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gdm Digest                Sunday, 2 February 1997      Volume 01 : Number 005

In this issue:

    ---> Lesson 7

See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the gdm
or gdm-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Perry L. Porter" <[e-mail]>
Date: Sun, 02 Feb 1997 22:33:30 -0700
Subject: ---> Lesson 7

Doctrine and Covenants 17-19
Lesson 7

Scriptural Highlights

1. Witnesses to see the Book of Mormon plates
2. Twelve Apostles to be called
3. The Atonement and repentance

Read aloud D&C 19:15-19 and testify of the Savior's atoning sacrifice. You
might also invite class members to sing or read the words of "I Stand All
Amazed" (Hymns, no.193).
Discussion and Application Questions

* Why was it necessary that witnesses see the Book of Mormon plates? (See 2
Nephi 27:12-14; Ether 5:2-4; and the witnesses' testimonies in the
introductory pages of the Book of Mormon.) How are the testimonies of these
witnesses a blessing to us today? How has your own testimony of the Book of
Mormon been a blessing to you?

* If we had lived in Jesus' day, how would we have recognized Jesus as the
Messiah? (John 5:36-37; 8:17-18; 15:26-27.) What witnesses do we have today
to help us recognize the Savior?

* What witnesses has the Lord provided of Joseph Smith's prophetic calling?
What witnesses do we have that our living prophet is called of God? What
must we do to recognize and benefit from divine witnesses?

* As we gain testimonies of the gospel, what are our responsibilities as
witnesses? (D&C 18:3-5, 34-36; 19:29-31.)

* How have your experiences shown you that "the worth of souls is great in
the sight of God"? (D&C 18:10).

* What can we learn about the Atonement from D&C 18:11 and 19:15-19? How is
the Atonement a blessing to you? Why is it important that we ponder the
Lord's atoning sacrifice? (See the quotation from Elder Smith.)

* What is the relationship between the Lord's atonement and our repentance?
(D&C 18:11-13; D&C 19:15-19.) How can we show the Lord our gratitude for
the Atonement?

* The Lord promises that we will have great joy in his Father's kingdom as
we bring souls unto him. (D&C 18:15-16.) How have you experienced this joy?

* The Lord cautioned Martin Harris to revile not against revilers. (D&C
19:30.) How should we respond to those who speak against the Church or
against us personally? (See the quotation from Elder Ashton.)

* What must we do to gain exaltation? (D&C 18:22-25, 42-47.) What does it
mean to take upon ourselves the name of Christ? How can we do this? Why
must we do this to be saved from the penalties for our sins? (2 Nephi
2:4-9; Alma 22:14; Helaman 14:13; Moroni 6:1-4.)
(bottom of page 13)


* When the latter-day Quorum of the Twelve was organized in 1835, nearly
six years after D&C 18 had been given, verses 26-36 were read to them. What
is the mission of the Twelve? (D&C 18:26-29, 32; 107:23, 33; Ephesians
4:11-14.) How are the Twelve fulfilling this mission today? How has the
witness of one of the present-day Twelve strengthened your testimony?

* While admonishing Martin Harris to keep his promise to pay for the
printing of the Book of Mormon, the Lord emphasized the principle of
repentance. (D&C 19:15, 20.) In what ways do we suffer if we do not repent?
(D&C 19:4, 20; Alma 5:18; 36:12-13; 42:22, 24.) How can a person who feels
troubled by his sins find peace? How might the unrepentant be "stirred up
unto repentance"? (D&C 18:6).

* How does the Lord's counsel to Martin Harris in D&C 19:21 and 31 apply to
us? Why do you think the Lord wants us to emphasize repentance?

* The Lord commanded Martin Harris, "Thou shalt not covet shine own
property" (D&C 19:26). How is it possible to covet our own property? How
can we be sure we are correctly using the material blessings the Lord has
given us? (Jacob 2:18-19; Mosiah 4:16, 21, 26; D&C 42:30.)

Quotations
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith: "The punishment of physical pain coming from
the nails driven in [Jesus'] hands and feet was not the greatest of his
suffering, excruciating as that surely was. The greater suffering was the
spiritual and mental anguish coming from the load of our transgressions
which he carried. If we understood the extent of that suffering and his
suffering on the cross, surely none of us would wilfully be guilty of sin.
We would not give way to the temptations, the gratification of unholy
appetites and desires and Satan could find no place in our hearts" (The
Restoration of All Things, p.199).

Elder Marvin J. Ashton: "When others disagree with our stand we should not
argue, retaliate in kind, or contend with them.... Ours is to explain our
position through reason, friendly persuasion, and accurate facts. Ours is
to stand firm and unyielding on the moral issues of the day and the eternal
principles of the gospel, but to contend with no man or organization.
Contention builds walls and puts up barriers. Love opens doors" (Ensign,
May 1978, pp. 7-8).
Additional Idea
Use your next class to view How Rare a Possession: The Book of Mormon
(53285 or VNW2855), or suggest that class members view it for family home
evening.
Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 20-22

Class Member Study Guide

Lesson 7

The Lord has declared that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses" every
word shall be established (Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1). While
translating the Book of Mormon plates, Joseph Smith learned that the Lord
would provide three special witnesses of the plates. Oliver Cowdery, David
Whitmer, and Martin Harris asked Joseph to inquire of the Lord to learn
whether they could be these witnesses. Joseph went to the Lord and received
D&C 17.

In June 1829, not long after this revelation was received, Joseph, Oliver,
David, and Martin went into the woods near the Whitmer home and prayed
earnestly for the promised manifestation. They prayed for some time with no
result. Martin Harris decided to leave the group, feeling that his
unworthiness was the reason they did not obtain what they asked for.

Shortly thereafter an angel appeared to the Prophet, Oliver, and David. He
held the plates in his hands and "turned over the leaves one by one." The
three men also heard a voice out of the bright light above them, saying:
"These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been
translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen
is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear"
(History of the Church, 1:54-55).

Joseph then went to find Martin, who had gone some distance away and
engaged in fervent prayer. Joseph joined him in prayer, and soon they were
able to see and hear the same things that Oliver and David had.

Several days later, Joseph Smith showed the plates to eight other witnesses
in a secluded setting near the Smith family home in Manchester, New York.
Read "The Testimony of Three Witnesses" and "The Testimony of Eight
Witnesses" at the beginning of the Book of Mormon. Notice that the Three
Witnesses saw an angel and witnessed the glory and power of God, while the
Eight Witnesses were shown the plates by Joseph Smith and were able to
handle them.
Although several of these witnesses later left the Church, not one of them
ever denied his testimony of the Book of Mormon plates (see Truth Restored,
pp. 22-28).

As you study D&C 17, consider the following:

* Why was it necessary that witnesses see the Book of Mormon plates and
testify of them? (2 Nephi 27:12-14; Ether 5:2-4.) How are the testimonies
of these witnesses a blessing to you today?
When John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, he
promised that the higher priesthood would be conferred upon them. In June
1829, Joseph, Oliver, and David Whitmer received D&C 18, in which the Lord
confirmed that they were called as Apostles (see D&C 18:9). The Lord told
them that at a future time, Twelve Apostles would be ordained to serve in
his kingdom. He also taught the great worth of souls and the importance of
bringing souls to him.

* As you read D&C 18, consider how your experiences have shown you that
"the worth of souls is great in the sight of God" (D&C 18:10). How have
your efforts to bring souls to God brought you joy?
Doctrine and Covenants 19 was directed to Martin Harris. In this revelation
the Lord described his great suffering for each of us and commanded us to
repent. He instructed Martin to pay the cost of printing the first 5,000
copies of the Book of Mormon as Martin had already promised to do. Martin
did this by selling part of his farm. (See D&C 19:34-35.)

* What insights do you gain from D&C 19 about eternal punishment and the
Atonement? How has the Atonement blessed your life?

Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris were the three witnesses
who were shown the Book of Mormon plates by an angel of God. Paintings by
Lewis Ramsey,1911.

- -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject:  Martin Harris looses the 116 pages

When Joseph had taken a little nourishment [after his arrival from Harmony]
... he  requested us to send immediately for Mr. Harris.  This we did
without delay... For a short time previous to Joseph's arrival, Mr. Harris
had been otherwise engaged, and thought but little about the manuscript.
When Joseph sent for him, he went immediately to the drawer where he had
left it, but, behold it was gone!  He asked his wife where it was.  She
solemnly averred that she did not know anything respecting it.  He then
made a faithful search throughout the house... ?[After we had sent for
Martin j4arris], we commenced preparing breakfast for the family, and we
supposed that Mr. Harris would be there, as soon as it was ready, to eat
with us, for he generally came in such haste when he was sent for.  At
eight o'clock we set the victuals on the table, as we
were expecting him every moment.  We waited till nine, and he came
not??till ten, and he was nor there??till eleven, still he did not make his
appearance.  But at half past twelve we saw him walking with a slow and
measured tread towards the house, his eyes fixed thoughtfully upon the
ground.  On coming to the gate, he stopped, instead of passing through, and
got upon the fence, and sat there some time with his hat drawn over his
eyes.  At length he entered the house.  Soon
after which we sat down to the table, Mr. Harris with the rest.  He took up
his knife and fork as if he were going to use them, but immediately dropped
them.  Hyrum, observing this, said, "Martin, why why do you not eat; are
you sick?  Upon which, Mr. Harris pressed his hands upon his temples, and
cried out, in a tone of deep anguish, "Oh, I have lost my soul!  I have
lost my soul!"  Joseph, who had not expressed his fears till now, sprang
from the table, exclaiming, Martin, have you lost that manuscript? have you
broken your oath, and brought down condemnation upon my head, as well as
your own?" "Yes, it is gone, " replied Martin, "and I know not where." "Oh,
my God!'" said Joseph, clinching his hands.  "All is lost! all is lost!
What shall I do?  I have sinned it is I who tempted the wrath of God.  I
should have been satisfied with the first answer which I received from the
Lord; for he told me that it was not safe to let the writing go out of my
possession." He wept and groaned, and walked the floor continually. At
length he told Martin to go back and search again. "No," said Martin, "it
is all in vain; for I have ripped open beds and pillows; and I know it is
not there." "Then must I," said Joseph, "return to my wife with such a tale
as this?  I dare not do it, lest I should kill her at once.  And how shall
I appear before the Lord?  Of what rebuke am I not worthy from the angel of
the Most High?" I besought him not to mourn so, for perhaps the Lord would
forgive him, after a short season of humiliation and repentance.  But what
could I say to comfort him, when he saw all the family in the same
situation of mind as himself; for sobs and groans, and the most bitter
lamentation filled the house.  However, Joseph was more distressed than the
rest, as he better understood the consequences of disobedience.  And he
continued, pacing back and forth, meantime weeping and grieving, until
about sunset, when, by persuasion, he took a little nourishment ... The
manuscript [Martin Harris lost] has never been found; and there is no doubt
but Mrs. Harris took it from the drawer, with the view of retaining it,
until another translation should be given, then, to alter the original
translation, for the purpose of showing a discrepancy between them, and
thus make the whole appear to be a deception. "Lucy Smith, Biographical
Sketches, "pp.120" 21, 123.  Quoted in Milton v. Backman, Jr., "Eyewitness
Accounts of
the Restoration", (Grandin Book, 1983) p. 87-88.

- ----------------------------------------
The Yearly Moroni Visits

>From D.  Michael Quinn's _Early Mormonism and the Magic World View,_ Salt
Lake, 1987, pp.  133 - 143.

Some text has been skipped indicated by ellipses.  Ellipses in quote marks
are as Quinn has presented them.  Some footnotes are included in "{}".

Bibliographic references can be found in Quinn's book.

- --begin text--

All official and unofficial, traditional and nontraditional, friendly and
unfriendly sources agree that Smith was not able to obtain the gold plates
on 22 September 1823.  Instead he returned to the hill on exactly the same
day each year until 1827.  None of these accounts explains why the visits
had to occur each year on exactly the same day.  ...  The specific day
continued to coincide with the autumn equinox.  Thus Smith visited the Hill
Cumorah annually from 1823 to 1827 to fulfill his original quest to
"commune with some kind of messenger".

Although absent from Smith's presently available first-person narratives,
both early Mormon and non-Mormon sources agree that on 22 September 1823
Moroni required Smith to bring his oldest brother Alvin to the hill the
following year in order to obtain the gold plates.  About ten years later,
one of Smith's devout followers, Joseph Knight, recorded Smith's relating
that the following dialogue occurred on the hill in 1823: "Joseph says, if
you Bring the right person with you.  Joseph says, 'who is the right
Person?' The answer was 'your oldest Brother.' But before September [1824]
Came his oldest Brother Died.  Then he was Disappointed and did not [k]now
what to do.  (Jessee 1976a, 31; also Hartley 1986, 20).  The Smith's non-
Mormon Palmyra neighbor Willard Chase reported in 1833: "He then enquired
when he *could* have them, and was answered thus: come one year from this
day, and bring with you your oldest brother, and you shall have them.  This
spirit, he said was the spirit of the prophet who wrote this book, and who
was sent to Joseph Smith, to make known these things to him.  Before the
expiration of the year, [Smith's] oldest brother died" (W.  Chase 1833,
241-42, emphasis in original).  Nearly forty years later, Fayette Lapham
remembered that Smith's father told him in 1830 that "Joseph asked when he
could have them; and the answer was, 'Come in one year from this time, and
bring your oldest brother with you; then you may have them.' During that
year, it so happened that his oldest brother died" (F.  Lapham 1870, 2:386).

In 1884, a third Palmyra neighbor, Lorenzo Saunders, Benjamin Saunders's
brother, was asked, "Did you ever hear Joe give an account of finding the
plates?" He replied: "Yes.  He gave the account in my father's house.  He
said he was in the woods at prayer and the angel touched him on the
shoulders and he arose, and the angel told him where the plates were and he
could take his oldest Brother with him in a year from that time and go and
get them.  But his oldest Brother died before the year was out" (L.
Saunders 1884a, 9-10; also Saunders 1884c, 16).  At present, no available
evidence explains why Moroni in September 1823 required Alvin's presence
the following year.  ...  Joseph was the son who had the theophany, but
according to the family's Palmyra neighbors, prior to 1823 Lucy and Joseph
Sr.  both had said they looked to their first son Alvin, not their third,
as the family seer.  Orsamus Turner first met the Smiths in Palmyra about
1819-20 and later commented: "Their son, Alva [sic], was originally
intended, or designated, by fireside consultations, and solemn and
mysterious out door hints, as the forth coming Prophet.  The mother and
father said he was the chosen one; but Alvah ...  sickened and died" (O.
Turner 1851, 213).  J.  H.  Kennedy said that in Vermont, Lucy Mack Smith
"announced the advent of a prophet in her family, and on the death of Alvah
[sic], the first born, the commission that had been intended for him was
laid upon Joseph." (Kennedy 1888, 12) {Both Turner and Kennedy mistakenly
referred to Joseph Smith's brother Alvin by the name of Joseph's first
child Alva(h), named after Emma Hale's brother.} Although Joseph Jr.  was a
treasure seer in New York and in Pennsylvania by 1822 (Blackman 1873, 580-
81; W.  Chase 1833, 240-41), the Palmyra neighbors also identified Alvin as
a treasure-seeker and seer prior to his death in November 1823 (L.
Saunders 1884c, 9; cf.  W Chase 1833, 240-41; Quinn 1987, chap 2).
Moreover, his mother observed that "Alvin manifested, if such could be the
case, greater zeal and anxiety in regard to the Record [of the Book of
Mormon] that had been shown to Joseph, than any of the rest of the family"
(L.  M.  Smith 1853, 89-90).  But with Alvin's unexpected death on 19
November 1823, it seems that Joseph Jr.  again shouldered the primary
responsibility in his family's search for treasure.

Given the messenger's requirement for the second visit to the Hill Cumorah,
the intensity of the Smith family's despair over Alvin's death less than
two months later is understandable.  Alvin's last words to his brother
Joseph were to "do everything that lies in your power to obtain the Record.
Be faithful in receiving instruction, and keeping every commandment that is
given to you.  Your brother Alvin must leave you" (L.  M.  Smith 1853, 88).
Alvin's final charge underscored the dilemma Joseph now faced: he had been
commanded to meet the angelic treasure-guardian at the hill the following
22 September 1824 and to bring Alvin with him.  By some accounts, Smith had
been violently jolted three times and severely chastised for disobeying
instructions during his first visit, and Mormon convert Joseph Knight wrote
that now Smith "did not [k]now what to do" (Jessee 1976a, 31).  One can
only imagine the turmoil Smith would have experienced during the ten months
between the death of his eldest brother on 19 November 1823 and his next
solitary visit to the hill.

Smith's own available histories give no details of the visits to the hill
between 1824 and 1826, but it seems likely that he hoped to obtain the
plates on 22 September 1824 even though he did not bring Alvin.  The day
was a stinging disappointment.  According to Smith's 1832 autobiography,
the messenger told him "to come again in one year from that time [1823].  I
did so [in 1824], but did not obtain them" (Jessee 1984b, 77; Faulring
1987, 51).  His friend Joseph Knight wrote, "But when the 22nt Day of
September Came he went to the place and the personage appeard [sic] and
told him he Could not have it now" (Jessee 1976a, 31).  Lorenzo Saunders
remembered that Smith told him, "At the end of the time he went to the
place to get the plates the angel asked where his Brother was.  I told him
he was dead." Fayette Lapham recalled the story as "Joseph repaired to the
place again, and was told by the man who still guarded the treasure, that,
inasmuch as he could not bring his oldest brother, he could not have the
treasure yet" (L.  Saunders 1884a, 10; Lapham 1870, 2:386).  As Smith left
the hill in disappointment on 22 September 1824, apparently the message he
had received was: without your dead brother Alvin, you cannot have the gold
plates.

Within days of this second unsuccessful visit to the hill, local events
indicated that someone evidently contemplated remedying the impasse by
exhuming Alvin's body.  Joseph Smith, Sr., published a notice, dated 25
September 1824, in the Palmyra newspaper, denying "reports [that] have been
industriously put in circulation, that my son, Alvin, had been removed from
the place of his internment and dissected." He chastised town gossips for
disturbing the peace of mind of a still-grieving parent, and then made two
comments that allude to his son Joseph as target of such gossip: "[these
rumors] deeply wound the feelings of relations ...  [and] have been
stimulated more by desire to injure the reputation of certain persons than
a philanthropy for the peace and welfare of myself and friends" (Wayne
Sentinel, 29 Sept.-3 Nov.  1824; Kirkham 1951, 1:147; Rich 1970, 256).
Biographers of Joseph Smith to the present have consistently ignored Mormon
and non-Mormon sources concerning Moroni's requirement to bring the now-
deceased Alvin to the hill, and therefore have regarded this as a bizarre
incident explainable only by neighborhood malice (Brodie 1945, 28; D.  Hill
1977, 60; Gibbons 1977, 42; Bushman 1984, 65).

However, the treasure-guardian's unfulfilled requirements to bring the
now-deceased Alvin provided a context for such rumors and denials.  ...
Even though they were influenced by the magic world view, none of the
Smiths may have actually considered this drastic option, but someone in the
family obviously described the angel's requirement and Joseph's predicament
to neighborhood friends, since Willard Chase, Lorenzo Saunders, and Fayette
Lapham all knew about the situation.  Someone evidently talked openly about
the possibility of using part of Alvin's remains to fulfill the requirement
of the treasure guardian by necromancy, and village rumors required the
denial, which Joseph Smith, Sr., published in six consecutive issues of the
local weekly.  Without providing details, E.  D.  Howe's Mormonism Unvailed
claimed that young Joseph became "very expert in the arts of necromancy"
(E.  D.  Howe 1834, 12).  And a year later, Oliver Cowdery's published
history of the new church also referred, without details, to rumors that
Smith dug treasure "by some art of nicromancy" (O.  Cowdery 1835, 2:201;
Kirkham 1951, 1:103).

All existing second-hand accounts agree that the treasure-guardian next
required Smith to bring another person with him in September 1825.  Mormon
convert Joseph Knight wrote that in 1824 the "personage appeard [sic] and
told him he Could not have it now.  But the 22nt Day of September nex[t] he
mite have the Book if he Brot with him the right person.  Joseph says, 'who
is the right Person?' The answer was you will know" (Jessee 1976a, 31).
{Knight added that the person required was Smith's future wife Emma Hale.
This would seem to be wrong, though, because by her father's and Smith's
own accounts, he and Emma did not meet until he was working for Josiah
Stowell in Harmony, Pennsylvania, in October-November 1825 (I.  Hale 1834;
HC 1:17).  It is likely that Knight omitted the 1825 visit involving Samuel
F.  Lawrence because of its unsuccessful outcome.} One visit to the hill
between 1823 and 1827 seems to be missing in several accounts, and the
omission was somehow connected to Samuel F.  Lawrence, a neighborhood seer.

Knight indicated that Lawrence had something to do with a visit to the Hill
Cumorah.  "I will say there [was] a man near By [sic] By the name Samuel
Lawrance [sic].  He was a Seear [sic] and he had Bin to the hill and knew
about things in the hill" (Jessee 1976a, 32).  Lorenzo Saunders remembered
Smith telling him, "The angel told him there would be another appointed.
Joseph chose Samuel Lawrence.  But he did not go" (L.  Saunders 1884a, 10).
Neighbor Willard Chase provided the fullest account in 1833: "Joseph
believed that one Samuel T.  [sic] Lawrence was the man alluded to by the
spirit, and went with him to a singular looking hill, in Manchester, and
shewed him where the treasure was.  Lawrence asked him if he had ever
discovered any thing with the plates of gold; he said no: he then asked him
to look in his stone, to see if there was any thing with them.  He looked,
and said there was nothing; he told him to look again, and see if there was
not a large pair of specks with the plates; he looked and soon saw a pair
of spectacles, the same with which Joseph says he translated the Book of
Mormon." That this visit to the hill with Lawrence occurred in 1825 is
indicated by Chase's next comment: "Lawrence told him it would not be
prudent to let these plates be seen for about two years, as it would make a
big disturbance in the neighborhood [which did occur in September 1827].
Not long after this, Joseph altered his mind, and said L.  was not the
right man, nor had he told him the right place" (W.  Chase 1833, 242).

>From existing accounts, there may be an explanation for what seems to be
the intentional omission of one visit to the hill as Joseph Knight and
Joseph Smith referred to the events from 1823 to 1827 (Jessee 1976a; Jessee
1984b, 77; Faulring 1987, 51-52).  Although indicating that the visit with
Lawrence occurred in 1825, Willard Chase did not indicate that the visit
occurred on 22 September.  Joseph Smith may have taken Lawrence to the hill
to look for the plates prior to the required date in 1825, and Chase's
account does indicate that Joseph Smith was not happy about the results of
their activities on that occasion.  This may be why Lorenzo Saunders
reported of the visit on 22 September 1825 that Lawrence "did not go," even
though Joseph Smith had previously chosen him.  Both Chase and Saunders
report that the effort to obtain the plates with Lawrence was a failure.
That failure may be directly indicated by the fact that none of these
accounts of Smith's visit to the hill with Lawrence mention the angel.  If
the messenger did not appear on the hill in September 1825, the
nonappearance of Moroni may be the reason for the omission of the one
visit.

The hope and disappointment Smith may have experienced with Lawrence in the
quest for Cumorah's treasure in September 1825 was repeated later that year
in Harmony, Pennsylvania.  Joseph Smith's treasure seeking expedition with
Josiah Stowell ended first in failure to obtain the treasure, and then in a
nearby court the following March (Quinn 1987, chap.  2).  But the redeeming
incident of his second disappointment in 1825 ultimately resolved Smith's
continuing dilemma about whom he should take to the hill.

While engaged in this treasure-seeking venture in the fall of 1825, Smith
met Isaac Hale and his twenty-one-year-old daughter Emma at Harmony, and
she immediately attracted this young man's interest (I.  Hale 1834, 262-63;
L.  M.  Smith 1853, 92; HC 1:17; Newell and Avery 1984, 17-18).  Smith,
however, was only nineteen years old, and men in his family generally
married much later.  His eldest brother died unmarried at 25, the next
oldest married at 25, their father had married at 24, and three of his
uncles had married at 28,34 and 38.  Uncle Jesse had been the youngest man
in two generations of the Smith family to marry, and he waited until 21 (M.
Anderson 1929, 65-66, 74).  Joseph Jr.  appears to have broken with that
expectation in order to fulfill the requirements of Moroni to obtain the
gold plates.

>From every available account, Smith had little reason to hope for success
as he ascended the hill to commune with the messenger on 22 September 1826.
His own disobedience as an over-eager treasure-seeker had thwarted the
visit of 1823, Alvin's death had left the requirement unfulfilled in 1824
and had caused a village uproar over rumors of necromantic grave-robbing,
Samuel Lawrence had apparently failed him as a fellow seer in 1825, and now
Smith went to the appointed spot with no idea what he should do next.
Joseph Knight described the condition of renewed hope and anxiety when
Smith met "with the personage which told him if he would Do right according
to the will of God he might obtain [the plates] the 22nt Day of September
Next and if not he never would have them." Smith learned from his seer
stone what the requirement was: "Then he looked in his glass and found it
was Emma Hale, Daughter of old Mr.  Hail of Pensylvany, a girl that he had
seen Before, for he had Bin Down there Before with me" (Jessee 1976a, 31-
32; Hartely 1986, 21).

But, as Palmyra neighbors learned, the requirement was not simply to bring
an acquaintance to the hill.  Henry Harris testified in 1833 that Smith
told him that "an angel appeared, and told him he could not get the plates
until he was married, and that when he saw the woman that was to be his
wife, he should know her, and she would know him." Smith also related this
requirement to Lorenzo Saunders (H.  Harris 1833, 252; L.  Saunders 1884c,
16).  Other residents remembered that "it was freely talked among the
neighbors that Jo Smith said he had a revelation to go to Pennsylvania and
get him a wife" (S.  Walker 1888, 1; W.  R.  Hine 1888, 2).

His visit to the hill in September 1826 seems to have been the reason the
twenty-year-old Smith was determined to set aside his family's tradition of
delayed marriage and even to ignore the opposition of his intended father-
in-law: he had to marry Emma Hale within a year or the gold plates of
Cumorah would be lost forever.  The number of visits he subsequently made
to the Hale home in Pennsylvania is unclear, but there were several.  When
Smith asked permission of Isaac Hale to marry his daughter, Hale, in his
affidavit, said he refused because of the young man's treasure-seeking
background (I.  Hale 1834, 243).  ...

His money-digging friends were hardly the allies Smith needed to overcome
Hale's opposition, but they, more than anyone else, would have understood
the necessity of complying with the requirement of the treasure guardian.
First, Joseph Smith turned to Samuel F.  Lawrence for assistance.  Willard
Chase testified that sometime during "the fall of 1826, [Joseph] wanted to
go to Pennsylvania to be married; but being destitute of means, he now set
his wits to work, how he should raise money, and get recommendations, to
procure the fair one of his choice.  He went to [Samuel F.] Lawrence with
the following story, as stated to me by Lawrence himself.  That he had
discovered in Pennsylvania, on the bank of the Susquehannah River, a very
rich mine of silver, and if he would go there with him, he might have a
share in the profits ...  When the got to Pennsylvania, Joseph wanted L.
to recommend him to Miss H[ale]., which he did ...  L.  then wished to see
the silver mine, and he and Joseph went to the river, and made search, but
found nothing" (W.  Chase 1833, 243-244).  This incident only reinforced
Smith's reputation for treasure seeking, got him no closer to the kind of
secular respectability Hale demanded, and probably led to the final
estrangement between him and his previous treasure-seeking associate Samuel
F.  Lawrence.

>From among the treasure diggers, Smith turned next to the prosperous Joseph
Knight to borrow horses and a sleigh for an impressive, but still
unsuccessful, attempt for Hale's permission as the winter's snow fell
(Jessee 1976a, 32; Newell and Avery 1984, 18-19).  When Smith turned
twenty-one in late December, he was still nine months away from the night
when he was to bring Emma to the hill as his wife.  He no doubt felt that
the gold plates would be lost if he had to depend on obtaining permission
from Emma's father to marry.

Less that a month later, Smith enlisted the help of a third treasure-seeker
to obtain Emma Hale as a wife according to the requirement of Moroni.  Emma
did not mention her father's claim that this happened while he was away
from home on business, but later told her children, "I was visiting at Mr.
[Josiah] Stowell's, who lived at Bainbridge, and saw your father there.  I
had no intention of marrying when I left home; but, during my visit at Mr.
Stowell's, your father visited me there.  My folks were bitterly opposed to
him; and, being importuned by your father, aided by Mr.  Stowell, who urged
me to marry him, and preferring to marry him to any other man I knew, I
consented." The couple eloped on 18 January 1827 (E.  Smith 1879, 289; I.
Hale 1834, 363; HC 1:17; D.  Hill 1977, 69; Youngreen 1982, 5-6).  In
commenting about this, Mormons typically speak of romance and Smith's love
for Emma as the reason for their elopement (e.g.  Cadwell 1879).  It is
more probable, however, that Smith risked alienating his parents-in-law
from his new bride by eloping - not for love alone - but to fulfill the
requirement of Moroni.

According to Palmyra neighbors, as the appointed day in September 1827
approached, Smith made additional preparations to assure the success of his
last opportunity to obtain the gold plates.  Willard Chase stated that
Smith was required to "repair to the place where was deposited this
manuscript, dressed in black clothes, and riding a block horse with a
switch tail, and demand the book in a certain name ...  They according
fitted out Joseph with a suit of black clothes and borrowed a black horse."
Chase thought that this applied to the 1823 visit, but all of Smith's own
accounts of the events of 1823 preclude the time necessary for such
preparations.  And Lorenzo Saunders said that the requirement for blackness
applied to the 1827 visit (W.  Chase 1833, 242; L.  Saunders 1884b, 11).
Without mentioning the color, both Joseph Knight and Lucy Mac Smith noted
that Smith borrowed Knight's horse and carriage for the September 1827
visit to the hill (Jessee 1976a, 33; L.  M.  Smith 1853, 100-101).

Contemporary evidence may support the neighbors' claim that Smith used the
color black to help obtain the gold plates in 1827.  Dr.  Gain Robinson,
"an old friend" of the Smith family (L.  M.  Smith 1853, 95; L.  Porter
1971, 74), owned a store in Palmyra, and his account books of the purchases
by the Smiths from 1825 to 1829 show that the first time any of the Smiths
purchased lampblack from his store was on 18 September 1827 - four days
before Smith's final visit to the hill - the entry for this particular
purchase beginning "Joseph Smith for Son" (G.  Robinson 1825; G.  Robinson
1826; G.  Robinson 1827).  Lampblack was a common pigment used to paint
objects a deep black color (Webster's 1981).  ...

After the anticipation and frustration of the four previous visits, Smith
prepared "about twelve o'clock" midnight on Friday, 21 September 1827, to
go with Emma to the hill for the plates.  Josiah Stowell and Joseph Knight,
his only treasure-seeking associates not now arrayed against him, had
arrived on 20 September and were asleep in the Smith home (L.  M.  Smith
1853, 99-100; Hartley 1986, 23).  ...

Smith's sister later stated that in order to obtain the gold plates "he was
commanded to go on the 22d day of September 1827 at 2 o'clock" (Salisbury
1886) ...  Emma's cousins reported that she "stood with her back toward
him, while he dug up the box" (Lewis and Lewis 1879).

Husband and wife did not return from the hill until the family met for
breakfast on 22 September 1827.  Joseph Knight best captured the excitement
Smith expressed that morning: "'it is ten times Better than [sic] I
expected.' Then he went on to tell the length and width and thickness of
the plates, and said he, 'they appear to be Gold' " (Jessee 1976a, 33; also
L.  M.  Smith 1853, 100-101).

According to Joseph Smith, his mother, and early converts, he spent the
next several months defending himself and the plates from the efforts of
his former treasure-digging associates to seize what the regarded as a gold
treasure rightly theirs.

- --------------------------------------------

Subject:  D&C 5-9

Doctrine and Covenants

- -Section 5-
2-4: God gave Joseph the gift to translate
11-13,15: Three witnesses
14: Church is terrible
Instructions to Martin Harris

- -Section 6-
9: teaching the gospel should have repentance of sins as a
goal.  (#1, p 77)
- -"In the revelation to Oliver Cowdery, and to several others
who came to ask what the Lord would have them do, the
Lord said:[D&C 6:9].  We must not infer from this expression
that those who went forth to preach were limited in their
teachings so that all they could say was 'repent of your sins',
but in teaching the principle of the Gospel they should do so
with the desire to teach repentance to the people and bring
them in humility to a realization of the need for remission of
sins.  Even today in all of our preaching it should be with the
desire to bring people to repentance and faith in God.  That
was the burden of John's message as he wnt forth to
prepare the wa for the Lord: 'Repent ye: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand,' he declared to the people, but he also
taught them the necessity of baptism and officiated in that
ordinance for all who repented of their sins."  Joseph
Fielding Smith, "Church History and Modern Revelation",
1:39-40.
22-24: Oliver had prayed & received an answer  HC, p 35.
25-28: Oliver was writing, and probably wanted to translate
- -"This revelation was received during the same month that
Oliver Cowdery first started to serve as scribe for Joseph
Smith in the translation of the Book of Mormon.  As Oliver
Cowdery witnessed the gift of translation being manifested
through Joseph, it would seem only natural that he would
wonder about the gift and desire it for himself.  Here the Lord
counsels Oliver to be patient and faithful to the opportunities
that had been given to him, so that additional power could
be given to him later to 'assist in bring to light' those
scriptures or parts of scriptures that were then not available
to the peoples of the earth."  Daniel H. Ludlow, "A
Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants",
Vol. 1, (Deseret Book Company, 1978) p. 32

- -Section 7-
John the Beloved remained in the flesh until the second
coming
background,  HC. p. 35-36
Translated beings, "Teachings", p. 171  HC 4:425
probably reading 1 Nephi 14:19-27 (19-21, 27)

- -Section 8-
background HC p. 30
6-9: "Gift of Aaron" Oliver was the first to deliver a public
discourse.  Joseph Fielding Smith, "Church History and
Modern Revelation", (Salt Lake City: Council of the Twelve
Apostles, 1953), 1:52.
1-2: Oliver permitted to translate.

- -Section 9-
Oliver thought that translating was an easy task, when it did
not come qickly, his faith wavered, and he didn't continue
trying.  The Lord had shown Oliver the difficulty of translation
(#1, p. 92)
- -"It seems probable that Olver Cowdery desired to
translate out of curiosity, and the Lord taught him his place
by showing him that translating was not the easy thing he
had thought it to be.  In a subsequent revelation (Sec. 9), the
explanation was made that Oliver's failure came because
he did not continue as he commenced, and the task being a
difficult one, his faith deserted him.  The lesson he learned
was very necessary, for he was shown that his place was to
act as scribe for Joseph Smith and that it was the latter who
was called and appointed by command of the Lord to do
the translating.  There must have been some impatience in
having to sit and act as scribe, but when he failed to master
the gift of translating, he was then willing to accept the will of
the Lord."  Joseph Fielding Smith, "Church History and
Modern Revelation", 1:50-51
.
background  HC p. 36

1-2, 5: Oliver will translate later
7-9: Study things.



"There is much in Oliver's experience that is profitable for
our instruction in obtaining an understanding of the spirit of
revelation.  first, let us consider the instruction given him
before his attempt to translate.  That Oliver might have the
assurance that he was translating by the spirit of revelation,
the Lord said: [D&C 8:2-3]....  We observe that neither he nor
Joseph was to experience any suspension of their natural
faculties in the process of obtaining revelation.  Quite the
contrary, their hearts and minds were to be the very media
through which the vice of the Lord echoes, nor are they
mechanical recording devices; prophets are men of
passion, feeling, and intellect.  One does not suspend
agency, mind, or spirit in the service of God.  It is only with
heart, might, mind and strength that we have been asked to
serve, and in nothing is this more apparent than the
receiving of revelation.  There is no mindless worship or
service in the kingdom of heaven."  Joseph Fielding
McConkie, "The Principle of Revelation," "Studies in
Scripture, Volume One: The Doctrine and Covenants",
edited by Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, (Randall
Book Co., 1984) p. 82-83.

- -Book of Commandments-  (section 5)
5  And thus, if the people of this generation harden not their
hearts, I will work a reformation among them, and I will put
down all lyings, and deceivings, and priestcrafts, and
envyings, and strifes, and idolatries, and sorceries, and all
manner of iniquities, and I will establish my church, like unto
the church which was taught by my disciples in the days of
old.
6  And now if this generation do harden their hearts against
my word, behold I will deliver them up unto satan, for he
reigneth and hath much power at this time, for he hath got
great hold upon the hearts of the people of this generation:
and not far from the iniquities of Sodom and Gomorrah, do
they come at this time: and behold the sword of justice
hangeth over their heads, and if they persist in the hardness
of their hearts, the time cometh that it must fall upon them.
Behold I tell you these things even as I also told the people
of the destruction of Jerusalem, and my word shall be
verified at this time as hath hitherto been verified.

- -1981 Edition-
18  And their testimony shall also go forth unto the
condemnation of this generation if they harden their hearts
against them;
19  For a desolating scourge shall go forth among the
inhabitants of all the earth, and shall continue to be poured
out from time to time, if they repent not, until the earth is
empty, and the inhabitants thereof are consumed away and
utterly destroyed by the brightness of my coming.
20  Behold, I tell you these things, even as I also told the
people of the destruction of Jerusalem; and my word shall
be verified at this time as it hath hitherto been verified.

Lyndon W. Cook, "The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph
Smith", (Deseret Book, 1985) p. 12


Section 6
Received on or after 7 April, 1829.
Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated from the church for
apostasy on 12 April 1838 at Far West, Missouri.  He was
rebaptized on 12 November 1848 at Kanesville, Iowa.
Lyndon W. Cook, "The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph
Smith", (Deseret Book, 1985) p. 113-14.


Section 7
"The text of section 7, as published in the Book of
Commandments, was much shorter than that contained in
our present edition.  The additional verses were first placed
in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.

"And the Lord said unto me, John my beloved, what desirest
thou?  and I said Lord, give unto me power that I may bring
souls unto thee.-And the Lord said unto me: Verily, verily I
say unto thee, because thou desiredst this, tou shalt tarry til I
come in my glory: And for this cause, the Lord said unto
Peter:"If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee" for
he desiredst of me that he might bring souls unto me: but
thou desiredst that thou might speedily come unto me in my
kingdom: I say unto thee, Peter, this was a good desire, but
my beloved has undertaken a greater work.  Verily I say
unto you, ye shall both have according to your desires, for
ye both joy  that which ye have desired."
Lyndon W. Cook, "The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph
Smith", (Deseret Book, 1985) p. 15.


Section 8
"Book of Commandments"w this is not all, for you have another gift, which
is the gift
of working with the rod: behold, it has told yo things: behold
there is no other power save God, that can cause this rod of
nature, to work in your hands.

- -1981 Edition-
6  Now this is not all they [sic] gift; for you have another gift,
which is the gift of Aaron; behold, it has told you many things;
7  Behold, there is no other power, save the power of God,
that can cause this gift of Aaron to be with you.
8.  Therefore, doubt not, for it is the gift of God; and you shall
hold it in your hands, and do marvelous works; and no
power shall be able to take it away out of your hands, for it is
the work of God.

Lyndon W. Cook, "The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph
Smith", (Deseret Book, 1985) p. 16
 Description of Oliver Cowdery's use of diving rod.  D.
Michael Quinn, "Early Mormonism and the Magic World
View", (Signature Books, 1987)
p. 31-35.

"...intellectual activity can be and act of worship."  Richard F.
Haglund, Jr. and David J. Whittaker, "Intellectual History",
"Encclopedia of Mormonism".

"... the elusive balance of academic, or intellectual, pursuits
and learning to rely on the promptings of the Spirit.  How can
we avoid relying too much on the intellectual while ignoring
the Spirit, or expecting spiritual solutions while ignoring our
own power to reason things out for ourselves?

"[D&C 9:7-9]  Of this scripture Elder Bruce R. McConkie has
commented, 'Implicit in asking in faith is the precedent
requirement that we don everything in our power to
accomplish the goal that we seek.'

"On one side of the spectrum is the person within or without
the Church who sees very little need to call upon the Lord
because this person is a scholar.  He wants to be
independent and free in his thinking and not tied to absolute
truths that the gospel tells us do exist.  He may spend his life
chasing down every intellectual loose end.  All counsel from
general or local authorities is taken with a grain of salt
because, after all, their knowledge is so minimal compared
to that which the scholar has amassed.

"The other end of the speectrum is just as dangerous and is
probably a greater threat to the majority of this audience.  A
person on this end of the spectrum thinks like this: 'I know the
Church is true and I have received the gift of the Holy Ghost.
I am a worthy member of the Church and, therefore, have
access to the Spirit.'  When faced with a problem he will
pray for an answer, and the first thought that comes to mind
is cannonized.  I would purpose that an idea or solution that
comes without appropriate reasoning is nothing better than
a hunch.  There are times of instant inspiration, but they are
rare and usually involve an emergency.

"There is a sentence used in Church circles that sends a
chill up my spine.  It's a perfectly good sentence that packs
a spiritual wallop when used by someone who has been
acted upon by the Spirit, but unfortunately is too often used b
those who have wandered off-center in the spectrum.  I've
heard it said in my ward, at Church headquarters, and I have
said it myself.  The sentence that turns me cold is thins: 'I
feel real good about it.'  Every time I hear it, I see a red flag
go up.  It's a perfectly good way of expressing a feeling of
the Spirit, but far too often the literal translation is 'I haven't
done my homework.'  Some very bad decisions have been
made by people who 'feel really good' about something
they have to reason out in their minds."  Glenn L Pace, "The
Elusive Balance," "BYU 1985-86 Devotional and Fireside
Speeches."


Section 10
"After Joseph Smith had received section 3, both the gold
plates and the Urim and Thummim were taken from him.  But
'in the few day they were returned to me,' declared the
Prophet, 'when I inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said ths
unto me...


Lyndon W. Cook, "The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph
Smith", (Deseret Book, 1985) p. 17-18.


- --------------------------------------

------------------------------

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