Scrap Book of Mormon Literature (Vol. 1 of 2) / Religious Tracts

by Unknown

AUTHORITY TO BAPTIZE.

Called of God. Heb. 5: 4. Exod. 4: 14-16.

The Scriptures also teach that, for the ordinance to be effectual, it must be performed by one authorized to act in the name of the Lord; for "no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." Aaron was called by the voice of God, through Moses.

Divine authority. Matt. 28: 19. Mark 3: 14. John 15: 16.

The Savior commanded His Apostles to "teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." But He had given them the divine commission to act in His name wheresoever He should send them: "He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that he might send them forth to preach." The divine authority which they possessed was the source of their power. This fact He impressed upon them, saying: "ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." If they had started out on their own authority without being chosen, God certainly would not have recognized ordinances performed by them in His name.

Imperfect baptism is not baptism. Acts 19: 11-16. Acts 19: 1-6.

The Apostle Paul, by the power of God, cast out evil spirits; but when the sons of Sceva, on whom the divine authority had not been conferred, attempted to do this, they met with failure. When the Apostle went to Ephesus, he found certain persons who claimed to have been baptized "unto John's baptism." Paul discerned that they had not received John's baptism, for they knew nothing of the Holy Ghost. Probably some unauthorized person—perhaps with good intent, but nevertheless without authority—had been along that way baptizing "unto John's baptism," but not with it, for that could only be done by a duly commissioned servant of God. After they received a proper understanding of the true ordinance they were baptized again, "and when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied."

Go thou and do likewise.

The experience of the men of Ephesus affords an interesting lesson. They had been mistaken, but when the truth was presented to them they accepted it gladly. They received the Gospel ordinance, viz.: Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, administered by one having divine authority; the burial in, and the birth from the watery element, without which ordinance the Lord has said that no man can enter the kingdom of heaven. "Enter ye in at the strait gate" that leads to life eternal.

ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.

Suggestions to the Reader.

BY ELDER B. H. ROBERTS.

The reader of the Book of Mormon will do well to remember that it is a translation of a record inscribed on gold plates, which was an abridgment made from more extensive records kept by the ancient civilized peoples of America—chiefly by the people known in the Book of Mormon as Nephites. The abridgment, for the most part, is made by one Mormon, a Nephite prophet who was born 311 A.D., and slain by his enemies in the year 400 A.D. The parts which are not his abridgment are the first 157 pages (N. E.), which bring us to the "Words of Mormon," page 158; and from page 563 (N. E.) to the end of the volume—sixty pages.

This latter part of the record was made by Moroni, the son of Mormon, who was also the one who hid up the plates containing his father's and his own abridgment, in the year 421 A.D.; and who, having been raised from the dead, revealed the existence of these plates to Joseph Smith, on the 21st of September, 1823. The first 157 pages are a verbatim translation from what are known as the "smaller plates" of Nephi—we will explain.

The first Nephi, who left Jerusalem with a small company of colonists led out from that city by his father, Lehi, 600 B.C., and who afterwards became their leader, prophet, and their first king, made two sets of plates, on which he proposed engraving the history of his people. On the larger of these two sets he engraved an account of his father's life, travels, prophecies, etc., together with his genealogy; and upon them also he recorded a full history of the wars and contentions of his people, as also their travels, and an account of the cities they founded and colonies they established. These larger plates were preserved in the care of succeeding kings, or judges of the republic when the kingdom was transformed into one; and, in a word, upon them was written a full history of the rise and fall of the nations which existed in America from the landing of this colony from Jerusalem to 400 A.D., a period of nearly one thousand years.

It is quite evident that as these plates were transmitted from king to king, or from one ruling judge of the republic to another, or given into the possession of a prophet, that they each recorded the historical events of his own day, and gave to such account his own name—hence Mormon found in these "larger plates" of Nephi—the Book of Mosiah, the Book of Alma, the Book of Helaman, etc.

Furthermore, it happened that there were colonies from time to time that drifted off into distant parts of the land, and became lost for a season to the main body of the people; and there were missionary expeditions formed for the conversion of the Lamanites; and these parties, whether missionary or colonial, generally kept records; and when these colonists or missionary parties were found, or returned to the main body of the people, their records were incorporated within the main record, being kept by the historian—hence there was, sometimes, a book within a book, and the current of events was interrupted to record the history of these detached portions of the people, or some important missionary expedition.

Mormon, when abridging these plates of Nephi, gave to each particular division of his abridgment the name of the book from which he had taken his account of the events recorded—hence the Books of Mosiah, Alma, Helaman and III. and IV. Nephi in his abridgment. He also, in some instances at least, followed the subdivisions we have alluded to, hence we have the record of Zeniff within the Book of Mosiah (page 181, N. E.); the account of the church founded by the first Alma (page 213); and the account of the missionary expeditions of the sons of Mosiah to the Lamanites within the Book of Alma (page 283).

Again we caution the reader to remember that the Book of Mormon is, for the most part, an abridgment from the "larger plates" of Nephi; but it is quite evident that Mormon frequently came to passages upon the plates of Nephi which pleased him so well that he transcribed them upon the plates containing his abridgment, verbatim. An example of this will be found beginning on page 163, in the second line of the ninth paragraph, and ending with page 169—the words of King Benjamin to his people. The words of King Benjamin are also renewed on page 170, in the second line of the fourth paragraph, and continue to the close of the chapter. There are many such passages throughout Mormon's abridgment.

In addition to this, Mormon frequently introduces remarks of his own by way of comment, warning, prophecy or admonition, and since there is nothing in the text, either quotation marks or a change of type to indicate where these comments, or what we might call annotations, begin or end, they are liable to confuse the reader—a difficulty that we hope will be obviated by this caution. So much for Mormon's abridgment. Now to consider the part of the work done by his son Moroni. This is from page 563 to the end of the volume. He closes up the record of his father, Mormon, and then gives us an abridgment of the twenty-four plates of Ether which were found in North America by the people of Limhi, in the second century B.C.; and then concludes his work with notes on the manner of ordaining priests and teachers, administering the sacrament of the Lord's supper, baptism, spiritual gifts, together with a sermon and some of his father's letters. In his abridgment of the record of the Jaredites, the peculiarity of mixing up his comments, admonitions and prophecies with his narrative, is even more marked than in the abridgment of Mormon, therefore the reader will need to be doubly on his guard.

We have already said that the first 157 pages of the Book of Mormon was not a part of Mormon's abridgment. Those pages are a verbatim translation of the "smaller plates" of Nephi, and became connected with Mormon's abridgment in this manner: Mormon had abridged the "larger plates" of Nephi as far as the reign of King Benjamin, and in searching through the records which had been delivered to him, he found these "smaller plates" of Nephi. They contained a brief history of events connected with the departure of Lehi and his colony from Jerusalem to their landing in America, and thence down to the reign of this King Benjamin—covering a period of about 400 years. These plates were made by Nephi, that upon them might be engraven an account of the ministry of the servants of God, among his people, together with their prophecies and teachings. They contain, in other words, an ecclesiastical history of the Nephites, while the "larger plates" of Nephi contained a political, or secular history of the same people. (See I. Nephi, ix chapter; also xix, 1-5.)

Mormon was particularly well pleased with the contents of these "smaller plates" of Nephi, because upon them had been engraven so many prophecies concerning the coming and mission of the Messiah; and instead of condensing their history into an abridgment, he took the plates and attached them to the abridgment of Nephi's "larger plates." "And this I do for a wise purpose," says Mormon, "for thus it whispereth me according to the Spirit of the Lord which is in me." (Words of Mormon, page 159 N.E.). Nephi, also, in speaking of these "smaller plates," says, "the Lord hath commanded the to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not." (I. Nephi ix, 5.) What that wise purpose was we shall see further on.

By Mormon attaching these "smaller plates" of Nephi to his own abridgment of Nephi's "larger plates," it will be seen there was a double line of history of the Nephites for about 400 years, and the wisdom of this arrangement is seen in the following: When Joseph Smith had translated the first part of Mormon's abridgment—amounting to 116 pages of manuscript, he listened to the importunities of Martin Harris, who was giving him some assistance in the work of translating, and who desired to show that portion of the work to his friends. The result was the manuscript was stolen from him; the records were taken from Joseph by the angel, and he lost his power to translate for a season. After a time, however, he was permitted to go on with the work, but the Lord made it known to him that it was the design of those into whose hands the manuscript had fallen to wait until he had translated that part again, and then by changing the manuscript in their possession would bring it forth and claim that he could not translate the same record twice alike; and thus they would seek to overthrow the work of God.

But the heavenly messenger commanded Joseph Smith not to translate again the part he had already translated, but instead thereof he should translate the "smaller plates" of Nephi, and that account was to take the place of Mormon's abridgment up to the latter days of the reign of King Benjamin. (Doc. and Cov., D&C 10.) Thus it is that we have the "words of Mormon," beginning on page 158, explaining how the "smaller plates" of Nephi came into his possession and attached to the plates containing the record he himself was making, and connecting the historical narrative of the "smaller plates" of Nephi with his own abridgment of Nephi's "larger plates." The "words of Mormon," interrupting as they do the history of the Nephites, have caused no little confusion in the minds of unthoughtful readers; but after it is understood that they are merely the link connecting the ecclesiastical history engraven on the "smaller plates," of Nephi to Mormon's abridgment, and they take the place of the first part of Mormon's record, the difficulty will disappear.

One thing I cannot forbear to mention, and that is, in the part of the Book of Mormon translated from the "smaller plates" of Nephi, we find none of these comments or annotations mixed up with the record that we have already spoken of as being peculiar to the abridgment made by Mormon—a circumstance, I take it, which proves the Book of Mormon to be consistent with the account given of the original records from which it was translated. There will be found, however, in this translation direct from the "smaller plates" of Nephi, as also in Mormon's abridgment, extracts from the old Jewish Scripture—especially from the writings of Isaiah—this is accounted for by the fact that when Lehi's colony left Jerusalem, they took with them copies of the book of Moses and the writings of the prophets, and a record of the Jews down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, all of which were engraven on plates of brass (see I. Nephi v, 10-13), and the Nephite historians transcribed passages from these sacred records into their own writings.

There are a few suggestions about these transcribed passages which may not be uninteresting to the reader, and which to the student will be invaluable, as they furnish an indirect evidence to the truth of the Book of Mormon.

The Nephites having transcribed passages from the brass plates they carried with them from Jerusalem into their records, wherever such passages occur in the Book of Mormon, and corresponding passages are found in our English Bible, it will be seen by the reader that so far we have two translations of the writings of the old Hebrew prophets; and it will be found on comparison that the passages in the Book of Mormon are stronger and more in keeping with the sense sought to be expressed by the prophet than the corresponding passages and chapters in the Bible. As a proof of this I ask the reader to compare I Nephi xx and xxi, with Isaiah xlvii and xlix.

In some instances there are sentences, in the Book of Mormon version of passages from Isaiah, not to be found in our English version, as witness the following:

BOOK OF MORMON.	BIBLE.
O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways.--II Nephi xii, 5.	O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord.--Isaiah ii, 5.

In other instances it will be found that the sense of the passages is different, and that the passages in the Book of Mormon best accord with the sense of the whole:

BOOK OF MORMON.	BIBLE.
Therefore, O Lord, Thou hast forsaken Thy people, the house of Jacob, because they replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the the Philistines, and they please themselves with the children of strangers.--II Nephi xii, 6.	Therefore hast Thou forsaken Thy people, the house of Jacob, because they replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like unto the Philistines, and they please themselves with the children of strangers.--Isaiah 11, 6.
Their land is also full of idols--they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made; and the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not.--II Nephi xii, 8, 9.	Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made; and the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself; therefore forgive him not.--Isaiah ii, 8, 9.
Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.--II Nephi xix, 3.	Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: the joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.--Isaiah ix, 3.

Observe, too, the difference in the clearness of the following passages:

BOOK OF MORMON.	BIBLE.
And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and mutter; should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to hear from the II Nephi xviii, 19.	And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter; should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead.--Isaiah viii, 19.

Again the English translators of the Bible, in order to make the sense of various passages more clear, inserted here and there, words of their own; which are always written in italics, that the reader might know what words have been inserted by the translator, and for which he will find no exact equivalent in the original text. It is worthy of note that in those transcribed passages from the brass plates into the Book of Mormon, in almost every instance, the words in the Book of Mormon version are different to those substituted by the translators of the common English version; or are left out, as follows:

BOOK OF MORMON.	BIBLE.
What mean ye? ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor.--II Nephi xiii, 15.	What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor?--Isaiah iii, 15.

The above is a case where the inserted word of the translator, which I have written in italics, is omitted, and to my mind the passage as it stands in the Book of Mormon is stronger, more beautiful, because more harmonious. Here is a passage where different words are used than those inserted by the translators:

BOOK OF MORMON.	BIBLE.
Say unto the righteous, that it is well with them; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.	Say ye unto the righteous, that it shall be well with him; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Woe unto the wicked! for they shall perish; for the reward of of their hands shall be upon them.--II Nephi xiii, 10, 11.	Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him; for the reward of his hands shall be given him.--Isaiah iii, 10, 11.

I think it will be readily conceded that the above passage as it stands in the Book of Mormon is much superior to the version given in our common Bible, indeed it is so throughout, and when it is remembered that Joseph Smith and those who assisted in translating that work were most likely uniformed as to the supplied words of the translators being written in italics, it is an incidental evidence that those passages in the Book of Mormon to which are found corresponding passages in the Bible were not merely copied from the Bible, but in the Book of Mormon we have really another translation of those passages taken from original records of the Hebrews, uncorrupted by the hand of man, and hence more perfect.

One suggestion more I would make to the readers of the Book of Mormon, and that is that they read it prayerfully, with a real desire to know if it is of God. If they will peruse it with that desire in their hearts, I am sanguine that the Spirit of God which searches all things, yea, the deep things of God, will bear witness to their understanding that the book is of divine origin, and they will have a witness from God of its truth. Such a promise, in fact, is contained within the book itself. When Moroni—into whose keeping the plates of the Book of Mormon were given—was closing up the sacred record previous to hiding it up unto the Lord until the time should come for it to be revealed as a witness for God, he engraved the following passage on the plates as words of counsel to those into whose hands the record should fall:

And when ye shall receive these things (i.e., the things written in the Book of Mormon) I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things (Moroni x, 4, 5).

Here, then, is a means by which every person into whose hands the Book of Mormon falls may find out for himself, not from human testimony, not from the deductions of logic, but through the power of the Holy Ghost, whether the Book of Mormon is of divine origin or not. This test must be final, either for or against it, to every individual who complies with the conditions enjoined by Moroni. Those conditions are, that they into whose hands the record falls shall inquire of God with a sincere heart, with real intent, and having faith in Christ; and to those who so proceed he promises without equivocation that they shall receive a manifestation of its truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, if these directions are complied with faithfully and honestly, and the manifestation follows not, then they may know it is not of God. If the manifestation comes, of course the divine origin of the book is confirmed, for the Holy Ghost would not confirm by any manifestation of its power an imposition. Therefore, reader, whoever you may be, undertake the reading of the Book of Mormon with a prayerful heart, and you will find in it a new volume of Scripture to you, a treasury of sacred knowledge able to make you wise unto salvation.

"We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property and the protection of life."

—Joseph Smith, The Prophet.

THE SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH AND EVENTS TO PRECEDE IT.

BY ELDER B. H. ROBERTS.

Of all events that will take place in the immediate future, the most important to mankind is the glorious appearing of the Son of God, generally spoken of as the Second Advent of the Messiah. And if there is one thing that the writers of Scripture are more explicit in than another, it is in relation to this all-important event.

The writer of the Acts of the Apostles, giving an account of the last meeting of the risen Messiah with His disciples in Palestine, and His last words to them, says:

"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And, while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts i, 9-11).

From this we learn that the same person whom the disciples had seen go up into heaven was to return in like manner. And this agrees with the words of Jesus Himself.

"For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father, with His angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Mat. xvi, 27).

From this last quotation we not only learn that the Son of God is to come in the glory of His Father, accompanied by His angels, but that He at that time "Will reward every man according to his works." And to this testimony agrees that of other sacred writers.

St. Jude, after referring to certain wicked characters who were like clouds without rain, or like raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame, says:

"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." (Jude, 14, 15).

Paul bears witness to the same thing:

"For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (i Thess. iv, 14-17).

And again:

"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day" (ii Thess. i, 7-10).

From the foregoing passages of Scripture the reader learns two very important things: first—that the Son of Man in a glorious manner is to return to this earth; second—that when He shall so come, it will be to execute judgment—to reward the righteous for their faithfulness, and to punish those who "know not God, and who obey not the Gospel, with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power."

No believer in the inspiration of the Scriptures can possibly doubt the truth of what these passages teach, viz., that the Son of God will verily come, and that to judgment! But in all other ages of the world, when God has decreed judgments upon a people or nation, He has first sent divinely-appointed messengers to warn them of the impending evil, that peradventure, some might repent and be saved. For example,—when God decreed that He would destroy the Antediluvians by a flood for their wickedness, he first sent Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among them to warn them of the approaching calamity: When destruction was hanging over the cities of the plain—Sodom and Gomorrah—the Lord sent His angels to first gather out righteous Lot and his family: When destruction was decreed against Nineveh, the prophet Jonah was sent to cry repentance to the people, and in this instance the warning was heeded, and the calamity was turned aside: Whenever bondage, famine, disease, or judgment of any character, was about to overtake ancient Israel for their wickedness, prophets were sent to warn them, that they might repent and escape the sore affliction.

This has been the course pursued by the Almighty in all ages and among all people; and now that mighty judgments are pronounced against the ungodly at the coming of the Son of God, may we not reasonably expect that God will be true to His custom in the past, and send messengers to warn the nations of the near approach of those calamities? Basing our conclusion on the experience of past ages, it would be reasonable to expect the Lord to so proceed. But the Scriptures themselves speak of a number of incidents that will take place as a preparatory work to the glorious coming of our Lord. Among these may be mentioned:

I.—THE RESTORATION OF THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL.

The great event is thus described by John the Revelator:

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him: for the hour of his judgment is come" (Rev. xiv, 6, 7).

II.—THE COMING OF A MESSENGER.

to prepare the way for the Son of God, when He shall come in the glory of His Father. This event is foretold by the prophet Malachi:

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years" (Malachi iii, 1-4).

III.—THE COMING OF ELIJAH.

to whom is given the peculiar mission of turning the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers. Malachi thus describes Elijah's mission:

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their father's, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (Malachi iv, 5, 6).

IV.—THE GATHERING OF THE SAINTS.

The Scriptures are replete with passages in relation to this event, but I can here refer only to a few. When John the Revelator was about to foretell the downfall of Babylon, he says:

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye may not be partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double" (Rev. xviii, 4-6).

The Psalmist bears this testimony:

"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself" (Psalm i, 3-6).

So Isaiah:

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it" (Isaiah ii, 2-4).

"And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from afar, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they will come with speed swiftly" (Isaiah v, 26, 27).

"And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel [not the Jews alone, but all Israel], and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (Isaiah xi, 12).

So Paul:

"Having made known to us the mystery of his will * * * that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" (Eph. i, 9, 10).

And lastly, the testimony of Jesus:

"And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of trumpet, and they shall gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matt. xxiv, 30, 31).

All believers in the Holy Scriptures, then, must believe in and are looking forward to the glorious coming of the Son of God. They also must believe that these four events we have named, will precede that coming. That is, they believe and are expecting that when those judgments connected with the coming of the Messiah are about to overtake the inhabitants of the earth, an ANGEL will come with the Everlasting Gospel, which must be preached to all nations; that a MESSENGER will come to prepare the way before the Lord, that ELIJAH will come to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and vice versa; and that God's SAINTS will be gathered together.

And now, in all sincerity of heart, and in the fear of God, the writer testifies to all men unto whom his words may come, that the first three events have taken place, and the fourth, the gathering of the Saints, is now going on, and the coming of the Son of God, together with the attendant judgments, are near at hand.