The Articles of Faith Part 34

[802] Isaiah xxix, 4--read verses 1-6.

=11.= Of the fulfillment of these and a.s.sociated prophecies, a modern apostle has written:--"These predictions of Isaiah could not refer to Ariel, or Jerusalem, because their speech has not been 'out of the ground,' or 'low out of the dust'; but it refers to the remnant of Joseph who were destroyed in America upwards of fourteen hundred years ago. The Book of Mormon describes their downfall, and truly it was great and terrible. At the crucifixion of Christ, 'the mult.i.tude of their terrible ones,' as Isaiah predicted, 'became as chaff that pa.s.seth away,' and it took place as he further predicts, 'at an instant suddenly.'... This remnant of Joseph in their distress and destruction became _as_ Ariel. As the Roman army lay siege to Ariel, and brought upon her great distress and sorrow, so did the contending nations of ancient America bring upon each other the most direful scenes of blood and carnage. Therefore the Lord could, with the greatest propriety, when speaking in reference to this event, declare that, 'It shall be unto me _as_ Ariel.'"[803]

[803] Orson Pratt, _Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon_, pp. 293-294 (Utah ed., 1891). For details of fulfillment of part of the prophecy, see III Nephi viii-ix.

=12.= Isaiah's striking prediction that the nation thus brought down should "speak out of the ground," with speech "low out of the dust"

was literally fulfilled in the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon, the original of which was taken out of the ground, and the voice of the record is as that of one speaking from the dust. In continuation of the same prophecy we read:--"And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver unto one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered unto him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned."[804] The fulfillment of this prediction is claimed in the presentation of the transcript from the plates,--"the words of a book," not the book itself, to the learned Prof. Anthon, whose reply almost in the words of the text has been cited;[805] and in the delivery of the book itself to the unfettered lad, Joseph Smith.

[804] Isaiah xxix, 11-12.

[805] See pp. 273-274.

III. CONSISTENCY OF STYLE AND MATTER IN THE BOOK OF MORMON.

=13. The Consistency of the Book of Mormon= sustains belief in its Divine origin. The parts bear evidence of having been written at different times, and under widely varying conditions. The style of the component books is in harmony with the times and circ.u.mstances of their production. The portions which were transcribed from the plates bearing Mormon's abridgment contain numerous interpolations as comments and explanations of the transcriber; but in the first six books, which, as already explained, are the verbatim record of the smaller plates of Nephi, no such interpolations occur. The book maintains strict consistency throughout all its parts; no contradictions, no disagreements have been pointed out.

=14. A Marked Diversity of Style= characterizes the several parts.[806] From what has been said regarding the cla.s.ses of plates which const.i.tute the original records of the Book of Mormon, it is evident that the volume contains the compiled writings of a long line of inspired scribes extending through a thousand years, this time-range being exclusive of the earlier years of Jaredite history.

Unity of style is not to be expected under such conditions; and, indeed, did such occur, it would be fatal to the claims made for the volume.

[806] See Note 1.

IV. THE BOOK OF MORMON SUSTAINED BY THE FULFILLMENT OF ITS CONTAINED PROPHECIES.

=15. Book of Mormon Predictions= are numerous and important. Amongst the most conclusive proofs of the authenticity of the book is that furnished by the demonstrated truth of its contained prophecies.

Prophecy is best proved in the light of its own fulfillment. The predictions contained within the Book of Mormon may be cla.s.sed as (_a_) Prophecies relating to the time covered by the book itself, the fulfillment of which is recorded therein; and (_b_) Prophecies relating to times beyond the limits of the history chronicled in the book.

=16.= _Prophecies of the First Cla.s.s_ named, the fulfillment of which is attested by the Book of Mormon record, are of but minor value as proof of the authenticity of the work; for, had the book been written according to a plot devised by man, both prediction and fulfillment would have been provided for with equal care and ingenuity.

Nevertheless, to the studious and conscientious reader, the genuineness of the book will be apparent; and the account of the literal realization of the numerous and varied predictions relating to the fate then future of the people whose history is given in the record, as also of those concerning the details of the birth and death of the Savior, and of His appearing in a resurrected state, must, by their accuracy and consistency, appeal with force as evidence of inspiration and authority in the record.

=17.= _Prophecies of the Second Cla.s.s_, relating to a time which to the writers was far future, are numerous and explicit: many of them have special reference to the last days,--the dispensation of the fulness of times,--and of these, some have been already literally accomplished, others are now in process of actual realization, while yet others are awaiting fulfillment under specified conditions which seem now to be rapidly approaching. Among the most remarkable of the Book of Mormon predictions incident to the last dispensation are those that relate to its own coming forth and the effect of its publication amongst mankind. Ezekiel's biblical prophecy concerning the coming together of the "sticks," or records, of Judah and of Ephraim has received attention. Consider the promise made to Joseph who was sold into Egypt, repeated by Lehi to his son Joseph--a prediction which couples the prophecy concerning the book with that of the seer through whose instrumentality the miracle was to be accomplished:--"But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins; and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them. Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines, and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days; and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord. And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord."[807] The literal fulfillment of these utterances in the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon through Joseph Smith is of itself apparent.

[807] II Nephi iii, 11-13.

=18.= Unto Nephi the Lord showed the effect of the new publication, declaring that in the day of Israel's gathering,--plainly then the day of the fulness of times, as attested by the Jewish scriptures,--the words of the Nephites should be given to the world, and should "hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard" unto the house of Israel; and that then the Gentiles, forgetting even their debt to the Jews from whom they have received the Bible in which they profess such faith, would revile and curse that branch of the covenant people, and would reject the new scripture, exclaiming, "A Bible! a Bible! we have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible."[808] Is this not the burden of the frenzied objections raised by the Gentile world against the Book of Mormon,--that it is of necessity void because new revelation is not to be expected?

[808] II Nephi xxix, 3; read the chapter.

=19.= Now, in olden times, two witnesses were required to establish the truth of any allegation; and, says the Lord concerning the dual records witnessing of Himself:--"Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am G.o.d, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together, the testimony of the two nations shall run together also."[809]

[809] Verse 8.

=20.= a.s.sociated with these predictions of the joint testimony of Jewish and Nephite scriptures is another prophecy, the consummation of which is now eagerly awaited by the faithful. Other scriptures are promised; note this word of G.o.d:--"Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible, ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written: ... For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth, and they shall write it. And it shall come to pa.s.s that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews."[810]

[810] Verses 10 and 12.

V. CORROBORATIVE EVIDENCE FURNISHED BY MODERN DISCOVERIES.

=21. The Archeology and Ethnology= of the western continent contribute valuable corroborative evidence in support of the Book of Mormon.

These sciences are confessedly unable to explain in any decisive manner the origin of the native American races; nevertheless, investigation in this field has yielded some results that are fairly definite, and with the most important of these the Book of Mormon account is in general accord. Among the most prominent of the discoveries respecting the aboriginal inhabitants, are the following:--

I. That America was inhabited in very ancient times, probably soon after the building of the Tower of Babel.

II. That the continent has been successively occupied by different peoples, at least by two cla.s.ses, or so-called "races"

at widely separated periods.

III. That the aboriginal inhabitants came from the east, probably from Asia, and that the later occupants, or those of the second period, were closely allied to, if not identical with, the Israelites.

IV. That the existing native races of America have sprung from a common stock.

=22.= From the outline already given of the historical part of the Book of Mormon, it is seen that each of these discoveries is fully attested by that record. Thus it is stated therein:--

I. That America was settled by the Jaredites, who came direct from the scenes of Babel.

II. That the Jaredites occupied the land for about eighteen hundred and fifty years, during which time they spread over a great part of North and South America; and that at about the time of their extinction (near 590 B. C.), Lehi and his company came to this continent, where they developed into the segregated nations Nephites and Lamanites, the former becoming extinct near 385 A. D., about a thousand years after Lehi's arrival on these sh.o.r.es; the latter continuing in a degenerate condition until the present, being represented by the Indian tribes of to-day.

III. That Lehi, Ishmael, and Zoram, the progenitors of both Nephites and Lamanites, were undoubtedly Israelites, Lehi being of the tribe of Mana.s.seh while Ishmael was an Ephraimite, and that the colony came direct from Jerusalem, in Asia.

IV. That the existing Indian tribes are all direct descendants of Lehi and his company, and that therefore they have sprung from men all of whom were of the house of Israel.

Now let us examine some of the evidence bearing on these points presented by individual investigators, most of whom knew nothing of the Book of Mormon, and none of whom accept the book as authentic.[811]

[811] =Acknowledgments.=--Many of the citations which follow, used in connection with the extra-scriptural evidence supporting the Book of Mormon, have been brought together by writers among our people, particularly by Elder George Reynolds (see his lectures as specified where quoted); also series of articles ent.i.tled "American Antiquities," in Millennial Star, Liverpool, vol. xxi, by Moses Thatcher (see a series of articles on "The Divine Origin of the Book of Mormon," in _Contributor_, Salt Lake City, vol.

ii); and by Elder Edwin F. Parry (see tract, "A Prophet of Latter-days," Liverpool, 1898).

=23. I. Concerning the very Ancient Period at which America was Inhabited.=--A recognized authority on American antiquities gives the following evidence and inference:--"One of the arts known to the builders of Babel was that of brick making. This art was also known to the people who built the works in the west. The knowledge of copper was known to the people of the plains of Shinar; for Noah must have communicated it, as he lived a hundred and fifty [350] years among them after the flood. Also copper was known to the ante-diluvians.

Copper was also known to the authors of the western monuments. Iron was known to the ante-diluvians. It was also known to the ancients of the west. However, it is evident that very little iron was among them, as very few instances of its discovery in their works have occurred; and for this very reason we draw a conclusion that they came to this country soon after the dispersion."[812]

[812] Priest, _American Antiquities_, 1834, p. 219.

=24.= Lowry, in his "Reply to official inquiries respecting the Aborigines of America," concludes concerning the peopling of the western continent, "that the first settlement was made shortly after the confusion of tongues at the building of the Tower of Babel."[813]

[813] Schoolcraft's _Ethnological Researches_, vol. iii (1853).

=25.= Prof. Waterman of Boston says of the progenitors of the American Indians:--"When and whence did they come? Albert Galatin, one of the profoundest philologists of the age, concluded that, so far as language afforded any clue, the time of their arrival could not have been long after the dispersion of the human family."[814]

[814] Extract from lecture by Prof. Waterman, delivered in Bristol, England, 1849; quoted in pamphlet by Edwin F. Parry, _A Prophet of Latter Days_ (Liverpool, 1898).

=26.= Pritchard says of America's ancient inhabitants, that "the era of their existence as a distinct and isolated race must probably be dated as far back as that time which separated into nations the inhabitants of the old world, and gave to each branch of the human family its primitive language and individuality."[815]

[815] Pritchard, _National History of Man_ (London, 1845).

=27.= A native Mexican author, Ixtilxochitl, "fixes the date of the first peopling of America about the year 2000 B. C.; this closely accords with that given by the Book of Mormon, which positively declares that it occurred at the time of the dispersion, when G.o.d in His anger scattered the people upon the face of the whole earth."[816]

"Referring to the quotations from Ixtilxochitl, seventeen hundred and sixteen years are said to have elapsed from the creation to the flood.

Moses places it sixteen hundred and fifty-six, a difference of only sixty years.[817] They agree exactly as to the number of cubits, fifteen, which the waters prevailed over the highest mountains. Such a coincidence can lead to but one conclusion, the ident.i.ty of origin of the two accounts."[818]