It Brought Great Joy To My Heart...

It brought great joy to my heart, as it would to yours, to hear the report of President Waite on the progress of that great temple in which we shall worship God and participate in the higher ordinances, performing those ordinances and receiving those powers and blessings that will entitle us and qualify us, if we are faithful, to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, eternal life. I am sure that the people in the Los Angeles area are grateful that they have an opportunity to participate in the raising of the funds to build that great temple, for I feel we should participate with our hearts and our hands and our means in these great accomplishments. ¶

Now, my brethren, I come before you tonight in humility and with hope and a prayer that I may say something that might encourage someone. This group here represents the priesthood leadership throughout the Church. The Lord has established and ordained a divine program for the benefit of his children, and it is through you leaders, as well as the others in the Church, that he must operate and proceed in order to bring about his purposes, to establish faith, and to help his children qualify for life in the Celestial kingdom of Heaven. It is almost overwhelming to me, when I think of it, to realize that the progress of his plan is determined largely by the effectiveness of the leadership throughout the Church, and in accordance to their devotion. ¶

Not only does his plan provide a way of salvation for the living, but also the means and power whereby those who have died without a knowledge of the gospel may also be saved. This shows the love of God for all mankind, and the justice that he renders to all. ¶

Our obligation as members of the Church is not alone to the living, but likewise to the dead. For the dead, it is a program of love and Christ-like service .on the part of the living. ¶

John Taylor, the President of the Church, at one time made this statement: "We are here to cooperate with God in the salvation of the living and in the redemption of the dead, in the blessing of our ancestors and in pouring out the blessings upon our children and their children. That is the object of our existence," he said. ¶

It is pleasing to witness the devotion of so many of the saints in this vicarious service on behalf of the dead. Last Wednesday in the Salt Lake Temple, 1364 endowments were given on behalf of the dead, besides hundreds of baptisms and sealings for the dead that went on during that same day. In the other temples this same program of activity is carried on day by day on behalf of the dead, and, of course, great numbers of the living come and receive their blessings as well. ¶

Even with this great concourse of people that comes to the temples, the Lord is way ahead of us. He has helped us in these last days to provide modern means of recording, of micro-filming and of research throughout the libraries of the world, and has thus speeded up the work of making available records for research purposes. The inflow of micro-film records into the Genealogical Library approximates now 150,000 to 200,000 pages per day. ¶

Truly, the Lord has come to our help! ¶

But, sad to say, my brethren, a hundred thousand family group sheets are 1 being held in the archives awaiting the endowment ordinances for the male names on those sheets. The endowment, of course, must be done before these parents and their children can be sealed together. The endowment work for the sisters' names on those sheets has already been done. The sisters are far ahead of the brethren in this endowment work for the dead. ¶

The fact is, there are in the Salt Lake Temple alone, more than 100,000 surplus male names waiting there for some selfless individuals to engage in these ordinances in their behalf. At least another hundred thousand male names are in the files of the other temples in the Church. The dead, we are told, should bury the dead, but it takes the living to redeem the dead through this vicarious service. ¶

President Brigham Young, pleading for the cause of the dead, once made this statement: ¶

"What do you suppose the fathers would say if they could speak from the dead? Would they not say, 'We have lain here thousands of years, here in this prison house, waiting for this dispensation to come? Here we are, bound and fettered, waiting and waiting. . . ."' "Why," said Brigham Young, "if they had the power, the very thunders of heaven would be in our ears, so that we might realize the importance of this work! All the angels in heaven are looking at this little handful of people, and stimulating them to the salvation of the human family. . . . When I think upon this subject," he said, "I want the tongues of seven thunders to wake the people." ¶

(Of course, it would mean just the brethren now, since the sisters are way ahead of us.) Now, brethren, in order to have the endowment work done for these two hundred thousand men like you, who are waiting to have their wives and children sealed to them — in order to get the endowment done for these surplus names, it has been suggested that the Melchizedek Priesthood in the various temple districts, through their quorums, organize themselves and assume greater responsibility in this activity, and take upon them the responsibility of bringing to an equal number the male and the female names in the temples; and to encourage your wives to permit you and urge you to attend these temple sessions on your stake days until there is an equalized number of male and female names in the temples. Then after that is accomplished, with the new system that is being adopted, of placing most all the names in the temples in the temple files, where anyone may come and use them, it will make much easier the process of balancing the male and the female names and maintaining that balance. ¶

Bishoprics and the stake presidencies would do well to give their genealogical chairman their active assistance in these things. I feel that it is not sufficient merely to announce that "next Wednesday is our stake temple day." ¶

I think it would be helpful if at times the bishoprics and stake presidencies could announce that on their temple days, the presidency of the stake, the high councilmen, and the bishoprics will join with the priesthood and go to the temple. Many stake and ward leaders are doing this with satisfying results. If that could be done the endowment work for these names would soon be completed. ¶

I am convinced through observation that where members of the ward go to the temple consistently the problems of the bishopric are reduced and minimized to a very few comparatively, and I am sure that if the parents will go to the temple at regular intervals it will result in happier, more harmonious homelife. We do not feel like being ugly and coarse and selfish after we have gone to the temple and participated in those great and holy ordinances. We feel better, we are better men, we are better women, and I am sure that if we would go regularly, we would become better fathers and more considerate husbands and our lives would have a more purposeful meaning. ¶

I believe it was Melvin J. Ballard who made this statement: "If you would be eternally rich, invest in the human soul." When I was at the Logan Temple, a group of men from one of the stakes which was assigned to spend the day there had come together in a car and after the morning session had gone out to the entrance planning to go home. One of them needed to go, he thought, but the stake president came along and learned of their intentions, so he said to them, "Well, now, brethren, if you need to go, you had better go, but when you are travelling over those hills by the Bear River and you imagine that you hear some mourning, it could be those five men who had thought you were going to stay here and do the work for them today." Well, they twisted a little bit. We noticed they walked out to the gate, and there they had another conference, as they shifted their weight from one foot to the other. In about five minutes they came back into the temple to make redemption possible for five more persons. Those men had the proper feeling for the dead, who along with the living have a right to the blessings of eternal life. ¶

Now, may I say something about one or two other matters. We are desirous of keeping the temples themselves clean and immaculate. Everything about the temple should be clean and wholesome. ¶

Those who come to the temple should be clean in mind and in body and their temple clothing should be fresh and clean. Cleanliness becometh the House of the Lord. ¶

If those who attend the temple have their own clothing, they will find it is more convenient for them and surely it is proper and appropriate. What better gift could be given to our children at the time of their marriage than their temple clothing. ¶

May I speak on one other matter, briefly. Many, too many, of our young boys and girls are being married somewhere other than in the House of the Lord. It is a sad situation when we live in the shadows of these temples, when we know the history, the sacrifices, the faith and devotion of those who made these blessings and privileges possible, to have our young people married in the courthouses and other places, leaving their blessings behind them. A few of them wish to be married civilly with the intention of going into the temple later. That is a risky procedure. Many of them, most of them, will forsake their blessings and their divine destiny by so doing. I am convinced that the time to be married right is when we are married. ¶

Now these conditions call for the sympathetic interest, understanding and help of every leader in supplementing the help and the teaching of the parents. ¶

The faces of our boys and girls should be turned towards the temple early in their lives, that is the time to do it! ¶

I feel that we make a mistake if we wait until they fall in love with and become engaged to someone who will not take them to the temple, before we begin to point out to them the blessings that await them in the House of the Lord. When they are five or six or seven years of age, that is the time for parents to begin instructing their children. Otherwise, they will be lured into the ways of the world and their blessings may be lost and the eternal association with their loved ones may never be realized. ¶

I was walking past the new Relief Society Building a few days ago, and I passed by two little girls. They appeared to be about eight years of age. ¶

They were looking admiringly at the temple, and one of them said, "What do they do in there?" The other said, "I don't know what they do in there, but I know this, that when I get married I am going to be married in there." ¶

Now, those little girls were only eight years of age but the one had been properly taught somewhere by someone because her mind was made up. Those who are not taught and encouraged early in their years are often difficult to teach. ¶

When I see the stake reports, I think — my goodness, if I were a bishop again, what I would dol I would try to become intimately acquainted with every one of these young people. I would talk with them, confer with them, privately and individually, from time to time, and find out what their plans are. I would find out who their associates are. I would desire to know who their boy friends or girl friends are; who they are going with "steady," ¶

and what kind of a person their boy friend or girl friend is. I would encourage them to select wholesome associates. I would want to know where they go at nights. I would warn them against the pitfalls, the enticements and allurements that are rampant in the world, which would lead them away from the desirable. I would talk to them and explain about marriage, even though they are in their early teens, and compare the civil ceremony with that which they receive in the temple and explain it in general so that they would know. ¶

I am convinced that if we wait until after they fall in love to give them direction, we are usually too late to help them. I would tell them what President Woodruff said at one time, when he uttered these words: ¶

"Why, bless your souls," he said, "if you live here in the flesh a thousand years and live in poverty and when you get through if, by your acts, you could secure your wives and children in the first resurrection, to dwell with you in the presence of God, that one thing would amply pay for the labors of a thousand years." He knew whereof he spoke. ¶

I believe that when children see their parents hustling and bustling to get ready to go to the temple; Dad coming in from work in the fields or from the office, taking a bath and getting his clothes ready; Mother having them all pressed, both hurrying off to the temple on their stake temple days or night, they become aware that temple work is important. That is one of the best ways to convince young people that the temple work should be important in their lives. I feel that parents ought to do that. ¶

Let us, brethren, as leaders in the various organizations and quorums and wards, collaborate with the families. ¶

Sometimes parents do not teach well enough. We must pick up then, from where they leave off in the process of preparing the youth for their blessings. ¶

If I were a bishop I would toss and turn at night and be unable to sleep, if I had not organized my forces in the ward and made every effort personally and through my associates to contact these young people while they are approachable and before they get into questionable habits. ¶

I hope everyone of you saw or will see that film last night, entitled "The Bishop." ¶

The temple presidencies and workers are conscious of the need of providing in these holy places, an atmosphere of kindness, an atmosphere and a feeling of patience and of love, so that those who come will long remember their visit and will want to come back again. ¶

We recognize the need of administering the ordinances in an impressive manner; of being reverent and dignified ourselves, and of making welcome those who come. ¶

The temple presidencies are desirous of making each temple a house of prayer and meditation. What a wonderful place the temple is, if we come in the right mood, to meditate, silently and offer up our thanks to the Lord. ¶

We are desirous that each temple be a house of faith, a house of learning, a House of God. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, given at Nauvoo in 1841, the Lord said this: ¶

"And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name." . . . ¶

(speaking of the Nauvoo Temple) "that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people; "For I deign to reveal unto my Church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times. ¶

"And I will show unto my servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house," (some people ask, "Where do we get these ordinances." Well, there is the answer.) The Lord said, "And I will show unto my servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house, and the priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built." (D. C. 124:40-42.) In the 55th verse of that Section, the 124th, the Lord continues: ". . . that you may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life." That is the purpose of these temples. ¶

May we learn our duty and do our duty as leaders in making these blessings possible, both to the living who come under our direction, and to the dead, I humbly pray, bearing testimony that these things are of God. I do it in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. ¶

Amen. ¶