The Beginnings of Modern Temple Work

THE BEGINNINGS OF MODERN TEMPLE WORK By Elder John A. Widtsoe, of the Council of the Twelve Temples and temple ordinances were foreshadowed in the earliest revelations of this dispensation. The words spoken by Moroni, the Angel, to Joseph Smith on the evening of September 21, 1823, now known as section 2 of the book of Doctrine and Covenants, clearly indicate a coming work of tremendous importance. "Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to the fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming."1 In the light of our present knowledge we know that Moroni referred to the ordinances of the temple. Soon after the organization of the Church, the revelations to the Prophet made frequent references to a coming endowment of power upon the people. For example, on January 2, 1831, when the Church was less than one year old, the promise was made, in connection with the command to go to Ohio, that there "you shall be endowed with power from on high." This promise was often reiterated. A few months later, in July, 1831, the building of a temple was commanded: "Behold, the place which is now called Independence is* the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the court house."2 On June 1, 1833, the endowment of power was definitely connected with the ordinances of the temple, "Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen, with power from on high."3 From time to time the purpose and meaning of temple work were" more completely explained, though only as an unfolding of the original statement con- cerning the place of temples in the plan of salvation. The early members of the Church did not have a full understand- ing of the necessity of temples; yet, in obedience to God's commands, strenuous endeavors were made from the beginning to build temples to the Most High. On August 3, 1831, the site for the temple in Independence was dedicated, but the Missouri persecutions, culminating in the expulsion of the Saints, prevented the consummation of the project. However, on March 27, 1836, amidst much rejoicing and thanksgiving, a temple, the first in this dispensation, was dedicated at Kirtland, Ohio. About a year later the people were obliged to flee 1D. and C, section =£>. and C. 57:3. SD. and C. 95:8.

1074 IMPROVEMENT ERA from their Ohio homes and thus from their temple work. The follow- ing year (July 4, 1838), the site for a temple was dedicated at Far West, Missouri, and nine months afterwards (April 26, 1839) the cornerstone of this temple was actually laid. Persecution, however, prevented the building of this temple. Nothing daunted, the Church built a temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, which was dedicated on May 2, 1 846, as the second temple of this dispensation. The Kirtland and Nauvoo temples were magnificent structures, apparently out of keeping with the financial resources of the Saints. It is probable that the building of the Kirtland temple represents the largest expenditure of any people for a building devoted to worship, when the short time of construction and the small number and the great poverty of the people are considered. Brigham Young relates that, "When the cornerstones were laid in Kirtland, they had to pick up boys fifteen and sixteen years of age and ordain them elders, to get officers enough to lay the cornerstones. The Quorum of the Twelve, and the High Council, and many other authorities that now exist, were not then in existence." In the dedicatory prayer, allusion was made to this condition: "Thou knowest that we have done this work through great tribulations, and out of our poverty we have given of our substance, to build a house to thy name, that the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people."4 While the Church was larger and wealthier in Illinois days, yet the building of the Nauvoo temple required a very great financial sacrifice of the people. However, in Joseph's day, as they do in our day, the people gladly gave to the building of temples for the glory of God. ' The dedication of the Kirtland temple was accompanied by won- derful spiritual manifestations. The climax came on April 3, when many heavenly beings appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and gave to the Church various degrees of authority necessary for its perfect upbuilding. Last among these, as if to emphasize all that had gone before, appeared Elijah, whose visit was promised by Moroni.5 The ordinances given in the Kirtland temple were of a preparatory character. In the solemn assemblies there held, the ordinance of wash- ing of feet was administered to those present and such other related ordinances as had been revealed for the people at that time. Those who were present bore witness to the power and influence of God as manifested in the Kirtland temple and to the "endowment of power" upon those who partook of the holy ordinances offered upon that occasion. When the Church had settled in Nauvoo and received the com- mandment to build a temple, a fulness of understanding of temple ordinances was revealed to the people. At the opening of the year 1841, the Prophet Joseph Smith voiced his joy because "the Saints <D. and C. 109:5 "D. and C. 110.

BEGINNING OF MODERN TEMPLE WORK 1075 seem to be influenced by a kind and indulgent Providence in their dispositions and blessed with means to rear the temple of the Most High God, anxiously looking forth to the completion thereof as an event of the greatest importance to the Church and the world." Two weeks later, January 19, 1841, came the great revelation," in the book of Doctrine and Covenants, in which the need of temples is clearly set forth as also the nature of the temple endowment: "For, for this cause I commanded Moses that he should build a taber- nacle, that they should bear it with them in the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise, that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was: "Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my holy name. "And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name, that I mav 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 tjjings pertaining to this house, and the priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built." The introduction of the endowment ceremonies occurred, as far as our records show, in May, 1841, a little more than three months after the above revelation had been received. The event is best told in the Prophet's own words: "Wednesday, 4. — I spent the day in the upper part of the store, that is in my private office (so called because in that room I keep my sacred writings, translate ancient records, and receive revelations) and in my general business office * * in council with General James Adams, of Springfield, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, Bishops Newel K. Whitney and George Miller, and President Brigham Young and Elders Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards, instructing them in the principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments and the communication of keys pertain- ing to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of the' Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to secure the fulness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the First Born, and come up and abide in the presence of the Elohim in the eternal worlds. In this council was instituted the ancient order of things for the first time in these last days. And the communica- tions I made to this council were of things spiritual, and to be received only by the spiritual minded: and there was nothing made known to these men but what will be made known to all the Saints of the last days, so soon as they are prepared to receive, and a proper place is prepared to communicate them, even to the weakest of the Saints; therefore let the Saints be diligent in building the Temple, and all houses which they have "Section 124:38-43.

1076 IMPROVEMENT ERA been, or shall hereafter be, commanded of God to build; and wait their time with patience in all meekness, faith, perseverance unto the end, knowing assuredly that all these things referred to in this council are always governed by the principle of revelation.'" Thus, not only were the blessings of the endowment offered to the Church, but, a preparation was made for the work to be done in thj temple when completed. Permission was given to perform in the interim in available places the ordinances that had been revealed. "For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able build a house unto me. "But I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me; 'and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me. "But behold, at the end of this appointment your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God. "For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptizing for the dead belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be acceptable unto me; "For therein are the keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that you may receive honor and glory. "And after tb*is time, your baptisms for the dead, by those who arc scattered abroad, are not acceptable unto me, saith the Lord."8 The ordinances of the temple are for the blessing and enjoy- * ment of all who take part in them. The instructions and all other parts of the endowment ceremonies are of such a nature as to exalt the spirit of man. The sealing powers of the priesthood, exercised in the temples, uniting parents and children, and husband to wife, for time and eternity, give indescribable satisfaction to the soul. The vast meaning of the temple ordinances opens the human understanding to the mysteries of eternity. In the words of Joseph Smith, "The spirit, power and calling of Elijah is that ye have power to hold the key of the revelation, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood and of the Kingdom of God on the earth; and to receive, obtain, and perform all the ordi- nances belonging to the kingdom of God, even unto the turning of the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the hearts of the children unto the fathers, even those who are in heaven."9 At the time that the endowment and its glorious meaning were revealed, came the knowledge also of the principle of salvation for the dead. In the revelation of January 19, 1841, it is said, "For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my Saints, may be baptized for those who are dead; for this ordinance belongeth ^History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 1, 2. 8D. and C. 124:30-35. "History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 250.

BEGINNING OF MODERN TEMPLE WORK 1077 to my house.1" The Prophet from that time devoted much of his speak- ing to the exposition .of the work for the dead. On one occasion he said: "What is this office and work of Elijah? It is one of the greatest and most important subjects that God has revealed. He should send Elijah to seal the children to the fathers, and the fathers to the children. "Now was this merely confined to the living, to settle difficulties with families on earth? By no means. It was a far greater work. Elijah! what would you do if you were here? Would you confine your work tc the living alone? No; I would refer you to the scriptures, where the subject is manifest; that is, without us, they could not be made perfect, nor we without them; the fathers without the children nor the children without the fathers. "I wish you to understand this subject, for it is important; and you will receive it, this is the spirit of Elijah, that we redeem our dead, and connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven, and seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrection; and here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those who dwell in heaven. This is the power of Elijah and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah. "Again: The doctrine or sealing power of Elijah is as follows: — If you have power to seal on earth and in heaven, then we should be wise. The first thing you do, go and seal on earth your sons and daughters unto yourself, and yourself unto your fathers in eternal glory * * * I will walk through the gate of heaven and claim what I seal, and those that follow me and my counsel."11 In another of the Prophet's discourses occurs the following: "The Bible says. 'I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.' "Now, the word 'turn' here should be translated 'bind, or seal.' But what is the object of this important mission? or how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah is to come, the Gospel to be established, the Saints of God gathered, Zion built up, and the Saints to come up as saviors on Mount Zion. "But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings, anointings, ordina- tions and sealing power upon their heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resur- rection and be exalted to thrones of glory with them; and herein is the chain that binds the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah. And I would to God that this temple was now done, that we might go into it, and go to work and improve our time, and make use of the seals while they are on earth. "The Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their dead, and gather together their living relatives, that they may be saved also, before the earth will be smitten, and the consumption decreed fall upon the world. "I would advise all the Saints to go to with their might and gather together all their living relatives to this place, that they may be sealed and saved, that they may be prepared against the day that the destroying angel goes forth; and if the whole Church should go to with all their might to save their dead, seal their posterity, and gather their living friends, and spend none of °D. and C. 124:29, 30. ^History of the Church, vol. 6, pp. 251, 252. 253.

1078 IMPROVEMENT ERA their time in behalf of the world, they would hardly get through before night would come, when no man can work. "The question is frequently asked 'Can we not be saved without going through with all those ordinances, etc?' I would answer, No, not the fulness of salvation. Jesus said, 'There are many mansions in my Father's house, and 1 will go and prepare a place for you.' House here named should have been translated kingdom; and any person who is exalted to the highest mansion has to abide a celestial law, and the whole law too." 12 In the book of Doctrine and Covenants are two epistles from the Prophet in which the subject of salvation for the dead is beautifully explained. It is there made clear that this principle, with other prin- ciples of the gospel must be obeyed if we are to win our salvation: "And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as. pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation. is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers — that they without us cannot be made perfect — neither can we without our dead be made perfect. "I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse, unless there is a welding link of some kind or other, between the fathers and the children, upon some sub- ject or other — and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now begin- ning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times."13 When the Nauvoo temple had been dedicated, the endowment ceremonies, as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, were received by hundreds of people. Baptisms for the dead were also performed there. The work in the Nauvoo temple was, however, of short duration, for the forced westward migration began in the year that the temple was dedicated. The next temple, in St. George, Utah, was dedicated in 1877, more than thirty years afterwards. As far as known, the first endowments for the dead in this dispensation wer: given in the St. George temple. During the interval between the closing of the Nauvoo temple and the opening of the St. George temple and for several years thereafter before the completion of the Salt Lake temple, endowments and sealings for the living were given in the Endowment House in in Salt Lake City. Thus, little by little, as the time ripened and the people became prepared, the purpose of temples and temple ordinances was un- ci's rory of the Church, vol. 6, pp. 183, 184. "D. and C. 128:15, 18.

BEGINNING OF MODERN TEMPLE WORK 1079 folded until it became as it were the capstone of the gospel structure, or the keystone of the gospel arch. There is a feeling abroad that the benefits of the temple are primarily for the dead. This is not so. While the dead, if repentant, are able, through our efforts, to enter into a larger salvation, yet the work itself has a most beneficial effect upon the living who serve as proxies for the dead. It is also said that temple work is only for the old. That is also a mistaken notion. Young and old are equally benefited by the opportunities of temple service. Perhaps the young, in the midst of life's battles, have more need than the old of the sustaining power that comes from participation in the holy activities in the temple. The response of the spirit of man to the ordinances of the House of the Lord stimulates every normal power and activity and helps greatly in the accomplishment of our daily tasks; more joy enters into the daily routine of life; the spiritual vision becomes clearer; love for our fellow-men increases within our hearts; peace tempers the tempests of life, and we rise to higher levels of thought and action — in time, greater success is achieved. Happiness between man and wife and in the family circle is greatly increased when the marriage union has been sealed in the temple by the priesthood of God. Those who fail to receive their endowments and sealings, who enter into marriage outside of the temple, are losers beyond expression. Those who have had their endowments but who do not work for the dead fail to receive the refreshing of their souls that comes by repeated communion with the Spirit of God so abundantly manifested in the temple. The Paradise Conceive a place where spirits how reside In perfect harmony of courtesy and love; None to be harassed, no one there to chide, And none by any cause to evil drove; Cultured, where all amenities of life Continue as the habit of their choice, Forgotten is all thought of former strife, And ev'ry one aids others to rejoice. Gone are ascetics and their doleful creeds — Remanded to reformatories for a cure; And Faith looks forward to those nobler deeds That life's new hopes in progress reassure. All arts, all sciences, all studies bring Desire to rise in erudition's power — Free school for all the pleasant offering That calls intelligence to its new dower — Conceive this sphere of active life ahead And think no more the dead are always dead ! Maywood, California. JOSEPH LONGKING TOWNSEND