Thine antecedents, thy forerunners, these, Prophet of Ephraim, Joseph's namesake seer! More than those ancient bridgers of the seas, Unveiler of the long-hid hemisphere, Whose secret 'tis lies booked and buried here. Bring forth that word of Joseph, now to join With Judah's word, Messiah's throne to rear; That high may rise and holily may shine God's house, the pure-in-heart, kingdom of King divine. The whole Canto, and indeed the whole poem, should be read in order to get the full beauty and power of the poet's theme, in which the Book of Mormon is so large a factor of inspiration. _Summary of Internal Evidences_. This is all I intend to say directly on the subject of the Internal Evidences of the truth of the Book of Mormon; what else remains that could properly fall under this division of the subject will be said in connection with the answers to objections to the claims of the book. Before leaving the subject, however, I ask the reader to recall in one view the various internal evidences considered up to this time, that it may be remembered how numerous they are, and how strong and conclusive they are when massed. The Internal Evidences of the Book of Mormon consist in the following facts: The book in style and language is consistent with the theory of its construction; It responds to the demands both of unity and diversity in its style, under the theory of its structure; It has all the characteristics of an abridgment; It meets all the requirements of the circumstances in the matter of names, originality in names, differences between Jaredite and Nephite names, and the custom of Hebrew peoples with reference to names; Its governments are in harmony with the political principles of the age in which those governments are said to have existed; The events to which importance is given are such as would be expected from the character of its writers; The complexity of its structure is in harmony with the theory of its origin; It meets the requirements in originality of structure, manner of coming forth, theory of peopling America, the nativity of its peoples, accounting for Christian truths in America, and in its doctrines; Its prophecies, so many and important, so far as the wheels of time have brought them due, are fulfilled, and others are in course of fulfillment; It deals with subjects worthy of God to reveal, and important for man to know; It has an atmosphere about it, a spirit, that bears witness of its truth. Footnotes 1. See I. Kings xix. 2. The Prophet's Journal, November 28, 1841. 3. Luke x: 21. 4. James iv: 6. Peter v: 5. PART IV. Objections to the Book of Mormon CHAPTER XLIV. COUNTER THEORIES OF ORIGIN. "_No sane man dreams of maintaining that a religion is true because of the difficulties which it involves; the utmost that can reasonably be maintained is that it may be true in spite of them_." [1]