the revelation on “celestial marriage.”
and time flew by; and at length the dreaded revelation came.
one very pleasant morning, early in january, 1853, two elders of the italian mission, jabez woodward and thomas margetts, took breakfast with us; and with them also was mons. petitpierre from geneva, the protestant minister of whom i have already spoken. while i was busy preparing the meal, mr stenhouse and the two english elders went to the post office to get their letters, for at that time they were expecting important news. when they returned, breakfast was quite ready, and they took their seats at the table. i asked if there were any letters from england; and my husband said, “no, no letters; but there is a star, and it contains the revelation on polygamy.”
he handed me a copy of the millennial star, a mormon paper published in liverpool; and as i took it, i felt as if i were receiving my death-warrant. it was indeed the death-warrant to all my hopes of happiness. i rose from the table, asking them to excuse me; and overcome with agitation and conflicting emotions, i retired to my own chamber. there, for the first time, i read that document which has since brought such sorrow and misery to so many wronged and heart-broken women. the reader may perhaps like to see the only foundation and authority for the practice of polygamy ever produced by the mormon leaders. so i copy exactly from the millennial star what i then read, leaving out only a few lines here and there, which had no special reference to the subject, but helped to swell the size of the “revelation:”—
celestial marriage:
a revelation on the patriarchal order of matrimony, or plurality of wives.
given to joseph smith, the seer, in nauvoo, july 12th, 1843.
1. verily, thus saith the lord, unto you, my servant joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand, to know and[68] understand wherein i, the lord, justified my servants, abraham, isaac, and jacob; as also moses, david, and solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines: behold! and lo, i am the lord thy god, and will answer thee as touching this matter: therefore prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which i am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same; for behold! i reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant, and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant, and be permitted to enter into my glory; for all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which is appointed for that blessing and the conditions thereof, as was instituted from before the foundations of the world: and as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof, must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the lord god.
2. and verily i say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: all covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connexions, associations, or expectations, that are not made or entered into, and sealed, by the holy spirit of promise, of him who is anointed both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment, through the medium of mine anointed, whom i have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and i have appointed unto my servant joseph to hold this power in the last days; and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of the priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force, in and after the resurrection from the dead: for all contracts that are not made unto this end, have an end when men are dead.
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4. therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me, nor by my word; and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world, and she with him, their covenant and marriage is not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world; therefore, when they are out of the world, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory; for these angels did not abide my law, therefore[69] they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity, and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of god for ever and ever.
5. and again, verily i say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time, and for all eternity, if that covenant is not by me, or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the holy spirit of promise, through him whom i have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid, neither of force, when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world, it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory, for my house is a house of order, saith the lord god.
6. and again, verily i say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the holy spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom i have appointed this power, and the keys of this priesthood, and it shall be said unto them, ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the lamb’s book of life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood; and if ye abide in my covenant and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity, and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds for ever and ever.
7. then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.
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9. verily, verily i say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the holy spirit of promise, according to mine appointment, and he or she shall[70] commit any sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder, wherein they shed innocent blood—yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into their exaltation, but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered unto the buffetings of satan, unto the day of redemption, saith the lord god.
10. the blasphemy against the holy ghost, which shall not be forgiven in this world, nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder, wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the lord god; and he that abideth not this law can in no wise enter into my glory, but shall be damned, saith the lord.
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13. god commanded abraham, and sarah gave hagar to abraham, to wife. and why did she do it? because this was the law. and from hagar sprang many people. this, therefore, was fulfilling, among other things, the promises. was abraham, therefore, under condemnation? verily, i say unto you, nay; for i, the lord, commanded it. abraham was commanded to offer his son isaac; nevertheless, it was written, thou shalt not kill. abraham, however, did not refuse, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
14. abraham received concubines, and they bare him children, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my law. as isaac also and jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones; and are not angels, but are gods. david also received many wives and concubines, as also solomon, and moses my servant; as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of the creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin, save in those things which they received not of me.
15. david’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me, save in the case of uriah and his wife; and therefore, he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world; for i gave them unto another, saith the lord.
16. i am the lord thy god, and i gave unto thee, my servant joseph, an appointment, and restore all things....[71] i have conferred upon you the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein i restore all things, and make known unto you all things, in due time.
17. and verily, verily i say unto you, that whosoever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name, and by my word, saith the lord, if shall be eternally bound in the heavens; and whosoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you retain on earth shall be retained in heaven.
18. and again, verily i say, whomsoever you bless i will bless, and whomsoever you curse i will curse, saith the lord; for i, the lord, am thy god.
19. and again, verily i say unto you, my servant joseph, that whatsoever you give on earth, and to whomsoever you give any one on earth, by my word, and according to my law, it shall be visited with blessings.
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20. verily i say unto you, a commandment i give unto mine handmaid emma smith, your wife ... let mine handmaid emma smith receive all those that have been given unto my servant joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the lord god!... i give unto my servant joseph, that he shall be made ruler over many things, for he hath been faithful over a few things, and from henceforth i will strengthen him.
21. and i command mine handmaid emma smith to abide and cleave unto my servant joseph, and to none else. but if she will not abide this commandment, she shall be destroyed, saith the lord; for i am the lord thy god, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law; but if she will not abide this commandment, then shall my servant joseph do all things for her, even as he hath said; and i will bless him, and multiply him, and give unto him a hundredfold in this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds. and again, verily i say, let mine handmaid forgive my servant joseph his trespasses, and then shall she be forgiven her trespasses, wherein she has trespassed against me; and i, the lord thy god, will bless her, and multiply her, and make her heart to rejoice.
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24. and again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood:[72] if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent; and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified. he cannot commit adultery, for they are given him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him, and to none else; and if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him; and they are given unto him—therefore is he justified. but if one or other of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my father before the foundation of the world; and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my father continued, that he may be glorified.
25. and again, verily, verily i say unto you, if any man has a wife who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the lord your god; for i will destroy her; for i will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law. therefore it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever i, the lord his god, will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him, according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor, and he is exempt from the law of sarah, who administered unto abraham according to the law, when i commanded abraham to take hagar to wife. and now, as pertaining to this law: verily, verily i say unto you, i will reveal more unto you hereafter; therefore, let this suffice for the present. behold, i am alpha and omega. amen....
and this was the revelation!—this mass of confusion, cunning absurdity, and falsehood. this was the celebrated document which was henceforth to be law to the confiding men and women who had embraced mormonism! looking at it now—noting its inconsistencies and its flagrant outrage upon common decency and morality, i can hardly credit that i should ever have been such a silly dupe as to give it a second thought. and yet, what could i do? i was bound hand and foot, as it were, and my very vision itself was distorted. unquestioning[73] obedience, we had been taught, was the highest virtue; rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft. i had been convinced of the truth of some of the tenets of the mormon faith; and confident in them, i accepted without question all the rest. never, till the possibility that polygamy might some day be acknowledged by the church, began to be whispered among the saints—never did a solitary doubt respecting my religion intrude itself upon my mind; and after my apprehensions were fairly aroused by those rumours, whenever i felt the faintest shadow of unbelief or suspicion arising in my heart, i banished it as an unholy thing. the time had not yet come when i could judge dispassionately: the revelation aroused within me feelings of horror and dismay, but i did not dare to question its authenticity. it brought bitterness to my soul, but i believed it was from god, and that i must learn to bear the cross patiently.
i did not at that time read the document through from beginning to end. no; my indignation was such that before i had read half of it i threw it from me in anger. perhaps if i had read it all, and considered it carefully, my own judgment and my sense of right and wrong might have pointed out its absurdity and wickedness. but i was far from being tranquil enough to think calmly. i felt bitterly that this new doctrine was a degradation to woman, and i wondered why god should see fit to humiliate my sex in this way. i was willing to devote myself, my life, my all to his service, but wherefore should he doom me to everlasting sorrow?
what now was to be a woman’s lot among the mormons? a life without hope! who can express the terrible meaning of those words—without hope? yet so it was. hereafter our hearts were to be daily and hourly trampled upon; the most sacred feelings of our sex were to be outraged, our affections were to be crushed. henceforth we were to be nothing by ourselves; without a husband, we were told, we could not even enter heaven! but had our trials been limited to this life we might have borne them, as many a weary soul has done, waiting for the relief of death. but death was to bring no hope to us; we were told that in the other world polygamy should be the only order of marriage, and that without it none could be exalted in glory. we were told these things by men who we believed were true and holy men of god; and we trusted in them.
rebellious i felt, indeed, as i paced the room after i had thrown the revelation on the ground: i almost felt as if i[74] should lose my reason. a woman in the time of trouble always looks to some one in whom she can confide; but to whom could i turn for one kind or cheering word? who would comfort me? i had neither relation nor friend to whom i could speak of this trial; there was no one who could understand me. i could not turn to my husband in this sorrow, and i dared not even kneel to my god to implore his aid. it was he, they said, who had declared this revelation was his will; how then could i turn to him? no; my heart sank within me; henceforth there was to be no hope, no peace, for me!
there was a knock at my chamber door, and my husband came in. he knew how acutely i must feel, and he came to comfort me. i was almost choked with emotion and tears, but he threw his arms round me tenderly, and spoke to me as if i had been a child that needed consolation. he tried to persuade me that god as a loving father could never have intended the pain or misery of his children, and that when we came to understand the doctrine better, we should find that all would be well. he spoke also of his own unchanging attachment; and appealed to me whether i thought he could ever love me less, or place his affections on another.
i tried to believe, and when i felt a little better i went with him to the breakfast-room, where the others were waiting for us.
we were not a very entertaining party that morning. the elders present of course knew what had kept me in my room, and their attempt at cheerfulness was not very successful. my husband was in sympathy with me, and i have no doubt that i looked sad enough. there was only one person present who did not appreciate the situation—monsieur petitpierre, the protestant minister—and they handed the revelation to him. mr. stenhouse and the other elders had some misgivings as to how he would receive it, and they were afraid it might disgust him with mormonism. but the old gentleman stood the test bravely; and i saw then, as i have seen since, that men can be easily satisfied that the revelation on polygamy, or any other revelation, is divine, if they desire, it to be so.
here was old monsieur petitpierre, a man of more than threescore years, and childless. to him the example of abraham and solomon appeared most instructive—an example which might be followed with advantage. his wife, like sarah of old, had never been called by a mother’s name; and now, although thus far he had no idea who might act the part[75] of a second hagar, there seemed a fair chance that a little ishmael might perpetuate the race of petitpierres on earth, if only the revelation was acted upon by the faithful.
“it ought to be prayerfully thought of,” he said.
prayerfully thought of! poor, silly old man! before then i had respect for his years and learning; but now—what could i think of a man who talked such nonsense? had the revelation told him that the wife of his youth, now tottering in step, and with hair silvered by age, was commanded to take two or a dozen young husbands—i wondered whether he would have added with such satisfaction “it ought to be prayerfully thought of!”
from that day i learned to regard polygamy as an essential part of the mormon faith, and such for many years the world has considered it; but when i first joined the church, such an innovation would have appeared to the european saints beyond the wildest fancies of a dream.
