Mormonism: its leaders and designs./ By John Hyde.

286 THEORETICAL POLYGAMY.
hand against him;" brothers, like Joseph's brothers, selling
him to slavery, and dooming him to death; women, like
Rebekah, cheating her husband on his death-bed; wives, like
Leah and Rachel, contending disgustingly together about
Jacob's bed; sons, like Reuben, committing incest with his
father's concubine; or, like Amnon, defiling his sister Tamar;
or, like Absolom, threatening his father's life; or, in later
times, like the Chinese, the Turk, and the savage; or the
neglected children of Mormon parentage. God sought a
godly seed, and monoyamy was the means he instituted.
2. When Adam and Eve were formed, and God rested from
the work of creation, he gazed at the labor of his hands, and
pronounced it "very good." The fiat of universal approbation went forth. Monogamy was then instituted and practiced, and that was "very good." To seek to amend that
monogamy by polygamy, is for man to attempt to improve
the God-approved institution of divine appointment. Until
Jehovah just as explicitly declares polygamy to be "very
good," we have no right to charge it on his wisdom or design. Two things essentially opposite can not be both true
at the same time. Monogamy was "very good;" polygamy
must, therefore, be "very bad.?'
3. When the Lord destroyed the inhabitants of the earth,
because of their wickedness, he saved Noah and his three
sons, and only one wife each. Peter says, " eight persons
were saved in the ark." Any argument as to "more rapid
increase of population," will certainly apply to Noah. Any
argumient as to polygamy "being a peculiar blessing," will
apply to Noah too; for, while holy enough to be saved from