The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-05-20
THE BOOK OF MORMON.
The Rev. Mr.. Lambs Lecture on
on Sunday Evening.
To the Editor of THE HERALD:

To the Editor of THE HERALD:
The lecture on the Book of Mormon.
By the Rev. DR.. Lamb, at the Baptist
Church, on Sunday evening was well
attended by people of every denomina-
ton, probably, to witness the yanqulsh-
ment of the Book of Mormon. The
reverend gentleman read from Orson
Pratt's writings on the Divine authen-
ITCHY of this book, attended with few
unimportant remarks. He then went
into raptures on the beauty, plainness,
| concISeness, ETC., OF the Bible. showing
IN m every line It's Divine origin and the
hnger mark" of the Almighty on every
page. He next read three quotations
from the Book of Mormon, CON-
mentlng on them as he pro-
ceeded, showing at some length that the
translator, Joseph Smith, must have
been an impostor, because he had made
some repetitions in his work, and the
speaker endeavored to show how the
quotations might be condensed, COM
pressed and squeezed into much
smaller compass or conveyed in fewer
words, but making all allowance for
grammatical errors, etc., as he under
stood that Joseph Smith was an unedu-
Gated man, as were the disciples OF
Jesus Christ, whom, on the other hand,
had shown great divine inspiration by
the COMPRISING. operation they exer-
clsed IN their writings in
the New Testament. Referring to
the Sermon on the Mount, having
been written some thirty years after it
had Deen delivered, Mr.. Lamb said it
showed that it was the very essence of
condensation; at the same time. he
compared it with the history of Wash
lngton. Napoleon and others, stating
that 1t required several large volumes to
give the history ofthese men. while the
history of Jesus and his disciples was
compressed and concentrated into
very few lines. He asked If these ''di-
vine finger marks" could be found in
the Book of Mormon.
If we take the reverend gentleman's
own discourse as an exam
pie, he could claim, if Judged
according to his plan, a very great
amount OF inspiration, as it could be
condensed into single word. and if we
were to wait thirty years before 1t was
written up, there would be but very
little left to write at that time But he
must remember that the Bible has been
considered very imperfect in great
many points, as the numerous tranSla-
tons, alterations and changes it has
undergone have shown. The late inter-
national board of revisers found many
imperfections which were changed by
them. If we were to condemn the
Bible on this ground it would have to go
by the board, but all human
productions are more or less imperfect,
and the gentleman, if he examined the
Bible closely and critically, would find
many finger marks" of the human
family. Before he tries the test pro-
posed by him upon the Book of Nor
mon on the chapters of the Bible, let
him read 1ngersoll. Paine and others
who have undertaken to tear the Bible
INTO shreds on this same footing, yet the
Bible has withstood their onslaught;
and so will the Book of Mormon sur
vive after Mr.. Lambs rough handling.
The audience were certainly under
Obligations to Mr.. Lamb for the able
manner in which he read quotations
from the Book of Mormon, etc. He will
repeat the lecture next Sunday, and
those who do not have the time,
patience, or hardwood to read this book,
should go and hear the Rev. Mr.. Lamb.
He has, no doubt. awakened the curios-
lty of more than one person TO look into
and study this strange and wonderful
volume. So long as the gentleman con-
fines himself to honest truth, he will
find himself as Paul of old, in the arms
of conviction, as powerful as a Her
cules, but as gentle as loving bride.
Let the gentleman and his auditors in
vestigate. 1t is the stupid dolt who
shuts his eyes to truth that the Nor
mons have reason to fear. VACARo.
SALT LAKE CITY, May Is, 1885.