terrestrial and fallen beings, are now is God, can dwell in a countless numgreatly increased and perfected which ber of such temples in the same moserve to swell their souls with feel-ment. When we worship the Father, ings of rapturous delight, and un- we do not merely worship His perbounded love towards each other, son, but we worship the truth which and with joys that are everlasting. dwells in His person. When we How beautiful-how interesting-worship the Son, we do not merely how inexpressibly lovely will they worship His body, but we worship appear in each others eyes! Full of truth which resides in Him. So, virtue and goodness, knowledge and likewise, when we worship the Holy intelligence, affection and love, Ghost, it is not the substance which they shine forth in all the brilliancy and glory of these Godlike attributes, inspiring each other, and all Heaven, with a fulness of Eternal joys. we alone worship, but truth which dwells in that substance. Take away truth from either of these beings, and their persons or substance would not be the object of worship. It is truth, light, and love that we worship and adore; these are the same in all 22. All these Gods are equal in power, in glory, in dominion, and in the possession of all things; each possesses a fulness of truth, of knowl-worlds; and as these constitute God, edge, of wisdom, of light, of intelli. He is the same in all worlds; and gence; each governs himself in all hence, the inhabitants of all worlds things by his own attributes, and is are required to worship and adore the filled with love, goodness, mercy, and same God. Because God dwells in justice towards all. The fulness of many temples, He frequently speaks to all these attributes is what constitutes us, as though there were many Gods: God. "God is Light." "God is this is true when reference is made Love." "God is Truth." The Gods to the number of His dwelling places; are one in the qualities and attributes. but it is not true, and cannot be true, Truth is not a plurality of truths, be in any other sense. Therefore, in cause it dwells in a plurality of per- all our future statements and reasonsons, but it is one truth, indivisible, ings, when we speak of a plurality of though it dwells in millions of per- Gods, let it be distinctly understood, sons. Each person is called God, that we have reference alone to a not because of his substance, neither plurality of temples wherein the same because of the shape and size of the truth or God dwells. And also when substance, but because of the quali. we speak of only one God, and state ties which dwell in the substance. that He is eternal, without beginning Persons are only tabernacles or tem- or end, and that He is in all worlds ples, and TRUTH is the God, that at the same instant, let it be distinctly dwells in them. If the fulness of remembered, that we have no refertruth, dwells in numberless millions ence to any particular person or subof persons, then the same one indi-stance, but to truth dwelling in a vast visible God dwells in them all. As variety of substances. Wherever truth can dwell in all worlds at the you find a fulness of wisdom, knowlsame instant; therefore, God who is edge, truth, goodness, love, and such truth can be in all worlds at the same like qualities, there you find God in instant. A temple of immortal flesh, all His glory, power, and majesty, and bones, and spirit, can only be in therefore, if you worship these adoraone place at a time, but truth, which ble perfections you worship God. (To be continued.) CELESTIAL MARRIAGE. (Continued.) The first great commandment | being, capable of eternal happiness which God gave unto mankind, as or of eternal misery; they have been recorded in the scriptures, was, to entrusted with the protection and in. "Be fruitful, and multiply, and re-struction of a being in the image and plenish the earth." (Gen. 1: 28.) and likeness of God who, by proper The principal object was to people training, may soar aloft in wisdom, this creation with myriads of intelli- and knowledge, and power, and Godgent moral beings, after His own im- like majesty to the realms of immorage and likeness, endowed with God- tality and everlasting light; they have like capacities, and capable of pro- been entrusted with a treasure ingressing in the grand scale of know. finitely more valuable than all the ledge and happiness, until they should riches and honors of this world-a receive a fulness, and become like treasure which, by their mismanageGod, and be glorified in Him, and He ment may be lost-eternally lost-a in them, that they might be one in treasure for which they are accountglory, and in power, and in dominion. able in the great judgment of quick Herein is God glorified, because and dead. O, how great will be the there are millions of beings who glory and happiness of that man and eventually become like Himself, with woman who have obeyed that great whom He can associate, and who first commandment to "Multiply," are capable of understanding and ap- and have trained up themselves and preciating all the fulness of His their children unto life and immor. glorious attributes, and of acting with tality! On the other hand, what Him in the most perfect harmony in wretchedness and misery, will be inall the magnificent works of Creation. flicted upon those who have been inHerein are the dominions of the Al-struments of unlawful connections, mighty enlarged, by the accession of whose illegitimate children will renew worlds, peopled with beings in main as a standing curse, both in His own form and of His own order. time and in eternity, to testify loudly And herein joy, and gladness, and of the unvirtuous associations of their happiness, reign in the bosom of the guilty parents! O, how fearful the great Creator, in all their fulness and responsibilities, resting upon mankind perfection, because He exercises His in regard to this momentous subject! infinite goodness in the formation of numberless worlds, peopled with beings upon whom, if obedient, He bestows all the fulness of His own great perfections. It is because of the infinitely important consequences, involved in the multiplication of the human species, that God has regulated the same by the strictest kind of laws. He has If, then, the multiplication of human not permitted an indiscriminate interbeings adds to the dominions of the course between the sexes, as among Almighty, glorifies His name, and the dumb brutes; but He has ordaingives Him an opportunity of display. ed Marriage as the only justifiable ing His infinite goodness, it is rea. means through which the sexes can sonable to suppose that He would legally "multiply and replenish the give laws unto mankind, regulating earth." All connections out of the them upon so important a subject-a marriage covenant, are unlawful in subject fraught with consequences the sight of God; and all who are that are eternal. Think, for one guilty of such crimes will be severely moment, of the great responsibilities, punished for the same. In ancient resting upon the father and mother times persons committing adulteries, of an infant child: they have been fornications, and unvirtuous connecinstruments, in giving existence to a tions, were punished with death, ac cording to the law of God, which reads as follows: "If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. If a damsel that is a virgin be be. trothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; then ye shall bring them both out un to the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, be. cause he hath humbled his neigh. hour's wife so shalt thou put away evil from among you. But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die." (Deuteronomy, 22: 22, 25. The great abhorence which the Lord manifested towards all unvirtuous connections, may be clearly seen from the following: "If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, and give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid." And, "if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die; because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you." (Deut. 22: 13, 14, 20, 21. It was pleasing to the Lord to have such wicked characters put to death. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, was greatly blessed of the Lord, for putting to death a man and woman who were guilty of unlawful connections: we give the history of this event in the words of scripture. "And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought onto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazer, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through. *** So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the son of Eleazer, the son of Aaron, the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore, say, behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel." (Num. bers, 25: 6-13.) Why was the Lord so displeased with the sexes that he would punish them with death for unvirtuous conduct? It was, because He had or. dained marriage as the only lawful way of multiplying the human race. The direful effects which follow unvirtuous associations, can easily be perceived, even though there were no law of God against such evils. First, illegitimate children are thrown upon the world without any lawful protector to look after their temporal welfare. Secondly, these children have not the moral advantages, which should be derived from the teachings and ex. amples of lawful parents, and, consequently, are in greater danger of losing their eternal salvation. And lastly, an indiscriminate intercourse between the sexes would break up all family associations, and destroy the harmony and peace, enjoyed in the domestic circle; fathers would not know their own children, and children could not, with confidence, say who were their fathers: such an order of things would be deplorable, and would strike a deadly blow at the foundation of all domestic happiness. Many other dread consequences might also be named, as the result of licentiousness, such as jealousies, want of confidence, loathsome diseases transferred to posterity, all of which evils are abhorent to the feelings of every good man. It is for this reason, that God has enacted strict laws in regard to all these crimes. It is for this reason, that He punishes with such heavy penalties those who violate these sacred laws. Adulterers, and unvirtuous persons were not only to be punished temporally, but also spiritually, after this life. Hence, the Lord says, "The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable,and murderers and whore. mongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death." (Rev. 21: 8.) Punishment by a temporal death is not sufficient to satisfy the demands of justice: they must suffer the penalties of the seond death also. The same strictness against all unvirtuous conduct is taught in the book of Mormon, as may be seen from the following quotations: "O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord; wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell." (2 Nephi 12: 2.) The prophet Alma, in speaking to his son on this same subject, says, "Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abomi. nable above all sins, save it be the shedding of innocent blood, or deny. ing the Holy Ghost." (Alma 19: 1.) In another place, the Lord says to the ancient inhabitants of America, as follows: "I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Wherefore, this people shall keep my command. ments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes. For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will com. mand my people; otherwise, they shall hearken unto these things. For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem; yea, and in all the lands of my people because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands. And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me, against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts; for they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people, because of their tender. ness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction : for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts." (Book of Jacob, 2: 6) When Jesus appeared unto the an. cient Nephites, in the northern part of what we call South America, He taught them, concerning adultery in these words: "Behold, it is written by them of old time, that thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart. Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart; for it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross, than that ye should be cast into hell." (Book of Nephi, page 460, chap. 5: 10.) The same doctrine is taught in the revelations and commandments, given through Joseph, the Seer, unto this church. In February, 1831, the Lord spake thus: "Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else; and he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her, shall deny the faith, and shall not have the Spirit, and if he repents not, he shall be cast out. Thou shalt not commit adultery; and he that committeth adultery and repenteth not, shall be cast out; but he that has committed adultery and repents with all his heart, and forsaketh it, and doeth it no more, thou shalt forgive; but if he doeth it again, he shall not be forgiven, but shall be cast out." (Book of Cove. nants, sec. 13, par. 7.) "There were among you adulterers and adulteresses; some of whom have turned away from you, and others remain with you, that hereafter shall be revealed. Let such beware and repent speedily, lest judgments shall come upon them as a snare, and their folly shall be made manifest, and their works shall follow them in the eyes of the people. And, verily, I say unto you, as I have said before, he "And if any man or woman shall that looketh on a woman to lust after commit adultery, he or she shall be her, or if any shall commit adultery tried before two elders of the church in their hearts, they shall not have or more, and every word shall be es- the Spirit, but shall deny the faith, tablished against him or her by two and shall fear: wherefore, I, the witnesses of the church, and not of Lord, have said that the fearful, and the enemy; but if there are more the unbelieving, and all liars, and than two witnesses it is better. But whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, he or she shall be condemned by the and the whoremonger, and the sormouth of two witnesses, and the eld- cerer, shall have their part in that ers shall lay the case before the lake which burneth with fire and church, and the church shall lift up brimstone, which is the second death. their hands against him or her, that Verily I say, that they shall not have they may be dealt with according to part in the first resurrection. And, the law of God. And if it can be, it now, behold, I, the Lord, say unto is necessary that the bishop is pre- you, that ye are not justified, because sent also. And thus ye shall do in these things are among you; neverall cases which shall come before theless, he that endureth in faith, and you." (Sec. 13, par. 22.) doeth my will, the same shall over. come, and shall receive an inheri tance upon the earth, when the day of transfiguration shall come." (Sec. 20, par. 4, 5, 6.) The saints are prohibited, by reve. lation, to receive certain persons into the church. The Lord says: "Behold, verily I say unto you, that whatever persons among you, having put away their companions for the cause of fornication, or in other words, if they shall testify before you in all lowliness of heart that these sinful lusts. this is the case, ye shall not cast them out from among you; but if ye shall find that any persons have left their companions for the sake of adultery, and they themselves are the offenders, and their companions are living, they shall be cast out from among you. And again I say unto you, that ye shall be watchful and careful, with all inquiry, that ye receive none such among you, if they are married; and if they are not married, they shall repent of all their sins, or ye shall not receive them." (Sec. 13, par. 20.) In all these quotations from ancient and modern revelations, every one can see the dreadful consequences, arising from the least indulgence of Those persons And again, the word of the Lord came unto Joseph, the Seer, in August, 1831, saying: who suffer unvirtuous thoughts to come into their hearts, and cherish them there for one moment will find themselves under condemnation ; they have broken the law of God; they have become defiled by their wicked thoughts, and unless they repent, the Spirit will depart from them; for the Holy Ghost dwelleth not in unholy temples, and they will be left in darkness, and their faith will die away, and they will be filled with fear, and finally be cast down to hell. The Latter-Day Saints are under greater obligations than any other people on the whole earth, to keep themselves pure and virtuous before the Lord-to refrain from adulteries, |