PAGE 47. "He descended in America and preached the Gospel to the Indians."
See Book of Mormon, 5th chapter of Nephi. "And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together of the people of Nephi; * * * and they cast their eyes up towards heaven, and behold they saw a man descending out of heaven; he was clothed in a white robe, and he came down and stood in the midst of them, and the eyes of the whole multitude was turned upon him, * * * and it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people saying: 'Behold I am Jesus Christ of which the prophets testified that should come into the world, and behold I am the light and life of the world, and I have drank out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father, in taking upon me the sins of the world.'"
Joseph Smith says in an article on this subject in the "Times and Seasons," for April 15th, 1842.
"What has become of our fathers? will they be damned for not obeying the Gospel, when they never heard it? Certainly not. But they will possess the same privilege that we here enjoy through the medium of the _everlasting_ priesthood, which not only administers in earth, but in heaven, * * * they will come out of their prison upon the same principle as those who were disobedient in the days of Noah were visited by our Saviour, * * * and in order that they might fulfil all the requisitions of God, their living friends were baptized for their dead friends, and thus fulfilled the requirements of God: 'Except a man be born again of water, and of the Spirit, he can in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven;' they were baptized of course, not for themselves, but for their dead. _Crysostum_ says, that the _Marchionites_[A] practised baptism for the dead, 'after a catechumen was dead, they hid a living man under the bed of the deceased; then coming to the dead man, they asked him whether he would receive baptism; and he making no answer, the other answered for him, and said that he would be baptized in his stead,--and so they baptized the living for the dead."
It appears by the above extract, that the prophet is beginning (in his own way) to quote the fathers.