Description

“This is the Spirit of Understanding”

Benjamin Brown was born September 30, 1794, in Queensbury, New York, the son of Asa and Sarah Moon Brown. Benjamin grew up a lad with little opportunity for education but with a simple trusting faith in the Lord and the Holy Bible. So pure was his childhood faith, that he said, “I can remember many times, on occasions of sickness among my relatives, while yet quite a boy, retiring to some barn or other convenient place of the kind, and their being suddenly restored to health in answer to prayers offered there, by me, in their behalf.”

But then as the years passed, the boy came into contact with the sectarian churches of the day and their convoluted and conflicting interpretations of the scriptures and before long, the Bible that had once been pure and simple, became, he said, “a perfect mystery.” His simple faith was shaken and doubt and confusion took its place.

In time, Benjamin married and settled on a small farm of his own. More years passed and then one day he came in from a hard day of work and after eating supper sat down by the fire. Suddenly, in the midst of his musings, a vision was opened to his mind. He saw his brother who had died years before in the act of earnest prayer. Benjamin “heard his voice clearly and distinctly and listened attentively.” He heard his brother speak of the great latter-day work to be done on the earth before the Savior came, the gifts of the Spirit that would be poured out, the great work of the gathering of Israel, and other things that would make sense to Benjamin only later. He heard his brother pray “for the hastening of these things.”

Benjamin continued, “soon he disappeared from my view, a sound, as of a rushing mighty wind, with some accompanying influence seemed to fill the house and myself and I heard a voice saying: ‘This is the spirit of understanding.’ An open Bible appeared before me, so peculiarly placed, that I could see portions of several books of the prophets and apostles at once.” He said, “I began to read, understanding and intelligence burst upon my mind, and the glory and beauty that seemed to shine forth…no language can describe.”

His mind was opened. He saw and comprehended the scriptures as he never had before. He was able to read and understand whole chapters in the time it would take to read a single verse. With the rapidity of lightning” doctrines of the Almighty were revealed to him along with supporting passages from the writings of various prophets and apostles on each subject. “I never before saw such connection between the scriptures.” He knew and comprehended “that each and all of those men were inspired by the same spirit and had a distinct knowledge of the same grand events and glorious truths, particularly those which I had heard my brother pray about.” It was, he said, as though he saw “the whole at a glance, brought as it were to a focus.”

Just then his wife called out to him and the vision closed, but for some time after, he said, “the joy and peace with which my spirit was filled remained with me, and I glorified God.”

The vision closed but Benjamin knew as he had never known before the Spirit of understanding by which the scriptures were written, and are to be read, that the Holy Bible was true, and that the prophets and apostles of God were one in doctrine, principle, and power. And yet, it would be five more years before Benjamin Brown, the farmer, would be led to that Church that embodied all the doctrine, gifts, and powers of the Holy Spirit his brother had prayed for.

Sources:

https://books.google.com/books?id=WjMEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA36&lpg=PA36&dq=%22as+I+found+it+stated+that+the+three+Nephites+had+power+to+show+themselves%22&source=bl&ots=z_KqorN1mZ&sig=bfPtpcyckwL-dFzaUD1Rk2bxadM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwje7Oa__YjaAhURy2MKHYBMCWEQ6AEIMDAC%23v=onepage&q&f=false#v=onepage&q=%22as%20I%20found%20it%20stated%20that%20the%20three%20Nephites%20had%20power%20to%20show%20themselves%22&f=false
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWJP-QTH