characterized ancient Christianity?17.) The apostate churches of latter Where now are the abundance of times were to be "without natural Christian Prophets such as once affection," "having a form of godli. flourished in the Christian Church? ness, but denying the power thereof," Where now are the visions, revela. "giving heed to seducing spirits, and tions, prophecies, ministry of angels, doctrines of devils; speaking lies in the healings, the miracles, and the hypocracy; having their conscience power of God that distinguished the seared with a hot iron; forbidding to Christian Church while it was on the marry;" "waxing worse and worse, earth? Where has been even the deceiving and being deceived;" Christian Church itself, for centuries "through coveteousness, with feigned and ages past? It has been nowhere words, making merchandise of the upon the earth. If all the great, and people" "turning their ears away glorious, and grand characteristics of from the truth, and turning them unChristianity, have ceased-if the to fables." "Forbidding to marry" Christian Church itself, has not been was one of the grand evils of the transferred to our day, how could it apostacy; it was classified with the be expected that the plurality of wives "doctrines of devils;" it was one as practiced in that Church, should of the most effectual doctrines that survive the general wreck? If the most important offices, gifts, and bless. ings of the gospel, perished in the general apostacy, it would be nothing strange if some of the customs of the early Christians should perish also.

After the Church of Christ became extinct from the earth, the apostates who were left still continued a form under the name of a Christian Church; these changed and altered customs to suit their own imaginations; forbid. ding their priests to marry, and introducing celibacy, and nunneries, and thousands of other foolish whims and habits that the Christian Church, while it was on the earth, never thought of. From these unauthorized apostates, sprang all the churches of modern Christendom; all being as destitute of divine authority as the idolatrous Hindoos. And through their traditions, customs, and foolish imaginations, they have almost entirely irradicated every feature and custom of ancient Christianity from the earth.

the devil could invent to "proot the foundations of society; to deprive the people of God of their promised heritage of children; to thwart the purposes of the Almighty in peopling the earth with its full measure of inhabi tants; to cut off the glory promised to the faithful through the continuance of their posterity; to reduce mankind to the same woful condition, as the fallen angels themselves, who have no power to increase their dominions by a multiplication of their species.

The devil and his angels, having forfeited, in their first estate, all right to enter a second with bodies of flesh and bones, and having lost the privil ege of marrying and propagating their species, feel maliciously wicked and envious against the sons of men who kept their first estate and are now in the enjoyment of the second, marrying and increasing their families or kingdoms. These arch seducers know full well the blessings which they have lost, and which they see mankind in possession of, namely, the This great apostacy began to man. blessings of wives and children. ifest itself in the Christian Church Could they seduce mankind and forwhile the apostles were yet living. bid them to marry, it would greatly Paul, in speaking of the coming of gratify their hellish revenge; for they Christ, says, "Let no man deceive know that all such would lose their you by any means: for that day shall promised glory, being left wifeless not come, except there come a falling and childless like themselves, without away first." (2 Thess. 5: 3.) And any possible means of reigning over again, he says, "for the mystery of an endless increase of posterity. iniquity doth already work." (Verse The devils, knowing the eternal

ruin which would necessarily come well how much harm Abraham, upon mankind could they be persuad- Jacob, Moses, Gideon, Elkanah, ed to abolish marriage, used every David, and numerous other old Po. art of seduction to accomplish their lygamists had done to his kingdom. evil designs. When they could not God had declared himself to be the succeed in one way they would try God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, another; if they could not persuade and the God of Jacob, and had proall the church to forsake the practice mised to bless the children of their of marriage, they would then try their numerous wives and multiply them skill upon the apostate priesthood, en- like the dust of the earth. And deavoring to enforce them into a life Christ too, the greatest enemy which of perpetual celibacy. The devils the Devil had, was so well pleased soon succeeded in getting laws enact with this divine institution that he ed, forbidding the Priests to marry. chose to come into the world through Nunneries were also built in which the lineage of a long list of Jewish females were immured for life, and and Patriarchal Polygamists. The thus prevented from fulfilling the Devil, therefore, thought to vent his great and first command to multiply spite at this holy order, and if possi their species. The next great object ble entirely irradicate it from the with the Devil was, to unite this earth. Through the influence of apostate church and priesthood with Apostate Christendom several nathe civil power; this he soon accom- tions have actually been persuaded, plished: he now found himself armed to assist the Devil in his malicious with double facilities. What he warfare against this divine system: could not before fully accomplish they have actually passed laws prowith the ecclesiastical tribunals, he hibiting it in their midst. Thus that could now perform through the enact order of plurality by which the twelve ments of the civil powers. He had tribes of Israel were founded, and already succeeded in abolishing mar- from which the Messiah, according riage among Priests and Nuns, and to the flesh, came; that order which the next step was to forbid the plu- multiplied the chosen seed as the rality of wives-that divine institu- stars of Heaven, and in which all na· tion which had, in all previous ages tions should be blessed; that order of the world, been so successful by which the childless dead could among holy Patriarchs, Prophets, and have his name perpetuated to endless righteous men in greatly multiplying generations; that holy divine order the people of God, and spreading has been overturned and abolished them abroad like the sands of the by human enactments and by human seashore. Could he persuade the authority. Let Apostate Christenecclesiastical and civil powers to dom blush at her sacriligious deeds! unitedly attack this holy institution, let her be ashamed of her narrowand utterly abolish it in church and contracted bigoted laws! State, it would greatly satiate his revengeful feelings; for he recollected

(To be continued.)

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, See Ye, when Ho lifteth up an Ensign on the Mountains.-Isaiah XVIII, 3.

VOL. I.

JUNE, 1853.

No. 6.

(Continued.)

62. If man before the fall had no states. So likewise, in reference to knowledge of misery, it is evident the idea of happiness; in order to de. that he also must have been ignorant termine in his own mind what happiof the nature of happiness; for al- ness is, he must be able to contrast though placed in circumstances where it with misery, but if he has no idea there is no misery, yet he does not of misery, he could not make the con. realize that this condition is a condi- trast, and consequently he could form tion of happiness: no one could ex- no idea in his own mind that his state plain to him the nature of happiness: was a state of happiness. The word the idea of happiness never could happiness would be a vague term of enter his mind until he could form an which he could form no idea of the idea of a state or condition of an op- meaning. Hence, the state of our posite nature. If we should conceive first parents before the fall must have of a being placed in circumstances been a kind of neutral state, having where a continuous stream of light no knowledge of happiness or misery, shone upon him, whose intensity neither enjoying the one nor suffering never varied-if we should conceive the other, not appreciating their conhim as never closing his eyes upon dition, for they could not contrast it this light, it would be impossible for with any opposite condition. It was him to know the nature of darkness; necessary, therefore, for them to exand it would be equally impossible perience pain or misery, that they for him to form any idea that he was might discern and appreciate happi enjoying light light could not be ex-ness. plained to him, as something opposite 63. The Lord being perfect in to darkness; and though he should goodness, could not, consistently with dwell in that light eternally, he this great attribute of His nature, in never could appreciate it; he could flict pain or misery upon innocent not contrast his condition in the light beings, like our first parents. If he with the condition of another in had made them subject to pain, his darkness; for he would have no idea work could not have been pronounced what darkness was: in order to un- very good and if he had inflicted derstand the difference between light pain upon them while in their inno and darkness, and appreciate the cent state, all the Heavens would blessings of the one, contrasted with have considered Him unjust and im. the disagreeableness of the other, he peached his goodness. Pain or mis. must experience the two opposite Jery must be the result of transgres.

was

:

64. Without a knowledge of good and evil, of happiness and misery, they could have no conception of justice and mercy. A sense of justice implies not only a knowledge of what is right and wrong, but a knowledge of the penalty which should be inflicted upon the evil doer. An under. standing of the nature of mercy implies an understanding of justice; and without a knowledge of the latter, no conceptions could be formed of the nature of the former. Our first parents, in this state, had never seen any one suffering the demands of justice under the penalty of a broken law; they never had seen mercy of fered to a being in such a condition. Justice and mercy would be words to them without a meaning: the ideas of their nature could not, in their innocent state, enter into their hearts. Language would be altogether inade. quate to give them the least notion of these qualities; they could only be learned by tasting good and evil; by partaking of happiness and misery.

sion, All pain in the universe origi. [performed by beings who knew good, nated in transgression. But our first yet, because of their ignorance of the parents, while innocent, knew neither nature of good, such acts would not good nor evil they knew that God be considered either good or bad. had given a law in regard to the fruit Therefore, they, while in this state of a certain tree which they were told of ignorance, could do no good, for they "the tree of knowledge of good knew not the nature of good; neither and evil." The mere name of this could they learn the nature of good tree gave them no idea of the nature without transgressing the law, and of either good or evil. They knew thus learning the nature of evil; then, that God had given them a command and not till then, they would learn by not to eat of the fruit; but they did experience, that one species of acts not know that obedience to this law were good, and that another species was good, and that disobedience to it were evil. was evil. If they had been told that to obey the law was good, and that to disobey it was evil, they could not have understood the terms; good and evil were words without meaning to them. It was true, they were told of the penalty which should be inflicted upon them if they transgressed the law. But they could form no idea of the nature of death, so far as the sen. sation was concerned; and therefore they stood in no fear of death. If God had seen proper to have told them before the fall, that death would be a dissolution of body and spirit, that their bodies would return to dust, and that their spirits would be miserable, ye: they could not have understood that such a state of things would be misery; they could have formed no idea of the evils of death, or that it would be of any disadvantage to them to have their bodies and spirits sepa. rated. To stand in fear of a penalty would indicate that the being who thus feared, must have some idea of misery; but as our first parents knew no misery, because they knew no 65. Love and hatred must have evil, it was impossible for them to been sensations unknown prior to the have any fears in regard to the con- knowledge of good and evil. Hatred sequences resulting from disobedi. is excited by something possessing ence. Hence they were agents or disagreeable qualities; but, as all subjects, capable of being enticed to things were very good, there was disobey the law without any fear. nothing calculated to excite this pasThey had never been frowned upon sion: no evil qualities were, as yet, by their Father, therefore they could discerned by them: such sensations not conceive the nature of a frown. could not be produced in them, withAll their acts, prior to knowing good out inflicting more or less pain; but and evil, must have been, to a certain the sensation of pain could not be extent, without any merit or demerit. awakened without doing evil; thereIf they had done any acts which fore, it was impossible for them to would have been considered good, if have the sensation of hatred before

knowing evil. But a being who has gal love could exist between the two no knowledge of hatred can have no sexes, when they had no knowledge knowledge of Love; for love being of good or evil, of joy or misery. the opposite of hatred, can only be That feeling of joy which now exists understood by contrast. In order to between husband and wife, they must love, a being must perceive some- have been strangers to. It is also thing good in the object loved, but as extremely doubtful, whether they, in Adam had no idea of good, he could their state of ignorance, could propanot love anything because it possessed gate a mortal species. Shame or the quality of goodness, and there. modesty was something that they had fore, he could not form any idea of no idea of; hence, we read that, the nature of love. Love and hatred," They were both naked, the man and then, are sensations derived from the his wife, and were not ashamed.” knowledge of good and evil.

(Gen. 2: 25.) They, being im 66. If the knowledge of good and mortal, and having no blood flowing evil, of happiness and misery, of jus- within their systems, and being destitice and mercy, of love and hatred, tute of the idea of love and hatred, of had no place in the minds of our first sexual affection, and of every princi parents, prior to the fall, it is evident ple resulting from a knowledge of good that they were totally deficient of the and evil, were unqualified, as yet, to qualities necessary to the enjoyment fulfil that great commad, to "Be fruitof the society of beings of a superior ful, and multiply and replenish the order: they were totally unqualified earth;" (Gen. 1: 28;) providing that to converse, and reason, and associ. the command had reference to a ate with any degree of satisfaction mortal posterity of flesh and bones. with beings who were in the posses- Flesh and bones are made out of blood, sion of all this knowledge; they were and without blood flesh and bones totally inadequate to hold any power could not be begotten and born; now, or authority among those who knew as blood is the natural life, and congood and evil; they were entirely tains within itself mortality and death, unqualified to sit in judgment upon it is evident that Adam and Eve had transgressors to discern the nature not that mortal fluid flowing within of crime to punish the guilty-to their immortal systems; and yet withshow mercy to the afflicted-to love out blood, they never could have begotgood and hate evil: for the want of ten children of flesh and bones. If it experimental knowledge they could were the design of the Almighty, that not, for a moment, have been entrust- man, in his second estate, should be. ed with the exercise of any of these get bodies or tabernacles only, and important functions. And thus we not spirits, then it was impossible for perceive, as we have already stated them to fulfil that design until after in a former paragraph, that there are the fall. The spirits were already certain truths which could only be begotten in heaven; these spirits relearned by experience; while there quired tabernacles; it may have been are other truths which can be ac- the the duty of man in this world to quired by reason, reflection, observa- beget these tabernacles, that innocent tion, and revelation. But experimen- spirits from the spirit world might tal truths are just as necessary as take up their abode in them. This those acquired by a different process. work man, in this world, could not do, 67. Thus we see that the knowl- unless blood circulated within his ar. edge of our first parents was ex- teries and veins. Now, the Lord tremely limited. Though the Lord could not, consistently with his good. had formed Eve and brought her to ness, organize blood within the sysAdam, yet it is extremely doubtful tem of man, and thus subject him to whether, in their innocent state, they death. He therefore made him imcould love or hate each other. It is mortal, by organizing, in connection difficult for us to conceive how conju- with his flesh and bones, an immortal