CHAPTER V.
[first of two chapter V's -- see also p. 54]

If any man is curious to know the origin of the American Indian, he has it here.
"That inasmuch, as they will not hearken unto thy words they shall be cutt off
from the presence of the Lord." This is prophecy that Nephi pretends to repeat
as coming from the Lord, against all those who would not hearken to him as their
ruler. Nephi describes the Lamanites as being very white, fair, and delightsome,
and very enticing to his people. "Therefore the Lord God did cause a skin of black
to come upon them." -- "And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with
their seed p. 75.
The known habits and characteristics of the Indian, are briefly set forth, in order
to satisfy the credulous inquirer. "And thirty years have passed away from the
time we left Jerusalem." p. 73. Jacob and Joseph are now consecrated priests.
It may not be improper to examine this subject of consecrating priests out of the
families to which they belonged; and it will be recollected, that, according to the
account given by the author, that neither Jacob nor Joseph were yet thirty years
old. God made a covenant with the Jews at Sinai, and instituted three orders, the
high priests, priests, and Levites. The high priesthood was made hereditary in the
family of Aaron, and the first born of the eldest branch of that family, if he had
no legal blemish, was the high priest. "Thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and
they shall wait on the priest's office, and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be
put to death." -- Numb. chap. III, 10.
The priesthood was conferred upon the tribe of Levi, and the covenant gave them
the office, and it was irrevocable
48
while the temple stood, or until the Messiah came. "And the priests, the sons of
Levi, shall come near, for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto
him, and to bless in the name of the Lord, and by their word shall every
controversy and every stroke be tried." -- Deut. XXI, 5. Korah, Dathan, and
Abiram, with two hundred and fifty men of renown, rebelled against the institution
of the priesthood, and the Lord destroyed them in the presence of the whole
congregation. This was to be a memorial that no stranger invade any part of the
office of priesthood, Numbers XIV, 40. Fourteen thousand seven hundred of the
people were destroyed by a plague, for murmuring against this memorial. Even
Paul declared, that Christ, while on earth, could not be a priest, for he descended
from a tribe concerning which Moses spake nothing of priesthood. So fixed was
this covenant in regard to the priesthood in Levi and of the high priesthood to
Aaron, that even the Savior was excluded by the law!
Our author being ignorant on this subject, makes Lehi the offspring of Joseph, and
represents him as "offering sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord," p. 15. And
to cap the climax of absurdity, after preaching faith and repentance as the only
way of salvation, from the very commencement of the campaign, Nephi tells us,
"Notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look with
steadiness unto Christ until the law shall be fulfilled."!!! p. 105. In answer, to the
above difficulty, into which the author has plunged himself, the priests say that
Lehi's priesthood was of the order of Melchisedic. -- In what way the laws of
Moses could be kept under a new order of priesthood, we cannot determine. Paul
says "For that after the similitude of Melchisedic, there ariseth another priest,
who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power
of an endless life." Heb. VII, 13-16.
49
Here then the matter is set at rest, that a priest after the order of Melchisedec
could not exist under the law, nor could such a priest offer sacrifices and burnt
offerings, nor could the law of Moses, in any sense, be fulfilled without the three
orders of priesthood. From what has been seen, the opinions of Paul, and the law
of Moses, are at direct issue with the Book of Mormon.
Jacob and Joseph having been consecrated priests, they commence the duties
of their holy office, with a few prefatory remarks, interlarded with quotations from
the prophecies, p. 74.
The 50th and 51st chapters of Isaiah, is inserted at full length for our relief.
Whether the quotation was made as a matter of necessity by the young priest,
or as being appropriate, we cannot determine from the connection in which it
stands.
The choice in the quotation is certainly a good one, and is a great relief to the
reader. The sublimity of sentiment and poetic style of Isaiah, is truly captivating,
and in what manner it became inserted, according to the diction and phraseology
of King James' translators, is, with us, a mystery -- unless it was copied. Why not
in the translation of J. Wicliffe, and Jude Travisa, of Tindale, and Cloverdale, of
Luther, and of half a dozen others we might mention? Perhaps the author had
not, while composing the Book of Mormon, any of the above copies; and he might
not have known that any such translations were ever made.
After the accurate quotation from Isaiah, Joseph, who is now preaching,
anticipates the apostle Paul in his own language, nearly, on the subject of the
resurrection, baptism, and repentance, and many other leading points upon which
he was so pre-eminent for his clearness of thought and doctrine. We should
conclude from the manner in which the quotations are made, that it was done by
the author
50
from recollection, and that he had a tolerable knowledge of the gospel doctrine.
The following are a few of the sentences quoted, or, as is pretended, that Joseph
is the original author of, instead of the apostle, or the Savior. -- "They which are
filthy, are filthy still," "and they shall go away into everlasting fire," p. 80. "And
he commanded all men that they must repent," "And where there is no law
given, there is no punishment, and where there is no punishment there is no
condemnation." p. 81.
There are a variety of other sentences in this sermon which are taken
promiscuously from the Old and New Testaments. Who can be credulous enough
to believe, that a preacher, five hundred and fifty years before the ministry of the
Savior and his apostles, who taught the way of salvation, did preach and instruct
not only the same principles, but the very words and phrases were used to
convey the sentiments which are found in the evangelical writings?
Nephi next takes the stand, and testifies roundly to the truths which Joseph, his
brother, had been preaching, and adds that they both had seen the Savior, and
he had declared that he would send his word forth to the people of Nephi.
"Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said I will establish my word." Who
the three are, here referred to, we cannot say. It may be Oliver Cowdery, David
Whitmer, and Martin Harris, who are appended to the Book of Mormon, to
establish its divine authenticity; and they may be the important three, selected
out of the three American apostles. The chapter of miracles will reconcile all this.
Nephi says "his soul delights in the words of Isaiah," and he says he will write
some of them for the benefit of his people, that they may "rejoice for all men,"
p. 86. -- Thirteen chapters of Isaiah are then copied, commencing with the
second chapter.
Nephi, after the quotation from Isaiah, comments upon it,
51
and concludes by offering to prophecy a little plainer, so that all could understand
him. The doctrines which are found in the new Testament, in relation to the
coming Messiah, and his rejection by the Jews, is explained; a task not very
difficult for any one in the nineteenth century. Nephi says it had been told him
concerning the destruction which came upon those who remained in Jerusalem,
immediately after his father had left it, and that they then were destroyed, and
carried captive into Babylon, p. 103.
We have been told by our authors, a number of times, that Christ would make his
appearance just six hundred years after Lehi left Jerusalem, and we have been
told, likewise, that Lehi, and his family, travelled eight years about the borders
of the Red sea, in the wilderness, after which time Nephi builds his ship. And
between thirty and fifty-five years, after the crusade commenced, he tells the
people that Jerusalem is destroyed, and the Jews carried captive into Babylon.
According to history, and according to Jeremiah, in the ninth year of the reign of
Zedekiah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, besieged
Jerusalem, which was six hundred and six years before the christian era. Here we
see the ignorant author has made too great a mistake, for, according to the Bible,
Jerusalem must have been besieged six years before the pretended departure of
Lehi from Jerusalem, and the city destroyed, and the Jews carried captive into
Babylon, four years and six months, for the siege lasted only eighteen months. So
much for dates, which are given by Mormon inspiration.
We will give for the benefit of our readers, a specimen of Mormon inspired
language. "And behold it shall come to pass, after the Messiah hath risen from
the dead, and hath manifested himself unto his people, unto as many as will
believe on his name, behold Jerusalem shall be destroyed
52
again; for woe unto them that fight against God and the people of his church",
p. 104.
In the valedictory of Nephi, we have the doctrines of salvation through Jesus
Christ preached, and about twenty pages of the book are taken up. A great many
of the incidents which transpired in the days of our Savior, is prophetically
mentioned, together with the reasons why it was necessary to baptize Christ, p.
108. We are likewise told, in the same discourse, that the plates, or book, would
be sealed up, and should finally be found by an unlearned man, who should see
them, and show them to three others, and then hide them again, for the use of
the Lord. All this the Mormons believe that their prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr.
translated, and as having been engraved by the hand of Nephi, on plates of
brass, two thousand four hundred years ago! (when the plates were hid by Smith,
but did not know where,) by means of a stone in a hat! Before Nephi concludes
to die, he appoints a king over his people which they call second Nephi, p. 124.
The ignorance of the author, has caused the sceptre to depart from Judah,
hundreds of years before Shiloh came. It must be recollected, that all their people
were Jews, living under the law, to the fulfilling of it, and preaching the Gospel,
baptism, and repentance, making priests out of those families, concerning which
Moses spake nothing of priesthood, and kings, contrary to the blessings of Jacob,
which he pronounced upon Judah.
Nephi prophecies that after the book of which he has spoken shall be found, and
written unto the Gentiles, and afterwards sealed up again unto the Lord, many
would believe and carry the tidings to the remnant of their seed, which is the
Lamanites, or the aborigines, and that they were of the Jewish parentage, and
that they had had the Gospel preached to them six hundred years before there
was a gospel.
53
"And it came to pass, that the Jews which are scattered also shall begin to
believe in Christ; and they shall begin to gather in upon the face of the land, and
as many as shall believe in Christ, shall also become a delightsome people," p.
117.
From the above prophecies, we may expect to see our Indians and the Jews
flocking in, becoming Mormons, and the former laying aside their dark skins for
white ones.
The prophecies continue, and inform us that at this time, the Lord will commence
his work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, in order to restore
them; and that great divisions will take place among the people, and terrible
anathemas are pronounced against those who will not become Mormons, and
quotes Isaiah's poetic description of the commencement of the Millennium, p. 117.
"The sin against the Holy Ghost is defined as follows" after repentance, baptism
by water, and by fire, and by the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue,
and with the tongue of angels, and then deny the Savior, the unpa rdonable sin
is committed, p. 119. He tells the people he is not "mighty in writing like unto
speaking," p. 121. For he says that he speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost.
-- We know not what kind of a speaker he was, but we have a sample of the
author's composition, and we should readily concur with him that the inspiration
of God had no agency in the composition. The Evangelists both spoke and wrote
by inspiration, as we believe; at all events we find no apology made by them for
not being able to convey their ideas, for want of language. Our author finally
closes his sermon by making his hero possess the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and as having the power to seal on earth, etc. p. 122.