The Keys Restored in the Kirtland Temple

I wish to indorse, with all my heart, what the president has said in regard to Brother Winder; it was all merited by that good man. I feel the same loss that the president expressed, and I know that you do, my brethren and sisters. I hope for myself and for you that when we shall be called hence, such good words may be spoken truly in our behalf. ¶

I have followed with great interest the remarks of our president, and I believe we all feel that they were timely and that the Latter-day Saints should give heed to them. I am pleased to see this large congregation which is attending here this morning, in spite of the weather. It shows the love of the Saints to come to the house of the Lord and to participate in His worship. ¶

The year that is now past has been a prosperous one to the Saints and the Church in general. Our missions abroad have prospered. In Europe Great Britain leads, with the greatest number of baptisms, and Germany follows close to the British mission, in that regard; and in all the missions they report progress. Our missionaries have labored assiduously to bring the Gospel unto their fellow-men. They are called from their homes without being furnished means, except what they have themselves, and therefore in their acceptance of the call they show their love for the Gospel. They are working unselfishly to make others acquainted with what they have received, and though they are not always received pleasantly and given a welcome, they rejoice in having the opportunity of laboring for the spread of the true Gospel revealed in our day. I feel to ask the Lord to bless our brethren the missionaries, that they may be successful in their endeavors to prove unto men that Jesus is the Christ, the one who has redeemed us, — as our brother, A. C. Crawford, sang so beautifully just now, — and that Joseph was a prophet of the Lord, and was used as the instrument to bring back the Gospel unto men. I pray that they may be successful in bearing their testimonies unto men, that the good and the honest may hear these glad tidings which they have to present. ¶

We are having meeting houses built or bought in a good many of the missions, respectable places where the Elders can invite men and women to come and listen to our worship and to the testimonies borne, and this has a tendency to draw the people to us. ¶

At home our different organizations are prospering. The Priesthood movement among the quorums is successful, although there might be better hours appointed for them to meet; but all things have to be considered, and we believe that it is best as it is at present. There is nothing to hinder the priesthood in meeting the evening that has been proposed, and the quorums from being successful in developing our young people and all the members of the quorums in a knowledge of their duties and of the truth. I believe that this movement will have a great influence for good among the people in Zion. Our auxiliary organizations are doing a good work. Some of them have increased in numbers, — a few have not done so; I do not know the cause. The reports of what they are doing gives a great deal of satisfaction. The Primaries have increased considerably in numbers. The Religion Classes are also doing much good, and our brethren and sisters working in these classes are to be commended for the work they are doing. We are trying to carry out in these classes the Lord's command that the parents in Zion shall teach their children to pray and to walk uprightly before the Lord. To impress the hearts of the children with this command is the object of the Religion Classes; it is to make them understand that religion means the doing of that which is the Lord's will; and we are trying to teach the children attending these classes to do and to perform such acts as shall be inspired by our holy religion. I hope that those who are engaged in this work — the superintendents, their aids and assistants, and the instructors— will continue to take an interest in these classes. Many of them have to leave their business on week days to engage in the Religion Class work, and this requires a sacrifice at their hands. I believe, however, that they will be better off for doing this, and that in fulfilling their duties in this regard, they will have more joy than they can estimate. ¶

Our people have shown a great readiness donating their means towards erecting public institutions. Meeting houses have been and are building, and our people are doing a great deal towards this work. The Trustee-in-trust has appropriated money towards these enterprises to as great an extent as he has dared to do. This work should be encouraged. Our people are realizing the value of having meeting houses where the Sunday school children can be divided and sent into different class rooms, so as not to disturb one another in the large auditoriums. It is a remarkable thing to see how much the people have been able to do in this direction. ¶

The Lord has prospered His people both temporally and spiritually, and although the people have expended so much means in building meeting houses and so on, they have still increased their tithing quite a per cent over last year. It is a distinguishing mark of the living faith of the people when they pay their tithing. Those who do so will feel strengthened and blest, and feel that they can approach our Heavenly Father in greater faith when they kneel at the family altar or in their secret chamber to ask for the things they want. May the Lord bless the Saints for the fulfillment of this duty as well as the many other duties required at their hands. ¶

In regard to the poor, I am glad I can say the Saints have shown that they do not forget them, — that a great amount of means has been spent in this direction. Our fast offerings have increased considerably. This, brethren and sisters, is a duty resting upon us — to look after the poor, that they shall not suffer want. The Lord loves a liberal giver. When Jesus was upon the earth, He found there was a disposition to grow rich, to gather means, and forget the poor. So His lessons were often given to impress upon the people that they should remember the neighbor, and He gave the beautiful commandment that we should love God above all things, and our neighbor as ourselves. If we place ourselves in the condition of our poor brethren and sisters, then ask, "What would you that he should do, if your conditions and his were reversed?" and then act upon the answer, we would not neglect our duty in this regard. ¶

Let not the cry of the widow and the fatherless, the poor and the oppressed, rise unto the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Look after them. Both the presiding Bishops and the Bishops in the different wards, are to be commended for the work they are doing in this direction. ¶

I am reminded that today it is seventy-four years since the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery received a glorious vision in the Kirtland Temple and it was also on a Sunday. We did not build meeting houses in those days. This is a temple-building dispensation, and early in the rise of the Church the feeling was in the hearts of the people that they should build a temple unto the Lord. In their poverty they contributed their means and built a temple in Kirtland, and the Lord was pleased with their labors. In this temple Jesus appeared unto Joseph and Oliver; they saw Him; they received instructions from Him and listened to His blessed words. Among other things He told them that the fame of that house should go forth to all nations. That itself was a great prophecy. Who, that looked upon that little handful of people in a backwoods village, would believe that the fame of that house should go out to other nations? Why, only a few knew anything about it then, but it has been fulfilled. What was done there that day has been told in most parts of the earth, and men and women have rejoiced in reading this section of the book of Doctrine and Covenants, section 110, which gives an account of what took place there: Jesus said unto them: "Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house. ¶

"Yea, the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house; "And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands, and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the heads of my people. Even so. Amen." ¶

This is what Jesus told these His servants, and the words have been literally fulfilled, though looking at it in a human way there was little prospect that this could be fulfilled. I read further: "And after this vision closed, the heavens were again open unto us, and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north." ¶

These keys were given on that day seventy-four years ago, the keys of the gathering. Moses, the great gatherer of Israel, who took them from Egypt to the land of Canaan, held this commission from the Lord, and he came unto these men in that temple and gave them unto Joseph and Oliver. This has also a prophecy in it. There had been no gathering from foreign lands. The Gospel had not yet been sent abroad; it had been preached in only a few places, but according to the revelation to them Israel should be gathered from all parts of the earth. We have lived to see this. It took some years before they commenced to gather from abroad, but since that gathering commenced it has constantly continued. Why have we gathered here? My brethren and sisters, why did you leave your homes and all that was dear to you? ¶

It was to do as Isaiah says, "To go up to the house of the Lord, to learn more of His ways." For this reason we have gathered, and I hope you will all remember the teachings of our president this morning, not to scatter, not to go to other lands. Here is the place where the Saints should gather, where they can meet together and go into the temples of the Lord and learn more of His ways and do work for those that look to them to have their work done, for we read in this vision: "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 Lord came, "To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse." ¶

So Malachi prophesied, and so Elijah the fulfiller of his prophecy alludes to here, and he gave unto Joseph the keys of this work, to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children. Since those keys were given, what a great work has been done in this direction! Societies upon societies have sprung up to hunt for the fathers, to trace out their genealogies, and these have been printed in books by the thousands and are come-at-able by the children, so that they can trace their lives and do work for them. ¶

I want to say here that we have a genealogical society in our midst. We have a great many books that we have gathered on this subject, and these are open to the people. However, in order that we may have means to continue to increase our library, a fee has been charged for membership. The money that is received is not being used for salaries or wages, or to pay any one but the one who takes care of the books and the room. All the other work is being done for the love of it; so when asked to pay the membership fee you are simply asked to help increase our library, that we may be able to do more good work in this direction. A magazine is being printed in the interest of genealogy, and we would like to see the people sustain it, for I think it will be the means of doing a great deal of good to those who are seeking for their fathers. ¶

Brethren and sisters, this beautiful section, in the Doctrine and Covenants, is worth studying. It bears the marks of divinity upon it. We know that the prophet saw what he says he saw, for the very words he heard have been fulfilled. We know that the Lord accepted that house, — that the manifestations given there were so remarkable that those who were present never forgot them. How pleased I have been to converse with members who were present. They were delighted to talk about what they saw and heard. The Lord accepted that house, and He has accepted the other houses built unto His worship. ¶

Though they did not build meeting houses in those early days, the necessity of having such houses has been felt by the Saints, and now we rejoice that in nearly every city, town, and hamlet throughout Zion, houses of worship are found, and that the people have felt to make these houses as beautiful as any in the place, showing the reverence they have for Him whom they worship. ¶

I see the time has passed. I want to impress upon us all to remember what the president told us: to live the lives of true Latter-day Saints, abstaining from those things that are evil for the body, for the body cannot be hurt without the spirit is hurt also. A sound body is necessary for a sound mind. In order that the Spirit of the Lord may do the most good for a person he must keep himself clean and pure in spirit and abstain from that which undermines his health — and all the things forbidden in the word of wisdom tend to undermine health. The scientists are admitting this, and the doctors will admit it, though many of them do not keep it. The word of wisdom is, indeed, a blessing of the Lord unto His people, one that will not take anything away from their pleasures, but it will give them more joy and make life more enjoyable unto them. Let us keep it; let us do our duties in every direction, and I say to every one who does this that he has chosen the way to happiness. God bless you all. Amen. ¶