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Show J08SBH SMITH- BOOK OF MOBMON. 185 ment, ( which is a theocracy,) and in the nature especially of their domestic delations. • , ' .. 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 he attained through th^ administration of the ordinances . of their ehurcji, by the " Melchisedec priesthood/' This, they assert; was removed from the earth some eighteen hundred year! ago, since which . period, as they insist, no true church has existed, until, in 1826, their founder, Joseph Smith* was visited by an angerfrom 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 goldeil plates, and ip a language called by him the " reformed Egyptian." From, this' box1- 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 f< A{ elchisedec priesthood," with the power of knowledge in all languages, the gifts of the Spirit, and the authority pf " binding and loosing." He and an associate were constituted apostles to preach the " gQspel," and to establish amoiig 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 poon to be published. They claim for the " Book of Mormon" the same Divibe origin, and hold it to be equally 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 ate reoorded in the " Book of |
