Mormonism: its leaders and designs./ By John Hyde.

228 ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.
argument. It is a question of probabilities. Is it. the most
probable that this Alma could have used such language,
anticipated the discoveries of 2000 years' later date, excel all
the other prophets, quote the circumstances as a well-knzown
fact on which to base an argument, when every thing we
know proves it not to have been known at all; or is it the
most probable to believe it the ignorant forgery of an illiterate
impostor? This, however, is a small thing. On page 421
there is an attempted refutation of the modern infidel argument about Joshua and the sun. Smith pretends that this
argument was used by people who believed the same theory
of astronomy as the ancients and therefore could not feel its
pertinence and therefore could not have used it. "The earth
goeth back and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth
still, yea, and behold this is so, for sure, it is the earth that
moveth and not the sun." Hlere are all the prophets transcended; Ptolemy refuted; Copernicus and all his discoveries
anticipated 2000 years before he was born. The only pity
is, that this was not published, however, until 200 years after
he was dead!
13. One great peculiarity of the Book of Mormon is the
number of direct contradictions. among its inspired men. We
will quote a few examples. On page 3, it says Lehi left
Jerusalem because "God directed him in a dream;" but on
page 411, we are gravely told Lehi was " driven out by the
people." On page 109, Nephi tells his brethren, "We are
descendants of the Jews;" and on page 113, he says, "the
Jews from whence I come;" yet on page 235, Amalek testifies that "Nephi and his brethren were of the tribe of Ma