Mormon Literature Sampler:
Joseph Smith Tells His Own Story
Joseph Smith, Jr.*
Owing to the many reports which had been put in
circulation by evil-disposed and designing persons, in relation to the
rise and progress of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
all of which have been designed by the authors thereof to militate
against its character as a Church and its progress in the world--I
have been induced to write this history, to disabuse the public mind,
and put all inquirers after truth into possession of the facts, as
they have transpired, in relation both to myself and the Church, so
far as I have such facts in my possession. In this history I shall
present the various events in relation to this Church, in truth and
righteousness, as they have transpired, or as they at present exist,
being now the eighth**
year since the organization of said Church.
I was 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, was
born July 12th, 1771, in Topsfield, Essex county, Massachusetts; his
father, Asael Smith was born March 7th, 1744, in Topsfield,
Massachusetts; his father, Samuel Smith, was born January 26th, 1714,
in Topsfield, Massachusetts; his father, Samuel Smith, was born
January 26th, 1666, in Topsfield, Massachusetts; his father, Robert
Smith, came from England. My father, Joseph Smith, Senior, left the
state of Vermont, and moved to Palmyra, Ontario (now Wayne) County, in
the state of New York, when I was 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, his family
consisting of eleven souls, namely my father, Joseph Smith, my mother,
Lucy Smith, (whose name, previous to her marriage, was Mack, daughter
of Solomon Mack,) my brothers Alvin, (who died November 19th, 1824, in
the 27th year of his age,) Hyrum, myself, Samuel Harrison, William,
Don Carlos, and my sisters Sophronia, Catherine, and Lucy.
Some time in the second year after our removal to
Manchester, there was 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. For notwithstanding the great love which the converts to
these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and
the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in
getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious
feeling, in order to have everybody converted, as 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 was 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.
I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's
family was 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. During this time of great
excitement, my mind was 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 as often 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 was impossible for a
person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to
come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong. My
mind at times was 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.
In the midst of this war of words and tumult of
opinions, I often said to myself, what is to be done? Who of all these
parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them
be right, which is it, and how shall I know it? While I was laboring
under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties
of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first
chapter and fifth verse, which reads: "If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;
and it shall be given him."
Never did any passage of Scripture come with more
power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It
seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I
reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed
wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know and unless I
could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the
teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same
passage of Scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in
settling the question by an appeal to the Bible. At length I came to
the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or
else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came
to the determination to "ask of God," concluding that if He gave
wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not
upbraid, I might venture. So, in accordance with this, my
determination to ask God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt.
It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring
of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that
I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as
yet made the attempt to pray vocally.
After I had retired to the place where I had
previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself
alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to
God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by
some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing
influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak.
Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as
if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But, exerting all my powers to
call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had
seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was 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 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.
It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered
from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I
saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description,
standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by
name, and said pointing to the other "This is my beloved Son. Hear
Him."
My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know
which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No
sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to
speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in the light,
which of all the sects was right--and which I should join. I was
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." He again forbade me to
join with any of them: and many other things did he say unto me, which
I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found
myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had
departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I
went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what
the matter was. 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 as though the adversary was aware, at a very
early period of my life, that I was 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? Some few days after I had this
vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist
preachers, who was 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
was greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not
only lightly, but with great contempt, saying, it was all of the
devil, that there were no such things 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. I soon found, however,
that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice
against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great
persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure
boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my
circumstances in life such 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
was common among all the sects all united to persecute me.
It caused me serious reflection then, and often has
since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over
fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was 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 was, and it was often the cause of
great sorrow to myself. However, it was 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 was dishonest,
others said be was mad; and be was ridiculed and reviled. But all this
did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he
knew he bad, 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 the last breath, that he had both seen a
light, and beard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could
not make him think or believe otherwise. So it was 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 was
hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was
true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking
all manner of evil against me falsely for so
saying, I was 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.
I had now got my mind satisfied so far as the
sectarian world was concerned; that it was not my duty to join with
any of them, but to continue as I was until further directed. I had
found the testimony of James to be true, that a man who lacked wisdom
might ask of God, and obtain, and not be upbraided.
*Joseph Smith (1805-44), born in Sharon, Vermont,
received a visitation from the Father and the Son in the spring of
1820. He published the Book of Mormon, which he translated from golden
plates, in 1829, and founded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints on April 6, 1830. After a lifetime of dynamic leadership in
Kirtland, Ohio, in Independence, Missouri, and in Nauvoo, Illinois,
Joseph, sustained by his people as a prophet of God, was killed by a
mob while he was being held prisoner in Carthage, Illinois. His
writings are found chiefly in modern-day scriptures and in the
History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B.
H. Roberts, 7 vols., from which this famous account has been taken.
**That is, 1838, since the Church was organized April
6, 1830. The date at which the Prophet began the writing of this
History is also indicated on a subsequent page, where reference is
made to the final return of the plates to the angel, in whose charge
they remained "until this day, the second day of May, 1838."
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