ATTENTION BOOK OF MORMON BELIEVERS!
Do you realize that William Smith (the prophet Joseph Smith’s younger brother) revealed that Joseph Smith, Sen., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith only SAW THE BOCK OF MORMON PLATES WHEN THEY WERE COVERED BY A CLOTH. In an interview, published Jan 13,1894, E.C. Briggs “asked Bro. Smith if he ever saw the plates his brother had had, FROM WHICH THE BOOK OF MORMON WAS TRANSLATED. He replied ‘I DID NOT SEE THEM UNCOVERED, but I, handled them and hefted them while wrapped in a tow frock and judged them to have weighed about sixty pounds. I could tell they were plates of some kind and that they ware fastened together by rings running through the back. Their size was as described in mother’s history.’ Bro. Briggs then asked, ‘Did any others of the family see them?’ ‘YES,’ said he, ‘FATHER AND MY BROTHER SAMUEL SAW THEM AS I DID WHILE IN THE FROCK. SO DID HYRUM AND OTHERS 0F THE FAMILY’…Didn’t you want to remove the cloth and see the bare plates?’ said Bro. B. ‘No’ he replied; ‘for father had just asked if he might not be permitted to do so, and Joseph, putting his hand on them said; ‘No I am instructed not to show them to any one. If I do, I will transgress and lose them again.’ Besides we did not care to have him break the commandment and suffer as he did before.” (Zion’s Ensign, Page 6, January 13, 1894.)
This explains why Martin Harris is reported as telling a public meeting that “he NEVER SAW THE PLATES WITH HIS NATURAL EYES ONLY IN VISION OR IMAGINATION, NEITHER OLIVER NOR DAVID AND ALSO THAT THE EIGHT WITNESSES NEVER SAW THEM AND HESITATED TO SIGN THAT INSTRUMENT FOR THAT REASON, BUT WERE PERSUADED TO DO IT…” (From the Joseph Smith Collection of diaries, letter books, correspondences, etc., dating from 1827 to 1844 in the L. D, S. Church Archives, Salt Lake City. Letter book April 20, 1837-Feb.9, 1844, Pages 64-66.)
Joseph Smith Sen., Hyrum Smith and Samuel H. Smith were three of the eight witnesses to the Book of Mormon. William tells us THEY NEVER SAW THE PLATES UNCOVERED. Is this why the testimony of the eight witnesses contains such words as “HANDLE WITH OUR HANDS,” and “HEFTED”? Also what were the things they objected to in the statement? Was it the impression left by the words “saw the engravings therein” when they DID HOT SEE THEM UNCOVERED?
May God help us all to see the truth that is in Jesus Christ who is the revelation of God’s love to man. May the beauty of the Bible also become precious to each of us. May we be enabled to separate the delusions of the false religious from the truth of the Bible.