be set up: John tells us by what means, namely, through the everlasting Gospel, revealed by an angel. Daniel says, when the kingdom of God is set up, that the kingdoms of the world shall be broken in pieces: John says, that when the everlasting Gospel has been restored and preached to the nations, that then is the hour of God's judgment' -the downfall of Babylon. Both of these writers beheld the same great events, but described them in different language. That which was predicted by those two inspired men is now being fulfilled. The angel has appeared-the Gospel is restored-the kingdom is set up-its location is among the mountains, and shortly the balance of these predictions will also be fulfilled to the very letter, and not one jot or tittle shall fail, until the earth shall rest from wickedness, and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ.''

But the great proof of all, according to the believers in Josephi Smith and his book, is derived from the 29th chapter of Isaiah, and his prophecy concerning Ariel therein contained, particularly the latter part of the second verse-" And IT shall be unto me as Ariel.”* Taking advantage of the current translation, which seems to compare by the word "it," some other place to Ariel, the Mormon writer contends that another nation than Jerusalem, suffering similar judgments is intended. The rest of the argument must be taken in Mr. Orson Pratt's own words:

"In the three following verses, the Lord describes more fully the second event; he says, 'And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. Moreover, the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away; yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.' These predictions of Isaiah could not refer to Ariel, or Jerusalem, because their speech has not been out of the ground,' or 'low out of the dust,' but it refers to the remnant of Joseph who were destroyed in America upwards of fourteen hundred years ago. The Book of Mormon describes their downfall, and truly it was great and terrible. At the crucifixion of Christ, the multitude of their terribleones,' as Isaiah predicted, became as chaff that passed away,' and it took place, as he further predicts, at an instant suddenly.' Many of their great and magnificent cities were destroyed by fire, others by earthquakes, others by being sunk and buried in the depths of the * It is believed that the correct translation of the passage is "Anl it shall indeed be an Ariel (a stout lion) to me," a play upon the name.

6

6

arth. This sudden destruction came upon them because they had stoned and killed the prophets sent among them. Between three and four hundred years after Christ, they again fell into great wickedness, and the principal nation fell in battle. Forts were raised in all parts of the land, the remains of which may be seen at the present day. Millions of the people perished in battle, and they suffered just as the Lord foretold by Isaiah, " And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee, and thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground,' &c. This remnant of Joseph in their distress and destruction, became unto the Lord AS Ariel. As the Roman Army lay siege to Ariel, and brought upon her great distress and sorrow, so did the contending nations of ancient America bring upon each other the most direful scenes of blood and carnage. Therefore the Lord could, with the greatest propriety, when speaking in reference to this event, declare that It shall be unto me as Ariel.'"

"One of the most marvellous things connected with this prediction is, that after the nation should be brought down, they should speak out of the ground.' This is mentioned or repeated four times in the same verse. Never was a prophecy more truly fulfilled than this, in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith took that sacred history "out of the ground." It is the voice of the ancient prophets of America speaking out of the ground.' Their speech is low out of the dust;' it speaks in a most familiar manner of the doings of bygone ages; it is the voice of those who slumber in the dust. It is the voice of prophets speaking from the dead, crying repentance in the cars of the living. In what manner could a nation, after they were brought down and destroyed, speak out of the ground?' Could their dead bodies, or their dust, or their ashes speak? Verily, no: they can only speak by their writings, or their books that they wrote while living. Their voice, or speech, or words, can only speak out of the ground,' or whisper out of the dust,' by their books or writings being discovered. Therefore, Isaiah further says, in the eleventh and twelfth 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 learned, saying, read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed; and the book is delivere i to him that is not learned, saying, read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I am not learned.'

"After obtaining the Book of Mormon through the ministry of the angel'out of the ground,' Mr. Smith transcribed some of the original characters upon paper, and sent them by the hands of Martin Harris, a farmer, to the city of New York, where they were presented to Professor Anthon, a man deeply learned in both ancient and modern lan

1

guages. Mr. Harris very anxiously requested the learned professor to read it, but he replied that he could not. None of the learned have as yet been able to decipher the characters and hieroglyphics which ɛr: found among the ancient ruins, in almost every part of America. The written language of ancient America is a sealed language to this generation."

The story is then told of Professor Anthon's considering the application made to him as "a hoax,” and particularly because of the "singular medley" presented by the alleged letters, which were arranged in columns like the Chinese mode of writing. In this it would now appear that Professor Anthon judged too hastily. Some American glyphs discovered by Professor Rafinesque, and of which fac-similes were given in his Asiatic Journal for 1832, (two years after the publication of the Book of Mormon), agree very much with the description of the specimen as shown to him by the Mormon emissary. Thus, we are told by Professor Rafinesque that "the glyphs of Otolum are written from top to bottom, like the Chinese, or from side to side, indifferently, like the Egyptian and the Demotic Lybian. Although the most common way of writing the groups is in rows, and each group separated, yet we find some formed, as it were, in oblong squares or tablets, like those of Egypt." The glyphs found by the Professor in Mexico, were arranged in columns, being forty-six in number. These the learned professor denominates "the elements of the glyphs of Otolum," and he supposes that by the combination of these elements, words and sentences were formed, constituting the written language of the ancient nations of that vast continent. By an inspection of the fac-simile of these forty-six elementary glyphs, we find all the particulars which Professor Anthon ascribes to the characters, which, he says Martin Harris, a "plain looking countryman" presented to him. The "Greek, Hebrew, and all sorts of letters,” inverted and in different positions, “with sundry delineations of half-moons," planets, suns, "and other natural objects," are found among these forty-six elements. This "plain-looking countryman," according to Professor Anthon's testimony, got, says Mr. Orson Pratt, "some three or four years the start of Professor Rafinesque, and presented him with the genuine elementary glyphs years before the Atlantic Journal made them public; and what is still more remarkable, the characters,' Professor Anthon says, 'were arranged in columns, like the Chinese mode of writing,' which exactly correspond; with what Professor Rafinesque testifies, as quoted above, in relation to the glyphs of Otolum. We see nothing in Professer Anthon's statement that proves the characters presented to him to be a hoax,' as he terms it; unless, indeed, he considers their exact resemblance to the glyphs of Otolum, and their being arranged in the right kind of

6

columns, is a hoax.' But, as Joseph Smith was an unlearned young man, living in the country, where he had not access to the writings and discoveries of antiquarians, he would be entirely incapable of forging the true and genuine glyphs of ancient America; therefore we consider this testimony of Professor Anthon, coming as it does from an avowed enemy of the Book of Mormon to be a great collateral evidence in its favour. Professor Rafinesque says, as we have already quoted, that 'the glyphs of Otolum are written from top to bottom, like the Chinese, or from side to side, indifferently, like the Egyptian. Now the most of the Book of Mormon was written from side to side, like the Egyptian. Indeed, it was written in the ancient Egyptian, reformed by the remnant of the tribe of Joseph."

Other glyphs have since been found, as we learn from the following statement which appeared in the Times and Seasons:—

"On the 16th of April, 1843, a respectable merchant, by the name of Kobert Wiley, commenced digging in a large mound near this place; he excavated to the depth of ten feet, and came to rock. About that time the rain began to fall, and he abandoned the work. On the 23rd, he and quite a number of the citizens, with myself, repaired to the mound, and after making ample opening, we found plenty of rock, the most of which appeared as though it had been strongly burned; and after removing full two feet of said rock, we found plenty of charcoal and ashes, also human bones, that appeared as though they had been burned; and near the eciphalon a bundle was found that consisted of Six PLATES OF BRASS, of a bell shape, each having a hole near the small end, and a ring through them all, and clasped with two clasps. The ring and clasps appeared to be iron, very much oxidated: the plates first appeared to be copper, and had the appearance of being covered with characters. It was agreed by the company that I should cleanse the plates. Accordingly, I took them to my house, washed them with soap and water, and a woollen cloth; but finding them not yet cleansed, I treated them with dilute sulphuric acid, which made them perfectly clean, on which it appeared that they were completely covered with characters, that none, as yet, have been able to read. Wishing that the world might know the hidden things as fast as they come to light, I was induced to state the facts, hoping that you would give them an insertion in your excellent paper, for we all feel anxious to know the true meaning of the plates; and publishing the facts might lead to the true translation. They were found, I judge, more than twelve feet below the surface of the top of the mound.

"I am, most respectfully, a citizen of Kinderhook,

"W. P. HARRIS, M.D." The following certificate was forwarded for publication at the same time:

"We, citizens of Kinderhook, whose names are annexed, do certify and declare, that on the 23rd of April, 1843, while excavating a large mound in

The

this vicinity Mr. Wiley took from said mound six brass plates, of a bell shape, covered with ancient characters. Said plates were very much oxidated. bands and rings on said plates mouldered into dust on a slight pressure.

Of one of the last glyphs we are enabled to present an engraved copy which will allow the reader to judge of their character for himself. We have now to do with the manner in which the Mormons apply the supposed possession of some such plates as these by Joseph Smith to Isaiah's prophecy respecting Ariel, as interpreted by the Latter-Day Saints in their own favour. We therefore proceed with Mr. Orson Pratt's statement:

"Isaiah says, as we have already quoted, that the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot for it is sealed.' Mark this prediction; the Book itself was not to be delivered to the learned, but only the WORDS of a