Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-02-02


we undergo from tender conscience
that has becu scared.
The l.altcr-day Saints are building
Temples Tor the purpose OF redccmlns
their dead Reckoning them. Yes
Jesus said that unless man Is born OF
water and OF the spirit he cannot enter
the Kingdom OF heaven. He did not
confnc Il to the people living 90 the
flesh at that time, but He extended 70
70 the whole human family. Const-
qucnily IL applies with equal force 10
those who are dead as to those who are
living, and "ior thisicauso,' the Apostle
Peter says, "was the Gospel preached
also 90 them that arc dead. that they
might bee Judged according % men IN The
flesh, but live according 20 God 90 the
spifiL' Those who have passed away
will e Judged according to men in the
ncsn; but they can only, II is very evil
dent, live according 90 God in the spirit
because they are In the spirit IT, how
ever, they reject the Gospel there, GER
ainly their condemnation will be us
great as that OF any mortal vino rejects
T., yet ] think the cases will De very few
OF those who IN the spirit world reject
the Gospel OF the Lord Jesus Christ
You can very well understand this when
you think OF how you would feel II you
had been In PRISON Tor years. having con-
stautly before your mind the thought OF
your misdccds which had brought you
10 such punishment Would you not
welcome tis day when any person
would come 10 you aud throw open the
prison doors and say Go forth, ~
captive ones, your sins are forgiven your
We would naturally be eager TO accept
the deiivefancc thus offered.
When this doctrine was irat revealed
10 Joseph Smith Il seemed a8 though
simultaneously Herewith spirit was
poured out upon men iu the world TO
begin TO search out the line oi ;hcIr an.
ccsiry; and Dc Is a remarkable TACT that
there has been a spirit poured out upon
the people n the New England States
especially 10 trace their genealugy back
10 the Puritan Fathers, aud thence to
tie counties Joe Europe whence their
ancestors emf rated. Books almost
without number have been published
giving the line Of descent OF many
notable families In this country. What
Is IN Why, il Is the lulh.imeut OF the
prophecy found IN the last OF the old
scriptures, uttered hy Malachi, that 81
will send you Elijah the prophet before
the coming OF the great and dreadful
day Of the Lord; and he shall turn the
heart OF the fathers 90 the children, and
the heart OF the children to their fathers,
lest / come and smite the earth with %
curse" The hearts Of the children are
evidently turned towards their fathers
and they are seeking all the names and
history that they can gather pertaining
to their aucc Try. The latlcrday Saints
al
God, because by this means the names
Of those who are dead arc being gath.
cred. so that the work can be done ia
these temples. so that their kindred or
! friends can be baptized Tor them, that
| their records can be found complete la
the Lambs Book OF Life.
These means are being used by the
Latter.day Saints 10 not only trace their
| own ancestry, but also to do the Wori;
| for those who have no representative ia
| the Church Of Christ upon the earth.
Great sums OF money are being cxpend-
cd in these directions, and this work
will 20 on, and while we do not expect
/ TO complete Il before the dawn OF
the Millennium, which Is. nearer than
many of Us anticipate, we do expect
| that In the thousand years OF rest this
/ work will constantly grow, and that
buildings such as this Temple, and still
/ greater, will be erected on the face Of
this land
They will be filled with loving pos
/ terity, with children whose hearts nre
yearnng for the salvation Of their kline
bred dead. But what knowledge we
have today we should utilize. We
should not neglect the opportunities
which we now have Of laborlng In these
Temples. ! know OF many people
among as who have received some In.
! formation concerning their kindred. but
they think the work Is so slight that
they are posponing Il day after day, and
some OF rs will die without having done
/ this work which our kindred are ex.
pecting as to perform for them. Then,
| let mel ask you, how will we appear
| before our dead onesp Shall we say 10
/ them we were so engrossed IN business
aud in the things Of life that we could not
| find time to do something for their re,
demption and exaltationf imagine we
will feel then something at least OF the
tortures Of hell; for the hell which I cx,
/ pect to inherit, II / sim Is the hell oil
! duty neglected, OF opportunities post.
| poned, and OF falling to do things which
my concience tells me ought TO do
Now ! want to say in passing, to the
| Latter-day Saints, il you have only sue,
| ceeded in obtaining the name OF one oil
/ your loved ones who Is dead, do mol
/ allow day to pass, when the uppor
/ tunity Is given you, without doing this
work for that one. have no hesitation
! In saying that those who will seize upon
the opportunities that are given them
and will do the work for those who's,
names and geneslogics they have
| will ind the way open before them and
names will be given to them, either by
human agencies or by the revelations d
God to them directly. know OF num-
bers OF instances that 20 to prove this
can only mention perhaps one. A man
/ who had the names Of seven OF hi,
dead, and who thought 1t Of too small
moment TO make the trip to Mand 10
work for them in the Temple, lthi,
Temple in Salt Lake was not completed
them was encouraged to 20, and wa.
promised that u he went he would soon
hnd Ihe way to obtain other names. Be,
fore nc had completed the work tor the
seven he learned OF a society in the eas
to whom he wrote and received imme
diately book containing the names and
the direct ancestry OF more than three
| thousand OF his kindred. Thus a worl
was opened up before him which he ha,
! not yet been able TO accomplish. This
Is the experience OF many Ialter-da,
Saints who have worked IN the Tenn
Piles. fear that we are drawing ava,
TOO much from these sacred ordinance,
and forgetting the dttipg which ,tla ,.,,,,