Show THE DIVINE authenticity OF THE BOOK OF MORMON BY ELDER W WS U II 11 SHARP NO 1 I in contemplating gods gracious condescension and goodness to mankind there is no greater evidence revealed than that in the fulfillment fulfilment of prophecy in the coming forth of the book of mormon which not only contains a history of the aborigines of amerl ameri cain a national and religious TI yiew view ew but which also impresses itself upon the mind as the word of god containing the fullness of the everlasting gospel unto gentile and unto J jew lew I 1 prop propose ose in these articles upon this sacred and impressive history to produce testimony of its divine origin prophecy is but history reversed and this is manifested in the history of america and her antiquities found recorded in the sacred pages of the tho book of mormon which work was published and given to the world in 1830 many 5 ears eats before it was known that america contained the ruins of cities SO 30 40 and ana 50 miles in length and 20 30 and 40 10 miles in width it is from the silent slumbering ruins of these mighty cities that I 1 shall produce testimony which it is to be hoped will induce the rising sons and daughters of the saints of god to investigate for themselves and be able to valiantly fight for the cause of zion and the establishing of the divine authenticity of the bok of mormon I 1 will mat first iuen inen mention tion the city of oto lum as f from rom its mighty and stupendous ruins ruina comes forth testimony as if so directed by the almighty to put to shame that avow ay owed enemy of the book of mormon professor anthon of new york city one of the most learned and profound readers of ancient languages and searchers into antiquities ol 01 the century during the translation of the book of mormon by joseph smith he was moved to fulfill fulfil not only the words of the nook book of mormon but also those same words as recorded in the chapter of isaiah lith to ath verses and the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed which men deliver to one that is bead read this I 1 pray thee and he be baith eaith 61 cannot for it ia Is sealed 2 and the book ia Is delivered to him that is in not learned saying read bead ead this I 1 pray thee and hb baith 1 11 I am not learned lear neVI 61 wherefore ore the lord said forasmuch aa as this people drav dray near nean hear near me lne ine with their and with their lips do honor me but havo have removed their hert heart bert far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men therefore behold I 1 will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people even a marvelous work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men meu fibril he be hd af d 11 joseph sinith smith copied a portion of the hieroglyphics signs and symbols from the plates platea from which was translated the book of mormon and sent them by the hand of martin harris a distance of several hundred miles who in the lan guage of the prophet isaiah pre them to professor aathony and when martin harris informed him how the plates were wore obtained and that a portion of them were sealed he then ihen and there decried deol Arod in the language of gods prophet he could not read a sealed book he however informed the bearer bear I 1 er that the characters were translated correctly more so than any he had ever seen been but that the arrangement of tem iem was nolt not correct as there no ruina in america erica or elsewhere ahswing suell buch peculiar arrangement and mixture of signs signal symbols and chara character othro as preson presented ted to hune him and in jut a ri letter some sonja two years after the ibe book dook or of mormon was published he wrote to i a french savant and antiquary au ati professor quo que and made considerable fun over the matter of theme these signs bigna and their arrangement aa were presented to him some years before about this time a I 1 verv very significant and wid romar remarkable kabie kable in took place in mexico an indian from the tile tribe of in the pursuit of a deer in one of those mighty forests came suddenly upon an open space in the midst of which loomed up before him an imposing structure four stories high and upon the roof which was nat hat trees of considerable size had grown wonderment and surprise gave way WRY to fear and ho he swiftly fled from the spot the news of this discovery soon spread and professor Bannis que started westward on a voyage of discovery he soon found the indian and on the payment of a liberal sum induced him in company with a number of his tribe to lead him to the place after much trouble in cutting their way through this immense forest they finally reached the building which upon actual survey and discovery proved to be a massive temple mccu occupy ing n g a central spot in the midst of a I city e 1 t y whose ruins hidden by an aged forest reached many miles around for a moment white man and add indians stood in awe professor baldly entered this building ana there before his hib astonished gaze in alithe all ail the resplendency of architectural skill ana grandeur standing out in sculptured beauty was an altar upon which still remained the bloodstains blood stains of those who were offered up to the idol gods of the conquerors who overthrew that city many of the prisoners according to the testimony of the book of mormon became subjects to sacrifice this thia Is also corroborated ro by a legend handed down from fr father to son and still entertained by many of the indian tribes of that land I 1 now come to one of the positive evidences id e n c of the divine authenticity ev of the book of mormon which wili will conclude this article standing against this altar was an obelisk which upon examination proved to be beautifully sculptured in hieroglyphics consisting of signs symbols and figures interspersed with planets moons and stars proffesor contemplated tem plated thib this obelisk with silent wonder for tor there before him wera the same characters charac tera arranged in the same manner and way as were the characters charac tars tans copied from the golden plates by joseph smith and presented to professor ero Fro fessor anthon some bome seven or eight years before yet this was the arat white man who had looked upon inon this obelisk and gazed upon that ruined city of the dead whose history was locked up lip in the then past the correspondence which ensued between these two learned professors developed 0 the following facts facto which forever silences the strictures of pro anthon and all other enemies of the book of mormon who have raised their voices against it as a history of these very people who inhabited and the hundreds of other great and won cities which have since been discovered professor anthon in his hla letter to professor que two years before the tho city of was discovered made use of tho the following language that thebe these signs presented to him by martin harris comprised hebrew egyptian and damodio libian characters interspersed with moons planets and stars reading from side to side aide and like the tho ehl nese neso from top to bot bottom torn what dothe oos the obelisk of reveal seven or eight years afterwards read bead what professor ran kan nisuke writes to professor anthon Ic looking upon this wonderful obelisk I 1 call to mind your letter of some years ago in which you stated that nowhere had been found sueh an arrangement of hieroglyphics but here before me are the very signs symbols and with moons planets and stare and still more remarkable they are hebrew egyptian and damocle labian characters reading from side to side bide and like the chinese from top to bottom 1 I refer the reader for proof to no 22 1 2 at of a publication called church record and to the atlantic journal T our na thus in the introduction of t heso these articles upon the divine authenticity of the book of mormon the ruined cities of ancient america begin to speak and the saying of the prophet Is fulfilled the wisdom of the wise poris peria hoth heth and the language none can read except him unto wilom whom god will reveal the same bame and out of darkness and i mystery shall the long iong slum bering boring nations of ancient america awake and bring to pass the ful ailment of prophecy and aid us in the restoration of all things decreed by the almighty from the foundations of the earth to be continued |