clearly predicted by the inspired writers, that it seems almost superfluous to refer to the numerous passages relating to it. The dispensation in which the people of God were to be gathered in one, is called by the apostle Paul, "the dispensation of the fulness of times; which he represents as being an event then in the future. John, nearly one hundred years after the birth of our Saviour, saw the wonderful events and sceneries of unborn generations displayed in majestic and awful grandeur before him. He saw the churches of Asia, then under his own personal watch-care, lukewarm, corrupted, and about ready to be moved out of their place. He saw the universal apostacy [sic] that was soon to succeed and hold dominion for ages over all kindred and tongues, under the name of the Mother of Harlots—the great Babylon that should make all nations drunk with her wickedness. He saw that after the nations had been thus overwhelmed in thick darkness for ages, without the church of God, without apostles, without prophets, without the ministering of angels, without one cheering message from heaven, that there would be one more proclamation of mercy made to all people—one more dispensation of glad tidings from the heavens, to be ushered in by an angel restoring the everlasting gospel, which was to receive a universal proclamation to all the inhabitants of the earth, accompanied with a loud cry, that "the hour of God's judgment is come". He saw the universal proclamation of this warning message immediately followed by another angel, proclaiming the complete overthrow and downfall of Babylon. Between the interval of the flying of these two angels, he "heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues; for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." Remember, that this voice, commanding the people to come out of Babylon, was to be a "voice from heaven." It was not to be a cunningly devised plan of uninspired man, brought about by human ingenuity, but it was to be a voice from heaven—a message sent from God—a new revelation, commanding the Saints to come out of Babylon previous to its downfall. How came Mr. Smith, if an impostor, to get, not only all the other particulars which we have mentioned, perfectly exact, but also to discover that there must be a gathering of the Saints out of Babylon, and that that work must immediately follow the introduction of the gospel by an angel? Why did he not say, My doctrine is true, and if you will embrace it, you can be saved, and still remain where you are? It matters not how correct his doctrine might have been in all other points, if he had told his disciples to remain among the corrupt nations, and not gather together—this alone would have exposed the cloven foot, and proved him to be a deceiver. Swedenborg, Wesley, Irving, and a numerous host of others, during the last seventeen hundred years, have entirely neglected the gathering, which proves that they were without authority—that a dispensation of the gospel was never committed to them—that the voice from heaven to come out of Babylon had never saluted their ears. Previous to the restoration of the gospel by an angel, God had no people in Babylon, and therefore could not call them out. An unauthorised, uninspired priesthood, preaching a perverted gospel, never could raise up a people of God in Babylon; for they themselves are Babylon, and all their converts or children are begotten after their own likeness with Babylonish inscriptions upon their foreheads. It is only when the gospel, apostleship, and power are again restored in the way and manner predicted, that a people of God can be raised up among the nations. It is then, and not till then, that the voice is heard from heaven, calling that people out from among the nations. Mr. Smith did not forget this. It is marvellously strange, indeed, that he should be an impostor, and yet embrace in his system every particular that was to characterize the great dispensation of the latter times. It matters not how diverse the points of his doctrine were to the popular current among the great modern systems of religion. He seems to have introduced his system without paying the least regard as to what would be popular or unpopular—as to whether it would suit the learned or the unlearned—as to whether it would suit the temporal circumstances of man or not. He did not stop to make the inquiry whether the gathering of the Saints would be congenial to the feelings of those who occupied splendid mansions, upon fine farms, surrounded with every luxury of life. He did not stop to consider any of those things, but spoke as one having authority; saying, "thus saith the Lord," upon every point of doctrine which he promulgated. Now, for a young man, inexperienced and illiterate, to profess to give the word of the Lord upon subjects of so great a moment—to reveal doctrines which were directly opposed, not only to his own traditions, but to the teachings and doctrines of the most popular, numerous, and powerful sects of the day, and at the same time have those doctrines exactly accord, not only with the ancient gospel, but with every minute prediction relative to the dispensation of the last days—is an evidence that carries TRUTH upon the face of it, and leaves a deep and lasting impression upon every reflecting mind, and we can hardly refrain from assenting in our hearts, that surely he must have been sent of God.

Fifth.—What else besides the "everlasting gospel" does the Book of Mormon profess to contain? It professes to contain a brief but faithful history of a small branch of the tribe of Joseph, and the revelations given to them both before and after Christ, written by a succession of prophets who were the literal descendants of Joseph; hence it professes to be, in the full sense of the word, the writings or records of the tribe of Joseph. It contains numerous and pointed predictions, shewing expressly that the age in which their records should, by the power of God, be revealed to the nations, should also be the day in which Israel should be gathered; and that their records, in conjunction with the records of the Jews, should be the powerful instruments in the hands of the servants of God in bringing about that great work. Now, how does this accord with the word of the Lord to Ezekiel upon the same subject? Ezekiel was commanded to write upon two sticks, one for Judah, and the other for Joseph; after which he was commanded to join them together into one. And when the children of Israel should make enquiry what these two united writings of Judah and Joseph meant, he was to say unto them, that the Lord God would join the writings of Joseph with those of Judah; immediately after which he would take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they were gone, and would gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and that he would make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and that one king should be king to them all; and that they should no more be two nations or kingdoms. Ezekiel testifies that the writings of Joseph should be joined with the writings of Judah. Mr. Smith presents this generation with a book, consisting of several hundred pages, professing to be the sacred writings of the inspired prophets of the tribe of Joseph, who anciently inhabited the great western hemisphere. Ezekiel testifies that Israel should be gathered, never again to be scattered, immediately after the union of these two records. The professed record of Joseph, brought to light by Mr. Smith, testifies in the most positive language, that this is the age in which Israel shall be gathered through the instrumentality of the word and power of God, contained in the two records. Ezekiel uttered the prediction. Mr. Smith presents a professed fulfilment. This is another presumptive evidence in favor of the divine authority of his mission; for if the gathering of Israel had not been