A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel 29

A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel 29

"Inasmuch as my people shall assemble themselves to the (state of)

Ohio, I have kept in store a blessing such as is not known among the

children of men, and it shall be poured forth upon their heads;" 39.

15. This prophetic promise was given through Joseph Smith, Jun., in

Fayette, New York, January 5, 1831. In 1836, a temple was completed in

the town of Kirtland, Ohio. It was the first temple of modern times,

dedicated to that Priesthood of which Jesus Christ is the acknowledged

head.

 

In this temple the Elders of the Church received endowments and great

blessings, of which the world generally were entirely ignorant. The

Lord said through J. Smith, Jun., "The sound must go forth from

this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the

earth--the Gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs

following them that believe;" 58. 64.

 

This prophecy was literally fulfilled by the Elders scattering from

Kirtland, after receiving their endowments, to all parts of the United

States and the Canadas, and by the first European Mission being

established soon after.

 

At this time thousands of Latter-day Saints can testify that the Gospel

has been preached in a large portion of the world, and that the signs

of faith, gift of tongues, healing, etc., have followed the believer.

 

The following remarkable prophecy was delivered Dec. 25th, 1832. "Thus

saith the Lord, concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass,

beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually

terminate in the death and misery of many souls. The days will come

that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at that place;

* * and it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up

against their masters, who shall be marshalled and disciplined for war;"

 

In 1861, twenty-nine years after this prophecy was recorded, the war

between the North and South commenced in South Carolina. It continued

for several years and was very destructive. In the latter part of it

many thousands of slaves deserted their masters and were marshalled and

disciplined for war, and formed a part of the armies of the Northern

States.

 

During the contest the Southern States called upon the nation of

Great Britain for assistance. "And it shall come to pass also, that

the remnants who are left of the land (the Indians) will marshal

themselves, and shall become exceeding angry, and shall vex the

Gentiles with a sore vexation;" _Sec_. 87.

 

Never before, since the United States have been a nation, has the

Indian question been so complicated and vexatious as now. That a part

of this prophecy has been so literally fulfilled would seem a guarantee

that the whole will be realized.

 

The delivery of the keys of the holy Priesthood unto the Prophet

Joseph Smith, by Elias, by Moses, by Elijah, their ordination to the

Priesthood of Aaron by John the Baptist, to the Melchisedek Priesthood

by Peter, James and John, the building of temples, the ordinances and

endowments for the living and for the dead, received in them; the

preaching of the Gospel to all the world, the gathering of Israel; and

all the varied labors of the Latter-day Saints in order to establish a

veritable kingdom of God on the earth, and to prepare for the coming of

our Savior in his glory, are the direct results of the personal labors

and inspired teachings of Joseph Smith, Jun.

 

He stands forth, pre-eminently, as the Divinely inspired prophetic

leader of the "Dispensation of the fulness of times;" as God's agent

for the "Restitution of all things spoken by all holy prophets since

the world began." As the great fulfiller of numerous prophecies of both

the ancient Jewish and Nephite prophets, as recorded in the Bible and

Book of Mormon; as the great prophet of the nineteenth century, and the

fulfiller of his own prophecies, showing that he was Divinely inspired

to both prophesy and to fulfil.

 

_See a pamphlet by O. Pratt, entitled, "Divine Authority, or, was

Joseph Smith sent of God_."

 

_A pamphlet entitled, "A Public Discussion, between J. Taylor and C. W.

Cleeve, J. Robertson and P. Cater_."

 

"_Joseph Smith's Prophetic Calling," Mil. Star, Vol. 42, pages 164,

187, 195, 227_.

 

_Epistle of D. W. Patten, History of J. Smith, July 31, 1838_.

 

_O. Spencer's Letters to Rev. Wm. Crowel, No. 1_.

 

 

 

MARRIAGE--A DIVINE INSTITUTION, AND DESIGNED TO BE ETERNAL.

 

Marriage is ordained of God unto man, that the earth might answer the

end of its creation, and "Be filled with the measure of man, according

to his creation before the world was made;" _Doc. & Cov_. 49. 15-17.

 

Outside of marriage the salvation of man would be incomplete: "Neither

is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in

the Lord;" 1 _Cor_. 11. 11. All the works of God receive the impress

of eternity: "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever:

nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it;" _Eccl_. 3. 14.

 

When the Creator joined Adam and Eve together, as the progenitors

of the human race, we do not learn that he set any limit to the

continuance of their marriage relations. We have no reason to doubt

that the gift of Eve, to Adam, was designed to be as eternal as himself.

 

Man, in his fulness, is a twofold organization--male and female. Either

being incapable of filling the measure of their creation alone, it

requires the union of the two to complete man in the image of God, for

in _Gen_. 1. 27, it expressly says, that he was created male and female

in the image of God. Therefore, without the proper union of the sexes,

man would be less than what God created him.

 

There is a comprehensive significance in, "The Lord God said, it is

not good that the man should be alone;" _Gen_. 2. 18. It speaks of no

particular period of man's life, and has no limit in its application.

The entire narrative of the union of Adam and Eve, in the second

chapter of Genesis, intimates the designed inseparable relationship

between man and wife, in marriage as ordained of God.

 

Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh;" 2.

23. He evidently well understood this eternal relationship with Eve,

when he answered the Lord's question, "Hast thou eaten of the tree,

whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" and he replied,

"The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and

I did eat;" _Gen_. 3. 11, 12.

 

Here Adam tells the Lord, by way of apology, that in order to keep

his commandment, that he and the woman should remain together, he

was compelled to partake of the forbidden fruit after her. This is

evidently the view the apostle Paul took of the subject: "Adam was not

deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression;" 1

_Tim_. 2. 14.

 

This inseparable connection between man and wife, in marriage as

ordained of God, is further exemplified by the same apostle in _Eph_.

5. 22-33: "The husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the

head of the church." That is, as Christ is eternally the head of the

church, so is the husband eternally the head of the wife. "Husbands,

love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church. * * so ought men

to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth

himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh. * * Let every one of

you in particular so love his wife even as himself."

 

The principle of inseparable connection is fully expressed in Adam's

answer to the Lord as rendered in the writings of Moses, translated by

Joseph, the Seer. "The woman whom thou gavest me, and commanded that

she should remain with me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree and I

did eat;" _P. of G. P., page_ 8.

 

We further read, on _page_ 13, "In the day that God created man, (in

the likeness of God made he him), in the image of his own body, male

and female, created he them, and blessed them, and called their name

Adam." Here we are informed that it required the male and female,

united, to make one image of his own body, and that male and female

were necessary to form one Adam, who was in the dual image of God

his father. We also find by referring again to _Gen_. 1. 27, that it

required the male and female to make an image of God.

 

The Lord has ever manifested a great interest in the marriage

relations of his chosen people and Priesthood, and has protected the

sexual relations by stringent laws and regulations. The importance

of marrying in the same lineage, as themselves, appears to have been

well understood by the patriarchs. For this reason, doubtless, Abraham

married a near relation, and sent his servant, Eliezer, to his kindred

to obtain a wife for his son, and heir, Isaac; _Gen_. 20. 12. _Chap_.

24.

 

Isaac also commanded Jacob to go to Padanaram, and take one of his

cousins to wife; _Gen_. 28. 1-6. Twice the Lord interfered, in a

miraculous manner, to prevent the wife of Abraham from being defiled;

_Gen_. 12. 17-20. _Chap_. 20. 2, 3. Evidently for the reason that she

was the foreordained covenant wife of Abraham, and destined mother

of the Lord's chosen people. Israel was forbidden to marry with the

Canaanites; _Deut_. 7. 3.

 

The Lord gave special commandments regarding the marriage of priests

and their families. A priest's daughter that profaned herself was to be

burned with fire; _Lev_. 21. 9. The High Priest was required to take a

virgin of his own people to wife; _verse_ 14. The sons of Aaron were

commanded not to take a wife that was a whore, or profane, or a woman

put away from her husband; _verse_ 7.

 

"If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they

shall both of them die;" _Deut_. 22. 22. If a man lay with a virgin, in

the city, that was betrothed to an husband, they were both stoned to

death; _verses_ 23, 24. If a man lay with a virgin not betrothed, and

thereby humbled her, he was required to pay her father fifty shekels of

silver, and take her to wife, without the possibility of divorcing her;

_verse_ 28, 29.

 

The eighteenth chapter of Leviticus is chiefly occupied with forbidding

the unlawful indulgence of the passions. The Nephite prophet, Alma,

told his son that harlotry was "most abominable above all sins, save

it be the shedding of innocent blood;" _Alma_ 39, 5. Jesus told his

Nephite disciples "It is better that ye should deny yourselves of these