Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, No. 6

. PROPHETIC ' EVIDENCE IN FAVOUR OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.

,■ ;1 .-ip tl}e last two numbers of this series, it has been abundantly proved that the !pplf of Mormon, has; been; confirjned by the voice of ; the Lord, by the .niinistey of ajjgels, by' havenj virion?,, or by t% miraculous gifts and powers of the Holy .Glios't,' vntp tens of -thousands oTvitjiesses,., The 'Book of Mormon, therefor?, is demonstrated by a vast amoun); of the most, incontestable evidences such as never .can be ■>v?akened or . overthrown by all the, powers .pf priestcraft, feditors, an,d the in-fernat regions combined. , It ipay.be rid!ld, laughed at, treated with contempt,' entirely segieoted, or persecuted ; but allsuch /argumeits will avail , nothing in the day of judgment, only to bring down upon those who reject so great, a revjelatiori, still greater cpndepination. Haying demons,trated the Divine Authenticity of tjie Book of' Mormon, we might, with propriety, proceed no farther in search of evidences ;' for all additional evidences, drawn from the prophecies or from any other source, can only, a tije most, be additional demonstrations of the same great diving truth A problem in geometry,, after haying, once bepn demonstrated,' cannot be maide.any more, certain by any new .process of denjonstration ; so ■with; thisgra*),?" heavenly treasure — the Book of Mormon ; if any one wiU follow, the steps of demonstration already pointed out, they will' know with the, same certainty that it is a revelation from God, that a geometrician has when he follows the rules of demonstration in relation to any parti-r cular problem. '

2. — The revelatpr' John, while on Patmos, saw th& restoration of the gospel to t, «arth ; he says, " And I ssvf anpthey angel fly in the midst oi heaven, having the everlast jug gospel to preach unto them that dwell "" earth, and to evy nation ahd kindle J, and tongue, and people, saying,; with a loud voice, ' Fear God, and give glory to him, fbr the hour of his judgment is come ; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.' Afld there followed another angel, sayujffi, 'Babylon lis fallen, is fallen — that great city— ;-b§cause she made all nations drint Q' thewine.of the wrath of her fornication.' "* When t;hp,gpspel was committed, uiitp xnan in the first century,, it was not by the ministry of an angel, but by the person of our Jjord himself ; therefprej John had ijo reference tq thej preaching of the gospel in the first century. Chir Saviour commanded,the' apostles to eo into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature: this mission -yas fulfilled before John saw this vision, as is evident from Paul's declaration to the ColossiSns: (i. 23.) " If ye c'oatinue in the faith grounded and settled, and bej not moved aWay from the hope of the gospel; which ye have heard, ararf which was preached to evfiry creature which is Ul/nder heaven, whereof I, Paul, dm made a minister." At the time the appstre wrote this epistle, it seems that " every creature tinder heaven" had heard the gospel. It was several years aftev this that John " saw another'angel fly in the riiidsf ofef) yen, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them ' that dwell on the earth, an]

* Revelation xiv. 6, 7, 8.

to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people." From which we learn that there was to be another period after the first century, when the gospel should be again preached to every creature.

3. — We have already proved in the previous numbers of this series that immediately after the first century the whole earth became corrupted by the great " Mother of Harlots," — that apostacy andvidekedness succeeded Christianity — that, for the want of New Revelation, all legal succession to the apostleship was discontinued — that the gifts and powers of the Holy Spirit ceased — and that the Church was no longer to be found on the earth : this being the case, all nations must have been destitute of the everlasting gospel for many generations — not destitute of its history as it was once preached and enjoyed, but destitute of its blessings, of its powers, of Jts gifts, of its priesthood, of its ordinances administered by legal authority. During this long period of darkness, no man could obey the gospel and enjoy its blessings, because no people were authorized to administer its ordinances legally ; therefore, in order that mankind might again possess and enjoy the ordinances and blessings of the gospel, it became absolutely necessary that the apostleship, with every other authority wluch. characterized the Christian Chm-ch when it was before on the earth, should be restored among men. This restoration of the gospel priesthood, with all its gifts, powers, and blessings, could not take place, according to the scriptures, only by an angel coming from heaven, as Saint John has clearly predicted.

4. — That the nations have had a history of the gospel, contained in the few books of the New Testament, or, in other words, that they have had a. history of what another people believed, obeyed, and enjoyed, we by no means deny. But that the nations have actually obeyed and enjoyed the gospel for themselves, we do deny. The history of what others enjoyed is a very different thing from the actual possession and enjoyment for ourselves. The history is but a dead letter, unless we can enjoy the same things. What advantage would it be to a hungry man who was ready to perish to read the history of the Saviour's feeding three thousand on loaves and fishes ? It would only serve to aggravate his appetite : he himself must have food or perish. So. ■with mankind in regard to the gospel : its history is one thing, its enjoyment is another. To read the history of others feasting on gospel blessings will not satisfy the craving anxieties of our souls : to read the history of a Christian Church anciently, is calculated to give us a longing desire that a Christia,n Church might again be restored to the earth. That the nations might not despair of ever again enjoying the gospel, the Lord left them that glorious assm-ance, that the gospel should again be made manifest by another angel flying in the midst of heaven.

If there were a nation, kindred, tongue, or people, on the whole earth that already possessed and enjoyed the gospel, there would not be the least necessity of an angel coming with it; but the very fact that the everlasting gospel, when revealed by the angel, is to be preached « TO EVERY NATION, KINDRED, TONGUE, AND PEOPLE," shows most clearly that every nation on the whole earth were entirely destitute of it. This agrees most perfectly with what we have before demonstrated : all people, being without it, the angel restores it for the benefit of all.

6. — The Book of Mormon contains the everlasting gospel in all its fulness ; and it has been revealed to the inhabitants of our earth by an angel ; it was by an angel that the apostleship and priesthood were again restored ; it was by an angel that men •were called and ordained to the holy ministry, and empowered to preach, baptize, aiid administer all the ordinances of the everlasting gospel, contained in the Book of !Mormon ; therefore, let all people rejoice, for the gospel is once more restored to the earth ; let the nations'be glad that, after so many generations of darkness, a Christian Chiwch has again been orgaJaized upon our dark and benighted globe : let songs of praise and thanksgiving ascend up before God among all nations, that glad tidings of great joy, have once more been sent down from heaven — that inspu-ed apostles and ■prophets, have once more been sent to pi-each, baptize, and show unto man the way of salvation.

6. — The authority, power, and blessmgs of the gospel, having been taken away from the earth, because of apostacy and wickedness, coiid only be restored to man by new revelation, and such revelation must come through an angel. The Roman Catholics and Protestants do not pretend to any such restoration of the gospel by an

angel, and therefore they cannot be in possession of it. The only people that do testify that the gospel has been restored to the earth by an angel, are the Latter-day Saints ; therefore, if the gospel is restored, the Latter-day Saints, are the only people to whom it is restored: all others testify that it has not been restored to them. If the only people who do testify to the restoration of the gospel by an angel, be impostors, then aU nations must still be in darkness, without the gospel, and without a christian church, and must remain so, until the angel is sent in fumlment of John's prediction. The gospel is, therefore, with the Latter-day Saints, or else it is nowhere on die whole earth. But when the angel I'estores the gospel, he must restore it to some . people ; why may not the Latter-day Saints be that people ? If it were restored to any other people, would the nations be any more willing to receive it, than they are now ? If it should be restored in the n? xt generation, would they be any more believing than the present generation ? Is there anything connected with the message ■which the Latter-day Saints testify, that an angel has restored, that proves it not to be the message of " the everlasting gospel ?" If not, then all people who resist it will most assuredly be condemned in the day of Judgment for so doing.

7. — It is to be expected that when the angel restores the gospel, it will be restored in fulness, and in the most perfect simplicity and plainness, so that every point of the doctrine of Christ shall be clearly revealed, and expressed in such language, that no two persons could understand it differently. Many things, connected with the doctrine of Christ, are not clearly revealed and expressed in the English translation of the Bible : this is owing, as we have already shown in No. 3, to the loss of many of the inspired writings, and to the rejection of many sacred books by the third Council of Carthage, together with those which have since been rejected by the Protestants : and also, as we have before proved, another great som-ce of error is, that the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, from which the Bible was translated, had become so awfully corrupted, in almost every text, that the translators were utterly at a loss to know ■which reading was correct. All these things, combined with the unavoidable errors of an uninspired translation, have rendered the English Bible extremely uncertain and ambiguous. This uncertainty and ambiguity have been the principal cause of all the divisions' of modern Christendom. The only way to remedy this great evil, is to oiv tain another revelation of the gospel, free from all the corruptions and uncertainty which characterizes the English Bible. Nothing short of such a revelation can ever redewn mankind from their errors of doctrine ; nothing else can be an infallible standard al the Christian religion ; nothing else can reclaim them from divisions and strifes ; nothing else wiU give certainty and stability, so necessary to the happiness and salvation of man ; and nothing else could be expected in the revelation of the gospel by an angel. Such a revelation is the Book of Mormon ; the most infalUble certainty characterizes every ordinance and every doctrinal point revealed in that book. In it there is no ambiguity — no room for controversy — no doctrine so imperfectly expressed, that two persons would draw two different conclusions therefrom. Such a revelation was gi'eatly needed, and such a revelation the angel has revealed.

8. — As an example of the exceeding great plainness in which the doctrine of the gospel is revealed, we quote the teachings of Jesus Christ, in relation to baptism, as given by his personal ministry, in the northern part of South America, soon after his resurrection : —

" And it came to pass that he spoke unto Nephi, (for Nephi was among the multitude) and he commanded him that he should come forth. And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord, and he did kiss his feet. And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him. And the Lord said unto him, I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people, ■hen I am again ascended into heaven. And again the Lord called others, and said unto them Ukewise ; and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them, on this vpise shall ye baptize ; and there shall. be no disputations among you, verily I say unto you, that whoso repenteth of his sins througlr your words, and de* sireth to be .baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them : behold ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. And now' behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, sang, — Ha-ving authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And then shall ye immerse them in. the water, and come forth again out of the water. And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name, for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, are one ; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, atidthe Father and 1 are one. And according as I have cominarided you, ttius shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there hath hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrinej , aS there hath hitherto been ; for verily, verily, I Say ilnto you; he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who iS the father of contention, and he stir-reth up the hearts of men to contend' with anger, one with another. Behold this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger one against another ; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away."*

9. — Now, we ask, how any one could err in regard to the meaning of this quotation concerning the mode of baptism : no two meanings Could be drawn from' these definite teachings. Every other point of the doctrine of Christ is eqUidly as plain, and as definitely expreSsed'as this, sO that there is no possible chance for any differences of opinion in doctrine. There can be no question raised as to tbtei meaning of , the doctrine in the Book of Mormon ; therefore, all who obtain a knowledge of its divine authenticity, are fi'om thenceforth sure and Certain upon every point of the ' gospel : and thus divisions, strifes, contentions,- and all the evils that flow from a diversity of opinions are, amohg the Latter-day Saints, for ever done away. The wi-anglings and quarrels about th'e doctrines of salvation, which haVe disti-adted mankind for generations and ages, can have no place in our midst. Among us' new revelation has taken the place of human creeds, arid knowledge has taken the place of opinion and guess-work, and the result the'refif is union, peace, and eternal life.

10. — The particular period when the angel should- fly with the everlasting gOspfel is elEpl-eaed in a part of his proclamation ; he was to say, " Fear &odt atid give ' glovy to him, fur the hour of his judgment is crime.'\ The sei-vaiits- of' God are empowered not only to preach "the everlasting gospd," hilt to protlaim to aU nations ihat "THE HOUR' OF ' GOITS JUD&MEIJT IS COME/' It is the eleventh hour, or the last time that the Lord will.prune his vineyard ; it iS the last proclamation Of the gospel that the world are to be favoured vith, and the' last tiine that he will call upon them to repent ; if they heed Ae warning, they shall be gathered out from among the nations, and be saved ; if they heed it not, "the fierce judgments (rf the Almighty will speedily overtake theni. ' Eethe nations know assuredly that " the hour of God's judgment is come," and that they have only one vyay of escape, atad that is, by embracing the Book of MorSnOn, whifch contains a procliifiation of mefcy as well as-of judgment. Let the nations healten to the voice Of inei'Cy, while shte pleads in their midsc; let them' boW their tetttbhol-n hearts, and 'forsAte'dll their evil deeds, before justice shall make- Ms craita ; for judgment followeth quickly aiid lingel'efh'tiot ; th houtf is come, and I9ie- terrible day of theLorditathahd-wday Of wrath and of great terror — a day of fierce vefigtefice.

'il.-Johil'liredietS' anothel- great evfent to't&e -fiface' immediately after' tTie'|)TDdfe,- mfttioifof the' everlasting gospel, namely, the downfall of great' Bablan. After "the first *ngel'had finished his toiSsion, he'ays, " And there follbwedariOlftergel, (saying, Babylon is fallen, is fajlen, that great city, because she Inad all nationrdrajk tfffte wirie' of the' wrath of her ferhiciition." The lieVeUttor has told 'us wBaSt BStfaylbn iweansitt th* seventeenth chapter: it is represented 'ntiflef the fignre'of a-ifoiiar'ciHWi "THE 'MOTHER OF'HARliOTS AND ABOMtNlATIONS'OF *Ftm AETH." Itfithe'flrst vei'se, this woman' is' represented as " th great Vvhote tfiat.ttfeth upbn ma-f-watei's." In the fi'fteetfthvei'Se, the'fiifgePsaid tO'jamthit, * Ttte'-Wateir* Tt'Mehl-thOitSaJWyst, Where? the •vi'here gftteeh; ard']fil66{eS,J'!todihWtitu*syat Siiditoftgttes'." The Bo«an Gatholie,' Greek, aM fi'dtaiM 'cHiSSth,- W '£Ke-ea* ooifiMipt Wel«!siaBtiC power, represented by gi-iat"B8fllon''-vfrKite'&s'miideai'Jati(M» dftmk'WitK'KM' WieRedtaeSB, and •She'Wffst'Mli 'affef ae'Tia Been' -rt-rfttfed' ■Witfr'ffi* *lffid'«if'HHe'ei*el'lat)iK16sr."'Hei-ove?tftfrbV'<Mtt%S'bj'.W*big< Wejadgrttents' Whifch-l' qfiicfe SuftBe'ed etf6te, s&''p 6Va''fte' na,fii6ite' Whei*©

*• Beck if fttodSonV Secdtid Eof ip'ean EkiilJ'ig 457.

„sbp has her dominion, and at last she will be utterly burned by fire, for thus hath the Lord spoken. Great, and fearful, and most terrible judgments are decreed upon these corrupt power* — the nations.of, modem Christendom; for strong is the Lord God ■who shaD execute his fierce wrath, upon then?, and he wijl not cease until he has made a full end. and until their naipes be blotted out from under heaven.

12. — The object in sending " the everlasting gospel" among the nations of Babylon is to save a remnant by literally gathering them out of her midst. St. John says, "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues ; for her sins have rejiched unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities."* Hence, there is connected with the great message of the Book of Mormon, " a voice from heaven," . commanding the Saints to come out from all nations as fast as they obey the gospel .niessage; this they ha,vebeen doing for these many years, and this they will continue to do, until the work of gathering is fully accomplished. And after the saints, who are the salt of the earth, are gathered out, those who are left will quickly perish, as 'did Sodom arid Gomprrha. All these great events are clearly revealed in the Jewish scriptures; they aralso clearly revealed in the Book of Moi-mon, which comes, Syiog, that the time is at hand ; it is also revealed by the voice of God from heaven, land by the ministry of angels to chosen witnesses sent forth to warn mankind for the ' last time.

I 13. — " The everlasting gospel" has been committed once more to the inhabitants of. our earth for the pwpose of again organizing the Christian church, or in other ■w()rds, the kingdom of God,, as predicted by the prophet Daniel, who said that, "In ■tHe idays of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed : and the kingdom shall riot be left to other people, but it shall break in .piecesand consume all these kingdoms, and it shall .stand for ever."+ The kingdom 'o]f God set. up on the' earth in the first century of the Christian era, was not the ful- ■filBneirt of Daniel's prophecy. His prediction reached forward to a much later period of the world, namely, to, the time wnpn the angel should bring the gospel — to the time when the great image, representing all the kingdoms of the world, should be complete, frepi .the head of gold to the feet and toes of iron and clay. The kingdom or church 'eif|ablished eighteen centuries ago, does not, by any means, .correspond with the time; fiy. the.fet an(l toes of. Nebuchadnezzar's great image were not then in existence ; iineed i;; was many centuries after that, before the Roman empire represented by the 'lasbf iron, became divided into feet and toes. But Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar, >*' Thfijisawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the Image •ptjn his fe,et, that were of iron and clay, and break them to pieces." (34 verse.) jEKipithis we learn, that the feet and toes must be in existence before "the God of iljEsyeti sets up. aEngdpm". represented by " the stone cut out without hands," otheri- >vise,, the stone coulil.npt commence its first attack upon the feet and toes, and break thetjJ in pieces.

' 14. — The nations of modern Europe, including England, and the Gentile nation* pf ugieiiica, Gonipos ,1 legs, and feet, and toes of the image, while the other poritipBSipf..iihfi, image, will.be> found mostly among the Asiatic natioits. The geographioalppsition/of the iriiage is from east to west ; its head is found in Asia, and its toes |]urbpe,ani America. Whienthe kingdom of God is set up, it must be somewhere neir the western extremity of this great image, for the toes and feet are first broken Ijy'it, and afterwards all the other portions, from which we leai'n that its advancement is opi west to eat. The pvogi;ess of the kingdoms of the woi-ld has been from east O'est ; ijxejirbgress of the kingdom of God is from west to east, in a retrograde dKectibn. This stprie, ,aoeording to Daniel ii. 45., is to be " CUT OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN WITHOUT HANDS." « Cut out of the mountain," signifies irt tooatipn hefore apy part of the image, is brolten. The present location of theLatterdsreiChp'ch is in the vallies among thp Rocky Mountains : this appears to be its appropriate, position, according to prophecy. The stone is to be " cut out without iifnds : tljjs signifies that it is a kingdonji not formed by the will of man, but by the •wilT pf,God; human wisdom has no hand in its formation; it is "the God of

* Eevelations, xviii. 4, '5. ' t Daniel ii, 44.

■ heaven" that sets it up, and by him it will be sustained and never be destroyed, nor broken to pieces, nor left to other people.

15. — The kingdoms of the world made war upon the saints of the former-day kingdom and prevailed against them, and overcame them, and rooted them out of the earth, so that the kingdom no longer existed among the nations ; not so with the latter-day kingdom ; for it will prevail against the kingdoms of the world until they shall, as Daniel says, " become like the chaff of the summer thrashing floors; and the

■ wind carry them away, that no place shall be found for them: and the stone that smote the image shall become a great mountain, and fill the whole earth." Daniel ii. .

• 35. And then shall " the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." (Daniel vii. 27.) The events predicted by Daniel are the same as the events

' predicted by John ; Daniel says a kingdom shall be set up ; John tells us by what means, namely, through the everlasting gospel, revealed by an angel : Daniel says, when the kingdom of God is set up, that the kingdoms of the world shall be broken in pieces : John says, that when the everlasting gospel has been restored and preached to the nations that then is, " the hour of God's judgment " — the downfall of Babylon. Both of these writers beheld the same great events, but described them in different language. That which was predicted by those two mspired men is now being fulfilled.

■ The angel has appeared — the gospel is restored — the kingdom is set up — its location is among the moimtains, and shortly the balance of these predictions will also be fulll?d to the very letter, and not one jot or tittle shall fail, until the earth shall rest from wickedness, and " the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ."

' 16. — In the Jewish scriptures there is no prophet who has spoken more fully and plainly concerning the great events of latter times than Isaiah. In the twenty-ninth chapter he has clearly predicted that a certain Book should be revealed — that the deaf should hear the words of it — that a marvellous vvork and a wonder should be accomplished — that Isrkel should be gathered and saved — that the poor and meek shoidd rejoice — that they who err in spirit should come to understanding — and, fiinally, that the wicked should all be destroyed. In the first, and part of the second verse, the Lord threatens Ariel, or Jerusalem, with judgment : he says, "Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt ! add ye year to year ; let them kill sacrifices ; yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be" heaviness and sorrow." After the Messiah came and was sacrificed for the sins of the world, the Jews continued to " kill sacrifices," when they should have been done away ; they added " year to year " to the law of Moses, until they brought down " heaviness and sorrow," and great " distress" upon their beloved city. The Roman army encompassed the city — cast a trench about it, and, finally, brought it down " even with the ground." The principal part of the Jews perished, and a remnant were scattered among the nations, where they have wandered in darkness unto this day.

17. — The latter part of the second verse speaks of another event that should be similar to the one which was to happen to Ariel, or Jerusalem : it reads thus; " And IT shall be unto me AS Ariel." This cannot have reference to Ariel itself, but it

; must refer to something Which should be " As Ariel." It would be folly to say that Ariel shall be as Ariel. Therefore the word " it" must refer to a nation that Aould suffer similar judgments to those which should befall Jerusalem. In the three following verses, the Lord describes more fully the second event ; he says, " And I will camp against thee 'round about, and will lay serge against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, and shall speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall he low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as df onri that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper vut of the duSt. Moreover, the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dusti and th(3 multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away; yea, it shalL be at an instant suddenly." These predictions of Isaiah could not refer to Ariel, or Jerusalem, because their speech has not been " out of the gi'pund," or " low out of the dust," but it refers to the remnant of Joseph who were destroyed in America upwards of fourteen hundred years ago. The Book of Mormon describes their downfall

, and truly it was great and terrible. At the crucifixion of Christ, " the multitude of their terrible ones," as Isaiah predicted " became as chaff that passeth away," and it took place, as he further predicts, " at an instant suddenly." Many of their treat and magnificent cities were destroyed by fire, others by earthquakes, others by eing sunk and buried in the depths of the earth. This sudden destruction came upon them because they had stoned and killed the prophets sent among them. Between three and four hundred years after Christ, they again fell into great wickedness, and the principal nation fell in battle. Forts were raised in all parts of the land, the remains of which may be seen at the present day. Millions of the people perished in battle, and they suffered just as the Lord foretold by Isaiah, — " And I ■will camp against thee round about, and wiU lay serge against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee, and thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground," &c. This remnant of Joseph in their distress and destruction, became unto the Lord AS Ariel. As the Roman army lay siege to Ariel, and brought upon her great distress and sorrow, so did the contending nations of ancient America bring upon each other the most direful scenes of blood and carnage. Therefore, the Lord could, with the (greatest propriety, when speaking in reference to this event, declare that " It shall be unto me as Ariel."

18. — One of the most marvellous things connected with this prediction is, that after the nation should be brought down, they should " speak out of the ground." This is mentioned or repeated four times in the same verse. Never was a prophecy more truly fulfilled than this, in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith took that sacred history " out of the ground." It is the voice of the ancient prophets of America speaking " out of the ground ;" their speech is "low out of the dust ;" it speaks in a most familiar manner of the doings of bygone ages ; it is the voice of those who slumber in the dust. It is the voice of prophets speaking from the dead, crying repentance in the ears of the living. In what manner could a nation, after they were brought down and destroyed, " speak out of the ground ?" Could their dead bodies or their dust, or their ashes speak ? Verily, no : they can only speak by their writings or their books that they wrote while Uving. Their voice, or speech, or words, can only " speak out of the ground," or "whisper out of the dust" by their books or writings being discovered. Therefore, Isaiah further says, in the eleventh and twelfth verses : " And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, read this, I pray thee ; and he saith, I cannot ; for it is sealed : and the Book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned."

19. — After obtaining the Book of Mormon through the ministry of the angel " out of the ground," Mr. Smith transcribed some of the original characters upon paper, and sent them by the hands of Martin Harris, a farmer, to the city of New York, ■where they were presented to Professor Anthon, a man deeply learned in both ancient and modern languages. Mr. Harris very anxiously requested the learned professor to read it, but he repUed that he could not. None of the learned have as yet beeni able to decipher the characters and hieroglyphics which are found among the ancient ruins, in almost every part of America. The ■written language of ancient America is a sealed language to thk generation. In the year 1841, Prrfessor Anthon vwote a letter to an Episcopal minister, in New Rochelle, Westchester county, near New York, in answer to an inquiry made by the minister in reference to the words or characters said to have been presented to him. Professor Anthon's letter was -written ■with permission to publish ; its avowed object being to put a stop to the spread of the fulness of the gospel, contained in the Book of Mormon. "We here give a short extract from it, taken from a periodical, entitled " The Church Becord." "Vol. 1., No. 22.

20. — " Many years ago, the precise date I do not now recollect, a plain looMng countryman, called upon me with a letter from Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, requesting me to examine, and give my opinion upon a certain paper, marked ■with various characters, ■which the Doctor confessed he could not decipher, and which the bearer of the note: ■was very anxious to have explained."

Here, then, is the testimony of the learned, that a man did call upon him ■with *' the words of a book." But the learned professor continues : —

" A very brief examination convinced me that it was a mere Jtoax, and a very xiliitaiiaayofte'tQp. ! lEhe characters weresakranged intcolumns,Uke the Chinese mpde.<¥ vn-iting, ajad presented Ahe' most ifeingulai medley thatI ever beheld- : 6r,eek, He- ■taewi- and all sorts q£' letters, moire or Jess, distorted, either through utisWlfuless or fit)in acstu designs, were intemaipgied Ivith sundry delineations, of half moons, rstars aad'Other naturaliobjeots,iaiid the.whole ended, in a rude representation of the B/lS?Jtcm Zodiacj" ;. . 'i " ' _ • ,

.' •gj .-f-PrjofessoELAnthon, no doubt, thought. thai his statement would militate. against *he Book .of.ilOTmbn but we consider it a great acquisition of evidence, cgnfirmjitory of j<tiie4rilit'hjt«E that Book,, when aBomparediwith the recent discoveries of itheglyphSj Mdiisharaters toOng the imbieat'ajuins of America. The celebrated ftfttiquariai Kr6>fes9or,i8ia&i6sqiu,i in speakingiof the glyphji dieovered on the.ruinsof astons i(ity,.found.'in'Mexicp, says: — ,J . ■ . . . ■ f

J'ThelgJyphsjofiQtolum are written from top to bottom, like theiCAJwese, or from »i toSiflBj-iijaiffia-entl,; like, the.ifgijiiiiari, and the Demotie Lybiaii. Although the BSOsticOmmoh way. of writing the groups is iin rows, and /each group separatds yet wrfejd. some formed, as it were, in bbbag squares or tablets, like those oi Egypt..""* -j3r,wp,y«airfi£Hec the.Book of Mormon appeared in print, Professor Bafinesque,. js his Atlantic Journal for 1832, gave to the public' a! fac-simile of 'Amerieai glyphs* found uitMesicb. " They are' arrsinged in columns, being forty-six in number. These, the;!Jea'rnfedpmifespor;)ieiiominates"tlje elfemnts of the glyphs of Otolum," andoKe supposesithat.ljyjthe combination oftbhese elements, words and sentences.were forojedj cbnslStulgilhe written labguagfe of the ancient nations of that vast cohtiBent. By a&iiiiipection of. the facrsimile. of Ithese forty-six elelaentai-y glyphs, we find all the part jonJira which Professor, Anthon ascribes to the characters, which he says!" a plain toddnlcicajiotryinan ." presented to him. The " Greek, Hebrew, and aU, sorts of letr 1Si'idn,*erfed and in different positions, "with sundry delineations of halfmoons,? planets, suns, .'.Sand other natural objects," are found among these fortyrsix elementSf iB&is&9 plain looking countryman," according, to Professor Anthon's testimony, got soine three or four yeajs. the start of Professor Bafinesque, and presented higi.with .genuine elementary glyphs, y&ira before the Atlantic .Journal made, them pubiUc J andArhat is still more i-emarkaialek *' the cbarasteps," Professor Anthoa says, " were arSinged in columns, like. the Chinese mbde of writing," which exactly corresponds TOthiwihat Professor Rafinesque testifies, as quoted above, in relation to. the glyphs o£ Otalum. ':"W«vSee pothmg in Professor Anthon's statement, that provesi the.icaJiac-t teats presented to. hira to, be . a " hoax," as he terms, it; .unless, rindeed, he eopsdSRS their exact r&emblance to the glyphs of Qtobinij and their' bfeing srrange in ths rigjitkind of columns,-is a " hoax." But as Joseph Smith was an jji!leaBffl.d-y.Qiffiig man," living lin the country, where he'had.not access to the writings aii4.'dis<aavje®le» Q£ ti46aiEiaiis, he would be entirely. incapable of forging >the,tru:ajidg/eBmne,glya of.Aicieiit America;, therefore we considfirithis<testira6ny <jf,Pir.ofees(ffi A»thoiii,.;C0t(i,ir 'mss it does, from ah avowpd enemy of the Book of Mormon to-heagl-eatcollateraJl evidence in its &vour. OBrofessorfiafinesque.says, as we hi.v' akeadyi qUqtd, th •S *he. glyphs, of .Otolum are written fioorri top to bbttom* like the CJdV'me,oxixom.W taside, indiflferentlyjlike the Egyptian." Now the'iiisiof ,the JB,ftok,.of Moqq was vpritten! from side! to side,., hke Ahe Egyptian.. Indeed, it was written vsk tka Wfej oieit Egyptian, rrformed by thfe eiimantlof, the tsibjof Joseph., . ■ , .j -j ''[

■, iiTcnlsaiaih says, as we, have.already quoted, that'The vision ofjaJl is beconiq uot(> youJas,the,wQrds<6f a book that is sealedj whi(ii;.men deliser to.ene thfttis-leaEned* aaiilg,!Tead this, Ipraytheei: andhe saith, I fcannot;; for it;i-se%le4." MmAls prediotion;; the Book itself .was not to, be , delivered , to the,ieapned,;bjit,dtely6'!5:th MTii&isoi a, Book 4.". this ivas liter?ally fulfilled. in theeYeIrt:J¥hieb.ih8s,alBgaidJ bfiSff described, as clearly testified of, not only by the " plain looking countryman," namelK MaEtinjBIaiarib, biit by the learned :professoE,Anthbnljjp)selfc,". v.' . '■ -i'T • — .C; . v !28.i-r-Biu*'Iah'imorms us in the next verse,, (il2j)jthftt!jth«i Eoolf ;*ts6lfisliqijljl, delivered to the nnleiiined ; he says, f' Andthe &)deris ddiieiied Wh'"""' thait.jfiiflqjfc learned,: saying, B&idMiis, I pray thee: and he, Si&tl I.iuh.not hearse,"/ Xbid:

[Footnote: .1, I I ; * Atlaintifi!jii;oiiroal.for J.a32,,bJ PrflfesaQr.BafiBesqftSi i.'.i ;,.: I]

■ - ■ • . li.I fulfilled when .the nel of fte Loi;d deliva-ed the Book into the hands of Mr. Smith ; though unlearned in every language, but his own mother tongue, yet he was commanded to read or translate the Book; Feeling his own incapacity t« read such a Book, he said to th.e Lord, iu thewrds of Isaiah, "I AM NOT LEARNED."

When he faafle this excuse, the Lord .answered him in the words of rsaia,hj riex v6rse?;-(13, 14) "Wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch as this people draw near mfe with their mouth, and with their lips do oonour ine, but have, removed their heart far fifo'm nie, and, then- fear toward me is tavght by the precept of men ; therefore, bfehbld, I will proceed to do a marvellous WQi;k among this people even a marveUoiA work and a wonder ; for the wisdom of their wise men Shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." What words cojild better portray the powerless ap'otate condition of ipdeiji Christendom than this description ? and whsft 'Vlords could' he more descriptive of the ".marvelloijs work and a wonder," than to say that " the wisdom of thir wise men.sliall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid ? " Wht povld be more maryeUousand wonderful, than for thb Ijord to cause an Uijlearnd youth to read or translate a Book which the wisdom, of the most wise and learned coudd not read ? Surely the Lord's ways are not as our ways, and hi jthougits are not asur thought ; for the wisdom of the wgrld is.foolishness ii th sight of God ; he bringth forth by hjp power the hidden thing's of his wisdom throuaft the meek, the simple, and the unledrned, wljile he rejecteth tile wisdbih and learning of Aien, because of their pride and'higjiniindedness. How marvellous,! arid how wonderful are thy goings, O Ijord God Mmighty ! For thou confpundest the wisdom ana learning of men, that no flesh should glpry in thy presence ! Thou, exaltegt the meet and the humble, that they may" be tailght of thee, and, krfbw thy ways ! Glory;, aiid hoiour,, an ;isom, and power, and gj-eatne of strength, and'excfellency'of rni detstaiiding be unto tie' Lord our God for evermore! Let jiU the earth'fear siijd honor his great name, for "the hour of his judgment is come," and the tiirite for th fUlfflinfent of the great events of the la?t days, as spoken lay his servants the prophets;

' 24.-;-rsaiah, in the ninth and tenth verses, has given a further desciprion of the condition of all the nations, addressing himself to theip, he exclaims,—" Stay youri selves and wonder ; .cry ye out, and oi-y : they are djn(nken, but. pot with wirie ; they Stegger, but not with stfong di;in]j ; for the Lord hath poured out upon 6\i the spit fifrWdeep sjleep, and hath closed youj* eyes.: the prophets and your rulers, the seerS hath he covered, and the vision of all is become unto you as thfe words of a Book that iSI'SeiiM," &c. IJere we perceive the dark arid beriighted cbndition of the multitude Bridrthe nation ; 3.t the time " the wods 'of the Book " should " «)eak out of th6 giAiiid" "the spirit of deep sleep" was to be. poured out upon thepi ; they werg TO.tfe'-d*urikefa and stagger, but rio;t with wine nor )Mth strong drink ; — the proj/het 9M fSbr? yere to b covered from them ; and " the vision of all," that is, the revelafew>fisctf all 'thff holy propjiets arid sers, contained either ijithe Bible ol- any olth plfe,er'e to become as the Words of , th ' se4e|2 Bpok of Mormori. 'If they undfti

.piHd'notbfe arikrikeri with fi6}4'tiHth dtftbey undbrstahd'the-jugmetits which are abputtp-befall them, "AS .thfiTeSi'ned-'Ftofessof Antho;i "could not: f gad "the wpj-ds oJFthe Bbpk" pi-esented td }, lecajT it wasa s63,le bopk-a language not'undstood by the learned, 'so with *«|K,ftii}ltitti.de..bf all the litipiis " in i-egard tp 'f th"? vision, of. all flip pJ-opHets fiiSd Sie4-s""'tJily iirp ct;iveref ; tli arejidt'Wflcferslood any nioi-l 'than- the Of'ds' df the .sealed Bpoic'vsffei-imderstood by the learned; ' -Wfaen the eyerits.of scripturefophec/ ar8r-lealr}j''-ftdfilld Jiefdrp 'thjr'.eyes, they wjill npti even then perceiveit; viihen the .vdgihJJllnewise and'leairried j)erish,es, arid "a marvell9tis.work, and a woider 'i|

E'jflPbedi'm'tjauyng' th6 tmleairnfed o i;€ii ttie Book; the nations willfnot take it to S"; thgugh as tsak says, ey >HU " stay themselfes'and -tvoridei-," arid "cyour aijd%ry," bep'auk of.the Book iilvhich "speaks; oUt.bf the.grpurid;" et,'!!*?!;!*© .ii'Adrunkeri with; every spe(3es ,of 'vvioKedness and abbiriinations, and be9aUsb 'tfie

to man, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. Because they despise so great a worlj, they " shall be visited," as Isaiah says, vidth storm and tempest," and " earth- ■quakes," " and the flame of devouring fire."

25. — As another evidence that the Bools of which Isaiah speaks, was to come forth in the latter times, he says, in the seventeenth verse, " Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as the forest ? " 18th verse : " And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the Book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness." This Book could not mean the New Testament, for when that was written, it was about the time that Lebanon was to be forsaken by the Jews, and become a desolation, a forest, or wilderness for many generations. " Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers." (Isaiah xxxii. 13.) Hence the land of Palestine, which includes Lebanon, was, when the New Testament was written, about to be cursed. But immediately after the unlearned should read the Book, " Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as the forest." The Book, therefore, that Isaiah prophecies of, is to come forth just before the great day of the restoration of Israel to their own lands ; at which time Lebanon, and all the land of Canaan is again to be blessed, while the fruitful field, occupied by the nations of the Gentiles, " will be esteemed as a forest ; " the multitude of the nations of the Gentiles are to perish, and their lands which are now like a fruitful field, are to be left desolate of inhabitants, and become as Lebanon has been for many generations past ; while Lebanon shall again be occupied by Israel, and be turned into a fruitful field." These great events could not take place until the Lord should first bring forth a book out of the ground.

26.-" And, in that day, shall the deaf hear the words of the Booh." This has already been literally fulfilled. Those who were so deaf that they could not hear the loudest sound, have had their ears opened to hear the glorious and most precious words of the Book of Mormon, and it has been done by the power of God and not of man. " And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness." This has also been literally fulfilled, as abundantly testified of in the fifth number of this series. " The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord." Now, during the long night of darkness, there have been some humble meek persons, who have had a degree of light ; but, as the Church of Christ had fled from the earth there was no one that had authority to baptize or administer the ordinances of the gospel to those meek persons ; therefore, their joy was very imperfect : but Isaiah says, when the Book is revealed, " the meek shall increase their joy in the Lord." This is what the Book is calculated to produce ; for by its contents the meek learn that the time is at hand for them to inherit the earth, according to the blessing of our Saviour on the mount : " Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." This will be fidfilled after all the vncked nations are destroyed. "And the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." This also is promised as a result of the revelation of the Book, and the means by which it is to be effected is by a general overthrow of the wicked; as, says Isaiah: "For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consimied, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off; that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought." O how plainly it is declared that judgment was soon to fall upon all the wicked after the appearance of this Book — this marvellous work and a wonder! And O how plainly it is also declared that the deaf, the blind, the meek, and the poor among men were to be greatly benefitted by the Book !

27. — After Isaiah had foretold the great change that was to happen to Lebanon, to the deaf, &c., when the book should he revealed ; he then describes more particularly the great benefit the book should be to the house of Jacob. He says, " Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he seeeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel." The house of Jacob has been made ashamed, and his face has waxed pale, ever since he was driven away from Lebanon or Canaan, but the Lord has now brought forth out of the ground a Book which shall, accompanied by his power, restore the tribes of

Jtujob from the four quarters of the globe, and establish them in the land of Palestine and Lebanon for ever ; and his Holy name they shall no more profane, but shall be a righteous people throughout all then: generations, while the earth shall stand, and they shall possess theur promised land again in eternity, nevermore to pass away ; therefore, they shall never again be made ashamed. It is in vain for the Gentiles to seek the conversion of Jacob, and to bring about their great redemption, only in the way that the Lord God of Israel hath predicted arid appointed : they may call meetings and conventions to convert the Jews, but let them know assuredly that the Book spoken of by Isaiah is to accomplish the salvation of the house of Jacob, and bring about the restoration of all Israel, while the Gentiles who will not receive it, and be numbered and identified with Jacob, must surely perish, yea, they shall be utterly ■wasted with storm and tempest, with earthquakes and famine, with the flame of de- Touring fii-e, and their fruitful lands shall be esteemed as a forest, while Jacob shall dwell in safety for ever.

28. — Isaiah describes another event which follows the revelation of the Book : he says, " They also that erred in spirit, shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn«dootrine." (Verse 24.) The meek of the earth who erred in spirit, because " the fear of the Lord was taught by the precept of men," — should come to understanding. Oh, how precious must be the contents of a Book which shall deliver us from all the errors taught by the precepts of uninspired men ! Oh, how gratifying to poor ignorant erring mortals who have murmured because of the multiplicity of contradictory doctrines that have perplexed and distracted their minds, to read the plain, pure, and most precious word of God, revealed in the Book of Mormon ! It is like bread to the hungry,— like the cool refreshing fountain to him -that is ready to perish with thirst. Lift up your heads ye meek of the earth ; let tha poor among men rejoice in the Holy One of Israel; let them that have erred in spirit and stumbled in judgment, drink from the fountain of understanding; let all that liave murmured because of the uncertainty of the precepts of men, read the words of the Book, and they "shall learn doctrine;" let the humble and contrite in heart among all nations be exceedingly glad, for the hoiu" of then- redemption from Babylon is at nand ; let all Israel praise the God of their fathers in songs of everlasting joy ; for that which he spake by the mouth of their prophets, concerning their restoration to then- lands is at hand to be fulfilled ; already has the Book which Isaiah said should accomplish Jour restoration, and turn Lebanon into a fruitful field, made its appearance ; and it truly is " a marvellous work — even a marvellous work and a wonder !' Let Zion awake again, and put on her strength as in days of old ; let the servants of our God shout praises unto the Holy One of Zion ; let them shout among the chief of the nations, and sing with gladness for Jacob, for he shall come in his appointed times, and none shall hinder. Lo ! he shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and the high places of the earth shall be glad for him, and the everlasting bills shall tremble with joy.

29. — Bphraim — the Lord's first-born, shall be hke a mighty man, and his heart shall rejoice as through new wine ; for he shall crown the tribes of Israel with glory, and his buthright shall never be wrested from his hand ; his dwellings shall be in the fat vallies, and his seed shall cover the hills ; he shall put forth his branches in all directions, and many shall repose in the shade thereof; with him is the key of hidden mysteries — the mysteries of ancient times ; he shall unlock the sacred archives of heaven, and the skies shall pour down righteousness, like rain ; the bowels of the earth shall open, and diall disclose the wonders of ages unknovyn. By him Zion shall be built, and her dwellings shall be encircled with glory ; her light shall be as the sun, and her beauty as the morning ; her tabernacles shall be as the dwelling places of the Most High, and in her palaces kings shall arise and worship ; her children with one heart shdl look upward, while the Zion that is above shall look dovmward ; then tha heavens and the earth shall meet, and all the creations shall shake with gladness ; then the union of all dispensations will be completed, and the royal families of heaven and earth will be one from henceforth— even for evermore. This is the blessing of the children of Zion, and the glory of Ephraim the Lord's servants. The children of Manasseh shall assist Ephraim, and in sdl his. glory, they stall be glorified. 30. — The records of Manasseh in the hands of Ephraim shall ga&er out the Lord's

_dect;itppir,the fojirrwn?, from on& end of thp earth to the ptlier. TheGookiDf jMprijipp is the repord of ManasseH; it is' now in the hands of Ephrainij, wl)o iMnre been-foi'fliatny generations, as tlje prophet Hosea said, "mixed among the people." By ; them vbUI the Lord " push the pepplg: together to the ends of the earth," even hy tte fChildien of Bphraim who is the Lprd's first-born, in this great latter-day work. Tlje , American Indians are pMtly of the children of Manasseh ; though many of them aip .ofEpliraim, through the .two sons, of Ishmael, who came out of Jerusalem 60UI years bgfore Ohrisl;, and some of Jujdah,, through the loins of David and the ngs that ■reignefj over Jerusalem. When Zeidekiah king of Judah was carried awy captive- I into, Babylon, the LQrditoqk one of his sons, whoje name was Mjilok, with a camp3;py ,of those, who would hearken linto his words, and brought them over the ocean, and .planted them, in America.' This was done in fulfilment of the 22nd and 23r< vers joft,§event»epth chapter ofE;z.ekid, which read thus: " Thus saith the Lcfrji Go, I will also take of the highest brahch of the high cedar, and will set it: I will-crp off from the top of- his, young twigs A TENDER. ONE, and will plant it upon an ,lijg,hv,roquntaln and eminent ; in the mou»tam of the height of Israel will I pjnji jiff; aiijit,5l)aliring forth bpughs, and bea,r fruit, and be a goodly cedar; and undflr'j; shall 4a'ell all fowl of pvery wing; in the shade of the branches thereof shall theyjdwell." iByxeacn this, chapter, it will be seen that the Jews were the "higlicedajr, that Zedekiaji the lang was the " highest branch," that the." tender one" cjappe .off from the top of his young twigs, was one of his sons, whom the Lord brought out and planted hinj. and his compsmy upon the choice land of America, which he, rhaq. ■given unto a remnant of the tribe of Joseph for an inheritance,, in fulfilment of the blessixfg of Jacob and Moses upon the head of that, tribe,*

31.p-;JCol) benga prophet, said .unto his sons, " Grather yourselve? together tha.p Ima,y,]beU yoji, that ..which shall befell you in the last days." He then . commenced .bjsipgiheni, by tjhe §piril.of prophecy, from the oldest to, the youngest. I'he. bless ■iijg,flf,o|h was a fpllqws : — " Jpsepn is a fruitful bough, even a'fiuilful bough In/ ■a .jirwliose, branches run over the, wail." * * *, 'f The, blessigp dr thyfaejhayo prevailed above the blessings of my pr.ogenitors, unto the utmost boujia of the .eve'lasting, hills;; they. shall be on the.head of Joseph, and on the ci'p.vi of the 'head of him thatwas.separate from his brethren." ' (Genesis jcljx.)' Let.thejresider I'ti(!ul3.rly notice, this blesswg- First, Joseph was tabeconje very numereus ; Secondj Ji]jl)r|%nches we to run over.the wall : Thu'd, he was to receive a blessing which w >sitjiate4,)to tihe utmost hpwd of the jevlasting hills: Four,th, Jacob declgxps, that •these blessings were greater, or above those, whifih Ks Jiroghitors inherited, Irijlhp ■preceding chapter Jaob predicts that Ephrajm, and Manaaeh, the two sons of Jcsfc hflujd becfimp a mliUude .q nail<;f." A multitude of nations, would re jiiij¥%/ Jfg,country ibr an iji-itnc?. \ Jfo wonder th. that Jacob hoiil'd prevail,' pefpie p,iOrd,Apd.;ohtaia a greater blessing than Alpj-aham' and Isaac : for the laind of Canaan would be altogether too small to accomodate " ,Tfie'multitude of. the.natipng pfjpseph,'' and the- 9thep,teg top,;- andtjapob forpseeingthis, sought foi:;„a greater blpssing, than the ha of Palestine, ■which was. conferred upon his prog;enitprs. This axpteyibfssing is represented to, be " to the utm6st bbijhd, of the everjasting -hililg.'" .I|;tef'nv'ititiOTqs:Ooj(Md" must haxpjreference to th'mbst distant .porti'onS'Of'tiie garth-; egeogTp,ph}cal position oft A4!i.eyica correspond, asrto.dis'tance/ with: .tj npspf thej prppjiepy. The range.of mountain? extending' thei whploleng,of,( 8#*fo"',%TlWfint,,aj;e the.Jp;g,0, in the whole world, and may well bedpsiggat, Miffl?fKpBfiet.7ae6h,',the.'6«erZ ' , ' '■ '

33.-r7XhattfosBphinigijt.phtaint Jacob conferred ,upon,pmj f ' i|jf p0l._ll,er?uxif>f. the hat ;" that is, they left' tie main portion of the f'i afjjl jiijintp'sop.qtbpr cQunt,, , iTiey liever. poiild haye had rpom;to «bp6yg(e|j( icq5itt|it.e.pf naijDiJ!" withpiit , b!reala»g,pver |th,e walli or : boianaries of •Palesf3pc,.n$ flflgilB i' mnJfn??? i.c6hfpfr,ed upon them,, among the bonndarips.gf., mmMMh' i-W'HF'iyi ,?>»y, 'llje; termed thp . " utmost boundpT or #; tonce;|rpfp -yifhpre., the prophecy ■■wag' litteed, On that Vast coitinentj tW.'cjOTM sptlijijth.: bee(,hot-only ,a.gi:efit nation, b "a multitude of nations?' 4,,!

Prophetic evidence in favour of the book of mormon. 93

Africa, aiid Europe, are occupied principally by the Gentiles, and by nations who are not the descendants of Joseph. As the prophecy has not been fulfilled on the eastern hemisphere, the western hemisphere is the only part of our globe where it could be AilfiUed. If we cannot find the multitude of the nations of Joseph in America, we -cannot find them anywhere. But in America we truly do find several hundred nations of people, who do not exhibit that diversfty of character *hich we find distingHshing the nations of the eastern world. Then: colour, their features, their general physiognomy, their traditions, their manners and customs, their dialects, their general c3iaracteristios of mind, nd modes of living, all proclailn that they are descended from .<Hie common origin. While their religious woi'ship, their belief in one God, thar computation of tune, by the ceremonies of the new moon, their having an Ark of the covenant, iiheir erection of a temple similar to the Jewish temffle mfeir erectioii of altars, their divisions of the year mto four seasons, corresponding to the JeWiSh festivals, their laws of sacrifices, their ablutions and maniages, their places of refuge, their manner of conducting war, theii: abstaining from eating certain things forbid-' den' by the laws of Moses, arid the numerous affimtes of their language to the Hebrew, allteStify' loudly that they are'bf Israelirish origin. Great numbers of T»riters, during' two or thireo of the lasif centuries, have believed them to be Israelites, and have geinerhlly supposed them to be the nine' atid a-half lost' tribes. But their history has ispe-' ken " out of the ground," by which we'learn that they are, indeed, Israel, but not the nine and a-half tribes ; they are only a small remnant of one tribe,,naliiely, of Joseph, among •«'hora some of the tribe of Judah are mingled, through' -the royal seed of David.

33. — Moses, when blessing the tribes of Israel, by the spu'it of prophecy, speaks in & very particular manner of the land of Joseph. Ahd of Jose'p'h,' he said, " Blessed of • the Lord he his land for the precious things of heaven, for die dew, and for the deep; that cducheth beneath, and for thepreciftus frmtsbrought forth by the sUn, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, attd for the chief things of the ancient moan-, tains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and' for the precious things 6f ■the earth, and fulness thereof, and for the good-'will of hiiti that dwelt in the bush : ' let' the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head trf hitn that was separated from hiS bl-ethven. His glory is Uke the firstling of his 'buUockj' and his horns are like the horns of unicoi-ns: with them he shall push the people li)geflier the ends of the earth ; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the th&usands of Manasseh."* From this we learn that Joseph was not oiily to' inherit aland gi'eater than the rest of the tiibes, but thathis land Was to bepeduUarly blessed. America fulfills the tei-ms of'the prophefcy in every litiinute pai-tibtdar; Ailotig btW; favours, his land ASas to be blessed " WITH THE PRECIOUS THING S dF'HEAVilN." TWs bleSsin was of m6re inipoi'tanbe than all the others ; hence Sloses places it first in the list of go6d things that were to be given to Joseph.

'34. — If tTie seed of Joseph"were riot to inherit another land separate, and at a distance from, Canaan, all these bftssings wduld be without any meaning. If the land' spoken 6f only mean his iriheritaiiee, joining the bther tribes, why should' Moses deagnate such great blessings upon it, and forget to say anything in reference to the' jartidular' hlessings of the adjoining lands ? The'lasd of Joseph, in Palestine, seems to be about the same as the lailds of his'brethren ; no great peculiarities seem to Sstiiltfuish itJfrom the Other inheritances ; therefore, the Very fact mat Moses spSaks so deniiitely in his WesSiiigs uJJ6n th6 ti?ibes, about the laiid of Joseph, and enumerates its blessings, while he is nearly Silent about the Others' lands, shbws, most cohcltisi'iyely, that the land of Joseph was to be in- somie other country. And as he spfeks of " the hlef'tffilfigs of the ancient nioiintains,'aHd the' precibus'things 'ofthe lasting hills," he must ha.'ve reference to the same "everlasting hills," which Jicob gives to Joseph, fliat are Said to be at the' " Utliiost bounds." It 'w'as in this cfibtceland, vifhere "the precious things of heaven" -were to be utifoldfed to lihb ihultitade' of the nations of J'oseph.

Sff. — As all' the tribes of Israel undei'stOiSdthe art of \Witing, it is'to be"expected that they woiild keep a record or WAafy of tlieiriiatibus in' whatever jfiart of the earth

♦ DeutersnbBiy, latidii.

they might be located. When the ten tribes revolted, there were many prophets raised up among them from time to time, who wrote their prophecies as well as the- Prophets of Judah. If the Lord did continue to send Prophets, as Elijah, Elisha, and many others, among the ten tribes after their revolt, why not raise up Prophets among: the multitude of the nations of Joseph, after their separation from Judah ? We cannot for a moment believe that a multitude of the nations of Joseph would be left destitute of the warning voice of prophecy. It would be entirely contrary to the dealings of God with both Israel and Judah. If the nations of Joseph understood the art of writing, and were to have " the precious things of heaven revealed to them," they would certainly write them, not only for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of future generations. This they did ; and the Lord God of their fathers has now brought their history, their prophecies, theii' doctrines, and their precious revelations from heaven to the knowledge of the people. The Prophets, the Seers, and the Revelators of the nations of Joseph have spoken " out of the ground, and their speech is low out of the dust," and their writings are now joined together with the Bible, which are the writings of Judah, and they have become one in their testimony, declaring that the time is at hand for the restoration of the whole house of Israel to their own lands.

36. — We have already shown from Isaiah that the house of Jacob never could be; restored, until God should bring forth a Book, and that, too, " out of the ground ;" and, until the deaf should hear the words of it. It wiE next be shown from the testimony of Bzekiel, that the Book which is to perform so great a work for Israel, was really and truly to be a record of Joseph. Ezekiel says (xxxvii.) — " The Word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick,, and write upon it, for Judah, and for the children of Israel, his companions ; then take another stick, and write upon it, for Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Isi'ael, his companions : and join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak untothee, saying, wilt thou not show us what thou meanst by these ? Say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I will take the stick of Joseph which is (shall be) in' the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in min& hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes."

37. — It was customary in ancient days to write upon parchment, and roll the same upon sticks, and such reading-sticks or rolls were called books. All the prophecies, of Jeremiah, from the days of Josiah down to the fourth year of Jehoikim were vsrritten in one of these rolls (Jeremiah xxxvi. 1, 2). This " roll" of the writings of Jeremiah, is called a "book" in the 8th, 10th, 11th, and 13th verses': hence, the terms roll and book are synonymous. If then, a reading-stick or roll, containing writings, is called a ' ' book" we can all understand the meaning of the Word of the Lord to Ezekiel : it was a clear and beautiful representation of the union of two books in the hand of the Lord. Ezekiel was commanded first, to write upon one stick, "for Judah and for the children of Israel his companions." This was a representation of theBible which is the record of Judah. " Then take another stick, andwrite upon it, for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions." This was a representation of the Book of Mormon, which is the record of Joseph viTitten in ancient America. " And join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in thine hand." This was a representation of the union of the records of the two nations. In the interpretation of the meaning of the two sticks, the Lord says that He himself " will take the stick of Joseph" and put it "with the stick of Judah." — Therefore, we learn by this that the stick of Joseph was not found united 'with the stick of Judah by accident, but it was a work which the Lord himself should perform. Hence, he further says, " They shall be one in mine hand." Therefore, the two wi'itings becoming one in Ezekiel's hand, was a most beautiful representation of the two writings which should become one in the Lord's hand.

38. — Having learned by Ezekiel that the Lord God will take the stick of Joseph, and put it with the stick of Judah, and make them one in his hand ; let us next Inquire, what events are to follow the union of these two writings. The Lord further declares, " And the stick whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God,. Behold, I will take the children

of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land : and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel ; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all : neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor virith their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions ; but I ■will save them out of aU their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them : 80 shall they be my people, and I wiU be their God." We learii from this, that the p;rear object the Lord has in view, in bringing forth the Book of Joseph, and uniting it with the Bible, is to gather Israel never more to be scattered. Thus we see that both Isaiah and Ezekiel have spoken of the same great and marvellous events ; one declares that the house of Jacob should never again " wax pale " or " be made ashamed " in the day that a certain book should make its appearance ; the other declares, that the whole house of Israel should be restored to their own'lands, and should never again be divided into two nations, in the day that the Lord should put the writings of Joseph with the viritings of Judah. Take the testimony of Isaiah and Ezekiel in connection with the testimony of Moses, concerning the " precious things of heaven," which should be given on the land of Joseph, and join this with the testimony of John concermng the restoration of the gospel by an angel, and the testimony of Daniel concerning the stone cut from the mountain without hands, representing the latter-day kingdom of God, »nd we have by a combination of all these testimonies, prophetic evidences of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon which should convince the most incredulous, and destroy Atheism out of existence.

39. — Let us now hear what the Lord has said to David in relation to the salvation of Israel. David saw the long captivity of Jacob, and prayed earnestly that the Lord would show mercy to them. He prays thus : — " Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger towards us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us forever ? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations ? Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee ? Shew us thy mercy, Lord, and grant us thy salvation."* After he had thus prayed for Israel whom he saw in a long captivity, he then says, " I will hear what God the Lord will speak : for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints ; but let them not turn again to folly." From this we perceive, that notwithstanding the Lord has been angry with Jacob for many generations, yet, he will again " SPEAK " to them. But let us read the following verses, that we may learn in what manner he will " speak peace." " Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other. TRUTH SHALL SPRING OUT OF THE EARTH; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good ; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shaU go before him, and shall set us in the way of his steps." O what a glorious answer David received to his prayer of captive Israel. He learned that the Lord would " speak peace" to them by causing " Truth to spring out of the earth," and then and not till then, " Righteousness should look down from heaven " in behalf of captive Israel; then he learned that the land of Israel shovfld again "yield her increase," because "the Lord should give that which is good." This agrees with what we have already quoted from Isaiah : so that both David and Isaiah saw how Israel were to be delivered. One says it shall be by truth and righteousness combining together, truth coming out of the earth, and righteousness, at the same time looking down from heaven ; while the other declares that Israel should "speak out of the ground," after which, Jacob should no longer be made ashamed. David says, that after " truth springs out of the earth," the land of Israel " should yield its increase." Isaiah says, that in the day that the marvellous work and a wonder is accomplished, then " Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field," " and the deaf shall hear the words of the book." David says, that then is the time, that " righteousness shall go before him, and shall set us in the way of his steps." Isaiah says, " that the book shall cause those who erred in spirit to come to understanding." Every event concerning this latter-day work in behalf of Israel, which David describes m his Psalm, is also described by Isaiah ; the latter gives many particulars; however, which the former does not.

* Psalm IxxxT.

Isaiah must have had reference to the same marvellous event, when he exclaims, " drop down, jes heavens, from above, and let the skies power down righteousness?, let the earth op> and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together : J, the Lord,, Iave d*eated it." * ,

40 YT-Neyer was thpre a work more clearly predicted than the great and marvellois work for the restitution of Israel ; and never had mankind more prophetic evidences, in confirmation of a ]:eyelatoji, than they have for the Book of Mormon. None of ■lie books of the Old or New Testaments were prophesied of before they were res- . vealed, wherpajS this great revelation of the last days has been clearly predipted by many of the inspired viriters. In this respect, the Book of Mormon is confirme4!l?y testimony to tljis generation, such as no other prophets could bring forward to estab- , lish their books, in the day that they were given.

41.— And I now bear toy humble testimony to all the nations of the earth who, shall read this series of pamphlets, that the Book of Mormon is a divine revelation, fc(r the voice of the Lord hath declared it unto me. And having been common4ed of the Lord, in his name, I humbly warn all mankind to repent pfall their sipSj; to turn, away from all their false doctrines, and to forsake the precepts of uniijspired men, Yea, come forth with meek, and humble, and contrite hearts, and be immersed in, water for the remission of yc)tir sins, and you shall receive the Holy Ghost J)y.the lay-' ipg on of the hands of the Appstles or Elders of thjs Chirch : and signs shall follTf. them that believe, as they did the believers in times o{ pld ; and all people, ,hatiQn,j and tongues, who will not do this, shall be damned, and shall in nowise enter into the kingdom of God, for this message shall condemn them at the last day. Repent, therefore, all ye ends of the earth, for the great day of the Lord is a| hand; the, sword of the justice of the Eternal God will soon aU upon you except . ye repent., .Repent, ye Rings and Queens of the earth, fOivthe day of the Lord's coptroyergy ■th the nations has come ; and thrones shall be cagt down, and your kingdom shalP be rent asunder, and there shall be no safety for you, unless you repent. Let the lords, and nobles, and all those in high places, repent, for calamity shall come from alt <]uarters like a whii'lwind : ar and terror shall encompass you round about, 4' there shall be no place of refuge for you in the day of the Lord's fierce vengeance upon Babylon. Woe unto you, ye rich men, who trade and traffic among the natiops, and who have heaped up gold' and silver as the dust, fco- except yoji repent, ybitr.ribhes shall be despoiled, -your trade and traffic diall cease, and ye shaU howl.for the miseries that shall come upon you: repent, therefore, and gather up your riches, and flee, put from among the nations, and carry your gold and your silver with you unto the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the Mount Zion, and make- uge of your riches as the Lord shall direct to beautify the place of the Lord's sanctuary, otherwise ye shall perish with your riches. Let all the bishops, and ,clergy, and priests of every demo mination, repent and cease to preach false doctrines, and let them be baptized and come into the Church of Christ, and seek no lAore to fight agaiiist the Lord's work, for unless they do this, the Lord shajl visit them in swift jupg'ment, and they shaU," perish quickly outofthe earth ; for theyai;e the ones that have: cp'rrupted the earth •with their false, and vain, and foolish, and .powerless doctrines,:, they are the ones who have blinded the eyes and hardened the hearts pf the people against the Lord's great and last message; therefore, except they repent, tljere is in resprye for them a heavier judgment, and they shall gnaw their tongues fpr pain. .B;epent,,air yp inljabitants of the earth, Icjst the Lord shall smite you yrith the rod of Ijis, nibiith, aind Tfith the brfeath of his lips con.same you as stubble.- Let all Isiql r,epent,,sp(i- turn unto the Lord, and gather themselves together, for the time pf the iiil&Uhg-of thp covenant, made withyonr fathers, is at hand-M;he-time when all things are to be restored that have been spoken by the -mouth of all -the holy prophets since- the world began — the time when the kingdom is to be restored- tp Israel, and the Lord God of theu- fathers is to reign over them in power, and might, and majesty, aijd in great glory from IbenGBfonh even for evermore. , J -. * Isaiaii xlv. 8.

15. Wilion Street, Liverpool.

It, JAMES, PBINTEB, 39, SOVTU cisXLE STREET, LIVEDFOOL,