Doctrine and Covenants 19

President Dallin H. Oaks:

“Having a special interest in Martin Harris, I have been saddened at how he is remembered by most Church members. He deserves better than to be remembered solely as the man who unrighteously obtained and then lost the initial manuscript pages of the Book of Mormon …

“One of Martin Harris’s greatest contributions to the Church, for which he should be honored for all time, was his financing the publication of the Book of Mormon. In August 1829 he mortgaged his home and farm to Egbert B. Grandin to secure payment on the printer’s contract. Seven months later, the 5,000 copies of the first printing of the Book of Mormon were completed. Later, when the mortgage note fell due, the home and a portion of the farm were sold for $3,000. In this way, Martin Harris was obedient to the Lord’s revelation:

“‘Thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon. …

“‘Pay the debt thou hast contracted with the printer. Release thyself from bondage’ (D&C 19:26, 35)” (“The Witness: Martin Harris,” Ensign, May 1999, 36).

Doctrine and Covenants 19

Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter:

“None of the early residents of Palmyra, with the exception of the Smith family, ‘received so many rebuffs’ and endured ‘so many unfeeling comments’ from near neighbors as Martin did. Let it be remembered that no other early believer in the Restoration contributed more financial support to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon than Martin. Without his willingness to meet the publisher’s financial requirements, the printing of the Book of Mormon would have been delayed if not postponed for an indeterminate season. … The financial support of Martin Harris, too often forgotten in the abyss of history and the personal struggles of the man, was very significant. Martin was raised up to help a prophet of God secure the first publication of the Restoration, and he fulfilled that important role at great personal cost” ( “For the Sum of Three Thousand Dollars,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, vol. 14, no. 2 [2005], 11).

Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19

Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

“We will end up either choosing Christ’s manner of living or His manner of suffering! It is either ‘suffer even as I’ (D&C 19:16–17), or overcome ‘even as [He] … overcame (Revelation 3:21)” (“Overcome … Even As I Also Overcame,” Ensign, May 1987, 72).

Doctrine and Covenants 19:2, 19

Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

“The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!” (“Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father,” Ensign,Nov. 1995, 24).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

“The thing Christ seems most anxious to stress about His mission—beyond the personal virtues and beyond the magnificent sermons and even beyond the healing, is that He submitted His will to the will of the Father” (“Therefore, What?” [address to CES religious educators, Aug. 8, 2000], 8, LDS.org).

Doctrine and Covenants 19:6, 11–12

President J. Reuben Clark:

“When the Lord comes to give us our reward … and our punishment, I feel that [the Savior] will give that punishment which is the very least that our transgression will justify. I believe that he will bring into his justice all of the infinite love and blessing and mercy and kindness and understanding which he has. …

“And on the other hand, I believe that when it comes to making the rewards for our good conduct, he will give us the maximum that it is possible to give, having in mind the offense which we have committed” (“As Ye Sow … ,” Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [May 3, 1955], 7).

President Joseph Fielding Smith:

“We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants that eternal punishment, or everlasting punishment, does not mean that a man condemned will endure this punishment forever. … When a man pays the penalty of his misdeeds and humbly repents, receiving the gospel, he comes out of the prison house and is assigned to some degree of glory according to his worth and merit” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–1956], 2:160).

Elder James E. Talmage:

“‘Eternal punishment’ … does not mean that the individual sufferer or sinner is to be eternally and everlastingly made to endure and suffer. No man will be kept in hell longer than is necessary to bring him to a fitness for something better. When he reaches that stage the prison doors will open and there will be rejoicing among the hosts who welcome him into a better state” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1930, 97; see also Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, 2nd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2001], 37).

Doctrine and Covenants 19:20

President Henry B. Eyring:

“If you have difficulty in feeling the Holy Ghost, you might wisely ponder whether there is anything for which you need to repent and receive forgiveness” (“Gifts of the Spirit for Hard Times,” Ensign or Liahona, June 2007, 23).

Doctrine and Covenants 19:33

President Russell M. Nelson:

“[You] will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery. To prepare to meet God, one keeps all of His commandments” (“Face the Future with Faith,” Ensignor Liahona, May 2011, 34).

President Harold B. Lee:

“The safety of the church lies in the members keeping the commandments. … As they keep the commandments, blessings will come” (Stephen W. Gibson, “Presidency Meets the Press,” Church News, July 15, 1972, 3).

Elder Bruce A. Carlson:

“When we choose to disobey a commandment, it is usually because (1) we have convinced ourselves that the commandment does not apply to us; (2) we do not believe that it is important; or (3) we are certain that it is too difficult to obey” (“When the Lord Commands,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 38).

Doctrine and Covenants 19:34

Martin Harris was faithful to the Lord’s instructions in Doctrine and Covenants 19 and did impart freely of his property to finance the printing of the Book of Mormon. Martin Harris owned approximately 231 acres of quality farmland. He had previously deeded 80 acres to his wife Lucy Harris, leaving about 151 acres under his control. In August 1829 Martin mortgaged those 151 acres to the printer Egbert B. Grandin as payment for the $3,000 cost of printing the Book of Mormon. When the mortgage was signed, E. B. Grandin considered himself paid in full and immediately began work on printing the book.

According to the terms of the 18-month mortgage, Martin Harris was not required to make regular payments and he was entitled to remain on the land. He also retained the option to sell the property at any time and use the proceeds to pay E. B. Grandin the $3,000 owed him. E. B. Grandin had the right to sell the property or assign the mortgage note to someone else at any time during the term of the mortgage. In October 1830, E. B. Grandin sold the mortgage note to Thomas Rogers, who later sold the property to Thomas Lakey. Since E. B. Grandin had the ability to sell the mortgage at any time, his investment was secure from the moment the note was signed. Thus, Martin Harris’s mortgage essentially paid for the costs of printing the Book of Mormon from the beginning of the publication process. (See Documents, Volume 1: July 1828–June 1831,vol. 1 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers [2012], 86–89.)

Doctrine and Covenants 19:36–41

President Thomas S. Monson:

“Born in poverty but nurtured in faith, Jose [Garcia] prepared for a mission call. I was present the day his recommendation was received. There appeared the statement: ‘Brother Garcia will serve at great sacrifice to his family, for he is the means of much of the family support. He has but one possession—a treasured stamp collection—which he is willing to sell, if necessary, to help finance his mission.’

“President [Spencer W.] Kimball listened attentively as this statement was read to him, and then he responded: ‘Have him sell his stamp collection. Such sacrifice will be to him a blessing.’”

“Then, with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, this loving prophet said, ‘Each month at Church headquarters we receive thousands of letters from all parts of the world. See that we save these stamps and provide them to Jose at the conclusion of his mission. He will have, without cost, the finest stamp collection of any young man in Mexico’” (“Profiles of Faith,”Ensign, Nov. 1978, 56).