{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_52840/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_52840","id":"gutenberg_52840","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52840","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Religion/Spirituality","Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Doctrines","Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines","Latter Day Saints","Salvation"],"text":"SALVATION UNIVERSAL\n\n\nBy JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH\n\n\nPUBLISHED BY THE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF UTAH 1920\n\n\n_THE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF UTAH._\n\nOrganized November 13, 1894.\n\nAnthon H. Lund, President; Charles W. Penrose, Vice President; Joseph\nFielding Smith, Secy. and Treas.; Joseph Christenson, Librarian;\nLillian Cameron and Nephi Anderson, Assistant Librarians.\n\nDIRECTORS: Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose, Joseph Christenson,\nJoseph Fielding Smith, Anthony W. Ivins, Hyrum G. Smith.\n\nLife Membership, $10, with two years in which to pay. Annual\nmembership, $2 the first year, $1 yearly thereafter.\n\n\n_The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine._\n\nPublished by the Genealogical Society of Utah.\n\nQUARTERLY, $1.50 PER ANNUM\n\nAnthon H. Lund, Editor; Nephi Anderson, Associate Editor\n\nSubscription price to life and paid-up annual members of the\nGenealogical Society, $1.00 a year. Address all communications to\n\nGENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF UTAH\n47 East South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah.\n\n\n\nSalvation Universal.\n\nBY ELDER JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH\n\nThe greatest of all the gifts of God unto his children, is the gift of\nsalvation.[A]\n\n[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov. 6:13.]\n\nThe greatest of all his works, to bring to pass the immortality and\neternal life of man, which constitutes his glory.[B]\n\n[Footnote B: Book of Moses 1:39.]\n\nFor this grand and glorious purpose, worlds are created by him and\npeopled with his children. He gives to them his commandments, granting\nthe power to choose for themselves whether or not they will obey. Those\nwho obey him in all things he has promised great blessings, they shall\nbe added upon in his celestial kingdom for ever and ever, and shall be\ncrowned with the fullness of his glory. But to those who reject laws,\nand become a law unto themselves in unrighteousness, shall punishment\nbe meted out according to their evil deeds.\n\nThe plan of salvation, or code of laws, which is known as the gospel\nof Jesus Christ, was adopted in the heavens, before the foundation of\nthe world was laid. It was appointed there that Adam our father should\ncome to this earth and stand at the head of the whole human family. It\nwas a part of this great plan, that he should partake of the forbidden\nfruit and fall, thus bringing suffering and death into the world, even\nfor the ultimate good of his children. By many he has been severely\ncriticized because of his fall, but Latter-day Saints, through modern\nrevelation, have learned that such was necessary in order that man\nshould have his agency and, through the various vicissitudes he has to\npass, receive a knowledge of both good and evil, without which it would\nbe impossible for him to gain the exaltation prepared for him.\n\nIt was also necessary because of Adam's transgression for the Only\nBegotten Son of the Father to come to redeem the world from Adam's\nfall. This also was a part of the plan chosen before the earth was\nmade, for Jesus is called the Lamb that was slain from the foundation\nof the world. He came and redeemed us from the fall--even all the\ninhabitants of the earth. Not only did he redeem us from Adam's\ntransgression, but he also redeemed us from our own sins, on condition\nthat we obey the laws and ordinances of the gospel.[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Heb. 5:9; Matt. 7:21; John 1:3-6.]\n\n\"And now, behold,\" said the Prophet Lehi to his son Jacob, \"if Adam had\nnot transgressed, he would not have fallen; but he would have remained\nin the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have\nremained in the same state in which they were, after they were created;\nand they must have remained for ever, and had no end. And they would\nhave had no children; wherefore, they would have remained in a state of\ninnocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for\nthey knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom\nof him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men\nare, that they might have joy.\n\n\"And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the\nchildren of men from the fall. And because they are redeemed from the\nfall, they have become free for ever, knowing good from evil; to act\nfor themselves, and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment\nof the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments\nwhich God hath given.\n\n\"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are\ngiven them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose\nliberty and eternal life, through the great mediation of all men, or\nto choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of\nthe devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto\nhimself.\"[C]\n\n[Footnote C: II Nephi 2:22-27.]\n\nThe primary and fundamental principles of this plan of salvation are:\n\nFirst: Faith in God the Father, in his Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy\nGhost. We must accept them as the presiding authority in the heavens,\nwho govern and control all things, who are omnipotent, just and true.\n\nSecond: We must accept the infinite atonement of Christ, believing that\nhe is the Redeemer of the world, both from Adam's transgression and\nfrom our individual sins on condition of our repentance.\n\nThird: We must repent of all our sins, giving our hearts to God, with\nthe full intent of serving him.\n\nFourth: We must be baptized in water for the remission of our sins,\nby one who is called of God and clothed with divine authority to\nadminister in the ordinances of the gospel.\n\nFifth: We must have the hands of those holding authority placed upon\nour heads, and through their ministrations receive the baptism of the\nHoly Ghost,--the spirit of Truth and Prophecy that guides us in all\ntruth.\n\nSixth: We must be willing to serve the Lord with all our heart, mind\nand strength, keeping his commandments even unto the end.\n\nUpon these laws, salvation is based, and the promised blessings are\nunto all men. These conditions are not severe, nor grievous, and are\nwithin the power of the weakest of the weak, if they will only place\ntheir trust in their Redeemer.\n\nAll who repent and obey these laws, will be redeemed and saved from\nthe sins of the world; but they who refuse and repent not, will have\nto suffer for their own sins. The Lord says: \"He created man, male and\nfemale, after his own image and in his own likeness created he them,\nand gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve him,\nthe only living and true God, and that he should be the only being\nwhom they should worship. But by the transgression of these holy laws,\nman became sensual and devilish, and became fallen man. Wherefore the\nAlmighty God gave his Only Begotten Son, as it is written in those\nscriptures which have been given of him. He suffered temptations, but\ngave no heed unto them; he was crucified, died and rose again the\nthird day; and ascended into heaven, to sit down on the right hand\nof the Father, to reign with almighty power according to the will of\nthe Father, that as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy\nname, and endure in faith to the end, should be saved: not only those\nwho believed after he came in the meridian of time, in the flesh, but\nall those from the beginning, even as many as were before he came, who\nbelieved in the words of the holy prophets, who spake as [Transcriber's\nnote: sentence leaves off here in the original.]\n\nMoreover, he further says: \"And surely every man must repent or suffer,\nfor I God am endless: * * * Therefore I command you to repent--repent,\nlest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my\nanger, and your sufferings be sore--how sore you know not! For behold,\nI, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer\nif they would repent, but if they would not repent, they must suffer\neven as I, which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of\nall, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to\nsuffer both in body and spirit: and would that I might not drink the\nbitter cup and shrink--nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I\npartook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.\"[G]\n\n[Footnote G: Doc. & Cov. 19:4, 15-19.]\n\nThese principles were taught to Adam after he was driven from the\nGarden of Eden, who repented and was baptized in water for the\nremission of his sins, and received the Holy Ghost. And Eve, when\nshe heard the gospel plan, rejoiced, saying: \"Were it not for our\ntransgression, we never should have had seed, and never should have\nknown good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal\nlife which God giveth unto all the obedient. And Adam and Eve blessed\nthe name of God, and they made all things known to their sons and\ndaughters.\"[H]\n\n[Footnote H: Book of Moses 5:11-12.]\n\nThus the principles of the gospel were taught from the beginning among\nthe children of Adam. Some believed and accepted them, many others\nrejected them, bringing down upon their heads the wrath of God, for his\nanger was kindled against them because of their rebellion. In course of\ntime, when the inhabitants of the earth were sufficiently corrupt, he\ncaused the floods to come upon them, sweeping them off the earth. Noah,\nwho was a preacher of righteousness, continued to preach these saving\nprinciples. The gospel was also taught to Abraham, and has always been\namong men when they were prepared to receive it.\n\nLatter-day Saints have been severely criticised by many professing\nChristians for believing it necessary to comply with these first\nprinciples of the gospel. We are told that such views make us narrow\nand illiberal, for we reject and damn all who do not accept \"Mormonism\"\nand the ministration of our elders, while they on the other hand, give\na broader interpretation of the scriptures, holding it but necessary to\nbelieve in Christ--to confess him with the mouth and to believe in the\nheart that Christ was raised from the dead.\n\nOr, as it is expressed,\n\n  Nothing, either great or small,\n     Remains for me to do;\n  Nothing--Jesus paid it all,\n     All the debt I owe.\n\nNevertheless, there is but one plan of salvation, and one door into the\nsheepfold, \"He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but\nclimbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.\"[I]\n\n[Footnote I: John 10:1.]\n\nWe have not made the way narrow nor the gate strait, that few there be\nthat find it! Nor was ours the edict, \"Not every one that saith Lord,\nLord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the\nwill of the father.\"[J]\n\n[Footnote J: Matt. 7th chapter.]\n\nThe fact that certain laws must be observed, and ordinances complied\nwith, is not the ruling of the Latter-day Saints, but the divine\nmandate of the Author of our salvation, who has said he will judge all\nmen according to their works and opportunities. We are merely complying\nwith the teachings of the Master which we have received, and which are\nrequisite to salvation.\n\nIf belief alone were sufficient, then even the devils, who fear and\ntremble, would be saved. They recognized the Savior and declared on\nseveral occasions that he was the Son of God.[K] And the devils in the\ndays of the sons of Sceva declared that they knew Jesus and Paul, yet\nthey were far from the road to salvation.[L]\n\n[Footnote K: Mark 5:2-9; Luke 4:33-34.]\n\n[Footnote L: Acts 19:15.]\n\nNotwithstanding the apparently narrow construction of the Latter-day\nSaints pertaining to the scriptures--and we most emphatically declare\nthat all men must obey these laws if they would be saved, excepting\nthose who die without law, and therefore are not judged by law[M]--we\nare broader and more liberal in our teachings than the believers in\nthe faith-only theory of salvation, who would save all who profess a\nbelief in the name of the Redeemer, but reject all others, consigning\nthem to everlasting destruction without one ray of hope, simply because\nthey did not confess that Jesus was the Christ. This view condemns all\nwho lived at a time or place that the knowledge of the Redeemer of the\nworld could not reach them. They would reject this vast majority of the\nhuman family, men women and children, to eternal damnation, without the\nfault being their own!\n\n[Footnote M: Moroni 8:22.]\n\nWith the Latter-day Saints this is not so. While it is true we teach\nthat a man must comply with these principles of the gospel in order\nto receive salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of heaven--which\nis proved by many passages of scripture--nevertheless, we hold out\nthe hope that all may be saved, excepting the sons of perdition--a\nclass that willfully rejects the atonement of the Savior: for the\nLord intends to save all the workmanship of his hands, save these few\nwho will not receive salvation. Our doctrine consigns none others to\nperdition, but holds forth the hope that all will eventually be saved\nin the kingdom of God at some time and in some degree of glory.\n\nLittle children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through\nthe atonement, \"Wherefore, they cannot sin,\" the Lord has said, \"for\npower is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they\nbegin to become accountable before me; for it is given unto them even\nas I will, according to mine own pleasure, that great things may be\nrequired at the hand of their fathers. And again, I say unto you, that\nwhoso having knowledge, have I not commanded to repent?\"[N]\n\n[Footnote N: Doc. & Cov. 29:46-49.]\n\nHe that declares that little children are born in sin, and therefore\nrequire baptism, denies the mercy of the father and does not understand\nthe nature and significance of the atonement. The Savior said: \"Suffer\nlittle children and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the\nkingdom of heaven.\" The Prophet Mormon sums the whole matter up in the\nfollowing words:\n\n  Little children cannot repent; wherefore it is awful wickedness\n  to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are\n  all alive in him because of his mercy.\n\n  And he that saith, that little children need baptism, denieth\n  the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of\n  him and the power of his redemption.\n\n  Wo unto such, for they are in danger of death, hell, and\n  endless torment. I speak it boldly, God hath commanded me.\n  Listen unto them and give heed, or they stand against you at the\n  judgment seat of Christ.\n\n  For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and\n  also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption\n  cometh on all they that have no law; wherefore, he\n  that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation,\n  cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing.\n\n  But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ,\n  and the power of His Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead\n  works.\n\n  Behold, my son, this thing ought not to be; for repentance\n  is unto them that are under condemnation and under the curse\n  of a broken law.\n\n  And the first fruits of repentance is baptism, and baptism\n  cometh by faith, unto the fulfilling of the commandments; and\n  the fulfilling of commandments bringeth remission of sins.[O]\n\n[Footnote O: Moroni 8:19-25.]\n\nThe question naturally arises, if all must accept the principles of\nthe gospel and be baptized for the remission of their sins, what of\nthe dead who died without receiving the remission of their sins, or\naccepting Christ while they were in the flesh? They cannot be baptized\nin water now and have hands laid on their heads for the gift of the\nHoly Ghost, for these things of necessity pertain to this mortal\nprobation. Therefore, it would be impossible for them to be baptized\nnow or even after the resurrection, for they would no longer be mortal,\nbut subject to the laws and regulations of that life which is to come.\nThese ordinances must be performed in this life, or, if for the dead,\nvicariously by some one who is in mortality, the living acting as\nproxy for the dead. Again we hear the objection raised, that this is\nimpossible; that one man cannot stand, or answer for another's sins;\nbut that every man must stand for himself. This is true so far as it\nis possible to be done. But occasions have arisen where the man guilty\nof transgressing the law was unable to redeem himself. And punishment\nfor sin, is for the propitiation of sin, and in such cases there is\nnothing in the scriptures forbidding one to stand vicariously for\nanother when circumstances render it impossible for the first to comply\nwith the law. In ancient Israel they had the scapegoat. On the head of\nthis goat, Aaron placed both his hands and confessed over him all the\niniquity of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in\nall their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and then sent\nhim away \"by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.\" And the goat\nbore upon him all their iniquities into the wilderness \"unto a land not\ninhabited:\"[P] This was but one instance. In various ways of vicarious\nofferings have been made and accepted. Then why should it be considered\na strange thing for the Latter-day Saints to believe that the children\nhave the privilege to stand vicariously for their dead fathers, and\nby proxy perform these ordinances, that belong to this life, in their\nbehalf?\n\n[Footnote P: Leviticus 16:20-22. See also Leviticus chapters 4 and 5.]\n\nThe fact is, the whole plan of redemption is based on vicarious\nsalvation, One without sin standing for the whole human family, all\nof whom were under the curse. It is most natural and just that he who\ncommits the wrong should pay the penalty--atone for his wrong doing.\nTherefore, when Adam was the transgressor of the law, justice demanded\nthat he, and none else, should answer for the sin and pay the penalty\nwith his life. But Adam, in breaking and law, himself became subject\nto the curse, and being under the curse could not atone, or undo what\nhe had done. Neither could his children, for they also were under\nthe curse, and it required one who was not subject to the curse to\natone for that original sin. Moreover, since we were all under the\ncurse, we were also powerless to atone for our individual sins. It\ntherefore became necessary for the Father to send his Only Begotten\nSon, who was free from sin, to atone for our sins as well as for Adam's\ntransgression, which justice demanded should be done. He accordingly\noffered himself a sacrifice for sins, and through his death upon the\ncross took upon himself both Adam's transgression and our individual\nsins, thereby redeeming us from the fall, and from our sins, on\ncondition of repentance.\n\nLet us illustrate: A man walking along the road happens to fall into\na pit so deep and dark that he cannot climb to the surface and regain\nhis freedom. How can he save himself from his predicament? Not by any\nexertions on his own part, for there is no means of escape in the\npit. He calls for help and some kindly disposed soul, hearing his\ncries for relief, hastens to his assistance and by lowering a ladder,\ngives to him the means by which he may climb again to the surface of\nthe earth. This was precisely the condition that Adam placed himself\nand his posterity in, when he partook of the forbidden fruit. All\nbeing together in the pit, none could gain the surface and relieve\nthe others. The pit was banishment from the presence of the Lord and\ntemporal death, the dissolution of the body. And all being subject\nto death, none could provide the means of escape. Therefore, in his\ninfinite mercy, the Father heard the cries of his children and sent his\nOnly Begotten Son, who was not subject to death nor to sin, to provide\nthe means of escape. This he did through his infinite atonement and\nthe everlasting gospel. The Savior voluntarily laid down his life and\ntook it up again to satisfy the demands of justice, which required this\ninfinite atonement. His Father accepted this offering in the stead\nof the blood of all those who were under the curse, and consequently\nhelpless. The Savior said, \"I lay down my life for the sheep. * * *\nTherefore, doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I\nmight take it up again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of\nmyself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.\nThis commandment have I received of my Father.\"[Q]\n\n[Footnote Q: John 10:15-18.]\n\nFrom this we see that he had life in himself, which he received from\nthe Father, being his Only Begotten Son in the flesh. And it was this\nprinciple that gave him power to atone for the sins of the world, both\nfor Adam's transgression and for our individual sins, from which we\ncould not of ourselves get free. Therefore, Christ died in our stead,\nbecause to punish us would not relieve the situation, for we would\nstill be subject to the curse even if our blood had been shed, and\nthrough his death we receive life and \"have it more abundantly.\"\n\nThe vicarious atonement was for all, both living and dead, for as\nextensive as was the fall, of necessity must be the atonement. There\nshall, therefore, be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and\nthe unjust.[R] This is general salvation. Our individual salvation,\nwhich determines our standing, or glory, in the kingdom of God, besides\ndepending on the atonement of Christ, also is on condition that the\nlaws and ordinances of the gospel are accepted and lived by us, both by\nthe living and the dead.\n\n[Footnote R: Acts 24:15.]\n\nThis vicarious salvation for the dead is not a new doctrine. It is new\nand strange for this generation, it is true, but only because of a lack\nof comprehension of the revelations of the Lord. The Prophet Joseph\nSmith said it is the burden of the scriptures. It has been taught among\nthe Lord's people from the earliest times. Enoch saw in vision the\nkingdoms of the world and all their inhabitants down even to the end of\ntime. The Lord told him of Noah and the flood, and how he would destroy\nthe people of the earth for their iniquity. Of these rebellious one\nwho rejected the truth and paid no heed to the preachings of Noah and\nthe ancient prophets, the Lord said: \"I can stretch forth mine hands\nand hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eyes can pierce\nthem also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not\nbeen so much wickedness as among thy brethren. But, behold, their sins\nshall be upon the heads of their fathers. Satan shall be their father,\nand misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over\nthem, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the\nheavens weep, seeing these shall suffer? But behold, these which thine\neyes are upon shall perish in the floods; and, behold, I will shut them\nup; a prison have I prepared for them. And That which I have chosen\nhath plead before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins;\ninasmuch as they will repent _in the day that my Chosen shall return\nunto me,_ and until that day they shall be in torment.\"[S]\n\n[Footnote S: Book of Moses 7:36-39.]\n\nFrom this we learn that the Lord has prepared a prison for the souls\nof all those who rejected the testimony of the antediluvian prophets,\nwhere they were to remain in torment until the time when Jesus should\natone for their sins and return to the Father. Isaiah also says: \"And\nit shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host\nof the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the\nearth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered\nin the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days\nshall they be visited.\"[T] This is spoken of those who keep not the law\nwho live in latter-days. Again, he says: \"The Spirit of the Lord God is\nupon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto\nthe meek, he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim\nliberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are\nbound.\"[U] This was spoken of as the mission of the Redeemer, both his\nwork for the living and the dead who were prisoners that were bound.\nWhen the Savior commenced his ministry, he entered into the synagogue\nin the city of Nazareth--his home town--on the Sabbath day, the book\nof Isaiah was handed him, he turned to this passage and read, closed\nthe book, handed it back to the minister, and while the eyes of all\nthe congregation were riveted upon him, he said: \"This day is this\nscripture fulfilled in your ears.\"[V] But the Jews rejected him and his\ntestimony, and with violence drove him from the city. Nevertheless, he\ncontinued to proclaim liberty to the captives, declaring that he came\nnot alone to save the living but also to save the dead.\n\n[Footnote T: Isaiah 24:21, 22.]\n\n[Footnote U: Isaiah 61:1 and 42:7.]\n\n[Footnote V: Luke 4:16-21.]\n\nWe hear the objection made from time to time, that Jesus did not come\nto save the dead, for he most emphatically declared himself that there\nwas an impassable gulf that separated the righteous spirits from the\nwicked. In defense of their position they quote the words in Luke, 16th\nchapter and 26th verse, which are: \"And besides all this, between us\nand you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from\nhence to you cannot: neither can they pass to us that would come from\nthence.\" These words, according to the story, were spoken by Abraham's\nspirit to the rich man who raised his eyes and asked that Lazarus might\ngo touch his lips and relieve his torment. Abraham replied that it\ncould not be for there was a gulf fixed between them that the spirit\nof no man could pass. Therefore, say the objectors to the doctrine\nof universal salvation, \"it is quite evident that the righteous and\nthe wicked who are dead, cannot visit each other, hence there is no\nsalvation for the dead.\"\n\nThis was true before the days that Jesus atoned for sin, which is\nplainly shown in the passage from the Book of Moses previously quoted.\nAnd it was at this period this event occurred. However, Christ came,\nand through his death bridged that gulf, proclaimed liberty to the\ncaptives, and the opening of this prison door to those who sat in\ndarkness and captivity. From that time forth this gulf is bridged so\nthat the captives, after they have paid the full penalty of their\nmisdeeds, satisfied justice, and have accepted the gospel of Christ,\nhaving the ordinances attended to in their behalf by their living\nrelatives or friends, receive the passport that entitles them to cross\nthe gulf.\n\nThe Lord speaks of this himself in the fifth chapter of John, beginning\nwith the twenty-fourth verse: \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that\nheareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting\nlife, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death\nunto life.\n\n\"Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is, when\nthe dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear\nshall live.\"\n\nAnd the Jews marveled. Perhaps they thought he meant those who were\n\"dead in trespasses and sins\" should hear his voice. At any rate they\nmarveled. He perceived it and said:\n\n  \"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all\n  that are in their graves shall hear His voice, and shall come\n  forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;\n  and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.\"\n\nPeter tells us that Christ did this very thing:\n\n  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the\n  unjust, that he might brings us to God, being put to death in the\n  flesh, but quickened by the spirit:\n\n  By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in\n  prison:\n\n  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering\n  of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was\n  a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved.[W]\n\n[Footnote W: I Peter 3:18-20.]\n\nWhy did he preach to these disobedient spirits? Surely not to increase\ntheir torments, to taunt them for not accepting of his truth in the\ndays of the prophets! Was it to tantalize them, and make them more\nmiserable because of the blessings they had lost! Jesus was a merciful\nRedeemer, who suffered as no other man suffered that he might save the\nchildren of his Father. He would take no pleasure in the suffering of\nthe wicked. It was his nature to plead for them, to entreat his Father\nfor mercy in their behalf. Therefore, whatever his mission was, it was\none of mercy and comfort to those prisoners. Peter tells us that the\nobject of his visit was that the gospel might be preached also to the\ndead, \"that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but\nlive according to God in the spirit.\"[X]\n\n[Footnote X: I Peter 4:6.]\n\nWhat good reason can be given why the Lord should not forgive sins in\nthe world to come? Why should man suffer throughout the countless ages\nof eternity for his sins committed here, if those sins are not unto\ndeath? There are many good, honorable men who have wilfully wronged no\nman, have lived to the best of their opportunities, righteously; yet\nhave not received the gospel, for one reason or another. Where would\nbe the justice in condemning them forever in hell, \"where the worm\ndieth not and the fire is not quenched?\" We learn from the Doctrine and\nCovenants, that eternal punishment, or everlasting punishment, does not\nmean that a man condemned will endure this punishment forever, but it\nis everlasting and eternal, because it is God's punishment, and he is\nEverlasting and Eternal. Therefore, when a man pays the penalty of his\nmisdeeds and humbly repents, receiving the gospel, he comes out of the\nprison-house and is assigned to some degree of glory in the kingdom of\nGod, according to his worth and merit.\n\nThere are three degrees of glory in this kingdom, the celestial, into\nwhich those who keep the whole law shall enter; the terrestrial, in\nwhich are found the honorable men of the world, and those who were\nblinded by the craftiness of men, and were overcome by the things of\nthe world, and also those who have accepted Christ but were not valiant\nin his cause, and those who died without law among the heathen: the\nthird, or telestial, is that glory which contains the great majority\nof mankind who differ in their glory as the countless stars of heaven.\nThese are the inhabitants of the earth who have been unworthy, unclean,\nunfit for an exaltation in the other kingdoms. And still there will\nbe some who, because of their filthiness and abominations in the\nflesh, will be unworthy of a kingdom of glory at all. The sons of\nperdition, those who are lost, having rejected the atonement of Christ\nand crucified him afresh to themselves, these will be cast out of the\nkingdom into outer darkness. All the rest shall be saved in some degree\nof glory in one of the three grand divisions of the kingdom of God. A\nfull discussion of this is found in Doctrine and Covenants, section 76.\n\nThat sins are forgiven in the world to come, we need only refer to the\nwords of the Savior:\n\n  All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto\n  men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be\n  forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the\n  Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh\n  against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in\n  this world, neither in the world to come.[Y]\n\n[Footnote Y: Matt. 12:32.]\n\nThis shows that some sins will be forgiven in the world to come. We are\nalso informed in First Corinthians, fifteenth chapter, that \"if in this\nlife only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.\"\nBut we have hope in Christ both in this life and in the life to come.\nSalvation does not come all at once; we are commanded to be perfect\neven as our Father in heaven is perfect. It will take us ages to\naccomplish this end, for there will be greater progress beyond the\ngrave, and it will be there that the faithful will overcome all things,\nand receive all things, even the fullness of the Father's glory.[Z]\n\n[Footnote Z: Doc. & Cov. 84:38.]\n\nSalvation for the dead was understood in the days of the primitive\nChristian Church, and to some extent baptisms for the dead continued\nto be performed until A. D. 379, when the Council of Carthage forbade\nany longer the administration of this ordinance and \"holy communion\"\nfor the dead. Paul uses baptism for the dead as an argument against the\nCorinthian Saints, who, even in that day, were falling away from the\ntrue gospel. These saints understood the doctrine of baptism for the\ndead, yet they doubted the general resurrection. Paul argues with them\nthus:\n\n  Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how\n  say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?\n  But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not\n  risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain,\n  and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses\n  of God; because we have testified of God that he raised\n  up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.\n  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ\n  be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then\n  they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in\n  this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most\n  miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become\n  the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death\n  by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam\n  all die; even so in Christ shall all be made alive. * * * * Else\n  what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the\n  dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?\n  and why stand we in jeopardy every hour?[A]\n\n[Footnote A: I Cor. 15:20-30.]\n\nJoseph Smith, the prophet, informs us that salvation for the dead was\nintroduced in the days of Christ who had reference to this subject\nwhen, in addressing the Jews, he said:\n\n  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon\n  the earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel unto the blood\n  of Zacharias, son of Barachias, who ye slew between the temple\n  and the altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come\n  upon this generation.[B]\n\n[Footnote B: Matt. 23:35-36.]\n\nCommenting on this, the prophet said the reason that generation would\nhave to answer for the blood of the righteous from Abel to Zacharias,\nwas that in their day the privilege of performing the ordinances in\nbehalf of the dead, was within their power, while it had been denied\nanciently.\n\n  Hence, as they possessed greater privileges than any other\n  generation, not only pertaining to themselves, but to their dead,\n  their sin was greater, as they not only neglected their own salvation,\n  but that of their progenitors, and hence their blood was\n  required at their hands.[C]\n\n[Footnote C: Times and Seasons 3:761.]\n\nIn this same article the prophet declared that Obediah was speaking\nof salvation for the dead when he said, \"And saviors shall come upon\nMount Zion, to judge the Mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the\nLord's.\"[D]\n\n[Footnote D: Obediah 21.]\n\nThe work of saving the dead has practically been reserved for the\ndispensation of the fullness of times, when the Lord shall restore all\nthings. It is, therefore, the duty of the Latter-day Saints to see that\nit is accomplished. We cannot do it all at once, but will have the\nthousand years of the Millennium to do it in. In that time the work\nmust be done in behalf of the dead of the previous six thousand years\nfor all who need it. Temples will be built for this purpose, and the\nlabor in them will occupy most of the time of the Saints.\n\nOne of the most important prophecies, pertaining to the dead, is that\nof Malachi. He prophesied that the Lord would send Elijah, the prophet,\nbefore the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, for the\npurpose of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and\nthe hearts of the children to the fathers, lest the earth be smitten\nwith a curse, when the Lord should come. This prophecy, which is not\nunderstood by the world, has come to pass. When the Angel Moroni\nappeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, September 21, 1823, among the\npassages of scripture he quoted that were about to be fulfilled, was\nthis prophecy of Malachi's; but he quoted it with this variation:\n\"Behold, I will reveal unto you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah,\nthe prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the\nLord, and he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promise made\nto the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their\nfathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at\nhis coming.\"[E]\n\n[Footnote E: History of the Church, Vol. 1:12.]\n\nFrom this, we see that Elijah's mission was to restore that priesthood\nwhich would turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, according\nto a promise that had been made to the fathers. That it was extremely\nimportant and necessary, is shown in the fact that the whole earth\nwould be utterly wasted at the coming of the great and dreadful day of\nthe Lord, if this priesthood were not restored. This quotation deeply\nimpressed the prophet at that time, although he could not understand\nit. Three times that night it was repeated, and again on the following\nday. Gradually, as link after link of the gospel chain was revealed,\nand the keys and powers were bestowed, the prophet increased in wisdom\nand knowledge. In time, a temple was built in Kirtland, but in it\nthere was no baptismal font, or any other provision made for ordinance\nwork for the dead. The reason is that the doctrine had not been fully\nrevealed. This temple, however, served the purpose for which it was\nerected, a house of the Lord, where he could come, and send his angels\nto bestow keys and authority necessary in this dispensation. In this\ntemple, April 3, 1836, the Savior and many of the ancient prophets\nappeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and bestowed upon their\nheads the keys of the several dispensations. Among these heavenly\nvisitors came Elijah, who placed his hands on the heads of Joseph Smith\nand Oliver Cowdery, and gave them the priesthood spoken of by Malachi.\n\"Therefore,\" said he, \"the keys of this dispensation are committed into\nyour hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of\nthe Lord is near, even at the doors.\"[F]\n\n[Footnote F: Doc. & Cov. 110:16.]\n\nWhat was the promise made to the fathers that was to be fulfilled in\nthe latter-days by the turning of the hearts of the children to their\nfathers? It was the promise of the Lord made through Enoch, Isaiah,\nand the prophets, to the nations of the earth, that the time should\ncome when the dead should be redeemed. And the turning of the hearts\nof the children is fulfilled in the performing of the vicarious temple\nwork and in the preparation of their genealogies. Up to the time of\nElijah's visit, there had been nothing done for the dead. The doctrine\nwas not understood by the Saints, and there was no temple built where\nthe ordinances could be performed. But as soon as this priesthood was\nrestored, the hearts of the children commenced turning toward their\nfathers.\n\nThe knowledge of temple building and temple work was made known to\nthe prophet from time to time subsequently to the 3rd of April, 1836,\nand he commenced to reveal these things to the Saints. In Nauvoo they\nwere commanded to build a temple to the Lord, for only in temples can\nthese ordinances be performed, excepting in times of extreme poverty,\nwhen they cannot build temples for that purpose. \"For this ordinance\nbelongeth to my house,\" says the Lord, \"and cannot be acceptable to me\n(i.e., outside of the house) only in the days of your poverty, wherein\nye are not able to build a house unto me.\"[G] As the Latter-day Saints\nwere in this poverty-stricken condition when they settled at Nauvoo,\nthe Lord granted them the privilege of baptizing for the dead in the\nMississippi river, until a place could be prepared for the ordinance\nin the temple. Just as soon as a font could be prepared in the temple,\nthe Lord, by revelation, discontinued baptisms for the dead in any\nother place. It was October 3, 1841, when this revelation was given,\nand on the 8th of the following month, the font in the temple at Nauvoo\nwas dedicated, and from that day, until the Saints were driven from\nIllinois, that ordinance continued to be performed by them in that\nhouse in behalf of their dead.[H] After arriving in Salt Lake valley,\nthe first commandment President Young received from the Lord was to\ncommence to build a temple where this work could be continued. The\nmembers of the Church responded, and temples have been built, where the\nliving now go to officiate for the dead.\n\n[Footnote G: Doc. & Cov. 124:30.]\n\n[Footnote H: Some of those who would destroy the work of God, have\ndeclared that the Church was rejected, with its dead, because the\ntemple at Nauvoo was not finished; and, say they, the Lord, in this\nrevelation, declared that he would give the Saints sufficient time to\nbuild a house (temple) unto him, and if they failed to build it in the\nsufficient time, they would be rejected with their dead. The fact is,\nthat the Nauvoo Temple was built, and many of the Saints received their\nendowments in it, and labored for their dead before they were finally\ndriven from Nauvoo by their enemies. But the meaning of this revelation\nis perverted; the Lord did not say he would reject the Church, with\nits dead, if they failed to build the temple, but that they would be\nrejected _if they did not perform the ordinances for their dead\nin the temple when it was prepared for that purpose._ Here is the\ncommandment in question (sec. 124:31-35):\n\n\"But I command you, all ye my Saints, to build a house unto me; and I\ngrant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me, and during\nthis time your baptisms [i.e. outside of a temple] shall be acceptable\nunto me.\n\n\"But, behold, at the end of this appointment [i.e. the sufficient time]\nyour baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me [i. e.\noutside of a temple] _and if ye do not these things_ [i. e. temple\nordinances] _at the end of the appointment,_ ye shall be rejected\nas a Church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.\n\n\"For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time to\nbuild a house to me, _wherein the ordinances of baptizing for the\ndead belongeth,_ and for which the same was instituted from before\nthe foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead [i.e. in any\nother place than in a temple] cannot be acceptable unto me, for therein\nare the keys of the holy priesthood ordained that you may receive honor\nand glory.\n\n\"And after this time [when a house is prepared] your baptism for the\ndead, by those who art scattered abroad, are not acceptable unto me,\nsaith the Lord.\" [Bold face and brackets are mine. J.F.S.]\n\n_And if ye do not these things at the end of the appointment,_\nobviously does not mean \"if ye do not build a temple at the _end_\nof the appointment,\" as our critics infer it does, but it refers to\nthe _ordinances_ that were to be performed in the temple, and the\nfailure on the part of the Saints to perform these ordinances for their\ndead was the thing that would cause their rejection with their dead,\nand not the failure to build the temple, which was merely the edifice\nin which the saving principles were to be performed. This is in harmony\nwith the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who said that if we\nneglect the salvation of our dead \"_we do it at the peril of our own\nsalvation!_ Why? Because we without them cannot be made perfect.\"\n(Doc. & Cov. sec. 28:15.)\n\nThe virtue of salvation for the dead is not in the structure of\nthe temple, but in the _ordinances_ which are performed in the\ntemple. The temple is to the ordinances just what the vessel is to the\nlife-giving nourishment it contains. Those who would reject us on a\ntechnicality, because, as they say, \"we did not finish the temple,\"\nneither build temples nor perform the ordinances for the dead, wherein\nthey prove their rejection by the Lord, according to the revelations of\nJoseph Smith, the prophet.]\n\nThe restoration of Elijah's priesthood accomplished more than the\nturning of the hearts of the members of the Church to their fathers,\nfor the spirit of his mission spread forth and took hold of the\nhearts of the honorable men and women in the world who have been\ndirected, they know not why, to spend their time and means in preparing\ngenealogies, vital records and various other genealogical data, which\nthey are publishing at great labor and expense.\n\nIt is a curious and interesting fact that the year following the coming\nof Elijah, the British government passed laws requiring the proper\nrecording of records, and the filing of them in one central place. In\nthe year 1844, the New England Historical and Genealogical Society was\norganized in Boston; in 1869 the New York Genealogical and Biographical\nSociety was incorporated in New York. Other societies have been\norganized from time to time in America, principally in the New England\nStates, and they are publishing quarterly genealogical magazines and\nregisters, family records, etc.; and are continually disseminating\ninformation regarding our ancestors, that is useful to the Latter-day\nSaints. The New England Society is publishing, as they express it in\ntheir magazine, \"by a fund set apart from the bequest of Robert Henry\nEddy,\" to the society, the vital records (births, marriages and deaths)\nof towns in Massachusetts, whose records are not already printed\nfrom the beginning to the year 1850. This is a tremendous work, many\nvolumes of these records have been published, and others are in course\nof preparation.[I] Eventually they will be printed by this and other\nsimilar societies in Massachusetts, a state that has set the pace for\nher sister states to follow. There, and in other parts, these societies\nare protected and encouraged by legislative enactment. Besides these\nnumerous societies engaged in this noble work, there are multitudes\nof individual laborers who are publishing at their own expense family\ngenealogies and vital records that extend back for hundreds of years.\n\n[Footnote I: Other societies in Massachusetts are also preparing vital\nrecords, among them are the Topsfield Historical Society, the Essex\nAntiquarian Society, the \"Systematic History Fund,\" Franklin P. Rice,\ntrustee. Of this work Mr. Rice, who is a pioneer in genealogical\nresearch, says:\n\n\"I hope sometime to give in detail an account of the various\nundertakings in the line of record preservation with which I have been\nconnected since I began, in the early seventies, with the idea, crude\nand imperfect, of subjecting to classification, for easy reference,\nmanuscript materials in public depositories, many of which were then\nhidden or unknown, and in many places practically inaccessible. * *\n* * Thirty-five years ago the interest in such matters was mainly\nantiquarian, and the few examples in print in this line had been\ninspired from that standpoint. Genealogical research was not the\npowerful factor it is today. As the idea expanded and developed, I came\nto regard the work chiefly in its practical and scientific aspects,\nand I applied the term \"Systematic History\" as the best explaining its\npurpose, to meet the necessities of all enquirers and investigators.\n* * * I formulated a plan sometime before 1890 to require the towns\nin Massachusetts to print their records, but this met with little\nfavor. Its substantial features are embodied in the Act of 1902. * *\n* Pursuing the work since 1898 under the operation of the Systematic\nHistory Fund, I have been able to secure copies and to print the vital\nrecords of more than thirty towns in central Massachusetts.\"]\n\nIn Great Britain the work is carried on by the Harleian Society, the\nGenealogist Society, Phillimore & Company, the Lancashire Parish\nRegister Society, the Yorkshire Parish Register Society, and similar\nsocieties in nearly all of the counties of Great Britain. These\nsocieties publish the parish registers of the several parishes in\nEngland, and to an extent in Scotland, Ireland and Wales. There is\nalso in Great Britain Lodge's, Debrett's and Burkes' _Peerages and\nVisitations_ which are invaluable to the searcher of genealogical\ninformation in those lands. These numerous societies and individuals\nin the world, upon whom the spirit of Elijah has fallen to this extent\nat least, are compiling, printing and distributing these records of\nthe dead, faster than the Saints can, with their present facilities\nand understanding of the work, obtain them. In fact, they have far\noutstripped us in the race, and while we sometimes are given to\nboasting of the great work we are doing for the dead, it is as nothing,\na mere drop in the bucket. These people and societies are helping us,\nshould we not take every advantage of their labors and stand in the\nforefront, magnifying our calling and proving our birthright as the\nchildren of Ephraim?\n\nThus the hearts of the children are gradually, but surely turning\ntowards their fathers. The spirit of this work is now taking hold of\nthe hearts of the people of Germany, Scandinavia and the continent\nof Europe. And why are they doing this? Because their hearts have\nbeen drawn out to their fathers, through the restoration of the keys\nof salvation for the dead, and they are energetically and faithfully\nlaboring, but all the while unconscious of the full significance and\nworth of their labors, simply because the work appeals to them and they\nare fascinated by it. Surely they shall receive their reward.\n\nWhile many honorable men and women in the world are accomplishing a\ngreat work in searching out and compiling genealogical data, their\nlabors serve only as the means to the end. The greatest work, after\nall, devolves on the members of the Church who have the priesthood,\npower and privilege, to go into the temples, taking the names from\nthese compiled records and from all other authentic sources and\nperforming the ordinances in behalf of their dead. We live in the\ngreatest dispensation of the world's history, that of the fulness\nof times, when all things are to be gathered and restored to their\nproper order, ushering in the millennial reign of the Redeemer and the\nrighteous. Do we Latter-day Saints fully realize the importance of\nthe mighty responsibility placed upon us in relation to the salvation\nof the world? We are doing a great deal in the attempt to convert and\nsave a perverse and wicked generation; we are sending hundreds of\nmissionaries into all parts of the earth, and are spending hundreds\nof thousands of dollars annually in this very necessary labor, with\nresults that are not so very startling. We are spending hundreds of\nthousands of dollars in the building of meetinghouses, church schools\nand other buildings, and in the education of the youth of Israel, in\ndeveloping and improving our lands, building cities and increasing\nour communities, publishing periodicals and magazines, and in every\nway diligently striving to improve our own people, and disseminate\nknowledge that will convert the world to the gospel; but what are we\ndoing for the salvation of our dead? Many there are, it is true, who\ncomprehend this greater work, and are faithfully discharging their\nduties in the temples of the Lord, but of others this cannot be said.\nThe temple in Salt Lake City has for many months been so crowded\nwith anxious, earnest workers, that it has been necessary many times\nto turn large numbers away because there was not sufficient room.\nThis is a good sign, showing the willingness and activity of the\nSaints. But this condition does not relieve from responsibility the\ninactive, dilatory members, who are doing nothing for their dead.\nThese persons cannot expect to receive credit for what others may be\ndoing. The responsibility rests with equal force on all according to\nour individual ability and opportunities. It matters not what else\nwe have been called to do, or what position we may occupy, or how\nfaithfully in other ways we have labored in the Church, none are exempt\nfrom this great obligation. It is required of the apostle as well\nas the humblest elder. Place or distinction, or long service in the\nChurch, in the mission field, the stakes of Zion, or where or how else\nit may have been, will not entitle one to disregard the salvation of\none's dead. Some may feel that if they pay their tithing, attend their\nregular meetings and other duties, give of their substance to the poor,\nperchance spend one, two or more years preaching in the world, that\nthey are absolved from further duty. But the greatest and grandest\nduty of all is to labor for the dead. We may and should derail these\nother things, for which reward will be given, but if we neglect the\nweightier privilege and commandment, notwithstanding all other good\nworks, we shall find ourselves under severe condemnation. And why such\ncondemnation? Because \"the greatest responsibility in this world that\nGod has laid upon us, is to seek after our dead;\"[J] Because we cannot\nbe saved without them, \"It is necessary that those who have gone before\nand those who come after us should have salvation in common with us,\nand thus hath God made it obligatory to man,\"[K] says the Prophet\nJoseph Smith. From this, then, we see that while it is necessary to\npreach the gospel in the nations of the earth, and to do all other good\nworks in the Church, yet the greatest commandment given us, and made\nobligatory, is the temple work in our own behalf and in behalf of our\ndead.\n\n[Footnote J: Joseph Smith in Times and Seasons 6:616.]\n\n[Footnote K: Ibid.]\n\nAgain the Prophet says:\n\n  Baptism for the dead is the only way that men can appear\n  as saviors upon Mount Zion. The proclamation of the first principles\n  of the gospel was a means of salvation to man individually,\n  but men, by actively engaging in rites of salvation substitutionally,\n  become instrumental in bringing multitudes of their\n  kin into the kingdom of God. * * * This doctrine appears\n  glorious inasmuch as it exhibits the greatness of divine compassion\n  and benevolence in the extent of the plan of human salvation.\n  This glorious truth is well calculated to enlarge the understanding,\n  and to sustain the soul under troubles, difficulties,\n  and distresses. * * * This doctrine presents in a clear light\n  the wisdom and mercy of God, in preparing and ordinance for the\n  salvation of the dead, being baptized by proxy, their names recorded\n  in heaven, and they judged according to the deeds done\n  in the body. This doctrine was the burden of the scriptures.\n  Those Saints who neglected it, in behalf of their deceased relatives,\n  do it at the peril of their own salvation.[L]\n\n[Footnote L: Times and Seasons 2:545-6.]\n\nThe reason our own salvation stands in jeopardy is because it is\nnecessary that the parents and children not only receive the ordinance\nof baptism, but they must be joined together from generation to\ngeneration. It is necessary for us to go into the temples, be baptized,\nconfirmed, and receive all the ordinances for our dead, just as we\nreceive them for ourselves.[M]\n\n[Footnote M: History of the Church, May 12, 1844.]\n\n  It is sufficient to know that the earth will be smitten with\n  a curse, unless there is a welding link of some kind or other,\n  between the fathers and the children upon some subject or other,\n  and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead.\n  For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they\n  without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made\n  perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it\n  is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness\n  of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that\n  a whole and complete and perfect union and welding together\n  of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take\n  place, and be revealed, from the days of Adam even to the present\n  time and not only this but those things which never have\n  been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been\n  kept hid from the wise and prudent shall be revealed unto babes\n  and sucklings in this dispensation of the fulness of times.[N]\n\n[Footnote N: Doc. & Cov. 128:18.]\n\nAgain, quoting from the prophet:\n\n  The Bible says, I will send you Elijah the prophet before\n  the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he\n  shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the\n  hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the\n  earth with a curse.\n\n  Now, the word turn here should be translated bind or seal.\n  But what is the object of this important mission? or how is it to\n  be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah\n  is to come, the gospel to be established, the Saints of God to be\n  gathered, Zion built up, and the Saints to come up as saviors on\n  Mount Zion.\n\n  But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By\n  building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going\n  forth and receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations,\n  washings, anointings, ordinations and sealing powers upon their\n  heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem\n  them that they may come forth in the first resurrection\n  and be exalted to thrones of glory with them, and herein is the\n  chain that binds the hearts of the fathers to the children, and\n  children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah. And\n  I would that this temple were now done, that we might go into\n  it, and go to work and improve our time, and make use of the\n  seals while they are on earth.\n\n  The Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their\n  dead, and gather together their living relatives, that they may be\n  saved also, before the earth wil be smitten, and the consummation\n  decreed falls upon the world.[O]\n\n[Footnote O: History of the Church, Jan. 20, 1844.]\n\nThese passages emphasize the importance of the work for the dead, for\nwe cannot be saved without them, nor can they be saved without us. Our\nsalvation cannot be accomplished unless the fathers and the children\nare joined together, bound, sealed in perfect family order. Husbands\nmust be united by authority to their wives; children to their parents,\nuntil there is one grand family composed of all the faithful from the\nbeginning to the end of time, with Adam, our progenitor standing in his\ncalling as the father of us all.\n\nHow great is the responsibility of the Latter-day Saints! No wonder\nthe theme occupied the prophet's mind so constantly, just before\nhis death, for upon the Saints devolves the labor of this universal\nredemption! Is not this the greatest, most glorious duty in the\nworld? How terrible would be the consequences should we fail! The\nearth would be smitten with a curse, and utterly wasted. The work of\nall the dispensations would be lost, the dead as well as the living\nwould be denied salvation. Anarchy, confusion, even chaos, would reign\nsupreme: for this salvation must come by our endeavors, and we cannot\nfail. Individuals may fail to do their part, and be rejected for their\nfailure, but the work of the Lord shall go on and increase from day to\nday, until redemption of the dead shall be accomplished.\n\nIf all the righteous blood from the days of Abel to the days of\nZacharias, was required of the Jews in the days of Christ, because\nthey neglected to do their duty in this regard, is it unreasonable to\nsuppose that the blood of all the righteous from the beginning to the\npresent day will be required of this generation? For our privileges\nare greater than those of the Jews in the meridian of time. Therefore\nit behooves each one of us to rid our garments of the blood of this\ngeneration by performing all our duties required in the gospel.\n\nIf this work must be performed for the dead from the beginning to\nthe end of time, how is it to be done? It is an exceptional case\nwhen a family record can be traced beyond the fifteenth century with\nany degree of accuracy, and most all of those that can, merely give\nthe name of the Father and first-born son, or the name of the one\ninheriting the estate. In extent of time three or four hundred years\nis but a moment. What, then, are we to do for the great multitudes of\nour kindred who antedate the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries, whose\nrecords were never kept, and consequently we cannot obtain? Will the\nLord hold us accountable for these dead, and punish us for not doing\ntheir work, when we are powerless to act? Not in the least. The Lord\nrequires of us that we do all we can, no more than that. He will assist\nus if we will try, and the way will be opened before us, as has been\nthe case in innumerable instances, so that we can accomplish a great\ndeal more than we at first think we can. There is enough that we can do\nfor the dead, from the records which can be obtained today, to fill a\nhundred temples daily, and then we would not be through, at the rate we\nare working, before Christ will come to reign.\n\nWe are expected to save as many as we possibly can with the knowledge\nwe possess, and when the Redeemer comes to reign on earth, there will\nbe a closer communication between the mortal and the resurrected Saints\nwho will work hand in hand in the redemption of the dead. Those who\nhave passed beyond will then be in a position to furnish to their\nmortal kin all necessary names for temple work; and thus the labor for\ntheir salvation will be facilitated and more accurately done than it\npossibly can be done today.\n\nEven now hundreds of thousands of records have been prepared, the names\nof many millions of souls have been published and are accessible to the\nmembers of the Church. Each year new genealogical records are being\nprepared in vast numbers more rapidly than we can do the work. And the\nSaints with all their diligence, are not doing all that could be done.\nComparatively, we are few in numbers, and the capacity of our temples,\nlimited; but we should increase the work by increasing the number of\nworkers. When the present temples will not accommodate all who desire\nto attend, the Lord will require that other temples be erected.\n\nThere are in the Church today (1910) over forty-one thousand seven\nhundred men holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, and every faithful\nelder has access to the temples. Suppose that each of the forty-one\nthousand seven hundred elders should go to one of the temples one day\neach month--and where they cannot go, they might send and have the work\ndone for them--what would be the result? The work would be done for\nfive hundred thousand each year. If an equal number of sisters would do\nthe same, there would be one million souls endowed every year. If we\nspent one day each month in the temples saving our dead, just twelve\ndays out of the three hundred and sixty-five of the year, brethren and\nsisters, would any of us be doing more than our share? Could we even\nfeel that we were doing our full duty, when the responsibility given us\nis so great, and the Saints have not too much time to save and redeem\ntheir dead and gather together their living relatives, that they may\nbe saved also before the earth will be smitten, and the consummation\ndecreed falls upon the world? Suppose we did all this each year, in the\ncourse of a century we would have endowed one hundred million souls,\nwhich is about the present population of the United States, and a very\nsmall part of the work for those whose records we may now obtain. In\nthe library of the Genealogical Society of Utah--which society was\norganized in 1894 as an aid to the Saints who desire to do temple\nwork--situated in the Church Office Building, Salt Lake City, we have\non file thousands of records, containing millions of names that have\nbeen collected from the parish registers and other records both in the\nUnited States and Europe. These are accessible, and many are obtaining\nfrom them the names of their dead and performing in the temples the\nwork that will merit them a place in the Kingdom of God.\n\nAgain, suppose each one of us should fill out one baptismal blank of\ntwenty names, and send it to the temple every month, it would mean that\nover twenty million, sixteen thousand baptisms would be performed each\ntwelve months. Suppose we sent such a list but twice a year, we would\nthen baptize three million, three hundred and thirty-six thousand souls\neach year. Is this more than we ought to do? Is it more than we are\ncapable of doing? It certainly is a great deal more than we are doing;\nand, too, there are many individuals who are baptizing more than twenty\nevery month. If a few can do it, why can not more? The fact is, this\nquestion has not appealed to many of us, we have been so busy in other\npursuits, principally in the accumulation of worldly goods that we\ncannot carry with us, that we have had no time or inclination to do the\nwork for our dead. If one hundredth part of the energy expended by the\nmembers of the Church in other ways were directed in the channels of\ntemple work where it properly belongs, we could accomplish a great deal\nmore work than we are now doing for the salvation of the dead.\n\nBut one will say: \"I have done the work for all my ancestors of whom\nI have any knowledge. My genealogy can only be traced to my great\ngrandfather, beyond that all is dark. How can I be baptized each year\nfor twenty, forty, sixty, or more of my dead when we haven't their\nrecords?\" To such a person I reply: If you have done the work for\nall your known dead, and your record cannot be traced but one or two\ngenerations, you still have the privilege of assisting your neighbor\nwho lacks sufficient help and therefore cannot do the work for all his\ndead. Assist him and assist the temples with your financial as well as\nyour moral support, and the way may be opened before you that you can\nobtain more knowledge of your own dead.\n\nThere is one thing of importance, however, we must keep in mind. No\nperson has a right to select names promiscuously of any family, and go\nto the temple to perform the work for them. This cannot be tolerated,\nfor it would lead to confusion and duplication of work. Let each family\ndo the work for their own dead kindred, as they may have the right, and\nif they do work for others, it must be at the instance and with the\nconsent of the living relatives who are immediately concerned. A few\nindividuals have desired to do the work for men of renown, generals,\npresidents, magistrates, and others who have risen to prominent\nstations in the world. One object they apparently have in view is that\nthey may say they have done the work for such and such persons. But\nthere is an order in this work, as in all things pertaining to the\ngospel, and in no case should work be done in this manner, unless the\ncircumstances are such that proper sanction of the temple authorities\ncan be given.\n\nWe are also troubled at times by what are known as \"link-men,\"\nindividuals in the world who manufacture names so that they can\ncomplete unbroken a family line. This is done for the purpose of making\nmoney, and is, of course, knavery of the worst kind. Those who are\nguilty of this trickery do not understand salvation for the dead, and\nmay not fully realize the wickedness of such a course.\n\nLatter-day Saints should be accurate in their recording, and not depend\nentirely on the temple records for a history of their work. Temple\nrecord books are prepared for the use of the Saints so that each family\nmay keep their own record of their dead. This should be done that the\nrecord may be handed down from generation to generation. Remember it is\nout of the records that the dead are to be judged. We should be orderly\nin all things, and strive to get the spirit of the work, live our\nreligion and work out our own salvation by assisting in the salvation\nof our dead, for we without them cannot be made perfect.\n\nIn the words of the prophet, I shall conclude,\n\n  Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward\n  and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the\n  victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceeding glad. Let\n  the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth\n  anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained\n  before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem\n  them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.[P]\n\n[Footnote P: Doc. & Cov. 128:22.]","title":"Salvation Universal","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":12153}