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It will be borne in mind that once on a time, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and on a careful reading of that transaction, It will be discovered that no less a person than Jesus Christ was married on that occasion. If he was never married, his intimacy with Mary and Martha, and the other Mary also whom Jesus loved, must have been highly unbecoming and improper to say the best of it.I will venture to say that if Jesus Christ were now to pass through the most pious countries in Christendom with a train of women,. such as used to follow him, fondling about him, combing his hair, anointing him with precious ointment, washing his feet with tears, and wiping them with the hair of their heads and unmarried, or even married, he would be mobbed, tarred, and feathered, and rode, not on an ass, but on a rail. What did the old Prophet mean when he said (speaking of Christ), quot;He shall see his seed, prolong his days, ∓c.quot; Did Jesus consider it necessary to fulfill every righteous command or requirement of his Father? He most certainly did. This he witnessed by submitting to baptism under the hands of John. quot;Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness,quot; said he. Was it God's commandment to man, in the beginning, to multiply and replenish the earth? None can deny this, neither that it was a righteous command; for upon an obedience to this, depended the perpetuity of our race. Did Christ come to destroy the law or the Prophets, or to fulfill them? He came to fulfill. Did he multiply, and did he see his seed? Did he honour his Father's law by complying with it, or did he not? Others may do as they like, but I will not charge our Saviour with neglect or transgression in this or any other duty.
Source: Richards, F. D. ed., Journal of Discourses. 1854-1886. Liverpool: 26 vols. Vol. 4, 259.
At this doctrine the long-faced hypocrite and the sanctimonious bigot will probably cry, blasphemy! Horrid perversion of God's word! Wicked wretch! He is not fit to live! But the wise and reflecting will consider, read, and pray. If God be not our Father, grandfather, or great grandfather, or some kind of a father in reality, in deed and in truth, why are we taught to say, quot;Our Father who art in heaven?quot; How much soever of holy horror of this doctrine may excite in persons not impregnated with the blood of Christ, and whose minds are consequently dark and benighted, it may excite still more when they are told that if none of the natural blood of Christ flows in their veins, they are not the chosen or elect of God. Object not, therefore, too strongly against the marriage of Christ, but remember that in the last days, secret and hidden things must come to light, and that your life also (which is the blood) is hid with Christ in God.
Source: Richards, F. D. ed., Journal of Discourses. 1854-1886. Liverpool: 26 vols. Vol. 1, 180.
Hence the gathering of the Saints; the organization of the kingdom of God, religiously and politically, if you will; the revelation of the law of God, and the new and everlasting covenant made to Abraham of old and his seed, which has never been altered by the Lord, only lost to the people. Paul said that the law given upon Mount Sinai, four hundred and thirty years after that covenant was made, might not disannul it. Jesus Christ was that man spoken of when God said, quot;In thee and in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed.quot; Thus, Paul and Jesus, in so many words, confirmed the covenant made with Abraham, that neither the law of Moses nor Jesus Christ ever disannulled. What was it? A great many things, but the principal thing was, quot;I will greatly multiply thy seed;quot; in short, a law was given him by which he and his posterity should be regulated and governed, with regard to matrimony and posterity.
Source: Richards, F. D. ed., Journal of Discourses. 1854-1886. Liverpool: 26 vols. Vol. 4, 260.
If we will improve, be faithful and diligent in all the blessings bestowed upon us, we then have the principle of increase, and this is the great blessing given to man, and was the promise which Abraham received at the hands of the Lord. Abraham was fearful he would not increase and multiply his posterity on the earth, though he might increase in power, wisdom, and knowledge himself; and reflected, quot;I have no children, or even prospect of them, to rise up and bless me, or to honor and revere my name in coming generations.quot; The Lord, however, gave him this promise, quot;You have been faithful, and gained wisdom and knowledge in every blessing I have bestowed upon you; and now I will give you a promise that you shall yet have a posterity, and it shall multiply upon the face of the earth, and finally, the end of the number thereof no man can tell, for your seed shall be as numerous as the sands upon the sea shore, or the stars in the firmament, and to their increase there shall be no end.quot; The same blessing was promised to the Lord Jesus Christ. it was the privilege of Abraham to receive knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, but this did not satisfy him, he wanted to see his children multiply. When Abraham has passed a certain ordeal and proved himself faithful, he will receive honor, power, glory, and exaltation, which he is made as capable of attaining in the future as those were who acted previous to his day. Were not this the case, the intelligence, the power of the mind, the spirit that is placed in the body, and all that pertain to life in this stage of action, or prior to our coming into the world, are not made honorable; and if they are not honored by the creature, by the principle that is placed in him, that organization is liable to decompose. Can you understand this? For instance, let a man or woman who has received much of the power of God, visions and revelations, turn away from the holy commandments of the Lord, and it seems that their senses are taken from them, their understanding and judgment in righteousness are taken away, they go into darkness, and become like a blind person who gropes by the wall. Many of you witness this almost daily. Such will continue to go on the retrograde path until they are decomposed; while those who are faithful will continue to increase, and this is the great blessing the Lord has given to, or placed within the reach of, the children of man, even to be capable of receiving eternal lives.
Source: Richards, F. D. ed., Journal of Discourses. 1854-1886. Liverpool: 26 vols. Vol. 2, 301.
At about 5 o'clock meeting was resumed in the Celestial and Terrestrial Rooms. Instructive remarks were made by the following brethren upon the law of tithing: LeRoi Snow, Apostle Geo. Teasdale and Pres. Jos. F. Smith. The latter, in speaking of tithing, said, the books should record not only what we do, but what we ought to have done and did not do. A man is in a poor business as president or bishop of a ward who says to the people, do as you ought to do, not as I do. The poor of a ward-widows and orphans-all should pay their tithing. Pres. Smith was followed by Apostles Smith and Lyman, who also dwelt upon the law of tithing.
Pres. Geo. Q. Cannon also spoke upon the law of tithing. Among other things [he] said, quot;there are those in this audience who are descendants of the old 12 Apostles and, shall I say it, yes, descendants of the Savior himself. His seed is represented in this body of men.quot;
Pres. Snow made closing remarks. Said he hoped the brethren would take the spirit of these meetings home with them and impart the same to the people. A resolution to the effect that the brethren present would accept the law of tithing, obey it themselves, and teach it to the people was adopted by a rising vote with uplifted hands. Pres. Snow then led in the Sacred Shout, and the meeting came to a close.
After the meeting Bp. Carl Jensen, Chas. Kelly, and myself went down to one of the restaurants on Main St. and took supper, after which the brethren took train for their homes.
Source: Clawson, Rudger, A Ministry of Meetings; The Apostolic Diaries of Rudger Clawson. 1993. Sunday July 2, 1899. 70.