THE PROPHET'S CONNECTION WITH MASONRY.

(The following letter was written to one of the Presidents of Stakes in Idaho on the occasion of his submitting questions to Elder B. H. Roberts in regard to the Prophet Joseph's connection with Masonry.)

Salt Lake City, Utah,

March 11, 1921.

206

Mr.

Dear Brother:

Relative to the Prophet's connection with Masonry and the connection with the Temple ceremonies, and the endowment rites being copied from Masonry, etc., which are the subjects of your inquiry, I would respectfully submit the following:

While there is no doubt of the Prophet's connection with Masonry at Nauvoo and that about the same time of his first connection with Masonry he also introduced the endowment ceremonies, namely, on the 4th of May, 1842, the evidence, to my mind, is very clear that his knowledge of the endowment ceremonies preceded his contact with Masonry.

I believe the beginning of God's revelation to him of endowment ceremonies began with his getting possession of the Book of Abraham, in the form of Egyptian papyrus manuscript, facsimiles of which are to be found in the History of the Church, Vol. IV, pages 520-523, the word edited by myself. The Prophet first learned of this Book of Abraham on July 3, 1835 (See History of the Church, Vol. II, page 235) and the record was purchased shortly afterwards by the Saints in Kirtland. (For the Prophets account of this record, see Church History, Vol. II, pages 348-351.) A careful examination of facsimile No. 2 from the Book of Abraham, and the Prophet's half cryptic translation, which accompanies it, clearly shows that the sign and figures thereon refer to matters concerning grand key words of the Priesthood with the assertion that some of the writing cannot be revealed unto the world "but is to be had in the Holy Temple of God." Some nine of the figures in the facsimile are referred to, with the promise that they will be given in the due time of the Lord, all of which doubtless refers to the sacred mysteries of our Temple ordinances, and with all this from five to seven years before the Prophet's contact with Masonary.

In this connection also I call your attention to Doctrine and Covenants, Section 110, which contains the account of the visions of the Prophet in the Kirtland Temple, among which is the account of the appearance of Elias, who committed the dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham unto the Prophet, saying to Oliver and Joseph that in them and in their seed all generations after them would be blessed. Undoubtedly this Elias stood at the head of the dispensation of the Gospel on the earth in the days of Abraham and hence was the one chosen to restore the keys of that dispensation to Joseph Smith, and since the reference I have given you to the Book of Abraham has such direct allusion to our Temple mysteries it must be that Abraham obtained a knowledge of those things from Elias and also that the keys that he brought to Joseph Smith undoubtedly had reference to the same subject, and as the visit of Elias occured about one year after Joseph obtained the Book of Abraham, it was likely through the keys of knowledge restored by Elias that he was able to understand the subject matter of the Book of Abraham; and all this long before his contact and participation in Masonry. (For the Prophet's account of the introduction of the endowment on the 4th of May, 1842, see History of the Church, Vol. V, pages 1-3).

It is rather significant that about two months before introducing the endowments, namely, March 1, 1843, the Prophet began the publication of the Book of Abraham in the "Times and Seasons" and as that was the beginning of the publication of the Book he must have been at work on the translation of it some months before.

Moreover, on January 19, 1841, a year and over four months before the Prophet's connection with Masonry began, the following passage occurs in a revelation which sets forth in pretty thorough outline the ordinance work of the Temple. The Revelation (Sec. 124) dealt chiefly with the re-construction of things after the settlement of the Saints at Nauvoo. Following the expulsion of the Church from Missouri, and respecting the building of the Temple at Nauvoo, the following was given:

"And again, verily I say unto you, let all my saints come from afar.

And send ye swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell therein.

For there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away even the fulness of the priesthood.

For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they my saints may be baptized for those who are dead.

For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me.

For I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me; and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me.

But behold, at the end of this appointment your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a Church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.

For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordianance of baptising for the dead belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be acceptable unto me;

For therein are the keys of the Holy Priesthood ordained, that you may receive honor and glory.

And after this time, your baptisms for the dead, by those who are scattered abroad, are not acceptable unto me, saith the Lord.

For it is ordained that in Zion and in her stakes, and in Jerusalem, those places which I have appointed for refuge, shall be the places for your baptisms for your dead.

And again, verily I say unto you, how shall your washings be acceptable unto me, except ye perform them in a house which you have built to my name:

For, this cause I commanded Moses that he should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise, that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was.

Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies and your memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my holy name.

And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name, and that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people.

For I design to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times.

And I will show unto my servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house, and the priesthood thereof; and the place whereon it shall be built.

And ye shall build it on the place where you have contemplated building it, for that is the spot which I have chosen for you to build it."

A careful study of these facts will, I think, establish beyond controversy that the Prophet was not at all dependent upon anything he learned in Masonry for our endowment ceremonies, any more than what he learned from the defective creeds of Christendom made him indebted to those creeds for what he brought forth in the dispensation of the Gospel that he, under God, gave to the world. The Saints may rest assured that what we have through the Prophet in relation to the Priesthood and its sacred mysteries result from the revelations of God to Joseph Smith, and not from the Prophet's incidental and brief connection with Masonry.

Trusting that this may be helpful to you in meeting the situation, I am,

Very truly yours brother,

B. H. Roberts.

-Excerpt from the Juvenile Instructor.

August, 1929, By;

Horace H. Cummings.

"One of the first incidents recorded which greatly impressed my mind and which may convey a useful lesson was related by my father. His parents, who had a large family, lived in Nauvoo, and were quite intimate with the Prophet Joseph. In fact, his father, being a master Mason, officiated in conducting the Prophet through all the degrees of Masonry. In doing this the Prophet explained many things about the rites that even Masons do not pretend to understand but which he made most clear and beautiful."

MASONRY AND MORMONISM

In the Archives of the Mormon Church are the priceless holograph volumes of the astounding Journal of Wilford Woodruff, the fourth President of the Mormon Church and a certified Master Mason. Under the date of August 19, 1860, I find the following entry which speaks for itself.

"Presidents Young and Kimball, with O. Pratt, W. Woodruff, J. Taylor, G. A. Smith, L. Snow, F. D. Richards and G. Q. Cannon of the Twelve met for Prayer, when the following conversation took place. President Young said the people of the United States had sought our destruction and they had used every exertion to perfect it. They have worked through the Masonic institutions to perfect it. Joseph and Hyrum Smith were Master Masons and they were put to death by Masons or through their instigation, and he (Joseph) gave the sign of distress and he was shot by Masons while in the act. And there were delegates from the various Lodges in the Union to see that he (Joseph) was put to death. Now I hope to live to see the day when I can have power to make them do right. They have got the blood of the prophet upon their heads and they have got to meet it.

When President Buchanan and the U.S. Government sent Col. Johnston both Buchanan and Johnston were Masons and the U.S. Army to Utah, it was with the express purpose to destroy the Church and Kingdom from off the Earth (and) to put to death this people. But the Lord sustained us and put them to shame and confusion, and to His name be the honor and glory.

There are other Masons sent to this Territory for the same purpose, to establish a Lodge here and try to get an influence with some here to lay a plan to try to murder me and the leaders of the Church. But they will not accomplish it.

Now Brother L. N. Scovil thinks so much of Masonry that he might join in with them. G. A. Smith said he does not wish to mix hair and wool, but he would like to go to England and obtain five Charters for Lodges, which would give us a Grand Lodge which would make us independent of all other Grand Lodges in the world. This is what Brother Scovil would like to do and this could be done, but I do not think he would be willing to mingle with our Enemies to the injury of this people.

President Young said, in speaking of getting a Grand Lodge established in Utah, that if we accomplished it, it would have a tendency to bring down all hell upon us as far as they had the power."

-Mervin B. Hogan, THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF UTAH MASONRY AND ITS CONFLICT WITH MORMONISM, pp. 7-8.