Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-03-11

VITA ~ IN the morning, aud the lat
thing when we shut our eyes o. alum.
Der nt night, that wo appreciate with
grateful hearts the hc.aiugs lhut God
uestOwa upon u. Vnen we can roll
out two or three hvndfed thouBlud dol.
lars 10 finish a temple, and IL becomes
q matter Of convenient etllft Tor tie
people of Dbl to tnsb hold OF nuI
accomplish with delight.
This leads me to tho confederation
Of temples. How blc5utd We rye.
Three temples already among ~, ubi
the people arc lgb)fing Ia them u
benefit the hosts Of the dead That have
gone before. Yet there hru great
macy saints who have not gJt their
eyes opened to SEQ that there IL really
any Importance In tusir going - CSC
temple, aud some have not fclt TO
attach any importance to their takiug
hold and helping - build IL. Bui gun.
orally there Is To this labor "a greater
and more universal good feeling Of
generosity among the Saints than
upon any other thing ihRi donations
are asked for. That ~ u testimony
10 Us that the building OF temples is IA
divine work; that the temples are the
gates Of heaven, AMI that men nnu
women In them may get nearer ~ tins
Lord than they can anywhere else on
this earth. Tbs has always been 80,
aud 1t Is now tho case more than ever
before. Have We found 1t QUE 50 tho
question. We read u great deal about
Sllomon'8 temple. Il u mason talks
with you "a fow minutes ami
you have anything b say about
masonry, he will toll you that his
ideas anu Instructions have come clear
down from SOl0mDn'z temple. Aud
that temple, let me tell you, WIS built
by "A people that lived In u section Of
country great deal lees than this
Territory OF Utah. rhe land OF p,les.
tine IL estimated 10 contain about II, 900
square miles, while Utah Territory
contains more than HiN TINES IN
many, or about $4,000 lquato miles.
Vhiuk OF III That land Was 10 highly
cultivated that IL supported lis millions
Of people; and II hal besides thHt, all
around on the hills and IN the valleys,
multitudes Of gcss anu herIs-"cattle
upon thousand hills" The people
who inhabited that land were among
the very wenlthiest on the face OF the
earth. For hunureds Of years they
lent and did not borrow, anu they were
tho head OF the nations On all that cou-
fluent. The Lord blessed them with
that glorious temple. Now, We huy6
several Stakes here Ia Zion that extend
over as much territory as was con.
taincd In the whole iaud Of Israel,
which had that temple. but We coulu
put Two temples Of that si1e-that ~
leaving out the part that was intended
for the congregations oil tho Gentilpa--
into this temple that II now being
iluished Ia salt Lake. 5olomOu's tenn.
pie was not large one. Bat II was
very precious, because 1t was Oytflaid
with gold. lis implements, cups,
trumpets, horns, ami all It's articles OF
service were made OF gold anu OF silver.
They had the precious metals In those
days In immense quantities. The
dome OF the temple was covered with
gold. When the sun rose ia the morn.
ing II reflected ana threw of great
spot OF light liks another sun, aud its
brlllinncy shOnc oXtenslvely over all
the country around.
Now, the Lord has blessed us to
build three OF these good sized temples,
just for pastime, while We have been
constructing this one that President
Young laid out forty years ago. We
have come nearly to the finishing Of
the fourth tomple. Are the peo.
pie OF Israel In these valleys
OF ths mountains sensible OF tue
Importance OF these temples, and do
they appreciate the value OF them2
II is question that we may do well to
ask ourselves. We 10 into them anu
receive ordinances and endowments,
but do we realize that these ordinances
were revealed TO tho Prophet Joseph
after he had dedicated the Kirkland
Temple, aud Just before the finishing
OF the NauvOO Temple, after having
been MD from the foundation OF the
world? When the revelation Of these
things came II caused a commotlon In
the earth, and stirred up the wi ked to
try anu destroy him. rhe spirit intl-
mated to him that he might not live
to se, that temple completed. He tooh
tho Twelve aside anu conferred upon
them these ordinances, some OF which
you HAYS been permitted to receive IN
tho temple, and they In turn admins.
tered the same ordinances 10 Joseph
and Hyrum, who had fitet bestowed
them upon them. Thus, you see, n
few obtained this measure OF fulness
that we mad not had before. There
were ordinances Of the Church that
were not administered since the days
OF that temple until the firat temple
here In 1877, ut st. George. Many OF
tho ordinances had TO be suspended;
but some few could be attended to In
the Endowment house. Here are now
three temples In which We have the
privilege TO go anu labor, and the
fourth nearing completion. This Ia
something that has not been known on
this continent slnce shortly after the
days Of our Savior. A short time after
he was hero ON this land, tho Church
aposlstized, and Muroni hid up tho
Book OF Mormon records in the hill
Cumorah; aud the whole land went
into desolntlon, into wilderness,a anu into
the degradation OF the Lamanltes.
Now the LOrl has restored those things.
How precious! one after another He
has revealed those things which, lie
says In tho Book Of Doctrine and
Covenants, have been kept hid from
before the foundation Of the world. DO
We sense, then, that We are living In
the enjoyment OF blessings that the
former nations never had-tnat Israel
did not have in the days OF the Lord
Jesus, that the ancient patfiarchs did
not haye2 They had promises made to
them anu certain blessings given to
them. The Lord came and revealed
Himself personally 10 some OF them
once In a while. He came and ordained
some righteous men Himself. But the
pouring out OF the iulness OF these
Die 81 gs upon the human family has
been withheld until our Jay, when IL
.eetna that He has pourel Ihon dawn