THE URIM AND THUMMIM ARE TAKEN FROM JOSEPH--HE RECEIVES THEM AGAIN.
For nearly two months after Joseph returned to his family, in
Pennsylvania, we heard nothing from him, and becoming anxious about
him, Mr. Smith and myself set off to make him a visit. When we came
within three-quarters of a mile of the house, Joseph started to meet
us, telling his wife, as he left, that father and mother were coming.
When he met us, his countenance wore so pleasant an aspect, that I was
convinced he had something agreeable to communicate with regard to the
work in which he was engaged. When I entered, the first thing which
attracted my attention was a red morocco trunk, lying on Emma's bureau,
which Joseph shortly informed me contained the Urim and Thummim, and
the plates. And, in the evening, he gave us the following relation of
what had transpired since our separation:--
"On leaving you," said Joseph, "I returned immediately home. Soon
after my arrival, I commenced humbling myself in mighty prayer
before the Lord, and, as I was pouring out my soul in supplication
to God, that if possible, I might obtain mercy at his hands, and
be forgiven of all that I had done contrary to his will, an angel
stood before me, and answered me, saying, that I had sinned in
delivering the manuscript into the hands of a wicked man, and, as
I had ventured to become responsible for his faithfulness, I would
of necessity have to suffer the consequences of his indiscretion,
and I must now give up the Urim and Thummim into his (the angel's)
hands.
"This I did as I was directed, and as I handed them to him, he
remarked, 'If you are very humble and penitent, it may be you will
receive them again; if so, it will be on the twenty-second of next
September.'"
Joseph then related a revelation which he received soon after the angel
visited him. A part of which is as follows:--
"Behold, you have been entrusted with these things, but how strict
were your commandments; and remember, also, the promises which
were made to you, if you did not transgress them; and behold, how
oft you have transgressed the commandments and the laws of God,
and have gone on in the persuasions of men. For behold, you should
not have feared man more than God, although men set at nought the
counsels of God, and despise his words; yet you should have been
faithful and he would have extended his arm and supported you
against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have
been with you in every time of trouble. Behold, thou art Joseph,
and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of
transgression, if thou art not aware, thou wilt fall. But remember,
God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done
which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou
art still chosen, and art again called to the work. Except thou
do this, thou shalt be delivered up and become as other men, and
have no more gift. And when thou deliveredst up that which God had
given thee sight and power to translate, thou deliveredst up that
which was sacred into the hands of a wicked man, who has set at
nought the counsels of God, and has broken the most sacred promises
which were made before God, and has depended upon his own judgment,
and boasted in his own wisdom, and this is the reason that thou
hast lost thy privileges for a season, for thou hast suffered the
counsel of thy director to be trampled upon from the beginning.
Nevertheless my work shall go forth, for inasmuch as the knowledge
of a Savior has come unto the world, through the testimony of the
Jews, even so shall the knowledge of a Savior come unto my people."
For the sake of brevity, I have omitted part of this revelation, but
the reader will find it in the _Doctrine and Covenants_, section 3:
5-16.
I will now return to Joseph's recital.
"After the angel left me," said he, "I continued my supplications
to God, without cessation, and on the twenty-second of September,
I had the joy and satisfaction of again receiving the Urim and
Thummim, with which I have again commenced translating, and Emma
writes for me, but the angel said that the Lord would send me a
scribe, and I trust his promise will be verified. The angel seemed
pleased with me when he gave me back the Urim and Thummim, and he
told me that the Lord loved me, for my faithfulness and humility."
A few months after Joseph received them, he inquired of the Lord, and
obtained the following revelation:--
"Now, behold, I say unto you, that because you delivered up those
writings which you had power given unto you to translate, by the
means of the Urim and Thummim, into the hands of a wicked man,
you have lost them; and you also lost your gift at the same time,
and your mind became darkened; nevertheless, it is now restored
unto you again, therefore, see that you are faithful and continue
on unto the finishing of the remainder of the work of translation
as you have begun. Do not run faster, or labor more than you
have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but
be diligent unto the end: pray always, that you may come off
conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may
escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.
Behold, they have sought to destroy you; yea, even the man in whom
you have trusted, has sought to destroy you. And for this cause I
said that he is a wicked man, for he has sought to take away the
things wherewith you have been entrusted; and he has also sought
to destroy your gift; and because you have delivered the writings
into his hands, behold, wicked men have taken them from you.
Therefore, you have delivered them up; yea, that which was sacred,
unto wickedness. And, behold, Satan has put it into their hearts to
alter the words which you have caused to be written, or which you
have translated, which have gone out of your hands. And, behold, I
say unto you, that because they have altered the words, they read
contrary from that which you translated and caused to be written;
and, on this wise, the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that
he may destroy this work. For he has put it into their hearts to do
this, that by lying they may say they have caught you in the words
which you have pretended to translate."--_Doctrine and Covenants_,
section x: 1-14.
While on this visit, we became acquainted with Emma's father, whose
name was Isaac Hale; also his family, which consisted of his wife,
Elizabeth; his sons, Jesse, David, Alva, Isaac Ward, and Reuben; and
his daughters, Phebe and Elizabeth.
They were an intelligent and highly respectable family. They were
pleasantly situated, and lived in good style, in the town of Harmony,
on the Susquehannah river, within a short distance of the place where
Joseph resided.
The time of our visit with them, we passed very agreeably, and returned
home relieved of a burden which was almost insupportable, and our
present joy far overbalanced all our former grief.