Marriage, when God has a hand in
it, extends to all the future ages of eternity. The Latter-day Saints never
marry a man and a woman for time alone, unless under certain circumstances.
Certain circumstances would permit this, as in a case where a woman, for
instance, is married to all eternity to a husband, a good faithful man, and he
dies. After his death, she may be married to a living man, for time alone, that
is until death shall separate her from her second husband. Under such
circumstances, marriage for time is legal. But when it comes to marriage
pertaining to a couple, neither of whom has ever been married before, the Lord
has ordained that that marriage, if performed according to his law, by divine
authority and appointment, shall have effect after the resurrection from the
dead, and shall continue in force from that time throughout all the ages of
eternity.
Says one—"What are you going
to do with that Scripture which says that in the resurrection, they neither
marry, nor are given in marriage?" I am going to let it stand precisely as
it is, without the least alteration. A man who is so foolish as to neglect the
divine ordinance of marriage for eternity, here in this world, and does not
secure to himself a wife for all eternity, will not have the opportunity of
doing so in the resurrection; for Jesus says, that after the resurrection there
is neither marrying nor giving in marriage. It is an ordinance that pertains to
this world, and here it must be attended to; and parties neglecting it
wilfully, here in this life, deprive themselves of the blessings of that union
for ever in the world to come. It is so with regard to baptism. We are bringing
up these two divine ordinances to show you how they harmonize. A man who, in
this life, hears the Gospel and knows that it is his duty to be baptized in
order that he may come forth in the morning of the resurrection with a
celestial, glorified body, like unto that of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
neglects baptism and dies without attending to the ordinance, can not be
baptized himself after the resurrection of the dead, any more than he call be
married after the resurrection of the dead. Why not? Because God has appointed
that both marriage and baptism shall be attended to in the flesh, and if
neglected here, the blessings are forfeited.
We read, in our text, something
about the first marriage which took place on our earth. Much has been said in
relation to this event, and inasmuch as God ordained this sacred rite, I feel
disposed to bring it up as a type of all future marriages. The first pair of
whose marriage we have any account, on this earth, were immortal beings.
"What! you do not mean to say that immortal beings marry, do you?"
Yes, that is the first example we have on record. Inquires one—"Do you
mean to say that Adam was an immortal being?" What is the nature of an
immortal being? It is one who has not had the curse of death pronounced upon
him. Had Adam the curse of death pronounced upon him, when the Lord brought
Eye—the woman—and gave her to him? No, he had not. Had the Lord pronounced the
curse of death upon Eve at the time he brought her to Adam? He had not.
Why not? Because neither of them had transgressed. It is said in the New Testament
that death entered into this world by transgression, and in no other way. If
Adam and Eve had never transgressed the law of God, would they not be living
now? They certainly would; and they would continue to live on millions of years
hence. Can you, by stretching your thoughts into the ages of futurity, imagine
a point of time, wherein Adam and Eve would havre been mortal and subject to
death if it had not been for their transgression? No, you can not. Well, then,
were they not immortal? They were to all intents and purposes two immortal
beings, male and female, joined together in marriage in the beginning. Was that
marriage for eternity, or until death should separate them? I remember
attending some weddings when I was a youth, and this sentence has generally
been incorporated in all the marriage ceremonies I have seen performed by civil
authority—"I pronounce you husband and wife, until death shall you
separate." A very short contract, is it not? Only lasts for a little time,
perhaps death might come to-morrow or next day, and that would be a very short
period to be married, very different From the marriage instituted in the
beginning; between the two immortal beings. Death was not taken into
consideration in their case; it had never been pronounced. The Lord had said
nothing about death, but he had united them together, with the intention of
that union continuing through all the ages of eternity.
Inquires one, "Did they not
forfeit this by eating the forbidden fruit?" We have no account that they
did; but supposing they did, can you show me one thing that our first parents
forfeited by the Fall that was not restored by the atonement of Jesus? Not a
thing. If they forfeited the life of their bodies, the atonement of Christ and
his victory over the grave by the resurrection restored to Adam and Eve that
immortality they possessed before they transgressed; and whatever they lost or
forfeited by the Fall was restored by Jesus Christ. But we have no account that
Adam and Eve forfeited the privilege of their eternal union by their
transgression; hence, when they, by virtue of the atonement of Christ, come
forth from the grave (if they did not come forth at the resurrection of
Christ), they will have immortal bodies, and they will have all the
characteristics, so far as their bodies are concerned, that they possessed
before the Fall. They will rise from the grave male and female, immortal in
their natures, and the union which was instituted between them before they
became mortal will be restored, and, as they were married when immortal beings,
they will continue to be husband and wife throughout all the future ages of
eternity.
It may be inquired, "What is
the object of that? Marriage, we supposed, was instituted principally, that
this world might be filled with inhabitants, and if that was the object, when
the earth has received its full measure of creation, what is the use of this
eternal union in marriage, continuing after the resurrection?"
Have you never read the first
great commandment given in the Bible? God said, "Be fruitful and
multiply." Did he give this commandment to mortal beings? No, he gave it
to two immortal beings. 'What! do you mean to say that immortal beings can
multiply, as well as be married for all eternity?" I do. God gave
the command to these two immortal personages, before the Fall, Showing clearly
and plainly that immortal beings had that capacity, or else God would never
have given it to them. I will admit that they had no power to beget children of
mortality; it required a fall to enable them to do that, and without that no
mortal beings could have been produced. But we see what has been entailed upon
the children of Adam, by the Fall. Instead of his offspring being immortal,
they come forth into this world and partake of all that fallen nature that Adam
and Eve had after they fell; and they have also inherited the death of the
body. If we are to be restored to immortality with them, we must be restored to
that heavenly union of marriage, or else we lose something. If they had the
power to multiply children of immortality, and if the command was given to them
to do so before they became mortal, if their children are ever restored to what
was lost by the Fall, they must be restored to that also. Here then is a
sufficient object why multiplication should continue after the resurrection.
"But," inquires some
one, "will not this world be sufficiently full, without resurrected beings
bringing forth children through all ages of eternity?" We must recollect
that this world is not the only one that God has made. He has been engaged from
all eternity in the formation of worlds; that is, there have been worlds upon
worlds created by those who have held the power, and authority, and the right
to create; and an endless chain of worlds, has thus been created, and there
never was a period in past duration, but what there were worlds. The idea of a
first world is out of the question, just as much as the idea of a first foot of
space, or the first foot in endless line. Take an endless line and undertake to
find the first foot, yard or mile of it,. It can not be done, any more than you
can find out, the first minute, hour or year of endless duration. There is no
first minute, hour or year in endless duration, and there is no first in an
endless chain of worlds, and God has been at work from all eternity in their
formation. What for? Is it merely to see his power exercised? No: it is that
they might be peopled. Peopled by whom? By those who have the power to multiply
their species. There never will be a time that there will be a final stop to
the making of worlds; their increase will continue from this time henceforth
and for ever; and as the number of worlds will be endless, so will be the
number of the offspring of each faithful pair. They will be like the stars in
the sky or the sands upon the sea shore; and worlds will be filled up by the
posterity of those who are counted worthy to come forth, united with that
heavenly and eternal form of marriage which was administered to Adam and Eve in
the beginning. (JOD 16:177-79 | August 31, 1873)
