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James translated the most sacred book of Scripture: The Book of the Law of the Lord. One of the duties of a Lawgiver is that of a translator. James wrote, “As a translator, I have brought forth hidden treasures, and revealed the old record to all who love the truth, and seek unto it. The visions of the past and the hidden lore of future ages are laid by the side of present hopes and future knowledge.” (Prophetic Controversy, p. 38) Among the professed successors of Joseph, James remained the only one to fulfill this duty. The
first translation of ancient records by James was the Voree Record.
It tells of an ancient people, similar to the Nephites and Jaradites, who
once lived on this land, “they have fallen in transgression and are not.” James also translated the single most important book of Scripture: The Book of the Law of the Lord. It is mentioned over twenty times in the Bible by name; and over five hundred times as the law of God. The law of God is the foundation of all other books of Scripture. It was given to Adam, written on tables of stone to Moses, lost to the Bible, and restored by James. Only remnants of the law remain in the various books of the Bible. The
prophet Ezekiel foretold of both the Book
of Mormon and the Book of the Law.
“Say unto them, Thus
saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick
of Joseph, which is 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 mine hand.”
(Ezek. 37:19) Joseph Smith
was of the seed of Joseph through Ephraim. The
Book of Mormon was the “stick
of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim.”
James J. Strang was of the tribe of CHAPTER
FIVE: JAMES J. STRANG, THE TRANSLATOR. THE
VOREE PLATES: THE BOOK OF THE LAW OF THE LORD The
Voree Record
Testimony of Witness Who Dug Up the Voree Plates. 1. On the thirteenth day of September, 1845, we, Aaron
Smith, Jirah B. Wheelan, James M. Van Nostrand, and Edward Whitcomb, assembled
at the call of James J. Strang, who is by us and many others approved as a
Prophet and Seer of God. He proceeded to inform us that it had been revealed to
him in a vision that an account of an ancient people was buried in a hill south
of White River bridge, near the east line of Walworth County; and leading us to
an oak tree about one foot in diameter, told us that we would find it enclosed
in a case of rude earthen ware under that tree at the depth of about three feet;
requested us to dig it up, and charged us to so examine the ground that we
should know we were not imposed upon, and that it had not been buried there
since the tree grew. The tree was surrounded by a sward of deeply rooted grass,
such as is usually found in the openings, and upon the most critical examination
we could not discover any indication that it had ever been cut through or
disturbed. Translation
of the Plates of Voree 1. My people are no more. The
mighty are fallen, and the young slain in battle. Their bones bleached on the
plain by the noonday shadow. The houses are leveled to the dust, and in the moat
are the walls. They shall be inhabited.
1. First, an eye. The symbol of
God who is all-seeing: consequently it is called THE ALL-SEEING EYE,
and has been used as symbolical of the DEITY in all countries, and in all ages
of the world.
"Our curiosity was
sufficiently excited to induce us to make ourselves more fully acquainted with
the circumstances and facts. For
this end we visited the gentleman alluded to as Seer or Prophet.
We were cordially received, the plates were shown us, and we examined the
spot from which they purported to have been taken. This transaction presented the world with the strongest evidence ever put into its possession in favor of Mormonism. Had all who have a name to be Saints but made half the effort to push its consequence before the public, that they have to discredit it, there can be no doubt that the Church would now have embraced hundreds of thousands in its bosom, who, as it is, are ignorant of the gospel, and believe not on prophets. Never before, since the world began, did the people act a policy so suicidal as the Mormon attempt to discredit this testimony; an attempt which has succeeded only so far as to do mischief; the end will never be accomplished. The most that skeptics can say is, that though the evidence is unanswerable, they will let it alone, and have no opinion on the subject. For you readily perceive that whatever inducement I may have had to commit a fraud in the premises, there was no opportunity whatever. In order to succeed in a fraud, I must have deceived successfully four men, deeply interested in the bona fides of the transaction, whose facilities of observing the truth were such that deception was simply impossible. The circumstances and their characters were such that their veracity has never been questioned. And all the facts were open to public criticism. These plates I translated. As to the accuracy of the translation the world and the Saints know just what I have told them, and what God has revealed to them. That is all they know of the plates which Joseph translated. God made him a witness of the work, and the world must take the translation on his testimony. So he made me a witness after Joseph's death, and has vouchsafed me proper evidence of this calling, and the world will have to take this translation on my testimony. This being the proper rule of testimony, I have not thought fit to go behind it; but it may not be improper to say that the accuracy of the translation has been tested to their satisfaction by a body of learned men, acquainted with the modern discoveries shedding light on the lost Levantine languages. And the result satisfied them that this record was written in a language bearing a common relation to all the languages spoken in the earliest ages in the Levant, and that the translation was genuine. It would be too tedious to relate the process by which these tests were made, and they might not be well understood, except by men of profound learning; but they were made by those who wished to make a case against me, and the result was clearly in my favor, and so acknowledged without the slightest hesitation. All the facts surrounding this matter were so clear and indisputable, and the results derivable therefrom so significant of my calling, that Brighamites were for a long time at a loss on which side to make their attack. It finally came, not upon the veracity of my witnesses and testimony, but upon the divine authority of the record. Orson Hyde first took ground in the following beautiful "fruit of his saintly spirit": "James J. Strang, successor of Sidney Rigdon, Judas Iscariot, Cain & Co., Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of his most Gracious Majesty, Lucifer the L, assisted by his Allied Contemporary advisers, John C. Bennett, William Smith, G. J. Adams and John E. Page, Secretaries of Legation, have all acknowledged, taught and declared that the plates said to be found in the earth by Strang, in a supernatural way, were so very rusty and defaced by time, that they could not be deciphered without undergoing some chemical process, being scoured up," etc.--(Millennial Star, Vol. viii, p. 123.) To the tail of this sweeping
falsehood Mr. Hyde has hung on the words, "as we have been credibly
informed," in a vain effort to cheat the Almighty out of that law which
says, "thou shah not bear false witness."
He was then but three months
from Philadelphia, where his whole congregation and thousands of others had
examined the plates, and received prompt answers to such inquiries as they
thought proper to make.
Not one of them was ever
informed that the plates had been rusty, or defaced in any way whatever.
Had any one been disposed to tell such a story, it was impossible.
The plates themselves gave the lie to it.
The minutest tool marks, and the slightest scratches of the material used
in polishing them, were visible. They
are yet, and stand as the unerring witness that the plates have undergone no
corrosion.
Hyde says these statements were resorted to, "to
prove the great antiquity" of the plates.
The reason is as false as the assertion.
The antiquity of the plates rested on the indubitable testimony (never
met nor attempted to be met by apostate or gentile) that an oak tree as large as
a man's body has grown over the plates since they were deposited, and that the
region of country had been unvisited by and unknown to civilized men till since
the institution of Mormonism. THE BOOK OF THE LAW OF THE LORD The Book
of the Law was given to Adam. The
second law recorded in the Bible, before the physical creation of Adam is, “And
on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the
seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh
day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which
God created and made.” (Gen. 2:2) This was not
the only law given through Adam. He
was given that part of the Book of the Law
that pertains to men of every generation. Where
there is no law, there can be no accounting for transgression of the law, “13
sin is not imputed when there is no law… 15 for where no law is, there is no
transgression.” (Rom. Some have thought that Jesus changed the law; and through His blood offered a new law—a new covenant. “17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5) The Apostle John also taught that the law of God was given to man in the beginning. “5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.” (2 John 1) A new gospel
has been professed among the preachers of modern Jesus preached
the true gospel. “5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the When men
divided into those who obeyed the gospel and those who followed their own will,
the obedient were called the sons of God and the rest, the sons of men.
“That the sons of
God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of
all which they chose.” (Gen. 6:2) Saints
of God are also known as sons of God throughout the Bible.
“But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name.” (John 1:12) Only
through obedience to the gospel can a person become a son of God. The
gospel being a major part of the law of God, it had to be preached from Adam to
Abraham. “And the
scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached
before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed.” (Gal. 3:8) There are two
principles related to the spiritual law of God:
(1) it was given to the first man and was to last for a thousand
generations, and (2) as it is a perfect law, it can never change.
“Be ye mindful
always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand
generations.” (1 Chron. 16:15) Only the temporal, added law of Moses,
was given for a time. It was a
punishment to Righteousness
is submitting one’s will to that of God, loving only the Father as GOD,
honoring Jesus as our Savior, and living according to God’s law.
Adam, Abel, and Noah could not have been righteous men without having the
Book of the Law.
It was evidently lost to “10
And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the
solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11 When all
Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall
choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather
the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is
within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD
your God, and observe to do all the words of this law… 24 And it came to pass,
when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until
they were finished, 25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of
the covenant of the LORD, saying, 26 Take this book of the law, and put it in
the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there
for a witness against thee.” (Deut. 31) In about 640
BC, during the reign of King Josiah, the Book of the Law was discovered after it had been lost. “9
And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and
said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have
delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of
the house of the LORD. 10 And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying,
Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book.
And Shaphan read it before the king. 11 And it came to pass, when the
king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.” (2
Kings 22) There was
still a copy of the Book of the Law
about 440 BC. “1
And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that
was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book
of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to The law was
still understood in the days of Jesus. He
constantly referred to the law; and was obedient to every part of the law.
“15 If ye love me,
keep my commandments.” (John 14) It
was lost by the time In 600 BC, a
Prophet of God, by the name of Lehi, was instructed by the Lord to depart Lehi’s
sons were commanded to go to the house of Laban and get the record of the Jews.
Among these books was the Book of the Law. “14
And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the
Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed
shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise. 15 Yea,
and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord
according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law. 16 And I also knew
that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass.” (1 Nephi 4) After the
people arrived in When the
Nephites also became transgressors of the law, they were totally destroyed by
their enemies, the Lamanites, in 421 AD. The
last of their people, In 1827,
Joseph Smith was instructed by the Lord to recover the books; and translate an
abridgement of the thousand year history of the Nephites.
The first edition of the book was published in 1830.
It is called the Book
of Mormon. These records also included
the Book of the Law; which Joseph was
not permitted to translate; because of disobedience of the people.
It is from these plates that James translated The
Book of the Law of the Lord. He
wrote, “But of all the lost
books the most important was the Book of the Law of the Lord. This was kept in
the ark of the covenant, and was held too sacred to go into the hands of
strangers. When the Septuagint translation was made, the Book of the Law was
kept back, and the Book lost to the Jewish nation in the time that they were
subject to foreign powers. The various books in the Pentateuch, containing
abstracts of some of the laws, have been read instead of it, until even the
existence of the book has come to be a matter of doubt. “It is from an authorized copy of that book, written
on metallic plates long previous to the Babylonish captivity, that this
translation is made. And being made by the same spirit by which the words were
originally dictated, it is beyond doubt as perfect as the language will admit
of. The utmost pains has been taken
to make the execution of it in all respects what it should be, and the editor
flatters himself that no error has crept into the body of the work, and none of
importance into the notes. That a little ambiguity may exist in some places, by
means of the ambiguous or double import of words, is not doubted. Until a
perfect language exists, it is not possible that it should be otherwise.” (Book
of the Law, p. VIII) “22.
The Commandments, as here given, were translated by the Prophet James, from the
plates which were taken by Nephi from Laban, in Jerusalem, (B. of M. 1st Nephi i,)
and brought to America, in the time of Zedekiah, King of Judah; and are the
substance of the two tables, written by the finger of God in the days of Moses. “23
Though the exact words of the two tables were never written in any book,
(Josephus’ Ant. B. iii, ch. v, 4,) except that kept in the most holy place,
the substance was carefully written out by the inspired Prophets, and to the
paraphrases so prepared, all transcribers of repute made their copies conform. “24.
Subsequent to the Babylonish captivity, the Jews were without the Divine Tables,
and the literal copy of the Law which belonged to the Sanctuary.
They had only the copies used by the Prophets.
These have long since been lost.” (Book
of the Law, p. 43) The law of
God requires the testimony of at least two witnesses to establish a fact.
“But if he will not
hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or
three witnesses every word may be established.” (Matt. 18:16) James was
commanded to show the plates to competent witnesses.
The testimony of seven witnesses is included in the Book
of the Law. “BE
it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, to whom this Book of
the Law of the Lord shall come, that James J. Strang has the plates of the
ancient Book of the Law of the Lord given to Moses, from which he translated
this law, and has shown them to us. We examined them with our eyes, and handled
them with our hands. The engravings are beautiful antique workmanship, bearing a
striking resemblance to the ancient oriental languages; and those from which the
laws in this book were translated are eighteen in number, about seven inches and
three-eights wide, by nine inches long, occasionally embellished with beautiful
pictures. “And we testify unto you all that the everlasting “SAMUEL GRAHAM, The first edition of 200
copies was published in 1851; and contained 80 pages.
Only a couple copies of this edition remain.
A second edition of 336 pages was printed in 1856; but James was martyred
before it could be bound. The
unbound copies were carried by the saints with them; when they were driven from All of the 47 chapters of
the book were translated from the plates; except:
(1) Chapter II, The True God, “written by the prophet James, by
inspiration of God;” (2) Chapter XII, Baptism for the Dead, “a
revelation from Jesus Christ, given to James J. Strang, Aug. 9th,
1849;” (3) the first six sections of Chapter XX, Calling of a King, “written
by the prophet James, by inspiration of God, and the nine following sections are
the words of the angel of God when he conferred upon James J. Strang the
prophetic authority, and made him the chief shepherd of the flock of God on
earth;” (4) Chapter XXXV, Establishment of the Law, “a revelation given
Feb., 1851;” (5) Chapter XL, Feasts, “a revelation given Feb. 1851, except
the first two sections;” and (6) the first three sections of Chapter XLI,
Inheritances, “a revelation from God, given to James J. Strang, July 8th,
1850.” The Book
of the Law contains the everlasting covenant and principles that reveal
God’s will toward man, man’s duty to God, and man’s responsibility toward
his fellow man and his environment. Other
laws have been given through Prophets of God for the specific guidance of each
generation. It contains: (1) the
Constitution of God’s law; which is the Ten Commandments, 1) Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God. 4) Thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself. When The Book of the Law, and the teachings of James, restored a true knowledge of all these most important subjects. Without a true knowledge of God and Jesus, none can inherit eternal life. “3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17) The second chapter in the Book
of the Law addresses “The True God.”
This chapter was added to the 1856 Edition by inspiration of God.
Additional information on this subject is included in the chapter, James
the Teacher. James proved beyond
controversy that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not the god of
Constantine; and all of the Christian sects that adopted the Trinity.
Consider the source.
"In the unity of that one
Only God of the Babylonians, there were three persons, and to symbolise that doctrine
of the Trinity, they employed, as the discoveries of Layard prove, the
equilateral triangle, just as it is well known the Romish Church does at this
day. In both cases such a comparison
is most degrading to the King Eternal, and is fitted utterly to pervert the
minds of those who contemplate it, as if there was or could be any similitude
between such a figure and Him who hath said, 'To whom will ye liken God, and
what likeness will ye compare unto Him?"
(The Two Babylons, pp. 16, 17) The fourth law
begins, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Book of the Law, p. 24) Sectarian
Christian churches around the world still attempt to use the nine commandments
found in the Old Testament (Ex. 20; Deut. 5); dividing them as they see fit to
make ten. The problem with this
practice is that although the fourth commandment was lost to the Bible; it was
still a part of Scripture in the days of Jesus.
“36 Master, which is
the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets.” (Matt. 22) It is obvious
that sectarian Christian churches fail in identifying the Constitution of
God’s law. It is likewise a great
testimony for James and the Book of the
Law that the Ten Commandments are given in their true form. Another of the
Ten Commandments that we find in its true context is the Sabbath.
The third law in the Book of the Law begins, “Remember
the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six
days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath
of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work.” (Book of the Law, p. 22) Joseph Smith
was given a special dispensation to use Sunday in observance of the Sabbath.
This practice continued until the translation of the Book
of the Law. The Book
of the Law specifically identifies the seventh day as the Sabbath.
This departure from previous teachings reveals that God’s work was not
finished by Joseph. The stick of The Sabbath was
instituted by God before the physical creation of Adam, “2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which
he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had
made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it
he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Gen. 2) It was given as
a sign and a perpetual covenant between God and His people.
“13 Speak thou also
unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is
a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I
am the LORD that doth sanctify you… 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall
keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual
covenant. 17 It is a sign between
me and the children of Some have
thought Jesus changed this law; but, this is an ignorant error.
Jesus obeyed the Sabbath. “17
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matt. 5) Others have contended that
the Apostles changed it. The seventh
day Sabbath was honored by Jesus, the Apostles, and the early Christians.
It was changed by an unbaptized, pagan Roman Emperor, James wrote in his notes on the Sabbath, “7. The very language of this Commandment, seems to pre-sage the propensity of man to change the Sabbath; remember the Sabbath day; and God, foreseeing what wicked men would do, has placed on his chosen a special injunction that they keep that day in all their generations for a perpetual covenant; (Ex. xxxi, 13-17;) and awful penalties are denounced against those who abolish it.” The Sabbath is also addressed in the Book of the Law, Chapter 40: Feasts. A most
significant teaching in the Book of the
Law is the necessity of an organized priesthood having divine authority from
God. Additional information is
available in the chapter, James the Teacher.
Not even Jesus was exempt from this law. He was ordained under the hands
of the Father. “4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but
he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So also Christ glorified not himself
to be made an high priest; but he [the Father] that said unto him, Thou art my
Son, to day have I begotten thee.” (Heb. 5) The Bible records Jesus calling and ordaining the Twelve Apostles. “14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach.” This calling and ordination gave them divine authority to preach the gospel and have their ordinances (baptism of water and the Spirit) recorded in heaven. “19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16) High Priests are often known as Evangelists. “It is the duty of the Twelve, in all large branches of the church, to ordain evangelical ministers [High Priests], as they shall be designated unto them by revelation.” (Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 107:39) James wrote, “they who are faithful in the calling, have the gift of prophecy. Hence High Priests are frequently spoken of under the name of Prophets.” (Book of the Law, p. 225) This is the first rank in succession below that of Apostle. The recognized ecclesiastical historian Eusebius, noted, “Of those that flourished in these times, Quadratus is said to have been distinguished for his prophetical gifts. There were many others. Also, noted in these times, who held the first rank in the apostolic succession.” (Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Chapter XXXVII, p. 123) Jesus also called and ordained Elders. Seventy of these, who were traveling preachers of the gospel, comprise a quorum. Jesus sent out several quorums of Elders. “1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.” (Luke 10) Others stood as Pastors over the various branches of the church. “23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.” (Acts 14) These same
officers of the kingdom are identified in the Book of the Law; and were administered under James.
Only the latter day saints have claimed to have Apostles, Prophets, High
Priests, and Elders called and ordained by the will of God.
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in
vain… whosever is not chosen of him, the same is a usurper, and unholy.” (Book
of the Law, p. 20) “1 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but
climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that
entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” (John 10) The Book of the Law included many chapters on the will of God concerning the behavior of men towards his fellow. There is a chapter on Oaths. James wrote, “1. It is profaning the name of God to swear vain oaths, such as are not appointed in the Law, or are not necessary to justice. The oath was appointed of God for great occasions, and not to be made a light thing of by familiar use.” (Book of the Law, p. 88) It includes the law of God on blessings, curses, prayer, thanksgiving, monuments, blessing of infants, marriage, healing, and absolution. The Book
of the Law includes the law of God on the gospel of Christ; and entry into
the kingdom of heaven. “Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the “7.
For in the same breath he tells us that he is a jealous God, visiting iniquity
on all that hate him; not as some have said, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon their innocent posterity; but upon their children who abide in
their sins.” (Book of the Law, p. 19) This eternal love permeates all of the relationships between God and man; and between men. In the kingdom of heaven, marriage and the family are sealed for eternity. Heathen marriages, performed by men who do not hold divine authority, are only “until death do us part.” Two unique characteristics of the law of God, found in the Book of the Law, are: (1) that love is a required element in marriage; and (2) that spiritual marriage among believers is for eternity. “When thou takest a wife, thou shalt take such a one as thou lovest, and who loveth thee, and whom thou mayest lawfully marry… by him shall ye be joined in marriage, that she may be thine in life, thine in the resurrection, and thine in life everlasting; and that the children which she beareth thee, may be with thee in the everlasting kingdom.” (Book of the Law, p. 159) This same
principle is taught in the Bible. Abraham
and his seed were promised the James was
opposed to polygamy; until he translated that part of the Book of the Law. L. D.
Hickey, an Apostle under James, stated that James first learned of the legality
of polygamy while translating the Book of
the Law. He stated that James
was very upset and would not translate for some time (Temple Lot Testimony, pp. 408, 409). Polygamy under James was
closely controlled. It was dependant
on the ability of the husband to provide for his wives and children; and to
protect their rights. “5.
Thou shalt not take unto thee a multitude of wives disproportioned to thy
inheritance, and thy substance: nor
shalt thou take wives to vex those thou hast; neither shalt thou put away one to
take another.” (Book of the Law, p.
314) An extensive discourse
by James on the subject is found in the Book
of the Law in the chapter “Household Relations.” The inclusion of the law to
love one’s neighbor, the original law on the Sabbath, the law on eternal
marriage, the law on the order of the priesthood, the law on polygamy, and the
law on social order provides a significant testimony of the truth of the Book
of the Law and the true calling of James, as a prophet of God.
Many of the teachings found in the Book
of the Law are found nowhere else in the Christian world. When Jesus
returns, all people in the world will be judged by the Book of the Law. The law
will come forth out of Wingfield
Watson in his correspondence of “The
Old and New Testaments, both show that between the people and the Almighty,
there were always men chosen by him to lead the people, that among these
different officers, there were various degrees of authority; that these
different officers were amenable to, and subject to each other, according to the
office held, or the authority exercised; but that all were the servants of the
people, and that the greatest were servants of all the rest. “This
Book of the Law shows that the priesthood of the New, and Old Testament times,
are one, and the same; and outside of this Book, there is not another on the
earth, that will show the order of this priesthood, or show the true
relationship of any one of these officers to the one above or below it.” “The
Old and New Testaments, both show that between the people and the Almighty,
there were always men chosen by him to lead the people, that among these
different officers, there were various degrees of authority; that these
different officers were amenable to, and subject to each other, according to the
office held, or the authority exercised; but that all were the servants of the
people, and that the greatest were servants of all the rest. “This
Book of the Law shows that the priesthood of the New, and Old Testament times,
are one, and the same; and outside of this Book, there is not another on the
earth, that will show the order of this priesthood, or show the true
relationship of any one of these officers to the one above or below it.” “In
this work there are many other things that might be said to concern only the
secular affairs of the people. But
God’s law recognizes no difference, and never did, between what is now called
the secular, and spiritual affairs of his people. The whole object of God’s
law, both in the past and in the present, is the happiness of man upon the
principle of obedience to it; and whatever maintains, and supports life, peace,
prosperity, happiness and enjoyment here, will be necessary throughout all ages
to support the same things, as we understand it. In other words, we look upon
the Law and the commandments of God, as laid down in all the divine writings, as
an external series of causes that ever produce the same most excellent effects,
by obedience to them. That as the transgression of these great and glorious
rules, has ever cursed, corrupted, degraded, and ruined mankind, so obedience to
them has ever blessed, and will ever bless, perfect, exalt and preserve the
human race. Accordingly, when ‘the rest of God,’ or that ‘Milleniel reign
of peace,’ which so many are looking for at the present time, is finally
ushered in upon the earth, it will be only the successful establishment of the
divine law every where over it; which often in the past has been sought, but as
often failed through the rebellion and corruptions of man. We are unable to
conceive how perfect peace, and universal happiness, can ever
be arrived at only in obedience to a perfect law, or rule of action. Such only
are those rules that have emanated from God.” “These
rules that could help people to establish this perfect peace is contained in a
little book entitled ‘The Book of the Law of the Lord.’ It is a sad fact,
though, that this book that has so much to offer has been appreciated by only a
few.” (Strang MSS, Yale University Library, Book IV, Sec. II, p. 80, 84-86) In 2000, I republished the Book of the Law. This reproduction was page for page, line for line, and word for word according to the original 1856 Edition. It is available either on 100% rag paper and leather bound, or on 25% rag paper with regular hard back binding. This
"sealed" record is yet to be revealed.
Our late Bro. Lloyd Flanders wrote, “James
J. Strang was shown the plates of the Sealed Record: but HE RECEIVED ONLY the
Urim and Thummim: given him to see the 3 Voree Plates under an Oak Tree—but he
did NOT receive the Plates of the Sealed Record—then or any other time—but
he received the promise (par 2) that he would receive it IF the saints and
himself were faithful to the degree that the Order of Enoch could be set up
among them. This failed at Voree—and the Kingdom with a Perpetual Inheritance
System was set up in it’s stead on “Some
of our ‘Tracts’ carry the idea that the Book of the Law was translated from
the Plates of Laban—as part of the ‘Plates Sealed from Joseph Smith’ or
part of the ‘Book of Mormon Plates’ which is not true. Nephi mentioned the
Sealed Book—and he was much closer to the days of the Deluge and Jaredite
Settling in The sealed
record was a part of the golden plates of which the Book of Mormon was a part.
“These records were
engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold, each plate was six inches
wide and eight inches long, and not quite so thick as common tin.
They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and bound
together in a volume as the leaves of a book, with three rings running through
the whole. The volume was something
near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed.” (History
of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 537) The
Book of the Law was translated from
plates that were “about
seven inches and three-eights wide, by nine inches long.” (Book of the Law, Testimony) CLICK HERE TO GO TO CHAPTER SIX: |
