whisper and talk around am actually afraid to go on a mission for
fear some man will be sealed to my wife, & when they return
home some will be babbing about, you dont know but what you
have got another mans wife, are afraid to speak to a young
woman for fear that she belongs to somebody els or for fear some
body els wants her. (others deny the faith as they think but they
never had much) and say that it is all of the devil &c such foolish-
nish ought not to be cherished among a wise & prudent people. Admitting
the Lord created the same number of women as men at the begining
and were commanded to multiply & replenish the earth & to fill
up the measure of there creation in righteousness; the question is
did they do it answer No, they soon disobeyed every commandme-
nt & plunged themselves into wickedness and rendered themselves
unworthy to raise up seed unto the Lord & in fact used every means
in there power to cut of[f] life & hinder woman answering the end for
which they were created; nine tenth of them would rebel against the
vary thing he was created to do. Hence you see the propriety of the
Lord's calling upon men who bears the priesthood to take to themselves
wives from among the daughters of men & raise up a righteous seed unto
him that he might fill up the measure of there creation and hasten
the consumation of his purposes in righteousness in this dispensation
according to his words previously spoken through his servents the prophets. But those who suffer fears & jealouses to aris in there bosoms
either back right out or get to be mighty Righteous & for fear that
they are sleeping with other mens wife—they kick up a dust or
broil at home & perhaps abuse there own companion through jealousy
then go off to some woman that does not understand what is right
or wrong & tell her that he has she cannot be saved without a man
and he has almighty power & can exhalt & save her & likely tell that
there is no harm for them to sleep together before they are sealed then
go to some doe head of an Elder & get him to say the ceremony, all
done without the knowledge of the Authority of this Church.
this is not right, & will not be suffered. The God I serve will reward
every ^man^ openly without his being under the necessity of going secretly
& privately palming himself on the credulity of innocent ignorant
females. Such jealeousies do exhist & were I to say to the Elders
you now have the liberty to build up your kingdoms one half of
them would lie, swear, steal, & fight like the vary devil, to get men
& women sealed to them they would even try to pass right
by me & go to Joseph thinking to get between him & the Twelve
some have already tryed to used an influence against me. but such
jealeousies & selfishness shall be stoped & if the brethren do not
stop it I will blow it to the four winds by making them all come
& be sealed to me & I to my Father & He and all this Church to
Joseph. when I go asstray & give wrong council & lead this people
astray, then is time enough to pull me down & then God will
remove me as he has done all others who has turned from
the faith. But to return, I have gatherd a number of families
around me by the law of adoption & seal of the covenant
according to the order of Adoption the priesthood and others
have done likewise it being the means of salvation left to bring
us back to God. but had the keys of the priesthood been retained
& handed down from father to son throughout all generations
up to the present time then there would have been no necessity
of the law of Adoption for we would have all been included
in the covenant without it & would have been legal heirs
whisper and talk around am actually afraid to go on a mission for
fear some man will be sealed to my wife, & when they return
home some will be babbing about, you dont know but what you
have got another mans wife, are afraid to speak to a young
woman for fear that she belongs to somebody els or for fear some
body els wants her. (others deny the faith as they think but they
never had much) and say that it is all of the devil &c such foolishnish ought not to be cherished among a wise & prudent people. Admitting
the Lord created the same number of women as men at the begining
and were commanded to multiply & replenish the earth & to fill
up the measure of there creation in righteousness; the question is
did they do it answer No, they soon disobeyed every commandment & plunged themselves into wickedness and rendered themselves
unworthy to raise up seed unto the Lord & in fact used every means
in there power to cut off life & hinder woman answering the end for
which they were created; nine tenth of them would rebel against the
vary thing he was created to do. Hence you see the propriety of the
Lord's calling upon men who bears the priesthood to take to themselves
wives from among the daughters of men & raise up a righteous seed unto
him that he might fill up the measure of there creation and hasten
the consumation of his purposes in righteousness in this dispensation
according to his words previously spoken through his servents the
prophets. But those who suffer fears & jealouses to aris in there bosoms
either back right out or get to be mighty righteous & for fear that
they are sleeping with other mens wife—they kick up a dust or
broil at home & perhaps abuse there own companion through jealousy
then go off to some woman that does not understand what is right
or wrong & tell her that she cannot be saved without a man
and he has almighty power & can exhalt & save her & likely tell that
there is no harm for them to sleep together before they are sealed then
go to some doe head of an Elder & get him to say the ceremony, all
done without the knowledge of the authority of this Church.
this is not right, & will not be suffered. The God I serve will reward
every man openly without his being under the necessity of going secretly
& privately palming himself on the credulity of innocent ignorant
females. Such jealeousies do exhist & were I to say to the Elders
you now have the liberty to build up your kingdoms one half of
them would lie, swear, steal, & fight like the vary devil, to get men
& women sealed to them they would even try to pass right
by me & go to Joseph thinking to get between him & the Twelve
some have already tryed to used an influence against me. but such
jealeousies & selfishness shall be stoped & if the brethren do not
stop it I will blow it to the four winds by making them all come
& be sealed to me & I to my Father & he and all this church to
Joseph. when I go asstray & give wrong council & lead this people
astray, then is time enough to pull me down & then God will
remove me as he has done all others who has turned from
the faith. But to return, I have gatherd a number of families
around me by the law of adoption & seal of the covenant
according to the order of the priesthood and others
have done likewise it being the means of salvation left to bring
us back to God. but had the keys of the priesthood been retained
& handed down from father to son throughout all generations
up to the present time then there would have been no necessity
of the law of adoption for we would have all been included
in the covenant without it & would have been legal heirs
"Journal (January 1, 1847 – December 31, 1853)," February 16, 1847, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, accessed September 1, 2024, https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/p/n5lY