Emphasis Scriptures The word 'as' occurs 5451 times in the standard works.
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caught up into an exceedingly high mountain, upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence. created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered. not upon Moses; and Moses wass=hlblue>as left unto himself. And ass=hlgree>as he wass=hlblue>as left unto himself, he fell unto the earth. for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed. upon me; and I beheld his face, for I wass=hlblue>as transfigured before him. been upon me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee. Depart hence, Satan. he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory. upon him; and he heard a voice, saying: Blessed art thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command ass=hlgree>as if thou wert God. the voice wass=hlblue>as still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it; and there wass=hlblue>as not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the Spirit of God. not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless ass=hlgree>as the sand upon the sea shore. called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof. upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me. one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. without form, and void; and I caused darkness to come up upon the face of the deep; and my Spirit moved upon the face of the water; for I am God. light. good. And I, God, divided the light from the darkness. done ass=hlgree>as I spake; and the evening and the morning were the first day. so, even ass=hlgree>as I spake; and I said: Let it divide the waters from the waters; and it wass=hlblue>as done; so even ass=hlgree>as I spake. so; and I, God, said: Let there be dry land; and it wass=hlblue>as so. so even ass=hlgree>as I spake. so. the sun, and the lesser light wass=hlblue>as the moon; and the stars also were made even according to my word. so; with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it wass=hlblue>as so. And I, God, said: Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. so, even ass=hlgree>as I spake. in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there wass=hlblue>as not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air; spiritual in the day that I created it; for it remaineth in the sphere in which I, God, created it, yea, even all things which I prepared for the use of man; and man saw that it wass=hlblue>as good for food. And I, the Lord God, planted the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and also the tree of knowledge of good and evil. parted, and became into four heads. good, and there wass=hlblue>as bdellium and the onyx stone. called Gihon; the same that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. Hiddekel; that which goeth toward the east of ass=hlblue>Assyria. And the fourth river wass=hlblue>as the Euphrates. not good that the man should be alone; wherefore, I will make an help meet for him. for Adam, there wass=hlblue>as not found an help meet for him. taken out of man. hamed. from the beginning, and he came before me, saying-- Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me-- Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. more subtle than any beast of the field which I, the Lord God, had made. good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat. afraid, because I beheld that I wass=hlblue>as naked, and I hid myself. the mother of all living; for thus have I, the Lord God, called the first of all women, which are many. taken; I the Lord had commanded him. And Eve, also, his wife, did labor with him. obedient unto the commandments of the Lord. thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even ass=hlgree>as many ass=hlgree>as will. filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. a keeper of sheep, but Cain wass=hlblue>as a tiller of the ground. very wroth, and his countenance fell. had from God; and this is a cursing which I will put upon thee, except thou repent. wroth, and listened not any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to Abel, his brother, who walked in holiness before the Lord. called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness. wroth also; for his offering thou didst accept and not mine; my punishment is greater than I can bear. shut out from the presence of the Lord, and with his wife and many of his brethren dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. born Irad, and other sons and daughters. And Irad begat Mahujael, and other sons and daughters. And Mahujael begat Methusael, and other sons and daughters. And Methusael begat Lamech. the father of such ass=hlgree>as dwell in tents, and they were keepers of cattle; and his brother's name wass=hlblue>as Jubal, who wass=hlblue>as the father of all such ass=hlgree>as handle the harp and organ. called Naamah. administered unto Cain by Satan; and Irad, the son of Enoch, having known their secret, began to reveal it unto the sons of Adam; a secret combination, and their works were in the dark, and they knew every man his brother. among the sons of men. despised, and cast out, and came not among the sons of men, lest he should die. angry with the wicked, with all the sons of men whom he had made; prepared from before the foundation of the world. . Amen. born a son, and he called his name Enos. kept, in the which wass=hlblue>as recorded, in the language of Adam, for it wass=hlblue>as given unto ass=hlgree>as many ass=hlgree>as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration; pure and undefiled. in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also. he wass=hlblue>as moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and a genealogy wass=hlblue>as kept of the children of God. And this wass=hlblue>as the book of the generations of Adam, saying: In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; against his own brother, in administering death, because of secret works, seeking for power. called Shulon, and dwelt in a land of promise, which he called after his own son, whom he had named Cainan. the son of God, with whom God, himself, conversed. taught unto the children of men. he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him. tray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam. Mahijah, and said unto him: Tell us plainly who thou art, and from whence thou comest? I journeyed from the land of Cainan, by the sea east, I beheld a vision; and lo, the heavens I saw, and the Lord spake with me, and gave me commandment; wherefore, for this cause, to keep the commandment, I speak forth these words. king all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ass=hlblue>ask, it shall be given you. thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory; caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and wass=hlblue>as carried down into the water, and wass=hlblue>as laid under the water, and wass=hlblue>as brought forth out of the water. baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he wass=hlblue>as born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. I wass=hlblue>as journeying, and stood upon the place Mahujah, and cried unto the Lord, there came a voice out of heaven, saying-- Turn ye, and get ye upon the mount Simeon. I stood upon the mount, I beheld the heavens open, and I wass=hlblue>as clothed upon with glory; a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all people. the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions wass=hlblue>as heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful wass=hlblue>as the word of Enoch, and so great wass=hlblue>as the power of the language which God had given him. the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea. upon all nations, so great wass=hlblue>as the glory of the Lord, which wass=hlblue>as upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish. no poor among them. called the City of Holiness, even Zion. taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever. the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them. taken up into heaven, Enoch beheld, and lo, all the nations of the earth were before him; high and lifted up, even in the bosom of the Father, and of the Son of Man; and behold, the power of Satan wass=hlblue>as upon all the face of the earth. the rain upon the mountains? not been so great wickedness ass=hlgree>as among thy brethren. they will repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment; eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook. k thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods. eternity; whoso cometh in at the gate and climbeth up by me shall never fall; wherefore, blessed are they of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with songs of everlasting joy. cend up unto the Father; and he called unto the Lord, saying: Wilt thou not come again upon the earth? Forasmuch ass=hlgree>as thou art God, and I know thee, and thou hast sworn unto me, and commanded me that I should ass=hlblue>ask in the name of thine Only Begotten; thou hast made me, and given unto me a right to thy throne, and not of myself, but through thine own grace; wherefore, I ass=hlblue>ask thee if thou wilt not come again on the earth. I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah; troubled, and men's hearts failing them, looking forth with fear for the judgments of the Almighty God, which should come upon the wicked. not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is Fled. not taken, that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins. four hundred and fifty years old, and begat Japheth; and forty-two years afterward he begat Shem of her who wass=hlblue>as the mother of Japheth, and when he wass=hlblue>as five hundred years old he begat Ham. it wass=hlblue>as in the beginning. with Noah, and the power of the Lord wass=hlblue>as upon him. it wass=hlblue>as given unto Enoch. lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually. pained that the Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at the heart. a just man, and perfect in his generation; and he walked with God, ass=hlgree>as did also his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. corrupt before God, and it wass=hlblue>as filled with violence. corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. needful for me to obtain another place of residence; greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers. conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundation of the earth, down to the present time, even the right of the firstborn, or the first man, who is Adam, or first father, through the fathers unto me. also the priest of Pharaoh. the custom of the priest of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to offer up upon the altar which wass=hlblue>as built in the land of Chaldea, for the offering unto these strange gods, men, women, and children. the sun. done after the manner of the Egyptians. they did those virgins upon this altar; and that you may have a knowledge of this altar, I will refer you to the representation at the commencement of this record. made after the form of a bedstead, such ass=hlgree>as wass=hlblue>as had among the Chaldeans, and it stood before the gods of Elkenah, Libnah, Mahmackrah, Korash, and also a god like unto that of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. unto me: Abraham, Abraham, behold, my name is Jehovah, and I have heard thee, and have come down to deliver thee, and to take thee away from thy father's house, and from all thy kinsfolk, into a strange land which thou knowest not of; it wass=hlblue>as with Noah so shall it be with thee; but through thy ministry my name shall be known in the earth forever, for I am thy God. in the land of Ur, of Chaldea. And the Lord broke down the altar of Elkenah, and of the gods of the land, and utterly destroyed them, and smote the priest that he died; and there wass=hlblue>as great mourning in Chaldea, and also in the court of Pharaoh; which Pharaoh signifies king by royal blood. a descendant from the loins of Ham, and wass=hlblue>as a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth. preserved in the land. the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden; under water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the land. established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham, and it wass=hlblue>as after the manner of the government of Ham, which wass=hlblue>as patriarchal. led away by their idolatry; smitten that he died, there came a fulfilment of those things which were said unto me concerning the land of Chaldea, that there should be a famine in the land. sorely tormented because of the famine, and he repented of the evil which he had determined against me, to take away my life. the daughter of Haran. sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee; the Lord had said unto me, and Lot with me; and I, Abraham, wass=hlblue>as sixty and two years old when I departed out of Haran. in Ur, in Chaldea, and Lot, my brother's son, and all our substance that we had gathered, and the souls that we had won in Haran, and came forth in the way to the land of Canaan, and dwelt in tents ass=hlgree>as we came on our way; our covering and our rock and our salvation, ass=hlgree>as we journeyed from Haran by the way of Jershon, to come to the land of Canaan. situated in the plains of Moreh, and we had already come into the borders of the land of the Canaanites, and I offered sacrifice there in the plains of Moreh, and called on the Lord devoutly, because we had already come into the land of this idolatrous nation. a continuation of a famine in the land; and I, Abraham, concluded to go down into Egypt, to sojourn there, for the famine became very grievous. come near to enter into Egypt, the Lord said unto me: Behold, Sarai, thy wife, is a very fair woman to look upon; nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it; after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution wass=hlblue>as a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord's time, according to the reckoning of Kolob. stretched out), behold I will show you all these. And he put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands had made, which were many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and I could not see the end thereof. in the night time when the Lord spake these words unto me: I will multiply thee, and thy seed after thee, like unto these; and if thou canst count the number of sands, so shall be the number of thy seeds. ; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him. formed, wass=hlblue>as empty and desolate, because they had not formed anything but the earth; and darkness reigned upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Gods wass=hlblue>as brooding upon the face of the waters. light. bright; and they divided the light, or caused it to be divided, from the darkness. the first, or the beginning, of that which they called day and night. so, even ass=hlgree>as they ordered. from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it wass=hlblue>as from morning until evening that they called day; and this wass=hlblue>as the second time that they called night and day. so ass=hlgree>as they ordered; so, even ass=hlgree>as they ordered. the third time. so. from evening until morning that it wass=hlblue>as night; and it came to pass that it wass=hlblue>as from morning until evening that it wass=hlblue>as day; and it wass=hlblue>as the fourth time. good. or great waters; and cause the fowl to multiply in the earth. from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it wass=hlblue>as from morning until evening that they called day; and it wass=hlblue>as the fifth time. so, ass=hlgree>as they had said. from evening until morning they called night; and it came to pass that it wass=hlblue>as from morning until evening that they called day; and they numbered the sixth time. in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew; for the Gods had not caused it to rain upon the earth when they counseled to do them, and had not formed a man to till the ground. a river running out of Eden, to water the garden, and from thence it wass=hlblue>as parted and became into four heads. after the Lord's time, which wass=hlblue>as after the time of Kolob; for ass=hlgree>as yet the Gods had not appointed unto Adam his reckoning. bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; now she shall be called Woman, because she wass=hlblue>as taken out of man; hamed. found an help meet for him. glorified and crowned on the right hand of God. thou hast said-- They shall be thrown down, and left unto you desolate. he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews; and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world? wass=hlblue>as not before sent upon Israel, of God, since the beginning of their kingdom until this time; no, nor ever shall be sent again upon Israel. the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. it wass=hlblue>as in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man; it wass=hlblue>as in the days which were before the flood; for until the day that Noah entered into the ark they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage; under, and shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. born in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five, on the twenty-third day of December, in the town of Sharon, Windsor county, State of Vermont ... My father, Joseph Smith, Sen., left the State of Vermont, and moved to Palmyra, Ontario (now Wayne) county, in the State of New York, when I wass=hlblue>as in my tenth year, or thereabouts. In about four years after my father's arrival in Palmyra, he moved with his family into Manchester in the same county of Ontario-- Mack, daughter of Solomon Mack); my brothers, Alvin (who died November 19th, 1823, in the 26th year of his age), Hyrum, myself, Samuel Harrison, William, Don Carlos; and my sisters, Sophronia, Catherine, and Lucy. in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, "Lo, here!" and others, "Lo, there!" Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist. they were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they pleased; yet when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another, it wass=hlblue>as seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued-- priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions. at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's family wass=hlblue>as proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined that church, namely, my mother, Lucy; my brothers Hyrum and Samuel Harrison; and my sister Sophronia. called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings ass=hlgree>as often ass=hlgree>as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it wass=hlblue>as impossible for a person young ass=hlgree>as I wass=hlblue>as, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who wass=hlblue>as right and who wass=hlblue>as wrong. greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others. laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I wass=hlblue>as one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ass=hlblue>ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible. James directs, that is, ass=hlblue>ask of God. I at length came to the determination to "ass=hlblue>ask of God," concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture. k of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It wass=hlblue>as on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It wass=hlblue>as the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never ass=hlgree>as yet made the attempt to pray vocally. seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an ass=hlblue>astonishing influence over me ass=hlgree>as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time ass=hlgree>as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction-- not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power ass=hlgree>as I had never before felt in any being-- just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. to know which of all the sects wass=hlblue>as right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so ass=hlgree>as to be able to speak, than I ass=hlblue>asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects wass=hlblue>as right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)-- and which I should join. answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof." I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what the matter wass=hlblue>as. I replied, "Never mind, all is well-- I am well enough off." I then said to my mother, "I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true." It seems ass=hlgree>as though the adversary wass=hlblue>as aware, at a very early period of my life, that I wass=hlblue>as destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me? Why the opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy? very active in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of the vision which I had had. I wass=hlblue>as greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it wass=hlblue>as all of the devil, that there were no such things ass=hlgree>as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them. the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I wass=hlblue>as an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such ass=hlgree>as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this wass=hlblue>as common among all the sects-- all united to persecute me. since, how very strange it wass=hlblue>as that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who wass=hlblue>as doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it wass=hlblue>as, and it wass=hlblue>as often the cause of great sorrow to myself. nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he wass=hlblue>as dishonest, others said he wass=hlblue>as mad; and he wass=hlblue>as ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise. with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I wass=hlblue>as hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it wass=hlblue>as true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I wass=hlblue>as led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation. the sectarian world wass=hlblue>as concerned-- that it wass=hlblue>as not my duty to join with any of them, but to continue ass=hlgree>as I wass=hlblue>as until further directed. I had found the testimony of James to be true-- that a man who lacked wisdom might ass=hlblue>ask of God, and obtain, and not be upbraided. 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 wass=hlblue>as never in my nature. But I wass=hlblue>as guilty of levity, and sometimes ass=hlblue>associated with jovial company, etc., not consistent with that character which ought to be maintained by one who wass=hlblue>as called of God ass=hlgree>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. thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room wass=hlblue>as lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor. 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 wrist; so, also, were his feet naked, ass=hlgree>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, ass=hlgree>as it wass=hlblue>as open, so that I could see into his bosom. his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person wass=hlblue>as glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room wass=hlblue>as exceedingly light, but not so very bright ass=hlgree>as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I wass=hlblue>as afraid; but the fear soon left me. a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name wass=hlblue>as 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. 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 wass=hlblue>as contained in it, ass=hlgree>as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; it reads in our books, he quoted it thus: about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely ass=hlgree>as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet wass=hlblue>as 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. not yet fulfilled, but wass=hlblue>as soon to be. And he further stated that the fulness of the Gentiles wass=hlblue>as soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here. 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 wass=hlblue>as conversing with me about the plates, the vision wass=hlblue>as 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. again left dark, except just around him; when, instantly I saw, ass=hlgree>as it were, a conduit open right up into heaven, and he ass=hlblue>ascended till he entirely disappeared, and the room wass=hlblue>as left ass=hlgree>as it had been before this heavenly light had made its appearance. again beginning to get lighted, and in an instant, ass=hlgree>as it were, the same heavenly messenger wass=hlblue>as again by my bedside. cended ass=hlgree>as he had done before. tonishment at what I had both seen and heard. But what wass=hlblue>as 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 ass=hlgree>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. cended into heaven ass=hlgree>as before, and I wass=hlblue>as again left to ponder on the strangeness of what I had just experienced; when almost immediately after the heavenly messenger had ass=hlblue>ascended from me for the third time, the cock crowed, and I found that day wass=hlblue>as approaching, so that our interviews must have occupied the whole of that night. usual, went to the necessary labors of the day; but, in attempting to work ass=hlgree>as at other times, I found my strength so exhausted ass=hlgree>as to render me entirely unable. My father, who wass=hlblue>as 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 wass=hlblue>as quite unconscious of anything. a voice speaking unto me, calling me by name. I looked up, and beheld the same messenger standing over my head, surrounded by light ass=hlgree>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. of God, and told me to go and do ass=hlgree>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. thick and rounding in the middle on the upper side, and thinner towards the edges, so that the middle part of it wass=hlblue>as visible above the ground, but the edge all around wass=hlblue>as covered with earth. stated by the messenger. The box in which they lay wass=hlblue>as 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. forbidden by the messenger, and wass=hlblue>as 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. 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 wass=hlblue>as going to do, and how and in what manner his kingdom wass=hlblue>as to be conducted in the last days. thus employed, I wass=hlblue>as put to board with a Mr. Isaac Hale, of that place; it wass=hlblue>as there I first saw my wife (his daughter), Emma Hale. On the 18th of January, 1827, we were married, while I wass=hlblue>as yet employed in the service of Mr. Stoal. sert that I had seen a vision, persecution still followed me, and my wife's father's family were very much opposed to our being married. I wass=hlblue>as, therefore, under the necessity of taking her elsewhere; so we went and were married at the house of Squire Tarbill, in South Bainbridge, Chenango county, New York. Immediately after my marriage, I left Mr. Stoal's, and went to my father's, and farmed with him that season. usual at the end of another year to the place where they were deposited, the same heavenly messenger delivered them up to me with this charge: that I should be responsible for them; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any neglect of mine, I should be cut off; but that if I would use all my endeavors to preserve them, until he, the messenger, should call for them, they should be protected. that the messenger had said that when I had done what wass=hlblue>as required at my hand, he would call for them. For no sooner wass=hlblue>as it known that I had them, than the most strenuous exertions were used to get them from me. Every stratagem that could be invented wass=hlblue>as resorted to for that purpose. The persecution became more bitter and severe than before, and multitudes were on the alert continually to get them from me if possible. But by the wisdom of God, they remained safe in my hands, until I had accomplished by them what wass=hlblue>as required at my hand. When, according to arrangements, the messenger called for them, I delivered them up to him; and he hass=hlblue>as them in his charge until this day, being the second day of May, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight. all the time employed in circulating falsehoods about my father's family, and about myself. If I were to relate a thousandth part of them, it would fill up volumes. The persecution, however, became so intolerable that I wass=hlblue>as under the necessity of leaving Manchester, and going with my wife to Susquehanna county, in the State of Pennsylvania. While preparing to start-- being very poor, and the persecution so heavy upon us that there wass=hlblue>as no probability that we would ever be otherwise-- in the midst of our afflictions we found a friend in a gentleman by the name of Martin Harris, who came to us and gave me fifty dollars to ass=hlblue>assist us on our journey. Mr. Harris wass=hlblue>as a resident of Palmyra township, Wayne county, in the State of New York, and a farmer of respectability. I enabled to reach the place of my destination in Pennsylvania; and immediately after my arrival there I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them, which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife's father, in the month of December, and the February following. he related them to me after his return, which wass=hlblue>as ass=hlgree>as follows: correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, ass=hlblue>Assyriac, and Arabic; and he said they were true characters. He gave me a certificate, certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that the translation of such of them ass=hlgree>as had been translated wass=hlblue>as also correct. I took the certificate and put it into my pocket, and wass=hlblue>as just leaving the house, when Mr. Anthon called me back, and ass=hlblue>asked me how the young man found out that there were gold plates in the place where he found them. I answered that an angel of God had revealed it unto him. no such thing now ass=hlgree>as ministering of angels, and that if I would bring the plates to him he would translate them. I informed him that part of the plates were sealed, and that I wass=hlblue>as forbidden to bring them. He replied, 'I cannot read a sealed book.' I left him and went to Dr. Mitchell, who sanctioned what Professor Anthon had said respecting both the characters and the translation." John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. It wass=hlblue>as on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, that we were ordained under the hand of this messenger, and baptized. I had been baptized by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when, standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of the children of men. We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in the God of our salvation. revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. |