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TEMPLES, 1920.
1920: 22 Jan.: Protection afforded by wearing of garments.
“I attended meeting in Temple. Joseph F. Smith spoke on garments. He told of a man who got enveloped in a coil of rope and fell. The garment saved him from getting burned by the sliding on the rope.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 22 Jan., 1920)
4 Mar.: Confession of sins in Temple.
“I attended meeting in Temple. A couple came to me heart-broken and confessed their misstep. They had been married six months and have felt that they could not go through the Tmeple with such a sin on them. I gave them a good talk and I felt pleased that they were honest enough to come and confess before going through the sacred service. I told them that if they will live pure lives and keep the covenants they had and would make today and truly repent of their sin the Lord would forgive them.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 4 Mar., 1920)
23 Apr.: Blessed to die/gave 2nd anointing.
“At 11.30 I was called to go to the Hospital to administer to Canute W. Peterson; but when I arrived there he did not know me, however, William Lund and I administered to him. I said ‘If his earthly mission is ended may he be spared much suffering.’ I felt deep sympathy for Hilda and the Children. He died an hour afterward. I gave Second Anointings to Ray Shurtlief and wife.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 23 Apr., 1920)
11 Jun.: 2nd anointings given for the dead.
“A large congregation in the Temple. I gave two anointings for John Done and wife deceased. The son acted for them.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 11 Jun., 1920)
Jul.: Manifestations in Manti Temple.
“I will mention no names of the persons who witnessed the following occurrences, but I can vouch for the truth of them all, as they were given unsolicited, and by every-day common-sensed people, of mature years, whom the Lored favored by giving them a glimpse of the work they were engaged in and how their labors were received by those for whom they were officiating.
These experiences all happened in the Manti Temple, whose white castellated spires and pinnacles soar heavenwards, and at the base of the hill upon which it stands, stretching away to the south nestles ‘A place delightsome to the eye, a city known as dear Manti.’
A Mrs. A. told me only last year of the following which she had witnessed one morning some years ago in the room of the Temple where the morning services are held: She noticed a personage go over to the desk of the recorder who was sitting by the east window, (those who have been to the Manti Temple will know where that is), and glance over his shoulder and eagerly scan the record he was writing. He then crossed the room to the table by the entrance where the other recorder sat and did the same thing; and, apparently, after satisfying his curiosity stepped into the hall and disappeared. Mrs. A. who witnessed this unusual occurrence, for it showed so much curiosity on the part of the visitor, went to the door to see who it was, and looked up and down the long corridor, but could see no trace of the mysterious stranger. She asked some of those near iher if they had witnessed what she had, but none had; it instantly flashed on her that it was a personage from the Spirit world who had come to scan the records.
When I heard the above related, it appealed to me, and many times since, how carefully our labors are watched; and this accounts for the way the recorders are moved upon to do certain things, and correct errors which will creep in at times and which being of vital importance to the dead, must be corrected. I will give an instance out of many which I have experienced to elucidate my point.
Last January Sister B. one morning, before the services, handed me heir ticket upon which was written the name of the person she was going to officiate for that day, and asked me to look at it. The name was written very plainly, and it was not a difficult name to remember, but as I looked at it, the thought came to me, I wonder if the surname is right? Having many persons to wait upon, it passed from my mind, until late along in the morning it came to me again, and I had no rest until I had looked up the item on the daily record; and, sure enough, there was a different surname written to the one Sister B. had on her ticket and had shown me. No one but myself and the dead knew of this error; and when I got home that evening I had no peace of mind until I had phoned to Sister B. and verified the name which she had officiated for that day. She came to the Temple two days after and brought the ticket with her and the proof of what she had performed: We were able to have the right person officiated for, and I had rest and satisfaction in my mind from then on concerning it. This exemplifies the words found in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 128, verse 14. ‘And as are the records on earth in relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in heaven.’
This should appeal to all who labor in the Temples of the great necessity of being accurate in giving in their records of the dead, so that there can be no possibility of doubt in the Spirit world as to the identity of the person officiated for and the records show that he or she is entitled to all the blessings and privileges which their relatives on earth desire to estend to them through these holy ordinances performed in the Temples of the Lord.
A venerable patriarch of the Church, who is now dead, once related to the writer the following: The patriarch, whom we will call Mr. C., came to the Manti Temple some years ago when President John D. McAllister presided there. It was on a Tuesday when baptisms were being performed. Having none of his own to officiate for, he was however invited into the room where this sacred ordinance is performed, and as he sat on his seat and witnessed the ceremony, he became very much interested as indeed he might be, for he was gazing into the Spirit world and to his view appeared the spirits of those who were being officiated for, by proxy, in the font in front of him. There they stood waiting their turn, and as the recorder called off the name of the person to be baptized for Mr. C. noticed a pleasant smile come over the face of the person whose name had been called, and he would leave the group of fellow spirits, and pass over to the side of the recorder and watch his or her own baptism performed by the proxy, and with a joyful countenance pass away and make room for the next favored personage, who was to enjoy the same privilege. Mr. C. whose eyes had been rivited on this beautiful scene, noticed at last that some were beginning to turn away with sorrowful countenances and then his mind and sight came to things material, so to speak; for he looked around him, and saw that the font foom was getting deserted, the day’s baptisms were at an end, and the recorder was gathering up his records and stepping down from his desk.
I often think of this event, as it has appealed to me so much, for I so often sit at the font, and call off the names to be officiated for, which mean so much to the dead.
Last January a lady, whom we will call Mrs. D., was in Manti, having come from the Southern states. She was one who had made many sacrifices for her religion. She was unable herself to go to the Temple that day, but I called to take her names, at her request, to be officiated for. Having occasion later on in the week to call upon her and bring some other Temple records she wanted, she related to me the following remarkable instance concerning one of the names on the list she handed to me the previous Tuesday. I will say that the names she had were of her near relatives, which she had gathered from memory of family sources. We are all aware that the faimly records of the Southern Sattes are very meagre when it comes to vital records being kept by town officials.
Mrs. D. was accustomed to arise, she told me, about 6:20 a.m. as she had certain work to perform. A few mornings before, she awoke as usual, but a feeling of drowsiness came over her which she could not shake off, and she went to sleep again. When in that state her dead mother appeared to her, smiled upon her, and said words of encouragement for the work she was performing, in the Temple at so much sacrifice to her earthly comforts. She placed before her eyes a Temple blank upon which she had written some names, in a fine, clear hand-writing, for she was a well educated and refined lady. The mother called her attention to the name of Sarah, which Mrs. D. had omitted and said she was her father’s aunt, a young woman who had been unmarried, yet had reached maturity, and she felt grieved that she had been left out when all her brothers and sisters had been included. Mrs. D. told me that she had a slight remembrance when a small child of hearing her father speak of an aunt Sarah, but it passed from her mind in later years. Mrs. D.’s mother was well loved by her father’s people, and had been given the privileges of visiting her daughter Mrs. D. to bring to her this information which she could not have obtained in any other way, for her father was dead. This was a great testimony to Mrs. D. of the worth of the work she was doing for her dead, and how it was appreciated.
Another instance which happened some six years or so ago was related to me by an eldely lady whom we will call Mrs. E. Previous to this she had been a litt,e shall I say, skeptical of the acceptance of ordinances by the dead for whom she labored; but after this event all doubt was removed, and she has done a great work for her dead since, as the records came along, although at that time it looked very difficult for her to ever obtain any.
She told me that one morning when working in the Temple, she saw with astonishment the form of the person she was officiating for standing before her, and seemingly was exhibiting great anxiety and urging Mrs. E. to perform those sacred ordinances for her as quickly as possible. When Mrs. E. left the room the vision vanished, but the sight of the person, and what she had seen was indelibly impressed on her for the rest of the day, and influenced her greatly that day, and for long after.
The following happened with my own wife on a day I will never forget, viz., the 8th of June, 1905. She had been a sufferer for some four years or so with a most depressing feeling, a mental or nervous affliction, which nothing seemed to cure, and she often said that death would be sweet. The Lord had a purpose in it, and a chapter could be written in explanation of that through which she passed. She had been promised if she would go to the Temple and labor for the dead, in time, she would be healed. Lucifer was aware of this promise, and prevented its fulfillment all he could, as we knew to our cost many times. This day, however, she said at the breakfast table: ‘I want to go to the Temple today,’ of course we were delighted, and I gave her the name of my great grandmother to officiate for. She had been baptized the previous Tuesday. Her given or surname I did not know only that she was the wife of my great grandfather, Captain John Hatton, who at his death, was Commodore of the fleet of the East India Co. I took my wife to the Temple as usual, and went to my work at the Manti Bank, where at that time I was Assistant Cashier. Coming home at noon, what a wonderful change I saw! Looking at the smiling face of my wife, beaming with happiness and joy! Could it be possible, I thought, that she was the same person I had left that morning at the Temple door? And then she related to me what had occurred. In taking the endowments of my great grandmother Hatton she was aware of her presence near her, and in one of the rooms she whispered to herself, ‘I wonder if I shall ever see her,’ and then as quick as thought came the answer from a voice, she told me she distinctly heard, ‘Yes, you will.’
As she continued that morning in her labors passing from one stage of the endowments to another, she became aware of the fact that she was enjoying a peace of mind and body she had not experienced for years, and by the time she had finished the work, and left the Temple she was a healed woman; and as she walked down the Temple hill, like Christian in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress whose bundle fell from his back when he reached the Cross of Christ, her affliction and the burden she had carried for four long years slipped from her back, and she was never troubled again with it until her death, which happened some months ago, and she can now see and converse with my great grandmother in the spirit world as she told her she would, on that eventful day in June of 1905.
Now comes the last instance I wish to relate, and which happened quite recently. A certain brother and his wife whom we will call Mr. F. were acting as proxies at the altar for some six or seven couples who were being sealed as husband and wife and who were living in England some 250 or more years ago.
Mr. F. told me that when he had reached the second couple he did not seem to notice his wife or much of the ceremony and words that the one said who was performing the sealing, for his spiritual eyes were opened, and he gazed into a room about the size of the one he was in, and saw some twelve or thirteen couples standing there dressed in their Temple clothes. This number corresponded to the number to be sealed that day, as there was another list of six couples to be sealed after Mr. F. was finished. Mr. F. told me he had never seen anything so wonderful, or felt so enraptured in his life, as when the sealing ordinance of the second couple was ended, and he saw them embrace one another, and witnessed the heavenly joy and happiness that their countenances exhibited. Yes when we think of husbands and wives being separated for 200 and 300 years from each other, we are unable to describe the joy they would have in the thought that from now on time nor eternity cannot separate them. During the ceremony Mrs. F. had to endeavor to bring Mr. F. to a sense of what he was doing, as she could see that he was not acting naturally, but she did not know the cause at the time, but when Mr. F. came once again to his natural senses, he found himself in tears, the manifestation he had witnessed had impresed him so, and he never can forget it.
Personally, I have never been privileged to witness with my eyes any experiences which I have above related, but on several occasions I have enjoyed a burning sensation in my breast, and my emotions have sought relief in tears of joy and happiness as personages of my own relatives and dead kindred have in this manner made me feel their presence and gratitude for the work I have had performed for them, which is very similar to the experience of the two disciples journeying to Emmaus of whom we read in Luke 24th chapter and who, unknown to them were joined by our Savior who conversed with them, and his presence caused that burning sensation they experienced in their breasts as verse 32 tells us. These are some of the joys and blessings which the labors for the dead bring to the faithful in these holy Temples erected in our midst.” (J. Hatten Carpenter, Recorder in the Manti Temple, UGHM 11:117-122, Jul., 1920)
Sep.: Can resurrected Saints do temple work?
“The following questions have been submitted by a reader of the Era, and are answered by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, of the Council of the Twelve:
. . . .
Second: Will resurrected beings who are not baptized be baptized in person, or will mortal beings act for them as they now do for the dead?
Third: Will the resurrected Saints do temple work in the Millennium for the dead, and officiate for those who are not resurrected who belong to the telestial kingdom?
. . . .
Answer to the Second Question: Baptism is an ordinance which pertains to mortal life and those who have passed beyond, whether they were in the spirit world or had passed through the resurrection, no longer belong to mortality, and therefore cannot be baptized in person. If this could be done, there would be no need for us to officiate for the dead by proxy now, for they could act for themselves after the resurrection.
Answer to the Third Question: Saints who have received their resurrection may assist in temple work by furnishing information, but they will not act or officiate in the temples, for the reason given in answer to question two. President Brigham Young said such beings will reveal to mortal men the necessary information, so that every soul who is entitled to receive the ordinances of the temple may and will have that privilege by proxy. The temple work pertains to salvation and exaltation in the Celestial kingdom. Those who belong to the Telestial kingdom will not receive these blessings.” (“Editor’s Table,” IE 23(11):1029-1030, Sep., 1920)
Sep.: Sacred vestments of ancient people.
“From the time when people first began to wear clothing, men have made for themselves separate vestments for religious purposes. Moderns may question or even ridicule this custom. Americans, with their growing contempt for all symbolism and religious observances, with their worship of the commonplace and their scorn for tradition and ceremonials, are apt to underestimate the value of such symbolic customs as have been common to all ancient people.
Anything which is sacred is set apart, and the human mind is so constituted that unless things are set apart by the mind and by the body from the ordinary and everyday observances, we should loose all vestige of reverence and forget there was anything sacred in the world. The child regards his Sabbath raiment as a very part of the Sabbath-day worship, and rightly so, for the symbolism of the unusual clothing worn on the Sabbath-day and on holidays serves a wider purpose than thoughtless people realize. Houses, vessels, and vestments must be separated from those in common use, if they are to represent to the human mind a superior Being and a divine worship of that Being.
It is with this thought in mind that all the peoples of the earth have arranged special clothing for those who minister in religious ordinances. The Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Chinese, and East Indians, all carry these customs to the utmost limit. Even today, in the Oriental nations, this custom still prevails. While the Catholic priests and the Church of England clothe their bishops and priests in gorgeous regalia. The clothing of modern kings and queens is a survival of this custom.
The Lord himself taught Moses the psychological value of buildings, vessels, and clothing, which were to be used only for sacred purposes and to be worn by men when in the service of the sacred house. Let us look into the pages of the Peutateuch and discover there what the Lord had to say on these matters. During the forty days that Moses was on the Mount he wrote out the most minute instructions, through the revelations of the Lord, for the building and equipment of his holy house and for the clothing of the priests who were to administer therein.
In accounts given us by Moses in Exodus and Leviticus there are extremely detailed accounts of the clothing to be worn, especially of the outer garments, with which Aaron and his sons were to be clothed. It will be noted that not much description is given of the sacred inner garments, but the outer robe which is to cover these garments from the gaze of the multitude, is very minutely described. The symbolism of the ephod and the embroidered robe which is to cover the linen robe and garments, is both simple and beautiful. Each tribe was represented in the Jewels of the Crown which covered the linen bonnet and which ador[n]ed the breastplate and ephod. On two onyx stones were engraven the names of the Tribes of Israel, six on one stone and six on another. These two stones were worn upon the shoulders as a sort of buckle fastening the chains of pure gold which held up the breastplate. In the ephod, or outer robe, which was made of gold, of blue, of purple, of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, were four rows of stones. A sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle, on the first row. The second row contained an emerald, a saphire, and a diamond. The third row, a ligure, an agate, and amethyst; while the fourth row was set with a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. These twelve stones were engraved with the names of the twleve tries of Israel and whenever Aaron put the breastplate and epod upon his shoulders he represented symbolically the twelve tribes of Israel, as he appeared in the Holy Place. In the center of the breastplace [sic] was the urim and thummim, which instrument gave out upon certain occasions the judgment of the Lord and his revelations to Moses and Aaron.
The ephod was a most magnificent robe of blue. It was woven all in one garment with an opening through which to insert the head of Aaron. Upon the hem of the ephod was embroidered pomegranates in rich, blue, purple, and scarlet threads. The pomegranate flower is one of the most gorgeous blossoms of the orient. As a fringe to the garment there were tiny golden bells whose musical tinkle was heard by the priests without when Aaron went into the Holy Place to minister.
The white linen bonnet worn by Aaron and the priests was covered with a golden crown. Across the piece that encircled the forehead was engraved “Holiness to the Lord.” This symbolic crown constituted Aaron and the high priests who followed him, the vicarious minister for the people, making of him a symbolic vice gerent of the Lord, thus typifying in a sense the office of the Savior who bears upon his shoulders, as we are taught by Paul, the sins of the world. The coat of fine linen, the mitre of fine linen, and the girdle of fine linen, and the linen breeches, or garments, which were worn by Aaron and his sons, were covered, as we have noted, with outer colored robes richly embroidered and decorated as a symbol of the glory of the Lord.
We are taught also (Exodus, chap. 39, Lev., chap. 8), that Aaron and his sons were taken by Moses in the door of the tabernacle and were washed with water, anointed with oil, and then clothed with the garments, coats, girdles, and bonnets, after which the anointing oil was poured upon the altar and all their garments were sprinkled with the oil as a symbol and type.
It is surprising to note the many references in the scriptures to the garments and secret, or sacred clothing, as note the following references:
Chapter 28, Exodus, verses 2-4: Aaron and his sons to wear holy garments and robes.
Chapter 28, Exodus, verses 31-34: Details of construction of robes.
Chapter 29, Exodus, verse 5: Instructions concerning wearing these garments, or robes.
Chapter 31, Exodus, verse 10: Robes consecrated for ministry of Aaron and his sons.
Chapter 39, Exodus, verse 1: Holy garments for Aaron, in the Holy Place.
Chapter 19, Leviticus, verse 19: Garments of mingled materials not to be worn.
Chapter 8, Numbers, verse 19: The priests enjoined to wash their clothes.
Chapter 1, Chron., verse 27: David clothed in robe of fine linen.
Chapter 4, Nehemiah, verse 25: Put off sacred clothing for washing only.
Chapter 9, Ecclesiastes, verse 8: “Let thy garments be always white.”
Chapter 22, Isaiah, verse 21: Messiah clothed with a robe and girdle.
Chapter 52, Isaiah, verse 1: “Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem.”
Chapter 61, Isaiah, verse 10: “Garments of Salvation”; “Robe of Righteousness.”
Chapter 5, Daniel, verse 7: Significance in color of clothing.
Chapter 7, Daniel, verse 9: “Ancient of Days”; garment white as snow.
Chapter 22, Matthew, verse 11: Those without “wedding garment” cast out.
Chapter 5, Mark, verse 18: Christ’s clothing conveyed power of healing.
Chapter 24, Luke, verse 4: Two angels in shining garments.
Chapter 3, Rev., verses 4-5: Garments not defiled; given white raiment, etc.
Chapter 7, Rev., verse 9: A multitude clothed in white robes.
Chapter 6, Rev., verse 11: White robes given to the martyred saints.
Chapter 7, Rev., verses 13-15: The redeemed arrayed in white robes.
Chapter 15, Rev., verse 6: Seven angels clothed in pure and white linen.
Chapter 16, Rev., verse 15: “Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments.”
Chapter 19, Rev., verse 14: Heaven’s armies clothed in fine linen, pure and white.
We find the ancient writings of the Greeks, Egyptians, and Babylonians full of references to the sacred vestments worn by their priests.
In the “Jewish Encyclopedia,” in the article on Nimrod, we are told that when Noah was surprised by his sons that Ham stole the garments given to his father, Adam, and that when Nimrod, who received the garments from his father, Cush, (who was Ham’s son), Nimrod could command the beasts of the field and every living thing to obey him through the power upon him while thus clothed. We also learn from the same “Jewish Encyclopedia” in the article on dress that the first garments worn were made of the skins of animals with an apron of leaves. Afterwards the garments was [sic] made of linen. In the “Encyclopedia Britannica,” we find a reference in the article on Baptism concerning the Christian church directly after the crucifixion:
“The Montavists in Africa believed in baptism for the dead. Justin Martyr says, 90 A. D.: `Candidates for baptism fasted for one or two days as would their sponsors. The candidates stepped into the font quite naked, bishops, priests, and deacons officiated. After the candidate came out of the water he was breathed upon to exercise [sic] devils. He was given symbolically milk, honey, and salt. He was touched upon the arms, lips, and nose with spittle, accompanied by a ceremony of words. He was anointed with oil, then he was clothed in a white robe, and was given a new name.[‘]”
Garments and robes have formed the sacred part of the ceremonial belongings for priesthood office from the earliest days to the present time. All churches, especially the Catholic and Episcopalian religions, retain the altered and changed forms of clothing for their priesthood. Said a Catholic sister dressed as she was in her heavy woolen black veil and robe, with her white starched bonnet over her perspiring brow, when a “Mormon” woman asked her how she could wear such unsuitable clothing in the heat of the summer months: “I, madam? I wear these garments by the grace of God.” The priesthood of other churches consider it a great privilege and honor to wear the special clothing designed for such purposes, but the Latter-day Saints, who are all practically privileged, both men and women, to be partakers in the holy ordinances which are signalized and symbolized by the garments of the priesthood, these Latter-day Saints sometimes permit themselves to feel unwilling, and at times, resentful, with the privilege and honor thus bestowed upon them. Young people should be encouraged to study this subject so that their minds could grasp the symbolism of what they do and what they wear in sacred and holy places.
(“Sacred Vestments of Ancient People”; Susa Young Gates; Relief Society Magazine; d. 1023/f. 92; Sept. 1920.)
12 Oct.: 4 hours for endowment session.
“There is at present an unusual increased interest in temple activity. Our temples are crowded. The last time that I attended the Salt Lake Temple I was a member of the third company. One started early in the morning, one late in the forenoon, and my company started about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. It was about 6 p.m. before we had completed the day’s work.” (John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” 12 Oct., 1920. In UGHM 12:50, April, 1921)
12 Oct.: Apostate accounts “fairly complete and correct.”
“Many apostates have tried to reveal the ordinances of the House of the Lord. Some of their accounts form a fairly complete and correct story of the outward form of the temple service; but they are pitiful failures in making clear the eternal meaning of temple worship and the exaltation of spirit that is awakened by the understanding of that meaning.” (John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” 12 Oct., 1920. In UGHM 12:62, April, 1921)
12 Oct.: Endowment “packed full of revelations.”
“The endowment is so richly symbolic that only a fool would attempt to describe it; it is so packed full of revelations to those who exercise their strength to seek and see, that no human words can explain or make clear the possibilities that reside in the temple service. The endowment which was given my revelation can best be understood by revelation; and to those who seek most vigorously, with pure hearts, will the revelation be greatest.” (John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” 12 Oct., 1920. In UGHM 12:63, April, 1921)
12 Oct.: More preparation of young people necessary.
“Colonel Willard Young said last night, in casual conversation, that we should give more attention to preparing our young people and some of the older people, for the work they are to do in the temple. He is undoubtedly right in his view. It is not quite fair to let the young girl or young man enter the temple unprepared, unwarned, if you choose, with no explanation of the glorious possibilities of the first fine day in the temple.” (John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” 12 Oct., 1920. In UGHM 12:64, April, 1921)
12 Oct.: Temples in the days of Adam.
“There are evidences that even in patriarchal days, in the days of Adam, there was the equivalent of temples, for the priesthood was held in its fulness, as far as the people needed it; and there is every reason to believe that from Adam to Noah, temple worship was in operation. After the flood, the holy priesthood was continued; and we have every reason to believe, in sacred places, the ordinances of the temple were given to those entitled to receive them.” (John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” UGHM 12:52, Apr., 1921)
13 Oct.: The fulness of the priesthood.
“There is another reference that I want to call your attention to. Joseph Smith said further:
If a man gets a fullness of the Priesthood of God, he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord.
I hope we understand that. If we want to receive the fullness of the Priesthood of God, then we must receive the fullness of the ordinances of the house of the Lord and keep His commandments. This idea that we can put off our salvation because of some weaknesses of the flesh until the end, and then our children will go and do this work for us in the temple of the Lord when we are dead will get us nowhere. Salvation for the dead is for those who died without a knowledge of the Gospel so far as celestial glory is concerned. And those who have rejected the truth and who have fought the truth, who would not have it, are not destined to receive celestial glory. Now, the Lord says this–it is not my saing, I am glad to say, although I fully believe it.
Let me put this in a little different way. I do not care what office you hold in this Church, you may be an apostle, you may be a patriarch, a high priest, or anything else, and you cannot receive the fullness of the priesthood unles you go into the temple of the Lord and receive these ordinances of which the prophet speaks. No man can get the fullness of the priesthood outside of the temple of the Lord. There was a time when that could be done, for the Lord could give these things on the mountaintops–no doubt that is where Moses got it, that is no doubt where Elijah got it–and the Lord said that in the days of poverty, when there was no house prepared in which to receive these things, that they can be received on the mountain tops. But now we have got temples, and you cannot get these blessings on the mountain tops, you will have to go into the house of the Lord, and you cannot get the fullness of the priesthood unless you go there. Do not think because anybody has a higher office in this Church than you have, that you are barred from blessings, because you can go into the temple of the Lord and get all the blessings there are that have been revealed, if you are faithful, have them sealed upon you as an elder in this Church, and then you have all that any man can get. There have to be offices in the Church, and we are not all called to the same calling, but you can get the fullness of the priesthood in the temple of the Lord by obeying this which I have read to you. I want to make this emphatic.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, 13 Oct., 1920; address delivered under the auspices of the Genealogical Society of Utah at the Assembly Hall; UGHM 12:17-18, Jan., 1921)
14 Oct.: Oath to avenge the blood of the Prophets.
“I attended Temple meeting and the Council meeting of the 12 & Presidency. There were several question discussed about garments and the oath of prayer for God to avenge the blood of the prophets.” (Anthon H. Lund diary, 14 Oct., 1920)
20 Oct.: No exaltation w/o fulness of priesthood.
“There is no exaltation in the kingdom of God without the fulness of Priesthood. How could a man be an heir in that kingdom without Priesthood? While the sisters do not hold the Priesthood, they share in the fulness of its blessings in the Celestial Kingdom with their husbands. These blessings are obtained through obedience to the ordinances and covenants of the House of the Lord. The Prophet Joseph Smith once said: ‘If a man gets a fulness of the Priesthood of God, he has to get it * * * [in printed version] by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord.’ To obtain the fulness of the Priesthood does not mean that a man must become President of the Church. Every man who is faithful and will receive these ordinances and blessings obtains a fulness of the Priesthood, and the Lord has said that ‘he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.’ Only one man at a time on the earth holds the keys of the Priesthood; only one man at a time has the power to receive revelations for the Church; but the Lord has made it possible for every man in this Church, through his obedience, to receive the fulness of the Priesthood through the ordinances of the Temple of the Lord. This cannot be received anywhere else.
So being ordained an Elder, or a High Priest, or an Apostle, or even President of the Church, is not the thing that brings the exaltation, but obedience to the laws and the ordinances and the covenants required of those who desire to become members of the Church of the First Born as these are administered in the House of the Lord. To become a member of the Church of the First Born, as I understand it, is to become one of the inner circle. We are all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by being baptized and convirmed, and there are many who seem to be content to remain such without obtaining the privileges of exaltation. The Lord has made it possible for us to become members of the Church of the First Born by receiving the blessings of the House of the Lord, and ‘overcoming all things.’ Thus we become heirs, ‘priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory,’ who shall ‘dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever,’ with full exaltation. Are such blessings worth having?
I have said that only one man at a time on the earth holds the keys of this sealing power of Priesthood, but he may, and does, delegate power to others and they officiate under his direction in the Temples of the Lord. No man can officiate in these sealing ordinances until he receives the authority to do so by being set apart by the one who holds the keys, notwithstanding he may hold the Priesthood. All the authority exercised in the Temples, is then, after all, the authority centered in one man. He has the power and calls upon others to officiate and they seal upon us the keys and powers which, through our obedience, entitle us to become sons and daughters, and members of the Church of the First Born, receiving all things in the Kingdom. This is what we can get in the Temple, so that we become members of the faimly, sons and daughters of God, not servants.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, 20 Oct., 1920; address delivered at a meeting of the High Priests Quorum of the Salt Lake Stake, in the 17th Ward Meetinghouse; UGHM 21:99-101, Jul., 1930)