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Book of Mormon plates


The following informative statement was made by President Brigham Young as part of a public address at Famington, Utah on June 17,1877.  It can be found in the Journal of Discourses, volume 19, page 38.

“I could relate many very singular circumstances.  I lived right in the country where the plates were found from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and I know a great many things pertaining to that country.  I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anything can be.  This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, but he did not take the liberty of telling such things in meetings as I take.  I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so.  I want to carry them to the ears of my brethren and sisters, and to the children also, that they may grow to an understanding of some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family.  Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates.  Joseph did not translate all the plates — there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.  When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the Hill Cumorah, which he did.  Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room.  He said he did not think at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light, but that it was just as light as day.  They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room.  Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than, probably, many wagon loads.  They were piled up in the corners and along the walls.  The first time he went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall, but when he went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates — it was unsheathed and on it was written these words:  ‘This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and His Christ.’  I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting, enjoying the day, and by and by we separate and go away, forgetting most of what is said, but remembering some things.  So it is with other circumstances in life.  I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it.  I take this liberty of referring to it to show things so that they will not be forgotten and lost.  Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we head, and he was a witness to these things also.  Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader.”


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