Chapter II: Part 2

While many honorable men and women in the world are accomplishing a great work in searching out and compiling genealogical data, their labors serve only as the means to the end. The greatest work, after all, devolves on the members of the Church who have the priesthood, power and privilege, to go into the temples, taking the names from these compiled records and from all other authentic sources and performing the ordinances in behalf of their dead. We live in the greatest dispensation of the world's history, that of the fulness of times, when all things are to be gathered and restored to their proper order, ushering in the millennial reign of the Redeemer and the righteous. Do we Latter-day Saints fully realize the importance of the mighty responsibility placed upon us in relation to the salvation of the world? We are doing a great deal in the attempt to convert and save a perverse and wicked generation; we are sending hundreds of missionaries into all parts of the earth, and are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in this very necessary labor, with results that are not so very startling. We are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in the building of meetinghouses, church schools and other buildings, and in the education of the youth of Israel, in developing and improving our lands, building cities and increasing our communities, publishing periodicals and magazines, and in every way diligently striving to improve our own people, and disseminate knowledge that will convert the world to the gospel; but what are we doing for the salvation of our dead? Many there are, it is true, who comprehend this greater work, and are faithfully discharging their duties in the temples of the Lord, but of others this cannot be said. The temple in Salt Lake City has for many months been so crowded with anxious, earnest workers, that it has been necessary many times to turn large numbers away because there was not sufficient room. This is a good sign, showing the willingness and activity of the Saints. But this condition does not relieve from responsibility the inactive, dilatory members, who are doing nothing for their dead. These persons cannot expect to receive credit for what others may be doing. The responsibility rests with equal force on all according to our individual ability and opportunities. It matters not what else we have been called to do, or what position we may occupy, or how faithfully in other ways we have labored in the Church, none are exempt from this great obligation. It is required of the apostle as well as the humblest elder. Place or distinction, or long service in the Church, in the mission field, the stakes of Zion, or where or how else it may have been, will not entitle one to disregard the salvation of one's dead. Some may feel that if they pay their tithing, attend their regular meetings and other duties, give of their substance to the poor, perchance spend one, two or more years preaching in the world, that they are absolved from further duty. But the greatest and grandest duty of all is to labor for the dead. We may and should derail these other things, for which reward will be given, but if we neglect the weightier privilege and commandment, notwithstanding all other good works, we shall find ourselves under severe condemnation. And why such condemnation? Because "the greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us, is to seek after our dead;"[J] Because we cannot be saved without them, "It is necessary that those who have gone before and those who come after us should have salvation in common with us, and thus hath God made it obligatory to man,"[K] says the Prophet Joseph Smith. From this, then, we see that while it is necessary to preach the gospel in the nations of the earth, and to do all other good works in the Church, yet the greatest commandment given us, and made obligatory, is the temple work in our own behalf and in behalf of our dead.

[Footnote J: Joseph Smith in Times and Seasons 6:616.]

[Footnote K: Ibid.]

Again the Prophet says:

Baptism for the dead is the only way that men can appear
as saviors upon Mount Zion. The proclamation of the first principles
of the gospel was a means of salvation to man individually,
but men, by actively engaging in rites of salvation substitutionally,
become instrumental in bringing multitudes of their
kin into the kingdom of God. * * * This doctrine appears
glorious inasmuch as it exhibits the greatness of divine compassion
and benevolence in the extent of the plan of human salvation.
This glorious truth is well calculated to enlarge the understanding,
and to sustain the soul under troubles, difficulties,
and distresses. * * * This doctrine presents in a clear light
the wisdom and mercy of God, in preparing and ordinance for the
salvation of the dead, being baptized by proxy, their names recorded
in heaven, and they judged according to the deeds done
in the body. This doctrine was the burden of the scriptures.
Those Saints who neglected it, in behalf of their deceased relatives,
do it at the peril of their own salvation.[L]

[Footnote L: Times and Seasons 2:545-6.]

The reason our own salvation stands in jeopardy is because it is necessary that the parents and children not only receive the ordinance of baptism, but they must be joined together from generation to generation. It is necessary for us to go into the temples, be baptized, confirmed, and receive all the ordinances for our dead, just as we receive them for ourselves.[M]

[Footnote M: History of the Church, May 12, 1844.]

It is sufficient to know that the earth will be smitten with
a curse, unless there is a welding link of some kind or other,
between the fathers and the children upon some subject or other,
and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead.
For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they
without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made
perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it
is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness
of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that
a whole and complete and perfect union and welding together
of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take
place, and be revealed, from the days of Adam even to the present
time and not only this but those things which never have
been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been
kept hid from the wise and prudent shall be revealed unto babes
and sucklings in this dispensation of the fulness of times.[N]

[Footnote N: Doc. & Cov. 128:18.]

Again, quoting from the prophet:

The Bible says, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he
shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the
earth with a curse.

Now, the word turn here should be translated bind or seal.
But what is the object of this important mission? or how is it to
be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah
is to come, the gospel to be established, the Saints of God to be
gathered, Zion built up, and the Saints to come up as saviors on
Mount Zion.

But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By
building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going
forth and receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations,
washings, anointings, ordinations and sealing powers upon their
heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem
them that they may come forth in the first resurrection
and be exalted to thrones of glory with them, and herein is the
chain that binds the hearts of the fathers to the children, and
children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah. And
I would that this temple were now done, that we might go into
it, and go to work and improve our time, and make use of the
seals while they are on earth.

The Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their
dead, and gather together their living relatives, that they may be
saved also, before the earth wil be smitten, and the consummation
decreed falls upon the world.[O]

[Footnote O: History of the Church, Jan. 20, 1844.]

These passages emphasize the importance of the work for the dead, for we cannot be saved without them, nor can they be saved without us. Our salvation cannot be accomplished unless the fathers and the children are joined together, bound, sealed in perfect family order. Husbands must be united by authority to their wives; children to their parents, until there is one grand family composed of all the faithful from the beginning to the end of time, with Adam, our progenitor standing in his calling as the father of us all.

How great is the responsibility of the Latter-day Saints! No wonder the theme occupied the prophet's mind so constantly, just before his death, for upon the Saints devolves the labor of this universal redemption! Is not this the greatest, most glorious duty in the world? How terrible would be the consequences should we fail! The earth would be smitten with a curse, and utterly wasted. The work of all the dispensations would be lost, the dead as well as the living would be denied salvation. Anarchy, confusion, even chaos, would reign supreme: for this salvation must come by our endeavors, and we cannot fail. Individuals may fail to do their part, and be rejected for their failure, but the work of the Lord shall go on and increase from day to day, until redemption of the dead shall be accomplished.

If all the righteous blood from the days of Abel to the days of Zacharias, was required of the Jews in the days of Christ, because they neglected to do their duty in this regard, is it unreasonable to suppose that the blood of all the righteous from the beginning to the present day will be required of this generation? For our privileges are greater than those of the Jews in the meridian of time. Therefore it behooves each one of us to rid our garments of the blood of this generation by performing all our duties required in the gospel.

If this work must be performed for the dead from the beginning to the end of time, how is it to be done? It is an exceptional case when a family record can be traced beyond the fifteenth century with any degree of accuracy, and most all of those that can, merely give the name of the Father and first-born son, or the name of the one inheriting the estate. In extent of time three or four hundred years is but a moment. What, then, are we to do for the great multitudes of our kindred who antedate the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries, whose records were never kept, and consequently we cannot obtain? Will the Lord hold us accountable for these dead, and punish us for not doing their work, when we are powerless to act? Not in the least. The Lord requires of us that we do all we can, no more than that. He will assist us if we will try, and the way will be opened before us, as has been the case in innumerable instances, so that we can accomplish a great deal more than we at first think we can. There is enough that we can do for the dead, from the records which can be obtained today, to fill a hundred temples daily, and then we would not be through, at the rate we are working, before Christ will come to reign.

We are expected to save as many as we possibly can with the knowledge we possess, and when the Redeemer comes to reign on earth, there will be a closer communication between the mortal and the resurrected Saints who will work hand in hand in the redemption of the dead. Those who have passed beyond will then be in a position to furnish to their mortal kin all necessary names for temple work; and thus the labor for their salvation will be facilitated and more accurately done than it possibly can be done today.

Even now hundreds of thousands of records have been prepared, the names of many millions of souls have been published and are accessible to the members of the Church. Each year new genealogical records are being prepared in vast numbers more rapidly than we can do the work. And the Saints with all their diligence, are not doing all that could be done. Comparatively, we are few in numbers, and the capacity of our temples, limited; but we should increase the work by increasing the number of workers. When the present temples will not accommodate all who desire to attend, the Lord will require that other temples be erected.

There are in the Church today (1910) over forty-one thousand seven hundred men holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, and every faithful elder has access to the temples. Suppose that each of the forty-one thousand seven hundred elders should go to one of the temples one day each month--and where they cannot go, they might send and have the work done for them--what would be the result? The work would be done for five hundred thousand each year. If an equal number of sisters would do the same, there would be one million souls endowed every year. If we spent one day each month in the temples saving our dead, just twelve days out of the three hundred and sixty-five of the year, brethren and sisters, would any of us be doing more than our share? Could we even feel that we were doing our full duty, when the responsibility given us is so great, and the Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their dead and gather together their living relatives, that they may be saved also before the earth will be smitten, and the consummation decreed falls upon the world? Suppose we did all this each year, in the course of a century we would have endowed one hundred million souls, which is about the present population of the United States, and a very small part of the work for those whose records we may now obtain. In the library of the Genealogical Society of Utah--which society was organized in 1894 as an aid to the Saints who desire to do temple work--situated in the Church Office Building, Salt Lake City, we have on file thousands of records, containing millions of names that have been collected from the parish registers and other records both in the United States and Europe. These are accessible, and many are obtaining from them the names of their dead and performing in the temples the work that will merit them a place in the Kingdom of God.

Again, suppose each one of us should fill out one baptismal blank of twenty names, and send it to the temple every month, it would mean that over twenty million, sixteen thousand baptisms would be performed each twelve months. Suppose we sent such a list but twice a year, we would then baptize three million, three hundred and thirty-six thousand souls each year. Is this more than we ought to do? Is it more than we are capable of doing? It certainly is a great deal more than we are doing; and, too, there are many individuals who are baptizing more than twenty every month. If a few can do it, why can not more? The fact is, this question has not appealed to many of us, we have been so busy in other pursuits, principally in the accumulation of worldly goods that we cannot carry with us, that we have had no time or inclination to do the work for our dead. If one hundredth part of the energy expended by the members of the Church in other ways were directed in the channels of temple work where it properly belongs, we could accomplish a great deal more work than we are now doing for the salvation of the dead.

But one will say: "I have done the work for all my ancestors of whom I have any knowledge. My genealogy can only be traced to my great grandfather, beyond that all is dark. How can I be baptized each year for twenty, forty, sixty, or more of my dead when we haven't their records?" To such a person I reply: If you have done the work for all your known dead, and your record cannot be traced but one or two generations, you still have the privilege of assisting your neighbor who lacks sufficient help and therefore cannot do the work for all his dead. Assist him and assist the temples with your financial as well as your moral support, and the way may be opened before you that you can obtain more knowledge of your own dead.

There is one thing of importance, however, we must keep in mind. No person has a right to select names promiscuously of any family, and go to the temple to perform the work for them. This cannot be tolerated, for it would lead to confusion and duplication of work. Let each family do the work for their own dead kindred, as they may have the right, and if they do work for others, it must be at the instance and with the consent of the living relatives who are immediately concerned. A few individuals have desired to do the work for men of renown, generals, presidents, magistrates, and others who have risen to prominent stations in the world. One object they apparently have in view is that they may say they have done the work for such and such persons. But there is an order in this work, as in all things pertaining to the gospel, and in no case should work be done in this manner, unless the circumstances are such that proper sanction of the temple authorities can be given.

We are also troubled at times by what are known as "link-men," individuals in the world who manufacture names so that they can complete unbroken a family line. This is done for the purpose of making money, and is, of course, knavery of the worst kind. Those who are guilty of this trickery do not understand salvation for the dead, and may not fully realize the wickedness of such a course.

Latter-day Saints should be accurate in their recording, and not depend entirely on the temple records for a history of their work. Temple record books are prepared for the use of the Saints so that each family may keep their own record of their dead. This should be done that the record may be handed down from generation to generation. Remember it is out of the records that the dead are to be judged. We should be orderly in all things, and strive to get the spirit of the work, live our religion and work out our own salvation by assisting in the salvation of our dead, for we without them cannot be made perfect.

In the words of the prophet, I shall conclude,

Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward
and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the
victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceeding glad. Let
the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth
anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained
before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem
them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.[P]

[Footnote P: Doc. & Cov. 128:22.]

End of Project Gutenberg's Salvation Universal, by Joseph Fielding Smith