Sacred Metalic [sic] Plates

SACRED METALLIC PLATES.

BY O. PRATT.

(Concluded from page 788.)

The correspondent of the Occident labors hard to prove to himself and others, that the Stone containing the sculptured Moses, around whom were written the Ten Commandments in the holy tongue and primitive Hebrew character, was a Teraphim or talisman which he supposes they consulted, as ancient Laban did his gods. But this is all conjecture. The Nephites, in the days of their righteousness, inquired of the Lord, through their Prophets and Seers, the same as the twelve tribes did in the land of their fathers. By divine commandment they left Jerusalem. By visions, find revelations, and prophecies, and miraculous manifestations, they were guided throughout their journeyings, both by land and water. And after arriving on the coast of Chili, they were still governed by revelations, as direct as those given to the former Prophets of Israel. Their revelations were recorded, both upon metallic Plates and other materials. Do learned Hebraists suppose that God was only the God of Judah? Was he not also with Elijah, with Elisha, and with hundreds of Prophets, raised up among the ten tribes? Was the spirit of prophecy and revelation, confined within the limits of the holy land? Did not he raise up Daniel in a foreign land? If Hebrews were in America, as is proved beyond all controversy, by these late discoveries, why refuse to them Prophets, and Seers, and Kings, and mighty men of God? Is the spirit of revelation confined to the Eastern hemisphere, and are miracles, signs, and wonders limited to Israel of the East? Is the arm of Jehovah shortened, that he could not make it bare also in behalf of the Israelites of the West? And would not a Hebrew Bible of ancient America, be just as sacred as a Hebrew Bible of ancient Asia?

The Hebrew mound builders were not a forsaken, forlorn, outcast branch of Israel, just descending into the depths of barbarism and darkness; but. they were, in the day of their righteousness, far in advance in civilization and enlightenment, of all the rest of the tribes. They had their temples built under the direction of Prophets; they offered their sacrifices and burnt offerings, and were as strict in all the ceremonies and rites of the law of Moses, as the ancient Jews at Jerusalem. They had their sacred breast-plate, Urim and Thummim, and living oracles,—their Priesthood, after the order of Melchisedek,—their anointed kings,—their Prophets, foretelling the future,—their Seers, beholding the wonders of eternity,—their inspired Patriarchs, blessing their children and the nation,—their sacred Records, to be revealed, in the last days, for the redemption of Israel,— their splendid miracles and pillar of fire. They also had the ministering of angels, and the voice of Jehovah; and what is greater than all, they had the personal ministry of their resurrected Messiah, who descended from heaven in their presence, and taught them for several days. As the great Shepherd and Stone of Israel, he literally led “Joseph as a flock.”

Moreover, did the twelve tribes have a land of promise? So did the remnant of Joseph. Did Abraham and Isaac obtain the little country of Palestine and its immediate surroundings, for the inheritance of their seed? So did the Patriarch Israel: yes, more—his blessings “prevailed above that of his progenitors:” Canaan was too small; “the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills” were also given to him. America—the half of a world, was bequeathed to the princely Patriarch! Who among his noble sons, was worthy of this immense landed inheritance—these inexhaustible riches of the ancient mountains—these “utmost bounds” of almost another world! The aged Patriarch answers:—“They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.” Oh, Joseph! thou favored son of Israel! thy portion in connection with the twelve tribes in Palestine was not enough! thine inheritance was to be overspread “with a multitude of nations” of thy seed! Because of thine integrity, thou didst supplant Reuben the first born of Israel, and enter into vast possessions—into the rights of the oldest heir! As a fruitful bough,” thy “branches run over the wall they stretched out over the sea; thine were the “blessings of the deep that lieth under,” (or nearly in the antipodes of Palestine.) “The arms of thine hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.” He it was who blessed “thee with the blessings of heaven above,” and poured down without measure, “the precious things of heaven,” which were written upon enduring tablets of metal, to help fill the earth with the knowledge of God, as the waters fill the bosom of the great deep. Well did Moses, the man of God, bless thy land above that of every other tribe. While Palestine yielded only the productions of a temperate zone, thy land was to bring forth “the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof that is, it was to produce the luxuries of all climates, whether in the temperate or torrid zones. But let us have it in the prophetic words of Moses himself:—

“And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that couch eth beneath.” This must have reference to the Pacific ocean a little west of Chili, the landing place of the Nephites; for this is the only deep which is directly beneath Palestine; and this too is the only “deep that coucheth beneath,” on which the Josephites had extensive shipping. It was on the western coast of their promised land that the sons of Joseph navigated their ships, and spread their sails to the pacific breezes of that mild ocean. But we return to the further blessings of Moses:— Blessed, “for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon; and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush, let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.” (Deuteronomy 33:13—16.) “The ancient mountains” has reference to the mountains of the Western hemisphere, where the ancient sons of God of the antediluvian race resided; where Enoch founded ancient Zion; and where Noah built his ancient ark. The land blessed by the patriarchs of the old antediluvian world becomes the promised land—the Eden of the sons of Joseph. “His glory is like the firstling of his bullock,” or as the glory of the first born of Israel. “His horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” (verse 17.) This prediction refers to the great work which the horns of Joseph will perform in pushing the righteous together, not to Palestine, but “to the ends of the earth,” or to their own promised land which is, indeed “to the ends of the earth” from where Moses uttered the prophecy “The ten thousands of Ephraim,” which, as Hosea predicts, are “mixed among the nations,” will become the Lord’s firstborn,” in the great latter-day dispensation. Their lineage being revealed by the everlasting covenant, through the revelations of the spirit, God will send them forth to all nations, that they may fulfil their high destiny first among the gentiles, and then among the Jews.

In bringing about the great redemption of Zion and Jerusalem, Ephraim need not envy Judah, and Judah need not vex Ephraim. both have their promised lands and both have their predicted work to perform the Jews will rebuild old Jerusalem; Ephraim and Manasseh will build the New Jerusalem. The Zion of the Old Jerusalem will occupy its former place; the Zion of the New Jerusalem will be located in a place “Sought out,” and will be “a city not forsaken,” as the Eastern Zion has been. The Jews will build a great temple and their messiah will descend upon the Mount of Olives, and in his glory, will pass through the East gate of that glorious edifice, and will enter the temple and seat himself upon his throne, and fill the house with his glory. But a temple will also be built in the New Jerusalem, unto the sons of Joseph, into which the Messiah will enter in all his glory, long before he favors the Jews with his presence.

The ten tribes will come from the north countries, where they have been bid up for ages, by an encircling zone of mountain ice; but they will not return to Jerusalem, until they have visited Joseph's land and received their blessings, under the hands of the Lord’s “first born.” And after the pain and severe afflictions of Judah are past, the ton tribes will join them, and receive their inheritance in the land of their fathers, and with Judah will come under one king and “they will no more be two nations; neither be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.” in those days the land of the ancient mountains—the heritage of Joseph, will be married to the land of the East. Old ocean will seek its ancient home in the polar regions and the dry land assume the position it occupied before the days of Peleg.

Joseph's Bible, united with Judah’s, will, indeed accomplish wonders. The Bible of the ten tribes embracing their sacred history and numerous revelations and prophecies from the time they passed dry shod into the polar regions, until they return on the great highway which will be thrown up for them in the midst of the great deep, will be a volume of wonders, swelling the present canon of Scripture to an immense size. To all this will be added the old Jaredite Scriptures, embracing the doings of a great people, for sixteen centuries, together with the revelations of a vast number of their Prophets, whose sacred metallic Books are yet to come forth to increase the knowledge of God among men. Revelations will be multiplied on Revelations, Bibles on Bibles, until the Sacred Archives of the Old and New Jerusalems will be filled with an immensity of knowledge, shedding forth light and truth to all the surrounding nations. In that day the temple of heaven will be opened, and disclose the mighty volumes of eternity; and the sacred Books of Earth will be united with the sacred Books of Heaven, and there will be a general unsealing of volumes, and the judgment will sit, and generations and ages past, will be judged out of the volumes written, every man according to his deeds, and according to the measure of light that shone upon him in his day. In the midst of this overwhelming light, what will be thought of those poor ignorant creatures, called modern divines, who have been contending for generations that the canon of Scripture is full, that there will be no more Prophets—no more revelations—no more Bible—we have enough? The very thought of such heaven-daring assertions, is enough to make one shudder, and to cause poor humanity to blush with shame, for the apostacy and ignorance of our fallen race.

Notwithstanding the vast accumulations of evidence, proving the Jewish origin of the American Indians, yet the enlightened Jew has an aversion to claim in them a brotherhood. He contemplates them sunk down into the very depths of degradation and savage life, weltering apparently under the withering curse of Jehovah, with knowledge but little in advance of the brute beast, with a dirty copper colored exterior, rendered still, more frightful by horrid daub of paint and clay. Can it be possible, exclaims the Jew, that these low and degraded specimens of humanity are my kindred? Can they be the seed of Israel— the chosen seed? If so, whence then this skin of blackness—this blighting curse—this ferocious savageism? Listen! Oh, Judah, and hear the sad and mournful history of Joseph, thy brother; it is the history from the Gold Plates of Cumorah’s hill; it is the voice of the dead, speaking from their ancient tombs; it is-the voice of Prophets whose speech is low out of the ground, and whispers mournfully from the dust. Listen to the words of Nephi:—

“Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying: That inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And behold, they were cut off from his presence. And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceeding fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people, the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. And thus saith the Lord God, I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities. And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done. And because of their cursing which was upon them, they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey. And the Lord God said unto me, they shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me; and inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto destruction.” (Book of Mormon, p. 60.)

The people who were thus cursed were called Lamanites, being the descendants of Laman and Lemuel, who were the brothers of Nephi, and also the descendants of two or three other families who came with them, to their promised land. Nine hundred and fifty-four years, after the above extract was written, the Nephites were destroyed by the Lamanites; since which time the latter have continued to dwindle, during the long period of fourteen centuries and upwards. And now their sacred tablets come forth, virtually saying, I am Joseph, doth my brother Judah still live? And one branch of them can say, I am of the Royal lineage of David, doth his throne still survive? While I write these last sentences, my heart swells with emotions of sorrow, and my eyes are a fountain of tears. I weep over the calamities of Israel, and my soul mourns over the long-continued afflictions of the chosen seed. When, Oh when, shall the sorrows of Israel cease? O Lord our God, “Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? I will hear what God the Lord will speak.” * * * “ Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.” (Psalm 85.) “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the Book.” * * * “And Jacob shall no longer be made ashamed neither shall his face wax pale.” (Isaiah 29.)

Again my heart is comforted; for in fulfilment of ancient promises, the earth has opened and brought forth salvation; the skies pour down righteousness: the long promised Book is revealed: glad tidings for Israel have sprung out of the earth, proclaiming redemption and everlasting glory to the seed of Jacob: The seed of Joseph will soon begin to flourish and blossom as the rose: Judah will arise and seek their ancient home: Israel in the north will remember the promised good things upon the mountains, hills, and vales of their ancestors; and they shall flow unto Zion, and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and shall sorrow no more at all; but with Judah, “they shall seek the Lord their God and David their king.” Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath sent his angel with words of peace and comfort to Jacob. Let all the scattered remnants, who long for the redemption of Zion, know assuredly that the God of their fathers has remembered the new and everlasting covenant, and revealed the same, not upon tablets of stone but of gold, undimmed by time, significant of the everlasting duration of the covenant.