THE ANGEL VISITS JOSEPH AGAIN--JOSEPH TELLS HIS FATHER WHAT HE HAS
SEEN AND HEARD--HE IS PERMITTED TO BEHOLD THE PLATES--RECEIVES FURTHER
INSTRUCTIONS--COMMUNICATES THE SAME TO THE FAMILY--TAKES THE PLATES
INTO HIS HANDS--THEY ARE TAKEN FROM HIM, AND HE IS REPROVED--HIS
DISAPPOINTMENT.
The next day, my husband, Alvin, and Joseph, were reaping together in
the field, and as they were reaping, Joseph stopped quite suddenly,
and seemed to be in a very deep study. Alvin, observing it, hurried
him, saying, "We must not slacken our hands or we will not be able to
complete our task." Upon this Joseph went to work again, and after
laboring a short time, he stopped just as he had done before. This
being quite unusual and strange, it attracted the attention of his
father, upon which he discovered that Joseph was very pale. My husband,
supposing that he was sick, told him to go to the house, and have his
mother doctor him. He accordingly ceased his work, and started, but on
coming to a beautiful green, under an apple tree, he stopped and lay
down, for he was so weak he could proceed no further. He was here but a
short time, when the messenger whom he saw the previous night, visited
him again, and the first thing he said was, "Why did you not tell your
father that which I commanded you to tell him?" Joseph replied, "I was
afraid my father would not believe me." The angel rejoined, "He will
believe every word you say to him."
Joseph then promised the angel that he would do as he had been
commanded. Upon this, the messenger departed, and Joseph returned
to the field, where he had left my husband and Alvin; but when he
got there, his father had just gone to the house, as he was somewhat
unwell. Joseph then desired Alvin to go straightway and see his father,
and inform him that he had something of great importance to communicate
to him, and that he wanted him to come out into the field where they
were at work. Alvin did as he was requested, and when my husband got
there, Joseph related to him all that had passed between him and the
angel the previous night and that morning. Having heard this account,
his father charged him not to fail in attending strictly to the
instruction which he had received from this heavenly messenger.
Soon after Joseph had this conversation with his father, he repaired to
the place where the plates were deposited, which place he describes as
follows:--
"Convenient to the village of Manchester, Ontario Co., New York,
stands a hill of considerable size, and the most elevated of any in
the neighborhood. On the west side of this hill, not far from the
top, under a stone of considerable size, lay the plates, deposited
in a stone box. This stone was thick and rounding in the middle, on
the upper side, and thinner towards the edges, so that the middle
part of it was visible above the ground; but the edge all round was
covered with earth.
"Having removed the earth, I obtained a lever, which I got fixed
under the edge of the stone, and with a little exertion raised
it up. I looked in, and there, indeed, did I behold the plates!
the Urim and Thummim, and the breast-plate, as stated by the
messenger."--_Times and Seasons_ vol. iii, p. 729; _Supp. to
Millennial Star_, vol. xiv, p. 5; _History of the Church_, pp. 15,
16.
While Joseph remained here, the angel showed him, by contrast, the
difference between good and evil, and likewise the consequences of
both obedience and disobedience to the commandments of God, in such a
striking manner, that the impression was always vivid in his memory
until the very end of his days; and in giving a relation of this
circumstance, not long prior to his death, he remarked, that "ever
afterwards he was willing to keep the commandments of God."
Furthermore, the angel told him, at the interview mentioned last, that
the time had not yet come for the plates to be brought forth to the
world; that he could not take them from the place wherein they were
deposited until he had learned to keep the commandments of God--not
only till he was willing but able to do it. The angel bade Joseph come
to this place every year, at the same time of the year, and he would
meet him there and give him further instructions.
The ensuing evening, when the family were altogether, Joseph made known
to them all that he had communicated to his father in the field, and
also of his finding the record, as well as what passed between him and
the angel while he was at the place where the plates were deposited.
Sitting up late that evening, in order to converse upon these things,
together with over-exertion of mind, had much fatigued Joseph; and when
Alvin observed it, he said, "Now, brother, let us go to bed, and rise
early in the morning, in order to finish our day's work at an hour
before sunset, then, if mother will get our suppers early, we will
have a fine long evening, and we will all sit down for the purpose
of listening to you while you tell us the great things which God has
revealed to you."
Accordingly, by sunset the next day, we were all seated, and Joseph
commenced telling us the great and glorious things which God had
manifested to him; but, before proceeding, he charged us not to mention
out of the family that which he was about to say to us, as the world
was so wicked that when they came to a knowledge of these things they
would try to take our lives; and that when we should obtain the plates,
our names would be cast out as evil by all people. Hence the necessity
of suppressing these things as much as possible, until the time should
come for them to go forth to the world.
After giving us this charge, he proceeded to relate further particulars
concerning the work which he was appointed to do, and we received them
joyfully, never mentioning them except among ourselves, agreeable to
the instructions which we had received from him.
From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from
the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening,
for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same.
I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever
lived upon the face of the earth--all seated in a circle, father,
mother, sons and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to
a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the Bible through in
his life: he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any
of the rest of our children, but far more given to meditation and deep
study.
We were now confirmed in the opinion that God was about to bring to
light something upon which we could stay our minds, or that would give
us a more perfect knowledge of the plan of salvation and the redemption
of the human family. This caused us greatly to rejoice, the sweetest
union and happiness pervaded our house, and tranquility reigned in our
midst.
During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us
some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would
describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode
of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their
buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their
religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if
he had spent his whole life among them.
On the twenty-second of September, 1824, Joseph again visited the place
where he found the plates the year previous; and supposing at this
time that the only thing required, in order to possess them until the
time for their translation, was to be able to keep the commandments
of God--and he firmly believed he could keep every commandment which
had been given him--he fully expected to carry them home with him.
Therefore, having arrived at the place, and uncovering the plates, he
put forth his hand and took them up, but, as he was taking them hence,
the unhappy thought darted through his mind that probably there was
something else in the box besides the plates, which would be of some
pecuniary advantage to him. So, in the moment of excitement, he laid
them down very carefully, for the purpose of covering the box, lest
some one might happen to pass that way and get whatever there might be
remaining in it. After covering it, he turned round to take the Record
again, but behold it was gone, and where, he knew not, neither did he
know the means by which it had been taken from him.
At this, as a natural consequence, he was much alarmed. He kneeled down
and asked the Lord why the Record had been taken from him; upon which
the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and told him that he had not
done as he had been commanded, for in a former revelation he had been
commanded not to lay the plates down, or put them for a moment out of
his hands, until he got into the house and deposited them in a chest or
trunk, having a good lock and key, and, contrary to this, he had laid
them down with the view of securing some fancied or imaginary treasure
that remained.
In the moment of excitement, Joseph was overcome by the powers of
darkness, and forgot the injunction that was laid upon him.
Having some further conversation with the angel, on this occasion,
Joseph was permitted to raise the stone again, when he beheld the
plates as he had done before. He immediately reached forth his hand
to take them, but instead of getting them, as he anticipated, he was
hurled back upon the ground with great violence. When he recovered, the
angel was gone, and he arose and returned to the house, weeping for
grief and disappointment.
As he was aware that we would expect him to bring the plates home with
him, he was greatly troubled, fearing that we might doubt his having
seen them. As soon as he entered the house, my husband asked him if he
had obtained the plates. The answer was, "No, father, I could not get
them."
His father then said, "Did you see them?"
"Yes," replied Joseph, "I saw them, but could not take them."
"I would have taken them," rejoined his father, with much earnestness,
"if I had been in your place."
"Why," returned Joseph, in quite a subdued tone, "you do not know what
you say. I could not get them, for the angel of the Lord would not let
me."
Joseph then related the circumstance in full, which gave us much
uneasiness, as we were afraid that he might utterly fail of obtaining
the Record through some neglect on his part. We, therefore, doubled our
diligence in prayer and supplication to God, in order that he might be
more fully instructed in his duty, and be preserved from all the wiles
and machinations of him "who lieth in wait to deceive."
We were still making arrangements to build us a comfortable house, the
management and control of which devolved chiefly upon Alvin. And when
November, 1824, arrived, the frame was raised, and all the materials
necessary for its speedy completion were procured. This opened to
Alvin's mind the pleasing prospect of seeing his father and mother once
more comfortable and happy. He would say, "I am going to have a nice,
pleasant room for father and mother to sit in, and everything arranged
for their comfort, and they shall not work any more as they have done."