Good afternoon brothers and sisters. I would like to begin by expressing gratitude to President and Sister Clark, as well as those who work with them, for the kindness and concern they have shown to my family. They truly are gracious hosts. Next I would like to recognize you for being here today and thank you for the goodness and commitment your presence represents. I never fail to be impressed as I look out over a group of you, either in class during the week or in church on Sunday, with your basic goodness and your desire to do that which is right.
This is a humbling experience for me. I am somewhat comforted by the words of President J. Rueben Clark Jr., although delivered in a somewhat different context, when he said, "One takes the place to which one is duly called, which place one neither seeks nor declines."[1] Fortunately, my mother is listening today and she will think I did well no matter what I say.
Nothing you hear today will be new; you have heard it all before. My prayer is that in hearing it again the Holy Ghost will carry it to your heart in a way specifically tailored to your needs and circumstances. My topic is the Prophet Joseph Smith and in reviewing certain experiences in his life I will make liberal use of the words of Church leaders to support my testimony, the research of Richard Bushman to establish the historical narrative, and the poetry of S. Dilworth Young to develop creative imagery. For my students who are here, especially those who are history majors, that means this paper will be based on secondary rather than primary sources and I have footnotes. I recommend to all of you a fuller study of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as I have not been able to include a "hundredth part" of what is available.
Much of what I will say today will be presented in the form of a narrative, but I have thought much about the doctrines and principles I hope to convey through the narrative. There are two doctrines I wish you to keep in mind: first, Jesus Christ lives and directs His church here upon the earth, and second, the Savior prepares and calls living prophets to lead and direct His church. The two supporting principles I would like you to consider in connection with these doctrines are that the Savior knows and loves each one of us, His children, and that our individual experiences help us prepare to fulfill our divine callings here in mortality.
I have had, for as long as I can remember, a testimony of Joseph Smith. A testimony that he was called of God as a Prophet, that he translated the gold plates into the Book of Mormon, that the Lord restored the true church of Christ through him, and that he did, as he said he did, see the Father and the Son in the now sacred grove. My patriarchal blessing promises me that gift of testimony and that promise was later reinforced by a stake president who set me apart as a stake missionary. I have never doubted that testimony, yet at times, like on my mission, I wondered at my supposed lack of a "spiritual" experience in connection with that testimony. That came, of all places, in a tractor cab on a hill not far to the east of here, but by then the experience became a simple reinforcement of what I already knew.
My testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith is key to my testimony of the restored gospel.
As President James E. Faust wrote,
To each true believer there must ultimately and finally come a conviction that Joseph Smith was a revealer of truth, a prophet of God. Each must be convinced that God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ did appear to Joseph Smith and did commission him to reestablish the church of Christ upon the face of the earth.[2]
I have that testimony.
Joseph Smith was born nearly 204 years ago in a humble log cabin nestled among the granite mountains of Vermont. His family, consisting of his father Joseph Smith Sr., his mother Lucy, and eventually 10 brothers and sisters, had little in terms of worldly goods and their early years in Vermont found them on the edge between modest comfort and poverty.
In 1812 calamity struck. Typhoid fever swept through the upper Connecticut Valley and left 6,000 dead. One after another the Smith family fell ill, until all but the parents were [infected].[3] The fever left seven-year-old Joseph after two weeks, but a sore formed in his armpit and was wrongly diagnosed as a sprain. After two weeks of intense pain Dr. Parker identified the true cause of the suffering and lanced the sore. . . . Though that infection healed, Joseph complained immediately of a pain in his left shin and ankle. . . [A surgeon] was called in and . . . an eight-inch incision was made between ankle and knee. Opening the infection helped temporarily, but infection had now entered the bone. The doctor made another, larger incision, going down to the bone.[4] When the . . . wound began to swell once more, . . . [the doctor] consulted a ‘council of surgeons,' headed by Nathan Smith and Cyrus Perkins from the Dartmouth Medical College. They proposed amputation . . . Lucy refused to accept the idea of amputation, and . . . appealed to the doctors to cut out the diseased portion of the bone [instead]. Fortunately for . . . Joseph . . . Nathan Smith, in his extensive practice with typhoid patients suffering from bone infection, had developed [just such] a surgical procedure. . .[5] As the operation began, Lucy went out into the fields and left Joseph, Jr., in his father's arms, the infected leg resting on folded sheets. The surgeons bored holes on each side of the leg bone and chipped off three large pieces. Joseph screamed when they broke off the first piece, and Lucy rushed back into the room. Sent away, she came back again as the third piece came off. Blood gushed from the open wound, and Joseph lay on the bed drenched in blood.[6]
But the operation continued and succeeded.
After three months of constant pain Joseph had passed the crisis and the leg began to mend. . . . While the wound healed cleanly this time, fourteen additional pieces of bone worked their way to the surface. The disease and pain so wasted his body that his mother easily carried him about in her arms. Convalescence dragged on for three years ... To the end of his life he limped slightly, possibly because the trauma stunted the growth of the invaded leg.[7]
The fever and the long recovery period broke the Smiths financially. By 1814, they survived on the sale of fruit from their orchard, oil-cloth table coverings Lucy painted in her spare time, and the work Joseph Sr., found in town. The final straw was the growing season of 1816 that is still remembered in Vermont as the year without a summer.
In search of a more secure economic future, the Smith's decided to leave Vermont and migrate to western New York. "Thousands of other Vermonters made the same decision."[8] Joseph Sr. left first and the family followed. By the time Lucy reached New York the family was so destitute that Lucy had been forced to sell bits of cloth and the children's medicine to pay for accommodations along the way.[9] Looking back on these experiences it seems difficult to understand why young Joseph and his family should have to face such hardships. However, it also seems clear that there was a reason: Joseph's work did not lie in Vermont but in New York.
By the time they arrived in New York, Joseph's family had already experienced the spirit of revivalism now known as the Second Great Awakening. But the move put them directly in the path of a wave of revivals between 1818 and 1820 in which the spirit of conversion burned so strongly that even today western New York is referred to as "the burned over district." The Smith's had always been a religious family in practice and thought but had been reluctant to join themselves with any specific church. The New York revivals were strong enough to draw Lucy and some of the children to the Presbyterian Church. "Joseph, Jr. ‘became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and came close to joining, but could not overcome his reservations.'"[10]
His mother remembered Joseph as a ‘remarkably quiet, well-disposed child,' ‘much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of [the] children, but far more given to meditation and deep study.'[11]
Joseph later wrote,
From the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart concerning the situation of the world, of mankind, the contentions and divisions the wickedness and abominations and the darkness which pervaded the minds of mankind. My mind became exceedingly distressed for I became convicted of my Sins and by searching the Scriptures I found mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatized from the true and living faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament. I felt to mourn for my own Sins and for the Sins of the world.[12]
The young Joseph, the future prophet, had questions.
Questions How does one know when Destiny begins a new course? Who can tell when Ordinary happenings, that is those Which look ordinary, are Portents of far reaching change? . . . Is hell bottomless? Does it endlessly burn, and Sear, and torture without Consuming? . . . Of all the churches which is truly That of God? How does one know which pastor Has the truth? . . . Large questions for a boy of Fourteen years! . . . One night before the flickering fire He read the words of James, Apostle of the Lord: If any of you lack wisdom, Let him ask of God, that Giveth to all men liberally And upbraideth not; But let him ask in faith. . . . And faith sprang up Within his heart, and To himself he said: I lack wisdom, I am weak, I will ask in faith.[13]
Joseph later recounted,
So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. . . . It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all of my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally. . . . I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me . . . At the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair . . . I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head . . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages.[14]
The Vision God spake! Release from darkness Came with brilliant light. Two Beings stood in air Above his head. Transcendent glory from Them shone Their brilliance brighter than the sun. One spoke: This is my Beloved Son, Hear him! . . . Gone now was fear, Terror was no more. The boy spake as a boy, A simple question asked: Which church is right? Swift was the reply: In my sight all have Gone astray; None are right.[15] Out Of The Forest Out of the forest came Joseph Smith, . . . Threading his way toward home, The cabin home, The frontier cabin home; Threading, too, his way, His lonely way Toward his destiny. In such a simple way Eternal work begins. Could he stand true To this work Now revealed for him to do?[16]
Three years later, at the age now of 17, Joseph
knelt to ask ‘for forgiveness of his [sins] and follies, and [to receive] a manifestation . . . of [his] state and standing before [God].' As he prayed, a light once again appeared, ‘increasing until the room was lighter than at noonday.' In that light there stood a personage dressed in a robe of ‘exquisite whiteness.' He called Joseph by name and introduced himself as Moroni. He said ‘that God had a work for [Joseph] to do' and told him of an ancient record written on gold plates, which, when translated, became the Book of Mormon. The book contained a record of the fullness of the gospel. . . . Joseph was directed to obtain the record, buried near his family's home in a nearby hill, which is now called Cumorah. The next day, Joseph found the plates[17]
in the place that Moroni described.
Moroni met him there as well and . . .
Instruction Again Moroni spoke . . . Angelic tones of warning To the youth: In truth You cannot gain in Worldly worth, But must keep sacred To the Lord These emblems of His ancient Work on earth; And guard them with Your life. Purge from your Heart and soul The thought of gain. And come here To this spot Precisely in one year, And I shall meet you Here; And then for Three years more, That you may learn God's will toward you. Stand true! Men will try to steal This ancient record Of this land. Prove faithful! Then you will foil Their wicked plots And finish what The Lord would have you do.[18]
After four years of preparation Joseph did receive the plates and began the work of translation. The work went slowly at first as Joseph learned the process of translation using the Urim and Thummin. Emma, his wife of less than a year, served as his first scribe. Later, a friend Martin Harris arrived and the speed of translation increased. By the middle of June 1828, Joseph and Martin had filled 116 pages with text translated from the plates. Martin, wishing to convince his wife that the work in which he was engaged was true, asked Joseph if he could show the manuscript to his wife. Joseph was reluctant but Martin persisted and suggested that Joseph inquire of the Lord. Twice the answer was no! But finally the Lord granted permission on the condition that Martin should show the manuscript only to his brother, his wife, his parents, and his wife's sister. Martin promised with a solemn oath and set off for home.[19]
Joseph's mind turned to other pressing matters. He and Emma's first child was born the day after Martin left. The child died that same day and Joseph took over nursing Emma back to health. After two weeks Joseph's mind turned back to Martin. On the day appointed for Martin Harris to return the manuscript,
The morning hours dragged by, and he did not come. At half past twelve [Joseph's mother] reported, ‘We saw [Martin Harris] walking with a slow and measured tread toward the house, his eyes fixed thoughtfully upon the ground. On coming to the gate, he stopped, instead of passing through, and got upon the fence, and sat there some time with his hat drawn over his eyes.' When he finally came in and sat down . . . Martin ‘took up his knife and fork as if he were going to use them, but he immediately dropped them.' He pressed his hands upon his temples, and cried out, in a tone of deep anguish, "Oh I have lost my soul! I have lost my soul!" Joseph sprang up and demanded to know of the manuscript. ‘Have you broken your oath, and brought down condemnation upon my head, as well as your own?' ‘Yes it is gone,' replied Martin, ‘and I know not where.'[20]
To say that Joseph felt sorry for the loss of the manuscript would be an understatement. He felt ashamed, embarrassed, devastated. He sobbed, grieved, and repented. The angel took back the plates and the interpreters. The Lord chastened Joseph: "For behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words ... you should have been faithful."[21]From that day forth Joseph's life was one of faithfulness and obedience. It was as if he had tasted the fruits of disobedience and resolved never to go there again whatever the sacrifice. As Elder Hales suggested, through Joseph's early experiences he "'increased in wisdom and stature' and ‘waxed strong in spirit.'"[22]
Eventually the Lord accepted Joseph's repentance, the plates were returned, and the work of translation began again. This time with Oliver Cowdery as scribe. As Cowdery later wrote, "These days were never to be forgotten. To sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom."[23]
Between June 1828 and April 1830 the Book of Mormon translation was finished, heavenly messengers restored the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods, and Joseph and Oliver were baptized. The time had come for the restoration of Christ's church on the earth. Approximately 60 people met in the Whitmer Cabin in Fayette, New York.
President Hinckley wrote about that day,
I have tried to picture in imagination that April 6 of 1830, the day the Church was organized.... One wonders whether any of that group, other than Joseph Smith, who saw the prophetic vision, had any idea of the greatness of the thing they were beginning. From a rural area in Fayette, New York, from the simple Whitmer log farmhouse, there was to grow by constant accretion an organization worldwide in its scope and numbering millions in its membership.[24]
As indicated by President Hinckley, Joseph did have a fuller vision of the future of the Church. He later prophesied, "It is only a little handful of priesthood you see here . . . , but this Church will fill North and South America-it will fill the world."[25]
The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.[26]
Early in 1831, responding to increasing persecution in New York and a number of new convert baptisms in Ohio, Joseph and the headquarters of the Church moved to Kirtland. Elder Ballard once commented that of all the Church history sites, the Kirtland area was his favorite because of the number of revelations the prophet received there. The Kirtland period was one of great joy for the prophet. The Church grew in numbers, a temple was built, the keys of the gathering of Israel, the dispensation of Abraham, and the sealing powers were restored, and the Lord came to accept his temple.
Joseph later wrote,
The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened. We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber. His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying: . . . Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice. . . . For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.[27] Who Can Forget Kirtland Who can forget Kirtland? Each spot of ground where Revelation came is Hallowed by the memory of Words spoken there, words direct From God. Then take off Memories' shoes, for here Is sacred ground. The ways of the Lord are His own ways, and None shall find them out Until his holy will Stands forth revealed.[28]
But the Kirtland period was also a time of sorrow for the prophet. Twins were born to Emma and Joseph there and both of them died.
April 30, 1831 Once more with solemn tread Carry to the cemetery, Not one new born child, But two. Lay them in the Quiet earth, The new turned quiet earth. And Emma lies grieving on the bed, Finds no relief, no tiny head, While Joseph holds a funeral for the Dead. And there on that same day, Another grave. A mother fair, That two might enter earth; John Murdock's wife, Who died while giving birth- The children live. Then Joseph says to John: Perhaps if Emma took Your twins it would Assuage her, Bring her peace, And ease the sorrow In her heart. And John replies: They'll die without A mother. Let Emma have them. I'd rather that she would Than someone else. Emma Smith lies quiet on the bed, And finds relief at last. The mewling sounds bring Comfort, and release, And peace.[29]
Another sadness for Joseph during the Kirtland period was that some members of the Church apostatized and fell away. Some becoming Joseph's and the Church's bitterest enemies.
The Mobbing Simonds Ryder, Erstwhile member of the church, Joined, having sought And found a sign. But took Quick offense because the Prophet spelled his name with "i" instead of "y", Claiming that a holy ghost, Which could not prompt The spelling of his name Correctly, was no holy ghost Rejoined his former church. Then picking up the cloak of Ministry, now led a Mob of men across the Frozen earth toward Johnson's house. The Wild March sky was Darkened by the gloomy night. The men were Fortified with liquor, To bolster up their will To hate and kill. They rushed the door, and eight Spread eagled Joseph, and held him High in air, And carried him into the Night. He struggled to escape, and Felled one strong one with a mighty Kick before he was subdued. Stop struggling or we'll kill you now, They threatened him. They laid him on the frozen earth Holding him there by weight of numbers. Simonds, ain't you going to kill Him now? said one. Simonds, where's the tar bucket? Then tearing off his drawers and shirt, One fell on him, Scratching him from head to foot, Until blood flowed... They covered him with tar Black, nasty, burning tar. There in the dark and cold They left him lying On the ground, And ran away. Painfully he staggered To his feet, And saw across the field A beacon light; And came once more To Johnson's house. Emma fainted When she saw him At the door. All night they Scraped the tar, And washed his wounds. Then dawned the Sabbath day, And Joseph gaining strength, Preached at the service Held that day. A group of mobbers came To hear his word, and marveled At the strength of this, the Prophet of the Lord.[30]
It was also during the Kirtland period that Joseph learned that the Saints gathering in Independence had been driven from their homes. Joseph left Kirtland to join them three times to share with them their sorrows and offer them his strength: once with Zion's camp in 1834; again in 1837, to help locate new places of gathering for the Saints he knew would come from every land; and again in 1838, when violence and persecution in Ohio finally drove Joseph, his family, and the Church to Far West, Missouri.
Peace for Joseph and the Church proved elusive, however. By November 1838, Governor Boggs had issued the extermination order authorizing the Saints to be driven from the state of Missouri and Joseph had been betrayed, arrested, and hauled off to jail, first to Richmond and then to Liberty.
The Rebuke (Nov. 1838) The raw November night was cold. The walls of the Richmond jail Were colder still, The brethren lay together On the floor, in chains, Linked together, leg to leg, And wrist to wrist. The cold iron burned into their flesh; If one moved all must move, That is, if moving more than Just a foot or two. Their guards, the lowest form of humankind, Made short the hours by their blasphemies, And bragged of evil deeds Performed against the saints. They vied with one another As to who could tell the foulest tale- These dastards bragging of their Awful crimes. Stand up, Joseph Smith! Arise in vast, eternal Dignity! Rebuke those guards, Those fiends in human form! No devil could perform Such evil deeds as they recounted, Of aged men their murdered victims, And young boys with Dashed out brains. And girls -- -- --! Such innocence could turn A heart of stone; But not these men. They desecrated the name of men, And bragged With rapine lust, of violence to women And to girls, till death Gave glad release. Then Joseph stood In awful dignity And in a voice of Thunder he Commanded them: Silence! You fiends of hell! Or you or I will die! They cringed. They Trembled at his feet With awful fear! Then, craven voiced, They begged his pardon For their awful deeds, And quiet reigned Once more.[31]
In Liberty Jail, (a name that some have suggested represents great irony, for of all places there was no liberty in Liberty) Joseph mourned for the sufferings of his people and received succor from the Lord.
Out Of The Dungeon Out of the dungeon; Out of the depths of misery, Out of the depths of despair, Out of the desperate heart: Oh God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that Covereth thy hiding place? The anguished prayer Ascends to God: How long Oh God, Shall wrong, these wrongs, Be suffered by thy saints? Stretch forth thy hand In mercy lest we faint: My son, peace be to thy soul. This adversity, these afflictions Shall not last. They pass as doth the Hoarfrost on the hill Before the warming sun. Be still! If thou endure them well, No power in hell Can stay thy hand. Exhalted thou shalt be. Thou hast thy friends, They stand Firm, And warm, And pure. My servant, Job, Has suffered more than thou. He lost his friends And all he had. What more could he endure? Wo unto those who Fight against the Lord; Cursed are those who Lift the heel against The bearer of my Word. They shall be swept away, A mighty flood of truth Shall bear them down And cast them from the presence Of the Lord. But God will love And build on the man Who with the priesthood In his heart and soul, Exercises persuasive love, Long suffering to those who err, Who, led by gentleness, By meekness, too, of heart, By unfeigned love, persuades The sons of God To act their part. This is the promise of the Lord: Take comfort, Joseph Smith. Your enemies may rage, And devils laugh with Fiendish glee at you In your hour of misery. Your friends are near. Don't fear! The ends of the earth Shall inquire after thy Name, And fools shall have thee In derision, And hell shall rage Against thee; While the pure in heart, And the wise, And the noble, And the virtuous, Shall seek counsel, And authority, And blessings constantly From under thy hand. And thy people shall never Be turned against thee By the testimony of traitors, And although their influence Shall cast thee into trouble, And into bars and walls, Thou shalt be had in honor; And but for a small moment And thy voice shall be more terrible In the midst of thine enemies Than the fierce lion, Because of thy righteousness; And thy God Shall stand with thee Forever and ever... And then God said: The Son of Man has Descended below them All. Art thou greater than He?[32]
After six months in Missouri jails, Joseph and his companions escaped to rejoin the main body of Saints hunkered down in a mosquito-infested swamp called Commerce, Illinois. He healed the sick, directed the draining of the swamp, and built Nauvoo-The City Beautiful. Here the Saints seemed destined for success. They sent out missionaries, established a university, organized the Relief Society, and began construction on the Nauvoo Temple and Joseph publically announced the doctrine of baptism for the dead and administered the first endowment ordinances. But as in other areas, persecution developed. By 1844, Joseph's enemies, again former members of the Church, seemed bent on his destruction. He began planning with the brethren to move the Church west to the Rocky Mountains. Governor Ford, meanwhile, made plans to have Joseph taken east to Carthage.
We'll Cross the River and Go West (June 22nd, 1844) That Saturday in June Was one of heaviness. Tragedy was in the air. No one could put His finger on it, Or say just where Or whence it came, But it was there, Uneasy, undefined. The kind that builds up Fear, An undefined fear. The brethren sat And counseled one another On their course. Things were getting worse. Then word came: Come to Carthage unarmed, Without escort, or else- The threat could leave no doubt- We'll march on Nauvoo. But on the other hand,... If you do come, I pledge to you Protection from the Mobs and hostile men. The signature was Thomas Ford's, Governor of Illinois. The letter read And pondered, Joseph said: There is no mercy, No mercy here. Then Hyrum spoke: I fear that if we Fall into their hands We are dead men. Their gloomy minds could see No ray of light.... Then Joseph brightened up: There is a way. It is Quite clear to me; They'll come and search, No doubt, But we'll be gone. We'll cross the river And go west And find a place To bring the saints, And start again a City to the Lord. We'll start as soon As it is dark. Assemble horses on the Montrose side, And such supplies As we shall need! And so it was agreed.[33] The Quick Good-bye What did a prophet say In quick good-bye To cherished wife And children small? No words convey The anguish of the soul. She could not believe His danger was so great. Don't go! Don't leave Me now she cried.... There was no word that could be said.... And so with sobbing cry, His heart's love poured in tears He went out into the night.[34]
Late on the evening of the 22nd, Orrin Porter Rockwell rowed Joseph, Hyrum and Willard Richards west across the Mississippi River. But the Lord required one more sacrifice of Joseph. On the 23rd a message from Nauvoo told Joseph that several feared that if the Church's enemies came to Nauvoo and found Joseph gone that the mob would attack the city. Joseph made the fateful decision. If his life was of no value to his friends, it was of no value to him. The small party returned to Nauvoo the next day and made preparation to go the Carthage.
Hyrum Smith Hyrum sat in his house Waiting for the Prophet Joseph Smith To start to Carthage, Having said good-bye to Mary Fielding Smith And to the children, Comforting them that he would Soon return. The governor was just, The law would be obeyed. As he sat he read from That loved book so interwoven With his life, The book that Mormon wrote: And it came to pass That I prayed unto the Lord That he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they Might have charity. And it came to pass that The Lord said unto me: If they have not charity It mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; Wherefore, thy garments Shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen Thy weakness thou shalt Be made strong, Even unto the sitting down In the place which I have Prepared In the mansions Of my Father. The time had come. He turned the page down On what he'd read And closed the book. He held his loved Mary In one last embrace, Then rode with Joseph Over the hill and out of Sight.[35]
Joseph knew what Hyrum only suspected, that they were riding to Carthage to seal their final testimony.
Like A Lamb The Prophet reined his horse: Just one last look On fair Nauvoo. This temple here- There is so much to do.... And now the horses Walked Across the prairie sod Where the tall grass Waved a last farewell. The growing corn was tall And bowed collective Tasseled head. A soft breeze, Warm, bestirred His brow. And now he stopped And gazed again And said the fateful Words: I go, said he, as Lambs go to the Slaughter pen, Yet I am calm, Calm as the Morn Upon the Summer hills. My conscience has the Peace of morning peace, Devoid of offense toward My God, And toward all men. I die innocent. My blood shall cry From the ground.[36]
By the afternoon of June 27, 1844, only John Taylor and Willard Richards remained in the Carthage Jail with the Prophet and his brother Hyrum.
That afternoon following dinner, the jailer, knowing of the mob outside, suggested that they would be safer in the cell of the jail. Turning to Willard Richards, Joseph asked, ‘If we go into the cell will you go with us?' To this Elder Richards responded, ‘Brother Joseph, you did not ask me to cross the river with you ... you did not ask me to come to Carthage ... you did not ask me to come to jail with you-and do you think I would forsake you now? But I will tell you what I will do; if you are condemned to be hung for "treason," I will be hung in your stead, and you shall go free.'[37] A Poor Wayfaring Man . . . (June 27th, 1844) The night was past, The hot night, The sultry, hot June night. The rain was falling As the day began. The clouds were grey And hung low in the Lowering air. There was a passing back and forth Of messengers, Confirming threats of Murder; confirming, too, That Thomas Ford would Ride into Nauvoo To make a speech. He was warned that if he went, And left the prisoners With the Carthage Greys to guard, They would not live out the day. And so he went and left Them to their fate. The upstairs room was hot and humid As the day grew long. Then lunch was brought, And afterward to cheer their spirits up The Prophet said: John, Sing us a song. A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, Is what we'd like. It will fit the mood I'm in. John Taylor sang the plaintive words. The sweet tones filled the Room and went beyond And down the stair, The jailor heard, And those outside the jail... The love of Christ was in the song, The love of man, There in that room in Carthage Jail On that hot afternoon.[38] The Martyrdom [first two stanzas] There is a shout, a yell As though the fiends of hell Have broken loose. A hundred men appear, Their faces blackened as the Night. They rush the stair, they curse; they force The door. They fire- Hyrum is dead upon the Floor; John Taylor wounded sore; And Joseph Smith The Prophet is no more. His wounds have killed him As he fell. He is lying at the curb Beside the well.[39]
John Taylor was one of the first to bear testimony of the prophet Joseph after the martyrdom. He wrote,
Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man who ever lived in it. . . . He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated![40]
All subsequent prophets have also born testimony of Joseph and his mission.
President Benson wrote,
I bear testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God, one of the greatest prophets that has ever lived on the earth. He was the instrument in God's hand in ushering in the present gospel dispensation, the greatest of all, and the last of all in preparation for the second coming of the Master.[41]
And President Hinckley affirmed, "I give you my testimony of him. He was the ordained servant of God, this Joseph, raised up to become the mighty prophet of this dispensation-"a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ."[42]
I love the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love the doctrines that he taught. I love the revelations he received. I love the Church he restored. I appreciate the challenges and sacrifices he faced in fulfilling his calling because I understand that I, that we, are the beneficiaries of those challenges and sacrifices. In fact as I look back on his life today, I understand that it is those challenges and sacrifices that deepen my love for the Prophet even more.
I bear testimony that Joseph Smith was called by the Lord to be His Prophet in this dispensation to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth, that he was "chastened and tried, even as Abraham" so that he could be "sanctified."[43] That he grew "from grace to grace"[44] through the experiences he had and the knowledge he acquired. Just like the Prophet we too have been called of the Lord. If we accept our challenges and trials in the spirit of faith, and apply to them the power of the Atonement, the Holy Ghost will cause a "mighty change . . . in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."[45]
The Prophet Joseph, despite his willingness and faithfulness was not prepared in the spring of 1820 to be the disciple the Lord knew he could be-that He needed him to be. That would require a lifetime of experiences, teaching and training. The same is true for all of us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes:
[1] Conference Report, Apr. 1951, 154
[2] James E. Faust, "The Expanding Inheritance from Joseph Smith," Ensign, Nov. 1981, 75
[3] Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1984) 32
[4] Bushman, 32
[5] Bushman, 33
[6] Bushman, 44
[7] Bushman, 33
[8] Bushman, 40
[9] Bushman, 42
[10] Bushman, 54
[11] Bushman, 54
[12] Bushman, 55
[13] S. Dilworth Young, The Long Road from Vermont to Nauvoo (Salt Lake City Bookcraft, 1967) 16
[14] Joseph Smith-History 1: 14-17
[15] Young, 19
[16] Young, 19-20
[17] Robert D. Hales, "Receiving a Testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ," Ensign, Nov. 2003, 29
[18] Young, 33
[19] Bushman, 91
[20] Bushman, 91
[21] D&C 3:7
[22] Robert D. Hales, "Receiving a Testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ," Ensign, Nov. 2003, 29
[23] Joseph Smith-History 1:71, footnote
[24] Gordon B. Hinckley, "What Hath God Wrought through His Servant Joseph!" Ensign, Jan. 1997, 2
[25] Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, Apr. 1898, 57; punctuation and spelling modernized.
[26] HC 4:540
[27] D&C 110:1-2,5,7
[28] Young, 63
[29] Young, 67
[30] Young, 70
[31] Young, 121-122
[32] Young, 124-128
[33] Young, 168-170
[34] Young, 170-171
[35] Young, 174-175
[36] Young, 178-179
[37] Gordon B. Hinckley, "Praise to the Man," Ensign, Aug. 1983, 2
[38] Young, 182-184
[39] Young, 185
[40] D&C 135:3
[41] Ezra Taft Benson, "Joseph Smith: Prophet to Our Generation," Ensign, Nov. 1981, 61
[42] Gordon B. Hinckley, "What Hath God Wrought through His Servant Joseph!" Ensign, Jan. 1997, 2
[43] Doctrine and Covenants 101:4-5
[44] Doctrine and Covenants 93:13
[45] Mosiah 5:2