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Show THE MORMON LION explained to me when I reached Zion," I said. "No mention was made of a direct revelation. Do you know what it is? " "You bet I do. Learnt it by heart to quote to my first wife. I've forgot a lot of it, but here's the first part what I made sure of: 'For behold! I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then arc ye damned· for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory. . . If any man espouse' (that's marry) ' a virgin, and desire to espouse another .. he cannot commit adultery. And if he have ten virgms g1ven unto htm. by this law, then is he justified;. he cannot commit adultery, for they beong to him. But If any one of them 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. And again verily verily, I say unto you '--" ' ' He paused, shook his head, and complained : "Shucks! If my mem'ry ain't plumb gone back on me .. That's the gist of it, howsomever. J oseph received the revel~tton. some time in 'Forty-three; but Bngham dtdn t thmk best to give it out openlike till 'Fifty-two." There could be no doubt that the little rascal was telling me the truth. The doctrine from which he had quoted must have been proclaimed by Brigham as one of the revelatiOns of J oseph. Therefore, either Bngham was an Impostor, or J oscph was a false Prophet, or- polygamy was the revealed word of God! To bcheve was to accept a doctrine that I loathed from the very bottom of my soul. To doubt was to give up ho/Je of my own salvation and the salvation of my fat 1er. Yet how was I to decide? It was a matter of faith, not of reason. I could only wait, and pray and hope for enlightenment from the Prophet whom I now doubted! THE MORMON LION 39 In the midst of my heartsick reflections I thought of Lucy. Poor girl- what a shock it would be when she learned the truth I lt was the innocent belief of herself and her parents in the purely spiritual nature of plural marriage that had overcome my last doub~s before baptism. And now the good doctor and hts dear fellow martyr were gone, and their daughter was one of the ewe lambs! I spoke as calmly as I could : "By the way, about that man- that merchant Senby whom Brother Chilcott and I were talking about yesterday- is he one of those who have lived up to the revelatiOn? " "No, he ain't, the dirty cuss!" snapped Waller. " He's well-to-do, and's been counselled to take another wife ; but he's too stiff-necked I " I sighed with relief. At least Lucy would not be going mto a polygamous household. |
