When a report circulated in the New York communities of Palmyra, Manchester and Fayette that Joseph Smith had received gold plates with ancient inscriptions, some people told him he should publicly display the plates asO evidence he really did have them.

Such a display, however, was not consistent with the will of the Lord, who see it except the person to whom it was delivered, and to three witnesses as well as a few others. (2 Ne. 27:12-14.)In the 1947 Melchizedek Priesthood course of study, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith of the Council of the Twelve wrote: "The Lord has always sent His accredited witnesses to testify of His truth, and has declared that all who reject these witnesses shall be under condemnation."

In lesson No. 9 of the same course of study, Elder Smith wrote: "Joseph Smith in his youth when he was translating the Book of Mormon surely was not acquainted with the law of God in relation to witnesses. The law had been established in the beginning, and was reiterated by Moses to Israel, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses should all things be established. When the Jews accused Christ of standing alone with no one to testify with Him, He . . . called attention to their law and said He did not stand alone but He and His Father fulfilled the law as witnesses of His mission (John 8:14-18). . . .

"In preparing witnesses for the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Church with its keys of power, the Lord provided for the necessary witnesses, according to His divine purposes to fulfill the law and to place that testimony before the people of the world with binding force."

In History of the Church, Vol. 1, the Prophet recorded that in late June 1829 he went to a grove of trees at Fayette with those who would become known as the Three Witnesses: Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris. Twice they prayed the Prophet's companions might see the plates, but they did not obtain any answer or "manifestation of divine favor."

Upon the second failure, Martin Harris withdrew from the others, believing his presence was the cause of their failure. After Martin Harris left, the others knelt and prayed again.

They then, according to the Prophet, "beheld a light above us in the air . . . 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. He turned over the leaves one by one, so that we could see them, and discern the engravings thereon distinctly. . . . "

After this visitation was completed, Joseph sought and found Martin Harris praying fervently. After the Prophet joined him in prayer, Martin Harris also saw the angel and the ancient record.

`I am not any longer alone'

Joseph Smith may have felt a great weight was lifted from his shoulders when others could testify they had seen the ancient Nephite record and verify the heavens had been opened.

After the Three Witnesses had seen the plates, they went with Joseph to the Whitmer home at Fayette, N.Y. The Prophet's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, recorded the following:

"When they Joseph and the Three WitnessesT returned to the house it was between three and four o'clock, p.m. Mrs. Whitmer, Mr. Smith Joseph Smith Sr.T and myself, were sitting in a bedroom at the time. On coming in, Joseph threw himself down beside me, and exclaimed: `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 and they will have to bear witness to the truth of 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."

Eight saw, handled plates

Soon after the plates had been shown to the Three Witnesses, Joseph Smith went to his family's home in Manchester, N.Y. With him were four Whitmer brothers - Christian, Jacob, Peter and John - and their brother-in-law, Hyrum Page.

The Prophet invited his father, Joseph Smith Sr., and his brothers, Hyrum and Samuel Smith, to go with them to the woods near the Smith home. In Joseph Smith and the Restoration - A History of the LDS Church to 1846, Ivan J. Barrett wrote:

" . . . Free from the prying eyes of intruders, Joseph took the plates from the cloth container and laid them before the eyes of the eight men. There was no blaze of celestial light to illumine the forest about them, no angel awed them with his presence, and no divine voice from the heavens pierced them to the marrow. One mortal man placed into the hands of eight other mortal men a heavy gold book of great antiquity and said, in effect, `Gentlemen, here are the plates of the Nephite history . . . from which I translated by the power of God the Book of Mormon into English.' "

Each of the eight men handled the plates and examined the ancient engravings.