A PRAYER

By President Heber C. Kimball, Delivered on the

South-East Corner Stone of the Temple at

Great Salt Lake City, after the First Presidency

and the Patriarch had laid the Stone, April 6, 1853.

2:34

O God, the Eternal Father, in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ of Nazareth,we ask thee to look upon us at this time in thy tender mercy. Thou beholdestthat thy servants, Brigham and his Council, have laid the Chief Corner Stoneof a holy House, which we are about to erect unto thy name. We desire todo it with clean hands and pure hearts before thee, and before thine holyangels.

We thank thee that we are permitted to live in the flesh, and have aplace upon thy footstool, and partake daily of the bounties thy hand bestows,for thou art our Father, and Jesus Christ is our Elder Brother.

Inasmuch, O Lord, as we desire to erect a House to thy name, that ifit seemeth thee good to come and take up thine abode on the earth, thoumayest have a place to lay thy head, we pray thee to assist us to erectit in purity before thee, and the Heavenly hosts.

We ask thee to help us so to conduct ourselves, that all the holy Prophets,the angels of Heaven, with thee and thy Son, may be engaged continuallyfor our welfare, in the work of salvation and eternal lives. Bless us inthis attempt to glorify thee. Bless this portion of the earth we dwell upon-eventhese valleys of the mountains, which we have consecrated unto thee. Causethem to bring forth the productions of the soil in rich abundance. Blessthe seeds that are placed therein by thy servants and handmaidens. And inasmuchas they are disposed to do thy work, and erect a Temple to thy name, whichis their fixed purpose and determination; let the heavens be gentle overthem. May the earth be sanctified for their good, and the seeds they throwinto it yield to them an hundred fold in return. We pray thee to bless suchmen and women-may the blessings of the Almighty richly attend them, andmultiply them in their families, in their herds and flocks, in strengthand in health, in salvation, and in eternal lives.

We also pray for those who do not feel favorably disposed to thy work-maythy blessings not attend them, but may they go backward and not forward,may they wither and not increase, and may the strength that they might havereceived, through their faithfulness to thy work, be multiplied and dividedamongst these thy servants, who are determined to keep thy commandments,and sanctify their affections unto thee.

Look upon thy servant Brigham, O Lord, and let thy Holy Spirit restmightily upon him this day, and from henceforth. May he live to dictatethe erection of thy house, see the Topstone brought on with rejoicing, andadminister the keys of salvation and eternal life unto his brethren therein.Bless his Council in common with him, may they live to a good old age, andglorify God in all their days; may they never want for food and raiment,for fathers and mothers, for wives and children, and for the power of thySpirit to inspire them, and those thou hast given them.

Pour out thy Spirit upon thy servants, the Twelve Apostles; may thypower abide upon them, to qualify them for the responsible calling untowhich thou hast called them. Also, in connexion with them, let thy Spiritrest upon the Quorums of the Seventies, the High Priests, the Bishops, theHigh Council, the Elders, Priests, Teachers, and Deacons; and upon everyfaithful member of thy Church in these valleys of the mountains, and inall the world.

Now, O God, we dedicate this Stone to thee. May this spot be holy, andall that pertaineth to it. And inasmuch as there shall be an enemy, or aperson that are evil disposed towards thy house, and they shall endeavorto lay snares for the feet of thy people, may they be caught in their ownnet, be overwhelmed in their own dilemma, and have no power nor influencein the least to hurt thy Saints from this time henceforth and for ever.May the power of the mighty God of Jacob fortify thy servants, enablingthem to execute righteousness before thee the Lord our God.

Hear us, O Lord, for we dedicate this, the South-east Corner Stone untothee, praying that it may sleep in peace, be preserved from decay, for itis the Chief Corner Stone of the House we shall rear to thy name. May thesame blessings attend the other three Corner Stones, and all the works thyservants shall set their hands to do, from this time henceforth and forever.

Bless the architect, the superintendent, the foremen of the variousdepartments, and all the laborers that shall raise a hand, or move a thingfor the erection and perfection of this thine house; and provide for them,their wives, their children, and all that pertains unto them, that theymay want for no good or necessary thing, while they are engaged in thy service,and from this time henceforth and for ever.

We dedicate ourselves unto thee with our wives, our children, our flocks,and our herds, with all the settlements and possessions that pertain tothy people in these valleys of the mountains. And all the praise and theglory we will ascribe to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.