Lesson 4: "Remember the New Covenant, Even the Book of Mormon"

7/30/2019 Lesson 4: "Remember the New Covenant, Even the Book of Mormon"

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To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.com

#1 In his letter to John Wentworth, Josephwrote of many visits from the angels of God

unfolding the majesty and glory of theevents that should transpire in the lastdays (HC, 4:537)

And according to President John Taylor,the Prophet Joseph not only had the princi-ples developed but was conversant with theparties who officiated as the leading men informer ages (JD, 20:174-75)

#2 Oliver Cowdery: When Josephfirst attempted to take possessionof the record, a shock was pro-duced upon his system, by an invisi-

ble power which deprived him, in a measure,of his natural strength. He desisted for aninstant, and then made another attempt, butwas more sensibly shocked than before.What was the occasion of this he knew not

there was the pure unsullied record, as hadbeen described...he...supposed that physicalexertion and personal strength was onlynecessary to enable him to yet obtain theobject of his wish. He therefore made thethird attempt with an increased exertion,when his strength failed him more than ateither of the former times, and without pre-meditating he exclaimed, Why can I not ob-

tain this book? Because you have not keptthe commandments of the Lord, answered avoice...He looked and to his astonishment,there stood the angel who had previouslygiven him the directions concerning thismatter. In an instant, all the former instruc-tions, the great intelligence concerning Israeland the last days, were brought to his mind:he thought of the time when his heart was

fervently engaged in prayer to the Lord, con-nected with this record. He had come, to be

sure, and found the word of the angel ful-filled concerning the reality of the record,but he had failed to remember the great endfor which they had been kept, and in conse-quence could not have power to take theminto his possession...At that instant helooked to the Lord in prayer, and as heprayed darkness began to disperse from hismind and his soul was lit up as it was the

evening before, and he was filled with theHoly Spirit, and again did the Lord manifesthis condescension and mercy: the heavenswere opened and the glory of the Lordshone round about and rested upon him.While he thus stood gazing and admiring,the angel said, Look! and...he beheld theprince of darkness, surrounded by his innu-merable train of associated and the heav-

enly messenger said, All this is shown, thegood and the evil, the holy and impure, theglory of God and the power of darkness, thatyou may know hereafter the two powers andnever be influenced or overcome by thatwicked one...You now see why you could notobtain this record; that the commandmentwas strict, and that if ever these sacredthings are obtained they must be by prayer

and faithfulness in obeying the Lord Thesethings are sacred, and must be kept so, forthe promise of the Lord concerning themmust be fulfilled (Messenger and Advocate, 2:197-98;Times and Seasons, 2:393).


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#3 Joseph Smith: In his hands he held theplates He turned over the leaves one byone we heard a voice from out of thebright light above us, saying, These plateshave been revealed by the power of God,and they have been translated by the power

of God. The translation of them which youhave seen is correct, and I command you tobear record of what you now see andhear. (History of the Church, 1:54 55.)

#4 Lucy Mack Smith: On comingin, Joseph threw himself downbeside me, and exclaimed,

Father, mother, you do not know

how happy I am: the Lord has nowcaused the plates to be shown to threemore besides myself. They have seen anangel, who has testified to them, andthey will have to bear witness to the truthof what I have said, for now they knowfor themselves, that I do not go about todeceive the people, and I feel as if I wasrelieved of a burden which was almosttoo heavy for me to bear, and it rejoicesmy soul, that I am not any longer to beentirely alone in the world. (History of JosephSmith by His Mother, p. 152.)

#5 Ivan J. Barrett: Grievous as the experi-ence was, it proved to be the lesson JosephSmith needed in his youth to strengthen himand fortify him against temptations that

would later beset his path. It taught him to hearken to the inspi-

ration that came to him and not to yield tothe persuasions of men.

It taught him to be cautious intrusting men, for few could be dependedupon.

It also taught him that more than

one copy of valuable documents shouldbe made. In the future he made duplicatecopies of all important manu-scripts. (Joseph Smith and the Restoration, 84)

#6 Lucy Mack Smith: Joseph who had not

expressed his fears till now, sprang from thetable, exclaiming, Martin, have you lost thatmanuscript? Have you broken your oath, andbrought down condemnation upon my headas well as your own? Yes, it is gone, repliedMartin, and I know not where. Oh, myGod! said Joseph, clinching his hands. All islost! All is lost! What shall I do? I havesinned it is I who tempted the wrath of

God. I should have been satisfied withthe first answer which I received fromthe Lord; for he told me that it was not safeto let the writing go out of my possession. He wept and groaned, and walked the floorcontinually.

At length he told Martin to go back and search again. No; said Martin, it is allin vain; for I have ripped open beds and pil-

lows; and I know it is not there. Then mustI, said Joseph, return with such a tale asthis? I dare not do it. And how shall I appearbefore the Lord? Of what rebuke am I notworthy from the angel of the Most High?

I besought him not to mourn so, forperhaps the Lord would forgive him, after ashort season of humiliation and repentance.But what could I do to comfort him, when

he saw all the family in the same situation of mind as himself; for sobs and groans, andthe most bitter lamentations filled the house.However, Joseph was more distressed thanthe rest, as he better understood the conse-quences of disobedience. And he continuedpacing back and forth, meantime weepingand grieving, until about sunset, when, bypersuasion, he took a little nourishment.


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The next morning, he set out forhome. We parted with heavy hearts, for itnow appeared that all which we had sofondly anticipated, and which had been thesource of so much secret gratifications, hadin a moment fled, and fled forever. (samesource as #4)

#7 On the 9th day of July 1875, while hewas dying, I knelt by his cot I wanted toget what I thought would be his last words,but he could not talk audibly. Pilkington thenprayed that his grandfathers last wordscould be understood. He reported, Strengthwas given to him and he bore his testimony

as he had done many times before and I un-derstood every word. He then bore the sametestimony to the whole world and then laidback exhausted... He was buried with hisBook of Mormon in his right hand and theDoctrine and Covenants in his left. (SusanEaston Black, Whos Who in the Doctrine and Covenants, 127)

#8 A few months before his death, Oliverreceived a visit from Jacob Gates, an oldMormon acquaintance from before his ex-communication in 1838 Gates asked Cow-dery about his testimony printed in the Book of Mormon. He wanted to know if the testi-mony was based on a dream, the imagina-tion of his mind, an illusion, or a myth. Jacobwanted the truth. As the account goes,Oliver Cowdery got up from his restingplace, retrieved a first edition Book of Mor-mon, and read solemnly the testimony. Turn-ing to face Gates, he said,

Jacob, I want you to remember whatI say to you. I am a dying man, and whatwould it profit me to tell you a lie? I knowthat this Book of Mormon was translated bythe gift and power of God. My eyes saw, myears heard, and my understanding was

touched, and I know that whereof I testifiedis true. It was no dream, no vain imaginationof the mind it was real. (Scott H. Faulriing, TheReturn of Oliver Cowdery, http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/transcripts/?id=50)

#9 Not to my knowledge, answered David. Im astonished at that, replied his sister, forthe children came to me in the forenoon,and begged of me to go out and see themen sow plaster in the field, saying, thatthey never saw anybody sow plaster so fastin their lives. I accordingly went, and sawthree men at work in the field, as the chil-dren had said but supposing that you hadhired some help, on account of your hurry, Iwent immediately into the house, and gavethe subject no further attention. (Smith, Histoof Joseph Smith, 136-37)

#10 Though disaffected from the Church forfifty years. David Whitmer remained stalwartin his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Thefollowing was published in the Richmond(Mo.) "Conservator" of March 25, 1881:

"Unto all Nations, Kindreds, Tongues andPeople, unto whom these presents shallcome:

"It having been represented by one JohnMurphy, of Polo, Caldwell county, Missouri,that I, in a conversation with him last sum-mer, denied my testimony as one of theThree Witnesses of the Book of Mormon.

"To the end, therefore, that he may un-derstand me now, if he did not then; andthat the world may know the truth. I wishnow, standing as it were, in the very sunsetof life, and in the fear of God, once for all tomake this public statement:

"That I have never at any time deniedthat testimony or any part thereof, whichhas so long since been published with that


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book, as one of the Three Witnesses. Thosewho know me best well know that I have al-ways adhered to that testimony. And that noman may be misled or doubt my presentviews in regard to the same, I do again af-firm the truth of all my statements as then

made and published."'He that hath an ear to hear, let himhear;' it was no delusion; what is written iswritten, and he that readeth let him under-stand.

"'And if any man doubt, should he notcarefully and honestly read and understandthe same before presuming to sit in judg-ment and condemning the light, which shi-

neth in darkness, and showeth the way of eternal life as pointed out by the unerringhand of God?'

"In the Spirit of Christ, who hath said:Follow thou me, for I am the life, the lightand the way,' I submit this statement to theworld; God in whom I trust being my judgeas to the sincerity of my motives and thefaith and hope that is in me of eternal life.

"My sincere desire is that the world maybe benefited by this plain and simple state-ment of the truth.

"And all the honor to the Father, the Son,and the Holy Ghost, which is one God.Amen!

(Signed) "DAVID WHITMER SEN.

(http://www.gapages.com/whitmd1.htm)

#10 ...in a clear, open place, a very pleas-ant, nice looking old man suddenly appearedby the side of our wagon and saluted uswith, Good morning; its very warm, at thesame time wiping his face or forehead withhis hand. We returned the salutation, and bya sign from Joseph, I invited him to ride if

he was going our way. But he said verypleasantly, No, I am going to Cumorah. Thename was somewhat new to me, and I didnot know what Cumorah meant. We allgazed at him and at each other, and as Ilooked round inquiringly of Joseph, the old

man instantly disappeared so that I did notsee him again. Sometime after this, my mother was

going to milk the cows, when she was metout near the yard by the same old man(judging by her description of him), whosaid to her, You have been very faithful anddiligent in your labors, but you are tired be-cause of the increase of your toil; it is

proper, therefore, that you should receive awitness, that your faith may be strength-ened. Thereupon, he showed her the plates.My father and mother had a large family of their own, the addition to it, therefore, of Jo-seph, his wife Emma, and Oliver, verygreatly increased the toil and anxiety of mymother. And although she had never com-plained she had sometimes felt that her la-

bor was too much, or, at least, she was per-haps beginning to feel so. This circumstance,however completely removed all such feel-ings, and nerved her up for her increased re-sponsibilities. ( B.H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History othe Church, 1:126-27)


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LESSON 4 OUTLINE

Last week Brother Thomas gave a great lesson, Ive heard, on the First Vision, andIm so grateful for his help! As you know, these last two weeks especially have beenhectic, but Thor made it to the MTC! Thank goodness we have 6 more weeks to gethim long shirts and 38 inseam slacks!!

Back to the First Vision.~What year did it take place? (1820 spring)~Any ideas about what Joseph did for the next three years?

JSH 1:27In verses 28-29 he talks essentially about growing up, making foolish mistakes con-sistent with being an outgoing, cheerful teenager despite severe persecution. Threeyears go by, and Joseph decides hes ready to know whats next.

~Who is sent to be Josephs tutor? (Moroni, and many others) Quotation #1There is much that can be found about those who tutored Joseph, but in the interestof time, let me just give his description of the apostle Paul: He is about five feethigh; very dark hair; dark complexion; dark skin; large Roman nose; sharp face; smallblack eyes, penetrating as eternity; round shoulders; a whining voice, except whenelevated, and then it almost resembled the roaring of a lion (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 180).

After Moronis first visit to Joseph in 1820 ~How many times did Moroni appear to him that night and day? (4)

..he went to Cumorah where he was able to remove the cover of the stone boxwhich contained the plates.

~Why couldnt Joseph get the plates at this time?Quotation #2

Joseph was commanded to return to Cumorah each year for more tutoring. In 1827,Joseph was newly married and just 22 years old! He returned home late one night to

a worried family. His mother wrote: He smiled and said in a calm tone, I have takenthe severest chastisement that I have ever had in my life. [His father was upset andasked which neighbor might have given Joseph a hard time and began ranting andraving.] Joseph replied, Stop, father, stop. It was the angel of the Lord. As I passedby the hill Cumorah, where the plates are, the angel met me and said that I had notbeen engaged enough in the work of the Lord; that the time had come for the recordto be brought forth; and that I must be up and doing and set myself about the thingswhich God had commanded me to do. But, father, give yourself no uneasiness con-


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cerning the reprimand which I received, for now I know the course that I am to pur-sue, so all will be well. (History of Joseph Smith by his Mother , 100)

~Few of us like to be chastised, am I right?~How is chastisement from the Lord a blessing? (because then well know what

course to pursue. What a wonderful insight! Lets always remember that.)Shortly after this on September 21, 1827, Joseph received the plates.

~How long did he have them? (2 years)~How long did it take to translate them? (less than 3 months)~So what did Joseph do with them for most of that 2 years? (Protected them

from those who wanted to steal them. See Take Heed Continually: Protecting the GoldPlates, Ensign , January 2001 )

On June 20, 1829, as the translation was progressing, Joseph came across a scripturethat told him there were to be 3 witnesses of the Book of Mormon.

~Was Joseph told who they would be? (not quite)Lets read: The section heading to D&C 17

~Are most revelations given in response to a question? (yes, and this one fol-lows that pattern.)

After praying in the woods together, each in turn, twice, nothing happened and Mar-tin said it was due to his lack of faith. So he separated himself from the others topray alone. Then an angel appeared to the others. Heres how Joseph described whathappened:

Quotation #3Shortly after that Joseph and Martin prayed fervently together and beheld the samevision. When they returned to the house it was about 3:00 in the afternoon. Put your-self in Josephs shoes for a moment. For nine years he has been persecuted terribly.For nine years he bore the burden of being the sole witness of the Restoration.

~How do you suppose he felt at this point?Quotation #4

A day or two later, eight more witnesses were permitted to see and touch the plates,

but without the angel. Lets focus in on the lives of the 3 witnesses.

Martin Harris was the first to meet Joseph.~What was his vocation? (well-to-do farmer)

In the spring after Joseph received the plates, Martin Harris served as scribe. Re-member, Joseph and Emma had moved to Pennsylvania to avoid the mobs, and Mar-tins farm was in New York, so this was a sacrifice!

~To appease his family, what did Martin ask of Joseph? (to take the manuscript


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of the Book of Lehi to New York to show his family.)~Joseph asked twice, and what was the answer both times? (No!)

Martin pestered Joseph to make a deal with the Lord, covenanting to show them onlyto his wife, parents and brother and sister-in-law.

~What was the Lords response this time? (Yes!) ~Knowing the disaster that would ensue, why did the Lord say yes? (to teach

Joseph some important lessons)Quotation #5

Heres a description of the turmoil Joseph and Martin went through: Quotation #6

Now lets turn to D&C 3 and read the Lords response: D&C 3:1-9

1: What design & purpose is God referring to here? (the comingforth of the Book of Mormon)

2: Does God have to worry about what happens and adjust Hiscourse accordingly? (No!)4: Who is He talking about here? (Joseph)7: Who did Joseph fear more than God? (Martin)

What does it mean to set at naught the counsels of God?(to ignore them)

8: When we trust in the arm of flesh, do we have such a prom-ise? Why not? (only God is all-knowing and all-powerful)

9: Are any of us immune to the possibility of failing?D&C 3:12-15

And then in verse 16 He says, Nevertheless, my work shall go forth ~Did the Lord know the 116 pages would be stolen? (yes)~What did He do to circumvent that? (Inspired Mormon to include the small

plates in his abridgement of the large plates, see 1 Nephi 9 and Words of Mormon 1:3-7)

Lets relate this lesson to our personal prayers.~First, can we trust Heavenly Father? (yes, He can accomplish His works)

~What do we learn about what we should pray for? (less about what we need,since He already knows our needs, and more about what He wants for us.We are not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand, seeJacob 4:10)

Martin Harris fell away from the church, but after 33 years he rejoined the saints. Hisgrandson witnessed his deathbed testimony:

Quotation #7


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The second of the three witnesses to meet Joseph was Oliver Cowdery.~What was his profession? (school teacher)

Like David Whitmer, Oliver went through some fiery trials and fell away. Quotation #8contains his deathbed testimony:

Quotation #8

Finally, the third witness to enter Josephs life was David Whitmer. He was an ac-quaintance of Oliver Cowdery. Oliver had told David he was going to find out if Jo-seph was a prophet. Then he wrote David bearing testimony of the restored gospel. A couple of letters later Oliver commanded David to come to Pennsylvania and bring Jo-seph and Oliver back to the Whitmer home, due to persecution.

David didnt know what to do. He had 20 acres to plow, which would not wait. Butwhen he went ot plow he found that 5-7 acres had been plowed in the night. He said,

I do not know who did it, but it was done just as I would have done myself, and theplow was left standing in the furrow.

The next morning he went out to spread plaster on his fields, which was a commonsoild treatment of the day. He had left the plaster in heaps near the house, but now itwas gone. He ran to his sister and asked what had happened to it. She was surprisedand said, Wasnt it all sown yesterday? The story continues with quotation #9

Quotation #9Needless to say, David Whitmer went to New York immediately!

David Whitmer was excommunicated at the same time as Oliver Cowdery, and re-mained disaffected for fifty years! Toward the end of his life he published his testi-mony:

Quotation #10

There is another witness worth mentioning here.

David Whitmers parents home was a log cabin 20 x 30. There were five children stillliving at home! David was going to bring Joseph, Emma and Oliver to join them! Howmight you have responded? Annoyed? Stressed?

While David went to get the guests, his mother readied the home. David writes thefollowing about this time:

Quotation #11Is the Lord mindful of us? I testify that He is...


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Lesson 4: "Remember the New Covenant, Even the Book of Mormon"