The Two Books

THE TWO B00K5.

“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is trans­lated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”

This is the eighth article of faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Is there anything wrong in believing this? What is the Bible? It is a history of the ancient people of the eastern continent, and their wars and contentions, the doings of their kings and rulers, and God’s dealings with them are recorded in this book. This book explains the plan of salvation which leads to exaltation to all those who believe and obey. What is this plan? It was laid down by our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the fundamental principles are, faith, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of bauds for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Christendom to-day professes to believe in the Bible, and yet, if one presents another book, quite as divine as the Bible, people scoff and scorn at the idea. At the same time, if they will read their Bible, they will find that there are to be two books, and that they are to be used as one, in the hands of the Lord. Read (Isaiah 29:4, 9-24), and there you will find a book mentioned which is not the Bible. Again, in Ezekiel 37:15-28, you will find men­tioned two books, for the Prophet says, “Take thee one stick, [or book] and write upon it, For Judah, * * * then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim.” We know that the stick of Judah is the Bible, but what about the stick of Ephraim? Where is it? Does any religious denomination possess that book to-day? Yes, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, and it is used along with the Bible in establishing for the last time God’s kingdom upon the earth. Ask the Christian world to-day who the American Indians are; where they came from, and how they settled in America? They cannot tell you. The Book of Mormon says that they are descendants of people who left Jerusalem before that city was destroyed, through the iniquity of the people. By the hand of God they landed on the Western Continent. The Book of Mormon, like the Bible, is a record. It tells of wars that these people had, of their rulers, and so forth. Again, it tells of God’s dealings with them. Is it un­reasonable to believe that God had dealings with them? He had led them to an unknown land. It would have been a very unjust God that would have left them without His aid. We read in the

Bible that God is a God of love and mercy; surely, He would remember those people. Yes, He did remember them. He gave them the gospel, the same gospel that He gave to the people on the Eastern Continent. He raised up prophets among them to guide them in all truth.

We find that before Christ was crucified he told His disciples at Jerusalem that He had other sheep that were not of that fold, and that them also must He bring to repentance.

After His crucifixion He visited the people on the Western Con­tinent and preached to them the same gospel as that which He had preached at Jerusalem, for it is recorded in the Book of Mor­mon. Latter-day Saints are accused of using the Book of Mormon as their Bible, but when we preach from the Bible, we preach from the Book of Mormon, and when we preach from the Book of Mormon, we preach from the Bible, for the same gospel is contained in both of them. It is only fulfilling prophecy, for the two books are to be used as one in the latter days, and it is certainly the last days now; for “There shall be wars and rumors of wars: nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” That is what our Savior said would be the signs of His second coming. There­fore, we say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven’s at hand.”

Saltley, Birmingham. Edith Griffin.