friends and family. John heard his message and accepted baptism. In 1834 John heard that Joseph Smith was organizing a group to go to Missouri to help the saints, and he, his wife, their two year old son and three month old daughter joined Zion’s Camp. One night after they had traveled 25 miles, they were about to set up camp but the Prophet announced he felt impressed to continue onward.  There was some dissension in the camp, but in the end they followed the prophet.  It was later reported that a large group of men had organized to attack them in their original campsite. 

After Zion’s camp, the young family settled in Liberty Missouri where they suffered persecution.  Two children were born to them in Missouri but both died of exposure and malnutrition. John was captured and accused of stealing a horse, a capital offence.  John scoffed at the charges and said he would “lay out” the first person who touched him. The mob decided to let him go. 

John was ordained a Seventy in 1837 and also served as a bodyguard to the Prophet Joseph Smith. John was with the Prophet when he was imprisoned and rebuked the guards for their foul language. 

When the Saints were driven from Missouri, John and his family moved to Quincy Illinois and then to Commerce (later Nauvoo). They lived happily there for a few years.  John served a mission to Michigan, and served as a lieutenant in the Nauvoo Legion. John and Mary were one of the couples who received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.

When the Saints moved west in 1847, John was asked to loan his wagon to Ezra Taft Benson and remain behind.  He did and built a ferry in Montrose to help the saints cross the Mississippi.  He later moved to Council Bluffs and built a grist mill, wagons, carts and living quarters for the Saints. 

Finally in 1850 he crossed the plains. Upon reaching Utah, his family moved to Bountiful, but were later reassigned to Palmyra, Spanish Fork, a ranch in Parley’s Canyon and a Cotton Mission in Southern Utah. Later he was asked to help build the St George Temple. He did hand carving on the balustrades, interior work, and doors.

He married at least two other women. Leah Jane Thompson was an unwed pregnant teen John married in 1857.  She died soon after the child was born and Mary raised the child. Ten years later he married a divorced women(?), Anna Charlotte Eldridge. Another woman, Mary Ann Pratt, is listed as a spouse on Family Search but there isn’t much other information about her. 

John died in Washington County, UT in 1893 at the age of 84.

The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

This week I taught a Sunday School class on Section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants.  It contains the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.  I must admit I have never really understood the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.  Actually, from the passage in D&C 84: 33-39 it is pretty clear what the covenant of the priesthood is. This passage clearly outlines what each part of the covenant agrees to do: 

Priesthood Holder: 

v. 33: is faithful in obtaining the two priesthoods, and magnifies their calling
v. 35: receive the Lord, his servants, and the Father

The Lord
v. 33: sanctifies them to the renewing of their bodies
v. 34: they become the sons of Moses and Aaron, and the elect of God
v. 38: They receive the Father's Kingdom and all he has. 

So this is the covenant, and it is a wonderful one with close ties to the temple ordinances (which won't be revealed for several years after this revelation). My question is, what is the "Oath" part of the Oath and the Covenant. 

In the 1828 Dictionary of the English Language, an Oath is "A solemn affirmation , made with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed. It implies a call for God's vengeance if the declaration is false, or the promise broken." The word calls to mind the Oath of Office taken by the president at the inauguration or a new doctor making the Hippocratic Oath. 

 When does this oath happen and who is the one that makes it? There are two parties in the covenant, and either one could make the oath.  The people can swear to follow Jesus and Jesus can swear to bless them. I think most people assume that it is the priesthood holder that makes the oath. This makes sense since one part of an oath is that there is divine retribution if the oath is broken and verse 42 does outline consequences of breaking the covenant. However, in in the same verse, the Lord seems to be making a kind of oath of blessing, "which I now confirm upon you who are present this day." It is the most ceremonial sounding sentence. If an oath is happening on that day, this is the most likely candidate for the record of the oath. If it is the Lord who swears an oath to bless us if we are obedient to the covenant, that is a comforting thought indeed. 

If it is the priesthood holder who is making the oath, when does that happen?  It is not very satisfying to say it is merely implied (as does the church's Guide to Scriptures "Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood", but satisfying or not, that might be the case).  If it is an actual oath, sworn at a specific time in a specific place, the only time I can think where that happens is in the endowment ceremony in the temple.  At the time of this revelation, the endowment ceremony hasn't yet been revealed, but perhaps this is a foreshadowing.  It is possible that the endowment is synonymous to the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.  If so, then both women and men take part in that Oath and Covenant.  There are a few more things that suggest this might be the case. The ceremony mentions of both the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood, and there used to be consequences mentioned. Even though this is a very satisfying thought, especially for the women in the church, I did not find any church resource that explicitly supports that idea. 

In some ways the Oath and Covenant of the priesthood is straightforward. There are required actions and promised blessing to those who live up the the covenant and curses associated with breaking it. Still, I don't feel like I yet totally understand it. I feel there is more insight to be gained by further study.