16. CHAPTER XVI.
ALL men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the
"elect" have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I
brought away a copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to
me, it is such a pretentious affair, and yet so "slow," so sleepy;
such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print. If
Joseph Smith composed this book, the act was a miracle—keeping
awake while he did it was, at any rate. If he, according to
tradition, merely translated it from certain ancient and
mysteriously-engraved plates of copper, which he declares he
found under a stone, in an out-of-the-way locality, the work of
translating was equally a miracle, for the same reason.
The book seems to be merely a prosy detail of imaginary
history, with the Old Testament for a model; followed by a tedious
plagiarism of the New Testament. The author labored to give his
words and phrases the quaint, old-fashioned sound and structure of
our King James's translation of the Scriptures; and the result is a
mongrel—half modern glibness, and half ancient simplicity and
gravity. The latter is awkward and constrained; the former natural,
but grotesque by the contrast. Whenever he found his speech
growing too modern—which was about every sentence or two—he
ladled in a few such Scriptural phrases as "exceeding sore," "and it
came to pass," etc., and made things satisfactory again. "And it
came to pass" was his pet. If he had left that out, his Bible would
have been only a pamphlet.
The title-page reads as follows:
THE BOOK OF MORMON: AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY
THE HAND OF MORMON, UPON PLATES TAKEN FROM THE
PLATES OF NEPHI.
Wherefore it is an abridgment of the record of the people of
Nephi, and also of the Lamanites; written to the Lamanites, who
are a remnant of the House of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile;
written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of
prophecy and of revelation. Written and sealed up, and hid up
unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed; to come forth by
the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof; sealed by
the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due
time by the way of Gentile; the interpretation thereof by the gift of
God. An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also; which is a
record of the people of Jared; who were scattered at the time the
Lord confounded the language of the people when they were
building a tower to get to Heaven.
"Hid up" is good. And so is "wherefore"—though why
"wherefore"? Any other word would have answered as
well—thoughin truth it would not have sounded so Scriptural.
Next comes
THE TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES.
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people
unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of
God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates
which contain this record, which is a record of the people of
Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the
people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been
spoken; and we also know that they have been translated by the
gift and power of God, for His voice hath declared it unto us;
wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also
testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates;
and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of
man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of
God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our
eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings
thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and
our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these
things are true; and it is marvellous in our eyes; nevertheless the
voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it;
wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we
bear testimony of
these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we
shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found
spotless before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell with
Him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
OLIVER COWDERY,
DAVID WHITMER,
MARTIN HARRIS.
Some people have to have a world of evidence before they can
come anywhere in the neighborhood of believing anything; but for
me, when a man tells me that he has "seen the engravings which
are upon the plates," and not only that, but an angel was there at
the time, and saw him see them, and probably took his receipt for
it, I am very far on the road to conviction, no matter whether I ever
heard of that man before or not, and even if I do not know the
name of the angel, or his nationality either.
Next is this:
AND ALSO THE TESTIMONY OF EIGHT
WITNESSES.
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people
unto whom this work shall come, that Joseph Smith, Jr., the
translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath
been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of
the leaves as the said Smith has translated, we did handle with our
hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has
the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And
this we bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith
has shown unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a
surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have
spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto
the world that which we have seen; and we lie not, God bearing
witness of it.
CHRISTIAN WHITMER,
JACOB WHITMER,
PETER WHITMER, JR.,
JOHN WHITMER,
HIRAM PAGE,
JOSEPH SMITH, SR.,
HYRUM SMITH,
SAMUEL H. SMITH.
And when I am far on the road to conviction, and eight men,
be they grammatical or otherwise, come forward and tell me that
they have seen the plates too; and not only seen
those plates but "hefted" them,
I
am convinced.
I could not feel more satisfied and at rest if the entire
Whitmer family had testified.
The Mormon Bible consists of fifteen "books"—being the
books of Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Mosiah, Zeniff, Alma,
Helaman, Ether, Moroni, two "books" of Mormon, and three of
Nephi.
In the first book of Nephi is a plagiarism of the Old Testament,
which gives an account of the exodus from Jerusalem of the
"children of Lehi"; and it goes on to tell of their wanderings in the
wilderness, during eight years, and their supernatural protection by
one of their number, a party by the name of Nephi. They finally
reached the land of "Bountiful," and camped by the sea. After they
had remained there "for the space of many days"—which is more
Scriptural than definite—Nephi was commanded from on high to
build a ship wherein to "carry the people across the waters." He
travestied Noah's ark—but he obeyed orders in the matter of the
plan. He finished the ship
in a single day, while his
brethren stood by and made fun of it—and of him,
too—"saying, our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build
a ship." They did not wait for the timbers to dry, but the whole
tribe or nation sailed the next day. Then a bit of genuine nature
cropped out, and is revealed by outspoken Nephi with Scriptural
frankness—they all got on a spree! They, "and also their wives,
began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to
dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness; yea, they
were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness."
Nephi tried to stop these scandalous proceedings; but they tied
him neck and heels, and went on with their lark. But observe how
Nephi the prophet circumvented them by the aid of the invisible
powers:
And it came to pass that after they had bound me, insomuch
that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of
the Lord, did cease to work; wherefore, they knew not whither they
should steer the ship, insomuch that there arose a great storm, yea,
a great and terrible tempest, and
we were driven back upon the waters for the space of three days;
and they began to be frightened exceedingly, lest they should be
drowned in the sea; nevertheless they did not loose me. And on
the fourth day, which we had been driven back, the tempest began
to be exceeding sore.
And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in
the depths of the sea.
Then they untied him.
And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took
the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to
pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed, the winds
did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great
calm.
Equipped with their compass, these ancients appear to have
had the advantage of Noah.
Their voyage was toward a "promised land"—the only name
they give it. They reached it in safety.
Polygamy is a recent feature in the Mormon religion, and was
added by Brigham Young after Joseph Smith's death. Before that,
it was regarded as an "abomination." This verse from the Mormon
Bible occurs in Chapter II. of the book of Jacob:
For behold, thus saith the Lord, this people begin to wax in
iniquity; they understand not the Scriptures; for they seek to
excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the
things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son.
Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines,
which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord; wherefore,
thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of
Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto
me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph.
Wherefore, I the Lord God, will no suffer that this people shall do
like unto them of old.
However, the project failed—or at least the modern Mormon
end of it—for Brigham "suffers" it. This verse is from the same
chapter:
Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate, because
of their filthiness and the cursings which hath come upon their
skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the
commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our fathers, that
they should have, save it were one wife; and concubines they
should have none.
The following verse (from Chapter IX. of the Book of Nephi)
appears to contain information not familiar to everybody:
And now it came to pass that when Jesus had ascended into
heaven, the multitude did disperse, and every man did take his
wife and his children, and did return to his own home.
And it came to pass that on the morrow, when the multitude
was gathered together, behold, Nephi and his brother whom he had
raised from the dead, whose name was Timothy, and also his son,
whose name was Jonas, and also Mathoni, and Mathonihah, his
brother, and Kumen, and Kumen enhi, and Jeremiah, and
Shemnon, and Jonas, and Zedekiah, and Isaiah; now these were the
names of the disciples whom Jesus had chosen.
In order that the reader may observe how much more grandeur
and picturesqueness (as seen by these Mormon twelve)
accompanied on of the tenderest episodes in the life of our Saviour
than other eyes seem to have been aware of, I quote the following
from the same "book"—Nephi:
And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them
arise. And they arose from the earth, and He said unto them,
Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, My joy is
full. And when He had said these words, He wept, and the
multitude bear record of it, and He took their little children, one by
one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. And
when He had done this He wept again, and He spake unto the
multitude, and saith unto them, Behold your little ones. And as
they looked to behold, they cast their eyes toward heaven, and they
saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of
heaven as it were, in the midst of fire; and they came down and
encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about
with fire; and the angels did minister unto them, and the multitude
did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record
is true, for they all of them did see and hear, every man for
himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five
hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and
children.
And what else would they be likely to consist of?
The Book of Ether is an incomprehensible medley of if
"history," much of it relating to battles and sieges among peoples
whom the reader has possibly never heard of; and who inhabited a
country which is not set down in the geography. These was a King
with the remarkable name of Coriantumr, and he warred with
Shared, and Lib, and Shiz, and others, in the "plains of Heshlon";
and the "valley of Gilgal"; and the "wilderness of Akish"; and the
"land of Moran"; and the "plains of Agosh"; and "Ogath," and
"Ramah," and the "land of Corihor," and the "hill Comnor," by "the
waters of Ripliancum," etc., etc., etc. "And it came to pass," after
a deal of fighting, that Coriantumr, upon making calculation of his
losses, found that "there had been slain two millions of mighty
men, and also their wives and their children"—say 5,000,000 or
6,000,000 in all—"and he began to sorrow in his heart."
Unquestionably it was time. So he wrote to Shiz, asking a
cessation of hostilities, and offering to give up his
kingdom to save his people. Shiz declined, except upon condition
that Coriantumr would come and let him cut his head off first—a
thing which Coriantumr would not do. Then there was more
fighting for a season;
then
four years were devoted
to gathering the forces for a final struggle—after
which ensued a battle, which, I take it, is the most remarkable set
forth in history,—except, perhaps, that of the Kilkenny cats, which
it resembles in some respects. This is the account of the gathering
and the battle:
7. And it came to pass that they did gather together all the
people, upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save
it was Ether. And it came to pass that Ether did behold all the
doings of the people; and he beheld that the people who were for
Coriantumr, were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr;
and the people who were for Shiz, were gathered together to the
army of Shiz; wherefore they were for the space of four years
gathering together the people, that they might get all who were
upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the
strength which it was possible that they could receive. And it
came to pass that when they were all gathered together, every one
to the army which he would, with their wives and their children;
both men, women, and children being armed with weapons of war,
having shields, and breast-plates, and head-plates, and being
clothed after the manner of war, they did march forth one against
another, to battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not.
And it came to pass that when it was night they were weary, and
retired to their camps; and after they had retired to their camps,
they took up a howling and a lamentation for the loss of the slain
of their people; and so great were their cries, their howlings and
lamentations, that it did rend the air exceedingly. And it came to
pass that on the morrow they did go again to battle, and great and
terrible was that day; nevertheless they conquered not, and when
the night came again, they did rend the air with their cries, and
their howlings, and their mournings, for the loss of the slain of
their people.
8. And it came to pass that Coriantumr wrote again an epistle
unto Shiz, desiring that he would not come again to battle, but that
he would take the kingdom, and spare the lives of the people. But
behold, the Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and
Satan had full power over the hearts of the people, for they were
given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of
their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went
again to battle. And it came to pass that they fought all that day,
and when the night came they slept upon their swords; and on the
morrow they fought even until the night came; and when the night
came they were drunken with anger, even as a man who is drunken
with
wine; and they slept again upon their swords; and on the morrow
they fought again; and when the night came they had all fallen by
the sword save it were fifty and two of the people of Coriantumr,
and sixty and nine of the people of Shiz. And it came to pass that
they slept upon their swords that night, and on the morrow they
fought again, and they contended in their mights with their swords,
and with their shields, all that day; and when the night came there
were thirty and two of the people of Shiz, and twenty and seven of
the people of Coriantumr.
9. And it came to pass that they ate and slept, and prepared for
death on the morrow. And they were large and mighty men, as to
the strength of men. And it came to pass that they fought for the
space of three hours, and they fainted with the loss of blood. And
it came to pass that when the men of Coriantumr had received
sufficient strength, that they could walk, they were about to flee
for their lives, but behold, Shiz arose, and also his men, and he
swore in his wrath that he would slay Coriantumr, or he would
perish by the sword: wherefore he did pursue them, and on the
morrow he did overtake them; and they fought again with the
sword. And it came to pass that when they had all fallen by the
sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz had fainted
with loss of blood. And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had
leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head
of Shiz. And it came to pass that after he had smote off the head
of Shiz, that Shiz raised upon his hands and fell; and after that he
had struggled for breath, he died. And it came to pass that
Coriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life. And
the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him, go forth. And he
went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been
fulfilled; and he finished his record; and the hundredth part I have
not written.
It seems a pity he did not finish, for after all his dreary former
chapters of commonplace, he stopped just as he was in danger of
becoming interesting.
The Mormon Bible is rather stupid and tiresome to read, but
there is nothing vicious in its teachings. Its code of morals
is unobjectionable—it is
"smouched"*
from the New Testament and no credit given.