About the Book of Mormon

ABOUT THE BOOK OF MORMON.

The coming forth of the Book of Mormon constitutes one of the chief inaugural events connected with the establishment of the work of God in this dispensation. The recognition of this fact is, in a certain sense, almost universal. So much so that the disciples of this day are denominated by the world as “Mormons.” This is, however, a misnomer, given and originating probably in derision. Those who embrace the true Gospel in this Age object to be designated by any other name than that of the Redeemer. The proper name of the body-religions is “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” We claim that this title was accorded by revelation from the Lord himself, through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Seeing the Book of Mormon occupies a position of such conspicuous importance in connection with the great work with which we have the honor to be identified, how important it is that the Saints should be familiar with its contents. It certainly places a member in an embarrassing situation to be unable to give an intelligent answer to persons enquiring for information as to the origin and character of that sacred record. It is a book which bears upon it the stamp of inspiration and truthfulness. A few statements regarding it may be interesting to our readers.

It gives a brief history of a prophet named Lehi and his family, who, by commandment of the Almighty, left Jerusalem 600 years before Christ. Besides the sons and daughters, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law of Lehi and his wife, one Zoram, who had been a servant to a certain man named Laban, was attached to the party which set out from Jerusalem for a land to which the Lord had promised to lead them by His power. A portion of the family was disobedient, stubborn and rebellious, while others were righteous, seeking to carry out the will of God with great fidelity. Conspicuous among the latter was Nephi, a younger son of Lehi, who was a mighty prophet; and forward among the stirrers of strife and rebellion was Laman, the eldest son.

After many vissicitudes and much adversity, together with numerous evidences of the matchless preserving power of God, the party landed upon the western coast of South America.

In course of time the colony became very numerous. The more righteous and well-disposed were constantly harassed by the wicked conduct of a large and unruly faction. In consequence of the goodness of Nephi, and the turbulence of Laman, the people were in two divisions, the peace-loving being known as Nephites and the sinful as Lamanites. The record of the doings of the people was engaved on plates, made by the hand of Nephi.

By commandment of God the plates were handed down from one generation to another, each man to whom they were confided recording whatever was deemed worthy of note during his lifetime, or rather from the time he received his charge until it was handed over to his successor.

About 400 years after the landing of the colony on the western continent, the Nephites migrated more to the northward, where they fell in with a colony of Jews, who left Jerusalem in the same year that the Jews were led from Palestine into Babylonish captivity. This Jewish colony amalgamated with the Nephites and were known from that time forward by the same general title.

At the time of the crucifixion of the Savior at Jerusalem, those ancient inhabitants of America had, generally speaking, fallen into the practice of great wickedness and gross abominations. Among their conspicuous sins was the stoning and killing of the prophets whom the Lord raised up to teach them and reprove them of their evil doings. At the time the King of Heaven was crucified they were visited by judgments, in the shape of great earthquakes and upheavals of the earth, which distorted and changed the face of nature. Whole cities with their inhabitants were swallowed up in the bowels of the earth and otherwise destroyed. There were also thunders and lightnings and terrific noises and three days of darkness. So great was the destruction wrought by this terrible visitation that only the more righteous were spared alive.

Subsequently the Savior appeared to them in His resurrected body. He called Twelve Apostles and established His Church among the people, healed the sick and did many mighty works. The record of His teachings exhibits the perfection of harmony with those given to His disciples at Jerusalem. But the works He performed on the Western Continent were much more marvelous, because of the superior faith of the Nephites. The account of His personal ministry among the latter, though given in the simplest form of language, is powerfully graphic. It can scarcely be read by a believer in the divine origin of the record without the perusal moving the person to tears. He informed the Nephites, among other important facts, that he had received a commandment, from the Father, to pay a visit also to the Lost Ten Tribes, that there might be one fold and one shepherd.

The people, subsequent to the glorious visitation of the Redeemer, lived nearly three hundred years in righteousness and peace. Every man dealt justly with his neighbor and there were no poor in the community. Near the end of that period, however, there began to be divisions and once more there were Nephites and Lamanites. Then followed a succession of fierce and bloody wars, the whole people being fearfully wicked, the Nephite faction becoming extinct.

A prophet by the name of Mormon made an abridgement of the records, in accordance with a commandment of God, that it might be hid up and be brought forth, in the latter-days, for a special purpose. Mormon handed over the synopsized account to his son Moroni, with instructions to finish it, which he did. The latter also wrote, from a translation of certain plates which had been found by his people, a brief sketch of a people called Jaredites, a colony which left the Tower of Babel at the time of the confusion of languages and were led, by the hand of Cod, to America. After they had grown to be very numerous they were, however, totally destroyed by wars etc., the Lord suffering them to become extinct because of their great wickedness and abominations. This Jaredite history was engraved by Moroni on the plates of Mormon, and called the Book of Ether, which was the name of the prophet by whom the original record was written. One of the prophets among the Jaredites exercised such mighty faith that he saw and recorded many marvelous things pertaining to this creation. The Prophet Joseph Smith was commanded not to break the seal of the part of the record containing the account of these wonderful things, the people not being sufficiently righteous to receive them. A promise was given, however, that they would be brought forth when the people where sufficiently advanced to be worthy of them. They will without doubt be revealed in due time, but this reminds us that it will likely be at a period when that which has already been given is not treated lightly, by persistent inattention.

The latest date given by the Prophet Moroni is A.D. 420, since which time a period of 1460 years has elapsed. On the 22nd of September, 1827, the plates were delivered to the Prophet Joseph Smith, by the Prophet Moroni, and through the former's instrumentally the portion of the record that he had permission to unseal was translated by the power of God. He was a chosen Prophet, Seer and Revelator of the Most High, having had committed to him, together with the ancient record, the Urim and Thummim, Since the original translation into English, the Book of Mormon has been translated into and published in Welsh, Danish, French, German, Italian, the language of the Sandwich Islanders, and Swedish. It has also been translated into and a portion of it published in the Spanish language.

We bear testimony that it is a genuine record of the ancient inhabitants of the American Continent. Want of time and space renders it at present impracticable to enter, in the present writing, upon an elaboration of the object of its being brought to the light in these latter-days. The same reason causes us to refrain from touching upon the voluminous internal and external evidences of its being what it is, by the Latter-day Saints, claimed to be. To us it is one of the most instructive and interesting histories offered for the perusal and consideration of the people.