| 626 of heaven is to you, to all, gather: and when you arrive here, if it is found that you have previously sent up of your gold or your silver, or your substance, the tythings [tithing] and consecrations which are required of you, for this building, you will find your names, tithings, and consecrations written in the Book of the Law of the Lord, to be kept in the Temple, as a witness in your favor, showing that you are a proprietor in that building, and are entitled to your share of the privileges thereunto belonging.
One of those privileges which is particularly attracting the notice of the saints at the present moment, is baptism for the dead, &c. in the font, which is so far completed as to be dedicated, and several have already attended to this ordinance by which the sick have been made whole, and the prisoner set free; but while we have been called to administer this ordinance, we have been led to enquire [inquire] into the propriety of baptizing those who have not been obedient, and assisted to build the place for baptism, and it seems to us unreasonable to expect that the Great Jehovah will approbate such an administration; for if the church must be brought under condemnation and rejected with her dead if she fail to build the house, and its appurtenances, why should not individuals of the church, who thus neglect, come under the same condemnation? And if they are to be rejected they may as well be rejected without baptism as with, for their baptism can be of no avail before God, and the time to baptize them may be appropriated to building the walls of the house, and this is according to the understanding which we have received from him who is our spokesman.
Let it not be supposed that the sick and the destitute are to be denied the blessings of the Lord's House; God forbid; his eye is ever upon them for good. He that hath not, and cannot obtain, but saith in his heart if I had, I would give freely, is accepted as freely as he that gives of his abundance. The Temple is to be built by tything [tithing] and consecration, and every one is at liberty to consecrate all they find in their hearts so to do; but the tythings [tithings] required, is one tenth of all any one possessed at the commencement of the building, and one tenth part of all his increase from that time till the completion of the same, whether it be money or whatever he may be blessed with. Many, in this place, are laboring every tenth day for the house, and this is the tything [tithing] of their income, for they have nothing else; others would labor the same but they are sick, therefore, excusable, when they get well let them begin: while there are others who appear to think their own business of more importance than the Lord's: to such we would ask, who gave you your time, health, strength, and put you into business? and will you not begin quickly to return with usury that which you have received? Our God will not wait always.
We would remind some two or three hundred Elders, who offered to go out on missions, some six months, others one year, and some two years, and had their missions assigned them at the general conference to labor on the Temple, that most of their names are still with us, and we wish them to call and take their names away, and give them up to the building committee. Brethren you have as great an interest at stake in this thing as we have, but as our Master, even the Master builder of the Temple, whose throne is on high, has seen fit to constitute us stewards in some parts of his household; we feel it important for us to see to it that our Master is not defrauded, and especially by those who have pledged their word, their time, their talents, to his services; and we hope this gentle hint will suffice, that we may not be compelled to publish the names of those referred to.
Probably some may think they could have gone on a mission but cannot labor as they have no means of boarding themselves, but let such remember that several score of brethren and sisters in this city, offered to the general conference, to board one or more laborers on the Temple till the same should be completed, and but few of those, as yet, have had the opportunity of boarding. To all such we would say you are not forgotten, we have your names, also, and we expect soon to send some one to your table, therefore put your houses in order and never be ready to refuse the first offer of a guest.
Large stores of provisions will be required to complete the work, and now is the time for securing it, while meat is plenty and can be had for one half the value that it can at other seasons of the
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