A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel 25

A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel 25

BOOK OF MORMON--EVIDENCES OF ITS DIVINE AUTHENTICITY.

 

In order that the predictions of the ancient prophets might be

fulfilled, it was necessary that a book should be brought forth to the

world which should be a record of truth. This book must also come forth

from the earth.

 

The prophet Enoch, according to Bible chronology, lived 969 years

before the flood.

 

On a certain occasion, the Lord made known to him many things that

should transpire a short period before his latter-day coming. He said,

"Great tribulation shall be among the children of men, but my people

will I preserve; and righteousness will I send down out of heaven;

and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of

mine Only Begotten; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep

the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine own elect from the four

quarters of the earth." _P. of G. P., page_ 21.

 

The Book of Mormon, in every particular, fulfils this very ancient

prediction of Enoch's. It is a record of truth; it was brought forth

from the earth; it bears testimony of the Only Begotten Son of God;

of his birth, death, resurrection, teachings, and ministrations among

the Nephites. Righteousness has been sent down out of heaven by the

restoration of the Priesthood, with all its authority, ordinances, and

blessings, through which, alone, righteousness can be made manifest.

 

The latter-day gathering of Israel has been inaugurated, and

righteousness, and truth are sweeping the earth as with a flood, and

gathering the elect from the four quarters of the earth.

 

This wonderful prophecy of Enoch's was reiterated by prophets who lived

many centuries after him. The Psalmist David, who lived until 1015 B.

C., mentions this event in connection with the latter days: "Truth

shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from

heaven;" _Psalms_ 85. 11.

 

The prophet Isaiah, also, saw in prophetic vision these great events of

the latter days, when he said: "Let the skies pour down righteousness;

let the earth open and let them"--that is, the earth and the skies

together--"bring forth salvation;" 45. 8.

 

According to the twenty-ninth chapter of _Isaiah_. there was to be a

people who like Ariel, or Jerusalem, were to be brought down and they

should speak out of the ground, their speech was to be low out of the

dust.

 

The predictions in _verses_ 1-6 of this chapter have been fulfilled

in every particular, in the history of the Nephites and in the coming

forth of their record, the Book of Mormon.

 

For an account of the fulfilment of many of the predictions in this

chapter, see _P. of G. P., pages_ 49-54.

 

Ezekiel's prophecy, in _chapter_ 37, _verses_ 16-20, concerning the

sticks of Judah and Joseph, is literally fulfilled in this generation.

The most of the Latter-day Saints are of the tribe of Ephraim, the son

of Joseph. There can be but one conclusion with regard to the Bible,

and that is, that it is the stick of Judah referred to by Ezekiel.

 

The stick or record of Joseph, is fitly represented by the Book of

Mormon, which is a record of the Nephites, who are descendants of

Joseph who was sold into Egypt. They are both, to-day, in the hands of

Ephraim.

 

A very good explanation of this subject is contained in 2 _Nephi,

chapter_ 3. Lehi was rehearsing to his son Joseph, some important

promises which the Lord made to their father, Joseph, who was sold into

Egypt. The special promise to which we refer is in the twelfth verse.

 

"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."

 

The following from the writings of O. Pratt, is very appropriate to

this subject.

 

"If the historical parts of the Book of Mormon be compared with

what little is known from other sources, concerning the history of

ancient America, there will be found much evidence to substantiate its

truth; but there cannot be found one truth among all the gleanings of

antiquity that clashes with the historical truths of the Book of Mormon.

 

"If the prophetical part of this wonderful book be compared with

the prophetical declarations of the Bible, there will be found much

evidence in the latter to establish the truth of the former. But though

there are many predictions in the Book of Mormon, relating to the great

events of the last days, which the Bible gives us no information about,

yet there is nothing in the predictions of the Bible that contradicts

in the least, the predictions of the Book of Mormon.

 

"If the doctrinal part of the Book of Mormon be compared with the

doctrines of the Bible, there will be found the same perfect harmony

which we find on the comparison of the prophetical parts of the two

books. Although there are many points of the doctrine of Christ that

are far more plain and definite in the Book of Mormon than in the

Bible, and many things revealed in relation to doctrine that never

could be fully learned from the Bible, yet there are not any items of

doctrine in the two sacred books that contradict each other, or clash

in the least.

 

"If the various books which enter into the collection, called the Book

of Mormon, be carefully compared with each other, there will be found

nothing contradictory in history, in prophecy, or in doctrine.

 

"If the miracles of the Book of Mormon be compared with the miracles of

the Bible, there cannot be found in the former anything that would be

more difficult to believe, than what we find in the latter.

 

"If we compare the historical, prophetical, and doctrinal parts of

the Book of Mormon, with the great truths of science and nature, we

find no contradictions--no absurdities--nothing unreasonable. The most

perfect harmony, therefore, exists between the great truths revealed

in the Book of Mormon, and all other known truths, whether religious,

historical, or scientific." _Divine Authenticity of B. of M., page_ 56.

 

A person educated in the doctrines and traditions of modern

Christianity, could not have written the Book of Mormon, for many of

its important doctrines do not agree with those of the Christian sects.

 

They do not believe in the ministry of angels, in miracles, in signs,

in dreams and in visions. The book had its origin in those things, much

of it is made up of an account of them.

 

Lehi, the most prominent patriarch of the aboriginal American race, was

warned by an angel that Jerusalem would be destroyed; 1 _Nephi_ 1. 11,

13. That he might not be destroyed with it, the Lord warned him in a

dream to take his family and depart into the wilderness; 2. 2. In the

nineteenth verse of this last chapter, the Lord spake to Nephi, and

blessed him on account of his great faith.

 

Nephi, who wrote the first two books of the Book of Mormon, had

wonderful visions and manifestations. An infidel, or deist, having no

faith in manifestations from God, could not have written the book;

equally impossible that it could have been written by a sectarian

Christian.

 

Was the Book of Mormon written for a romance? It would spoil the

interest of a work of fiction, for the writer to commence it with a

sketch of the plan of his story. Yet the two books of Nephi, which

commence the Book of Mormon, are a very plain, prophetic sketch of the

then future history of the people of America.

 

Besides, what writer of fiction could expect to interest the literary

world of the nineteenth century, with an account of the organization

of a church, on the American continent, exactly after the pattern of

the primitive church in Asia, with advocating baptism by immersion for

the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of

hands, and with an almost verbatim repetition of Christ's sermon on the

Mount. Such a fiction would be wanting in all the elements of modern

romance.

 

Skeptics, Christian divines, and writers of romance are not the men to

stake their reputation on the enunciation of such principles as the

following: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he

that believeth not and is not baptized shall be damned." "Harlotry is

the most abominable of all sins in the sight of God, except it be the

sin against the Holy Ghost." In fact, it is the teaching of such pure

principles in the Book of Mormon that makes it so very unpopular with a

large portion of mankind.

 

The Book of Mormon, as a whole, must be either true or false. If false,

the Bible is equally so, for there is no antagonism between the two.

 

The former states that it and the Bible shall grow together for the

confounding of false doctrine in the latter times. The writer of a book

of errors would hardly have staked his reputation on the fact that his

book was an evidence of the truth of the Bible, and _vice versa_. That

one is a witness of the truth of the other is readily evident to any one who will honestly compare them.