“And behold, I swear unto you, if ye will do this, with an oath, ye shall not be destroyed; but if ye will not do this, I swear unto you with an oath, that on the morrow month I will command that my armies shall come down against you, and they shall not stay their hand and shall spare not, but shall slay you, and shall let fall the sword upon you even until ye shall become extinct.”

It was a few years ago that the peculiarity of Giddianhi’s ultimatum really stood out to me for the first time.

As an English major with a particular interest in literature written before the 20th century, I had read a variety of texts from the Old English, Middle English, Renaissance, Early Modern,18th and 19th Century periods. At the time I had been reading a great deal of early American writing, often in the original spelling and grammar, which had been written between 1500 and 1860. I had just finished a handful of books published around the time when Joseph Smith published the Book of Mormon and the phrase “…on the morrow month…” in Giddianhi’s letter really stuck out as an unusual construction.

I wondered if “on the morrow month” was in common usage in the 19th century, when Joseph was translating the Nephite record, but had since fallen out of use. Or maybe it was a construction adapted from the Jacobean language of the King James Bible. I had never run into it in any of my other reading, so I started to investigate.

Now, I’m not a scholar, and this is a blog post not a thesis, so I’ll leave it to the professionals to look into it more rigorously if they desire, but here is what I found:

The word morrow derives from the Old English word morgen meaning “morning” (which Dutch and German speakers will recognize as a cognate). In Middle English the word became morwen. Eventually the ‘-en’ was dropped, in the same way that it was dropped in the word maiden to give us the word maid, and morw became morrow through the natural process of pronunciation.

Even though they were sometimes combined as early as 1500, the word tomorrow was usually written as separate words “to morrow” until the 1750s, and started to be used to mean “the next day” as early as 1275.

So morrow and tomorrow refer to the morning and by extension the next day. Month, on the other hand is derived from the cycle of the phases of the moon. The Oxford English dictionary doesn’t have any examples of either morrow or tomorrow becoming divorced from their relationship to “morning” and used as generic terms to indicate the next period of any time measurement, like a month. So Joseph Smith’s translation of Giddianhi’s ultimatum seems to be far outside the standard English usage of morrow.

Of course, just because it’s not in the Oxford English Dictionary doesn’t mean that it has never been used this way, so I thought I do a little more digging. I started Google searches to try to find examples of the phrase “morrow month” unrelated to the Book of Mormon. I found a few instances worth noting.

The least obscure appearance of the words “morrow month” is in a lesser known poem by the famous Robert Browning called Time’s Revenges which he published in 1845, fifteen years after the Book of Mormon.  Here is the pertinent excerpt with added emphasis:

He does himself though,—and if some vein
Were to snap to-night in this heavy brain,
To-morrow month, if I lived to try,
Round should I just turn quietly,
Or out of the bedclothes stretch my hand
Till I found him, come from his foreign land
To be my nurse in this poor place,
And make my broth and wash my face
And light my fire and, all the while,
Bear with his old good-humoured smile

The earliest use I found was in volume 8 of the Journals of the House Of Commons published in 1803, but recorded from legislative records originating in the 1660s, where it is used twice:

“Ordered, That the Committee of Privileges and Elections do, on To-morrow Month, being the Twelfth of May next, proceed to hear and determine the Cause touching the Election for the Town of Newport in Cornwall between Mr Ford and Mr Edgcombe.“

“Resolved, &c. That the House be Called over again on To morrow Month, being the Six-and-twentieth Day of April next .”

One thing to notice is that these early occurrences in the Journal of the House of Commons refer to specific dates. The first one is recorded on the Julian calendar date Lunae 13 Aprilis 1663 and the second one on Lunae 28 Martii 1664. (Britian didn’t adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752)

“To-morrow Month” here seems to mean specifically the same day as tomorrow but in four weeks. So in the first case, recorded on Monday April 13th, the “to-morrow” would be Tuesday April 14th, plus a month would be Tuesday May 12th.

Here are is the Julian calendar for April and May 1663 with the dates colored to illustrate (blue = today, green = to-morrow, red = to-morrow month)

April 1663
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
       1  2  3  4  5
 6  7  8  9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30

May 1663
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
             1  2  3
 4  5  6  7  8  9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31

The same meaning is obvious in the second instance, in which “to morrow” refers to Tuesday March 29th, 1664 and the corresponding day in the next month is April 26th, just as the text states.

Looking back at Browning’s poem, he seems to be using it in this same way, although for poetic effect rather than to specify a particular date.

Another obscure use is in a 1911 book by Stephen Graham called A Vagabond in the Caucasus:

“Sleeping in the copse, even in more abundance than yesterday, are next month’s flowers: time and the sun are softly wooing them. A few mallow and lily and rose will have faded away and given place to new revellers, new festivities. The morning sun, warmer every moment, promises for to-morrow, to-morrow week, to-morrow month, the blooming of the poppy and the ripening of the vine.”

Like Browning, Graham appears to be drawing upon the obscure usage we see in the previous legalistic Journals for poetic effect, with the addition of a progression from tomorrow, to the same day next week, and then to the corresponding day next month. And like Browning, it post-dates the publication of The Book of Mormon.

Another interesting example is from Sweated industry and the minimum wage, published by Clementia Black in 1907:

“In many shops that meal is neither good nor sufficient; and even if good the food is monotonous. Each day of the week has generally its appointed bill of fare. In many houses the assistants know what the dinner will be to-morrow, to-morrow week, to-morrow month, to-morrow year. I have an Islington shop in my mind where the menu for years past has been this:– Sunday: Pork. Monday: Beef, hot. Tuesday: Beef, cold. Wednesday: Mutton, hot. Thursday: Mutton, cold. Friday: Beef, hot. Saturday: Beef, cold, and resurrection pie.”

All of these examples are consistent with the etymology of to-morrow because they are referring specifically to the next morning or next day of the week, and then referencing that same day of the week in the subsequent week, month, or year.

There are a handful of other examples of this “to-morrow month” construction in works previous to, contemporary with, and after Joseph Smith’s publication of The Book of Mormon.

But the Book of Mormon text doesn’t use “on to-morrow month”.  It says “on the morrow month”.  If we add the definite article to the search and exclude Book of Mormon citations, we come up with some false positives because Google does not differentiate between punctuation, so that “the morrow month” is treated the same as “the morrow. Month” and “the morrow, month” by the search. Once the false positives are excluded, we find that there isn’t a single literary instance of “the morrow month” outside of citations of the Book of Mormon itself.

This suggests a few possibilities:

1. Invention

Joseph Smith came up with a completely unique use of the word morrow when translating the Book of Mormon which changes its meaning to “next” or “proximate” instead of “morning.” The word occurs 41 times in the text of the Book of Mormon, and in all other cases follows the standard usage. Nobody else before or after him has used the word in this idiosyncratic way.

2. Transcription Error

The original translation of 3rd Nephi chapter 3 might have read “…I swear unto you with an oath, that on to morrow month I will command that my armies…” and it might have been subsequently changed accidentally to the when being copied for printing. In this case, Giddianhi would have been naming a specific date on which he would command the attack, and not just a fuzzy “next month”. However, my copy of Royal Skousen’s The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text does not show that he has identified any changes to 3rd Nephi Chapter 3 Verse 8. In the image of the 1828 printer’s manuscript below, it says “on the morrow month” though that doesn’t mean that it didn’t say “on to morrow month” in the original dictation. It is interesting, however, that the word month appears to have been crossed out and then replaced again for some reason in the printer’s manuscript. This may indicate that someone recognized the unusual construction and started to change it by removing month, but then decided for some reason that it should stay, though that is pure speculation.

3. Hebraism

Maybe “morrow month” is somehow related to the the Jewish Machar Chodesh which means literally “Tomorrow Month” or “Tomorrow New Moon”. When the Sabbath falls on the New Moon it is customary to read 1st Samuel 20:18 in which, in the KJV translation, Jonathan says to David, “To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.” From what I understand, the Jewish people refer to these New-Moon Sabbaths with the words of Jonathan taken from this text. We could speculate that the words Machar Chodesh evolved in the Nephite language into a name for the next new moon, or the next sabbath on a new moon. Additionally, though machar is translated as “morrow” in the KJV, it is also translated in more vague terms as “in time to come” (see for instance Joshua 4:6). So it is possible that “morrow month” is an awkward English representation of what is a more natural construction in the Nephite language that evolved from Hebrew.

4. Insufficient Information

Perhaps I have missed something that shows that “on the morrow month” is in fact used elsewhere in English, and that it would have been familiar to Joseph Smith and his 19th century audience.

Perhaps some people with more knowledge and experience in these subjects than I have can investigate these or other possibilities further. Whatever the case, this peculiar little phrase appears to be unique to the Book of Mormon, and demonstrates that the text is more complicated and original than a cursory reading suggests.

Please feel free to share any additional insights or ideas.

This entry has been corrected and updated from when it was originally posted.

UPDATE: Forgive the lack of characters on the etymological words.  My migration to wordpress caused me to lose some data.

ENDUE
1. To provide with a quality or trait; endow
2. To put on (a piece of clothing)

Etymology & Roots

deuk- (Indo European root – “to lead”)
ind?cere (Latin – “to lead in”)
enduire (Old French – “to lead in, induct”)
enduen (Middle English influenced by “endowen”)
endue (Modern English – “to provide with a quality, endow”

eu- (Indo European root – “to dress”)
induere (Latin – “to don, to put on”)
induen (Middle English – “to clothe”)
endue/indue (Modern English – “to put on (a piece of clothing)”)

Etymologically Related Words

deuk- (Indo European root – “to lead”)
d?cere (Latin – “to lead”)
douche, duchess, duct, ductile, duke, abduct, aqueduct, conduce, deduce, educe, introduce, produce reduce, seduce, subdue, traduce

deuk- (Indo European root – “to lead”)
?duc?re (Latin – “to lead out, bring up”)
educate

deuk- (Indo European root – “to lead”)
t?on (Old English – “to pull, draw, lead”)
tug, wanton

deuk- (Indo European root – “to lead”)
togian (Old English – “to draw, drag”)
tow, taut

deuk- (Indo European root – “to lead”)
t?gan (Old English – “to bind”)
tie

deuk- (Indo European root – “to lead”)
t?am (Old English – “descendant, family, race, brood, team”)
team

deuk- (Indo European root – “to lead”)
t?man, t?eman (Old English – “to beget”)
teem

eu- (Indo European root – “to dress”)
exuere (Latin – “to doff”)
exuviae (“The cast-off skins of organisms, like crab shells or the larvae and nymphs of insects.”)

ENDOW, ENDOWMENT
1. To provide with property, income, or a source of income
2. To equip or supply with a talent or quality

Etymology & Roots

d?- (Indo European root – “to give”)
d?s (Latin – “dowry”)
d?t?re (Latin – “to dower”)
endouer (Old French – “to provide with a dowry”)
endowen (Middle English)
endow, endowment (Modern English)

Etymologically Related Words

d?- (Indo European root – “to give”)
dare (Latin – “to give”)
dado, date, dative, datum, die (singular of dice), add, betray, edition, perdition, render, rent, surrender, tradition, traitor, treason, vend

d?- (Indo European root – “to give”)
d?num (Latin – “gift”)
donation, donor, condone, pardon

d?- (Indo European root – “to give”)
d?s (Latin – “dowry”)
dot, dowager, dower, dowry

d?- (Indo European root – “to give”)
d?ron (Greek – “gift”)
Pandora

d?- (Indo European root – “to give”)
didonai (Greek – “to give”)
dose, anecdote, antidote

Translated in KJV from Old Testament Hebrew Words

??? (maw – har’) to obtain or acquire by paying purchase price, give a dowry
Total occurrences: 2 in 2 verses
Translated as: endow (1), surely (1)

??? (zaw – bad’) to endow, bestow, endow with, bestow upon
Total occurrences: 1 in 1 verse
Translated as: endue (1)

??? (yaw – dah’) to know
Total Occurances: 2 in 2 verses
Translated as: endued (2)

Translated in KJV from New Testament Greek Words

????? (en – doo’ – o) to sink into (clothing), put on, clothe one’s self
Total occurrences: 29 in 26 verses
Translated as: put on (18), clothed with (2), clothed in (2), have on (2), clothe with (1), be endued (1), arrayed in (1), be clothed (1), vr put on (1)

????????? (ep – ee – stay’ – mone) intelligent, experienced, one having the knowledge of an expert
Total occurrences: 1 in 1 verse
Translated as: endued with knowledge (1)

Insight and Notes

“The Endowment” is the name of one of the sacred ordinances or ritual sacraments performed in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Only those members of the church who have adhered to the behavioral standards of the Church are permitted to enter the LDS Temples and participate in the Endowment ceremony. This requirement helps participants to be prepared before they make sacred oaths with God and helps them achieve the spiritual insight they will need to better understand the symbolism of the ordinance. Because of its sacred nature, I will not be discussing the details of the Endowment ritual here.

The term Endowment comes from a wonderfully rich and complex etymological tapestry. Its use in the church appears to be related originally to Luke chapter 24 verse 49 in the New Testament, where Jesus tells his apostles:

“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

The term in the modern church is rooted in revelations given to Joseph Smith by God, as recorded in the book of Doctrine and Covenants, that enlist similar language in reference to an endowment of power that the church members would be able to receive once they had built a temple. But in these revelations, the word “endowed” is employed instead of “endued.”

The word “endue” has two meanings, each from a different etymology.

The second meaning of endue is “To put on (a piece of clothing).” This meaning is derived from words relating specifically to putting on clothes. Since the word endue as it appears in Luke 24 is translated from the New Testament Greek word ?????, which is clearly etymologically related and also means “to clothe,” it is this second definition that was like intended. The same Greek word is often used in the epistles of Paul, but is translated as “put on” instead of endue. For example:

Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ”

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

The first definition of endue is “to provide with a quality or trait” which is considered a synonym for the modern definition of the word “endow,” but it is derived from different roots. Endue in this sense comes from Old French and Latin terms meaning “to induct, lead in.” To induct means “To place ceremoniously or formally in an office or a position; to admit as a member; To introduce, as to new experience or knowledge; initiate.” So before it became a synonym for “endow,” endue made reference to ceremonial initiation. Through its roots it is related to a myriad of words derived from the concept of “to lead.” Especially noteworthy in the context of the LDS Endowment ritual, among the words derived from the same roots we can see clear concepts of leadership and leading, direction, education, binding and tying, family relationships, and posterity.

The form and pronunciation of the Middle English word from which endow is derived (“endowen”) was possibly similar enough to the Middle English word from which endue comes (“enduen”) that endue was influenced by and took upon some of the meaning of of the word endow. That is how its meaning shifted from “induct” to a synonym for endow.

So to this already complex network of meanings, we add the word “endow.” The word is derived from terms that refer specifically to a marriage dowry, and through its roots it is related to concepts of giving, bestowing, and giving up. It appears only once in the Bible, in Exodus 22:16:

“And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.”

Endow here is translated from the Hebrew word that means “to obtain or acquire by paying purchase price, give a dowry.” So endow in this instance does not refer in any discernible way to the endowment ritual of the church, only to the dowry required to be paid by the Mosaic law.

This conflation of meanings can be seen in the King James translation of Genesis 30:20:

“And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.”

Here, endue is translated from a Hebrew word meaning “to bestow upon or endow with,” while at the same time referring explicitly to a dowry.

The word endue only appears two other times in the Bible, and both appear to be irregular translations of a Hebrew word referring to possessing knowledge or understanding.

Even though they come from different etymological backgrounds, the definitions of endue and endow work very well together. It is not a great leap from the literal “to provide with a quality or trait” to the metaphorical “to clothe with a quality or trait,” and from there to a ceremonial induction involving an initiation to knowledge and a symbolic clothing with a quality or trait.

The revelations given to Joseph Smith employ the word “endow” when referring to the power that would be bestowed upon the elders of the church from on high. This is clearly meant to echo the use of “endue” in Luke chapter 24. And the word endow in these instances communicates being clothed with power as well as being given a gift or provided with a celestial quality.

Miraculously, the interplay among the three terms and their etymologies is reflected within the Endowment ceremony itself, which is simultaneously an enduement, an induction, and an endowment all rolled into one glorious ritual that is both symbolic and literal.

From a parallel standpoint, we might say that, like the temple, the temple of the womb is a holy place where the children of God can go to be endued and endowed with godliness.

I have always been interested in words, their etymologies, meanings, and relationships. Often we uses words with only a superficial understanding of what they can mean, how they have changed, and how they can relate to other concepts. Of course, language itself is ever changing, but I think that we often underestimate how some interrelated meanings and word roots are propagated with little change throughout history.

For a while I have wanted to compile information and insights about the words that we use in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as we talk about the Gospel and the Church. Each entry in my LDS Lexicon series will contain etymology, etymologically related words, some information about the Hebrew and and Greek terms from which the word is translated in the Bible (if applicable), and some personal insights about the word.

The views are my own and do not represent the official stance of the church, and as such they are subject to change as my own experience and knowledge increases. Entries may be updated with additional or corrected information.

[UPDATE: Forgive the lack of characters on the etymological words.  My migration to wordpress caused me to lose some data.]

The first entry follows:

FAITH

Etymology & Roots

bheidh- (Indo European root – “to trust”)
fidere (Latin – “to trust, confide in”)
fides (Latin – “faith, belief, trust”)
feid (Old French)
feith (Middle English)
faith (Modern English)

Etymologically Related Words

bheidh- (Indo European root – “to trust”)
fidere (Latin – “to trust, confide in”)
fides (Latin – “faith, belief, trust”)
fay, fealty, fideism, fidelity, infidel, perfidy

bheidh- (Indo European root – “to trust”)
fidere (Latin – “to trust, confide in”)
fidus (Latin – “faithful”)
fiancé, fiducial, fiduciary, affiance, affiant, affidavit, confidant, confide,confident, defiance, defy, diffident

bheidh- (Indo European root – “to trust”)
feodus, foeder- (Latin – “treaty, league)
federal, federate, confederate

bheidh- (Indo European root – “to trust”)

*bidan (Germanic – “to await trustingly, expect, trust”)
bidan (Old English – “to wait, stay”)
abide, abode

Translated in KJV from Old Testament Hebrew Words

??? (aw- man’) – to support, confirm, be faithful
Total occurrences: 108 in 102 verses
Translated as: believe (44), assurance (1), faithful (20), sure (11), established (7), trust (5), verified (3), stedfast (2), continuance (2), father (2), bring up (4), nurse (2), be nursed (1), surely be (1), stand fast (1), fail (1), trusty (1)

????? (em- oo- naw’) – firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness
Total occurrences: 49 in 49 verses
Translated as: faithfulness (18), truth (13), faithfully (5), office (5), faithful (3), faith (1), stability (1), steady (1), truly (1), verily (1)

???? (ay- moon’) – faithfulness, trusting
Total occurrences: 5 in 5 verses
Translated as: faithful (3), truth (1), faith (1)

??? (eh’- meth) – firmness, faithfulness, truth
Total occurrences: 127 in 125 verses
Translated as: truth (92), true (18), truly (7), right (3), faithfully (2), assured (1), assuredly (1), establishment (1), faithful (1), sure (1), verity (1)

Translated in KJV from New Testament Greek Words

????? (el- pece’) – expectation of good, hope
from root elpo – to anticipate, usually with pleasure
Total occurrences: 54 in 48 verses
Translated as: hope (53), faith (1)

?????? (pis’- tis) – 1. conviction of the truth, belief with trust 2. fidelity, faithfulness
from verb ????? (pi’- t- ho) – to persuade, win good will, or yield
Total occurrences: 244 in 228 verses
Translated as: faith (239), assurance (1), believe(1), belief (1), fidelity (1)

?????? (pis- tos’) – 1. trusty, faithful; 2. easily persuaded
from verb ????? (pi’- tho) – to persuade, win good will, or yield
Total occurrences: 66 in 62 verses
Translated as: faithful (53), believe (6), believing (2), true (2), faithfully (1), believer (1), sure (1)

Insight and Notes

In the Church we often define faith as “to hope for things that are not seen, but are true.” Sometimes we get bogged down in esoteric concepts of faith as a principle of power or a metaphysical construct. But faith, saving faith, is fundamentally simple: faith is trust.

When we have a degree of faith we have a level of trust that the Lord is what He claims to be, that we are what He says we are, and that He will fulfill his promises to us if we will fulfill ours to Him.

A review of words etymologically related to faith shows that the concept of covenant appears to be fundamentally intertwined with words related to faith.

According to a language note in the American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots several of the descendants of the root bheidh-, from which the English word faith is derived, refer specifically to the mutual trust upon which covenants and social contracts are based in order to be binding. It is sometimes used in conjunction with the ancient concept of the guest-host covenant relationship. This guest-host relationship was very important to Indo-European cultures and involved a mutual understanding of reciprocal responsibilities of hospitality. A mutual exchange of gifts established a covenant bond of trust and friendship, similar to kinship, between two people. In Germanic cultures it was often an exchange of rings or bracelets- a tradition that survives in our modern marriage ceremony. Once established, that relationship would continue perpetually and could be renewed by the decedents of the participants. The dictionary also notes that one word from the same root is an obscure Albanian term that refers to the a pledge by the family of a murdered man to the family of the murderer not to seek retribution through blood feud. It notes that this pledge is a fundamental expression of the social contract.

Our faith in God is related to our covenant with Him. Like the guest-host covenant and the social contract, the holy covenant established between God and Abraham creates a perpetual relationship between them and is renewable by the decedents of Abraham. Likewise, the covenant we enter into with Christ, through the ordinances establish a similar relationship that revolves around our trust in him. Baptism in particular is an ordinance of trust and submission where we submit to Christ, or his authorized representative, and he lowers us into the waters of death and affliction and we trust that he will lift us out again and resurrect us from the death that results.

Just as with other covenants, faith is the underlying trust that makes the contract binding.

Without a correct understanding of the stipulations of the pact, and without an authorized representative of God to administer the oaths and seal the relationship, we cannot trust that the covenant will be honored. In other words, we must have the priesthood and the correct ordinances in order to have true faith.

We acquire faith by acting on the assertions of witnesses who testify of principles or ideas from first hand experience. This is similar to when a jury or a judge makes a decision about an individual’s guilt or innocence and applies a punishment based upon the testimony of witnesses and the evidences of things that they were not present to see themselves. They act by faith because they have no personal knowledge of the events at which they were not present.

Each time we act out of faith in the Lord or the words of those who testify of Him, His words are verified as a result and our trust, or faith, in Him increases. This concept is reflected both in the roots of the etymologically related word “abide” and in its definition: “to wait for trustingly, to endure, to sustain, to bear patiently.” In general when we abide we adhere to, defend, or maintain an agreement, a promise, or a friend. To abide presupposes trust, faith, and a relationship.

In the Book of Mormon, Alma explains this process of incremental faith by acting on the word in his discourse to the Zoramites about experimenting upon the word. (Alma 32)

God calls prophets from among mankind to whom he reveals himself, sends messengers (angels) and establishes his covenant. He gives them authority and power of attorney to act in his behalf to administer the sacraments to others. These prophets act as witnesses to the people, who if they will act upon the assertions of the witnesses, will develop trust in their message as they experience the fruits of their faith-based action.

The Book of Mormon prophet Moroni provides the most succinct explanation of these concepts in Moroni chapter 7, verses 21 – 34 :

And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing. For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing. And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come. And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.

Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ. And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men? For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness. And the office of their ministry is to call men unto
repentance, and to fulfill and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.

And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men.