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POLYGAMY DENIED. 167

ever after they must live under the ban of the chris- tian world; though, with unshaken faith in their prophet and his doctrine of spiritual wedlock, they might scorn the world's opinion, and in all sincerity and singleness of heart thank God that they were accounted worthy to have all manner of evil spoken of them falsely.

During this period of probation the church deemed it advisable to deny the charge, notably by Elder Pratt in a public sermon, and also by Joseph Smith. "Inasmuch as this Church of Christ has been re- proached with the crime of fornication and polygamy, we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife, and one woman but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again." ^^ In the Times and Seasons of February 1, 1844, we have a notice signed by Joseph and Hyrum Smith: "As we have lately been credibly informed that an elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, by the name of Hiram Brown, has been preaching polygamy and other false and corrupt doc- trines in the county of Lapeer, state of Michigan, this is to notify him and the church in general that he has been cut of from the church for his iniquity."

Notwithstanding these solemn denials and denun- ciations in high places, the revelation and the prac- tices which it sanctioned were not easily concealed.^'^ As yet, however, the calumny of the gentiles and the bickering of the saints vexed not the soul of Jo- seph. He was now in the zenith of his fame and power; his followers in Europe and America numbered

^^ Doctrine and Covenants, app. 331.

^^ 'It is believed,' writes Governor Ford not long afterward to the Illinois legislature, 'tliat Joseph Smith had announced a revelation from heaven sanctioning polygamy, by some kind of spiritual-wife system, which I never could well understand; but at any rate, whereby a man was allowed one wife in pursuance of the laws of the country, and an indefinite number of others, to be enjoyed in some mystical and spiritual mode; and that he him- self, and many of his followers, had practised upon the precepts of this revelation, by seducing a large number of women.' Messtuje to III. Sen., 14th Ass. 1st Ses3., 6. A copy of Ford's message will be found iu Utah Tracts, no. 11.