Chapter III.
The Angel that had been foretold would “Fly through the midst of Heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to Preach unto them that Dwell on the Earth” appears to Joseph Smith.—The Golden Plates are Given into his Charge.
The memorable twenty-second day of September, 1827, was the day appointed by the angel Moroni to meet Joseph Smith on the Hill Cumorah. There he was to receive the gold plates, the breast-plate and the Urim and Thummim. The accompanying shows Joseph grown to maturity, being no longer a lad of tender years as when he received his first vision. He now stands in his noble, dignified manhood, in the twenty-second year of his age. Before being entrusted with those valuable plates it was necessary that he should become experienced with regard to such sacred matters. For more than four years previous to this event he had at intervals met the angel and been instructed by him. This was during the important period between boyhood and manhood, when the mind is easily impressed. During all that time, he had not been permitted to take the plates away.
The appointed time now having come, we see him receiving the treasure, as pictured in the engraving. He is holding the book in his hands, while the breast-plate rests on the edge of the stone box, with the sword of Laban near by. The angel, holding the Urim and Thummim, is in the act of delivering it unto Joseph, and while doing so charges him as follows:
“Now you have got the record into your own hands, and you are but a young man: therefore, you will have to be watchful and faithful to your trust, or you will be overpowered by wicked men; for they will lay every plan and scheme possible to get it away from you; and if you do not take heed continually, they [p.20] will succeed. While it was in my hands, I could keep it and no man had power to take it away; but now I give it up to you. Beware, and look well to your ways, and you shall have power to retain it, until the time for it to be translated.”
In 1834 I first listened to this Prophet of God, who related this vision he had been favored with. The honesty and power of his expression carried conviction with it.
I will now introduce a few Bible quotations in order to prove that just such an event as the one represented by the accompanying illustration was to take place in the latter days. Zechariah in his 2nd chapter says:
“And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him.
“And said unto him, run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein.”
In order to discover further the mind of God’s inspired prophet, we will turn to his 8th chapter, which reads as follows:
“Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy. * * *
“Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth.
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts, there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
“And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
“* * * Behold I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
“And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”
Soon after the message of the angel to the young man Joseph, he, in obedience to God’s command, organized the church. In due time there were Twelve Apostles, and he appointed two of those Apostles on a mission to Jerusalem. Upon Mount Olivet, one of the apostles,—Orson Hyde,—offered a dedicatory prayer unto God, the Eternal Father.
In that prayer he supplicated God to remember his promises made to Father Abraham concerning this dry and barren land, and Abraham’s seed which should inhabit this thirsty country, and who had wandered as strangers in a strange land. The land had become barren because of the sins of those who, in their ignorance, crucified God’s Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He further pleaded:
“And as Jesus, thy Son, in his sorrowful and trying hours, cried, ‘Lord, forgive them, they know not what they do!’ so do thou, O God, have mercy on them and let the promises of the prophets come up in remembrance before thee. Be pleased, O Father, to send the rains on these parched lands; and may the dews fall upon the hills and valleys, that the land may again teem with plenty, and cities be built up unto the Lord our God.”
This is the substance of the supplication of the Apostle who dedicated the land of Palestine. Since then the way is being prepared with a railroad from the Mediterranean Sea to Jerusalem; and lo! the time has come for God’s mercy, as foretold by Isaiah, 40th chapter:
“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
Joel, another of God’s ancient prophets, prophecying of future events, in 2nd chapter, says:
“Fear not, O land; be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall [p.21] be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. * * * And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you, and my people shall never be ashamed.”
Realizing that the words of the prophets Isaiah and Joel will have a literal fulfillment, we can readily conceive of the way being thus prepared for the support of the hosts that are soon to fill the streets of Jerusalem; for without the early and the latter rains, this land, for so many generations barren, could not be redeemed. Indeed, the words of those who crucified the Savior, or who consented to his death, are brought forcibly to the minds of Christians:
“His blood be upon us and our children.”—Matt.27:25
Because of their wicked desires, desolation has rested upon this land which once flowed with milk and honey. But, thank God! a pardoning time is being ushered in. The angel spoken of by Zechariah has come with the glad tidings.
The Angel Moroni Delivering the Golden Plates to Joseph Smith. [p.22]
John, the Revelator, also, was permitted to behold an angel who had a message to deliver. Who can truthfully say the angel he saw is not the very one Zechariah said should speak to the young man?
“And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel [the Book of Mormon says it contains the everlasting gospel] to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people; saying with a loud voice, fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”—Revelation, 14,6-7.
In Zechariah, 2nd chapter, 8th verse, it says:
“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day.”
What day? The day in which the angel was to speak to the young (not old) man. In Zion there are now over twenty nationalities who are joined to the Lord.
Zechariah in the same chapter says:
“And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the Holy Land and shall choose Jerusalem again. Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord; for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.”
These things are soon to take place, when the Jews will be gathered.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy king cometh unto thee.”—Zec. 9, 9.
He will come this second time, when:
“They shall look upon me whom they have pierced.”—Zec. 12,10.
Again, this prophet says in chapter 15, 6:
“And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”
“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”—Zec. 12, 1.
The same book, 14th chapter, says:
“His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives.”
It appears sufficiently plain that God has set his hand again the second time to gather not only the Jews, but the House of Israel.
In Isaiah, 11th chapter, it is clearly stated that there is to be an ensign to the people; to it shall the gentiles seek. And the next verse says that in that day the Lord will set his hand again the second time to gather his people.
“And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”—Isaiah, 11,12.
We learn more perfectly in the tenth verse that the Gentiles as well as the Jews are remembered.
Isaiah, 2nd chapter, says:
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains.”
Following on we find that two places are distinctly spoken of: Zion, from whence the law of God is to go forth; and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And as Jesus came to his own (the Jews) first, and to the Gentiles last, so now the first shall be last and the last shall be first. And in our day Joseph Smith has been directed by the Lord to gather the people to Zion, as so vividly portrayed by the prophet who saw the angel who should run and speak to the young man.
Having introduced these Bible evidences, we shall repeat the testimony of three witnesses whom God raised up, and who, until their death, were always true and faithful to their testimony:
“Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work [p.23] shall come, that we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken; and we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of solemness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true: and it is marvelous in our eyes; nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
Oliver Cowdery,
David Whitmer,
Martin Harris.
Notwithstanding every one of these three witnesses withdrew from the Church in 1838, yet they remained firm in their declarations to the truth of their testimony. Nine years afterwards Oliver Cowdery returned to the church and was rebaptized. In 1871 Martin Harris came to Utah, and he also was rebaptized. David Whitmer, who died at Richmond, Ray Co., Mo., was the only one of the three who died without rebaptism. He had resided in that place nearly fifty years, and many leading citizens of Richmond signed their names, which were published, testifying that David Whitmer was an honorable citizen whose veracity was unquestioned.
I can testify to the truth of these statements, for I visited him in 1870, also in 1879, and again in 1886. I was acquainted with him in 1833 and also in 1838 when he was disfellowshipped by the Church at Far West, Mo. It was no secret among those who knew him at his home in Richmond that he always stood firm to his testimony, as above stated. The other two witnesses were equally valiant, both while in full fellowship and after withdrawing from the Church, and I defy the world to impeach either of those three witnesses.
Joseph Smith could not have accomplished the work entrusted to him without the aid of the Urim and Thummim. It was therefore provided for him. Anciently it was used by God’s servants—His prophets, seers and revelators. The language engraven upon the gold plates is Reformed Egyptian and is spoken of in the Book of Mormon, which says:
“And now behold, we have written this according to our knowledge in the characters which are called among us the Reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.”—Book of Mormon, p.570, N. E.
And the thirty-fourth verse says:
“But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and that none other people knoweth our language; therefore hath he prepared means for the interpretation thereof.”
There is still another instance worth mentioning. King Limhi was in possession of twenty-four gold plates, and desired to have them translated. Ammon told the king:
“I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man who can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a [p.24] gift from God, and the things are called interpreters.”—Book of Mormon, p. 30, N. E.
“And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow. Now these things were prepared from the beginning, and were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting language.”—Book of Mormon, p. 228, 13-14 v.
“And whosoever has these things is called Seer, after the manner of old times.”—Book of Mormon, p. 228, 16 v.
By the above we learn that the Urim and Thummim or interpreters was anciently used, and answered the description of those that Joseph is represented as receiving.
The Prophet’s mother was permitted to see and handle them and describes them thus:
“I found that they consisted of two smooth, three-cornered diamonds, set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows which were connected with each other in much the same way as old-fashioned spectacles.”
Martin Harris described them just the same, only he said they were larger than the ordinary spectacles.
Some have marveled at the Lord’s choice in selecting one so young and unlearned as Joseph Smith to perform so great a work. However, the Lord’s ways are not man’s ways. For,
“As the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are the Lord’s ways higher than man’s ways.”
As an instance we read how the Lord sent the prophet Samuel unto Jesse, saying he had provided a king among his sons. And how, when Samuel looked on Eliab, he thought surely the Lord’s anointed was before him. But the Lord said unto Samuel:
“Look not at his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
After seven sons of Jesse had been presented, Samuel asked, “Are here all thy children?” to which Jesse replied, “There remaineth yet the youngest and behold he keepeth the sheep.” And he it was whom the Lord had chosen should be anointed king. Samuel did the bidding of the Lord, and we learn that the spirit of God rested upon David, and he became a man after God’s own heart.
In this connection we will not pass by unnoticed God’s mighty power in raising up the great prophet Moses, as a deliverer of His chosen people from under the hand of Pharoah, the oppressor and king of Egypt. In this case, His power was manifested in overruling Pharoah’s midwives even unto disobedience of their wicked king in preserving the male children of the promised seed of Abraham, as found in the 1st chapter of Exodus:
“But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.” [That is, the Hebrew children, for they were the ones the king sought to destroy.]
“Therefore, God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
“And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.
“And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”
Where is the mother that will not join in saying that King Pharoah was an oppressor, a tyrant and a murderer? Yet God’s ways are so kind, good merciful and wise that we are led to praise His holy name forever. God raised up a Moses, whose mother kept him hid three months, after which she put him in an ark of bulrushes, while his sister acted as a spy and watched over him at a distance. King Pharoah’s daughter to her bath drew near; [p.25] the babe’s cries inclined her heart to the young Hebrew, the spy was at hand, the real mother was procured, who received pay for minding her own child. Moses finally became the adopted son of the king’s daughter, whom she named Moses, because she drew him out of the water, as found in the 2nd chapter of Exodus. The life and history of Moses is well known to every Bible student, as the deliverer of ancient Israel, and I ask, is it more marvelous to accept a modern Moses in the person of Joseph Smith, the Prophet whom God raised up in our day?
Again, if the selection by Jesus of Peter the fisherman to be the chief apostle had taken place in our day, it would probably have seemed as surprising as the choosing of Joseph Smith for his work. The fellow apostles of Peter were all unlearned, except Paul.
It is just as easy for our Lord to accomplish His purposes now through the agency of unlearned men as it was anciently. God has established a Church through the agency of this young man, which has caused the wisdom of the wise to perish.
The story of Joseph Smith’s first vision is a very simple and beautiful one. It will be remembered he was but a boy fourteen years of age when this event occurred. He had been, previously, in a disturbed state of mind concerning religion. In the neighborhood where he dwelt there had been great excitement, on account of a religious revival. At the meetings he attended he learned that the various sects were very much opposed to each other. In the midst of this tumult and war of words and opinions, Joseph felt grieved and asked himself, “What is to be done? Who of all these are right? And how shall I know?”
One day Joseph read in the first chapter of James as follows:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
Using Joseph’s own words, he said:
“Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did. * * * Unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible. At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. * * * So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally. After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from [p.26] the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spoke unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other, ‘This is my beloved Son, hear him!”
“My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right—for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong—and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight. * * ‘They teach for doctrine the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.’ He again forbade me to join any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time.
“Some time afterwards the vision was made known to a Methodist preacher, who treated it with contempt, saying it was all from the devil; that there was no such thing as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the Apostles, and that there never would be any more of them.”
The ministers and others persecuted him, which caused him deep sorrow, although an obscure boy, and under the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor. But, strange to say, he became very prominent and conspicuous, and evil was spoken of him continually. Nevertheless, he had seen a vision, and, like Paul before King Agrippa, related the account of the vision he had, when he “saw a light and heard a voice.” Still, there were a few who believed him. Some said he was dishonest; others said he was mad; and he (like Joseph) was ridiculed and reviled; but all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision—he knew he had—and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise. Joseph Smith said:
“I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God? or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? for I had seen a vision. I knew it. I knew that God knew it; and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.”
For over three years Joseph continued his labors daily until the 21st of September, 1823. After retiring to his bed in quite a serious mood, he shortly betook himself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for a manifestation of his standing before Him. While thus engaged he received the following vision, using his own words:
“While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when a personage appeared at my bed-side; he had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness, * * * his hands were naked, and his arms also a little above the wrist, * * * his head and neck were also bare. * * * his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but no so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him I was afraid, but the fear soon left me.
“He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues; or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. * * * While he was conversing with me about the plates, the vision was opened to my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited, and that so clearly and distinctly, that I knew the place again when I visited it. After this communication, I saw the light in the room begin to gather immediately around the person of him who had been speaking to me, and it continued to do so until the room was again left dark, except just around him, [p.27] when instantly I saw, as it were, a conduit open right up into heaven, and he ascended up till he entirely disappeared, and the room was left as it had been before this heavenly light had made its appearance.”
This vision was repeated three times during the night, and the angel each time instructed him of great events, such as famine, war, pestilence and grievous judgments, which were to come in this generation. He also reminded him that his name should be known for good and evil, and that wicked men would seek to destroy him, which was literally fulfilled.
In 1517, Mexico, then unknown to the world, though teeming with its millions of Lamanites, was discovered by Cortez; and the gold plates that Joseph Smith received contain their history, which I advise all men to read.
Furthermore, the angel said that the fulness of the everlasting gospel was contained in the record that was about to be delivered to him, which was the same as that taught by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Thus comes unto us knowledge unveiling the mystery surrounding the American Indians which has puzzled the most profound historians of our age to explain. For all this useful knowledge we are indebted to God, the giver of all good.
Although the Prophet was manifestly unlearned at this time, as evinced by the spelling written by him over the seven lines of characters, shown in another place in this pamphlet, he afterwards became proficient as a scholar, and studied the classic languages at the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio. This school was established, by command of the Lord, for the purpose of educating the Elders and others in the history of nations, countries and people; thus laying up treasures of knowledge and useful information.
The Prophet, however, was not dependent upon scholastic learning, for God revealed to him line upon line, here a little and there a little, enabling him to become efficient in organizing the Church in its perfect order; so much so, that the learned theologians and others of the present day are adopting many of the doctrines revealed to him.
The description of the breast-pate, as given by the mother of Joseph, is very interesting. She was favored with handling it, but it was covered with a thin muslin cloth, through which she could see the glittering gold. It was concave on one side and convex on the other. It would extend from the neck downwards as far as the center of the stomach of a man of extraordinary size. Attached to it were four straps of the same material, for the purpose of fastening it to the breast; two of these ran back so as to fasten over the shoulders, and the other two were designed to fasten to the waist. Mother Smith said the straps were the width of her two fingers, for she measured them. They had holes in the ends for convenience in fastening. Although the Urim and Thummim and breast-plate go together, it was not necessary for them always to remain attached to each other. Mother Lucy Smith also saw and handled the interpreters, and described them as “two diamonds set in silver bows, much like old-fashioned spectacles, only much larger.” She also said that the breast plate was worth more than $500.
Soon after Joseph received the plates and other articles, the angel left him to manage the work [p.28] entrusted to him, which responsibility he felt very seriously. He first concealed the secret treasure in a secluded place, excepting the Urim and Thummim, which he kept with him. Soon after Joseph arrived at home he explained to his parents the necessity of keeping the sacred relics under lock and key, and until such time as proper precaution was taken, he had hidden them away securely. Then said the mother:
“Order a chest at once.”
“But we have not a dollar in the house to pay for it,” said Joseph.
“God will provide, my son,” said the confidential mother. “Go, promise part cash and part trade,” which was done, and the same day Mrs. Wells, of Macedon, gave Joseph work at digging a well, promising cash for the work. The mother reminded the son of the Lord’s providence, so soon fulfilled.
While Joseph was working for Mrs. Wells, to supply their daily wants and to pay for the chest in which the plates were to be secured, a mob of twelve men, headed by Mr. Willard Chase, a Methodist class leader, and a certain conjurer whose special business was to divine the hiding place of the gold plates, were heard to say:
“We will have that gold Bible in spite of all the devils in hell.”
Father Smith, knowing that the plates were secreted away from home, felt deep anxiety concerning their safety, and he induced Emma, the Prophet’s wife, who was living with the family, to go on horseback to give warning to Joseph of the intentions of the mob. From an impression Joseph had, he looked with the Urim and Thummim, which he had with him, after which, meeting his wife with a smile, he informed her that the plans of the mob would prove futile; that the plates were safe. However, he returned home with his wife, and in the evening, after procuring the chest, Joseph started for the plates, but as he was returning home with them, he was waylaid and attacked three times, but he finally escaped, although bruised and weary, bringing the plates home in safety.
This was one of his first lessons and a fulfillment of the angel’s words to him.
Not long after this first experience, the Prophet was warned of a second attempt to rob him of the treasure.
On this occasion he remembered the angel’s charge in regard to using every precaution, and the promise that if he was prayerful and careful he should not lose them. A stone of the old-fashioned hearth was removed and the plates and the breast-plate were concealed in a cavity under the hearth. The stone had just been replaced, when a large armed mob came rushing uproariously around the house. The door was thrown open and were in the house, Joseph at their head, rushed out, when the mob fled without their booty. A third attempt to obtain the plates was also unsuccessfully made. This time the treasures were hid in some flax in the loft of a cooper shop, and an empty box was hidden under the floor. It was said that a young woman, aided by a peepstone, pointed out the cooper shop as the repository of the “Gold Bible.” During the night the place was rummaged, the floor torn up and the box broken to pieces. This was another experience, but the treasures were still safely preserved. It was manifested to the Prophet that a facsimile of characters must be copied [p.29] and sent to the most learned professors of the country, and that Martin Harris should be the bearer of them. Before the Prophet could accomplish this desired object, however, he was compelled to seek peace in Pennsylvania, for the whole country around seemed determined to give Joseph no peace whatever. While the servant of God was on his way from his father’s house, to seek a peaceful retreat, he was stopped on the highway twice by a mob of fifty men, but as the necessary precaution had been observed by hiding the plates in a barrel of beans, again they were preserved.
The trying scenes which this young man had to pass through, having been compelled to leave his home and country by reason of the persecutions heaped upon him in his young married life, were of a heart-rending character, besides the labor of translating the Book of Mormon, and organizing the Church, which he was instructed to do. It became all the more difficult to perform this great work because new revelation came so much in contact with the traditions of the different religious sects of the day, each one differing from the other, yet each one claiming to be the right Church. Just imagine this unlearned youth, possessing no funds only as he earned them by his daily labor, under these circumstances, with increasing responsibilities of family, and home. Without God’s aid it would border on insanity to entertain a faint hope of success in so stupendous an undertaking. Had it not been that the Lord had promised to help him, his heart would have failed him by the way. But there was encouragement found in the words of the prophet Isaiah, 29th chapter, where the prophet, speaking of the very time and condition surrounding the youth, used these words:
“Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish ... They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.” (Isaiah 29:14, 24)
Tens of thousands have proven those words to be true. I was personally favored with many conversations with the three witnesses whom God raised up, one of whom was Martin Harris, a near neighbor of Joseph Smith. In 1871, while I was emigrating Martin Harris from Kirkland, Ohio, during our journey of over 2,000 miles, he related many little incidents which occurred in those early times.
One of the incidents that interested me most was when, on a certain occasion, Martin’s neighbors prevailed upon him to drink some wine with them with the evident intention of getting him to deny his testimony to the Book of Mormon. Martin drank but little, while his neighbors partook more freely. When they were in high glee they asked him if he really believed that he saw the angel of which he had testified.
“No,” said Martin, “I do not believe it.”
“Now,” said they, “we know you are an honest man.”
“Stop a moment,” said Martin, “and properly understand me. My reason for not believing it is that knowledge surpasses belief. Gentlemen, it was in open day when I saw the angel and I testify to you that I know my testimony is true. I do not believe it is true; I know it is.”
The reader can imagine the chagrin that his neighbors felt at this [p.30] unexpected outcome of their efforts to entrap him.
Martin told me that, knowing the indigent circumstances of the Prophet, he felt it was his duty to aid in the great work by giving Joseph fifty dollars to help advance the Lord’s work. This occurred just prior to Joseph’s leaving Manchester for Harmony, Penn. The Lord raised tip a friend in time of need. The Lord remembered Martin for the timely aid, although it was many days afterwards. Martin also stated that he had hired Joseph to work for him on his farm many times and paid him fifty cents per day, which was the usual price paid for hired help at that time. He also said that he had hoed corn with Joseph often, and that the latter was a good hand to work.
The Prophet found a short season of rest with his father-in-law at Harmony, Penn., where he succeeded in copying the seven lines of characters, which, by a previous arrangement, were taken to Professor Anthon, of New York, as explained in the next chapter.
Soon after Martin Harris returned from New York, he commenced to write for the Prophet while he translated from the gold plates. Martin often related to the writer the mode of translation. He said that the Prophet possessed a seer stone as well as the Urim and Thummim, by means of which he could translate the characters. On one occasion Martin placed in a hat a stone very much like the Prophet’s seer stone, and after the Prophet had looked an unusual length of time, he raised his head, saying, “Martin, what in the world is the matter? all is dark as Egypt.” Martin smiled, and confessed. Joseph said, “Martin, why did you do this?” Martin answered: “To stop the mouths of fools, who tell me you know all this by heart, and are deceiving me.”
Father Sanford Porter, while living in Jackson County, Mo., in 1832, Was desirous to know how the Prophet translated the characters which were engraven on the gold plates, and made it a matter of prayer. While the Prophet was receiving a revelation in Jackson County, Missouri, Father Porter was present in the room and while observing that the Prophet would speak a sentence to be written by a scribe engaged for that purpose, the scribe would say, “It is written,” and if written correctly the sentence before the Prophet would disappear and another sentence would appear likewise, but if not written correctly by the scribe the sentence would remain, and after the necessary correction had been made, the sentence would disappear.
Many years ago Father Porter related to me that it was shown unto him, that by the aid of the Urim and Thummim the Prophet could see a sentence as if in gold letters, which he would read, and when it was written another sentence would appear. Martin Harris stated to me as above that when he had written the sentence that was presented, if written correctly it would disappear and another sentence would appear, and so continue. At the conclusion of the revelation Joseph was receiving, Father Porter said that the Prophet remarked that he had never found such great faith as was manifested in that house on that occasion.
The writer is satisfied that there never was a greater prophet, seer and revelator on this earth than Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God. [p.31]