Read Ebook: The Story of the Book of Mormon by Reynolds George Adapter

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Ebook has 550 lines and 134360 words, and 11 pages

The Last Long Series of Wars--Mormon--The Final Conflict at Cumorah--The Last of the Nephites 229

The Historians of the Nephites--The Plates of Nephi--List of their Custodians--Their Lengthened Years 232

The Women of the Book of Mormon--Their Condition and Position--Abish--Isabel--Marriage--Amulek--Moroni's Title of Liberty--The Mothers of the Ammonites--Two Extremes 237

Domestic Life Among the Nephites--Household Duties--Dress-- Ornaments--Homes--Food--Manufactures--Transportation 241

Agriculture Among the Nephites--Grains--Stock Raising--Irrigation 247

Science and Literature Among the Nephites--Their Astronomy and Geography--The Learning of Egypt 250

The Art of War Among the Nephites--Their Weapons, Armor and Fortifications--Moroni's Line of Defense 255

The Laws of the Nephites--The Roman and Nephite Civilizations--The Laws under the Kings--Position of the Priesthood--Slavery--Criminal Offenses 262

The Laws under the Judges--The Voice of the People--Elections--Rights of the People--Church and State--The Criminal Procedure 269

Laws of the Nephites, Continued--The Division into Tribes--The Messianic Dispensation--The Final Convulsion 277

The Money of the Nephites--Their Coins--Barley the Standard of Value 281

Personal Appearance of the Nephites--Their Beauty--Testimony of Remains Found--The Dark-Skinned Lamanites 284

Language of the Nephites--The Influence of the Egyptians--Nephite Words--Rameumptom--Liahona--Rabbanah--The Lamanite Tongue--Word Building 287

Nephite Proper Names--Bible Names--Sariah--Nephi--Sam--Melek-- Jershon--Isabel--Aha, etc.--Prefixes and Suffixes 294

The Lands of the Nephites--Mulek and Lehi--Zarahemla and Nephi--The Wilderness--The Land of First Inheritance--The Journeys Northward--The Waters of Mormon--Lehi--Nephi 300

Nephi in the Hands of the Lamanites--The Lands of Shemlon, Shilom, Helam, Amulon, Ishmael, Middoni, Jerusalem, etc. 310

The Lands of the Nephites, Continued--Zarahemla--Jershon-- Antionum--Manti--Gideon 314

Lands of the Nephites, Continued--Minon--Melek--Ammonihah--Noah-- Sidom--Aaron--Lehi--Mulek--Bountiful--The South-west Border 318

The Lands of Antum, Teancum, Joshua, David, etc.--Cumorah--The Hills of the Nephites--The River Sidon 325

Religion of the Nephites--It is Stated by Nephi--The Priesthood and Ordinances Thereof--Baptism--Confirmation--Ordination--The Sacrament--Spiritual Gifts 329

Miracles Among the Nephites--The Miracles of Christ--John and the Three Nephites--Translations 336

The Prophecies Regarding the Savior--Their Completeness and Detail--Names and Titles Given to Christ 341

Nephite Apostates--The Order of Nehor--Amalekites-- Amalickiahites--Amulonites--Abinadi's Prophecy--The Gadiantons 343

Church Discipline Among the Nephites--Treatment of the Unrepentant--The Word of the Lord Regarding Transgressors--The Testimony of Moroni 349

The Discovery of the Jaredite Records--Coriantumr--Ether--The Dispersion at Babel--The Journey of the Jaredites--Atlantis 352

Moriancumer--Building the Barges--The Finger of the Lord--The Appearing of the Savior--The Voyage 356

The Land of Promise--A Monarchy Established--The Kings of the Jaredites from Orihah to Omer--Akish--The Daughter of Jared 359

The Kings of the Jaredites from Omer to Coriantumr--The Material Prosperity of this Race 361

The Judgments of God on the Jaredites--The Extinction of the Race--The Hill Ramah--Shiz and Coriantumr--Ether 363

BOOK OF MORMON CHRONOLOGY 368

PAGE

The Jews Led Away to Captivity 62

The Land of Helam 79

Wilderness of Hermounts 121

Ancient Egyptian Characters 290

Copy of Characters on the Plates from Which the Book of Mormon Was Translated 292

THE

Story of the Book of Mormon.

INTRODUCTION.

AMERICA THE FIRST INHABITED OF ALL LANDS--ITS ANCIENT PEOPLES--THE GARDEN OF EDEN--THE ANTEDILUVIANS--THE JAREDITES--THE NEPHITES AND LAMANITES.

The story that we are about to relate is a true one. It is the history of the races who lived on this broad land of ours long, long ago. From it we shall learn many lessons of God's great love for man. We shall also learn how oft his love has been spurned, how apt his favored children have been to walk in ways of sin, and how prone to disobey his holy law. It is a story full of light and shade, one which it will be well for all of us to take to heart, for by so doing our faith in God will increase, and we shall be prompted to strive the more earnestly to avoid the evils that others, by their misdeeds, have brought upon themselves and their posterity.

America, the land we love, is, in our Heavenly Father's eyes, choice above all other lands as the home of those of his sons and daughters, whom he has placed upon this earth. For all God's creatures are not here. He has made many worlds and filled them with his children. How many we know not; they are countless to us. The stars, that shine in myriads in the heavens, are nearly all suns like the one that gives us light: the remaining few are worlds like unto this on which we dwell; and ours is one of the very smallest of them all. To the works of God there is no beginning, neither is there any end.

God made America the richest of all lands. He filled its depths with precious minerals; he caused the most lovely trees, and herbs, and flowers to grow upon its surface. In all things he made it most desirable as a home for man. And here he planted the Garden of Eden, and placed our first parents, Adam and Eve, therein. From that garden they were afterwards driven forth when they failed to keep God's law. But they did not leave this continent. Here they still remained; here their sons and daughters were born, until many strong peoples had sprung from them. It was in this land that Cain slew his brother Abel; it was here that Enoch and his city dwelt, that Noah preached to the ungodly, and the ark was built. But when the flood was over and the waters sank, that ark, by the winds and waves, had been carried far away to a new land, until it rested on the Mountains of Ararat. Then for a short time America was without inhabitant.

After this the Lord brought another people to fill this land. They were a branch of the house of Israel, and we call them the Nephites and Lamanites. They also grew great, prospered, flourished, and fell. Like the Jaredites, at the last, they destroyed each other in war, and there were but few left. But from those few have come the many tribes of Indians that today are found scattered far and wide over both North and South America, and also on some of the outlying islands of the sea.

Thus fell a third race who would not serve God; for he had decreed that the wicked should not inherit this land. To one of his ancient servants he declared, "If iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes; but unto the righteous it shall be blessed for ever."

North America was the first of all lands to be inhabited; it was here that Adam and Eve dwelt. The Jaredites from the Tower of Babel also first landed here. But the Nephites made their earliest settlements on the western shores of the southern continent, where by degrees they spread north and south, then east and west, until their cities and villages could be seen in every part of the land.

ANCIENT JERUSALEM--LEHI--HIS VISION--HIS CALL TO PREACH TO THE JEWS--THEY PERSECUTE HIM--HE IS COMMANDED OF GOD TO TAKE HIS FAMILY INTO THE WILDERNESS--THEIR DEPARTURE--THE RETURN OF HIS SONS TO JERUSALEM TO OBTAIN THE RECORDS--THEY ARE ILL-TREATED BY LABAN--HIS DEATH--ZORAM ACCOMPANIES THE BROTHERS INTO THE WILDERNESS.

Our story opens in the royal city of Jerusalem, in the first year of the reign of King Zedekiah, or exactly six hundred years before the birth of our Savior. It was then very grand and very beautiful, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, and the chief city of all Israel. In name it was holy, for the Temple of the Lord was there. Its busy streets were crowded with a mixed multitude. Priests and Levites, who officiated in the ordinances of the law of Moses, worshipers from the other tribes of Jacob, warriors of the armies of Judah, courtiers and attendants on the king, merchants from Egypt, from Tyre and Sidon and from many other parts, artificers in various trades, all these combined to make it wealthy and renowned, a busy mart of trade, a center of civilization, and a sacred city.

Holy it should have been, but the glory of the Lord had departed from his house. Its people had become very wicked. They were filled with pride and greed; they heeded not the law of the Lord; their affections were set upon the things of this world; they served God with their lips only, while their hearts were far from him. He had sent unto them his prophets, but one after another they had rejected these holy men; many they had persecuted, and some they had slain.

In this city, at that time, dwelt a worthy man named Lehi. He was of the tribe of Manasseh, but had made his home in Jerusalem all his days, though it was a city of the Kingdom of Judah. He was a man who had been prospered of the Lord and had gathered around him considerable wealth. His wife's name was Sariah, and they had four sons and some daughters. The names of the sons, in the order of their ages, were Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi; the number or names of the daughters are nowhere given in the sacred history.

To this good man the word of the Lord came. God raised him up to be a prophet. He sent him with a message to the people of Jerusalem. As a servant of the Lord he had to warn them of many evils that would come upon them if they did not cease from their wicked ways. But they paid no heed to his words; they refused to listen to his warning. Indeed, they became very angry because he told them of their sins, and before long they sought to kill him.

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