[Teachldsseminary] Better format I hope for Three Witnesses Skit

[Irene Bortolussi]

FINALLY THE BURDEN IS LIFTED:  WE HAVE OTHER WITNESSES! (D&C 17)


Narrator 1:  When Oliver Cowdery came down to Harmony, Pennsylvania
with Samuel Smith to look into this Joseph Smith, they stopped one
night at the home of his friend David Whitmer – another school
teacher.  David Whitmer asked Oliver,

David Whitmer:  Hey, if this man Joseph Smith is telling the truth and
really is translating an ancient record, write me and tell me about
him.

 Narrator 1:  When Joseph met Oliver, Joseph knew Oliver was the
scribe the Lord had promised him.  Also Oliver had a spiritual
awakening upon meeting Joseph.  With in days, Oliver was permitted to
help in translating.  Oliver wrote back to his friend David Whitmer
assuring him that Joseph Smith was in deed the real thing – a man
called of God, doing God's work by translating a new book of
scripture.  Immediately the Whitmer family members were all interested
in helping this young man who had a divine mission.  Persecution was
mounting in Harmony.  The Whitmer's offered to let Joseph Smith and
Oliver to come stay at their home in Fayette New York.  However the
father only had two good horses and had to finish his spring plowing.
He thought it would take two or three days!

Peter Whitmer Sr.:  Oh what a rough day today was, but a miracle
happened -- I was able to plow in one day, what would normally take me
three days to do.  So now David can sow plaster in the field to enrich
the soil starting tomorrow.  That will probably take two days.

David Whitmer:  Well I'd better get the plastering done this morning
before I can take the horses down to get Joseph Smith.    ( Walks out
to his fields and with great surprise exclaims!)  What's this?  The
field's already been plastered. Maybe my sister knows something about
this. (Seeing his sister, he walks over to her?)  Who did this
plastering of our fields?


Sister Whitmer:  Last night there were three men working here at dusk
doing the work.  I just assumed they were three hired men that you had
contracted with to do the work.  Who were they?


David Whitmer:  Gosh!  I never hired anyone!  This is a miracle.  I
can go today in our wagon and get Joseph Smith to come here away from
the angry neighbors down in Pennsylvania.  This is unbelievable!  The
Lord really must want him out of Pennsylvania and here where it's
safer!

Narrator 1: The prophet Joseph Smith recorded in his journal:

Joseph Smith:  David Whitmer came to the place where we were residing
and brought with him a two-horse wagon, for the purpose of having us
accompany him to his father's place, and there remain until we should
finish the work.  It was arranged that we should have our board free
of charge, and the assistance of one of his brothers to write for me,
and also his own assistance, when convenient.  Having much need of
such timely aid in an undertaking so arduous…we accepted the
invitation and accompanied Mr. Whitmer to his father's house.  We
resided there until the translation was finished and the copyright
secured.

Narrator 2:  Several hundred pages were translated at the Peter
Whitmer home.  Here David and John Whitmer assisted much in writing
down the translations.  The work moved quickly.  Joseph wrote:

Joseph:  David, John and Peter Whitmer, Jun. have become zealous
friends and assistants in the work; and being anxious to know their
respective duties, and having desired with much earnestness that I
should inquire of the Lord concerning them, I did so inquire of the
Lord through the Urim and Thummin and obtained the following
revelations:  D&C 14 for David Whitmer;    D&C 15 for John Whitmer;
D&C 16 for Peter Whitmer, Jr.

Entire class:  Quick discussion/reading of D&C 14-16.

Narrator 2: Joseph Smith had been told by the Lord that three
witnesses would come forth.  Martin Harris was promised that he would
be one, if he humbled himself before the Lord.   Finally in Section
D&C 17 the Lord revealed who the three witnesses should be:  Martin
Harris, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer.  Joseph Smith describes
their divine mission as following:

Joseph Smith:  Not many days after the above commandment was given, we
four, Martin Harris, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and myself agreed
to retire into the woods and try to obtain, by fervent and humble
prayer, the fulfillment of the promises given in revelation D&C 17
that they should have a view of the plates.  We accordingly made
choice of a piece of woods convenient to Mr. Whitmer's house, to which
we retired, and having knelt down, we began to pray in much faith to
Almighty God to bestow upon us a realization of these promises…I
commenced by vocal prayer to our Heavenly Father and was followed by
each of the others in succession.  We did not at the first trial,
however, obtain any answer or manifestation of divine favor in our
behalf.

Narrator 2:  So the men moved to a different spot in the woods and
again each took a turn in praying to God, but without any result.
After the second attempt:  Martin Harris stood up and stated: Martin
Harris:  Oh, I think I am the cause of our unanswered prayers.  I will
leave you all for a little while.

Narrator 2:  So Martin Harris withdrew from the others and then the
three prayed again.  Joseph wrote:

Joseph Smith: We knelt down again, and had not been many minutes
engaged in prayer, when presently we beheld a light above us in the
air, of exceeding brightness; and behold, an angel stood before us.
In his hands he held the plates which we had been praying for these to
have a view of.  The angle turned over the leaves one by one, so that
we could see them, and discern the engravings thereon distinctly. The
angel then said to David Whitmer:

Angel Moroni: "David, blessed is the Lord, and he that keeps His
commandments!

David & Oliver: (Talking together)  Then immediately afterwards, we
heard a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying.  "These
plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been
translated by the power of God.  The translation of them which you
have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now
see and hear.!"

Narrator 2:  Then Joseph Smith left David Whitmer & Oliver Cowdery and
went and found Martin Harris who had withdrawn himself.

Joseph Smith:  I found him at a considerable distance from us engaged
fervently in prayer.

Martin Harris: (Kneeling) (Looks up finding Joseph Smith with him). Oh
Joseph please join me in prayer that I might see the plates.

Joseph Smith: We accordingly joined together in prayer, and ultimately
obtained our desires, for before we had yet finished, the same vision
was opened to our view..and I once more beheld and heard the same
things, whilst at the same moment, Martin Harris cried out, apparently
in an ecstasy of joy:

Martin Harris:   Tis enough!  Tis enough!; mine eyes have beheld, mine
eyes have beheld; (Then he jumps up and shouts)  Hosanna, blessed be
God!

Narrator 2:  He definitely rejoiced exceedingly.  Joseph Smith later
recounted this entire story in JSH 1: 34 – 35.

Narrator 3:  Well, Joseph Smith was now so relieved that others had
witnessed what burden he'd been declaring for years.  Joseph Smith's
mother Lucy records in her journal his relief! Lucy Mack Smith: When
Joseph returned to our home sometime between three and four o'clock
p.m. where Mrs. Whitmer, Mr. Smith and myself were sitting in a
bedroom, Joseph came in and threw himself down beside me and
exclaimed:

Joseph Smith:  (Throwing himself into a chair) Father, mother, you do
not know how happy I am;  the Lord has now caused the plates to be
shown to three more besides myself.  They have seen an angel, who has
testified to them what I have said, for now they know for themselves,
that I do not go about to deceive the people, and I feel as if I was
relieved of a burden which was almost too heavy for me to bear, and it
rejoices my soul, that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the
world!"

Narrator 3:  It truly was a burden lifted for the young prophet.  The
testimony of the Three Witnesses is given in the preface to the Book
of Mormon.  Later the testimony of the eight was added.  Yet the three
witnesses who saw and heard an angel -- Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer,
and Martin Harris never faltered in bearing testimony of the
truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  Now they did falter in other
areas of the Church,  David Whitmer left the Church and never came
back.  Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris both left the Church but were
eventually rebaptized and died in full fellowship.  However even when
they were out of the church, all three continued to bear solemn
witness of the reality of their experience on that day.

Narrator 4:  Let's drop in and witness all three as they faced death
to enter heaven's door:  In the year 1878 Francis W. Kirkham recounted
Oliver Cowdery's death bed scene to Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith
saying "Oliver died the happiest man I ever saw.  After shaking hands
with all his family, kissing his wife and daughter, he rose up and
said:

Oliver Cowdery:  (Laying in bed, sits up) Now I lay me down for the
last time; I am going to my Savior"  (lays down with a big smile on
his face/eyes closed forever)

Narrator 4:  He died immediately with a smile on his face.   Now let's
look in on David Whitmer who never did rejoin the church.  It was on a
Sunday evening at 5:30 pm on January 22, 1888 and Mr. Whitmer called
his family and some friends to his bedside and addressing himself to
the attending physician said:

David Whitmer: Doctor Buchanan, I want you to say whether or not I am
in my right mind, before I give my dying testimony.

Narrator 4:  The doctor answered that "Yes, you are in your right
mind, for I have just had a conversation with you."  Then David
Whitmer spoke to all around his bedside in these words: David Whitmer:
 Now you must all be faithful in Christ.  I want to say to you all,
the Bible and the record of the Nephites (Book of Mormon) is true, so
you can say that you have heard me bear my testimony on my death-bed.
All be faithful in Christ, and your reward will be according to your
works.  God bless you all.  My trust is in Christ forever, world
without end, Amen.

Narrator 4:  Then he just peacefully died.  Our last witness Martin
Harris' death was recorded by Elder William Harrison Homer who wrote:
It was July 10, 1875 in the evening.  It was milking time, and Martin
Harris, Jr. had been unconscious for a number of days.  My mother
Eliza Williamson Homer and myself entered the room thinking Martin was
sleeping.  He soon woke up and asked for a drink of water.  I put my
arm under the old gentleman and raised him and my mother held the
glass to his lips.  He drank freely, then he looked up at me and
recognized me, as he had taken and shown me around Kirtland. Then
Martin said:

Martin Harris:  Yes, I did see the plates on which I did hear the
voice of God; and I do know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God,
holding the keys of the Holy Priesthood.

Narrator 4:  Elder Homer then added: This was the end.  Martin Harris,
divinely  chosen witness of the work of God relaxed, gave up my hand.
He lay back on his pillow and just as the sun went down behind the
Clarkston Mountains, the soul of Martin Harris passed on.
What great men these three witnesses were:  They lifted the spiritual
burden of testifying for Joseph Smith and bore testimony of the truth
on their death beds.  We too can gain a testimony:  As it says over
and over in the Doctrine & Covenants, "Therefore, if you will ask of
me you shall receive;  if you will knock it shall be opened unto
you…keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal
life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." (D&C 14:5,
7)  Inquire of the Lord as Mornoi speaks to you when reading the Book
of Mormon:

Angel Moroni: "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort
you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ,
if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere
heart, with real intent having faith in Christ, he will manifest the
truth of it unto you by the Power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power
of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."  (Moroni
10:4-5)