The Visitation of Moroni
1823-1827
Life of Joseph Smith Between 1820-23
"I continued to pursue my common vocations in life until the
twenty-first of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three,
all the time suffering severe persecution at the hands of all classes
of men, both religious and irreligious, because I continued to affirm
that I had seen a vision.
"During the space of time which intervened between the time I had the
vision and the year eighteen hundred and twenty-three--having been
forbidden to join any of the religious sects of the day, and being
of very tender years, and persecuted by those who ought to have been
my friends and to have treated me kindly, and if they supposed me to
be deluded to have endeavored in a proper and affectionate manner
to have reclaimed me--I was left to all kinds of temptations; and,
mingling with all kinds of society, I frequently fell into many foolish
errors, and displayed the weakness of youth, and the foibles of human
nature; which, I am sorry to say, led me into divers temptations,
offensive in the sight of God. In making this confession, no one need
suppose me guilty of any great or malignant sins. A disposition to
commit such was never in my nature. But I was guilty of levity, and
sometimes associated with jovial company, etc., not consistent with
that character which ought to be maintained by one who was called of
God as I had been. But this will not seem very strange to any one
who recollects my youth, and is acquainted with my native cheery
temperament.
"In consequence of these things, I often felt condemned for my weakness
and imperfections; when, on the evening of the above mentioned
twenty-first of September, after I had retired to my bed for the
night. I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for
forgiveness of all my sins and follies, and also for a manifestation to
me, that I might know of my state and standing before him; for I had
full confidence in obtaining a divine manifestation, as I previously
had one.
The Appearing of Moroni
"While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light
appearing in my 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
wrists; 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 this 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.
The Book of Mormon Revealed
"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
sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was
contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;
also, that there were two stones in silver bows--and these stones,
fastened to a breast plate, 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.
Moroni Quotes Ancient Prophets
"After telling me these things, he commenced quoting the prophecies
of the Old Testament. He first quoted 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
Bibles. 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 that the fulness of the Gentiles was soon to come in. He
quoted many other passages of scripture, and offered many explanations
which cannot be mentioned here.
Moroni's Admonition
"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 yet
fulfilled--I should not show them to any person; neither the
breastplate 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 till he entirely disappeared, and the
room was left as it had been before this heavenly light had made its
appearance.
The Second Appearance of Moroni
"I lay musing on the singularity of the scene, and marveling greatly
at what had been told to 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.
The Third Appearance of Moroni
"By this time, so deep were the impressions made on my mind, that
sleep had fled from my eyes, and I lay overwhelmed in astonishment at
what I had both seen and heard. But what was my surprise when again
I beheld the same messenger at my bedside, and heard him rehearse or
repeat over again to me the same things as before; and added a caution
to me, telling me that Satan would try to tempt me (in consequence of
the indigent circumstances of my father's family), to get the plates
for the purpose of getting rich. This he forbade me, saying that I must
have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God,
and must not be influenced by any other motive than that of building
His kingdom; otherwise I could not get them. After this third visit, he
again ascended into heaven as before, and I was again left to ponder on
the strangeness of what I had just experienced; when almost immediately
after the heavenly messenger had ascended from me the third time,
the cock crowed, and I found that day was approaching, so that our
interviews must have occupied the whole of that night.
The Fourth Appearance of Moroni
"I shortly after arose from my bed, and, as usual, went to the
necessary labors of the day; but, in attempting to work as at other
times, I found my strength so exhausted as to render me entirely
unable. My father, who was laboring along with me, discovered something
to be wrong with me, and told me to go home. I started with the
intention of going to the house; but, in attempting to cross the fence
out of the field where we were, my strength entirely failed me, and I
fell helpless on the ground, and for a time was quite unconscious of
anything. The first thing that I can recollect was a voice speaking
unto me, calling me by name. I looked up, and beheld the same messenger
standing over my head, surrounded by light as before. He then again
related unto me all that he had related to me the previous night,
and commanded me to go to my father and tell him of the vision and
commandments which I had received. I obeyed; I returned to my father in
the field, and rehearsed the whole matter to him. He replied to me that
it was of God, and told me to go and do as commanded by the messenger.
I left the field, and went to the place where the messenger had told me
the plates were deposited; and owing to the distinctness of the vision
which I had had concerning it, I knew the place the instant that I
arrived there.
The Hill Cumorah
"Convenient to the village of Manchester, Ontario county, 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 around 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 breastplate, as stated by the messenger. The box in
which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of
cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the
box, and on these stones lay the plates and the other things with them.
"I made an attempt to take them out, but was forbidden by the
messenger, and was again informed that the time for bringing them forth
had not yet arrived, neither would it, until four years from that time;
but he told me that I should come to that place precisely in one year
from that time, and that he would there meet with me, and that I should
continue to do so until the time should come for obtaining the plates.
The Four Annual Visits to the Hill
"Accordingly, as I had been commanded, I went at the end of each
year, and at each time I found the same messenger there, and received
instruction and intelligence from him at each of our interviews,
respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in what manner
His kingdom was to be conducted in the last days.
"As my father's worldly circumstances were very limited, we were under
the necessity of laboring with our hands, hiring out by day's work
and otherwise, as we could get opportunity. Sometimes we were at home
and sometimes abroad, and by continued labor, were enabled to get a
comfortable maintenance."
Temptation of Joseph Smith
As Joseph Smith journeyed to the Hill Cumorah on that memorable first
visit, he was beset by many conflicting emotions. His father's family
was poor and in financial distress. Creditors had been bearing down
heavily upon them. The adversary of all righteousness took advantage
of these conditions to sorely tempt the youth with all his power. The
plates of the book were made of gold and were of great intrinsic value.
Could they not be used to relieve the financial embarrassment of the
family? Or was there not some thing else deposited with the plates that
might be used for such purpose? Such were the thoughts Satan put into
his heart as he approached the hill, and the admonition of the angel
was temporarily forgotten.
He had no difficulty in locating the spot where the records were
hidden.[1] It was the matter of but a moment to scrape away the grass
and dirt and with a lever pry loose the stone which served as a
covering to the box containing the sacred treasure. There before him,
lying on two stones which were crosswise of the box, he beheld the
record. With it were the Urim and Thummim, two transparent stones set
in bows of silver and attached to the breastplate--all as the angel had
described. He was enraptured. Putting forth his hand he attempted to
remove the plates, but received a shock, which in a measure deprived
him of his strength. After a moment's hesitation he made a second
attempt, but received a greater shock than at first. The cause of this
was unknown to him, for he had supposed that physical strength and
exertion were all that were necessary for him to obtain the record. The
third time he stretched forth his hand to take the plates and again
received a shock with considerable violence, which sapped his strength
and made him powerless. In his great excitement and without meditation
he exclaimed: "Why cannot I obtain the book?" "Because you have not
kept the commandments of the Lord," answered a voice near by him.
Looking up he was astonished to behold the heavenly messenger of his
former visits.
Powers of Good and Evil Shown
In humble repentance he sought the Lord in prayer. His vision was
opened and the glory of the Lord shone round about him, and he was
made to feel the sweet influence of the power of righteousness. While
he was beholding this vision the angel said, "Look!" Joseph beheld the
prince of darkness surrounded by his innumerable train of associates
in all their diabolical fury. As the visions of evil passed before him
the angel said: "All this is shown, the good and the evil, the holy
and impure, the glory of God and the power of darkness, that you may
know hereafter the two powers and never be influenced or overcome by
that wicked one. Behold, whatever entices and leads to good and to
do good, is of God, and whatever does not is of that wicked one. It
is he who fills the hearts of men with evil, to walk in darkness and
blaspheme God; and you may learn from henceforth, that his ways are to
destruction; but the way of holiness is peace and rest."[2]
Joseph was further informed that the record had been deposited for the
sake of the glory of the Lord, for they contained the fulness of the
Gospel as it was given to the ancient inhabitants of this American
continent, and was to be brought forth by the power of God; and
moreover that the translation would go forth to the Gentiles, many of
whom would believe--afterwards it should go to the house of Israel many
of whom should also be brought into the Church of Christ.
Value of the Prophet's Lesson
The lesson taught to Joseph Smith on this occasion was one of lasting
benefit to him. Henceforth he understood the power of the evil one and
was prepared to resist temptation. Years afterwards, when speaking
of this event he said, "Ever afterwards I was willing to keep the
commandments of God." Had the lesson not been taught in this manner, at
a later day he might have fallen into temptation when off his guard,
with results that would have brought disaster.
The Interval of Four Years
During the interval of four years, from 1823 to 1827, Joseph Smith was
under the necessity of aiding his father's family in paying their debts
and procuring a living. At times he found employment at home and at
times abroad, as opportunity afforded. The death of his oldest brother
Alvin, in 1824, made it all the more needful that he exert himself for
the benefit of the family. In October, 1825, he entered the employ of
an aged gentleman named Josiah Stowel. Mr. Stowel had heard of some old
Spanish silver mines in Harmony, Pennsylvania, and employed his hired
help in searching for the hidden treasure. Joseph, after about one
month of fruitless search, persuaded this kindly gentleman to forsake
the foolish venture. From this employment came the cry that Joseph
Smith, the "Mormon" Prophet, was a "money-digger."
The Prophet's Marriage
While residing in Harmony and in the employment of Mr. Stowel, Joseph
boarded at the home of Mr. Isaac Hale. It was here, and under these
conditions, that he met Miss Emma Hale, daughter of Isaac Hale. The
friendship of these young people ripened into love, and they were
married about one year and three months later, January 18, 1827, by
Squire Tarbill, in South Bainbridge, New York.
Notes
1. The following description of Cumorah is from the pen of Oliver
Cowdery:
You are acquainted with the mail road from Palmyra, Wayne County,
to Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York, and also, as you pass
from the former to the latter place, before arriving at the little
village of Manchester, say from three to four, or about four miles
from Palmyra, you pass a large hill on the east side of the road.
Why I say large, is because it is as large, perhaps, as any in
that country. To a person acquainted with this road a description
would be unnecessary, as it is the largest and rises the highest
of any on that route. The north end rises quite sudden until it
assumes a level with the more southerly extremity, and I think I
may say an elevation higher than at the south a short distance, say
half or three-fourths of a mile. As you pass toward Canandaigua
it lessens gradually until the surface assumes its common level,
or is broken by other smaller hills or ridges, water courses and
ravines. I think I am justified in saying that this is the highest
hill for some distance round, and I am certain that its appearance,
as it rises so suddenly from a plain on the north, must attract the
notice of the traveler as he passes by.--_Messenger and Advocate_,
1834, page 158.
2. See _Improvement Era_, vol. 2, p. 807.