BANCROFT
LIBRARY
•O
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
WHY I BELIEVE
The Book of Mormon
TO BE
The Word of God
By WILLIAM A. MORTON
SALT LAKE CITY
COPYRIGHT 1918
By
WILLIAM A. MORTON
(Fourth Edition)
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WHY I BELIEVE THE BOOK OF
MORMON TO BE THE WORD
OF GOD
By William A. Morton.
''Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have
eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.'' — John
5:39.
This little booklet is issued in response to nu-
merous requests received from people who have heard
me speak of the Book of Mormon, and who were de-
sirous of seeing the address in print. It is a simple,
unpretentious effort, yet we know that "by very small
and simple means the Lord doth confound the wise,
and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."
For more than 30 years I have been a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
During this time I have read and studied the Book of
Mormon a great deal, and I -say, in all sincerity, that
the more I study the book the more thoroughly I be-
come convinced that it is a divinely-inspired record.
I believe implicitly in the Book of Mormon; I
believe it to be the word of God to the Nephites and
Lamanites who once inhabited this continent, even
as I believe the Bible to be the word of 'God to the
Jews and also to the Gentiles.
If I did not believe Joseph Smith's testimony con-
cerning the Book of Mormon, I could not believe his
testimony that he had seen God the Father and Jesus
Christ, His Son, and had conversed with them in open
vision; neither could I believe his testimony that he
had been visited by John the Baptist, and had been
ordained by him to the Aaronic priesthood; that he
had been ministered unto by Peter, James and John,
and had been ordained by them an apostle of the Lord
Jesus Christ; that he had seen Moses, and received
4 WHY I BELIEVE THE BOOK OF MOEMON
from him the keys of the gathering of Israel from
the nations of the earth, and the leading of the Ten
Tribes from the land of the north; that he had seen
the Prophet Elijah, and had obtained from him the
keys of turning "the heart of the fathers to the child-
ren, and the heart of the children to their fathers."
If Joseph Smith's testimony concerning the Book
of Mormon be false, then his testimony concerning all
these other things may be equally false; and if so,
tens of thousands of people haye been grossly de-
ceived. But if Joseph Smith's testimony in relation
to the Book of Mormon be true, then we may reason-
ably believe that he spoke the truth when he declared
that he, had seen the Father and the Son, and also the
angelic beings to whom I have referred.
What will the Book of Mormon do for us? It will
help us solve any theological problem that may be
presented to us. By way of illustration: When I was
a youth, serving an apprenticeship to the printing
trade, one of the printers took delight in propounding
riddles and problems to his fellow-workmen. One day
he said to the other compositors: "I have a new prob-
lem for you: A blacksmith had an anvil, composed of
four pieces, with which he could weigh from one
pound up to forty pounds. Find the weight of each
piece." The printers put their heads together and in a
short time the problem was solved. One piece of the
anvil weighed one pound, another piece weighed three
pounds, another, nine pounds, and the fourth piece,
twenty-seven pounds. With these weights a person
can weigh from one pound up to forty pounds.
Now, once we become thoroughly convinced that
the Book of Mormon is true, it will, as I have said,
solve any theological problem that may confront us.
Do we want knowledge concerning God, His Son
Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost? We can get it in
the Book of Mormon. Would we know concerning the
pre-existence of spirits? Such knowledge may be ob-
tained from the Book of Mormon. Do we desire to
TO BE THE WORD OF GOD
know if the fall of man and the atonement made by
Jesus Christ are facts? The Book of Mormon will an-
swer these questions. Do we wish to know what the
principles and ordinances of the gospel of Christ are?
They are taught in plainness in the Book of Mormon.
If we desire information regarding the intermediate
state — the state in which the spirits of men live
between the time of death and the resurrection — we
can find it in the Book of Mormon. Is our faith in
the doctrine of the resurrection weak? The Book of
Mormon will greatly strengthen it. So you see that
the Book of Mormon is one of the most precious
gifts that God has given to man.
There are, as the reader, no doubt, knows, two
theories respecting the origin of the Book of Mor-
mon. One of these is the Solomon Spaulding theory,
which has been strongly advocated by anti-Mormons
in order to keep people from believing the Book of
Mormon to be a divinely-inspired record. According
to this theory, a man named Solomon Spaulding, a
graduate of Dartmouth College, Ohio, wrote a book
in which he purported to give an account of the origin
of the American Indians. After Mr. Spaulding's
death, the manuscript, so it is asserted, fell into the
hands of Joseph Smith, who, with others, conspired
to publish it and present it to the world as a sacred
history of the ancient inhabitants of America.
This theory is so absurd that it is surprising to
me it did not, "like the new moon, set with its rising.'
Solomon Spaulding, be it known, was a Presbyterian
minister; but this fact has been carefully concealed
by those who have advocated the theory that Mr.
Spaulding was the author of the Book of Mormon.
Had they let this fact be known undoubtedly they
would have aroused suspicion and greatly weakened
their argument. For this reason: Presbyterian min-
isters do not write books condemning in strong terms
certain tenets of their church. There is in the Book
of Mormon much that is at variance with doctrines
6 WHY I RELIEVE THE BOOK OF MORMON
taught by the Presbyterian church; indeed, there is
very little in the Book of Mormon that is compatable
with Presbyteriamsm. There is not a Presbyterian
church in the world that believes in the Book of
Mormon. On the contrary, Presbyterian ministers
have been the loudest in condemning fthe book.
A Presbyterian minister could not write the Book
of Mormon if he would, and he would not write
it if he could. I will here state that the Spaulding
manuscript was discovered in 1884, and is at pre-
sent in the library of Gberlin College, Ohio. On
examination it was found to bear no resemblance
whatever to the Book of Mormon. The theory that
Solomon Spaulding was the author of the Book of
Mormon should never be mentioned again — outside
a museum.
Let us now turn our attention to the other theory
— the one held and advocated by the Church; namely,
that a heavenly messenger named Moroni appeared
, to Joseph Smith and told the youth about a set of
gold plales which were hid in a hill a short dis-
tance from his home, on which was engraved a
history of the ancient inhabitants of America; that
.four years later Joseph Smith was permitted to
take the plates from their hiding place; that through
the gift and power of God he translated them into
English and presented to the world 'the Book of
Mormon.
Now, it is a well known fact that the Church has
spent thousands of dollars in printing and distribut-
ing; the Book of Mormon, and that tens of thousands
of missionaries have been sent with its message to
the nations of the earth. Why has the Church done
this? In order to perpetuate fraud? Verily, no;
but that the world might have a new witness for God
and His Christ, and be brought to a knowledge
of the everlasting gospel, the principles and ordi-
nances of which, as I have said, are set forth in
great plainness in the Book of Mormon.
TO BE, THE WORD OP GOD
1 have read Joseph Smith's account of the com-
ing forth of the Book of Mormon many times, and
I am thoroughly convinced that he spoke the truth.
It is much easier for me to believe Joseph Smith's ac.
count of the origin of the Book or Mormon than it
would be for me 'to believe that the wonder
fill story, with 'all its details, was the product of
Joseph Smith's imagination. It is surprising to me
that intelligent people can- believe that an unlearned
and unsophisticated youth like Joseph Smith could
make up such a story. .No. the story is too big,
too great, too wonderful, for the mind of mortal man
to conceive. When 1 was a child I learned a num-
ber of nursery rhymes, among them the following:
"Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket, full of rye.
Four and twenty hla«-k l»inls kiked in a pic;
\Vlien the pie was opened the Itirds hr-an to ^ini;-'1
Wasn't that a dainty dish to set )>efor<; the king?'1
Now, when someone succeeds in making mo
believe that itwenty-four blackbirds were caught,
killed, plucked, baked in a pie, and that when the
pie was opened the birds came out and began to sing,
then perhaps I may be led to believe that Joseph
Smith manufactured, out of whole cloth, his won-
derful story of the origin of the Book of Mormon.
But not until then.
I believe the Book of Mormon because I believe
the Bible — because I believe the prophets, Christ and
the apostles. There are in the Bible numerous pro-
phecies concerning the Book of Mormon, and it may
be interesting to the reader to hear how — by means
of these prophecies — I succeeded in persuading a
family to read the Book of Mormon. They after-
wards became members of the Church of Christ. The
first time I visited the family I taught them about
the true and living God — in whose image man is
created — and about Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten
Son, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. On my
second visit I taught them the principles of faith
and repentance. The third time I visited the family
8 WHY 1 BELIEVE THE BOOK OF MORMON
I taught them the ordinances of baptism by immer-
sion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. On succeeding
visits I showed that it is necessary for a man to hold
Divine authority — to be "called of God, as was
Aaron," — in order for him to preach the gospel and
administer in the ordinances thereof. I also explain-
ed the organization of the Church of Christ, with
"apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers"
etc. I brought forth evidence from the Bible in sup-
port of all these things, and as the members of the
family were firm believers in the Holy Scriptures,
they acknowledged that what I had taught them was
true.
But when I next visited the family, I found that
a great change had come over them. Instead of giv-
ing me a cordial welcome, as they had done before,
they received me coldly. I soon learned the reason.
Addressing me, the wife and mother said: "I feel that
we have come to the parting of the ways. For days
I have had the impression that this evening you
would present to us the Book of Mormon and try to
persuade us to accept it as the word of God. If such
is your intention, you may just as well leave now,
for I do not think you could ever succeed in getting
us to believe the Book of Mormon." ,
I asked the good woman if she had ever read the
Book of Mormon. She confessed she had not; she
had not even seen the book, neither had any member
of the family. I said I considered it rather unfair
for people to pass judgment on a book without hav-
ing read it. Then I asked the lady if she believed
the things I had taught her and the members of
her family, on my former visits. Yes, she believed
all of them — because I had proved them by the
Bible.
"Then, if I prove to you by the Bible that the
Book of Mormon is true, you will also believe the
Book of Mormon?"
TO BE THE WORD OF GOD 9
To this she replied: "If you prove to us by evi-
dence from the Bible that the Book of Mormon is a
true record, we will believe the Book of Mormon
just as we believe the Bible." This the 'other
members of the family likewise agreed to.
"Before considering the Book of Mormon," I said
"I desire to say a few words concerning the coming
of Christ. Cod, as you very well know, did not send
His Son into the world without telling the world
about His coming. For hundreds of years prior to
the birth of the Savior the children of Israel were
taught, in divers ways, concerning Him — concerning
His birth, His life, and also His death upon the cross.
The sacrifices offered by Adam and his sons were
similitudes of the sacrifice of the only begotten
Son of God, as was also the sacrifice which the
Almighty required of Abraham, of which we read
in the 22nd chapter of Genesis:
" 'And it came to pass after these things, that God did
tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: And he said,
Behold, here I am.
' 'And lie said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac,
whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah ;
and offer him there for a burnt offering npon one of the
mountains which I will tell thee of.' (Genesis 22:1, 2.)
''This sacrifice, while required of Abraham as a
test of his fa.ith, was a type of a far greater sacrifice
— the sacrifice of the Son of God. And we have rea-
son for believing that Abraham saw in his sacrifice
a type of the sacrifice of the only-begotten of the
Father, for Christ, while addressing the Jews on one
occasion, said: 'Your father Abraham rejoiced to see
my day; and he saw it, and was glad.' (John 8:56.)
"In Abraham and Isaac we have a representa-
tion of God and Christ — a coming event casting its
shadow before it.
"Later, the Lord taught the children of Israel
in a still clearer way concerning the sacrifice of His
beloved Son, as recorded in the 12th chapter o{
Exodus ;
WHY I BELIEVE THE JIOOK OK MORMON
" 'And the Lord spnke unto Moses and Aaron in t he-
land of Egypt, saying,
' '(speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying,
In the tenth day of this month Miey shall take to them
every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers,
a lamb for a house.
'' 'Your lamb .shall he- Avithout blemish, a male of the
first year; ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the
goats :
' 'And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of
the same month: and the whole assembly of the congrega-
tion of Israel .shall kill it in the evening.
" 'And they shall take of the blood, and strike it
on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the
houses, wherein they shall eat it:
* * * * * * * *
11 'And thus shall yc cat it: with your loins girded,
your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand : and
ye shall eal it in haste; it is the Lord's passover.
'' 'For 1 Avill pass through the land of Egypt this
night, and will smite all the first born in the land of
Egypt, both man and beast : and against all the god- of
Egypt T Avill execute judgment: I am the Lord.
'' 'And the blood shall be to you for a token upon
the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood. I will
pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to de-
stroy you, when f smite the land of Egypt.
'• 'And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and
ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your genera-
tions; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.' Exo-
dus 12:1, 3,5-7, 11-14;)
"It is needless for me to tell you," I said to the
family, "that the sacrificial lamb was a type of the
Lamb of God, and that the blood of the lamb which
was shed to save the first-born of the children of
Israel was a representation of the blood of Christ
which was to be shed to save the world."
They told me that such was their understand-
ing of the Scriptures.
I continued: "In the 21st chapter of Numbers we
are told about another way in which the children
of Israel were taught concerning the Messiah." I
read the following:
" 'And the people spake against God, and against
Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt, to
TO BE THE WORfr OF GOD
die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there
any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
'' 'And the Lord sent firry serpents among the people,
and they bit the people; and iniu-h people of Israel died.
" 'Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We
have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord, and
against thee ; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the
serpents from us. 'And Moses prayed for the people.
" 'And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery
serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass,
that every one that is bitten -when he looketh upon it shall
live. •
11 'And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon
a pole: and it came to pass, that if ;>. serpent had bitte'i any
man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." (Num-
bers 21:5-9.)
Then the lady of the house said: "This Scrip-
ture is quite clear to us. We see in the serpent on
the pole a type of the Savior on the cross. In His
conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said: 'And as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up: That whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life." (John 3:14, 15.)
Addressing the family again, I said: "I now de-
sire to show you how, by means of prophecy, the
Jews were taught concerning the Messiah. We find
in the 7th chapter of Isaiah the following plain pre-
diction relative to the birth of the Savior:
" 'Therefore the Lord himself sholl give -you n sign :
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall
call his name Immanuel.' (Isaiah 7:14.)
''And by another prophet the Almighty foretold
the place of the Redeemer's birth, as follows:
l'In the 53rd chapter of Isaiah we find the life
of the Savior thus clearly portrayed by the prophet:
" 'Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the
arm of the Lord revealed?
12 WHY I BELIEVE THE BOOK OF MORMON
' 'For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant
and as a root out of • a dry ground ; he hath no form nor
comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty
that we should desire him.
' 'He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sor-
roAvs, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our
faces from him ; he was despised, and we esteemed him
not.
'Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows; yet \ve did esteem him stricken, smitten of God,
and afflicted. •
' 'But he Avas \vounded for our transgressions, he \vas
bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace
was upon him; and Avith his stripes AVC are healed.
' 'All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his OAVII way; and the Lord hath laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
' 'He Avas oppressed, and he Avas afflicted, yet he
opened not his mouth: he is brought as a) lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so
he openeth not his mouth.
" 'He was taken from prison and from judgment: and
who shall declare his 'generation? for he was. cut off out of
the land of the living: for the transgression of my people
Avas he stricken.
li 'And he made his grave with the Avicked, and with
the rich in his death; because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth.
' 'Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put
him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for ^
sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the
pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
'' 'He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
" 'Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he
hath poured out his soul unto death; a.nd he Avas num-
bered Avith the transgressors; and he .bare the sin of many
and made intercession for the transgressors.' " (Isaiah 53.)
It was the firm belief of the family that in Jesus
Christ — and in Him alone — all these things had been
fulfilled:
He was the sacrfice foreshadowed in the sacrifi-
ces offered by Adam and his sons.
He was the sacrifice of which Isaac was a type.
He was the Lamb slain from before the foundation
of the world, and typified in the lamb sacrificed by
TO BE THE WORD OF GOD 13
the children of Israel in their passover.
He was the One raised up to heal the nations of
the terrible consequences of sin, even as the brazen
serpent was lifted up to heal the afflicted Israelites.
He was the One Isaiah had prophesied would be
born of a virgin.
He was the Ruler prophesied of by Micah, who
would come out of Bethlehem.
He was the One referred to by Isaiah, who would
be "led as a lamb to the slaughter;" who would be
"wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our
iniquities," and with whose "stripes we. are healed.
Having thus spoken concerning Christ, I set to
work to try to convince the family — with evidence
from the Bible — that the Book of Mormon is true. I
first called their attention to the following prophecy
made by Jacob concerning his son Joseph:
''Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a
voll, whose branches run over the wall :
"The archers have sorely grieved him, 'and shot at him,
and hated him:
"But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his
hands were made strong- by the hands of the mightiy
God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of
Israel ; )
"Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee;
and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings
of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under,
bles.sinsrs of the breasts and of the womb;
"The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the
blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the
everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and
on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his
brethren." (Genesis 49:22-26.)
I asked the family if they knew about the ful-
fillment of this prophecy. No, they did not. They
had read the prophecy, but they did not know when
or how it had been fulfilled.
I told them that, according to the Book of Mor-
mon, in the year 600 B. C., a little company of Israeli-
tes, descendants of Joseph, the son of Jacob was
led by the Lord from Jerusalem to the land that is
14 WHY I BELIEVE THE BOOK OF MORMON
now called America, where they became a great na-
tion. Many prophets were raised up among them,
who taught them the commandments of God, and
also taught the coming of Christ, even as the prophets
had taught the people on the eastern continent. They
kept, on metallic plates, a record of the important
events that took place among them, and also^of the
Lord's dealings with them. After His resurrection,
Christ appeared to them, and ministered unto them.
He taught them the gospel and established 'His
Church among them. For nearly 400 years -after-
wards they lived in peace and happiness. Then
pride began to manifest itself among them; they
became divided, contentions followed, and later ter-
rible wars, in which countless thousands of lives
were sacrificed. A short time before his death, Mo-
roni, the last of their prophets, at the command of
the Lord, finished their records and buried them
in the earth, in a hill named Cumorah. There they
lay for hundreds of years. On the 21st of September,
1823, Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith and told him
about the sacred records which he (Moroni) had de-
posited in Cumorah. Four years later Joseph Smith
was permitted to take the records from their hid-
ing place. Through the gift and power of God he
translated them into English, the result of his work
being the Book of Mormon. This is, in brief, a
history of the branches of Joseph referred to by
Ja,cob, the branches that ran over the wall (the
great ocean) even "unto the utmost bounds of the
everlasting hills."
The family manifested interest in what I told
them, but were by no means ready to accept the Book
of Mormon as the word of God. I asked them, if
they were familiar with the prophery Isaiah had made
concerning the branches of the house of Israel to
which I had just referred. No; their attention had
never been called to such a prophecy. We read
follows:
TO BE THE WORD OF GOD 15
''And them shalt be brought down, and shalt -speak
out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the
du^t. and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar
spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper
out of the dust." ( Isaiah 29.4.)
"I have just told you, my friends," I said, "how
this prophecy was fulfilled. 1 told you about the
branches of the house of Israel that were brought
down, even unto destruction. I also told you how
these people had — by means of their records — spoK^i
"out of the ground," aa«i "whispered out of the
dust," just as the Prophet Isaiah predicted.
"There is a somewhat similar prophecy, made by
the Psalmist David, which is recorded in the 85th
Psalm, as follows: •
11 'Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteous-
ness' shall look down from heaven." (Psalms, 85:11.)
"This prophecy was fulfilled when the angel
Moroni came down from heaven and when a 'volume
of truth (the Book of Mormon) came out of the
earth.
"There is another prophecy, made by Isaiah,
concerning a sealed book that was to come forth.
This prophecy was,- as I shall show you, literally
fulfilled soon after the plates of the Book of Mor-
mon had been delivered to Joseph Smith. This is the
prophecy:
" 'And the vision of all is become unto you as the
words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one
that, is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith,
I cannot; for it is sealed.
'' '.And the book is delivered to him that is not learned,
saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he ?aith, I am not learned.
'• 'Wherefore, the Lord said. Forasmuch as this people
draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do
honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and
their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
" 'Therefore, behold. I will proceed to do a marvelous
\vork among this people, even a marvelous work and a won-
der; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and
the understanding of their prudent men shall !be hid.' '
(Isaiah 29:11-14.)
16 WHY I BELIEVE THE BOOK OF MORMON
The members of the family were entirely ig-
norant concerning this prophecy. They had never
heard of it, and did not know anything about its ful-
fillment. They listened attentively while I related how
the prophecy had been fulfilled. I told them that soon
after Joseph Smith had commenced tiie work of
translating the engravings on the plates, a man
named Martin Harris, who had befriended the pro-
phet, came to him and asked permission to take the
characters which Joseph had copied to the city of
New York, to show to a lenrnecl man there. To this
Joseph readily consented. This is what Mr. Harris
told the prophet on his return:
"J went to the city of New York, and presented the
characters which had been translated; with the »^a,nsl«.tion
thereof, to Professor Charles Anthon, a gentleman celebrated
for his literary attainments. Professor Anthon stated that
the translation was correct, more so than any he had before
scon translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those
which were not translated, and he said that they were Egypt-
ian, Chaldaic, Assyric, and Arabic; and he said they were
true characters. He gave me a certificate, certifying to the
people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that
the translation of such of them as had been translated was
also correct. I took the certificate and put it< into my pocket
and was just leaving the house when Mr. Anthon called me
back, and asked me how the young man found out that
there were gold plates in the place where he found them. I
answered that an angel of God had revealed it unto him.
He then said to me, 'Let me see that certificate.' I accord-
ingly took it out of my pocket and gave it to him, when he
took it and tore it to pieces, saying that there was no such
tiling as ministering of angels, and that if I would bring
the plates to him, he would translate them. I informed him
that part of the plates were sealed, and that I was forbidden
to bring them. He replied, 'I cannot read a" sealed book."
I left him and went to Dr. Mitchell, who sanctioned what
Professor Anthon had said respecting both the characters
and the translation.'' (See History of the Church, Vol
p. 20.)
Having shown how Isaiah's prophecy with refer-
ence to the sealed book had been fulfilled, I directed
the attention of the family to the following prophecy
made by Ezekiel:
''The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
"Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and
rs
'•
T-
TO BE THE WORD OF GOD 17
write upon it For Judah, and for the children of Israel
his companions then take another stick, and write upon
it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house
of Israel his companions :
"And join them one to another into one stick; and
they shall become one in thine hand.
"And when the children of thy people shall speak unto
thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest
by those i
"Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I
will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of
hiphraini, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put
them with 'him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them
one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
"And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine
hand before their eyes." (Ezekiel 37:15-20.)
Here was another remarkable prophecy which
had entirely escaped the attention of these good peo-
ple, notwithstanding they had read the Bible for
years. I asked them what they thought the prophet
meant by "the stick of Judah," and the mother re-
plied that, in her opinion, he referred to the Jewish
Scriptures, the Bibie. Questioned concerning "the
stick of Joseph," they confessed they knew nothing
about it. Taking up the Bible and the Book of
Mormon I held the two precious records in my hand
and said: "Behold the fulfilment of Ezekiel's pro-
phecy! Here you see 'the stick of Judah' and also
'the stick of Joseph,' and the two have become one
in my hand."
The members of the family looked at each other,
and the father said, "We have heard things this
evening we never heard before. Why has our mini-
ster not told us about these prophecies and their
fulfilment?"
I replied: "In all probability your minister does
not know about their fulfilment, hence his silence
concerning them. People cannot tell what they do
not know."
I continued: "Now in connection with the pro-
phecy which Ezekiel made concerning the two sticks
that were to be joined together, I will read y6u what
Christ said concerning two flocks of sheep which He
18 WHY I BELIEVE THE BOOK OF MORMON
had, and which He said would be gathered into one
fold. Here are His words, as recorded in the 10th
chapter of John:
' 'I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and
am known of mine.
44 'As the Father knowetli me, even so know I the
Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
4 ' 'And other sheep I have, which are not of this
fold: them also 1 must bring, arid they shall hear my voice;
and there shall be one lold, and one shepherd.' (John
10:14-16.)
"Some people entertain the erroneous belief,"
I said, "that the 'other sheep' to which Christ re-
ferred were the Gentiles, but such is not the case.
Christ did not recognize the Gentiles as His sheep;
tney did not hear His voice; His labors were confin-
ed to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' Hear the
words which He spoke to His disciples on the wes-
tern continent, as recorded in the Book of Mormon:
44 4And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom
I said, other sheep 1 have which are not of this i'old ; them
also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and
there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
44 4And they understood me not, for they supposed
it had been the Gentiles ; for they understood not that the
Gentiles should be converted through their preaching.
44 4And they understood not that I said they shall hear
my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles
should not at any time hear my voice ; that I should not
manifest myself unto them, save it were by the Holy G-host.
•4 'But, behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen
me ; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those
whom the Father hath given me.' (Ill Nephi 15:21-24.)
A member of the family said: "I am one of those
who believed that Christ referred to the Gentiles as
the other sheep which He had, but I see now that 1
was mistaken. It is true, as you have said, the Sav-
ior did not minister to the Gentiles; they did not
hear His voice; the gospel was not taken to them
until after His resurrection and ascension."
By this time the family :was deeply interested
in my message. I told them there was one more
Scripture to which I desired 'to draw their attention.
It was an extract from the account of a glorious
TO BE THE WORD OF GOD 19
vision which the Lord gave to His servant John,
while the apostle was on the Isle of Patmos. Turn-
ing to the 14th chapter of the Book of Revelation,
I read the following:
''And I s;(\v ai-.other an^-el i'h in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel to p. each unto them that dwell
on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue,
and people.
"Saving with a lond voice. Fear (iod, and give glory
to him; i'or the hour of his judgment is come: and worship
him that made heaven, and earth, :md the sea, ana the
fountains of waters.1' (John 1-1:6,7.)
The family entertained a strong belief in John's
vision — they believed that in the hour of God's judg-
ments an angel would come to earth; that he would
bring with him the everlasting gospel, which would
be preached to every nation, kindred, tongue and peo-
ple. I told my friends they were very much like the
Jews who are looking for a Savior to come that has
already come. They were looking for an angel to
come that had come; for the restoration of the gos-
pel that had been restored; for a missionary work
to commence that had been in operation for years.
I told them the heavenly messenger whom John
saw in vision was the angel Moroni, who appeared
to Joseph Smith, and revealed to him the existence
of the Book of Mormon, which contains the fulness
of the everlasting gospel, which gospel is now being
preached among the nations, "as a witness." be-
fore the end comes.
"And now, my friends," I said, "let us review
the .'Scriptures I have quoted to prove that the Book
of Mormon is a true record:
In the 49th chapter of Genesis you read the pro-
phecy which Jacob made concerning his son Joseph.
You heard how the prophecy was fulfilled when the
Lord led a company of people, descendants of Joseph,
from Jerusalem to the western continent, where they
became a great nation.
"In the 29th chapter of Isaiah you read a pro-
20 WHY I BELIEVE THE BOOK OF MORMON
phecy which had been made concerning these people
— that they would be 'brought down;' that they
would 'speak out of the ground,' and that their
speech would 'whisper out of the dust.' You
heard how this prophecy had been fulfilled in the
coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
"In the 85th Psalm you read the prophecy made
by David; namely, that truth would 'spring out of
the earth, and righteousness 'look down from heaven.'
This prophecy was fulfilled when the angel Moroni
appeared to Joseph Smith and when the Book of
Mormon came out of the earth.
"In the 29th chapter of Isaiah you read a prophecy
concerning a sealed book that was to come forth,
and you heard how the prophecy had been fulfilled
to the letter.
"In the 37th chapter of Ezekiel you read a pro-
phecy concerning two sticks — the stick of Judah and
the stick of Joseph. Here on the table lie the two
sticks referred to by the prophet — the Bible and the
Book of Mormon.
"In the 10th chapter of the gospel according to
St. John, you read the words of Christ concerning
the sheep He had which were not of the fold at
Jerusalem. I told you about these other sheep, the
sheep of the western fold, who heard the voice of
the Good Shepherd as He ministered to them after
His resurrection.
"In the 14th chapter of Revelation you read
about the glorious vision which the Lord gave to
His servant John on the Isle of Patmos, in which
the apostle saw an angel 'flying in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel, to be preached
to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.' You
heard how these things have come to pass.
"And now if you want to know if what I have
told you this evening is true, I commend to you the
words of the Prophet Moroni, engraven by him on the
gold plates a short time before his death.
TO BE THE WORD OF GOD 21
" 'Behold I would exhort you that when ye shall read
these things. It' it bo wisdom in God that ye should read
thorn, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath
been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam
even down unto the time that ye recieve these things, and
ponder it over in your hearts. And when ye shall receive
these things. I would exhort you that ye would ask
(iod, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these
things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere
heart, with real intent, having t'aith in Christ, he will mani-
fest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy
Ghost." (Moroni 10:3-5.)
"There is much additional evidence which I could
adduce to establish the divine authenticity of the
Book of Mormon, but I will let what I have sub-
mitted to you this evening suffice. If people — especial,
ly professing Christians — will not believe the pro-
phets, Christ, and the apostles, they would not be-
lieve though one should rise from the dead.
"And now, my friends, I ask, What are you go-
ing to do? Are you going to follow the example of
the Jews, who, notwithstanding all that the prophets
had written concerning Christ, rejected Him, and
brought upon themselves condemnation?"
The family purchased the Book of Mormon; they
read it carefully; they followed the advice given by
Moroni, and they received from the Father — as have
thousands of others, the writer included — the witness
of the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is indeed
and of a truth the word of God.
22 WHY I BELIEVE THE BOOK OF MORMON
The Testimony of Three Witnesses*
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues,
and people unto whom this work shall come, that we
through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord
Jesus Christ,, have seen the plates which contain this
record, which is ai record of the people of Nephi, and
also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the
people of Jared, who came from the tower of which
hath been spoken; and we also know that they have
been translated by the gift and power of God, for
his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we
know of a surety that the work is true. And we
also testify that we have seen the engravings which
are upon the plates; and they have been shewn
unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And
we declare with words of soberness, that an angel
of God came down from heaven, and he brought
and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the
plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know
that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our
Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record
that these things are true; and it is marvelous in
our eyes, nevertheless the voice of the Lord com-
manded us that we should bear record of it; where-
fore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God
we bear testimony of these things. And we know tlr.it
if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our gar-
ments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless
before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell
with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost, which is one God, Amen.
OLIVER COWDERY,
DAVID WHITHER,
MARTIN HARRIS.
TO BE THE WORD OF GOD 23
And Also the Testimony of Eight
Witnesses*
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues,
and people unto whom this work shall come, that
Joseph Smith, Jim., the translator of this work, has
shewn unto us the plates of which hath been
spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and
as many of the leaves as the said Smith has trans-
lated, we did handle with our hands; and we also
saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the
appearance of ancient work, and of curious work-
manship. And this we bear record with words of
soberness, that the said Smith Has shewn unto us,
for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety
that the said Smith has got the plates of which we
have spoken. And we give our names unto the world
to witness unto the world that which we have seen;
and we lie not, God bearing witness of it.
CHRISTIAN WHITMER,
JACOB WHITMER,
. PETER WHITMER, Jun.,
JOHN WHITMER,
HIRAM PAGE,
JOSEPH SMITH, Sen.
HYRUM SMITH,
SAMUEL H. SMITH.