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Show JOSEPH SMITH- BOOK OF MORMON. 135 ment, ( which is a theocracy,) and in the nature especially of their domestic relations. With regard to the first of these, it is not my design to give more than a brief outline, referring the theological student to a treatise on this subject, about, as I understand, to be published by Lieutenant Gunnison, who was attached to the party, and who has paid especial attention to this subject. The claim of the Mormons is, that they constitute the only true church now upon the earth, that all other denominations of Christians, so called, are out of the true path to heaven, which can only be attained through the administration of the ordinances of their church, by the " Melchisedec priesthood. 1' This, they assert, was removed from the earth some eighteen hundred years ago, since which period, as they insist, no true church has existed, until, in 1826, their founder, Joseph Smith, was visited by an angel from heaven. This favoured man was instructed by the heavenly messenger in the way of truth, and led to a spot where, concealed in a stone box buried in the earth, were a number of records, written upon golden plates, and in a language called by him the " reformed Egyptian." From this box a portion of the records were taken by the angel and given to Joseph, upon whom was also conferred the " power and gift of revelation," by which he was enabled to translate the writing graven upon the plates. This he did, and gave the result to the world, as the " Book of Mormon." Joseph, they say, was also ordained to the " Melchisedec priesthood," with the power of knowledge in all languages, the gifts of the Spirit, and the authority of " binding and loosing." He and an associate were constituted apostles to preach the " gospel," and to establish among the nations the " church of Jesus Christ of the latter- day saints." In 1830, a church was organized, consisting of six members only, which has since grown so as to count its disciples by hundreds of thousands. The Bible used by the Protestant Christian world is acknowledged by them to be of Divine origin and authority, but they assert that it has been much corrupted and interpolated, so much so as to require in part a new translation, which has been accordingly completed by their prophet Joseph, directly inspired for the purpose, and the book is soon to be published. They claim for the " Book of Mormon" the same Divine origin, and hold it to be equally j authoritative with our Scriptures as a rule of faith and practice. \ In addition, they have the direct revelations which have heretofore been made to the seer, and which are recorded in the " Book of |