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Show THROUGH GREAT TRIBULATION. 355 " Do you revile the patriarchs?" said the teacher, with rising color. " I only say of the patriarchs what the Bible says of them, that they did many bad things, things which would now be considered crimes." " But God's word specifies all the sins and crimes. You can not show a text forbidding polygamy." " Perhaps not in express words, but I can show that the general teaching is against it. You can not show a text expressly forbidding gambling or slavery; but we know they are not justified." " But was not Hagar given Abraham of God ? " " No. The record shows that God had nothing to do with Abra-ham's polygamy. It resulted from Sarah's want of faith. She had been promised a son, and as the boy did not come along soon enough, she thought she would help the Lord to keep His promise, and so she give her husband to Hagar with the express understanding that the child should be Sarah's. According to my notion, the Lord had noth-ing to do with it." " But Abraham did practice plurality, and the Lord did not con-demn him for it you can't get around that." " Yes, Abraham's first wife was his half- sister, and his second was a colored woman, and you can't show a line in the Bible to prove that she was married to him. The Lord always speaks of her as a ' bond- woman/ and her son as ' the son of the bond- woman.' She was n't Abraham's wife at all." " Sir- r," said the teacher and as he warmed with the debate, his Yorkshire accent came out stronger. " You revile what you do not understand. ' No man knoweth the things of God, save the Spirit of God teach him/ and you have no witness. But we have in us that knowledgOe which enables us to sense divine truth. I know this work is of God. I know that plurality is the celestial law.'' And to this Briarly gave an emphatic assent. He had the spirit; there was a wit-ness the Gentile knew not of; lie must be baptized for the remission of sins, and receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands of one that held the true priesthood. Then this witness should be given' him, and he would know for himself, and not for another, that this work was of God. But among the Gentiles there was no priest or preacher with authority from God ; hence they could not have this witness and much more to the same effect. But Manson was not to be diverted from the main question. The controversial spirit was aroused in him, and with many interruptions he went on : |
