Book ;' this was literally fulfilled in the event which has already been described, as clearly testified of, not only by the 'plain-looking countryman,' namely, Martin Harris, but by the learned Professor Anthon himself.

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‘But Isaiah informs us, in the next verse (12), that the book itself shall be delivered to the unlearned. He says, 'And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I am not learned." This was fulfilled when the angel of the Lord delivered the Book into the hands of Mr. Smith; though unlearned in every language but his own mother tongue, yet he was commanded to read or translate the Book. Feeling his own incapacity to read such a book, he said to the Lord, in the words of Isaiah, 'I am not learned.' When he made this excuse, the Lord answered him in the words of Isaiah, next verses (13, 14), Wherefore, the Lord said, forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men; therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.' What words could better pourtray the powerless apostate condition of modern Christendom than this description? and what words could be more descriptive of the 'marvellous work and a wonder,' than to say, that, the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid?' What could be more marvellous and wonderful, than for the Lord to cause an unlearned youth to read or translate a book which the wisdom of the most wise and learned could not read? Surely the Lord's ways are not as our ways, and his thoughts are not as our thoughts; for the wisdom of the world is foolishness in the sight of God; he bringeth forth by his power the hidden things of his wisdom through the meek, the simple, and the unlearned, while he rejecteth the wisdom and learning of men, because of their pride and highmindedness."

To us it is clear that the reply,- I cannot, for it is sealed," fully proves that the Prophet meant that the book itself, not the words only, were delivered to the learned. But we are not here showing the truth or the contrary of the Mormon argument, but its ingenuity, which, sometimes, is best shown where it is the most evidently false. Besides, we must not pause on the way, and the subject is not exhausted. Hear, then, again, Mr. Orson Pratt, the learned apostle"

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"Isaiah, in the ninth and tenth verses, has given a further description of the condition of all the nations, addressing himself to them, he

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exclaims, Stay yourselves and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink ; for the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered, and the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a Book that is sealed,' &c. Here we perceive the dark and benighted condition of the multitude of all the nations; at the time 'the words of the Book' should speak out of the ground' the spirit of deep sleep' was to be poured out upon them; they were to be drunken and stagger, but not with wine nor with strong drink; the prophets and seers were to be covered from them; and the vision of all,' that is, the revelations of all the holy prophets and seers, contained either in the Bible or any other place, were to become as the words of the sealed Book of Mormon. If they understood the vision of all' who have spoken in past ages by the spirit of prophecy, they would not be drunken,' nor stagger,' nor be in a 'deep sleep,' but all nations are drunken with the wine of the wrath of the fornication of great Babylon; they see not, neither do they understand the judg ments which are about to befall them. As the learned Professor Anthon could not read the 'the words of the Book' presented to him because it was a sealed book-a language not understood by the learned-so with the multitude of all the nations' in regard to the vision of all the prophets and seers;' they are covered; they are not understood any more than the words of the sealed Book were understood by the learned. When the events of Scripture prophecy are so clearly fulfilled before their eyes, they will not even then perceive it; when the wisdom of the wise and learned perishes, and a 'marvellous work, and a wonder is performed, in causing the unlearned to read the Book, the nations will not take it to heart; though, as Isaiahı says, they will stay themselves and wonder,' and 'cry out and cry,' because of the Book which speaks out of the ground;' yet, because they are drunken with every species of wickedness and abominations, and because they draw near to the Lord with their mouths and with their lips, while their hearts are removed far from him, and because they are taught by the precepts of men they will reject it, and in so doing, they will reject the Lord's great and last warning message to man, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. Because they despise so great a work, they shall be visited,' as Isaiah says, 'with storm and tempest,' and 'earthquakes,' and 'the flame of devouring fire.'

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"As another evidence that the Book of which Isaiah speaks, was to come forth in the latter times, he says, in the seventeenth verse, 'Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a

fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as the forest? Eighteenth verse: 'And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the Book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.' This Book could not mean the New Testament, for when that was written, it was about the time that Lebanon was to be forsaken by the Jews, and become a desolation, a forest or wilderness, for many generations. Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers' (Isaiah, xxxii. 13). Hence, the land of Palestine, which includes Lebanon, was, when the New Testament was written, about to be cursed. But immediately after the unlearned should read the Book, 'Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as the forest.' The Book, therefore, that Isaiah prophecies of, is to come forth just before the great day of the restoration of Israel to their own lands; at which time Lebanon, and all the land of Canaan, is again to be blessed, while the fruitful field, occupied by the nations of the Gentiles, will be esteemed as a forest;' the multitude of the nations of the Gentiles are to perish, and their lands, which are now like a fruitful field, are to be left desolate of inhabitants, and become as Lebanon has been for many generations past; while Lebanon shall again be occupied by Israel, and be turned into a fruitful field.' These great events could not take place until the Lord should first bring forth a book out of the ground.

“And, in that day, shall the deaf hear the words of the Book.' This has already been literally fulfilled. Those who were so deaf that they could not hear the loudest sound, have had their ears opened to hear the glorious and most precious words of the Book of Mormon, and it has been done by the power of God and not of man. 'And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.' This has also been literally fulfilled, as abundantly testified of in the fifth number of this series. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord.' Now, during the long night of darkness, there have been some humble meck persons, who have had a degree of light; but as the Church of Christ had fled from the earth, there was no one that had authority to baptize or administer the ordinances of the Gospel to those meek persons; therefore, their joy was very imperfect: but Isaiah says, when the Book is revealed, 'the meek shall increase their joy in the Lord.' This is what the Book is calculated to produce; for by its contents the meek learn that the time is at hand for them to inherit the earth, according to the blessing of our Saviour on the mount: 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' This will be fulfilled after all the wicked natons are destroyed. And the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.' This also is promised as a result of the revelation of the Book, and the means by which it is to be

effected is by a general overthrow of the wicked; as, says iah, 'For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off; that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.' O how plainly it is declared that judgment was soon to fall upon all the wicked after the appearance of this Book-this marvellous work and a wonder! And O how plainly it is also declared that the deaf, the blind, the meek, and the poor among men were to be greatly benefited by the

Book!"

But the prophetic argument of the Mormons has wider ramifications. Not alone Isaiah, but Ezekiel, is produced as a witness :-

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"We have already shown from Isaiah that the house of Jacob never could be restored, until God should bring forth a Book, and that, too, out of the ground;' and, until the deaf should hear the words of it. It will next be shown from the testimony of Ezekiel, that the Book which is to perform so great a work for Israel, was really and truly to be a record of Joseph. Ezekiel says (xxxvii.), 'The Word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, for Judah, and for the children of Israel, his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it, for Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions: and join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph which is (shall be) in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

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It was customary in ancient days to write upon parchment, and roll the same upon sticks, and such reading-sticks or rolls were called books. All the prophecies of Jeremiah, from the days of Josiah down to the fourth year of Jehoikim were written in one of these ROLLS (Jeremiah, xxxvi. 1, 2). This 'roll' of the writings of Jeremiah, is called a book' in the 8th, 10th, 11th, and 13th verses: hence, the terms roll and book are synonymous. If, then, a reading-stick or roll, containing writings, is called a 'book,' we can all understand the meaning of the word of the Lord to Ezekiel: it was a clear and beautiful representation of the union of two books in the hand of the Lord. Ezekiel was commanded first, to write upon one stick, 'for Judah and for the children of Israel his companions.' This was a representation

of the Bible, which is the record of Judah. Then take another stick, and write upon it, for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions.' This was a representation of the Book of Mormon, which is the record of Joseph written in ancient America. And join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in thine hand.' This was a representation of the union of the records of the two nations. In the interpretation of the meaning of the two sticks, the Lord says that He himself will take the stick of Joseph' and put it with the stick of Judah.' Therefore, we learn by this that the stick of Joseph was not found united with the stick of Judah by accident, but it was a work which the Lord himself should perform. Hence, he further says, They shall be one in mine hand.' Therefore, the two writings becoming one in Ezekiel's hand, was a most beautiful representation of the two writings which should become one in the Lord's hand.

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Having learned by Ezekiel that the Lord God will take the stick of Joseph, and put it with the stick of Judah, and make them one in his hand; let us next inquire, what events are to follow the union of these two writings. The Lord further declares, And the stick whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land, and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall he no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.' We learn from this, that the great object the Lord has in view, in bringing forth the book of Joseph, and uniting it with the Bible, is to gather Israel never more to be scattered. Thus we see that both Isaiah and Ezekiel have spoken of the same great and marvellous events; one declares that the house of Jacob should never again wax pale' or 'be made ashamed' in the day that a certain book should make its appearance; the other declares, that the whole house of Israel should be restored to their own lands, and should never again be divided into two nations, in the day that the Lord should put the writings of Joseph with the writings of Judah. Take the testimony of Isaiah and Ezekiel in connection with the testimony of Moses, concerning the precious things of heaven,' which should be given on the land of Joseph, and join this with the

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