3. _How the "Smaller Plates" of Nephi came to be attached to Mormon's Abridgment_.--We have already said that the first 157 pages of the Book of Mormon were not a part of Mormon's abridgment. Those pages are a verbatim translation of the "smaller plates" of Nephi, and became connected with Mormon's abridgment in this manner: Mormon had abridged the "larger plates" of Nephi as far as the reign of King Benjamin, and in searching through the records which had been delivered to him, he found the "smaller plates" of Nephi. They contained a brief history of events connected with the departure of Lehi and his colony from Jerusalem to their landing in America, and thence down to the reign of this King Benjamin--covering a period of about 400 years. These plates were made by Nephi, that upon them might be engraven an account of the ministry of the servants of God, among his people, together with their prophecies and teachings. They contain, in other words, an ecclesiastical history of the { 289} Nephites, while the "larger plates" of Nephi contained a political or secular history of the same people. (I Nephi ix; xix: 1-5.)
Mormon was particularly well pleased with the contents of these "smaller plates" of Nephi, because upon them had been engraven so many prophecies concerning the coming and mission of the Messiah; and instead of condensing the history recorded on them into an abridgment, he took the plates themselves and attached them to the abridgment of Nephi's "larger plates." "And I do this for a wise purpose," says Mormon; "for thus it whispereth me according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me." (Words of Mormon, page 159 N. E.) Nephi also, in speaking of these "smaller plates," says, "the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him; which purpose I know not." (I Nephi ix:5.)
4. _The Wise Purpose_.--By Mormon attaching these "smaller plates" of Nephi to his own abridgment of Nephi's "larger plates," it will be observed there was a double line of history of the Nephites for about 400 years, and the wisdom of this arrangement is seen in the following: When Joseph Smith had translated the first part of Mormon's abridgment--amounting to 116 pages of manuscript, he listened to the importunities of Martin Harris, who was giving him some assistance in the work of translating, and who desired to show that portion of the work to his friends. The result was the manuscript was stolen from Harris; the records were taken from Joseph by the angel, and for a season he lost his power to translate. After a time, however, he was permitted to go on with the work, but the Lord made it known to him that it was the design of those into whose hands the manuscript had fallen to wait until he had translated that part again, and then by changing the manuscript in their possession, would bring it forth and claim that he could not translate the same record twice alike; and thus they would seek to overthrow the work of God.