Nor must we omit to mention the new light which the Prophet shed upon the relationship of husband and wife. Under the darkness of an apostate Christianity, men and women were content to be united together, as husband and wife, until death did them part; but the Prophet Joseph brought forth the principle that the union of man and wife was designed in the economy of God to be eternal; that it was the means through which the race of the Gods was multiplied and new kingdoms added to the dominions of the great Eloheim; and that as long as there was room in infinite space, or elements in the exhaustless store-house of nature, or as long as the bosom of the Gods glowed with affection, just so long would new worlds be created and peopled with the ever increasing offspring of the righteous.[A]

[Footnote A: The substance of the latter part of this paragraph is taken from P. P. Pratt's Key to Theology.]

Nor did he merely teach this principle as a theory; a beautiful thing to be contemplated at a distance; but qualified with the possession of that God-given power which binds on earth and in heaven, and so directed of the Lord, he established this order of marriage in the Church—an order in which tens of thousands rejoice, as they look forward with joyful anticipation, to an eternal union, with the families they have raised up in this life, in the midst of hopes and fears, poverty and toil, sickness and tears.

Such are the chief things accomplished by this great Prophet. We have given but an outline of his work. A volume would scarce suffice to point out its importance, or trace out its relationship to the general designs of the Lord in respect to the redemption of our earth and its inhabitants. It cannot be expected that we shall undertake it in this brief article. Let it be sufficient here to say that even our imperfect enumeration of what he did will prove what was claimed in the outset, viz.: That Joseph Smith, despised as he was by the world, has done more than any other man, save Jesus Christ, for the salvation of our race.

That the work he accomplished during his brief, but glorious career, was wonderful, goes without saying. The wonder grows upon us as we take into account the circumstances under which he did it. His life's labor was performed in the midst of stupendous difficulties. Opposition met him at every turn. Religious bigotry now ridiculed him for a fool, and now denounced him a knave; now claiming that he was beneath contempt; and now that he was the most dangerous imposter that had arisen since Mohammed, and invoked all powers at its command for his destruction. Poverty, hardship, and the hatred of his fellow men, dogged his footsteps through all his life. He was waylaid by assassins, beaten by mobs, cast into prisons, robbed of his property, worried with vexatious law suits, dragged before judges and betrayed by false brethren. He himself said in speaking of his life: "I have waded in tribulation neck-deep, but every wave that has struck me has but wafted me nearer to Deity."

Such were the circumstances under which he stood forth as a witness for God; brought forth new volumes of scripture; restored to earth the Gospel of the Son of God, with authority to administer the ordinances thereof; organized the Church; set in order the quorums of the Priesthood, and defined their duties and powers; sent the Gospel into every state of the Union, into Canada and England; laid the foundation for the gathering of Israel; opened the door for the salvation of the dead; commenced the work of building up Zion; founded Kirtland, Far West and Nauvoo, with its magnificent temple—a work accomplished under circumstances which give him a fame and name that cannot be slain, but which will grow brighter as time on silent wheels rolls by.

So soon as we discover ourselves in a fault, we should repent of that wrong doing and as far as possible repair or make good the wrong we may have committed.

—Lorenzo Snow.

There is nothing that will lead to damnation and destruction quicker than self-justification of sin.

—Brigham Young.

FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE TRUE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.

J. H. PAUL.