herring with which we could supply all nations? Is it salmon? We raise enough on the Pacific coast to suppy the whole world. Our rivers are alive with them. We catch them with machinery, pack millions of cans of them yearly, and ship them everywhere. We are also known for the abundance of our seal, and the quality of the skins. We are famed for our lobsters, and oysters and shells and sponges, wonderful blessings of the deep. "And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun." Nearly all kinds of fruit can be raised here. From the luscious berries to the juicy oranges. From the great variety of grapes to the grand red apple. Name most any kind of fruit, and we have it in America, delicious in flavor and abundant in variety. Fruit of almost every grade and description. "The chief things of the ancient mountains." We could almost supply the world with coal. We have wonderful quantities of iron, lead, and copper, also marble and granite and other stones for building and works of art, of which there is an inexhaustible supply. "The precious things of the lasting hills." Think of the wonderful gold and silver mines found in America, from which millions of dollars are taken annually! So much has been taken from California that it is called "the land of gold."

"The precious things of the earth and fullness thereof." This evidently refers to the fruit, vegetables, flowers, etc., of which we have an unlimited quantity. But as to the "fullness thereof," that is purely American. The great quantities of everything of the kind we raise is really marvelous. Hundreds of acres of wheat, grapes, melons, corn, beets, oranges, lemons, peaches, apricots, beans, potatoes, etc. Not only do we have the largest fields and orchards, but also the largest growths. We have raised the largest bunches of grapes, the largest apples, oranges, melons, squashes, sugar beets, etc., that were ever grown. America is known for her big things. We have the largest valley in the world-the Mississippi. The longest river-the Mississippi, the largest lake-Lake Superior. The largest waterfall-Niagara. The biggest trees-in Calaveras County, California. The largest cave-in Kentucky. The highest building-Metropolitan, New York. The highest waterfall-Yosemite valley, California. The largest natural bridge-in Utah. The largest ferry boat-crossing the Sacramento River, California. The largest clock-an advertisement in New York City. The largest cattle ranges-on the Pacific Coast. The largest flock of sheep. Largest herds of cattle. The largest cotton fields. The largest grape vine-Santa Clara County, California. The largest pyramid -Mexico. Three times as large as Gizeh.

"For the good will of him that dwelt in the bush," the angel of the Lord. (Acts 7: 35.) He spoke to Moses from the burning bush. (Exodus 3: 4-6.) America was to be blessed by his good will. An angel restored the gospel here in 1830. (Revelation 14: 6.) Through which comes good will to all men. An angel revealed the hiding place of the plates of the Book of Mormon. Not only so, but God the Father, and Jesus Christ, his son, appeared to men here, in these the last days. This land has been blessed "for the good will of him." While Lehi was living at Jerusalem, he was warned by the Lord

to flee from the troubles coming upon that city. He gathered a few faithful ones and went to a place called Hazor (Jeremiah 49: 30), and while there he was again warned that Nebuchadnezzar had taken counsel against him, and he was told, "Get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, . . . which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone." (Verse 31). All this applies to America.

The cities of the old world, had high walls around them, with heavy gates and bars. But those things were not found in America by the Nephites. This nation "dwelt alone," "without care."

He was also promised, "their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil." (Verse 32). When Lehi and his party landed here they found the cattle left by the Jaredites at the time of their destruction, an account of which we read in the Book of Mormon: "We did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow, and the ox, and the ass, and the horse, and the goat, and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men."-1 Nephi 5: 45.

Eleven years after Lehi's departure, about 589 B. C., Mulek, the youngest son of Zedekiah, led another colony to America. (Helaman 2:27; 3: 6.) The king of Babylon supposed that he had slain all the sons of Zedekiah (2 Kings 25: 7), but God had planned to use Mulek, and he protected him. Ezekiel 17 has much to say about Zedekiah, and that he should die in Babylon. That the king and princes should be taken to Babylon. Verse 22 speaks of "the highest branch of the high cedar." The high cedar was Zedekiah the king. The highest branch was his most important son. And the Lord said he would set it. He also says, "I will crop off from the top of his young twigs, a tender one, and will plant it upon a high mountain." This tender one was Zedekiah's youngest son, named Mulek. According to the Book of Mormon, Mulek and his people, later called the people of Zarahemla, left Jerusalem. They are supposed to have gone southeast until they came to the Red Sea, then east, going through the wilderness until they reached the Pacific Ocean, where they built boats, and sailed away, "over the sea,” landing in America. Just before the king of Babylon took Zedekiah and his sons prisoners, the Lord led the people of Mulek to leave Jerusalem. They went to a place called Jazer (See Isaiah 16), and Moab is there told to "hide the outcasts," (verse 3) and "let mine outcasts dwell with thee," (verse 4.) Verse 8 speaking of their travels says, "they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea." As far as the Bible is concerned, that is the end of them, "They are gone over the sea." The Book of Mormon carries out the story. Tells of their safe arrival here, and of God's watchcare over them in this land.

There was also a man in this party named Ishmael, an Ephraimite, and through him we have the descendants here. Ephraim was to become a multitude of nations in the midst of the earthAmerica. And the Lord says, "I have written to him the great

things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing." (Hosea 8:11, 12.) They are written in the Book of Mormon, and everyone thinks it a "strange thing."

In the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, we read of the stick of Judah—the Bible, and the stick of Joseph-the Book of Mormon. These two sticks or books are to be united in the latter days, and are to become one in the hands of the prophet, and they are to be held up before the people, as a sign that God is then going to gather his people, the Jews, back to the land of Palestine. The two books were united in 1830, and a few years later the Jews began to return to that land, and now there are thousands of them there, and the number increasing every day. The stick of Joseph was to be united with the stick of Judah before the Jews began to return. It is too late now for them to be united, for the Jews are already returning. No book can now be presented to the world as the stick of Joseph. Book of Mormon has filled the claim.

The

One peculiar feature of this work is: "Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim . . . and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah." At the time the Lord is to do this work the stick of Joseph, Book of Mormon, is to be in the hand of Ephraim. It was made know to Joseph Smith that he was an Ephraimite, and the first we hear of the Book of Mormon it was in his hand. It was placed with the Bible, and has been there ever since. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were the first persons born into the kingdom of God, in these latter days, and God says, concerning the gathering of the Jews and the latter day work, "Ephraim is my first born." (Jeremiah 31:9.) But how is Ephraim to be known? He was lost. "Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people." (Hosea 7: 8.) He lost his identity. How is he to become known? In Ezra 2: 61-63 we read of certain ones in ancient times who "sought their register among those who were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found." They wished to establish their right to the priesthood, and the holy things. But they could not prove their genealogy, and were told they could not partake of "the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with the Urim and Thummin." After the register and genealogy is lost, and Ephraim is mixed with the nations, man can not know his genealogy or right to the holy things, until the bringing forth of the Urim and Thummim, which also was lost. Strange to say, when Joseph Smith found the plates of the Book of Mormon, he found with them the Urim and Thummim, and since then Ephraim is known and Joseph Smith's genealogy is established, as well as that of others, to whom the Lord spoke, December 6, 1832, saying: "Thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers, for ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God."-Doctrine and Covenants 84: 3.

The book spoken of by Isaiah 29: 11, 12, is the Book of Mormon. It was to come forth just before Palestine became fertile. The Book of Mormon was presented to the world in 1829. Rain was restored to Palestine in 1852. There had been comparatively no

rain for hundreds of years, and the soil becoming dry had nearly all blown away, leaving bare rocks and dry barren ground, on which scarcely anything grew. But since the return of rain, soil is covering the rocks again. The ground is becoming exceedingly fertile, and crops are abundant. Trees are becoming plentiful. Grapes, olives, and oranges flourish. Palestine is "a fruitful field." Isaiah's book was to come forth before this was accomplished. It is too late now for any book to come making this claim. The Book of Mormon has filled the bill.

Verse 22 says, "Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale." That means the house of Jacob-the Jews. After this book comes forth the Jews are to hold up their heads again and be respected among men. They have been downtrodden, despised, enslaved, persecuted, etc., among all nations for hundreds of years. But now they are esteemed among men. They are among our wealthiest citizens. Among our leading politicians we find them, leading in all the arts and sciences, in all the fields of literature and learning. He is not now ashamed. All this was to take place after this book came forth. The book came in 1829. It is too late for such a book to come now. The Book of Mormon was the book.

In Isaiah 18 we read of "the land shadowing with wings (America), which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia." If we stand at Jerusalem where Isaiah was, and look beyond Ethiopia (now called Africa), we find America spread upon the map, in the shape of the two wings of a bird. Is that what he meant in "shadowing with wings"? Or did he mean the emblems of the country? England has the lion, Russia has the bear, China has a dragon, France has a flower-fleur-de-lis, but America has the eagle-with wings. It is seen everywhere here, on our coins, on our flag poles, and in all kinds of public places. This is "the land shadowing with wings." The large flocks of birds found here are astonishing, and the number of kinds. We have nine hundred species or varieties in North America alone. But what of it? What does all this mean? It means that something wonderful is going to transpire in America. Listen: "All ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye."-Isaiah 18: 3. All this was to occur in the land shadowing with wings-beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. Here in America the ensign is to be raised up, and the gospel trumpet blown, and God tells all the world to see that ensign, and hear that trumpet. All this took place in 1829-30. An ensign is a commissioned officer.

Again we read: "and he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."-Isaiah 11:12. We are here told that after he sets up the ensign, he will gather the Jews. The ensign was set up in 1830. The Jews have been gathering ever since. It is too late now for anyone to claim to be that ensign. Joseph Smith filled the bill.

But where was the ensign to be set up? "And he will lift up an

ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly." -Isaiah 5:26. If we stand where Isaiah stood, at Jerusalem, and go around the world in either direction, the end will be America, as far away as you can possibly get, and here the ensign was "lifted up." We are here shown again, that the gathering of the Jews was to be after the ensign was lifted up.

When Jacob blessed Ephraim and Mannasseh, he said, "Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth," and then speaking of Ephraim, "his seed shall become a multitude of nations." (Genesis 48: 16-19.) Where is the midst of the earth? If we take a map of the earth on a plain (Mercator's projection) we find America in the middle (or midst) of the map. I do not think it was put there by accident. It must have been so placed by inspiration. It was here they were to grow into a multitude of nations. Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh. Ishmael was an Ephraimite.

John tells us concerning the restoration of the gospel in the last days. "I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth." Where is the midst of heaven? It is over the midst of earth, America. Then the restoration of the gospel is to be an American work, and in fulfillment of this, the gospel was restored here in 1830. And the American church was organized by six young men, all Americans. New York State is exactly in the middle of the map, and it was in New York that the angel made his appearance. In Daniel, second chapter, we have the description of a great image, representing the four universal empires of the world. The head of gold-the Babylonian. Breast and arms of silver-the Medes and Persians. Belly and thighs of brass-the Grecian. Legs of iron, and feet-the Roman. The toes of iron and clay-the ten kingdoms of Europe. He saw a stone, representing the kingdom of God, strike the image on the feet, and break them to pieces, and then break the legs, the hips, the breast and head, and grind them all to powder. In order to do this, the image must be lying down. And in that position, we would find its head in Babylon. A little further to the west we find Persia, and further west Greece, and still further west Rome, and further yet, the ten kingdoms of Europe. And when America was discovered we find a number of these kingdoms establishing colonies in the new land.

In 1830 the kingdom of God was set up in America, and from here the stone began to roll, crushing the image on the end of the toes, and as it continues to roll to the east, it will roll on up the different parts of the body grinding them to powder. It is an American work. It is impossible for the stone to commence to roll from anywhere else, and crush the whole body; it must roll from the toes up. The kingdom has been set up, and God says "it shall never be destroyed," but shall "consume all these kingdoms, and stand for ever," and become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. Such is the destiny of America, Joseph's land, the most precious land on the face of the earth-"the land of the free, and the home of the brave." The land where Zion is to be established, the land which