--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Pond, Alonzo Y. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 25 number: 6 published: 1922-04 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Alonzo Y. Pond, "What the Marriage Covenant Means," *Improvement Era* 25, no. 6 (April 1922): 539–540.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2506unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2506unse start_page: 539 end_page: 540 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1922-04) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2506unse publication_year: 1922 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1922, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # What the Marriage Covenant Means What the Marriage Covenant Means By Alfonzo Y. Pond The significance of the marriage covenant and family re- lationship for eternity, as well as for time, is vaguely, if at all, understood by the so-called Christian world. The seriousness and the sacredness of the marriage relation has a far greater and more important significance attached to it among the mem- bers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because they not only have the holy Scriptures to teach them the sacred- ness of such a beautiful covenant, but the voice of the Omnip- otent has spoken to them in these latter-days through his ser- vants, the prophets. The fulness of the gospel, including the everlasting covenant of marriage, which means that the holy bonds of matrimony are recognized in the gospel as everlasting, has in this day and age been revealed to the chosen people of our God. Yet with this beautiful plan of eternal progression ex- plained to us in the pages of the holy Bible, the Book of Mor- mon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and in other revelations given to the Church, unfortunately, we find young men and young women within the very pales of the Church, who do not under- stand this principle of marriage, and who do not realize the mistake they make when they are married outside of the Church, and also allow the ceremony to be performed by one who's authority is limited to "Till death do you part." On the other hand, they should take into serious consideration just what it means to be married by and through the sanction of the holy Priesthood, and under the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, by an authorized servant of God who has been duly endowed with "power from on high, to seal upon earth as also in heaven." As the gospel is now upon the earth, in its fulness, it stands to reason that the power and authority to marry for all eternity is also present, even as it was given to Peter. (Matt. 16:19.) In the beginning the Lord God sanctioned and ordained the holy ordinance of marriage by instituting and solemnizing the very first ordinance himself. This took place before death had entered the world, consequently, it was designed to be eternal — to last forever. Solomon, in speaking of the works of God declared: 540 IMPROVEMENT ERA "I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it that men should fear before him" (Eccl. 3:14). In these latter days the voice of the Lord has again been heard. He says: "And again, I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God, unto man." (Doc. and Cov. 49:15-17; I Timothy 4:1-3.) In reference to eternal marriage and its blessings when properly entered into, he has declared: "In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; and in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the Priesthood (meaning the new and everlasting cove- nant of marriage) ; and if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase" (Doc. and Cov. 131:1-4). Further, we read: "Behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then ye are damned; for no one can reject this covenant, and be permitted to enter into my glory. * * * Verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which ia my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power, and the keys of this Priesthood; and it shall be said unto them, ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights, and depths, * * * it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity, and shall be in full force when they are out of the world"1 (Doc. and Cov., 132). In speaking of the sacred importance of the marriage within the Church, our beloved and late President, Joseph F. Smith, declared: I would rather go myself to the grave than to be associated with a wife outside of the bonds of the new and everlasting covenant. Now, I hold it just so sacred; but some members of the Church do not so regard the matter. Some people feel that it does not make very much difference whether a girl marries a man in the Church, full of the faith of the gos- pel, or an unbeliever. Some of our young people have married outside the Church, but very few of those who have done it have failed to come to grief. I would like to see Latter-day Saint women marry Latter-day Saint men, and Latter-day Saint men marry Latter-day Saint women; and let Methodists marry Methodists, Catholics marry Catholics, and Presbyter- ians marry Presbyterians, and so on to the limit. Let them keep within the pale of their own faith and Church, and marry and inter-marry there, and let the Latter-day Saints do the same thing in their Church; then we will see who comes out best in the end (Gospel Doctrine, p. 350; October Conference Record, 1909, page 5). Pocatello, Idaho