Another act, then, in the great drama of the Restoration has been accomplished. To knowledge has been added knowledge. To the sacred record contained in the Bible was added that of the Book of Mormon. And now, to both of these, are added two others, briefer than either of the first, but wanting nothing in significance to the people of God.

XIV.
A SACRED BOOK OF TODAY.

When the Lord God called Miriam and Aaron to task for speaking against their brother Moses, He said to them, "Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold; wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"[A]

[Footnote A: Num. 12:1-8.]

So it was also with the Prophet Joseph Smith. From the day of the first splendid vision of the Father and the Son, the Lord spoke often to the young prophet, and clearly. Particularly close was the communion of the Prophet with his God after the re-establishment of the Church upon the earth. As often as he felt the need of direction or encouragement, so often did the young man seek God; and God always answered him, and spoke to him, and gave him what was needful for him in that hour. It happened, then, that in a very short time the Prophet had accumulated a fairly large number of revelations. For each time the Lord spoke to him, either he himself or one of his scribes recorded the revelation as it was given. Afterwards, copies were made and circulated among the Saints that were most nearly concerned.

If we had lived with the Saints in Kirtland, in the year 1832, we should have been thrilled with them when the Prophet received the momentous revelation now numbered eighty-eight in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. This remarkable and important revelation was circulated among the Saints in manuscript form. It came to be called the "Olive Leaf." And the "Olive Leaf" is an example of how the revelations were first circulated among the Saints. Of course, the method was very unsatisfactory in a day of modern advancement. The people began soon to desire the word of God, as given to them directly, in printed form. Indeed, so early did this desire manifest itself that in July, 1830, only three months after the organization of the Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith was already engaged on the compilation of the revelations.[B] This was the beginning of the book of modern scripture.

[Footnote B: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 104.]

The work of compilation seems, however, to have progressed slowly. Somewhat over a year after the task was begun, a special conference was convened in Hiram, Ohio. This was November 1st, 1831.[C] The conference was called to consider the publication of the revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was decided to issue an edition of 10,000 copies; and during the afternoon of the first day of the conference, the Prophet "received by inspiration," the preface to the proposed book. It appears now as section first in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. It is a model of literary construction. The same afternoon, too, the brethren assembled bore testimony to the divine inspiration of the revelations. "Brother Joseph Smith, Jun.," we read, "said that inasmuch as the Lord had bestowed a great blessing upon us in giving commandments and revelations, he asked the conference what testimony they were willing to attach to these commandments which would shortly be sent to the world. A number of the brethren arose and said that they were willing to testify to the world that they knew that they were of the Lord."[D]

[Footnote C: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 221.]

[Footnote D: "History of the Church," Vol. I, p. 222, footnote.]