OCR Text |
Show V - rfglcv'.t their '"Jul lesji suHret. If rarer: grt ttrtirrrc fthir, ?3l!u;nCwl .3:$ ru v-v- p KEXP ONE NT. feutWe' iti-- ". u iJvXTtlJpMmgTi know t he value t i j r . tut could sco as as we ore, and not V.- t,.-- ! 11 4mdowt?t--prittrraft'J''-"frirri- uue.. oL h . n . established fojan authorityQveryou by men.' I say most emphatically that it was not. Faith and true religion can not be given by man. Man himself is dependent upon God for those gifts, and can not bestow them upon others. "Faith is a gift of God. Without iaith it is impossible to please God. Even so fkith if it hath not works is dead, being alone. But wilt thou know, vain man, that faith without works is dead." James, 3d chap. I said in my last article I was born, in this Church, and will now add, in the valleys of these mountains, and am a free born American citizen, though now disfranchised for. obeying the laws of God. From my earliest recollection I had been taught to believe that the Bible meant what it said, and that God could see and hear me and that if I would pray He would answer my prayers. I used to hear these passages of Scripture quoted by our Elders; "If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giyeth unto all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." James 15. "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you; for every one that asketh, receiveth, and he that seeketh findeih, and to him that knock-et- h it shall be opened." Matt. 7, 7. I wanted to prove if those passages were true, if God could really answer my prayers. I asked in childish simplicity for a temporal gift and I received It; . this strengthened my . faith and gave me con- fidence to ask for things of more worth than earthly gifts. I wanted to know for myself if the principles . taught me were true. I was earnest. 1 went to God in humility and asked for a testimony of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, My prayer wa3 heard. I was answered. The Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, filled me with joy and gave me a testimony that man can neither give nor take away. (I : h-- " r" :il)ecajisjLivj We do it intelligently because ve love to do right. We do not belieyo we can be saved in ignorance. God has provided the way wherin we can objiin knowledge7rthat is, in "doing the willof the Father." "If any man will do His will ho shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." John 17, 17. We have the moral courage to live the principles X)f our religion in spite of all the derision," s neers and opposit ion of the w ho e wo r h 1. Mr. 'Edmunds, Mr. Cullom and "fifty millions of people," can not. take from us our faith and confidence in God, nor the testimony He has given us concerning His Church that He has established never more to be "thrown down."-Theare in the hands of God and can do no more than He will permit them to do. . It is our business todo the will of God. HerreTFaled" the principle of plural marriage, and commanded us to obey it. - We can not give" it up; we must work the wo.rksof Abraham or we can not go where he is. God walked and talked with Abraham: after he had taken a second wife, and told him that ho would make a covenant with him and multiply him. exceedingly and make him a father of many nations. The son of his plural wife is right. . 1 -- . also received a great promise rom God: "I will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget and I will make him a great nation." Gen 17, 20. That didn't look as though God thought lie" . was illegitimate. Jacob, who had four wive?,, was a man whom' the Lord loved; the twelve tribes of Israel descended from those polygamic wives. Moses, the great lawgiver of. Israel who talked with the Lord and saw many marvelous manifestations of His power, made special provisions for the children of polygamous marriages, and he himself practiced it. The Prophet Samuel was the son cf a polvf- -amis yet he lived in; the temple and waLs an object of God's favor. Many more names mirrht be mentioned to show that God blessed and prospered an cien Israel, who practiced the .pa narclml orderof but we do not beca the7-dido not say that re I1'7 wf.e jtified,-weajustified. We thiugs because we commanded to do themV We worship we thvS ' 1 . . . . , "hereafter." '. We are not such meek, submissive creatures as you imagine we are. What do, wo do I God : i- y tcluT ' cutlhr Ms . is very rare. delights in the chastity of His daughters; so'fo &ei vaiils, and adoitgrri'ranked-nexin crime to inurder among tJuMormcms who )ruelice such" things are severed from. the w t t rri : Uhureft. l liey are not connected with the Latter--, the (lay Saintrr they Priesthood. A man makes solemn covenants to be faithful to his wives, lie does not deceive one and betray another4, but each one knows -- thatdrerhasrothcf "Wives" wholhTiedoves and who love hi m. You ask "how can a womaugr:atif-he- r love" on it creature' that shares Jiis vrith more than one woman, tiTat -, if he has any love or .V kilows what it.hs?"' Let me ask you a question, ifyoUare married do you not love your husband, and does he not love his mother and sisters, and if you are a mother, does he not love your children? How then can you gratify your love upon him, when h isjssji a redwitlr jio sire lavish ycMOieFjd all her ailecttons on one child, and neglect the others?, It is vour tradition that a man can ouLiluve-man ;n0TrraTr7barwte would be, with a soul so small, whose affection was so sjimitevl he could only love one woman. .We aixtoid in the Bible that "God is love," well, then if we have His Spirit we are filled with love. This Soirit enables. us to live in this order, and tON bear and forbear with each i . Jf nioKruT'.Pi'm'ce ' Mormon woman's only hope or guarantee of Heaven?" o.rwhat is publicly "sanctioned'' in the Mormon "Church. You "haven't enough of the Spirit of truth to discern it when placed before you, but there are none' so. Jbiind as iho.-o-"do not want to see." Expo-xekyou arc yon read the-Wconstantly reading the testimonies of Latter-daYou not-Saint women, that are tru only reject their testimonies, in defense of their religion, but you misrepresent them, for fhielr you will have to give an account in the great w u not l V J - t hei rr el ig ion as' y grf uTTTK'ltfC ipleui "Mormons." What do you know ub;mt 'a . - priest-raftan:re--bHn- e.pjj,! one; one -- -- "Neither is the man without the Woman, nor the woman with-- . out the man in the hold.'' 1 Cor. 11,11." Mar- riage is honorable in all and the bed uhdefiled adulterers Q but: uduiKJUongeTs-'kiuHuTTiaw There 4:. of public saiict ioii r:: lleb. :IJ, i u; "Moi talk about a His Kingdom or you would de- - .ligh.iajnisrtfes the Editok of the certainly under the "shadows of hie. , are Vtoiiit-- completo withoutithe other. T l aifw Gospel, with all its gifts ami tliut thuv Vnjoyed. lu this Churdi iiK'n a:il txit v a i o oue, intir interest--i- s j 1 .. You are JEuis: You wish to know how, and in what way I 'know that Plural Marriage is right. By revelation. I know by thesame way that Peter knew that ..Jesjiajtaa the Christ,- - ' Jesus asked -- His .disciples whom do men say that, I am, and they and said, some say that Thou art John the Baptist; some Ellas; ethers Jeremiah or one of the Prophets. He saith unto them, whom o ye say that I am, and Simon Peter answered and said Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Jiving God; and Jesus answered and said unto 1dm, blessed art thou Simon Barjona; for flet-andJlood hath not revealed it unto'thee, but my Father which is in Heaven. I say jmtq theo thou a rt Peter, and u pon this rock will I build my Church, and llie gate3 of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew, from the 13th to 18th verse, 16'th chap. ; What rock was that? Was it Peter?- - No. It was the rock of revelation. God revealed it unto Peter by the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.-Tlitp same wav God baa revealed it unto me ' that Plural Marriage is right. You ask me how I got my faith, or religion, and further ask, "was it not given to you or To 'iiig, iVit-n- eniov liVht and intellifrencethat God luis ivenam afraid you know notldtig about. me, that "( ib, if others U-tlu- uiurlyrm rai-ecp.J- A YOUNG WOMAN'S TESTI MON Y -- I whilomade God my .1; have M t ' n. f .i if nil ilrn'il dailv lor ttreiiirth ami wisdom lor I lie lcriwliij tne of His Holy fcpmt to i:uablo-and name Hiss duties required of me. I praise thank Him that He lias answered m prayer' "iou'sav that I am blindV. to my own - .rights ilim ,.,'j "am God given privileges an a under the "my---- 1 o of prayer. ...... them't i ii oil hat Aval ketl tuul talked with izi e fSrent as to the v vrd rf the Lord, that i' Ib'fy live to. grow i? j 4t aI. ; "TfVn .wiie-uW'"itf r i is to thht greai. and nrghty tfce Iat dfV; to sUnd uj:cn Mt. Z or.' I will tell you what I think b jut it. The Lord wiJ! t th the b;sV snd prpctajte t h t i icd while drunken ss ahdldeaucuexy leaver no , UwU. r pi&ct aracng ice pcC,ia..y if -- jh OM A ';; T Tit TOT'5-iTiTnfilr- i iri; It makes us generous, kind and obliging. Wo think it a blessing toliave a good husband; then why is it not equalha blessing fjr our fellow sisters to have good husbands, and as there are npt.good husbands enough for each woman to have, one alone, why notxshare with each other in lawful marriage. We have tli'e" Priesthood of God in our midt, not priestcraft, who have the authoritv to marrv for timnd ; all eternity, having the Apotleship or power to seal on earth. We are the only people on the earth who have this power and authority. You are married death doth We married are the you part." by power of the Priesthood, to enjoy endless lives and associations in the presence of God, if we keep the, faith and endure to the end. "But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hatlYit entered into the heart " of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. . But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the ; Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man save by the spirit of 'man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but by the Spirit of God. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither, can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. 13. In the absence of this Spirit we can not expect you, or any one else, to comprehend the difference between Priesthood, which we share' with our husbands and enjoy that equality you would "liketseeesfablished, and priestcraft, icrhasgoverned the world for ages. "For except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he can- - not enter: the kingdom of God." M. E. Teasdale. 1884. "Nephi, Jan. 19th, . -- . |