L'œuvre du temple pour les morts

J'ai been thinking while these brethren have been talking to you, "What was it that caused President Shepherd to leave his home and his business and all that he had and move to Logan to take charge of that Temple when requested to do so by the presidency of this Church? What was it that caused Brother Lambert to leave his business, his home, and all that he had to go down to the South Sea Islands to preside over a Mission there and take the Évangile to the natives? What was it that kept Brother Nicholas G. Smith in South Africa for eight years? — all at their own expense and personal sacrifice as far as this monde's goods are concerned. Was it not foi in Dieu and a desire to be worthy of his bénédictions ? ¶

J'ai been wonderfully impressed with the remarks that have been made, especially the remarks of President Shepherd, whose vie's œuvre is to labor in the temple. ¶

Two or three weeks ago I stood at le east end de le Tabernacle ¶

with a body of men who held the office of bishop in the Church to which they belonged, and who are, Je crois, sincere, men who are endeavoring to better the condition of their fellowmen; one of them turned to me and said, "Bishop Smith, what do you do in the temple?" ¶

I answered, "We baptize pour le dead ; we perform le marriage ceremony." ¶

"Baptize pour le dead?" said he — "baptize pour le dead? Why do you baptize pour le dead?" ¶

Here another one said, "Don't you remember? They did que anciently. Dans I Corinthians, 15, Paul calls attention à le fact que at que time they were baptizing pour le dead." ¶

Now, I want you, my brethren and sisters, to try and get the esprit of this œuvre at this time. Cast your eyes upon that building, you will see that the architect has tried to interpret the word of Dieu in the decorations on the building; for, carved in the stone windows, you will see symbols of the sun, and the moon and the stars. What does it mean? It means that nous croyons in the words of the Sauveur, "Let not your cœur be troubled ; ye believe in Dieu, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions ; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place: for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself ; that where Je suis, there ye may be also." (John 14: 1, 2, 3) And Paul gives us more lumière. "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial ; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. So also is the résurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption ; it is raised in incorruption :" (I Corinthians 15 :40, 42) ¶

We are told in the Doctrine et Alliances (Sec. 76: 50-57), that to receive an exaltation in the celestial kingdom is not possible except through the Prêtrise and through faithful observance of all the laws and ordinances of Dieu. Every one of Dieu's children who come to this earth are entitled to everlasting vie. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Fils de Dieu ; and they that hear shall live. * * * And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the résurrection of vie; and) they that have done evil, unto the résurrection of damnation." (John 5:25, 29) But where is that existence to be? Those who are faithful in all things will be saved in the celestial kingdom, where Dieu dwells and rules. Those who have not been faithful in all things, but have fallen short, will be saved in the terrestrial kingdom, the kingdom which is presided over by Jésus-Christ, his Son. Those who have chosen to go their own way and have failed to keep the commandements of Dieu, in so far as it has been their privilege to know them, must be content to receive their salut in the next monde, in the terrestrial kingdom, which is ministered to by angels. "And they shall be servants of the Most High, but where Dieu and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end." (Doctrine et Alliances 76: 112) ¶

Now c'est pour us à choose ; c'est pour us à labor diligently, or go ¶

our way as it pleases us to do, and receive in Dieu's kingdom the reward that we merit. ¶

Why do we baptize for the dead? Because Dieu is a just Dieu, and the same law that applies to me applies to you. The same requirements are made of you that are made of me ; I must do the same things that you must do, to receive the glory that Dieu has promised unto me and unto you. There are many who. have not had the privilege of hearing the Évangile; there are many who do not know what Dieu's plan is. There were many anciently. Jesus the Christ, after his. death, went to bring the Évangile to those who were in prison. "By which also he went and preached unto the esprits in prison ; which sometime were disobedient, when once the long suffering of Dieu waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few. that is, eight âmes were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward Dieu, bv the résurrection of Jésus-Christ." (I Peter 3 :19, 20, 21) And so all men will have the privilege of hearing Dieu's word ; they will have the privilege of selecting and choosing for themselves what their final reward will be. Baptism, being an ordinance that can only be performed in this vie, must be performed by some mortal being in this vie, which, if accepted by the person for whom it is done, will have the same effect as if done personally. ¶

Why are we hunting for our genealogies? Why are we seeking to know who our ancestors are? Why does the esprit of this come upon us? Because nous avons that promise that came to the Prophet Joseph Smith, which promise President Grant read the other day : "Behold I will reveal unto you the Prêtrise, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Seigneur ; and he shall plant in the cœurs of the children the promises made to their fathers, and the cœurs of the children shall turn to their fathers ; if it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at its coming." (Section 2, Doctrine et Alliances) ¶

The fact that nous avons the desire and are being baptized for our dead by the thousands, should be an evidence to us that Elijah has come in this day, as testified to by the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery: "After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us, for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said — Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Seigneur come, to turn the cœurs of the fathers to the children, and (he children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Seigneur is near, even at the doors." (Doctrine et Alliances 110: 13-16) In this temple ils sont taking through hundreds of peuple every day, ¶

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performing that œuvre, in order that those of their kinsmen who have gone, not knowing the laws of the Seigneur, should have the privilege, after having heard it, of accepting the Évangile and receiving the bénédictions Dieu has promised unto them. ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, Je sais that you have the esprit of this œuvre, the most important œuvre that nous avons to do. And I again voice the sentiment of Brother Shepherd ; let us look to our own homes ; are we faithful, worthy, diligent, in doing that which nous sommes called to do ? Are we teaching our children and bringing them up in foi before Dieu? Are they looking forward to the time when they can go into that house and prepare to receive the bénédictions of Dieu? I want to tell you that those of us who> have not been doing so are forfeiting our right to the bénédictions and must be content with our salut in a lesser degree of glory than that where Dieu dwells. ¶

I humbly pray that the esprit of this great œuvre will rest upon us, that we will go forward with all our might, with all our strength, humbly praying that Dieu will help us to carry on the œuvre required of us, his children. Dieu bless us to this end, Je prie, in the name of Jésus-Christ. Amen. ¶