MORIANCUMER--BUILDING THE BARGES--THE FINGER OF THE LORD--THE
APPEARING OF THE SAVIOR--THE VOYAGE.
Led by the Lord personally, instructed by his own mouth, protected by
his presence, the colony, of which Jared's brother appears to have been
the prophet and leader, at last reached the borders of the great sea
which divides the continents. To the place where they tarried they gave
the name of Moriancumer. Here they remained for a period of four years,
at the end of which time the Lord again visited the brother of Jared
in a cloud and chastened him and his brethren because of their neglect
to call upon his name. Repentance followed this reproof, and on their
repentance their sins were forgiven them.
The brother of Jared was then commanded by the Lord to build eight
barges, after the same pattern as those he had previously constructed.
This command he obeyed with the assistance of the company. The vessels
were small, light in construction and water tight. As they were dark in
the interior, by reason of being without windows, the Lord, at the
entreaty of the brother of Jared, touched sixteen small white stones,
which the latter had moulten out of a high mountain called Shelem; and
after the Lord touched them they shone forth and gave light to the
vessels in which they were placed. When the Lord put forth this finger
to touch these stones, the veil was taken from the eyes of the brother
of Jared and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of
a man, like unto flesh and blood. Then the brother of Jared fell down
before the Lord, for he was struck with fear, and because of the faith
which the brother of Jared possessed the Lord not only permitted him to
see his finger but showed himself to him.
[Illustration: APPEARANCE OF CHRIST TO THE BROTHER OF JARED.]
Furthermore, he said, Behold, I am he who was prepared from the
foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ.
I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have light, and
that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall
become my sons and my daughters. And never have I showed myself unto
man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast.
Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men
were created in the beginning, after mine own image. Behold, this body,
which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created
after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in
spirit, will I appear unto my people in the flesh.
All things being prepared, Jared and his people, with their animals,
fishes, bees, seeds and multitudinous other things, went on board;
a favorable wind wafted them from shore, and they gradually drifted
to the American coast. At the end of the voyage of three hundred and
forty-four days the colony landed on this continent. It is generally
understood that the place where they landed was south of the Gulf of
California and north of the isthmus of Panama.