THE MOTHER OF THE PROPHET--THE GIFTS OF INSPIRATION AND WORKING OF
MIRACLES INHERENT IN HER FAMILY--FRAGMENTS OF HER NARRATIVE.
First among the chosen women of the latter-day dispensation comes the
mother of the Prophet, to open this divine drama.
It is one of our most beautiful and suggestive proverbs that "great
men have great mothers." This cannot but be peculiarly true of a great
prophet whose soul is conceptive of a new dispensation.
Prophecy is of the woman. She endows her offspring with that
heaven-born gift.
The father of Joseph was a grand patriarchal type. He was the Abraham
of the Church, holding the office of presiding patriarch. To this
day he is remembered and spoken of by the early disciples with the
profoundest veneration and filial love, and his patriarchal blessings,
given to them, are preserved and valued as much as are the patriarchal
blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob valued by their own race.
But it is the mother of the Prophet who properly leads in opening the
testament of the women of Mormondom. She was a prophetess and seeress
born. The gift of prophecy and the power to work miracles also inhered
in the family of Lucy Mack, (her maiden name), and the martial spirit
which distinguished her son, making him a prophet-general, was quite
characteristic of her race. Of her brother, Major Mack, she says:
"My brother was in the city of Detroit in 1812, the year in which Hull
surrendered the territory to the British crown. My brother, being
somewhat celebrated for his prowess, was selected by General Hull to
take the command of a company as captain. After a short service in this
office he was ordered to surrender. (Hull's surrender to the British).
At this his indignation was aroused to the highest pitch. He broke his
sword across his knee, and throwing it into the river, exclaimed that
he would never submit to such a disgraceful compromise while the blood
of an American continued to flow in his veins."
Lucy Mack's father, Solomon Mack, was a soldier in the American
revolution. He entered the army at the age of twenty-one, in the year
1755, and in the glorious struggle of his country for independence he
enlisted among the patriots in 1776. With him were his two boys, Jason
and Stephen, the latter being the same who afterwards broke his sword
and cast it into the river rather than surrender it to the British.
But that which is most interesting here is the seeric gift coupled
with the miracle-working power of "Mother Lucy's" race. Hers was a
"visionary" family, in the main, while her elder brother, Jason, was
a strange evangelist, who wandered about during his lifetime, by sea
and land, preaching the gospel and working miracles. This Jason even
attempted to establish a body of Christian communists. Of him she says:
"Jason, my oldest brother, was a studious and manly boy. Before he had
attained his sixteenth year he became what was then called a 'seeker,'
and believing that by prayer and faith the gifts of the gospel, which
were enjoyed by the ancient disciples of Christ, might be attained, he
labored almost incessantly to convert others to the same faith. He was
also of the opinion that God would, at some subsequent period, manifest
His power, as He had anciently done, in signs and wonders. At the age
of twenty he became a preacher of the gospel."
Then followed a love episode in Jason's life, in which the young man
was betrayed by his rival while absent in England on business with his
father. The rival gave out that Jason had died in Liverpool, (being
post-master, he had also intercepted their correspondence,) so that
when the latter returned home he found his betrothed married to his
enemy. The story runs:
"As soon as Jason arrived he repaired immediately to her father's
house. When he got there she was gone to her brother's funeral; he went
in, and seated himself in the same room where he had once paid his
addresses to her. In a short time she came home; when she first saw him
she did not know him, but when she got a full view of his countenance
she recognized him, and instantly fainted. From this time forward she
never recovered her health, but, lingering for two years, died the
victim of disappointment.
"Jason remained in the neighborhood a short time and then went to sea,
but he did not follow the sea a great while. He soon left the main, and
commenced preaching, which he continued until his death."
Once or twice during his lifetime Jason visited his family; at last,
after a silence of twenty years, his brother Solomon received from him
the following very evangelistic epistle:
"South Branch of Ormucto,
"Province of New Brunswick,
"June 30, 1835.
"MY DEAR BROTHER SOLOMON: You will, no doubt, be surprised to hear
that I am still alive, although in an absence of twenty years I
have never written to you before. But I trust you will forgive me
when I tell you that, for most of the twenty years, I have been so
situated that I have had little or no communication with the lines,
and have been holding meetings, day and night, from place to place;
besides my mind has been so taken up with the deplorable situation
of the earth, the darkness in which it lies, that, when my labors
did call me near the lines, I did not realize the opportunity which
presented itself of letting you know where I was. And, again, I
have designed visiting you long since, and annually have promised
myself that the succeeding year I would certainly seek out my
relatives, and enjoy the privilege of one pleasing interview with
them before I passed into the valley and shadow of death. But
last, though not least, let me not startle you when I say, that,
according to my early adopted principles of the power of faith, the
Lord has, in his exceeding kindness, bestowed upon me the gift of
healing by the prayer of faith, and the use of such simple means as
seem congenial to the human system; but my chief reliance is upon
Him who organized us at the first, and can restore at pleasure that
which is disorganized.
"The first of my peculiar success in this way was twelve years
since, and from nearly that date I have had little rest. In
addition to the incessant calls which I in a short time had, there
was the most overwhelming torrent of opposition poured down upon
me that I ever witnessed. But it pleased God to take the weak to
confound the wisdom of the wise. I have in the last twelve years
seen the greatest manifestations of the power of God in healing
the sick, that, with all my sanguinity, I ever hoped or imagined.
And when the learned infidel has declared with sober face, time
and again, that disease had obtained such an ascendency that death
could be resisted no longer, that the victim must wither beneath
his potent arm, I have seen the almost lifeless clay slowly but
surely resuscitated and revived, till the pallid monster fled so
far that the patient was left in the full bloom of vigorous health.
But it is God that hath done it, and to Him let all the praise be
given.
"I am now compelled to close this epistle, for I must start
immediately on a journey of more than one hundred miles, to attend
a heavy case of sickness; so God be with you all. Farewell!
"JASON MACK."
"Mother Lucy," in the interesting accounts of her own and husband's
families, tells some charming stories of visions, dreams, and miracles
among them, indicating the advent of the latter-day power; but the
remarkable visions and mission of her prophet son claim the ruling
place. She says:
"There was a great revival of religion, which extended to all the
denominations of Christians in the surrounding country in which we
resided. Many of the world's people, becoming concerned about the
salvation of their souls, came forward and presented themselves as
seekers after religion. Most of them were desirous of uniting with some
church, but were not decided as to the particular faith which they
would adopt. When the numerous meetings were about breaking up, and the
candidates and the various leading church members began to consult upon
the subject of adopting the candidates into some church or churches, as
the case might be, a dispute arose, and there was a great contention
among them.
"While these things were going forward, Joseph's mind became
considerably troubled with regard to religion; and the following
extract from his history will show, more clearly than I can express,
the state of his feelings, and the result of his reflections on this
occasion:"
"I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's family was
proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined
that church, namely, my mother Lucy, my brothers Hyrum and Samuel
Harrison, and my sister Sophronia.
"During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to
serious reflection and great uneasiness. * * * * The Presbyterians
were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all
their powers of either reason or sophistry to prove their errors,
or at least to make the people think they were in error. On the
other hand the Baptists and Methodists, in their turn, were equally
zealous to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.
"In the midst of this war of words, and tumult of opinions, I often
said to myself, what is to be done? Who, of all these parties,
are right? or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be
right, which is it? and how shall I know it?
"While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the
contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading
the epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads,
'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth unto
all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.'
Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the
heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to
enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected
on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom
from God, I did, for how to act I did not know, and, unless I
could get more wisdom than I then had, would never know; for the
teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same
passage so differently, as to destroy all confidence in settling
the question by an appeal to the Bible. At length I came to the
conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or
else I must do as James directs--that is, ask of God. I at last
came to the determination to ask of God. So in accordance with
this determination I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It
was on the morning of a beautiful clear day, early in the spring
of 1820. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an
attempt; for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the
attempt to pray vocally. After I had retired into the place where I
had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding
myself alone, I knelt down and began to offer up the desires of
my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was
seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such
astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue, so that I
could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed
to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But
exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the
power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very
moment when I was ready to sink into despair, and abandon myself
to destruction--not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some
actual being from the unseen world, who had such a marvelous power
as I had never before felt in any being--just at this moment of
great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above
the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell
upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from
the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw
two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description,
standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me
by name, and said, pointing to the other, 'this is my beloved son,
hear him:'
"My object in going to inquire of the Lord, was to know which of
all these sects was right, that I might know which to join. No
sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able
to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in the
light, which of all the sects was right--for at this time it had
never entered into my heart that all were wrong--and which I should
join. I was answered that I should join none of them, for they were
all wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that all their
creeds were an abomination in His sight; that those professors were
all corrupt. 'They draw near me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from me; they teach for doctrine the commandments of men,
having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.' He
again forbade me to join any of them; and many other things did
he say unto me which I cannot write at this time. When I came to
myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into
heaven."
"From this time until the 21st of September, 1823, Joseph continued,
as usual, to labor with his father, and nothing during this interval
occurred of very great importance,--though he suffered, as one would
naturally suppose, every kind of opposition and persecution from the
different orders of religionists.
"On the evening of the 21st of September, he retired to his bed in
quite a serious and contemplative state of mind. He shortly betook
himself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God, for a manifestation
of his standing before Him, and while thus engaged he received the
following vision:"
"While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a
light appearing in the room, which continued to increase until the
room was lighter than at noon-day, when immediately a personage
appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did
not touch the floor. He had on a loose robe of most exquisite
whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever
seen, nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to
appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. His hands were naked,
and his arms also, a little above the wrist; so also were his
feet naked, as were his legs a little above the ankles. His head
and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other
clothing on but his robe, as it was open so that I could see into
his bosom. Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole
person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly
like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very
bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon
him I was afraid, but the fear soon left me. He called me by name,
and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of
God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for
me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil among
all nations, kindreds and tongues; or that it should be both good
and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book
deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the
former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence
they sprung. He also said that the fullness of the everlasting
gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Saviour to the
ancient inhabitants. Also, that there were two stones in silver
bows, and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted
what is called the urim and thummim, deposited with the plates;
and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted
seers in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them
for the purpose of translating the book. After telling me these
things, he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament.
He first quoted a part of the third chapter of Malachi; and he
quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy,
though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bible.
Instead of quoting the first verse as it reads in our books, he
quoted it thus: 'For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an
oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall burn
as stubble, for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord
of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.' And
again he quoted the fifth verse thus: 'Behold, I will reveal unto
you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.' He also quoted
the next verse differently: 'And he shall plant in the hearts of
the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of
the children shall turn to their fathers; if it were not so, the
whole earth would be utterly wasted at its coming.' In addition to
these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was
about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts,
twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in
our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ, but the
day had not yet come 'when they who would not hear His voice should
be cut off from among the people,' but soon would come. He also
quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to
the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was
soon to be. And he further stated the fullness of the Gentiles was
soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and
offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here. Again, he
told me that when I got those plates of which he had spoken (for
the time that they should be obtained was not then fulfilled),
I should not show them to any person, neither the breast-plate,
with the urim and thummim, only to those to whom I should be
commanded to show them; if I did I should be destroyed. While he
was conversing with me about the plates, the vision was opened to
my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited,
and that so clearly and distinctly that I knew the place again when
I visited it.
"After this communication, I saw the light in the room begin to
gather immediately around the person of him who had been speaking
to me, and it continued to do so until the room was again left
dark, except just around him; when instantly I saw, as it were,
a conduit open right up into Heaven, and he ascended up until he
entirely disappeared, and the room was left as it had been before
this heavenly light made its appearance.
"I lay musing on the singularity of the scene, and marveling
greatly at what had been told me by this extraordinary messenger,
when, in the midst of my meditation, I suddenly discovered that
my room was again beginning to get lighted, and, in an instant,
as it were, the same heavenly messenger was again by my bedside.
He commenced, and again related the very same things which he had
done at his first visit, without the least variation, which having
done, he informed me of great judgments which were coming upon the
earth, with great desolations by famine, sword, and pestilence;
and that these grievous judgments would come on the earth in this
generation. Having related these things, he again ascended as he
had done before."
"When the angel ascended the second time he left Joseph overwhelmed
with astonishment, yet gave him but a short time to contemplate the
things which he had told him before he made his reappearance and
rehearsed the same things over, adding a few words of caution and
instruction, thus: That he must beware of covetousness, and he must not
suppose the record was to be brought forth with the view of getting
gain, for this was not the case, but that it was to bring forth light
and intelligence, which had for a long time been lost to the world; and
that when he went to get the plates, he must be on his guard, or his
mind would be filled with darkness. The angel then told him to tell his
father all which he had both seen and heard.
"* * * * 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 tranquillity 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 with them."
Thus continued the divine and miraculous experience of the prophetic
family until the golden plates were obtained, the book of Mormon
published, and the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" was
established on the 6th of April, 1830.
But all this shall be written in the book of the prophet!