Those who have questions or concerns about the Church may cling in security to the Book of Mormon, a firm anchor that is immutable and tangible evidence of the truthfulness of the Church, declared Elder Ted E. Brewerton Saturday afternoon.

Elder Brewerton, who became an emeritus member of the Seventy earlier in the session, asked Church members if they truly and seriously place their faith where it belongs and rely upon the merits of Christ. "Do we have an assurance that salvation comes only through Him and that He will take upon Himself our burdens and sorrows if we but place an unwavering faith in Him?""Eternal life," said Elder Brewerton, "is knowing God and His Holy Son. One can know Him by searching the Book of Mormon. Every page testifies of Him."

Elder Brewerton called the Book of Mormon a "sacred, ancient American document" and a "record of families that the Lord led to the Americas for a specific purpose."

He said many migratory groups came to the Americas, but none as important as the three mentioned in the Book of Mormon: the descendants of Ephraim, Manasseh and Judah.

He explained that the blood of these people flows in the veins of native-American groups in the Western Hemisphere and the Pacific islands. They recognize the truth of the Book of Mormon which was recorded for them by their own ancestors, he said. Quoting President Spencer W. Kimball, Elder Brewerton called converted Lamanites devout, adding that few ever apostatize.

Elder Brewerton explained that every ecclesiastical authority of any church and every agnostic will rejoice and praise God for having sent the priceless Book of Mormon. "Why? Because it is a sacred, second, undeniable witness to the world that God lives and Jesus is the very Christ, our Redeemer," he declared.

Elder Brewerton said the crucial messages or purposes of the Book of Mormon are shown on its title page.

"To show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord. . . . And also the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations," he said, quoting the title page.

The Book of Mormon gives an accurate account of the coming of the Lord to ancient America and of the truthfulness of the Church, he explained.

"When we accept the ancient roots of the book and believe that Joseph Smith did have ancient records that could not be in English, we then may ask how he translated them. The only reasonable answer is the way he said: by divine revelation."