What's the biggest mistake you remember making?
What's the worst thing you remember doing, even if you had good intentions?
And how did you feel after it happened?
Well, that's how Joseph Smith felt when section three of the Doctrine
and Covenants was given to him.
Section three through five cover an episode in Church history
that we'll call The Lost Manuscript.
This happened when Joseph Smith lost the first manuscript of the Book of
Mormon, commonly known as the 116 pages.
Now, to understand this, we need to understand the timeline a little bit
of how the Book of Mormon was translated.
In September of 1827, Joseph Smith received the plates from the angel Moroni
and is able to take them home.
Because persecution is so intense in the area where Joseph Smith grew up,
Joseph instead decides to move to Harmony, Pennsylvania, near where
his wife, Emma Smith, grew up.
And there he begins the translation process.
During this time, Emma acted as his scribe, and so did a man
from Palmyra named Martin Harris.
From about January up to about June of 1828, Joseph Smith translated a record
which he'll later call the Book of Lehi.
When the Book of Lehi was translated, Martin Harris wanted to take
the manuscript back to Palmyra in order to show his wife that he wasn't
wasting his time and that he was doing what he was supposed to do.
There were earlier signs that Martin was careful or skeptical
about what Joseph Smith was doing.
For instance, he took a manuscript with certain characters transcribed on it
and visited three different scholars, trying to find out if they could
translate it and if they thought the characters were authentic.
One of the men, Charles Anthon, asked if he could see the record and
translate it, to which Martin replied, The record was given to them by an angel.
At that point, Charles Anthon ripped up a certificate that he had given
to Martin Harris and told them there was no such thing as angels.
Martin goes back to Joseph Smith at this point, convinced that he's the
only person that can translate the Book of Mormon, and that the Book of Mormon
has to be translated by the gift and power of God and not by academic means.
By June of 1828, they had produced a large manuscript which Martin wanted to
take home to show to his wife to prove to her that he wasn't wasting his time
down in Harmony with Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith was wary about this.
In fact, in one of his histories, he records that "after we had translated
116 pages, he desired to carry them to read to his friends that preadventure,
he might convince them of the truth."
He continues, "Three times, therefore, I inquired of the Lord,
and He said unto me that he must not take them, and I spoke unto him.
Martin, in the word of the Lord, said, Inquire again.
I inquired again, and the third time, the Lord said unto me, Let him go with them,
only he shall covenant with me that he will show them to only but four persons.
And he covenanted with the Lord that he would do according
to the word of the Lord.
Therefore, he took them and took his journey into Palmyra, Wayne County,
in the state of New York." Joseph then just records, he broke the covenant
which he made before the Lord, and the Lord suffered the writings
to fall into the hands of wicked men.
Now, why didn't Joseph go immediately when he didn't hear from Martin and
find out what happened to the manuscript?
Well, part of the answer can be found where Joseph Smith and Emma lived.
Right next door to where their cabin was is a small cemetery.
And in that cemetery can be found this headstone on the which reads,
in memory of an Infant Son of Joseph and Emma Smith, June 15th, 1829.
One of the reasons why Joseph allowed the manuscript to go into Martin's hands
was because they were going to take a break because Emma Smith was about
to give birth to their first child.
Unfortunately, this little boy, who was named Alvin after
Joseph's deceased brother, only lived a few hours and then passed away.
And not only did the baby die, but Emma Smith also almost dies, and
Joseph Smith has to stay by her side, nursing her back to health.
Finally, after two weeks, it was Emma that convinced Joseph Smith that he
needed to travel to Palmyra and find out what had happened to the manuscript.
When Joseph Smith arrives, he sends one of his brothers to find Martin Harris,
and Martin Harris tells them that they'll come to the Smith home the next day.
The next day, Martin comes, but he hesitates to enter into the house.
Then finally, when he does come in, he breaks down into tears and tells them
that the manuscript is gone and that he doesn't know what has happened to it.
Joseph Smith seeks and tries to find the manuscript, but it's gone.
When he goes back home and arrives back in Harmony, Pennsylvania, he has
a revelation given to him.
He later wrote, "Immediately after my return home
to Harmony, I was walking out a little distance when, behold,
a former heavenly messenger appeared and handed to me the Urim and Thummim,
for they had been taken from me in consequence of my having wearied
the Lord in asking the privilege of letting Martin Harris take the writings
which he lost by transgression.
I inquired of the Lord through them and obtained the following revelation."
This revelation told Joseph Smith that he had feared man more than God,
and that he had made a mistake and would be chastened and could be removed
from his place if he didn't repent.
But it also informed Joseph Smith that the Lord had prepared a way for him
to receive the material that he had lost, that Joseph was instructed not
to translate the lost manuscript again, but to translate a new record,
the small plates of Nephi.
Now, during this time period, after Joseph Smith had lost the record,
he was understandably devastated, and it appears that he was hesitant to
start translating again because he felt so bad over the mistake that he had made.
During this time, Joseph's father and his brother Samuel came to visit him
in Harmony, Pennsylvania.
Joseph's father sought a blessing from Joseph Smith, and the blessing becomes
section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Now, most of us are familiar with section 4, and it was given to Joseph Smith's
father, intended to encourage him, but the effect it seems to have had was
to encourage Joseph to pick up the pen and start translating again,
because it's shortly after this revelation is given that Joseph Smith starts to make
attempts to translate the manuscript again.
Shortly thereafter, Martin Harris comes down to Harmony and visits Joseph Smith
again because his wife had started to make threats that she was going to launch
a lawsuit against him and Joseph Smith.
In response to this, Joseph Smith receives the revelation now known as Section 5
of the Doctrine Covenants, which was intended to chasten
Martin Harris for what he had done, but also encourage him to support
the translation process and help them continue.
So when you've made a big mistake, who do you seek solace and help from?
Hopefully your friends come and talk to you.
Hopefully, your loved ones come over and put their arm around you
and say that you're doing okay.
And through their encouragement to you, sometimes you gain the strength
and the fortitude to pick the pieces up and continue moving on.
Joseph Smith not only picked up the pieces, in a few weeks,
he met Oliver Cowdery, who would become the scribe for most of the rest
of the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Joseph's family encouraged him to start translating again.
And then the revelation in section 5 that he gives to Martin encourages everybody
to pick up the pieces and move on.
And eventually, they complete the work and give us the scriptural record that we
have today, known as the Book of Mormon.
When we make mistakes, we do have to sometimes commiserate and feel bad and
suffer because of what we've done wrong.
But the Lord always wants us to keep moving forward, to pick up the pieces,
to continue on with the mission that he's given to us, and to accomplish the things
that he has in mind for us to accomplish.
Just like Joseph Smith, every single one of us can come to the Lord
after we've made a mistake and receive his direction, counsel, and guidance.
And once we've repented, step back onto the path and continue on
the journey that He's given to us.