day while reading in his Testament he came to the fifth verse in the first
chapter of James, which reads as follows:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all
men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

This was just the thing. God had surely led him to read that verse. Joseph
certainly lacked wisdom, and here was a way to find out what he wanted to
know about the sects. The Lord would tell him. All he had to do was to ask.
How simple it was!

On a beautiful morning in the spring of the year 1820, Joseph decided to
ask the Lord for wisdom. He went out into a grove near his father's house,
and after looking around to make sure that he was alone, he kneeled down on
the grass under the trees and began to pray. No sooner had he begun than
some awful power which he could not see took hold of him and made it nearly
impossible for him to speak. It soon became dark around the boy, and Joseph
thought the unseen power would kill him; but he struggled hard and tried to
pray to God for help.

Just at that moment Joseph saw a great light coming down from above, and
then the evil power left him. The light was brighter than the sun, and as
it came down and touched the tops of the trees, Joseph wondered why it did
not burn them. Then it shone all around him, and in the light, standing in
the air above him, he saw two persons who looked like men, only they were
shining with a glory that can not be described. One of them, pointing to
the other, said to the boy:

"_Joseph, this is my Beloved Son; hear him_."