In
a revelation received in early 1830, we read the following contingent
promise:
Behold I say unto you that I have covenanted & it Pleaseth me that Oliver Cowderey Joseph Knight Hyram Page & Josiah Stowel shall do my work in this thing yea even in securing the <Copy> right & they shall do it with an eye single to my Glory that it may be the means of bringing souls unto me Salvation through mine only Begotten Behold I am God I have spoken it & it is expedient in me Wherefor I say unto you that ye shall go to Kingston seeking me continually through mine only Begotten & if ye do this ye shall have my spirit to go with you & ye shall have an addition of all things which is expedient in me & I grant unto my servent a privelige that he may sell <a copyright> through you speaking after the manner of men for the four Provinces if the People harden not their hearts against the enticeings of my spirit & my word for Behold it lieth in themselves to their condemnation & or to their salvation
Hiram Page, one of the people named in
the revelation above, in his February 2, 1848, letter to William E. McLellin,
understood that this promise was contingent:
... when Joseph was first visited by
the angel and had the promise of the plates, it was told him no one should have
them to get gain and in concequence of not being satisfied with wisdom from on
high by the mouth of the angel he was deprived of the privilege of obtaining
those plates for years. here we find Joseph erred by his over anxious desire
for filthy lucre, again we find in conciquence of the same causfe] he lost the
116 pages of the first of his translating, he did not think of the Savors
admonition; take no thought what ye shall eat or drink, See Matt 6:25. This was
an error in him althofugh] it was a permit [was permitted] by revelation as
also that of going to Canada.5 here it may be necesary to look at the way and
manor in which revelation [s] are received, it was said to Oliver that he
should not seek for riches of this world but for wisdom (book of commandments
5—3) [D&C 6:6-7] the same was said to Hyram Smith [D&C 11:7]; it was
said to Joseph that in temporal labor thou shalt not have strength[,] for this
is not thy calling; (B.C. 25—14) [D&C 24:9] we see that he was not to medle
with temporal afairs except being steward over his own; for the church was to
provide for him for food, for rament for shoes, &c. his calling was not to
act in temporal labor; but we find a degression from this in the case of the
Canada affair
Joseph he[a]rd that there was a chance
to sell a copyright in Canada for any useful book that was used in the
Statesf.] Joseph thought this would be a good opertunity to get a handsomfe]
Sum of money which was to be (after the expencis were taken out) for the
exclusive benefit of the Smith family and was to be at the disposal of Joseph[.]
accordingly Oliver Cowdery[.] Joseph Knights, Hiram Page and Joseah Stoel
[Josiah Stowell] were chosen (as I understood by revilation) to do the
buisaness; we were living some 30 to 100 miles apart[.] the necesary
preporation was made (by them) in a Sly manor So as to keep martin Har[r]is
from drawing a Share of the money, it was told me we were to go by revilation
but when we assembled at father Smiths; there was no revilation for us to go
but we were all anctious to get a revilation to go; and when it came we were to
go to kingston where we were to Sell if they would not harden their hearts; but
when we got their; there was no purcheser neither were they authorized at kingston
to buy rights for the provence; but little york was the place where Such
buisaness had to be done; we were to get 8,000 dollars[.] we were treated with
the best of respects by all we met with in kingston—by the above we may See
learn how a revilation may be rece[i]ved and the one person receiving it
not be benefited. (Dan Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, 5 vols. [Salt Lake
City: Signature Books, 2003], 5:257-59)
The
view that this revelation was a "failure" (alt. false prophecy) comes
much later. William E. McCllelin, who, unlike Page, had no firsthand knowledge of the event, wrote to Joseph Smith III on July 1872. He wrote that:
Joseph had a revelation for Oliver and
friends to go to Canada to get a copy-right secured in that Dominion to the
Book of Mormon. It proved so false that he never would have it recorded,
printed or published. I have seen and read a copy of it, so that I know it
existed. So do all those connected with him at the time. (EMD 5:328)
This
would be repeated by J. L. Traughber in 1881:
Poor old Martin [Harris] intended to
pay [for the printing of the Book of Mormon] all the time, but as he would have
to sell his farm to do so, he wanted the best price he could get, so he held on
and would not sell just as soon as Joe wanted him to. Early in 1830, while
matters stood thus, Joe delivered a whooping big revelation directing
Oliver Cowdery3 and Hiram Page to go over into Kingston, Canada, and sell a
copyright under that Dominion, and thus get money to pay the printer and let
Martin go—be independent of him. The revelation promised them success, and all
that sort of stuff. Well, the boys went over on the ice and as they had not
money enough to bear their expenses, came back nearly starved, completely
wearied, with no money nor copyright sold either. (EMD 5:333-34)
David
Whitmer, near the end of his life, wrote the following about this event:
When the Book of Mormon was in the
hands of the printer, more money was needed to finish the printing of it. We
were waiting on Martin Harris who was doing his best to sell a part of his
farm, in order to raise the necessary funds. After a time Hyrum Smith and
others began to get impatient, thinking that Martin Harris was too slow and
under transgression for not selling his land at once, even if at a great
sacrifice. Brother Hyrum thought they should not wait any longer on Martin
Harris, and that the money should be raised in some other way. Brother Hyrum
was vexed with Brother Martin and thought they should get the money by some
means outside of him, and not let him have anything to do with the publication of
the Book, or receiving any of the profits thereof if any profits should accrue.
He was wrong in thus judging Bro. Martin, because he was doing all he could
toward selling his land. Brother Hyrum said it had been suggested to him that
some of the brethren might go to Toronto, Canada, and sell the copy-right of
the Book of Mormon for considerable money: and he persuaded Joseph to inquire
of the Lord about it. Joseph concluded to do so. He had not yet given up the
stone. Joseph looked into the hat in which he placed the stone, and received a
revelation that some of the brethren should go to Toronto, Canada, and that they
would sell the copy-right of the Book of Mormon. Hiram page and Oliver Cowdery
went to Toronto on this mission, but they failed entirely to sell the
copy-right, returning without any money. Joseph was at my father's house when
they returned. I was there also, and am an eye witness to these facts. Jacob
Whitmer and John Whitmer were also present when Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery returned
from Canada. Well, we were all in great trouble ; and we asked Joseph how it
was that he had received a revelation from the Lord for some brethren to go to
Toronto and sell the copyright, and the brethren had utterly failed in their
undertaking. Joseph did not know why it was, so he enquired of the Lord about
it, and behold the following revelation came through the stone: "Some
revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are
of the devil." So we see that the revelation to go to Toronto and sell
the copy-right was not of God, but was of the devil or of the heart of man.
When a man enquires of the Lord concerning a matter, if he is deceived by his
own carnal desires, and is in error, he will receive an answer according to his
erring heart, but it will not be a revelation from the Lord. This was a lesson
for our benefit and we should have profited by it in future more than we did.
Without much explanation you can see the error of Hyrum Smith in thinking evil
of Martin Harris without a cause, and desiring to leave him out in the
publication of the Book ; and also the error of Brother Joseph in listening to
the persuasions of men and enquiring of the Lord to see if they might not go to
Toronto to sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon, when it was made known to
Brother Joseph that the will of the Lord was to have Martin Harris raise the
money. (David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ [Richmond,
Miss.: David Whitmer, 1887], 30-31, italics in original)
While
later reports indicate this revelation was a false prophecy or even diabolical in
origin, Hiram Smith’s 1848 letter, only rediscovered in recent years, shows that
it was understood to have been a contingent promise. This is why B. H. Roberts
(who I am a fan of), basing his comments on Whitmer’s 1887 book, wrote the
following about this event (taken from vol. 1 of Comprehensive History of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints):
In the text of this chapter, attention is called to
the fact that our knowledge of the "Toronto Journey Incident" rests
chiefly upon the testimony of David Whitmer, and the possibility is suggested
of his misapprehending some detail of the matter, which might, if accurately
known, put the incident in an entirely new light. That, however, is but
conjecture; and while the possibility and even probability of misapprehension
by Whitmer is great, still the incident must be considered as it is presented
by him, since his testimony may not be set aside.
In that view of the case we have here an alleged
revelation received by the Prophet, through the "Seer Stone,"
directing or allowing men to go on a mission to Canada, which fails of its
purpose; namely, the sale of the copyright of the Book of Mormon in
Canada. Then in explanation of the failure of that revelation, the Prophet's
announcement that all revelations are not of God; some are of men and some even
from evil sources. The question presented by this state of facts is: May this
Toronto incident and the Prophet's explanation be accepted and faith still be
maintained in him as an inspired man, a Prophet of God? I answer unhesitatingly
in the affirmative. The revelation respecting the Toronto journey was not of
God, surely; else it would not have failed; but the Prophet, overwrought in his
deep anxiety for the progress of the work, saw reflected in the "Seer
Stone" his own thought, or that suggested to him by his brother Hyrum,
rather than the thought of God. Three things are to be taken into account in
all mental phenomenon, at least by theists, and especially by Christian theists.
One is the fact that the mind of man is an intelligent entity, capable of
thought, of originating ideas; conscious of self and of not self; capable of
deliberation and of judgment—in a word, man is a self-determining intelligence.
But while man is all this, and has power to will and to do things of himself,
still he is also susceptible to suggestion; to suggestions from his associates,
and all Christians believe, susceptible to suggestion and impressions from God
through the Holy Spirit: "There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of
the Almighty giveth them understanding." (Job 32:8); and to those who
believe in the Bible account of the fallen angels—"who
kept not their first estate" (Jude 6, 9; also II Peter 2:4); and
whose chieftain, satan, "deceiveth the whole world," (Rev. xii 7-10);
to those it is not incredible that these reprobate spirits also at times
should, by thought-power, make evil suggestions to the mind of man. These are
the principles recognized in the answer—"some revelations are of God; some
revelations are of men; and some revelations are of the devil"—of Joseph
Smith to his questioning disciples; and in this instance of the Toronto
journey, Joseph was evidently not directed by the inspiration of the Lord. Does
that circumstance vitiate his claim as a prophet? No; the fact remains that
despite this circumstance there exists a long list of events to be dealt with
which will establish the fact of divine inspiration operating upon the mind of
this man Joseph Smith. The wisdom frequently displayed, the knowledge revealed,
the predicted events and the fulfilment thereof, are explicable upon no other
theory than of divine inspiration giving guidance to him.
Then there must be taken into account the probable
purpose of God in permitting the Toronto misadventure, the lesson he would
teach through it. How important for the Prophet's disciples to know that not
every voice heard by the spirit of man is the voice of God; that not every
impression made upon the mind is an impression from a divine source. There are
other influences in this God's world than divine influences. There are
men-originated influences, and even satanic influences, as well as divine
influences. It was important that these disciples be made aware of these facts,
that they may not stumble in matters of grave concerns. How impressive the
object lesson in this Toronto journey incident! The matter of the journey
itself, and its object, were of small importance, but the lesson that came out
of the experience was of great moment. It concerned the Prophet as well as his
followers to learn that lesson. It is to the Prophet's credit that he submitted
the matter to God for the solution. It is doubly to his credit that he boldly
gave the answer received to his disciples, though it involved humiliation to
him. But one will say, what becomes of certainty even in matters of revelation
and divine inspiration if such views as these are to obtain? The answer is that
absolute certainty, except as to fundamental things, the great things that
concern man's salvation, may not be expected. Here, indeed, that is, in things
fundamental, we have the right to expect the solid rock, not shifting sands,
and God gives that certainty. But in matters that do not involve fundamentals,
in matters that involve only questions of administration and policy, the way in
which God's servants go about things; in all such matters we may expect more or
less of uncertainty, even errors; manifestations of unwisdom, growing out of
human limitations. Would absolute certainty be desirable? "Know ye not
that we walk by faith, not by sight," is Paul's statement. From which I
infer that this very uncertainty in the midst of which we walk by faith, is the
very means of our education. What mere automatons men would become if they
found truth machine-made, of cast-iron stiffness, and limited, that is to say,
finite, instead of being as we now find it, infinite and elusive, and
attainable only by the exertion of every power known to mind and heart of man,
with constant alertness to ward off deception and mistake!
One
final question that arises is why would Joseph Smith seek to secure a copyright
for the Book of Mormon in Canada? As we read in the article by Scripture
Central, “Why
Did Joseph Smith Attempt to Secure the Book of Mormon Copyright in Canada?:
The purpose for securing and selling a
copyright of the Book of Mormon in Canada—rather than the copyright (a subtle
but important legal distinction)—was to ensure that if the book were to be
republished outside the United States, Joseph Smith, as the legally designated
“author and proprietor,” would retain the legal intellectual property in the
book and receive appropriate monetary compensation from sales. “Because a
popular book [in the early nineteenth century] was usually reprinted in other
countries without authorization at any rate in absence of international
copyright laws,” selling a copyright to the Book of Mormon for the four
provinces of Canada would have “hastened the printing and distribution of the book
in that part of the British Empire.”
Further Reading:
Resources on Joseph Smith's Prophecies
