Say unto the righteous, that Say ye unto the righteous, that
it is well with them; for they _it shall be_ well _with him_; for they
shall eat the fruit of their doings. shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Woe unto the wicked! for they Woe unto the wicked! _it shall
shall perish; for the reward of be ill with him_; for the reward
of their hands shall be upon of his hands shall be given
them.--_II Nephi xiii_, 10, 11. him.--_Isaiah iii_, 10, 11.
I think it will be readily conceded that the above passage as it stands
in the Book of Mormon is much superior to the version given in our
common Bible, indeed it is so throughout, and when it is remembered
that Joseph Smith and those who assisted in translating that work were
most likely uniformed as to the supplied words of the translators being
written in italics, it is an incidental evidence that those passages
in the Book of Mormon to which are found corresponding passages in
the Bible were not merely copied from the Bible, but in the Book of
Mormon we have really another translation of those passages taken from
original records of the Hebrews, uncorrupted by the hand of man, and
hence more perfect.
One suggestion more I would make to the readers of the Book of Mormon,
and that is that they read it prayerfully, with a real desire to know
if it is of God. If they will peruse it with that desire in their
hearts, I am sanguine that the Spirit of God which searches all things,
yea, the deep things of God, will bear witness to their understanding
that the book is of divine origin, and they will have a witness from
God of its truth. Such a promise, in fact, is contained within the
book itself. When Moroni--into whose keeping the plates of the Book of
Mormon were given--was closing up the sacred record previous to hiding
it up unto the Lord until the time should come for it to be revealed as
a witness for God, he engraved the following passage on the plates as
words of counsel to those into whose hands the record should fall:
And when ye shall receive these things (i.e., the things written
in the Book of Mormon) I would exhort you that ye would ask God,
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 faith in {161} Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto
you by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy
Ghost ye may know the truth of all things (Moroni x, 4, 5).
Here, then, is a means by which every person into whose hands the Book
of Mormon falls may find out for himself, not from human testimony, not
from the deductions of logic, but through the power of the Holy Ghost,
whether the Book of Mormon is of divine origin or not. This test must
be final, either for or against it, to every individual who complies
with the conditions enjoined by Moroni. Those conditions are, that they
into whose hands the record falls shall inquire of God with a sincere
heart, with real intent, and having faith in Christ; and to those who
so proceed he promises without equivocation that they shall receive a
manifestation of its truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore,
if these directions are complied with faithfully and honestly, and the
manifestation follows not, then they may know it is not of God. If
the manifestation comes, of course the divine origin of the book is
confirmed, for the Holy Ghost would not confirm by any manifestation
of its power an imposition. Therefore, reader, whoever you may be,
undertake the reading of the Book of Mormon with a prayerful heart, and
you will find in it a new volume of Scripture to you, a treasury of
sacred knowledge able to make you wise unto salvation.
_"We believe that no government can exist in peace, except
such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each
individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control
of property and the protection of life."_
--_Joseph Smith, The Prophet_.
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