Monogamatic Marriage
The sermon emphasizes the importance of monogamic marriage as God's original ordinance for human society and calls for the punishment of polygamy and fornication by law.
In this sermon, the preacher strongly condemns the social system that pretends to be monogamous but is actually filled with mischief. He emphasizes the importance of fathers taking responsibility for their children and criticizes those who hunt for slaves and deceive women, showing no care for their offspring. The preacher calls for a change in society, urging people to turn their hearts towards these poor, wandering children. He advocates for monogamous marriage as God's original plan and calls for the enforcement of laws against polygamy and immorality.
Full Transcript
They who in Chicago and elsewhere smear at the polygamists have their streets filled with armor, and the jails filled with their criminal offsprings. May God help me to smite these things. Help me, O God, to tear from the faces of these hypocritical wretches who want to destroy Zion, the mass which hides them and show them in their true nakedness to the community.
Dear doctor, the wretches, many of Zion's persecutors are thieves in strife, smaller like twine in the very depths of immorality. To the shame of men, there are thousands upon thousands of immoral women in this city. If we are to have the restoration of all things, we must go back to monogamic marriage.
We must punish polygamy. We must punish tenfold more the man or woman who lives in solitary and fornication. Let the people say, Amen.
Audience, Amen. The iron hand of law, God's scepter, will smash this accursed social system that pretends to be monogamistic when it is simply promiscuous. Animals will take care of their offspring, but those who hunt for flesh, destroying and deceiving women, care nothing for their bastard offspring, who become a curse and a menace to society, to the church, and to the kingdom of God.
I go to the foundation, and I want to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers. If I could find the fathers of many of the poor waifs of our city, I doubtless would find them in high social and even in ecclesiastical positions. Oh, that you might feel, my brother, what a crime it has been for you to bring into the world a being who is left to chance, charity, and to Christ.
No father, perhaps, no mother owning him. In the moment of your base passion, you forgot your God and the fundamental law of human existence and human society. Oh, that God would turn your heart to these poor wandering children, and that you would sin no more.
I stand here, and here I will stand for monogamic marriage as God originally ordained it. I shall pour the fire of the thunderbolts of God into this rotten system of society, until the law is enforced, until the poor harmless is taken from this street, and the harmless abuser finds his place in a prison.
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Polygamy
- The Importance of Monogamic Marriage
- Punishing Polygamy and Promiscuity
- Polygamy and fornication must be punished by law
- The iron hand of law will smash the accursed social system of polygamy
Key Quotes
“May God help me to smite these things.” — John Alexander Dowie
“If we are to have the restoration of all things, we must go back to monogamic marriage.” — John Alexander Dowie
“I shall pour the fire of the thunderbolts of God into this rotten system of society, until the law is enforced,” — John Alexander Dowie
Application Points
- We must return to God's original ordinance for human society, which is monogamic marriage.
- Polygamy and fornication must be punished by law to restore all things.
- We must turn our hearts to our children and take responsibility for their well-being.