**Covenants.** The temple service also gives those who take their endowments, special information relative to their conduct upon earth. For instance, men and women are taught to keep themselves free from sin. They must be chaste, virtuous, truthful, unselfish, and so on. Moreover, they are taught that they must devote themselves and all that they have or may have to the great cause of truth, to teaching the everlasting Gospel to their fellowmen, so that the Great Plan may be worked out according to the* mind and will of God. In return for this, those who take their endowments make covenants with each other and their God, that they will observe the instructions given, and will carry them out in their daily lives. Thus the work becomes active and vital. It is also explained that the failure to carry out these promises, when once knowledge has been given, will be punished. This is in accordance with the law that provides a penalty for disobedience, as already explained. Only by the use of knowledge will more knowledge be obtained. The whole system of temple worship is very logical. **Blessings.** In the course of instruction in the temple, it is emphasized that blessings will follow those who accept the truth, practice it and live Godlike lives. The essence of the endowment service is a blessing. Punishment is not made so prominent, as is the possibility of inviting great blessings by proper obedience to the truths that may be obtained from time to time. **Temple Authority.** Perhaps the most glorious ordinances of the temple are those that seal husband and wife and children to each other for time and all eternity. According to the Gospel, the marriage relation does not necessarily cease with death. On the contrary, since sex is eternal, the sex relation may continue to the end of time. Such a union or sealing may be performed only by special authority, which is possessed only by the President of the Church. The President may, however, delegate the authority for longer or shorter times, so that certain temple workers may perform such marriages in the temples of God. Similarly, children who have been born to parents who were not married for time and eternity, may be sealed later to their parents, so that the relationship may be sustained throughout all the ages of eternity. Moreover, every ordinance belonging to the Church may be performed in the temple. In the temple is a baptismal font, so that the introductory ordinance may be performed; likewise, every other ordinance for the benefit of the Saints may be performed in the holy temple. The work for the dead, as will be explained in chapter 28, is done in the temples, by the living. The vicarious work for the dead, who did not accept the Gospel on earth, forms the bulk of the temple work, since, after the first time, when endowments are taken for himself, a person must do work for the dead when he goes through the temple.