“God has given us a revelation in regard to celestial marriage. I did not make it. He has told us certain things pertaining to this matter, and they would like us to tone that principle down and change it and make it applicable to the views of the day. This we cannot do… I cannot do it, and will not do it. I find some men try to twist round the principle in any way and every way they can. They want to sneak out of it in some way. Now God don’t want any kind of sycophancy like that…. If God has introduced something for our glory and exaltation, we are not going to have that kicked over by any improper influence, either inside or outside of the Church of the living God.” (John Taylor, 6 October, 1884, JD 25:309-310)
John Taylor gave a prophecy, recounted by Lorin C.Wooley: “[John Taylor] said that in the time of the seventh President of this Church, the Church would go into bondage both temporally and spiritually and in that day (the day of bondage) the One Mighty and Strong spoken of in the 85th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants would come.”
John Taylor: Concerning the Patriarchal order of marriage, President Taylor said: “If we do not embrace that principle soon, the keys will be turned against us. If we do not keep the same law that our Heavenly Father has kept we cannot go with him. A man obeying a lower law is not qualified to preside over those who keep a higher law. (Life of Wilford Woodruff, p. 542)