The Life and Times of Helon Henry Tracy, "Mormon
Polygamist"
CONCERNING POLYGAMY AS PRACTICED FOR A TIME
IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
(MORMON) 1842-1890
“According to the Lord’s law of marriage, it is lawful
that a man have only one wife at a time, unless by revelation
the Lord commands plurality of wives in the new and everlasting
covenant. (D. & C. 49:15-17)
“Speaking
of ‘the doctrine
of plurality of wives,’ the Prophet [Joseph Smith] said:
‘I hold the keys of this power in the last days;
for there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom
the power and its keys are conferred; and I have constantly
said no man shall have but one wife at a time, unless
the Lord directs otherwise.’(Teachings of
the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 324.)
“The Lord,
by the mouth of his Prophet Jacob, gave similar direction
to the Nephites: ‘For there shall not any man among you
have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;
For 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 commandments,
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 command my people; otherwise they
shall hearken unto these things.” (Jacob 2:27-30)
“The Lord
did command some of his ancient saints to practice plural
marriage. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—among others (D.
& C. 132) — conformed
to this ennobling and exalting principle; the whole history
of ancient Israel was one in which plurality of wives was
a divinely accepted and approved order of matrimony.
Those who entered this order at the Lord’s command,
and who kept the laws and conditions appertaining to it,
have gained for themselves eternal exaltation in the highest
heaven of the celestial world.
“In the
early days of this dispensation, as part of the promised
restitution of all things, the Lord revealed the principle
of plural marriage to the Prophet.
Later the Prophet and leading bretheren were commanded
to enter into the practice, which they did in all virtue
and purity of heart despite the consequent animosity and
prejudices of worldly people.
After Brigham Young led the saints to the Salt Lake
Valley, plural marriage was openly taught and practiced
until the year 1890. At
that time conditions were such that the Lord by revelation
withdrew the command to continue the practice, and President
Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto directing that it
cease. (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp.
213-218)
“Plural
marriage is not essential to salvation or exaltation. Nephi and his people were denied the power to have more than one
wife and yet they could gain every blessing in eternity
that the Lord ever offered to any people.
In our day, the Lord summarized by revelation the
whole doctrine of exaltation and predicated it upon the
marriage of one man to one woman. (D. & C. 132:1-28) Thereafter he added principles relative to plurality
of wives with the express stipulation that any such marriages
would be valid only if authorized by the President of the
Church. (D. & C. 132:7, 29-66)
“All who pretend or assume to engage in plural marriage in this
day, when the one holding the keys has withdrawn the power
by which they are performed, are guilty of gross wickedness.” (Mormon Doctrine, Second Edition, Bruce R. McConkie, Bookcraft,
Salt Lake City, Utah, 1966, pp. 577-579.)
