Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-10-13
M.-mon Lectures on Polygamy
Nom - From Non-Mormon Viewpoint.

A SamuclS leBltlfndcyi ana coIlseQuent-
ly OF Gods allowance OF and blessing on
polygamy?
"If such second marriage was, IN Gods
account. null and void, as sin against
the original law OF marriage, the sew
enth commandment, or any other law
| of God, no mark of legitimacy could
| have been found on the issue for a
| null and void marriage is tantamount
10 no marriage at all. and II no mar
/ riage, no legitimacy of the issue can
| possibly be. Instead Of such blessing
| as Hannah obtained. We would have
found her and her husband Elkanah
charged with adultery. dragged forth.
! and stoned 10 death; for so was adul-
| terry TO be punished.
| "AIl this furnishes us with conclusive
] proof. that the having more than one
| wife with which man cohabted was
not adultery In the sight of God: or In
| other words. that It was never reckoned
| any sin against the seventh command
| ment, the original marriage institution
| or any other law whatever.
"Fourthly. But there Is passage
| Deut. XXI, i5) which Is express to the
| point, and amounts to a demonstra-
| ton OF Gods allowance OF polygamy.
| II a man have two wives. one beloved
and the other hated, and they have
| borne him children, both the beloved
and the hated: and II the frstborn
| be hers that was hated, then It shall
! be. when he taketh his sons TO inherit
| that which he hath that he may not
| make the son of the beloved tirstborn
| before the son OF the hated which IL,
| indeed the nrstborn bur he shall ac-
| knowledge the son OF the hated
for the iirstborn by giving him
double portion OF all that he hath !,
! for he Is the beginning of his strength
and the right OF the firstborn Is his
ION the footing of this law the mar
rage Of both women is equally law
| full. God calls them both wives (for
SO the word must be rendered In this
place, as the context plainly shows) and
He cannot be mistaken: If He calls
them so,
If the second wife bore the first son,
that son was to inherit before son
born afterwards OF the first wife. Here
the Issue is expressly deemed legitimate
and Unbeatable to the double portion OF
the firstborni which could not be If
the second marriage were not deemed
as lawful as the first.
Filthy. To say that polygamy Is
sinful Is 10 make God the author of
SIN; for not to forbid that which is
eVli, but even TO countenance and pro-
mote II, Is being so far tho author OF Il.
and accessory to II In the highest de-
gree. And shall we dare say or even
TO think that this Is chargeable on
Him who Is Of purer eyes than to be-
hold evil, and who cannot look on in.
lqulty? CHo. |. 49, God forbid. When
He is upbraiding David by the prophet
Nathan, for his ingratitude toward
his Almighty Benefactor UI Sam, xiii
He does II in the following terms. v, s;
Il gave thee thy masters house and
thy masters wives unto thy bosom. and
| gave thee the house Of Israel and Ju-
dab, and IL that had been too little, I
would moreover have given thee such
and such things"
Can we suppose God giving more
wives than one into David's bosom.
VINO already had more than one, II it
was a sin In David to take them?
can we imagine that God would thus
transgress, as Il were, His own COM
mandment In one instance, and yet so
severely reprove and chastlse David
for breaking another?
rs II not rather plain, from the whole
transaction, that David committed
mortal sin In taking another living
mans wife, but not IN taking the
widows OF the deceased Saul; and this.
therefore, though the law of God COM
manded the first, yet did not condemn
tho second?
"Sixthly. When David took the wife
OF uriah. he was severely reprimand-
ed by the prophet Nathan. but after
urlahs death. he takes the same wo-
man, though he had other wives before,
and no fault Is found with him: nor Is
ne charged with the least flaw or In
sincerity IN bis repentance on that ac-
count. The child which was the fruit
OF his intercourse with Dathsheba DIR
ing her husband Urlah's life. God
struck to death with His own hand IN
sam, xii, l5).
Solomon, born of the same woman
oegotten by the same man, In a state
OF polygamy is Acknowledged by God
himself as David's lawful Issue I
Kings, vi, 81, and as such sat UPON his
throne ''
The law which positively excluded
bastards Tor those born out OF we'd
lock) from the congregation of the Lords
even unto tho tenth generation Deut
Xviii, y Is wholly inconsistent with
solomon being employed to build Gods
temple, being the mouth of the people
70 God In prayer, and offering sacrifices
~ me temple at Its dedication, unless
CaVlos marriage with Bathsheba was
a lawful marriage solomon the lawful
Issue of that marriage, conseouentiv
poiygamy was no sim either against
the primary institution of marriage or
against the seventh commandment.
But so far az Solomon being under
any disqualification from the law above
,nehtloned, he Is appointed by God
niinself TO build the temple q Kings.
YIN, ls). His prayer Is heard and the
house is hallowed CHAP tx, 81 and filIed
WIN such glory that the priests could
not stand to minister CHAP. VII. III.
solomon therefore as well as Samuel
stands as a demonstrable proof thai n
child born under the circumstances of
poiygamy Is no bastard-God Himself
peifig the judge, whose judgment Is ac.
eording TO truth. When David took
na.hsheph' she was another mans
WlIe; me child which he begat upon
her IN that situation was begotten In
adultery--and the thing which David
had done dspleased the Lord IN sam.
xl. 30. And what was the consequence?
we are told di Sam. XII. u, the Lord
sent Nathan the prophet unto David.
Nathan opened his commission with a
,lost beautiful parable descriptive Of
DaVids crime; this parable the prophet
appnes 10 the conviction OF the delin-
quent, sets 1t home upon his consci-
ence, brings him TO repentance, and the
poor penitent finds mercy-his life Is
spared ever. 49,. God will vindicate
inc honor of his moral government,
ana that In the most awful manner
tue murder OF uriah Is TO be visited
upon David and his house, THE sword
snail never depart from thine house"
over, 100. The adultery with Bathshe-
ba was to be retaliated IN the most ag-
gravated manner. Because thou hast
despised me- and hast taken the wife
OF Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
mus saith the Lord will raise up
evil against thee out of thine own
1N(n IA CTNnsC r1vvr