If you have read any of my previous columns, you know that I love a good treasure hunt. Well, this past Sunday, as I read through the journal of an early Mormon convert named Henry W. Bigler, I came across an entry that caught my attention–details of an unpublished sermon that was given by the prophet Joseph Smith in Far West. Needless to say, I was intrigued.
Henry W. Bigler had a very colorful way of writing and I am a very visual reader. After I read the passage several times, I closed my eyes and this is what I saw:
It was a crisp, clear Sunday morning in 1838. The Saints had gathered together to hear the words of Brother Joseph. Most had taken a seat on the wooden pews, but several remained standing in the unfinished frame building in Far West, Missouri. There was a sense of excitement in the air. However, once the meeting began, the prophet called on a young Elder to “preach” in his stead.
As this young man made his way to the pulpit, he looked around and saw a look of disappointment on the faces of those in attendance. After all, they, like most early converts, wanted to hear the words of the prophet–not to a young, inexperienced elder. However, undeterred, and feeling that the prophet was inspired to call on him to speak, this young man opened his Bible and chose the second chapter of Daniel in the Old Testament as the text for his sermon.
He recounted the story of Nebuchadnezzar having a dream –one which was revealed to Daniel–a dream where the king had seen a great image –and a stone cut from the mountain without hands destroy that image–and that stone grew and filled the whole earth.
The young elder expounded on the subject for almost an hour–and gained confidence as he read and interpreted each verse. As he finished his sermon, and was about to take his seat, the prophet Joseph stood up, placed his hand on his shoulder and complemented him on his discourse. Relieved, the young man took his seat.
At this point, the prophet begins his “lost sermon” and gives a hitherto unknown interpretation of Daniel’s imagery of “a stone cut from the mountain without hands.”
Here is the original excerpt from Henry W. Bigler’s journal:
“The first Sunday I was in Far West I went to [a] meeting held in an unfurnished frame building hoping to hear the Prophet preach but how disappointed I was when he called a beardless boy to the stand to preach — but I soon found there was preach in him. He took a text in the second chapter of Daniel and when he concluded the Prophet got up and complemented the young Elder but said the Prophet,”I will correct the idea in regard to the little stone rolling forward–that is not so, it is stationary like a grindstone. And like a grindstone it revolves (Joseph made a circular motion with his hands) and said that when the Elders went abroad preaching the gospel and people believed and obeyed the gospel and became believers in the Book of Mormon, they were added to the little stone–thus they gathered around it so that it grew larger and larger until it had already began to pinch the toes of the image–and it [the stone] would finally break it [the image] in pieces and be carried away like the chaff of the summer thrashing floor while the stone kep[t] growing until it filled the whole earth.”
The discovery of this “lost sermon” by Joseph Smith, although brief, with its previously unknown interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream–gives me an even greater appreciation for, Joseph Smith, the prophet of the restoration.
I will continue with the fascinating saga of Henry W. Bigler in future articles. His journal will be on display June 19-20, 2015 at the “American History Museum” at Zion’s Mercantile at The Shops at the Riverwoods, 4801 N. University Ave., Provo, UT 84604. Call 801-802-6064 for more information. This event is free to the public.
Reid N. Moon is the owner of Moon’s Rare Books in Provo, Utah. He and his wife Melanie and their four younger children live in Allen, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). Brother Moon teaches Sunday School in the Allen 4th Ward. They plan to move to Provo, Utah this summer.
John CourtrightMay 29, 2015
Henry W. Bigler was my great-grandfather on my mother's side. I copied, several years ago, his marvelous journal which the Church had put on microfilm. My mother remembers when, in the 20's or 30's, either the Smithsonian or some other group (she could not remember) came to the old house is SLC and "bought' his original diary. Henry was a quiet giant who joined the Church in about 1836 in what is now West Virginia. He,his father and brothers traveled west to Missouri following the Saints, to Nauvoo, and on with the Mormon Battalion to California. He was one of the four battalion members working at Sutter's Mill when Marshall discovered gold. It is from his diary that the correct date and circumstances of the discovery were revealed. He served 4 missions to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) and never got to SLC until into the 1850"s due to the first mission. His last two decades were spent working in the Temple in St. George where my grandmother Eleanor Bigler (later Eleanor Bigler Heppler) was born in 1880. Henry was a stalwart saint, a champion journal keeper, and a man who knew and loved all the prophets from Joseph through Lorenzo Snow, president when Henry died in 1900. I live in Nampa, ID and can be contacted by Bigler relatives at 208-230-4209.
Maree N.May 27, 2015
Bro Moon, I see that you plan to show this journal in Provo. I am a descendant of Henry W. Bigler. Will you show this journal in any other locations? California? I would love to see it.