It was morning, early in the spring of 1820. The sky was clear, the air cool and refreshing, and all was beautiful. Green woods surrounded the home of Joseph, and to them he took his way alone. He found a suitable spot and looked around to make sure that no one was near. Then he kneeled down, and for the first time in his life sought the Lord in vocal prayer.
He had barely begun when an unseen power seized him and made him speechless. All grew frightfully dark, and he felt as though he were about to be destroyed. He realized that it was the awful power of the evil one, and he called on God to save him. But his strength was fast giving way and sickening despair was taking possession of him, when a pillar of divine light appeared above him and the prince of darkness fled.
The light descended, and within it Joseph beheld two radiant beings, too glorious and beautiful to be described. They looked just alike to him and appeared to have equal splendor and authority, until one of them, pointing to the other, said, "JOSEPH, THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, HEAR HIM."
The humble boy was almost overcome by the glory of the vision before him, and he could not at once continue his prayer for light. But the kindliness and love of the Father and of the Lord Jesus gave him assurance and he was at length able to speak. He asked which church was right that he might join it, and even in the glory of the vision he was surprised, for the divine instruction came that all were wrong.
Jesus said that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight; that those professors were all corrupt; they drew near Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him; they taught for doctrine the commandments of men, having a form of godliness but they denied the power thereof. He told Joseph that he should join none of them, but at some future time the true Gospel would be revealed to him. Other words of comfort and wisdom were spoken, and then the vision withdrew.
When Joseph came to himself he was lying on the ground looking up into heaven. He was filled with a spirit of peace and joy, for now he knew that he would yet be taught how he might save his soul. He knew that God and Jesus were living beings with bodies which his own resembled. He knew that they sympathized with him, and loved him, and oh, how intensely did he love them! He rose and returned home feeling that he had a glad message for mankind, which they would rejoice to hear.
CHAPTER III.
1820–23.
HOW THE ACCOUNT OF HIS VISION WAS RECEIVED—HIS FURTHER INQUIRY FOR LIGHT—ANOTHER VISION.
For many centuries no person on earth had asserted that he had seen and spoken with heavenly beings. People had almost forgotten that visions and the ministering of angels had any part in human life. When a country-bred lad declared that he had been visited by our Father in heaven and His Son Jesus, the Creators of this earth and its inhabitants, the people were astonished. Without thinking of the matter seriously or seeking to find a cause for such bold words, they immediately set them down as false, though the boy before this had been known to be honest and truthful.
Some that heard his words feared they might be true, and since they did not love the truth, sought to destroy it by ridicule and persecution. A Methodist minister, who had taken much interest in Joseph on account of his earnestness, was one of the first to whom the boy gave an account of what he had seen. This man must have had less faith in God's power than in Satan's, for he told Joseph that the vision was from the devil. He said that since the Apostles there had been no revelations from God; these things had ceased forever.
Joseph knew that he had seen a glorious vision. He could not deny it, for in doing so he knew he would grievously offend God. Though only a boy he was reviled and persecuted by all classes of men. The ministers of the different churches sought especially to make life bitter for him, and the members of his family suffered with him. Joseph's pious friends of former days became his enemies and he had to seek new associations. He says that these were sometimes not the best company, and he fell into many foolish errors.
Three and a half years passed, and Joseph was nearly eighteen years old. The thought began to grow in his mind that he ought to learn how he stood before the Lord. He had often felt sorry for his wrong doing and wished to seek forgiveness. The summer of 1823 had closed and autumn had begun when Joseph decided that he would again ask for light. On the evening of the 21st of September, after he had gone to bed, he began to pray. He felt certain that an answer would come, for the prayer was from his heart. He had not finished before the darkness began to disappear. The humble bed-chamber was soon ablaze with wondrous light, and in the midst he saw an angel.
The form of the messenger was that of a tall and stately man. His head and neck were bare, and a graceful robe of lustrous white hung nearly to his naked ankles. The majesty of his form was increased by the exquisite beauty of his face, which shone like lightning. He stood near the bed-side but touched neither ceiling, walls nor floor. It was a spiritual sight; nothing on earth could approach it.
When Joseph's momentary fear had passed away, the angel, calling him by name, began his message. He said that he was Moroni, and that he had been sent from the presence of God. He told Joseph that his sins were forgiven and that God had a great work for him to do. This work would cause his name to be known for good or for evil among all nations, kindreds and tongues. He spoke of a record engraved on plates of gold and hidden in a nearby hill, that gave the history of the former inhabitants of this land and contained the fullness of the Gospel. He described the Urim and Thummim—those two strange, transparent stones set in silver bows and fastened to a golden breastplate—and said that God had prepared them to be used in translating the record.
Then the heavenly visitor began quoting from the ancient prophets and apostles passages that referred to the last days, when the Priesthood was to be restored, the Holy Spirit to be poured out on all flesh, and peace and love were to reign on earth. Some he quoted just as they are in the Bible, but he changed others, making them more plain. He told Joseph of things that the boy could not mention afterward, because they were too holy. He commanded him not to show the plates, Urim and Thummim or breastplate, when he received them, to any person except when commanded to do so by the Lord. The vision of the hill was opened to Joseph's mind, while the angel spoke, and he distinctly saw just where the record was hidden.
Then the light withdrew from other parts of the room, but became more bright about the messenger and extended in a glowing path up into heaven. Thither he ascended, darkness returned, and Joseph was left to wonder and rejoice. Soon the light appeared again and the vision was repeated just as before. Moroni added a prophecy of the terrible judgments that were coming on earth, of hunger, bloodshed and disease, and once more he rose heavenward. It seemed necessary that Joseph should be deeply impressed with the message, and for the third time it was given him. Each part was gone over with the same care as when given first. The last words of the angel were a caution that he should never use the plates, when he received them, except to glorify God and build up His Kingdom.
The vision closed, and almost immediately the cocks began to crow. Soon the autumn morning dawned, and though Joseph had not closed his eyes in sleep, he arose to begin the labors of the day.
CHAPTER IV.
1823.
THE MORNING VISION—JOSEPH TELLS HIS FATHER—VISITS CUMORAH—THE PLATES FOUND—MORONI'S COMMAND.
Joseph went to work with his father that morning as if nothing had happened. He did not speak of the vision, though that doubtless was uppermost in his mind. Perhaps he thought that new persecution might be aroused and he would not spread the news of this visit of a heavenly being unless necessary. He could not work with his usual vigor, however, for his strength seemed to be gone. His father noticed