O woman, who shall measure thy love? And thus to give thyself a sacrifice for thy love! Thus on the altar ever!
It is thy soul-type in nature that makes nature beneficent. Had not nature the soul of woman she had been infinitely selfish; an infinite love had not been born; there had been no Christ; no sacrifice of self, that blessing and joy might come into the world.
The story of Sarah is the more touchingly beautiful when we remember that it has its cross. It would be a grievous wrong to Sarah's memory should we forget the sacrifice that her act necessitated, or underestimate that sacrifice. And let us not forget that it was not Abraham who bore that cross, great and good though he was.
The sacrifice in the initial of the covenant is a psalm to woman.
Keeping in mind the episode of Sarah and Hagar, let us continue the Abrahamic story:
"And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
"And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
* * * * * *
"And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
"For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him."
The divine story was once familiar; it is now almost forgotten. But it is the living word of God to the Mormon people.
Reincarnate in modern times the soul of this vast Abrahamic iliad. Breathe the breath of its genius into a young civilization. A civilization born not in the East, where once was the cradle of empires—where now are their crumbling tombs. A young civilization, born in the revirgined West—the West, where new empires are springing up on the very dust of empires which had expired when Egypt was but a maiden—ere Babylon was a mother—ere Rome was born.
Re-utter the word and will of that God who spake to the Hebrew sire on the plains of Mamre; utter it now in the birth and growth of a young Israel in the land of America. Comprehend him in his birth and in his growth. Consider his genius and his covenant.
In Abraham of old is the expounding and understanding of the renewed covenant with the latter-day Israel; and in Sarah of old is the expounding and understanding of patriarchal marriage among her Mormon daughters.