A Voice of Warning / Or, an introduction to the faith and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

by Parley P. Pratt

See earth, obedient, from its bosom yield
The sacred truth it faithfully concealed.
The wise, confounded, startle at the sight,
The proud and haughty tremble with affright.

The hireling priests against the truth engage,
While hell beneath stands trembling, filled with rage;
False are their hopes, and all their struggles vain;
Their craft must fall, and with it all their gain;
The deaf must hear, the meek their joy increase;
The poor be glad, and their oppression cease.

While darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people, every man walking in his own way, and looking for gain from his quarter, the Lord having for a long time held His peace, and the people having fondly flattered themselves that the voice of inspiration would never again sound in the ears of mortals, to disturb or molest them in their sinful career; while a few were looking for the consolation of Israel, and crying to God for the ushering in of that long-expected day, when an angel should fly through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth— suddenly, a voice is heard from the wilderness, a cry salutes the ears of mortals, a testimony is heard among them, piercing to the inmost recesses of their hearts, when all at once the heathen begin to rage, and the people to imagine a vain thing; the clergy lift a warning voice, crying impostor, false prophets, beware of delusion, etc.; while the professor of religion, the drunkard, the swearer, the learned, and the ignorant soon catch the sound and reiterate it again and again. Thus it re-echoes from one end of our country to the other, for a long time, and if any one should be so fortunate as to retain his sober senses, and should candidly inquire, "What is the matter?" the reply is: "We hardly know anything about it, but suffice it to say, some fellows have made their appearance, Paul like, who testify something about the ministering of angels, or some revelation or inspiration, just as though the religion of ancient days, and the faith once delivered to the saints, were returning to the earth in this enlightened age; so that not only this our craft is in danger, but our modern systems of religion, built upon the wisdom and learning of men, without direct inspiration, are like to be spoken against, and their great magnificence despised, though worshiped by all the world." And then all again cry with a loud voice, saying: "Great is the wisdom of man; great are the systems of modern divinity; great is the wisdom of uninspired priests, who come unto us with excellency of speech, and with man's wisdom, determined to know nothing among us save opinions and creeds of their own; and their speech, and their preaching, are with enticing words of man's wisdom, not in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power, for that is done away, that our faith should not stand in the power of God, but in the wisdom of man."

In the midst of the noise and clamor, and prejudice of an opposing world, it is difficult to get the people to understand the facts of the case, in relation to one of the most important subjects ever presented to the consideration of mankind.

The Book of Mormon has perhaps been less understood, and more misrepresented, by the world at large, than any other publication which has ever appeared.

America and England have, as it were, been flooded with publications against the said book; and many of them written by those who had never seen the book, or by those who had only read a page or two in it, or slightly looked it through with a biased mind, and a determination to find fault. By some of these it has been represented as a romance; by others, as a new Bible, calculated to displace the Bible, or do away with it. Some have pronounced it a "silly mess of stuff," not worth the perusal; and others, the most ingenious literary work ever put together. Some have found fault with it for being so much like the Bible, and agreeing with it; and others have condemned it for not being sufficiently like the Bible, and for disagreeing with it. Some have denounced it as notoriously corrupt, immoral, and blasphemous in its principles; and others have condemned it for being so exceedingly pure and moral in its principles, as to be just calculated to deceive. One clergyman, in particular, in a tract of sixty pages on this book, condemns it for being "a strange mixture of faith and works, of the mercy of God and the obedience of the creature." Some literary persons have pronounced it as altogether ancient in its style, language, and subjects, and as bearing great internal evidence of its own antiquity; while others have condemned it, as bearing every mark of being a modern production. Some have said that there were no definite predictions of the future contained in it, by the fulfilment or failure of which its prophetic merits might be tested; and others have quoted largely from its most plain and pointed predictions, which relate to circumstances about to be fulfilled, and have condemned it on account of its plainness.

In the midst of all these jarring statements, it now becomes our duty to show, as far as possible, what the Book of Mormon really is.

When the Lord confounded the languages at Babel, he led forth a colony from thence to the Western Continent, which is now called America. This colony, after crossing the ocean in eight vessels, and landing in that country, became, in process of time, a great nation—they inhabited America for some fifteen hundred years. They were at length destroyed for their wickedness, about six hundred years before Christ. A prophet by the name of Ether wrote their history, and an account of their destruction.

Ether lived to witness their entire destruction, and deposited his record where it was afterwards found by a colony of Israelites, who came from Jerusalem six hundred years before Christ, and re-peopled America. This last colony were the descendants of the tribe of Joseph; they grew and multiplied, and finally gave rise to two mighty nations. One of these nations was called Nephites—one Nephi being their founder; the other was called Lamanites, after a leader of the name Laman.

The Lamanites became a dark and benighted people, of whom the American Indians are still a remnant. The Nephites were an enlightened and civilized people, they were a people highly favored of the Lord, they had visions, angels, and the gift of prophecy among them from age to age; and finally, they were blessed with a personal appearance of Jesus Christ after his resurrection, from whose mouth they received the doctrine of the Gospel, and a knowledge of the future down through all succeeding ages. But after all the blessings and privileges conferred upon them, they fell into great wickedness in the third and fourth centuries of the Christian era, and finally were destroyed by the hands of the Lamanites. This destruction took place about four hundred years after Christ.