he predicted that the Church would be scattered, and saw that the time might come
when Brigham Young would lead the Church ; and that if he did, he would lead it
to perdition. He told his wife, Emma, to remain at Nauvoo, or if she left, to go to
Kirtland, and not to follow any faction."
To have given the bones of Joseph into Brigham's charge would have been to
confirm the Saints in the Rocky Mountain Zion, to which the Smith family are de-
cidedly opposed. The remains of the martyrs are destined for Zion hi Missouri.
CHAPTEE XXVH.
POLYGAMY IN ILLINOIS. Its Introduction among the Mormons The " Reve-
lation" given by Joseph Smith The Sons of the Deceased Prophet dispute the
Polygamic Marriages of their Father They call for the Posterity The Promise
of a " Eighteous Seed" fulfilled Joseph without Issue by his Score of Polyg-
amic Wives Married Women become his "Wives" without Divorce or Sepa-
ration from their Husbands.
THE subject of this chapter may suitably be divided into
two parts one pertaining to the announcement of the revela-
tion to Joseph Smith, and the other tracing its introduction
among the Saints.
"Without a copy of the Revelation which has played such
an important part in the development of the Church, any his-
tory of Mormonism would be incomplete ; that document is
therefore here given unabridged and intact, and it will doubt-
less prove of special interest to the historical student :
CELESTIAL MARRIAGE.
A Revelation on the Patriarchal Order of Matrimony, or Plurality of Wives. Given
to Joseph Smith, the Seer, in Nauvoo, July I2th, 1843.*
I. " Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, iny servant Joseph, that in-
asmuch as you have inquired of my hand, to know and understand where-
in 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 I 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
* " Seer," p. Y.
THE REVELATION ON POLYGAMY. 177
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 was instituted from before the foundation of the world : and as per-
taining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the ful-
ness of my glory ; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof, must, and shall
abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God.
II. " And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are
these : All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, perfor-
mances, 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 ap-
pointed 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.
III. " Behold ! mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and
not a house of confusion. Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that
is not made in my name ! Or, will I receive at your hands that which I
have not appointed ! And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except
it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world
was ! 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 ; and everything that is in the world, whether it
be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of
name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me, or by my word, saith
the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead,
neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God ; for what-
soever things remaineth, are by me ; and whatsoever things are not by me,
shall be shaken and destroyed.
IV. " 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 is 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 minister-
ing 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.
V. " 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
178 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAINTS.
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.
VI. " 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 resurrec-
tion ; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection ; and
shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, of 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 inno-
cent 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 ful-
ness and a continuation of the seeds for ever and ever.
VII. " 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 sub-
ject unto them.
VIII. " Verily, verily I say unto you, except ye abide my law, ye can-
not attain to this glory ; for straight is the gate, and narrow the way that
leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be
that find it, because ye receive me not in the world, neither do ye know
me. But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall
receive your exaltation, that where I am ye shall be also. This is eter-
nal lives, to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
He hath sent. I am He. Keceive ye, therefore, my law. Broad is the
gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the death ; and many there are
that go in thereat ; because they receive me not, neither do they abide in
my law.
IX. " Verily, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to
my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, according to
mine appointment, and he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of
the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blas-
phemies, and if they commit no murder, wherein they shed innocent
yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter i
THE REVELATION ON POLYGAMY. 179
their exaltation ; but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall be de-
livered unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the
Lord God.
X. " The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be for-
given in the world, nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder,
wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have
received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God ; and he
that abideth not this law, can in no wise enter into my glory, but shall be
damned, saith the Lord.
XL u I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my
Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me, and my Father, before the world
was. Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation
and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and iiath entered into
his exaltation, and sitteth upon his throne.
XII. " Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit
of his loins from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph which
were to continue so long as they were in the world ; and as touching
Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue ; both in the
world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the
stars ; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the sea-shore, ye could not
number them. This promise is yours, also, because ye are of Abraham,
and the promise was made unto Abraham ; and by this law are the con-
tinuation of the works of my Father, wherein He glonfieth Himself. Go
ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham ; enter ye into my law, and
ye shall be saved. But if ye enter not into my law, ye cannot receive the
promise of my Father, which He made unto Abraham.
XIII. " God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abra-
ham to wife. And why did she do it ? Because this was the law, and
from Hagar sprang many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling, among
other things, the promises. Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation ?
Verily, I say unto you, Nay ; for I, the Lord, commanded it. Abraham
was commanded to offer his son Isaac ; nevertheless, it was written, thou
shalt not kill. Abraham, however, did not refuse, and it was accounted
unto him for righteousness.
XIV. " Abraham received concubines, and they bare him children, and
it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given un-
to him, and he abode in my law, as Isaac also, and Jacob did none other
things than that which they were commanded ; and because they did none
other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered
into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and
are not angels, but are Gods. David also received many wives and con-
cubines, as also Solomon and Moses my servants ; as also many others of
my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time ; and in noth-
ing did they sin, save in those things which they received not of me.
XV. " David's wives and concubines were given unto him, of me, by
the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the Prophets who had the
180 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAINTS.
keys of this power ; and in none of these things did he sin against me,
save in the case of Uriah and his wife ; and, therefore, he hath fallen from
his exaltation, and received his portion ; and he shall not inherit them
out of the world ; for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.
XVI. ; ' I am the Lord thy God, and I gave unto thee, my servant Jo-
seph, an appointment, and restore all things ; ask what ye will, and it
shall be given unto you according to my word : and as ye have asked con-
cerning adultery verily, verily I say unto you, if a man receiveth a wife
in the new and everlasting covenant, and if she be with another man, and
I have not appointed unto her by the holy anointing, she hath committed
adultery, and shall be destroyed. If she be not in the new and everlast-
ing covenant, and she be with another man, she has committed adultery ;
and if her husband be with another woman, and he was under a vow, he
hath broken his vow, and hath committed adultery, and if she hath not
committed adultery, but is innocent, and hath not broken her vow, and
she knoweth it, and I reveal it unto you, my servant Joseph, then shall
you have power, by the power of my Holy Priesthood, to take her, and
give her unto him that hath not committed adultery, but hath been faith-
ful ; for he shall be made ruler over many ; for I have conferred upon you
the keys and power of the Priesthood, wherein I restore all things, and
make known unto you all things in due time.
XVII. " 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, saith 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.
XVIII. " And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless, I will bless,
and whomsoever you curse, I will curse, saith the Lord ; for I, the Lord,
am thy God.
XIX. "And again, verily I say unto you, my servant Joseph, that
whatsoever you give on earth, and to whomsoever you give any one on
earth, by my word, and according to my law, it shall be visited with bless-
ings, and not cursings, and with my power, saith the Lord, and shall be
without condemnation on earth, and in heaven ; for I am the Lord thy
God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through
all eternity ; for verily, I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a
throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father.
Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and will forgive all your sins ; I have
seen your sacrifices in obedience to that which I have told you ; go, there-
fore, and I make a way for your escape, 'as I accepted the offering of
Abraham, of his son Isaac.
XX. " Verily I say unto you, a commandment I give unto mine hand-
maid, 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
THE REVELATION ON POLYGAMY. 181
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 de-
stroyed, saith 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.
XXI. " 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 mul-
tiply him, and give unto him an hundred-fold 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 hath trespassed against
me ; and I, the Lord thy God, will bless her, and multiply her, and make
her heart to rejoice.
XXII. " And again, I say, let not my servant Joseph put his property
out of his hands, lest an enemy come and destroy him ; for Satan seeketh
to destroy ; for I am the Lord thy God, and he is my servant ; and be-
hold ! and lo, I am with him, as I was with Abraham, thy father, even
unto his exaltation and glory.
XXIII. " Now, as touching the law of the Priesthood, there are many
things pertaining thereunto. Verily, if a man be called of my Father, as
was Aaron, by mine own voice, and by the voice of him that sent me :
and I have endowed him with the keys of the p*bwer of this Priesthood,
if he do anything in my name, and according to my law, and by my word
he will not commit sin, and I will justify him. Let no one, therefore, set
on my servant Joseph ; for I will justify him; for he shall do the sacrifice
which I require at his hands, for his transgressions, saith the Lord your God.
XXIY. " 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 com-
mandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before
182 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAINTS.
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.
XXV. " And again, verily, verily I say unto you, if any man have a
wife who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches 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 re-
ceive, and abide in my law. Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she re-
ceive 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 ac-
cording to my word ; and she then becomes the transgressor ; and he is
exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham accord-
ing 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. Be-
hold, I am Alpha and Omega. AMEN."
On a matter of such grave importance as the engrafting of
polygamy upon the faith of the Saints, it has always been a
cause of sincere regret on the part of the intelligent Mormon
elders, that nothing has ever been stated about the previous
teachings which Joseph Smith received on this subject if he
ever had any.* On the introduction of the other doctrines of
the Church, its principles of faith and commandments, there is
a freedom of statement that carries the impression of honest
sincerity, fearing no criticism ; but on this there is an unpleas-
ant silence.
In defence of this concealment it is argued that polygamy
was offensive to the traditions of the people ; that it had to be
stealthily introduced, as bigamy was punishable by law, and
the less that was published about it the better. There is
* Elder W. W. Phelps said in Salt Lake Tabernacle, in 1862, that while Joseph
was translating the Book of Abraham, in Kirtland, Ohio, in 1835, from the papyrus
found with the Egyptian mummies, the Prophet became impressed with the idea
that polygamy would yet become an institution of the Mormon Church. Brigham
Young was present, and was much annoyed at the statement made by Phelps, but
it is highly probable that it was the real secret which the latter then divulged. The
conscientious Mormon who calmly considers what is here written on the intro-
duction of polygamy into the Mormon Church will readily see that its origin is
probably much more correctly traceable to those Egyptian mummies, than to a
revelation from heaven. The first paragraph of the Revelation has all the musty
odour of the catacombs about it, and that Joseph went into polygamy at a venture
there cannot be the slightest doubt.
DOUBTFUL ORIGIN OF POLYGAMY. 183
weight in this statement as an argument, for no one can fail to
appreciate the difficulty of introducing a practice which the
civilization of a thousand years had condemned as a relic of
barbarism ; it was indeed necessary to be secret. But when
once that silence was broken, and a lengthy revelation was
given to the world, commanding all people to whom it might
come to obey it, or " be damned," reticence as to its origin
could be no longer needful. On a matter of such tremendous
consequence as that which polygamy claims to be, the Prophet
could not have been too explicit.
This revelation is dated " Nauvoo, Illinois, July 12, 1843,"
and was given to the Church and to the public nine years later,
at a conference in Salt Lake City. Since that time, tens of
thousands of sermons have been preached on its divine origin,
voluminous treatises have been published in its exposition, and
the Mormon press has teemed with articles in its defence ; but
in all of them the beginning of polygamy with the Mormons
is left out.
Some of the elders who were early acquainted with the
Prophet state that he was instructed by some one of his angel
visitors on the marital relations of the patriarchs while he re-
sided in Ohio, and was then informed that the time would ar-
rive when polygamy would become the faith of all the Saints ;
but of this there is no evidence.
The first traceable indication of any, such purpose on the
part of the Prophet was in the year preceding the date of the
revelation, and then so furtively was it introduced that many
thousands, who at that time believed, and still believe, in the
mission of Joseph Smith, as set forth by himself, deny that he
ever taught such a doctrine. It was brought before the public
in a quarrel between the Prophet and that shining light, Dr.
John Cooke Bennett, the major-general of the Nauvoo Legion,
and the mayor of the city.
With a people who subordinate their own judgment and
sense of right and wrong to authoritative teaching, it was an
easy matter for any doctrine to be introduced, however false
and vicious it might be ; and when to that disposition in the
people is added their constant expectation of mysterious reve-
lations, there is no extreme of folly or crime which may not be
184 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAINTS.
easily imposed upon their credulity. Bennett's relations with
the Prophet being of the most intimate character, it was easy
for him to succeed in imposing upon silly women the " spirit-
" ual-wife " doctrine as an emanation from Heaven ; and this
he is charged with doing with a success that is humiliating to
confess.
Those who have not lived under the influence of an " in-
" spired prophet " can form no idea of the facility with which a
religious people can be taught any doctrine, and be led on to lay
aside their education^ or their sense of morality, and thus be cast
in the. mould of a teacher's mind. It was this, and not natural
depravity, that enabled such men as Bennett to succeed in con-
taminating and debauching very respectable ladies in Nauvoo.
Bennett, it is said, taught the Mormon sisters with whom
he had acquaintance that he had been instructed by the
Prophet in this Mormon phase of " affinity ; " but before the
city council he affirmed that Joseph, " as far as he knew, had