Читать книгу Essentials in Church History - Joseph Fielding Smith - Страница 112

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As Joseph Smith journeyed to the Hill Cumorah on that memorable first visit, he was beset by many conflicting emotions. His father’s family was poor and in financial distress. Creditors had been bearing down heavily upon them. The adversary of all righteousness took advantage of these conditions to sorely tempt the youth with all his power. The plates of the book were made of gold and were of great intrinsic value. Could they not be used to relieve the financial embarrassment of the family? Or was there not some thing else deposited with the plates that might be used for such purpose? Such were the thoughts Satan put into his heart as he approached the hill, and the admonition of the angel was temporarily forgotten.

He had no difficulty in locating the spot where the records were hidden.¹ It was the matter of but a moment to scrape away the grass and dirt and with a lever pry loose the stone which served as a covering to the box containing the sacred treasure. There before him, lying on two stones which were crosswise of the box, he beheld the record. With it were the Urim and Thummim, two transparent stones set in bows of silver and attached to the breastplate—all as the angel had described. He was enraptured. Putting forth his hand he attempted to remove the plates, but received a shock, which in a measure deprived him of his strength. After a moment’s hesitation he made a second attempt, but received a greater shock than at first. The cause of this was unknown to him, for he had supposed that physical strength and exertion were all that were necessary for him to obtain the record. The third time he stretched forth his hand to take the plates and again received a shock with considerable violence, which sapped his strength and made him powerless. In his great excitement and without meditation he exclaimed: “Why cannot I obtain the book?” “Because you have not kept the commandments of the Lord,” answered a voice near by him. Looking up he was astonished to behold the heavenly messenger of his former visits.