joseph copies and translates from the plates—martin harris again comes opportunely—professor anthon and the characters—martin's labor as a scribe—his broken trust—the translation lost to joseph—the prophet punished for wilfulness.
joseph's first labor with the plates was in obedience to the general command given to him through moroni. the particular means by which the translation was to be effected and given to the world had not been made known; and this young, untaught, impoverished man was at that hour unable, within his own resources of education and purse, to arrange for the consummation of the work. he devoted every available moment, however, to his sacred task, constantly praying to the almighty for aid; and yet the progress was slow.
in every step which joseph took as the chosen messenger of god, human struggle and sacrifice, to overcome perplexing difficulties and delays, seemed necessary. in this way more than any other was he taught a patient trust, and was sanctified for the exalted destiny which awaited him. though he had been instructed by moroni that jehovah designed the record to be translated for the edification and blessing of the race, he did not experience the direct interposition of god in the accomplishment of the work—except only as the power of the heavens was manifested through the urim and thummim. and much he marveled that the lord should permit his holy purposes to depend upon weak and slow-moving man. but the prophet lived to learn and to demonstrate that god commits his decrees to his earthly children for fulfilment; and though he may often work miracles in their behalf, yet are they required to give their best endeavor—even though weak and human—to the appointed deed; and out of their trials, their stumblings, their failures and their ultimate successes, will he bring the triumph of their devotion and his word.
joseph had leisure and safety, after establishing himself at the house of isaac hale, in harmony, susquehanna county, state of pennsylvania, in the month of december, 1827, to examine the sacred history and treasure which had been committed to his ward. and he very soon began a somewhat desultory labor of copying the different styles of strange characters found upon the plates and translating some of them by the aid of the urim and thummim. he thus prepared a considerable number of characters on sheets; some of them being accompanied by translations and others being alone. it does not appear that he had any more definite object in this superficial work than to seek, half-blindly, to fulfill the command delivered by the lips of moroni, the angel of the record. but the purpose, wisely ordained, was latter apparent.
joseph continued his efforts until some time in the month of february, 1828. then the man, martin harris, who had once before befriended him, appeared at the hale homestead.
martin harris had been deeply affected by his former intercourse with joseph; and he had come in the depth of winter from his home near lake ontario, to seek out the young prophet and to learn more of his wondrous mission. harris tarried a brief time with joseph at the house of isaac hale; and then in this same month of february, 1828, with the prophet's permission, he carried away some of the various copies and translations which joseph, laboriously and patiently, had made. it was the purpose of martin harris to submit the characters to scientists and linguists; and possibly by their verdict to decide to establish or withdraw his half-yielded faith. in pursuance of this plan, he went to new york city, and there visited charles anthon, a professor of languages at columbia college.
anthon examined first a sheet of characters accompanied by joseph's translation; and declared that the characters were ancient egyptian and that the interpretation was correct—more complete and perfect than any other translation of that language which he had ever seen. he then looked at the other sheets, not accompanied by translations, and pronounced the characters to be genuine specimens of various ancient written languages. he wrote a certificate which embodied the foregoing assertions and presented it to martin harris.
afterward, anthon made inquiry of martin regarding the origin of the characters; and then for the first time the learned professor discovered what endorsement he had bestowed upon an unlearned youth who had received from the hands of an angel a golden record filled with these ancient writings. anthon hastily demanded the certificate which he had given to harris; implying in his request that he wished to give the paper a final examination or to add something to it. and as soon as the professor received it again into his hands, he destroyed it, saying: "there is no such thing in these days as ministering of angels."
he asked that "the book which the young man had dug up" might be brought to him; and stated that out of his worldly learning he would translate the whole work. harris replied that a considerable portion of the record was sealed and might not be opened to human gaze. then anthon contemptuously responded.
"i cannot read a sealed book!"
and thus was fulfilled the word of isaiah who wrote twenty-six centuries ago:
"and the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, read this, i pray thee: and he saith, i cannot; for it is sealed."
when the conference with professor anthon was ended, martin harris carried his manuscripts to one doctor mitchell, who claimed a knowledge of some of the characters; and learning what anthon had said concerning their genuineness, the learned doctor endorsed the statements of the other scholar.
harris returned to the prophet's home, fully convinced. this man—generous, skeptical naturally, but honest—was seized upon by the spirit of the work. when he met joseph he related the convincing occurrences of his visits to the learned men, and he proffered his services as a writer for the prophet, in the great work of translation.
the proposal was gladly accepted; and martin proceeded to palmyra to arrange for a long absence from home. it was the 12th day of april, 1828, when he returned to harmony, prepared to serve as a scribe.
from this time forward until the 14th day of june, 1828, joseph dictated to martin harris from the plates of gold; as the characters thereon assumed through the urim and thummim the forms of equivalent modern words which were familiar to the understanding of the youthful seer.
martin harris was a critical man without superstition. listening to the words dictated day by day, and becoming familiar with joseph, he sought to make another test.
one of joseph's aids in searching out the truths of the record was a peculiar pebble or rock, which he called also a seer stone, and which was sometimes used by him in lieu of the urim and thummim. this stone had been discovered to himself and his brother hyrum at the bottom of a well; and under divine guidance they had brought it forth for use in the work of translation. martin determined to deprive the prophet of this stone. he obtained a rock resembling a seer-stone in shape and color, and slily substituted it for the prophet's real medium of translation. when next they were to begin their labor, joseph was at first silent; and then he exclaimed: "martin, what is the matter? all is dark."
harris with shame confessed what he had attempted. and when the prophet demanded a reason for such conduct, martin replied: "i did it to either prove the utterance or stop the mouths of fools who have said to me that you had learned these sentences which you dictate and that you were merely repeating them from memory."
the work progressed through the two months from april until june; not steadily, for martin was much called away. but at the expiration of that time, on the 14th day of june, 1828, martin had written one hundred and sixteen pages foolscap of the translation.
and at this hour came a test, bitter in its experiences and consequences to the prophet of god.
a woman wrought a betrayal of the confidence reposed in martin harris and a temporary destruction of joseph's power.
the wife of the scribe was desirous to see the writings dictated to her husband by joseph: she importuned martin until he, too, became anxious to have in his own possession the manuscript. long before the 14th day of june, he began to solicit from the prophet the privilege of taking the papers away that he might show them to curious and skeptical friends; and thereby be able to give convincing to doubting persons, of joseph's divine mission.
a simple denial was not sufficient, and he insisted that jehovah should be asked to thus favor him. once, twice, in answer to his demands, the prophet inquired; and each time the reply was that martin harris ought not to be entrusted with the sacred manuscript. even a third time martin required that joseph should solicit permission in his behalf; and on this occasion, which was near the 14th day of june, 1828, the word of the lord came that joseph, at his own peril, might allow harris to take possession of the manuscript and exhibit it to a few other persons who were designated by the prophet in his supplication. but because of joseph's wearying applications to god, the urim and thummim and seer-stone were taken from him. accordingly the precious manuscript was entrusted to the keeping of martin harris; and he bound himself by a solemn oath to show it only to his wife, his brother preserved harris, his father and mother, and mrs. cobb, his wife's sister. after entering into this sacred covenant, martin harris departed from harmony, carrying with him the inspired writings.
then came about the punishment of martin for his importunacy and of joseph for his blindness. wicked people, through the vanity and treachery of martin's wife and his own weakness, gained sight of the precious manuscript and they contrived to steal it away from harris, so that his eyes and the eyes of the prophet never again beheld it.
for his disobedient pertinacity in voicing to the lord the request of martin harris, joseph had been deprived of the urim and thummim and seer-stone; but this was not his only punishment. the pages of manuscript which contained the translation he had been inspired to make, and which thereby became the words of god, had been loaned to martin harris and been stolen; and now the plates themselves were taken from him by the angel of the record.
the sorrow and humiliation which joseph felt were beyond description. the lord's rebukes for his conduct pierced him to the centre. he humbled himself in prayer and repentance; and so true was his humility that the lord accepted it as expiation and the treasures were restored to his keeping.
martin harris was also shamed and grieved; and he repented in anguish the violation of his trust. but, though a measure of confidence was restored to him, he was never again permitted to act as a scribe for the prophet in the work of translation.
while joseph was mourning the loss of the manuscript, the lord revealed to him many truths regarding the situation to which he had brought himself, and also warned him of the designs of wicked men who plotted to overthrow him and to put the name of god and his newly revealed record to shame in the land.
a rebuke was given at this time in words which joseph always remembered:
although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works; yet, if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of god, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just god upon him.
while these momentous events were in progress, joseph and his wife were called to mourn. in july, 1828, a son was born to their house, but the babe died after a brief time, leaving its mother at the door of dissolution. the needs of the little household now required that the prophet should give a time to toil; and he went forth to labor humbly and uncomplainingly.
while he was thus engaged, in the month of february, 1829, he received a comforting revelation from the almighty:
now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men: * * * * *
for behold the field is white already to harvest, and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perish not, but bringeth salvation to his soul.
joseph's desire to atone for his loss of the first manuscript impelled him to constant exertion. after his manual toil was ended each day, he contritely devoted his hours to the work of translation; and his young wife aided him by writing at his dictation. in this way some progress was made. but emma was bowed with bodily suffering and with sorrow for her babe; and often the holy task languished, causing joseph to pray earnestly to god for a writer who could give his whole time to the work.
