|
|
|
Biblical scholars have searched for many decades for
collateral proof that the person Jesus Christ actually existed.
The Book of Mormon provides that proof.
It gives a history of one part of the House of Israel led by a Prophet of
God to the
AN ESSAY ON ITS CLAIMS AND PROPHECIES, Among
the many remarkable discoveries of this very remarkable and productive
generation, the Book of Mormon occupies no very ordinary place. There is no book
in the English language, or perhaps in any other, that has received so widespread
and bitter denunciation from both press and pulpit, as the Book of Mormon; nor
is there anything, looking at it from our Mormon standpoint, having well
investigated and tested its claims, that is, we feel, more unjust and
undeserved. It
claims that the American Indians, as we call them, are but a remnant of a once
great and powerful nation, which sprang from a few families of the lineage of
the Patriarch Joseph, who were brought to this land under the immediate
direction of God, a little previous to the Babylonish Captivity. This history extends
over a period of about one thousand year, ending about the close of the fourth
century of the Christian era. This book informs us that this colony brought with
them the Five Books of Moses, written upon brass plates, and the prophecies of
the Holy Prophets given from the days of Adam down to the time of their
departure from the These
prophets, we are informed, predicted many great national events; foretold the
coming ministry, persecution, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ;
pointed out signs that would be given on this land, both of his birth and of his
death, and finally, that he should after his resurrection appear to and manifest
himself to the righteous in this land; that he should greatly bless them, and
establish his church among them, and that it would continue for some four
hundred years afterward. That at the time of the crucifixion of Christ, there
were great darkness all over this land; that the earth groaned and the rocks
rent; that nanny cities were sunk, and waters came up in their stead; that
others took fire and burned up, and that mountains were carried up upon others,
and that so great were the judgments over all [Page
2] this land because of the wickedness of a great part of the people, that
the whole face of this Northern Continent of America was changed from its usual
and natural appearance. That it was while in the act of weeping and mourning for
the loss of their kindred and people after the darkness had receded, and the
quaking of the earth had ceased, that Jesus stood in their midst, in his glory,
and ministered unto them as he had ministered to the saints in Jerusalem. Now,
it was the desire and the prayer of the righteous upon this land, that the
gospel of Jesus Christ, as had here among them, in its purity should be
preserved, and come by way of the Gentiles to their posterity in the latter
days; having full knowledge by the spirit of prophecy, that the Gentiles would
in the future, be led to discover and inhabit this land. Accordingly a prophet
of the name of Mormon, being the last one among them, was commanded of the Lord
to make an abridgment of all the sacred writings had among them. Which he did,
and put all in the hands of his son Moroni, who also by command of the Lord hid
them up in a hill which he calls Cumorah, where they have lain from about the
close of the fourth century till they were delivered, by the direction of an
angel, into the hands of Joseph Smith, in 1829, who, we are informed, translated
them by the gift and power of God, into the English language. This book is
therefore called the Book of Mormon, because of its being an abridgment of
sacred things by the Prophet Mormon. Here we must refer the reader who wishes to
get a further knowledge of these things to the works of different other authors,
who have given a more particular account of these matters, as Oliver Chowder’s
Letters, Orson Pratt’s Visions of Joseph the Seer; A Voice of Warning to all
Nations, by Parley P. Pratt, and others. Not
withstanding the ordeal of pious slander, and priestly and editorial
denunciation, which the Book of Mormon has passed through, it still reminds one
of one of those celebrated lighthouses, imbedded and bolted into the solid rock,
against which the immense billows and mountain waves of ocean may foam and
swell and dash themselves, but bass by to their own place, leaving it entirely
uninjured and still casting its cheering light to guide the tempest tossed
mariner and send him on his way rejoicing. Again it would remind one of some
grand hidden treasure, which the more it is tested the better one is
satisfied of its golden genuineness. Or of a true witness at court who, the more
he is buffeted, brow-beaten, and roughly handled by his opponent, the better are
the court and an honest jury satisfied of his veracity. Here
we will say a few things which we feel we can say of the Book of Mormon, in
truth, and without fear of successful contradiction. 1.
That there is not a man, nor set of men, upon the face of the earth capable of
proving the Book of Mormon an imposition. 2.
That there is not a man, nor set of men, on earth, who can give any
well-grounded reason for rejecting it, as a revelation from God. 3.
That it is supported as a revelation from God by a number of witnesses, such
as are sufficient to settle or decide any case in law or equity, anywhere under
heaven, in a court of justice. 4.
That it harmonizes with archeology, chronology, and history, and is not opposed
in any way to science. 5.
That the more thoroughly it is investigated, examined, and tested by the
unerring laws of truth, the better one is satisfied of its claim of being a
divine record. 6.
There is not a line in the Book of Mormon that opposes in any way the divine
teachings of the Bible. 7.
There is not a true Mormon on earth, man or woman, but will say that the
perusal, study, and investigation of the contents and claims of the Book of
Mormon, has given them at least double the regard for the Bible and its
teachings, that they ever could have without that Book. 8.
That the faith of the Mormons in the promises and decrees of God as set forth in
the Bible, is at least [Page 3]
doubled by means of the Book of Mormon. 9.
That they are much better men and women in every way with the Book of Mormon,
than they would ever have been without it. 10.
That it is impossible that, as a people, they could ever have endured the
persecution, the privations, want, and destitution consequent upon the whole
people being several times robbed and driven from their homes, and accomplished
the prodigious undertakings which their enemies give them the credit of
accomplishing, in the same length of time, if they had no faith in the Book of
Mormon. 11.
That the temperance, chastity, hospitality, industry, cheerfulness, fair
dealing, general devotion, and self-denial of the Mormon people which many
distinguished Gentiles have given them credit for, is due in great measure to
their faith in the Book of Mormon, and in Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. 12.
That there are various conjectures and theories among the learned as to the
origin and authorship of the Book of Mormon, each making war upon the other, and
no two of them alike; the whole making a very grand bundle of contradictions. To
this we must add that the chief means resorted to as a weapon against the Book
of Mormon, is the constant effort to blacken the character of Joseph Smith, and
his early associates, in order to render them infamous, and their testimony
worthless; relying upon slander and defamation instead of testing the book on
its own merits and letting it stand or fall on that. In these matters, these
reverend and learned gentlemen exhibit a skill in knavery, and the perversion of
facts and history that is really so unblushing and surprising as to make it
difficult to really find a parallel elsewhere. Now
then, we ask where is the sin of believing in the Book of Mormon as a revelation
from God? The Almighty requires men to have a living faith in Him and in His
promises, precepts and commandments, and that they be obedient, temperate,
chaste, industrious, sober, kind, gentle, persevering, and, just; and our
enemies being the judges, we know of no people on earth, where these good traits are possessed in so high a degree, as among the
Mormons But
is this all that can he said of the
Book of Mormon? Most assuredly it is not. The Book
of Mormon, besides being correct in doctrine, and in perfect harmony
with the New Testament, making many things in it of vital interest, but in
dispute among the learned, very plain and easy to the understanding of the
simplest capacity, contains also many important prophecies in relation to
this present generation, many of which are fulfilled and are still fulfilling
since it came forth in 1830; prophecies which, let us say, no human foresight,
however sagacious, could have anticipated or expected. And
how that Joseph Smith, a mere youth, with but at common school education, and
very meager at that, being very poorly able to write his own name or commit his
thoughts to paper, could by his own unaided judgment have foretold such events
as have taken place since the Book of Mormon was printed, with such accuracy
and precision, is merely preposterous. First,
The Book of Mormon gives us to understand that after its publication into the
English—which took place in 1830—that “many will believe the words of the
book,” “and the Jews which are scattered, shall begin to believe in Christ,
and they shall begin to gather in upon the face of the land. And it shall cone
to pass that the Lord God shall commence His work among all nations, kindreds,
tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of His people upon the
earth.” (See 2nd Book of Nephi, chap. 12) For
such a youth, with such an education, to predict such events with such
remarkable certainty is certainly most extraordinary to say the least of it. To
say nothing of the fulfillment of the saying that man
should believe in the Book of Mormon after its publication—verified in
so remarkable a manner, and still going on—the prediction that the Jews [Page 4] who had been scattered in all nations for over seventeen
centuries, should begin to return to their own lands, was something that no man,
unaided by inspiration, could have the least hope would take place. Yet this has
actually taken place, and many thousand Jews are now living in Moreover
upon the statute books of nearly all nations up to this time, there had been
very illiberal and oppressive laws enacted against the Jews; but since then,
these laws have been and still are being repealed one by one, till scarcely any
of them now remain in force anywhere; and the Jews are now as free to exercise
the rights of citizenship in nearly all nations, as any of the people of those
nations themselves. Consequently they have not only returned in many thousands
to the long sought lands of their fathers, but the way for the entire return of
all the Jews from all lands, who wish
to do so, has been, and is being constantly prepared, and every hindrance to it
is being removed. Again, the number of Jews who have become believers in Jesus
Christ as their long expected Messiah, since the Book of Mormon has been
published, is very remarkable. Second,
The Book of Mormon tells us that the fullness of the gospel as it is contained
in that Book, must first go to the nations of the Gentiles, and then it must go
to all the House of Israel, who are scattered upon all the face of the earth, to
gather them out of all countries, and establish them in their own lands, no more
to be scattered for ever. (1st Book of Nephi, chap. 3, par. 46, 47;
chap. 4-5.) And
now when we see the Gospel as contained in the Book of Mormon harmonizing and
uniting as it does with the New Testament, and, as it were, making these two
Books one, going into all nations, and bringing many thousands of the honest in
heart out of all these countries year after year, till now it has gone into
nearly all Europe and many other countries, we cannot hide it from ourselves if
we would, that this very gospel will yet soon go to all Israel; and that by
means of it, Israel will be gathered from all lands. That indeed shall hinder it
from a accomplishing this great mission? Nothing
on earth is easier than to put forth predictions; but to predict a thing that
will be truly fulfilled in every particular is altogether another and
different thing. The
carrying of the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Book of Mormon and the
New Testament to the nations of the earth, without purse or scrip, is attended
with a good deal of sacrifice upon the part of those who do it, and is most certainly
no child’s play. The
sacrifice of home, family, friends, and the neglect of business for long periods
of time to travel in a foreign country, meeting constantly the scorn, reproach,
and buffetings of a fashionable clergy, and their fashionable and refined
congregations, strangers in strange lands, without knowing from day to day where
one was going to lay his head, or break the bread of life; and where countless
impediments and opposition are laid in the way to prevent the spread of this
gospel: where one has constantly to look to God, and him alone, to make
provisions for one’s natural wants, is self evidently a state of mind that it
takes much more to bring about than the mere misguided utterances or prophecies
of a vain impostor. Those
who imagine such things natural to man give Joseph Smith greatly more credit for
foresight and natural ability, than any Mormon can give him credit for, we most
emphatically assure the reader. The
orthodox clergy of the present day are oft at their wits ends to know how to get
up revivals and make converts, but many times utterly fail. Yet they say that
Mormonism spreads and increases its converts with rapidity unequalled [Page
5] by any other church or denomination. But why don’t those very shrewd
clergymen who pretend they “know all about Jo Smith,” and “how Mormonism
was conjured up,” originate some creditable and praiseworthy plan of reviving
their tottering churches, if it is a matter which a “vile impostor,” such as
they imagine Joseph Smith to be, can accomplish so easily? Third,
The Book of Mormon, in various places in it, teaches that every man in every
age, and of all conditions, from the days of Adam down to the present day, and
onward to the second coming of Christ in the latter days, who is honestly
seeking the kingdom of God, to know the will of God, and the way of salvation,
that he may be saved, and avoid being deceived by the cunning craftiness of men
or devils, has a right to receive revelation from God, and the manifestations of
his Holy Spirit as it was enjoyed in the apostolic times and in the days of
Moses; as for instance: “For he that diligently seeketh shall find, and the
mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as
well in these times (that is, in the sixth century before Christ) as in times of
old; and as well in times of old, as in times to come;” assuring us that God
is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that “his course is one eternal
round.” (1 Book of Nephi, chap. 3, par. 9) Again: “when ye shall receive
these things,” that is, the Book of Mormon, “I would exhort you that ye
would ask God, the eternal Father, if these things are not true; and if ye shall
ask with a sincere heart with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will
manifest the truth of it, unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost: and by the
power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” “And Christ
truly said unto our fathers, if ye have faith, ye can do all things which is
expedient unto me. And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth, that if the
day cometh, that the gifts and power of God shall be done away among you, it
shall be because of unbelief. And woe be unto the children of men, if this be
the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if
there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the gifts and power of
God. And woe unto them that shall do these things away and die, for they shall
die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the While
the leaders of the many churches of the present day have been denouncing the
precious things of the Book of Mormon, as imposition and fraud, they have not
been aware that many Latter Day Saints or Mormons have, through the prayer of
faith in the name of Jesus Christ according to the above admonitions, and also
many such admonitions of the New Testament, obtained for themselves a certain
knowledge that the Book of Mormon and the revelations of Joseph Smith are true;
a knowledge which makes their hearts glad and that gives them a peace, a
courage, and a consolation that the world and the orthodox clergy know nothing
about. And herein, we may truly say is the key to their success in building up
that church under every known difficulty, adversity, and opposition. This is
why the Mormon people increase in such a. ratio as it does, while the churches
that denounce and oppose them constantly decay and go over to infidelity. We
have quoted the above sayings as prophetic; simply because neither Mormons nor
any other people, know that they are true, till they search and compare them
with the scriptures, and test them by the prayer of faith, as above
admonished and required; and we feel safe in saying that very few Mormons, if
indeed there are any, have ever went out to preach the gospel, who could not say
that they knew their faith was true by evidence that they could not possibly be
mistaken in; for God has shown it to them by one or another of those various
gifts, by which he manifested himself to men and women in days of old, who were
faithful to his precepts. [Page
6] All these precious gifts of God as possessed by the Church of Christ in
days of old are possessed by the Latter Day Saints, according as they follow the
directions given in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament; while the orthodox
are everywhere preaching that revelation ceased in John the revelator; and since
his day no more revelation is to be expected; giving all to understand that “our
wisdom and our knowledge is now so all-sufficient that we no longer
need revelation to guide us.” O, fools and madmen! Pray where did these
learned divines get this precious knowledge from? Most truly not from the
scriptures; for these, even the revelations of Take
for instance the following: Heb. 5: 4-5. “No man taketh this honor,” that
is, the honor or office of the priesthood “unto himself, but he that is called
of God as was Aaron;” and here we are also informed that even Jesus Christ
did not glorify or magnify himself by taking this honor until he was called
to it by the Almighty, who said to him, “Thou art my beloved son, this day
have I begotten thee.” We contend then that, if no man can act in the name of
God as a priest or minister, but he that is called of God as was Aaron, that is,
by revelation, that all the so-called ministers and priests of God throughout
christendom, are simply usurpers and impostors; for they every one, deny the
necessity of revelation, for any purpose whatever. This is rather severe
language we know; but they will have to charge it upon the Almighty, and not
upon the Mormons. But
this is not all, by very great odds. This same Paul who wrote the above, has
also told us, that God has set in his church apostles and prophets, evangelists
[high priests], pastors [elders], and teachers with the various gifts of the Holy
Ghost, “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body or The
three chapters above referred to in 1 Cor. are occupied by Paul in showing the
necessity of the gifts of the Holy Spirit of God, in the church, and at the
conclusion he says, “If any
man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual,
let him acknowledge that the things which I write unto you, are the
commandments of God.” (1 Cor. 14:27) That being the case, then it becomes a
matter of the highest importance to all men to know whether the Almighty has
ever abrogated these commandments or not. But not only do we find no evidence of
the abrogation of these most important commandments, but we find throughout the
scriptures that they remain in full force, and must till the consummation of all
things. A mere glance at modern Christendom with its vast number of clashing and
contradictory creeds, and contending priests and ministers, should convince
anyone that there [Page 7] is no
“unity of faith” among them and that men are carried about with every wind
of doctrine, and misled upon nearly every principle of the faith of Jesus
Christ, and that darkness everywhere covers the earth, and gross darkness the
minds of all people, for want of revelation and the gifts of the Gospel, as
set forth by Paul, and Jesus, and all the apostles. We find everywhere, the same
need for all these precious things that there has been at any time in the history
of mankind. Nor is there the slightest hope that it will ever be any different
among them until they begin to regard the Almighty as all prophets and apostles
regarded him); that is, as “a revealer of secrets,” one “who revealeth the
deep and secret things,” who knows what is in the darkness, the
light being ever with him. (Dan. 2:19-22, 28, 29, 47) Joseph
in Again
he says, “The secret thins belong unto God;” that is, they belong to God
to reveal; “but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children for
ever,” etc. (Deut. 29:29.) Job
says, “He (God) discovereth—revealeth—deep things out of darkness, and
bringeth to light the shadow of death,” or the place of the departed dead.
(Job Paul
says, “I would that ye all spake with tongues; but rather that ye prophesied;
for greater is he that prophesieth, than he that speaketh in tongues, except he
interpret, that the church may receive edifying, “that is enlightenment,
strength, knowledge, wisdom and encouragement in righteousness. (1 Cor. 14, 5) Solomon
says, “Where there is no vision the people perish.” (Prov. 29:18) And again
he says, “Evil men understand not judgment; but they that seek the Lord
understand all things,” that is, they understand all that they enquire of God
in relation to (28:5). “I said not,” says the Almighty, “to the House of
Israel, seek ye me in vain.” This shows very plainly that God has not only
commanded men to seek knowledge from him, but that they will not seek it in
vain. (Is. 45:19) Saul’s father once lost some asses, and sending his son to
look for them, the latter failing to find them, was simple minded enough to go
and enquire of God for them through Samuel the prophet. Samuel did not scold him
nor call him superstitious or anything of that kind; but seemed to be well
pleased with the young man for so doing. (1 Sam. 9 chap) Says
Jesus, “what man is there of you who if his son ask for bread will he give him
a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then being
evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him?” (Matt. 7:7-11) Not
withstanding all this, the clergy of all denominations, actually believe where
an innocent young man, like Joseph Smith, who was suffering much in his mind in
consequence of not knowing which of all the clashing systems of faith now on the
earth was the true one, and was encouraged by various scriptures to enquire of
God that he might know this most important thing, that God actually gave him a
serpent when he asked for a fish;--simply deceived and bewildered him, when he
asked to be enlightened upon the most important question that was ever
presented to man. And when God answered him in a most glorious vision that
none of them were right, and that they were all following erroneous and
abominable creeds, it is no wonder that they all, with here and there a rare
exception, persecuted him with a most bitter persecution, as their fathers of
old persecuted the prophets, for telling them the truth. The
scriptures are full of evidence that “God is a revealer of secrets” to [Page
8] all mankind in every age, in every country, and to every people who call
upon him faithfully, and even more; that he is actually well pleased with men
and women and children, who seek knowledge and wisdom from him. Moreover, as the
apostle James tells us he will not only not upbraid any man for asking him, but
he will give him liberally of
the things asked. (James 1:5) Most
unquestionably then, the Book of Mormon is right in contending for, and teaching
the necessity of continued revelation from God; for the scriptures, when we once
get the scales of sectarianism removed from our eyes, most truly condemn the
priests and divines of all ages, who contend against revelation from God looking
at all these things in the light of revelation we may truly say that all the
gross delusions, deceptions, and frauds, that have in the shape of religion in
all the past, cursed, blinded, oppressed, and deluded mankind, have been
palmed upon them, and have been fostered and built up among men because they
either would not enquire of God, or else knew not that it was their privilege
so to do. In modern times it is this same disregard of revelation that has
fostered, and fastened a hundred clashing and nonsensical creeds upon mankind,
and led their advocates to contend one with another, and to so grossly pervert
the written things of God, that almost every thinking man turns away from them
in disgust and despair of finding that good way wherein if a man walk, he shall
not stumble, but find rest to his soul. Here
we shall leave this matter with the reader to decide with himself whether God
will not or ought not to give knowledge by revelation to the honest seeker after
truth; and whether the Book of Mormon is right or wrong upon this subject. To
this we could have added a very considerable array of prophecy from the Bible
showing unmistakably that God will in the near future reveal great things to the
House of Israel, who are now scattered in all lands; preparatory to their being
gathered to their own lands; but will not now. The
next point which we shall test on the veracity of the Book of Mormon is that it
accuses the old mother church of Rome of suppressing and taking away “many
plain and precious parts” from the Bible; or the sacred writings of the
prophets and apostles; so that after these writings came down through that
church to the time of the Reformation, there are many precious things and
covenants, which God had previously revealed and made with his people, entirely
lacking; and that the object of this great and abominable church, as she is here
called, in taking away these precious things, was that “she might blind the
eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.” (See 1st Book
of Nephi, chap. 3:43) This
raises another very serious question between the Book of Mormon and all those
divines who say that “the canon of scripture is full, and we need no more
revelation,” etc. We are quite willing that the scriptures themselves shall
decide this great point, either against the Book of Mormon, or against modern
divines. We shall first examine Acts 3:18 to 24. “But these things which God
hath spewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath
so fulfilled.” It is here plain then that all the prophets of God,
before Jesus Christ came into the world, had said at least something in
reference to the sufferings, trials, persecutions, and death that Jesus was to
die, but in looking over the prophecies of the Old Testament, we find it very
sadly lacking in any such prophecies. 1st.
In some eleven of the sixteen prophets now remaining in the Bible, there is not
one word in reference to either the sufferings, death or coming of Jesus Christ;
or in any way referring to him whatever; and 2d, there is so little of
anything definite as to time or place referring to him in the five or six other
prophets that remain, we feel at a loss—yes greatly at a loss—to know how
the greater part of it could be applied to Christ, anyway. Verse
22, “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the [Page
9] Lord our God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me; him shall
ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you;” etc. True,
we find these words in Deuteronomy; but how anyone in the days of Christ could
apply them unto him, without something more in the connection, clearly
pointing to Christ, is anything but easy to see. At any rate if the Mormons
should pick up a prophecy so indefinite in itself as to time, place, or tribe,
and apply them to Joseph Smith for instance as proof that he was some great
prophet promised in these days, we should expect that the whole christian world
would laugh at us; and indeed who could blame them? The words as they now stand
in the text no more point to Christ than they do to any other prophet before
him. Verse
24, “Yea and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, AS
MANY AS HAVE SPOKEN, have LIKEWISE foretold OF THESE
DAYS.” Now
you may begin with the prophet Samuel—great a prophet as he
was—and you cannot find a line in all his writings, that alludes to Christ in
the most distant manner whatever. Then go through the prophets Jeremiah, and
Ezekiel—two other great prophets—and not a line is there in them that
alludes to Christ or his times. Then turn to Hosea, Jonah, Amos, Nahum, Habakuk,
Obadiah, Zephaniah and Haggai, and nothing in relation to Christ whatever is
found in their writings. And to these eleven prophets, all following Samuel, we
may add some five other noted prophets, who also followed Samuel, whose works
are wholly and entirely lost, and who according to our text must have spoken of
the days of Christ: as the Book of Nathan the Prophet, the Book of Gad the Seer
(1 Chron. 29:29), the Book of the Prophecy of Ahijah, the Book of Iddo the Seer
(2d. Chron. So
when we come to consider the little that is now remaining in reference to Christ
in the other few Books, viz.: Isaiah, Daniel, Joel, Zechariah, Malachi and
Psalms, we find a good deal of difficulty in applying most of them to Christ’s
days at all; for a considerable part of even this, refers to the times of
Christ’s second coming and not to the first. In
connection with all this, including the saying that “Oppolis mightily
(powerfully and overwhelmingly) convinced the Jews and that publicly,
showing by the scriptures, that Jesus was the Christ,” (Acts 18:28;
9:22) we are compelled to believe that a wholesale robbery and suppression of
holy scriptures have taken place since the fathers of the New Testament fell
asleep. Surely Peter, on the day of Pentecost, in the presence of a host of Jews
from all quarters of the globe, all of whom were in possession of these
prophecies, could not have had the effrontery to tell this people of prophecies
in relation to Christ, written in all these books that had never had an
existence. And surely also, if in the days of Paul there were only the few
isolated sayings in the prophecies, in relation to Christ, that we now find
there, neither Oppolis, nor anyone else, could mightily convince the Jews or any
other people that Jesus was the Christ. Had he only lived in our day, we cannot
but think that he would have an up-hill business in convincing the Jews of that
fact, with just such means. The
Book of Mormon then, so far is a true witness in relation to “many plain and
precious things” being taken away from the Holy Scriptures. Again: “To him
(Jesus) give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever
believeth in him shall have remission of sins.” (Acts Here
again the same lack of testimony is found; eleven of these prophets having
nothing whatever remaining in relation to Christ, and five being entirely lost.
And by the way, this text includes all the prophets since the world began, as
well as those from Samuel afterward. So far from testimony being found in all
the prophets that whosoever believed in Jesus Christ should receive a remission
of their sins, we cannot find [Page 10]
such testimony in any definite shape in any of them, except about two; but most
anyone who was a little particular would reject them as alluding very
definitely to Christ, or to any known person in particular. Here
again is evidence of wholesale robbery and suppression of sacred things. Yet the
chief Priests and Scribes of modern times tell us very gravely that “the canon
of scripture is full and we need no more revelation or prophets!” An awful
comment is this surely upon their wisdom and learning! In
the Book of Mormon we read that Joseph when in Egypt, prophesied very
pointedly in regard to the raising up of Moses to deliver the house of Israel
out of bondage in that nation. (2d chap. Second Book of Nephi, par. 1) In
Stephen’s apology (Acts 7), speaking of Moses when he had to flee out of Paul,
in his defense before King Agrippa, says, “Having therefore, obtained help of
God, I continue unto this day, witnessing unto small and great, saying none
other things than those which Moses and the prophets did say
should come, that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the
first that should rise from the dead,” etc. (Acts, 26:22)
Here again we find loss of sacred things. First, there is not a word
in all the writings of Moses that Christ should either suffer, or that he
should be the first that should rise from the dead. Nor is there a line in all
the prophets that he should be the first that should rise from the dead. Then
again, Paul certainly taught some very important things in his preaching not
now found in either Moses or the prophets; as baptism for the remission of sins,
the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the sacrament of the
Lord’s supper—(Acts, 19:1 to 6; Rom. 6:1 to 6) Then again, he taught
“baptism for the dead,”—an ordinance now unknown to all the divines of
modern Christendom, and nowhere mentioned now in either Moses or the prophets;
and yet he says he said nothing in his preaching but what “Moses and the prophets
did say should come,” etc. This also indicates robbery—and suppression of
Holy Scripture, plain and sacred. (1 Cor. 15:16) In another place, Paul reminds
his followers that On
a certain occasion the Saducees came to Jesus with a question growing out of the
Law of Moses in relation to marriage. That law required that as often as a man
died, leaving a wife but no posterity that the next oldest brother should take
her, and raise up posterity to his dead brother, “lest his name be lost in Now
said they, a certain case occurred where seven brothers had such a woman, one
after the other, and all died leaving no posterity by her. “In the
resurrection, therefore,” said they, “whose wife of the seven shall she
be,” for they all had her. Jesus answers, “ye do err, not knowing the
scriptures, nor the power of God.” Here,
it would seem very plain that in the days of Jesus Christ there were scriptures
in being, that would have very easily set those Saducees right if they had only
searched them in regard to this question. Why should Jesus speak of the
scriptures at all in this case if there had been nothing in them pointing
directly to the solution of this question? Again, why should the Saducees put
such a question as this to Jesus or anybody else unless there had been something
written showing that marriage concerned the life to come as well as this? But
you may search the scriptures from beginning to end and you will not find a line
that refers to this matter, in the most distant manner. Here again one may
reasonably infer that very interesting scriptures are suppressed. Paul
again tells us that “the eye hath not seen, neither hath the ear hoard,
neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him.” But said he again “God hath revealed them to us
(his saints) by his spirit; for the spirit searcheth all things,
yea the deep things of God.” Paul meant of course that the natural
or the unregenerate man knows nothing of these great things; but it was not so
with the saints of God. By the spirit of God they were enabled to discern them
in the inspired writings of the prophet”, and also by the manifestations of
the spirit itself. But ask those divines who oppose the Book of Mormon and tell
us that “the canon of scripture is full and want no more revelation,” to
tell you anything definite in relation to “the things which God has prepared
for them that love him,” and what can they tell you? Very much the same as
nothing at all. A thinking man needs something more definite than mere allusions
to ‘’the Shining River,” “the Mystic Shore,” “the Shining Shore,”
“Jordan’s banks,” ‘’Canaan’s happy shore,” “Heaven and the
realms of bliss,” and “the golden streets,” and “over there,” and
“beyond the swelling flood,” “beyond the bounds of time and
space,” and a hundred other pious nothings. The
apostle Jude tells us that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of the
second coming of Christ in the Latter days, saying: “Behold the Lord cometh
with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince
all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have
committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken
against him.” (Jude 14) But where now is this great and good Book of Enoch?
Gone;--suppressed with all the rest. Indeed, we have come within a very little
of losing even this prophecy; for when one considers that all we now have of so
clear and forcible a writer as the apostle Jude, is one little scrap of a
letter, we cannot but think that both prophecy and letter had a very narrow
escape from being buried in the oblivion of all the rest. Again
we may very reasonably ask if it has been necessary to preserve the writings of
some eight of the apostles why should not the writings of the other four be
preserved? What has become of these great and holy men’s works? Did not all of
the Twelve travel and preach and have the heavens opened to them, and receive [Page 12] revelation, and knowledge, and power, and suffer martyrdom,
one as well as the others? Who will say that the writings of these remaining
apostles might not occupy a very important place in the salvation of man, and
might not settle some very important questions now in dispute among the orthodox
sects, and parties of the present day? Saint Luke in the preface to his gospel
says, “For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a
declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, ...it seemed
good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the
very first,” to write and to bear witness of the gospel of Christ. (See Luke
1:1-4) Now
there are only eight writers of what is now called the New Testament; Matt.,
Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James, and Jude. Luke is placed third in the
order of these writers; yet for all we know, he might have been the first of the
eight, yet he says that many had written an account of the works and
claims of Jesus Christ before he commenced. But if his place among the eight is
right, surely two are not many. These things all taken together show a loss of
sacred writings that is at once apparent and alarming, and forces the conclusion
that if the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants among the
Latter Day Saints, are not revelations from God, most certainly they ought to
be! As the Book of Mormon says, it is no great wonder, “that an exceeding
great many do stumble, because of the many plain and precious parts taken away
from the book of the Lamb of God.” Every reflecting man knows that infidelity
in these days has taken very lengthy and rapid strides. We cannot but think that
if they had had the many plain and precious things above referred to, and
plainly shown to have been robbed from the scriptures that infidelity could not
have taken the gigantic strides that it has. Still
we often hear the remark that “If God saw that we had need of any more
scripture, he would no doubt have given it to us.” A very shortsighted and
foolish remark indeed. God has frequently given commandments to men neither to
add to nor diminish from his words, and all this implies that
man—especially wicked men when they get into power—may and will do it, just
as they do many other things forbidden. (Deut. 4:2, 12, 32; Pro. 30:6) Moreover
he has frequently commanded that his word be written on monuments, that it might
not only speak to the passerby, but that they might also preserve them from
generation to generation; but the hand of time and barbarism, destroys almost
the best monuments, and unless well protected from the elements, they must be
renewed from time to time, or else eventually go to ruin and decay. Thus
was Joshua and all Speaking
of the blinding, foolish, conflicting, and false teachings of the present day,
and the corruption and pride of religious leaders, it goes on to say, “Yea,
and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false, and vain,
and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts and shall seek
deep to hide their counsels from the Lord, and their works shall be in the dark;
and the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.” (12
chap., 2 Book of Nephi, par. L) The
reader will bear in mind that the time alluded to, is that following the coming
forth of the Book of Mormon it 1830; and the saints whose blood would cry to
heaven against their murderers are those who believe in the Book of Mormon as a
revelation from God, and Joseph Smith,
the chosen instrument in the hands of God to bring it to light. The Book of
Mormon recognizes none others in this generation as saints. In less than eight
years from the publication of the Book of Mormon, many of the saints were
literally slaughtered, shot down in cold blood for no other reason than that
they were Mormons, and this too by mobs led and harangued into the maddest fury
and violence by reverend divines and ministers of various religious denominations,
in Missouri, and afterward in Illinois. The prophet Joseph Smith and his brother
Hyrum, and different others even since that time, have all been murdered for
their faith in the Book of Mormon and in the Almighty as a God of revelation. In
a country like the United States where but a short tune before, a new system of
government had been established, based principally upon the right of every man
to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, he must be a
very shrewd and foresighted young man, who, as the founder of a system of
religion, could predict that his followers would be martyred in the
coarse of a single generation for their faith in that system; and by the very
class of men too of whom it was prophesied it would be done, all this has been
done. Again
we are told in the Book of Mormon that the period or generation immediately
following the coming forth of that book would he a period of great
wickedness, and that calamities, storms, tempests, earthquakes, accompanied
by great noise from the bowels of the earth, thunder and lightning, great
fires, and famines and
pestilences, and bloodshed or wars, would be upon the face of the
earth in consequence of such wickedness. (See
2d Book of Nephi, chap. 5, par. 4; chap. 11, par 13) Moreover it
informs us in various places that we are now living in that generation which
Jesus said would be like that in the days of Noah, that would precede his second
coming at the end of the world when he would blot all wickedness from the face
of all the earth, in flaming fire; when all the righteous will come with him,
and the saints who are on the earth and in their graves, shall be caught up to
meet him in the air, and dwell with him on the earth, in its purified state, a.
thousand years in rest and peace, and again, for ever and ever. When
one considers that crime, since the coming forth of the Book of Mormon,
has greatly increased instead of lessened; and again, of the vast
wars, earthquakes, storms, tempests, and tornadoes: the fires,
famines, pestilences, and destructions by fierce and vivid
lightning; to say nothing of many other judgments that have taken place and
are still increasing in the earth in this generation, he can only
conclude that the knowledge necessary to predict all this with such marvelous
accuracy must necessarily have been given by inspiration of God; for the
wisdom of man never pointed it out. The
Book of Mormon comes forth in this generation in fulfillment of many prophecies
of scripture, notably the following: “And THIS gospel of [Page
14] the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness to all
nations” that the end is drawing near, and then shall the end come. In days
long gone by I have been much perplexed to understand this passage in its true
light, as all the orthodox churches were, it was claimed, preaching what they
understood as the gospel whether anyone of them was preaching it, or they all
were preaching it, or whether none of them were preaching it, was the
question. But when Jesus said, “and THIS gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached,” etc., the little word THIS” in the saying settles it, and settles
it beyond dispute too. What could he mean then only that the very gospel that
he was then preaching, with all that pertained to it, its faith, its repentance,
its baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, its laying on of the hands
of its ministers for the gifts of the holy Ghost, its healing of the sick, its
miracles, its gifts of prophecy, its power to cast out devils, its tongues,
dreams, and visions, and revelations, and the ministry of angels; these and
various other things, as well as the keeping of all the commandments of God, all
taken together, are what constituted “THIS gospel,” which the Savior and his
Apostles were then preaching. (Matt. 24:14) And
now this is the gospel that is contained in the Book of Mormon, and the Latter
Day Saints are preaching it in all the world, and these promised signs follow
the honest believers in it. And such a gospel is not preached by any other of
the modern orthodox sects; but Jesus and his apostles never authorized any other
gospel, and never preached any other. But he has both himself and his apostles
solemnly charged us saying: “Though we or an angel from heaven preaches any
other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto yon, let him be
accursed.” (Gal. 1:6-12) “’Therefore
we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest
at anytime we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was
steadfast (fixed and certain) how shall are escape if we
neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by
our lord Jesus Christ, and was afterward confirmed unto us by them that heard
him: God also bearing them witness with signs and wonders,” etc. (Heb. 2:1-4) “Now
brethren, I beseech you, mark then who cause divisions and offences contrary
to the doctrine which ye have
learned, and avoid them, for they that: are
such serve not our lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies, and
with good words and fair
speeches, deceive the hearts of the simple “ (Rom. 16:17, 18) “Moreover
brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you which also ye
have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep
in memory what I preached unto you etc.” (1 Cor. 15:1, 2) “Let
that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that
which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye shall
continue in the Father and in the Son.” (1 John “Whosoever
transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son.” (2
John 1:9) “Beloved
when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was
needful for me to invite unto you, and exhort you, that ye should earnestly
contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude) “He
that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the
word which I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day’.” (John 12:47-50) These
are the warnings, admonitions and charges which we find throughout the New
Testament, and they show very clearly that the gospel of Jesus Christ does not
change with time; hence when he said THIS gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world, in the latter days, for a testimony to all nations that his
coming is close at hand, and that [Page
15] all who will be saved must prepare to meet him at his coming by
receiving and obeying it, we may rest fully assured that it means just what it
says; that the very principles that he and his apostles laid before men in their
day, with all its promises gifts, and requirements, are all included in “THIS
gospel” that is to be preached in the latter days. No one can reasonably or
justly argue anything else. The
Book of Mormon also heralds to us the glad news that this is the generation in
which the eleventh chapter of Isaiah is to he fulfilled, the 12th
verse of which reads thus: “And he (God) shall set up an ensign to the
nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the
dispersed of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.” Indeed
the Book of Mormon itself is the principle part of that ensign; for as an army
follows its ensign, so the honest in heart follow the Book of Mormon to the
gathering places of Zion, and all this because of its harmony with the Bible. It
comes moreover to herald or proclaim the precious news that the 20th
chapter of Ezekiel, and verses 33 to 38 are about, or close at hand to be
fulfilled. They read thus: “As I live saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty
hand, and an out stretched arm, and with fury poured out will I rule over
you. And I will bring you out from the people, and I will gather you out of the
countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and a stretched out arm,
and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the
people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with
your fathers in the wilderness of the Men,
learned men, the clergy of this generation tell us that revelation and the
raising up of prophets ceased in John, the revelator. But in the above chapter
we have a very grand contradiction of all this mere clerical, human wisdom. How
God can plead with all Israel face to face when he gathers them out from all
nations as he pleaded with their fathers in the wilderness, in the days
of Moses, without raising them up such a “RULER and DELIVERER” as
Moses was, some one skilled in making the Almighty say one thing and mean
another, and very different thing, must tell, we can’t. Yes, and at the same
time, he is going to “bring them into the land of the covenant,” and this
without doubt is the fulfilling of the words of Paul and Jeremiah, who say:
“Behold the days come when I will make n new covenant with the house of Although
Israel has sinned, yes greatly sinned, and transgressed in the past ages, and
God has scattered and given them into the hands of their enemies many times, and
hid his face from them, the promise of God is that he will never be wroth with
them any more, that they will never be scattered any more, and that they will be
made no more a reproach among the heathen; but are going to be made as God
promised them, a nation of kings and priests to the nations of the earth;
literally the head of the nations. And
surely this present, generation is the time for the fulfillment of Ezekiel 36,
37 and 38 chapters. According to these If
any man supposes when these mighty judgments fall upon these wicked nations that
there will be no mighty prophet there like unto Moses, or like Elijah, to whom
God will speak and counsel Now
if God restores Israel’s judges AS AT THE FIRST, and their officers as at the
beginning, then surely there will be a mighty prophet among them, such as Moses
was, who chose ‘’able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the
people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties and rulers of
tens; and they judged the people at all seasons; the hard causes they
brought unto Moses but every small matter they judged themselves.
(Ex.18:25, 26) “And I charged your judges at that time saying: Hear the
causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his
brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in
judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be
afraid of the face of him, for the judgment is God’s; and the cause which is
too hard for you, bring it unto me and I will hear it. (Deut. 1:9-17) So
then when the Almighty does this; when He restores Israel’s judges, AS AT THE
FIRST, and their COUNSELORS AS AT THE BEGINNING that is, in Moses’ time,
when Moses and Aaron were raised up to be Israel’s counselors, immediately
under the instruction of God, it is safe enough to assume that a mighty prophet
like unto Moses will be there when these wicked nations invade the land of
Israel in these latter days, through whom the Almighty will speak and work these
judgments upon these wicked men, and it will not be long after this till
Jerusalem becomes “the city of righteousness, the faithful city,” as
the prophet says. And
now as they have already begun to gather in great numbers to the land of
Palestine, according to the predictions of the true and faithful Book of Mormon,
some of the nations are already beginning to speculate as to what kind of a
government, Israel is going to have; whether a monarchy, all aristocracy, or a
republican form of government; but they need not trouble themselves about it,
for the Almighty himself [Page 17]
will fulfill his covenant made with their fathers, and will raise them up one of
the house of David to be their kin; and protector: “For Lo! I will command,
and I will sift the house of
In
the dispute upon circumcision in the days of the Apostles, James says: “Simeon
hath declared how God at the first, did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a
people for his name; and to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is
written, AFTER this,” that is, after God finishes the work of taking out of
the Gentiles a people for his name. “After this,” I will return and build
again the tabernacle of David which is fallen; and I will build again the ruins
thereof, and set it up that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and
all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord that doeth all
these things. (Acts 15:12-17) Now
what we gather from all these things is, first, that But
there is a large class of men among
the Jews, who will say to those sent to warn them, “’The evil shall not
overtake nor prevent us,” who care nothing for the land of their fathers,
whose god is their wealth, and who quiet their consciences as the antediluvians
by treating the message or the command to gather out with indifference and even
contempt, who will as surely perish by the sword as the former did by water; for
that God who has revealed the Book of Mormon, has informed us that there will be
a time in this generation when the Latter Day Saints will be the only people on
the earth, that shall not be at war one with another, and that “all who will
not take up the sword against their neighbors must needs flee unto Zion (or the
Latter Duty Saints) for safety.” “Hard to believe that,” says one.
Certainly it is hard for some, but nevertheless as Joseph Smith, the instrument
which God has chosen to bring forth the Book of Mormon, has predicted so many
other things equally hard to believe, many of which have already come to pass,
notably the Civil War of the United States, and the very place or state where it
would begin, with all its leading features, and also the desolating wars of
other nations that immediately followed, we are fully confident that this almost
universal war will follow, before all the people who were living in 1832 will
have passed away. And these unbelieving Jews will no doubt, perish by the sword,
as God hath said. To
these things we might add many others of a similar character; and yet we are
told that God has shut his mouth and will reveal nothing more till the day of
final judgment! And yet there are but two reasons given between the lids of the
Bible why [Page 18] God reveals nothing to man, and these two reasons are
simply sin and unbelief. We know of no other reason written. In
this little work we have shown not only that God was, in all the past, a
revealer of secrets, and that such is his character yet, but that he will also
reveal mighty and wondrous things yet in the very near future to his people of
Israel. But not withstanding all this and much more we are fully assured that
none of the wicked will be able to understand; for, as Daniel says: “the
wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise
shall understand.” (Dan. 12:10) Who are they? In the first place, they are
those who wish to understand. “Because they regard not the works of the
Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he will destroy them and not build them
up.” (Ps. 28:5) “The
Bereans were more noble than they of Thessalonica, in that they received the
word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether
those things were so. Therefore many of them believed,” etc. (Acts 17: 11, 12)
A disposition to “prove all things which God sends as a dispensation by any
man whom he calls and sends and to hold fast that which is good,” is another
trait in a man’s character well calculated to lead him to be a wise man. (1
Thess. 5:21) A
desire to know what God wishes us to do is pretty certain to lead a man to
salvation, or to obey the true gospel. It
is written: “Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that putteth
darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet
for bitter.” (Is. 5:20) The man who is careful in these matters, careful that
he does not call evil good, or good evil, etc., these are the traits that
eventually will lead to be wise. Just
such men will eventually be led to see the dispensation that God has revealed in
this generation. But the man who says, “the religion of my father and mother
is good enough for me,” and the man that takes everything for granted that the
popular preachers set before him, and never opens his Bible to see whether it is
true or false, takes no pains to seek after the truth or to find out what God
would have him to do to be saved, will certainly be found among the wicked in
the day of God’s righteous judgment, and although God will fulfill all his
words given in the past in reference to this generation in mighty power and
demonstration of truth, none of that class of men will be enabled to see it. Do
not forget, reader, also, these words: “Behold, I will send you”— “Repent
and receive the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and be thereby prepared to meet him
at his coming” is the voice of the Lord to all the people of this generation. Truly
and Sincerely, WINGFIELD
WATSON Spring
prairie, |