Solomon Chamberlain - Two Wicked Preachers Punished After Rejecting the Book of Mormon

Solomon Chamberlain documented divine judgment upon two preachers who rejected the Book of Mormon. At a Reformed Methodist conference where approximately 40 preachers gathered, Chamberlain labored for two days to convince them of the truth of the Book of Mormon. He wrote: 'One of their greatest preachers so called, by the name of Buckly, (if a mistake not) abused me very bad, and ordered me off from their premises. He was soon taken crazy, and died a miserable death.' Later, he encountered another prominent preacher named William Lake at a Free Will Baptist camp meeting who 'utterly condemned it and rejected it, who spurned at me and the Book and said, if it was of God, do you think He would send such a little upstart as you are around with it? But he soon after died a poor drunken sot.' These were clear demonstrations of divine justice against those who mocked God's word and its messengers.

Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):

I accordingly went to one of their conferences, where I met about 40 of their preachers and labored with them for two days to convince them of the truth of the Book of Mormon, and they utterly rejected me, and the Book of Mormon. One of their greatest preachers so called, by the name of Buckly, (if a mistake not) abused me very bad, and ordered me off from their premises. He was soon taken crazy, and died a miserable death. At this conference was Brigham and his brother Phineas Young. They did not oppose me but used me well. On my way home I stopped at their camp meeting, where I found one of their greatest preachers, whom I contended with concerning the Book of Mormon, by the name of William Lake, who utterly condemned it and rejected it, who spurned at me and the Book and said, if it was of God, do you think He would send such a little upstart as you are around with it? But he soon after died a poor drunken sot.