people of Nephi, warning them against fornication and lasciviousness, and every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of them; 13. And a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written upon these plates; but many of their proceedings are written upon the larger plates, and their wars, and their contentions, and the reigns of their kings. 14. These plates are called the plates of Jacob, and they were made by the hand of Nephi. And I make an end of speaking these words. CHAPTER 4. 1. Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the "difficulty of engraving our words upon plates,) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain ; 2. But whatsoever things we write upon any thing, save it be upon plates, must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers. 3. Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labour diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren, and our children, will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents: 4. For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. 5. Behold, they believed in Christ and worshipped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we 'keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness, to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his only begotten Son. 6. Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations, and the Spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh k, small plates. See b, 1. Nep. 6. 1, see f, 1. Nep. 1. m, 1. Nep. 19: 2,3. 11. Nep. 5: 30-32. unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus, and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea: 7. Nevertheless, the Lord God sheweth us our weakness, that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things. 8. Behold, great and marvellous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways, save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God, 9. For behold, by the "power of his word, man came upon the face of the earth! which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak, and the world was, and to speak, and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure? 10. Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counselleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works; 11. Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his only begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh. 12. And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the "atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a 'resurrection and the world to come? 13. Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old. 14. But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people: and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not under c. 1. Nep. 7: 17, 18. 17 48, 50, 53-55. Alma 14 26-29. Ether 12: 30. f, II. Nep. 2. Hela. 10: 5 -11. d; II. Nep. 2 14. 15. Jacob 7: 13-19. Mos. 13: -6. J, Mos. 15: 21 16-21. Hela. 14: 25. III. Nep. 23: 9-13. j, see b, II. Nep. 25. d, II. Nep. 2. 23. Mor. 8: 24. Nep. 2. e, see Alma 40: i, see Jacob 6:4. stand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall for God hath taken away his 'plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it, God hath done it, that they may stumble. 15. And now I, Jacob, am led on by the Spirit unto prophesying: for I perceive by the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that by the stumbling of the Jews, they will reject the stone upon which they might build, and have safe foundation. 16. But behold, according to the "scriptures, this stone shall become the great, and the last, and the only sure foundation, upon which the Jews can build. 17. And now, my beloved, how is it possible that these, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever build upon it, that it may become the "head of their corner? 18. Behold, my beloved brethren, I will unfold this mystery unto you; if I do not, by any means, get shaken from my firmness in the Spirit, and stumble because of my over anxiety for you. CHAPTER 5. 1. BEHOLD, my brethren, do ye not remember to have read the words of the prophet "Zenos, which he spake unto the house of Israel, saying; 2. Hearken, O ye house of Israel, and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord; 3. For behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a 'tame olive tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and waxed old, and began to decay. 4. And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive tree began to decay; and he said, I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it perish not. 5. And it came to pass that he pruned it, and digged about it, and nourished it according to his word. 6. And it came to pass that after many days, it began to put forth somewhat a little, young and tender branches; but behold, the main top thereof began to perish. 7. And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard saw it, and he said unto his servant, It grieveth me that I , II. Nep. 18. Isa. 8: 14, 15. n, Psalm 118: b, 1. Nep. 10: 12, 14. 15: 7, 12, 13, 16. II. Nep. should lose this tree; wherefore, go and pluck the branches from a wild olive tree, and bring them hither unto me; and we will pluck off those main branches which are beginning to wither away, and we will cast them into the fire, that they may be burned. 8. And behold, saith the Lord of the vineyard, I take away many of these dyoung and tender branches, and I will graft them whithersoever I will; and it mattereth not that if it so be, that the root of this tree will perish, I may preserve the fruit thereof unto myself; wherefore, I will take these young and tender branches, and I will graft them whithersoever I will. 9. Take thou the branches of the wild olive tree, and graft them in, in the stead thereof; and these which I have plucked off, I will cast into the fire, and burn them, that they may not cumber the ground of my vineyard. 10. And it came to pass that the servant of the Lord of the vineyard, did according to the word of the Lord of the vineyard, and grafted in the branches of the wild olive 11. And the Lord of the vineyard caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and nourished, saying unto his servant, It grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, that perhaps I might preserve the roots thereof that they perish not, that I might preserve them unto myself, I have done this thing. 12. Wherefore, go thy way; watch the tree, and nourish it, according to my words. 13. And these will I place in the nethermost part of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto thee; and I do it that I might preserve unto myself the natural branches of the tree; and also, that I may lay up fruit thereof, against the season, unto myself: for it grieveth me that I should lose this tree and the fruit thereof. 14. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard went his way, and hid the natural branches of the tame alive tree in the "nethermost parts of the vineyard; some in one, and some in another, according to his will and pleasure. 15. And it came to pass that a long time passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant, Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labour in the vineyard. 16. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard, and also the servant, went down into the vineyard to labour. And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master, Behold, look here; behold the tree. 17. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard c, vers. 9, 10, 17, 18, 30-37, 46, 57, 65, 73. 5, 13, 14, 19-27, 38-40, 43-46, 52, 54, 67, 68 d, vers. g, see Rom. 11: 17, 24. i. 6 or 7 centuries. d, upon isles distant from Palestine. n, ten tribes in the North. Some of Judah and Joseph in America. Others, upon isles. looked and beheld the tree, in the which the wild olive branches had been grafted; and it had sprang forth and began to bear fruit. And he beheld that it was good; and the fruit thereof was like unto the natural fruit. 18. And he said unto the servant, Behold, the branches of the wild tree hath taken hold of the moisture of the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength; and because of the much strength of the root thereof, the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit: now, if we had not grafted in these branches, the tree thereof would have perished. And now, behold, I shall lay up much fruit, which the tree thereof hath brought forth; and the fruit thereof I shall lay up, against the season, unto mine own self. 19. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant, Come, let us go to the nethermost part of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches of the tree hath not brought forth much fruit also, that I may lay up of the fruit thereof, against the season, unto mine own self. 20. And it came to pass that they went forth whither the master had hid the natural branches of the tree, and he said unto the servant, Behold these: and he beheld the first, that it had brought forth much fruit; and he beheld also, that it was good. And he said unto the servant, Take of the fruit thereof, and lay it up, against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self; for behold, said he, this long time have I nourished it, and it. hath brought forth much fruit. 21. And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master, How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? for behold, it was the poorest 'spot in all the land of the vineyard. 22. And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him, Counsel me not: I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit. 23. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant, Look hither; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that "this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree: I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit; therefore, gather it, and lay it up, against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self.. 24. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said again unto his servant, Look hither, and behold "another branch also, which I have planted behold that, I have nourished it also, and it hath brought forth fruit. The Gentiles in the Apostles' days. m, Place unknown. n, Flace unknown. k, see c. 1, Place unknown. |