The record-union., 1895-12-31
BOOK OF MORMON.
Claims Made for 1t in This City o.
Sunday.


Sunday.
At the meeting of the congregation of
the Church of Latter-Day Saints on
Sunday afternoon the subject was
treated under the heads: What is the
book? Whence came it? and proofs Of
its authenticity and divinity. Under
the first of these topics it was main
tained that the book contains the
Gospel in it's fullness and simplicity,
and that it is not used by the Latter
day saints to displace the Bible, but to
strengthen and confirm the doctrines
taught by it.
The speaker went on to say that the
Book of Mormon resembles the Bible
also in presenting the predictions of
God through his inspired servants and
in giving an account of the history of
the people from whom it came 1t is,
in short, a history of ancient America,
or of colony of people who left Jeru-
salem by command of God in the sec
ond year of the reign of King Zede-
kah. Of this people the American In
dams are descendants. 1t contains the
Gospel as it was given to this people by
the Messiah. who appeared to them,
I
ants who lived on this continent.
These We're recorded upon the metallic
plates by the ancients, hidden up in the
earth by the last faithful survivor of
that race, and in the last days We're re-
yealed to man and translated by the
power of God, and now bear the name
Book of Mormon after one of the writ
ers.
Formerly it was alleged by unbeliev-
ers that the book was taken from a
manuscript story written by Solomon
Spaulding, which story was for many
years lost track of, but was lately dis
covered among other writings in pos
session of s. s. Rice of Honolulu, and
now in possession of the Oberlin Col
lege, Ohio. An exact transcript has
been published to the world, and care
ful comparison of the two shows that
there is no name nor incident common
to the two. The only resemblance is
that each purports to be the ancient his
tory of America.
The authenticity of the work is sub
Stimulated also by the existence of the
Indian tribes scattered over the North
and South American Continents and
some Of the groups of the Pacific
islands. 1t is further substantiated by
the existence of ruins of cities and tenn
pies and other signs of civilization, all
OF which have been discovered by eX-
plOrerS since they were accounted for IN
the book first printed in the year 1929.
'In proof of its divinity" said the
speaker, I'VE offer these facts for con-
sideration: % It's agreement with the
Bible in doctrine and prophecy. (2)
It fulflls Bible prophecy. (See Psalms
lXXxv., II; Ezekiah xxXviii., 1920; Isa-
iah xxx, 9-15). CD The fulfillment of
its own prophecy. a. The perfect
agreement within its own lids although
written by a score of writers living in
as many centuries. Consider the fore
going facts. Could they exist if it were
nCt divinely inspired when the two
folds of Christ were separated by half
the circumference of the earth?
'In addition to this we have the test1-
monies of eight witnesses who were
shown the plates by the translator,
and who testify to the world that they
saw the plates engraved with ancient
writings. We have the additional tes-
timony of three others who were shown
the plates by an angel of the Lord.
These three, though all departed from
! the faith, yet remained firm to their
testimonies till death. The last sur
vivor, David Whitmer, died January,
! 1888, in Missouri, and on his death-bed
| testified to his relatives that the work
was of God"