TEMPLE BUILDING.
God's goodness, mercy, and watch-care reach to all his children, whether
they be white or black, bond or free; whether they live now or lived
thousands of years ago; yes, whether they are alive or dead. Death is but a
change from one sphere of action to another, and as God is everywhere, it
is not alone in this life that his loving care is manifested. The gospel
also is everlasting. It did not begin with this world, neither will it end
with this life, but its purifying, uplifting power is felt throughout all
time and place.
Salvation is to get from under the powers of sin and death, and live
forever in the hereafter, growing in wisdom and in power, and becoming more
and more like unto our Great Father, God. This salvation is obtained by
obeying the principles of the gospel and performing the ordinances required
therein. You all know what the first of these principles and ordinances
are. One of the ordinances is that a person must be baptized by water for
the remission of sin. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,"
said the Savior. This must of course be performed here on earth, and by a
servant of God having authority to do so.
Now, by thinking about it a moment, you will know that there are a great
many of the human race who have not been baptized with this kind of
baptism. Millions there are and have been who never heard of the gospel or
of Jesus Christ. Many others there are and have been who have had a kind of
baptism but not performed by one with authority. What will then become of
all these people?
Many religions of the day teach that there is no chance for people after
they leave this life; if they are not saved when they die, they never can
be afterwards. Can you not see what a cruel thought that is? Think of the
millions who have not had a chance! Surely God would not punish people for
not doing something they had no chance to do.
[Illustration: THE TEMPLE BLOCK.]
Now all this was made plain to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Lord told him
that all those who died without repentance and baptism would have a chance
in the next world. Christ, while his body lay three days in the tomb, went
and preached to the spirits in prison. Likewise, many of the servants of
God have, and are now preaching the gospel to the children of God in the
spirit world. They can there believe and repent, but can not be baptized.
That must be done for them by someone on the earth. This ordinance can be
performed in any place that God directs, but he has commanded that holy
buildings be erected wherein baptisms for the dead can be performed. This,
then, is one use of our temples. Marriages, sealings and other holy
ordinances are also performed in these buildings.
The first temple site was dedicated in Jackson county, Missouri, August 3,
1831, but, as you have been told, no work was done to erect a building. The
Kirtland temple you also have been told about. After the Saints left
Kirtland the building was neglected. Then it came into the possession of
the Reorganization or "Reorganites," as they are sometimes called, a
religious body founded, and built up for the most part by apostates from
the Church. The Kirtland temple is still standing.
Ground was dedicated for a temple at Far West July 3, 1837, but owing to
the Saints being driven away, no work other than digging the foundation was
done.
The next effort was at Nauvoo. This temple was begun April 6, 1841, and
dedicated April 30th and May 1, 1846. You will remember how the Saints
toiled to complete this building. It was a large, beautiful structure, one
of the finest in the west, and cost about one million dollars. About two
years after the Saints had left Nauvoo, the temple was destroyed by fire.
The Salt Lake temple was begun in 1853, but while it was being built three
others were completed. The first of these is the St. George temple. It was
begun the 9th of November, 1871, and dedicated April 6, 1877. The Logan
temple was begun May 18, 1877, and completed May 17, 1884. The corner
stones of the temple at Manti were laid April 14, 1879, and the building
was dedicated May 21, 1888. All these temples are beautiful buildings, and
many are the blessings the Saints have received in them.
Those of you who have not seen the Salt Lake temple may get a good idea of
its beauty by the picture. It is built of hewn blocks of gray granite, a
hard, beautiful stone. It was forty years in building. The last top stone
on the towers, called the capstone, was laid April 6, 1892. There were at
least forty thousand people on the temple grounds on this occasion. A
platform had been erected on the south side of the temple, whereon the
authorities of the Church were seated. There were services of singing,
prayer, and speaking, and then President Woodruff touched a button which
sent an electric current up a wire to the top of the tower. The electricity
set free the capstone which settled into its place. President Lorenzo Snow
led the vast audience in giving the grand Hosanna shout.
President Woodruff was anxious to live to see the completion of the temple.
It was therefore voted by the large audience present that the inside of the
building be finished in one year.
To accomplish this, means were donated liberally by the Saints, and the
work went on rapidly. On the 6th of April, 1893, the temple was completed,
and on the morning of that day the first meeting was held in the building.
President Woodruff offered the dedicatory prayer. In the afternoon another
meeting was held, and this continued day after day until thirty-one
meetings had been held. Seventy thousand of the Saints witnessed the
dedication exercises, besides thirteen thousand Sunday School children, for
whom special services were held.
Some of you who read this book may have been in one of our temples. Did you
not notice what a calm, sweet feeling came over you while there? Surely,
the Spirit of God is in these sacred buildings, and those who labor therein
for the living and the dead enjoy its blessed influence. Let every one of
you so live that your life may be pure and clean, so that some day you may
be worthy of entering the House of God and partaking of the blessings in
store for you.
Topics.--1. Salvation for the dead. 2. The temples. 3. Salt Lake temple.
Questions and Review.--1. What is salvation? 2. Is salvation limited to
this life? 3. How is salvation obtained? 4. Name some of the first
principles of the gospel. 5. Name some of its first ordinances. 6. What
have some preachers of religion taught regarding salvation? 7. What did the
Lord reveal to Joseph Smith on this subject? 8. Where did Jesus go while
his body lay in the sepulchre? (I Peter 3:18, 20.) 9. What are some of the
uses of temples? 10. How many temples have been built by the Church? 11.
Locate each. 12. Tell something about the Nauvoo temple. 13. Describe the
Salt Lake temple. 14. When was it dedicated? 15. What great blessings are
to be had in a temple?