Testimony to the Book of Mormon

TESTIMONY TO THE BOOK OF MORMON.

We are in receipt of a letter from Elder Edward Stevenson, bearing date of January 11th. Elder Stevenson is traveling in Missouri, and relates his third visit to David Whitmer, still living at his old home in Richmond, Missouri.

This David Whitmer is one of the “Three Witnesses” whose testimony to the existence of the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated and the correctness of the translation, is contained on the fly-leaf of the Book of Mormon. He reports the health of this only one of the “Three Witnesses” now alive, as extremely good for a man who is eighty two years old. Brother Stevenson says that he still continues to bear a faithful testi­mony to the truth of the Book of Mormon. He bore that testimony first in his youth, and now when his limbs are tottering with age, and there are at best but a few feeble steps between him and his grave, he re affirms his first statement with all the ardor of conviction. The testimony of the “Three Witnesses” to the Book of Mormon, David Whitmer being one, and Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris being the others, carries with it a peculiar force in view of all the circumstances connected with their experiences in the Church. There are two theories in relation to the origin of the Book of Mor­mon: One is that it was the work of an eccentric clergyman who intended it for a religious novel, but died before it was published. By some means or other, which have never been explained, it is claimed that this manuscript fell into the hands of Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith, and that they con­nived with Cowdery, Whitmer and Harris to palm off this old religious novel upon the world as a revelation from heaven:—The other theory is that the Book of Mormon is an abridged history of the peoples which anciently inha­bited the continent of America, together with an account of Jesus after His resurrection appearing among them and teaching them the Gospel, and orga­nizing His Church in their midst. These historical events and the teachings of inspired men and of Jesus were engraven upon metallic plates in peculiar characters. In the fourth century a Nephite prophet by the name of Mormon, having in his possession a large number of these ancient records, made an abridgement from them, paying more particular heed to religious informa­tion and doctrines, and called it the Book of Mormon. This abridgement, written on plates having the appearance of gold, was entrusted to the care of his son Moroni who, in the early part of the fifth century after Christ, hid them up. These were the plates whose existence was revealed to Joseph, and which were finally given into his possession to translate by means of the Urim and Thummim into the English language.

The first of these theories, if falsehood is capable of refutation, has been more than doubly refuted. Indeed the old manuscript novel, written by Solomon Spaulding, the eccentric preacher, has lately come to light and is now published, and on comparing it with the Book of Mormon it will be found that there is not even the most distant similarity between them, either in incident, language, or spirit; nor can it be that the old manuscript would suggest even to an ingenious mind such a work as the Book of Mormon.

To support the idea that it is a revelation from God is the testimony of these three witnesses. They most solemnly affirm in that testimony that an angel of God appeared unto them, and while standing in their presence showed to them the plates and the characters engraven thereon, and that they heard the voice of God declare that the translation thereof was by the gift and power of God. Such is their testimony. Such is the testimony of David Whitmer to-day.

But these men, like many other good men who have lived before them, were overtaken in evil doing, they transgressed the laws of God, and their course of life was such that the Saints could not fellowship them, and they were promptly excommunicated from the Church for their wickedness. What an opportunity was then presented to them to expose the fraud they had assisted to perpetrate, if fraud it was! Yet filled with bitterness as they were on being expelled from the Church, they gave no intimation that their testimony respecting the Book of Mormon was false! On the contrary, they continued to testify that they did see the angel, and the plates with the engravings on them, and that they did hear the voice of God proclaiming that the translation was by the power and gift of God and therefore true. And throughout their lives—in adversity, as in prosperity; in evil report, as in good report; in ridicule, as when honored; out of the Church, as when in the Church; when men mocked, as when they believed;—these men clung to their first statement, viz., that the Book of Mormon is true, that the plates exist, that they had seen them, that they were translated by the power of God.

The two that are dead, after wandering through life as sheep that had strayed from the fold, and finding no rest, returned and again became con­nected with the Church. No influence that could be brought against them was ever sufficient to make them swerve from the statement they first made. David Whitmer who still lives, seems very likely to maintain his testimony until his death, though the influences brought to bear upon him, inclining him to renounce his testimony, were more insiduous and more difficult to resist than those which the others experienced. Fortune was more kind to him, and brought him wealth and prestige in society. For a number of years was the mayor of Richmond, and filled the position with ability and honor. This position brought him in contact with an element in society which would forever consider his connection with “Mormonism” as a chief witness of its divinity a humiliation, yet hard as it is to maintain a disagree­able position in the face of the protests of one’s friends, and against one’s material prosperity and advancement, no influence either open or covert can induce him to turn one hair’s breadth from what he first averred. The testi­mony of these men to the divine origin of the Book of Mormon is rendered stronger from the fact of their becoming disconnected from the Church, since it makes them disinterested witnesses.

Moreover, had Joseph Smith conspired with these men to deceive man­kind as to the origin of the Book of Mormon, and these three witnesses were suborned to make the statement they did as to the existence of the plates and the visitation of the angel, is it at all likely that he would break with them, expose their wickedness and raise his hand against them—would he dare do such a thing had he been in collusion with them to deceive the peo­ple? Would he not at any risk have covered up or excused the acts of these men however wicked they may have been? He would have said in his heart: “It matters not what they may have done, I dare not cast them out of the Church lest they become angry, and by the denial of their testimony to the truth of the Book of Mormon expose the deception we have practiced, and engulf me in ruin and disgrace!” That is what he would have said under those circumstances; and men who would be base enough to enter into a compact to deceive people in matters effecting their eternal salvation, would be vile enough to expose the fraud they had assisted to perpetrate so soon as it was no longer to their material interests to keep up the deception. Men who would enter into such a villainous compact as that which the enemies of “Mormonism” have conjured up as having been agreed upon by Joseph Smith and these witnesses, are not of the kind who would go through life forever encountering the opposition and ridicule of their fellow men in order to sustain as true what they knew to be false. However bold impostors may be in prosperity, or when they have some promise of success, their bravado soon wilts in the blighting breath of adversity. A fraud never inspires men with true heroism such as these three witnesses have manifested, and we repeat, that had these men been in collusion with Joseph Smith to palm off on the world a vile deception, when it was no longer to their interest to give it their support, they would have been base enough to have betrayed their associates; and recognizing that fact, Joseph Smith dared not have angered them by exposing their wickedness and casting them out of the Church. But Joseph Smith knew the work was of God as well as these witnesses knew it. He knew they saw the angel, for he was with them when he ap­peared. He knew that God could sustain His work even if those witnesses turned against it; and therefore when those men violated the laws of God without hesitation, he boldly proclaimed against their corruption, and when they repented not he had them expelled from the Church, and in a manner bid them do their worst. But those witnesses had received a testimony from God, they were not deceived, and they were responsible for their acts to God and they dared not deny what had been revealed, therefore they have remained true to their original testimony.