i.
new witnesses for the truth of god's word assured.
it is a happy omen, that, while so much of the literature of our times is marked by a tone of infidelity, and especially by a disparagement of the evidences of the authenticity and inspiration of the scriptures, there is in other quarters an increasing readiness to make the choicest gifts of modern science and learning tributary to the word of god. the eclipse of faith is not total. and it is an additional cause for gratitude to the god of providence and of revelation, that, even at this remote distance of time from the date of the sacred oracles, new evidences of their credibility and accuracy are continually coming to light. how much may yet remain, buried under barren mounds, or entombed in pyramids and catacombs, or hidden in the yet unexplored pages of some ancient literature, it were vain to conjecture; but of this we may be sure, that if any new forms of evidence should hereafter be needed, to meet any new forms of unbelief, and authenticate afresh the word of truth, they will be found deposited somewhere, waiting for the fulness of time; and god will bring them forth in their season, from the dark hieroglyphics, or the desert sands, or the dusty manuscripts, to confound the adversaries of his word, and to "magnify it above all his name."—"historical evidences of the truth of the scripture records," by george rawlinson, m. a. american edition, 1885.
ii.
the world's hunger for knowledge of the christ.
"were a parchment discovered in an egyptian mound, six inches square, containing fifty words which were certainly spoken by jesus, this utterance would count more than all the books which have been published since the first century. if a veritable picture of the lord could be unearthed from a catacomb, and the world could see with its own eyes what like he was, it would not matter that its colors were faded, and that it was roughly drawn, that picture would have at once a solitary place amid the treasures of art."—rev. john watson, d. d. (ian maclaren) "life of the master," prologue.
iii.
the book of mormon a witness for the christ.
"and i, nephi, beheld that the gentiles that had gone out of captivity, were delivered by the power of god out of the hands of all other nations. and it came to pass that i, nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and i beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them. and the angel said unto me, knowest thou the meaning of the book? and i said unto him, i know not. and he said. behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a jew; * * * * and he said unto me, the book that thou beholdest is a record of the jews, which contains the covenants of the lord which he hath made with the house of israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets. * * * * and it came to pass that i beheld the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the book of the lamb of god, which had proceeded forth from the mouth of the jew, that it came forth from the gentiles, unto the remnant of the seed of my brethren. and after it had come forth unto them, i beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the lamb, from the gentiles, unto them, unto the convincing of the gentiles, and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the jews, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the lamb [the bible] are true. and the angel spake unto me, saying. these last records which thou hast seen among the gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known unto all kindreds, tongues and people, that the lamb of god is the son of the eternal father, and the savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved."—i. nephi xiii.
