The Testimony of Eight Witnesses

1st Paragraph - "...bear record with words of soberness..."
It must have been a tough time to live in.  There were detractors and mobs, and people who didn't believe what they had to say.  Still, they bore record of something that may have sounded crazy because they knew that it was true.  It's up to us to be witnesses of the truth, even if sometimes the world may look at us and think that we're crazy.


1st Paragraph - "...for we have seen and hefted..."
I was able to hold a model set of Gold Plates - created based on the descriptions of these witnesses and others - and it took quite a bit of "hefting" to lift them up!  They are not very light, even though they were probably made from an alloy and wasn't solid gold.  It impresses me that Joseph Smith was able to out run attackers and subdue them while carrying the plates.  He did what he was commanded to do.  Sometimes we may think that our own burden is heavy, but with help from the Atonement and grace of God, we can bear our burdens admirably.


1st Paragraph - "...and we give our names to the world..."
I find it interesting that often we don't question the existence of something until we can't see it...sometimes even after having seen it!  A lot of people question the existence of the gold plates.  I'm sure in a few generations a lot of people would question the existence of these eight witnesses themselves. Many question the Bible.  This is part of the trial of faith that we have on this earth.  It helps us to learn the faith and trust and hope that we need to come unto Christ and receive exaltation.