Evidences of the Divinity of the Book of Mormon

EVIDENCES OF THE DIVINITY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.

The Psalmist declared, “Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.” (Ps. 85:11.) To the average observer this may be regarded as a figurative expression, but the testimony of the faithful Latter-day Saint is that in the nineteenth century this prediction was literally fulfilled. How literally has truth sprung out of the earth in the form of the record of the ancient inhabitants of America, written on golden plates and committed into the hands of Joseph Smith for trans­lation. How wonderfully true did righteousness look down from heaven when the angel Moroni appeared to that youth and made plain his future mission. The year 1829 marks the date of publica­tion of the Book of Mormon, which was translated by this youthful seer, through the gift and power of God. This most marvelous work professes to be a history of the aborigines of America. Without it, we delve in the depths of doubt and uncertainty regarding the ancient peoples of the Western Hemisphere; with it the mystery disappears and a truthful history of these races is laid before us.

When the Western World was discovered by Europeans during the fifteenth century, a dark-skinned race of people, composed of many tribes, met their view. That these peoples were of com­mon stock is evident from their languages, traditions and customs, that they came from the Eastern World is beyond question when we realize that the language spoken was a corrupted form of Hebrew, and that parts of the country (Western hemisphere) were successively overrun by different nations at widely separated in­tervals, is a well-established fact. All these are the logical conclu­sions arrived at by archaeologists and discoverers of note, but how the ancestors of these peoples came to the New World, their reasons for coming and the exact period of their arrival were questions enshrouded in mystery profound. Beyond the well- settled and general conviction that at some distant period they came from the Eastern world, all was supposition and conjecture. Man by his wisdom could not disclose the secret. It required some­thing more. The solution to the problem was given to the world when the Book of Mormon was printed. Its pages tell of the successive colonization of certain sections of America; it furnishes a truthful answer to the question, “Whence came the American Indians”? and makes known the fact that the ancient Americans are of “old world origin.”

This divine record testifies that a company of people called Jaredites left the “old world” at the time of the confusion of tongues and the Tower of Babel; that they were guided by Provid­ence across the rolling seas and safely landed on the western shore of North America. Their history was written on twenty-four golden plates, which eventually fell into the hands of the Nephites, a race of people to be mentioned later. This record was abridged by Moroni, the last survivor of the Nephite faction. We read that this Jaredite nation flourished, but, in later years, because of division and internal wars, they were totally destroyed. To remind the reader that the people at the time of the confusion of tongues were scattered abroad, we insert the testimony of Moses, who speaks of the occurrence in the following significant words: “So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.” (Genesis 11:9.) Unquestionably the Americas were part of the earth at this time. How could the people be scattered “upon the face of all the earth,” except some were on the Western Hemisphere?

The Book of Mormon also gives a history of a certain company of Israelites, who, about the year 600 B.C., were also led by the grace of God to the promised land of the West. This colony, under the leadership of one Lehi, landed on the western coast of South America. After the arrival in the new laud a division arose in the company. The factions were afterwards known as Nephites and Lamanites, named after Lehi’s sons whom they followed, respectively. The history tells of their wanderings, now as two distinct nations. The Nephites grew and prospered in the land so long as they obeyed God’s commandments. At periods when they forgot their Deliverer, their enemies were suffered to come upon them, and prevailed against them. That they be­came a mighty nation is evidenced by the discoveries made in recent years. The buried walls, cities, forts and towers present a silent picture of their former greatness. The Lamanites, or other tribe of people, became numerous, but were negligent and indif­ferent to all ecclesiastical duties. They were lazy, brutal and very warlike, and their living was gotten by following the course of least resistance. They often lived by eating raw meats, and the hard-earned accumulations of their Nephite brethren were often objects of prey. Because of their wickedness, and wilful disobedience, they were cursed with a dark skin as a mark of God’s disapproval. The roving American Indian of to-day is a direct lineal descendant of these Lamanites. Many were the wars fought between them and the Nephites, and thousands on each side fell by the sword. These people drifted northward from their original landing place, traveling over the Isthmus of Panama; and wandering through the central, eastern and northern parts of what is now the United States. Their history, which covers a period of about one thousand years (600 B.C. to 400 A.D.) is scarcely paralleled in the history of the world. At this latter date, the last of a long series of bloody wars was fought between these two tribes, resulting in the utter extermination of the Nephite faction. Moroni, the last survivor of this once mighty race, was left in charge of their history, written on golden plates, which were handed down from prophet to prophet and which -were abridged by his father, Mormon. On these plates, written in the language of the tribes, was recorded a history of God’s hand-dealings with this people, their wars, etc. The Jaredite record, already referred to, which was written on twenty-four plates of gold, was abridged by Moroni, and the abridgment was attached by this prophet to the Book of Mormon record. The concluding part of this joint ­record was written by Moroni, and he hid away the record in a hill called Cumorah. Not long afterwards this last Nephite prophet died. It was the prerogative of this person, who came as a resurrected being, to commit into the hands of Joseph Smith the record which has since revolutionized the world of religion.

The Book of Mormon is the record of the “other sheep” spoken of by the Savior while He dwelt in Palestine. Listen to the testi­mony of the Apostle John who records his Master’s words: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16.) Some scripture readers declare these “other sheep” to mean the gentiles, but unfortunately for such contentions, the words of Christ are to the contrary. Mark this declaration: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 15:24.) The “other sheep” referred to were those of the Western World. The record of these people assures us of the fact that the promise of the Redeemer was kept; that He, after His resurrection, made His appearance amongst them; that His Church was established; that in that Church were placed the same officers as made up the Church of Christ in Pales­tine; that these received the same gifts, blessings, promises and powers as were enjoyed by the ancients of the far Eastern World. This Western fold was lost to the sight of man, but God held them in His keeping. They were our Father’s children and received His smiles and approbation. This hidden record should be received with gladness, for it speaks of that which was lost; it pictures God’s kindness to His people in all climes, and corroborates the truth­ful testimony of Peter; “That God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted of him.” Truly “Providence is over all!”

(To be continued.)