Praise to the Man, which covers the years 1841 - 1844, is the sixth volume in Gerald N. Lund's The Work and the Glory series.
Dedication[]
To Jewell G. Lund
(1910-1995)
He was a man who considered himself un-educated but who loved truth and sought for it all of his days. He was a man who never lost his love for learning. He was a man who never faltered in the quest to improve his understanding of the world, the people who inhabit it, and most important, the God who rules us all.
It was from him that I first learned about the greatness of God's work and glory. It was at his feet that I first gained a testimony of the greatness of the Prophet Joseph Smith. And it was from him that I learned that truth is of such inestimable value that it is worth a life-time of searching.
Book Description[]
Written with a dramatic intensity and an eye for historical detail that thousands of readers have come to appreciate in previous volumes, Praise to the Man follows the story of the restored Church and of the fictional Steed family from the summer of 1841 to the summer of 1844. Several momentous events take place during this period in Church history: Nauvoo becomes a well-established city; the Relief Society is founded; the endowment is administered for the first time in this dispensation; Joseph Smith becomes a candidate for president of the United States; he delivers his monumental King Follett Discourse. Meanwhile, however, dark forces outside as well as inside the Church are at work to destroy Joseph and the Restoration cause. Before the story ends, the powers of evil will have swept across the Church, taking out some in very high places, making numerous others waver, and taking Joseph and his brother Hyrum to their date with destiny in a town called Carthage.
Woven throughout these events are the lives of the Steeds. As Joshua sees the Mormons gaining more influence with his wife and children, his patience finally reaches the breaking point. Will must resolve his feelings for Jenny Pottsworth and his desire to know if the Church is true. New hope is born in Jessica's life when she is offered a new teaching position. Mary Ann and other Steed women participate in the beginnings of the Relief Society. But before long, whisperings reach the ears of some of the Steeds about curious teachings and practices going on in Nauvoo — specifically it is rumored that God may have restored the ancient practice of plural marriage. How will they respond when they find out that at least some of the rumors are true? The issue becomes a trial of faith that shakes the Steed family to its very roots.
At the center of this volume are the final days of the life and mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Though heart-wrenching in its depiction of the Prophet's last hours on earth, this book inspires admiration and affection for "the man who communed with Jehovah" and will fill readers with anticipation for that glorious time when, in the words of the hymn, "millions shall know 'Brother Joseph' again."
Trivia[]
- The book title refers to the hymn "Praise to the Man", which was written by William W. Phelps.
Gallery[]
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