Pillar of Light

by Gerald N. Lund

  “That’s what we’re trying to understand,” Nathan said. “Tell us what we should do with our money.”

  But before Sidney could answer, the baby began to fuss. They waited for a moment, but the soft cries increased, then turned into an angry wail. Lydia smiled and got up and took him out of his bed. He stopped crying almost instantly, which brought a laugh from each of the men.

  “Just ten days old, and already he knows his mother,” Nathan said, with evident pride.

  “Joseph said you will bless him during the conference this week.”

  “Yes. I think we’ll wait until the last day. The Sabbath seems to be an appropriate day for such a thing.”

  Sidney nodded. “It will be good for the Saints to see a child blessed. Many have not witnessed that before. What shall you call him?”

  Lydia looked at Nathan as she answered. “Nathan’s mother says he’s the spittin’ image of Nathan as a baby, so I think we’ll have two Nathans in the family now.”

  Nathan smiled. “Yes, I think we’ll call him Nathan Benjamin.”

  “Wonderful,” Parley said.

  “So,” Nathan said, eager to pursue the main question that was troubling him, “what do we do if we want to accept this law God has revealed to us?”

  “First you meet with Edward—Bishop Partridge. He’s been called to act as the Church’s agent in these matters. Together you and he will determine what stewardship you ought to have. This is done based on your wants, your needs, and your circumstances.”

  “Stewardship?”

  “Yes. This will be how you make your living. A farm, a store, whatever you and he agree on together.”

  “We just assumed we would continue to farm.”

  “That’s fine. Most do. But the law is designed to accommodate all needs and wants—farmer, merchant, blacksmith. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you two and Bishop Partridge decide together on what your stewardship shall be.”

  “All right. Let’s say we decide Lydia and I shall be farmers.”

  “Fine. The first thing you do is give your property to the Church—or, in other words, you consecrate it to the Lord.”

  “So we give him the five hundred dollars?” Lydia asked. Little Nathan had promptly fallen asleep again in her arms, and she was as intent on the conversation as was Nathan.

  “Yes. This is done with a legal document. If it were property, you would do it by legal deed. In your case you would convey the five hundred dollars to the Church. At that point, for all intents and purposes, it is no longer yours.”

  Lydia spoke with quiet solemnity. “But in the eyes of the Lord it never was ours.”

  “Exactly right,” Sidney agreed, pleased. “So you give Bishop Partridge your cash. Let’s say that you and he have decided that you need about thirty acres of land to farm. If your family were larger, it could be much more than that. But let’s say thirty, as an example. At that point he then gives you thirty acres, again by legal deed.”

  “But,” Nathan cried, “that’s where I get confused. Where is he going to get thirty acres of land to just give away?”

  “This is the genius of the plan,” Parley said. “It comes from what is called surplus property.”

  “Surplus?”

  “Yes. Let’s keep on with the example Brother Sidney has used. One way the bishop could give you the land is to take the very money you have given him and purchase it.”

  “But then he wouldn’t have any surplus. It comes out an even trade.”

  “Unless,” Lydia said slowly, beginning to see where Parley was leading, “unless it didn’t take the full five hundred dollars.”

  “Exactly!” Parley cried, eager now for them to see it. “Good farmland in Kirtland is selling for about five dollars an acre. Thirty acres will take a hundred and fifty of the money you have given. Then let’s say it takes another hundred and fifty to build you a cabin, get you a horse or two, some tools.”

  “There’s still two hundred dollars left,” Nathan finished for him.

  “Which,” Sidney said, emphasizing his point with a sweep of his hand, “can then be used to buy someone else his stewardship.”

  “That’s what Father Morley’s done, isn’t it?” Lydia said.

  “Yes. He had more acres than he needed—surplus—and has given them to other Saints who are in need.”

  “So the poor are truly blessed,” Lydia said softly. She felt a little thrill to think that they could be part of such a noble endeavor.

  “But”—Nathan’s mind was working quickly—“if you have more poor than people with surplus, don’t you have a problem?”

  “Yes,” Parley agreed. “But there is another source of help for the poor. This is also called surplus.” His eyes twinkled a little. “Let’s keep going with this farm we’ve already given you. You and Lydia are hard workers, good farmers. You plant wheat, corn, maybe some barley. Come next fall you have a good harvest. Let’s suppose you sell your crops for five hundred dollars.”

  “That would be nice!” Lydia exclaimed.

  Sidney laughed. “Parley is always the eternal optimist.”

  Parley accepted the banter in good form. “I like to keep the arithmetic simple,” he grinned. “So, you make five hundred dollars. But let’s say that you and Lydia and little Nathan only need two hundred dollars of that to live that year. What do you do with the rest?”

  “We give it to the Church as surplus,” Lydia exclaimed.

  “That’s right.” Sidney sat back, pleased with their afternoon’s work. “And you do this because you believe that you are only a steward of the Lord’s property. It is the Lord’s way, Nathan and Lydia, I tell you. The poor are blessed, not by taking from the rich against their will, but by the rich humbling themselves and giving of their surplus through love.”

  “You are right,” Lydia said, deeply impressed. “It is brilliant. And so simple.” She looked at Nathan, who was suddenly smiling mischievously. “What?” she asked.

  “I like this plan. We’ve not even met with Bishop Partridge yet, and already we have a thirty-acre farm and have made five hundred dollars profit in the first year.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  When the four missionaries to the Lamanites left Kirtland about three weeks after they had first arrived, they left nearly a hundred and thirty new members of the Church in Ohio, with more coming in all the time. One of the most important factors in this remarkable growth was the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit found in the new Church. The Bible clearly taught that those gifts had been present in the New Testament Church, and there was great resurgence of interest in returning to Christianity as it was found in the New Testament.

  The Church of Jesus Christ restored to the earth through the ministry of Joseph Smith was a church filled with revelation, both general and personal. By the spring of 1831, Joseph had already received and recorded about fifty revelations which counseled individuals on spiritual matters, gave the Prophet direction on how to run the infant Church, or otherwise showed those things which were pleasing or displeasing to the Lord.

  Nor was revelation confined to the Prophet Joseph. Again and again, the Holy Ghost was operative in the lives of the new Saints. Samuel Smith, one of the Prophet’s younger brothers, came to Harmony shortly after the appearance of John the Baptist to Joseph and Oliver. He was very skeptical about the things Joseph and Oliver told him, but agreed to retire to the woods and make it a matter of earnest prayer. A short time later he returned, convinced of the truthfulness of their report, and was baptized by Oliver. He returned to his parents, as Joseph later reported, “greatly glorifying and praising God, being filled with the Holy Spirit.”

  The day the Church was organized was, in Joseph’s words, “a happy time spent in witnessing and feeling for ourselves the powers and blessings of the Holy Ghost.”

  In Colesville, during the month of April 1830, Newel Knight became possessed of an evil, dark influence. He suffered in both mind and limb as his face was distorted a
nd his body began to twist and contort in a most terrible manner. Finally he was caught up off the floor and tossed about most fearfully. Neighbors and relatives gathered to witness the frightful scene. The Prophet Joseph arrived and, upon seeing Newel, immediately took his hand and in the name of Jesus Christ commanded the evil spirit to leave him. Instantly, Newel was freed. He testified that he saw the devil leave him and vanish from sight. The Spirit of the Lord then rested upon Newel and the visions of eternity were opened to his view.

  During the first conference of the Church, held in June of 1830, much instruction and exhortation was given, and the Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon those present without measure. Many prophesied, while others had the heavens opened to them. Some testified that they were filled with unspeakable love and peace.

  In June of 1830, under the direction of the Lord, Joseph began work on a “translation” of the Bible. This was not an attempt to translate from ancient languages, but an inspired translation by the Spirit. Passages which had been changed down through the centuries were corrected, lost passages were restored. Several jewels of scripture—writings of Moses, including the Prophecy of Enoch—were the direct result.

  And so it continued, revelation following revelation. The sick were healed, the troubled were comforted, the hearts of men were changed. Prayers were uttered and prayers were answered. Walls of ice were split and walls of unbelief tumbled. Inspiration, prophecy, new scripture, miracles, love, peace, testimony—they were poured out upon the Saints in abundance, and like two of the disciples of old, hundreds were led to exclaim, “Did not our hearts burn within us?”

  But the adversary also knew of this power and influence and sought to deceive and confuse and mislead. Shortly after the turn of the century, as the great religious revival swept across America and camp meetings sprouted like weeds in a fertilized garden, so-called “manifestations of the Spirit” became commonplace. Men would scratch themselves and howl like baboons. Women would swoon. Some would jump up on tables, arms and legs twisting grotesquely, faces hideously distorted. For a time, the meetings and “manifestations” became so common that one part of New York became known as the “Burned-Over District,” so named from the notion that so many people were “on fire” with the Spirit.

  Shortly after they were first married, Mary Ann had prevailed upon Benjamin to attend a camp meeting with her. She could remember it with sharp clarity. It was one of the things which had completely soured Benjamin on organized religion. The meeting was held in a large meadow, near the center of which grew a large oak tree. Warning of the dangers of evil spirits, the preacher called on all present to help “tree the devil.” The men formed a large circle around the perimeter of the field. Then, dropping to their hands and knees, they began to move slowly toward the tree, throwing their heads back and howling like wolves or barking like dogs. This, said the preacher, would drive any evil spirits into the tree, where they could no longer interfere with the functioning of the Spirit.

  Not surprisingly, along with the true manifestations of the Spirit being shown in the Church, there also came some that were not so true. False spirits and strange notions began to creep in. Hiram Page and his “revelations” from the stone were only the beginning. Many of the new converts came from denominations in which bizarre and disturbing behavior was part of their worship experience, and they brought these notions with them into the Church of Christ. This was especially true in Kirtland where the influx of new members was so dramatic. And with the departure of the missionaries to the Lamanites, no experienced leadership was left to correct these false notions until Joseph sent John Whitmer to Kirtland in mid-January 1831, then arrived himself in early February.

  One man would hit his head against a steel bar so hard that it would knock him unconscious and he would then have “visions.” Young people would imitate Indians, dancing around madly; some would run out into the fields, climb up on stumps, and preach to unseen congregations. Another man called Black Pete claimed to be receiving letters from heaven. One day he saw a ball dancing above him in the air. He chased after it, trying to catch it, until it led him off a sharp cliff. Had it not been for a tree that broke his fall, he would not have lived to share his “visionary experience.”

  Such phenomena were not commonplace, however. They involved only a small minority. Most of the members were astonished and saddened and looked upon such goings on with great suspicion. But even though the members who participated in the bizarre behavior were small in number, they created considerable havoc. When Joseph arrived he immediately set about to stop these excesses, which were, he declared, “calculated to bring disgrace upon the church of God, to cause the Spirit of God to be withdrawn, and to uproot and destroy those glorious principles which had been developed for the salvation of the human family.”

  It didn’t take long after his arrival in Kirtland for Benjamin to start hearing about these aberrations, and Mary Ann had a real challenge on her hands in trying to answer his questions. It brought many of his feelings about church and religion back to the surface, and for a time he became sharply critical of Mary Ann’s new faith.

  Fortunately, just before Ben had arrived, the Lord had given a revelation to the Saints designed to put down the false spirits and crazy notions that were cropping up. “Behold verily I say unto you,” the Lord had said, “that there are many spirits which are false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world: and also satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you. Behold I the Lord have looked upon you, and have seen abominations in the church, which profess my name.”

  That had pleased Benjamin, to know that Joseph was not encouraging these things, that the Lord called them abominations. More important, the Lord had given the key whereby the Saints could distinguish between what was true and what was not. “Why is it that ye can not understand and know that he that receiveth the word by the spirit of truth, receiveth it as it is preached by the spirit of truth? Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understandeth one another, and both are edified and rejoice together; and that which doth not edify, is not of God, and is darkness.” That too had seemed to placate Benjamin’s concerns.

  Though his questions had subsided in the last few days, Mary Ann was still not too disappointed that Benjamin had declined her invitation to attend the fourth general conference of the Church that convened on Friday, June third, at the schoolhouse near the Morley farm. She so wanted him to feel the Spirit’s manifestations for himself, but as it turned out, the conference opened with the same contrast being exhibited—the true and the false, the good and the evil—and she was not sure Benjamin was ready yet to deal with the differences.

  Almost from the moment of the opening prayer, a false spirit began to manifest itself. As Joseph stood to speak, a horrid shriek rent the air. A man by the name of Harvey Green was thrown on the ground and went into convulsions. Harvey Whitlock and John Murdock were seized and bound so that they could not utter a word. Leman Copley, who had donated a significant portion of his farm near Thompson, Ohio, for the settlement of the Colesville Branch, was sitting in an open window near the back of the schoolhouse. He was hurled violently backward, turning a complete somersault and landing on a bench.

  It was a frightening thing, and Mary Ann had felt cold chills course through her body as the power of evil was unleashed. But Joseph had immediately stepped forward and rebuked the evil influence. He laid his hands on Harvey Green, and instantly the evil spirit left the afflicted man. He then told the assembled group that this was a fulfillment of the passage in Paul’s Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, that the man of sin—Satan—would be revealed. He explained that Satan had been cast out and they could now proceed under the direction of the Spirit.

  And so it proved to be. What followed was remarkable, as spiritual edification took the place of the earlier disturbing influences. The Spirit of the Lord fell upon Joseph in a most unusual manner, and he prophesied that John the Revelator was then
working among the ten tribes scattered by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, seven centuries before Christ’s birth.

  Joseph also said it was time for some of the elders to receive the office of high priest, making them the first to be so ordained since the gospel had been taken from the earth. When Lyman Wight, a rough man but one of great dedication, was called forward, as part of the ordination Joseph promised him that he would see the heavens opened.

  The moment the ordination was completed, Lyman stood on his feet and began to prophesy. He predicted that the Savior’s coming would be like the sun rising in the east and would cover the whole world. The Lord would appear in his brightness and consume the wicked before him. Brother Wight’s face had changed at that point and become infused with sorrow. “And some of the brethren,” he said, “shall suffer martyrdom for the sake of their religion, and will seal their testimony with their blood.”

  Then a tremendous thing happened. It seemed that Lyman’s whole countenance was transformed into a brilliant, transparent white. Mary Ann had stared at him in wonder as he clapped his hands with joy. “I see the heavens opened,” he cried. “I see the Savior standing on the right hand of God.”

  That had been the first day of the conference, and Mary Ann would ever consider herself blessed to have been there to witness it. On the rest of that day and on the following, much important business had been transacted. Other high priests were ordained. Additional men were given the priesthood. Some previously baptized were confirmed. Father Morley and a man named John Corrill were called to serve as counselors to Bishop Partridge and help with the work of assigning and managing those things associated with the law of consecration.

  But that was all done now. Today was the Sabbath, and the last day of the conference was to be primarily a worship service. Mary Ann looked around and noticed that Martin Harris was in attendance. He and his Palmyra-Manchester group had recently arrived in Kirtland. She turned and looked at Nathan and Lydia, Nathan with his tiny son in his arms. Joseph was giving him some last-minute instructions on how to bless and name his son. That would be something else that would take place on this day.