This custom of taking wives and concubines prevailed among the Jaredites, whose ancestors emigrated to North America from the tower of Babel. It appears to have been abused by a wicked king, called Riplakish, who reigned some 1500 years before Christ; _Ether_ 10. 5. From both the Bible and Book of Mormon, it appears that the custom of taking a plurality of wives and concubines prevailed at a very early period after the flood. It was, however, of antediluvian origin: "And Lamech took unto himself two wives, Adah and Zillah;" _Gen_. 4. 19. he lived before the flood. It is evident from the "Revelation on the Eternity of the Marriage Covenant," that the Lord anciently gave concubines to good men, as wives, and that only the custom of the country discriminated between them and others: "Abraham received concubines, and they bare him children, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him;" _Doc. & Cov_. 132. 37. "David's wives and concubines were given unto him, of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me, save in the case of Uriah and his wife;" _verse_ 39. We cannot presume that the Lord ever gave women to these men under any title, except for the noble purpose of parentage. Concubinage is unknown among the Latter-day Saints. Wifehood, in the fullest sense of the word, is conferred by the marriage covenant. All a man's children are his legitimate heirs, both by law and custom. FOREORDINATION--ELECTION. "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world;" _Acts_ 15. 18. The knowledge that we have of the beginning of the world is principally derived from the history of its creation in the Bible Genesis, and in the writings of Moses and of Abraham, as given in _P. of G. P., pages_ 4-7, and 32-36. Abraham says, "Now the Lord had shewn unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said, These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me, Abraham, thou art one of them, thou wast chosen before thou wast born;" _P. of G. P., page_ 32. These writings make it plain that man existed in a spiritual condition prior to coming here, and also quite as evident that in that pre-existence he exercised his free agency. These facts throw much light on the following passages: "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and Slain;" _Acts_ 2. 23. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son;" _Rom_. 8. 29.