A few hours before his death, when prostrated with great weakness, Bishop Simon Smith came into his room; Martin Harris stretched forth his hands to salute him and said: "Bishop, I am going." The Bishop told him that he had something of importance to tell him in relation to the Book of Mormon, which was to be published in the Spanish language, by the request of Indians in Central America. Upon hearing this, Martin Harris brightened up, his pulsation improved, and, although very weak, he began to talk as he formerly had done previous to his sickness. He conversed for about two hours, and it seemed that the mere mention of the Book of Mormon put new life into him.
It will also be remembered that Martin Harris, soon after his arrival in Utah, spoke to a large congregation of Saints and strangers in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, where he bore a faithful testimony to the truth of the Book of Mormon.
Also the eight witnesses, whose testimony is published in the Book of Mormon after the testimony of the three witnesses, remained true to their testimonies until the last; they are all dead now.
THE SIGNS FOLLOWING THE BELIEVERS.
In December, 1830, a few months after the Church was organized in Fayette, N.Y., with six members, the following predictions were made:
"I give unto thee a commandment, that thou shalt baptize by water, and they shall receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, even as the Apostles of old. * * * For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs and wonders unto all those who believe on my name. And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall cast out devils; they shall heal the sick; they shall cause the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the lame to walk; and the time speedily cometh that great things are to be shown forth unto the children of men."—Doc. & Cov. xxxv: 6-10.
Again, in September, 1832, in a revelation given to Joseph Smith and six Elders, "as they unveiled their hearts and lifted their voices on high," the following glorious promises were made:
"Therefore, as I said unto mine Apostles I say unto you again, that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost; and these signs shall follow them that believe. In my name they shall do many wonderful works; in my name they shall cast out devils; in my name they shall heal the sick; in my name they shall open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf; and the tongue of the dumb shall speak; and if any man shall administer poison unto them it shall not hurt them; and the poison of a serpent shall not have power to harm them." Doc. and Cov., 84, 64-72.
If Joseph Smith had been an impostor and his revelations consequently not genuine, would he have dared to make promises like those contained in the forgoing? Could anything have proven more disastrous to his schemes than to promise people gifts which were not in his power to give? If he was not a servant of God would he not studiously have avoided to connect the Lord with any of his schemes in such a way? Could he imagine that God would sanction his doings by pouring out his gifts and blessings upon people who were being deceived by a wicked impostor? Certainly not. If Joseph Smith was not called of God he would have had to re-echo the old, old sectarian song from the dark ages: These things (the gifts and blessings following the believer) have ceased, because they are no longer necessary. It is a well-known fact that the signs which were promised by the Savior and enumerated in St. Mark, 16th chapter, 17th and 18th verses, did follow the believers. The Acts of the Apostles are full of examples of this kind. It is also a known fact that when Christianity in the days of Constantine the Great, and later became mixed up with Paganism and was then made the State Religion of the Roman empire, and the people were compelled at the edge of the sword to accept it, that these signs did not follow the members of this false church. But when the clergy, in order to blind the masses, told the people that the reason why the members did not enjoy these blessings, as in former years, was that they were no longer necessary, they told a deliberate falsehood. The real cause was that this apostate church had "transgressed the law, changed the ordinance and broken the everlasting covenant," and that Christ did not recognize this new form of so-called Christianity as His doctrines of salvation, nor accept of the order of their organization as anything akin to the Church organized by Himself and His Apostles. Hence, He withheld His gifts, signs and blessings from them, and for hundreds of years they were unknown so far as church gifts were concerned.
An anecdote that I heard a friend relate several years ago will illustrate the contrast between the true Church of Christ and fallen Christianity. A prominent cardinal of the Roman Catholic church, on a certain occasion, visited the Pope of Rome, and together with him examined the contents of the treasure chamber at the Vatican where gold, diamonds and other costly things were deposited. While gazing upon the costly treasures the Pope remarked. "We can not truthfully say now as Peter and John said anciently that we have no silver and gold." "No, that is true," answered the cardinal, "and there is something else we cannot say. We cannot command the lame in the name of Jesus Christ to arise and walk."