Show THE BOOK OF MORMON an articles article headed Criticism of the old testament appears tu tn the october number humber of the in tt it the author asks are christians christiana jus tidied rifled in the belief that honest criticism and diligent inquiry into the difficulties avowedly connected with sacred leered writ lugs ings tend to strengthen the faith la in their divine genuineness genuine nes and authenticity this thie question he endeavors to answer by laying down the proposition that the biblical books must reviewed be viewed from calvary so as the central point of sacred history la in the same name manner as our part of the universe must be viewed from the sun and not from the earth as the center of this planetary system viewed in this way we ate are told the bible becomes the most interesting of all books it is no longer a magical and infallible oracle verbally and syllabically inspired but a perfectly V veracious and divinely simple record of the growth and development of gods church from the beginning down to the apostolic age describing yn in full fall its successive essays in organization its failures and its victories its achievements achieve menta of saints sainta and heroes giving in perfect good faith its legends of jonah and his whale of balsam balaam and his ass of samson and his lion and weaving in many lovely myths and nd dreams and poems the angels ladder the rainbow covenant ot ol hope and peace for animals as well as men the garden of sweet innocence and oy of sad primeval beval foal fail about the proposition here laid down very little need be said mid it seems to contain contradictions of very glaring nature the author evidently feels concerned about the in the and therefore tries to turn the whole structure upside down so as to hide bid these from view but in ao 00 doing he be still finds that the records are not infallible 9 and andyes yet perfectly veracious presenting it seemed difficulty still more unsolvable than any which he removes for how can a record be at once oboe fallible and perfectly veracious one more ineth instance nee of the helplessness of modern theology incidentally the author states that the book of mormon to is beneath criticism and this groundless state ment should for the sake of truth be emphatically contradicted the trouble is in the world refuses refuse ap a a a general rule to read the book of mormon with a view to honest criticism it has become almost an aa axiom with the so called scholars of the world that that sacred mored record cannot bear close investigation it has been beau viewed through the hazy mists of prejudices and denied a fair impartial hearing bearing it has been doomed among the thousands of christian confessors to the same fate to which the bible to Is subject among the infidels nothing is ie more strange than this for those who accept the book of mormon invite investigation and maintain that if this record must be rejected the bible must be rejected too and it if one to ao ac cepter d as divine both must mart be accepted T the he two must toad stand or fall to gother gether to prove this chii statement in IB full would not be possible within the limits limit of ef this article but one point or two way aay be offered for consideration mr M T lamb who is about the only ialy one who has h attempted to handle the book of mormon critically sally and he does it only la in order to pull it to piece may be referred to te in this brief investigation his alb first fant objection to that Goda hand cannot be traced in the book to him it is ia blundering stupid etc this to no BO doubt true with regard to all w ho he read able sacred record with unbelieving heart and prejudiced mind but what la Is the fact in regard to the bible can ingersoll Inger goll trace the hand of god in it the fact that an unbeliever cannot see ee the hand band of god in a book dow does not prove that god is ii not theauthor the author the question 1 whether the book of mormon gives given enlightenment and consolation consol sol atlon and hope to those who study it with hearte heart prepared for the truths it contains and to this fact thousands OBB can testify many are unable to trace the hand band of a creator even la in nature but that does doea not prove that nature has no divine creator to the thoughtful mind every flower every leaf every little beautiful insect is a poem ot of divine authorship go bo with the bible and the book of mormon the hand of god to in everywhere traceable able another objection in ii the grammar of the sacred volume that all might no eee the writing which he had wrote upon the rent is i given as a an instance of ef bad grammar and it is in seriously Beriou aly argued that god could bever have inspired that well the fact IR in that the same saine objection might be applied to the bible in the revelation of john for instance we read that the revelator Bev elator heard board a great voice as of a trumpet and I 1 turned to see eee the voice rev bev 1 I 12 when W ben we accept as aa all christians christiana do that god the words to be be the voice it to la not difficult to accept the inspiration of the first quoted expresion ion inspiration does not mean that the almighty uses the inspired man as an a machine a typewriter as it were it means that the divine mind operates through the human blind moving the inspired person to sett act speak peak think or feel for the time being in harmony with god but in this operation the tae faculties of ef man are the instrument is used hones the per cep tible results ol of inspiration must necessarily Becea rily partake to te some ome extent of the individuality of the person inspired this Is exemplified everywhere wherein in the bible the student will notice the difference between the language of david the king and amos amoe the shepherd paul the flaming orator and keen logician anti ana peter the tho unlearned fisherman now it la 18 not noi known that god ever selected his hia inspired servants vante with reference to their linguistic abilities on the contrary he bad regard to other and more Import important aut qualifications thus thue it happened that the son of god chose as his hi monon engen gers men meb whose rural dialect andu natio al provincialism provincial lems excited the ridicule of the educated jews jew and aad thus it ai alae happened happe bap posed aed that joseph smith was hon boa ored with the commission to te give to this age the most molt remark remarkable akle record in ia existence bad and this at an ago age when he bad as a yet acquired no learning as ai the world understands tandi it that his hii individuality vi should to some rome extent be stamped camped upon open the record he translated by divine inspiration to in As ai natural as a that the individuality of the authors of the bible should hould be found on the books they wrote if joseph smith must auit be rejected as a prophet bocain he was wa no scholar peter and john and others othen must be rejected too every objection that can be beraard raised against the book of mormon radio it true counterpart among the objections raised railed against the bible it Is well to reflect on this thia for the bible has hac been successfully vindicated through all age as the word of god to the believer it has haa always carried its ita evidence with it and as aa the history of the world has baa been unfolded the evi dence have shave multiplied lowith bo with the book of mormon to the believers the evidences of its if divinity are already sufficient but as the doling closing scones of the age ge are being enacted these evidences evl denee will be till still more overwhelming until the world shall ball have ne choice but to acknowledge that god surely aurely spoke through joseph the prophet in the meantime honest criticism is invited the book of mormon Is published to the world to be rea read d and searched and diligently studied these theae who will do so 0 o prayerfully shall hall find and it a all 11 that it claims to be the word of god |