CHAPTER III.
THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED.

The "Book of Mormon," is divided into a number of books, each one purporting to
have been written by different individuals upon plates of brass, so far as the
history of Lehi, the founder of the vast settlements which were situated on the
isthmus of Darien, were concerned; and upon plates of gold, so far as it relates
to one Jared and his posterity, who were not confounded at the destruction of
Babel. but were miraculously navigated by the hand of the Lord across the ocean.
The history of Lehi and his posterity, commences in the reign of Zedekiah, King
of Judah, six hundred years before the Christian era, abd ends about four hundred
years afterwards, which concludes the history, or fiction.
The whole work is written in a miserable attempt to imitate the style of King
James the first, and the sameness is such, and the tautology of phrases from the
beginning to the end of the work, that no one can be left in doubt in identifying
the whole with one individual author. We are not aware that the style of king
James is better calculated to reveal the will of Heaven, than is the
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modern and more refined language; but is a strong evidence against the work now
under our consideration. If God chose to reveal himself, it would be reasonable to
expect that it would be done definitely, and in such language as could be easily
understood by all; and why this long circumlocution of history? it has nothing to
do with salvation. Christ, nor the inspired writers of the new testament, furnish
no such example; the bare facts of the plan of redemption is set before us, and
a few self evident rules to govern our moral conduct.
The first book is entitled "the book of Nephi," and commences its narrative with
the departure of Lehi from Jerusalem. He had four sons, Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and
Nephi; the last of whom is the principal hero in the present book, and the
historian. He is a scholar, an engraver, and a worker of metals; for he says:
"Behold I make an abridgment of the record of my father, upon plates of brass,
which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after that I have abridged
the record of my father, then will I make an account of mine own life." Lehi
dreams marvelous dreams previous to his departure from Jerusalem, and sees
wonderful visions. He goes about prophesying of the great calamities that await
the Jews, and warns them to flee from the wrath to come. The people become
vindictive at his clamor, and threaten his destruction.
To rescue Lehi, and to bring about wonderful events, God warns him to flee into
the wilderness, and leave all his great possessions, his gold and his silver, and
take nothing with him but his family, his tents, and provisions. A miserable
condition for the wilderness indeed; no clothing, no weapons, nor tools to make
them with.
The command is obeyed, and he travels until he arrives on the borders of the Red
sea. The three elder
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brothers become disaffected, probably from their adversity and privations, and
accuse the father with being visionary, &c. Nephi represents himself as being a
particular favorite with the Lord, (or his narrator does for him) for he says: "And
it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceeding young, nevertheless being large
in stature, and also having great desires to know the mysteries of God," &c. God
blesses him, and makes a covenant with him, and promises him a choice land,
which is above all others. -- p. 9. Nephi is commanded by his father, together
with his three brothers, to go back to Jerusalem, to the house of one Laban, who
has in his possession a record of the Jews, engraven on plates of brass, as he is
informed by the Lord in a dream; and that it likewise contained the genealogy of
his ancestors. Nephi is ready to obey, and by some little persuasion, the four
brothers embark for the plates at Jerusalem. Laban, who has them in possession,
refuses to give the plates to the embassadores. But Nephi was not to be foiled.
Two unsuccessful attempts are made, and, the third time, Nephi finds Laban
drunk within the walls of the city, and says: "And I, Nephi, beheld his sword, and
I drew it forth from the sheath thereof, and the hilt thereof was of pure gold,
and the workmanship thereof was exceeding fine; and I saw the blade thereof
was of most precious steel." p. 12.
This is the earliest account of steel to be found in history. Alexander the Great,
who lived about three hundred years after the period here spoken of, employed
iron for points to his implements of war, as Josephus tells us; and the same
author says, that he complained that his weapons were so easily blunted; now,
if steel had been in use, either at Rome, Jerusalem, or Damascus, at the time here
spoken of, in Alexander's time it would have been common, and he would have
used it for his weapons instead of
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iron. Damascus was once famous for manufacturing swords, but it was long after
the Christian era. A coarse kind of steel, or iron carbonated, was used in the days
of Julius Caesar, about one hundred years before Christ.
The covenant with Nephi gives him a choice land. And again he says that his
father has obtained a promise from the Lord that he should have a choice land,
p. 14. Whether these are separate lands, we are left to conjecture. If they are
the same, one of the promises is gratuitous; because when the Lord covenanted
with Abraham, he promised him the land of Canaan, which should be inherited by
his posterity forever. It is true, the covenant was renewed with Jesus; but he
was the rightful heir. If the Lord had have covenanted with Abraham, and with
Isaac, for a land, we should naturally infer that they were different countries,
especially if the covenant had been made with Isaac first. Nephi says the promise
of the choice land, is to him, exclusively, as can be seen on page 9: consequently
each have a separate land. But the sequel of the fiction informs us, that they all
embark into one ship, -- land on this side of the Atlantic, and dwell together until
Lehi dies.
Nephi says, he drew forth the sword of Laban, and cut his head off, which
enabled him afterwards to obtain the plates by false pretences and deception.
Thus we see the author would have us believe, that the Lord sometimes
accomplishes his designs by murder and lying.
Lehi receives the plates from his sons, -- examines them. and finds to his great
satisfaction, that he is a descendant from Joseph, the son of Jacob.
"And now, when my father saw all these things, he was filled with
the spirit, and began to prophecy concerning his seed; that these
plates of brass should go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues
and people, which were of his seed. Wherefore, he said
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that these plates of brass should never perish, neither shall they
be dimmed any more by time." p. 15.
The above plates have not been found; if they have, we have not been furnished
with a translation.
Nephi, and his brethren, are again sent back to Jerusalem, to bring with them into
the wilderness, a man by the name of Ishmael, and his family, which consists of
daughters and sons enough, to furnish each family with husbands and wives.
They all arrive in the wilderness, and very soon a quarrel ensues between the
different individuals of the families, which Nephi settles in a most masterly
manner; after which, the males of both families take wives, with which the
provident author has kindly provided them.
The three next pages, to wit: 18, 19, and 20, are taken up in relating a marvelous
dream, or vision, in which Laman and Lemuel are represented as being finally
apostates, and would be cut off.
Nephi informs us, that he is at that time employed in engraving, or writing, on the
plates, which he now names after himself; and whether the plates of Laban are
included, we are not told, nor are we informed how they we re disposed of. The
plates, hereafter, are called the plates of Nephi, p. 21.
A little further, on the same page, he says he has a commandment from the Lord,
to make plates for the special purpose of making a record of his own ministry, and
of his own people.
Here our hero introduces himself as a minister, and as having the charge of a
people -- he is in the wilderness destitute of any thing, nothing but tents and
provisions, every thing was left behind, gold, silver, no metals or tools as a matter
of course, but the command to make his plates is obeyed. We shall be compelled
to institute a chapter of
28
miracles in order to account for the manner of making brass plates in the
wilderness, without tools or metals, and likewise to satisfy our readers upon many
other points in our review. Miracles will account for any thing, however ridiculous,
whenever our minds preponderate in favor of the subject to which the story may
be attached. Any thing, however preponderous and false it may be, if believed to
be of divine origin, needs no evidence, because nothing is impossible with Deity.
Lehi comes out with a marvelous prophecy, considering the period in which it is
made; not so much on account of the prophecy as the language, in which he
uses to express it. After the doctrine of the fall is explained, he speaks of the
Messiah, and calls John by name, and quotes the words from Isaiah, or Matthew's
gospel: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make his paths straight;" and
continues, "for there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; and he is
mightier than I, whom shoes' latchet I am not worthy to unloose." -- John 1,
26-27. Here is another miracle in choosing the exact language of King James'
translation, more than two thousand years before it was arranged, and six
hundred before the sentiment was uttered. The plan of redemption is explained
at the same time, and the only way of salvation proclaimed; consequently the law
was abrogated at that time, and the Nephites were christians. The prophets of
the old testament, doubtless, had very clear views of the promised Messiah, and
of the atonement through his blood. But that they preached the law, and felt
themselves bound by it, we never entertained a doubt. In the wise dispensations
of God, man was not to avail himself of the redeeming doctrines of the gospel,
until the time was fully come, when Christ was to appear to fulfill the law, and
offer mercy through grace. Christ must appear on earth -- die, and be raised from
the dead,
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before all was fulfilled, as the sacred writers understood it, and taught the
disciples, and the world of mankind. If it were possible for the plan of redemption
to have been unfolded, without the actual appearance of Christ in the flesh, why
did not the patriarchs with whom God made his covenants, and his promises,
preach redemption through the atonement, instead of sacrifices and ceremonies?
But we are informed by this same prophet Lehi, that "all mankind was in a lost,
and in a fallen state; and ever would be, save they should rely on this
Redeemer." p. 22. From the last paragraph, the author views the matter in the
same light with us. that is. that the Christian religion was revealed and made
known to the Nephites, six hundred years before the advent of Jesus Christ. Lehi
speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the
son of God. 'And the son of God was the Messiah.' Let us compare the above
sentiments with the declarations and views of the inspired writers of the New
Testament. "But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
father," &c. John XV, 26. From this we should infer, that the Holy Ghost was yet
in anticipation, because he is promised; and to confirm our view of this subject,
we will cite a few other passages. "It is expedient for you that I go away; for if
I go not away the comforter will not come unto you," John XIV, 7. "And when he
is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."
John 16, 8. "But ye shall receive, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you,"
Acts 1, 8. In the second chapter of the Acts, we find all the above promises
fulfilled.
Lehi continues his preaching, speaks of John and of the Virgin Mary, and calls her
the "mother of God," and declares the way to salvation, by Jesus Christ, through
faith and repentance, p. 25. All the prophets of old, were far behind our Lehi, and
they prophecied falsely too, if our
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book of Mormon is true, according to our appreciation of the doctrines which they
taught. If any one can reconcile the contradictions and incongruities between the
sacred writings and Lehi's prophecies, we should be gratified to hear it, and will
be among the first to acknowledge our misconceptions and error. We are among
the last who would be willing to vilify, and ridicule, any thing that is counted
sacred, without the best evidence of its falsehood and imposition. We consider,
and believe, the prophecies and doctrines of the Bible of divine origin, and any
thing which contravenes its precepts, or its revelations, will be regarded by us as
false.
Our hero, Nephi, next presents himself in the drama, as a dreamer and a prophet,
and is more explicit as to particular incidents than his father. In his vision, he is
made acquainted with all the particulars of our Savior's birth and life, to his
baptism, which he witnesses, and sees the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a
dove, and abide upon him. It is worthy of remark, that no circumstance is
mentioned by Nephi, in relation to the life and ministry of our Savior, only what
can be found in the New Testament. Very little is said by the evangelists of Jesus
Christ, between the time of his birth and his entering upon the ministry. But we
might expect some little incidents from such a revelation as the book of Mormon,
which would throw some light upon that interesting subject, which is not to be
found in the New Testament. It furnishes to us good evidence that the author
was guided by the new Testament, when his low and licentious imagination
conceived, and brought to light the "Book of Mormon." He could not, nor dared
not, fabricate any thing, for fear of detection, which could not be found in the
historical part of the sacred writings. But upon any thing which pertains to
spiritual affairs , and is not susceptible of contradiction, only through the medium
of reason, every license is taken by our author.
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Nephi's vision gives us a poor account of the corruptions of the Roman church,
showing that the author understood very little of church History. The name of
Jesus Christ is mentioned on page 28, and of John, the apostle, page 35. Nephi's
vision takes up about ten pages, from page 25, and gives, as his own views, a
cursory account of the popular doctrines which have been agitated since the
Reformation. To give credit to the pretence, that Nephi, living six hundred years
before the christian era, could, or would, have had the name of Jesus and John
revealed in preference to any other prophet, is repugnant to common sense, and
in direct violence to the universal belief of those who have ever been
distinguished for piety, and a critical knowledge of the holy Bible. Besides, we
cannot reconcile a view of revealed truth, with a disquisition on Church schisms,
such as we find in Nephi's vision. If the Book of Mormon is a revealed truth from
God, we are compelled, irresistibly, to conclude, that Paul was mistaken when he
said the twelve apostles of the Lamb, developed certain secrets which were hid
from ages and generations, and were ordained before the world to their glory,
that they should have the honor of announcing them. But our author pretends
that Nephi, together with sundry other prophets which he has created, had the
whole christian system developed to them, many centuries before the twelve
apostles, of which Paul speaks, had the honor of announcing it, and preaching it
to a set of Jews, who had been miraculously landed on, or near the Isthmus of
Darien. Not only this, if we are to take the brass plate revelation for sacred truth,
we must infer that there has been a great deficiency in the record of our Savior's
mission, or that he did not exhibit his truths while here, as fully, and as clearly as
he did to these Nephites, through their prophets; and consequently left the world
in darkness, to grope their way in superstition and ignorance, until the mineral-rod
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necromancy of Joseph Smith, Jun. searching after Robert Kidd's money, which
was buried in Manchester, Ontario county, New York, found the plates of Nephi,
which had been buried there one thousand four hundred and twenty-eight years.
How long he kept them, we are not informed; but they were taken from him, and
hid up again by the Lord, so that no divination, nor legerdemain, will enable him
to find them.
"And it came to pass," says Nephi, "that the voice of the Lord spake unto my
father, and commanded him, that on the morrow he should take his journey into
the wilderness. And it came to pass, that as my father arose in the morning, and
went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the
ground, a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within
the ball were two spindles, and the one pointed the way whither we should go
into the wilderness." Which way the other pointed, we are not told, but probably
the way they should not go. If this ball was a compass, as we are hereafter told
by the author, many improvements have been made upon that instrument, except
in the construction of the negative spindle, since that time. But what is most
ridiculous, is, that it was a fine brass ball, and yet the spindles could be seen to
traverse in the inside of it. Perhaps Lehi had a stone which favored his vision, and
enabled him to look into opaque bodies as well as into futurity.
The revealing stone, and the stone spectacles, will hereafter be described, which
will account for many wonderful things without searching into the chapter of
miracles.
From page 39 to 42, is principally taken up in giving an account of eight year's
travels, following the direction of one of the spindles through the wilderness. It
traversed eastwardly and southeastwardly, bringing them all safely on the borders
of the Red sea, with the exception of Ishmael, who dies in the mean time.
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Nephi is now commanded by the Lord, to repair to the top of a mountain, where
he sees a vision, in which he is informed that he must build a ship, and where he
can find ore from which to manufacture tools. We are now presented with our
hero in a new character, -- that of a ship-builder. So that in his youth he is a
scholar, a historian, a worker of metals, a ship-carpenter, a prophet and a priest.
It now seems that ore and tools are necessary, in order to construct a ship; but
to make plates of brass, neither ore, tools, nor metals were essential. Six pages
are next occupied in giving an account of quarrels between Nephi and his
brethren. But Nephi, in the mean time, builds a ship contrary to the opinions of
his brothers, and the rational inference is, that he makes his own tools out of ore,
and builds the ship without assistance from any one. It requires some little
stretch of credulity, to believe that Nephi done all the above work, such as
making iron from ore, and converting it into steel, and then making the tools
necessary to build a ship, without tools with which to do it. The manner in which
he built the ship, he accounts for in the following language: -- "Now, I, Nephi, did
not work the timbers after the manner of men, &c. but I did build it after the
manner which the Lord did teach me," p. 47. -- How long he was in
accomplishing this great work, we cannot learn; but if all was done by a miracle,
as the author intimates, we can see no necessity for any interference on the part
of Nephi, but give to him the glory who accomplished the work.
The patriarch Noah, had special directions for building the ark, the kind of wood,
&c., and he built it after the model given him, and he had many years in which to
accomplish it. And we have good reason to believe that the work was done in the
same manner as other ships were built, and that he employed workmen to aid him
in it. Nephi
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arrogates to himself a great preference with the Lord, over the patriarch Noah.
Lehi, and all his host, after the ship is completed by our hero, go on board, and
immediately embark for the promised land. But the wicked dispositions of Laman
and Lemuel would not allow the crew to remain peace. A mutiny takes place on
ship board, and our hero and admiral was taken and bound so tight that he could
not move. But the Lord is represented as being on Nephi's side, and a remedy was
at hand at once. The famous brass ball-compass ceased to traverse! "and they
knew not whither to steer the ship, insomuch, that there arose a great storm,
yea, a great and terrible tempest." We will leave the reader to draw the
inference, whether the terrible storm arose from the abuse of Nephi, or, because
the compass would not traverse! p. 48.
If the bare statement of a succession of miracles, such as have been recorded
thus far in the Book of Mormon, unaccompanied by any testimony, or carrying
with it any plausible probability of truth, entitles the work to the credit of Divine
authenticity, we have already failed in our attempt to prove it a fiction. But we
apprehend our readers will not receive the ridiculous story of Nephi, although it
be clothed in the mantle of sanctity, without first instituting a critical enquiry and
comparing the probabilities with the sacred truths of Holy Writ.
We might have mentioned, that Lehi had two sons born in the wilderness, after
he departed from Jerusalem. The oldest was called Jacob, and the other Joseph;
these two sons are somewhat important personages in the como-tragedy
hereafter.
To return to our crew. Finding the compass would not traverse, they get
frightened, and set Nephi at liberty; the magnet again operates -- the seas
become calm -- and every
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thing quiet. Whether the ship had sails, or was propelled by oars, or by a current,
or by the will, or by the power of the spindle, we cannot inform our readers, for
it is not stated. But Nephi, or the author, says that they all landed safely on the
promised land.
"And it came to pass, that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed
in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forest of every kind, both the
cow and the ox." p. 48. More miracles to substantiate the divine authenticity of
the Book of Mormon. We had supposed that oxen were the result of a surgical
operation upon bulls, changing their nature, in order to render them docile and
useful to man; and nothing can be more ludicrous than to suppose the matchless
power of the Almighty, had interfered with these animals in the wilderness, and
caused the transformation of them as represented.
Nephi is again commanded to manufacture more plates to engrave upon, and in
this land of promise materials are plenty. The art of making them without
materials is probably lost. Gold, silver and copper ores are found, and no other
mentioned, but brass plates can be made, doubtless, by Nephi out of gold, silver,
and copper ores, as well as out of nothing, as he must have done before he
navigated the tribe across the ocean. p. 50.
We are next presented with a recapitulation of the prophecies of Lehi, in relation
to the coming of our Savior, together with a fictitious quotation from the
prophecies conceived by our author, and brought forth in his own miserable,
barren style. "To be lifted up according to the words of Zenoch, and to be
crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, and
according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of
darkness." Here we are presented with three new prophets, which were known
to our hero,
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prophecying of the most important events which have ever transpired, or ever
will. The last of which uttered a falsehood, he speaks of three days of darkness
at the time of the crucifixion, p. 51. The evangelists in the New Testament,
state, that there was a darkness over the land from the sixth to the ninth hour,
varying from three hours to three days. Profane history, likewise, corroborates
the statement made by the evangelists. If such prophets as Zenoch, Neum, and
Zenos, had ever existed, would not there have been some trace left, or allusion
made, either in sacred or profane writing respecting them! The known
characteristic of the Jews, from time immemorial, is conclusive evidence that
these prophets are fictitious characters. The Jews have ever been distinguished
for their tenacity to their traditions and religion. They have ever held their
prophets in the highest veneration, particula rly those who spake clearly of the
coming Messiah
We are now relieved by the author, from the coarse style in which the book is
written, by the introduction of the 48th and 49th chapters of Isaiah, in the
approved translation. To contrast the sublime style of the inspired writer, with
the insipid and tasteless diction of the author of the Book of Mormon, requires
more ability than we possess.