1. One of the earliest writers in the Church in support of the claims of the Book of Mormon was Elder Charles Thompson. He published a work at Batavia, N. Y., in 1841 consisting of 250 pages. The title of the book was "Evidences in Proof of the Book of Mormon Being a Divinely Inspired Record, Written by the Forefathers of the Natives Whom we Call Indians." It dwells at length on the scripture proofs of the divine authenticity of the book, the nature of which may be judged from the following statement of what the author expects to prove: "In treating on this subject, I shall observe the following order, viz: I shall first prove by the Prophets, that God will literally gather Israel, the literal seed of Jacob, from all nations, unto their own land, which God gave unto their fathers, by promise. "Second: When he shall set his hand to bring to pass this gathering, he will first lift up an ensign on the mountains for the nations--set up his standard to the people, and set a sign among them. And then immediately he will commission officers and send them to the nations, bearing this ensign, to declare his glory among the Gentiles, and to fish out and hunt up Israel, and bring them to their own land for an offering unto the Lord. "Third: The ensign, standard, and sign, consists of a book--a record of the tribe of Joseph, taken by the Lord and put with the Bible (that is, published to the nations as the Bible now is). "Fourth: This record of Joseph is to come out of the earth in America because Ephraim's seed dwell there. "Fifth: America is a promised land to Joseph, and God brought a remnant of his seed here to possess it. "Sixth: God will make use of men as instruments in bringing this book forth. "Seventh: This generation is the time when this gathering is to take place; consequently the time when this book is to come forth. "Eighth: The Book of Mormon is this book, and the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the officers commissioned to bear this sign to the nations, and to declare God's glory among the gentiles and gather Israel." (Evidences in Proof of the Book of Mormon, pp. 7, 8). The writings of Elders Parley P. Pratt (who preceded Elder Thompson in this field by three or four years), and Orson Pratt upon this subject, the first in the Voice of Warning, 1837; the second in his work on Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, England, 1850-1, are too well known to require any summary as their works are still current. 2. Jeremiah xxxi: 9. 3. I. Chronicles v: 1, 2. 4. Genesis xlviii: 12-20. 5. Genesis xlix: 22-26. 6. Deut. xxxiii: 13-18.