Teach Correct Principles

From my step-great great grandfather's journal, pp. 186-188:

The Following is a Dream I Had
Some Time Ago

I dreamed I was shoveling rubbish that had accumulated around a building during its erection. While thus employed I thought it strange I should thus be employed, not being used to working with the shovel.

While thus thinking and working I heard a voice behind saying, “Brother, I congratulate you on finishing your house.”

Turning around I saw a man. He repeated the same words.

I said, “This house is not mine.

He said, “You do not understand. Go over there and look and then tell me what you think of it.”

I dropped the shovel and walked across the road, and looking at the building, it was a building three stories high, just then the sun rose above the mountain, the rays of it striking the building made it appear very beautiful. The building was perfectly white with a golden spire on top, which glittered in the rays of the sun on my return.

He asked me what I thought of it.

I replied, “It is a most beautiful building, but I never aspired to more than two rooms and a kitchen.”

He smiled and said, “I congratulate you on finishing it.”

I wondered.

He said, “Come with me.”

I went with him a short distance. There was a red rock above the earth running through the valley.

“This is the rock of revelation,” said he, “and your house is built upon it.”

I saw the rock went through the foundation of the house. I noticed the foundation was beautifully laid.

I said to him, “I never put that foundation in.”

“No,” said he. “The foundation is built on revelation. The four corner stones are faith, repentance, baptism, and laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost, and upon these you raised the building.”

He said, “When you was baptized and confirmed you wanted every person to believe. You was ordained to the office of a Teacher. Here you began to build upon the foundation. Then you was ordained to the office of a Priest, and went and preached the Gospel and baptized some. Then you was ordained an Elder and preached the Gospel. Then you was associated with the Bishopric, and here you put the doors and windows in, and built the first story. Then next you went into polygamy. Here you commenced the second story. Come and let us go in and see.”

We went into the building. It was most beautiful and white. The second story was one large room the size of the whole building. I saw on the wall in letters of gold, “Banquet Chamber.”

I said to the guide, “This is a large room–too large for my use.”

“Not so,” said he, “Your family and friends will fill it.”

We went up into the third story.

“You have been in the upper room of the temple,” said he, “And you understand this,” pointing to three chairs.

“Yes,” said I.

“This is your life’s work and I congratulate you in having it finished.”

I replied, “Yes, but it is empty and as it took my life to build it, it will take another life’s work to finish it.”

“Not so,” said he, “You have wives and children, also friends who have passed away. They are laboring continually to get it finished by the time you will need it. You have many friends in the Spirit World whom you caused to be released, by your labors, from prison. They wish to show their love and gratitude to you and are helping to prepare for your arrival.”

“That’s nice,” I replied, “But I would like to know how this rubbish came here. It is not the same material as the building.”

He smiled and said, “You was very zealous when you were teaching, preaching and exhorting, and you said things that were not true. Therefore those things you taught would not mix with the building but crumbled down and became what you see around and your work now is to clear it away that the truth may shine.”

So I went back to the shovel and commenced shoveling away, when I awoke it was 5 o’clock.