"Oh, How Lovely Was The Morning."

Oh how lovely was The morning!
radiant beamed The sun above.
bees were humming, sweet birds singing,
music ringing thru the grove,
 when within the shady woodland
Joseph sought the God of love;
when within the shady woodland,
Joseph sought the God of love.
humbly kneeling, sweet appealing
t'was the boy's first Uttered prayer.
when the pow'rs of sin assailing
filled his soul with Deep despair.
but undaunted still, he trusted
in his Heav'nly Father's care;
suddenly a light descended,
brighter far than noonday sun,
and a shining glorious pillar
o'er him fell, around him shone,
while appeared two Heav'nly beings
God the Father and the Son,
while appeared two Heav'nly beings,
 God the Father and the Son,
"Joseph, this is my Beloved,
Hear Him!" oh how sweet the word;
 Joseph's humble prayer was answered,
and he listened To the Lord.
 oh, what rapture filled his bosom,
for he saw the Living God!
oh, what rapture filled his bosom
for he saw the Living God.

    No one, I am satisfied, can prayerfully read the Book of Mormon without coming to a  knowledge that it is what it purports to be, and that it is another witness of the Lord Jesus  Christ speaking out of the dust to those of this generation concerning the Redeemer of the world.

President Gordon B. Hinckley
 Ricks College Regional Conference, Oct. 29, 1995.
 
 

Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon

Occasionally you hear someone say, "I could believe your Mormon Doctrine if I just didn't have to swallow the story about Joseph Smith being a man of God and that he translated the Book of Mormon from some golden plates which he claimed he found on a hillside." It is even possible that you, yourself, have doubted his story. Well, let us consider some facts or conditions that must be complied with in order for you or someone else to produce a similar record under comparable conditions.

You must be between 23 and 24 years of age.

You cannot be a college graduate.
In fact, you can only have three years of formal schooling.

Whatever you write must be on the basis of what you know.

You must write a book with 239 chapters; 54 of t hem about wars, 21 about history, 55 about prophecy, 71 about doctrines, 17 about missionaries, and 21 about the mission of Christ.

You must include in your writings the history of two distinct and separate nations, along with histories of different contemporary nations or groups of people.

Your writings must describe the religious, economic and social and political cultures and institutions of these two nations.

You must weave into your history the religion of Jesus Christ and the pattern of Christian living.

When you start to produce this record, covering a period over 1,000 years, you must finish it in approximately 80 days.

When you have finished, you must not make any changes in the test. The first edition must stand forever.

After pauses for sleep and food, if you are dictating to a stenographer, you must never ask to have the last paragraph or last sentence read back to you.

Your history or record must be long, approximately 522 pages with over 150 words per page.

You must announce that your "smooth narrative" is not fiction, but true, yes, sacred history.

In fact, it must fulfill the Bible prophecies; even in the exact manner in which it shall come forth, to whom given, and its purpose and accomplishments.

You must publish it to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, declaring it to be the word of God.

You must include with the record itself this marvelous promise:"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask of God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the
Holy Ghost."

Tens and hundreds of thousands must bear record to the world for the next 13 5 years that they know the record to be true, because they put the promise to the test and found it to be true, the truth manifested to them by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Thousands of great men, intellectual giants and scholars must subscribe discipleship to the record and its movement even to the point of laying down their lives.

Your descriptions of the cultures in these civilizations of which you will write about is not known when you publish your manuscript.

There can be no flaw whatsoever in the entire book.

Yet, you must not make any absurd, impossible, or contradictory statements.

Even so, many of the facts, ideas, and statements given us as true in your record must be entirely inconsistent, even the direct opposite of the prevailing beliefs of the world. Very little is even claimed to be known about these civilizations and their 1,000 years of history.

You must invite the ablest scholars and experts to examine the text with care. You must strive diligently to see that your book gets into the hands of all those most eager to prove it a forgery and who are most competent to expose any flaw in it.

Thorough investigation, scientific evidence and archaeological discoveries for the next 135 years must verify your claims and prove even the minutest details of your history to be perfectly true.

After 135 of extensive analysis, no claim or fact in the book is disproven, but all is vindicated. Other theories and ideas as to its origin, rise, and fall, leaving your claims as the only possible ones.

Internal and external prophecies must be confirmed and fulfilled in the next 135 years.

Three honest, accreditable witnesses must testify to the whole world that an angel from heaven appeared to them and showed them the ancient records from which you claim your record is translated.

You must call out of heaven the voice of the Redeemer to declare to the three witnesses that you record is true and that it is their responsibility to bear testimony, and that they do.

Eight other witnesses must testify to the world that they saw the ancient records in broad daylight and they handled them and felt the engraving thereon.

The first three and the second eight witnesses must bear their testimony, not for the profit or gain, but under great personal sacrifice, persecution, and even to their death.

You must find someone to finance your book with the understanding that he nor she will ever receive any monetary remuneration from it. You must sell the book at cost or less.

Finally, after suffering persecution and revilement for 20 years after you finish the book, you must willingly give your own life for your testimony that the record is from God.

A Special Relationship

Joseph Smith was probably first made intellectually aware of the special relationship he had with ancient Joseph, whom we commonly refer to as Joseph in Egypt, when the ProphetJoseph translated the third chapter of 2 Nephi. It was not until Liberty Jail, however, that therecord indicates any public affirmation of this unusual relationship. In one of his last letters from Liberty Jail, Joseph wrote, "I feel like Joseph in Egypt" (The Personal Writings ofJoseph Smith, comp. Dean C. Jessee [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1984], p. 409). It was not an idle comparison, for it reflected an important verse in the third chapter of 2 Nephi. Ancient Joseph spoke of the latter-day seer, saying, "And he shall be like unto me" (2 Nephi3:15).

When Joseph Smith, Jr., was given a blessing by Father Smith in December 1834, anextensive portion of that blessing informed modern Joseph of his special relationship toancient Joseph. (See Joseph Smith, Sr., blessing, 9 Dec. 1934, Church HistoricalDepartment, 1:3-4.)

The comparisons between the two Josephs, of course, reflect varying degrees of exactitude,but they are, nevertheless, quite striking. Some similarities are situational, others are dispositional. Some are strategic, such as ancient Joseph's making stored grain available in time of famine (see Genesis 41:56), while modern Joseph opened the granary of the gospel after years of famine.

First, both Josephs had inauspicious beginnings. Initially, they were unlikely candidates to have had the impact they did on Egyptian history and American history, respectively.
Both had visions at a young and tender age (see Genesis 37:2-5 and JS--H 1). The visions brought to both men hate from their fellowmen (see Genesis 37:5-8 and JS--H 1:21-26). Both knew sibling jealousy. Modern Joseph had to contend with a mercurial brother, William, whom Joseph forgave many times (see HC 2:353-54).

Both Josephs were generous to those who betrayed them. Ancient Joseph was generous to his once-betraying brothers whom he later saved from starvation (see Genesis 45:1 - 15).

Both prophesied remarkably of the future of their nations and the challenges their
governments would face (see Genesis 41:29-31 and D&C 87).

They both knew what it was to be falsely accused, and they both were jailed.

Both, in their extremities, helped others who shared their imprisonment, but who later forgot their benefactors. In the case of ancient Joseph, it was the chief butler (see Genesis 40:20-23).
Joseph Smith worried over an ill cell mate, Sidney Rigdon, who was freed in January 1839. The Prophet rejoiced. Three months later, the Prophet inquired "after Elder Rigdon if he has not forgotten us" (Writings, p. 399 ).

Both Josephs were torn from their families, although ancient Joseph suffered through this for a much, much longer time.

Very significantly, both were "like unto" each other in being amazingly resilient in the midst of adversity. This, in each man, is a truly striking quality.

Both were understandably anxious about their loved ones and friends. Ancient Joseph, when his true identity became known, inquired tenderly of his brothers, "Doth my father yet live?" (Genesis 45:3). From Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph Smith, with comparative awareness, wrote, "Doth my friends yet live if they live do they remember me?" (Writings, p. 409 ).

Indeed, these two uncommon men had much in common, being truly "like unto" each other!

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