Show THE BIBLE AND POLYGAMY THE LECTURE IN THE TWELFTH WARD warb last evening evening the main hall of the twelfth war ward assembly rooms was literally packed with people who assembled to listen to the discourse announced to be delivered by elmerjohn elder Elde john rjohn nicholson upon does the bible sanction and sustain polygamy people from all parts of the city representing various shades of opinion were presen tand a large number were rn en account of the crowded condition of the building unable to gain admittance the speaker made a few introductory remarks announcing that it was not his purpose to advocate any particular form or kind oUn arriage but to exhibit and explain the position of the scriptures in reference to what was known as the patriarch lal ial or plural system more commonly denominated polygamy he proposed to take the affirmative side of the question and forthwith plunged at once into the argument which occupied an hour and twenty five minutes in delivery the audience maintaining the strictest order and listening with attention the argument of the speaker which was delivered with clearness force forc e and earnestness went to show that men named as polygamists in the bible were the grandest and greatest characters that figured I 1 in sacred history many of them were on terms of comparative familiarity with god who irillis in his commandments mand ments to them never intimated that their marital relations were dis pleasing leasing to him or in the least degree ont to the divine will when their radices in that connection were in harmony larmony with the principles of equity and und justice those men were notably in n the case of abraham spoken of in the he bible as having kept the commandments mand ments and statutes of the lord during their entire lives inferentially in relation to their marital system as well as their course of life in other respects it was held by the speaker that if patriarchal marria marriage e had been contrary to the divine will wilf the lord would have signified the fact etwas it was shown that the issue of plural marriage were in numerous instances held in the highest esteem by the almighty interference with the plural m marital relations of moses by aaron and miriam I 1 was visited upon them with the indignation of the lord the tho speaker also stated that laws were incorporated corp orated in the bible for the regulation of the conditions liable to arise under patriarchal marriage but nowhere was anything like prohibition of its practices enjoined it was even under some circumstances made compulsory pul sory the speaker dwelt for some time upon the views entertained by people professing a belief in the bible who considered the issue of plural marriage illegitimate they were shown to be clearly legitimate from a bible standpoint tile tiie sacred book provides for the from the congregations of the lord lora of illegitimate offspring 0 to the tenth generation whereas w lle lie re a s the children of polygamists occupied posts of honor as the ministers of the most blost high officiating in the holy of holies A great many people protes slug slag to be christians were pleased to designate plural marriage as a barbaric relic suited to the dar dark dages ages but unfit f for or existence existence in later and more enlightened times the speaker read a prophetic statement of isaiah not yet f fulfilled ul which pointed clearly to the existence ite ce of polygamy in the fluture the concluding portion of the argument was devoted to proving gnat the plural marriage system wis was was not abolished by the new mew testament dispensation pensa tion the speaker admitted that polygamy was denounced by christ but it was of that specific and add obnoxious k kind I 1 nd denominated by dr bacon cons consecutive ec titi ve polygamy the putting iwa awai of a wite wire in order to take mother the argument sometimes used against plural marriage supposed to prohibit bishops op sa and nd deacons from having more than one wife was demolished and the passage was clearly shown to be an reason on the other side of the question the words of christ when he informed the jews who sought to entrap him that it i they were the children of abraham they would do the works of abraham were quoted the speaker holding that among his prominent p eminent yno sno works syo was gaa the system of marriage practiced by him the prophetic words of paul to timothy to the effect that among the tha crimes of the latter times would be I 1 forbidding to marry I 1 were read they were generally supposed to have been ful fui f ul tilled filled in the enforced celibacy of the catholic clergy the speaker asked whether in view of the fact that the object amed aged aimed almed at was the prohibition of the bible system of marriage the prediction was not further f al filled in certain national enactments for the prohibition hibi tion of the more extended form of the marital condition it was argued that christ himself announced that he had not come to destroy but to fulfill fulfil the law and the prophets included in which was the patriarchal patr archal form of marriage in concluding elder nicholson denounced as hypocrites without a glimmer of consistency ministers of religion who condemned and called for the obliteration of a system of marriage so clearly sanctioned and sustained by the book upon which their doctrines and do dogmas mas are professedly founded the position on the subject was so sharply defined that they were left with the alternative of denying the inspiration of the bible or aa admitting the consistency from a religious standpoint point of the patriarchal system of marriage those who made no claim to belief in the divine authenticity of the sacred record could if such were their honest views consistently oppose and declaim against that marital system and the opinions of such were entitled to respect so long as they did not resort to oppressive oppre measures to enforce their ideas upon others eor tor his part the speaker considered that men anavo and women in relation to this and all other subjects involving the right to tolice ilfe life liberty and the pursuit of should be left un trammelled to so long as they do not in the practice of their opinions or convictions curtail the rights and privileges of others in the same pursuit suit sult in t the gur pursuit e course of his argument elder nicholson made appropriate quotations from the bible to sustain the tiie several everal points of his discourse |