"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." If this be true, and I think no one will or can question it, then how valuable indeed must be this whole volume of scripture, the Book of Mormon! Containing not fifty, but many hundred works spoken by Jesus! Containing also an account of the hand dealings of God with the people inhabiting the western hemisphere, from earliest times to the fourth century after Christ. Wherein also are found his revelations to those peoples; his messages by angels sent directly from his presence to declare his word to them; his instructions, admonitions, reproofs, and warnings to them through men inspired by his holy spirit; and last of all, the account of Messiah's appearance and ministry among the people, his very words repeated, and, in some instances, rightly divided for us, that we may the better understand what of his teaching is general, and what special; what universal and permanent, and what local and transient. How insignificant all the discoveries in Egypt, in ancient Babylon, Palestine, and the Sinaitic Peninsula are in comparison with this New Witness of the western world! How paltry, valuable though they are in themselves, seem the Rosetta Stone, the Moabite Stone and the library of brick tablets from old Nineveh, in comparison with this Nephite record--this volume of scripture! How feeble the voice of the testimony of those monuments of the East to the authenticity and credibility of the Bible and the truth of the gospel, in comparison with the testimony found in the Book of Mormon--the voice of departed nations and empires of people speaking through their records for the truth of God--for the verity of the gospel of Jesus Christ--a voice sufficient to overwhelm unbelief and forever make sure the foundations of faith! It was mainly for this purpose that the Nephite records were written, preserved, and finally brought forth to the world. (Y. M. M. I. A. Manual, No. 7, p. 21.) 2. _The Hand Dealings of God with All Men in Relation to Revelation:_ The following appears in the Book of Mormon, with reference to God's course in making known his mind and will to the children of men: