THE PROPHECIES OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.
Let us now consider a few of the fulfilled prophecies of the Book of
Mormon. On page 581 it is stated: "And behold ye [the translator] may
be privileged that ye may shew the plates unto those who shall assist
to bring forth this work; and _unto three shall they be shewn by the
power of God_; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things
are true. And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be
established; and the testimony of three and this work shall stand as
a testimony against the world at the last day" (_ Ether v_. 2-4.)
In the above we have the statement that three witnesses are to be
raised up by the power of God to testify to the truth and genuineness
of the book. At the commencement of the Book of Mormon we have the
testimony of these three witnesses--Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and
Martin Harris--to the fulfillment of the above prophecy. They declare
that an angel of God came down from heaven, who brought the plates and
laid them before their eyes. "Ah, but," says our opponent, "what an
easy matter it would be for an impostor like Joseph Smith to conspire
with three other men to fulfill the prophecy?" Such a thing is quite
supposable to ignorant persons unacquainted with the matter, but
very improbable under the circumstances as already shown. Or Joseph
Smith might even have deceived three men had he shown them the plates
himself; but not all the impostors in the world could bring an angel
down from heaven, or cause the Lord to declare with His own voice
that the plates were translated by His gift and power. In this is the
utter impossibility. As we have before shown these three men under all
circumstances have borne one continuous, undeviating testimony that
they saw the angel and heard the voice, and that their testimony in the
Book of Mormon is true. No amount of sophistry can persuade the sincere
investigator into these matters that Joseph Smith had sufficient
cunning and dexterity, even if he had appliances, to deceive these
three men into the belief that they had actually seen an angel descend
from heaven and present them the plates for their examination. This is
altogether too great a stretch for the imagination of an ordinarily
sane person.
It is more difficult to select isolated passages from the prophecies of
the Book of Mormon than from those of the Bible; for as a general thing
they are so intimately associated with the context that their force,
power and meaning are surprisingly weakened when quoted alone. Among
the prophecies of Mormon's record that are partially fulfilled or are
now in process of fulfillment may be mentioned those relating to--
The carrying of the Book itself to the Indians, and their acceptance of
its truths.
The beginning of the gathering of the Jews to their ancient home in
Canaan.
The establishment of Christ's Church, and the spilling of the blood of
the Saints by the wicked.
The great increase of corruption among those who reject the gospel
message.
The formation of numerous powerful secret societies for the purpose of
murder, plunder and gain, and for the overthrowal of governments and
nations.
We append a few of these prophecies:
"And now behold, I say unto you, that when the Lord shall see
fit, in His wisdom, that these sayings shall come forth unto the
Gentiles, according to His word then ye may know that the covenant
which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning
their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already
beginning to be fulfilled" (_III. Nephi xxix_. 1).
"And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even
when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people
[the Indians]. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of
the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people; yea, even
the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out
of Jerusalem. Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed
of my people, with the Father, to prepare the way whereby they may
come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name. Yea, and
then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations, in
preparing the way whereby His people may be gathered home to the
land of their inheritance. And they shall go out from all nations;
and they shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go
before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward" (_III.
Nephi xxi_. 26-29).
"And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of
old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the
foundation of all these things; yea, the foundation of murder, and
works of darkness, yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a
flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords for ever"
(_II. Nephi xxvi_. 22).
"And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations,
to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation,
behold, they shall be destroyed, for the Lord will not suffer that
the blood of His Saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always
cry unto Him from the ground for vengeance upon them, and yet He
avenge them not;
"Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things
should be shewn unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins,
and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above
you, which are built up to get power and gain, and the work, yea,
even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword
of the justice of the eternal God shall fall upon you, to your
overthrow and destruction, if ye shall suffer these things to be;
"Wherefore the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things
come among you, that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful
situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among
you, or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been
slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also
upon those who built it up.
"For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up, seeketh to
overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it
bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up
by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar
who beguiled our first parents; yea, even that same liar who hath
caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened
the hearts of men, that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned
them, and cast them out from the beginning" (_Ether viii_. 22-25).
"And no one need say, They shall not come, for they surely shall,
for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come,
by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come
in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it
shall come even as if one should speak from the dead.
"And it shall come in a day when the blood of the Saints shall cry
unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of
darkness;
"Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be denied,
and churches become defiled, and shall be lifted up in the pride
of their hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churches, and
teachers, in the pride of their hearts, even to the envying of them
who belong to their churches" (_Mormon viii_ 26-28).
"Yea, why do you build up your secret abominations to get gain, and
cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans
to mourn before the Lord; and also the blood of their fathers and
their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance
upon your heads?
"Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon
cometh that He avengeth the blood of the Saints upon you, for He
will not suffer their cries any longer" (_Mormon viii_. 40-1).
For further information on this subject we refer our readers to
President George Q. Cannon's admirable "Life of Nephi," wherein the
prophecies of that ancient worthy are considered in much detail, and
with great care and plainness.
In conclusion to sum up the internal evidence, we will adopt the words
of Elder Orson Pratt:
"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 truth 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 contradict in the least, the predictions in 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 contradicting 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 any
thing 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 known truths, whether
religious, historical, or scientific."
APPENDIX.
MRS. MATILDA SPAULDING MCKINSTRY'S STATEMENT REGARDING THE "MANUSCRIPT
FOUND:"
WASHINGTON, D. C. April 3rd, 1880.
So much has been published that is erroneous concerning the "Manuscript
Found," written by my father, the Rev. Solomon Spaulding, and its
supposed connection with the book called the Mormon Bible, I have
willingly consented to make the following statement regarding it,
repeating all that I remember personally of this manuscript, and all
that is of importance which my mother related to me in connection with
it, at the same time affirming that I am in tolerable health and vigor,
and that my memory, in common with elderly people, is clearer in regard
to the events of my earlier years, rather than those of my maturer life.
During the war of 1812, I was residing with my parents in a little
town in Ohio called Conneaut. I was then in my sixth year. My father
was in business there, and I remember his iron foundry and the men he
had at work, but that he remained at home most of the time, and was
reading and writing a great deal. He frequently wrote little stories,
which he read to me. There were some round mounds of earth near our
house which greatly interested him, and he said a tree on the top of
one of them was a thousand years old. He set some of his men to work
digging into one of these mounds, and I vividly remember how excited he
became when he heard that they had exhumed some human bones, portions
of gigantic skeletons, and various relies. He talked with my mother
of these discoveries in the mound, and was writing every day as the
work progressed. Afterward he read the manuscript which I had seen him
writing, to the neighbors, and to a clergyman, a friend of his who came
to see him. Some of the names that he mentioned while reading to these
people I have never forgotten. They are as fresh to me to-day as though
I heard them yesterday. They were _Mormon, Maroni, Lamenite, Nephi_.
We removed from Conneaut to Pittsburg while I was still very young,
but every circumstance of this removal is distinct in my memory. In
that city my father had an intimate friend named Patterson, and I
frequently visited Mr. Patterson's library with him, and heard my
father talk about books with him. In 1816 my father died at Amity,
Pennsylvania, and directly after his death my mother and myself went
to visit at the residence of my mother's brother, William H. Sabine,
at Onondaga Valley, Onondaga county, New York. Mr. Sabine was a lawyer
of distinction and wealth, and greatly respected. We carried all our
personal effects with us, and one of these was an old trunk, in which
my mother had placed all my father's writings which had been preserved.
I perfectly remember the appearance of this trunk, and of looking
at its contents. There were sermons and other papers, and I saw a
manuscript about an inch thick, closely written, tied with some of the
stories my father had written for me, one of which he called "The Frogs
of Wyndham." On the outside of this manuscript were written the words,
"Manuscript Found." I did not read it, but looked through it and had it
in my hands many times, and saw the names I had heard at Conneaut, when
my father read it to his friends. I was about eleven years of age at
this time.
After we had been at my uncle's for some time, my mother left me there
and went to her father's house at Pomfret, Connecticut, but did not
take her furniture nor the old trunk of manuscript with her. In 1820
she married Mr. Davison, of Hartwicks, a village near Cooperstown,
New York, and sent for the things she had left at Onondaga Valley,
and I remember that the old trunk, with its contents, reach her in
safety. In 1828, I was married to Dr. A. McKinstry, of Hampden county,
Massachusetts, and went there to reside. Very soon after my mother
joined me there, and was with me most of the time until her death in
1844. We heard, not long after she came to live with me--I do not
remember just how long--something of Mormonism, and the report that
it had been taken from my father's "Manuscript Found;" and then came
to us direct an account of the Mormon meeting at Conneaut, Ohio, and
that, on one occasion, when the Mormon Bible was read there in public,
my father's brother, John Spaulding, Mr. Lake and many other persons
who were present, at once recognized its similarity to the "Manuscript
Found," which they had heard read years before by my father in the same
town.[G] There was a great deal of talk and a great deal published at
this time about Mormonism all over the country. I believe it was in
1834 that a man named Hurlburt came to my house at Monson to see my
mother, who told us that he had been sent by a committee to procure
the "Manuscript Found" written by the Rev. Solomon Spaulding, so as
to compare it with the Mormon Bible. He presented a letter to my
mother from my uncle, Wm. H. Sabine, of Onondaga Valley, in which he
requested her to loan this manuscript to Hurlburt, as he (my uncle) was
desirous "to uproot" (as he expressed it) "this Mormon fraud." Hurlburt
represented that he had been a convert to Mormonism, but had given it
up, and through the "Manuscript Found" wished to expose its wickedness.
My mother was careful to have me with her in all the conversations she
had with Hurlburt, who spent a day at my house. She did not like his
appearance, and mistrusted his motives, but having great respect for
her brother's wishes and opinions, she reluctantly consented to his
request. The old trunk, containing the desired "Manuscript Found," she
had placed in the care of Mr. Jerome Clark, of Hartwicks, when she
came to Monson, intending to send for it. On the repeated promise of
Hurlburt to return the manuscript to us, she gave him a letter to Mr.
Clark to open the trunk and deliver it to him. We afterward heard that
he had received it from Mr. Clark, at Hartwicks, but from that time we
have never had it in our possession, and I have no present knowledge
of its existence, Hurlburt never returning it or answering letters
requesting him to do so. Two years ago I heard he was still living in
Ohio, and with my consent he was asked for the "Manuscript Found." He
made no response, although we have evidence that he received the letter
containing the request. So far I have stated facts within my knowledge.
My mother mentioned many other circumstances to me in connection with
this subject which are interesting, of my father's literary tastes,
his fine education and peculiar temperament. She stated to me that she
had heard the manuscript alluded to read by my father, was familiar
with its contents, and she deeply regretted that her husband, as she
believed, had innocently been the means of furnishing matter for a
religious delusion. She said that my father loaned this "Manuscript
Found" to Mr. Patterson, of Pittsburg, and that when he returned it to
my father, he said: "Polish it up, finish it, and you will make money
out of it." My mother confirmed my remembrances of my father's fondness
for history, and told me of his frequent conversations regarding a
theory which he had of a prehistoric race which had inhabited this
continent, etc., all showing that his mind dwelt on this subject. The
"Manuscript Found," she said, was a romance written in Biblical style,
and that while she heard it read she had no special admiration for it
more than other romances he wrote and read to her. We never, either
of us, ever saw, or in any way communicated with the Mormons, save
Hurlburt, as above described; and while we have no personal knowledge
that the Mormon Bible was taken from the "Manuscript Found," there are
many evidences to us that it was and that Hurlburt and others at the
time thought so. A convincing proof to us of this belief was that my
uncle, William H. Sabine, had undoubtedly read the manuscript while it
was in his house, and his faith that its production would show to the
world that the Mormon Bible had been taken from it, or was the same
with slight alterations. I have frequently answered questions that have
been asked by different persons regarding the "Manuscript Found," but
until now have never made a statement at length for publication.
(Signed)
M. S. McKINSTRY.
Sworn and subscribed to before this 3rd day of April, A. D. 1880, at
the city of Washington, D. C.
CHARLES WALTER, Notary Public.
[Footnote G: A gentleman who resided near Conneaut at that time stated,
soon after the first publication of this story regarding Mr. John
Spaulding, that he (J. S.) never lived in Conneaut to the writer's most
positive knowledge.]