Excerpt from Minutes of Conference: A Special Conference of the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Assembled in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 28th, 1852 The Lord has ordairi'ed that these spirits. Should come here and take tabernacles 'b a certain law, through a certain channel; and that aw is the law of marriage. There are a great many things that I will pass by;l perceive that if I were to touch uponi' all these principles, the time allotted for this discourse would be too short, therefore I am under the necessity of passing by many things in relation to these spirits in their first estate, and the laws that governed them there. And come to their second estate. The Lord ordained marriage between male and fe male as a law through which spirits should come here and take tabernacles, and enter into the second state of existence. The Lord himself solemnized the first marriage pertaining to this globe, and pertaining to flesh and bones here upon this earth. I do not say pertain hnn, 1lhe ing to mortality; for when the first marriage was cel and were and the inhabitants thereof are be: ebrated, no mortality was there. The first marriage otten sons and daughters unto God. Notice this that we have any account of, was between two im ast expt'ession, the tnhabitants thereof, are begotten mortal beings, old father Adam, and old mother Eve; sons and daughters unto God, (meaning the different they were immortal beings; death had no dominion worlds that have been created and made.) Notice. No power over them; they were capable of enduring this does not say, that God, whom we serve and wor; forever and ever, in their organization. Had they ful ship, was actually the Father himself, in his own filled the law, and kept within certain conditions, and person, of all these sons and daughters of the dtfl'er bounds, their tabernacles would never have been seii ent worlds; but they are begotten sons and daugh ed by death; death entered entirely by sin, and sin ters unto God that is, begotten by those who am alone. This marriage was celebrated between two im made like him, after his image, and in his likeness5m0rt'dl beings; for how long? Until death? N0: That they begat sons and daughters, and beget them unto 738 entirely out Of the question; there could, have God, to inhabit these ditferent worlds We have been been no such thing in the ceremony. Speaking of. But more of this, if We have time, he Vlfhat would you consider, my hearers, if a fore we get through. Marriage was to be celebrated between two beings we now come to the second division of our sub not subject to death? Would you consider them jcet, or the entrance of these spirits upon their sec foined together for a certain number of years, and that and estate, or'their birth and existence in mortal tab then all their covenants were to cease for ever, and the ernacles. We are told that among this great family marriage contract be dissolved? Wouldit look reasonae of spirits, some were more noble and great than otti bie and consistent9 No. Every heart would say that ers, hailing more intelligence. The work of God is perfect in 81. Of itself, and inasmuch Where do you read that, says one? Out of the as sin had not brought imperfection upon the globe, book of Abraham, translated from the Egyptian Pa what God joined together, could not be dissolved, pyrus by the Pmphet Joseph Smith. Among the and destroyed, and torn asunder by any power be great and numerous family of spirits, begotten neath the celestial World, consequently it was eternal; sons and daughters unto are some therein. The ordinance of union was eternal; the sealing of telligent than others, and the Lord showed unto Abl'a the great Jehovah Upon Adam and Eve was eternal intelligencies that were organized before in its nature; and was never instituted for the pur.