The history of the Patriarchs is a series of blessings of this sort. The blessings bestowed upon their numerous wives, are of the same kind also. And no tale of grief or occasion for lamentation, was more conspicuous in the history of the Patriarchs, or of their wives, than to be written childless and without posterity on the earth. God always attached an honourable distinction to males and females who engaged in the sacred system of plurality according to the conditions he laid down for them to observe.

Only a cursory reading of the history of the Patriarchs will illustrate the honourable attitude in which God regarded them.

Not only was Abraham honourable, virtuous, and pure in taking to himself two wives, but Sarah and Hagar were also honourable, virtuous, and pure in consenting to be made the wives of one and the same man. How so, say you? Why, because the Almighty distinctly certified and caused the same to be made a matter of record that they and their lord and husband, Abraham, were honourable in so doing. Do you marvel that I make this assertion in proof of plurality? Marvel not.

The Almighty, dear sir, actually visited this husband of two wives, and went into a discussion of his family and domestic concerns ; concerns by the way, more important to the progress of His kingdom and to the everlasting happiness of the human family, than many have seriously thought of. What did he say about his family matters ? Did he say, Abraham ; beware of a carnal mind ! beware of the lust for woman ! Did he say the first word of the kind ? No, sir ; I repeat it, no, sir ; he said no such thing. Well, tell us plainly what he did say ? Why, read it for yourself upon your knees, if your heart is not otherwise humble enough to receive this doctrine. He virtually said this to Abraham, — Abraham, I find no fault with your taking two wives, but on the other hand, I bless you for it, and I bless you in doing it, and I bless them in becoming your wives, above all other women upon the earth. I bless you and your wife Sarah with the strength and joy of your youth; you shall have a son. You shall not only have a son, but you shall have even nations of sons and daughters. Your wife Hagar also shall be greatly blessed among women for what she has done kings and potentates, and even nations shall be among her offspring. Mine angel shall wait upon her, and instruct and comfort her, and see her wants supplied. And Sarah, seeing she had faith while herself was barren, to give Hagar to you to wife, shall herself even yet have a son, notwithstanding her age. And your posterity shall be as the dust of the earth for number and multitude, and as the sands upon the sea-shore.

Though Abraham had many wives and concubines, yet we have no knowledge that any reproof was ever administered to him from God ; but we have a certain assurance that he was a favourite child and heir of God, and with his sons was safely lodged in the Kingdom of God.

I will next call your attention to the marriage practice of Jacob, one of the most illustrious Prophets, and a grandson of Abraham. Jacob had several wives, and by them were born unto him the Twelve Patriarchs, after whom all the Tribes of Israel were named. Now, sir, one of these wives was honoured with being the lineal mother of Jesus Christ, according to the flesh. What ! Jesus Christ descended from a man who advocated the doctrine of a plurality of wives, and actually had many wives! Why he was as bad as Mahomet! I wonder, says one, that God ever kept a record of such a lineage, seeing it favors the doctrine of a plurality of wives. Why, sir, this was one object of keeping the record of Christ's lineage, that it might sustain this very doctrine. Another object was, that the promised seed might be accurately traced out. All the time that Jacob was labouring with Laban, for the purpose of getting his daughters for his wives, God was with Jacob, upholding him and enriching him by his supernatural arm, in order that he might have ample means to support his many wives and their numerous children, whereby he might become a king over a numerous and mighty nation, springing from hi3 own loins. Did the Lord ever frown upon him for living with his several wives ? No, never. On the contrary, hosts of angels went out to meet him, and they stood by him and blessed him when he was in danger from his brother Esau.

Furthermore, in support of the good conduct of these men who taught and practised upon the doctrine of a plurality of wives, the Lord God has said, that it shall be a memorial to all generations, that he is the Lord God of Abraham, the God of Isaao ; and the God of Jacob. Now, sir, let it be distinctly understood that this memorial is for this generation in common with all other generations. What is the memorial, say you, that this generation is to call to mind, and by no means suffer to slip out of their mind at any time? Why, sir, it is, the self-same founders and corner-stones of the whole house of Israel, even the whole Israel of God, were pluralists in the fullest sense of the word. And God wants this generation to remember it and not forget it ; and not only should this generation remember it, but all generations should remember it ; for it is God's memorial, and so revealed in His most holy word, which is able to make wise unto salvation.

Well, I declare, says one, I did not know but this system of polygamy was the practice of some dark age which God rather winked at through their ignorance and in consequence of their being sprung from heathenish parents. But now it does seem that God really delighted in these polygamists and their practices, and wanted all generations to know it, and to know it distinctly, and never forget it. Well, says one, if this is the case, then surely the veil has been over my eyes in reading the Scripture : for I never discovered before, that polygamy was a blessing and duty binding upon God's people in all generations. I always thought that it was confined to the Patriarchal age until now. Now, it seems to be extended to this and all generations. I see now, indeed, that Paul says that all those who are of the faith of Abraham are heirs of the same promises and of the same blessings.

In looking into the law of Moses, I perceive that Moses enacted that, where a man had two wives, and each of the wives had sons, the birthright should appertain to the son who should be born first, whether the mother of that son was first in the date of marriage or not.

Now let us go a little further, and look into the moral character of Elkanah and his two wives. Was Elkanah, the father of Samuel the prophet, a good man ? Were Elkanah's wives good women, that gave themselves in perpetual wedlock to one and the same man, and had many children by him ? Now, Hannah, one of these wives, was barren, and had no children ; yet Hannah was a firm believer, and she knew the Scriptures ; and she knew that children were the heritage of the Lord, and the thought of being deprived of that heritage grieved her soul and made her spirit sorrowful continually before the Lord. She knew that her barrenness would be ascribed by her sisters to some displeasure which the Lord entertained towards her ; because that one of the greatest blessings which the Lord could confer upon a woman, would consist in making her a mother of nations, like Sarah of old ; therefore she gave the Lord no rest till she obtained the promise made to Abraham and Sarah, and bore Samuel, and lent him to the Lord, according to her promise and covenant, all the days of his life. Her faith and her conduct so pleased the Lord, that he blessed her more abundantly than she at first dared to ask. He gave her three more sons and two daughters.

Who now, after reading this history, can even doubt for a moment that Elkanah's wife ranked with holy women, and Elkanah, the husband of two wives ranked with holy men. And God not only authorized the marriage of one man to several women, but also blessed all concerned in it, even with the greatest blessings, as we shall soon discover.

Well, says one, did God really give some of the greatest and best of men, many wives, because he was pleased with that domestic order and plan for holy and righteous purposes, whereby the righteous would out- number the wicked and surpass them in wisdom, might, happiness, and dominion ? Or did he barely suffer it as a contingent weakness of nature, without really justifying the practice?

I reply, he not only permitted it, but he actually revealed it as an abiding and everlasting law of his kingdom. He himself, the Great Jehovah, commanded in the beginning, that men should marry and multiply ; and he prescribed the penalty for violating a marriage contract. He joined men and women together through an appointed and consecrated order of men, and no man could take the honour and office of marrying a couple without his authority. The Lord has told us that He gave the wives of King Saul into David's bosom, to become the wives of David. Why did he so ? Because Saul broke his commandment and became wicked, the Lord took the wives of Saul and gave them to David, whom Saul sought to kill. But David also, after a time, forgetting the strict mandates of God in regard to marrying and the everlasting shield of protection thrown around his neighbour's wife, took the wife of Uriah to his bosom without the approbation of God or his Prophet Nathan, and then sought to cover his crime by blood-guiltiness. But God cursed him for it, and then took away his wives and gave them to another. He, in reproving David, told him that he would have given him more wives if he had asked him. Hereby we learn that God himself gives men many wives that are faithful and obedient and takes them away from transgressors. If King Saul had been allowed to keep his many wives after death, he would still have the signal blessings of such good men as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Having shown that God has commanded marriage, and that He determines whether a man may have many wives or few, or none at all, I next proceed to show that the promise of God, of which so much is said in the Old and also in the New Testament, preeminently and emphatically pertains to the increase of the kingdom of God, to which there is no end. It pertains to the seed of the righteous. Don't startle, sir, at my position, but read and ponder well what I say, before you condemn it or allow yourself to condemn that which you have not examined. The Apostles of Jesus Christ said that those who had the faith of Abraham were heirs of the same promise. What, the Holy Apostles of Jesus Christ concerned in encouraging and countenancing plurality of wives ? Awful ! says one, I don't want to read or hear any more. But hold a moment. Do thyself no harm. Be patient and receive the truth, for truth is better than gold. And this is God's truth, of which the Holy Ghost will bear witness to you as well as me, if you will honestly receive his testimony ; and my prayer is that you will not resist the Holy Ghost. The Apostles of Christ thought that a man or woman did pretty well, if they had the faith of Abraham, and obtained the same promise. Such persons would be very likely to get into the same heaven with Abraham. When God told Abraham that He would make of him a great nation through obedience, he believed it. But there was one thing Abraham did not believe, and could not believe. What is that ? say you. He did not believe that he should ever become a great nation while he had no child. As good a man as he was, he would have staggered at such an idea. From the very day that God made a covenant with Abraham, Abraham became anxious concerning a posterity. Well, says one, this doctrine looks strange to me. It seems to have a carnal and fleshly bearing, and a spirit that looks mysterious to me. It is very different from what I have always been taught. I have been taught to believe that holiness and purity of heart, faith, hope, and charity, were the main things for Abraham or any other Saint to obtain, in order to get to heaven. And if I possess all these, I think that I shall do well enough if I never am married, or have any children at all. I have no doubt many an objector thinks as you do. But, sir, let me ask you — are you one of Abraham's children? Do you, in the end of your probation here, expect to go into Abraham's bosom and sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ? even with those old and notorious polygamists ? Well, says the objector, I really don't know what to think. I know that Paul says that we are heirs of the same promise Isaac was. And Isaac was a child of promise obtained by great faith and hope, obedience and mighty prayer on the part of his parents.