CHAPTER XI.
Public Announcement Of The Doctrine Of Polygamy
Text of the Revelation--Orson Pratt's Presentation of it--The Doctrine of Sealing--Necessity of Sealing as a Means of Salvation--Attempt to show that Christ was a Polygamist
ALTHOUGH there was practically no
concealment of the practice of polygamy by the Mormons resident in Utah after
their arrival there, it was not until five years from that date that open
announcement was made by the church of the important "revelation."
This "revelation" constitutes Sec. 132 of the modern edition of the
"Book of Doctrine and Covenants," and bears this heading:
"Revelation on the Eternity of the Marriage Covenant, including Plurality
of Wives. Given through Joseph, the Seer, in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois,
July 12, 1843." All its essential parts are as follows:--
"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my
servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand, to know and
understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob;
as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and
doctrine of their having many wives and concubines:
"Behold! and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will
answer thee as touching this matter:
"Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey
the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this
law revealed unto them must obey the same;
"For behold! I reveal unto you a new and an
everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned;
for no one can reject this covenant, and be permitted to enter into my glory;
"For all who will have a blessing at my hands
shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions
thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world:
"And as pertaining to the new and everlasting
covenant, it was instituted for the fullness of my glory; and he that receiveth
a fullness thereof, must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith
the Lord God.
"And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of
this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows,
performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made,
and entered into, and sealed, by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is
anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy,
by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have
appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant
Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the
earth at a time, on whom this power and the keys of this Priesthood are
conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force, in and after the resurrection
from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end, have an end
when men are dead....
"I am the Lord thy God, and I give unto you this
commandment, that no man shall come unto the Father but by me, or by my word,
which is my law, saith the Lord;...
"Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the
world, and he marry her not by me, nor by my word; and he covenant with her so
long as he is in the world, and she with him, their covenant and marriage are
not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore,
they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world;
"Therefore, when they are out of the world, they
neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven,
which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of
a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory;
"For these angels did not abide my law, therefore
they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation,
in their saved condition, to all eternity, and from henceforth are not Gods,
but are angels of God, for ever and ever.
"And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry
a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that
covenant is not by me, or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the
Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed, and appointed unto
this power -- then it is not valid, neither of force when they are out of the
world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word;
when they are out of the world, it cannot be received there, because the angels
and the Gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot,
therefore, inherit my glory, for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord
God.
"And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry
a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant,
and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is
anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power, and the keys of this
Priesthood; and it shall be said unto them, ye shall come forth in the first
resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next
resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers,
dominions, all heights and depths -- then shall it be written in the Lamb's
Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood,
and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent
blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put
upon them, in time, and through all eternity, and shall be of full force when
they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the Gods,
which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been
sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fullness and a continuation of
the seeds for ever and ever.
"Then shall they be Gods, because they
have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because
they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject
unto them. Then shall they be Gods, because they have all power, and the angels
are subject unto them.
"Verily, verily I say unto you, except ye abide my
law, ye cannot attain to this glory;...
"And verily, verily I say unto you, that
whatsoever you seal on earth, shall be sealed in Heaven; and whatsoever you
bind on earth, in my name, and by my word, with the Lord, it shall be eternally
bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted
eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you retain on earth, shall be
retained in heaven.
"And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless, I
will bless, and whomsoever you curse, I will curse, with the Lord; for I, the
Lord, am thy God....
"Verily I say unto you, a commandment I give unto
mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay
herself, and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I
did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham; and that I might
require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice.
"And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all
those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and
pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall
be destroyed, with the Lord God;
"For I am the Lord, thy God, and ye shall obey my
voice; and I give unto my servant Joseph that he shall be made ruler over many
things, for he hath been faithful over a few things, and from henceforth I will
strengthen him.
"And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide
and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide
this commandment, she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy
God, and will destroy her, if she abide not in my law;
"But if she will not abide this commandment, then
shall my servant Joseph do all things for her, even as he hath said; and I will
bless him and multiply him, and give unto him an hundredfold in this world, of
fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives and
children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds.
"And again, verily I say, let mine handmaid
forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses; and then shall she be forgiven her
trespasses, wherein she has trespassed against me; and I, the Lord thy God,
will bless her, and multiply her, and make her heart to rejoice....
"And again, as pertaining to the law of the
priesthood, if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the
first give her consent; and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and
have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery,
for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery. with that that
belongeth unto him and to no one else.
"And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this
law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto
him, therefore is he justified.
"But if one or either of the ten
virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man; she has committed
adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and
replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfill the promise
which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world; and for their
exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for
herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified.
"And again, verily, verily I say unto you, if any
man have a wife who holds the keys of this power, and he teacheth unto her the
law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe,
and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God,
for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive
and abide in my law.
"Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she
receive not this law, for him to receive all things, whatsoever I, the Lord his
God, will give unto him, because she did not administer unto him according to
my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt from the law
of Sarah; who administered unto Abraham according to the law, when I commanded
Abraham to take Hagar to wife.
"And now, as pertaining to this law, verily,
verily I say unto you, I will reveal more unto you, hereafter; therefore, let
this suffice for the present. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega. Amen."
This jumble of doctrinal and family commands bears
internal evidence of the truth of Clayton's account of its offhand dictation
with a view to its immediate submission to the prophet's wife, who was already
in a state of rebellion because of his infidelities.
The publication of the "revelation" was made
at a Church Conference which opened in Salt Lake City on August 28, 1852, and
was called especially to select elders for missionary work.1 At the
beginning of the second day's session Orson Pratt announced that, unexpectedly,
he had been called on to address the conference on the subject of a plurality
of wives. "We shall endeavor," he said, "to set forth before
this enlightened assembly some of the causes why the Almighty has revealed such
a doctrine, and why it is considered a part and portion of our religious
faith."
1 For text of the addresses at this conference, see Deseret News, extra, September 14, 1852.
He then took up the attitude of the church, as a
practiser of this doctrine, toward the United States government, saying: --
"I believe that they will not, under our
present form of government (I mean the government of the United States), try us
for treason for believing and practising our religious notions and ideas. I
think, if I am not mistaken, that the constitution gives the privilege to all
of the inhabitants of this country, of the free exercise of their religious
notions, and the freedom of their faith and the practice of it. Then, if it can
be proved to a demonstration that the Latter-Day Saints have actually embraced,
as a part and portion of their religion, the doctrine of a plurality of wives,
it is constitutional. And should there ever be laws enacted by this government
to restrict them from the free exercise of their religion, such laws must be
unconstitutional"
Thus, at this early date in the history of Utah, was
stated the Mormon doctrine of the constitutional foundation of this belief,
and, in the views then stated, may be discovered the reason for the bitter
opposition which the Mormon church is still making to a constitutional
amendment specifically declaring that polygamy is a violation of the
fundamental law of the United States.
Pratt then spoke at great length on the necessity and
rightfulness of polygamy. Taking up the doctrine of a previous existence of all
souls and a kind of nobility among the spirits, he said that the most likely
place for the noblest spirits to take their tabernacles was among the Saints,
and he continued: --
"Now let us inquire what will become of
those individuals who have this law taught unto them in plainness, if they
reject it." (A voice in the stand "They will be damned.")
"I will tell you. They will be damned, saith the Lord, in the revelation
he hath given. Why? Because, where much is given, much is required. Where there
is great knowledge unfolded for the exaltation, glory and happiness of the sons
and daughters of God, if they close up their hearts, if they reject the
testimony of his word and will, and do not give heed to the principles he has
ordained for their good, they are worthy of damnation, and the Lord has said
they shall be damned."
After Brigham Young had made a statement concerning the
history of the "revelation," already referred to, the
"revelation" itself was read.
The Millennial Star (Liverpool) published the
proceedings of this conference in a supplement to its Volume XV, and the text
of the "revelation" in its issue of January 1, 1853, saying
editorially in the next number: --
"None {of the revelations} seem to
penetrate so deep, or be so well calculated to shake to its very center the
social structure which has been reared and vainly nurtured by this professedly
wise and Christian generation; none more conclusively exhibit how surely an end
must come to all the works, institutions, ordinances and covenants of men; none
more portray the eternity of God's purpose and, we may say, none have carried
so mighty an influence, or had the power to stamp their divinity upon the mind
by absorbing every feeling of the soul, to the extent of the one which has
appeared in our last."
With the Mormon church in England, however, the
publication of the new doctrine proved a bombshell, as is shown by the fact
that 2164 excommunications in the British Isles were reported to the
semi-annual conference of December 31, 1852, and 1776 to the conference of the
following June.
The doctrine of "sealing" has been variously
stated. According to one early definition, the man and the woman who are to be
properly mated are selected in heaven in a pre-existent state; if, through a
mistake in an earthly marriage, A has got the spouse intended for B, the latter
may consider himself a husband to Mrs. A. Another early explanation which may
be cited was thus stated by Henry Rowe in the Boston Investigator of
February 3, 1845: --
"The spiritual wife doctrine I will
explain, as taught me by Elder W---e, as taught by Joseph Smith, Brigham Young,
Elder Adams, William Smith, and the rest of the Quorum, etc., etc. Joseph had a
revelation from God that there were a number of spirits to be born into the
world before their exaltation in the next; that Christ would not come until all
these spirits received or entered their 'tabernacles of clay'; that these
spirits were hovering around the world, and at the door of bad houses, watching
a chance of getting into their tabernacles; that God had provided an honorable
way for them to come forth -- that was, by the Elders in Israel sealing up
virtuous women; and as there was no provision made for woman in the Scriptures,
their only chance of heaven was to be sealed up to some Elder for time and
eternity, and be a star in his crown forever; that those who were the cause of
bringing forth these spirits would receive a reward, the ratio of which reward
should be the greater or l ess according to the number they were the means of
bringing forth."
Brigham Young's definition of "spiritual
wifeism" was thus expressed: "And I would say, as no man can be
perfect without the woman, so no woman can be perfect without a man to lead
her. I tell you the truth as it is in the bosom of eternity; and I say to every
man upon the face of the earth, if he wishes to be saved, he cannot be saved
without a woman by his side. This is spiritual wifeism, that is, the doctrine
of spiritual wives."2
2 Times and Seasons, Vol. VI, p. 955.
The Mormon, under polygamy, was taught that he "married" for time, but was "sealed" for eternity. The "sealing" was therefore the more important ceremony, and was performed in the Endowment House, with the accompaniment of secret oaths and mystic ceremonies. If a wife disliked her husband, and wished to be "sealed" to a man of her choice, the Mormon church would marry her to the latter3 -- a marriage made actual in every sense -- if he was acceptable as a Mormon; and, if the first husband also wanted to be "sealed" to her, the church would perform a mock ceremony to satisfy this husband. "It is impossible," says Hyde, "to state all the licentiousness, under the name of religion, that these sealing ordinances have occasioned."4
3 One of Stenhouse's informants
about the "reformation" of 1856 in Utah writes: "It was hinted,
and secretly taught by authority, that women should form relations with more
than one man." On this Stenhouse says: "The author has no personal
knowledge, from the present leaders of the church, of this teaching; but he has
often heard that something would then be taught which 'would test the brethren
as much as polygamy had tried the sisters."' -- "Rocky Mountain
Saints," p. 301.
4 "Mormonism," p. 84.
A Mormon preacher never hesitated to go to any
lengths in justifying the doctrine of plural marriages. One illustration of
this may suffice. Orson Hyde, in a discourse in the Salt Lake Tabernacle in
March, 1857, made the following argument to support a claim that Jesus Christ
was a polygamist: --
"It will be borne in mind that, once on a
time, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and on a careful reading of that
transaction it will be discovered that no less a person than Jesus Christ was
married on that occasion. If he was never married, his intimacy with Mary and
Martha, and the other Mary also, whom Jesus loved, must have been highly
unbecoming and improper, to say the best of it. I will venture to say that, if
Jesus Christ was now to pass through the most pious countries in Christendom,
with a train of women such as used to follow him, fondling about him, combing
his hair, anointing him with precious ointments, washing his feet with tears
and wiping them with the hair of their heads, and unmarried, or even married,
he would be mobbed, tarred and feathered, and rode, not on an ass, but on a
rail.... Did he multiply, and did he see his seed? Did he honor his Father's
law by complying with it, or did he not? Others may do as they like, but I will
not charge our Saviour wi th neglect or transgression in this or any other
duty."5
5 Journal of Discourses, Vol. IV, p. 259.
The doctrine of "adoption," referred to,
taught that the direct line of the true priesthood was broken with the death of
Christ's apostles, and that the rights of the lineage of Abraham could be
secured only by being "adopted" by a modern apostle, all of whom were
recognized as lineal descendants of Abraham. Recourse was here had to the
Scriptures, and Romans iv. 16 was quoted to sustain this doctrine. The first
"adoptions" took place in the Nauvoo Temple. Lee was "adopted
to" Brigham Young, and Young's and Lee's children were then
"adopted" to their own fathers.
With this necessary explanation of the introduction of
polygamy, we may take up the narrative of events at Nauvoo.